Ask The Rabbi!!

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by TanithT

Thanks for that answer. Which raises two more questions. One, how is that considered to apply to electrons on a screen? And two, is it considered insulting to people of the Jewish faith if a non-Jew writes the word "G-d" in what is for them a normal way, without the hyphen?

I hope I cleared up the misrepresentations in the post, that would answer these questions. That's why I get paid the "big-bucks" as a Rabbi.

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by mi2az

I can answer this one.

G-d's name is Holy so we dare not write it out. If you were to have journals, papers, books with it spelled out, as a praticing Jew, you would need to bury the articles with the name of G-d with a Jewish person when they die, you do not throw the name of HaShem in the garbage or shed them in the paper shreader.

We also do not speak his name, like HaShem Translates to "The Name" but is meant for G-d.

So, putting the hyphen is to give great respect as not to wipe/delete/blot out his name in case we need to dispose of the papers it is written on.

Sorry but only some what you say is true.

One would not have to bury words unless written in the holy-tongue, Hebrew. They are not buried with people when they die. They are merely buried in/near a cemetery.

The hypenation is merely a sign of respect and care when using G-d's Name in any form.

Just trying not propogate more myth - we're here to set the record straight and add some clarity!

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by TanithT

Rabbi, is it considered wrong or insulting for non-Jews to spell out the name of G-d without using the hyphen? Or is this a stricture only for Jews, like keeping kosher?

Good question. It is respectful for all to do so, though not necessarily a prohibition, as long as G-d is referred to with dignity, which is definitely a Mitzvah for all.

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by MadAl

Sorry for the repeated question. I admire your humor and appreciate your answers.

Glad you enjoy!!

Rabbi, you've elaborated on the afterlife, and how the worst of the worst would have to be cleansed for no more than 11 months. Does this happen for everyone, or are there some exceptions? For example, my best friend is Jewish, and he mentioned that some people are considered so horrible that their souls are essentially destroyed. i.e. Hitler. Can you elaborate a bit on this?

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by thebandit23

Rabbi, you've elaborated on the afterlife, and how the worst of the worst would have to be cleansed for no more than 11 months. Does this happen for everyone, or are there some exceptions? For example, my best friend is Jewish, and he mentioned that some people are considered so horrible that their souls are essentially destroyed. i.e. Hitler. Can you elaborate a bit on this?

Non-Jews who observe the Noahide laws are considered righteous among the nations and have a portion in the "world to come".

Ps. correction of 12 months for the "worst of the worst"

[TomHagen]

whew! It's hard to return from Shabbos and YomTov to so much (fun) work

ps. I like the new Illusione mj12.

[mash]

Thanks for this thread Rabbi. I have more of a comment than a question if that's OK.
I went to Hebrew day school (Talmud Torah) until high school in Canada. Our Hebrew Teachers were Israeli, the principals were generally American Rabbis.
We had one principal who was South African. One day I got sent to his office for lighting a firecracker in class. He told me that my punishment would be to research Apartheid and write an essay on it. This was in the early 1970's. Even at the time, I thought that was pretty cool. This was very progressive and thoughtful compared to all the other punishments I'd gotten. In those days, nobody knew what Apartheid was here.
Funny the things that you remember.

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by mash

Thanks for this thread Rabbi. I have more of a comment than a question if that's OK.
I went to Hebrew day school (Talmud Torah) until high school in Canada. Our Hebrew Teachers were Israeli, the principals were generally American Rabbis.
We had one principal who was South African. One day I got sent to his office for lighting a firecracker in class. He told me that my punishment would be to research Apartheid and write an essay on it. This was in the early 1970's. Even at the time, I thought that was pretty cool. This was very progressive and thoughtful compared to all the other punishments I'd gotten. In those days, nobody knew what Apartheid was here.
Funny the things that you remember.

very nice recollection... keep doing mitzvos!!

[TomHagen]

My recommended site for the 7 Laws of Noach:

www.noahide.org is rebuilding and has been down.

Here is an alternative very good site:

http://www.chabad.org/search/keyword...ahide-Laws.htm

[tchariya]

Why is it that Rabbis always enter a bar with a Priest and/or Minster and/or Pastor?

Example....and stop me if you have already heard this one...
<joke>
A priest, a preacher and a Rabbi walked into their favorite bar, where they would get together two or three times a week for drinks and to talk shop.

On this particular afternoon, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't really all that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear.

One thing led to another and they decided to do an experiment. They would all go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it.

Seven days later, they're all together to discuss the experience.

Father Flannery, who has his arm in a sling, is on crutches, and has various bandages, goes first.
"Well," he says, "I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when I found him I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary Mother of God, he became as gentle a lamb. The bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and confirmation."

Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, with an arm and both legs in casts, and an IV drip. In his best fire and brimstone oratory he claimed, " WELL brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle! I went out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to my bear from God's HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took HOLD of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until we came to a creek. So I quick DUNKED him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul. And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus."

They both looked down at the rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IV's and monitors running in and out of him. He was in bad shape.

The rabbi looks up and says, "Looking back on it, circumcision may not have been the best way to start."
</joke>

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by tchariya

Why is it that Rabbis always enter a bar...

To say L'chaim - To Life!!

[Emjaysmash]

Bumpity...No one has anymore questions??

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by Emjaysmash

Bumpity...No one has anymore questions??

No everyone has all their answers.

As the Torah states, when Moshiach comes, "At which time we will see the fulfillment of the prophecy, "and the earth will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the sea."

the only question left now is boxer or briefs

[Emjaysmash]

Originally Posted by TomHagen

the only question left now is boxer or briefs

Two Jews, Three Opinions: I say Boxer-briefs.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by Emjaysmash

Two Jews, Three Opinions: I say Boxer-briefs.

Commando

(sorry, it's been a day!)

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by Emjaysmash

Two Jews, Three Opinions: I say Boxer-briefs.

Calvin Klein?

Originally Posted by steve

Commando

(sorry, it's been a day!)

Nice.

[Emjaysmash]

Ahem- 700th post. That is all.

[ActionAndy]

Good afternoon Rabbi. I'm still curious about reincarnation...Not that I plan on dying soon or anything, but yknow, accidents happen...

[TomHagen]

Originally Posted by ActionAndy

Good afternoon Rabbi. I'm still curious about reincarnation...Not that I plan on dying soon or anything, but yknow, accidents happen...

Here is a GREAT piece on the reincarnation of the Jewish soul...

Reincarnation
By Nissan Dovid Dubov
(also here is a link for an audio class on the topic http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/med...ish-Belief.htm also by Nissan Dovid Dubov)

One of life’s greatest challenges is to understand “why?”

Often when faced with crisis, trauma, or bereavement, we intuitively search for meaning and purpose. Cold realization that we may never fathom circumstance leaves us numb.

One avenue in which Kabbalah refreshes our faith is in its presentation of reincarnation and soul migration. Although no overt reference is made in the scripture to the subject, however the greatest Kabbalists—notably the Arizal as quoted in the work Shaar HaGilgulim (Gate of Reincarnation), expound clearly its principles.

The soul is eternal, a spark of the Divine, or as the prophet Job calls it “a part of G-d above.” The soul exists before it enters the body and it lives after the body is laid to rest. Though the soul’s place of origin is in the higher worlds, there is something that the soul can achieve in a body that it cannot achieve in the heavenly realms. It has already been explained that the purpose of creation is to make an abode for the Divine in this world. Although higher worlds are glorious in terms of revelation and offer the best reward for a soul after it has achieved its earthly mission, the heavenly realms are not the purpose of creation. It was G-d’s desire to create a world where His presence would be acutely concealed and darkness and evil would prevail. He charged his children with the task of creating a home in this world, and the soul fulfills that mission by its adherence to Torah and Mitzvot.

Kabbalah explains that the soul is comprised of 613 channels, which parallel the 248 limbs and 365 blood Vessels of the body. These 613 channels attain eternal elevation when all 613 Mitzvot are fulfilled by a soul in its earthly descent.

Usually a soul does not manage to fulfill all the commandments in one descent, and the Arizal writes that every soul must be repeatedly reincarnated until it has fulfilled all 613 Mitzvot in thought, speech, and action. In the previous chapter, the notion of purification through Gehinom was introduced.

Here the soul is cleansed in order to be elevated to the Garden of Eden. How is this concept reconciled with the possibility of reincarnation and a return to our world? The Kabbalists explain that when a soul returns to this world, the part of the soul that was elevated by its Torah learning and Mitzvah performance is not reincarnated, rather it is only the other parts of the soul that were not affected by the first incarnation that return. The possibility of a soul being divided and part of a soul being reincarnated is discussed at length in Kabbalah. The original idea stems from the fact that the soul of Adam was composed of all future souls, and the soul of Jacob was comprised of 70 parts which were then further subdivided into the 600,000 souls of Israel. These 600,000 were then subdivided further into another 600,000. Through various reincarnations all parts of the soul are elevated and once the entire soul has been elevated the soul is no longer reincarnated. This explains the strange phenomena of why certain people engage in a specific Mitzvah in which they excel. It could be that the person’s soul descended again for sake of that specific Mitzvah.

Souls may also be reincarnated to complete a certain task, repay a debt, or rectify a sin. In fact the concept of reincarnation as rectification for sin is well documented by the Kabbalists.

Most fascinating is the study of soul migration, which is how a soul from a previous generation is reincarnated in a later generation into a specific set of circumstances which are tailored to engineer a rectification of a previous sin. Of the hundreds of examples, we shall quote one here which is documented in the book Shaarei Teshuvah (Gates of Repentance), written by Rabbi Dovber of Lubavitch, a foremost Kabbalist and chassidic Rebbe. When we take a look at the period in history of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, we stand perplexed as to why that generation had the awesome task of deciding between apostasy and burning at the stake. Why was it at this particular junction of Jewish history, Jews had to endure such horrible torture and exile at the hands of the Inquisition?

Rabbi Dovber writes the following:

In the times of the first Temple, they served G-d and did not cast from themselves the yolk of heaven, except in certain idolatrous practices for which they had tremendous desire, so much so that there were only left 7,000 people that had not succumbed to Baal worship in the days of Ahab. All the Kings who served these idols were great men, and they were tainted with this heinous sin of idolatry. All these generations, who were most elevated souls, did not receive their rectification and elevation until the times of the philosophers in the time of Rashi and the Rambam until the time of the Arizal, which was from the year 4856 (1096) in the days of Rashi until the expulsion of Jews from Portugal in the year 5252 (1492), and until the time of the Arizal in 5333 (1573). The Arizal explicitly stated that in his time, the period of destruction that had swept the Jewish world for the last nearly 500 years had ended. All those who had sacrificed their lives in sanctification of G-d’s name in their thousands, and tens of thousands in each generation, all of them were souls of the first Temple. Their sin was that they had previously served idols and had nourished the Kelipot and therefore their rectification was to give up their lives in sanctification of G-d’s name with simple faith which transcended any logic or philosophy.

Imagine a soul that entered the heavenly realms in the days of the first Temple that had been tainted by the grave sin of idolatry. The soul would greatly anticipate and appreciate an opportunity to descend once again to rectify its mistake. Any momentary pain involved, including the murderous moment of being burned alive is worth it to gain eternal elevation. Hence the soul descended to a body in a later generation for rectification.

Although the body of the Spanish Jew could not comprehend why he was being hauled through this torture, what was happening was essentially a kindness for it was the key to eternal elevation. In fact, the Kabbalists point out that the Hebrew word for “reincarnation”—Gilgul—has the same “numerical value” (gematria) as the word Chessed—“kindness.” Such presentations however have their limitations. Could one explain the Holocaust with reincarnation? The Lubavitcher Rebbe was of the opinion that although the concept of reincarnation may be a component in explaining the events of the Holocaust, one could not possibly think of such a hideous crime that would warrant such atrocities. It would be arrogant even to suggest a reason for such merciless extermination and brutality. Rather, one must take the humble position that such tragedy is beyond us. In the words of the prophet, “My ways are not your ways and My thoughts are not your thoughts says G-d.”

Though not all sufferings can be explained by reincarnation, there may however, be help in explaining tragedies such as the deaths of people taken suddenly in accidents, illness, or war. It could be that their souls needed to return to this world for a certain amount of time in order to fulfill a certain purpose, and when that purpose had been achieved, the soul could return to its eternal abode. This may also give comfort to some couples who are devastated by infertility. It could be that a couple has already fulfilled the Mitzvah of procreation in a previous incarnation, and is therefore not required to have a birth child to fulfill the Mitzvah. It must however be noted that calculations of reincarnation should never deter one from doing all that is necessary within the parameters of Jewish law to procreate.

“The hidden matters are for G-d, and the revealed aspects for us and our children.” One should walk simply before G-d, and it is beyond the vision of mere mortals to figure out whose reincarnation one may be. However, in times of challenge and specifically when we feel out of control, it is good to know that all has been meticulously planned and executed in the Divine kaleidoscope.

A Final Comforting Word:

There is a verse in the book of Samuel: “For die we must, like water flows on the ground and that cannot be gathered up again; and G-d favors not a soul, but He devises means that he that is banished be not cast away from Him” (Samuel 2:14). Citing the closing phrase of this verse as an assurance that no one banished from G-d by his sins will remain banished, Rabbi Schneur Zalman writes that every Jew will eventually return to G-d, either in this incarnation or another.