ראש חודש תמוז
יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן
Sunday, 25 June 2017
1st of Tamuz, 5777
א׳ בְּתַמּוּז תשע״ז
Parashat Chukat (in Diaspora)
Rosh Chodesh TammuzDear Ladies,
We will recite the entire Tehillim and send up our tefillot (prayers) to request refuah shleimah (healing), shidduchim, and mazel for individuals in need. We will also learn about the month of תמוז Tammuz, the fourth Hebrew month in which commences the summer season {tekufah}. Our Learning is in honor of Shmuel Toledano’s father’s yahrzeit; Nissim Ben Yitzchak and in Gratitude to Hashem for everything that He does. Please do not hesitate to contact me or anyone else for transportation accommodations to this event. Cell: 1(916) 254-3038
Tammuz is the month of the sin of the golden calf, which resulted in the breaking of the Tablets. On that very day, the 17th of Tammuz, begins the three week period (ending on the 9th of Av) which commemorates the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. This is the month that the spies sent by Moses traveled through the land of Israel to see it and report to the people. (They returned on the eve of the 9th of Av). When we ask the question, what constitutes a congregation? The answer is a minyan, a minimum of ten adult Jews (an adult Jew is any Jewish male who has passed his 13th birthday). The number ten was derived from the first verse of Tehillim 82, which reads: “G-d stands in the congregation of G-d.”
תְּהִלִּים פב
א מִזְמוֹר, לְאָסָף:
אֱלֹהִים, נִצָּב בַּעֲדַת-אֵל; בְּקֶרֶב אֱלֹהִים יִשְׁפֹּט.The word edah (congregation) is also applied to the ten spies who, in the days of Moshe, rendered a negative report on the land of Canaan. Hence it was established that a “congregation of G-d” consists of at least ten men.
Click on Me! And read an amazing article that explains why ten Men are Needed For a Minyan
Additionally, we want to send out an enormous radiant warm thank you to Mrs. Simcha Toledano for hosting the Rosh Chodesh meeting this month inside of her beautiful home, and for teaching us the kabbalistic insights relating to this chodesh. Moreover, Rebbetzin Hadassah Bat Sheva Gordon will available to provide interested individuals with free wellness consultations regarding essential oils, and which ones are recognized in our current time, but from the biblical era; she will provide consultation and valuable information about how to use these amazing oils for holistic health and wellness purposes. These clinics are sponsored by the Non-profit organization Kochav Yaakov International Institute for Culture and Diversity. Kochav Yaakov was founded in 2016 by Rabbi Mordechai & Rebbetzin Gordon. As a part of our Holistic Healing and Wellness division, we endeavor to spread holistic awareness, and cultural enrichment programs free of charge to the community. We give great gratitude to HASHEM for blessing us with the energy, and motivation to do this.
“Essential oils are organic compounds extracted from plants with tremendous healing properties. Using essential oils for healing purposes is often called aromatherapy, which is a holistic treatment seeking to improve physical, mental and emotional health. For over 5,000 years, many different cultures have used these healing plant oils for a variety of health conditions. They are often used for relaxation, beauty care, home cleaning and most often used as natural medicine,”~D.A
- Frankincense (used as a primary component of the holy incense).
- Myrrh {Tehillim 45:9 Myrrh, and aloes, and cassia are all thy garments; out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made thee glad. ט מֹר-וַאֲהָלוֹת קְצִיעוֹת, כָּל-בִּגְדֹתֶיךָ; מִן-הֵיכְלֵי שֵׁן, מִנִּי שִׂמְּחוּךָ.} (This oil was also used to prepare Queen Ester, it was utilized for beautification purposes Other uses included ointment, incense, and embalming ingredient found in ancient Egypt. {ESTHER 2:12 12 Now when the turn of every maiden was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that it had been done to her according to the law for the women, twelve months–for so were the days of their anointing accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six month with sweet odours, and with other ointments of the women–יב וּבְהַגִּיעַ תֹּר נַעֲרָה וְנַעֲרָה לָבוֹא אֶל-הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ, מִקֵּץ הֱיוֹת לָהּ כְּדָת הַנָּשִׁים שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ–כִּי כֵּן יִמְלְאוּ, יְמֵי מְרוּקֵיהֶן: שִׁשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים, בְּשֶׁמֶן הַמֹּר, וְשִׁשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים בַּבְּשָׂמִים, וּבְתַמְרוּקֵי הַנָּשִׁים.}
- Cinnamon (holy anointing oil ingredient, cleanses the air, and in Proverbs 7:17, King Solomon uses this aromatic oil.)
- Cedarwood {Leveiticus 14:4 וַיִּקְרָא יד {then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two living clean birds, and cedar-wood, and scarlet, and hyssop. ד וְצִוָּה, הַכֹּהֵן, וְלָקַח לַמִּטַּהֵר שְׁתֵּי-צִפֳּרִים חַיּוֹת, טְהֹרוֹת; וְעֵץ אֶרֶז, וּשְׁנִי תוֹלַעַת וְאֵזֹב.}
- Spikenard (precious ointment used as medicine).
- Hyssop {Ceremonial cleansing of people and houses} (Shemot 12:22 Exodus) “And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side-posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.” כב וּלְקַחְתֶּם אֲגֻדַּת אֵזוֹב, וּטְבַלְתֶּם בַּדָּם אֲשֶׁר-בַּסַּף, וְהִגַּעְתֶּם אֶל-הַמַּשְׁקוֹף וְאֶל-שְׁתֵּי הַמְּזוּזֹת, מִן-הַדָּם אֲשֶׁר בַּסָּף; וְאַתֶּם, לֹא תֵצְאוּ אִישׁ מִפֶּתַח-בֵּיתוֹ–עַד-בֹּקֶר. Hyssop oil is deemed one of the strongest antiviral essential oils out there because it contains nearly every type of chemical compound found in essential oils.
- Cassia (Similar to cinnamon, this is listed in the holy anointing oil ingredients….Exodus 30:24 23 ‘Take thou also unto thee the chief spices, of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty, 24 and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. כג וְאַתָּה קַח-לְךָ, בְּשָׂמִים רֹאשׁ, מָר-דְּרוֹר חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת, וְקִנְּמָן-בֶּשֶׂם מַחֲצִיתוֹ חֲמִשִּׁים וּמָאתָיִם; וּקְנֵה-בֹשֶׂם, חֲמִשִּׁים וּמָאתָיִם. כד וְקִדָּה, חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת בְּשֶׁקֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ; וְשֶׁמֶן זַיִת, הִין.
I strongly believe in sharing wellness information, and helping others accomplish goals. It is painful to notice individuals in need of companionship, respect, and the sense of belonging other wise known as community. We should all merit, and strive to increase our awareness of others, especially guests and visitors. Certainly there are individuals that we have known for twenty years plus, but what about the people that we do not know very well. Can we speak to people instead of ignore them? Can we help others without extending our hand out to them with expectations of something in return? Take the time to open up a siddur; read with sincere focus the morning blessings Birkat HaShachar ברכות השחר . Please send in the names of those individuals on your mind so that we can add them to the prayers by candle lighting.
Sincerely,
Rebbetzin Hadassah Bat Sheva Gordon
רביצין הֲדַסָּה בַּת־שֶׁבַע גארדאןRosh Chodesh, A Monthly Holiday for Women Click me! Chabad.org
Tammuz is the fourth of the 12 months of the Jewish calendar. The month of Tammuz begins the “season” of the summer. The three months of this season are Tammuz, Av and Elul. The 17th day of Tammuz—a fast day that commemorates the day when the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans (in 69 C.E.)—marks the beginning of a period known as “the Three Weeks.” This is an annual mourning period, when we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple and the cause of our current ongoing exile. It reaches its climax and concludes with the fast of the Ninth of Av, the date when both Holy Temples were set aflame (423 BCE and 69 C.E., respectively). Because of this and numerous other tragedies that occurred throughout Jewish history during this period, we lessen the extent of our rejoicing during the three-week period leading up to it.
Why the excessive mourning for more than 2,000 years?
G‑d is our Father, and we are His children. And during galut (exile), we constitute a dysfunctional family. We have been expelled from our Father’s home, and our relationship is strained. This is certainly not the way the relationship should be—and this wasn’t always the case. There was a time when we were coddled by our Father’s embrace. His love for us manifested itself in many forms, including miracles, prophets, abundant blessings, and a land flowing with milk and honey. At the center of our relationship was the Holy Temple, G‑d’s home, where He literally dwelt among His people and where His presence was tangible.
All the suffering that has been our lot since the day the Temple was destroyed is a result of our exiled state. This is why we mourn the destruction of the Temples. We believe with perfect faith and pray that the day is near when we will be returned to our Father’s home and once again feel His love. We look forward to a brighter future, when the world will finally reach the culmination of its purpose, and be infused with everlasting peace and goodness.
The Month of Tammuz The radiant light of summer By Shimona Tzukernik Click on Me!
The Month of Tamuz According to the Book of Formation
(Sefer Yetzirah)
According to Sefer Yetzirah, to each month of the Jewish calendar there corresponds a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, a zodiac sign, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, a sense, and a controlling limb of the body.
Tamuz is the fourth of the twelve months of the Jewish calendar.
The month of Tamuz begins the “season” (tekufah) of the summer. The three months of this season, Tamuz, Av and Elul, correspond to the three tribes of the camp of Reuben–Reuben, Simeon and Gad–who were situated to the south).
Tamuz is the month of the sin of the golden calf, which resulted in the breaking of the Tablets. On that very day, the 17th of Tamuz, begins the three week period (ending on the 9th of Av) which commemorates the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
This is the month that the spies sent by Moses traveled through the land of Israel to see it and report to the people. (They returned on the eve of the 9th of Av).
Letter: Chet (ח)
The form of the letter chet is composed of the two previous letters of the Hebrew alef-beit, the vav and the zayin (corresponding to the two previous months of Iyar and Sivan) connected from above by a thin “bridge.” In relation to the sense of sight, the form of the chet represents the dynamic of spiritual light being emitted from the eyes (the vav) and physical light returning from the object observed, to the eyes (the zayin).
The word Tamuz reads in Hebrew: “tam”–“connect together,” “consummate”–vav zayin?the two letters that together form the chet.
Mazal: Cancer
One of the meanings of the root of sartan, seret, is a visual “strip,” in general, or (as in modern Hebrew) a “film” strip in particular.
The spiritual sense of sight of Tamuz is the ability to “see through” physical reality to behold its Divine source. In accordance with this thought, the word sartan is understood as being composed of two words–sar tan–which literally reads: “remove the body” (in order to reveal the soul), i.e. remove the outer “shell” of reality (by means of the power of concentrated sight) in order to reveal reality’s inner “fruit” and lifeforce.
Tribe: Reuben
The name Reuben comes from the root “to see,” the sense of Tamuz.
The precious stone of Reuben in the breast-plate of the high priest is the odem, the ruby (from Reuben), which due to its brilliant red color (odem means red) is the most sensually visible of the stones.
Red is the most seductive of all colors, implying either the fall of man (in Hebrew odem [red] has the same spelling as adam [man]), as in the sin of the golden calf, or the ultimate rise and rectification of man, with the coming of Mashiach.
Sense: Sight
The summer (the period of Tamuz) is the “holiday” of the eyes. It is the time that one must “guard” his eyes to see only that which is good (in the world in general and in his fellow man in particular) and modest. The ability to guard and focus one’s eyesight correctly is the rectified “sense” of sight.
At the end of Moses’ blessing Israel he said (Deuteronomy 33:28): “betach badad ein Yaacov–sure, alone, is the eye of Jacob.” The word betach, “sure,” is an acronym for three words: bracha tov chayim, blessing good and life. These are the three focus-points of rectified eyesight, as is said (Deuteronomy 11:26): “See, I give before you today blessing and curse. The blessing…,” and subsequently (Deuteronomy 30:15-19): “See, I have given before you today life and good, and death and evil…and you shall chose life.” In relation to these three one must train one’s eyes (both spiritual and physical) to see only the inner positive dimension of reality and not to focus upon reality’s outer, negative “shell.”
This is the meaning of “sure, alone, is the eye of Jacob.” The sense of the Jewish eye (“the eye of Jacob”) is to only (“alone”) see that which is “sure”–G-d’s blessing, good and life.
Controller: Right Hand
The right hand, in general, and its index finger, in particular, serves to direct and focus one’s eyesight.
When reading the Torah scroll, it is a custom to point at every word with a silver “finger.” It is also a custom to use the right hand to make signs to indicate the cantillation nuances for the reader of the Torah.
The wedding ring is placed by the groom on the index finger of the bride’s right hand. This elevates the couple to the level of “my dove” (Song of Songs 5:2), the intense expression of love transmitted by the never ceasing gaze of the eyes one to the other (turning the eyes as red as a ruby)–“your eyes are as doves,” (Song of Songs 5:12)
~inner.org
Exodus 28:18
שְׁמוֹת כח יח
18 and the second row a carbuncle, a sapphire, and an emerald;
יח וְהַטּוּר, הַשֵּׁנִי–נֹפֶךְ סַפִּיר, וְיָהֲלֹם.
- What was the fourth Choshen Stone?
- Join us as we take a Journey into learning about the precious choshen stones. We will follow the order of the stones by the order of the Hebrew Months.
יְחֶזְקֵאל כח יג
13 thou wast in Eden the garden of G-d; every precious stone was thy covering, the carnelian, the topaz, and the emerald, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the carbuncle, and the smaragd, and gold; the workmanship of thy settings and of thy sockets was in thee, in the day that thou wast created they were prepared. יג בְּעֵדֶן גַּן-אֱלֹהִים הָיִיתָ, כָּל-אֶבֶן יְקָרָה מְסֻכָתֶךָ אֹדֶם פִּטְדָה וְיָהֲלֹם תַּרְשִׁישׁ שֹׁהַם וְיָשְׁפֵה, סַפִּיר נֹפֶךְ, וּבָרְקַת וְזָהָב; מְלֶאכֶת תֻּפֶּיךָ וּנְקָבֶיךָ בָּךְ, בְּיוֹם הִבָּרַאֲךָ כּוֹנָנוּ.
Behind the Scenes in Sacramento and New York!
Rebbetzin Hadassah Bat Sheva Gordon, also known as “Sparkle” is a Chassidic Jewish Woman and friend that enjoys helping individuals, animals, and the environment. She compiles this Blog as a mitzvah in hopes to bring more women together. Diversity, acceptance, and the preservation of our heritage is paramount, as all Jews are one. Born in Wiesbaden, Germany, and raised in the beautiful city of Sacramento, California, she has been blessed to gain Torah knowledge, and wisdom from a variety of Torah Scholars for more than two decades. Mrs. Gordon has studied Biblical Hebrew at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for many years, and she is concurrently completing her Graduate Studies Degree in Marriage Family Therapy-Licensed Professional Clinical Counseling at Touro University Worldwide. Mrs. Gordon earned her Bachelors of Applied Science Degree in American Sign Language Interpreting with a minor in Professional Communications, and has gained a spectrum of experience while working as a Certified Nursing Assistant, Child Care Counselor, American Sign Language Interpreter, and Educator. Under the direct supervision of Registered Nurses and Physicians, Mrs. Hadassah Gordon “Sparkle” has cared for a multitude of patients in Post-Acute Hospitals, and in private in-home health care establishments. Raised by her loving mother, an amazing Registered Nurse serving the greater Sacramento community, she continues to volunteer when she can as a nursing assistant on-call. She enjoys acquiring knowledge and teaching Hebraic Studies, and Psycho-Chassidut methodology. Mrs. Gordon endeavours to help individuals heal, and as a Holistic Wellness Consultant, she also practices natural plant based medicine with an emphasis on the healing properties found within micro-plant biology, the essential oils. Moreover, she studies the ancient and holistic usages of foods and oils that grow in the land of Israel specifically, and on our planet in general. The varieties of spices, herbs, and oils that were also familiar to many during the Biblical era are quite fascinating. Rabbi Mordechai and Rebbetzin Gordon are the founders of Kochav Yaakov International Institute for Culture and Diversity, a non-profit organization that aims to provide supplemental learning opportunities for many. May Hashem bless you both to continue with your good works!
Rosh Chodesh info 