Israel - Inherent Obligation For All?

"So Rav Ehman/Rebbe/ Ally/ [whatever people choose to call me] - How is Chutz L'aretz/Shmutz La'aretz/ Galus [whatever people choose to call it]?"

My perspective is as follows: Why do I live in Israel? Because I believe that Hashem wants me to! Why did I come to America? Because I believe Hashem wants me to! So it's really the same [died in the wool Zionists will be angry with me....]!! As long as I am with Him I am in the right place.

An example from the gemara. The gemara says that Moshe Rabbeinu wanted to come to Israel to fulfill the Mitzvos dependant upon the land [mitzvos hatluyos ba'aretz] such as trumos and maasros. What about the Mitzva of living in Israel? Why didn't he want to fulfill that one??

The answer is that Hashem didn't want him to enter the land - so he didn't want to either. We only want to be in Israel because Hashem wants us to be. If He decrees otherwise then we don't want to be there either.

But I must admit - it IS pretty shmutzy here:-)! But I am trying to see all the good.

Like tzadikim.

Vi'amech koolam tzadikim!

Mass Internet Exposure

There is much talk about the problems of internet in the religious community. A thought I had as I was innocently passing by a house of ill repute in midtown Manhattan the other day: Isn't living in New York City sort of like being on-line and exposed to the depths of depravity 24/7?? So shouldn't there be a discussion about where Jews choose to live? All the shmutz on the internet is EVERYWHERE! You can't take the subway or a taxi [with its tv screen] without being "farshmutzed".

So sweetest friends - a blog on mevakesh will not trigger a mass aliyah to Kiryat Sefer. My message is KEDOSHIIIIM TIHIYU! BEEEEEE HOOOIIIILLLYYYYYY! THAT - is the task of our epoch.

Love and blessings:-).

The passing of a Chassidic Professor here.

And check this out.

Chase Depth

PLEASE be warmed by the fires of our beloved chosson's Torah!

DRUMROLL... TZVIIIIIIIIIIII MOSHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

The Smile

It doesn't cost anything, but it's worth a fortune

It enriches the receiver, while not impoverishing the giver

There is no person so strong who can exist without it

There is no person so powerful For whom a smile will not add

There are some tired people that in order to enable them to smile at you SMILE AT THEM

Because - There is no person who is in need of a smile as much as a person who is unable to smile.

AYYYYYYYYY SWEETEST FRIENDS! SOOOOOOO many people in this country!! That means limitless opportunities to smile at someone... Walk down the street with a smile. See how it feels!

Vi'hevei mikabel es kol ha'odom bi'sever ponim yafos!!

Looking For Kedusha In The Medina Famous For Its Gold

I have been cut off from internet for the last week which means among other things that I have been cut off from internet for the last week. It also meant that I wasn't able to post or reply to emails. APOLOGIES!!

Well, I am back in New York. The official reason is fundraising but I don't like fundraising - to say the least. It's sort of like going to the dentist. I have to do it but I try to avoid it as much as possible. So I am trying to avoid anything financial and trying to focus on what my soul craves, namely Torah and Jewish people [although I have been trying to make friends with goyim too. Kee! Yes, Bitzelem Elokim bara es ha'adam!!]. Thankfully I have found some like minded people. There is hope for America! The spirit thrives!! GEVALDIK!!

Thus far I have had the privilege of speaking at the Torah Home of Reb Michael, Cara and Tuvia [all two weeks of him! A huge mazel toov!] Shapiro to a group of nashim tzikoniyos! So thanks to the Shapiros for hosting and organizing and to all of those who came. You should all be like Sara Rivka Rochel and Leah [with their holiness but without their tzaros!!].

I then went to Landers College and learned with the tzadikim there. Thanks to all those who came and especially to Yosef Hatzadik Dauber, Mimone Hakadosh Mammane [forgive the misspelling] and Yosef Hatzadik Wilcox for organizing.

On Shabbos, Rabbi Shaul Robinson kindly invited me to speak at shaleshudos at Lincoln Square Synagogue. Thanks to him and all those who came.

Tonight I made my way up to Washington Heights where we had a chug with the tzaddikim at Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan. A special thanks to Yair Ha'ahuv Hillman for organizing and to Yair and Yaakov Hakadosh Brent and Ilan Hagavoa Bitzidkus Casper for opening up their apartment and preparing kugel [which it was noted shares the same gemtria as my first name]. I thank everybody who came.

I apologize to anyone I left out.

Every person is an olam malei - an entire world and hence I have a special simcha upon seeing every person. So I again thank you ALLLL from the depths of my heart for coming to the aforementioned places. You are all special to me.

Plus between all of these gatherings and my own learning I have been too busy to think too much about the fundraising.

And that is the BEST part!!!:-)

Love and blessings!!

My cell phone number is 646-413-4411. Pretty soon I will figure out how to allow people to leave messages... It's a new toy. Never bought a cell phone before. WELCOME TO THE 21ST CENTURY REB AL!!

Vayeitzei: How Dreams Become Reality

Parshat Vayeitzei is the only parsha in the Torah that has no breaks that typically divide the parsha into somewhat separate events or themes (technically known as petuchot and stumot). Mrs. Shira Smiles suggests that this tells us that our parsha must be read and understood on a holistic level- understanding how the beginning, end, and everything in between come to teach us a most valuable lesson. We can start to appreciate this lesson by looking at the opening and the conclusion – as we find two parallel scenes in which Yaakov encounters an angel of Gd. What is the message of these seemingly deliberate bookending scenes?

Rav Aharon Lichtenstein points out that though the experiences of seeing the angels might be similar, the personality of Yaakov is dramatically different at the start of the parsha than at the end.

In the earlier scene, Yaakov has just come from 14 years of learning Torah in what was the first “Yeshiva” in our history – completely immersed in learning about Hashem and how to relate to the Divine. By the end of the parsha, Yaakov has been in the “real world” for over 20 years – he has been tricked to marry the wrong woman, forced to work for his father in law, and ultimately forced to flee from his father-in-law. Despite the harshness of his reality and the challenges he faced, Rav Lichtenstein points out, Yaakov does not lose the ability to dream – his life experience and maturity did not rob him of his hopes, his dreams, his faith and his spiritual essence.

Often times we think of steadfast faith and unquestionable faith as naïve or young-minded. What we learn from Yaakov is just the opposite –the more mature he became, the more real-life struggles he had to live through, the stronger his faith became.We see perhaps the turning point in which Yaakov learned this lesson himself when he awakens from his first dream of the angels and he proclaims: “Indeed, God is in this place and I did not know it" (28:16). Yaakov realized that Hashem is not found exclusively in the Beis Midrash, but Hashem is also found in a most intimate way in our day-to-day lives.

Yaakov not only maintained his spiritual purity, but throughout his years in personal exile he strengthened his beliefs, ideals, and spiritual aspirations. We see this most poignantly in the latter scene, in which Yaakov does not dream of the angel but actually sees the angel – signifying a higher level of clarity of the Divine presence in his life.

Though we often think that if we lived a life without challenges we would have steadfast faith in Hashem, we learn from Yaakov that sometimes being confronted with challenging situations can actually strengthen us in unparalleled ways. We learn also that perhaps the key to overcoming the challenges is to believe that you can and that you will. And so, I hope we can all learn the lesson from Yaakov that no matter what life’s challenges come our way, we continue to have faith in ourselves and keep dreaming of a brighter tomorrow. And, like Yaakov Avinu who never stopped dreaming and believing, may all of our dreams become a reality. Shabbat Shalom, Taly