G-d made _____ happen BECAUSE...

There is a tendency for human beings in distress to ask the Eternal question, "Why?"

The "whys" that have been proposed to us in the rabbinical world range from "Why can't I make more money" to "Why did G-d allow/cause the Holocaust".

In nearly all of these cases, any question that starts with "Why did G-d..." does not have a worldly answer.

We must remember that most of the people who ask these types of questions are in great pain. Our obligation is not to answer their unanswerable question, but to attend to their pain and help them find a way out of their distress.

A bigger problem occurs when some individuals attempt to answer these questions.

There have always been self-appointed "diviners" who will offer up some connection between tragedy and transgression.

I loathe to link to any of their content, lest these charlatans receive more publicity. If you're interested, search on Youtube for the name of any tragic event, and you will inevitably find a video that will forcefully assert, "G-d made _______ happen BECAUSE..."

The Torah has already warned us against this.

"You shall not eat the blood [of an animal] ; neither shall you practice divination nor soothsaying." (Lev. 19:26)

Divination is the act of explaining G-d's actions on Earth. Soothsaying is casting spells, chanting mantras; anything that (we think) will somehow bypass G-d's control of the universe, and grant us some material benefit.

What is the connection between eating an animal's blood, and divination or soothsaying?

Perhaps we can say that, just as the concept of eating blood is so repulsive to us physically, we should feel spiritually disgusted by these spiritual transgressions.

How can we engender such a strong feeling against these practices? By understanding the true nature of G-d.

When we continuously learn, teach, and live a true understanding of the Holy One, severe mistakes in spiritual thinking become all the more apparent to us.

G-d is Infinite; beyond time, beyond space, beyond physicality, beyond the limits of human logic. It is the ultimate folly to try and limit the rationale for G-d's actions to whatever our limited minds can conceive.


The bottom line is, anyone who finishes the sentence "G-d made this happen BECAUSE" is transgressing an explicit Torah law.

When we are able to accept that we can't explain the Heavenly cause of apparently bad (or apparently good) events, we come one step closer to a sincere connection with our Creator.

9th of Av - from destruction to rebuilding

Please watch (and recommend) this video to anyone who cares about the future of the Jewish people.

A friend in time of need

When Itzik (Yitzchak) comes home from school, there is no one to greet him. His mother works ten hours a day as a cleaner in a local office building.

His father, tragically, was murdered by Hizbullah terrorists during the Second Lebanon War.

With no money for after-school activities, no one to help him with his homework, and little available in the city, what can we expect from little Itzik?

At best, he will sit in front of the TV all afternoon. Unfortunately, there are more dangerous temptations that may lure him out onto the streets.

For far too long, this has been the norm in periphery towns in Israel. Even children who are blessed with two parents often do not have any positive adult interaction throughout most of their childhood. There are simply too many bills to pay, and not enough hours in the day for many working-class Israeli parents. Since they must work long hours to survive, their children are left without any guidance.

Two young boys in Akko, and their 'Big Brothers' - students from our yeshiva

Our 'Big Brothers' style program provides these latch-key kids with positive role models.  Whether they help with homework, run an activity in our brand new Educational Center, or simply organize a game of soccer, our students make a big impact in the lives of Akko's youth.

We hope, as this program continues, that some of the boys who have benefited from this program will eventually be inspired to attend our yeshiva.  As they prepare to give back to their community, they will also receive an excellent Jewish education, and in turn, strengthen the Jewish population of Akko.

We need your help to continue this program.  Please give generously today!

Why many Israeli children do not have a Bar Mitzvah ceremony

This may sound strange to many of you, Jew and Gentile alike, who live near Jewish communities in other parts of the world.  Every Jewish kid you knew had a Bar (boy) or Bat (girl) mitzvah ceremony, right?  Everyone knows, it's the Jewish coming-of-age ritual.

Sometimes, the Torah reading and/or synagogue speech is overshadowed by a very lavish party.  With free flowing alcohol (for the adults only, of course), mountains of gourmet food, and a live band to play while the attendees dance the night away, some Jews have started to complain that the whole event is more "bar" than mitzvah.

Despite all of that, the Bar Mitzvah is still a treasured rite of passage in most Jewish families around the world. Why, then, do many Israeli children never have a Bar Mitzvah ceremony at all?

Simply stated, many parents don't have the time or requisite knowledge to teach their children to read from the Torah; they also lack the money needed to hire a tutor for them.

Here in Akko, a large part of the Jewish population are refugees (or children of refugees) from North African and Middle Eastern Muslim countries, as well as Jews who fled the Soviet Union (while it still existed).

In many cases, both parents must work full time jobs to provide a basic standard of living.  Once they've paid for rent, food, utilities, clothing, bus pass etc - there's just no money left for "luxuries" like a Jewish education.

Our Bar Mitzvah program has positively changed many lives already, here in Akko.  We offer free Bar Mitzvah tutoring to children in the community.  When they're ready to read from the Torah, we host the whole ceremony in our Beit Midrash (main study hall).

Some of our supporters have asked me, "Why do they need lessons?  Don't they already know how to read Hebrew - it's their first language!"

While it is easier for these kids to prepare for a Bar Mitzvah than non-Hebrew speaking children, it's important to realize that Modern Hebrew and Ancient Hebrew are not exactly the same language.

Once they become familiar with Ancient Hebrew, they must also learn the Torah portion, and how to chant it according to their family custom (both sefardim and ashkenazim have multiple sets of "notes" on the words, and we strive to provide each child with their family's custom of chanting).  They also need to understand the concept of the Torah in general, their Torah portion specifically, and how the ideas discussed in their portion are relevant to modern life.

Teacher (one of our students) and Akko youth seeking to understand the ancient text of the Torah

Our Bar Mitzvah program produces happier, more confident children, ready to enter their teenage years with a greater appreciation for and understanding of our unique heritage.

A young boy learns how to put on tefillin - a practice which also starts at the time of Bar Mitzvah

 The cost of providing one child in Akko with a series of Bar Mitzvah lessons, plus holding the ceremony on our campus, is $500.  (Ask any Jewish parent - that's a HUGE bargain!)

Would you consider sponsoring a Bar Mitzvah?

Pictures from our recent campus dedication

   

What a night!  Friends of the yeshiva from all over the world converged in Akko to celebrate our new campus.

Legendary Jewish singer Avraham Fried performed.  Our students and our supporters had an opportunity to meet each other.  Others came for the concert, but left with much more; a deeper understanding and appreciation for everything that Yeshivat Heder Akko does for our community, and our country.

Here are some photos of this fantastic evening.

Setting up - our residence halls in the background.

Avraham Fried (right) with some of his adoring fans.

The very talented Mr. Fried with our beloved Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yossi Stern.

The stage is set, and we're ready to rock! (Well, not rock; more like Jewish ballads, but that doesn't sound right - we're ready to 'Jewish ballad'... you get the point)

The entrance to our stunning beit midrash (study hall).

Two of our students who are currently serving in the Israeli army.

All of our students serve in combat units.  May G-d bless and protect them!

If you would like to honor a special person in your life, make a dedication on our "tree of life".

email us for details

Our guests enjoy words of Torah inside our brand new beit midrash (study hall).

It's concert time!  Avraham Fried gets the whole crowd to sing along.

Thank you to everyone who made this event possible.  May we all be blessed to celebrate together in the future!

Conversion to Judaism

 וַאֲהַבְתֶּם אֶת-הַגֵּר: כִּי-גֵרִים הֱיִיתֶם, בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם.

Normally, we post only the English translations of Biblical verses on our blog.  This blog is written as a place for the English speaking world to connect to our yeshiva in Northern Israel.

However, the verse above (from Deut. 10:19) is a bit tricky.  Specifically, the word GER (גר)

Let's remove the word in question, and translate the rest of the verse:

"You shall love the ____, because you were ____ in the land of Egypt." 

Most religious Jews would tell you on the spot that the phrase "v'ahavtem et ha ger" means, "you shall love the convert".

Yet, if we use the word ger to mean convert, the rest of the verse doesn't make sense.  Jews weren't converts in Egypt!  To the contrary; our tradition teaches us that the Israelites kept their own names, language, and clothing, throughout the 210 years of slavery.

In a way, all Israelites became converts when the nation accepted the laws of the Torah - but that wasn't "in the land of Egypt", it was on Mount Sinai.

So let's take a look again at this verse:

  "You shall love the ____, because you were ____ in the land of Egypt." 

If you've already looked up the verse for yourself in an English translation of the Bible, you probably found the word GER translated as "stranger".  G-d is telling us to love the stranger, because we were strangers in Egypt.  We were a minority, a slave class, no friends or family in high places to help us, no political power, nothing.

What does that have to do with a convert?  According to Jewish law, a person who has completed a valid conversion is a full-fledged Jew - just as Jewish as someone born to a Jewish mother.*

Conversion to Judaism is a process that takes years to complete.  It involves study, understanding, and practice of our holy directives.  Someone who is in the process of conversion will look, dress, and act like any other observant Jew.  Only when this Gentile fully integrates Torah into his/her life, and understands his/her obligations in Jewish law, will the local rabbi bring this person to a Rabbinical court to complete the process.

 So then, why do we use the same word to mean "convert" and "stranger"?

In fact, this double use of a single word teaches us a great lesson in how we must relate towards the converts in our own communities.

When a convert joins a Jewish community, he/she has no family, no connections, no mentors from childhood, no communal clout... ...just like our ancestors in Egypt!

It is distressing that conversion to Judaism has become such a political mess, especially here in Israel.  Many of us personally know of people who converted according to Jewish law outside of Israel, and subsequentially made aliyah (moved to Israel).  Unfortunately, their status as Jews can sometimes be challenged, if they want to get married, or serve in an official Israeli Rabbinic capacity.

 While it is important for the Israeli Rabbinate to verify that a convert became a Jew in the proper fashion, it is equally important that converts are treated with even more respect, care, and concern, than born Jews.

More importantly, we must work to unify all halachic** conversion procedures worldwide.  Some advancements have been made in the area already.  A convert in North America who goes to an RCA (Rabbinical Council of America) rabbinical court for the end of the conversion process will be recognized as a Jew by the Israeli Rabbinate.  It's a good start.

However, there are many sincere souls who seek to join our ranks.  Some of them have never heard of the RCA.  They obtain a conversion from another rabbinical court, and are blindsided when they want to be recognized as a Jew by the Israeli Rabbinate.

There are several ideas being considered in the Knesset (Israeli parliament), and in the Rabbinate, to unify the conversion system.

While it is beyond the scope of this blog to endorse any specific plan, we do hope and pray that unity will prevail.

On a personal level; remember that every time you go out of your way to help a convert, you simultaneously fulfill TWO positive commands!  "Love your neighbor" (Lev. 19:18) AND "Love the convert" (Deut. 10:19)

Thanks to our Twitter friend,  @mascety, for suggesting this topic.

*A kohen cannot marry a female convert, and a mamzer can marry a female convert, but in all other aspects of Jewish law, a convert has the same status as a born Jew

**"halachic" means "conforming to halacha - Jewish law" 

Dealing with dissent

The Torah portion of Korach (Numbers 16:1 - 18:32) tells us about Korach and his challenge to Moses for the leadership of the Israelites in the Sinai desert.

Moses responds by challenging Korach and his supporters to a contest.  Actually, it's more like a Divine retribution version of Russian Roulette.

Only Aaron was authorized by G-d to perform the incense service.  Any non-authorized person trying to do the incense service was liable to the death penalty.

Korach's main argument with Moses (and Aaron) is that "we are all holy".  Korach thought that we shouldn't have Kohanim (Aaron's descendants) solely in charge of the Holy services and offerings of the Tabernacle (which later became the service of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem).

Although many of the classic commentators offer a range of ideas as to the motivations behind Korach's rebellion, the plain meaning of the verses suggests that he was accusing Moses of nepotism.  Moses led the prople, so his older brother got the cushy government job, with great benefits (eating the offerings, crop donations known as trumah, special blessings to give to the rest of the Israelites, first honors, etc.)

So Moses called on Korach to act according to his words.  Korach and his followers would offer the incense at the same time as Aaron.  If Moses has been telling the truth until now, Korach and his followers would die as punishment for their sins.  If Korach was right, they would be fine.

How many times have we asked for a sign from G-d?  A miracle of some sort?  Sometimes we ask for a sign, and get it, but others around us are more jaded, and explain it away as coincidence.

Moses understood this part of human nature, so he made the following request to G-d.

"If these men die the common death of all men, and be visited after the visitation of all men, then [the  masses will conclude that] the LORD has not sent Me.  But if the LORD make a new thing, and the ground open its mouth, and swallow them up, with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then [everyone else] shall understand that these men have despised the LORD." (Num. 16:29-30)

That's exactly what happened.  The ground ripped apart, and Korach and his gang fell into the abyss.


Dealing with Korach's dissent from G-d's directive required a swift, unequivocal response.


Oy, how the mighty have fallen!  Today, most of us lack the sincere connection to our Creator to rely on that kind of miracle to combat the dissenters who challenge our knowledge of G-d, and our service of G-d.

Not only have the faithful fallen far away from spiritual greatness - the dissenters have as well!

Korach was a spiritual giant.  He had a greater and deeper understanding of G-d and Divine Law than anyone alive today could ever achieve.  In short - he knew better.  However, as great as a person is, so is his/her Evil Inclination.  Korach gave in to his own thrist for honor, leadership, and dominance.

Since we can recognize that the detractors of Torah today attack us from a place of ignorance, we can understand that strong verbal debate is not effective.  Rather, rabbis from across the Torah Observant world advise us to reach out to naysayers with love, warmth, and compassion.  Leading by example is the best way to engage the dissenter today.

However, part of the message from the Korach confrontation is still very much applicable today.

We must not confuse love and warmth for the dissenter with a soft stance on what we know to be True.

Always be ready to declare your spiritual knowledge with the utmost conviction and resolve.


A section of the Mishnah known as Pirke Avot (Chapter of the Fathers) sheds some light on the balance between open-mindedness and intellectual integrity.

Ben Zoma said: Who is wise? He who learns from all men, as it is written (Psalm 119:99) 'I have gained understanding from all my teachers.' (Avot 4:1)

Learning from everyone does not mean automatically accepting what they say as accurate.  The same text also says:

Rabbi Elazar said: Be eager to study the Torah. Know what to respond to a heretic. Know before whom you toil and who is your employer who shall pay you the reward of
your labor. (Avot 2:19)

How do we determine what information goes under the heading "I have gained understanding from my teachers" and what we file under "Know what to respond to a heretic" ?


The answer to this is also found in Pirke Avot:

Joshua ben Perachyah said: Make for yourself a rabbi, and get yourself a friend; and judge every man towards merit. (Avot 1:6)

This was Korach's major error.  His refusal to learn from a qualified teacher led to his untimely demise.

When we learn from someone who is part of the chain of Torah transmission, we are able to take in all sorts of religious / spiritual information, and discern the difference between Truth and falsehood.

From this position of great strength through knowledge and understanding, we can engage the dissenter in the proper way - warm, loving, but without compromise on what we know to be true.