Category: Leah’s Blog

Chukat – July 2024- Leah’s Blog

The tangy scent of salt comes up from the lowest place on earth. Deep down below the lowest cliffs that face the Dead Sea lies a few places of ancient origin that have risen up from the past. Ein Gedi, an oasis of running sweet water that flows from the canyons above, today a kibbutz and field school. In its proximity many archeological monuments including sunken homes with yards revealed under the grey earth. A synagogue, coins minted with the insignias of Judean kings,  storehouse caves, pits, pools, burial caves, weapons, bath houses, barrels for brewing balms, and shards of houseware giving testimony to a flourishing economic period in this territory of Judah. Particular to the climate of Ein Gedi, perfumes and ingredients for incense were grown here. The rarest of extraordinary medical herbs were grown here in this unique setting. The balsam plant was renowned throughout the ancient world. Here was the source of the most expensive perfume, possessing miraculous curative properties. To make this one required special skills in cultivating and processing. Ein Gedi is mentioned in the book of Joshua (15-61) and has kept its original name. The book of Samuel has called it “”מצדות עיו גדי – the safe haven for King David, where he hid from Shaul. What Ein Gedi was most treasured for was the balsam that was prepared in a secret recipe that was covertly passed down to only those that were distinguished for such a job, a select few. The concoctions were so clandestinely made behind closed doors that on the mosaic of the floor of the ancient synagogue one can still read the inscription as clear as day that says: “Cursed is the man who reveals the secret”. When the Romans took over Israel, Marc Antony took Ein Gedi from Herod and presented it as a gift to Cleopatra who relished the balsam.  Rome rebranded Israel into the name “Palestine” and changed the name of Jerusalem into “Aelia Capitolina”. They decimated Ein Gedi on the way to Massada; however a small continual settlement remained there until the sixth century.

In 1949 The Alexandrioni unit of the IDF liberated Ein Gedi.

Today, the balsam is being made in Israel with the ancient recipe.

Another place nearby, Qumran- overlooking the Dead Sea. Caches of scripts and scrolls have us puzzled over what lies beneath the surface here. Perhaps vials of The Manna and the ashes of the Red heifer, the elixir of life. A woven basket, perfectly preserved in the hot dry cave nearby has us curious as to the origins of its owner. Perhaps the treasury of the Temple of Jerusalem is hidden here for safekeeping until the day comes. Six ancient date pits are found here; they were lost for centuries. Judean dates were recognized by classical writers for their large size, sweet taste, extended storage and medicinal properties. Radiocarbon dating has them from the fourth century BCE. Replanted in Kibbutz Keturah has them triving as in old days.

This land lives and breathes. All is surfacing. In Shilo, Red Heifers are kept now- at the site of our Tabernacle. The date honey pours.

Israel is at war now. Our enemies again come to try and decimate. Soldiers give their lives for us to live. Sprinkle waters of life, unearth the secrets. Can these bones live?

Incense, the antidote to death, made at the Dead Sea. Remedies for a new birth, a rebirth.

Reeking death seeks the calm perfume of balsam now, of expanding consciousness. Exploring past civilizations buried deep under rubble reveal lost civilizations. We, however  are not lost. We are home. Yes, these bones live! Something is shifting now. Rituals and scents have the power to birth. Israel wants to live again.

Shabbat shalom! Xoxoxoxoxox, Leah

Leah’s Blog – June 2024 -Shlach – DARE TO DO IT

Return to Zion always carries the theme of leaving the realm of familiar and entering the unknown. It starts with Lech Lecha as Avraham trekked along with his wife to Eretz Yisrael, the Promised Land, for he is promised that Land for the nation that would come out of them. It was a return to the garden that Adam was expelled from. Droughts, famine, abductions and war are what our forefathers faced here on one hand yet supernatural appearances of angels bestowing blessings, together with their own initiatives in taking action sealed the Land covenant between Israel and G-d. In many ways it did not seem realistic to take such a journey or such a gamble. The story of Avraham is about one individual who put one foot forward into the unknown. Lech Lecha – go to yourself, grow, for the common good. The book of Genesis is full of chaos, yet the sphere of worry and doubt is overridden by the sphere of faith and pro action.

It is hundreds of years later – Israel is freed from bondage and on the trek home to the foundation stones set up by Avraham Yitzchak and Yaakov. In a persistent theme they dimly remembered the promise of Hashem to Avraham. The goal set before Am Yisrael : to reappear on this Promised Land in mass numbers as they have grown from a family into a nation. A return to Eden. It was time to step into a new realm, unlike the one they lived in for hundreds of years, a new reality that had on one hand worries about the future and on the other, a covenant of Torah that taught what how and where to carry out responsibility. Then the peculiar report their leaders brought back and the argument that ensued between two against ten. A crucial lesson for all generations. How do we perceive. How do we grow?

The circumstances in our lives occur in a sequence in time. A continuous thread weaves forward. Looking back, “the time machine” predicted all of this, yet you had to take action to be exactly where you are now. Fear of the unknown, if conquered, has made you grow and stunted you if you gave into it. That is the lesson of the sin of the spies. Returning to the garden is a return to the original state of perfection but requires you to move out of your comfort zone.

We are in a return to Zion moment now. We face many of the things that Abraham experienced upon entering the unknown. There are wars. The economy is frightful. There is chaos. Yet this is the Promised Land dripping with milk and honey. Most of the spies failed to see that putting a foot forward into the unknown means restoration. What can we do? What should we do? We must put one foot forward now. Walk in faith.

Parshat Shlach has us understanding the difference between two approaches- one of Joshua and Caleb who said “DARE DO IT- we can and we will conquer it. The Land is GOOD VERY GOOD” and the ten others who became intimidated by change, adverse to risk who said, “The land is good, so good that as a matter of fact- see this supernatural fruit. It is a land that eats its inhabitants.” Of course the fruit is supernatural- it is growing in the Garden of Eden!  The story continues- the exceptions to the generation that withered away in the desert were Joshua and Caleb. Their willingness and eagerness led to their living a full potential. Always a developing story, the Torah spills into the book of Joshua and on.

“You can’t just be stable, and secure, and unchanging because there are still vital and important new things to be learned. Nonetheless, chaos can be too much. You need to place one foot in what you have mastered and understood and the other in what you are currently exploring and mastering. Then you have positioned yourself where the terror of existence is under control and you are secure, but where you are also alert and engaged. That is where there is something new to master and some way that you can be improved. That is where meaning is to be found.” (Jordan Peterson) This is when you grow and prosper.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR JOINT EFFORTS POSSIBLE OUT HERE IN RESTORATION– Blessings to all our dear friends- Leah

עלו נעלה וירשנו אותה

Shavuot – 2024

The tawny rolling fields of wheat and barley that surround Bethlehem ripple in the June breeze. They slope downwards, east, to the Jordan River where they face Moav, the place of the journey of Rut and Naomi, the inseparable pair. Climbing up and into Israel, they ascended into this territory of Judah; our story unfolds. Coming penniless into the bread basket of Israel, the theme of Shavuot – the time we examine the challenges of -“what is lovingkindness”; “How do we perform acts of care” and “to whom and where is chesed done?” come into light. It’s all about relationships. In the Megilat Rut story, a soft spot on the threshing floor in Bethlehem is the vivid scene of wedlock. Rut had ignited a tale we remember now, it leading up to progeny that would worship Hashem at a later date on the threshing floor of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. King David is born here in Bethlehem. Shavuot is all about the final destination after a long trek. It is a story of two people- Rut and Boaz; it is a story of the two showbreads- inseparable as they are offered in a thanksgiving sacrifice on Shavuot. It is a story of pairs.

We sow and we reap.

Beit Lechem – The House of Bread

In a show of gratitude and recognition to Hashem’s wondrous goodness, we come adorned in flowers and procession, laden with the bounty of the land in our baskets, our first fruits, remembering how it all began. We say -” My father was a wanderer- almost destroyed by Lavan……” We made it back across the Jordan home. We Jews come from humble beginnings and look at the zenith moment of this event- a holiday of Thanksgiving. You, Hashem have brought me into this land and blessed me with this abundance. Our efforts are one component in the fruits of our labor. Divine Providence is the match. These two connect and mold into the manifestation of Israel – her people, her Land and blessings- oh so many blessings.

The world today can see Israel as a super power – those that bless her will be blessed. Acknowledging Israel’s people in her Promised Land intended specifically for her is an integral aspect of faith in G-d, beginning with us. Blessings sprout from here.

The showbreads cannot be offered outside of Israel.

We are the first fruits. We are the wheat of Yosef’s dream: “”קם וניצב (and my wheat shaft stood straight up). Shavuot is a time we wear white, our bridal apparel. It is a time we say “We will do and we will listen”. It is a time we remember as having left a place and soon we march into a new one Hashem has chosen for us. It is now that we take our marital vows. Bride and groom- now, go on to build your home!

This is the holiday of Matan Torah, the ketubah, our marriage contract.

It has been a long journey for Am Yisrael to reach this point in time. We have left the old world behind, reaching our destiny in rebirth, one man with one heart. We have crossed this Jordan. Chag Sameyach!

THIS BLOG IS BEING DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ARNON  ZMORAH , the brave special forces soldier who enabled four precious hostages to come home and gave his life doing so. Hashem yikom damo! Gibor Yisrael.

Chag Sameyach dearest friends! Xoxoxoxox, Blessings- Leah

Leah’s Blog – Pesach Sheini – A second chance -2024

Pesach Sheini is the only time you can actually accomplish the mitzvah of a time bound holiday at a later date. Pesach is one of three holidays that we travel to Jerusalem in order to bring offerings in the Temple, remembering the exodus from subjugation in Egypt and pulling away from the evil that resided there. It is a kind of “jumping out” of exile- a significant theme in Judaism that we remember on a daily basis. There are many reasons why a person might not be able to go on the pilgrimage in the designated time of Nissan whether they are after birth, spiritually unclean, or held back home at that time.

Iyar ushers in a new chance.

The contrast between Nissan and Iyar is revealing. While the exodus is a cut and clear event- what happens after it is evolving, like the counting of the Omer. Each day we “jump higher” as we morph, change and refine. It’s a process. At first, we are safely out of Egypt- what now? A progression of “tikkun” kicks in, in witnessing Hashem’s great miracles as we approach the time of Matan Torah (the giving of the Torah on Sinai). Leaving the idea of סור מרע (leaving the abominable) we come close to ) עשה טוב do good). Egypt is a place of limitation (Mitzrayim)- now the limits are unlocked and we begin to overcome obstacles. We are finally able to DO. Doing and feeling are new things that bring us to an even higher level than just leaving evil.

Recognizing the manifestation of Hashem in this world is probably the greatest thing that stands out today with world events that surround Israel as a people nation and place today. Hashem is giving another chance to not just leave evil but to feel and do something about it. This is what Pesach Sheini is all about. It’s about the power of another chance. It means that nothing is holding you back- not even your past. If Oslo pushed an evil plan on Eretz Yisrael, it could have been revoked, but it was not. Evil really means that there is a false sense of separation from Hashem, that nations think they can decide destinies, bent on making us in turn e feel insecure and fear- THAT IS EVIL.

Pesach Sheini goes on to establish a strengthening of our identity – as we strive for refinement and assessment in how I view this happening now as the world is being given a second chance- that I am being given a second chance- Ein Ode Milvado! The world is one of Godliness. There is no other holiday like this- at this auspicious time that nations are blatantly attacking Israel and G-d – WE HOLD UNTO INFINITE POSITIVITY as Israel will stand like Noah’s ark when the sea rises. Israel, a lighthouse- more and more light will shine even brighter in this darkness.

Our Rabbis compare Nissan and Iyyar like digging for coal or pearls. We dig for coal deep in the earth in order to kindle and make energy. We dig for pearls for the pure intent to beautify. We are leaving our sooty state and changing our garments on Pesach Sheini- in being given another chance we wear His Majesty!

Blessings to all our dear FRIENDS xoxooxoxox, Leah

Holocaust Memorial Day – to Be or not To Be

There is a beautiful shelf of rock here on Itamar that stands at the elevation of 866 meters above sea level. I’ve probably taken you to visit it when you come, so you know the feeling of it, almost reaching heaven. When the tribes of Israel entered from the Jordan River they made their way through here to stand on the two mountains I face now- the Blessing and the Curse. Up on this spot, with no distractions, I know why I live here, on this very center peg of the Land of Israel. Here you grasp your purpose and G-d’s intention. It used to be that the heart of Israel was the bone of contention for haters and skeptics. We held on. Now, it is clear – the view I see from here- from the river to the sea- THAT really is the upshot, not just this peg -but all of it. We held on. We’re holding on. The heart pumps excitedly now. We are in a historic moment.

I am a second generation Holocaust survivor. My father of blessed memory told us stories of miracles that happened to him, the lone survivor of a large successful family in Poland. A righteous gentile couple saved him on their farm as the Nazis would storm the property searching vigilantly for any Jew that might be hiding there. The floor boards creaked above his head as the sharp sounds of neat boots marched across the room. The dogs were sent into the forests to hunt Jews, but walked away whimpering when discovering my father. A pineapple like object was stuck and wouldn’t open in his hands, a dud grenade. My father taught me not only to believe in miracles but to believe in the value of lovingkindness. We learn this from the many righteous gentiles that fed, hid and loved on Jews in the Europe of the 1940’s.

Another thing I learned from my father was defiance, integrity and faith.

Yom Hashoah always comes before Yom Hazikarone (Memorial Day) and then Yom Haatzmaut (Independence Day). Israel as a nation began with one person, Avraham. Avraham is described in one word as a man of Chesed (lovingkindness). The personal story of one man became a national story. My father taught me the value of Zionism and National Zionism. This is what sprouted from him as many years later I would sit in Achishena’s garden on a Moshav in the Jerusalem Corridor. Breathing in another spectacular view of the sun’s rays filtering through the trees of the forests all around, I asked Achishena if she knew who planted these woodlands? Giving me a blank look and a smile, I answered- “These forests were planted in the merit of the Righteous Gentiles. The trees all have names and we too have family in these trees. Your grandfather planted them when these hills were just a barren empty desolation. They are called:” The Forest of the Rigteous Gentile- Kesalon.

A ring of fire surrounds Israel now.

There are no righteous gentiles in Gaza.

There is no hostage being cared for in an attic there or under the floorboards.

Perhaps the most prominent feature of post modernism is that it is a most contradictory phenomenon – one that abuses and installs false as true and true as false. The OUTCOME- Today’s events.

The Jewish population is still lower than it was pre- holocaust. Without Israel- no Jew is safe.

Shabbat Shalom XOXOXO Thank you dear Friends of Itamar for always being there for us!  Blessings, Leah

Pesach 2024

And as my dear mom of blessed memory would say, “April showers bring May flowers”. Before Pesach it always seems to get worse before it gets better. Messes pile up, yikes it’s looking even more disorderly than ever. The dust storm that landed in Israel today seems to be swooping out from behind our closets, from under our beds and from the top of every book in this house! As I face the grime of the oven, the places under our table where grubby but cute chubby sticky hands left their mark, and the weird crumbs that wedge their way into the cracks of the fridge shelves, I cave to the unkempt look. Just chalk it off to Pesach; if someone comes knocking on my door now. Yes ma’am you look rumpled!

These days chametz is piled high in a mound, smack on our counter. A mish mosh of food I begin to sift through, throwing out old expiratory dated relics from the back of the closet, gifting junk food gladly. We are not eating right these days. I don’t find it appetizing to graze on this, yet Pesach food has not yet been prepared- I haven’t opened our Pesach cookbooks yet even! Oysh, how many Oreos did I just pop into my mouth without thinking. What was I thinking?

We’re not exactly sleeping right either with all the hullabaloo going on as we zap the enemy yet they still keep coming from every direction. The more imminent threats are home grown barbarians roaming the hills and not far away from here. I’ve taken up to watching old “Friends” every night so I could find a forty minute distraction and just transmit to that cozy humorous ambience of the Manhattan of the 1990’s.This is also the time my allergies act up- thankful for Benadryl- it helps somewhat too. As Nisayone piles up on the frontlines and here too in this house, there is at the same time, a peaceful knowing that when Seder night comes- all will be in place.

Pesach is that event that forces you to take a flame and feather to check and burnt out all filth, all leaven, to make squeaky clean what you thought was ok but on closer inspection had spider webs and mustiness. This is the time we are slaving in our homes to wash and whiten and we get dirty doing so! Soon it will be fresh and pure, squeaky clean, in the micro and the macro.

This Pesach, Israel is experiencing a war like no other. We’ve stood up to our enemies with Hashem’s help in open miracles but also lost dear souls who went out to fight evil and gave their lives for Israel- HY”D. This Pesach we will set a place at the table for the hostages praying for their return to their families asap. We stand before many challenges like at no other time, yet in our core beings we know and understand ourselves better, as individuals and as a nation. The people that live here in Israel’s heartland are the peg that hold this country intact. That has been clarified as our borders have been evacuated. Our ancient historic legacy takes on new relevance.

When we read the Haggadah and review the narrative of leaving exile- the exile mindset takes on an even newer meaning for every Jew where ever he/she may be in the world. We are here preparing the ground for you. Even more motivated, like the budding trees now and the soon May flowers, Israel stands – astounding the world. Nature is budding, Israel is awakened- as promised.

Friends of Itamar would like to thank each and every one of you for being a part of our important mission here. We are on this TOGETHER! Special thanks to The Matzoh Fund- Alan Hirsch and all of you, who pulled off yet another incredible year of giving to so many worthy families that truly are deserving of this chesed.

Pesach Sameyach dearest friends – sending you BLESSINGS for a beautiful Chag -xoxoxoxoxo- Shabbat shalom, Leah

The Jordan River- the place of the birth of Israel

Date Palms, olive trees and pomegranates adorn the banks of the Jordan River here in this spot. It is overcast today and an unusual breeze lifts up the foliage in a backdrop of dusty marlstone, the sky matching the earth. White powdery clay humps stretch from here all the way across the river that flows here in a muddy runnel. At this cozy corner the river feels more like a brook; reeds on both sides most probably had Israel breathing easy – it looking similar to places on the Nile. Aloe Vera bushes adorn the neat boundary of Beit Hoglah (BETAGLA), the original site of Gilgal, the place of the passing of Am Yisrael into the land of Israel.

THIS IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN.

The tents of the newly born nation rested here for fourteen years. Jericho, seven kilometers away and an open expanse for two million people to inhabit. Setting up camp, I can see how it felt in this site – peaceful. Even now, as Israel has experienced a horror like no other since the holocaust, and is now facing the most potential threat since the war of independence, it feels (aside from the constant drone of surveillance in the air) calm, tranquil, balmy. Here you feel protected. 3,400 years have passed and we are still under His wing. Today we are standing in the place where it all began- “וירשת אותה- וישבת בה”. “For you will cross over the Jordan and go in to possess the land which the Lord your G-d is giving you, and you will possess it and dwell in it.”

This is the lowest place on earth. Joshua led in a nation- an illusion, a déjà vu or is this familiar -a pattern Israel follows even from the first kernels when our nation was just a small family. A prior existence of Abraham entering from the east, then Yaakov leaves no doubt that this place feels humble, recognizable. It is a past incarnation, no mirage; you feel it in the air. Yaakov walked away from here and became Israel, independent of any outside forces that “helped” him and made him reliant, vulnerable and powerless. Wobbling, but free, with his staff in his hand- he came home, swimming across the river. There is a famous Rembrandt of it.

When Joshua led Israel in, a nation finally reached THE destination after wandering for forty years – through these waters, the birth. Here we were circumcised of flesh and hearts.

We all need to pass through. This is the time, Nissan. The exodus ends here. New beginnings, Spring calls us to festivals. “Today I released you from the shame of Egypt.” We set a cup for Eliyahu on our seder table. Eliyahu, who walked these banks of the Jordan and who went up in a chariot of fire from here. Rabbi Menachem Mendle Kasher in his unique Haggadah that also included the miracle of living in the times of return to Zion wrote: “We established a State. Now we need to place a fifth cup on the table- “And I brought you into the Land.” Israel is the purpose of leaving Egypt!” Here we rose and rise to the highest of spiritual heights.

In the biblical allotments of the Land, the border of Bejamin and Yehudah begins here, running west through the Temple Mount. Today only 7,000 Jews live in the Jordan Valley but it is of burning critical strategic importance, not only for history’ sake but for its security, to implement sovereignty here now. Israel’s eastern border has had a rash of serious terror incidents and attempts in these last months.

This year as we sit at our seders, remember the Land and the sacred places here. If you can, try and visit them and if you can’t then do the next important thing and support.

Blessings from the Jordan River! Shabbat Shalom! Leah