Rabbi's Blog

The Kabbalah of Bread II

Is your nature like water? Can making dough be a spiritual and holy act? What is the secret to unity? How to really get along with others?

The first step in mystical bread making is the crushing and grinding of the kernels into to fine flour. Taking our self centeredness and the “me” syndrome and grinding that down until it is selfless is the first step in this cosmic G-dly plan for humanity.

Now that you have crushed the ego now you need to put it back together again. How do you do that?

The thing you need is water. The nature of water is that it finds the lowest spot that it can. Instead of looking for the highest place or the most prominent place it searches and is happiest when it finds that lowest possible spot. The personality of water is a person who is always looking to find someone lower then themselves, i.e. someone that they can help in some way. A water nature means you want to be of service to others. Not for self aggrandizement but simply to help another.

Why do you need to put it back together? Without an ego we would have no drive. With an ego we only think about ourselves. But when you crush the ego and turn it into flour and then you introduce this water personality now you have a selfless person with a drive to help others.

Now you can move to step 3, kneading. Kneading is creating unity with tiny pieces of flour. When people come together for a cause whatever that cause may be the unity is dependant on the cause when the cause goes away so does the unity. But when the unity is created by a genuine desire to help others that is not ego or circumstance driven but rather deep and eternal, then the unity is eternal.

So the third step is not just helping others but actually uniting with others in the same cause, the cause of helping others. When each person goes through this process, then we are able to unite all of humanity into this giant Challah.

And that is why G-d put us here on earth to create this kind of unity ourselves. Man made unity, not a G-d imposed unity like in all other areas of creation, is the kind of unity that only we humans can create. And that is the kabblah of bread. Nature represents the goodness and unity that G-d creates, bread and Challah represent the goodness and unity that we humans create. Easy? not a chance. Worth the effort? Absolutely. Will it ever happen? G-d thinks so.

Now that you know the Kabbalah of bread; making and eating bread takes on a whole new dimension. Challah, bagels or delicious rugaleh’s won’t ever be the same. It will be beckoning us to turn ourselves and the people around us into bread and produce the purpose of our creation.

Shabbat Shalom and a Happy 4th

Rabbi Zalman Marcus

P.s. The world cup has captured the headlines and many world viewers; here is a fun video that will give the game a whole new spin and a new respect for Chabad Rabbi’s. Click here. No rabbis or players were injured in the making of this video.

The Kabbalah of Bread

Of all the creatures we are the only ones who cannot live very well if we just eat unprocessed foods. Did you ever wonder why? What is our purpose? How is our purpose connected with bread?

Recently I watched a program about animals and their eating habits and it struck me how lucky they are. They don’t need to cook any food, no need to use food processors, or bake anything, no kitchens, no mess, no shopping, no cleaning and no BBQing. On the other hand we just went on a family trip and we had to take half the kitchen, and an entire grocery store with us in the car. Why is it that we have to go to such lengths to prepare our food? And the better we want it to taste the more we need to patchke, (a wonderful Yiddish word to describe what you do in the kitchen when you are trying to cook gourmet). Let’s take bread for example; we humans cannot eat the hard kernel, we can cook it and soften it and then eat it but it doesn’t taste so good. If we grind it and grind it until it is so thin that it turns into flour and then we mix it with water and other ingredients and then we bake it in an oven, ah! Then you have delicious bread.

According to Kabbalah this is a lesson for us, it is G-d’s way of teaching us about our purpose.

Everything else in creation fulfils its purpose by just being itself. We on the other hand if we just act ourselves we have not fulfilled our purpose. This is reflected in our food. For animals they don’t have to do anything to their food in order to eat it, we have to do something to many foods to modify it from its natural state in order to eat it. (I am sure there are those that would argue and say that we should eat like the animals and not modify the food at all and that it would be better for us, whether that is true is debatable, but regardless, the mere fact that we have the choice and that we enjoy it better in its modified state, according to Kabbalah is not an accident or a bad habit but rather the way G-d intended it for us. For example according to the Torah we are required to eat matzah on Passover and Challah on Shabbat, both are created using flour etc.)

Let’s take it one step further, each of us is supposed to become bread. How? Well first lets start with the kernel, the kernel represents you as you are naturally, tough and self aware and self centered, not a good candidate for relationships with other humans or with G-d.

The first thing you need to do is to grind that kernel down until it turns into flour. So jump right into the grinder, just kidding, it means to remove the tough exterior and self centeredness and to open your self up to be able to unite with others, it does not mean to throw yourself away. We cannot unite with others and with G-d while we are so tough and self absorbed. Only after we have broken down the kernel and ground it so fine so that it is flour only then are we ready. How do we do that practically? The act of grinding in a spiritual sense is the activity of perspective. Truly understanding our place in the world and realizing that it not about me. The world does not revolve around me and it is not about me.

This past week the chabad world celebrated the release of the previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneerson from soviet prison in 1927 (for the full story click here). He was considered the lion of the Jewish people for his unwavering stand against the Soviets anti-religious onslaught and for his literal self sacrifice on behalf of Soviet Jewry. He was arrested many times in his life and was in constant danger of losing his life but he continued his indefatigable fight against those who wanted to eradicate Judaism. He ultimately succeeded in preserving Judaism and the now former Soviet Union is just another black stain on human history. Where did he get the courage and the strength, the fortitude to risk his life and stand up to one of the most ruthless regimes of our times? He practiced the above, he put himself and his personal concerns aside and gave all he had to a cause greater then himself. He ground his kernel into the finest and thinnest of flour. All that remained was a man with a dedication so strong that even the mighty Soviets could not crush him or his spirit.

G-d could have created us already in this refined state but he wanted us to participate in creation. This is our unique role in creation. But it is only the beginning.

To be continued…

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Zalman Marcus

Why I Love Jury Duty

Can there be anything worse then getting a jury summons? They even call it a summons, although when you get there they try to explain to you that this is the greatest thing for our democracy.

But I actually loved it and it taught me many lessons.

1. It allowed me to stop my life long enough to think, to think about my life. We are so busy living we rarely have time to think about what we are doing, why we are doing what we’re doing, is it making us happy, is it fulfilling?

Now this might be scary for many people and not for the weak hearted. After all you may not have the answers to these questions and that can be unsettling to say the least.

But it is so important. How can we just ignore the most obvious questions facing our lives.

Therefore it can be a blessing when we have no choice but to think about it.

And what a place and time to do that. Just imagine sitting in a room with 100’s of people of all walks of life and nationalities. All residents of orange county but with very diverse beliefs and cultures.

I brought along plenty of food and reading material. This was a great place and time to think about my life and my purpose.

When am I the most alive? What do I know that I should really be doing? What is getting in my way?

Recently I was talking to a fellow who owns his own company and he described his daily schedule and basically he has no life. He has no time for anything else he is totally consumed by his business. It was so clear to me what was wrong with his picture, who needs such a big company, who needs so much money, for what purpose for what end. Everyone else’s life is so easy to dissect and analyze and advise. Our own life on the other hand can be more challenging. These moments of forced contemplation can be a good start to helping us ask these questions and find the answers that are in our soul. Every time I speak with people it amazes me how deep down they know what they should be doing and what the right thing for them to do is. Actually doing it and implementing it is the challenge.

So here are some questions to get you started:

If today was your last day on earth...

What would be your biggest regret?

How would you want your children to remember you?

What do you want your friends to say about you?

What would you say is your biggest contribution to this universe? 

What makes you smile most?

While I was there I read something that gave me much to think about: A chosid went for a private audience with the first Chabad Rebbe. During the conversation the Rebbe enquired about his situation. He answered that he had lost everything and was in financial ruin. The Rebbe’s response was clarifying and timely. The Rebbe said, “You are needed to spread the light of Torah and to develop the personal relationship between man and G-d, G-d on the other hand, is responsible to make sure you are provided for. You do what you have to do and G-d will do what He has to do.”

May we find our fulfillment in the unique work G-d has created for each one of us and may G-d bless us with His abundant blessings.

I hope you have as much fun as I did at your next jury summons. The good news is we don’t have to wait until then, any and every day we can make the time to stop and think about the above questions and motivate ourselves to be quiet just long enough so that we can hear the strong but very quiet voice of our soul as it speaks to each one of us calling us to live and live more deeply and purposefully.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Zalman Marcus

P.s. We were sent home before lunch. G-d bless America. I love jury duty but 5 hours was more then enough.

Lessons From the Flotilla 

A 27 year study of optimists and pessimists has revealed that pessimists are much more accurate about reality then optimists. as a result pessimists rarely if ever change the reality since it is the reality and they accept it and resign themselves to it. Optimists ted to change reality over time, since they refuse to accept the reality they are constantly trying to change and eventually many of them do.

Rabbi Zalman Marcus

My Spiritual Debt

In 1973 Moshe Levy risked his life to save the people of Israel, he is a hero in Israel and abroad and received Israel’s highest medal of recognition for his bravery.

For the full story click here (go to the one hour and 8 minute mark for his story and presentation).

Many years later he was addressing a graduating class in Israel and speaking to them about the importance of going to the army. He was asked by one of the students, “Why should I risk my life when there are others who are not going into the army?’, He responded with a question, if you borrowed $1000 would you feel obligated to pay it back? “Of course”, was the response. He continued, “I was on the battle field before you were born and I witnessed the loss of many lives, many of my own brigade. Many of them left behind families. They sacrificed their lives so that you could be born and that you could have your country. All they asked for in return was that you pay back the debt by doing what they did. No you don’t have to die but you need to stand up and defend the country for future generations.

I found this story particularly profound for me on many levels, just as we are all indebted to the soldiers in Israel and for their dedication, I began to think about the other debts I had.

My grand parents and great grand parents risked their lives and many of them died in their effort to make sure that there would be a Jewish tomorrow, so that I would have the opportunity to be a Jew today.

I am indebted to them, all they are asking of me is to stand strong and do what I must do to make sure Judaism is here for the next generation.

A few weeks ago we had a bar mitzvah for a young man whose family is from the former Soviet Union. The great grand father was there and presented his great grandson with a Talit. I was standing next to them as this was happening and I overheard the grandfather whisper into his great grandson’s ear, “Zalst blaieben a Yid”, “You should remain a Yid (Jewish)”. It sent chills down my spine. I could hear his father and grand father whispering those exact words into ear 70 years ago at his Bar Mitzvah and I could hear it being whispered into their ears when they were Bar Mitzvah’d.

This week is the yahrtzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Schneerson, who dedicated his life to the Jewish people and the world. (Click here for more information on his life and legacy.) I have a debt to pay to him as well; he dedicated his life so that I could have a more loving, caring, G-dly and spiritual world. All he asked for in return was that we do that for our children and for future generations. Give them a better and freer world, give them a more peaceful and G-dly world. A world filled with the light of the Torah, a light that illuminates the heart and mind and brings out the best in all of us.

I will be paying my debt by studying and teaching more Torah, by doing more mitzvot and by doing all I can to create a better and brighter future for all mankind.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Zalman Marcus

 Remodel Your Foundation

What happens to you when you are in a crisis? Are you prepared? Who is the real you? Can you do anything about the real you?

Do you know who you really are? What happens when the ground under your feet becomes very shaky, you are no longer on solid ground, when your very foundations of life are in question? Many of us have experienced this in various ways; it could be the economy, your parents or other role models that have failed you or a serious illness in the family.

We come to rely on certain foundations and many times they are taken out from under our feet. When that happens we go back to a place in our brain and psyche that is kind of our core. Similar to people who have learned a language when they were older and how they revert back to that original language when they are in distress. So to we have a certain pattern in our brain that is our original language or way of thinking about life and we revert to that way of thinking in difficult times. This is our foundation, the real me. Which is why we see different responses to crisis, some respond with strength and some break down. The ones who are strong have a strong foundation that they fall back on while the others don’t.

Where does that foundation come from?

The foundation is developed when we are young and is a combination of our in-born personality and the educational, cultural, religious and family environment we grew up in. Your parents, teachers and role models played a role in shaping your foundation. Your peers and siblings can also influence your foundation as well. The way you think of yourself, your outlook on life, your belief system are all products of your personal predisposition and your environment.

The foundation of every building is its most important element and for the most part is not seen and therefore taken for granted. Our own foundations are also not seen and many times taken for granted until it is sometimes too late.

What exactly is a foundation of life?

It is our belief system, what we believe.

1. What we believe about our selves; am I a good person, capable, successful or am I no good, a failure and hopeless. As long as things are good I don’t have to think about these heavy and deep things, however when my world begins to crumble those beliefs will guide my reaction. People, who at their core and in their foundation, think of themselves as failures will fall apart, while those that think of themselves as successes will stand strong.

2. What we believe about the world; is the world inherently good or bad? If we believe it to be good then when things go south for us we still maintain our faith that things will get better if not we begin to lose hope and give up.

3. What we believe about G-d; is G-d a personal, caring and capable G-d, or distant, impotent and impersonal or something in between. If you believe that G-d is good and personal and knowing that ultimately G-d is in control then everything that happens even the very difficult wont crush the person. If one believes that G-d is not in control then life can be crushing at times.

Can you change your core, your foundation?

It is easier to build a life foundation when you are young, but you can and many times must change it as you get older.

If you are a parent, a mentor or a role model take the time to think about how you can influence their foundation of life and how you want their foundation to look like.

For ourselves we need to think about our own personal foundations and how we can remodel them. Instead of waiting for a crisis to find out how strong your foundation is, try improving it and reflecting on it now.

How can you change or improve your foundation?

It is changed by education, role models, healthy relationships and praying. (Yes praying, praying is not just asking G-d to help you, but also the time we are supposed to take what we have learned intellectually, apply it to our selves and make real changes.)

What happens if you are in a crisis and you are finding that the foundation you thought you had is not there? What if you never had a strong foundation, what do you do then? Is there any hope?

Every person has a hidden foundation deep in their soul and no matter what kind of foundation you have built based on your personality or environment, your hidden foundation is always there, it is strong, perfect and accessible. That is why you can find people who do not have a strong foundation yet are able to find hidden strength in times of extreme need.

Are there any practical tips to remodeling my foundation?

There are many practical applications of this.

1. The first thing is to always start with the smallest and the easiest, start practicing being stronger and having a stronger foundation with small and easy things. Find areas in your life that with little effort you could change your attitude and foundation, whether it is in family issues, friends, economic. For example when you have a small crisis don’t run away from the problem take it head on, try studying Torah in an easy and non threatening way; like going online and listening to lectures about Jewish values and faith (www.torahcafe.com or www.jewish.tv), or by giving a small amount of charity to the cause of your choice even though you don’t have a lot of money. These are 3 small ways to improve and remodel your foundation.

2. One of the best things that will help in remodeling your foundation is finding a spiritual mentor or guide, someone that can get to know you and give you objective advice. As our sages have said, “Get yourself a teacher/guide/mentor”. Helping your children understand the value in this at an early age can really help them as they grow. If you would like one, CJC helps people find spiritual mentors, you can contact CJC at chabad@chabadofmv.com.

May we merit to have the ultimate teacher/mentor/guide, Moshiach, who will guide us all out of this exile and bring us to a state of redemption, a time when our foundation will be solid and everlasting.

Happy remodeling!

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Zalman Marcus

 Resolve your conflict

Do you suffer from conflict? Do you get along with your family and friends? Are there people in your life you can’t be in the same room with? Are your spiritual and physical worlds balanced? Are your heart and mind aligned?

If you don’t have any conflict then you’re probably a rock that lives on a deserted island, in other words we all have some conflict in our lives. We may have creative ways of avoiding seeing and feeling those conflicts but conflicts we have. Men and women, parents and children, employers and employees, heaven and earth, heart and mind, body and soul, science and religion, family and community, just to name a few, are all areas of potential conflict.

The old famous joke of the Jew who was stranded on a deserted island and was finally rescued after many years. Before being taken from the island he shows his rescuers his handiwork and they are quite impressed. He built himself a home as well as 2 other buildings. Upon inquiry he explained that the 2 buildings were 2 synagogues. Why do you need 2 synagogues? He responded, “The one over there I would never pray in”.

How do you resolve your conflicts?

1. Runaway
2. Fight
3. Let them step all over you
4. Make believe the conflict does not exist
5. Pray to G-d to help you
6. All of the above

What does the Torah say? For what purpose did G-d create the world? for conflict resolution. That is the purpose for creation. Conflict is not a necessary evil or evolution gone awry. Rather it is G-d’s reason for going through the trouble of creation. If you want to help G-d see his purpose for creation fulfilled then reflect on every conflict you have and realize that hidden in it is a beautiful light and that light can only be revealed when there is a conflict and it is properly resolved.

Where do conflicts come from? They come from our inability to truly see the inherent unity of the universe. If we could all see our true reality there would be no conflict. There also would be no way of truly revealing the great light that is revealed from conflict resolution. Is it worth it? G-d says it is and that is why he went ahead with the creation plan.

So how do you resolve conflict properly?

By looking beyond the physical and focusing on the soul. When we realize that conflict is here not for the purpose of causing long lasting fights, or for us to run from each other or to be stepped on but rather as the only way of revealing this great light. That will help us not get to wrapped up in our conflicts and rise above them and resolve them properly.

When we focus on the soul we are able to see the unity that exists in the world and there really aren’t any real conflicts.

This begins in our selves first. First we need to resolve our inner conflicts, the ones we have control over. The ones between body and soul, heart and mind and heaven and earth are the ones to start with. By studying Torah especially the chassidic and kabbalistic dimension will help in resolving these conflicts. Putting on Teffilin and lighting Shabbat candles are great mitzvot in helping resolve these conflicts as well.

As far as the other conflicts those require two people and is much more complicated. But after resolving our own inner conflicts it becomes easier to tackle the more challenging ones.

This is based on the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, this year is 250 years since his passing.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Zalman Marcus

Vulnerable Mountain Climbers

Has the economic news got you down? Are your personal finances making it hard for you to sleep at night? Are you worried about the future?

This coming week is the special holiday of Shavuot, the celebration of the giving of the Torah. It can be quite difficult to celebrate when you are feeling down. When you are worried about the future it is hard to be happy now. Where can we turn for some good news, where can we find some peace of mind during these trying times? Is there anywhere we can escape to?

When G-d gave us the Torah, He chose to give it to us in a wilderness. It was certainly easier then finding a ballroom with seating for 3,000,000. Jokes aside, why would G-d choose such a G-d forsaken place (pun intended)? Why not bring the Jewish people to the land of Israel and give it to them there?

There are many answers given to this question giving us many perspectives and lessons. An answer with timely relevance is that in the wilderness we had nothing. We were without a homeland, we had no permanent shelter, we did not even have a natural food supply, and we had to rely on a daily miracle of Manna to survive. It was under these conditions that G-d gave us the Torah. When we were most vulnerable we received the Torah. This teaches us many relevant lessons: 1) Being most vulnerable can be the greatest catalyst for change and growth. 2) Even when we are most vulnerable we always have the Torah. 3) When we are most vulnerable the Torah is our mountain to lean on.

What is the Torah? The Torah is G-d’s story, the story of history, where we come from and where we are going.

Just imagine walking out of Egypt with millions of your family members and closest friends, and marching into the great Sinai wilderness, with limited food and limited water. Living in tents and not really knowing where you were going or what the future held for you. No stock portfolio, no permanent roof over your head, and a very hostile environment.

You have just narrowly escaped total annihilation by miraculously crossing the sea. Your survival is precarious at best.

Your eyes are closed and you are not feeling particularly good, you are worried about your future and the future of your family. You hear loud thunder and lightning and as you open your eyes you are standing at the foot of Mount Sinai. Moses is climbing the mountain and G-d begins to communicate, and He says, “Have no fear, you are not your stock portfolio, you are not your home, I am your G-d and you are my people that is who you are and we have a bright future together. Don’t get distracted and allow other things to become who you are, don’t worship them they are not you”.

This has carried us for many years and through the most difficult of times. This is the message for us in our time as well.

Sometimes we need to go out to the wilderness to be able to hear that message. When we are surrounded by so many things that are important but don’t really define us it can be hard to focus and hear the message.

Every day we need to take some time and go out into the wilderness and let go of all the things that aren’t really who we are and listen to G-d’s voice.

Everyday we have the opportunity to open the Torah and reconnect to the timeless message emanating from our own Mount Sinai.

This Shavuot let us all take some time and escape to a place within our souls that deeply remembers standing at the foot of that mountain. Let us replay that scene in our minds and reconnect with those comforting, empowering and enriching words G-d shared with us then and now.

Let’s do it together this coming Wednesday. Join us for the reading of those awesome words as we read them from the Torah.

See you at Sinai.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Zalman Marcus

Wine or Water

There was once a king who was visiting a town. In preparation for the king’s visit the town decided to fill a giant barrel with wine and present it to the king upon his arrival. Where were they going to get so much wine to fill the giant barrel? They came up with a brilliant idea; each family of the town would bring one flask filled with wine and pour it into the giant barrel and this way the barrel would fill with wine.

They placed a Giant barrel in the center of the town with a ladder reaching to the top and every day people lined up to pour their flask of wine into the barrel.

The day finally arrived and the king visited the town. The people were so excited to present the king with this wonderful gift. The king was shown the barrel and was given a kingly goblet. They filled his goblet with wine from the giant barrel. The towns people were shocked by the look on the king’s face as he drank the wine, the king was obviously very unhappy. When asked why he was so unhappy he responded, “It’s just plain water”.

It turns out that each family thought to themselves why should I be the one to pour in a flask of wine I will pour in water instead, I am sure no one will notice if there is just one flask of water among all that wine. Everyone in the town made the same calculation and so no one poured in wine but rather water instead. Everyone was relying on someone else.

I remember hearing this story when I was a child and it stuck in my mind. As I get older the story takes on more relevance and meaning.

The Holiday of Shavuot is approaching, the holiday when we receive the Torah on Mount Sinai. Whose responsibility is it that the Torah should continue? Who will make sure of the continuity of Judaism? The answer is each and every one of us.

The giving of the Torah was and is a unique historical event. Every Jew alive was present at the giving of the Torah indicating how the Torah belongs to each of us equally and that each of us is equally responsible for it. It does not only belong to the Rabbi’s, scholars and educated people, it is not only the property of the donors. It belongs to every man, woman or child, educated, ignorant, rich, poor and everyone in between. That is why we were all there.

The question is we will be putting in wine or water. Are we going to leave it for someone else or are we going to step up to the plate.

When the next cause, project or opportunity comes along will I stand up and be counted or will I imagine someone else doing it?

If I notice something that I feel needs to be corrected will I see myself as part of the solution and do my part or will I kvetch how no one is doing anything about it?

Recently there was a loss in the community, someone lost their mother, an email was sent out to the group regarding the loss and the shiva times. I noticed one of the people who attended and I was not sure how he knew the family, so I asked him. His answer was inspirational and powerful, “I didn’t know them, when I hear that someone had a loss I do my best to attend whether I know them or not”. Wow! I thought, this guy doesn’t just pour in any wine, he pours in the best and most expensive wine.

They say that the best marriage is between a woman whose mother did everything in the house, to a guy whose father did everything in the house. Then they are tripping over each other to do the work in the house. And the worst marriage is between a women whose father did everything in the house and a guy whose mother did everything in the house. Each one thinks that the other should be doing everything.

The same goes for our relationship with our own Judaism, our community and our people. Are we responsible or is someone else. Of course we need to know the difference between what is in our circle of influence and what is outside of it. We need to know what we can change and what we cannot. I am speaking of those things that are in your sphere of influence and you can do something about it.

This year let’s make Shavuot the holiday where we stand up tall and proud and not just pour in our obligatory flask of wine but into a holiday where we uncover the deepest part of our selves and share that with the people around us, illuminating ourselves, our community, our people and the world.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Zalman Marcus

Thank You

This past Sunday I was treated to a most wonderful surprise birthday party in honor of my turning 40 years old. My amazing wife Bassie together with many of you and my family put together a really meaningful and fulfilling event.

I know there are pictures taken of me when I came in capturing my surprised and delighted expression, but I wish that someone would have taken a panoramic picture to capture the scene that I was seeing. A virtual sea of beaming people with eyes shining with love. It is a scene I hope never to forget. There were lots of little surprises like the custom shot glasses that read, “I said L’Chaim at Rabbi Marcus’s 40^th”, and they were arranged in a large 40. there were the video presentations from my children and siblings and much more. But the part that means the most to me and one that I will cherish for many years to come was the Mitzvah Registry, where many of you took upon yourselves a mitzvah or many mitzvot in honor of my birthday. That is very special to me and is the greatest gift I could imagine.

A big big thank you to all that helped put this together, and to all those that came, and to all those that wanted to come, to all those that pledged Mitzvot, to all those that wrote cards and gifts. May G-d bless all of you with love, happiness, success, health, wealth, nachas, fulfillment of your dreams and hearts desires, peace and a meaningful life.

As I mentioned at the party, celebrating our birthdays is not because of how special we are or how accomplished and loved we are, which is always nice to hear and know, but rather a time to remember how important G-d thinks we are. He created us because only we can fulfill His cosmic dream and desire, go figure. And every year on our birthday and really every day we need to remember that and act with passion and intention, living in the moment and focusing on what our purpose is and how we can actualize it. Every mitzvah that we do and encourage others to do by teaching and by example, brings us closer to realizing G-d’s purpose for creating us and the entire universe.

The Rebbe asked that each one of us celebrate our birthdays not just privately but to invite family and friends and celebrate and reflect on the meaning of our lives and to make good resolutions to making it even more meaningful and purpose driven. To inspire ourselves and others around us to lead a more elevated, deeper and holy life, with vim and vigor. I am looking forward to being invited to your birthday celebrations.

You are all so wonderful and I am honored to be connected with you.

Again thank you so very much.

With much love and appreciation,

Rabbi Zalman Marcus

P.S. A special thank you to Wendy Lupul who not only took pictures and videos but posted them online as well.

Click here to view the photos

Click on the links below to watch the videos

  Bassie’s speech:  ·         Brother, et al, sing:   ·         Young Marcus’ speech: 

·         Rabbi’s speech: 

Torah Time Management

Do you struggle with time management? Are you stressing out over all the things you have to do? Are you finding it difficult to juggle all your responsibilities? Would you like to accomplish more

We have all heard and read about time management, courses and books abound with advice on how to get a handle on your life and how to manage your time.

What does the Torah say? What has been the secret of our great leaders and their ability to do so much in such a short amount of time. Here are just 2 examples. The Rambam, Maimonides, a royal doctor, a great scholar and writer, teacher, mentor, spiritual leader and family person. Published many books and all that before there were computers or internet. Or Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderet, known as the Rashba (1235 — 1310). He became a successful banker and leader of Spanish Jewry of his time. He served as rabbi of the Main Synagogue of Barcelona for 50 years.

The Rashba was considered an outstanding rabbinic authority, and more than 3,000 of his responsa are known to be extant. Questions were addressed to him from Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, and even from Asia Minor. His responsa, which cover the entire gamut of Jewish life, are concise and widely quoted by halakhic authorities.

He also was a doctor, gave 3 lectures each day and managed to take a walk every day for health and relaxation.

How did they do it? How did they manage their time? What is the secret?

The previous Chabad leader was Rabbi Y.Y. Schnerson, and he was under the strict scrutiny of the KGB in Russia. One time he was traveling to Moscow on a very difficult and possibly dangerous journey, Most of us are nervous when we travel for any reason, how much more so when it involves danger. Therefore it was very surprising to the family around him when they observed him deep in thought and contemplation seemingly oblivious to what was going on. His son-in-law, Rabbi M.M. Schneerson, was there and commented on how amazing it was and was curious how he managed to be so calm? His response is the secret to the Torah’s view on time management.

In very simple terms it is about being present in whatever you are doing. If you are studying, the rest of the world does not exist, just you and what you are studying. If you are walking that is the only thing in the world right now. That has enabled the great rabbi’s to be able to be so calm at times of stress and has made it possible for them to accomplish the seemingly impossible.

Today we are extremely distracted; between our cell phones, emails, texts, internet, facebook, linkedin, twitter and all the other distractions in life, it can be very difficult to accomplish anything. The way to manage our time is to focus our attention and shut out everything else. When you are with your family for family time, no calls or checking the internet, when you are out on a date with your spouse no emails or texts, when you are praying only think about you and your relationship with G-d, when you are at work focus on the tasks and accomplishments related to your work and when it is Shabbat power down and rest. There is no stock market, no portfolio, no world, no distractions.

This is not only a way to be more productive it is also a way of be more G-dly. When we are present and focused we are acting in a G-dly way. G-d is always present with us, and G-d wants us to be present as well.

There is a famous Chasidic saying, “Whatever you are doing and wherever you are, be fully there and be present”.

We are right in the middle of the counting of the Omer, when we count every single day (in the evening) and make each day count. “Today is twenty four days, which is 3 weeks and 3 days of the Omer”. We can count each day and make each day and moment count by being present and focused in all our varied activities.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Zalman Marcus

How important is your mitzvah?

Do you ever feel that your mitzvah is small compared to say a holy person’s mitzvah? Did you ever not do a mitzvah because you felt unworthy? Ever do a mitzvah and feel like you were a hypocrite?

Is there a difference between a great Rabbi’s mitzvah and my own mitzvah? Is Moses’ putting on Teffilin superior to the Teffilin of Jack Cohen? Is the lighting of the Shabbat candles by Devorah the prophetess greater then Melanie Goldberg’s?

There are 2 parts to every mitzvah, the body and the soul, the action and the intention, the deed and the passion. The body, action and deed part of the mitzvah is the same for every Jew.  Moses and Jack, Devorah and Melanie, their mitzvot are identical, just as holy and just as perfect.

The soul, intention and passion of the mitzvah is individualized. Some know more then others, some are more passionate then others and some do it with more soul. And in this area there is a big difference between each one of us.

Obviously both parts of the mitzvah are important and necessary; however which part is most critical? The Torah is clear that the most critical part is the deed, the action part of the mitzvah. And in this most critical part all Jews are equal.

Why is the deed part of the mitzvah the most critical? On the one hand the deed is the lowest part of who we are and the simplest, on the other hand deed is connected to the deepest part of who we are.

The deepest part of our love can be expressed through action, through a hug and a kiss.

An action can be purer and more innocent then our other faculties. It is also the great equalizer, it is greater then our differences. A child or an adult, wise or ignorant people are equally capable of it.

G-d is neither spiritual nor physical, so being spiritual is not any closer to G-d then doing something physical. When we do something spiritual or physical because G-d desires it then we are getting closer to G-d. To create the physical was a deeper experience for G-d then creating the spiritual, (we need an entire article to explain this one). When we connect to G-d through the physical we are actually connecting to a deeper part of G-d. That is why it is the great equalizer. This is also why the deed of the mitzvah is so critical. So it does not matter if you know a lot or a little, have the passion or the soul. The body of the mitzvah and the deed of the mitzvah is perfect and the same as if it was being done by the greatest and most righteous Jew. G-d gets equal pleasure, joy and satisfaction from our mitzvot as he did from Moses’ or any other of our holy and righteous patriarchs and matriarchs. It could even be argued that He gets more pleasure from our simple performance of the mitzvot. So even if you feel that your mitzvah is not as special as someone else’s, in G-d’s eye it is just as special. Even if you feel like a hypocrite you are not.

I once had a conversation with someone regarding doing mitzvot and he responded by saying that he was not a good Jew and therefore he would ruin any mitzvah that he performed, he would rather I do the mitzvah for him since I would do it right. I explained to him that you cannot mess up the mitzvah. As long as you do it according to Jewish tradition you are fine, your own personal standing and level has no affect on the body and deed of the mitzvah.

The soul and passion of the mitzvah although not critical are very important and each of us should study and inspire our selves to perform the mitzvot with more soul and intent, but that should never stop us from giving G-d an eternal gift and pleasure. Since every mitzvah we do creates an eternal bond between us and G-d, and every bond between us and G-d gives G-d unlimited pleasure, then it follows that every time we do a mitzvah we are giving G-d an eternal gift and pleasure. Wow! Who knew that we in our unrefined condition could achieve so much.

As a matter of fact, by Jewish Law we are supposed to stand up out of respect when another Jew is performing a mitzvah, regardless if he/she is a very knowledgeable, has passion etc. the reason is because when we do a mitzvah G-d is now connecting with that person, through the act of the mitzvah alone this connection is achieved and since this connection is the same for every Jew therefore we need to stand for any Jew who performs a mitzvah.

So next time you have an opportunity to do a mitzvah, (every minute there is another mitzvah we could be performing), think about how regardless of how you feel, what you know, what spiritual level you are at, you can still perform as perfect a mitzvah as any other Jew that ever lived or will ever live. Don’t wait, you can start doing more mitzvot right now. And when you have more time you can work on the soul of the mitzvah.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Zalman Marcus

How Jewish Are You?

Do you ever feel like you are more or less Jewish then someone else? Do you think some Jews think that they are more Jewish then you? How Jewish are you?

This is a question that strikes a deep cord among many Jews. Many times we feel judged or labeled by others as not being as Jewish as we should be or as Jewish as them. Or many times we feel guilty about not being as Jewish as we should. What is the Jewish (not just the opinion of your Jewish neighbor) perspective?

For starters I would like to clarify some terms; being Jewish has nothing to do with being a practicing Jew. Practice does not equal Jewish and non practice does not equal not Jewish. Practice is practice and Jewish is Jewish.

Now that we got that out of the way now let us resume. So how Jewish are you? The answer is as Jewish as any other Jew. You can’t be more or less Jewish. You can practice more or less, you can observe at different levels, you can believe differently, but being Jewish is like being pregnant, either you are or you are not.

And if you are Jewish, then you are just as Jewish as Moses, Miriam or any other Jewish person throughout the ages.

That is part of the meaning that we are the chosen people. It means that our Jewishness was chosen by G-d not by us. Although we were happy to become Jewish, it was not our choice but rather G-d’s choice. Now what that means in simple terms is, that if you chose to be Jewish then your choice might be different then say Moses’ choice, after all his choice is more informed and probably a lot deeper then yours or mine. So if we had only chosen G-d then there would be differences in our Jewishness. Some Jews would be more Jewish then others. But that is not what happened at Mount Sinai, G-d chose us and when G-d chooses there is no difference between you, me or Abraham and Sara. From G-d’s perspective we are all equally chosen and therefore equally Jewish. As for the full meaning of what it means to be chosen that will have its own essay.

Now what you do with your Jewishness is up to you. But no matter what you do or don’t do your Jewishness stays the same. A Jew who does not practice any part of Judaism is just as Jewish as Maimonides or queen Esther.

I have encountered many Jews who don’t think like this and think that somehow their practice or lack thereof effects their being Jewish, that somehow they are less Jewish. Regardless of membership status, affiliation, knowledge of Hebrew, level of practice or whether you celebrated your B Mitzvah, a Jew is a Jew is a Jew.

When people begin to confuse practice/belief and being Jewish it becomes very divisive. As the old joke goes (I heard it from Dennis Prager), we Jews have a unique way of labeling other Jews, if he is more religious then me he is a fanatic and if he is less religious then me, then he is not Jewish.

We are one people, with one heart, one Torah and one land.

There is no reason to create division among Jewish people. And certainly no reason to feel even one tiny bit less Jewish then you really are. Judaism makes a very powerful statement regarding every single Jew, “Kol Yisroel… Every Jew has a protion in the world to come”, yes every single Jew. In the prophets we read that G-d says, “The nation that I have created brings me praise”, every Jew just by being alive brings G-d praise.

The Holocaust was a very tragic and sad time for our people. One of the lessons we can learn from this sad part of our history, is how a Jew is a Jew no matter what. The Nazis, may their name be erased, treated all Jews the same.

One of the ways we can remember the holocaust is by showing and practicing Jewish unity. Treating other Jews with love, respect and kindness, regardless of their level of observance or affiliation.

Another way to remember is by joining us on April 18, at 11:30am to hear Rose De Liema and her story of survival.

You can also attend our next JLI course; Beyond Never Again, How the holocaust speaks to us today which begins on Monday evening, April 26 or on Tuesday morning, April 27. Go to www.myjli.com to sign up.

Some final thoughts: If I am as Jewish as the greatest of Jews, what does that mean for me? How does that impact the way I see myself and the way I act in my day to day life? How comfortable am I with who I am? What is my responsibility to my own Jewishness? How does this change the way I view my Rabbi? Other Jews?

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Zalman Marcus

When It’s Time to Run Away

Have you ever felt the need to runaway, to escape? Is there something in your life that you need to runaway from? How do you know if you need to escape?
A personal family story:

My Grandfather lived in Poland when Germany attacked Poland during WWII. With the Germans advancing him and his father, sister and brother moved towards the Russian border. When Poland was split between the Germans and the Russians they ended up on the Russian side. Since they were Polish citizens they were sent, together with many other Polish Jews, to Siberia to a labor camp. Now my grandfather, his family and most of the group were very observant and revered the holiness of the Shabbat. They were horrified to find out that the Russians had no intention of giving them any break for Shabbat. When someone in the group tried to protest he was immediately put to death. With no other choice they worked Shabbat. As they worked they prayed by heart, sang Shabbat songs and tried their best to create a Shabbat atmosphere. This went on for years, finally they were released and they traveled to the south part of Russia where it was safer and many Jews were gathering there. Since my grandfather was young he was drafted by the government to continue working in a labor camp in the area, and once again he was forced to work on Shabbat. One Friday night he ran away from the labor camp and walked the whole night until he was able to rejoin his family. When he arrived they were shocked. It was very dangerous to run away from your labor camp, he was now a fugitive and would have to live in hiding and fear. His father asked him why he ran away. He answered that he had forgotten that it was Shabbat, and then he knew he had to run away. He stayed with his family and joined the effort to help getting Jews out of Europe and was very successful in saving thousands of lives as well as his family and his own.

So why did he run away? Shabbat obviously was very important to him, but yet he worked on Shabbat, what happened that made him risk his life?

When he was working on Shabbat he knew who he was and who knew that it was Shabbat, but when he forgot it was Shabbat he realized that he was beginning to forget who he was and he knew it was time to run away.

When you know who you are and what you stand for, what you believe in and what your life is all about then you are free, even if you don’t have the liberty to live that way.

When you start to lose your identity, when you begin to forget who you are and what you are here for, then it is time to run away. To run back home and reconnect to your source, your heritage, your tradition and your purpose.

Now the connection to Passover; At the Seder we read why we eat matzah, that the Jews were rushed out of Egypt and we did not have enough time to let the dough rise and so they became matzah. On a deeper level the Jews were running away. Collectively the Jews were at a critical state, they were beginning to forget who they were and what their purpose here on earth was. They had to run away to save their soul.

This year as we eat our matzah we too need to examine our lives and determine if there are areas of our life that we need to run away from as they are causing us to forget who we are. We need run away from the slavery of our own minds, hearts, fears and materialism. We need to run home, back to our childhood, back to a time when our identity was clear, when we knew who we were as a people, as a nation, as Jews.

Until we bring about the time of Moshiach, about which it states that we not run from our current exile but rather we will leave in a relaxed and comfortable way, after reconnecting with our source we will have no need to run, we will be home. And that is one of the reasons why we recline at the Seder. Reclining means that we are comfortable in our own skin, not uptight like sitting. We recline to show that we are free, truly relaxed and comfortable in our own Jewish identity and purpose. May we all truly experience this together and forever be free of all those things that we need to run away from.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Passover

Rabbi Zalman Marcus

Birthdays are not just for kids

Do you celebrate your birthday? Are you getting older or younger? What is the secret to youthfulness? How old are the Jewish people? What does this have to do with Passover?

What is so special about your birthday? When you were a child your parents and grandparents made a big deal out of it and you thought you were the center of the universe. You do the same for your kids and grandkids, but for yourself, you sometimes wish you wouldn’t have one. After all it only means one thing; I am one more year away from being 21.

What does Judaism say about birthdays? Does our Torah have an insight into this lifecycle event? The Torah actually tells us that our birthday is very special and we should commemorate it. But why? I didn’t do anything special? All I did was stay alive, is that a reason to celebrate?

A Birthday reminds us of the day we were born, hence the name birth-day. Why were we born? For what reason and purpose were we born? It is because we have a special mission and unique role to play in G-d’s cosmic plan. Every year on our birthday we are reminded of that purpose and therefore we have something to celebrate, another year of fulfilling our mission.

Now this is not something to keep to ourselves, since fulfilling our mission is very much connected with the rest of the Jewish people and the world at large. We should therefore make an effort to bring together as many people as possible and inspire them to join you in celebrating life and our G-d given purpose.

Today is the Rebbe’s birthday and every year on his birthday he would make a public gathering and utilize his special day to reach out to as many people as possible and encourage them to live life to its fullest potential and to fulfill our purpose.

What was amazing was that each year the Rebbe seemed to be getting younger and younger. Here was a man in his late 80’s and early 90’s who was so young at heart. Let me explain.

What does getting old mean? Obviously we all age, yet some of us get older and some get younger. The secret is in our attitude; a young person is optimistic, faithful and has a positive outlook on life. By contrast an old person is someone who is pessimistic, has no or little faith and can only see the negativity of the world.

Every one of us had a bubbe or a zaide who was like that, maybe it was a great bubbe, who would recite psalms and had appositive outlook, believed that one day things would get better, that Moshiach will come. She was young and getting younger.

If you look at the Jewish people, we are one of the most aged of people’s yet we are young in spirit. Just look at Israel, one of the most technologically advanced, cutting edge, state of the art nations in the world, not bad for the being 4,000 years aged. As a people we have and continue to be one of the most optimistic group, faithful and believing despite what weve been through and seen. We believe in humanity, cures for diseases and a better tomorrow.

The Rebbe was just that kind of person and leader, always having faith in a better perfected world of Moshiach, always believing in Jewish people and in humanity, never losing his optimism, but rather getting more and more optimistic as he aged.

Passover is our national birthday, and that is why we make such a big deal about it. Think of Abraham as the time when our nation was conceived, the patriarchs and matriarchs was the gestation period. Our slavery in Egypt, that was the contractions. Our exodus from Egypt was the actual birth.

It’s a time for us to reflect on our national purpose and mission as well as our individual role that each one of us plays.

Birthdays are a time for gifts, the greatest gift is our own personal growth and advancement towards reaching our goal by adding a mitzvah to our life, to our daily or weekly routine.

This year celebrate our national birthday as well as your own personal one and instead of getting older get younger and show your bubbe that you are younger then her, that you are more optimistic, believing, faithful, passionate and fired up about your people, your history, your destiny and personal mission and purpose then she ever was.

Every year at the end of our seder we chant together, “next year in Jerusalem”, always hopeful, believing and optimistic. Just as the exodus from Egypt was a birthday, we too are waiting for the ultimate birthday. The day that the whole world will truly be free; the time we have been praying for and hoping for for thousands of years, the time of Moshiach.

May he come today, and when he does we will have our new birthday and begin celebrating immediately.

Happy Birthday

Shabbat Shalom

Happy and Kosher Passover

Rabbi Zalman Marcus