Rabbi Abrams Blog

  "In the end it all works out, and if it doesn't, it's not the end..." I'm sure you can relate.  Life has ups and downs, successes, and failures.  Good times and bad times.  Happy times and sad times.  And most of it is just a reflection of what's happening from within. We did not reach our goal.  Yet... But don't worry.  We're not gonna sell the property and move to NY or try to get a refund on the plans (yeah, right). We're in it for the long haul.  Natanya and I dedicated our lives to the Jewish community of Temecula and a failed campaign will not change that.  Our vision and plan is ambitious, but I think it's also responsible.   The world won't end. The project might take a little longer.  But it will happen. From the beginning of the fund-raising campaign I knew something was off.  I felt too much pressure.  On the one hand, I was consumed with it, but at the same time, I struggled to actual...

This past week on Tuesday, two major things happened in the world. One of them scientific and one of them spiritual. The Rebbe taught us that science & spirituality come together. He spoke about how the industrial revolution happened at the same time the Baal Shem Tov, Maggid of Mezritch and the Alter Rebbe started revealing Chassidus (the secrets of Torah) around 1760-1812. This week, a major scientific breakthrough was announced on Yud Tes Kislev, the Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus. For the first time, they were able to create a net energy gain on a nuclear fusion reaction. I’m no scientist, but my layman understanding is that by fusing two atoms into one, a tremendous amount of energy is released (nuclear fusion is the type of reaction that powers the sun). This breakthrough is Messianic. It will lead the path to virtually a limitless supply of cheap & clean energy. Once this science is refined and the infrastructure is built for commercial use, one cup of hydrogen (the most abu...

The Shluchim convention two weeks ago was a breath of much needed fresh air for me. A spiritual tune up. Five days surrounded by Judaism, Rebbe & Chassidim was just what I needed. One of the main themes of the convention was “Hakhel,” which I’ve written about before. Hakhel is the year of gathering. For six years, we “work the land” in Israel, and on the seventh, the land rests. In the beginning of the eighth year, there is a big gathering. In temple times, it was a gathering in a specific place, by a specific person, at a specific time, with a specific ritual. Now that we don’t have a temple (specific place) or a king (specific person), the Rebbe taught that Hakhel can be fulfilled by anyone at any time during this year. Any gathering which furthers “awe of G-d” counts as a Hakhel gathering and is a big deal. At the convention they pointed out, that the lions share of the Rebbe’s major initiatives were introduced during “Hakhel” years. The famous Tefillin campaign, Tzedakah campai...