Tuesday, November 16, 2010

A Story of Two Souls

Original Art by Esther Zibell
by Meyer Levin

The mystery of two souls that were separated and how the Baal Shem Tov brought them together when they suffered re-birth on earth.

The Baal Shem Tov said: From every human being there rises a light that reaches straight to Heaven. And when two souls who are destined to be together find each other, their streams of light flow together, and a single brighter light goes forth from their united being.

At the beginning of every year, among the hundreds of pilgrims who made their way to the cottage of the Baal Shem Tov in Medzibuz, there always came a very small woman, poorer than the rest, and humble. She was the wife of a wood-cutter in a distant village. Each year she came on foot to Medzibuz, and bowed her small head before the Besht. And each year she would say to him: "I pray to G-d to give me a child. Rabbi, if you too will say a little prayer for me, the Almighty One will surely send me a child".

But the Baal Shem Tov knew that no soul was yet allotted to be born through her, and each year he said to her "Go home and wait".

Year by year he watched her growing older, he saw how she became bent with toil, and how the lines on her small face deepened with the pain of her unfulfilled desire.

But one year he said to her: "Go home. This year, a child will be given to you."

For the next five years, the little woman did not come to the Baal Shem Tov. He knew that she had a child, and that it was difficult for her to make the journey with the infant.

But on the fifth year he saw her coming. She led a child by the hand. She was so bent and shrunken that she seemed smaller than the young boy who walked beside her. She said to the Rabbi "G-d has blessed me with a child but I cannot keep this child".

The Besht put his hand on her and said "Is this not the son for whom you prayed so many years?"

"He is the flesh of my flesh" said the old woman, "but his soul is not kin to my soul. I cannot look into his eyes, for they are the eyes of a stranger. Rabbi, he is a gentle boy, and obedient, and good, but he is not of my poor world. I tremble before his wisdom."

The Baal Shem Tov looked at the boy. The child was beautiful, with a large head and great black eyes that were filled with mysterious wisdom.

"I am afraid of his eyes" said the mother. "Rabbi, when he was born, and he opened his eyes for the first time, and looked into my eyes, it was as if I had been pierced by two hot beams. I was terribly frightened. I knew at once that he was not my child. And ever since then, I have been frightened."

"Leave the child with me", said the Baal Shem Tov.

Then he raised the boy in his house, and as the boy grew, he began to study the books of the Law, and he learned so quickly and so perfectly that he was soon the best of all the scholars in the house of the Baal Shem Tov.

Many wealthy Jews, hearing of the intelligence and beauty of the scholar, came to the Besht seeking to make a marriage contact for their daughters with the boy Issachar. "It is not yet time for him to marry" the Besht would say to them.

But when Issachar was fully grown, the Besht called his trusted follower Rabbi Wolf and said to him: "I will give you the name of a certain man in a village far from this place. Go there and find the man. Ask him to give us his third daughter as a wife for our young Issachar."

Then the Besht told Rabbi Wolf of certain signs by which he would know the girl. He also told him her name, and her age, and how she would seem.

Rabbi Wolf journeyed to the distant village, and began to ask among the richest houses there for the man whom he sought. But the man was not known among the wealthy, nor was his name known in the synagogue. Then Rabbi Wolf went to all the places where men gathered, old and young, and enquired for the man he sought. But he did not find him.

At last Rabbi Wolf despaired of fulfilling the command of his master. He wandered alone on the road. Not far from the village he saw a poor man who was coming to the town, carrying on his back a great basket filled with vegetables. The man was bent under the weight of the basket.

"Tell me your name", said Rabbi Wolf to the gardener.

The man spoke his name, and the messenger knew that this was the man he sought.

"Set down your basket" he said. The man set down his basket.

"I have been sent to seek you by Rabbi Israel, the Baal Shem Tov. He asks if you will give your third daughter in marriage to our young scholar Issachar."

A smile came onto the face of the gardener, and he laughed with joy. "Why shouldn't I?" he said. "My house is filled with daughters! They run around barefoot, they quarrel over each crust of bread. And where will I ever get money to provide each of them with a dowry?"

"There is no need of a dowry", said Rabbi Wolf. "Besides, my master will provide the wedding, and give the bride wedding clothes, and furnish a home for the bride and groom."

The gardener was overjoyed. "It just happens that the daughter for whom you ask is the quietest of all the girls. She does the work about the house, and she comes out to help me in the garden. She is good and gentle. And yet, sometimes, she is as a stranger among us."

Then Rabbi Wolf told him the name of his daughter, and give him other signs to make sure that she was the one.

On the next day, the little old man and his daughter set off for Medzibuz with Rabbi Wolf. When they arrived, they were received with great honour by the Besht. The girl was given good clothes to wear, and shoes to put on her bare feet.

For the wedding festival, the Besht had sent to the little village where the mother and father of Issachar lived, and the aged couple came to see the wedding of their son.

A great feast was prepared, and the canopy was made ready. The Besht himself read the service of the marriage, and blessed the husband and wife.

When the wedding was concluded, the Besht sat at the head of his great table. On one side was the father of the girl, and on his other side was the mother of the boy. All the chassidim sat around the table. The Besht said "I will tell you a story". They knew by his voice that this was no idle story, and all became quiet and listened.

Then the Baal Shem Tov spoke:

Long ago in a distant land there was a King who passed his days in worry and his nights in torment because he had no heir. Year after year went by. He called in every wise man and every sorcerer in his kingdom, but their wizardry was of no avail. He sent to all the corners of the earth, and brought wise men and sorcerers to his court, and they tried with all their might to force the Supreme Will to send down a child to the King. But none of their efforts availed.

At last, the most learned of the sorcerers said to the King: "I have thought of a way". The King said "Tell me what it is, and I will do it, even if I have to destroy my Kingdom in its accomplishment."

The sorcerer said "In your land there are many Jews. These Jews have a powerful G-d. Send out a command forbidding the Jews to worship their G-d, forbidding them on pain of death to indulge in any of the practices of their religion until a son is born to the King. Afterwards, if a son is born to you, you may allow them to return to the practices of their religion. And say in your command that if any Jew is found worshipping his G-d while a son is not yet born to the King, he shall be put to death."

The King agreed and sent out a declaration that the Jews were forbidden to read their holy books, or put on tefillin, or wear a tallis, or circumcise their male offspring, or to perform any of the rites of their religion, on pain of death, until a son was born to the King.

Then darkness and bitterness came over all the Jews of that land. Many fled the Kingdom; others pretended obedience by day, but at night crept into houses of prayer that they had dug under the earth; they hid themselves in secret places, in graveyards, in forests, and there they worshipped their G-d with feverish intensity, begging that they be saved from the commands of their King.

The angels on high saw the suffering of the Jews. Then the purest choir of souls that encircle the throne of the Almighty had pity on the Jews, and begged G-d to send the King a son. But the Almighty would not yield or change the order of the going down of the souls.

At last one soul, purer than all the rest, the soul of a Tzadik who had been freed forever from earthly bonds, and who had won his place in the highest rings of Heaven, came before G-d and said: "I offer to suffer gilgul (reincarnation) and take earthly form again. Let me go down and be born as a son to that King, so the Jews of his land may be free once more to worship G-d."

G-d consented. Then the soul of the tzadik went down to earth, to be born as the son of the King.

But when the child was born, the King, in the greatness of his joy, forgot all about the Jews, and as no Jews were permitted to come into the palace, there was no-one to remind him of their suffering. The laws against them were not withdrawn and, just as before, they were forbidden to worship their G-d.

The prince grew. He became a beautiful boy, and he surprised everyone with his quickness in learning. The King took care that the prince should have no desire unsatisfied. The boy was surrounded by every luxury known to man, and provided with every delicacy. A hundred slaves bowed to the slightest movement of his fingers.

But the prince seemed to take no joy in luxury. He desired only wisdom. The most learned men in the kingdom were brought to the court to become his teachers, but the boy was so quick to learn that before he was six years old he had sucked dry the knowledge of all the wise men of the land. Then the King sent abroad once more and brought scholars and magicians to his court. But none of them could quench the thirst that was in the prince. Soon he knew all the languages of men, and all the sciences of men, and yet he was sad, seeking some unknown thing.

All day long he wandered by himself in the garden. His father the King would come to him and say "Why are you unhappy?" The boy would answer: "Bring me a sage who can teach me happiness".

The King was more grieved than he had been before the child was born. He did not know where to find such a sage.

At last, the King heard his people talking of a learned man who had appeared in the city, who spoke in the streets and in the marketplace, and whose words were filled with marvellous wisdom. The King sent out messengers to seek out the man, and after many days he was found in one of the small streets of the city. "Will you teach my son wisdom?" the King asked him.

The old man was willing to become the teacher of the prince, but he only asked one thing: "Give me a chamber that shall be for me alone. Let no-one be permitted to come into that chamber. And during one hour of each day, let me retire into that chamber, and be alone. Let no-one disturb me, or spy upon me in that chamber". The King granted this request and the stranger became the teacher of the prince.

The prince was happy with his new master. There seemed no depth of wisdom which he had not plumbed. They were together all day long and spoke of things on earth, and below, and above.

The prince did not know why it was, but he loved the aged stranger. He loved to walk with him in the garden, to sit by his side at the table, to listen to his voice. But during one hour every day the prince was unhappy. He asked the old man "Where do you go, when I cannot find you?"

The teacher said to him "I have a closed chamber and for one hour each day I am alone there".

The boy could not bear to think that his beloved friend should have a secret from him. He did not wish to spy upon his teacher, but at last, like a child, he could withhold himself no longer. One day he hid behind the curtains of his master's private chamber. He saw the master come into the room, and stand before the altar, and put a fringed shawl over his head, and wind tefillin around his arm. Then the boy stepped from his hiding place and said: "Here I am".

The old man was not angry with him, for he loved the boy. But he feared what might come of this knowledge, and he said to the boy "No-one must know of what you have seen here".

The boy said "Why do you do these things?"

The man said "I am a Jew".

The boy said "In all the times when you have been with me, I have felt at peace because you were at peace. But in this chamber I have seen you joyful, and I have never seen you so joyful."

The man said "Here I worship my G-d, and I worship my G-d with joy".

The prince wanted to be like his teacher in every way, and he said "Teach me to worship your G-d".

"It is forbidden" said the old man. Then he explained to the prince how the King had forbidden the Jews to practice their religion until a son was born to him. "With many others, I fled the Kingdom" he said, "but when I heard that there was a prince in the land, I returned. Nevertheless, the Jews are still forbidden to worship their G-d, therefore I put on my prayer shawl and tefillin in secret in this room, and no-one must know what I do."

After that, at the same hour every day, they retired to the room of the teacher, and the boy learned to read the books of Torah. He learned quickly, and the Tzadik's soul that was in him became joyous. At the end of that hour each day it became more difficult for him to tear himself away from his studies. "Let us spend all of our time studying the Torah" he said.

"Then we must go away from here" said the sage. And he made a plan. "We will escape at night, and go to a far city where we may freely worship our G-d."

In the middle of the night they wrapped their holy books in bundles and went out of the palace and fled. The old man took the prince to a distant city where he was known and honoured. There the boy grew, soon he became celebrated among the rabbis for his wisdom. "He will be a tzadik" they said of him.

But when they spoke in that way of his perfection, the boy became sad, and a vast yearning and loneliness came over his face. For he had already knocked on the innermost door of Heaven, and the door had remained closed to him, while a hand had shown him the blot that was upon his soul.

One day the sage took the prince to visit the head of the rabbis of that city. As they came into the house of the great rabbi, his daughter saw the young prince and her soul quivered. The prince looked at the girl and he felt that she would be the end of his loneliness.

Afterwards, the girl went to her father and asked of him that he speak to the teacher of the young scholar. The head of the rabbis came to the sage's house and said "Your young scholar is the worthiest of the young men. Let him become the husband of my daughter."

So the two children were married. So true was the love of their souls, that at the moment of their marriage a single light streamed upward to Heaven, and lighted the whole world.

But on the night of their marriage, the boy said to his wife: "Dear one, there will be times when my soul will leave my body, my body will lie as dead, and you will be stricken with fear. At those times you must not call anyone, nor be alarmed, but must remain sitting by my side, and wait silently until my soul returns to this body."

She answered "Beloved, I shall do as you say."

So they lived together in that city, and they were happy in their love.

But once, at night, the soul of the prince left his body, and was away for a very long time. The bride sat by his body, and held his hand, and waited. The hand became cold as stone. The face became white as snow. The brow shone in the pallor of death. From moment to moment she leaned her head to his heart, and she heard how the heart beat ever more faintly.

The bride was frightened, she wanted to run from the house and call people to help her, but she remembered the words of her husband, and sat by his side, and waited.

At last, when dawn came creeping, a flush of colour returned with the first flush of light to the cheeks of her husband. Soon she felt warmth in his hand. Then she knew his soul had returned to his body. But his body was very weak, and he did not rise from the bed.

"Know", he said "that this night I pierced to the highest of Heavens, and stood before the Unnameable Presence. And I asked what would become of me. My soul was born in sin, all my youth I was raised in luxury in the palace of a King, while my people suffered. And for the youth that I passed in ignorance and in luxury, and for that I lived uncircumcised, there is a stain upon my soul, and my soul will be forever prevented of attaining perfection. Then, there is only one thing that I may do. I may consent to immediate death. Afterwards, my soul must be reborn to a pure but humble woman, and the first years of my life must be passed in poverty, for only in that next incarnation may I attain perfection. Beloved, I must depart from this life. Beloved, let me go."

Then his wife said to him: "Only on one condition will I consent that you give yourself to death. Let me die with you. Let me be reborn when you are reborn. Let me come back to earth, and as your wife be one with you again."

He said: "May it be so".

They lay down to death together, and their souls went forth in the same breath. For timeless ages their souls strayed in the darkness where there is no boundary of space. And at last the soul of the boy returned to earth to be born as the son of a little old woman who lived in poverty in a wood-cutter's hut on the mountain. And the soul of the girl returned to earth to be born as the daughter of a poor gardener, the father of many daughters.

Then, far from each other, the two children grew. And in each child there was a sadness and a yearning for it knew not what, and each child, though gentle and good at home among its people, was as a stranger in its world.

And so all the days of their childhood and youth were a seeking for they knew not what, their eyes looked with hope toward each new soul, and yet they saw into endless darkness, until they forgot what they awaited. But know, my friends, that these two souls at last have found each other and have come together here as bride and groom on this day.

Then the Besht was silent. And all those who sat in the house felt a sweet joy arise within them, and they looked up with eyes that seemed to greet the wanderers of eternity, and all of their faces seemed to be lit by a single mightly flame that rose toward the Heavens.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Transforming Enemies

from the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe



At the beginning of the portion Vayishlach, the Torah relates how Ya'akov sent emissaries to his brother Esav. He instructed them that, when speaking to Esav, they should refer to Ya'akov as "Esav's servant" and to Esav as "Ya'akov's lord." Later on in the portion, we find Ya'akov bowing down seven times before Esav, calling him many times "my lord" and referring to himself as "your servant."

Ya'akov's extreme obsequiousness seems hard to fathom. In fact, the Midrash states that Ya'akov was punished for sending emissaries to Esav and for calling him "my lord" - his profuse obeisance was considered sinful.

Especially so since G-d had already told Rivkah that "the older one will serve the younger" and moreover, in Yitzchak's blessing to Ya'akov, he specifically stated "you shall be a lord over your brother."

What was the reason for Ya'akov's servility?

Since the Patriarchs were wholly dedicated to G-d's will, evil could not have been part of their makeup, and thus, for them to commit gross sins was an impossibility; those actions that appear to be "sins" cannot be construed as such in the simple sense, Heaven forbid.

The proof that this is indeed so can be derived from this very incident. Although Ya'akov was punished for his actions, we nevertheless learn from his behavior that "it is permissible to flatter the wicked ... for the sake of peace." Were Ya'akov's conduct to have been considered a true sin rather than a mere failing, we would never have derived a lesson from it. What then was the purpose of Ya'akov's behavior?

Chassidus explains that Esav's spiritual source was loftier than Ya'akov's; by elevating Esav, Ya'akov was able to draw down an additional measure of spirituality from his brother's spiritual origin. Ya'akov's bowing before Esav, calling him "my lord," etc., was thus primarily directed at Esav's lofty source rather than at Esav himself.

But the fact remains that Ya'akov was totally subservient before his brother, and was punished for it. How was this befitting Ya'akov's spiritual quest?

There are two methods by which evil can be vanquished and refined: One is to draw down a great measure of sanctity upon the object one wishes to refine. This has the effect of pushing aside the evil within the object and elevating the rest to holiness.

The second approach involves the descent of the individual, bringing about the purification to the level at which the unrefined object exists. By thus coming into intimate contact with the object, he is able to transform it from evil to good.

Each of these methods has unique advantages. With regard to the person doing the purification, there is obvious merit to drawing down an infusion of holiness, inasmuch as the person himself does not have to undergo a personal descent in order to purify and elevate an object.

For the object involved, however, it is better if the person bringing about its purification actually descends into the object's realm, for then, rather than having the evil within it simply shunted aside, the object actually becomes holy, and ceases to act as an entity that conceals G-dliness.

The prime goal of Torah service is to bring peace within the world and true peace comes only when one's enemy is transformed into a friend. To bring peace "within the world" thus means that one is ready to get "down and dirty," as it were, clothing oneself in worldly garments in order to transform the material world into a holy entity.

In order for Ya'akov to truly transform his sibling, it was necessary to descend to the level of Esav as he found him. By doing so, he was able to transform Esav so that Esav said: "Let what is yours remain yours" thereby admitting that Ya'akov was entitled to Yitzchak's blessings, including the blessing of "You shall be a lord over your brother."

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Has G-d forsaken the world?



Father Where Are You? 
The Lubavitcher Rebbe
15 Shevat 5739 - February 12, 1979

There is a wellknown parable related in the name of the Maggid of Mezeritch explaining the reason for the exile:

G-d is like a father who hides from his son.  He doesn't do so because he wants to be separated from him - rather, he wants to evoke his son's desire to search for his father and to find him.

When a child constantly sees his father, he is not conscious of this longing for "there is no pleasure in a constant pleasure". 

When the father hides, the son's yearning is aroused: "Why can't I see my father?"  But after prolonged searching, the person may eventually ask: "Is G-d present among us or not?"

He acknowledges that G-d exists, but he will question whether G-d is really with us.  He understands that G-d exists, that He rules the universe and so forth....  He even knows that G-d creates him anew each instant, ex nihilo.  But he feels that G-d's involvement in his own life is only peripheral, and not - as The Tanya describes - that G-d is completely involved in every minute detail of his existence.

He begins to doubt whether G-d is really involved in the details of his life. And that leads to further doubt: "We don't see a sign of G-d and who knows if we ever will... perhaps G-d has forsaken the world?" Chas v'shalom.  He despairs and gives up the search altogether.

And this is what the parable tells us:

When the father sees that his son no longer seeks him, that is the deepest exile.

So long as the son seeks the father, that is a step forward - a spark - the beginning of the solution. Because finding his Father is the son's true desire, his main endeavor.  But once he stops searching - whether out of ignorance or out of despair -  then "I shall hide, indeed I shall hide My Countenance". 

The Baal Shem Tov explains why "I shall hide" is said twice:  The very fact that G-d is hidden itself becomes hidden from him - he forgets that G-d is even there.  Practically speaking, he pursues his worldly needs in a legitimate way according to Jewish law... he studies Torah as required of him by Jewish law... but he studies without thinking about the Giver of the Torah.   When he does business he forgets that "it is G-d Who grants you the strength to succeed".  He no longer gives these thoughts any credence, and when he is confronted about this he can respond "Why are you complaining to me?  The complaint is to G-d!"

How long must we wait? Granted, the Father hides from his son so that the son will seek him and thirst for him "in a parched and weary land without water".  But to place the son in a doubled and re-doubled darkness .... when, as the Talmud states: "If our forebears were like angels then we are mere mortals; and if they were mortals then we are like donkeys." 

And despite this the Jew is expected to keep on searching.  Sunday, he searches.  Monday, he searches. One attempts to find answers to the situation in the works of Jewish ethics, in the Chassidic works... until we find a clear ruling in the Talmud:  "All 'end times' for the redemption have passed, all it depends on now is repentance (teshuvah)".  And the Talmud rules that even one sincere thought of repentance transforms a person into a complete Tzaddik. 

There is no such thing as a Jew who has not had a true stirring of repentance.  There is no such thing.  Especially in our generation that has witnessed such tremendous suffering - "we saw with our very own eyes and we heard with our very own ears".  May it never happen again.  But we did witness it, we did hear it, and we do remember it.

It is not possible that among the entire Jewish people there is even a single Jew who has not been moved to thoughts of repentance; and not only once but numerous times.  What more can one expect of a man of flesh and blood who is finite and limited?  And it is G-d Himself who makes man finite and limited so the person can't be blamed for that either.  Man is limited as to how much he can cope with, and after all this he is challenged: "Why don't you think about the Redemption?"

He responds: "Every day I affirm the Principle of Faith that I yearn for Moshiach's coming every day". Now he's expected to keep this in mind all day long?  It is not possible.

We know that G-d "does not demand from a person more than he can handle" - but it seems He hasn't given enough strength....

But there is something one can do: When a person increases the Divine light in his life, and specifically that Divine light which brings him real, tangible joy, then "Joy bursts through barriers" and that joy tears down the barriers within himself, the barriers in the world around him, and the thick barriers of the darkness of exile.

Healing Through Torah



Every aspect of creation is governed by an angel. Even trees and plants (especially those with healing properties) have angels supervising their growth. As the Sages said [Bereishit Rabbah 10:6] "There is nothing below, not even a common herb, which does not have an angel on high that strikes it and tells it to grow". Each of these angels receives its life force from the particular Utterance which is the source of its creation. It then transmits a measured amount of this life force to its particular charge.

This power of the angels to receive and transmit life force is referred to as the power of the "hands". (The Hebrew word for power is ko'ach, numerically equal to 28, the number of bones contained in the fingers of both hands). With its "right hand" an angel receives life force. With its "left hand", it dispenses the exact amount needed to its charge below. This is the meaning of the Sages' statement: "he strikes it and tells it to grow". "Striking" is done with the angel's left hand (for the left side represents Gevurah, judgment).

The Torah tells us [Proverbs 4:20-22] "My son attend to my words, incline your ear to my utterances.... For they are life to those who find them and healing to all their flesh." We learn from this that all healing flows from G-d, through His Torah. The Torah is the source of the [healing] power of the angels, who in turn transmit it to all the various herbs in their charge. This power is manifest when one accepts the Torah and has faith in the Sages who reveal it, for the Torah was given over to the Sages, and one who deviates from their teachings is called "he who causes a breach in the wall [of faith].

This is the meaning of the injunction [Deut 17:11] "Do not deviate, neither to the right nor to the left, from what they teach you". If you deviate to the right (tending towards unnecessary zealousness), your angel's "right hand" (ability to receive from its corresponding archangel and Utterance) will be hindered. If you deviate to the left (by transgressing the Torah), the angel's "left hand" (ability to transmit) will be hindered.

Of course, the removal of your angel's hands means that you cannot receive your healing, for without an angel to bestow the life force upon it, the herb upon which your healing depends loses its power to heal. Thus, the degree to which a person is attached to Torah determines the degree to which he is able to be healed.

"Anatomy of the Soul" - Chaim Kramer
from the teachings of Rebbe Nachman

Friday, November 12, 2010

Israel: Impervious to any Opposition

"I will give to you and to your descendants the land on which you are lying" [Vayeitze 28:13]

Rashi writes that when Yaakov was sleeping, the entire Land of Israel was folded by G-d miraculously underneath him, as a sign that the Land would be easy to conquer by his children.

The Talmud tells us that G-d compacted the Land of Israel into four cubits underneath Yaakov, to make the whole Land as easy to conquer as if it were merely four cubits.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught that the highest aspect of the Jewish soul - the yechidah - is so sublime that it cannot be contained within the body, and it spreads to a distance of four cubits (approx 6 feet) around a person.

The yechidah is also a level of the soul which can never become tarnished, because it is not susceptible to any negative influence.

Thus, when G-d placed the entire Land of Israel within four cubits of Yaakov to stress his future ownership of it, the Land became connected with Yaakov's yechidah, and so too, with the yechidah of every single one of his descendants.

And that is the reason why "it would be as easily conquered by his children" because the Land was associated with a level of the soul which is impervious to any opposition.

Based on Likutei Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Vol.20

Sheep

The Midrash describes the Jewish people as G-d's "sheep" [Shir HaShirim Rabah 2:16], as an expression of their total dedication to G-d, like sheep that follow their shepherd unquestioningly.

Yaakov exemplified this level of dedication while he worked for Lavan, remaining loyal to G-d's commands despite the spiritually alien environment.  Thus, to hint to Yaakov's dedication, G-d rewarded him with wealth that came about through amassing sheep.

However, when Yaakov returned to confront Eisav, he did not stress sheep as his most important acquisition, but rather, oxen [Vayeitze 32:6].  Yaakov was hinting: "Because I am dedicated to G-d like a quiet sheep, therefore I have G-d's might behind me, so I will be as strong as an ox against you."

This teaches us that, in our observance of mitzvos we should be utterly humble towards G-d like a sheep; but when fighting the forces that oppose Judaism in the outside world, we cannot stand by sheepishly and watch Jews be drawn away from their heritage. Rather, we must fight for Jewish values with the strength of an ox.

Source: Based on Likutei Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe: Gutnick Chumash

Thursday, November 11, 2010

5 Kislev: Yarzheit: the Maharsha

Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer Edeles
(1555-1631) Hebrew year: 5315-5392

Rabbi Samuel Eliezer Halevi Edeles (MaHaRSHA - מהרש"א) was born in Posen about the middle of the sixteenth century. He lived at a time when there were very great Talmud scholars, and he took his place among the greatest. Even among such great lights of the exponents of the Talmud as Rabbi Joel Sirkes (the BaCH), Rabbi Meir (MaHaRaM) of Lublin, Rabbi Mordecai Jaffe (the "Levush"), and others, Rabbi Samuel Edeles shone with a light of his own, for his commentary on the Talmud was unique and brilliant.

Rabbi Samuel Edeles (or Adel's) is better known by the name of MaHaRSHA (Morenu Harav Shmuel Adel's - Our Teacher Rabbi Samuel Adel's), and his famous commentary on the Talmud is so entitled-Hidushei MaHaRSHA (Hidushei meaning "New Explanations by").

In 1600 he published his first Hidushim anonymously. His commentaries at once became popular and were very favorably received. This greatly encouraged him, and he continued his commentaries, publishing the remaining part 11 years later.

His commentaries reveal his unusual mental brilliance and extensive knowledge of the whole Talmud. They are unique in method and approach which are bent upon a straightforward attempt to grasp he plain and logical meaning of the text of the Talmud, without indulging in hair-splitting juggling of various passages of he Talmud.

In 1610 he received a call to become the Rabbi of the important community of Chelm, where he served for four years. From there he was called to an even greater community, that of Lublin, where he also headed the famous Yeshivah in that city. His next post was in Tictin, and the remainder of his life he spent as Rabbi of Ostrog and head of the Yeshivah there. There he died on the 5th day of Kislev in the year 5392 (1631).

Not merely for his great learning, but also for his great qualities of character has Rabbi Samuel loved respected by all. He was very modest, as can be seen from the fact that he did not at first disclose that he was the author of his commentaries. His house was always open for the needy, and his door is said to have had the following inscription, taken from job: "No stranger shall stay overnight outside; my door is open for every guest.

Rabbi Samuel's commentary has become so popular, that it is printed in all the standard editions of the Talmud, and is regarded as a "must" for all Talmud scholars.

The Maharsha taught of three types of dreams:

The first type of dream is one without any particular meaning, which is open to many different interpretations. This dream is like an unread letter. Giving an affirming spin to this sort of dream strengthens the positive aspects of the dream and in so doing, gives it an energy that can then be transformed into reality. A positive interpretation will therefore help determine its basic energy and how it manifests itself. It is also this sort of dream which may be basic nonsense or the result of fasting or other physical activity.

A second type of dream does have a certain prophetic direction or message to the dreamer, but even these dreams can be turned to the good through repentence i.e. heeding the message and drawing the proper conclusions. As we recite in our prayers on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: "Repentance, prayer and charity remove an evil decree".

The third type of dream has true prophetic meaning and is destined to come true. This, for example, is the type of dream Rava said comes from an angel. Many of the Biblical dreams fall into this category, and they are fulfillments of G-d's promise that in a vision or dream He would speak to his prophets.

Sources: chabad.org
"Mystical Meaning of Dreams" Avraham Aryeh Trugman

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Empty Hands

Art: Maryana Beletskaya
Do not be concerned with wealth. Even with it your life can be in vain. The world deceives us completely. It makes us think that we are constantly gaining, but in the end we have nothing. People spend years earning money, but are left with empty hands.

Even one who attains wealth is taken away from it. Man and wealth can't endure together. Either wealth is taken from the man or the man is taken from his wealth. The two do not remain together.

Where are all the riches accumulated since the beginning of time? People amassed wealth since the beginning, where is it all? It is absolutely nothing.        

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

How to Give, and Give, and Give

Yesterday I watched (via the internet) an amazing man give an amazing speech.  I highly recommend you watch the videos below, and be totally inspired.

The speaker is Philanthropist Gennady (Zvi Hirsch) Bogolubov, one of the biggest supporters of Chabad shluchim worldwide - the guest speaker at the banquet of the Kinus Hashluchim (Annual Convention of Chabad Emissaries).

Mr. Bogolubov was born in 1962 in the city of Dniproderzinsk, Ukraine. After graduating from the local high school, he moved to the city of Dnepropetrovsk – the Rebbe’s hometown, where he continued his studies at the Institute of Civil Engineering. Upon graduating with honors in 1988, he assumed a position as construction engineer in one of the local corporations. Four years later he co-founded Privatbank.

In 1998, Mr. Bogolubov was elected President of the Jewish Community in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. With his election, Mr. Bogolubov began to invest in the Jewish community in Ukraine by directing resources to the future generation – specifically through advancing education and Jewish pride. His approach has become a model for leaders in other Jewish communities.

Over the years, Mr. Bogolubov became much closer to Judaism through the rav of the community in Dnepropetrovsk, Shliach Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky. The long relationship developed into a close friendship between the two, and Mr. Bogolubov became acquainted with the activities of Chabad shluchim worldwide.

His love and affection for the shluchim has been evident since his early years, when he did everything he could to help them build synagogues, schools and more. In 2008 he established the Bogolubov Simcha Foundation, which was established to help shluchim celebrate family simchas. Since the establishment of the fund, grants were given to 3,952 shluchim all over the world, for births, bar mitzvahs and weddings – totaling over $10 million.

This year before Tishrei, in honor of the birth of his daughter Dina, Mr. Bogolubov bestowed a one-time grant of $500 to all Shluchim for the holidays, amounting to a total of $2 million.

During the upcoming banquet, the culmination of the annual Kinus Hashluchim at which more than 4,000 shluchim and their guests are expected to attend, Mr. Bogolubov will share the story of his relationship with Chabad, as well as his personal perspective on the activities of shluchim around the world.


Mr. Gennady Bogoliubov speaks at the International Conference of Shluchim 2010 from Jewish Educational Media on Vimeo.

Stormy Weather Ahead

Photo: Wolter Peeters

Welcome to this year's Summer in Sydney - Forecast: Thunder, lightning, hail and lots of rain.
The weather will be wet and wild this summer, thanks to El Nina: Spanish Lady with Wild Temper to take Sydney by storm this summer

Monday, November 8, 2010

Bad Dreams

Art: Stairway of Dreams - Josephine Wall
from a letter of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Igros Kodesh Vol. 5 #1265

You ask for advice concerning your wife's bad dreams that disturb her from her sleep. I suggest you check your mezuzos throughout your home. Also, ask your wife if recently she embarrassed anybody; if she did, she should ask for forgiveness before three people. She should say "If I embarrassed any Jew, intentionally or accidentally, I regret whole-heartedly and ask forgiveness." She should also give tzedaka to Rabbi Meir Baal HaNess (a charity associated with the Holy Land of Israel). Prior to reading the Shema and going to sleep she should read, in English, Yiddish or any other language, from the memoirs of my saintly father-in-law.

I am sure that all of these spiritual remedies will reduce her bad dreams and eventually will remove them completely.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Alternate Means

"For I have seen all that Lavan is doing to you" [Vayeitze 31:12]

The Chofetz Chaim expounded on this verse by giving the following parable: A father gave out portions of food to each of his sons. When they had received their portions, one of the sons quickly snatched away his brother's portion.

The son whose portion had been stolen approached his father and said "Father, I asked my brother to return my portion, but he refuses to do so. I know that you do not want me to quarrel with him and forcibly take it back. I am therefore requesting, Father, than you give me another portion."

When the father heard these words from his son, he kissed him on the head. In addition, he gave him another portion that was bigger than the one he had received previously. Said the father, "My son, your fine character has found favor in my eyes. Your brother who has stolen from you can keep the portion that he has stolen. But at our next meal, I will not give him anything at all. To you however, I will give twice as much!"

The same is true, said the Chofetz Chaim, of one's livelihood. Hashem's concern extends to each and every individual, and He graciously provides each person with sustenance. On occasion, an individual may infringe upon another's livelihood, causing him to lose business and profit. The victim will probably ask the person to stop his infringement, but the request may be ignored.

At this point, the wise individual will turn to Hashem and request that He provide him with an alternate means of earning a livelihood, so that he should not be forced to quarrel with the other fellow.

Such a request, concluded the Chofetz Chaim, will certainly find favor in the eyes of Hashem, and He will provide the person with a livelihood many times greater than what was originally intended for him.

by Rabbi Y. Bronstein

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Deceptive Appearances

Art by Krista Huot
In Parshas Toldos we read about Eisav's deceptive acts towards his father, climaxing at the end of the Parsha, where he marries one of Yishmael's daughters in order to appear righteous in Yitzchak's eyes. 

Rashi, however, comments that in fact "he added wickedness upon his wickedness, in that he did not divorce the first ones" [28:9] - i.e. just like he had married his first wives in an attempt to appear righteous [26:34] so too here "he added wickedness upon wickedness" marrying once again, this time to a member of Avraham's family in order to maintain his deceptive veil of righteousness.

In the following Parsha, Vayeitzei, we read of another trickster, Lavan, who acted deceptively towards Yaakov. However, it could be argued that Eisav's deception towards his father reprsented a greater degree of moral corruption than the acts of Lavan, because Eisav actively promoted himself as a righteous person.  Lavan, on the other hand, may have acted deceptively, but he did not scheme to find ways of proving his righteousness to others.  He merely concealed his selfish and corrupt motives so Yaakov would not come to uncover his plans.

So, the Torah's description of Eisav here, at the end of Parshas Toldos, comes to warn us of the moral corruption which was exemplified by Eisav.  Here we are warned to steer clear of this lowly activity: promoting oneself as righteous while the truth is something very different indeed.

Source: Based on Likutei Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, The Gutnick Chumash

Friday, November 5, 2010

Overcoming Anxiety

In life we have to cross a very narrow bridge. The most important thing is not to be afraid. [Likutey Moharan II, 48 - Rebbe Nachman of Breslov]

The following is from the letters of Reb Noson of Breslov:

All your downheartedness and depression is just another barrier that has set itself in your path which must be broken.  Above all, you must work to break depression, which is more harmful than anything else.  Gevalt! Do not be afraid, my beloved son! Do not be afraid! G-d really is with you! Remember what our master, teacher and Rebbe said: "G-d is great and we have no comprehension at all of His greatness. G-d stands by each of you, wherever you may have fallen. There is a phenomenon whereby everything turns into good, for His greatness is unfathomable.

I spoke once with someone and asked him "Were you the first person born?" [Job 15:7]  This is what Job's friends asked him in response to his bitter complaint.

Rashi explains their question as "Were you born before Adam, the first man, so that you are in a position to know what has happened to every person in the world?"

Each person can apply this thought to whatever he is going through, be it in connection with his physical needs and livelihood, or with regard to his own personality traits and behaviour.  Were you born before Adam, the first man, that you understand what is behind what every person goes through?

The whole reason a person is placed in this world is to go through all that he must! He must be as strong and as solid as a rock to bear everything in life.  Whatever a person experiences, he must hope and yearn and wait for G-d, and under no circumstances should he despair of G-d's mercy.

What's In a Name

The Hebrew word for soul is "Neshama" - נשׁמה
The middle letters of נשׁמה spell "shem" - which means "name".
This shows us the importance of your name - it is the centre of the soul.

Your Hebrew name functions as a conduit, channeling spiritual energy from G-d into your soul and your body.

This is why, say the Chassidic masters, an unconscious person will often respond and be revived when his or her name is called. To wake someone up, all you need to do is whisper their Hebrew name into their ear.

Your Hebrew name is your spiritual call sign, embodying your unique character traits and G-d-given gifts. Ideally, you should use it 24 hours a day, not just when you're called to the Torah or when prayers are offered on your behalf.

According to Jewish custom, a critically ill person is sometimes given an additional Hebrew name -- somewhat like a spiritual bypass operation to funnel fresh spirituality around their existing name and into their bodies; with the influx of spirituality, the body is given renewed vigor to heal itself.

The book of Genesis teaches that G-d created the world with "speech" ("And G-d said, 'Let there be light!', and there was light" ).

In the Kabbalah it is explained that the 22 sacred letters of the Hebrew alef-bet are the spiritual "building blocks" of all created reality, and that the name of a thing in the Holy Tongue represents the combination of sacred letters that reflects its distinct characteristics and the purpose and role towards which it was created.

If you are not using your Hebrew name, you are not tapping into your G-d given powers. If you're feeling tired and rundown, this could be the solution to your inertia.

Usually, your Hebrew name is given to you soon after birth. Jewish boys are named at their brit (circumcision), and girls at a Torah reading shortly after their birth. Your name is selected by your parents who usually name you after a dear departed loved one, most often an ancestor. Or, if they don’t have anyone to memorialize, you just might end up with a Hebrew name of their own preference. Either way, however, our sages have declared that your parents' choice of a name constitutes a "minor prophecy", since the name they choose conforms with the inborn nature of your soul.

If your parents didn't give you a brit or didn't name you at a Torah reading -- or if you're a non-Jew who's converting to Judaism -- you can select any Hebrew name that resonates with you.
There are people who complete the mission associated with their name in the middle of their lifetime.

They are then given a new mission, and hence, a new name. This concept contains many deep and awesome secrets.

It is customary to give a new name to a dangerously sick person. The sick person has already fulfilled his destiny according to his original name, and is therefore ready to die. We then give him a new name, thereby also giving him a new mission. The sick person can now continue to live and complete the mission associated with his new name.

Our Rabbis teach us that Moses had many names. Moses had many missions in life; he therefore required a different name for each one of his great tasks.

Source: Rebbe Nachman's Wisdom

Naming A Baby After Someone Who Recently Died
by Rav Menashe Klein

Rav Menashe Klein (Mishneh Halachos 4:152) was asked if it is permissible to name a baby after someone who died but was not yet buried. Although reluctant to answer a question not found in Shas or Poskim, he said that people are noheg to do so.
However he did see in the Zohar that it may not be effective. The Zohar says that until a person is buried, his Neshama cannot enter another a person in the form of a Gilgul. Since one of the reasons we name after a niftar is to enable the neshama to enter the child as a gilgul, it would be pointless until after the burial. This is also the opinion of the Shu"t Tshuras Shai and the Recanti.

What if the child was born while the person was still alive but the name will be given after the burial? In this case he says that even though the child already received a neshama at birth, nevertheless the neshama of the gilgul can enter at the time the name is given. We see this from Pinchas who received the neshamos of Nadav and Avihu even though he was alive at the time of their death.

This is the same logic as giving a sick person a new name. The hope is that the neshama of a person with the same name will enter into him and extend his life. For this reason changing the name of a Choleh should be handled only by someone who is well versed in these matters.

Source: Revach L'Neshama

Thursday, November 4, 2010

The Power to Change

Art: 'Triple Self Portrait' by Norman Rockwell
And the children struggled within her, and she said, "If [it be] so, why am I [like] this?" And she went to inquire of the Lord. [Toldot - Genesis 25:22]

Why did the children "struggle inside her"?

How could Yitzchak, our righteous patriarch, have a son whose very nature even in the womb was inclined towards idol worship?

G-d can either make a person's disposition naturally good or naturally bad.  But, even if a person has a natural inclination to evil, that does not mean that he is evil per se, for he is given free choice.

Rather, the reason why he was given such an inclination was to rise to the challenge and overcome it.  Thus, Eisav was given a natural tendency to evil so that he could excel in the Divine service of "quashing" the evil inclination.

Even though he failed in his task, we can nevertheless learn from Eisav that if a person has strong desires to do something bad, it means that he has been given the special Divine mission of overcoming his inclinations.

Source: Gutnick Chumash: Based on Likutei Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Palm Reading and Horoscopes


Art: Georges de la Tour: "The Fortune Teller"

by Rabbi Aron Moss

Question:

What is Judaism’s take on looking into our future? I’ve always been under the impression that it is forbidden for us to consult with spiritual ‘mediums’, but more and more I’m hearing of people who are paying big money to find out what their future may hold. Is it possible to know our destiny?

Answer:

The Torah forbids looking into the future, not because it isn’t possible to do, but because it isn’t a good idea.

There are indeed ways to divine the future. There are Jewish sources that speak of things like horoscopes and palm reading. The problem is not that these are false (though many practitioners of them are), it is that there is a danger when they are used to predict the future.

These readings can do nothing more than predict someone’s destiny based on current circumstances. The way things stand now, if all variables remain unchanged, this is your fate. What they can’t predict is human free choice.

We have the ability to choose our path, to change our destiny and to outsmart fate. We are not bound to a future that is out of our control. While we can’t change the forces of destiny, we can change ourselves. When a person improves themselves, becomes a better person, then they are now a new being with a new destiny. The human power to change is a variable no seer can predict.

This is why we are better off not knowing what is in store for us. Because once we hear it, we may become stuck in the belief that our future is set. And this itself may affect our future negatively, as our will to change and freedom to choose becomes paralysed.

If I am told that my future is all good, I will have wealth and love and happiness, this knowledge may make me complacent and lazy, expecting these things to just come on their own. But they will not. If I want wealth I need to work, if I want to find love I need to meet people, if I want happiness I need to live a life of meaning. G-d may want to bestow much good upon me, but it won’t happen without my effort.

So too if I am given a negative prognosis, if I am told that I am destined to suffer and be sick, then the worry and anxiety caused by such a prediction can itself lead to the suffering and sickness I am dreading. The prediction becomes self-fulfilling, as I give in to a fate that need not be mine.

For these reasons and more, you are better off leaving the future for tomorrow and focusing on today. If you do that, I predict good things in store for you.
For more on Jewish Astrology click here

More from Rabbi Moss, click here

It Is Obvious


A person mistakenly thinks he can hide those parts of his personality he doesn't want the world to see, and reveal only the parts he's willing to let others know about. But the truth is that even the deepest parts of a personality stand out on the tip of your nose for everyone to see - everyone except yourself.

A person thinks he knows himself, but even that he doesn't know. Similarly, a person thinks he knows how his voice sounds, but when he hears himself on a tape he sounds strange. He can't believe it's really him while others recognize his voice right away. This is also true of our drives and motivations: we deceive ourselves as to what we really think, while to an outsider it is obvious.

Rabbi Mendel Kaplan "Reb Mendel and his Wisdom" by Yisroel Greenwald
Art: Mike Worrall

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

The Most Noble Trait



"But Yaakov was a wholesome man, dwelling in tents" [Toldos 25:27]

Rashi comments: One who is not sharp to deceive is called "wholesome".

Someone who is not sharp to deceive said the Lubliner Rav, is the type of person who has no notion of how to go about deceiving another person. Such a person is called a "tam" - a simple one. However, somebody who knows how to deceive others yet chooses not to act in such a manner is referred to as an "ish tam" - a wholesome man.

Yaakov Avinu was familiar with the ploys of deception, as he testified about himself during his stay in the house of Lavan: "I am his brother in trickery". Nevertheless, he chose to walk along the path of truth and honesty, thereby earning himself the title "wholesome man".

*********
From this verse we see, said the Sh'lah HaKadosh (R' Yeshayah HaLevi Horowitz) that the trait of wholesomeness is the most noble of all the traits.

For there is no doubt, reasoned the Sh'lah, that Yaakov possessed every good character trait possible. Yet the only trait that Yaakov is explicitly praised for in the Torah is his wholesome character. This implies that there is no trait more exalted than wholesomeness.

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

Monday, November 1, 2010

A Zone of Privacy in the Sheitel

Chani Wuensch makes wigs for married Orthodox Jewish women to wear in public. (Katie Falkenberg, For The Times / August 31, 2010)

By Elisabeth Greenbaum Kasson/ Los Angeles Times

Shternie Lipskier's is a stylish, deep red bob with short bangs. Elana Kornfeld's is a long, dark, glossy brunette that she parts on the side. Chani Wuensch's is a lighter brunette, with auburn lowlights and graduated bangs that fall softly across her brow. Chicly dressed and ranging in age from 29 to 36, the three are discussing their hair, or more specifically their sheitels.

Sheitels are the wigs that married Orthodox Jewish women of the most devout, or Hasidic, communities wear in public. It would be a surprise to the other patrons of the Studio City coffee shop where we've met that the women's hair is not their own and that not so much as a strand of their real hair is visible.

Wuensch is a sheitel macher, or wig expert. Kornfeld, who is Wuensch's sister, and Lipskier are both married to Chabad Lubovitch rabbis.

Covering their hair is part of tzniut, a spiritual path of modesty and humility. The word also is a general term for the group of Jewish laws that pertain to personal conduct, which includes dress. The application of tzniut to women's hair is so important that some Hasidic communities offer low-cost loans for sheitel purchases and collect used sheitels to donate as charity.

When asked about the belief among some Hasidic Jews that a sheitel should be ugly, Lipskier is quick to explain.

"Judaism doesn't equate modesty with unattractiveness," she says. "A sheitel allows a woman the ability to look good without compromising her privacy. Even if someone else doesn't know it's a wig, wearing a sheitel has a profound psychological affect on the woman wearing it. She is saying, 'I am not available to you. You can see me but you may not see my most obvious feature, which is my hair.' By wearing the sheitel, a woman invests her true appearance and real self in the most important place in her life, her marriage."

Another mistaken belief is that Hasidic women shave off their hair when they marry. An infinitesimal number of women shave, and they usually belong to insular communities.

Kornfeld smiles and pulls up a length of her sheitel hair to reveal a bump under the edge of the wig's cap. "I keep my hair long," she says, dropping the strands and rendering the bump invisible.

"I keep my hair short," Wuensch says, "because I don't like the weight of it under the sheitel, but it's really a matter of individual comfort and preference."

As a sheitel macher, Wuensch is skilled in the craft of fitting, customizing, cutting, styling, cleaning and reviving sheitels. She spent six months training with a wig company that caters to the Orthodox Jewish market.

Kornfeld and Lipskier are good ambassadors for her wares, which she sells from fitting rooms in Los Angeles and Burbank. Her wigs are made of real, untreated hair from companies that are considered the gold standard for wearers. They range in price from $1,300 to nearly $3,000. For a new sheitel, clients seek out Wuensch just prior to marriage and often before major Jewish holidays.

Cost is determined by length and whether the hair is machine-sewn in wefts directly onto a cap, or hand-sewn, hair by hair, onto a double cap. With careful upkeep, a sheitel will last two to three years.

Later, Wuensch suggests fitting me. She assesses my features and takes out an auburn, shoulder-length wig. She pulls my own long hair back and makes a flat knot at the base of my skull, then, gently shifting the piece from front to back; she aligns combs, clips, hooks and tabs. With a final pat and a light tug, it sits comfortably on my head.

The sheitel is beautiful, thicker and shinier than my own hair. The fit is seamless. I move my head back and forth and run my hands though the sides. The cap stays put and the hair moves naturally around my face. If I left wearing it, no one would know and what's underneath would be wholly private. For anyone who wears a sheitel, that's knowledge worth having.
Source: L.A.Times

The Rope of Moshiach


Rav Refael Dovid Auerbach (the brother of Rav Shlomo Zalman) related that over 90 years ago his father, Rav Chaim Leib Auerbach, once approached one of the caretakers who used to light the stove in a shul in the Old City of Yerushalayim. Although the caretaker was over 95 years old, he awoke early each day to light the stove and heat the shul before davening. The caretaker mentioned that his father used to travel to see Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk. Rav Chaim Leib asked the caretaker if he could relate anything his father had told him about the Tzaddik. The elderly man told him ten stories about the author of Noam Elimelech. Later Rav Chaim Leib told all of them over, but Rav Rafael could remember only three of them.

It was Rebbe Elimelech's custom, the caretaker related, to teach two types of Torah at shalosh seudos, the third Shabbos meal: one on the weekly parshah and the other about the days of Moshiach. Rav Rafael recalled the concepts that Rebbe Elimelech taught about the days of Moshiach, as told to his father by the old caretaker of the shul in the Old City.

In the times of Moshiach, the chareidim will be trampled and so badly mistreated that had this been so in the times of the Baal Shem Tov, no-one could have withstood it due to their fragile souls. However, in the times of Moshiach the hearts of the people will be so tough that they will be able to endure the trampling and degradation that will be common in those days.

In the times of Moshiach, there will be great foolishness, and the line between good and evil will blur. Rebbe Elimelech brought the analogy of sifting flour with a sieve. At first all the grains of the flour - the fine and the coarse - are shaken together, battered against the sides of the sieve. In the midst of the shaking, the fine flour passes through the sieve's holes and falls to the bottom, again receiving a blow when it lands.

When the course leftovers see the fine clean flour, they become arrogant and say "See how lowly you are? You have fallen to the bottom and received an additional beating while I, the coarse waste, have been left above and not received any beating."

The coarse grains do not realize how short-lived is their triumph, because in just a short while the sieve will be overturned and the coarse grains will end up in the trash for good.

In the generation of Moshiach, Hashem will, so to speak, stretch a long rope from one end of the world to the other, and all of Klal Yisrael will take hold and grasp the rope. Hashem will take one end of the rope, and violently shake it until they will all be in the air. Not everyone will be able to withstand this shaking and many will fall to the ground. The foolish ones will say "If Hashem is shaking us so hard, surely He wants us to loosen our grasp" and they will fall to the ground. Only the wise ones will hold on tight with all their strength and might. This is "chevlo shel Moshiach" - literally "the rope of Moshiach" - usually translated as "the labor pains of Moshiach".

Source: "Mipeninei Noam Elimelech" translated by Tal Moshe Zwecker

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Torah Codes: 5771: Atomic Threat, Bin Laden, Yemen and Geula

Yesterday a plane carrying an explosive device from Yemen, headed for the United States, was intercepted in Britain. [Full story here]

Interestingly, Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson uploaded some new videos just 4 days prior to this: some new Torah Code discoveries which show that the words Yemen, Bin Laden, and atomic are encoded together.  In Video #4 of this series, Rabbi Glazerson shows that this year, 5771, is potentially the year of Geula (Redemption).

The four videos appear below:







A longer video on this subject by Rabbi Glazerson can be seen at Torah Anytime