I was at a wedding. I sat next to a nice man. He gave me a card.

It is based upon the teachings of the sefer – Orchot Tzadikim (I believe) The Path of the Righteous.

Here is what it says

7 Qualities Hash-m has to ensure our trust in Him:

1. Hash-m loves me.

2. Hash-m is with me wherever I am and is ready to help me.

3. Hash-m is stronger and smarter than anyone else in the universe and can devise ways of solving problems that seem impossible to solve.

4. Hash-m knows what is best for me, even better than I know.

5. Just as He has helped me various times in the past, He will now help me again.

6. No one can do anything to help me or harm me, besides Hash-m, who has full control over everything.

7. The master of the universe wants, and seeks to do chessed (kindness) more than the finest goodhearted and wonderful people in the universe

Once I spent a Yom Kippur in a Yeshiva in Israel. At the time of Ne’ilah (the Closing of Yom Kippur Service), the Talmidim (students) of the Yeshiva were so exhilarated they started dancing.

I didn’t understand why.

Someone explained that Yom Kippur is the day of the Atonement. It is a day that G-d looks at the record of a person and if the person feels badly – about the transgressions of the past and the Mitzvahs overlooked, he will have a clean slate. All of the transgressions of the past year against Him are forgiven.

I understood. The Talmidim realized that they can now start life clean and pure after this holy day of atonement.

The fasting of Yom Kippur is not only so that one can concentrate on repentance – but it enables us for one day to resemble an angel. Angels don’t eat. We don’t eat. Angels are light. We wear white. Angels are close to Hash-m. We are also close. Angels don’t have an “evil” inclination. On Kippur, we have no “evil” inclination.

The last several Yom Kippurs, I thought about that and it helped make the fast easier and Kippur more of a pleasure.

Some feel lighter afterwards because the fast helped them lose weight. I feel a little lighter because the burden of the transgression has been lifted off my back.

An opportunity to start anew.

Armand Koskas was seen on Sept 11 at about 10:30 am at 94th and Madison in Manhattan. He has Alzheimer and Answers to Armand or Mr. Koskas.

Please Pray that Armand Koskas / Shlomo be Rachel is in good health.

Thank G-d he was found.

We also thank the following for their efforts:

Manhattan Sephardic Congregation

NYC Police Department

Shomrim

and all the others who helped or just even had a thought to wish he was found safely.

Thank You for your prayers and good wishes.

Shomrim is an organization that helps assure Safety in Brooklyn and the NYC area – for more info call – 718-330-2536

I found a folded piece of letter-sized paper…

Here is what it says:

How to Pray

Our Holy Rebbe taught
Pray
As if you were in the middle
of the sea,
Stormy Waves towering above you
angrily.
Pray
As if you were
Hanging there
By the merest hair.

Because
Dear friend,
You are.

—
🙂
Emoticon – mine.
I believe it was said by Rabbi Nachman from Breslev

Here is a link of Rabbi Nachman’s Teachings

A Good refresher course before Yom Kippur.

Gmar Hatima Tova.

We at Ohr Binyamin and Jerusalem life wish all our readers a sweet and healthy year. A year full of purpose, good tidings, and Torah and Mitzvot.

Rosh HaShana is to take an inventory of who we are and how we can better ourselves and better the world.

Yom Kippur is a chance to connect with the Creator by voiding ourselves from physical needs – to emulate the angels. We thus can concentrate on bettering our relationship with the One who said ‘Let there be Light’.

Here are some good resolutions:
1. Be More open-minded or active about receiving a Torah education
2. Do a Good Deed every day.
3. Learn about a new mitzvah daily.
4. Read stories about Judaism.
5. Start attending a Torah lecture at an Orthodox synagogue
6. Learn or refresh your Hebrew
7. Take five minutes a day to learn Torah.

Happiness.

Accessible to the Common Man?

Judaism says: Of course.

To find happiness we have to ask ourselves : What makes a person happy? and how come many are not?

Pleasure that establishes a closer relationship with Hash-m (G-d)
There is some truth to the following statement,

Pleasure brings happiness.

But it must be qualified:

1. Pleasures that bring a person to a richer relationship with Hash-m brings happiness. Those that distance a person from Hash-m do the opposite.

Many people have all the money they need. They have access to all the pleasures in the world, but still feel a lack in their lives. Apparently it is the lack of spirituality in their lives.

One reason people go on vacation to distant places is unconsciously they search for spirituality.

Having a positive spiritual relation with Hash-m will uplift a person – in the short-term and long-term. A person finds happiness when he or she is spiritually connected to the source of all good – Hash-m.

There are many proofs to this.

I have a friend in Florida – a retired salesperson. Just like many, he went to enjoy the rest of his days. Today he lives his life doing Bikur Holiom – Visiting the Infirm. He tells them Jokes, offers his help and uplifts their spirits. Although he is doing much for them, they are also doing good for him. For when he does acts of kindness he receives purposeful living.

Ask yourself – What makes me happy?

Note the commonalities between all of those activities. Taking care of the children – this is doing act of kindness. Having guests over – kindness. Helping others – kindness. Apparently everything that makes a person happy – there is a Mitzvah involvement. Some people think that it is the activity that makes the person happy. In a sense it’s true – the reason being is because the activity involves doing a mitzvah.

What are the things that bring a person closer to Hash-m?

Four things help a Jewish person to become closer to Hash-m – observing the 613 commandments, learning Torah, doing kindness and achieving one’s purpose in life.

Gentiles have a similar four but their list entails following the 7 Noahide Commanments for all humanity, learning Torah applicable to them, doing kindness and achieving purpose in life.

2. Be happy with what you have. Don’t compare. You have what you need.

In Pirkei Avot (4:1) it says “Who is Wealthy? – One who is content with his lot.”

One reason why people are not happy because they reflect upon what if, only if or what they don’t have.

What If?
What if – this happens or that happens?

Don’t Worry. Be Happy
To that the Torah says – Don’t worry.

Don’t worry about the past, because it has already passed.
Don’t worry about the Future – because you never know what will happen.
Don’t worry about the present because it passes in the blink of an eye.

A person’s imagination drives them to illusions that in the end cause them sadness. Think positive.

What I don’t have
A person will overlook all the blessings they have and look at what they lack. They look at what others have and what they don’t have. Really it should be the opposite – they should look at what others don’t have and what they do have.

Seeing What others don’t have – you can feel you better about what you have and you can do kindness to them to help them with what they lack.

Appreciating what you do have – allows you a life appreciating your blessings. A good exercise is to take a piece of paper. List all the good things you have in life. Post it in front of you. All these things are things to be happy for. All these things one can be grateful to provider of them all – Hash-m.

Hash-m gives you what you need. If you don’t have it, it means you likely don’t need it now. Would you be jealous of an Air Force Pilot that has a F-16 jet? No. Because you don’t need it.

Only If
“If I only had a million dollars, I would be happy.” “If I had this car, I would be happy.” These are statements that one makes in their mind that has negative repercussions. One is always looking to the future for happiness. But even if they get what they want, it will not necessarily lead to their happiness.

Be Happy Now. Let go of all those dependencies.

3. Don’t make your happiness dependent on some one or something else – i.e., once I will have this I will be happy

A person sometimes looks to others for attention, honor, help or other things. When they don’t receive it they become upset.

The Torah teaches that one should not become emotional because of someone else does not act they way or do what you expect them to. If you are calm you control the situation. If you are not the situation controls you. Be in Control.

4. Educate yourself and get in touch with your true self by learning Torah

Learning Torah allows you to enjoy more of a satisfying relationship with G-d and others.

Jews have many aspects of Torah they can learn. It is recommended for beginners to learn the Humash / 5 Books of Moses or Tanach – Torah, Neviim (prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings). (Recommended : The Artscroll Humash / 5 Books of Moses)

Establish a daily learning time. Even 5 minutes a day. (The links section has sites that will hook you up with a learning partner)

Gentiles can learn about their 7 Noahide Commandments.

5. G-d is Good

G-d is Good. He does the best for you. Knowing this, one can overcome many obstacles. When he or she does encounter an obstacle – it could mean you have to make more of an effort or that it is not in your best interest to receive that which you are vying for.

6. Prayer is available.

When you pray to Hash-m, things you thought were impossible become possible. Of course, you should also make the proper effort.

7. Achieving Your Purpose.

Sometimes a person does what they can in terms of Mitzvah Observance – but still feel may a lack.

Why?

The Torah says that a person is brought to the world to achieve a particular purpose. To Find One’s purpose one must investigate their strengths and use them to do what they can to help the world by doing something that is congruent with Torah.

8. Know You are Special

In the history of the world, there never was or will be someone exactly like you. You have special abilities, talents and strengths that make you special. Focus on improving yourself and developing your own talents. Don’t think about bringing others down – bring yourself up.

Sometimes one feels down for the past. One can always start over. (Click here for Article) Regardless a person should recognize they are created in the “image” of G-d. Just that makes you special

Knowing your special attributes can help you contribute much for the good of the the world. Using them, you achieve your purpose.

—

A Free Card is a available on the Subject. The “You are Special Card.”

A friend asks you to go to a tennis match. He knows the players personally. You are an avid fan and have many questions to ask about the sport.

Before the two professional players play – they have a pregame show.

It is a fund-raiser for kids against drunk driving. Teens run onto the court, positioning themselves for a game of doubles. One throws up what appears to be a ball and serves it to his own team-mate. It turns out to be a water balloon. It splashes all over him.

The team-mate takes his tennis racquet to serve and throws it up instead of the ball. A dog comes out from the bleachers, grabs the ball, and throws the ball over the net.

The other team, not to be outdone hits the ball the dog threw into the crowd. They then are up to serve. They serve a ball over the net. Hitting the ground, it splits in two pieces… The show continues. The crowd roars with laughter.

Now it is the professionals turn to play their match. Each one is precise in their movements. They serve the ball at speeds rivaling the speed limit. Each displays a wonderful display of determination and skillful mastery of the game.

After the exciting match, you go down to the court with your friend to meet the people of the show and the professional players.

Who do you ask your questions about tennis?

The players or the teens in the show?

If you wish to perfection your game you would ask the professionals. Why? Because they followed precisely the rules of the game. They served how it says in the rules, they followed the rules when the ball went out of bounds, they followed the judgements of the judge. In short, they played exactly according to the rules.

Now, one is interested in Judaism or Torah. One wants to bring spirituality into their lives. So who should they ask to find out more?

The ones that are following the rules in the Torah.

Jews observe the laws of the Torah stringently. In the Torah it says – don’t eat pork. Jews don’t eat pork. It says don’t cook milk and meat together. Jews don’t eat milk and meat together. It says observe the three pilgrimage holidays – Passover, Shavuot and Succot – the Jews observe Passover, Shavuot and Succot. The Torah says don’t follow after G-ds of wood or stone or make an image of G-d from anything in heaven (ie, spiritual or astral) or on earth (ie, physical) – the Jews don’t make representations of G-d.

Have a Question?

I never read Mein Kampf – written by Adolf Hitler. I don’t wish to tarnish my thoughts.

However, I believe it says something like:

….Jewish People …. leaders of industry, controlling world….

… The Jews brought several “problems” to Humanity – a conscience, morality and the quest for perfection. The quest for perfection is found by circumcision. Circumcision shows that man is not perfect and must perfect himself…..

The reason many give for antisemitism is the “Jews control the economy, the financial markets, etc.”

The Fallacy
Many who complain about the Jews find reasons. The question is : Are those reasons valid?

Let’s assume that Jews control the economy – which is not the case. There are many factors that lead to a healthy economy. But for arguments sake let’s say the Jews can make or break the economy.

Now ask another question – is the economy basically being run well or not?

Apparently most are satisfied with the economy. Most are satisfied how industries are being run in the world. The economy is being run pretty well. So what is the reason to complain? If the Jews are the best people for the Job – to assure that the economy runs correctly – so why the hatred?

Apparently – the reason for hatred of the Jews is not because of the reasons people give.

First they have hatred and then they try to find a reason to make it sound respectable.

There is a series explaining antisemitism called : Why The Jews?
(The Torah explains the real reason for antisemitism – but we will not explore it now.)

Let’s take Hitler’s reason’s for hatred:

Jews Give World a Conscience
A conscience is having thoughts about the validity or propriety on one’s actions before and after the act.

Is it good to have a conscience or not?

Apparently it is good. It prevents many from doing crimes – from stealing and doing other bad. Look at people in prisons, people who committed crimes, people who stole, people who committed adultery. Most are miserable for the acts they committed. Some broke families. Some destroyed other people’s lives. Some destroyed their own lives.

So is it better to have a conscience and not commit crimes or not to have a conscience?

It is better to have one.

Thus, Jews are providing a tremendous “service” to humanity by helping people have a conscience.

Morality
Would the average person live in a world of lawlessness or a world of mutual respect and morality?

Jews Champion the Quest for Perfection
People searching to perfect themselves experience new vistas in life. We become renewed and rejuvenated and do good to others and the world.

So – the Quest for Perfection – is it good or bad for the world?

The Quest for perfection is good for humanity.

The Revelation
The hatred for the Jews reveals the Chosen status of the Jews. To understand the concept of being Chosen, one must reflect. It means that the Jews have a certain responsibility to uphold the values of the world. If we give people a conscience, we are achieving our purpose.

Hitler was bothered by the Jews because they gave the world a conscience. Indirectly antisemitism is an admission to the fact that the Jews’ existence makes people have a conscience. It is admission to the Chosen status of the Jews. Hitler did not complain about any other people giving people a conscience. Many people would rather live life without thinking of the consequences.

The problem is – is it better to feel badly before doing the act one wants to do and not to do it. Or is it better to do a bad act and live with the consequences of the act for the rest of one’s life. Hitler made a negative out of a positive attribute. Unfortunately, many fell for it because they wanted to believe the bad.

The honest person who does have an animosity towards the Jews – would be better off confronting it and trying to understand the purpose of the Jewish people. One way is to learn about the Noahide laws for all people – Jews and Non-Jews – given to Moses for the benefit of humanity as a whole.

Jews also teach people that you can always start over. So even though we give people a conscience to teach people to not do bad. We also teach them if they did the bad – there is a way for sincere repentance.

Imagine, you are the child of a powerful king. You know your father loves you. but you desire a closer relationship with him.

The Royal Banquet
One day, you hear your father is preparing a royal banquet. He arranges the musicians of the royal orchestra to attend. He invites royalty and ambassadors from every country. He orders delicacies from the Four Corners of the Earth.

As a prince(ss), you are obligated to attend. Your father, the King, asks you personally to be present.

Would you attend?

He then reveals the banquet’s purpose.

The Promotion
The reason for the banquet is to promote you to being viceroy – second in command after the King. Your royal salary is to be raised to 10 times its current level. In your new position you could do tremendous good to the citizens of your country and the people of the world. You could help the needy in the way that you previously thought was impossible and done many other projects to better the world.

Position of Greatness
Your range of duties is to be extended to a region of countries. You are to be given a new staff of 500 to help you. In your new position, you could maintain a much closer relationship with your father. He intends to also confide in you the Kingdom’s Royal secrets.

Judaism is that banquet. You, as a Jew, are a child of The King of Kings. He has invited you personally to be present at His royal feast. As a member of the royal family it is our responsibility to be present.

Happiness and Serenity in Torah Living
Living Torah Judaism allows us to reach your potential in life. It allows us to receive more enjoyment, reward and satisfaction from your daily activities – like work, being with the family, learning, etc. It allows you to live a life in which every day has purpose and meaning. You better understand the “why’s” of what happens in the world around you. It also allows you to do more good. It allows you to become better on a daily basis.

Torah living adds a new dimension to your life. A spiritual dimension. It allows you to attain self-actualization. Every day, you maintain a closer relation with the Creator of the world.

A Full Life of Meaning and Purpose
Observant Jews live full lives in every aspect. They play sports, go on vacations, enjoy quality family time every Shabbat. The family is guided by the foundations of the Torah, which emphasizes loving your fellow, helping others, doing kindness, speaking nicely to others, maintaining peaceful relations and much more.

The Facts
What about the facts? A recent study has shown that those that observant Torah Jews are 20 times less likely to take drugs than the rest of the population. They have less problems of alcohol, much less incidence of divorce and broken families. They scored the highest in the Gallup-Healthways Happiness and Wellbeing Survey.

In reality, to really answer your question, you must try observing Judaism for some time to understand it. If you asked me “What’s so great about a certain wine?” My best of words wouldn’t be able to describe it. To properly appreciate Judaism – you should try it out. Here are suggestions of activities in Judaism to explore – An article on ‘How Can I Bring More Spirituality in My Life in Judaism?’

If there is only one activity that you should choose, learning Torah is recommended. Here are some sites.

The royal banquet is Judaism. We are the guests of honor. The King awaits our presence.

When G-d Gave the Torah to the Jews at Mount Sinai – He gave two Torahs:

The Written Torah – the 5 books of Moses.
The Oral Torah – the explanation of the Written Torah.

Initially the Oral Torah was passed down through the generations from Father to Son, from rabbi to student. For generations, it was learned by-Heart. To assure the proper transmission, the rabbis decided to write it down. Now the Oral Torah is known as the Talmud.

Examples why the Oral Torah / Talmud is Necessary:

The Torah says “Put a sign upon your arm and between your eyes.” What does that mean?

We learn in Talmud that it means “Wearing Tephillin.” How it is constructed and how to wear it is not explained in the 5 Books of Moses.

How do you wear something that is not described in the text? It must mean that there other information that accompanied the giving of the Torah. This is the Talmud.

It says “Do not steal” – several times. The Torah is not redundant – so why mention it more than once?

There are many seemingly extra words in the Torah? Why? The Torah is not redundant.

The Torah says – “Do not boil a Kid (Goat) in its mother’s milk several times.” Why? We said the Torah does not Use extra words.

The Torah says “You should take a beautiful fruit, the leaves of dates, branches of the stream, etc.” what does this mean?

Other religions cannot explain the answers to you. The Talmud explains the answers to everyone of these questions.

Just like you need a key to open a door you need the Talmud to explain what the Torah means.

The Talmud is also a proof of the veracity of Judaism’s explanation of the Torah.

How?

You are a Judge.

Ten people claim a certain castle belongs to them. The castle is empty inside. How do you determine who is the owner?

Answer:

See who has the keys to the castle.

The Talmud is the key to understanding the Torah. The Jews are the only ones who accept the Talmud as the explanation of the Torah. We are the only ones who have the key to the Castle.

If you wish to learn about Judaism see:
Articles on Judiasm
Jewish Links