Reb L's G-dcast

It's been almost two months now, and the pain is still there. I do keep thinking that he hasn't really gone. The first words that we learn, or instinctively say - even before we have an understanding of our surroundings, are Mummy or Daddy - Abba or Ima. They are the comfort, the pillows (Kariot in Hebrew - and you just thought it was a tasty Israeli breakfast cereal!) that cushion us from pain. Without them, we are exposed and in pain. The Gemoro tells us that the child begins to call these words around the time that it begins to 'taste wheat'. This is the beginning of Da'as - knowledge, understanding, connection. It is Da'as which allows us to really live. But it is Da'as that also enables sin, as without it, we are blameless. This is what brought death to the world - the first 'chet' (etymologically similar to chita - wheat). It is what stopped when the Torah was given, and then abruptly restarted with another 'Chet', of the golden calf. The original three weeks, which should have been weeks of intense happiness were inverted in a moment, to a history of pain and exile. We look to regain it in the month of Av - literally 'Daddy' - where the pain will dissipate and we will be reunited with our Father.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, or so it said. Ah...the ubiquitous apple. This expression is used to denote the way that our behaviours reflect the things that we learned from our home environment. Nature or nurture, we have traits which originate from the previous generation. Like it or lump it, we're stuck with it.  It is no accident, that this same fruit is the one borrowed by certain people - not of the Jewish persuasion - to express the rather depressing notion that we are condemned to be tainted by sin, just by being born in the physical world. The original Adam's 'apple' - stuck in the throat of the first human being (and as expressed through even the purest archetypal fairy-tale characters - think Snow White) means that we are born sinful, they say, redeemable only through a belief in 'he who must not be named', rather than actions. Yes, like it or lump it, it leaves a lump in our throats - literally and metaphorically. It is a distortion of Chazal's understanding of how Adam's error is really manifest and rectifiable. The Gemoro which identifies that first fruit, mentions four possibilities - none of which is the apple - a probable mistranslation. But the apple still has its place in Midrashic and Talmudic literature. Let's explore some fascinating ideas in this mysterious area. 

Yes - deliberate misspelling. What is so special about the apple? In the UK, it is seen as a pretty regular fruit. Tasty, but ordinary. According to the translation that we will use today, the Tapuach is the apple. Vilified by many in its identity, yet its song is a sweet recall of the special relationship between Hashem and His beloved nation - taken from Shir Hashirim. When others were not interested in the responsibilities of what the Torah might demand of them, along came a downtrodden nation and embraced it before knowing what was in it. This apparently impulsive move - criticised by some, is lauded by Hashem as typical of the trust placed in Him. That same depth of relationship is alluded to elsewhere in Shir Hashirim, when talking of the determination of the nascent Jewish nation (in particular the mothers) to ensure continuation and relationship. Let's see what secrets it may hold at its core.

I would like to dedicate this podcast to our father ר' יהודה אריה בן ר' יצחק מאיר - הריני כפרת משכבו, as we reach the end of the Sheloshim period. Please feel free to listen and forward to as many people as possible. Anything positive gleaned from here, should be a merit for his Neshomo. (Anything else - blame on me). It is also the reason for the double length feature. We are about to discover some of the secrets of the date palm. Unique, in it being a member of both the 4 Minim of Succos, and the 7 minim of Israel, it is also the only one of the sweet 7 which the spies - having praised its sweetness (the Midrash confirms the date as being the source of the honey with which the Land flows, along with the milk) - did not dare bring back. Perhaps that would have backfired for them. We will learn about ego, or the lack of it thereof.  Which is more than appropriate when thinking of out father - a special man who only lacked one thing... ...An ego. 

'I'm stuffed! I'm going to burst!' The phrases that we say when we are uncomfortably full... possibly because we couldn't resist the great food that was available...we feel like we are about to explode. Rimon - the fruit that appears stuffed with seeds, bursting with goodness... (Fun fact of the day - Rimon is a hand grenade in Modern Hebrew). What is the idea of the song expressed by the stuffed pomegranate? Fyi...a paper by a non-Jewish doctoral student of computer science at Columbia University. He shows that pomegranates from six test countries have on average 613 seeds. Curious. http://www.aquaphoenix.com/misc/pomegranate/ This is the link to his CV http://www.aquaphoenix.com/about/

The song that the pomegranate sings is an interesting choice. Referring to the beauty behind the veil, the verse from Shir HaShirim hints to the modest humility of one who does need to show off. Their beloved knows of their virtues. When works on oneself on the inside, you need not say anything...the positivity can be seen on the outside too. What treasures lie within? Take a peek behind the veil...

It is often quipped, that it is unclear if choosing free will is determined, or accepting determinism is a choice... You may have heard the idea compared to a game of cards: The hand that you are dealt is comparable to determinism - you couldn't do anything about it. The way you play the hand...is in your hands. That is free will. There are obviously questions on the analogy. And there is an overlap with the nature/nurture debate - to which we have alluded. Essentially, however, as we have noted, Viktor Frankl speaks of it in terms of the situation in which you may find yourself placed. It may not be of your choice. But how you respond - that is in your hands. We receive the Torah in this week's sedra - Yisro. He made a careful evaluation and chose to connect. Like the owner of the fig tree - watching and observing the right choice at the right time. Will we use the same careful evaluation? Or will we continue to make excuses?  It's your choice...

Teacher: 'Why did you shout out?' Student: 'He/she told me to...' or...  2) 'I can't help it, it's my nature' Teacher: 'Would you do that at home?' (Cheeky student - 'Yes'... Respectful student...eyes downcast and embarrassed) We're quick to blame - it could be home, peer pressure or our own personal characteristics...but perhaps there is a way to harness one's nature - understand how to channel it. Being aware of the fruits of my actions will allow me to nurture my nature...

The fig is a very interesting fruit. Sometimes seen as cheap in the Gemoro, it takes time to ripen, and spoils easily. It requires constant vigilance...or should we say figilance. Yet, it is one of a select few that is seen as a praiseworthy feature of the land of Israel. What is its secret? It's about time. Literally...

This Shiur is in memory of a great woman - Reizel bas Moshe. She should be a Meilitz yosher for us all, and her children should continue to be a source of Nachas for her. It's Shabbos Shira this week. Some will feed the birds - give these creatures of song a little taste of something. What is the secret of the song? Why do we sing by the Yam Suf?  We will see how when one puts the individual notes together - just like each individual grape  of the Gefen - the vine - is not worth much. But together they form a cluster worth saving. So too, one note does not a symphony make, but together it forms harmony and sweet music. No pain - no gain. Yet, when we know the reason for that gain, we are willing to bear some of that pain, as all the maybes become definites.  Today, we will reveal the secret of טעם - the Hebrew word for reason. And musical note. And taste...