 | Talmud Bavli Tractate Sanhedrin 4:5
| | | We are all created in G!d's image.
Humanity was produced from one man, Adam, to show God's greatness. When a man mints a coin in a press, each coin is identical.
But when the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, creates people in the form of Adam not one is similar to any other.
| | Maimonides
| | | "The merit of penitents is higher than that of the perfectly righteous, because the former have struggled harder to subdue their passions."
| | Rabbi Abahu
| | | A person who has sinned and stopped is of a higher religious order than one who has never known sin.
"In the spot where penitents stand, there is no room for the perfectly righteous."
| | Talmud Bavli Tractate Beracoth 17A
| | | "It does not matter whether you pray a lot or a little. What counts is that you direct your heart to Heaven."
| | Fruit from a Beautiful Tree
| | | Talmud rabbis determine that this unspecified "fruit from a beautiful tree" to be used on Sukkoth must be a citron (etrog in Hebrew), a lemon-like fruit.
They say that the four species mentioned symbolize the unity of us as individuals.
The etrog symbolizes the heart.
The lulav (palm branch) is the spine.
The hadasim (myrtle leaves) are the eyes.
The aravot (willow branches) are the lips.
When we hold all four together, we are reminded that all parts of us must be integrated to lead ethical lives.
| | Tastes Great.
Less Smelly.
| | | The Midrash gives another lesson.
It says that the etrog, which tastes and smells pleasant, symbolizes one who studies and does good deeds.
The lulav, whose fruit is the date which tastes good but has no aroma, is like one who studies but does not do good deeds.
The myrtle, which has no taste but smells good, is like one who does not study but does good deeds.
The willow has neither taste nor smell. It symbolizes one who does not study or do good deeds.
The Midrash teaches that we hold these all together to remember that everyone is beloved by G!d and that a loving community is made up all of sorts of people.
| | Knock, Knock, Knocking at Your Door
| | | The Midrash teaches that the Divine Presence, the Shechinah, dwells with us, and that She comes with seven "faithful shepherds."
These ushpizin (Aramaic for guests) visit us, one each night.
Who are they? They are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David.
Each one of these men left the comforts of their surroundings and lived in temporary shelters.
Kabbalistically, each guest represents a character trait of G!d on the sefirot tree.
For example, Abraham is chesed (loving kindness), Isaac is gevurah (spiritual strength), and Jacob is tiferet (spiritual glory).
For spiritual Jews, this significant custom reminds us of the attributes we strive to emulate to become better partners with G!d in Tikun Olam.
Besides these spiritual guests, it is customary to invite a different human guest to your sukkah each night.
| Click Here to Order Rabbi Arthur Segal's Books:
The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal:
A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew
A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the
Torah and Talmud
| | | | We Have a Busy Month Ahead of Us
A Holiday Message From Rabbi Arthur Segal's Jewish Spiritual Renewal September 2010
| | Shalom My Dear Talmidim, Chaverim v' Rabbanim:
September has so many Jewish Holy Days and Holidays that an attempt to address them all in depth with one email would be a huge test of your patience.
Not to mention, my copywriter and editor would both run screaming from the room.
So instead, I will weave a general theme for all of our September celebrations.
Luckily for you, this may be my shortest, sweetest monthly message yet!
Is that possible?
| | What and When are the Holidays?
Selicoth (Penitential prayers) is on the eve of September 4.
Rosh ha Shana (The New Year of Humanity) begins on the eve of September 8 and lasts through the eve of September 10.
The Fast of Gedaliah begins on the eve of September 11.
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) begins on the eve of September 17 and ends 25 hours later.
Sukkoth (Feast of Tabernacles) begins on the eve of September 22 and lasts for 8 days. It is followed by, or includes: - Hoshana Rabbah (Great Supplication)
- Shemini Atzeret (Eighth day of Assembly) and
- Simchat Torah (Rejoicing with the Torah)
These Holidays all share one theme: G!d is in charge of our lives,
and we are here to do His will.
| Selicoth
During Selicoth we ask G!d's forgiveness for our having "missed the mark," that is, for our failure to do His will.
By missing the mark, we cause ourselves to separate from the Divine and from our fellows.
We ask G!d to forgive us for this separation. These are our Penitential Prayers.
| The New Year of Humanity celebrates the birth of Adam and Eve.
It teaches us that we have one set of human parents, one Divine parent, and that we all are brothers and sisters and need to treat each other that way.
This is what G!d desires most...for us to love one another.
| Gedaliah was a Hebrew governor of Judea under the Babylonians who was assassinated by a jealous fellow Hebrew in 586 B.C.E.
The Fast of Gedaliah reminds us that despite Judaism's outside enemies, the greatest harm can come from within.
Our petty jealousies, exclusiveness, cliquishness, and gossip, harms us individually and as a people.
| Yom Kippur acknowledges that G!d alone is Master of the Universe, and that our behaviors will inscribe us into the book of Life, or into a life of a living death.
We take moral stock of ourselves, make amends to those we have harmed, make peace with those we resent, and reattach ourselves to G!d.
G!d never gives up on us. It is we who turn our backs on Him.
| | |  | | During Sukkoth Jews are commanded to live in huts for which everyone's roof is made of the same flimsy material.
The spiritual message is that we delude ourselves with our dependence on earthly material things like homes, cars, money, and titles.
Our dependence needs to be on G!d alone.
The Kabbalistic Zohar says that judgment is not sealed until Hoshana Rabbah.
The two Holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah tend to be fused with emphasis on the latter.
This is the time that we finish our reading and study of Deuteronomy, and start back from the beginning with Genesis.
Torah study and G!dly behavior never end.
As Rabbi Hillel taught in the Mishna, if we don't grow spiritually, we decrease in spirituality.
| | | | | | There's a Simple Step to Enjoying These Holidays More This Year and Beyond
Do your celebrations of the Jewish Holidays - in September and throughout the year - tend to be more about the social elements and less about Spirituality?
It's very common in our modern era, and not just for Jews. Surely you've heard your Christian friends lament the absence of Christ in Christmas.
It's a symptom of a general departure from Spirituality throughout society.
And in my years of rabbinic counseling, I have observed many fellow Jews getting less and less enjoyment and inspiration from our Holiday celebrations...and from life in general.
 Chapter 13 of my book, The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew,
talks about these September holidays (and others as well) in greater depth than I have done here, but again, without getting too wordy!
My purpose in this chapter is to guide you in celebrating Jewish holidays with spiritual intent and, therefore, finding the celebrations more enjoyable, more inspiring...AND MORE FUN!
In Chapter 13 you will learn... - That the real joy of Selicoth is in receiving G!d's forgiveness, but you can still enjoy a Saturday night synagogue social event (Page 221).
- That the lessons of Rosh ha Shana will help you improve relationships with family and friends
(Page 222). - The feeling of renewal you get from knowing that your sins are forgiven, and your Yom Kippur break-the-fast will taste that much better (Page 224).
- The freedom that you will feel when you remind yourself at Sukkoth that your life is not ruled by material things (Page 225).
But that is only part of the story.
Celebrating the Jewish Holidays in a spiritual way is just one small step in a path to a spiritually renewed life.
And that is what eWQoE5SHA==" shape=rect target=_blank track="on" linktype="link"> happier, more peaceful, and more spiritual, regardless of what is going on in the world around you.
And it is all written in the context of modern-day life.
is really all about...teaching you how to transform your life into one that is happier, more peaceful, and more spiritual, regardless of what is going on in the world around you.
And it is all written in the context of modern-day life.
In this book, I distill the teachings of our sages and rabbis that have been passed along for thousands of years, along with lessons from the Torah and the Talmud.
But unlike other Jewish spiritual texts that you may have read, or sermons you may have heard, this book presents these lessons in a concise, easy-to-read, easy-to-follow life transformation process that you can follow step-by-step at your own pace.
You will learn:
- That "normative" Judaism as you have known it throughout your life is not really Judaism at all, why it may leave you uninspired, and how spiritual renewal will help you recapture that inspiration (Chapter 1).
- That your ego can be your own worst enemy, and how to win the battle against it (Chapter 2).
- How to stop struggling for control over things you cannot control, and be happier because of it (Chapter 3).
- How spiritual renewal conquers the fears and character flaws that are holding you back in life (Chapters 4 and 5).
- To actually get rid of your character flaws forever (Chapter 6).
- How to turn negative relationships in your life positive (Chapter 7).
- How simple it is to make prayer a regular part of your days...without going back to Hebrew school (Chapter 8).
- How to find peace of mind through meditation (Chapter 9).
- How to simplify life's toughest decisions
(Chapter 10). - How spiritual renewal transforms you into the best individual you can be, and how to stay on track (Chapter 11).
- How to celebrate the Sabbath and the Jewish Holidays with meaning (Chapters 12 and 13).
- How to live with happiness, joy, and freedom every day of your life (Chapter 14).
The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew is only $19.99 (plus S&H) when you purchase your copy from Rabbi Arthur Segal's online bookstore. That's $5.00 off the Amazon price.
Click the link below to order.
| | | | | In summary, what are we to learn during this month?
We are to learn that G!d wants us to be lovingly kind, to be just and honest, and to walk humbly with Him.
L 'Shana Tovah Ketivah v' Chasimah Tovah...May you have a good year and may you be inscribed and sealed into the book of life!
Many Blessings,
Rabbi Arthur Segal
| | | | | | The Torah and Talmud
A Modern Interpretation
In my years of Rabbinic Counseling I've noticed that many modern Jews are not as familiar with the Torah and the Talmud as they might be.
They find it difficult to understand and interpret in a way that makes sense and has relevance to their lives in the modern world.
The spiritual disconnection that this causes inspired me to write a second book, A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud.
 This book instills Jewish values and an understanding of the Torah and Talmud's teachings in plain English and from a modern point of view.
The Talmud teaches that the Torah is about loving our fellow man and that we are to ''go and study.'' The rest is commentary.
A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud clarifies the commentary and allows one to study the Torah and the Talmud to learn the Judaic ideals of love, forgiveness, kindness, mercy and peace.
A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud is only $24.99 (plus S&H) when you purchase your copy from my online bookstore.
That's a $5.00 savings from the Amazon price, and certainly a small amount to pay for the priceless wisdom contained within the Torah and the Talmud.
Click the link below to order.
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