One alert reader wrote in to point out the correlation between the earthquakes Israel received yesterday and this ridiculous tamei event that is occurring at the same time in Eretz HaKodesh.
To make matters worse, there is the usual absurdity of well-intended yet misguided Jews welcoming a performer who led the way in forging the social acceptance of brazenness, rampant pritzut, gender-morphing, and same-gender-attraction.
In fact, remembering the performer's influence on the society of my youth (and this performer had a MASSIVE influence on American teens and pre-teens), I firmly believe she shares responsibility for the downward spiral of American society and mores today.
Yet she comes off as heroic because she ignores BDS and comes to shmutz up our Land despite their opposition.
This is when I am SO GRATEFUL for a Torah hashkafah and for all the frum Jews who give shiurim and write articles promoting the authentic Torah view.
Simply put: There are some people who make you just want to beg them to boycott you.
"PLEASE capitulate to BDS!" you want to cry out. "Don't have ANYTHING to do with us! PLEASE boycott us! PLEEEEESE!"
We know that this is a Land that vomits out her inhabitants when they get too far from their Torah roots.
We also know that Hashem brings earthquakes for certain sins.
But seeing as no one here is an Israeli government official, what can we do?
To make matters worse, there is the usual absurdity of well-intended yet misguided Jews welcoming a performer who led the way in forging the social acceptance of brazenness, rampant pritzut, gender-morphing, and same-gender-attraction.
In fact, remembering the performer's influence on the society of my youth (and this performer had a MASSIVE influence on American teens and pre-teens), I firmly believe she shares responsibility for the downward spiral of American society and mores today.
Yet she comes off as heroic because she ignores BDS and comes to shmutz up our Land despite their opposition.
This is when I am SO GRATEFUL for a Torah hashkafah and for all the frum Jews who give shiurim and write articles promoting the authentic Torah view.
Simply put: There are some people who make you just want to beg them to boycott you.
"PLEASE capitulate to BDS!" you want to cry out. "Don't have ANYTHING to do with us! PLEASE boycott us! PLEEEEESE!"
We know that this is a Land that vomits out her inhabitants when they get too far from their Torah roots.
We also know that Hashem brings earthquakes for certain sins.
But seeing as no one here is an Israeli government official, what can we do?
What Can YOU Do to Counteract Shmutz & Tumah?
So based on different shiurim I've heard & sources I've read, the following is good advice:
"Hashem, I protest this tamei event in Your Precious Land! I totally oppose such tumah shmutzing up the beautiful Inherintance You have so generously bequeathed to us! You don't like it, so I don't like it either!"
(I don't mean you should frighten children or other drivers, but it's very beneficial to find the time to offer up your protest.)
This is especially good because while we need to give the benefit of the doubt (i.e., "They don't know this event is wrong and an awful chilul Hashem"), that never means that the forbidden is permitted or okay. We can say, "These people don't understand, but I do understand. And therefore, I protest on Your Behalf, Hashem. I'm on Your Side."
Tikkun Haklali in Hebrew
(For an English translation or an English transliteration, press the "abc" at the center-bottom or the "ת-A" at the bottom right.)
Any step you take toward cleansing out your own spiritual gunk is really, really powerful and good.
You can even take on a kabalah of not doing something beneath your Torah-infused dignity for the duration of this event.
Everything helps. Don't think that you or your actions are too small or insignificant to matter.
You matter.
And again, even a baby-step in this direction is huge.
Even one more word of Torah is significant.
You and your Torah-learning matter.
Back in the time of the Beit Hamikdash, this procedure carried out by the Cohen protected Yerushalayim from very bad things.
It was a primary counter-agent against spiritual tumah/contamination. It literally cleansed the environment, both physically and spiritually.
Nowadays, reciting this with as much kavanah as you can releases its original protection.
It also has the power to improve marital harmony, health, and livelihood.
Ideally, it's recited at the beginning of Shacharit (Morning Prayer), at the end of Shacharit, and at the beginning of Mincha (Afternoon Prayer).
If you're not saying it at all, try saying it once in the morning.
If you're already saying it once or twice a day, then for this duration, try saying it 2 or 3 times a day.
If you are already saying it 3 times a day (and if you're a minyan man, then you probably already are), then try adding extra kavanah to it.
For more information (and there is a lot more to know about this), please read:
http://www.jewishmag.co.il/11mag/mystic/mystic.htm
And here you can see a list of the Kli Yakar's symbolism for various aspects & vessels of the Ketoret ceremony (at the beginning of the post):
Parshat Titzaveh
- Let Hashem hear your protest.
"Hashem, I protest this tamei event in Your Precious Land! I totally oppose such tumah shmutzing up the beautiful Inherintance You have so generously bequeathed to us! You don't like it, so I don't like it either!"
(I don't mean you should frighten children or other drivers, but it's very beneficial to find the time to offer up your protest.)
This is especially good because while we need to give the benefit of the doubt (i.e., "They don't know this event is wrong and an awful chilul Hashem"), that never means that the forbidden is permitted or okay. We can say, "These people don't understand, but I do understand. And therefore, I protest on Your Behalf, Hashem. I'm on Your Side."
- Say Tehillim.
Tikkun Haklali in Hebrew
(For an English translation or an English transliteration, press the "abc" at the center-bottom or the "ת-A" at the bottom right.)
- Do teshuvah.
Any step you take toward cleansing out your own spiritual gunk is really, really powerful and good.
You can even take on a kabalah of not doing something beneath your Torah-infused dignity for the duration of this event.
Everything helps. Don't think that you or your actions are too small or insignificant to matter.
You matter.
- Learn more Torah.
And again, even a baby-step in this direction is huge.
Even one more word of Torah is significant.
You and your Torah-learning matter.
- Tzedakah
- Say Pitum Haketoret
Back in the time of the Beit Hamikdash, this procedure carried out by the Cohen protected Yerushalayim from very bad things.
It was a primary counter-agent against spiritual tumah/contamination. It literally cleansed the environment, both physically and spiritually.
Nowadays, reciting this with as much kavanah as you can releases its original protection.
It also has the power to improve marital harmony, health, and livelihood.
Ideally, it's recited at the beginning of Shacharit (Morning Prayer), at the end of Shacharit, and at the beginning of Mincha (Afternoon Prayer).
If you're not saying it at all, try saying it once in the morning.
If you're already saying it once or twice a day, then for this duration, try saying it 2 or 3 times a day.
If you are already saying it 3 times a day (and if you're a minyan man, then you probably already are), then try adding extra kavanah to it.
For more information (and there is a lot more to know about this), please read:
http://www.jewishmag.co.il/11mag/mystic/mystic.htm
And here you can see a list of the Kli Yakar's symbolism for various aspects & vessels of the Ketoret ceremony (at the beginning of the post):
Parshat Titzaveh
There are other things I'm forgetting, but this is what I've remembered for now.
May Hashem have mercy on us all & may we all return to Him with teshuvah from love.
May Hashem have mercy on us all & may we all return to Him with teshuvah from love.
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