Noah's Flood and the Tower of Babel's Message

   This Shabbat I continued reading Rabbi Jonathan Sacks' book, "Not in G_d's Name."  I was struck by how much the Torah had told us, but we could not understand it's depths.  Rabbi Jonathan Sacks clears up a great deal.
   "The Bible is explicit about the failings of the generation of the Flood.  The people were wicked, violent, and 'every inclination of the thoughts of their heart was only evil all the time' (Genesis 6:5)  This is the language of systematic moral failure.
    "The mood at the beginning of the story of Babel seems, by contrast, almost idyllic.  'The entire earth had one language and a common speech' (Genesis 11:1).  Unity seems to prevail.  The builders are intent on construction, not destruction.  It is far from clear what their sin was.  Yet from the Bible's point of view Babel represents another serious wrong turn, because immediately thereafter G_d summons Abraham to begin an entirely new chapter in the religious story of humankind."
     Rabbi Sacks then illuminates upon what was just a mystery to me.  Before the Flood mankind was a tribal structure.  Tribes competed for resources and there was no overriding moral code.  Mankind took from each other and the environment in evil ways.  This era was about the individual and selfishness and not about a community.  The Flood washed this era away and the Noahide Laws were put in place to avoid this era from ever reoccurring:

1. Do Not Deny God
2. Do Not Blaspheme God
3. Do Not Murder
4. Do Not Engage in Incestuous, Adulterous or Homosexual Relationships.
5. Do Not Steal
6. Do Not Eat of a Live Animal
7. Establish Courts/Legal System to Ensure Law Obedience

     Shortly after Noahide civilization developed there were 70 kingdoms with their own languages and customs and there was peace and respect for the fact that humans were made in G_d's image, yet were very diverse.  Diversity was enjoyed.
     Then there came the time of Babel and all a sudden there was one language.  What happened?  A few neo-Assyrian conquerors happened.  Per Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, "We have historical evidence dating back to the neo-Assyrians that conquerors imposed their own language on the peoples they defeated.  One inscription of the time records that Ashurbanipal II 'made the totality of all peoples speak one speech.'  A cylinder inscription of Sargon II says, 'Populations of the four quarters of the world with strange tongues and incompatible speech...whom I had taken as booty at the command of Ashur my lord by the might of my sceptre, I caused to accept a single voice.'"
     So Babel was a story about the people being dominated by an emperor and losing their individual freedom and being forced to work together to build an empire.  The people of Babel lost their identity, their individuality, which G_d has given to each of us to come to love Him in our own individual ways.
     Rabbi Jonathan Sacks states, "When a single culture is imposed on all, suppressing the diversity of languages and traditions, this is an assault on our G_d-given differences.  As the Quran (49:13) puts it, 'Oh, mankind!  We created you from a single (pair) of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other)."
     When G_d tore down the Tower of Babel and confounded the languages of the peoples, He was restoring the world to live in kingdoms governed by Noahide Laws and thriving in diverse cultures and worship of Elokim, the universal G_d.  He almost immediately made a covenant with Abraham, which was one of love.  Abraham dwelt peacefully amid many nations without judging them and loved G_d with his mind, heart, and soul.
    Per Rabbi Jonathan Sacks,"There is no single, simple system that will honour both our commonalities and our differences.  Tribalism-identity without universality-leads to violence.  Imperialism-universality without identity-leads to the loss of freedom and the suppression of the very diversity that makes us human.  That is why the Bible sets out two covenants [Noahide and Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants], not one:  one that honours our common humanity, the other that sanctifies diversity and the particularity of love.  And the universal comes first.  You cannot love G_d without first honouring the universal dignity of humanity as the image and likeness of the universal G_d."
    Rabbi Jonathan Sacks continues to discuss in his book, "Not In G_d's Name," how in Modern Times we have forgotten about the lessons of the pre-Flood era and the time of Babel.  We have tried these ways of building societies again with Imperialism, Communism, Enlightenment, Crusades, Tribalism, and dethroning the group in celebration of the individual---resulting in erosion of family and community and morality.

     We have attained nationalism, racism and communism, two world wars, the Holocaust and the Gulag.  We have  attained repression.  We have attained acceptance of violations to the Noahide Laws.  We have attained moral decay, hatred, lust for violence, isolation with technology, and indifference to loss of life of those who oppose us.
    Many have lost a sense of community by the decay of family structures.  Many have forged their own version of a code of ethics which is not of G_d.  Many blindly seek what they innately need and find wolves in sheep's clothing waiting to lead them down horrible paths of extremism.
    Now is the time to love G_d with our minds, hearts, and souls.  Now is the time to recognize that every soul is precise.  Now is the time to love each other.  Now is the time to try to celebrate diversity within the scope of the covenants.  Now is the time to recognize that G_d's righteous are in many nations and religions.  Now is the time to come together in peace and love.

Kings of Israel

   "...all the elders of Yisra'el gathered themselves together, and came to Shemu'el to Rama, and said to him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways:  now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." (1 Samuel 8:5-6)
   "And the Lord said to Shemu'el, Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to thee:  for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them." (1 Samuel 8:7)

    Why did Israel need to be like the other nations?  Samuel warned them that the king would just take from them, but they still wanted a king and got Saul who then lost his kingship due to taking from G_d when he took booty from a battle that G_d had allowed Saul to win.
    A king in the Torah is code for one of the 10 Sefirot, one of the 10 shells of the spiritual universe.  Kingship or Malkut is the lowest level of spiritual attainment, because a king receives his rewards in this world by purely taking.

     Per Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan in "The Bahir Illumination," "What are the 10 kings? They are the seven voices and three sayings (Amarim).
    "What are the three? (Proverbs 4:7) 'The beginning is Wisdom:  Acquire Wisdom, with all your acquisition, acquire Understanding."
    (Job 32:8) "The soul of Shadai gives them Understanding."
     The Bahir states, "What is the third one?  As the old man said to the child, 'What is hidden from you, do not seek, and what is concealed from you, do not probe.  Where you have authority, seek to understand, but you have nothing to do with mysteries."
     Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan explains the cryptic Bahir.  "The Ten are divided into two groups, seven Voices and ten Sayings.  The lowest of the Ten Sefirot are usually called Attributes (Midot), while the highest three are called Mentalities (Mochin).  An Attribute is something that is externalized, while a Mentality or mental process is completely internal.  Similarly, a voice is externalized, while a saying without voice is not.
     "The Sefirot are called Kings in many places in Kabbalistic literature, especially in their state in the Universe of Chaos before the rectification.  These are alluded to by the Kings of Edom at the end of Genesis 36.  They are called kings, since a king only takes from his subjects, and does not contribute to the economy of his kingdom.  Similarly, these Sefirot of the Universe of Chaos could only receive, but could not give.
      "Of the three Sefirot mentioned here, only Chakhmah-Wisdom and Binah-Understanding are mentioned explicitly.  With regard to Keter-Crown, we are merely warned not to speculate into its mysteries."

      Keter-Crown is the highest of the 10 Sefirot and a purely giving state, emanating G_d into this world and bringing to this world a godly domain.  This Sefirot is amazingly hard to attain by a human being.  Wisdom (Chakhmah) is a state which can be more easily attained than Keter-Crown and is the second highest Sefirot.  Understanding (Binah) is the third highest Sefirot.  All three of these Sefirot are states of giving.  The givers are servants of G_d.
     Yes, G_d did not want Israel to have kings, because kings dwell in the lowest of the 10 Sefirot, Malkut-Kingship, and are receivers, not givers.  Israel was chosen to be servants of G_d, not emperors of this world.  Israel was chosen to give to this world.  Israel rejected their mission by asking for a king.  It was not until Solomon asked for Wisdom as his only request from G_d that G_d was able to have his chosen servants build a Temple for Him.  King Solomon had asked G_d to allow him to become a giver of His light by requesting Wisdom.  Israel was again ready to give to this worldly domain by bringing G_d into it.

The Akedah and Gates of G_d

        The Akedah, the story of G_d asking Abraham to sacrifice his son, Yiztach, is quite disturbing for most people and causes much unresolved debate about the meaning that G_d is imparting.  After studying "The Bahir Illumination" by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan this week, I had an epiphany as I read the normally glazed over line in Genesis (21:18), "...and thy seed shall possess the gate of its enemies:..."
        While reading the commentary in the Chumash, I was focusing on the angels.  I was aware that Gabriel, the strength of G_d, destroyed Sodom and Gemorah.  I wasn't aware that Michael, who is like G_d, delivered the message to Sara that she would conceive Yiztach, or that Rafael, who has healed, was the one that healed ailing Abraham and escorted Lot to safety.  As I was trying to figure out the angels involved, I happened upon the commentary about Hagar leaving Yishmael alone under a tree to die, so she wouldn't see him die.  The commentary stated how selfish that was of a mother to do rather than comforting her dying son.  Yishmael was truly alone, because even the angels tried to convince G_d to let Yishmael die for the sins of his descendants, but G_d would not judge Yishmael upon any other deeds but Yishmael's.  Apparently, Hagar's selfish influence upon him was countered by Abraham's righteous influence.
        Yiztach was a different story.  Sarah was a righteous woman, so both of Yiztach's parents were righteous.  The Chumash commentary stated that Abraham journeyed up to the top of the mountain that Abraham would later call Adonay yir'e (God will see) and Shem, Noah's son, called Shalem (at peace) and we call Jerushalem (yir'e Shalem---will see peace).  Abraham journeyed there to sacrifice Yiztach.  Father and son had two different missions for G_d.  Yiztach was a man, not a child, with his own relationship with G_d.  When he asked his father where the lamb was for the sacrifice,  Abraham responded, "My son, G_d will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together." Genesis (21:8)  Yiztach allowed his father to bind him, though he was probably as strong as his father.  Yiztach allowed himself to die in this world to serve G_d as Abraham faithfully obeyed G_d, though Abraham's tears fell upon bond Yiztach's eyes.
        At the last minute an angel of the Lord called to Abraham out of heaven and said, "Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do anything to him:  for now I know that thou fearest G_d, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thy only son from me."
       "And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham out of heaven a second time, and said, 'By myself have I sworn, says the Lord, because thous hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thy only son: that I will exceedingly bless thee, and I will exceedingly multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of its enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." (Genisis 21:15-18)
        It was then that Yiztach and Abraham had a united mission for G_d.  Father and son journeyed down the mountain united in their service of G_d.
        Now why did G_d happen to have me reading the section of Bahir this week about gates?  So I would see this line that we all glaze over, "and thy seed shall possess the gate of its enemies;...." The Bahir section 38 in the Bahir Illumination by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan states, "Rabbi Amorai sat and expounded:  What is the meaning of the verse (Psalm 87:2), 'G_d loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.'
        "'The gates of Zion' are the openings of the World.
        "A gate is nothing other than an opening.  We thus say, 'Open for us the gates of mercy.'
        "G_d said: I love the 'gates of Zion' when they are open.  Why?  Because they are on the side of evil.  But when Israel does good before G_d and are worthy that good be opened for them, then G_d loves them---'more than all the dwellings of Jacob.'
         "The dwellings of Jacob are all peace, as it is written (Genesis 25:27), 'Jacob was a simple man, dwelling in tents.'"
         Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan explains about section 38 in the Bahir, "The main theme here is the fact that G_d  has maximum pleasure when evil is transformed into good.  Man was given free will so as to overcome evil, this being the purpose of creation.  When evil is overcome, this purpose is fulfilled, and this is G_d's 'pleasure.'
         Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan continues, "In a deeper sense, the more one overcomes evil, the more he makes use of his free will, and in doing so, the more he resembles G_d....In this paragraph, it is evident that the opposite of evil is peace."
         So why did G_d give us possession of the gate of our enemies after Abraham and Yiztach faithfully fulfilled G_d's will?  They proved themselves righteous and capable of teaching their children righteousness.  Abraham and Yiztach were selfless, as opposed to Hagar being selfish, which she would teach her son Yishmael.
        What does it mean to possess the gate of our enemies?  We can allow our enemies to be evil by being selfish and lacking righteousness and reacting to their evil by opening their gate that we possess.  We can also allow our enemies to be peaceful in this world by being selfless and loving them despite their issues and closing the gate of evil of our enemy.  We can go one step further and change our enemy to our friend and have no gate of evil to close.
       We are vessels of G_d.  In order to receive G_d's light, we must give and resemble G_d.  We must emanate the light we receive and bring G_d into this domain.  It is in our hands and is our heritage to overcome the gates of evil that we possess and bring peace to this world.

 P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!  

The Akedah and Gates of G_d

        The Akedah, the story of G_d asking Abraham to sacrifice his son, Yiztach, is quite disturbing for most people and causes much unresolved debate about the meaning that G_d is imparting.  After studying "The Bahir Illumination" by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan this week, I had an epiphany as I read the normally glazed over line in Genesis (21:18), "...and thy seed shall possess the gate of its enemies:..."
        While reading the commentary in the Chumash, I was focusing on the angels.  I was aware that Gabriel, the strength of G_d, destroyed Sodom and Gemorah.  I wasn't aware that Michael, who is like G_d, delivered the message to Sara that she would conceive Yiztach, or that Rafael, who has healed, was the one that healed ailing Abraham and escorted Lot to safety.  As I was trying to figure out the angels involved, I happened upon the commentary about Hagar leaving Yishmael alone under a tree to die, so she wouldn't see him die.  The commentary stated how selfish that was of a mother to do rather than comforting her dying son.  Yishmael was truly alone, because even the angels tried to convince G_d to let Yishmael die for the sins of his descendants, but G_d would not judge Yishmael upon any other deeds but Yishmael's.  Apparently, Hagar's selfish influence upon him was countered by Abraham's righteous influence.
        Yiztach was a different story.  Sarah was a righteous woman, so both of Yiztach's parents were righteous.  The Chumash commentary stated that Abraham journeyed up to the top of the mountain that Abraham would later call Adonay yir'e (God will see) and Shem, Noah's son, called Shalem (at peace) and we call Jerushalem (yir'e Shalem---will see peace).  Abraham journeyed there to sacrifice Yiztach.  Father and son had two different missions for G_d.  Yiztach was a man, not a child, with his own relationship with G_d.  When he asked his father where the lamb was for the sacrifice,  Abraham responded, "My son, G_d will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together." Genesis (21:8)  Yiztach allowed his father to bind him, though he was probably as strong as his father.  Yiztach allowed himself to die in this world to serve G_d as Abraham faithfully obeyed G_d, though Abraham's tears fell upon bond Yiztach's eyes.
        At the last minute an angel of the Lord called to Abraham out of heaven and said, "Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do anything to him:  for now I know that thou fearest G_d, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thy only son from me."
       "And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham out of heaven a second time, and said, 'By myself have I sworn, says the Lord, because thous hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thy only son: that I will exceedingly bless thee, and I will exceedingly multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of its enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." (Genisis 21:15-18)
        It was then that Yiztach and Abraham had a united mission for G_d.  Father and son journeyed down the mountain united in their service of G_d.
        Now why did G_d happen to have me reading the section of Bahir this week about gates?  So I would see this line that we all glaze over, "and thy seed shall possess the gate of its enemies;...." The Bahir section 38 in the Bahir Illumination by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan states, "Rabbi Amorai sat and expounded:  What is the meaning of the verse (Psalm 87:2), 'G_d loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.'
        "'The gates of Zion' are the openings of the World.
        "A gate is nothing other than an opening.  We thus say, 'Open for us the gates of mercy.'
        "G_d said: I love the 'gates of Zion' when they are open.  Why?  Because they are on the side of evil.  But when Israel does good before G_d and are worthy that good be opened for them, then G_d loves them---'more than all the dwellings of Jacob.'
         "The dwellings of Jacob are all peace, as it is written (Genesis 25:27), 'Jacob was a simple man, dwelling in tents.'"
         Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan explains about section 38 in the Bahir, "The main theme here is the fact that G_d  has maximum pleasure when evil is transformed into good.  Man was given free will so as to overcome evil, this being the purpose of creation.  When evil is overcome, this purpose is fulfilled, and this is G_d's 'pleasure.'
         Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan continues, "In a deeper sense, the more one overcomes evil, the more he makes use of his free will, and in doing so, the more he resembles G_d....In this paragraph, it is evident that the opposite of evil is peace."
         So why did G_d give us possession of the gate of our enemies after Abraham and Yiztach faithfully fulfilled G_d's will?  They proved themselves righteous and capable of teaching their children righteousness.  Abraham and Yiztach were selfless, as opposed to Hagar being selfish, which she would teach her son Yishmael.
        What does it mean to possess the gate of our enemies?  We can allow our enemies to be evil by being selfish and lacking righteousness and reacting to their evil by opening their gate that we possess.  We can also allow our enemies to be peaceful in this world by being selfless and loving them despite their issues and closing the gate of evil of our enemy.  We can go one step further and change our enemy to our friend and have no gate of evil to close.
       We are vessels of G_d.  In order to receive G_d's light, we must give and resemble G_d.  We must emanate the light we receive and bring G_d into this domain.  It is in our hands and is our heritage to overcome the gates of evil that we possess and bring peace to this world.

 P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!  

The Akedah and Gates of G_d

        The Akedah, the story of G_d asking Abraham to sacrifice his son, Yiztach, is quite disturbing for most people and causes much unresolved debate about the meaning that G_d is imparting.  After studying "The Bahir Illumination" by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan this week, I had an epiphany as I read the normally glazed over line in Genesis (21:18), "...and thy seed shall possess the gate of its enemies:..."
        While reading the commentary in the Chumash, I was focusing on the angels.  I was aware that Gabriel, the strength of G_d, destroyed Sodom and Gemorah.  I wasn't aware that Michael, who is like G_d, delivered the message to Sara that she would conceive Yiztach, or that Rafael, who has healed, was the one that healed ailing Abraham and escorted Lot to safety.  As I was trying to figure out the angels involved, I happened upon the commentary about Hagar leaving Yishmael alone under a tree to die, so she wouldn't see him die.  The commentary stated how selfish that was of a mother to do rather than comforting her dying son.  Yishmael was truly alone, because even the angels tried to convince G_d to let Yishmael die for the sins of his descendants, but G_d would not judge Yishmael upon any other deeds but Yishmael's.  Apparently, Hagar's selfish influence upon him was countered by Abraham's righteous influence.
        Yiztach was a different story.  Sarah was a righteous woman, so both of Yiztach's parents were righteous.  The Chumash commentary stated that Abraham journeyed up to the top of the mountain that Abraham would later call Adonay yir'e (God will see) and Shem, Noah's son, called Shalem (at peace) and we call Jerushalem (yir'e Shalem---will see peace).  Abraham journeyed there to sacrifice Yiztach.  Father and son had two different missions for G_d.  Yiztach was a man, not a child, with his own relationship with G_d.  When he asked his father where the lamb was for the sacrifice,  Abraham responded, "My son, G_d will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together." Genesis (21:8)  Yiztach allowed his father to bind him, though he was probably as strong as his father.  Yiztach allowed himself to die in this world to serve G_d as Abraham faithfully obeyed G_d, though Abraham's tears fell upon bond Yiztach's eyes.
        At the last minute an angel of the Lord called to Abraham out of heaven and said, "Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do anything to him:  for now I know that thou fearest G_d, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thy only son from me."
       "And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham out of heaven a second time, and said, 'By myself have I sworn, says the Lord, because thous hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thy only son: that I will exceedingly bless thee, and I will exceedingly multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of its enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." (Genisis 21:15-18)
        It was then that Yiztach and Abraham had a united mission for G_d.  Father and son journeyed down the mountain united in their service of G_d.
        Now why did G_d happen to have me reading the section of Bahir this week about gates?  So I would see this line that we all glaze over, "and thy seed shall possess the gate of its enemies;...." The Bahir section 38 in the Bahir Illumination by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan states, "Rabbi Amorai sat and expounded:  What is the meaning of the verse (Psalm 87:2), 'G_d loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.'
        "'The gates of Zion' are the openings of the World.
        "A gate is nothing other than an opening.  We thus say, 'Open for us the gates of mercy.'
        "G_d said: I love the 'gates of Zion' when they are open.  Why?  Because they are on the side of evil.  But when Israel does good before G_d and are worthy that good be opened for them, then G_d loves them---'more than all the dwellings of Jacob.'
         "The dwellings of Jacob are all peace, as it is written (Genesis 25:27), 'Jacob was a simple man, dwelling in tents.'"
         Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan explains about section 38 in the Bahir, "The main theme here is the fact that G_d  has maximum pleasure when evil is transformed into good.  Man was given free will so as to overcome evil, this being the purpose of creation.  When evil is overcome, this purpose is fulfilled, and this is G_d's 'pleasure.'
         Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan continues, "In a deeper sense, the more one overcomes evil, the more he makes use of his free will, and in doing so, the more he resembles G_d....In this paragraph, it is evident that the opposite of evil is peace."
         So why did G_d give us possession of the gate of our enemies after Abraham and Yiztach faithfully fulfilled G_d's will?  They proved themselves righteous and capable of teaching their children righteousness.  Abraham and Yiztach were selfless, as opposed to Hagar being selfish, which she would teach her son Yishmael.
        What does it mean to possess the gate of our enemies?  We can allow our enemies to be evil by being selfish and lacking righteousness and reacting to their evil by opening their gate that we possess.  We can also allow our enemies to be peaceful in this world by being selfless and loving them despite their issues and closing the gate of evil of our enemy.  We can go one step further and change our enemy to our friend and have no gate of evil to close.
       We are vessels of G_d.  In order to receive G_d's light, we must give and resemble G_d.  We must emanate the light we receive and bring G_d into this domain.  It is in our hands and is our heritage to overcome the gates of evil that we possess and bring peace to this world.

 P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!  

Inspired by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

   Today I continued reading Rabbi Jonathan Sacks new book, "Not In G_d's Name---Confronting Religious Violence."  It is an illuminating perspective about what makes people altruistically evil and violent.  Being someone who has fought unwarranted abuse with love on many levels, I could relate to this daunting issue of illogical attacks on peaceful people.  I once had a therapist at UC Berkeley once say to me, "Why do you keep going back to those people [my siblings] with love?"  Rabbi Sacks finally explained why I do that.
     He starts by saying that dualism is the seed to altruistic evil.  Dualism leads people to believe that there are good people and bad people.  Really we are all capable of good and bad.  Some of us were lucky to be nurtured to choose to behave better, but in our hearts we all have darkness and light.  No one people is all darkness and all light, not Jews, not Hindus, not Muslims, not Christians, not Buddhists, not any one people.  There is no dualism.  We are all loved by the one true G_d of Abraham as we are with all our goodness and all our evil.  He knows our thoughts and loves us as we are.
     Rabbi Sacks discusses how not Jesus, but Paul started a rivalry between the Jews and the Christians.  Both Jesus and Paul were Jewish, Paul just had a different agenda which rewrote the history of Jews in a lesser role.  He wrote, "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's [Hagar] son [Ishmael] will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's [Sarah] son [Isaac]."  He further implied that Sarah represented Christianity and Hagar represented Judaism which is just a marketing fabrication for Christianity that has lasted to this day.
     Interesting enough Rabbi Sacks explains that after Sarah died, Isaac did not want Abraham to be alone when Rebekah was found and brought back for Isaac.  So Isaac went to Beer Lahai Roi as Abraham started the search for Isaac's wife.  Who was in Beer Lahai Roi?  Hagar and Ishmael lived there.  Hagar, per Rabbi Sacks is Keturah, Abraham's wife after Sarah died.  Isaac brought her back for his father, so he would also have a wife.  That is why at Abraham's death both Issac and Ishmael stood together at their father's burial.
    G_d always loved Hagar and Ishmael, as did Abraham.  G_d always loved Sarah and Isaac as well.  Yes, Sarah had Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away, but after her natural death a reconciliation happened and there was peace and love.  G_d loves us in His own way in His own time.  It is for us to keep the gates of love open and always try to forgive others, especially when we see that even in our own hearts we can find darkness, just as in Sarah's heart she had a moment of darkness, because she bore jealousy toward Hagar and wanted to be like her and bear a child.
     Again with Jacob and Esau we have a similar rivalry.  Jacob wants to be the first born and grabs his brother's heel, then steals his brother's blessing.  Jacob wants to be like his brother Esau and receives the blessing, "May G_d give you of the dew of the heavens, and the richness of the earth, and abundant grain and wine.  May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you.  Rule over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you."(Gen. 27:28-29)  This blessing was meant for Esau though.  Esau was the man of this world and Jacob was the man of G_d.
     Jacob did get his blessing that Isaac intended for him, "May G_d Almighty bless you, make you fruitful and increase your numbers so that you become a community of peoples.  May he give you and your descendants the blessing of Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as a foreigner, the land G_d gave to Abraham." (Gen. 28:3-4)  So Jacob did not need to steal his brother's blessing which was not appropriate for Jacob.  Jacob was the one to carry on the spiritual covenant and was freely given the spiritual blessing.
     When Jacob returned to meet Esau after 22 years, he wrestled an angel and wouldn't let him go until the angel gave him a blessing, "No longer will it be said that your name is Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with G_d and men and have prevailed." (Gen. 32:24)  This meant that Jacob was ready to not struggle to be Esau anymore.  He was ready to struggle being Israel, himself.
     Upon greeting his brother Esau, he gave his brother his riches of the earth that he'd gathered and had every member of his family, including himself bow down to Esau as a way of returning the blessing that he'd stolen from Esau, so many years before.  Israel did not need these blessings.  G_d blessed him with his own blessings, because G_d blesses us according to our lot.
     It is said that a happy person is at peace with their lot in life.  That person is happy with their role in this world that G_d bestowed upon them with love.  That is how we have world peace.  We recognize that we each have both bad and good in each of us.  We recognize that the stories of rivaling siblings in the Bible were stories of young people striving to be like their sibling and finally realizing to be happy, they must be happy with the life that G_d wanted them to have.  Then their was peace and love and reconciliation.
     One day my peace and love will be accepted by my siblings.  Now at least I know that they must be happy with their lot in life in order to accept my alms.  All that I can control is that I am happy with my lot in this world and that G_d loves me for whom I am with all my bad and good wrapped up inside of me.

 P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!   

Salary Negotiation

     My financial life as a teacher has been a pain to witness for some time, but this week after being told that I would only be given 3 years of experience for teaching and being placed at C4 on the salary scale---$45,526---I put my negotiating foot down hard.  I explained that was a big problem, like me selling my house and quitting teaching problem.  Then I asked to speak to the pencil pusher's boss.  She was busy, so I drove to my high school and spoke to my principal, who got me to a C6.

    The pencil pusher was not pleased with my principal apparently and asked me for work verification.  I forwarded his e-mail to my principal noting, "Are they asking me for more paperwork that they're going to reject, since they rejected so many of my years of experience?"

     Late Thursday night the pencil pusher's boss contacted me with thorough reasoning about why she needed my work verification.  I gave her my work verification which was going to the California Department of Education for my engineering credential that never happened in 2010 and noted why I had it on hand.  I asked her to let me know soon where she was placing me, so I could get my real estate agent back online, if necessary. 
     She e-mailed me back immediately and put me at C9 on the salary schedule!  I got an amazing raise!!!  I don't have to struggle financially anymore!

     My students are also wonderful and angels to manage, my principal is supportive, my high school is an amazingly well-funded and forward-thinking campus, and my district is finally paying me what I am worth!  I feel so blessed!!!  I even talked to my mom in the world to come and said, "I made it, Mom!  I finally made it!"

 P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!   

Kayaking Trip to Emerald Bay

   It was a Friday, and I got all my chores done.  The only thing left was driving up to Tahoe and finding a place to launch my kayak as close enough to Emerald Bay as possible.  I ended up finding a public launch next to Camp Richardson, but it cost $8.  Since I got there late, they only charged me $4!  Happily I launched my kayak on her maiden voyage on Lake Tahoe!

    As I paddled through the marina the water changed from tan to Tahoe blue, especially as I paddled across from Baldwin Beach where I'll launch for free next time!

    I only had 2.5 hours to paddle to Emerald Bay from Camp Richardson, so I divvied up 1 hour and 15 minutes each way and managed to get to Lower Eagle Point Campground within Emerald Bay.  At the narrow opening of the bay many large boats slowing to 5 mph can swamp you with their enormous wakes, so you have to be very careful at this opening and position your kayak perpendicular to the large wakes.

 P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!

Conversations Between the Sexes and Oneself

Long before I converted to Modern Orthodox Judaism, I agreed to their interaction rules which are not very different from my professional rules of modesty and male and female interaction.   I already had definite opinions as a former corporate engineer and the only woman in my department about what rules were appropriate and what were not for interactions between the sexes and knew that the way I dress was the first step to communicating across sexes and how I communicated ideas had to be constantly examined for sexism and modified for my male audience.  

My peers also had to adjust to me being around.  They never let their wives meet me.  After all, I was the blond bomb shell that was quite an effective corporate engineering spy.  What wife would want me working next to their husband day in and day out, though I was no threat to their marriage?  I knew the playing field and did what I could to dress professionally and cover up around so many male engineers, many of whom routinely visited lingerie luncheons---risqué fashion shows at bad restaurants which diminished the respectability of women.  Once these coworkers even tried to leave me out of the engineering bonding activity, the male softball league, but I insisted upon being the manager of the team, if women couldn’t play.  The sexes have to have a safe playing field upon which to interact and build respect for and understanding of each other.

Conversations between the sexes is crucial to learning that opposite sexes are more than just sexual objects, but are valuable allies and resources.  I remember when I was a Christian and I had a new pastor who was unable to talk to women for fear of having an affair.  I wrote him an uplifting letter expressing my sympathies for his scars from his father’s affair, but I looked forward to seeing him evolve passed that.  Instead he embraced and nurtured his wound, showed a movie to the congregation about how he was scarred, and made it his cross to bear.  He remained quite defensive toward women needing to converse with him privately.  For instance, when I went to tell the pastor the results of my surgery---that I didn’t have a cancerous tumor and wasn’t going to die after all, his wife saw me standing next to him and rushed over by his side like a trophy wife rushing over to guard her husband from another attractive woman.  I was aghast!

This pastor became quite popular and built a huge church.  What if this pastor teaches this practice to a lot of men and women?  Then women will have fewer opportunities in business.  How do you take a woman with you to Malaysia who is vital for the business negotiation with this kind of Neanderthal mentality?  You don’t.  This mentality is dangerous to women.  We are not all after men for sex and security.  We want to work and have job opportunities and independence.

So what do we do?  We learn to look at everyone as people, not men and women.  We learn not to dress provocatively at work, unless that’s part of our work that we choose to do.  We learn to examine our own feelings continuously and test them with the questions, “If he were a woman, would I say or do this?”  “If she was a man, would I say or do this?” “Is my jealousy of my spouse’s boss, coworker, or subordinate based upon fact or my own insecurities?  Maybe I should get to know this person better, so I’ll feel better and not limit a career or friendship unnecessarily.”

P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!

Kayaking Down the American River in Red, White, and Blue on the 4th of July!

    My favorite kayaking group in Sacramento is the Sacramento Paddle Pushers.  Lynn, the leader, did an excellent job of organizing this one!  Here's some videos.
    We started out at Sailor Bar.

     We made it safely to the San Juan Rapids.

       One of our kayakers went over in the rapids, but the Rangers were there and saved him.

      Then we paddled after lunch and went through the Arden Rapids and took out at Gristmill.

  P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!

Eppies Great Race Dreaming

    Well, I can't ever be in Eppie's Great Race, because I'm Shomer Shabbos, and the race is on Saturday.  But, today I kayaked the course with the Sacramento Paddle Pushers, so I know that I could do the Iron Woman now---if the race was on Sunday.
    We launched at Fairs Oaks Walking Bridge off Sunrise Blvd.

     Then our leader showed us where Eppie's Great Race kayakers launch---just above the Sunrise Walking Bridge.

    Soon the first fast flow appeared.

     Eventually we approached the dangerous, yet short San Juan Rapids.

    After the rapids there is this super cute shoe tree---a collection of shoes that people lose in the rapids.

      A few racers were with us, so when we came to the triple fork, we determined the middle fork is the fastest.

     After the triple fork is a double fork.  The fastest fork is the left one.

      Finally, we came to the finish line for Eppie's Great Race.

P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!

Seeing G_d

          It would seem that G_d created us to bestow good upon us.  He is our Creator and created us in His image, so we would create.  He gave us what we see, touch, hear, taste, smell, and sense spiritually so that from this we would chose to create good and to lovingly delight G_d. 

SheRahEl means “He who sees G_d,” what Israel means.  He wanted to find vessels, humans, that would use what was given to them to create this good and "see" Him.  Israel was not defined, however.

Per Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan in “The Aryeh Kaplan Reader, The Jew” on p. 160, “If Adam would have been worthy and would not have sinned, then all of his children would have been worthy of the Torah.  If not for Adam’s sin, all mankind would have had the status of ‘Israel’.

            “Because of Adam’s sin, however, the Torah [the instructions for behaving in this world] was restricted to the small portion of mankind who would be worthy of receiving it.  The rest of the human race were given seven commandments, binding on every human being.  They are:

1.     Not to worship idols.

2.     Not to blaspheme G_d.

3.     To establish courts of justice.

4.     Not to murder.

5.     Not to commit adultery or incest.

6.     Not to steal.

7.     Not to eat flesh from a living animal.

“Of these commandments, only the first six were given to Adam himself.  The last commandment would have been redundant for him, since the eating of all animal flesh was forbidden until the generation of Noah.  Thus, the final commandment, forbidding the eating of flesh from a living animal, was given to Noah and his sons.

“These commandments were given in order that man receive an eternal reward for obeying them, and thus we are taught that a non-Jew who obeys these seven laws has a portion in the World to Come.  However, these commandments were also meant to benefit man morally in this world as well.  Thus, the prohibitions against idolatry and blasphemy taught man to worship and respect G_d, this being the foundation of all morality and ethics.  This was further strengthened by the commandments forbidding murder, incest/adultery and robbery, as well as the one requiring the administration of justice.  Finally, the prohibition against eating flesh from a living animal separated man from the savage, teaching him kindness toward his fellow creatures and control of his base appetites.”

As always, after the flood humans started reverting back to paganism.  During the time of Abraham, the world was ripe with G_d being just about anything that one could see and usually touch.   We humans are so drawn to idols which is one small reason why G_d has always concealed Himself in this world and one cannot “See” G_d in the literal sense, we only see His creations and His light---His effects.  No human has seen G_d’s entirety and remained living in this world.

Abraham, the father of many nations, arose to seek only G_d and turned from idols.  Just as Adam had children that did not all “See G_d,” so did Abraham. Isaac “saw” G_d, and begot Jacob and Essau.  Only Jacob, however, turned from idols and “saw” G_d in this generation.  It was also Jacob who finally attained “Israel.”

(Genesis 32:25-29):  Jacob remained alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.  When the man saw that he could not defeat Jacob, he struck him in the hollow of his thigh, and Jacob’s hip was dislocated as he wrestled.  The man then said, “Let me go, for day is breaking.”  Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.  The man asked him, “What is your name?”  and he answered, “Jacob.”  The man then said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob.  From now on it shall be Israel, for you have been great with G_d, and you have prevailed against man.”

It was then that “Israel” was decided.  Jacob had a relationship with the one true G_d and abstained from being part of the pagan practices all around him.  Though being “Israel” is now being part of the Jewish people and studying Torah, it is also “Seeing” G_d.  Through the ages those Jews who do not “See” G_d are weeded out by G_d. 

It is an unusual time, though.  Many feel the strength of Jews that don’t “See” G_d and have taken on the ways of man is needed to defend the “Israelis” that have been great with G_d, and prevailed against man.  This is probably the repeating story line throughout the ages.  It’s best to be a strong Jew and prevail against man and “See” G_d like Jacob did.  G_d, after all, can do anything and defend His people once more.  Also, the requirements for entering the World to Come for a Jew is much more difficult than abiding by the seven Noahide Commandments whether one “Sees” G_d or not.  Blindness to the one bestowing good upon us is no excuse at the gates of the World to Come.


P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!

Pesach (Passover) and It's Significance

    Today's Shabbat reading of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's book, "The Aryeh Kaplan Reader: The Rectification of Adam's Sin," discussed the significance of Pesach, Passover.  Pesach is about telling the story of the Exodus when G_d passed over the Jews with the Angel of Death.  He actually freed them from the power of the Angel of Death, at least until they tragically transgressed with the Golden Calf.
    Per Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, "The Talmud states that with the giving of the Torah all the negative effects of Adam's sin were annulled with respect to the Jewish nation.  In particular, the Jews were freed from the power of the Angel of Death.
    "It was only later, some forty days following the Sinai experience when the Jews tragically transgressed by worshiping the Golden Calf, that we as a people reverted back to the unrectified state that was introduced to mankind by the initial sin of Adam."
    Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan further explains that Rabbi Yitzchak Luria taught that Pesach provides the Jews with a method of rectifying Adam's sin.  "Why were the Jews in Egypt in the first place?  The answer is that they were there as the result of a question that their forefather, Abraham, had asked of G_d after He had promised to give Abraham and his descendants the Land of Israel as an eternal inheritance (Genesis 15:8)....Abraham had asked of G_d, 'How will I know?'"
    Bad idea.  This showed G_d that he, Abraham, who had made significant progress in rectifying knowledge, had a lapse of faith.  Per Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, "In answer to Abraham's question, G_d appeared to the patriarch in a vision and said, 'Abram, know for a surety that your seed shall be strangers in a land that is not theirs and they shall serve them...' (Genesis 15:13)."  So because of Abraham's small lack of faith, the Jews ended up in Egypt, where cursed Ham, son of Noah's, descendants lived, to start rectifying Adam's sin of eating from the Etz Hadaas (the Tree of Knowledge) of good and bad.
    Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan then explains a bit more about exactly how Adam sinned.  "The Talmud comments that Adam had only been prohibited from eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge for just a few hours.  Man had been created on the sixth day of Creation which was a Friday, and G_d merely wanted Adam to refrain from eating from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, which according  to one opinion was a grapevine, until the start of the Sabbath on Friday night...to sanctify the Sabbath.  Had he only waited until the proper time, Adam could have eaten from the Tree of Knowledge and then succeeded in truly elevating the quality of knowledge."
     So during the Exodus the Jewish people learned to wait, making up for Adam's impatience, and rely on G_d each day for their manna.  They learned to wait for their double portion of manna on Shabbat, the Sabbath.  They actually were first given the commandment to observe Shabbat during the Exodus, interestingly enough.  Everything was perfect as far as the rectification of Adam's sin.  The Jews learned to wait, reflect, and nurture the areas where G_d wanted them to grow from their thought patterns of slaves.  Per Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, "After forty-nine days, the Jews had completely recovered from the descent to the forty-ninth level of Egyptian moral impurity.  The very next day as pure and healthy individuals, they were capable of receiving the Torah."  Unfortunately, after receiving the Torah, the Golden Calf was the game changer that set back the Jewish Nation to this day.
    Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan states that Pesach is a way back to rectification of the original sin.  "On Passover, the Jew is commanded to drink four cups of wine.  What is the significance of the wine?  According to the opinion which holds that the Tree of Knowledge was a grapevine, it would be understandable that our drinking of the four cups during the Passover seder is intricately connected to our task in rectifying the blemish brought on mankind by Adam's sin of eating (i.e. drinking) the forbidden fruit (i.e. wine).
    "Chassidus teaches that four klipos (impure shells) cover the Jew's Godly soul and prevent it from reaching its full potential.  By drinking each of the four cups of wine on the seder night, the individual succeeds in breaking apart all four of the impure shells and in this sense liberates the Godly soul from its own personal bondage to the forces of impurity."
     I happen to be learning Hisbonenus and am trying to master Dimension 3, "Transcendence, Soul in the body."  It's hard to draw in the G_dly life force into your inner wisdom and vision to see beyond the sensate reality.  When it dawned on me what Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan was saying, I went and got a glass of wine, since it was Shabbat.  I blessed the wine, drank it, said the after blessing, and then tried to master Dimension 3.  It worked!  The wine helped me deeply feel the connection of the outer G_dly life force and bring it within myself and better understand G_d's inner workings.
     The wine is the key to rectifying knowledge per my experience, but we don't want to misuse the wine like Noah did.  Per Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, "The first act of Noah was the planting of a vineyard.  He then produced and drank wine.  His desire was to rectify Adam's initial sin which came about through the drinking of wine. However, Noah was careless and instead got drunk [and Ham dishonored his father, Noah]....Just as when Adam first ate (drank wine) the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, Noah's drinking of wine also set the stage for the increase of immorality among mankind with the strengthening of the Yetzer Hara [evil inclination] into the body of man."
     My revelation for this Shabbat is that drinking wine at the correct time, in the correct amounts, for the reason to achieve the knowledge of the G_d's inspiration is the beginning to rectifying Adam's original sin.

P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!
 

Trying Out My New Eddyline Sky 10 Kayak!

     It was hard to get a new kayak, but my dear brother, Rabbi Aryeh, insisted that CAyakgirl could not be without a safe kayak.  My Cobra Play got a hull fracture in the sitting area after 10 years of constant use.  I have the crack duct taped sealed after drilling the ends of the crack to prevent further cracking.  So this is my maiden voyage on my Eddyline Sky 10 at Lake Natoma near the western end.  It's quite different from my Cobra Play.

This is the lower lagoon.

Next adventure was at Negro Bar on Lake Natoma near the eastern end.  I had to see how this kayak handles in the current.

The currents in the canyon were a little treacherous for my first time on an intermediate kayak.  The skeg also doesn't allow me to turn on a dime like the Cobra Play.  I'll have to get used to that.

This is the upper lagoon.

I ended up in a nest of Red Slider Turtles here!

P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!

Purim and the Mashiach

     During my Shabbat readings of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's, "The Aryeh Kaplan Reader:  The Gift He Left Behind,"  I found a great insight in the section in his essay "Uniting with G_d Via the Torah:  Understanding Supersedes the Sefirah of Wisdom" on p. 110-111.
     "In the aftermath of Purim [a few decades after the destruction of the First Temple which closed the era of prophecy and sealed the written Torah], a tremendous new interest in the study of the Oral Torah developed among the Jewish people.  Since one does not usually exhibit much enthusiasm or enjoyment for an activity in which one participates under duress, it is easy to understand why, prior to their acceptance of the Oral Torah on Purim, the Jews failed to distinguish themselves in this area of learning.
     "A major transformation in the service of the Jew developed during the time between the First and Second Temples,  The main focus during the period of the First Temple was mystical, while that of the Second Temple was of a more intellectual nature.  The first Temple was dominated by the sefirah of chochmah (wisdom) which is a mystical quality.  The Second Temple was influenced by the binah (understanding) which is basically and intellectual characteristic.
     "It makes sense that the Second Temple was dominated by binah, an intellectual aspect, as it was during this time that the study of the Oral Torah blossomed.  The Written Torah flourished during the First Temple when the quality of mysticism reigned supreme.
     "A question may be asked concerning the arrival of the Mashiach (the Messiah) and the construction of the Third (the final and eternal) Temple in Jerusalem.  What will be the important aspect governing Jewish awareness during the Messianic era?  Will Jews be influenced by the sefirah of daas (knowledge)?  We do find the verse in the prophetic Book of Isaiah (11:9) which predicts that in the future, 'The world will be filled with daas (knowledge) of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.'"
     Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan continues in his next section:  "The Cause of Man's Downfall and Its Rectification."
     "There is an additional lesson regarding Purim that we can learn from Purim.  It concerns details that the Talmud mentions in connection with the coming of Mashiach.  To better understand this, let us ask the question, 'What was the cause of the original downfall of man?'  It came through daas (knowledge) or more specifically through the act of Adam's eating from the Etz Hadaas (the Tree of Knowledge) concerning good and bad.  The Talmud teaches that when Mashiach arrives, the world order will be rectified.  This means that daas (knowledge) which was corrupted on the sixth day by Adam will also be corrected and elevated to its original position during the creation of the world.
      "Purim has a very direct connection with daas.  There are three stated opinions regarding the identity of the forbidden fruit.  One opinion, and this is the view we will pursue, is that the Etz Hadaas was a grapevine....One way to rectify Adam's sin is to abstain from drinking wine...Another way to rectify Adam's sin is with the celebration of the holiday of Purim.  The Talmud teaches that one must drink wine until he is devoid of knowledge and is unable to distinguish between blessing Mordechai [a good man] and cursing Haman [a bad man]...."
     
     Why was I so inspired by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan by this section?  When I was young, I used to ask G_d that in my world to come I would like to know everything, and I'd dream of sailing through the stars and discovering so many wonderful new horizons.  As I became older, I realized that I didn't want to know everything anymore.  There was a lot of evil out there that I'd rather not know about.  Now I'm in a new growth stage, however, thanks to my beloved Jewish brother who also is named Rabbi Aryeh, and I'm realizing that I can return to my former dream.
     My new learning deals with seeing all that G_d creates as inherently good.  Though bad things happen to me, I am learning to see why G_d has arranged it that way, so that I may benefit in good ways.   An example of this is my sibling rival, my sister, who hated me from my birth.
     This sister tried to drown me when I was around 9 years old and at the same time taught me not only how to outsmart her and swim downward so she couldn't grip my head anymore, but how to not suck in water when my body convulsed under the water for oxygen.  This was very important to know when I almost drowned at 12 years old  and my body convulsed for oxygen when G_d gave me my personal Bat Mitzvah in the American River, a Mikvah.
     This rival sister saved me in another way, as well.  When I was 15 years old, kidnappers called my home and this same sister answered the phone.  The kidnappers explained to her that they had me and that they were going to kill me!  She responded with her innate hatred of me, "Good, I never liked her anyway!" and hung up.  The kidnappers realized that I was of no value and never tried to kidnap me again.  Her need for my death saved my life twice!  Her bad was turned into G_d's good.
     So what does this mean?  How does daas (knowledge) become uncorrupted?  It means that we don't see the bad as bad anymore.  We don't see the difference between Mordechai and Haman.  We see the "bad" man as a tool of G_d's ultimate good.  We see it all as good, as I did as a child when I dreamed of knowing everything in the world to come---when I did not understand that there was bad knowledge.  We learn to look at everything with faith that it is G_d's good and no longer see "bad."
     Everything is from G_d.  There is no other influencer.  There is no question, "Is this of G_d or evil [from Satan]?"  Of course it's from G_d.  There is only G_d and only His good knowledge.  We have to change our viewpoint and uncorrupt our view of knowledge.  We have to look at our painful life experiences and change the pain to faith that it is for our good.  Eventually we can train ourselves to rethink the painful part of our life experience---experiencing the bad and accepting that it will be for our good.  As we practice, we will rethink in smaller and smaller time periods, until one day we can go straight to the faith that it will all be for our good without having to rethink.  Then we will have uncorrupted knowledge, and as a byproduct we will have eternal peace.

P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!

Practicing "Landslide" by Stevie Nicks While Skiing

   One of my students made me promise to sing her a song on her birthday next Tuesday.  She thinks that I look like Stevie Nicks, so I decided to practice Stevie's "Landslide," since my kids told me it was the song depicting my life after the divorce.

    To help this struggling math/engineering teacher and author, this book can be purchased at https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960.  Thank you!

My Book Displayed With Such Flair!

    At our staff 7th period at a local restaurant on the last day before December break I got to know our new librarian at our high school.  She and I just talked and talked about Christianity and Judaism.  It was a delightful sharing.
    During that sharing I mentioned that I'd written a book.  It was odd of course, to have the math/engineering teacher published in a nontechnical book, but, yes, I did venture out and publish that first memoir. She really wanted to read it, so I told her that I'd donate 3 books to the library anonymously.  I didn't want the students to know that they were reading about me!
    When we returned from break, my new friend the librarian jokingly said, "I'm still waiting for those books!"
    I asked, "Do you want paperback or hardcover?  I didn't know which to bring down from the attic."
    She didn't have a preference.
    After I got a new box of paperback books out of the attic, I signed 3,

    "Dear Rio Student,
            Always remember to reach for new heights and follow your dreams!
                      Climb High,
                                Isolde Ulrich"
    The librarian was so excited when I delivered them the next working day!  I told her that she had to cover the picture of me on the back of the book though.  I didn't want the students to know that this was my memoir.
    When I went to do my after school tutoring with my Algebra 1 addicts, there were my books proudly displayed upon entering the library!  I was so touched!!!  She even put the bar code over my picture, so no one would know that I was Isolde Ulrich.

     To help this struggling math/engineering teacher and author, this book can be purchased at https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960.  Thank you!