“Rabbi, why do the matriarchs not get mentioned as often as the patriarchs in our prayers?” Bluming was asked recently by a congregant. After all, our Sages teach that they were, in spiritual stature, even greater than our patriarchs reflected in G-d’s commanding Abraham to listen to everything that Sarah tells him. “Yet” Menachem Mendel Bluming was asked, we pray by speaking of G-d as the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob rather than our matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah!”
“Here's one thought of many”, Bluming responded. There is something unique about our forefathers, something the mothers did not have. They were an unbroken chain. Abraham's son was Isaac. Isaac's son was Jacob. That's three generations of commitment to Judaism. Abraham was the first Jew. Isaac was the first to be born Jewish. And Jacob was the first grandchild to follow the Jewish path. The mothers were all first generation Jews. The fathers were a continuum of holiness. This is profoundly significant. When faith survives for three consecutive generations, it leaves a permanent mark. Until then, it is still precarious. Abraham's path was followed by only one of his sons, Isaac, not Ishmael. Isaac's legacy was passed on to Jacob, but not to Esau. It was Jacob, the third generation, who bequeathed his spiritual heritage to all of his children. There have been many visionaries, saints and revolutionaries throughout history who have walked the world's stage with big ideas to change humanity. But Abraham was the first to make it into a family business. And that is what made his revolution an eternal one. So we mention the patriarchs in our prayers with the hope that our descendants too, continue the precious unbroken chain. Here we are, four thousand years later, still praying to the same G-d as they did. All because of one man who not only lived a meaningful life, but taught it to his children and grandchildren. Menachem Mendel Bluming and Rabbi Moss
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The earliest appearance of what we call the Star of David is found in an ancient kabbalistic text called Raziel Hamalach. It is named after an angel who taught mystical secrets to the first man, Adam. While its teachings are way beyond our understanding, here is a thought that we can relate to.
One of the most important ideas in Judaism is the concept of Shabbos, the day of rest. The seven day week is a biblical invention. After all why not have a 10 day workweek or why have any weekend at all? But Shabbos is much more than just a weekend. During the working week we are preoccupied with mundane activities. We don't have as much time to think about what is really important, like our relationships, our life direction, our soul. We can sometimes lose ourselves in a routine that seems endless and pointless. Shabbos gives us a chance to stop and focus on why we do what we do. Instead of being outwardly focused, for one day a week we turn inwards. For six days we may call ourselves doctors or lawyers, mechanics or students. On Shabbos we are human beings. For six days we challenge ourselves to achieve, invent and develop the world outside of us. On Shabbos we go back to the world within us, appreciating ourselves and our loved ones not for what we have achieved, but for the people we are. Shabbos is not just the seventh day of the week. It completes the week, it gives the other six days purpose, shape and meaning. Without Shabbos our week is a disjointed series of days, a monotonous cycle. Shabbos gives shape to our week and meaning to our days. This is all hidden in the Star of David. It has six little triangles, each one pointing outwards in different directions. These triangles converge to create a hexagonal space in the middle. The triangles represent the six days of the week, when we are outwardly focused. The inner space is the Shabbos, the soul that energizes the other days and unites them into a meaningful shape. The Star of David has become the Jewish symbol, because it illustrates a core Jewish message. Connect to your inner self. Know who you are and why you are here. Only then can you face life and its challenges with confidence. You too can become a star. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Bluming and Rabbi Moss Menachem Bluming Muses: Do Jews believe in hell?
Here’s an interview that I had for a blog recently, skip this if you have already read it on their blog: “Rabbi Menachem Mendel Bluming you lead a congregation in Potomac, Maryland and we have spoken with rabbis of other congregations. What is your perspective? Do Jews believe in hell?” “Yes, in some way we do, but it is very different than what other religions depict it as.” “In what way?” We asked of Bluming. “There are no demons with tridents who poke you and burn you and there is no fire because it is not a physical place. In Jewish tradition is called Gehennom.” Bluming responded. “Tell us more,” we were intrigued. “Have you ever said something that you later regretted deeply? Have you ever acted in a certain way and then later relived that experience in your mind and it caused you such agony and pain to think that you would have done something like that?” Mendel Bluming asked. “Uh- huh, we hesitantly admitted...” Bluming continued, “when your soul leaves its physical encasement and its eyes open up to the truth it sees the incredible potential of its capability and the impact of its deeds. When the soul leaves its bodily shackles it regrets deeply the experiences and words and thoughts that deviated from its incredibly important mission. From a Jewish perspective the idea of burning in hell is the burning sense of regret and pain from missed opportunities in this world. The pain to the soul is very deep.” Wow, very different perspective than we had heard before. We asked for more. “This world is the world of accomplishment. One thing that I can pretty much guarantee is that you regret the words that you speak when you are very angry. Words spoken in a time of fury are very often regretted. Imagine if you screamed at your own spouse or your own child when you were angry or tired or just frustrated, imagine the pain and regret that you feel of those spoken words later. Imagine if you knew the eternal impact that each of our words and deeds have that would magnify the regret. When the soul is exposed it sees the truth so clearly and that pain of regret is what we call hell. It doesn’t usually last long just as it does not take long for you to regret words that you spoke when you were angry. That feeling of deep regret that the soul experiences cleanses it of that experience and the soul is then purified and ready to be elevated to its eternal reward in the garden of Eden/ Gan Eden.” Menachem Mendel Bluming explained. There you go! That was my interview! Wishing you long life and may we have very little to regret at the end... Menachem Mendel Bluming Isn’t it interesting that the Nationals lost all three of the games in their own stadium and won all four of the games in Astros Minute Maid Park? Traditionally it is easier to win a game on one’s home turf because you have the encouragement of the fans, the benefit of having slept in your own bed rather than traveling and staying at hotels and a much more familiar playing field, after all half of your annual games are played at home! Yet the Nationals won every game when they were away and lost every game at home (same with the Astros).
We read this week about Noah’s Ark. Water raged around him and yet he and his family were safe and focused on rebuilding a kinder more generous world. So too each of us have the ability, even when we are away from our home familiarity and even when stormy waters seek to crash us and drown us from all sides, to build an ark of protection in which we can find clarity and vision for our futures. Congratulations for the Nationals win! Besides the happiness that they brought to the community they showed that you don’t need to be in familiar comfortable surroundings to bring out the best in you! Menachem Mendel Bluming is a rabbi in Potomac Maryland and the Washington Nationals are the local baseball team. If G-d appeared to you and asked you how long you would like to live, what would you say? 100 years? 130 years? Would you make any conditions like: but they need to be healthy years?
The Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, chose to bless one of his greatest followers Rabbi Yekusiel Liepler, with long life. The Chassid qualified the blessing and said that he was only willing to accept it if it would be infused with spiritual vitality for without that the years were empty and meaningless to him In Genesis Adam died at age 930, Noah was almost 500 when he started building the ark (not bad!) and Methuselah lived a world record of 969 years! Are you jealous? Would you like to live 900 years? What would you do with that time? We study and marvel at centenarians. We ask them for their secrets and diets, lifestyles and habits. I find it very intriguing that some of the greatest in our history like Amadeus Mozart or Rabbi Isaac Luria, the greatest Kabbalist of all time, or Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, died in their 30s. So how much life do we need to in order to make a big impact? Maybe what is most important is to know that the time to act is now. None of us know how much time we have, but we do know that we don't have centuries. We don't have the luxury to start building our ark when we are 500. Better start now. Menachem Mendel Bluming |
AuthorRabbi Mendel Bluming also dedicated six years to serving on the board of directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, where he received the Matthew H. Simon Rabbinical Award for exceptional communal leadership. Archives
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