The most surreal moment ever experienced collectively. They all heard G-d's voice in their mind simultaneously. This created an intense yearning to cling to the source of this voice and so their soul spontaneously soared to the highest of the worlds, leaving their body behind, lifeless. This is how powerful a revelation can be. And this is how powerful it was for the Bnei Israel on that night of the Great Revelation.

But they still had so much more to accomplish and to learn on this physical world, therefore the Source of all Life gently brought back each soul, one at a time, and breathed a Breath of Life into each of the lifeless bodies. During that short journey, they experienced bliss as they never will have ever again in this physical life. They were granted to gaze upon the purest Divine Light and at that moment, they understood unconditional love. Each soul wanted to remain where they knew was their true home, but they were swept back into their bodies. They opened their eyes, and only one person was standing. Moshe.

Moshe, in trance, hadn't even noticed the episode. His eyes, unfocused, were directed at the top of the mountain. He knew what he had to do: climb Sinai and connect perhaps like he never had before with the Holy One Blessed be He. Esa einai el heharim, meayin yavo ezri? I lift up my eyes to the mountain, where does my help come from? And everyone answered as they were getting up slowly, emerging from their experience: your help comes from the Master of the Universe, Maker of heaven and earth!

Moshe climbed. They watched him as he escalated. Until there was nothing to see. And they waited. Until they knew they could not wait anymore. That was until no one was able to feel Moshe's energy. His energy was so strong, it could be felt miles away, so when no one was able to perceive his power and spirit, they knew he was dead. They weren't entirely wrong, because Moshe not only climbed the mountain, he ascended the spiritual realms as well. This meant that his presence was no longer in the physical world and this why they thought Moshe no longer was alive.

Moshe's consciousness was swept away upward, no longer in control. In this world, a multitude of multi-colored lights surrounded him. He knew G-d was speaking to him when history was shown to him in front of his eyes. Past and future were presented and instructions were given on what to reveal to his people. He also received two tablets. In this spiritual world, they were weightless, carved out of what appeared to be the most precious stones.

And he was swept back. Back to the camp.

He was gone a few moments only. But in the physical world, he was gone 40 days. Without Moshe, the people needed their source of prophecy and so they built a calf out of gold. Upon his return, Moshe suddenly felt all the weight of physicality around him. His feet dragged, his shoulders sustained the burden of leadership, and the weightless tablets gained density. Seeing his people more connected to gold than to the divine, he realized the vastness of the work ahead. His load felt too heavy, and in an all too human moment of despair, Moshe let go of the tablets.

Revelation Midrash

There were rumors running around. Moshe has been able to spend more time in deep meditation now that Yitro, his father-in-law, advised him to appoint different people to judge the problems of the Children of Israel.

But the rumors were that something was supposed to happen soon. The rumors were that The-One-Who-Took-Us-Out-Of-Egypt was going to give something. Others said that 

Y-H-V-H was going to speak directly to everyone. How could that be? Nobody knew what to expect, but everyone knew it was going to be big.

And then it happened. Or at least, it was starting to happen. There were instructions to be received before the big day. Women were the first ones to be invited by Moshe. Apparently God told him to prepare the women first. They assembled in the valley next to the mountain, in front of the camping ground. Moshe was above the valley and his voice was able to carry all the way; no one had trouble hearing him. It appeared like he was listening to a voice and then translating for all the women:

 "Holy women, Y-H-V-H wants you to know that thanks to you, all of the Children of Israel were redeemed from Egypt. Your pure faith is what truly saved everyone. Soon, God will speak directly to every soul here. You might be scared. Or you might want to fly to heaven. But pay attention to the moment before everything starts. Pay attention to the breath of God. This breath is intense love. It is what will always be with you. It will be with you, your children, and your children's children. If sometimes you won't be able to hear it anymore, just listen. Listen to the silence. This is when God breathes in to give you everything you need. And through you, women, a spirit of holiness will cover the world when you light the sacred flame prior to Yom Shabbat. And then, there will be a time for another revelation. When everyone will be able to hear the breath of God, then everyone will breathe together as one, and everyone will understand the music of the Universe. And everyone will sing the song to each other. Meanwhile, if you keep this Torah that I will give you, She will keep you as well."

The women returned to the camping ground, and then it was the men's turn to hear Moshe. But that is another story.

Bar Kochba, leader of the revolt against Rome, the one many thought was the Messiah, lost the battle against the Roman Empire. More bloodshed. More exile. More evil decrees against the Jews.

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, however, continued to defy the Roman rulers even after the defeat. And so he was forced to flee for his life. He and his son Eleazar fled to a cave, their clothes on their backs and their Torah knowledge being their only possessions. To leave the cave was out of the question, Roman soldiers were everywhere. To visit them was equally impossible. So Shimon and Eleazar had to rely on what the cave would provide them. They needed food, and a beautiful carob tree fed by a well of fresh spring water grew in the middle of the cave. This is how they knew that their stay in the cave was divinely ordained, and that their experience had a purpose.

Thirteen years.

Thirteen years, Rabbi Shimon and Eleazar were sustained by this miraculous tree and well. They were also sustained by their knowledge of Torah. Hours of prayer and meditation opened Rabbi Shimon’s mind.  Great secrets were revealed to him.

Thirteen years.

Thirteen years later, Rabbi Shimon emerged from the cave, on the 18th day of Iyar, the 33rd day after Pesach. On that day, he shared the Zohar to the world, the Jewish legacy of mysticism. Rabbi Shimon was so happy that he called it a “day of my joy”, filled with beautiful light. His soul, having accomplished its earthly purpose, went up to its Creator.

And so, every year, 33 days after the Seder, we gather in great joy around bonfires. The flames of Shabbat and holidays are transformed in roaring fires, as if to dispel darkness in the world.

“A group of people approached a Rabbi and asked him how they could drive out darkness and evil from the world. He suggested that they take brooms into a nearby cellar and sweep away the darkness. When that didn’t work, they returned to the Rabbi for another suggestion. This time he told them to take sticks and beat at the darkness to drive out evil. This too did not work. Then the Rabbi suggested something much simpler. To overwhelm the challenge of darkness, we need only to light a candle. They took his advice, descended to the cellar, lit candles and the darkness vanished.”

Remember, everyday, Darkness must be transformed into Light. Bonfires will accomplish just that, but sometimes brooms and sticks are needed to help sweep and beat away the darkness. Human Rights, poverty, BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, the movement against Israel): darkness can come in many forms and any positive act in this physical world will help. The Ethics of our Fathers teach: “You are not obligated to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it” (Pirke Avot 2:21). If we all contribute our small flame to a cause, a beautiful bonfire will emerge to banish darkness.

    I am the Lord Your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
         out of the house of bondage.

1 God is the source of Liberation. Suffering is the result of our enslavement to things that we “need” or “must have”, because it is never enough, it is never ending. Our enslavement to preconceived ideas is also a source of suffering. Now is the time to pray for freedom from all addictions and compulsive behaviors, both material and spiritual.

2 You shall have no other gods beside Me. In ancient times, kings would proclaim themselves gods. In our days, everyone seems to have a definition for God. In ancient times, people worshipped gods in the form of objects, animals, trees, the moon, the sun, stars… In our days, we worship a myriad of gods created for our own profit and what we perceive to be our enjoyment. Now is the time to recognize what we idol-worship, because now is the time when a flow of tremendous Divine energy can liberate us from it.

3 You shall not take the name of the Lord Your God in vain. Let us be aware of the suffering caused by the misuse of God and what we think religion is. We have the power to liberate ourselves from ideologies that demonize the other. Now is the time to pray for guidance in order to recognize, to honor, and to follow the teachings that uphold the freedom and dignity of humanity and nature.

4 Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy. Our enslavement to work, consumption, and technology prevents us from learning, growing, and from attaining our spiritual potential. Let us use our Shabbat for personal freedom; where creativity is let free, where love can be shared and received, where our souls can soar and holiness is brought down in our lives.

5 Honor your father and your mother.  Let us be aware of the challenges of old age, and care not only for our parents, but for the dignity and well-being of all elderly people.

6 You shall not murder. Let us cultivate awareness, respect and gentleness toward all beings.

7 You shall not commit adultery. Let us honor human intimacy, and never degrade it through violence, ignorance, selfishness, or deceit.

8 You shall not steal. Let us be aware of exploitation, injustice, theft, and oppression in the world. Now is the time to pray for freedom for everyone, by working for the fair sharing of resources, and by cultivating generosity in ourselves, the community, and the world.

9 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Let us be aware of the suffering caused by Lashon Hara (slander). Now is the time to pray for the strength to speak truthfully, to avoid gossip, to speak with compassion and to refrain from words that will cause harm.

10 You shall not covet what is your neighbor's. Our never ending desire for "things" is a source of suffering. Now is the time to pray for freedom: avoidance of debt, enjoyment of what we have before seeking more and awareness of our true needs and desires.

A Zissen Pesach, a Happy and Meaningful Holiday of Freedom!

                                                            Mishenichnas Adar, marbim besimcha.
                                                   When the month of Adar arrives, our joy increases.

Isn't it strange to have the instruction to increase our joy during this particular Hebrew month? Just like the Sukkot holiday is called "z'man simchateinu", "time of our happiness", how can our tradition dictate how we feel? How can we be told to be happy? If we don't feel particularly happy, are we supposed to pretend, or force happiness? Wouldn't we feel a bit fake, like the Disney characters at the Attraction Parks who are supposed to smile, according to their contract?

Before dismissing the idea of forcing joy into our lives, maybe we should look into it. The question is: "What is the natural response to happiness?" The answer is: "Smile."

Smiles happen when we witness a silly situation for example,  or when we meet a good friend that we haven't seen in a long time at the airport, or when we find out, when we're about to pay, that the shirt we are buying is in fact 50% off.

In 1984, an article in the journal Science showed that when people mimic different emotional expressions, their bodies produce physiological changes that reflect the emotion, such as changes in heart and breathing rate. Another study found that people felt happy just by imitating a smile.

However, let's remember that the research goes both ways. When the people frowned, they felt less happy, and people who imitated a pout felt unhappy. So it turns out that the simple act of smiling sends a message to our brain that we are happy. And when we're happy, our body produces all kinds of healing endorphins. Then maybe the injunction to increase joy, even pretending, simply means to try smiling. And this just might make us feel better and happier!

Years ago, sitting in the back of a bus in Paris, a young woman started laughing by herself. She was obviously remembering something very funny. Within a minute, someone else stating giggling, which made someone else giggle as well. At that point, everyone was smiling. The amazing thing is that a few moments later, the entire back of the bus was roaring with laughter. While I loved that situation, I only found out later that a research revealed that smiling is contagious. Studies show that something as simple as seeing a friend smile can activate the muscles in our face to make that same expression. Maybe this is what it means when we say that in the month of Adar, our joy increases. Imagine if even one person decides to force a smile on his or her face, this smile, being contagious, may "contaminate" countless people, therefore increasing joy in the community!

A few thousand years ago, King David wrote in the Psalms: "Ivdu et Hashem besimcha, bo'u lefanav birnana", "Serve God with gladness, come before Him with joyous song." It's the Hebrew month of Adar. So why not try it now. Smile. Make yourself happy, and someone else too at the same time. It's the Jewish thing to do!