פסח וחופש || Passover and Freedom

The significance of this holiday... They say it's about freedom, they say it's about remembrance, they say it's about a lot of things. What it is is a holiday of realizing that we are not free. We are not in our homes. Six months ago during Sukkos, the same message was applied but on a physical level of actually leaving our homes for eight days. Now we sit indoors and digest that thought spiritually.

Tonight, we will sit at our seder tables (which are the same dining room table but has an extra holiness added to it when you dress the table in a chometz-free table cloth), and we will, briefly, have a glimpse of what freedom is.

For those who have not yet understood, this Yom Tov is not about being free or physical freedom, contrary to belief.
It's a reminder of how we are not free yet and how this Yom Tov is about spiritual freedom.
At the end of the Hagaddah we say, "L'shona Haba B'Yerushalayim"

Next year we will be both physically and spiritually free.







Freedom is not a feeling of non-dominated periods. Freedom is a spiritual moment encapsulated within our souls momentarily.


If we were free all the time, we'd have nothing to do.

In recent events, we are reminded again how free we really aren't.

Chag kasher V'sameach, dear reader :)
~ArchiTalmud

Noah: Savior of Mankind - And the Ark that helped...

"Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations" (Bereishis 6:9)

  G-d sees the world is bad and finds Noah, 'The Last Man on Earth' (Get it?) who is still good. G-d chooses him and his family to continue life on Earth. But first they had to survive The Flood.
But how are they supposed to do that?

"Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with compartments, and you shall caulk it both inside and outside with pitch." (Bereishis 6:14)

 First of all, why on Earth would G-d force Noah to construct an Ark with rooms that's sealed and insulated, when G-d can wipe out the world and not have to bother with this?
The answer is so the people of the world could watch Noah build this- not large- GIGANTIC Ark for the next 120 years and ask him why. Noah would answer and G-d hoped they would repent.

 To quote Bill Cosby, he had a cynical rendition of one of the conversations that probably took place:

I was just wondering: What would be the effect of an Ark on the average neighbor?
Now, here's a guy going to work, 7 o'clock in the morning - Noahs next door neighbor and he sees the Ark. 

Neighbor: Hey! You up there! 

Noah: What you want? 

Neighbor: What is this? 

Noah: It's an Ark 

Neighbor: Aha... 

 You wanna get it outta my driveway?
 I gotta get to work!
 Listen, what this thing for anyway? 

Noah: I can't tell you
 Hahahahaha! 

Neighbor: Well, I mean can't you give me a little hint? 

Noah: You wanna a hint? 

Neighbor: Yes, please 

Noah: How long can you tread water?

 G-d gives Noah all of the dimensions and specifications.

...The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 

A window shall you make for the ark, and to a cubit shall you taper it on top, and the door of the ark shall you set in its side; with lower, second, and third stories shall you make it. (Bereishis 6:15-16)

 Dimensions List:

• Length: 300 cu.
• Width: 50 cu.
• Height: 30 cu.
• Extra Window + Door: 1 cu.

What's very special about these dimensions is that they are equal to the Hebrew letters: Shin, Mem, Lamed and Aleph.
This spells out the name Sah-muh-el. This is the name of the angel of evil. Pure evil. Why would G-d choose these exact dimensions if they represent something so bad? The answer is that the dimensions were bad, but what was inside the Ark was all good. And that would protect them.

 The material and sealer/insulation needed to be exactly as was asked for. Interestingly, Moshe (the leader of Bnei Yisroel in years to come) was placed in a basket. This basket was only sealed on the outside. This was done only because the Nile river was calm. The Flood of Noah's generation was going to be a whirling whirlpool of wickedness for a year, therefore it needed to be sealed on the inside and outside.

  The window that was asked for was needed for light because the rest of the Ark was completely sealed. The Gen. Rabbah says, "Some say [that it was] a window, and some say [that it was] a precious stone, which gave them light (31:11)". Also, it's explained that the 1 cu. was actually slanted on the top so it would be more of a triangle and that would allow the water to run off and not be trapped on top which would create leaks.
[Le Corbusier once designed a house that had that exact problem. A million dollar problem.]
 The door was placed on the side of the 1 cu. so water would not get into it. Obviously, the Ark was not created to be a submarine.

Masechet Sanhedrin explains why the Ark was three stories: The top floor was for people, the middle for all the animals (and demons), and the bottom was for waste. The smell from the 3rd to the 2nd floor was only a problem when the animals needed to be fed. And it was a miracle that the animals behaved themselves well for the 40 days that they spent cooped up together on the Ark.

Why can't we act like that for a 2 hour trip? Because we're human, I guess.

Thus, G-d thought out perfectly again the exact dimensions for the survival of Noah and his family. Although, it should be mentioned that, given the dimensions, there was more than plenty of room for people to come onto the Ark. Noah and his family were only eight people (not including grandchildren). G-d really was hoping for the people to repent. Alas, they did not and Noah and his family had this shopping mall sized living area to live in for the next year.

Have a Good Shabbas, dear reader.

Genesis and Divine Architecture

The Midrash Rabbah brings up an almost obvious idea from the beginning of the Parshah.

"The Torah says: "I was the tool of G-d's artistry." An architect who builds a palace (or any structure) does not do so on his own; he has scrolls and notebooks which he consults regarding how to place the rooms, where to set the doors. So it was with G-d: He looked into the Torah and created the world."

 And Thus...

In the beginning, G-d decides with all His great wisdom to create the universe... 

Please take note: The word 'Bereishis' does not only mean 'In the beginning'; it also means "In the head".

In the simplest translation of the Torah, G-d creates the world in six days.

The first day on the job He starts by contrasting and dividing the light and darkness, the Heavens and Earth. This is similar to a Figure-Ground drawing an Architect uses when deciding in the most simple two-dimensional layout, how they would like to set up the foundation for the site they're working on.

Although, using this method to fashion out a universe... That takes a G-d.

On the second day, He forms the Skies, dividing the “upper waters” from the “lower waters.” This already seems backwards. Shouldn't it be the other way around? That the Earth should be the pillars that support the heavens?

It would seem that way to the human mind. However, Masechet Chagigah explains that the Earth is actually situated on the foundations of Heaven. Which happens to be made from the waters that were split. The Hebrew word for heaven is "Shomayim". The word is a contraction of Shom and Mayim. Mayim is water and Shom usually means 'From' or 'There'.

On the third day, He does the landscaping of the Earth after moving the waters back (which had been covering the Earth like they would a Millennium later). He then plants the trees and flowers. An herbivorous food source available for everyone.

On the fourth day, He creates the solar system and stars to work as a natural light source AND a timepiece. Why would he suddenly decide on putting this in? The Gen. Rabbah answers that the light had been there since day one until day three, but today He finally got new light fixtures that were Obtuse Spheroids that would work on Earth. Until now the light that was used served during the day and the night. There needed to be a clear definition between the two periods.

Definition and Transition are essential aspects to be thought about for the convenience of human beings. Yes, G-d thought about you.

On the fifth day, fish, birds, mammals, insects, and reptiles are created. A carnivorous food source for animals and...

Adam: The Blueprint For All Mankind

G‑d ceases work on the seventh day, and sanctifies it as a day of rest. Thus completing the calendar week and all his work.

As was mentioned in the beginning, G-d opened the Torah, looked at what was available- the guidelines, materials and the functions of the world (that it needed)- and began to use His head to solve or figure out the forms for the world. From foundation to lighting to landscape and food sources, G-d then imprints in the head of Humans the necessary ways to utilize these things.

The Zohar says, "G-d looked into the Torah and created the world. Man looks into Torah and sustains the world."
    

Emunah V'Pachad ---- Faith & Fear

(eh-moo-nah veh-pa-[Jewish CH]-odd) 

My project’s concept is called “Emunah v'Pachad”.

You have to have faith that the roof stays up...

And fear that it doesn’t fall down... 

And “Rosh Pasuach” to keep an open mind. Or, in this case, an opening in the roof to signify that idea, but that would have only worked if the roofing plan didn't change. Every part of the Sukkah was virtually thought up, researched, and drawn before construction began.

Before the summer began I was sitting in Yeshiva spending mornings in Mishnah Berurah looking up the Halachos for Kosher construction and measurements and the acceptable practices in which to do it. From what I learned, it’s apparent that many of the Sukkos that the majority of people use or buy became kosher after its commercialization. Don’t get me wrong! The sukkos are not posul, but how they reached the status of kosher is through the popularity.

Other days I spent in Masechta Sukkos, looking up the halachos of a round Sukkah. The Chachomim discussed the minimum amount of space that the interior should have, based on the understanding and close approximation to then recently discovered Pi (3.14159265359) which they rounded to 3. This gave a 3:1 ratio for the circumference of the sukkah to the radius.

The Chachomim said that the minimum size for a round sukkah should be able to sit 24 people, each with a 1 Amoh (1.5 square feet) space per seat. This means that the circumference should be approximately 36 feet (24x1.5). Therefore, and by doing some arithmetic, the radius of a minimum round sukkah should be 5.73 feet. Which then equals a 11.46 foot diameter. A square sukkah with the same circumference, or perimeter, of 36 feet would only have 9 feet per wall. Already it’s understandable that a circle has a larger Area than a square or rectangle Sukkah.

In terms of Calculus, the maximum and minimum area can be found using derivatives to solve for the relative maxima, if possible. But why bother with all that tedious work...

What interested me most in even thinking of trying to build a 'well-rounded' or an octagon sukkah was a small article I found that mentioned briefly the effect that a curve in a wall could do to/for airflow. After the old sukkah was knocked down during Hurricane Sandy (22-31 October 2012), which had high winds that reached 115mph, I was certain that reducing the risk of air force should be a priority.

With this in mind, the first post was placed on the Northern point to directly break/split the wind to go around the structure, rather than the older model that had the wind push straight into it. The following seven posts were put down in order by placing 2x6x8’ boards on the ground. After getting all of the posts up, it was vital to attach them from the top because there was a chance, and it happened, that one fell over. The top half was quickly done the following week.

Standing in the completed frame wasn't enough. We had to add doorways or else visitors and guests might trip over the lower frame. The doorways were added and the feeling of being able to walk in was inspiring. I ran around dancing for a while, running in and out of the doorways like a hyperactive child.

4 August 2013 - We brought ourselves to finally put the center support beam for the roof on. It was scary for the first hour- especially with the amount of hands we were working with and the extreme weight and length of the beam (23 feet). Also, the extra hands that were helping accidentally dropped it on a table that was relaxing below it...
Watching it sit snug in its spot 9.5' over our heads, on a beautiful day, really made me proud to be working on the project. Too bad we would have to share it once the holiday starts.

Over the course of the next week, we got the remaining 6 beams up and 16 cross beams at varying lengths that creates both a spider-web AND a sundial when the sun shines. It's marvelous! The wall panels and doors were put up to ensure that the project would have an interior echo system that would allow neighbors to hear what we were saying about them.

Luckily, the echo is lessened by the increase of items and people that absorb the sound waves. Sadly, I was looking forward to being the loudest family on the first night of Sukkos. Instead, we'll have to settle for being trend setters. Yes, we are the first ones to do an octagonal Sukkah in our village. This blog is proof of it. Why? Because it's written on the internet. The internet doesn't lie.

Come check out the Sukkah, dear reader. 
If you know where it is...

~ArchiTalmud