Tag Archive: Red String

The Chillul Hashem of A-Rod

Anti-semitic groups the world over have relished in the fact that Bernard Lawrence “Bernie” Madoff is of Jewish descent (see here for instance). Certainly his scheme that appears to have cost 50 billion dollars is no Kiddush Hashem!

On the contrary it has caused a great Chillul Hashem.

Indeed, when the actions of another Jew, Jack Abramoff came to light, there was much conversation about his wearing of a black hat. Indeed, Rabbi Yitzchak Adlerstein writes:

If you ask me, they all got it wrong. He did not wear the hat to look more pious.

Decades ago, the head of a large group within American Orthodoxy faced extremely serious charges of nursing home impropriety. Although he did not identify with the haredi world, this figure turned to America’s greatest halachic expert, Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l for guidance. He asked Rav Moshe how he should appear in court, with scores of television cameras trained on him. Should he keep his yarmulke on, or remove it? Rav Moshe advised the latter, to prevent or diminish the chilul Hashem (desecration of G-d’s Name) that would result from millions of people associating his bekippahed (I just made up the word) head with the scope of his crimes. He did not follow the advice.

I suspect that Jack Abramoff attempted much the same. He did not want to remove the yarmulke that he usually wore, expecially at an emotionally trying time. On the other hand, he did not want to make a bad thing even worse by further tarnishing the image of Orthodox Jews. The hat was meant to hide the yarmulke.

Like most attempts at pushing a chilul Hashem genie back in the bottle, Abramoff’s attempt did not work. The media are buzzing with talk of Abramoff’s Orthodoxy. The damage cannot be undone. Too many people have a real need to reject G-d and religion, and pounce on every excuse they are afforded. Perhaps this is part of the reason that the Gemara (Yoma 86A) considers chilul Hashem the most severe of all transgressions.

As far as looking for high profile Jews who look to make a Kiddush Hashem, one needs to look no further than at Ben Brafman. A well respected criminal lawyer in the state of New York, he is currently serving as the lawyer to embattled New York Giants wide-receiver, Plexico Buress. As noted in both the OU’s Jewish Action as well as more recently in Mishpacha Magazine, Mr. Brafman found himself in a scenario in which Shabbat was rapidly approaching, and yet he faced an onslaught of reporters waiting to discuss an important verdict. To that end, he was very conscious of the fact that every word he said would be quoted all over the world. Most importantly however, was that it was already very late in the day and on the cusp of Shabbat. Accordingly, he simply gave a very short statement to the media, and concluded by saying “Shabbat is coming!” and then jumped into a waiting car and sped away. Those three words splashed across television sets throughout the country were certainly a Kiddush Hashem and elevated the status of many other Orthodox Jews who make a mad dash to leave their place of work due to the coming of Shabbat on a weekly basis.

And yet, while Alex Rodriguez or A-Rod has no Jewish blood in him, he has of late begun an apparent affiliation with The Kabbalah Center (a cult that leans upon some Kabbalistic teachings and brings their ideas to the masses). Nonetheless, while The Kabbalah Center has absolutely nothing to do with mainstream Judaism, people still seem to attribute it to Judaism nonetheless.

And so, if you haven’t been hiding in a cave, you know that arguably the best player in all of Major League Baseball is is Alex Rodriguez. Likewise, you would have also heard by now that he was taking steroids from 2001-2003. Accordingly, he has “stepped up to the plate” and done what other greats such as Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, etc. did not do.

He has admitted his mistake.

And while there are certainly journalists who are looking for holes in his story, I find it interesting (and certainly has many other members of the media see here for example) that Alex has made it a point to wear his red string throughout all of the media sessions of this ordeal.

Let’s not kid ourselves he knows what he’s doing!

He has hired a professional consulting firm to help with “damage control” ever since this story broke. His wardrobe, to the bottle of water he had next to him when he reported to spring training, to the ever present red string have been analyzed, scrutinized and reported.

And before you think no one noticed a small little string….google “alex rodriguez red string” and tell me how many stories note what was on his wrist!

All in all, it certainly doesn’t invoke a Kiddush Hashem, and will be viewed by many as another “strike” against the Jews. At the end of the day, I wish that Alex would end his infatuation with this “religion” and do his part to keep anything that might appear even remotely Jewish out of his spotlight.

February 26, 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment 

Rabbi Yaakov Hillel—A Real Kabbalist

While I am not of Sephardic decent, I have a great amount of respect for their practices and heritage. Indeed, I even enjoy praying at the occasional Sephardic Minyan and listening to the Middle Eastern incantations and melodies. Recently, I was fortunate to meet with and speak to one of the most well respected Sephardic Sages of our time-the great Rabbi Yaakov Hillel. Accordingly, I thought it would be appropriate to enlighten my readership to some of his English and Hebrew books that exude the wisdom of Judaism.

In his first book to ever be translated into English, Faith and Folly: The Occult in Torah Perspective (Tamim Tehiyah) Rabbi Yaakov Hillel, the Dean of Yeshivat Chevrat Ahavat Shalom in Jerusalem and a authoritative figure on mystical subjects, tackles the issues of superstitions, astrology, palmistry, sorcery, and other esoteric practices. In this 119 page book, Rabbi Hillel guides us clearly and concisely through the practices, telling us what is sanctioned and what is forbidden today.

It is worth noting however, that he strongly does not approve of Practical Kabbalah:

“If a person uses Practical Kabbalah…the evil that adheres to the good will cling to him. His soul which he had hoped to purify, will be sullied with evil (Faith and Folly page 45).”

“No one should use Practical Kabbalah unless he has been informed by Eliyahu Ha-Navi or shown clear signs that God wills it and his soul is suited for it (ibid page 47).”

In fact, the holy Arizal not only forbade teaching this form of Kabbalah to his disciple Rabbi Chaim Vital, but he also prohibited the use of Practical Kabbalah (Sha’ar Ha-Mitzvot, Parashat Shemot)

While there is much more that can be discussed on this topic, it is worth surveying the sources that Rabbi Hillel provides us. Quickly, we will all be able to make an educated opinion as to both our study of Torah and spiritual focus.

Additionally, another work of his that has recently been made available to the English speaking public is titled, Roni Akarah: A Guide for the Childless Couple. Whether one is religious or unaffiliated, Jewish or non-Jewish, infertility afflicts thousands of couples every year. To that end, this book is written with wisdom and sensitivity and is a treasure house of knowledge and encouragement for a Jewish husband and wife.

Finally, arguably the most recognized work of Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto is Messillat Yesharim (The Path of the Just). Nowadays however, some people feel that they can’t relate to the ebb and flow of this work. In light of the above, while many fine translations have been written for this work, the way in which Rabbi Yaakov Hillel presents and explains Luzzatto’s words in Ascending the Path, truly makes it once again relevant for our generation.

Amongst the many books that he has authored in Hebrew, I have most enjoyed the small but powerful Ad HaGal HaZeh. Rabbi Reuven Boshnack provides a nice summary of just some of the points that Rabbi Hillel discusses. Truthfully, what I benefited from the most was not just the Rabbi Hillel’s clear style of conveying esoteric concepts, but it was the organized Table of Contents that helped me navigate the work despite the complicated ideas written in Hebrew. Likewise, I enjoyed the fact that every quote was sourced and annotated to its fullest extent. Indeed, while I enjoyed the fact that the most recent English book from Rabbi Yaakov Hillel, Ascending Jacob’s Ladder, spoke to both the layperson and scholar alike, I felt that it was lacking his normal citations that apparently had been lost in translation

All in all, with thousands of Jews and non-Jews alike searching for knowledge of “Kabbalah,” but instead receiving a watered down version of pop-psychology mixed with a tea spoon of traditional Jewish mysticism, I would encourage any seeking soul to learn from the words of Rabbi Yaakov Hillel-A Real Kabbalist!

October 30, 2008 | Tags: , , , , , , , | 14 Comments 


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