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In This Issue:

Noah and the flood 1, 2

srael is ours 1, 3

The gift of tfila 1, 3

uperstition II 3

Questions and answers 3

In order to appreciate the milieu ofhe generation of the flood and the

vents that led to the destruction ofivilization we must analyze the versesn the Torah. Genesis chapter six verseleven states "And the Earth wasorrupted before G-d and the Earth wasilled with violence." Rashi definesorruption as sexual immorality anddolatry. He defines violence asobbery. This verse is the prelude to G-'s determination that civilization muste destroyed because of theerpetuation of "chamas" throughout

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Reader: From a purely religiousperspective, what proof exists thatIsrael truly belongs to the children ofIsrael, son of Isaac, - and not thechildren of Ishmael?Mesora: The Bible offers a 100%

proof of Jewish ownership of Israel.Using the Bible as our proof, let usexamine the passages:

Genesis, 12:5-7, "...and Abrahamcame to the land of Canaan. AndAbraham traveled in the land until theplace of Shechem, until the plains ofMoreh, and the Canaanites were yet inthe land. And God appeared toAbraham and said, 'to your seed I givethis land', and he built there an altar toGod who appeared to him."

Here, God promises the land toAbraham.

Genesis, 17:19-21, "And God said,

'but Sarah your wife will give birth toyou a son, and you will call him Isaac,and I will sustain My treaty with him -an everlasting treaty - to his seed afterhim. And to Ishmael I have heard you,behold I bless him and make himfruitful and multiply him very much,twelve princes will he bear, and he willbe given to be a great nation. But mytreaty I will establish with Isaac, whoSarah will bear at this time next year."

Here we see that God selected onlyone of Abraham's children, Isaac, toreceive the treaty of the land of Israel.

Genesis, 25:5-6, "And Abraham

gave all he had to Isaac. And to thechildren of Abraham's concubines,Abraham gave gifts, and he sent themaway from Isaac his son during his lifeeastward to the land of the east."

God clearly states in Genesis 17:21that His treaty to give the land ofCanaan is exclusively with Isaac andnot with Ishmael. Even more, Genesis,25:5-6 teaches that Abraham gave allhe owned to Isaac.

This generation is not the first to

(continued on page 2) (continued on page 3) (continued on p

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Noah and theGeneration of the Flood

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"When a person merits becoming aware of the reality of the Almighty's existence, onexperience limitless joy." Chazon Ish (Emunah Ubitachon 1:9) Awareness of the reaGod through prayer is the most essential and the most elevating realization of tefila and we continuously strive to maintain. Each time we are involved in tefila first we must recthat we pray to the Creator of the World, the Master of the Universe, the One Who doesnotice of our tefila. A clear understanding that one is standing before God is as imporunderstanding the meaning of the tefila. If we do not understand Who we are standing then Who are we directing our tefila to? The Rambam says: "The true worship of God possible when correct notions of Him have previously been conceived." If we imagine anof image that our mind associates or believes to be God that is actually avodah zara. It isnature to constantly absorb itself in the physical therefore it is crucial that do not attach anphysical to God. The Third of our Thirteen Principles of Faith states: "I believe with p

faith that God does not have a body. Physical concepts do not apply to Him. There is nwhatsoever that resembles Him at all." When we apply this principle to prayer, it reinfoour mind the idea that God is not physical. Our tefila also reinforces the idea that wcompletely on God, not man. Our awareness of God is absolutely essential to our meaning that our intention or the kavana of our tefila is meaningless if we are not cogniWho we pray to - Who is it that hears our prayers? One's kavana or one's concentration idefines one's tefila, since this is the essence of tefila and the mitzvah of tefila requires kava

It is uplifting to know that one is serving God by the very act of standing before Himwith the proper intention, kavana, we ask that our tefila be heard. Knowing that each andword that we say is heard trains us to be "truly involved" in our own tefila and brings sense of joy. We free our mind through our tefila and we attach our thoughts to God. Afteis God Who created each of us, and it is God who gave us this profound commandmprayer. We are all given the opportunity through prayer to "connect" with our mind and wheart to God. Since God knows all our thoughts than certainly tefila is how we conversGod hears. Even within our human limitations, the mitzvah of prayer can be extr

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Maimonides' 13PRINCIPLES

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Maimonides' 13PRINCIPLES

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mankind. Thus chamas robbery, sealedman's fate.

However, this final adjudication byG-d of man's fate was actually preceded

y two earlier observations andwarnings. Chapter six verse two states,That the sons of G-d saw the daughtersf man that they were fair, and theyook for themselves wives, whomsoeverhey chose." Man was promiscuous andought all types of sexual gratification

without any moral restrictions. G-dhereby gave man his first warning.

Man was given 120 years to repentrom his sexual corruption or G-d

would destroy mankind.In chapter six verse five, G-d makes

is second observation, "And G-d sawhat the wickedness of man was great inhe earth, and that every imagination ofhe thoughts of his heart was only evilontinually." This observation of theuantitative increase in mans nefariousonduct led G-d to the conclusion thate will obliterate mankind from uponhe face of the earth.

An analysis of these observations andwarnings from G-d, indicates a logical

rogression and sequence from mansnitial corruption until his ultimateegradation to total depravity unworthyf salvation.The first breakdown of the morality

f man, was his sexual promiscuity.Man's detachment from sexual illicitelationships is the source of mansanctity.

Kedusha emanates from perisha me-rayos. Maimonides in his Mishnaorah in the laws of kedusha has twoategories. The laws of forbiddenexual relationships and the laws oforbidden foods. Thus we see that the

anctity of man stems from his ability toubordinate his instinctual desires.Kedusha is the supremacy of the tzelemlokim, man's intellect over the nefesha-behami, man's instinctual desires, theppetitive and the sexual. Thus the firstorruption of man was in allowing hismotions to rule his intellect.

The second step was the Quantitativencrease in mans degradation. As man'sbido and energies became attached to

he instinctual pleasures they obviouslyecame a greater source of satisfaction

for man. Thus man's corruption becameprevalent throughout society. Theemotions of man totally dominated allaspects of his conduct. Hence G-d sawthat the wickedness of man was great.

However, the final corruption whichsealed mans fate, was when mansdepravity progressed to robbery.Nachmanides states that mans fate wassealed with the sin of robbery because itis a violation of a mitzvah sichli. The

prohibition against stealing logicallymakes sense. As the RAMBAN says it'sa commandment which does not requirea prophet to warn us against it evils.However, Nachmanides message mustbe understood. Simply because acommandment does not necessitate aprophet to warn us against its violationdoes not reflect upon the severity of theprohibition. It would seem that there aregreater evils which result from violatinga mitzva which is not sichli and requiresa prophets warning. On the contrary, ifour conduct warrants the rebuke of aprophet it must certainly be extremely

grievous behavior. However, ananalysis of Nachmanides interpretationleads us to a better understanding of thecorruption of thievery and the reason itsealed mans destruction.

Man is different than an animal. Ananimals existence is purely instinctual.His reality is subservient to hisinstinctual desires. An animals existenceis totally contained within the realm ofthe physical. An animal does notcontemplate how long it is going to live.

Man however, is a complex creature.Mans nature is perennially the source ofconflict. The instinctual desires of manare constantly in conflict with the

intellectual.Instinctually man desires to live

forever, but reality tells him that he islimited by the constraints of time. As aresult there are essentially only twocreations that are not in a constant stateof conflict. The animal because it istotally dominated and guided by theinstinctual. Also the adam hashalem,the harmonious man, whose entireenergies are directed to chachma.However an ordinary individuals'instinctual desires are in conflict with,and tempered by his intellectualfaculties.

The original pratfall for man wassexual turpitude. The sexual instinctwas overpowering but yet, man still hadnot abandoned the intellectual. In factman utilized his chachma in the pursuitof his desires.

However, man was doomed toextinction when chamas prevailed.Robbery is reflective of a society thattotally abandons the rules of commonsense. Man was no longer functioningin the world of reality. He was no longereven using his mind in the pursuit of his

physical pleasures. He was involved inchamas, total self destructive behavior.This is what the RAMBAN meantwhen he said that chamas sealed mansfate because it was a violation of amitzva sichli. Man was entirely in thegrasp of his instinctual desires to theextent that his intellectual faculties wereno longer functioning. Therefore, thewarning of a prophet would not beheeded since man is functioning solely

in the realm of the physical world. Hisself destructive behavior manifests theabandonment of the intellectual even asa means for the pursuit of physicalpleasures. chamas epitomizes the stateof the perfection of the nefesh ha-behami. Thus G-d determined that mansexistence was equal to his non-existenceand civilization was destined to beobliterated.

It is significant to note that the stateof chamas flourished and was fosteredby mans initial domination by hissexual desires. It is when man abandonsthe intellectual repression of sexual

promiscuity, will the instinctualappetites of man be cultivated andultimately dominate him. Merelybecause the violations of the sexualmores are victimless infractions doesnot diminish the severity of the offense.It is the breeding ground whereby acorrupt individual's instinctual desiresgain strength and overpower theintellectual and thus subjugates the

tzelem elokim to the whims ophysical. Chamas is a natural outgof such a behavioral progressiocondemns mankind to a worexistence.

Noach however, did not fall pthe corruption of the society. Althe was considered righteous, CHAcastigate him for not attemptiinfluence other people. Noach tried to influence his fellow m

behave in a just fashion. Thbothersome, considering the fact thTorah refers to Noach as a tzarighteous and pure individual. Cer

justice would dictate that he heplight of his fellow man. Thus weappreciate the appellation tzadutilized respecting Noach. There atypes of righteous individuals. Abtypifies the higher level. This is thindividual who lives in a corrupt sand seems to function therein. Howhe is in reality living the life of a hThus Abraham was a ger toshaterms of his personal ideals they

foreign to the values of the societwas a ger in this respect. Howevwas a toshav, a citizen of the worfunctioned externally as a prodmember of society. In fact, he atteto influence other members of socadopt his values and ideals.

The other type of righteous indican not tolerate the influencescorrupt society. He retreats and livlife of seclusion always insuhimself from external pressures. was this type of personality. CHAteach us that Noach was a ma-amwas a believer, but yet he dibelieve. He possessed the intellconviction to reject society's vHowever, he was cognizant otemptations of the world around hithus lived a sheltered life. Nappreciated that he was in conflicould not risk the dangerous exposfacing the outside world. He livexistence whereby he realized he wconflict, but resolved the conflfavor of the intellect. Therefore Gnot blame him for not attemptinfluence others. His state of perfprevented him from helping othersNoach was righteous and pure bthe Torah adds b-dorosav, i

generation. His actions wereinherently corrupt and thus he wdeserving of extinction. Howeverighteousness was commensurate times he lived in. He was indculpable because his state of perfprevented him from venturing inoutside world and aiding oHowever, he still was righteous fcan not be held responsible fohelping others live the proper lifwould risk his own perfection.Noach was a tzadik b-dorosav.

P

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Noah and theGeneration of the Flood

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ccused of forcibly occupying Israel.n account dating back to

pproximately 350 BCE is recordedetween the Ishmaelites and thehildren of Abraham's concubineetura, against the Jews, and beforelexander the Great. This historical

ccount is located in the Talmudanhedrin, page 91a and reads:"On one occasion, the Ishmaelites

nd the children of Ketura came toebate Israel in front of Alexander the

reat saying, 'Israel belongs to both thehmaelites and the Jews, as it is written

hese are the children of Ishmael then of Abraham, and it is also written,

hese are the children of Isaac the sonf Abraham.' (The Ishmaelites intended

fully equate both children, Ishmaelnd Isaac). Upon hearing theccusation, a Jew, named Ben-Pesisapproached the Rabbis and said, 'allowe to debate the Ishmaelites. If theyin, they will say they beat a nobodyhereby enabling a greater Jew to arguerther), but if I win, they will say theaw of Moses defeated them'. The

abbis gave Ben-Pesisa permission toebate the Ishmaelites.Ben-Pesisa came before Alexandere Great and the Ishmaelites and said,om where do you derive your proof?'he Ishmaelites said, 'from theorah.'Ben-Pesisa said, 'I too will deriveoof from nowhere but the Torah. Heid, 'the Torah teaches, 'And Abraham

ave all he had to Isaac. And to thehildren of Abraham's concubines,braham gave gifts, and he sent them

way from Isaac his son during his lifeastward to the land of the east.'

Ben-Pesisa concluded, 'If a fatherves gifts to one of his sons in his

fetime, and then sends that son awayom the other son, has the recipient ofe gifts left to himself any claim?"There is no further Talmudic debate

n this topic. Sound reason reveals thehmaelites - and anyone for that matterhave no claim against the children ofaac, the children of Israel. The land ofrael is 100% the possession of Israel.

We might add that the Biblical bordersefine what the children of Israel owngitimately, not just limited politicallyefined borders.

meaningful and brings peace of mindand tranquility. From anywhere in theworld one can communicate their

thoughts with the Master of theUniverse since tefila is a metaphysicalphenomenon.

In surrendering one's heart and mindentirely to prayer, it is important toprepare our thoughts and our feelingstoward God. If you are home, designatea same, special place for tefila wherethere is quiet and no other distractions.Do everything so that you don't disturbyourself with your own needs,including being dressed decently. Thebook, Horeb by Samson RaphaelHirsch gives alot information regardingthe guidelines of prayer, it is an

excellent practical reference book foreveryone. Tefila is serious, not sad. Itcan be an uplifting experience, insteadof a burdensome obligation. There is noneed to "rush" through each prayer, andthere will no benefit to you if you do.Ask yourself: "how does tefila helpme?" Since we know that God does notbenefit from a person's tefila, it isobvious that tefila is for our benefit. So,doesn't it make sense to view tefila asan investment in one's perfection ratherthan a tiresome, boring obligation?Approach your tefila slowly and withan open mind and by concentrating onthe ideas. Develop respect and devotion

to God, by trying to eliminate thethoughts that you think will impede andinterfere with your tefila. Take yourtime and think about what is botheringyou before you pray. If it is possible,don't let these thought interfere and tellyourself that you will make time later tothink about those things, because now ismy time to stand before The Almighty!Prayer is not silly mental exercise or aninvitation to be frivolous or superficial.This is your time for mental andemotional purification, a time to openyour heart and your mind to tefila bythinking of God in positive and

uplifting ways. Think of tefila as anopportunity to talk to the One Whounderstands all of your needs. Think ofGod as The One Who provides all ofyour needs and sustains you. This is theOne, Who gives you access in obtainingclarity of thought and great Torahknowledge so that you can survive, andpartake with enjoyment the beauty andthe good of this world! Appeal to Godfor what you honestly need. Everyoneneeds the wisdom, insight anddiscernment that we acquire through

Torah knowledge but we should makethis a priority and ask for it withsincerity. God gives this all to us asgifts! As it says in the first blessing ofShemoneh Esrei: "You graciouslyendow man with wisdom and teachinsight to a frail mortal. Endow usgraciously from Yourself with wisdom,insight and discernment. Blessed areYou, H-shem, gracious giver ofwisdom." God gives us this as a gift.

We can recite each tefila as fresh andnew and so that we are more inspired tofulfill this command that is completelyfor our benefit. When we need towithdraw from our busy, often over-stimulating lives, we direct our innerselves to God through prayer. It is ourtefila that gives us strength, keeps uscalm and brings us true inner peace.Our tefila is the powerful tool thatbuilds and strengthens our trust and ourlove of God- nothing else is aspowerful.

Reader: You always say that theTorah does not hold of luck orsuperstition. If so, then one thingconfuses me. Those whose parents arestill alive leave shul during Yizkor.What is the reason for this if notsuperstition? Also--on a side note ofsuperstition, why are people so paranoid

about their fingernails after they arecut? Some people burn them, someflush them, and I've heard that if apregnant woman steps on one, she'llmiscarry. Where do these ideas comefrom? ThanksMesora: There are no such thing as

powers outside of God. You mustunderstand this clearly. Then all elsewill not pose questions to you, as youwill be secure in the rational proof thatas only God is the source of all creation,God alone can change the nature ofevents and properties of objects. Thismust be clear in your mind.

Once it is, when you come acrossstrange statements in the Torah, youwill strive to give rational explanationsnot assuming powers outside of God.

Regarding your specific questions,leaving shul is not because we feel bystaying we die or become mourners. Amourner does not shave or manicure.Perhaps fingernails cause anotherperson psychological anxiety, as heassociates to death.

Fear of death can cause miscarriages,fingernails cannot.

Question: Where, in the Torahrecorded that three million Jews present at Mount Sinai and hearvoice of G-D?Answer: Numbers (Pa

Bamidbar) records the populatiomales over 20 years of age t600,000. Include males below 20all females and you arrivapproximately 2-3 million people.was recorded shortly after the eveGod's revelation at Sinai, so

population was present at SSources for the Jews hearing Gvoice: (Deut. 4:9): "Guard yoursand guard your souls exceedinglyyou forget the things your eyes sa(Deut. 4:34)"all the signs and wowhich God has performed for yEgypt as your eyes have seen". (4:35) "You have been demonstratknow that God is Elokim, there other besides Him". (Deut. 4:36) "the heavens He made heard His to prove you, and on land He shyou His great fire and His wordsheard from amidst the fire".

Question: Who said "If you dit, it will come true"?Answer: Someone stated it

Herzl who made this statement, tafiguratively, or optimistically. Tscientifically however, this statemisleads others into believingdreams are causative. In fact, impossible that workings of the have any effect on physical objecevents.

Question: What is the interpretof man was "created in God's imagMesora: "God's image" refers t

spiritual element we refer tintelligence. "Created in God's immeans man alone was created intelligence.

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The Gift of Tfila