Massei
The journey of life is perpetual. Every stop is a start in the right direction.
The children of Israel made forty-two stops and encampments in the wilderness, from the slavery of Egypt to the plains on the border of the Promised Land. The borders of the Holy Land are herein inscribed. The Cities of Refuge, shielding the mistakes one makes, are safe havens in a dangerous world. When a land is divided by the Divine it is truly united as one; when tribes are divide by Heaven, they may gel together in true unison. These are the journeys of life. Safe travels.
Matot-Masei: Tzugekumene
Response to a provocative letter: ‘The feeling of “us” and “them” was an undercurrent in the interactions between FFB’s and BT’s or non-observant Jews’.
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Massei: My Enemies Make Me Wise
From our enemies we learn our weaknesses and what needs protection. From Al Qaeda’s new print-Internet magazine we learn about our own passion for Israel.
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Matos-Massei: Why is Jerusalem Still Burning
Torah chapters read in the Three Weeks of destruction address issues of Jerusalem under siege: the link between Hezbollah and the Babylonians & Romans.
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Matos-Masei: 1967: The Summer of Awakening Part II
This week’s essay – a sequel to last week – discusses the power of inspiration and the profound consequences of not acting on a call from above….
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42 Journeys Part 7
This column has been following these journeys as we read through the book of Numbers – in an attempt to decipher the personal application and psycho-spiritual meaning and significance of the 42 journeys.
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Matos-Massei: One Small Step
If our “one step” on the moon can humbly remind us that the internal “moon” of our own inner malchus/dignity remains intact, and that it can actually experience rebirth and renewal, than this indeed is “one giant leap for mankind.”
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Matos Massei: Attack in Bulgaria
The angrier you get about events surrounding Israel, the more you should channel that intensity into positive action to create a spiritual revolution in your life, in your home, in your community and in your corner of the world. This is the true conquest of Israel.
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Signpost: Cities of Refuge
Discover the spiritual meaning of the Biblical cities of refuge. You can create spiritual cities of refuge in your life. The imperative to build cities of refuge has special meaning to us today, when the roads of life are teeming with spiritual refugees. It is our sacred duty to station ourselves at all the crossroads and serve as living signposts, calling out “Refuge! Refuge!” and pointing the way to the haven of Torah.
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Informed Debate
A Chassidic story of Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz inspiring two argumentative combatants to criticise themselves instead of each other.
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The Eastern Colonists
Chassidic explanation of the difference between the Spies and later the Tribes of Reuben and Gad who requested land east of the Jordan re divine sparks.
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Wisdom and Wonder
The laws of “vows” grant the authority & ability to define with our words & actions the very nature of our environment to ordinary, mortal man.
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The Paradox of Pain
From Parshat Maasei & the period of the 3 Weeks we learn not to view difficulty as a wholly negative experience, but as the greatest facilitator of growth.
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The Hard Life
Both Mattot and Massei are parashiyot read during the Three Weeks – both are lessons on galut.
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Ricochet Dance
History is a dance. G-d & the “maiden of Israel” have been dancing these steps some 4000 years now, advancing & retreating, drawing apart & pulling together
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A Slumber and a Headache
Revisiting the 42-stationed journey in the desert from the Exodus of Egypt (that marked our birth as a nation) to our entry into the Land of Israel.
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The 42 Journeys of Your Life
By examining the cycles of your life you can discover the 42 different phases you have experienced and will experience.
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Enough Water for All
Perspective and insight by Rabbi Meir of Premishlan as to how G-d runs the world and our misguided perception as to how we think the world is run.
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Lonely Man
Moses left us a legacy of facing our deepest questions and coming back stronger from it. He had faith even when there seemed to be no basis for it.
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Do You Like to Travel? – Israel/Three Weeks Workshop
Learn about the journey of Israel today. Discover new ways to look at your voyages, and how to discern the deeper patterns in the trajectory of your life.
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The Desolate Mountain: When Nothing is Everything. A Pre-Nine Days Workshop
Eye-opening Nine Days Workshop. The mightiest power lays buried in the most unglamorous places. Learn the deceptive nature of material existence.
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Do You Feel Listless? Inertia in an Age of Mobility
Join a provocative talk analyzing a growing paradox of our times. Discover a new perspective on mobility and how to free ourselves from becoming couch potatoes.
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