"Ed...the 'later' is back."

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Motzai Shabbos Kodesh 7:20 PM - They say you can't go home again. They're wrong, you can. I visited my parents (TSLABW) for Shahabos and am still here, in the basement, typing. Joni is on the radio, singing about being like a radio, "Who needs the static? It hurts the head." Pete Fornatale is doing an anniversary (number 26) show, playing 26 artists, one for each year and for each letter of the alphabet.
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I was honored to speak in my parents' shul. Below if a rough summary of what I said on Parshat Mikeitz, Chanuka, etc:

A couple of years ago I overheard a girl telling her boyfriend in Tower Records (RIP), as he was buying CDs that he was "sooo old school." This illustrates how how excitement wanes, how quickly we grow tired of things that were exciting when they were new.

Following the dedication of the Mishkan Aharon was sad because all the tribes brought sacrifices and gifts, except for his family of Kohanim. G-d cheered him up - according to Rashi - by telling him that he and his would light the menorah. The Ramban says that the consolation rested in the fact that G-d was hinting to the lighting that would happen int the time of the second temple, by the Chashmona'im. I think the idea that G-d was teaching Aharon was that he should be happy that his children would still be excited about G-d at a time when most Jews had lost their enthusiasm and assimilated.

The Rabbis tell us that as The Jewish People were on their way to exile all of our great ancestors prayed on our behalf, but it was only Rachel whose words G-d heeded. As the Medrash has it, Rachel told G-d about the merit she had in having given the secret signs to her sister on her wedding night. She then adds that she was not jealous for all the years that followed. She was telling G-d that not only did she do one amazing act, but hat she followed through, stayed on that level for the rest of her life.

Her son inherited this trait. He is our one ancestor that we refer to consistently with the title of tzadik. He was righteous as a child, chosen as his father to be a leader. He had tremendous piety, and also great love for this brothers. When asked what he was searching for he replies, "I seek my brothers." And that never changed. Years later he tells them that he is still that same brother that they sold - he loved them and wanted unity with and that never changed. We know the tremendous tests he passed in relation to temptation and straying from faith. There is also a story here of a brother who never strayed from his wish to be close to his bothers (even if he was to be the one who would have 1/6 of the tribes come from him).
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When Yosef tells the brothers that they are spies, perhaps there is truth in his words. A spy seeks out the negative. That's what they had done in how they looked at him, they took anything they could frame as harmful and honed in on it. He helped them to see what he had seen all along, what he never wavered on. They tell the viceroy of Egypt that they had one brother who disappeared ("einenu"). He shows them that he never siezed to be there for them as a brother, and that he was also always righteous: Yoseif HaTzadik.
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As I stand in the sanctuary I grew up in, I recall many years of speeches from Rabbi Louis Bernstein. I remember him saying how these parshiot resonated for him. I remember sitting in that seat over there, taking the stories in. And I think back about the story of this Shul: how it was built one brick at a time. It started in a home, and people went door to door selling bricks until there was a building and a rabbi and a vibrant community. There was great enthusiasm all those years ago. And the people that are here today have a right to be proud to still be keeping this building alive, to still be building it up with unwavering excitement.

The Ramban explains that the point of the Mishkan and then the BeithHaMikdash was to keep the experience of Har Sinai alive. That excitement that filled everyone when we hears visions and saw voices, as G-d presented His Holy Torah is meant to last forever. It was to be perpetuated forever by the Beit HaMikdash and lives on in this, and every, sanctuary - every Mikdash Me'at.

It is ironic that secular Jews celebrate the victory of "Fundamentalists" over Hellenists. We the few, who get it, who are here and happy to be here have a right to be a little bit proud. May G-d bless us with strength to continue to rekindle the flames inside us as we continue to light the candles of this Chanukah.

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Sun 12:20 AM - In Other Words 12:20 on Saturday Night - Motzai Shabbos

I hope to be asleep in a few moments. I just watched this short slide show sent to me by a friend: http://www.findingjoymovie.com/. It is good. It reminded me, as I sit here typing in the basement of the home I grew up in, of how as a kid I used to tear the back page out of my dad's Forbes magazines - the page filled with quotes with the title on top: Thoughts On The Business Of Life. One day as I was taking the page my dad (HSLABW) told me that I should remember that life is more than just a lot of good quotes and sayings. I told him that that was a great quote and that I'd remember it. i do. I quote it all the time when I teach Pirkei Avot - and introduce why it starts with Moshe kibeil Torah MiSinai. The idea is that these aren't just sayings, but part of our holy mesorah.

That having been said - I liked these quotes. The one about courage is one I've cited here before and liked so much I went out and bought a book by the author. I also really liked the one by the founder of Weight Watchers about how life is about choice not chance. And I never knew that Milton Berle had a wise quote to his credit, but I've got to admit that I think that, "Laughter is an instant vacation" is profound.

It is late at night
Time to let go and let G-d
G-d please take good care
In the cleaning of my soul
Guard the soul of all I love

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Sunday 6:47 PM

po
This is a weekend of family and friends. Thank G-d.

ikk

Rapping is something kids say that I do, but to me it's like breathing - it's nothing new, my mind rhythms and rhymes, all the time, I take everything in and then my heart cries and sings, and it's not so much bad or good, I hope that my mentor is right and that it's simply the way that every human should be, this is something about which he and I sometimes kind of disagree; are we supposed to experience so deeply or is it just me?