Exodus Magazine - January 2022

think! again.

10 20 18

5 | JEWISH SOUL

Heeding the Cry of a Child

The Alter Rebbe admonished his son: “No matter how engrossed one may be in the loftiest occupation, one must never remain insensitive to the cry of a child.”

— From the Rebbe's letters

6 |

MADE YOU THINK

Music and Transformation

While words carry meaning downwards into the minds of sages and the lips of prophets to inscribe them upon human hearts, song carries the soul upwards.

—

by Tzvi Freeman

7 | JEWISH THOUGHT

The Spirituality of Song

There is something profoundly spiritual about music. When language aspires to the transcendent, and the soul longs to break free of the gravitational pull of the earth, it modulates into song.

—

by Jonathan Sacks

10 | LIFE ON EARTH Music as Soul Transportation

What gives music its power? How does it have the ability to transport us to another time and place? To lift a broken spirit? To bring a tear to a happy soul?

— by Simon Jacobson

18 | PERSPECTIVES

Kabbalah and Education

Growth proceeds through the two phases of inspiration and integration. First there is the awakening to a new realm of possibilities and then there is the effort to build these insights into everyday reality/experience.

— by Yitzchak Ginsburgh

20 | PERSPECTIVES

Fooling Ourselves

It seems as if half the people think one way, the other half think the opposite, with a clear line between them – those who are right and those who are wrong. What happened to the nuances?

— by Yoseph Janowski

editorial jewish soul made you think jewish thought life on earth ask the rabbi our community simchas perspectives marketplace memorials

4 5 6 7 10 12 13 17 18 21 24

There are words of speech and words of thought. Words of thought have more meaning. If we could tune into each other’s words of thought, it would be very enlightening (although not necessarily in things we want to be enlightened about).

Words of speech, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch said, reveal to others but hide your own self. Words of thought hide from others, but reveal yourself.

Words of thought glow with light. Yet words of speech are more powerful. In the Kabbalah, they are Leah (thought) and Rachel (speech). And, as the story goes, “Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.” And so we find in the Zohar, “Words of thought accomplish nothing. Words of speech climb above and have an effect.”

But then, there is another kind of word which wins on all counts. A kind of word that speaks to others and speaks to you as well, without compromise. A word where speech and thought fuse as one. And those words are the words of song.

No, no, I don’t mean words that are sung. I mean the words that music speaks

on its own. The nuances and motifs of every melody. Those, too, have the quality of words: they are sequential, and the sequence is crucial. They communicate. And they emerge naturally from the soul just as do words. But from a deeper place. As Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi said, “If words are the pen of the heart, song is the pen of the soul.”

The difference is that words of thought and speech carry from inside out, from up to down, from the abstract and ethereal to the tangible, defined and concrete.

Song, on the other hand, carries upwards. Song takes the discrete, defined boundaries in which we have boxed ourselves, our feelings and our ideas, and transports them upward to a place where essences are more important than their containers, and the inner oneness of things is revealed, and all merges in magnificent harmony.

So, our prayers are made of these three forms of words, and if one is missing, the prayer is incomplete. You can’t think prayers without speaking them, or speak without thinking them. And they aren’t prayers until you sing them.

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Heeding tHe Cry of a CHild

The Alter Rebbe shared his house with his oldest married son, Rabbi Dov Ber (who later succeeded him as the Mitteler Rebbe). Rabbi Dov Ber was known for his unusual power of concentration. Once, when Rabbi Dov Ber was engrossed in learning, his baby, sleeping in its cradle nearby, fell out and began to cry. The infant’s father did not hear the baby’s cries. But the infant’s grandfather, the Alter Rebbe, also engrossed in his studies in his room on the upper floor at the time, most certainly did. He interrupted his studies, went downstairs, picked the baby up, soothed it and replaced it in its cradle. Through all this Rabbi Dov Ber remained quite oblivious.

Subsequently, the Alter Rebbe admonished his son: “No matter how engrossed one may be in the loftiest occupation, one must never remain insensitive to the cry of a child.”

This story has been transmitted to us from generation to generation; I heard it from my father-in-law of saintly memory. It was handed down because of the lasting message it conveys, one which is particularly pertinent to our time. It characterizes one of the basic tenets of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement— to hearken to the cry of our distressed Jewish children.

The “child” may be an infant in years, a Jewish boy or girl of school age, fallen from the “cradle” of Torah-true Jewish education, or it may be someone who is chronologically an adult yet an “infant” insofar as Jewish life is concerned, an infant in knowledge and experience of the Jewish religion, heritage and way of life.

The souls of these Jewish “children” cry out in anguish, for they live in a spiritual void, whether they are conscious of this or feel it only subconsciously. Every Jew, no matter how preoccupied he may be with any lofty cause, must hear the cries of these Jewish children. Bringing these Jewish children back to their Jewish cradle has priority over all else.

...Every generation has its particular quality, unique to its time.

In our generation, particularly in the last few years, we are witnessing a spiritual awakening, which is being called—though those who have called it so are unaware of the true significance of the term they have coined—“a return to roots.” Regardless of how it is being currently understood, the quest to “return to roots” is, in essence, the soul’s quest for teshuvah, for reunion with its source in G-d.

We are seeing this awakening primarily among the youth, who experience everything with a greater depth and a greater intensity. Young people also have no fear of changing their lifestyle, as long as they are convinced that they are being given the truth, without compromise and equivocation.

This is particularly the case with the youth of our country. In other countries, there is a double hurdle to be overcome: first one must uproot the false ideologies that have become ingrained in certain circles also among the younger generation, and only afterward is it possible to implant the proper ideas in their minds. This is not the case in this country, where the youth is virgin soil, if only they

are given the truth in its purity. We have witnessed in practice that those who are not intimidated and present the truth without equivocation have been met with a true response among the youth.

I don’t want to be critical, but I am forced to note that, to our great misfortune, this awakening has not been utilized, thus far, by those who purport to be the leaders and spiritual guides of their communities, certainly not to the extent that it could have been utilized.

Our sages have taught that “the deed is the primary thing.” It therefore goes without saying that the purpose of my writing all this is not for the sake of discussion, but in the hope that you and your colleagues will launch a broad and spirited effort to encourage this awakening, and—most importantly—to have it translate into concrete changes in the dayto-day life of all those to whom this call can reach.

This is a matter of spiritual life and death. So, one is obliged to do all that is in one’s power, even if one sees but a small chance at success.

May the Almighty grant that our efforts should reveal and awaken the inner core of the soul within each of our brethren, which is ever faithful to G-d and is always desirous to fulfill His will. When we will each do all that is dependent upon us, with the confidence that we are acting as emissaries of the Almighty—and sound our call with words coming from the heart, which are guaranteed to enter the heart and have their desired effect—we are certain to succeed... EM

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From the Rebbe's Letters

made you think

MusiC and transforMation

Nigun (ni-gun): n., plural: nigunim, a song of the Kabbalistic/Chassidic tradition, generally without words. Considered a path to higher consciousness and transformation of being.

If words are the pen of the heart,” taught Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, “then song is the pen of the soul.” The soul’s pen, however, writes in the opposite direction from the heart’s. While words carry meaning downwards from G-d’s own primal consciousness into the minds of sages and the lips of prophets to inscribe them upon human hearts, song carries the soul upwards to be absorbed within the Infinite Light. That is why nigunim generally have no words. Words limit and define, but the nigun tears the soul beyond all bounds. Beyond words.

A tzaddik (“righteous person”) is one who has mastered the animal inside and achieved a higher state of being. In a nigun, a tzaddik encodes his soul. When we sing a nigun of a tzaddik, we connect with the innermost garments of the tzaddik’s soul, and from there come to union with the light that tzaddik has found.

That is why each note and nuance of a nigun must be precise. As the words of a sacred text, they must be learnt and repeated in perfect form. Because the tzaddik’s mind and soul are held within them.

The parts of the nigun are called “gates”— entrances from one spiritual world to a higher one. Each demands not only new breath, but a new state of consciousness. The fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom DovBer, taught, “Each gate must be repeated twice. The first time only traces a form; the second time carves deep into the soul.”

That is why a nigun must never be rushed. The pace, the silence, the mindfulness—all must be preserved in order that the nigun reach deep inside.

The holy rebbe Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch taught: “A nigun opens windows in the soul.” First there must be deep contemplation, focusing the mind upon the oneness of the cosmos and its Creator, to see that unity within each thing until it becomes more real than even your sense of self. But the contemplation may remain frozen in the realm of cold intellect. With a nigun, what is held imprisoned deep in the soul pours down into the mind, and from the mind to the heart. Meditation may enlighten the intellect, but a nigun can uplift and transform all of your being.

That is why the ancient prophets would sing and play musical instruments as they awaited the gift of prophecy. In this way they would strip themselves of the barriers of body and mind, opening themselves as channels of the Infinite Light. Not for the sake of transcendence alone, but to draw that transcendence down to earth, to awaken the hearts of humankind to the inner truths of life on earth.

“Song,” wrote the second Rebbe of Chabad, Rabbi Dovber, “lies at the core of life; its source is in the most supernal ecstasy.” And he explained:

“A river went out from Eden to water the garden . . .” (Genesis 2:10): from the source of all delight, the river of life flows downward, branching outward to each world and every created being. Each thing thirsts to rejoin with its source above, and from that yearning comes its song, and with that song it comes alive. The heavens sing, the sun, the planets and the moon; each animal, each plant, each rock has its particular song, according to how it receives life. Until the entire cosmos pulsates with a symphony of countless angels and souls and animals and plants, and even

every drop of water and molecule of air, singing the song that gives it life.

That is why a nigun brings a surge of new life and healing, sweetens the bitter soul and fills a home with light—like the songs sung by David for King Saul, which healed his bitter spirit. A song is oneness. A song turns around upon itself in a circle of oneness, until there is no beginning or end. And as the Rebbe taught, a song unites those who sing and hear it: When words are spoken, we each hear the words according to our understanding. But in song, we are all united in a single pulse and a single melody.

That is why it is said, “All the world will sing a new song,” in the messianic era coming very soon upon us—a song of the essential oneness expressed throughout our world. EM

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, a senior editor at Chabad.org, is the author of Bringing Heaven Down to Earth and more recently Wisdom to Heal the Earth. To subscribe to regular updates of Rabbi Freeman's writing or purchase his books, visit Chabad.org. Follow him on Facebook @RabbiTzviFreeman.

Tzvi Freeman

tHe spirituality of song

Jonathan Sacks

There is something profoundly spiritual about music. When language aspires to the transcendent, and the soul longs to break free of the gravitational pull of the earth, it modulates into song. Jewish history is not so much read as sung.

Many biblical texts speak of the power of music to restore the soul. When Saul was depressed, David would play for him and his spirit would be restored. David himself was known as the “sweet singer of Israel.” Elisha called for a harpist to play so that the prophetic spirit could rest upon him. The Levites sang in the Temple. Every day, in Judaism, we preface our morning prayers with Pesukei de-Zimra, the ‘Verses of Song.’ Mystics go further and speak of the song of the universe, what Pythagoras called “the music of the spheres”. This is what Psalm means when it says, “The heavens declare the glory of G-d; the skies proclaim the work of His hands . . . There is no speech, there are no words, where their voice is not heard. Their music carries throughout the earth, their words to the end of the world.” Beneath the silence, audible only to the inner ear, creation sings to its Creator.

So, when we pray, we do not read: we sing. When we engage with sacred texts, we do not recite: we chant. Every text and every time has, in Judaism, its own specific melody. There are different tunes for shacharit, mincha and maariv, the morning, afternoon and evening prayers. There are different melodies and moods for the prayers for a weekday, Shabbat, the three pilgrimage festivals, Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot (which have much musically in common but also tunes distinctive to each), and for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

There are different tunes for different texts. There is one kind of cantillation for Torah, another for the haftorah from the prophetic books, and yet another for Ketuvim, the Writings, especially the five Megillot. There is a particular chant for studying the texts of the written Torah: Mishnah and Gemarah. So by music alone we can tell what kind of day it is and what kind of text is being used. Jewish texts and times are not color-coded but music-coded. The map of holy words is written in melodies and songs.

Music has extraordinary power to evoke emotion. The Kol Nidrei prayer with which Yom Kippur begins is not really a prayer at all. It is a dry legal formula for the annulment of vows. There can be little doubt that it is its ancient, haunting melody that has given it its hold over the Jewish imagination. It is hard to hear those notes and not feel that you are in the presence of G-d on the Day of Judgment, standing in the company of Jews of all places and times as they plead with heaven for forgiveness. It is the holy of holies of the Jewish soul.

Nor can you sit on Tisha B’av reading Eichah, the book of Lamentations, with

its own unique cantillation, and not feel the tears of Jews through the ages as they suffered for their faith and wept as they remembered what they had lost, the pain as fresh as it was the day the Temple was destroyed. Words without music are like a body without a soul.

Faith is more like music than science. Science analyses, music integrates. And as music connects note to note, so faith connects episode to episode, life to life, age to age in a timeless melody that breaks into time. G-d is the composer and librettist. We are each called on to be voices in the choir, singers of G-d’s song. Faith is the ability to hear the music beneath the noise.

So music is a signal of transcendence. The philosopher and musician Roger Scruton writes that it is “an encounter with the pure subject, released from the world of objects, and moving in obedience to the laws of freedom alone.” He quotes Rilke: “Words still go softly out towards the unsayable / And music, always new, from palpitating stones / builds in useless space its G-dly home.” The history of the Jewish spirit is written in its songs.

I once watched a teacher explaining to young children the difference between a physical possession and a spiritual one. He had them build a paper model of Jerusalem. Then (this was in the days of tape-recorders) he put on a tape with a song about Jerusalem that he taught to the class. At the end of the session he did something very dramatic. He tore up the model and shredded the tape. He asked the children, “Do we still have the model?” They replied, No. “Do we still have the song?” They replied, Yes.

We lose physical possessions, but not spiritual ones. We lost the physical Moses. But we still have the song. EM

Rabbi Dr. Sir Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, was the former Chief Rabbi of the UK and the Commonwealth and a member of the House of Lords. He was a leading academic and respected world expert on Judaism. He was the author of several books and thousands of articles, appeared regularly on television and radio, and spoke at engagements around the world.

nigHt of tHe rigHteous

Meir Michel Abehsera

It is a prevalent custom among observant Jews to gather on Saturday night, singing and dancing and telling stories until dawn. We extend the Shabbat that has technically passed, carrying some of its holiness with us into days of the week, the realm of the profane. It is the ideal time to speak about the righteous (in Hebrew, "tzadikim"). Any story or anecdote about them is a Shabbat in itself, a rest-stop for the Jew who is preparing to confront the weekdays. It is a place of transition where the mind is given ample time to ready itself for the mundane.

The spiritual forces of darkness have been starving during the entire length of the Shabbat. Therefore, you can only expect that as soon as Shabbat draws to its end, these forces will reach out to devour the defenseless. They lie in wait by the doors of every house of prayer and grabs congregants by the dozen. One bite from the beast, and they are infused with an acute sense of the Saturday night blues.

Saturday night is a most sacred time, when exile is boxed in by redemption. It is a time when the nourishment of the spirit is most varied, when all duality is resolved. Intelligence is heightened, and everyone who celebrates the occasion is instantly wise. Doubts wane. Impossible questions are easily answered. The night exhausts itself, depositing a block of resolutions.

It is the night when the true face of the Jew emerges. The subtle mixture of light and darkness gives a brightly hued, vibrant luminosity to the ambient air in which the face reveals ancient wisdom. The image is somewhat grainy, because neither light nor darkness is yet settled in their respective vessels. But in their eager jockeying for position, in that play of volatile contrasts, the true face is exposed.

Shabbat bathes the Jew in a bright and homogenous light which is not necessarily conducive to revelations of individual character. Shabbat is much too full, and therefore permits no contrast. Shabbat is the reservoir, not the conduit. It is contained within specific limits which allow no explosions to occur. Saturday night's light however, flickers relentlessly. It is a

black fire whose pulsating luminescence disturbs and disperses the obtrusive layers that camouflage the soul. The Jew is never more conscious of his mission than during these hours. It is on this night that the world was created and on the very same night that light was made. Now, light is again renewed through our actions. As Shabbat draws to its end, and the obscurity of night begins to cover us with its black mantle, we burn a braided candle, whose variegated and animated flame rekindles the light of Creation.

Our holy masters say that the feeling of sadness we experience at Shabbat's end is caused by our subconscious sense of the primordial Shattering of the Vessels - that timeless, spaceless juncture in the history of Creation when the divine light fell into the lower worlds. We are given a taste of that decline. The light of Shabbat has flown back to its nest, and we search for it within. Some mystical writings compare that departure of the light to a deer fleeting from its pursuer, running with its head tilted under and to the side, staring back into your eyes. In that

look of the deer, as the light recedes swiftly in the distance, we are given to retroactively appreciate the hidden reality of Shabbat.

It is said that at the beginning of Creation - meaning on Saturday night - the vessels prepared to hold the infinite light of Creation broke. On that same night, the repair of the vessels also began. Thus, we can only assume that there is no more opportune time to repair our own. Darkness was formed when work was left undone. The mundane week lies before us like an open abyss, auguring a reprise of that tragedy. The abyss beckons, and its pull is far out of proportion to our fragilities. The disparity is the main cause of Saturday night melancholia. The threat is real.

The threat is so real in fact, that one cannot possibly remain insensitive to it, since all of us descend from Adam, who was the first to experience the fall. It is said that upon seeing the sun set for the first time, he experienced a great anguish, certain that darkness had settled on the world because of his sin. That very same night, he took two stones and struck them one against

the other until sparks flew. Though such a simple act seemed to hold little promise of transcendence, it was, in fact, the initial stroke that impelled him to return to the Garden of Eden. Poor though it may have been, the light of the fire gave him comfort, and so he blessed it. The memory of that past makes of Saturday night a most opportune time for new beginnings. Anticipation of something new happening is never so great, which is the reason why this night is known as the "Night of the Redeemer".

According to tradition, the Redeemer (Moshiach) will reveal himself in the wink of an eye, even when all the signs and estimations will concur to proclaim his coming. He will surprise everyone, wicked or wise, and also the cautious, those who prefer not to speak about him, from fear of exacerbating other's skepticism, or from taking the risk of spoiling the suspense of his coming. Above all, he will most likely surprise those who think and speak of him constantly, even those who serve him. In accordance with that, we are left with no other alternative than to opt for the obvious.

The Redeemer will surprise primarily those who expect him the most - as a mother is surprised by the presence of her child, the same with couples, or true friends - for the simple reason that true surprise hits more strongly those who have much life in them. Others, who have less, will most likely find it hard to reach enthusiastically to the news. It is precisely in such an atmosphere of anticipation - namely, that we could at any moment be taken unaware by something already known - that past faults can be corrected. If folly so treacherously intrudes inside us, to have us commit an error, it is perfectly sensible, therefore, to utilize such means which would take the intruder by surprise. What better scheme is there than to confront the faults during moments that seem so uncertain as to confound them? Being that a fault is, on the whole, of an accidental nature, it is logical that it be exposed to an atmosphere that suits its character. Saturday night's incomplete light makes it an ideal host. No judgment is passed.

But take heed. Don't be so readily fooled by such a display of leniency. The diminished light does not indicate some sort of deficiency or weakness. In truth, the reason why the light has dimmed is because it has traveled a distance to gather momentum, before coming back with a force that renews Creation. Kabbala calls such a light "Or Chozer", "Returning Light". It comes to wake us up from sleep. It says, "Where were you while I was there in your midst? I was a willing guest and you were such a distracted host." It is Shabbat speaking. Distance makes it talk; it has divested itself of its clothing of effervescent gold, and donned a humbler robe to travel lightly.

As the night advances, our faults change aspect. The deeds that are performed for selfish gain are released from bondage. There is no visible trace of corruption in any of them. This occurs because the night makes us more compassionate on ourselves. Or else it is making us so wise that we can discern some of the workings of redemption. In any event, the fact is that at such times, faults greatly contribute to enriching the

atmosphere, while the night kindly obliges by returning the favor with a gift all its own. It broadens the scope of each fault as far as the twilight of Creation. There the fault becomes deed, the instant it re-enters its original mold. You can imagine how much such a moment of good-will can benefit anyone, stranger or friend. What appears to him most improbable will resolve itself in the warmth of companionship. His faults experience a loss of identity. They have become new entities altogether. They are enriching reality. The interaction between each fault and the specific hour of the night, formulates the mode of the celebration at hand.

On Saturday night, it is quite visible that the guests experience change the moment they enter the house. However, no transmutation will really begin to take place before the food is served. The animation of the voices generates enough warmth to fecundate the most sterile of thought. The multitude of bodies produces more than enough pressure to wring out bothersome ruminations. The heart is jolted by Chassidic chanting. Music, which usually follows, tears all worries apart. But nothing appears more catalyzing than dance, when every remnant of pain - that of dancer and onlookers alike - is shaken off with each change of cadence. The highlight of the celebration, however, will take place in the calm before dawn, when most people have left. By then everyone in weary. Words are few and the movements slow. Silence prevails in spite of the resonance of voices or the fracas of pots being washed. Not even the dissonant chords played by dilettante musicians are able to disrupt the quiescence of the moment. At this stage, incidental noises are put at the service of silence to give it a new depth. Thus nested, thought is given to witness how the passing of time has fulfilled the night's promises - the cycle of transmutations is virtually completed - and that subsequently, the slowest of metabolism has benefited as well. At any moment, all this abundance of human exchange ignites time, which shoots back far into the past, to redeem it. The past, in turn, redeems the present. Creation has just begun. EM

MusiC as soul transportation

Simon Jacobson

What gives music its power? How does it have the ability to transport us to another time and place? To lift a broken spirit? To bring a tear to a happy soul? Why does a song have the capacity to reach the depths of our heart, bring old memories alive, awaken our deepest aspirations and naturally cause us to dance to its beat?

What type of language is this language of song, and where did it originate? We learn the spoken language at home and at school. But who taught us how to sing?

What is the soul of song?

The mystics explain it this way:

How do souls travel? Bodies move about on legs or in vehicles. But what moves a soul? A soul doesn’t have legs and cannot be contained in an automobile or other vehicle. What carries our souls from one place to another?

The Kabbalah offers a fascinating answer: The only way a soul can move about is through a song. Without song the soul remains stuck in one place.

In the Holy Temple in Jerusalem there were fifteen steps corresponding to the fifteen Shir HaMaalos (song of ascents) in the book of Psalms (120-135), which the Levites would sing as they stood on the steps. In order to climb from one step to the next a song had to be sung.

In our material world we can convince ourselves that we are mobile – movers and shakers – even if our souls never budge an inch. There are people who chalk up millions of frequent flyer miles, others who move around in all the high circles, and yet others who are climbing the corporate ladder. But are they truly moving? Their bodies may be traveling places, but are their souls in flight? Then there are people who perhaps sit in the same place, praying or meditating, but spiritually they are moving millions of miles.

But in the spiritually intact Holy Temple, where spirit met matter and the physical was seamlessly aligned with its inner purpose, you simply could not move from one step to the next unless your soul was lifted through song.

Why do songs have this power? Because they are the language of the Divine.

A parable: When G-d created the universe, He consulted the angels: “Should I bestow upon the human

race the gift of music?” The elitist angels unanimously replied with a resounding “no.” “The human race will not appreciate the sublime power of melody. They will abuse and commercialize it. They won’t know how to appreciate angelic, divine nature of song.

“Give us your gift of music,” the angels said, “and we will sing Your praises, we will sing Your songs. We will know how to use the power of melody to reach great spiritual heights.”

G-d considered their opinion, but then overruled them. “No. I will give the gift of music to humans. Because I want them to have something to remember Me with.

“Sometimes life will be difficult. In such times the pressures can be overbearing. Man can feel depressed and hopeless. I therefore want them to have song to remind them, that even you’re stuck in the dire straits of material existence, even when you are experiencing existential loneliness and “quiet desperation,” you can break out in song, which will lift your spirits.

“Sometimes life will be comfortable, too comfortable. Let man then sing to remember that there is more to life than instant gratification.

“Yes indeed,” G-d concluded, “I will give the human being My unique tongue – the language of music and song, so that he can use it to discover transcendence.”

The reason song has the ability to transport

the soul is because its true nature and the source of its power is its Divine language: Song is a dialect from another plane. If the conventional word is the language of man, music is the language of the Divine.

Songs, therefore, are the wings of the soul. They have the ability to lift our spirits to unprecedented heights. They allow us to fly; to soar away to far-away places – places that are beyond pedestrian life and mundane monotony.

Song is spiritual transportation. As one Rebbe put it: The spoken and written word is the “quill of the mind;” Music is the “quill of the heart.” If a soul looks like a flame, it sounds like a song.

Ahh, who hasn’t been drawn by the wish to just go out and sing, unfettered, unbound, to the open heavens. To get away from it all and sing away, with your hands waving free, like there is no tomorrow. To close your eyes, and allow the music to take you to unknown places beyond the anguish and pain of life’s tribulations?

This may explain the compelling power of music in the last 50 years. Why youth today are drawn to music – in ways that are unprecedented in history. Being a language of the soul, music fills the deep spiritual void left by corrupt or irrelevant religion and other belief systems. For good or for bad, music has become the “hymns” of today’s souls and concerts their cathedrals. Starting back in the

50’s music represented the voice of rebellion, the expression of individuality, the challenge to the status-quo of the conformist “man in the grey flannel suit.” The soul found its expression in song – to free itself from the materialistic bondage of the body; a way for us to dialogue with G-d (whether we know it or not).

Unfortunately, like any powerful force, music too, untamed and unfocused, can be hijacked and turned into another hedonistic vehicle of indulgence rather than transcendence, narcissism rather than selflessness, entertainment instead of inspiration.

But at its heart song has a hold on our souls because it is ultimately Divine language – the natural language of the soul. (No accident that music is called “soul”).

Our challenge is to recognize the true nature of song’s power and the reason this gift was given to us: To allow us to touch the Divine and integrate it into our lives. Now just to listen to the pleasant harmonies and dance to its beat, but to allow the soulful language of music to refine our personalities, strengthen our commitments, connect with our higher calling, help us build healthy homes and families and illuminate each of our respective corners of the world with our unique light.

We live in a dichotomous, fragmented world. Matter and spirit compartmentalized make it terribly difficult to hear the music of our souls.

Instead, we fabricate a superficial language to maneuver in our mundane lives. Music then becomes an exotic escape to an island. In search of some relief from the quotidian, you plug in your headphones, and block out the world around you – and you soar on music’s wings. But then you have to return, and then the music dies…

In truth, however, an inner hum fills all of existence. Every creature, every molecule, every atom emits its own unique sound. Every soul pulsates and purrs. Even when the “rush hour” of our lives with all its extraneous noise drowns out the “gentle, subtle voice” within, the music continues to play (even if you’re not plugged in).

In a seamless world all our experiences would sound like a song, all our movements would look like a dance. If our insides and outsides would be aligned, we would be

singing all the time, and we wouldn’t be able to move unless we had a song to sing us along (as it was in the Temple).

Imagine: What would it be like to hear the music of the cosmos? How would it feel the song of your soul? Of other souls? How would life be different if you could generate a song at will?

Every time you experience a moment of truth – an experience that resonates – we are hearing the inner music of existence.

How do we access the music within at all times? By getting in touch with your life’s purpose, and recognizing that every moment of your day, every activity, every interaction is a spiritual opportunity. You are charged with the mission to realize each of these opportunities by ensuring that all the material gain is simply a means to express higher spiritual truths and bring more virtue into this world.

This attitude taps into the very fabric of the harmonic chords of existence, which allow us to hear the music within.

In every life experience you have two options to choose from: To serve your own needs, or to serve a higher cause. When you touch the surface of the experience it usually will result in narcissistic results. But when you tap into the inner meaning of the experience, its music will play.

In every experience we can either just ride through the experience, or we can learn to play the inner chords that release a song.

There are people in this world that turn every thing they touch into music, every thing they come into contact with into a dance. They are alive, brimming with energy. They are electric, and everything that they touch becomes electrified.

Some people deaden every thing they touch. Some people bring every thing alive.

Imagine a world in which music is playing all the time. Imagine hearing a song in every breath you take, in every step you make. Imagine a life in which every move you feel the inner rhythm. EM

Rabbi Simon Jacobson is the author of Toward a Meaningful Life: The Wisdom of the Rebbe and the director of the Meaningful Life Center (meaningfullife.com).

future tense MOSHIACH MUSINGS

A highlight of the Temple service was the Levites’ song and music, which would accompany some of the services.

In fact, the Book of Psalms is replete with songs that were traditionally sung in the Holy Temple by the Levites.

The Levites would sing when wine libations were poured on the altar to accompany the communal burnt offerings (i.e., the daily offerings and the special offerings brought on Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh and holidays), and the peace offerings brought on Shavuot.

They would also sing Hallel during the offering of the Paschal lamb, during Simchat Beit Hashoeva (the drawing of the water ceremony) on Sukkot, and when the bikkurim (first fruits) were brought.

Most are of the opinion that the Levites would only sing during communal offerings. Some are of the opinion (based on the Zohar ) that the Levites had the option to sometimes sing (although not necessarily play any instruments) when an individual offering was brought. Furthermore, some Kabbalists explain that if the Levites observed that the pillar of smoke didn’t rise up in a straight pillar, indicating that the person bringing the offering wasn’t sincere in his repentance, they would stop singing.

The daily psalms selected for each day of the week praise G-d for creating the world in six days. The exception is the song sung on Shabbat, Psalms, which begins, “A psalm, a song for Shabbat day.” The Mishnah says it is “a song for the future, for the day that will be entirely Shabbat and rest for everlasting life” — for Shabbat is a glimmer of the World to Come.

May we merit this time with the coming of Moshiach and the rebuilding of the Temple speedily in our days!

toraH Melody?

Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman

QIn the synagogue,the Torah is read with a certain melody. Where does this melody come from? Is it an important part of the Torah reading? What is its significance?

The actual Torah scroll contains only letters. The printed editions, known as Chumashim, commonly contain not only the vowel markings, but also cantillation marks. Each mark signifies a different melodic phrase with which to chant a word or group of words. In Hebrew, these marks are called ta'amim—from the word ta'am, meaning taste—or in Yiddish, the trop

The trop is an integral part of reading the Torah and has historical, mystical, as well as practical relevance.

The use of the cantillation marks in current use dates to at least the 9th-10th century CE. This was the era of the Masoretes, meticulous scribes in Tiberias, Jerusalem and Babylon who worked to establish a precise common text, vowelization and cantillation for the Tanach. The tradition of the ta'amim by which the Torah is to be sung, however, is as old as the Torah itself. It was taught to Moses together with the vowels, as it is integral to the correct understanding of the Torah. It is only that the system of notation may have been developed later (and this is also debated). Nonetheless, at one point in history, some of the details of the ta'amim were forgotten by much of the Jewish community, and Ezra the Scribe reintroduced them.

In addition to the pronunciation and emphasis guidance that the ta'amim provide, which affects the meaning and tense of the word, the ta'amim also provides information on the syntactical structure of the text. In addition, it often provides commentary and insight to the text itself, by musically highlighting noteworthy ideas. Some of these insights have been elucidated throughout the generations. Nehemiah 8:8, where we read how the Torah was read and taught before the Jewish people, concludes, "…and they explained the

reading to them." The Talmud comments that this expression refers to the additional understanding which the ta'amim provide.

Similarly, we read in Ecclesiastes 9:12, “And besides that Koheleth was wise, he also taught knowledge to the people.” The Talmud accredits this praise of King Solomon to the fact that he taught it with the “notes of accentuation”.

Interestingly, elsewhere the Talmud also refers to studying Mishna with a tune, indicating that there was apparently a unique tune to which Mishna, the main body of the Oral Torah, was studied as well. The Tosafists explain that Mishna was studied with a tune because this assisted in the memorization and retention of the material. In fact, early copies of the Mishna were written with cantillation marks!

Some also point out that the Hebrew word used for these melodies, ta'amim, means "taste" or "sense," indicating that the ta'amim bring out the flavor of the passage. The implication is that reading words without correct inflection and melody is like eating a tasteless meal.

The Chassidic masters write that much of the insight provided by the tunes affects aspects of our souls that are beyond our understanding and conscious perception. Nonetheless, some of the implications of the specific tunes on some verses are elucidated in the Kabbalah and Chassidic teachings.

So the next time you're in the synagogue, tune in to the chords that have influenced the soul of our nation ever since we were married to the Torah at Sinai. EM

Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman is the Senior Rabbi of the Jewish Russian Community Centre of Ontario. You can Ask the Rabbi at jrcc.org or fax to 416.222.7812. To meet with Rabbi Zaltzman in person, feel free to call 416.222.7105 to book an appointment. Appointments are generally available on Wednesday evenings after 7pm. Rebbitzin Chiena Zaltzman is also available for private consultations by appointment on Wednesday evenings from 9 to 10pm by calling 416.222.7105.

Кислев – месяц, когда произошли Ханукальные чудеса, - время чудес. Тради-ционно для нашего журнала в этот период говорить о чудесах. Рабби, поделитесь, пожалуйста, историями о чудесах Ребе.

Таких историй очень много. Раввин района Бруклина Canarsie окрыл новую любавичскую синагогу. У них еще не было своего Свитка Торы, и раввин каждый раз одалживал его (когда на неделю, кагда на несколько месяцев) в других синагогах. И вот, сидя на фарбренгене в своей новой синагоге, члены общины решили, что уже пора приобрести собственный Свиток Торы. Женщина по фамилии Борухов вдруг встала и сказала: «С Б-жьей помощью, я обеспечу Тору для нашей синагоги!» Приходит она домой и говорит мужу: «Я обещала синагоге Тору, но где мы достанем деньги для этого?»... Дело в том, что купить или написать новую Тору – очень дорогое дело, несколько десятков тысяч долларов, а семья такими возможностями не обладала. И женщина произнесла: «Если есть проблема, надо идти к Ребе». В воскресенье она приходит в «Севен Севенти», когда Ребе раздает людям доллары. За долларом от Ребе выстраивается длинная очередь. Когда миссис Борухов подходит к Ребе, она говорит: «Я обещала достать для нашей синагоги Тору и прошу Ребе дать для этого благословение». В ответ Ребе протягивает ей доллар и говорит: «Дай его для цедаки в Лос-Анджелесе».

The article above is excerpted from the Russian edition of Exodus Magazine. To subscribe, please visit exodusmagazine.org or call 416.222.7105.

We are fascinated by artists. Their work embodies what we want our lives to be: beautiful, meaningful, purposeful. But art is not only for artists. It’s for anyone who craves to know how to live more creatively, more deeply.

We are fascinated by artists. Their work embodies what we want our lives to be: beautiful, meaningful, purposeful. But art is not only for artists. It’s for anyone who craves to know how to live more creatively, more deeply.

Three - Literature The Art of Storytelling

Central Public menorah lighting was honored with dignitaries from all levels of government, joining the Chanukah celebration and showing support.

Join us on a seven-part journey as we explore Judaism’s insights into the arts and how they beautify and transform our lives, one brushstroke at a time...

January 23, 8:00pm

Rebbetzin Chanie Zaltzman

At JRCC East Thornhill 7608 Yonge St., Unit 3

Lesson Four - Dance Movement and Relationship

Life is movement: the ways in which we move in relation to a loved one, in relation to our community and society, in relation to our Creator and source. We move in circles, we dip and soar, we rebound, we vibrate. Discover how intimacy and distance are inexorably bound to each other, and how the tension between them produces the dance of life.

A NEW MONTHLY COURSE FOR WOMEN FROM THE ROSH CHODESH SOCIETY

Faces of the Community

Our magazine has already published interviews with Boris Zaltsman. Boris was interested in the history of the Jewish people all his life, and eventually became a true expert on it. Once Boris came to our office and began to read poems that fascinated literally from the first word. These were poems by the great Jewish poet of the 12th century, Yehuda Halevi. We asked Boris to tell us about this amazing poet.

Yehuda Halevi, the great Jewish thinker, philosopher and poet of the 12th century, lived in Spain, which at that time was under Arab rule. He lived for 64 years, and during his life wrote about 600 poems, half of which were devoted to the theme of "Return to Zion" - to the Holy Land.

Rabbi Yehuda received a versatile Jewish (he graduated from a yeshiva) and secular, Arabic education. In his youth, he traveled to Granada, which was one of the largest centers of Jewish culture of that time. It was there that the first significant poetic works of Rabbi Yehuda Halevi appeared, writing about his love of life, humanity, nature and art, as well as for his people, the Land of Israel, and the wonderful rise of the history of the Jewish people. In other words, love for the Creator. These writings made Halevi one of the brightest representatives of the Golden Age of Jewish culture in Muslim Spain.

But two terrible catastrophes that befell our people tragically affected the work of the great poet. The Crusaders destroyed the largest Jewish communities in Europe and captured Jerusalem. In Spain, the Muslims dealt harshly with the Jews. From that time, the poems of Halevi, who was forced to leave Granada, became permeated with longing for the lost homeland and imbued with intonations of bitter lamentation for the expulsion of the Jews. This is how the "Songs of Zion" appeared, which has no equal in Jewish poetry.

I am happy that our generation was destined to see the rebirth of Zion and the return of the Jews to the Holy Land.

And the kingdoms of careless idols

The promised end will come But it will be forever, it will be forever Shine over the world your crown.

I will listen to G-d who loves And I see your chosen ones. How happy is he who this earth

For life chose from others.

How happy is he who waits and believes In your coming dawn.

How happy is he who is in this shore

Foot prints its mark

And who, led by an ancient cry, See what was gained in battle

Your forgotten greatness

And your former youth.

Is it hard to believe that these lines were created 900 years ago? He outlined his cherished thoughts about the coming revival of the Jewish people and their homeland in the book, Kuzari, which from the day it was published to this day warms the hearts of Jews. The book is written in Arabic in the form of a debate and discussion between the idolatrous Khazar king, who is trying to find out what actions of people are most pleasing to G-d, and between representatives of different religions. During the discussion, the Jewish representative expresses the idea of the chosenness of the Jewish people and their Land. The Jewish people are the people of the prophets, and Palestine (as they called Israel then) is the Promised Land. The people and the Land constitute a perfect and indivisible whole. The expulsion of the Jews from the Holy Land led to the fact that the Divine integrity of human history was violated. The restoration of this integrity is the task of future generations, but even now the Jews are spiritually connected with their Land. Rabbi Yehuda dreamed of visiting the Land of the Fathers, which he wrote about with such inspiration in his poems, and he once he managed to do it. There is an opinion that he died in Egypt during his second trip to Palestine when an Arab horseman trampled him during prayer. For the rest of my life, I have memorized the poems of the great Jewish poet, which flow directly into the soul of every Jew. I first read them fifty years ago, and since then they have resounded in my heart.

Zion send hello chained to you The fetters of love and great fidelity, The remnants of the flock that once grazed In your pastures, many-sided people.

From the northern fields to the heat of the southern countries, From the far west to the very east, From all over the earth they send for centuries

Greetings to the native country from near and far.

How long have I dreamed of watering with tears

The majestic mountains of Hermon are all peaks.

For centuries, like a jackal, I mourn The greatness of your sad ruins.

But as soon as in a dream it seems for a

I am happy that

moment, What ended the captivity of your sons, Great joy, fun sounds Then my grieving muse sang.

And naked and barefoot I will wander there, Where our temple rose and the king sat on the throne.

It is sweeter for me to wander among the ruins there, Than in a foreign land on the head to wear a crown.

Blessed is he who has been deemed worthy to see

Thy purple-new dawn dawn, See the return to you of your chosen ones And rejoice with you on the day of rebirth.

generation was destined to see the rebirth of Zion and the return of the

Jewish Russian Community Centre of Ontario

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IT’S A BOY!

Aaron Levi Margulis

Liav Babaev

Liam Ciasulla

Uriel Yehiel Moshe Eidelshtein

Noah Gary Shulman

Kingston Daveed Springer

IT’S A GIRL!

Yael Hodaya Oziel Pamona Foster

Daphne Romanos

Elana Shteinberg

Rsalie Adina Virine

UPSHERNISH! Levi Neft

BAR-MITZVAH!

David Ariel Rozenfeld Graydon Harris MARRIAGE! Daniel Grouzman & Sophia Davidov

KabbalaH and eduCation

Yitzchak Ginsburgh

Looking at education through the lens of Kabbalah, we must begin by defining education in Kabbalistic terms. Kabbalah considers Hebrew the language of Creation and attaches great significance to the Hebrew formulations of words - their roots, sub-roots and inner meaning; therefore, we will define education by looking at the Hebrew words that connote this concept.

Hebrew has two words for education: "chinuch" and "hadracha". In an average Hebrew-English dictionary, we would find chinuch defined as training and hadracha as guidance - terms that appear almost synonymous. However, in rabbinical works, far from interchangeable, these words convey specific and distinct ideas.

To grasp the inner meanings of chinuch and hadrachah - and thus discover the meaning of education - we must first examine the roots or seed-ideas contained within them. This will shed light on the subtleties of the distinction.

The basic root of chinuch appears most frequently in the Bible in the sense of inauguration and initiation. It describes the act of dedicating something to a particular purpose. For example, Psalm 30, known as "Mizmor Shir Chanukat HaBayit", is an inauguration song composed by King David for the Temple in Jerusalem, built by his son King Solomon. Once the Temple was built, its vessels could not be used until they were sanctified and inaugurated into their tasks. For instance, the menora had to be sanctified and inaugurated into its role as "illuminator". The same was true for the priests who served in the Temple, who had to be initiated into that office before assuming their responsibilities. Although a priest is already physically capable of performing his function, he still requires an infusion of light to translate his spiritual potential into actuality.

This act of initiation draws down spiritual light. It is a ritual that awakens the recipients to a higher level of potentiality, enabling them to begin their new task. By beaming through physical, psychological and spiritual resistance, this input of light, energy, and inspiration actually transforms the person

or object.

When we apply the seed ideas imbedded in the root of chinuch to education, we see that the teacher is an initiator in that his task is to awaken the latent potentialities of his students. He does this by bringing down the light of knowledge to the students' level, and so inspiring them to a new way of thinking and seeing the world.

The root of the second Hebrew word for education, hadracha, conveys a variety of meanings related to method and direction. Thus while chinuch conveys a spirit of new beginning, hadracha implies the effort of movement and progress. In terms of education, this means that after the jolt of inspiration, follow-through is a must.

Inspiration achieves little if the students do not integrate this new awareness into their daily life, i.e., if they do not learn how to stay on the new path and avoid obstacles, make steady progress, and keep the goal in

sight.

The basic model of chinuch as initiation/ inspiration and hadracha as integration applies on many levels. The interrelationship of these two phases of education is apparent in all areas of growth and change, not just education in the formal sense of the word. We see it in business ventures when a new idea is born (inspiration) and then when it is incorporated into business practice (integrated). We see it in medical advances, in science, in art and music.

Any type of change and growth always proceeds through the two phases of inspiration and integration. First there is the awakening to a new realm of possibilities and then there is the effort to build these insights into everyday reality/experience. In spiritual work, each step that we take in deepening our understanding of the world and perfecting our character is like entering into a new land, an unknown and

uncharted territory which brings with it new possibilities and new paths to awareness.

The primary Kabbalistic metaphor for this process is set forth in the Torah passages describing the directions G - d gave the Israelites as they readied themselves for entry into the Land of Israel. In both a real and a metaphorical sense, this journey was from barrenness into holiness - from the Sinai Desert into the Holy Land. And since all true spiritual growth is movement into or toward holiness, there can be no better metaphor than this. The Book of Deuteronomy describes this movement as a two-stage process: first of "entering" and second of "settling". These two stages exactly parallel the sequence of inspiration and integration. The power to enter Israel, to penetrate into the Holy Land from foreign territory, is related to the initiation/ inspiration phase of education, while the power to settle the land, to take root and

endure, is a function of proper integration. Inspiration achieves little if the students do not integrate this new awareness into their daily life - if they do not learn how to stay on the new path and avoid obstacles, make steady progress, and keep the goal in sight.

A beautiful story illustrating this point is told about Rabbi Menachem Mendel, the Rebbe of Vitebsk, who, together with his followers of about two hundred families, immigrated to Israel in the 18th century, settling first in Safed and then in Tiberias.

One day, after living in Israel many years, the Rebbe called his students together and told them to prepare for a celebration. So they drank and sang and danced with great fervor all night, not knowing why the Rebbe had told them to celebrate. When they asked, the Rebbe responded with a story: "When I was a young boy, I longed for the Holy Land so intensely that each time I heard that an emissary from Israel was in town, I would run to him and beg him to tell me of the holiness of the land. Inevitably, he would describe the holy cities: Jerusalem and the Western Wall, Hebron and the Cave of Machpela, Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee, and Safed, permeated with the souls of the mystics. Even after hearing all that, I would always ask, 'Isn't there more? There must be more'!

One day, one of the emissaries said to me, 'I can see that you truly long to know the secrets of the Land of Israel and its holiness. When every stone, every blade of grass becomes holy to you; when you see every tree and spring as emanations of holiness; when the mountains deserts and forests reveal every step taken upon them and every thought locked away in their essence, then you will begin to understand the holiness of the Land of Israel.

Today, after all these years [of living here], I was praying in the hills below Safed, and I began to see and feel the holiness emanating from every rock and blade of grass. Then I knew I had finally arrived."

The sages explain that whenever the Torah requires us to "enter" something new, whether it be a new land or a higher level of perception, we must do so with our entire being. Leaving one foot out the door

is not really entering. Even if our body is physically in the new realm, as long as our mind-set remains outside, we haven't fully entered into a new state of consciousness.

So it is with growth and change. We can seem to experience the excitement of initiation, being inspired to change our life to accommodate new truths and insights. We can even proceed to make adjustments in our lifestyle and personality which may seem to be major, but which in fact are quite superficial. Then comes the rude awakening: we are shocked to find that we have not really been initiated and have not fully entered our newly-envisioned way of being. When this happens, the underlying problem is our lack of commitment. For example, a mother could read a new book on parenting, and be inspired by a new strategy for teaching her children without threatening or raising her voice. She tries it a few times and it actually seems to work. Yet at the point that something doesn't go quite right, she gets frustrated, loses control, and ends up right back where she started. This reflects the ambivalence at the levels of self which were not touched by the initiation and do not share a common cause with its goals. These levels of self remain unmoved and unmotivated, identifying with the old, familiar, and habitual ways of dealing with the situation. In other words, the initiation was not complete, and therefore the subsequent attempt at integration was unsuccessful.

The process of entering new levels of awareness and visions of change demands the shedding of all previous assumptions, expectations, and habits of behavior*. This clearing out of the old is always a prerequisite to entering a new level of being. The imaginary security of wanting to remain who we are now is a barrier to who we could be. EM

Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh is founder and director of the Gal Einai Institute and has written more than forty books exploring topics like psychology, education, medicine, politics, mathematics and relationships, through the prism of Kabbalah and numerology.

fooling ourselves

We live in an increasingly polarized world, one in which people are set in their ways and in their opinions to the exclusion of others’. Nuanced and honest intellectual discourse is becoming increasingly rare, even on university campuses, which were once a bastion of free and flexible thinking. It seems as if half the people think one way, the other half think the opposite, with a clear line between them – those who are right and those who are wrong, depending on which side of the line you are standing on. What happened to the nuances, to the gray area of the middle path that exists between the opposite extremes?

Just because I feel strongly about a specific topic, does it necessarily mean that everyone on the other side of the line is completely wrong?

This is what I am thinking about when I reflect upon the spectacular collapse of the crypto exchange FTX. Millions of people lost their money recently by investing with a mismanaged company that went bankrupt due to mismanagement and fraud. The investors were sure that the CEO was investing their money prudently, only to discover that accounting systems were a mess and he allegedly used the investments for his own purposes. But how were so many people fooled?

Both of these examples – the outright rejection of opposing viewpoints and the ease with which financial fraud is pulled off –teach us how easily we, as humans, can be fooled. We even allow ourselves to be fooled, subconsciously yet almost willingly, because it is more comfortable than facing the truth –that our positions are more nuanced and less stable than we would like to think, that the supposed experts and public figures we rely on to dictate reality are not quite to the task of serving as our guides and moral compass.

In any situation, especially when the enticing reality seems “too good to be true,” we need to perform a reality check to see for ourselves what is really behind the smooth-talking salesman in the smart suit (or the t-shirt, jeans and designer sneakers nowadays). And the same goes for our “inner salesman” – just because we have always subscribed to a certain way of thinking, that doesn't necessarily mean that we are 100% right 100% of the time. Details matter. Balance matters.

The human capacity to digest information (and disinformation) is compared metaphorically to the two signs described by the Torah for determining if an animal is kosher. The first sign, that the animal has split hooves, means that we must explore both sides of an issue in order to find the truth. If you only see it from one side, you don’t get the whole picture, your perspective is not balanced. The second sign, that the animal regurgitates its food, means we need to have the ability to chew things over, to analyze and reanalyze, to think critically in order to ascertain if we are deciding things correctly.

Although moral relativism is a real danger, in most situations both sides of an issue contain some truth that, when brought together in the right way with the right intentions, contribute to a more complete truth and the greater good.

The previous Lubavitcher Rebbe once rode in a carriage with other passengers, around the time of the Russian Revolution. A debate broke out between two passengers; one felt that Capitalism was the better way, and the other extolled the virtues of Socialism. At one point they turned to the Rebbe, who had been listening quietly, and asked him for his opinion.

The Rebbe replied that, in this world, everything has a mixture of good and bad. The

Torah, however, contains only good. So while Capitalism and Socialism both have good and bad points, the good points of each can be found within the Torah.

The polarized camps in the various debates we face as a people and as a society today both have correct and incorrect points. The trick is to objectively analyze, filter and ascertain which points are right, and which points are wrong, regardless of our natural inclinations. The Torah, which incorporates G-d's Wisdom, guides us in our quest for this truth.

If our common goal is to move beyond our personal interests in order to make our world a better place, where peace and light and warmth and happiness abound for everyone, then we can find a way to approach issues – even the most divisive and difficult ones – with the type of balance and nuance that seeks the truth rather than padding our defensive reflexes to remain entrenched in our positions. If we seek this light, we will see the fulfillment of the blessing we recite in the morning prayers, that G-d “forms light and creates darkness, He makes peace, and creates everything” with our very own human eyes. EM

Yoseph Janowski lives in Toronto, Canada.

Yoseph Janowski

Do you have a Confirmation of your Jewish Identity?

• Confirmation of Jewish identity is needed for a variety of circumstances, such as: Baby naming, Brit, Daycare, School, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Marriage, Aliya, Burial plot, Funeral.

• Obtaining certification takes research and time – if you wait until you need it, it might not be possible to obtain it in time.

• The longer you delay, the more difficult it becomes – documents get lost, witnesses move or pass away.

A certificate confirming your Jewish identity will help you, if your Jewish lineage is ever questioned. Do it for your peace of mind and that of your family. Upon completion, you will receive:

• A genuine, numbered certificate recognized by leading rabbis internationally. • A permanent record with the JRCC Ontario, Canada.

FIERA FOODS COMPANY IS HIRING!

As one of North America’s largest, privately-owned large-scale bakeries, Fiera Foods Company and affiliated companies has an incredible history of expansion, innovation and quality over the past 30 years. We’re looking for outstanding people to join our outstanding team.

• Production (Mixers, Scalers, Oven Operators, Production Line Operators, General Production Staff, Forklift Operators, Shipper/Receivers);

• Skilled Trades (Electricians, Mechanics, Refrigeration Mechanics, PLC Technicians) • Sales (Canada and US);

• Management (Lead hand, Supervisory, Management, Project Engineers)

Our commitment to quality, excellence, and responsiveness are critical to our team and our success. Superior communication, teamwork and attention to detail are expected of everyone.

Please submit your resume and your compensation expectations to jobs@fierafoods.com or call (416) 746 1010 (ext. 258).

We thank all in advance for their interest, however only those selected for interviews will be contacted.