Category: Parsha

3 Ways How You Too Can Climb Yaakov's Ladder: Rav Avigdor Miller on Parshat Vayetzei

25/11/2020

In Rav Avigdor Miller's dvar Torah for Parshat Vayetzei: Yaakov's Ladder, Rav Miller emphasizes that the dynamics of Yaakov Avinu's life reflect the journey of every individual Jew.

Ma'asei avot siman l'banim—What happened to our holy forefathers stands as a portent for what will happen to us.

Often discussed on a national level, Rav Miller now brings it down to the personal individual level.

As Rav Miller notes on page 4:

By means of studying the life of Yaakov Avinu, the virtuous Jew learns how to contend with the various difficulties of life, the ups and downs of Olam Hazeh, and still flourish in his avodas Hashem.

And in the end, like Yaakov, he proves successful; he establishes himself as an eved Hashem and he lives a happy life.

The Ladder of Life

One of the first major lessons presented in this parshah is the ladder in Yaakov's historical dream.

Rav Miller emphasizes that the ladder represents our goal of constant upward motion: We must strive to reach Hashem.

Ladders aren't places to hang out and shmooze while playing poker. (The rungs don't make for comfortable seating, nor do they facilitate card games.)

Ladders represent a way to get from one place to another—in this case, UP.

Secondly...why davka a ladder?

Why doesn't Hashem give us wings so we can fly up?

Or a magic carpet, so we can comfortably soar up to our spiritual apex?

Or a rocket? Then we can arrive at our holy destination all the faster.

But no.

Hashem WANTS us to climb.

Step by step, rung by rung—with lots of effort!

And repetition!

A ladder means you make the same movements again and again.

And that, says Rav Miller, looms as a primary lesson of Yaakov's history-making ladder.

Never Fear the Initial Hypocrisy or Discomfort

Rav Miller cautions us not to fear our initial feelings of hypocrisy.

When starting out on a new step of our spiritual journey, we often feel uncomfortable or fake.

With those newly observant to Judaism, a transition period exists in which the new baal teshuvah is basically a secular person who increasingly does mitzvot before he transitions into a frum person who sometimes stumbles in aveirot (transgressions).

That's an entirely natural part of becoming frum.

Yet any person who takes on a new uplifting act or thought pattern experiences a similar dynamic, whether the person is FFB from a chashuv family or a newly-minted baal teshuvah.

We feel awkward & insincere.

Kol hahatchalot kashot—All beginnings are hard.

It takes time to get your foothold & find your rhythm.

It takes time to adapt to the new you and your new shell.

And despite the fumbling awkwardness of it all, take pleasure in the fact that you are doing something fabulous.

What is the Difference between Emunah Sichlit & Real Emunah?

In his wonderfully witty way, Rav Miller clarifies the difference between emunah sichlit (intellectual belief) and real internalized emunah (page 6):

Not like a man told me recently, “I have emunah; I believe and that’s enough.”

The truth is he does have a certain level of emunah.

He has emunah sichlis; he understands that our tradition is the only true one and I’m sure this man would even run into a fire for kiddush Hashem.

But that doesn’t mean he has real emunah.

Emunah means you believe in Hakodosh Boruch Hu at least the same way you believe that you have an Uncle Morris somewhere in the Bronx.

You’re maamim b’emunah sheleimah in your Uncle Morris. Your mother is telling you about him all the time and you even met him once at your bar-mitzvah—he gave you a present. You don’t visit him, he doesn’t visit you, but you know you have an uncle in the Bronx.

That’s emunah!

Now, if you would believe in Hashem as much as you believe in that uncle, then you’re pretty good! I want to compliment you!

We want real emunah.

And for that we need to go back to our ladder.

Sometimes, you manage to stretch yourself up 2 or 3 rungs at a time.

But mostly, expect repetitive climbing step by step.

And, starting at the bottom of page 6, Rav Miller offers us a few different programs for climbing that ladder.

3 Programs for Climbing Your Personal Ladder

Program #1
Talk to Hashem for 1 minute each day.

It's good to read pages 7-8 because Rav Miller offers delicious advice on how to do this program if you're not sure how to start or if you get stuck.

Intriguingly, Rav Miller advises you to pause in this 1-minute practice after a month, and then start up again.

He likens it to stopping for a rest in the middle of your climb.

Why?

Because even this 1 minute of holy conversation can start to feel routine and then you find yourself going through the motions, rather than keeping it meaningful.

Program #2
Recognize everything around you as the Hand of Hashem.

On pages 10-14, Rav Miller offers compelling ideas & descriptions to initiate this recognition.

Also, Rav Miller notes that you can follow Program #2 while you follow Program #1.

They complement each other.

Program #3
Do things l'Shem Shamayim (for the sake of Heaven).

Again, Rav Miller offers lots of solid direction & compelling examples on pages 15-19 for how to accomplish this.

You do this for the seemingly mundane stuff in life, like going to work, dealing with a customer, serving supper, washing a dish, bathing a child, eating lunch, sleeping, and so on.

Having said all, that Rav Miller cautions us with the following (page 18):

Of course if it’s something that’s not going to help you; let’s say you bought a box of kosher chocolates and you lie down on the bed with a newspaper and you want to gorge yourself for an hour with the chocolates and you say, “I’m doing this l’sheim shomayim” – well, I don’t know if Shomayim would agree to that.

It’s the opposite of becoming strong to serve Him.

If you’re stuffing yourself with all the garbage, it’s not helping you become stronger and healthier.

But as much as possible, you can make your eating a ladder to climb towards Hakodosh Boruch Hu.

3 Things to Remember while Climbing the Ladder

While you climb your ladder, Rav Miller encourages us to keep in mind the following:

Don't tell others about your involvement in these programs. (They often discourage you. For more on that, please see page 8.)
Don't get discouraged. (page 19)
Hashem is waiting for you at the top of the ladder. (pages 19-21)

May Hashem shower us all with much bracha & hatzlacha in our climb.

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Illuminating Links to Learn More about Rachel, Leah, Bilhah, Zilpah, Adina, and Esav's Wives

22/11/2020

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Here are some interesting links with little-known tidbits of new information to discover (especially good to read for Parshat Vayetzei):

Who Were Bilhah and Zilpah?
(Learned some tidbits about them I never heard before.)

Why aren't Bilhah and Zilpah Jewish Matriarchs?

12 Facts Every Jew Should Know About Rachel

13 Facts About Leah Everyone Should Know
(Did you know that the wife of Lavan & mother of Rachel & Leah was named Adina? A second Adina was the wife of Levi ben Yaakov, who was the granddaughter of Yoktan, who descended from Shem ben Noach, via Shelach & Yovav. Please see Who Was Adina? With so many Jewish girls named Adina—or the Yiddish equivalents: Aidel or Yenta—this is great information to know.)

Why a Leah Imeinu Can't (and Shouldn't) be a Sara Imeinu
This is an old Myrtle Rising article.

Esav and His Wives
What was the deal with Esav & his wacky wives? And what about the one with the fine-sounding name, Yehudit? Or the daughter of Yishmael he married to appease his parents? Not much is discussed in Chazal, but you can find out more in the above link.

A tree in bloom in Eretz Yisrael (Image courtesy of Ri Butov)

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Rav Avigdor Miller on Parshat Toldot: When the Supporting Role Equals the Starring Role

19/11/2020

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In Rav Avigdor Miller's dvar Torah for Parshas Toldos 4 – Eisav’s Role in History, we learn that there is no such thing as wicked-from-birth.

Yes, many of us know the story of how fetal Eisav itched to get out when Rivka Imeinu walked past a place of idol worship, while fetal Yaakov itched to get out when she walked by a place of Torah learning.

Also, when Rivka Imeinu went to inquire of Hashem, the Prophet told her that 2 nations wrestled within her womb—"the older will serve the younger."

So it seems like Eisav was born to be bad.

But Rav Miller says that isn't the real meaning.

Esav was very good in some ways—like honoring his parents, for example. Even Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel claimed that he never managed to achieve Eisav's level in honoring his father.

Rav Miller offers examples, then sums it up, affirming that he heard this from his own Rebbe (page 6):

Eisav was a very good person, with a tremendous amount of potential for greatness.

In a nutshell, Eisav's role in life was to help Yaakov accomplish great things in the world.

Yet Eisav rejected that role.

Had he embraced it, history would have been completely different.

Here's Rav Miller on pages 6-7:

How sad it is that a person with such potential, such character and talents, should go lost because he won’t accept that.

If Eisav would have executed his role properly he wouldn’t have been any less successful than Yaakov Avinu.

Had he used his given talents – his ruddiness, his gevurah – to help Yaakov, he would have become great no less than Yaakov Avinu.

He would be in Olam Haboh right now, sitting right next to his younger brother, next to Yitzchok and Avrohom and all the tzadikim.

All or Nothing

But Eisav refused to accept his subservient position.

Even though doing exactly that would've endowed him with tremendous blessing & success, both in This World & The Next, he refused.

He wanted to be the star.

It reminds me of those girls in the school drama tryouts. They love acting. But if they can't be one of the leads, then they don't want to be in the production at all.

Or like the man Rav Miller mentions on page 7, the man who wanted to be president of the kehillah, but instead became vice-president.

Being #2 wasn't remotely acceptable, so he left Brooklyn to settle in California.

Some people are like that (although anyone can always change for the better).

So when his father's blessings showed Eisav that the prenatal Prophecy was coming into fruition, Eisav backed out.

He literally ran away.

Edomite DNA?

Yitro's descendants, the Kennites, chose the opposite of Eisav.

They attached themselves to descendants of Yaakov, and they made an excellent destiny for themselves.

But not Eisav.

And Eisav's offspring held on to the idea that Yaakov tricked Eisav out of being the star of the show.

Is that at least partly why the Gospel-believers insist that God replaced Bnei Yisrael with the Gospels & the church?

That movement originated in Rome—Edom, Eisav.

Despite their blatant lack of commitment (even the outright basics like kashrut & circumcision proved too much for them), they insist on Replacement Theory: There's a new chosen people in town.

Is it the Edomite spiritual DNA coming through?

I don't know, but it sounds it's part of the reason.

The Winning Combination: The Best of Yaakov & The Best of Eisav

On pages 9-10, Rav Miller presents an intriguing story about Rav Yisroel Salanter and Sir Moshe Montefiore.

Then, on pages 10-15, we learn about an descendant of Eisav (the Emperor Antoninus) who behaved as Eisav originally should have and humbled himself to Rebbi.

Antoninus even wrote what Rav Miller called a mussar book—a book available today in English: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.

Together, Rebbi & Antoninus worked to produce the Mishna we have today. It couldn't have happened through just one of them; the joint effort between the best of Yaakov & the best of Eisav produced a work of eternal greatness.

Despite the dire end predicted for Eisav, Rebbi reassured Antoninus that such an end only applied to those who behave like Eisav.

Antoninus, on the other hand, deserved a much better eternity—and he got it.

Don't Feel Bad about Operating behind the Scenes

Rav Miller notes that most of us are "small" people.

Vitally important people, of course, but not great & sagely tzaddikim.

And that's okay.

In fact, that's really good!

We have a lot to accomplish in our own stunning smallness.

When we help great people, we accomplish great things.

Rav Miller discusses this at length in his usual witty way throughout pages 15-18.

On pages 18-20, he switches the discussion to the domestic sphere.

And he's absolutely right in what he says.

L'havdil, we see in politics the powerful role of the wife behind the scenes. For example, Presidents Woodrow Wilson & Warren G. Harding could not have won the American Presidency without their wives (especially Harding).

And President Wilson certainly could not have held on to his Presidency without his wife.

Due to illness, his leadership should have passed on to his Vice-President. But Mrs. Wilson kept things going, wielding so much power that those in-the-know later said that Mrs. Wilson was actually America's first female President.

Neither Mrs. Wilson or Mrs. Harding could have achieved so much power & influence on their own, nor could their husbands have achieved so much power & influence on their own.

BOTH the Stars & Their Supporters Play Important Roles in Life!

This powerful lesson shining out of Parshat Toldot flies in the face of so much of Western society.

Even in the frum community, how many times have you come across stories of people who raised themselves up to create & run their own organization?

That's often the happy ending.

But that's not a happy ending for me personally. That kind of ending makes my stomach clench.

Now, please don't misunderstand me.

I'm GRATEFUL for these organizations!

They fulfill vital needs & I wish them tremendous success.

But for me, the thought of being the Head Honcho and actually managing an entire organization makes me want to crawl under a large blanket and never come out again.

But in this dvar Torah, Rav Miller comforts people like me, reassuring us that helpful participation in lofty goals is more than enough.

We don't have to be the stars of the show.

We can just be us.

And that's really good!

(Phew!)

Please don't forget to check out page 21, with practical tips for being a stunning supporter.

And if you're in the US, you might find Rav Miller's take on Thanksgiving intriguing.

Credit for all material & quotes go to Toras Avigdor, who uphold the ideal presented in this dvar Torah.

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The Secret to Rivka Imeinu's Success & What We Can Learn from This Secret: Rav Avigdor Miller on Parshat Chayei Sara

12/11/2020

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In Rav Avigdor Miller's dvar Torah for Parshat Chayei Sara: Feeding the World, Rav Miller starts off by describing the backstory of the young Rivka Imeinu, including the realization that watering camels until satiation requires enormous amounts of water & effort.

Rivka Imeinu showed a deep grounding in the trait of chessed (loving-kindness).

But how did she develop this way?

After all, Rav Miller notes that her family wasn't special. And not only that, but Lavan was a terrible & greedy person.

So what was Rivka's secret to breaking free of her family's middot?

How Did Rivka Imeinu become Who She Was?

First of all, Rivka Imeinu knew about her great-granduncle Avraham Avinu.

(Nachor & Avraham Avinu were brothers; Rivka Imeinu was Nachor's great-granddaughter.)

Avraham Avinu earned widespread renown for his righteousness, wisdom, kindness, and generosity in ancient Mesopotamia.

So Rivka definitely knew about him and what he did.

Furthermore, people passing through or returning to Padan Aram from Eretz Canaan (Eretz Yisrael) reported to Rivka's family about what they saw & heard regarding that side of the family.

So she heard all about Avraham Avinu's astounding dedication to caring for wayfarers.

Yet Rivka didn't just listen to the stories, says Rav Miller. She analyzed them, asked for more details, and internalized the stories.

And she observed that Hashem's prince, a man who only sought to emulate Hashem, went to extreme lengths to imitate Hashem (who spends all day, so to speak, feeding every live thing in the world every day)—this man, Avraham Avinu, made it his mission to also feed the world.

So Rivka Imeinu knew that davka this must be a vital service in the world.

Fruit & Chessed

On pages 11-13, Rav Miller describes in compelling & colorful detail the nature of fruit to procreate, and open our eyes to the beauty of our routine meals and the natural processes that bring us this bounty.

In fact, fruit is not only tasty & nutritious, but so beautiful that people use fruit (or fruit replicas) to decorate their sukkah. Many people also like paintings of fruit.

And on the day Eliezer came to find a wife for Yitzchak Avinu, Rivka Imeinu prayed to Hashem for the opportunity to bring water to people.

She already supplied her family that day with water.

But she wanted to do more.

That's why she was outside when Eliezer came; she was on the hunt for chessed opportunities.

So even though Eliezer only saw Rivka Imeinu as the answer to his prayers, Eliezer & his entourage were equally the answer the Rivka Imeinu's prayers too.

How to Start Out on the Path of Avraham Avinu & Rivka Imeinu

Having said all this, Rav Miller emphasizes that women home alone should not invite strange men inside for a drink or a meal—even if her husband is in town.

(My own note: Even if the charity collector claims he desperately needs to use the bathroom, don't let him cross the threshold if you're home without your husband! This happened to my friend: The "charity collector" used the bathroom excuse at my friend's house when her husband wasn't home to expose himself to her young son. DON'T let a strange man into your house unless you have your husband at home with you!!! Don't think that if you have little kids around, then it's okay. Or even if you have a child old enough to prevent yichud—although old enough & big enough to be intimidating is okay—but if your husband is not at home, then no other man comes into your home, no matter what. Don't feel embarrassed or guilty about saying no & closing the door.)

But if you can, it's very good to offer the collector a meal—or a drink at the very least. Rav Miller recommends keeping around food (like chalav Yisrael milk) with kashrut than anyone can eat, plus disposable dishes & cups, for these people.

Rav Miller also encourages us to emulate Hashem's generosity in the following way (page 19):

When you stretch out your hand and give some food to someone, you’re thinking, it's poseach es yadecha, it's the Great Hand of Hakodosh Boruch Hu that is being stretched out; only that I have the privilege right now that this great ideal of Hashem feeding the world is expressed, in my poor little weak human hand.

You should think this whether you're giving food to your spouse or child or guest or roommate. Or, if you live alone, to yourself.

And also this (page 19):

You should think:

"I am doing the shlichus of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. My hand is His hand and I am emulating this great function which Hakodosh Boruch Hu practices to the world; one of the most outstanding things in all of creation.”

Don't forget to check out the practical tip for emulating the above on page 21.

Also, if you ever wondered how Rivka could go out & interact with a strange man, it's because back in those days, towns, villages, clans, and tribes were so protectives of each other that strangers needed to fear, and not the other way around as it is today.

In other words, little Rivka was as safe speaking to Eliezer by the well as she was speaking to him in front of her parents.

(Please see here: Rav Avigdor Miller on Rivka, Our Model)

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Rav Avigdor Miller on Parshat Vayera: Don't Look Back!

5/11/2020

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In this week's dvar Torah on Parshat Vayera: Don't Look Back, Rav Miller starts off by discussing Sodom.

First of all, he notes that despite the former denial of "experts," Sodom indeed existed.

In fact, I read a book called The Stones Cry Out by a real archeologist (not Jewish) who came to Eretz Yisrael & personally examined the ruins of Sodom. He discovered that everything matched up to the Torah's narrative, including how the buildings burned from the rooftops down because of the shower of fire 'n' brimstone—he clearly saw the evidence in the ruins.

Anyway, we all know how Lot's wife turned around to look back & ended up fossilized in a way the Torah describes as "a pillar of salt."

During my first trip to Eretz Yisrael at age 16, they took us to that area and we saw several bumpy, crooked pillars of salt. They told us that one of them was Lot's wife. Because these were non-religious people, they said this in a joking way as if referring to mythology, but the impression stuck with me nonetheless:

The Torah is tangible & long-lasting.

Why Lot's Wife Fossilized

The angels urging the escape of Lot & Lot's family always warned them not to look back at the destruction of the city.

But Lot's wife did. Why?

Despite the evil of Sodom, Lot & his wife enjoyed living there.

It was ancient Near East living at its finest. Lot enjoyed a respected position.

Yes, the Sodomites were cruel & heartless (in a light-hearted way, of course). They were completely immoral.

But everything else—all the material aspects—were fantastic.

Yet Lot understood the deeper implications of Hashem's particularly violent destruction of the entire city.

At the point he & his family fled, Lot realized exactly how dysfunctional the culture was. So when the angels warned him not to look back, he understood why & refrained from doing so.

But Lot's wife missed her old Sodomite life. Did she grow up there? Probably, but I'm not 100% sure.

She looked back in longing. She missed Sodom.

What do we learn from this?

When Push Comes to Shove, Where is Your Mind?

Rav Miller states how it's your mind that defines who you really are.

Maybe you're living an impressively frum life—but maybe you secretly long for the looser & more frivolous ways of the outside world?

Rav Miller recalls the true story of a German-Jewish family who escaped from the Nazis into Lithuania.

And on the eve of December 25th, that sat listening to the Berlin radio station.

They listened to carols.

And they wept tears of nostalgia & sentiment for their old German life.

This story reminds me of a scene from Holocaust memoir, Shattered Crystals, in which some assimilated Jewish women in the concentration camp spent all day saying things like, “Germany, ah, Germany…In Frankfurt, I had a seven-room house. You see this wool coat? It was my everyday coat. For the theater, I had a gray Persian jacket and a hat to match.”

And: “Do you know the Opera House in Berlin?...My husband and I attended regularly. We had a subscription. We had such beautiful times.”

Also, in the midst of starvation & cold & discomfort, of course a person longs for warm clothes, food, and a comfortable home.

But "Germany, ah, Germany..."? In the middle of a mass genocide? A mass genocide carried out by that same Germany?

In Lea Fuchs-Chayen's Holocaust memoir, Out of the Depths, she recalls a friend from her hometown of Budapest who did not want to leave the life-threatening horrors of Auschwitz (while the stench of burning Jews was driving Lea mad) for another camp because that would necessitate getting a number tattooed into her forearm and "imagine what a tattooed arm would look like in an elegant evening dress."

Meaning, she preferred the atrocities of Auschwitz, the constant stench of the burning flesh of her people, the constant threat of imminent & torturous death—all for the hope of returning to the lifestyle of the sleeveless evening gown.

In both memoirs, the very assimilated Jews expressed longing for the cultural aspects of their assimilated European lifestyles, not just a normal longing for some kind of escape to hot soup & a clean bed.

Look, as I've stated before, I cannot judge them.

Who knows how I would be in such an atrocious situation, chas v'shalom? Maybe even worse!

The point is that they didn't even long for their families, people, or safety & physical comfort.

They longed for the culture—the same culture that was slaughtering them by the millions in all sorts of horrific ways.

Due to the influences of their surrounding culture, their rich soul had dwindled down to sleeveless evening gowns & opera houses.

They saw fellow Jews wasting away next to them & they smelled the burning flesh of the crematoria, yet could only think about Persian wool coats & evening gowns.

Tragically & heartbreakingly, that was all that was left inside them.

They didn't speak of missing their husbands or parents or friends or siblings. They didn't mention a longing for a hot, filling meal or a safe shelter.

They spoke of their longing for the same culture that was now slaughtering them.

As Rav Miller describes it (page 8):

They identified with the land of their destroyers, with the land of their tormentors and persecutors and it broke their heart that they had to leave.

Instead of saying, “What a wicked nation! What a filthy nation! A nation of murderers!”

The Germans are worse than the cannibals in Africa – the cannibals at least only kill people when they’re hungry!

Instead of saying, “We are happy to be rid of them and we turn our faces away to a new future; we’ll face forward now with the Am Yisroel; we’ll turn our backs on these wicked gentiles who are murderers of our people and never look back;” instead of that, they couldn't tear out of their hearts the allegiance to their Fatherland.

They looked back!

Again, the point here is not to point fingers or judge or to stick our noses in the air and feel superior to fellow Jews suffering horribly in a widespread & ruthless genocide.

I don't think we can do that.

Who knows how any of us would respond in the same situation (may Hashem protect us from such evils)?

The point is the lesson for us to improve ourselves, and not condemn those in the past.

For example, the author of Shattered Crystals constantly missed her husband & daughters. She never stopped thinking about them & yearning to reunite with them.

Lea Fuchs-Chayen sorely missed her parents & sisters & Shabbat.

Yes, they missed their lovely, comfortable homes—of course!

But when stripped of everything except their minds, to what were they most connected?

Spiritual aspects & people—what really mattered in life.

And so, we need to ask ourselves: Where are we in our minds?

In our heart of hearts, to what (or to whom) do we feel most connected?

A Whole Lot about Newspapers

On pages 8-10, Rav Miller discusses the challenges of converts & baalei teshuvah to leave behind their own lives.

By the way, this isn't to make people feel bad & worthless because they miss non-Torah aspects of their old life or feel drawn to the outside culture.

This longing for the outside world plays a huge part in American Jewry.

Since Jews began immigrating to America, America always exerted a special pull on the Jewish heart.

Born & raised in America, Rav Miller understood this well.

And he wished to help his fellow Jews liberate themselves from this outside pull.

He describes it as a man who grasped onto thorns, but screams for medicine only, rather than releasing his grip on the thorns.

As Rav Miller explains (page 10-11):

So we say to him: “What are you crying about medicine?!”

It means what are you worried about seforim and daas Torah?

The first thing is to let go! Let go of the thorns!

He wants to be better, but he sits and reads, let’s say, newspapers. So the newspapers are a constant source of replenishment of all of the false ideas that he claims to want to run away from.

He’s still grabbing onto the thorns! He’s still looking back at the place he ran away from.

Whether it’s the Algemeiner Journal or the Jewish Press or the New York Times. Each on a different level, but...you're not going to get better from them!

Note: The Jewish Press is the favorite newspaper of a lot of good frum Jews.

Also, the Jewish Press hosts many articles in praise of Rav Avigdor Miller.

And for intermarried couples or non-frum Jews, Rav Miller advised making a subscription to the Jewish Press, so it would arrive to their home regularly and influence them positively.

As Rav Miller says here:

Because I think that the Jewish Press is a good newspaper for people who are intermarried. It could have a good effect on them. Yes, it definitely could.

And I want to tell you something else. The Jewish Press does good things too.

Some years ago I got some scientists and some professors together to make an official declaration that Hashem created the world. It was a declaration by scientists that all the available evidence proves that Hashem created the world. I still have copies of that.

And the Jewish Press gave us free of charge a half-page ad to publish it...

...So don’t criticize them too much. Don’t think that they’re nothing. Rav Shalom Klass, a’lav ha’shalom, did good work.

Or here (Rav Miller on the Jewish Press: A Rag with a Jewish Heart):

When the Jewish Press first came out I took money out of my own pocket – I didn’t have any extra money in my pocket – and I made a deal with the editor, who at that time was Rav Simcha Weissman.

I made a deal with him and he gave me a reduced price and I ordered twenty-three subscriptions. I paid half the bill out of my own pocket and the other half I got from the Synagogue and we had twenty-three people in the shul who were subscribed to The Jewish Press.

In the beginning it was all idealism. And even though today it has changed a great deal and it has already earned this title – it has arrived at the point where it can be called a rag – I still say that I don’t wish it to close down.

And that’s because there is nothing else right now.

Let’s say some anti- Semitic senator or some ASPCA woman, like we had recently with that Mrs. Schmidt, cooks up a plot to attack shechita in Congress or in the State Legislature.

Who’s going to speak up for shechita?! What?! Do you think the American Jewish Congress Weekly is going to speak up to help you?

Ah nechtiga tug!

Who will speak up for us?! The Jewish Press has a heart – they’ll speak up, they’ll shout. They’ll organize public opinion. And many other things. There’s no question about it...

...But it’s like seeing a city bus going down the street.

Now, you need the bus. You use the bus to get places. It’s helpful.

But the bus has on its side pictures that are objectionable. So we do wish that someone would come along and tear off the pictures from the side of the bus. That’s what we wish for.

So therefore I’m doing the tearing – in my own little way. And maybe someone will hear about it and there’ll be some results. But I never said it should close down.

If someone will ever establish another newspaper that is as effective as The Jewish Press and that has a circulation that is better than The Jewish Press, then we can wish The Jewish Press that they also join the dustbin of history.

But for the time being, like the world says, “oib mir darfen a ganav, nemt em arup fun teliyah” – if you need a ganav, then take him off the gallows.

This lecture is from tape #5, which means it must have been said decades ago.

Anyway, Rav Miller loved some aspects of it and criticized other aspects.

And like I said, much to the credit of the Jewish Press, despite Rav Miller's criticism, they only ever publish articles in praise of him.

We might not always agree, but we certainly love each other!

Anyway, there is also valid criticism to offer regarding charedi publications.

No charedi publication truly reflects daas Torah, although they feature daas Torah in some of the articles.

(I wrote more about the issues of Jewish publications from all streams here: Why You Can't Rely on Journalists for the Truth.)

Anyway, to get back to the dvar Torah...

An Overview of Gems from Rav Miller

On pages 12-13, Rav Miller discusses tsniyut with his rich wit.

And it's true, as he states, that even a girl who dresses with the bare minimum of halachic modesty (a skirt the covers just her knees—at least while she's standing up) still suffers castigation for dressing in a way considered "old-fashioned" or "oppressive."

I must admit I enjoyed Rav Miller's criticism of Dior the designer, calling him "wicked" and "an enemy of Mankind" and "meshugeneh."

On pages 13-15, he wittily discusses the problems of secular books, movies, and TV.

On pages 16-17, Rav Miller discusses the great accomplishment & contribution of chassidim & chassidus. (Rav Miller wasn't a chassid.)

On pages 17-18, he offers tips on how to enhance Jewish joy in your own life.

On pages 18-20, Rav Miller explains the attack of Amalek on the Jews after they left Mitzrayim; it attacked the "weakened ones"—the ones looking back over their shoulders.

By the way, if you (like me) even wondered why the Jews (not just the Erev Rav) missed Mitzrayim, Rav Edelstein explains that there was a phase between enslavement & exodus in which they enjoyed the high life of Egypt.

(Click Through the Eyes of a Gadol, then scroll halfway down.)

That's what they missed. For around 80%, release from slavery into the high life was enough. They didn't want more.

Let's finish with some final words from Rav Miller:

And yet the day will come when Moshiach will come; the time will arrive when we’ll have to leave America.

Imagine; Moshiach is here now and all of us are getting ready to board super airliners.

We’ll fly to Eretz Yisroel al kanfei nesharim, on the wings of eagles, all together now.

And what will be the most important thing to remind ourselves of then?

The same thing that makes us successful even today: Don’t look back! Maybe you can see the skyscrapers of New York from your home in Williamsburg?

Forget about it.

Look only forward to your great future.

Credit for all material & all quotes goes to Toras Avigdor, which helps keep us on the straight & happy path of life!

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What We Learn from Why Shem Lost the Kahunah: Rav Avigdor Miller on Parshat Lech-Lecha

29/10/2020

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In Rav Avigdor Miller's dvar Torah for Parshat Lech-Lecha: The Prince and the King, we discover that Avraham Avinu was a war hero.

The details of Avraham Avinu's military magnificence are never discussed much because, as Rav Miller notes, "they are unimportant" (which shows you Torah priorities right there).

But he was an excellent general & military strategist. He came home to a nation of adoring fans with all he won from his victories.

Yet whenever we speak of Avraham Avinu, it's always about his spiritual victories—because the real gibur (hero) is the one who conquers his yetzer hara.

How Shem Lost the Kehunah

We never learn much about Shem, one of Noach's sons and the great-great-grandfather of Avraham Avinu.

If you'd like more insights into Shem's personality & accomplishments, you'll find them on pages 4-6.

Anyway, the original plan for the Kahunah (Priesthood) was for Shem to receive it, and thus all Shem's descendants (Nedarim 32b).

That's very interesting, if you think about it.

From the descendants defined by Sefer Yechusin, Shalshelet HaKabbalah, and Me'am Lo'ez (HERE & HERE), this means that not only the Jews would be kohanim, but also the Arabs, the Indians, the Persians, the Far East Asians, the Armenians, and some Turks.

And initially, Shem received it. He also received the title Malkitzedek (king of justice) and served as priest to Hashem.

Shem (as Malkitzedek) went out to greet Avraham Avinu on his return.

Shem blessed Avraham Avinu with beautiful blessings.

In the first blessing, Shem said, "Blessed is Avraham to the God on High..."

So impressed by Avraham Avinu's accomplishments, both the spiritual & the worldly, Shem lost himself & blessed Avraham Avinu before Hashem.

He mentioned Avraham Avinu before he mentioned Hashem.

It sounds so strange. It doesn't even sound like Shem did anything wrong!

Yet that lost the Kahunah for Shem as a whole.

Here's Rav Miller to explain it (page 7):

A man who forgets about the Keil Elyon, the Uppermost Power, even if it’s just for a moment, defaults his privilege to be the progenitor of the Am Hashem!

The Chosen People must have Hakodosh Boruch Hu uppermost in their thoughts always.

It means that even when you’re talking to the biggest tzaddik; let’s say you’re going out to welcome the greatest rosh yeshiva and you’re dancing around him and singing, if for a moment you forget about whom you’re really dancing and you think you’re dancing about this tzaddik, then you lose out!

If you become bribed by his personality, if you become bewitched by this great man and for a moment you forget about Hakodosh Boruch Hu, it means that something is wrong.

And that was the error that Malkitzedek made on that day; for a moment he lost himself and he put Avrohom first. It was only for a moment – he caught himself right away, but for the one who wants to be the father of the Am Hashem, it’s not good enough.

The Real Greatness of Avraham Avinu

Immediately, Avraham Avinu responded (whether verbally or in thought): "Is it proper to
first say a bracha to me, and only afterwards to give a bracha to Keil Elyon?”

And this is the real greatness of Avraham Avinu.

Says Rav Miller (quoting the Rambam's Moreh Nevuchim): Avraham Avinu never stopped thinking about Hashem.

And that was greater than anything else Avraham Avinu ever did.

This is the great test in This World: Always remember Hashem.

Whatever we're doing—no matter how mundane—never forget about Hashem.

The Correct Hashkafah: Great People are Ladders. Use Them Wisely.

On page 9, you can read about how Avraham Avinu seen in his time.

He was extremely wealthy.
He composed many books, which people read.
He had tens of thousands of disciples.
He was handsome.
He was charismatic (in a real way, due to his saintliness & noble countenance).
He was a military hero.
He taught the Egyptians mathematics & astronomy (from Josephus, quoting Berossus the Akkadian).
He was very holy.
He was profoundly wise.
He was a Prophet.

It's easy to get lost in one's awe & reverence for such a truly great personality.

But Rav Miller says no. Watch out!

This is what we learn from Shem's seemingly innocent mistake.

A Tzaddik, a Rav, a Rebbe, a Rosh Yeshivah—they're all only ladders to reach Hashem.

Yes, we respect them & listen to them.

But at the same time, we know that Hashem put them among us to help us reach HASHEM.

Rav Miller loved all Jews. He loved chassidim. He never allowed anyone to criticize any Rebbe. He always crushed criticism of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

He particularly admired the Satmar Rav Yoel Teitelbaum.

And here is Rav Miller's beautifully metaphorical take on the cause of religious infighting among Jews and how to prevent it with the right outlook (pages 12-13):

The truth is that you always must keep in mind that your Rebbe is only a ladder – the Rebbe is only there to make it easier to climb up to Hakodosh Boruch Hu.

But if a man just stands on the ladder and never reaches the shelf, then we tell him, “What are you standing there for?!”

There are a lot of people standing on ladders, and they’re all yelling at each other.

This one says, “My ladder is better,” and this one says, “My ladder is better than yours.”

So we tell them, “Get going already! Go higher!”

Once you understand that you’re climbing a ladder, then all Rebbes become “My Rebbe.”

All Rebbes!

The Satmerer Rebbe! Ahh! Zol ehr lang leiben! He’s a wonderful man. A big warrior; and he accomplished for us so much.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, zol ehr lang leiben! He accomplished so much and he’s still accomplishing.

They should both be our Rebbes because they both can bring us to Hakodosh Boruch Hu and that’s all that matters.

Rav Miller was not a chassid, but a litvak.

And he had appreciation, respect, and ahavat Yisrael for all legitimate Torah groups.

"Ladders."

That's the key.

A Kosher Wife Makes Sure that Both She & Her Husband Put the Will of Hashem before Their Own

Today, many women remain silent (maybe disapprovingly, but still silent) in the face of their husband's lack of integrity or whatever.

Now, if she can't say something, then she can't.

Some husbands are too combative, too corrupt, or too blind to listen.

It's simply not worth it for her to speak to him about what he's doing wrong; the price is too much to pay.

But if she can say something, she should.

Conversely, many women also do things against halacha "because my husband says so" or "because he likes this/wants me to do this."

The happens the most with regard to tsniyut, in which a great many married women dress with some lack of tsniyus in order to please her husband.

Another scenario occurs when the husband is such a great person. He's a great knowledgeable scholar too. His wife respects him so much—and for good reason.

Yet even then, she shouldn't blindly trust his judgement when she sees him doing something she knows he shouldn't.

Even very great people can get caught up in their own idealism, and so on.

So Rav Miller goes on at length about how your husband's will should never come before Hashem's Will.

Here's a snippet (page 14):

The answer is, that you should never forget about Hakodosh Boruch Hu!

Even the most pious wife who understands that a loyal wife bends to the will of her husband; and even when it concerns a great husband, a gadol, but still, he doesn’t come before Hakodosh Boruch Hu!

If something seems that it can be corrected, you shouldn’t keep quiet because even your husband’s great personality shouldn’t cause you to forget about Hakodosh Boruch Hu.

And therefore, because his wife didn’t say anything she was punished too. She heard; she was told what was happening, and she should have taken action.

She was a great woman; she wasn’t a plain person and she’d figure out a way to make a protest in the way that’s fitting for a wife with such a great husband.

Whatever it was, she’d have to do it, because it could be he’s the greatest husband, the gadol hador; it could even be Avrohom Avinu, but no matter, Hakodosh Boruch Hu comes first.

The Honor of Hashem Precedes the Honor of Parents

On pages 14-18, Rav Miller delves into the complex subject of honoring parents, mentioning ideas I hadn't heard before.

The idea here is to honor parents for Hashem's Sake.

Honoring a parent is about honoring Hashem.

That's why, if a parent requests or even demands that a child do something against the Torah, the child must not obey.

The refusal should be carried out nicely & respectfully. But the child should not capitulate.

The Big Lesson

On pages 18-20, Rav Miller discusses how people interact with others in a way that prioritizes the person's desires over Hashem's desires.

This occurs with lashon hara, chanifah (flattery), and other aspects we don't always pay attention to in conversation.

And ultimately, this is what we learn from the loss of the Kahunah from all Shem's descendants.

Instead, the Kahunah transferred to Avraham Avinu, from where it ultimately transferred to the descendants of Aharon HaKohen where it remains until today.

Hashem comes first.

Make sure you check out page 21 for the practical exercise to help internalize this concept!

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Update on The Nations Established by the Sons of Noach

28/10/2020

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For anyone interested, the post The Nations Established by the Sons of Noach: Where are They Now? has been overhauled.

A couple of mistakes corrected, a couple of things clarified, plus the addition of 5 old maps (to show the kingdoms mentioned that no longer exist, like Lydia, Bohemia, Kerman, Shirvan, Persia, etc.), 2 modern maps, and a photo of the ruins of the ancient synagogue in Sardis (which lies in modern-day Turkey)—all to enable a better understanding of how the sons of Noach spread & developed.

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The Generation of the Flood has Reincarnated into Our Generation: Here's the Evidence & Also What You can Do to Protect Yourself & Others

27/10/2020

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Since I was a little girl, I enjoyed the stories dealing with Noach's time.

And they're even more fascinating now when seen through the lens of our Sages.

So even when it's not Parshat Noach (which really begins at the end of Parshat Beresheit), I'm still eager to learn about & discuss it.

(All of the following has been extracted from the Me'am Lo'ez.)

Abortion is the Destructive Solution, Not the Compassionate Solution

The Me'am Lo'ez on Beresheit 23:6:5-6 discusses the people of that time—people we generally define as giants.

Several types existed, however this post focuses on one type: the Nefilim.

Chazal offers several reasons for their name. The root of Nefilim is nafal—falling. They were so tall, they looked like they were falling.

In the preceding verse (verse 4), the Torah writes Nefilim as if it reads nafalim—aborted infants.

The Me'am Lo'ez notes that with all the wanton behavior occurring in that generation, illegitimate pregnancies became common.

To save themselves from the shame of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, these pregnant single women were given drugs to induce abortion.

(Modern society thinks it's so smart to have invented a pill to induce abortion, but people already invented that thousands of years ago.)

So in addition to reading the verse as "the Nefilim were in the land," the Me'am Lo'ez reads it as "the aborted infants were in the earth": "The earth was literally filled with them."

This reminds me of the dumpsters behind abortion clinics, filled with the remains of aborted babies.

Pro-life activists sometimes sneak into these dumpsters to photograph the gruesome remains of abortions carried out on an unborn baby developed enough to adopt human form.

The activists are accused of using gruesome shock tactics, but they're merely photographing the reality of abortion.

(BTW, I'm against using the photos out in public, like on the sidewalk, for the same reason I'm against any gruesome or indecent image randomly assaulting the eyes of the public. But for them to use these photos during an official presentation is correct.)

Another reason for abortion was because the regular women fell in love with the giants of that time, but could not physically bear such large children.

So they aborted them.

Pre-Flood Flaunting—Just Like Now

In the time of preceding the Flood, all sorts of immorality took place (sort of like now).

One bizarre aspect of that generation was that when they first heard about the punishment in store for their world, they responded by intensifying their corrupt behavior.

Again, this reminds me of the "Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die!" attitude prevalent today.

Also, in the "End of the World" genre, characters sometimes respond by committing depraved acts because "now's our chance!"

So upon hearing about the upcoming punishment, people engaged in every kind of depravity, including men with men or with animals. They even performed wedding ceremonies to legitimize these depraved relationships.

Women made themselves up and displayed themselves with immodesty in the streets, seeking out wanton liaisons.

Men fathered many children out-of-wedlock, producing offspring all over the world.

Again and again, the Me'am Lo'ez emphasizes the lack of shame in that society. People did all the above without shame.

On the contrary, they reveled in their depravity.

We see all this in our time.

For example...

With all the formality of the British royal family, I was surprised to read about the future king of England publicly shacking up with his girlfriend—the future queen of England—prior to their engagement.

Also, because she has since proven herself to be a paradigm of propriety, fitting so well into her royal role as Duchess-Princess, it's still weird to me that they were so lackadaisical during the premarital stage.

Yes, I know the royal families have always been immoral & hypocritical, but flaunting impropriety rather than keeping it private shows a huge crack in social norms.

After all, "all the best people are doing it." So why shouldn't everyone?

What's more, you have all these European princesses willfully producing love-children out-of-wedlock—their only concern whether these children inherit a title or not.

And with all the out-of-wedlock children & loose behavior pre-Flood, why did shame motivate women to abort?

After all, it's clear that generation commonly produced children out-of-wedlock.

Perhaps it's like today: An unwanted pregnancy is considered an easily preventable mistake in the mid-to-upper classes.

That stratum of society considers accidentally impregnated females stupid, not only because they got pregnant in the first place, but because they carry the baby to term when a practical "solution" (abortion) is so easily available to them.

So you rarely see a mid-to-upper class woman carrying an unwanted baby to term in the USA.

They either use contraception or abortion.

Attention Climate Change Activists!: Natural Disasters aren't So Natural

Hashem gave people many warnings a several hundred years to repent.

He flooded two-thirds of the world twice in Enosh's time.

He brought great earthquakes in the mountains, which placed the world in darkness—could this mean ash from eruptions?

He produced constant thunder and lightening.

When Metushelach died, the Sun rose in the West and set in the East (rather than its usual East-West path). But people insisted it was just a natural phenomenon.

He sent Noach to warn people.

But nothing helped.

Again, we see all this now.

Hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, fires, disease, and flooding always bring calls to carry out useless gestures to reverse "global warming" and/or calls to impeach President Trump.

But these natural disasters never bring calls for repentance (unless you happen to be in a religious community).

The Danger of Too Much Luxury & Freedom

Despite the incidents of natural disasters, Hashem made life very easy and pleasant for people.

They felt rich, untouchable, and strong.

They scoffed at the need for Hashem, even to bring rain. Because they lived surrounded by an abundance of water wells, they felt like, "What do we need God for?" (That attitude is SO characteristic of today!)

They were strong—and also very healthy. They suffered no disease.

Wheat kernels grew as big as melons, then Hashem sent a wind to blow them off onto the ground so people needn't thresh the wheat nor go digging around for tiny kernels.

But instead of feeling grateful to Hashem for all that free time & ease, and instead of utilizing that ease & freedom to build a relationship with Hashem, people used these gifts to sink into decadence & depravity.

Seven days before the Flood, Hashem changed the Sun's path to rise in the West and set in the East.

During that 7-day period, Hashem allowed that generation to experience such great pleasure, it approached the delights of the World to Come!

(He did that so the destruction of the Flood would cause them even more distress, coming after such pleasure.)

This is also similar to today.

Even though before covid-19, many people felt stressed out, but a lot of that stress related to acquisition.

The truth is that even poor people in America live better than rich people did 2 centuries ago.

Cars, electricity, indoor plumbing, supermarket aisles full of everything to meet your needs in all different flavors—even $1 stores provide so much.

And the Internet brought great pleasure straight to one's fingertips.

Free movies, free games, free music—whether legal or not, it's all there & oh-so easy to access.

"Hi, This is Cindy from Dor HaMabul Reporting to You Live..."

Rav Itamar Schwartz mentions several times Chazal's prediction that the Generation of the Flood will reincarnate in our times (i.e. the End of Days).

(Please see page 10 of this PDF.)

I think we're seeing this now.

The similarities between their generation & ours are too great to dismiss.

Interestingly, Chazal also says that the Generation of the Flood has no part in the World to Come.

I guess that means they cease to exist, including on the soul-level.

But they exist right now. They're all around us.

The reason why we need to maintain this awareness is because the same people who set societal norms & values for us today are the same people who horribly corrupted the world several thousand years ago.

And they're doing it again.

These people have NO future. When they die, that's it for them.

Do we really want to get caught up with such people?

Where are they taking us?

Around 4000 years ago, these same souls danced down a path of revelry & abandon that led to unimaginable destruction.

And they're doing it again.

Let's step off their path & travel our own, even if our path doesn't seem as smooth.

Our path leads in the right direction—to Geula.

Their path leads toward destruction.

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The Me'am Lo'ez on the Descendants of the Sons of Noach

26/10/2020

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This post is basically a continuation of The Nations Established by the Sons of Noach: Where are They Now?

It's all based on the Me'am Lo'ez on Parshat Noach.

Cham

The Kaftorim (offspring of Mitzrayim from Cham) are the pygmies.

The Patrusim & Kasluchim (also offspring of Mitzrayim from Cham) indulged in the immorality of exchanging wives. From these adulterous unions came the Plishtim (Philistines).

The Lehavim (also offspring of Mitzrayim from Cham) acquired this name because their faces were like flames (not sure if in shape or some other quality). Lahav is "flame" in Hebrew.

Kush, Mitzrayim, Put, and Canaan were the leaders of the plan to build the infamous Tower of Babel.

Yefet

Tiras (Yefet's youngest son) initiated the custom of wearing gold or silver rings on the fingers.

Shem

Ever (son of Shelach from Shem) was the biggest tzaddik of these offspring & he also possessed tremendous genius. Both these attributes inspired him to establish the incredible yeshivah in which our Patriarchs studied, commonly known as "the yeshivah of Shem and Ever."

Chatzermavet (literally: "courtyard of death) was the grandson of Ever (via Yaktan), who descended from Shem.

A nation of ascetics descended from Chatzermavet. The Me'am Lo'ez states they went around unclothed "like the Dervishes" and "were interested only in death."

Only recently did I have a clue as to what this could possibly mean.

Could this be the ghoulish Aghori cult on the banks of the Ganges River in India?

(For more on them, please see: How Going to the Extremes of "Transcendent" Spirituality Leads to Disturbing Death Rituals & Cannibalism.)

This aligns with Rav Gedalia's theory in Shalshelet HaKabbalah that all the sons of Yaktan ended up in the East. While certainly there are countries even farther East than India, his specific term is that they ended up on the eastern "side," which easily includes India, as well as the Far East.

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Rav Avigdor Miller on Parshat Noach: Why Davka a Flood?

23/10/2020

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In Rav Avigdor Miller's dvar Torah for Parshat Noach: The World of Nothing, the question comes up of why a flood?

There are several reasons why Hashem saw fit to wipe out humanity.

The most obvious reason is sin. Dor HaMabul was a very sinful generation.

They led lives of ease & luxury—and they went against Hashem without turning back.

But He could've wiped out humanity with a pandemic.

Why a flood?

Why a hot flood with upper & lower waters surging to entirely destroy everything: buildings, roads, utensils, structures, sculptures, books, bones, animals, orchards, fields, forests—literally everything?

Our Fascination with Our World

Those earliest generations set the stage for all the generations that followed after Flood: techniques for sowing, harvesting, making all sorts of tools, making metals like swords & plows, making bread, horticulture, agriculture, weavery & textiles, and much more.

King Shlomo wrote that Hashem put the world into our hearts.

On the negative side, that means we focus on the material.

On the positive side, it means that we focus on the myriad wonders throughout the world—like the perfect miracle of an apple—and reflect back on the One who created it all.

In other words, we can use the world for physical pleasures & material goals or use the world for kedushah & spiritual goals.

Our attraction to the world is either a trap or an opportunity; it depends how we use it.

Where is Hashem in All This?

In the time before the Flood, people became obsessed with fulfilling physical desires and material acquisition.

They tricked each other out of things worth less than a penny & fought over territory and more significant possessions.

The Me'am Lo'ez says that wheat grew tall with kernels the size of melons.

Because of the difficulty of harvesting such heavy-duty wheat, Hashem caused a wind to come & blow out the kernels so the people could easily gather them from the ground.

They didn't even need to thresh their wheat.

He made life so easy & bountiful for the people, yet they ignored Him.

Rav Miller advises us to include Hashem in our conversations more, like at the dinner table.

Even if we feel very religious & committed to Torah, Rav Miller suggests we examine how often we talk about Hashem—and how often we talk about business, politics, and other worldly matters without including Hashem?

And how much do we feel compelled to discuss our resentments & jealousies?

Sure, sometimes we need to get stuff off our chest. We need reassurance or advice.

But some of us constantly harp on the deficiencies of our spouse, in-law, parents, children, neighbors, co-workers, boss, and so on.

Appreciation or Obsession?

It's good for us to appreciate & love what we have in life.

But Rav Miller reminds us that we can fall so in love with certain aspects that we lose focus.

Our home becomes such a part of us that we end up looking to beautify it all the time.

Making repairs & keeping it comfortable to live & function in is good. That sometimes necessitates improvements.

But if you've ever found yourself thinking obsessively (as I have) about how you'd like to rearrange the furniture or add this and buy that and so on, then that's diving a bit too deeply into This World.

Yes, sometimes you need make calculations about your home & analyze a better design in your head, but not obsessively.

Rav Miller also mentions obsession with work & hobbies.

Travel, art, sports, entertainment, cuisine, novels...

How many of us get so caught up in wedding plans that we lose sight of the very real kedushah of a new joining of souls who are setting out on a journey of self-rectification & mitzvot?

It's very normal.

Rebbetzin Tziporah Gottleib (Heller) once mentioned that sometimes women told her, "But with more children, you have more laundry"—as if it's not worth it.

True, the laundry can get overwhelming—100%! But Rebbetzin Gottleib emphasized the incomparable value of bringing a Jewish soul into the world.

It's so precious & so powerful—how can it be reduced to the amount of laundry that accompanies it?

There are so many distractions—some under the guise of pressure, some under the guise of pleasure—it's hard to maintain the true perspective.

We all struggle with this on some level.

When Nothing is Everything

So Hashem brought us the Mabul to say that everything is nothing--hevel.

It sounds depressing, but that's really the meaning of Shema Yisrael, when we declare that Hashem is our One & Only.

It's actually a beautiful, inspiring, and liberating idea (page 17):

Now, I understand that there will be opposition to this.

If you try to tell people these things they laugh at you; they’ll say it's extreme and that it’s not realistic.

“You have to be a frum Jew,” they say. “You have to daven and you have to learn Torah and do mitzvos; but to say everything is Hashem and if not, it’s hevel?! Only to think about Hashem?! Is that a life?!”

And the answer is yes; a resounding yes!

That’s the best life, the most successful life, the happiest life.

The Holy Nutter

Rav Miller reminds us that when Esav asked Yaakov about all the people with him, Yaakov answered, "They're the children that God gave me."

This is the correct perspective.

An elderly Iranian-Jewish woman told me of when her mother held her newborn baby (i.e., her granddaughter) in her arms for the first time and just stood there gazing at the baby without speaking.

The woman told me in a voice full of affection, "I said, 'Mother, what are you doing?' And without looking up, my mother told me, 'I'm looking at nifla'ot haBorei'—the wonders of the Creator."

We're not so far removed from the people with the correct perspective.

We sound silly or holier-than-thou or like show-offs when we talk like this.

But it's the right way to think.

As for how we should behave, practically speaking?

We need to strike the right balance between not letting others' opinions determine our behavior & not showing off or being unusual just to be rebellious or attract attention.

Here's Rav Miller (page 18):

It’s better to be a lunatic all your life in the eyes of Mankind, in order that Hakadosh Baruch Hu should approve of you.

However, take that advice carefully.

It’s a recipe for greatness, a prescription, but don’t just stam try to be a shoteh [fool].

But either way, that’s the ideal and we’re talking now about the ideal – to see Hashem everywhere, to see Him in everything.

Some Quick & Easy Tips to Internalize This Concept

On pages 18-20, Rav Miller details how to view eating, apples, bread, sunshine, rain, and clouds.

Life has a purpose, states Rav Miller.

It doesn't have to be nothing.

On page 21, I see that Toras Avigdor added a wonderful new section called Let's Get Practical.

There, you can read tips from Rav Miller about how to incorporate the lessons of Parshat Noach into yourself.

As usual with Rav Miller, it's all about very small acts that take mere seconds to fulfill, such as spending 20 seconds to replace This World with Hashem—like when you see sunlight, take 20 seconds to think that Hashem is shining the sunlight. And do this 3 times a day.

Here are Rav Miller's final words on the topic:

And because remembering Hakodosh Boruch Hu is the most important thing, it was worth it to bring a Mabul upon the world just to teach that lesson forever and ever.

The great flood came to destroy everything in order to demonstrate that all the things that people considered important until now are really nothing.

What’s left in the world? There’s nothing left to talk about, nothing to think about.

Only water on all sides, just desolation.

They were sitting in the teivah [ark] and there was nothing to do except to look out and see nothing.

And that way the progenitors of the newly built world would experience at least once that actually it’s only Hakodosh Boruch Hu that belongs in our hearts and with that understanding they would rebuild the world again.

If you daven Kabbalat Shabbat:

When you say the Psalm 29 ("Havu L'Hashem bnei elim..."), and you get to verse 10 ("Hashem lamabul yashav vayeshev Hashem Melech l'olam—Hashem sat [enthroned] at the Flood; Hashem sat as King forever."), you can think of the image produced by Rav Miller's words above.

It's really good to do that because that's the meaning of the verse, which is phrased in a very pictorial way.

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