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There is a midrash that before we are born, we have all the spiritual knowledge of our past lives and full comprehension about what we need to accomplish in this lifetime. Nevertheless, at the moment of birth an angel touches us just below the nose and we forget all that we knew. We spend the rest of our lives trying to find what we lost. And it is extremely important to find what we have lost in this instance. There are many clues to discover one’s role in life. A lot can be learned from our family. A soul will choose a family in order to improve itself in areas of weakness. While in this family there may be more conflicts, correction leads to greater personal growth. One may also learn about oneself from one’s name. Who we are named after affects our role in life. The day we are born will also have an effect.

I will take this to our parents. -They will not understand. They might; I will tell them you are happy.^[2134]

One of the most important matters to parents is that their children are happy. Even G-d in the next life will ask us, “Did you enjoy my world?”

There is good and bad in each of the Jewish movements.^[2135] Because of the Reform movement, there is pressure on the Vatican to release the archives of WWII Pope Plus XII who allied with Hitler mach shemo. Because of the Conservative and Reform movements, pressure was exerted on Truman to approve the State of Israel. While the Orthodox movement has kept us from adopting harmful modern ways, they have kept to themselves mostly. Leftists were the first to pick up the rifle to fight for Israel.^[2136] “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” – Godfather’s advice

Yichus
“Merits of the family” literally. The immediate family influences the child’s values and stability.

Image of G-d
The Ribono shel Olam cares more for the well-being of marriages than for worship and recognition. This was the point of the test of adultery where Hashem permits His name to be wiped out for the sake of the marriage. Why is this the case? Why is our relationship to Hashem of less significance then to others?

Thus, to live in the “Image of G-d” is not to expect recognition from others. Hence, a good atheist may rate as high in the eyes of Hashem as a believer. The key is how benevolent we act towards others. For the sake of kindness for others, Hashem foregoes recognition. The way we treat our spouse falls in this category.

Now how will it be possible after death to feel closeness to Hashem if while we lived we did not achieve this? Those that live in the “Image of G-d” will be as a loving friend of Hashem in the world to come. The relationship of a friend is different from that of servant. Both are worthy goals.

Rediscovered Jew

In a convention in Poland, a hidden Jewish woman discovered that her brother was alive, 50 years after the holocaust. During the war, she was left alone at the age of 14. She told the authorities that she was Polish and an orphan. Since she didn’t look Jewish and volunteered to work in a factory in Germany, she slipped by without notice. The factory in Germany was forced labor, not like a concentration camp. There she met someone and got married after the war in Poland. When he was very sick, she finally told him that she was Jewish. She also had two daughters. When the oldest daughter found out she was very disheartened as she held negative Jewish opinions. The other daughter was ok with the news.

There was a convention in Poland for survivors of the war. At the convention someone told her that there was a survivor from her hometown there. This person was a friend of my aunt in Germany who told us about the story. She had a brother who had survived the war in Russia and went to England after the war. Fifty years later she traveled to England and had a reunion with a brother. Her brother’s son was a lawyer in New York. He paid her to take a trip to New York where she met my uncle as well. When her daughter got married in Poland her nephew traveled to the wedding in Poland. The daughter getting married was shocked to find out she was Jewish but had adjusted by the time of her wedding. The other daughter was ok to find out she was Jewish.

Mr Ripple Saves the Spiegel Family

When my father’s family was seeking a place to hide during the last year of the 2^nd world war, my Grandfather contacted a friend of his by the name of Mr. Ripple. Mr. Ripple had earlier enabled my grandfather to get work papers to go in and out of the ghetto to collect down and feathers used by the German army for pillows and clothing. Mr. Ripple told my Grandfather that he could not hide the entire family and then said, but how can I send you away since I will never see you again. My Grandfather replied to put his mind at ease, “I am only seeking a place for my wife and daughter, my sons and I have already found another place to hide.” This satisfied Mr. Ripple and my grandmother and daughter took residency in the loft of the stable attached to the house. Mr. Ripple provided food for them that they would lift up by rope. What Mr. Ripple didn’t know is that my grandfather, uncle and father had snuck up to hide in the loft as well. For the last six months he was not aware of this. My grandfather continued to use his work papers to conduct business during the war to acquire food to feed the rest of the family. He went through a serious bout of typhus which the hay carried but survived the delirium. One day Grandfather heard others talking about the Spiegel family, that they were hiding in the area, and he felt that the talk could lead to some danger. He told a friend’s wife to spread rumors this Sunday at church that the Spiegel family had been caught hiding in some pipes near a construction site. When Mr. Ripple and his wife went to church and heard the rumors, they came home and told my Grandmother the tragic news that the rest of the Spiegel family had been captured. My grandmother responded, “don’t you worry, Mr Ripple, my husband and sons are in a hiding place just as good as this one, and to prove it next week my husband will be here to meet you.”

This was how my family survived the last six months of the war. Mr. Ripple was the German magistrate of this region and a good man. There is no Hebrew word for "supernatural" and there is a good reason for this. Instead the Hebrew word for miracle is ‘nes’. Since my father’s family are holocaust survivors, my grandmother, may she rest in peace would tell me the miracles of how the family survived. There are miracles in this world and they have nothing to do with “the supernatural”. To be a Jew is to be part of an unbroken chain of survivors of persecution. There is no greater miracle than after the thousands of years of persecution; the Jewish people survive and have a vibrant tradition and inner beauty. On Yom Kipper during the Musaf service, we read about the Ten Martyrs who died for their faith in G-d and unwillingness to keep then the prohibition on teaching Torah. Because of folks like these and the other millions of martyrs in our history we are Jews today. Some Christians would paint us into a corner for denying the deification of a single martyr, but we say in the words of the Aleinu prayer, Isaiah 45:20 “For they bow to vanity and emptiness and pray to a god which does not save” since we are here, while the Byzantine Christians who would have destroyed us are not.

One should always shower ones children with love and hugs. This assists in the development of their self-esteem. Bedwetting is a problem that stems from lack of positive complements to the child. Each night when putting the child to sleep one should complement and state how one believes in them and their potential. Overlook mistakes and give encouragement.

One must spend time with ones child. If the child feels that she is the most important thing to the parents, then she will grow up close to her parents’ values. If a child is asking or behaving in a way completely out of the ordinary it is usually a cry that the parents notice them and give them attention.

A teenage child may rebel and be testy. One must encourage her with complements. This gives her confidence to be successful in all challenges. When the child comes from divorced parents one should accept the child’s discussion of both sides so that the child feels right about her parents.

We must know that the illumination of our children stems from the blessings we recite that draw forth souls from heaven.^[2137]

The sons of Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali and those of Zilpah were Asher and Gad. Joseph got along with the children of the maidens.^[2141] Jerusalem is in the territory of Benjamin. North of there is the territory of Ephraim and north of Ephraim is Mannaseh’s land extending to the southern tip of the Sea of the Galilee. North of Mannaseh is Issachar and Zebulin. Dan’s portion is where Tel-Aviv is today along the central to northern coastline. Asher’s is above that on the coastline.

Our Hebrew names are our spiritual roots. My cousin Avraham Ellenbogen lives in Beer Sheva, much like Abraham Avinu who chose that place as his home.

Maternal Grandparents
Aryeh Lev served as gabai of his shul, which meant he maintained the order of services, distributed aliyahs, gave out prayer books, and assisted guests. He was a quiet man with a good heart. His strength was calmness and a good temperament. He was not prone to anger.

My maternal grandmother was a charitable woman who sent care packages to her relatives in Israel at the beginning of Israel’s statehood when there were few supplies. When I visited Israel, I found that she is well remembered by Sima Talmon of Kibbutz Maale HaHamisha. She was a dynamic lady who enjoyed entertaining guests and socializing.

Paternal Grandparents
My grandmother was a righteous woman who would fast Monday and Thursday, while my grandfather sought for hiding places during the Holocaust. She read T’hillim and Tanach for hours each day. She was a pious woman with a saintly heart. She died on Erev Rosh Hodesh before sunset on the last day of Adar.

I remember one particular story she would tell me emphatically from Ezekiel. This was the story of the “Valley of Dry Bones”. G-d set Ezekiel down in a valley and all around were bones. G-d asked Ezekiel, “Can these bones yet live?” Ezekiel responded, “Oh G-d, only thou knowest.” G-d said prophesy unto these bones that they should have flesh upon them and spirit within them. Ezekiel prophesied and it happened. G-d said:

My grandmother’s favorite saying was “Everything will work out for the best.” Her favorite charity was the Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Z”l center, the miracle worker, in Tiberias, Israel. My Grandmother obtained the following teaching perhaps from a Rabbi and wrote it down for me:

My grandmother had two daughters. Hilda, the oldest lives in Germany. Lunia, died in the Holocaust as a baby. There are tragedies in the Holocaust too painful to recount. Like the moon which waxes and wanes, Lunia’s life waned too fast. What are the meanings of these tragedies? What does G-d want us to learn?

Great Uncle
My great uncle Joseph and his family were murdered in the holocaust.^[2142] My maternal grandmother’s brother was very kind and caring for the needs of those around him. He was a good family man. He lived in Germany and had two children. When Hitler rose to power he had the choice of leaving to Poland or another country like Switzerland. Since he had two sisters in Poland, he chose Poland, while his wife’s parents went to Switzerland and survived.

Rosh Hodesh Adar 5764 – watched the ‘The Ideal Husband’. This is a good movie about character under trying circumstances, a Victorian society film combining themes from Nathaniel Hawthorne with the flare of Shakespeare—highly recommended.

The Jewish mission is to enlighten the world with Torah. We must go door-to-door to share our wisdom, to counter false beliefs, and to elevate Jewish self-esteem. Both Jewish men and Jewish women should serve a mission.

We need to establish Jewish Institutes of Learning so that singles will have places to meet and marry. These should be collocated with colleges and universities. Jewish singles should have their own places of worship to facilitate meetings. Jewish single synagogues should have non-paid clergy.

The angels in heaven are Hayot,^[2147] beings similar in relationship to G-d as animals are in relation to man.^[2148] The Midrash asks:

The Midrash teaches that one must show honor for other living creatures to be honored not just human beings. The word love, ahavah in Hebrew is of the same root as yahav, the word for ‘give’ in Aramaic. This teaches us to love is to give. The Gemara teaches to give three prutah, small coins, as tzedakah before prayer. That is to say even the gift of three small coins is significant in G-d’s eyes as an act of love.

In order for God to have created the world, he withdrew from the ‘center’ to make a space.^[2149] Nevertheless, because nothing can exist without God, a kav, a ray of light reentered the space to sustain creation. Similarly, when people want to learn to love, they must also withdraw from the center. They must grow out of the point of being children in the center of attention to let the relationship occur.

Hashem creates the world with words, but rests on Shabbat. Yet, the world cannot exist without Hashem continuously recreating it. During the week, this is with words, but on Shabbat, G-d rests. From here, we learn that Hashem sustains the world with thought on Shabbat. Unlike words, thought does not distort. Thought is Hashem’s intended creation in perfect form, His Thought. This is why Friday night is so special a time for intimacy. At this moment, we are closest to Hashem’s intention.

Jewish love is to be in love with the idea of marriage, not necessarily with ones spouse. The idea of marriage perseveres, even when the newness of love wears off. In love, there is unity, one body. This means that when the other’s body is ailing one feels for the suffering and vice-versa. To be in love with the idea of marriage means to give and fulfill her commandments.

The Ayn Aur, an infinite light surrounds all of creation. Angels reside in this place; this is the world of Yetzirah. Why do we bid the angels ‘goodbye’ so soon after we greet them on Shabbat? This is because when they arrive at the Shabbat observant house, the heat of the spirit of observance so overwhelms them that they cannot bear to stay in its presence.^[2150] Yet, we know that they dwell in heaven so what could be more overwhelming here on Earth. The unity of God’s presence with his people overwhelms the experience of the angels in heaven. Why is there no blessing before intimacy? There is a blessing that one recites as part of the marriage ceremony sanctifying intimacy and progeny from the relationship. Yet, when one says a blessing, one must act upon it immediately for it to last. This teaches that all of the marriage between husband and wife is an intimacy, not just the sexual act that is separated by spates of time. Intimacy is not just sex.^[2151]

Choosing a home is an important item for spiritual inspiration. Particularly beneficial for meditation is a home that has windows facing east. A view of mountains or water will help ones inspiration. Size is not as significant in a home as pleasant scenery and a quiet location.

Ever notice that most temples (churches) are designed with steeples or spires. Within our mental code, such images remind us of mountains where water, herbs, and wildlife are found. Most importantly, such visages remind us of our insignificance and deflate anger, worry, and other personal obsessions.

Sometimes a person is an orphan and doesn’t know where he comes from. In some ways, each of us needs to make a decision on our own identity, who we will be.

You get to decide who you are, not many people get that chance.

^[2134] Star Trek Next Generation, Episode 265: Homeward
^[2135] Lessons that I learn from my father, Avraham Tzvi ben Moshe
^[2136] Tish B’Av 5760
^[2137] Likutey Moharan, Volume 1B, Rebbi Nachman of Breslov, trans. and edited by Moshe Mykoff, annotated by Chaim Kramer, pp.301-303
^[2138] That is to remember G-d.
^[2139] Ibid.
^[2140] ‘And the Saints go Marching On’ tune.
^[2141] See Parsha Vayeshev
^[2142] My first name Yosef is after him while my middle name Nathan is after my maternal great-grandfather. In Judaism if one is named after someone whose life was short, one takes upon oneself a middle name of someone who lived to a ripe old age so that the soul forces are blended for the good in oneself.

^[2143] Yesod in Tiferets on the Counting of the Omer – April 24, 1996

^[2144] Upper of Garden of Eden
^[2145] Father and mother.
^[2146] Hersh is a deer. Tzvi is a deer in Hebrew. Tzvi brother of Sarah. Abraham was Sarah’s father.
^[2147] Hayot is the Hebrew word for animals as well.
^[2148] Rivkah Slonim, SUNY Binghamton Chabad director speaking at SLC retreat 8/01/03
^[2149] Ibid.
^[2150] Ibid.

^[2151] As for a blessing before sex, we are instructed not to recite blessings in vain and we do not know ahead of time what will occur.

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