May 31, 2020

Raize Guttman 05-31-20 (08 Sivan 5780)

Parsha Chayei Sarah
Chapter 24 - Verse 67 and Chapter 25 Verses 1 - 6.

From Ch 24, V. 67 we learn the Torah philosophy about love. First comes the commitment and then next comes the love. In a marriage the foundation has to be trust. Build a bayis filled with trust & emunah. When a person is considering marriage, even when he is not so in love, but look up to and admire the other person, and you are ready to make that commitment, then the feelings will come later.

Rashi says when Yitzhak brought Rivka into the tent of his mother, Sarah, she became Sarah his mother. This means, all the blessings that Sarah had returned to the tent. This verse is the source of the three key mitzvot that are meant to be the specific responsibility of Jewish women.

Family Purity: As long as Sarah lived, a [Divine] cloud hung over her tent; when she died, that cloud disappeared; but when Rivka came, it returned. This is reference to family purity, which is the euphemism used for the laws pertaining to marital relations. One of the primary concepts of family purity is that such matters should remain private (clouded).

Challah: As long as Sarah lived, there was a blessing on her dough (understood to mean that the dough stayed fresh all week). The mitzvah of “taking challah” (separating a part of the dough as sacred) is a woman’s mitzvah.

Candle Lighting: “...and the lamp used to burn from Erev Shabbat until the evening of the following Shabbat."

Chapter 25 Verses 1 - 6

Avraham takes Keturah as his wife at age 140. Keturah is Hagar. Just as Hashem told Avraham to send away Hagar, he told him again to marry her, as she did teshuva. Ketura had 6 more sons upon this remarriage, but all Avrahams possessions went to Yitzhak.

May 24, 2020

May 23, 2020

Raize Guttman 05-17-20 (23 Iyyar 5780)

Sefirat HaOmer - Yesod & Malchut

Yesod is truly understand what we are living for and what is the foundation of everything. And that it is making a kiddush Hashem with all our actions, especially in the private areas of our lives.
Malchut is truly internalizing all these ideas of the middos. Yearning for Hashem and to be close to Him. Malcut is living with Hashem and being his ambassadors in this world.

May 10, 2020

Raize Guttman 05-10-20 (16 Iyyar 5780)

Sefirat HaOmer - Hod

Hod is translated as splendor. To say something has a splendor, it means it has a special shine and beauty within. ie: When you look at a great tzadik, you will notice his face is shining. Other translations of Hod are to admit (to say the truth), and to thank (as an expression of gratitude). As Raize explained in the past, all the sephirot are built on the last. ie: the way chesed functions properly is through gevurah.

Hod is the framework for the middos of netzach,(we spoke about this middos last week). Hod is the way netzah (eternity) thrives, and the way to connect to your eternity is via your neshama. Every moment the neshama is inside of me, we should say "thank you Hashem, you are my G-D and G-D of my forefathers. I admit that you are the master of all souls, and in control of all deeds."

Hod is the deep appreciation for everything we have knowing that Hashem is its source. Our neshama is that great piece of eternity that is hidden inside of each of us!



May 3, 2020

Raize Guttman 05-03-20 (09 Iyyar 5780)

Sefirat HaOmer - Netzach

Raize continues our discussion.