B"H
Audio is up click Here
Lesson Recap
Dear «First Name or Friend»,
Thank you for joining us for the Lesson #2 of Fascinating Facts, titled "Sunrise, Sunset". The audio of the class is available Here I welcome your comments and ideas.
Introduction The Jewish Life Cycle seems to be a series of disconnected events; Birth, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Marriage, Death. In this lesson we will examine how all the events are interconnected and how the purpose of life develops through the life cycle events.
Life is a Party; A Wedding to Be Exact Life can be described in many ways. The Talmud describes life as a wedding and encourages us to eat and drink. The rabbis were not encouraging hedonism. Life is a wedding as it brings together two disparate elements, the body and the soul. Only in life do we have the opportunity to do Torah and Mitzvot and change the world. Don't miss out on the opportunity. Eat and drink, study Torah and do Mitzvot to its fullest.
The wedding description between the body and soul allows us to appreciate the process of life.
Birth; The Soul enters the BodyAt birth the Soul joins the Body for its life and mission in this world. Like a marriage, its going to take time for the two participants to adjust to each other. Before birth, during pregnancy, just as a mother-to-be will be careful with her health, so too should she be careful with her spiritual health as it can affect her child.
Circumcision & Naming; Removing Impediments and fusing the Soul with the BodyA Bris Milah is where we remove any impediments, physical and spiritual and allow the Soul to be unified with the Body. Now we can give the young child his name which reflects on that connection. A young girl does not need this procedure as her Soul and Body are unified at birth and she can receive her name immediately after birth.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah; The Soul is on Equal Footing with the Body Although the Soul enters the Body at birth, during childhood there is an imbalance between the two. A child is concerned about itself and its own interests, and has to learn and mature to see beyond itself. Bar/Bat Mitzvah marks the time of maturity when we expect the young adults to be able to see the bigger picture, take responsibility and make the right decisions. Now there is balance. The Body wants things for its benefit. The Soul shows the greater picture. Make the right decision.
Marriage; Now Life Really Begins As life is the bonding of Body and Soul with the purpose of changing the world, Marriage brings that to new heights. By connecting with a spouse, we can create life figuratively and literally. The Body and Soul can now work in tandem to make a meaningful impact upon this world.
The Giving of the Torah at Sinai is compared to a marriage between G‑d and the Jewish people, where we bring G‑dliness into this world through Torah and Mitzvot. The marriage of G‑d and Israel at Sinai is the model for a Jewish wedding.
Death; The Wedding is Finished The Party has ended. The Body and Soul are now separated. But their bonding during life and the Mitzvot that were done have left their impression. The Soul lives on eternally. The Body has been sanctified through the process and will be handled with the utmost respect. We mourn the loss, but know that the Soul still lives. The sanctity that was created in life still exists even in death.
Next Week; Wednesday, November 23, 7:00 pm, Lesson Looking forward to seeing you next Wednesday, November 23 for Lesson #3 titled Under the Influence; Angels, Blessings & The Evil Eye. Please provide your input by sending your questions on the topic. With G‑d's help, I will try to incorporate them into the lesson.
