Bears from Bergenfield comes of age: Recent Episodes
Rabbi Claire Ginsburg Goldstein
If man is gifted with free will, then he can make his choice. It might not have been the right choice with the outcomes that he so desired but it was his choice, nonetheless. Did he know what he was doing? Did he know what he was choosing? Did he know what were the foreseeable outcomes, or not? How does Gd punish someone if man does not know what will be the consequences of his actions? What lessons can we learn from making choices that disrespect, hurt, or kill others? Can we learn to break that evil cycle if we get caught up in the web of evil? Gd had a plan and He taught it to Cain, or so Gd thought. The plan is there for the learning, Chapter 4; verse 7. Just take the time to learn it and not fall into Cain's trap. Rabbi Claire Ginsburg Goldstein
What lessons can be learned from Gd taking his time to do it right, by creating the world, step by step, detail by detail? Rabbi Claire Ginsburg Goldstein
What do you want to leave your children? What will be your blessing? Can you let go of what you didn't accomplish in life and think about what you did? Those are the words of the blessings that your children desire. It isn't about your failures. It is about your successes as developing yourself to be the best that you can be. We are here to serve Hashem. If we strive to be and do our best, then we can make Gd's work that much easier. We can improve our corner of the world by improving ourselves. Show your children the way. Bequeath them Gd's Tanakh and Gd's Oral Law. Those are the best gifts that you can leave them with. They are counting on you. Shabbat shalom and Chag Sameach! Rabbi Claire Ginsburg Goldstein
Who are you? Who are you at your core? Are you ready to compromise yourself to be in a (fill in the blank....relationship, job, friendship, team, project, etc.) You say that you are the only one who is on this path or so you tell yourself. But is that so? Don't give up. Gd put you on Earth for a reason. You are unique. Gd has a mission for you. That is what we need Sukkot for. We have to step off the wheel and begin to look within ourselves to search for that true essence of self. Take the time to dig within. You are worth it. Remember, "Portray or betray." It really is up to you. Chag Sameach. Rabbi Claire Ginsburg Goldstein
As a child in Day school, you learn the names and the simple meaning of Sukkot. But as an adult you yearn for more depth. This podcast opens up the floodgates of information so that you too can begin to appreciate some of the Sukkot more in depth. Shalom from the Sukkat of peace. Rabbi Claire Ginsburg Goldstein
Why continue to build a flimsy Sukkah that can be blown over in the wind at any moment? Can't we just open a story book and read the story to our children or grandchildren? Why spend the time and money to put out that effort? Ok, the Torah tells us to do so but that was during, and in the time of the desert generation. Aren't we well past that moment in our history? That's what it is but it's not. It's not just about our history and development as a people. It's about our faith and its renewal. It's about our internal and eternal happiness, not being generated from someone who might sell you your best mattress ever and give you that fleeting sense of joy for 15 seconds or so. We are in the market for true faith and true happiness, that's lasting and everlasting. Hence the Sukkah. The shaky, unsteady Sukkah reminds us of our everlasting story of our faith and trust in Gd. When it waxed and when it waned, we were still able to find a spark of faith and tap into our glimpse and spark of happiness. May you withstand the winds that shake you to the core and experience that vulnerability one more time. May you find within yourself the faith of Gd and true happiness that exist in all of us, gifts from Gd. Shalom, Rabbi Claire Ginsburg Goldstein Covid 2020
Not all of us understand or appreciate what Sukkot represents and comes to teach us in the same fashion. That is, that we are to renew our faith and find internal happiness that will keep until the next holiday. How do we do that? How do we get there? The following 5 to go teach us ideas that will help us get there to that point of understanding where our true happiness and faith come from. May faith and true happiness be planted at your doorstep, special delivery this Covid 2020 Sukkot and that much sooner. Hag simhatteynu. Rabbi Claire Ginsburg Goldstein.
We can't change history but we can learn what mistakes not to repeat. Jonah, the son of Amitia, from the house of Zebulun, was told to bring his prophecy to a non-Jewish group of people., to repent and change their ways. He chose to run and hide from Gd, from the task at hand and ignore Gd's messages. But you can't run and hide from Gd. Can you? Perhaps, if we take the time to learn from Jonah's mistakes, we can unite our resources and strengths together, stand united, even during this pandemic of Covid 2020. Together, we are that much stronger. Gmar Hatimah Tovah. Rabbi Claire Ginsburg Goldstein
When you can't convince someone else that you are right and they are wrong, try Rabbi Yudin's teachings. If we carefully read the Torah, we discern that from the time of recorded brotherhood strife and partnerships, we learn that partnerships were esteemed as worthy of a worldly and a future world to come, prizes, "sachar". Strife didn't work in the eyes of the Torah but partnerships did. What we learn from the story of Issacar and Zebulun, in "V'zot habracha" was that partnerships make us winners, not the results of conflict and strife. May these teachings bring you renewed understanding and inner peace from the outward strife of life and the uncertainty of our upside down world due to Covid 2020. With love, Rabbi Claire Ginsburg Goldstein Covid 2020.
Fighting the fear from within. Is the fear genuine? is the fear realistic? What can we do with the growing fear and not let us be overtaken by the fear of Covid? Finding meaning in Kol Nidre to help guide us through our anxiety of coping with Covid.
How does this Torah portion, Haazeenu connect to Bears from Bergenfield's early beginnings? Haazeenu can also allude to the word meaning scales. In my understanding, I take that to mean, that we need to recalibrate in whatever way we can discern. Why did we begin Bears from Bergenfield, if not for reaching out and comforting someone. It states in this week's Parashah, that we need to see Gd as a Being of a Rock and Perfect, meaning that Gd would be a refuge, a protector, faithful and reliable. How can we imbue those characteristics into ourselves and our actions? Bears from Bergenfield was a perfect place to begin. It was 9/11 and Shira was attending SSDS at the time. A classmate lost her mother in that act of terrorism. This mother had stepped up to organize the etrog and lulav deliveries for the school. I thought that since she had stepped up, then I would as well, in some capacity, in her memory. This mother was gone. But the void to be filled of stepping up was still ever present. I brought Shira along with me to pay a shiva call, along with a teddy bear . I did not know the family. But I thought that we knew how to comfort. We offered the small teddy bear to the girl. We had no idea what she would do with the teddy bear but the gesture had been made. That was our way of paying our shiva call. The seeds for Bears from Bergenfield were planted. I wanted Shira to see that being present was important as well as being a witness to seeing Gd's Torah put into action . It just takes a ripple, or even a teddy bear to make a difference, a recalibration. Shalom, Rabbi Claire Ginsburg Goldstein, the teddy bear Rabbi.
Keeping busy was my goal and finding recipients for the teddy bears was yet another main goal Finding ways to make both happen was the challenge this summer but it happened. We have completed 10 acts of Hesed in the House and now on to act #11. You never know what joy might be right around the next corner that you can share with a child in need of a teddy bear hug. Join us!
Israel as well as other countries that receive our donations are not 3rd world countries and do not want garbage or castaway toys. Please do not donate to us any toy that your own child or grandchild would not play with. We welcome all people who want to join in with our giving. We welcome all well loved and slightly used looking toys. If you have a lead for donors or schleppers, please let me know. I can be reached at lgcg98@aol.com. Thank you for considering our project. Shalom, Rabbi Claire's bears.