Shmittah Year

This coming Jewish Year is a Sabbatical Year called “Shmittah.” It is the last year in the seven-year cycle, and has its own special laws.
In the land of Israel, it involves a prohibition against all agricultural activity. Out of the Land of Israel, special laws apply to the eating of Israeli produce.
For Jews, the world over, another law applies as follows.
Any loans made before the Shmittah year may not be reclaimed after Shmittah, as the word "Shmittah" means "release."
The exact cut off date is the subject of differing opinions; some maintain it is at the beginning of Shmittah, whilst others maintain it is at the end of Shmittah.
During Temple times, this law was readily observed. However, later in history people became reluctant to lend money to other Jews in the months before Shmittah, for fear of not being able to reclaim the money later on.
It was Hillel the Elder who lived two thousand years ago who developed the idea of Pruzbul. This is a method that allows one to reclaim debts after Shmittah, by turning one's debts into public debts before Shmittah begins.
This is done quite easily by appointing a “court” of three adult Jews and declaring before them: ‘I hereby transfer to you all debts that are owing to me, so that I may reclaim them whenever I so desire’.
Go to http://www.chabad.org/tools/feedback.htm/aid/5212/jewish/Fill-Out-a-Pruzbul.html
and fill out the form. This should be done on or before Erev Rosh Hashanah, Wednesday 12 September, 2007.
We will also do the oral declaration of Pruzbul at the beginning of our Rosh Hashana service on Wed. 12 at Westborough High School, 90 W Main.
Please join us!
Shana Tova,
Rabbi Green

Uncle Shmuel wants YOU!

... to come to Shul on Shabbat!

See you there :-)

Speeding Ticket Story

Many people have gotten out of receiving a traffic ticket using all sorts of excuses. But no one ever had a better excuse than the woman from Crown Heights who was pulled over by a N.Y.C. traffic cop. Standing outside her open car window and watching her fumble for her license, the police officer caught sight of a picture of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, R' Menachem Mendel Schneerson, in her open purse.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," he asked, "are you one of the followers of this Rabbi?" She replied that she was.

"Let me tell you a story about that Rabbi," said the cop. "It's my favorite story, but I haven't told it to many Jewish people, in fact, I think that you are the first." He raised his voice over the din of passing cars.

"I used to be in the police escort that once a week escorted the Rabbi to the Montefiore Cemetery (where he would pray at the gravesite of his saintly predecessor, R' Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn). I got to know some of the young men who accompanied the Rabbi, and I learned a thing or two about Hasidim. They are very friendly people and we talked alot while the Rabbi was inside praying.

"They used to tell us all about the greatness of the Rabbi and how he tries to help people all the time. I was standing there with some of my buddies and I half-jokingly asked if the Rabbi helps non-Jews also.

"'Sure,' they said, 'The Rebbe helps anyone who asks. Why? Do you need something?'

"Later, in private, I told one of the young men, that my wife and I had been married for nine years with no children, and one week ago the doctors told us that we had no chance. We had spent a lot of money on treatments, seen all sorts of big professors, we were running around like crazy for the last six or seven years, and now they told us that they tried everything and there is no more hope. You can't imagine how broken we were. My wife cried all the time and I started crying myself.

"So this young man tells me, 'Listen, the next time that you escort the Rebbe to the cemetery, stand near the door of his car and when he gets out, ask him for a blessing.' And you know, that's just what I did! The next time I was in the escort, I stood by his door and when he got out I said to him, 'Excuse me, Rabbi, do you only bless Jewish people or non-Jews too?'

"I'll never forget how the Rabbi looked at me - like I was a good friend! He said that if he can, he tries to help anyone who asks. So I told him what the doctors said, and he told me to write down on a piece of paper my name and my father's name together with my wife's name and her father's name, so he can pray for us. I did it, although I did think it was funny writing down my father and father-in-law's names - real heavy-duty Irish names. But I did it and you know what? In a short time, my wife was expecting and nine months later she gave birth to a baby boy! The doctors went crazy, they couldn't figure it out, and when I told them that the only difference was a Rabbi's blessing, they just scratched their heads. Wow! It was unbelievable!"

The cop's face was truly glowing at this point. "But here comes the best part. Do you know what we called him? What name we gave our baby boy? We called him 'Mendel' after the Rabbi. Can you imagine? The only Irish 'Mendel' in the neighborhood - probably in the world! At first my wife didn't like the name because it didn't sound American. Hey, it doesn't even sound Irish! But I said, No! We're calling him Mendel!

"Of course, our parents objected when they heard the name. They said, 'With a name like that, all the kids will be cruel to him. Why make the kid suffer for no reason?' But they're missing the point. When he comes home and says that the other kids called him names and beat him up because he has a Jewish name, I'll tell him that I want him to learn from those other kids how not to behave. They hate the Jews for no reason, but you should love the Jews, you should help the Jews. You just tell them that without that Jewish Rabbi called Mendel you wouldn't be here at all, and then maybe they'll start thinking differently too!"

Needless to say, he did not give her a ticket.

(Adapted from an email received from Rabbi Michoel Seligson. I believe it was originally written by Rabbi Tuvia Bolton on Chabad.org)

The Torah -- Old-Fashioned?

In every time and every generation, critics and pundits deemed the Torah old-fashioned. This is, and always has been, a factual error. “Old-fashioned” implies that it was once in fashion, and only later became old fashioned. The Torah, on the other hand, has never been in fashion. Its teachings have always been radically out-of-the-box and revolutionary, never conforming with the prevalent attitudes of every society and every age.

Indeed, for most of recorded history, the Torah’s very core principles of Monotheism and the Sinaitic Revelation pitted its practitioners at odds with most of the world’s inhabitants.

It was never fashionable to believe in the Torah’s eternal truths, to assert that G-d is One, infinite and all-transcendent, yet inseparably pervasive and intimately mindful of the most finite detail of our daily existence. No, it was never fashionable to abstain from all creative labors on the Sabbath, to observe the kosher dietary laws, and to observe the Torah’s supra-rational Mitzvot with the same devotion as its rational ones.

The Torah has always been far ahead of its time, so much so that the “times” still haven’t caught up with the Torah yet.

To be continued...

Lessons from a Thief

The Mishna (Avot 4:1) teaches:

"Who is wise? One who learns from every man..."

Indeed, a holy man named Rabbi Zusia of Anipoli (18th century Ukraine) taught that one can learn seven lessons from a thief:

1. Work quietly. Don't show off your accomplishments.

2. Take risks. Being Jewish sometimes requires self sacrifice.

3. Every detail is crucial. Never overlook the slightest opportunity to do a good deed.

4. Work hard. Judaism requires effort!

5. Work efficiently. Time is of essence.

6. Be optimistic and ever hopeful. Believe that you will succeed and you will.

7. If the first attempt does not succeed, try and try again.



PS Don't steal. This is the wrong lesson to learn from the thief :-)

Living Together Before Marriage?

Question:

My boyfriend and I are having some conflict over the issue of moving in together before marriage. I don't want to until we're married. He says that he wouldn't feel comfortable committing to someone he hasn't lived with first. It still doesn't seem right to me, but what can I say to him? He seems to have a valid point.

Answer:

Tell your boyfriend that you do not feel comfortable committing to someone who is prepared to live with someone without committing.

An enduring marriage is based on commitment first, which brings comfortability--not the other way around. If the comfortability brings the commitment, it is not a real commitment. What will happen if your shared life hits an area of discomfort? Actually, it's not a question of "if," but of "when": there is not a single married couple that doesn't encounter some uncomfortable moments in their life together. Do you jump ship? Or do you work on it because you made a commitment to each other, and to G‑d, that you're going too make this relationship work?

In this, marriage is very much like Judaism itself: our Sages tell us that when G‑d asked the Jewish people if they would accept the Torah, the people of Israel responded, Naaseh v'nishmah, "We will do and we will comprehend." We pledged ourselves to both of two critical elements of a meaningful relationship: the commitment to do whatever it takes to maintain the relationship, and the creation of the comfort zone that comes through knowledge and appreciation of the other. But we understood that for the relationship to have a good chance of enduring, the "do" element must come first.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe used to say: Being too close when you're supposed to be apart, causes you to be apart when you're supposed to be close.

Rabbi Green

The Three Weeks -- why are there 3 of them?

The period of time we are in now is known as the "Three Weeks." This denotes the twenty-one days between the Fasts of the Seventheenth of Tammuz and the Ninth of Av. (The 17th of Tamuz was the day the walls of Jerusalem were breached, and the 9th of Av was when the Temple was finally destroyed, both the first Temple (c 425 BCE) and the second Temple (69 CE).

Besides for just being a shorter way of saying the amount of time, i.e. 21 days, there is deeper significance to why it is called the "Three" Weeks.

Three is a powerful number in Jewish Law. It reflects permanence and enduring strength. Three times constitutes a "Chazaka" in Halacha. For example, if an animal exhibits certain behavior three times consequetively, it is presumed that this behavior will be repeated in the future. Ownership of a contested property is granted to the occupant who can prove uncontested occupancy for three years. King Solomon the Wise once said: "A three ply cord cannot be easily rent." Three also implies sturdiness. A table of three legs can stand independently, while one of two legs cannot.

Question is, why is this mournful period of time traditionally known as the "Three Weeks?" Certainly this period is a temporary one. The destruction of the Temple began the period of Exile we still experience today, but will soon be terminated by the Redemption, i.e. Moshiach's arrival and the building of the Third Holy Temple.

So why should this time be called by such an imposing number?

The Lubavitcher Rebbe explained that this is no coincidence.

The reason it is known as the Three Weeks is to underscore the profundity of the sadness and the magnitude of the destruction. The fact that it is called three demonstrates the seemingly endless nature of this present Exile, one that has lasted for over 1930 years! The darkness of the present era is unprecedented in Jewish History.

On the other hand, the fact that this Exile has been so long and inexorable also reflects a message of intense hope and yearning.

You see, in the Chassidic perspective, the whole purpose of descent if the resultant ascent -- "Yerida l'tzorech Aliya." Consequently, the unfathomably apparent permanence ("Three Weeks") that characterizes this current exile indicates that the resultant Geulah -- redemption -- from this exile, will be a truly permanent one... an era of eternal and lasting good for all mankind.

Interestingly, the middle Shabbos of the Three Weeks is always the day we read Parshat (Matos) Massei and complete the Book of Numbers (Chumash Bamidbar) in synagogue.

Upon concluding the final words of the Parsha and Chumash, we sing in unison the words "Chazak, Chazak V'nischazeik" ("Be strong, be strong and let us strenthen ourselves!") along with the Torah reader.

Three times Chazak -- three times strength.

Indeed, the Torah gives us the strength to see how Exile is merely a stepping stone to the Redemption, how sadness is merely a catalyst to joy, and the destruction a prelude to the wondrous rebuilding and rebirth that follows!

And this is why the Holy Temple we look forward to is the third one. For it is a truly lasting one.

The Rebbe announced on countless occasions that we are the last generation of the exile and the first of the Redemption. As such, we will certainly witness the rebuilding the Third Temple in our times. May it be in the most immediate future, Amen!