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...

  I took a trip to Washington D.C. to visit my step-uncle and aunt and comfort them for the  loss of their daughters . Torah teaches that visiting mourners, especially in their home, is comforting to the mourners  and to the deceased. Indeed, the process of death is painful not only to the family of the deceased, but to the deceased themselves. The ability to do productive work, help people and do mitzvahs is only possible while alive in this physical world, and this is why death is painful (unlike what most people think, that death is the end of pain). We mourn  with  the dead over the lost opportunities to give light to the world. On the way back, I stopped in Dallas, TX for a day. It made $$ sense and gave me the opportunity to visit a couple good friends and supporters who have moved there. Here are some observations and reflections from the visit: Texas was very different than I expected. I wasn’t expecting the toll roads and traffic. Instead of Ford and Ch...

  Shabbos-Sunday is the culmination of the “Three weeks & nine days”. These are sad days on the Jewish calendar. They have “negative energy” for the Jewish people. If you have a court case, try to push it off until after this time. If you are buying a house, signing a big deal or traveling, best to push it off. It’s not a time for swimming, extensive travel or other potentially dangerous things. Tisha B’ Av is the day the Jews were sentenced to die in the desert (and thereby spend 40 years wandering). It is the day the first and second Temples were destroyed. It was the final day for the Jews to be out of Spain in 1492. It is the day that WWI broke out. But Tisha B’Av is not just a “bad day” in far off history. In my lifetime I’ve seen tragedies on this day too. It is the day all Jews were expelled from Gaza in 2005. It is the day Fariba, a single mother from our Hebrew School, died and left her twins literally orphans. It is the day last year that Helene tragically passed away...

  The Roving Rabbi’s have been working overtime. And touching peoples hearts. Here’s one really cool story: A couple days ago, they put up a mezuzah on Sam’s door. Even though money was tight, Sam wanted to pay for the mezuzah himself (they aren’t cheap either). Sam was actually in between jobs. He was looking into a certain trade, But getting started is always hard. And he needed someone to teach him the ropes. The next day (yesterday), Sam came to minyan (we’ve been having every day this week). After the minyan, I introduced Sam to Josh, who’s also in that trade. Within 5 minutes, Sam landed a job starting next week. Josh just lost a key employee and was desperately looking for someone to train and hire. And he has all the equipment. It’s so cool to see these miracles happen right in front of your eyes.

  The anniversary of the Rebbe’s passing is a big deal. Natanya & I work for the Rebbe. But it’s more than that. Much more. Even before we became his Shluchim (agents), We were Chassidim of the Rebbe (“followers” for lack of a better word) But it’s much more than that too. A Rebbe isn’t just another Rabbi. A Rebbe is the “Moses of the generation”. So that means Moses was the first Rebbe. And every single generation since has had a Rebbe. We know that Mordechai was the “Moses of his generation” (Zohar). I think the Rambam was the Moses of his generation (look up his epitaph). So, who was Moses? Clearly he was pretty important. He is mentioned in every single Torah portion after his birth.* He was a leader. And a prophet. And a redeemer. But that’s not what made him “Moses”. Moses was the “ head  of the Jewish people” And the Jewish people were his feet. What is a “head”? The body has many individual parts. But the head  feels  all of them. And  controls ...