Cheese on Shavuot

I remember sitting at my first Shavuot lunch in the house of a big Chabad Rabbi. What? A lunch with milk & meat??? (first milk then meat) What's that all about? You can't do that!
After inquiring and then finding out that this is symbolic of receiving the Torah laws, including kashrut ('shechita').

(... Something about Gevina)

Korach

Sweeping under carpet

Carlebach niggunim

Am Yisrael Chai
Cracow Nigun
Borchi Nafshi
David Melech, Melech Yisrael
Eliyahu HaNavi
El Adon Al Kol Hama'asim (v'ofanei hakodesh)
Gam Ki Elech
Good Shabbos
Keshoshana
Ki Mitzion Tetze Torah
Ki Hem Chayenu, v'orech yamenu
Lecha Dodi
Lema'an Achai Veray'i
Lord Get Me High
Mizmor Shir Leyom Hashabbat
Mizmor LeDavid, Adonai Roi Lo Echsar
Od Avinu Hay
Pe'er Vekavod
Simen Tov U'mazaltov
Uvne Yerushalayim
Yerushalayim (x4)
Yossele
Yachad
Ki va'moed
V'haer Eneinu
Pitchu Li
Od Yishama V'arei Yehuda uvechutzo yerushalayim

Chabura learnt

Power of passivity
Avodah, let the work do its job, let Gd do his job
Frustration
Learning how to help others
Learning how to help myself

Chabura q's

Did you talk to anyone professionally about your dad, or your fears

On reflection did you have a privileged childhood in terms of happiness

What have you learnt

How do you identify in your emotions what that split screen is

Did you get approval from your parents? Was it wrong that they gave you their approval? Was their approval in hindsight the right or wrong thing?

'you've never opened yourself up to anyone' - What would opening yourself up look like? 'freedom to be innocent' - what does that mean?

Why loneliness? Were you close? Have you been to his grave? Have you decided to not talk about his death - like your grandfather?

Why were you so unprepared? His death was the first experience of separation?

RDK - Maharal - Echad (Shma)

Long days & long years

Why do you go long on the echad (shma)
Many 'ones'
One can be part of a set on singles
One sun
Many unique items
Saying echad which is singular and unique, but better, one which is all encompassing
Only one reality
A long echad shows that you are encompassing everything in one.
Experiential, not intellect. A letting go.
Mind always wants to hold on, but experience is to let go - access to a level of unity and inclusiveness beyond reason.
Achdut Gamur
Don't shorten/cut the chet
Shlemut is when each participant member in the declaration has its presence - perhaps contradictory to echad.
Shalem is unity with participant parts.
Achdut gevurah
Don't over extend or grasp the chet, or else you might be clutching at an individual part of Gd in this world.
Lack in achdut if you can't take account of all the details
Saying chet long participates in eternity, and there is no moment in which He is not present
Time disappears in a non-motion eternal moment - a contact with eternity.
Matza is 'no time'.
Every moment is the same access point and doorway to eternity
Ach & Chad
Chet is the window to eternity - straddling both worlds
Ichui (ach) is binding
Chad is sharpness - a point
Everything is conquered/won over in eternity
Not lengthening the chet participates in insufficiency
Don't limit or bind yourself
Lengthening is part of transcendental
Rushing belittles the details
Don't have an awareness or even hyper-awareness of time by shortening chet
Be focussed and engaged
No need to rush a mitva
Your soul is part of eternity
Do what you are meant to be doing with wholeness, don't rush it. Don't lengthen and don't shorten.
Don't over extend chet and don't cut it short. Say chet fully and properly.
Gd leaves no room for other.
There is no acher, only echad.
The divine has no measure of time, only fulfillment of purpose to participate in eternity.

Aleph is 2 sharp points of Gd (yud) that are joined (bound) together by a common line between worlds - ach & chad.

Echad: Aleph, Chet, Daled = directions
Aleph is 1 - one point.
Chet is 8 - forward, backward, left, right, up, down, present and future.
Daled is 4 - everyone lives within their 4 amot, from which all directions are measured. Their makom = omnipresent.

Map out your life - visualise. Then cut it in half... Make the most of every moment.


Leah Golda bat Esther Frumit

RDK - Aharon HaLevi

Shift into ahava raba
Perek chaf-tet
Tefilla of moshe is ko'ach ma
2 bechinot of chochma
Chochma that is understanding common principles.
Lower end of transition point from specification to creation
Template for created and manifest
Torah seder haolam
Bereshit bara... was with wisdom
Creation that played itself out
Wisdom that is present in all of creation
Everything is governed by rules and consistency
'Intelligent Design' theory
Gd set it in motion
Could not be any other way
Chochma is bound to Gd without any difference
He and wisdom are one.
Wisdom and pre-existing conditions are the same
Creation is a contact with Gd for those who want to know him
Rambam says in Moreh Nevuhim that if there was proof of eternal matter then Gd did not have to pre-exist
Ramban undermines, that matter did not have to pre-exist
Da'at elokim is knowing that Gd pre-existed and is without boundary or rules
The world we live in is Gd
There is no transcendence of this world and creation, because this is part of Gd.
It is this way because it's what he wants
Tyena should be requests
Praying is from Torah, because it is part of this world.
It is what Gd wants
This is an age of yearning for a relationship with Gd
Everyone has issues but it is all a manifestation of deeper yearning
We are in Elef HaShishi
Technology is a part of the current tide of our generation
The wisdom access point of Torah that derive from reality are an intimacy of coming closer to Gd
Ze'er Anpin is the divine order, expression
Chochma galuya is the ability of the recipient to understand the divine order, this is Ze'er Anpin. It is the means.
Chochma atzilut is hidden expression
Bereishit informs you there are 2 forms of reishit... Bet (2) reishit

Chochma can only answer what, not why.
Physics will never find why.