Rabbi's Blog

 Oseh Shalom Bimromav"May He who makes peace above make peace below."

"Oseh Shalom Bimromav."

"May He who makes peace above make peace below."

These words are part of daily Jewish prayer, also the end of the Kaddish prayer, and they express the universal yearning within each soul.  

Can two people with opposite opinions truly embrace in peace? Can fire and water not extinguish each other  Can the wolf really lay with the lamb?

Imagine this: Professor Larry is a staunch conservative, and his neighbor professor Harry is a diehard liberal. Harry is well known for his passionate views on climate change and for his fervent speeches on the legacy of our planet. In contrast, Larry blames "people like" Harry for the high prices of gas at the pump, and for environmental regulations increasing the cost of living.

When Larry and Harry decided to tone down their rhetoric, they became best of friends. If Harry and Larry are committed to discovering what is best for mankind, then that idea becomes more important than their differences. Stop for a moment to contemplate the vast differences that exist within nature, and the peaceful synergy of nature. For example, note the sun's perfect distance from our planet, to allow us to enjoy her light and heat; yet, we do not get consumed by her fiery power and strength. Can human beings mirror that peaceful harmony?

The Talmud, the book that contains important Torah discussions, and is responsible for much of Jewish thought. It includes many discussions with conflicting lines of thought.

There are two sages that are famous for their constant opposition throughout the Talmud; Hillel and Shamai. They argue about religious matters and philosophy.  Despite their differences, they display mutual respect.

Our sages tell us that the disagreements of Shamai and Hillel were "leshaim shamayim" for the sake of heaven. – Avot 5:17

What does this imply?

When we stake an ideological position, it is common  to lose sight of the "purpose" of our respective positions. When the schools of Shammai and Hillel argued, they were each genuinely looking for the "right path" of the Torah. Therefore, the Torah was the more important truth, not their respective ideas. And "peace" is at the core of Torah's values; thus each person and their supporters never lost site of this and were respectful and civil.

Said Hillel: Be of the disciples of Aa

Thus in the prayer of “osesh shalom”ron--a lover of peace, a pursuer of peace, one who loves the creatures…Avot 1:12 we turn to our Maker with our heartfelt prayer, May He who makes the possibility of peace a reality in the heavenly abode, amongst the stellar planets of our universe, allow us humans here on earth to be enlightened with that which will make our desire and yearning for true peace overpower all other differences.

Our universe is filled with opposing energies.   But there is something higher that brings us together.  I recall observing this in the great unity the day after 9-11.  It seemed as if a higher truth had connected us.

What happened and where did that feeling go?

A poem from my sister honors Esther, the hero of Purim.

More than two millennia ago, an evil man named Haman successfully convinced the powerful King Achashverosh of Persia to approve a plan for the total annihilation of the Jews. The plan was foiled when the king's wife, Queen Esther, revealed her true identity.

Esther was, in fact, Jewish. She pleaded with the king to spare the lives of the innocent men, women and children of her faith.  

Esther is the true hero of the Jewish holiday Purim. To honor her soul, I present you with a poem written by my sister Shira Talashevsky.

ONE WOMAN'S SOUL
by Shira Teleshevsky 

Righteous
Holy
Glorified
One woman's soul
Infinite
Divine
A breath of G-d
Enclosed in
And engulfing
The form of woman
One woman's soul

Given the power
To shake the foundations
Of the World
The world
Is at her mercy
All the mercy
The infinite
Could contain

Her soul speaks
The world listens
Transmitting fire
Soul to soul

One Woman’s soul
Given the ambition
To embark upon
A journey for light
That gets deeper
As it travels
On and on
Forever
A lifetime’s work

One Woman’s soul
Given the strength
To lift the world
Closer
Higher
To it’s Ultimate Purpose

One Woman’s soul
Given the opportunity
To touch the world
And leave
Everlasting fingerprints

One Woman’s Soul

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Levi Cunin prepares Malibu residents for Friday's new moon.

Jack and Jim were walking home from a late night at the bar. Jack says to Jim, "What a beautiful evening, look at the moon."

Jim stops and looks at Jack, saying, "What are you talking about! That’s not the moon, that's the sun!"

After arguing for a while, they bumped into a drunk walking in the other direction.

"Excuse us sir, could you please help settle our argument? Tell us what that thing is up in the sky that's shining. Is it the moon or the sun?" 

The drunk looked at the sky and then looked at them, and said, "Sorry, I don't live around here."

---

As residents of Malibu, we get to have a more upfront seat in observing the effects the moon has on our planet. We witness the daily changes in the tide that are affected by the movement of the moon.

And since tonight -- Friday night -- we will be welcoming the new moon cycle, let me share some interesting information.

Firstly, have you ever wondered why the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, comes out on at a different time of the calendar each year? At times in September and at times in October? And Chanukah, the festival of lights, sometimes early in December, other times late in December?

Unlike the secular calendar, which is based on the solar cycle, the Jewish calendar has been established according to the cycle of the moon. The twelve months on the Jewish Calendar are twelve cycles of the moon. And if not for the extra month on the Jewish calendar, twice every seven years, the Jewish holidays like Chanukah would eventually make their way throughout every season.

Why the moon?

In Kabbalistic liturgy, the moon represents the penitents who have done wrong but who change their ways and return to their soul's inner truth. Much like the moon, penitents are in a perpetual process of rise and fall, diminished light and increased light. Yet because of their challenges, the penitents actually reach a higher spiritual level than what the consistently righteous can achieve.

The moon has no light of its own, its light simply reflects the light of the sun.  This can be seen as an important metaphor; indeed, we best serve our visit on earth when we emanate light. And like the moon, the light that we emanate happens when we surrender ourselves to be a reflector of the infinite light that is bigger than any one individual. How do we get out of our own way? By taking an action of goodness and kindness, even if we are not feeling that we are in a position to be a "light." We must realize simply that the light we are emanating is not our own!

This particular renewal of the moon, the new Hebrew month of Nisan (beginning March 24), the month of Passover, will mark the 3324th anniversary of this observance.

Happy new moon!