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Beshalach 5760 - January 21, 2000 |
Fact Sheet: New Year for Trees
The Tu B'Shvat Traditions
Murky Depths
Every element in the revealed worlds has its corresponding reality in the hidden worlds. The two may be as externally different as horses and sea-horses, yet they are nevertheless linked in some mysterious way. Thus, when we negotiate our lives with the "terrestrial" part of our psyche, we are also drawing on the vast reservoir of knowledge and intuition stored in its oceans.
What joins these two worlds? An old, old memory: a memory of the day when the sea split open to reveal what lay within.
| FROM THE CHASSIDIC MASTERS |
The Anatomy of a Miracle
All the objects and forces of nature were created on the condition that they obeyed the will of the righteous, even if it ran counter to their normal physical laws. Furthermore - says the Baal Shem Tov - if they did not do so, not only would they cease to exist -- it would be as if they had never been created. In other words, had the Red Sea not divided, it would not only never have water again, its whole previous existence would be obliterated.
A Boy and a Calf
We met Reb Dovid the butcher carrying a calf on his shoulders, a small lamb in his arms, and a basket of chickens hanging in front of him. Noticing me, his face lit up and he said: "I hope to G-d that I'll earn well today..."
Before he finished speaking, the police uradnik suddenly sprang up beside him and struck him a blow across the face. Blood ran down his nose. Seeing this, I yelled at the uradnik, "Drunk! Despicable one!," and I shoved him hard.
My Rebbe the Rebel
These were the early 70s in Vancouver - Canada's San Francisco. I gave classical guitar lessons and organized the "Anarchist Discussion Group" of the Vancouver Free University. I learned Tai Chi, Yoga, became a strict vegetarian, and attended countless "Encounter Groups." I hitch-hiked around Canada, the U.S., Israel, Europe and the U.K. I found souls travelling and dabbling on every kind of path I never had imagined.
I returned with a broader mind, but still a craving, empty soul. None of what I found was for me. When you search, it doesn't matter where you look, the last thing you'll find is your own self.
Why Do We Fall in Love?
Modern man is not prepared to think of him or herself merely as production machines to bear children; so in order to entice two people into a union, evolution and biology have conspired to imbue relationships between the sexes with a mystique that compels us along the romantic journey.
This, in essence, is the commonly accepted scientific theory of sexuality. Let us contrast that with the Torah approach - specifically, the Kabalistic-Chassidic perspective...
When summer hits in South Africa, vacationers on the resort beaches of Cape Town are greeted by the pristine sand, world-class surf, coral reefs and... the Chabad-Lubavitch Center's seaside Chanukah Menorah lighting.
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THE REBBE: 50 YEARS
POSTCARD FROM CAPE TOWN
Beshalach
Exodus 13:17-17:16
Week of January 16 - 22, 2000
The Parshah In A Nutshell
Full Parshah Summary With Commentary
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