Mendel Bluming | Blogger

Has there ever been a time in Jewish history when practically all synagogues were closed?!  These are unprecedented times in so many ways. It is interesting that in the same Torah portion in which the Torah commands us to congregate and create a sanctuary for G-d it also calls upon us to observe the Shabbat. Maybe the coronavirus meaning of that, is that there are times when it is not possible to congregate to build a sanctuary for G-d and at that time G-d finds his sanctuary in your home through Shabbat. Instead of congregating in space, we can congregate in time. If the entire Jewish people are united through the observing of Shabbat each person to whatever extent they are up to, we become united as one. It is not social distancing today, it is health precaution distancing but our social connections are finding deeper roots. We are finding so many ways to connect by being there for each other whether it is through online conferencing, face time looking out for each ...

How do you deal with feeling unsettled and a bit anxious during this virus, our sense of certainly that we so rely on seems gone. Here's a thought: It is not that we have lost our sense of certainty. We have lost our illusion of certainty. We never had it to begin with. This could be majorly unsettling, or amazingly liberating. This tiny virus of 125 nanometres has sent the entire world into chaos. All of our plans are up in the air, markets are going crazy, entire countries shutting down, and we have no clue what the future holds. But that is always the case. We never know what the future holds. We only think we do, and keep getting surprised when things don't pan out the way we expected. Now the mask is off. We have to admit our vulnerability. What will happen next? We don't know. Our experts don't know. Our leaders don't know. Only G-d knows. And that is the point. Only G-d knows. Close your eyes and feel the uncertainty, make peace with...

On the Jewish holiday of Purim there are four important mitzvot that each person is meant to perform. One is to give food gifts to each other, the other is to have a festive meal and the third is to listen to the reading of the Megillah in the evening and morning. The fourth one is called Gifts to the Poor/ Matanot Lievyonim. Isn’t that interesting? It is not called charity to the poor or alms to the poor, it is called gifts to the poor What’s the difference between them? A world of difference... If you came home on your wedding anniversary with a gift envelope for your wife that says ‘charity’, you had better duck for cover, no matter how generous the amount in the envelope was. I wouldn’t advise you to try the experiment, rather suffice with imagining it... If however the envelope was labeled ‘matana’ (gift), and the amount fit her expectations, you will achieve the desired results. Try it – the gift one – you will no doubt be happy with the results. Why the...

I was interviewed for a blog and out of concern that you will not read it :) I am posting it here in order to share the ideas with you: “So Rabbi Menachem Bluming, many these days are taking a day to unplug and to disconnect, to regain their sanity and to center themselves, in what way does that differ from the biblical Sabbath? Why the need for the many restrictions and observances?” “Yes, although in the past the idea of taking a day to disconnect may have been less appreciated and recognized, today it is an absolute necessity,” Mendel Bluming asserted. “However,” Bluming continued, “Shabbat is so much more than disconnecting. The Talmud in the tractate of Shabbat page 10 teaches us that before God shared the Sabbath with the Jewish people he told Moses, “I have a precious gift in My storehouse of hidden treasures. Shabbat is its name, and I desire to give it to the Jewish people; go and inform them.” “Why did he deem it a gift rather than a list of restrictions?” M...