This week's Parsha newsletter and more on Naaleh.com!

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Dear  Naaleh  Friend,
 
This week we have featured our Naaleh Shabbat series entitled Shabbat Scenarios by Rabbi Shimon Isaacson. Shabbat Scenarios is part of our program on the Fundamentals of Judaism, geared to those wanting to learn or review the basic fundamentals of Jewish observance. In these short, fifteen minute segments, Rabbi Isaacson explains basic Laws of Shabbat and demonstrates any related activities. This class is just right for those who need guidance on proper Shabbat observance, but may be overwhelmed by the scope of Naaleh's in-depth Hilchot Shabbat class.  In the first class The Prohibition of Tying Knots, Rabbi Shimon Isaacson introduces the Melacha (prohibited action) of Koshair, tying permanent knots on Shabbat. 
 
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on the image below to view the class now: 
 
This week's Torat Imecha Newsletter on Parshat Nasso/Beha'alotcha is available now below.  
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for the printer friendly version, to share at your Shabbat table. Be sure to visit the homepage as well, for many more inspiring Torah classes!

We will be recording a new Question and Answer session with Rebbetzin Heller soon, please send in questions to contact@naaleh.com
 
Shabbat Shalom!

-Ashley Klapper and the Naaleh Crew
 
Mesilat Yeshurim- Mussar
Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rabbi Yitzchak Cohen
Mussar entails recognizing one's faults and learning how to correct them. In darkei hanekiut the Mesilas Yesharim explains how to do this. One should constantly study works of Mussar. It doesn't have to be for long periods of time, even a small amount every day can awaken a person to be mitbonen, to contemplate ways to improve his life. Chazal say, "Lo am haaretz chasid. A person cannot be a chasid if he doesn't learn." Mussar means to correct or direct or admonish. Only through mussar can a person come to understand how bad middot can destroy a person.
The Mesilas Yesharim discusses the attribute of perishut, separating oneself. Up to this point in his sefer, Rabbi Luzzatto examined the middot such as zehirut and nekiut that protect a person and help him to become a tzadik. Now he discusses reaching a level of chassidut. The Gemara in Yevamot cites the verse, "Kedoshim tehiyu." The Ramban interprets this to mean "Kadesh atzmecha b'mutar lach." A person should not only follow the letter of the law but go beyond it. He should separate himself from things that may not technically be prohibited but that may lead to sin. The idea of perishut also encompasses ahavat Hashem. One may do things one is not commanded to do simply because one loves Hashem.
When Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and his son emerged from the cave he saw a Jew running with two hadasim. He asked him what it was for and the man answered, "One is for shamor and the other is for zachor." Rabbi Shimon was impressed. This was above and beyond what the Torah asks of us. It was an expression of love of Hashem. This is chassidut.
The Yerushalmi asks, is it not sufficient to fulfill the 613 mitzvot? Why the need to add more? In fact the Gemara says a person will need to give an accounting for not enjoying the pleasures of this world. We can understand this by examining the definition of perishut. Perishut is when a person separates himself from physical desires in certain areas in order to come to kedusha. When a person faces a spiritual challenge and is tempted to follow the evil path, he can separate himself from material pleasure and in this way overcome his test. This is considered a praiseworthy act of chassidut. The verse says, "Tzadik ochel l'sova nafsho. A tzadik will eat to satiate his soul," so that he can better serve Hashem. Wine and copious amounts of food and drink can bring a person to immorality. Therefore one is allowed to abstain so that one should not come to sin. In fact the Gemara says when the person sees a sotah he should separate himself from wine and become a nazir. But a person cannot abstain solely to torture his physical self. Our bodies belongs to Hashem and we are enjoined to take care of them so that we can continue to use them to serve the Creator.
Halacha states that a person should preferably recite a blessing on a complete small challah roll rather than a large slice of challah. This isbecause things that are complete have greater importance than larger items. The Mesilat Yesharim speaks to our potential. We must strive for sheleimut (perfection) and not gadlut (lofty levels of spirituality). We must work on our yetzer hara and strive to perfect our middot. Chazal say a person must constantly ask himself, "Matei yagi'u maasei l'maasei avotei. When will my actions reach the actions of my forefathers?" Yagi'u means to touch, to have a feeling of what one wants to attain. Of course we will never reach the level of our forefathers, but we can learn to sense the state of sheleimut that they reached.
A person's actions can destroy or elevate him. Perishut can include separation in dress, speech, and how one walks. It's not just observance of the mitzvot, but going above and beyond our obligations. There's a disagreement in the Gemara whether on Yom Tov one can devote oneself solely to spiritual matters or if one must also devote some time to physical activities. But on Shavuot all agree that one must have some physical pleasure. This teaches us that we do not have to separate ourselves completely from this world in order to reach the ultimate level inavodat Hashem. We must strive to uplift it for a higher purpose.
Rebbetzin's Perspective IV 
Class 4 
Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller
Question: 

I often substitute teach limudei kodesh in our local high school I sometimes feel guilty that I am not the perfect role model. I can lecture about lofty ideas in tefilah, yet often neglect to schedule davening into my busy day. It's not that I don't believe what I'm teaching, it's just that I'm not always there yet. Am I a grand hypocrite, or is it okay for me to be growing with my students? If my students find out,won't this disillusion them? Or am I just naïve to think my teachers were always perfect?
 

Answer: 
 
No teacher who teaches high level subjects necessarily lives up to her teachings. However it's very important that you not pretend to be something that you are not. If you're teaching tefilah and you aren't prayingat all, there's a problem. This doesn't mean that you have to daven all of the tefilot or that you have to daven three times a day. But you obviously don't think tefilah is all that important if you aren't scheduling at least some time for it into your day. There's nothing wrong with letting your students know you're an unfinished product just like they are. Sharing the little snags you've encountered along the way and how you overcame them is only useful and good. But you have to have some level of honesty and prioritization. You don't need to be at the end of the road yet. But you do need to show your students you're investing effort to get there.
 
 
Divisiveness Within Our World - Part II 
Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller 
 
Peace means wholeness. Wholeness gives things presence or reality. Fragmentation is what makes things unreal. People who pursue peace are joyous because they see the beauty of the whole picture. The pasuk says, " Oz v'chedva b'mkomo . There is strength and delight in His (Hashem's) place." When one sees the totality of Hashem's creation, joy emerges. The joy that comes from seeing all of Klal Yisrael as one doesn't mean ignoring what is lacking. It's seeing the flaws as part of our universal journey in a forgiving, honest, and unflinching way.
 
The opposite of joy is aveilut (mourning). We think that grieving is about expressing our feelings of sorrow. There's a place for that. But it's also acknowledging the enormity of what was lost. And this is why the word sheleimut, wholeness, is the root of the word shalom . Shalom is what makes you see whatever the reality is as being whole as it is without lacking anything. So after the initial grief is over, the day comes when you can celebrate the joy of the person's life, how much you gained from knowing him, how much delight his presence gave you. In that sense, the person's soul lives on within you.
 
Deceit is the opposite of peace. It's refusing to accept reality on its own terms. We sometimes soften things in order to make peace when it really shouldn't be that way. For example, if you saw someone shoplifting and you tried to rationalize by thinking, this person comes from a deprived situation, he has low esteem, and owning this object will give him status and maybe help him change. But a person of shalom would think differently. He would say, "This person is lacking honesty but perhaps I can help him become upright and see the truth." Looking at a situation dishonestly and calling it ok is not making peace. It's being patronizing. There's no insult worse than telling someone, "From you I wouldn't expect anything better."
 
There's another kind of deceit where people lie because they enjoy enlivening the machloket and making it more interesting. They will dig at conflicts, deepen disputes, find ways to polarize people, and empower them with all sorts of proclamations. This destroys the existence of the world. It's like a serious illness where one limb or organ rises up against the rest of the body. Machloket l'shem shamayim is when both parties want sheleimut , desire to see the good in each other, and come to a place of agreement. But a baal machloket who is fomenting conflict not for the sake of heaven wants the differences to remain. He doesn't want Hashem to fill the empty places. He wants to destroy the people who are not like him.
 
The Maharal talks about pursuing, not achieving, peace. In our world as it is, we're still in process. There won't be peace until Mashiach comes. The verse says, " Ba'yom hahu yiyhe Hashem echad ushemo echad ." On the day that Mashiach comes, Hashem's oneness will be revealed to the point that His name will be one with His essence. But until then we are still on the journey. So our question shouldn't be, "Will we be at peace?" Rather, "Will we pursue peace within ourselves, our relationships, and the world?
 
Featured Classes
Parshat Behaalotcha: Aharon's Unique Mission

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by Mrs. Shira Smiles
Please visit our Refua Shleima Page for a current list of Cholim.
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