Bulletin08.20.2011 -Eikev

Inspiration, Insights & Ideas
Bringing Torah lessons to LIFE!
intelligent creator and an infinity of self-creating universes, the
former wins hands down.
But let us hail a scientific genius. Professor Hawking is one of the
truly great minds of our time. Two thousand years ago the rabbis
coined a blessing – you can find it in any Jewish
prayer book – on seeing a great scientist, regardless of his or her
religious beliefs. That seems to me the right attitude of religion to
science: admiration and thankfulness.
But there is more to wisdom than science. It cannot tell us why we
are here or how we should live. Science masquerading as religion is
as unseemly as religion masquerading as science.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson
(1878-1944)
Lubavitcher Rebbe's father
R
abbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson was born
on the 18th of Nissan in the town of
Podrovnah (near Gomel) to his parents,
Rabbi Baruch Schneur and Rebbetzin Zelda
Rachel Schneerson. His great-great grandfather
was the 3rd Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem
Mendel of Lubavitch.
In 1900, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak married Rebbetzin
Chana Yanovski, whose father, Rabbi Meir
Shlomo, was the rabbi of the Russian city of
Nikolaiyev. In 1902, their eldest son, Menachem Mendel, later to be
known as The Lubavitcher Rebbe, was born.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak lived in Nokolaiyev until 1909, when he was
appointed to serve as the Rabbi of Yekatrinoslav (today,
Dnepropetrovsk). In 1939 he was arrested by the communist regime
for his fearless stance against the Party's efforts to eradicate Jewish
learning and practice in the Soviet Union. After more than a year of
torture and interrogations in Stalin's notorious prisons, he was
sentenced to exile to the interior of Russia, where he died in 1944.
Unwavering Jewish Courage
T he
Rebbe’s father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, was the
Chief Rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, at a time when Jewish
leaders were persecuted for preserving Judaism. Rabbi Levi
Yitzchak, however, was defiant; publicly declaring that he would not
be coerced into submission. More
To ensure the production of Kosher for Passover Matzah, Rabbi Levi
Yitzchak traveled to Moscow and met with the President of the
USSR. He was appointed rabbinical supervisor over the central
wheat mills of the entire country, and was granted authority to
approve or reject any shipments he saw fit, no questions asked.
Although his unflinching stands were a great risk to himself and his
family, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, encouraged by his wife, Rebbetzin
Chana, remained resolute in the face of danger.
13
Halacha Of The Week
By: Rabbi Dov Schochet
Laws of Prayer
T he
Torah tells us “You shall fear your G-d
and you shall serve Him”. Maimonides
explains that although the charge to
serve G-d is a general exhortation to follow
the precepts of the Torah, it is also
understood as referring specifically to the
service of G-d through prayer. The Chinuch
explains that as all good and blessings a person receives are a result
of behavior, G-d who desires our success gave us many opportunities
through the commandments to achieve this. He also gave us this
course of prayer, where we can make a request for whatever we need,
and the omnipotent G-d answers those who call to him in truth.
While there is a dispute if the Biblical commandment is to pray daily
or only when one is in distress, today one is obligated to pray three
times every day; morning afternoon and night. (This corresponds to
the Temple service, the daily morning and afternoon offerings and the
nighttime service of burning the limbs of the sacrifices. The text of
the 18 benedictions were established by Ezra the scribe and his court.
The 19th was added later by the sage Samuel, with the approbation of
the court of Rabbi Gamliel when the Jewish people were in great
distress from the heretics and informants. The order of the prayer is 3
blessings praising G-d, 13 asking for everything we need and the final 3
are giving thanks for all of G-d’s kindness to us.
The time for the Morning Prayer is from sunrise until 1/3 of the day
has passed (measuring from sunrise to sunset). In times of need one
can begin praying at daybreak. If one did not pray by then they can
still pray until midday.
One should pray in a closed area, unless they are traveling and the
only available area is an open field. This is because being in a closed
area puts the person in the proper frame of mind to pray. If possible,
one should pray in a room with windows, so if they are lacking in
intention they can look to the heavens and regain it. One should not
pray in front of a painting as it can disrupt their concentration. One
should also not pray in front of a mirror.
One should face Israel and Jerusalem while praying. If one started
praying and realized that they’re facing the wrong direction they
should turn their head towards Jerusalem, if they are in the opposite
direction then they should just continue praying. If this happened
while praying with a Minyan then one should turn to face the same
direction as the Minyan.
One should not hold anything that they’re concerned shouldn’t fall
during the Amidah. The exception is something used to aid in prayer;
therefore one can hold a siddur (or a phone with the prayers on it). If a
holy book is lying on the floor and disrupting one’s concentration,
they may bend down and pick it up during the Amidah.
One must concentrate on the words of the prayer and their meanings.
One should purge any disturbing thoughts until they are focused fully
on the prayer, recognizing that they would do so for a king of flesh
and blood and how much more so for G-d.
While the prayer should be recited silently, it is insufficient to think
the words, rather one must utter them softly.
Prayer is a testament of our faith in Hashem. If we turn to prayer in
our times of difficulty and need, then we are making a clear
statement that G-d runs the world. And clearly indicating that we’re
cognizant that all blessing we receive are a direct result of Hashems’
beneficence.