ChabadNewOrleans Blog - Chabad-Lubavitch of Louisiana

Our Weapon of Choice

Friday, December 27, 2024 - 12:24 PM

If my memory serves me right, when someone was challenged to a duel, the choice of the dueling weapon was determined by the challenged party. What happens when the rules are not honored? One has no choice but to fight by any means necessary to survive.

We have always recognized two forms of conflict, ideological and physical. Indeed, our forefather Isaac declared, “the voice is the voice of Jacob, while the hands are the hands of Esau.” As descendants of Jacob, our weapon of choice has always been our voice. We will happily debate with anyone who wishes to discuss something intellectually, emotionally, philosophically, or spiritually. We prefer using ideas rather than instruments of war.

For many years the Greek (Hellenists) fought with the Jewish people in the arena of ideas. We were challenged to the duel, and this was our weapon of choice. At some point, they decided to break the rules and switch to a fight with “hands.” As unbalanced as it was, what with their tens of thousands of trained warriors, advanced weaponry, war elephants and more, with G-d’s help, the Maccabees experienced a miraculous victory of the few over the many and the weak over the mighty. What followed was the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days.

Yet when it came time to commemorate the miracles of Chanukah, our sages opted to focus on our weapon of choice, light. Our Chanukah observance focuses primarily on the miracle of the oil – the light. Certainly, we reference the miraculous victory in our passages of praise and thanksgiving. But the Mitzvah of Chanukah is all about light.

We fight if we have to, but that is not who we are. Today again, we have been challenged and forced to go against our weapon of choice, to fight for our survival. Jacob has been coerced to take up the hands of Esau. We long for the day when “the swords will be transformed into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks.”

Even as we are forced to fight, what we celebrate are victories of the spirit. We celebrate the light.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah!
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

Drill, Baby Drill

Thursday, December 19, 2024 - 12:21 PM

Drill Baby, Drill. Nah, I am not getting involved in the energy/environmental debate in this article. I refer to a different kind of oil, those pure drops that are squeezed from an olive. The Torah is filled with references to Olive Oil and its prominence in Jewish life. We have an entire holiday dedicated to the miracle of the small jug of Olive Oil that burned for eight days.

Yet, there is also another role that Olive Oil plays in Judaism. It is one of the metaphors for Torah itself. In fact, of all the food metaphors for Torah, including water, bread, and wine, oil is a metaphor for the deepest secrets of the Torah, represented by Kabbala and Chassidus. As today, the 19 of Kislev, is the New Year of Chassidus (more on that www.chabadneworleans.com/19kislev), and Chanukah is just around the corner, I figured we can explore why oil is so unique.

Oil has two qualities that give us lessons in Jewish life. On one hand, oil doesn’t really mix with any other liquid. Inevitably it floats to the top and separates out. On the other hand, whenever oil is inserted into another substance, within a short time it manages to impact it entirely. Put a little oil into a dish of food and it becomes oily all over. So, while it doesn’t assimilate, it still impacts everything with which it comes into contact.

What the Hellenists sought to achieve leading up to the Chanukah story, was Jewish assimilation. You can keep your culture to the extent that it fits in with the “melting pot” of Greek society. The Maccabees examined their deepest Jewish identity and realized that they were like oil. No matter how much you attempt to force it to assimilate, inevitably it floats to the top and separates out.

In the last few hundred years, Jews have faced similar challenges. The calls for assimilation have come from within and without. From where do we draw the strength to remain true to our “oil-like” identities? This was one of the goals of the Chassidic movement.

To take it a step further. With the power of these deep teachings, one can not only successfully counter the movement towards assimilation, but these teachings are like oil in food. With time, they impact everything they touch. Every aspect of Torah and Jewish life has been positively influenced by the teachings of Chassidus. Chassidus has infused Jewish life with an elevated sense of joy, warmth, and vitality, along with profound, yet pragmatic insights into G-dly living.

Psalms states: “This is the day which the L-rd has made; let us be glad and rejoice on it.” Join us this evening as we celebrate this special day and its message. Register at www.chabadneworleans.com/key.

Shabbat Shalom and good Yom Tov!
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

Proud Brother

Friday, December 13, 2024 - 12:59 PM

There is something you may not know about me. I am the least talented of the Rivkin brothers. My three younger brothers are far more accomplished and talented than I am. I am very proud of their achievements and happy to announce that we will be showcasing two of them at an event here in New Orleans next weekend.

Next Friday night, at a Shabbat Dinner being held at Chabad of Louisiana we will be featuring talks by two of my brothers.

Rabbi Eli Rivkin is the director of Chabad of Northridge, CA. The Shabbat dinner coincides with the 19^th of Kislev, a day known as the Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus. His topic will be “Chassidus is Key” – What the teachings of Chassidus bring to the Jewish table. Eli is an engaging speaker who, in the spirit of our family, often employs the art of storytelling in his teaching.

Rabbi Yochanan Rivkin, of Tulane Chabad Grads and Anshe Sfard fame, is the author of the upcoming JLI Winter 2025 course entitled, Decoding the Talmud. This course will be taught in hundreds of Chabad Centers around the world including regionally in New Orleans, Metairie, and Baton Rouge.

As an exclusive scoop for the attendees of next week’s Shabbat dinner, Yochanan will offer a sneak preview of the upcoming course. In a unique twist, he incorporated Chassidic insights and angles into each of the six lessons of Decoding the Talmud. We will have a chance to explore the relationship between these two aspects of Torah, the exoteric and the esoteric, as they converge to present a splendid picture of Divine Wisdom.

To join and benefit from the talents of these two teachers of Judaism, please go to www.chabadneworleans.com/key.

Malkie and I are extremely grateful to all of those who attended the Upshernish (haircutting ceremony) of our son Shneur last night. We appreciate the outpouring of good wishes to our son and our family. We look forward to reciprocating those good wishes at other special occasions in our community.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

Get An Alignment

Friday, December 6, 2024 - 11:13 AM

Much of life is about alignment. When things are “out of alignment” life becomes more challenging.

Our vehicles need to be “in alignment.” When they are not, the car pulls to one side and that affects not only the function of the vehicle and the health of its parts, but also our safety.

Our bodies need to be “in alignment.” When our head, shoulders, spine, hips, knees, and ankles are not aligned, we subject ourselves to more pain and decreased flexibility and function.

Our relationships need to be “in alignment.” When members of a household or a workplace are not aligned, that places a significant strain on the potential success of the venture.

In all cases, when things are “out of alignment” we need to make adjustments, often using the services of a professional in that field.

What about our relationship with Hashem? What sort of alignment would be needed to have an optimal relationship with Hashem?

We have a soul and a body. We have intellect and we have feelings. We have sensual experiences, and we have spiritual experiences. When all of these are unaligned, that could pose a challenge to an optimized relationship with Hashem.

My soul tells me the best thing I could do on a weekday morning is go to the Synagogue for Minyan. My body declares it needs another 30 minutes of sleep. My mind tells me to get a head start on my workday so I can make more money. My heart says jump on social media and scroll for a bit before starting my day. My senses are screaming coffee, while my spirit wants to immerse itself into the words of prayer or study.

Is there a chiropractor that can adjust this misalignment? Does anyone know of a mechanic that can take care of this and “get me on the road in 30 minutes or less?”

Actually, Chassidus offers some insight into this issue. One of the benefits of action based Mitzvahs is that it helps us with our alignment challenges. How can we get our soul, mind, heart, and body aligned for the same purpose?

The soul pushes for a Mitzvah to be done. The ideal process of Mitzvah performance looks like this. We begin by using our mind to meditate on the meaning/value of the Mitzvah. We then begin to feel moved emotionally by what we are learning/meditating over, this brings to a state of passion and enthusiasm for doing the Mitzvah and the meaning/value associated with it. At that point our body springs into action to do the Mitzvah and we are in perfect alignment.

There are some Mitzvahs whose process is a study in alignment. Take Tefillin for example. We place the arm Tefillin near our hearts to align our heart with our soul. We then place the head Tefillin near our brain to align our mind with our soul. The motions of wrapping and tying the Tefillin aligns our body with our soul, rounding us out in perfect alignment. Of course, when we take the time to briefly meditate and feel what we are doing, that is even better.

So now you know how to perform a DYI alignment on the most critical aspect of a successful life.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin