Shabbos of Vision

The Shabbat before the Ninth of Av is called Shabbat Chazon ("Shabbat of Vision") after the opening words of the day's reading from the prophets ("haftara").

On this Shabbat, say the Chassidic masters, we are granted a vision of the Third Temple; we may not see it with our physical eyes, but our souls see it, and are empowered to break free of our present state of golus (exile and spiritual displacement) and bring about the Redemption and the rebuilding of the Temple.

Join us at Chabad House for the reading of Eicha "Lamentations" Saturday Night 9pm.


Please enjoy my two columns "Three Weeks in the Dog Days of Summer" and "A Descent to Effect an Ascent" for the Syosset-Jericho Tribune about how to bring about a positive result in this mournful time: 

Three Weeks in the Dog Days of Summer

The “Three Weeks” is an annual mourning period that falls out in the summer. This is when the Jewish people mourn the siege of Jerusalem which culminated in the destruction of the Holy Temple and the beginning of our still-ongoing 2,000 year exile.
Yet within this time of bitter reflection we carry the Torah’s promise, stoking our fervent hope and expectation, that these days will be nullified and even transformed into gladness and joy - holidays in fact! 
How can it be that the time of our greatest sorrow will become our greatest jubilation?
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, would say, "One deed is more valuable than one thousand sighs."
The answer lies in taking action. 
The Holy Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed because of “baseless hatred”, and it will be rebuilt because of wanton acts of goodness and kindness.
By going out of our way, out of our comfort zone and even, “above and beyond” in seeking the victory of light over darkness, we will see the fulfillment of the Rebbe’s maxim that even a little bit of light pushes away a lot of darkness.
The world is becoming illuminated. We can now clearly see that the changes going on around us can be harnessed for goodness on a larger scale than ever before. The capacity for positive deeds has never been more accessible. We live in an auspicious time when the opportunity to do good and the greatest effect can be achieved immediately.
A person must not be a passive observer in their environment and society (not to mention a negative factor). We have a duty to our society to be a positive and active agent to improve our surroundings both locally and globally. In our times, everyone has the capacity to do so at least to some degree.
On the basis of the principle that the essential thing is the deed, as quoted earlier, there needs to be practical conclusion of our collective positive intentions. Regardless of how our daily life expressed itself in the past, we each have a duty - personally and collectively - to our environs and the world as a whole, to order our lives in fullest accord according to a G-dly ideal. Living with this consciousness and mindfulness, observance has never been more accessible to everyone. This is an enormous privilege that we have of fulfilling a sacred obligation to ourselves, our people, our families, workplace and community.
Not only through mournful reflection can we heal and bring redemption to ourselves and the world, but mainly through optimism that leads to positive action can we nullify the negative and bring a time of jubilation and celebration.
Our sages tell us that those who mourn the destruction of Jerusalem will merit seeing it rebuilt with the coming of Moshiach. May that day come soon, and then all the mournful dates on the calendar will be transformed into days of tremendous joy and happiness for us all.

My 2nd Column for the Syosset-Jericho Tribune:

A Descent to Effect an Ascent

For 2,000 years, the Jewish people have been mourning the destruction of the Holy Temple (Beis HaMikdash) in Jerusalem, the nadir of Jewish history that thrust us into our current exile. This week, the 9th of Av is this ominous day, mourning the loss of G-d’s Home and our shared experiential connection to G-d.
How is it that the Jewish people still exist?
Without a homeland, without central holy place, without a nationality, without seeing the Divine for 2,000 years… what is the secret to Jewish continuity? 
When the Dalai Lama sought to preserve the Tibetan way of life he met with many Jewish leaders and asked this same question, hoping to learn our secret.
''The Jewish family kept the Covenant and the Torah alive,'' Dr. Blu Greenberg answered him. ''That, no doubt,'' she said, ''is one of our secrets.''
The survival of the Jewish people – individually and collectively – is dependent on this one and only, common factor. With all other circumstances constantly in flux, that have sought to destroy and uproot us, whether internally or externally, one constant remains – the fulfillment of Mitzvot in day-to-day living as clearly embodied by the Torah that was given at Mount Sinai, and observed by Jews the same way throughout the millennia without change.
To find and access this singular factor, unfortunately we have been from the highest high to the lowest low. The Jewish people have been dispersed into exile and faced every type of threat – both existential and physical - causing us to lose much, but yet bringing to the fore our unified, solitary strength by which we persevere and in fact thrive – Torah and Mitzvot.
This teaches us that any sad interlude in Jewish life is only transitory, and is based on the principle of “descent for the purpose of ascent.” In other words, any and all sad events in our history which are commemorated with a few sad days on our calendar are backward steps which are necessary for a greater forward leap. The very transition from sadness to gladness intensifies the joy, and adds real quality to it, which could not be appreciated otherwise.
Similarly the dispersion of the Jewish people throughout the world since the 9th of Av almost 20 centuries ago, in an anomalous diaspora both in length and severity, has also caused an unprecedented greater forward leap for all humanity. A people without a common language, country or nationhood, and “few in number” have made contributions to the world at large “great and mighty and numerous” through their adherence to Torah and Mitzvot. 
As we seek a pathway forward, let us order our lives in fullest accord with the Torah and Mitzvot in daily life and conduct. This study and observance will serve as a catalyst to uncover the positive dimension of our reality, bringing forth all things good and positive. Then we will merit the fulfillment of the prayer, “Rebuild Your House as in former times and establish Your Sanctuary on its site; let us behold its construction, and cause us to rejoice in its completion.”
May this take place immediately speedily bringing universal tranquility and thereby transforming all sadness turned into gladness.