May 29, 2021

Raize Guttman 05-23-21 (12 Sivan 5781)

Parshat Vayeitzei - Chapter 28 - Verse  13 - 15

Yaakov wakes up from his dream and he feels the presence of Hashem above him. Hashem tells him that he will give the land to him as an inheritance and I will protect you and always be with you. The special shmera (protection) of Hashgacha Pratis (divine supervision).

We Jews are the source of all blessing in the world. We should remember this comes from the kedusha (holiness) of Aharon, which came from his beautiful middos of having an ayin tova (see the good), bring people close. We ourselves can bring ourselves to the level of Kohanim if we work on this middos of ayin tova. Birchas Kohanim - we really say every morning in our blessings and it is also part of night time Shema. It is a beautiful blessing. 3 parts - material, spiritual and material and spiritual. 

 

Raize Guttman 05-16-21 (5 Sivan 5781)

No class due to Shavuot

May 6, 2021

Raize Guttman 05-02-21 (20 Iyar 5781)

L'ag B'Omer  -  (the 33rd day of the Omer) 

According to tradition, the plague that killed 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva's students ceased on this day.  A completely different reason for the holiday concerns one of Rabbi Akiva’s later students, Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai. Rashbi's (acronym for his name) yom hilula (or Yahrzeit) is on this day.  Rashbi is responsible for the authorship of the Zohar, the chief work of the Kabbalah, which reveals the deep, mystical, inner  dimensions of Torah and Judaism.

L'ag  B'Omer is traditionally celebrated by lighting bon fires, and by thousands of Jews joining together in Meron, Israel at Rashbi's kever (tomb).  This year, Lag B'Omer 5781, 45 participants were crushed to death, and over 150 hurt at the Lag B’Omer event in Meron.

Klal Yisroel is mourning,  and  we are left with so many questions, yet, we are taught that a Yid does not ask "why did this happen"?  A Yid asks "for what did this happen"?  "For what did this happen"?  That is a message we must dig deeply now to  ask ourselves.



We at GEM Teletorah dedicate our learning today to those who lost their lives, may their neshamot have the highest aliyah.  May those who are injured have a refuah shlemah, and our deepest, heart felt concern and love goes out to the families and loved ones who have personally been affected by this tragedy.

Here is an alphabetical list of the 45 victims of the tragedy:
Ariel Ahdut, Rabbi Yisrael Alnakvah,  Avrohom Daniel Ambon, Rabbi Moshe Bergman, Rabbi Yonoson Chevroni Yedidyia Chiyuis, Eliahu Cohen, Simcha Bunim Diskind, Chen Doron,  Moshe Mordechai Elchad-Sharf, Yosef Dovid Elchad-Sharf, Yehoshua Englander Moshe Natan Englander Tzadik Mordcha Yoel ben Avrum Yakovm Mordechai Fekete, Yedida Asher Fogel, Elazar Gefner, Rabbi Shragi Gestetner, Rabbi Eliezar Mordechai Goldberg, Rabbi Yosef Greenbaum, Rabbi Eliezer Tzvi Joseph, Nachman Kirshbaum, Rabbi Shmuel Zvi Klagsbald, Menachem Knoblowitz, Yossi Kohn, Elazar Yitzchok Koltai, Rabbi David Krause,  Shlomo Zalman Leibowitz, Yosef Yehuda Levi, Moshe Levy, Yosef Mastorov, Rabbi Shimon Matlon, Yishai Me’ulam, Daniel (Donny) Morris, Chaim Rock, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Rubin, Rabbi Chaim Ozer Seller, Moshe Ben Shalom, Elkana Shila, Rabbi Chanoch Solod,  Dov Steinmetz, Yaakov Elchanan Strakovsky, Yosef Amram Tauber, Rabbi Ariel Tzadik, Rabbi Moshe Tzarfati, Rabbi Menachem Asher Zeckbach.