Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Fire and Brimstone: What Does It All Mean?


The continuation of my article for the Jewish Press on the power of prayer was ready to go but then tragedy hit. A tragedy of a magnitude that none of us could have envisioned. Not even in our wildest imagination. New York the capital of the world -the invincible citadel is shaken to its core and before our very eyes buildings tumble - our highways are flooded - our bridges and tunnels are closed down - filthy disease carrying sewage enter our homes - and they sink in water - our cars float away - people lose their homes - and worse their very lives. We who prided ourselves with the most advanced state of the art technology stood humbled - our lights dimmed - we were left in darkness - our electricity betrayed us. We watched helplessly as our beautiful neighborhoods turn into war zones. What do we do? How are we to understand this?

Those of you who have read my books or heard me speak can testify that whenever suffering befalls us I search our holy books to find illumination and guidance. I turn to my most loyal friend, my friend who has always been at my side who has given me comfort and strength, my friend who never betrayed me, my sefer Tehillim, my Book of Psalms. "Hashem gave us the Torah and we gave Him the Book of Psalms" - the Psalms which were written by King David - the man who experienced every pain - every suffering that can befall mankind - each word that David wrote was drenched with his tears and his words speak for all eternity - for all mankind. 

The devastation occurred on Monday, October 29th - the 13th day of the month of Cheshvan. The Psalm designated for the 13th day of the month is Psalm 69. I opened to it and the words jumped out "Save us oh G-d for the waters have reached onto my soul". And there is more. This Psalm does not leave us in the cold - it also provides our remedy - our answer. "Va-ani, s'filosi l'cho Hashem'' - but as for me, my prayer is to You Hashem". Yes we must turn in heartfelt prayer to our Heavenly Father and beseech His Mercy - His Salvation. 

I look at the "Parasha" and once again the opening passage speaks - our father Abraham whose kind hospitality had no bounds - opens his home to strangers. That which our forefathers experienced - that which shaped their lives has become part of our DNA - lives forever in our yiddisha neshamas. I think of all the many people who were left homeless and then I think of those who lost power and were left in cold darkness. I know of a woman standing in her home - waist deep in water with fish swimming all around her while she was desperately searching for photographs of her father and mother who are no longer here. Who can comprehend the pain - the suffering? And then let us think of all the wonderful people who opened their homes like our father Abraham. I know for I am one of those who had to evacuate and I too have benefited from that hospitality and as I am writing this column I continue to benefit from that chessed. And there is more, much more.

Maimonides - Rambam taught that when suffering is visited upon us we are commanded to cry out and awaken our people with the sound of the "shofar". He taught that everyone must be alerted. Everyone must examine his or her life and ask, what is my life all about? How would I rate if I were given a "neshama check" up? What does my Judaism, my Torah, really mean to me? Maimonides wrote that if we regard the tragedies that befall us as simply "the way of the world - natural happenings" we would be guilty of "achzarius - cruelty". At first glance it is difficult to understand why Maimonides would chose the term "cruelty" to describe those who claim to be rational 21st century citizens and see trials and tribulations "as the way of the world". They may be unthinking, apathetic, and foolish, blind obtuse or just cynical agnostics but to accuse them of cruelty is rather farfetched.

The answer is simple - if we regard our pain and suffering as "mere coincidence" and feel no motivation to examine our lives, abandon our old ways and change - then indeed, such an attitude is "cruel" for it invites additional misfortunate upon ourselves and others. It would be the height of cruelty to dismiss that which we just experienced and all that preceded it for several years now as mere happenstance. "Daas Torah" - our great Torah luminaries of past generations including the Chofetz Chaim, Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman, and others told us that we are entering the final stages of history - a period of time called "Ikvsa Di Meshiach - Footsteps of the Messiach". So I ask you, can we remain silent? Would doing so not be an act of "cruelty"?
Ours is a generation that has been challenged again and again. We have had so many wakeup calls - some terrifying - and some more subtle but no matter what we have remained indifferent to them all. I will not go back to the time of the Holocaust although by every right I should for if that didn't shake us up what would? Sadly, nowaday's very few people can even identify with that monstrous period. It has long been buried in history.

So let us try to commence with 9/11 - but I'm afraid even that story has become tired. The flames of the twin towers are no longer vivid in our minds and the fellowship - the kindness - that ensued in its wake is all but gone. So let us just focus on more recent events.

During the summer of 2002 a terrible tragedy occurred in a bungalow colony in the Catskill Mountains. A mother had just bathed her infant baby and put her in her carriage for a nap. Suddenly out of nowhere a wild bear appeared, snatched the baby and made off with her. The baby was never again seen. This shocking story did appear in newspapers and was reported in the media but seldom did I meet people who were actually aware of it. Nor did I encounter too many of those who were aware of the Talmudic teaching that the generation that will witness a wild beast snatching a baby from its cradle should sound the shofar to awaken the nation. But alas the shofar was not sounded and we were not awakened. With the years our slumber has become deeper. There were no alarm clocks capable of awakening us - I should probably qualify this - there is one ring that does make us jump and that's the ring of financial crisis. But no sooner does that alarm stop ringing then we return to our old ways and continue to sleep.

During the past few years the number of catastrophes has multiplied to such an extent that we have all but become immune to them. Natural disasters -tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanoes, earth quakes, nuclear spill outs, uncontrollable fires, unknown diseases, barbaric savage acts of terror have become all too common and we no longer notice them. Could this be a wakeup call warning us? Somehow it never even occurred to us to ask that question.

Time and time again I have written, spoken and cited the teaching of our Sages - "K'ymei Tzescho....the manner in which you departed from Egypt so shall it be at the end of days". How did we depart from Egypt? What was that which broke the chains of bondage and opened the iron gates? Every child knows the answer and so do we: the 10 plagues. Have we witnessed the 10 plagues in our generation? Of course not you'll protest. But then think again, and think again..!!!!! What was the first plague in Egypt? Blood....the Nile River that the Egyptians worshiped - the Nile River where Jewish children's lives were snuffed out - became blood. Again you might ask; what on earth does that have to do with us? "Think". The Nile was the god of Egypt. Once again you might protest - we are not pagans - we worship the real G-d. But, do we really? Has it ever occurred to any of us that we are the generation that worships with passion and fervor the god of money? And in worshiping it we are prepared to sacrifice everything - even our families - our children. The plagues of Egypt continued to plague us and they came in many shapes and forms. Pestilence....bed bugs in New York. Do you remember that? Yes bed bugs in the finest places - elegant hotels - exclusive shops and mind you it wasn't only in New York. The bed bugs crawled everywhere. And then there were the dead birds falling from the sky by the hundreds of thousands -the dead fish and sardines washing up on the shore by the hundreds of thousands? One of my students asked me - "how about the wild beast that invaded the streets of ancient Egypt we haven't seen that". Really, I said, "you don't remember Ohio when one morning people looked out of their windows to see if it was sunny or raining and low and behold they saw lions- tigers - wolfs - and bears. Can that be? Were they hallucinating? Did they lose it? But as always, for this too there was a rational explanation. Some animals had escaped from their cages. There was nothing to worry about we assured ourselves - it's one of those crazy things that can happen.. And then there was the earthquake in New York City. To be sure it was an unusual phenomenon. I recall people's reaction - laughing..where were you when it happened - did you feel it? And so the earthquake became just another "fun" experience.

And now SANDY arrived in all her fury - mocking us - mocking our technology - mocking our invincibility - mocking our arrogance. This time we are silenced - this time we stand humbly - we tremble and we cry. How did this happen? How could this be? Things like this can only occur in primitive places - places that are far away from civilization - away from the hubs of the United States but it happened and we cannot escape it - this time we couldn't find an explanation because this time it was our house. This time it was our community. This time it was we who were drowning. This time was different. This time we cannot escape it. or will we stubbornly pursue our old ways and remain deaf, dumb and blind? It's all in our hands. Hashem is calling.

I was listening to the news. The anchor was interviewing one of the most prominent meteorologists and asked, "Is SANDY different from all other natural catastrophes? Is there any parallel to her? "No, this is totally different", he responded. "This calamity had many shades and shapes and they fell upon us at the very same time as one - floods, fires, snow, winds, and rain - all converged upon us. Yes, this time it was different. But the question we must ask - will we be different? Will we get it? Or, will we continue with our sick obsessions, worshiping the "god of Money" and succumb to the enticements of our degenerate society?

Do you remember the story of Elijah the prophet and Jezebel -that satanic evil queen who seduced our people into worshiping pagan gods? Elijah rose like a lion and went to battle to save our people and bring them back to Hashem. And G-d responded and sent a great miracle for all to see and hear. The people actually witnessed the Hand of The Almighty and proclaimed in unison - "Hashem Hu Ho Elokim - G-d He is G-d"! Elijah rejoiced. The people understood. But Jezebel gleefully said, "Wait until tomorrow"! And tragically she was correct. Tomorrow came and it was all forgotten. And the question we must now ask ourselves is -will we forget - will we go back to business as usual? Or - will we remember Tehillim - Psalm 69; "the waters have risen to our souls" and now from our souls our prayers must reach to the Heavens Above.

"V'ani, s'filosi l'cho Hashem" - but as for me, my prayer is for You Hashem...

With Brochos - Blessing from the depths of my soul
Esther Jungries

Friday, November 2, 2012

Letter from Lakewood

Received via email from a reader:

Dear Brothers and Sisters of Lakewood

With much of Lakewood still without power for days, I humbly feel that Hashem is trying to send us a message that "we" are putting out the light of the beauty of Lakewood, the largest town in the US of Torah learning. The light of the Kedusha the light of thousands of Torah learners right here in our town of Lakewood is being distinguished by us with our actions.

We have more Yeshivas and Mesiftas than in any other town or city in America BY"H so we have more responsibility to keep Hashem happy with our way of life.

It's time for all of us to make a Cheshbon Hanefesh and see what could be corrected to bring back the light of the Schinah to Lakewood the town of Torah and Chessed.

If we don't take this storm seriously who knows what other difficult message Hashem might have to send us in order to wake up and do Teshuva?

Take a moment and think...are we living a spiritual life at least similar to our great grand parents, the way they lived when they arrived in America some 70 years ago? or are we indulged in our clothing, i.e. shoes, jewelry, belt, coat, & mink coats, handbags, boots, shopping, hunting for bargains, living in restaurants, redoing our kitchens every so often, always planning our next vacations, now Leshem Mitzvah we are busy planning our winter vacation, and of course don't forget Motzai Shabbos hot Pizza & fries, eating it in the pizza shops in mixed company, we have turned into a major planning board not leaving enough time to see and plan our lives as "how to serve Hashem better”.

Lets be honest it's almost impossible to walk the streets and keep our eyes clean, and yes, I am referring to neighborhoods of Bnai Torah and Chasidim, not in Harlem, Miami Beach or Las Vegas.

This "FrankenStorm" has been felt by many of us we are all suffering because of it in one way or another, but..... The million dollar question is: are we waking up to Hashems cry?

Now let’s be strong and say to Hashem: OK we are ready to change our ways of life, our materialism lifestyle that we have lived up to now will change!!! We’ll start getting ourselves ready for the coming of Moshiach by living a true Torah life. BTW When Moshiach arrives there will be nothing left of all our Gasmius, so get a head start...and get rid of it now lets be more careful with all of the Halocos and Mitzovos of our special sweet Torah.

p.s.  I would like to ask everyone to take this Frankenstorm warning from Hashem very seriously.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Who Are You Voting For?

If you're an American, I'd be really interested to hear who you will be voting for and why.  Please leave a comment and let us know....

Friday, October 12, 2012

Malchus Beis David - The Reign of Moshiach ben David Explained

Yishai Beckow's third book of audio recordings is called Malchus Beis David. It attempts to examine three issues:

 - what does the Written and Oral Torah tell us about the structures of Malchus Beis David, and what can we learn from this about how Moshiach Ben David's government will operate in Israel?

 - how is it possible to extrapolate from these levels of government and Torah sources on the government of Chutz La'Aretz, the area outside of Israel, under the renewed kingship of the House of David?

 -While Moshiach will be an absolute monarch, does this mean democracy is gone in Ge'ulah? What checks and balances are there in this time, and how does this whole operate to involve the average person in their world in this time? 

To download and listen, click here

Sunday, September 30, 2012

The Fallen Sukkah of David

by Rabbi Gedaliah Aharon Kenig zt''l - founder of Nachal Novea community in Tsfat and foremost Breslev leader of the previous generation.

Integrating the mind through perfect faith



The sukkah is associated with King David.  It is thus called the ''Sukkah of David''.  It could have been called by another name, like the ''Sukkah of Israel'' or the ''Sukkah of Moses'', yet our sages connect sukkah to David haMelech.

The fourth evening of the holiday of Sukkot marks the yahrzeit of Rebbe Nachman of Breslev, who is referred to as the nachal novea mekor chochma - ''the flowing river, source of wisdom'' [Proverbs 18:4].  He proclaimed an astounding concept to the world:  ''There is no such thing as despair!''  Nothing in the world is beyond hope.

How can such a claim be made when everything points in the opposite direction? Everyone experiences situations textured with despair to the point that it appears the entire world has ended.  Everything seems black, with no glimmer of light.  The despair these situations engender is called the ''Fallen Sukkah of David.''

Yet Rebbe Nachman asserts: ''There is no such thing as despair!''  Although it is impossible to avoid difficult situations, the mind possesses a special power that can prevent one from falling completely during hard times.  On Sukkot we pray:  ''May the Compassionate One raise for us the ''Fallen Sukkah of David''.  Conceptually, the Sukkah of David represents a spiritually cleansed mind connected to a higher spiritual level, a place beyond our own intellectual perception of the world.

Integrating the Mind
According to the kabbalah, the sukkah represents the levels of perception beyond the conscious mind called makifim or ''external intellect''.  In contrast, pnimim or ''internal intellect''' is the knowledge we have successfully acquired.  These two levels are dynamically related: when the higher intellect enters our mind enabling us to understand it, the new insight becomes encompassed within our internal intellect.

Makifim are those levels of understanding that transcend intellectual grasp. They surround and hover above the conscious mind, radiating understanding into the internal intellect.  It is this upper level of intellect surrounding the mind that is called sukkah.  This is similar to a physical sukkah, which completely surrounds us.  During the holiday of Sukkot, we are required to enter the sukkah with our entire body, which includes the head, our intellect. Without the entire body entering the sukkah, the mitzvah of sukkah remains unfulfilled.

''David merited the crown of malchut - kingship'' [Kohelet Rabbah 7:2]
The physical universe and everything that occurs within it, is part of the lower level of the World of Action, and connected to the kabbalistic sefira of malchut.  Malchut itself possesses a type of ''intellect'' expressed as the animating intelligence contained by everything in the world.  This intelligence corresponds to King David and the lower internal intellect mentioned earlier.  The crown of King David, however, symbolizes the higher surrounding intellect, corresponding to the concept of sukkah.

When we don't understand why things are a certain way in the world, the power of faith should be exercised. Faith draws down the highest light into any situation. If you believe that there is a G-d Above Who governs the world, you won't dismiss something as meaningless just because you don't understand it. On the contrary, despire your current inability to understand, you will know everything is functioning according to a Higher Plan which is just and fair.  This faith will then illuminate your entire reality. In every situation, you now connect the upper surrounding intellect, called sukkah, to the lower internalized intellect, corresponding to your current perception of how the physical world operates.  When you believe that whatever happens is governed from Above, it is clear that it is good.

''When I dwell in darkness, G-d will be a light for me'' [Micha 7:8]
Even if I am sitting in darkness and don't understand what is happening, if I nonetheless believe that everything is just and fair because it is supervised by G-d, then this faith is a light for me.  Despite the darkness, it does not even occur to me to despair, since the same governing Power that brought me here to this situation or state of mind will do everything for my good and ultimately take me out of this darkness.

Through this expression of lower intellect, you will now attain the higher intellect, called sukkah.  The merging of these two intellects is called the ''Sukkah of David'', which occurs when your perception of the way the world operates [Malchut David] is joined with the upper surrounding intellect [sukkah].  The opposite occurs when the two are separated, a division caused by thinking everything is under the jurisdiction of nature and human agency.  ''David'' is separated from sukkah - our perception of this world is separated from the upper intellect, faith in Divine governance of the world. This state is called ''The Fallen Sukkah of David''.

Thus, when Rebbe Nachman says ''There is no such thing in the world as despair'', he is drawing down the highest light into the human heart to give us the ability to understand that regardless of the difficulties we experience, there is a higher Power in charge of every detail in the world.  The process of attaining this level of understanding is called ''raising the fallen sukkah of David''.  Sukkat David is the rectified state of mind where the upper and lower intellect are united.

Turning Darkness into Light
G-d created us in order to know Him.  How is it possible for a limited physical human being to know G-d, Who is Infinite?  It is only possible to know G-d through facing the difficult challenges in life, and strengthening ourselves to get through them.

During times when it is extremely difficult to find G-d, one may fall, since it seems that G-d doesn't exist. The difficulty of the search itself brings one to a state of nothingness. By strengthening oneself during these moments, the very obstacles which prevented perception of G-d can be transformed into a vessel for Divine light.

Sometimes we undergo bitter situations where our understanding disappears completely. Even though we want to believe in G-d, we live inside a dark cloud. However much we search, we cannot find Him. This is a very dangerous situation, because we are unable to see G-d in spite of a sincere desire to find Him. What can we do?

Rebbe Nachman has advice for this dilemma as well.  Cry out ''G-d! Where are You? I don't see you but I believe You are here! Where are you?''  These cries will eventually enable you to return to your proper place, because the question of ''Where are You?'' indicates a belief in the existence of the thing for which you are searching.  You believe G-d is present, but you just don't know where.  The repeated cries of ''Where are You?'' from the depths of the heart are answered with: ''Here! Deeply inside, where You have always been.''

''The whole world is filled with His Glory''
One begins to sense G-d's direct supervision over every detail. Anything that seemed unjust or unfair is now understood as being orchestrated in a wondrous way for the good. Only by passing through darkness and obstacles can we draw closer to G-d, which is a fulfilment of the Divine will.

Sometimes during difficult times we say ''Oy! This is too much! I've had enough obstacles and darkness! I'm finished!''  This way of thinking is erroneous, since we were not created to remain on a single level.  On the contrary, we were created to continually ascend from level to level.  Difficult situations are necessary in order to progress and come closer to G-d.  The message of Rebbe Nachman is that it shouldn't even occur to a person to despair and think ''I can't go on''.  Strengthen yourself over and over again, and eventually you will make it through.

There is always a limit to difficulties because G-d doesn't leave us in difficult straits forever.  The only purpose of obstacles is to create a vessel to receive light. Material obstacles and the vessels they can create have measure and definition. However, G-d's light is unlimited.  We need only to strengthen ourselves and not give up. Sometimes one becomes so weak in the last moment and loses everything. This is a shame, since at that very moment a vessel is being completed to receive a higher light. At the end, the darkness can become so overwhelming that we think we are lost and give up completely, G-d forbid.

Constantly strengthening oneself is the secret to our existence.  There is no book in the world that can tell the entire awesome story of what the Jewish people have undergone since inception. Yet, despite everything, we continue to exist. This is only because of our patience, trust and will to strengthen ourselves anew each time, despite constant suffering.  We will continue to develop, and with the help of G-d, we will exist until the end, when the purpose for which we were created will be fulfilled. To know the unlimited light of the Infinite One.

Vessels to receive light are formed through obstacles. By overcoming the obstacles, the obstacles themselves are transformed into vessels of pleasantness.  Rebbe Nachman calls this pleasantness ''supernal delight'' which can now flow into completed vessels.  The delight that the upper intellect can experience is more pleasant than anything in this world. This is the meaning of ''May the Compassionate One raise for us the Fallen Sukkah of David.''

Rebbe Nachman is proclaiming to the entire world a message that everyone must hear.  There is no such thing as despair! There is no situation beyond hope! The Jewish people have always found themselves in difficult situations, and today is no different. Instead of losing hope, we must strengthen ourselves with perfected faith, especially during the days of Sukkot, when we bring our entire physical being into the sukkah.  We will then be worthy of being illuminated with a new light, which will reestablish the ''Fallen Sukkah of David forever''.  Amen.

Translated and adapted from a shiur given in Tsfat.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Gmar Chatimah Tova



Gmar Chatimah Tova - Literally: A good final sealing.  Idiomatically: May you be inscribed [in the Book of Life] for Good.

"Gmar" comes from the root word that means to finish. Although it's not biblical, it appears quite a bit in the Talmud [Avot 2:16 Yevamot 12:6]. Chatimah is also talmudic and can mean a signature or a sealing [Pessachim 104]. 

The word "chotemet" or stamp [the ink kind, not the postal kind] is a derivative of "chatimah." Of course "tova" means good. 

The days of repentance are divided into two parts: The first the inscribing begins on Rosh Hashana and finishes Yom Kippur when the final "sealing" [chatima] of our fate takes place. Many sages give us a second chance - an extra 12 days until a really final sealing on Hoshana Rabba [the 7th day of Sukkot]. That is why many people finish their correspondence during this time of year by writing or saying Ktivah V'chatima Tova - "may you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." 

On or right before Yom Kippur, people modify that and wish "Gmar Chatima Tova." Technically you can say it means 'may your finished sealing be good' - which would be fine if you are redoing your apartment, but for the rest of us may you all have a healthy peaceful and fulfilling year.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

The Geulah Process

I'm listening to some extremely interesting audios - Everything is a Message from G-d - by Yishai Beckow, and if you have the time, I highly recommend visiting his blog and tuning in.

I recently had an email discussion with Yishai, on the topic of Moshiach and the various dates that are often predicted on different websites.  I think the current '''date'' for everything changing is Hoshanah Rabah, according to some bloggers.   We've heard so many different dates, and they all turn out to be non-events - at least insofar as the appearance of Moshiach is concerned - and subsequently we may find ourselves becoming fed up with the process and losing all hope, when we believe the hype surrounding a particular day in the near future, and nothing happens !

So I asked Yishai if I could blog his response to my question regarding all these dates and waiting for the sudden appearance of Moshiach.  This is what he wrote [reprinted with permission]:

Re: Ge'ulah - it is a process, not a single event. There are many steps and stages we need to go through. It won't happen instantly, and is still happening. Don't expect to see one night a certain world and the next morning a different one. We need to go through everything. Soon enough, I think you will see that this process actually started a long time ago. Probably with the burning of Yosef's kever, which was either 2000 or 2001. 

But it is so complex and so many things need to happen, we don't see the forest for the trees. The final stage will quite literally be overnight. And our davening etc right now IS working. It just takes a lot of work and momentum to overcome the inertia of Galus, and puts a strain on those of us who tend to over-work, and who are very focused on this issue. But by the time we will have been through so many different things, we will know what is happening. Right now, it is only the opening rounds, so to speak. 

So it IS happening. Just not on the time frame you or I might wish. That said, it's a big world, with lots of people. H' has to work out the best way for every person put together, which makes it not something any one person's calendar dictates. Don't give up, and don't stop davening. If you are interested in a discussion of the process, R' Tatz' Messianic Era discs are excellent. 

There is a comment from the Baal Shem Tov on the times preceding Ge'ulah: he says it will be as thought H' ties a big rope around the world and is shaking it vigorously. Those of us whose emunah is not strong enough will fall off. We need to hold onto the rope for dear life. That is how I already feel, and I suspect you do too. Don't let go. No matter how crazy life is or gets, the reality is that things are not out of control. We are all here now for a reason, and none of us are expendable. Nor are we expected to enjoy the painful parts. If we can hold on, we can also hold others on, and do much good. 

I think in the end, H' will show us that by helping others we are helping ourselves, and that the reason for the bleak outlook is to enhance the merit of having remained loyal. And remember "if I didn't fall down, I couldn't get up." It happens to all of us -.....We get back at it slowly. Mitzvah gereret mitzvah - one mitzvah leads to another. Start somewhere, and you'll see it comes back together.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Honey's Message

by Rabbi Aron Moss

Honey is a miraculous substance. It can do the impossible. Just try this experiment with your family at the Rosh Hashana table:

Dunk a slice of apple into a bowl of honey
Lift the apple out of the honey
Hold the apple over the bowl and allow a shaft of honey to drip back down into the bowl
While it is oozing downwards, quickly lift the apple until the shaft breaks.
Watch carefully. The honey on the apple starts to fall a little, and then climbs back upwards towards the apple, defying the laws of gravity
Say "Wow!"

The upward climbing honey gives us a moving message for the new year. Even if you have fallen, you can always climb back up. Even if you have become disconnected, you can reconnect. You may have become estranged from your people and from your G-d. You may have lost your way in life and fallen to a very low place. But you can always pick yourself back up. No force in the world can stop a Jew coming home.

The honey may fall downwards, but at a certain point it turns around. In fact, it is the falling down that causes the bouncing up. The further you have strayed from Judaism, the more rebound energy you have built up for your return.

A Jewish soul wants to be Jewish. Materialistic distractions can only hold us back for so long. Our inner pull towards G-d is stronger than the pull of gravity towards the earth. Honey always bounces back. So can we.

Also see: Healing Powers of Apples and Honey

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Fusing of Art and Spirit

By Rhona Lewis

The hallway leading to Jacqui Taub’s apartment in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel, is wallpapered with whirls of deep purple and cream. The walls of her apartment are covered with her paintings: a sea ebbs in hues of purple, mauve and lilac; a young girl meanders through a garden of pastel flowers; two men and a little boy lean against the Western Wall. The oil paintings are a blend of gentle, consistent forward motion.

As Jacqui puts aside her walking stick and eases herself into her chair, I witness the physical pain that she has to contend with from multiple hip replacements and spinal surgery. Yet her vivacious eyes twinkle with an energy that belies her sixty-five years. Her rich Australian accent fills the room as she takes me back to her childhood in Sydney, through her marriage and subsequent divorce, her discovery of her talent for poetry, art, and ceramics, and finally on to her remarriage and life today. As reflected in her paintings, her journey has been one of consistent onward motion.

As reflected in her paintings, her journey has been one of consistent onward motionJacqui’s parents divorced when she was only three years old. “One of my most powerful memories is a nightmare that recurred for years: I’d always see my mother in a red dress, walking down the staircase of our boarding school. I was at the other end, waiting for her. But before she reached the end, she just disappeared, and I would wake up terrified.”

While her parents initially maintained cordial relations, their friendship came to a halt when her father remarried eight years later. “My stepmother was wonderful, but I still longed for my biological mother,” Jacqui says, recalling this tumultuous period. When she was sixteen, she left school to attend secretarial college.

Partly as a result of her traumatic childhood, she married her childhood best friend at the young age of eighteen. “We were good people who had no idea how to make a marriage work. Young and without any counseling, we were never able to just sit down and discuss issues,” Jacqui says. For the next twenty years she pushed through her marriage, working as a legal secretary and raising her four children with the security that she had lacked as a child. Then the inevitable happened, and the couple divorced. “But my ex-husband and I still worked as a team to raise the children,” says Jacqui. “We’d have regular meetings in his offices to discuss their progress. I think that we succeeded because we both took responsibility for the breakup of our marriage.”

Eventually, after two of Jacqui’s children moved to Israel, she too immigrated, and soon found herself in an absorption center in Raanana in central Israel, attempting to adapt to a new country and a new language. To add to the unbelievable stress, existential questions also began to bother her: “I was fifty-four years old, with absolutely no idea what my life’s purpose was about,” she says. “I wondered if we were here just to live and then die, and this led to my questioning the existence of G‑d.” What kept her going at this terrible low?

A Life of Art
“Quite simply, I had to earn a living,” Jacqui says. “Even though I knew my father would always be there for me, and I wouldn’t starve, I just wasn’t prepared to give up.” With these words she reveals her true mettle: the ability to forge forward against the odds. This strong belief in herself as an artist pushed her forward to market herself in a foreign environment.

Jacqui had first ventured into the field of art through writing. In her thirties, she had published a few children’s books of what she calls “nonsense poetry,” and a series of children’s books that were published and distributed nationally in Australia; a London publisher included some of the poems in an anthology. She also wrote and illustrated Judaica nonsense poems for children, which are waiting to be published. One delightful poem describes a little boy watching a pair of his tzitzit fly up and away, only to land on the shoulders of another little boy who isn’t wearing tzitzit.

Jacqui had first ventured into the field of art through writingBut she discovered her real calling in art just before she came to Israel: the world of ceramics. Apparently out of nowhere, she had a vision of a ceramic figurine of a man wearing a tallit and a kippah. “I had no idea why or where the idea came from, but I knew I wanted to make it,” she says. “I bought some clay and tools, and even though I didn’t know how to work the clay, I kept on experimenting. Sometimes the pieces would fall off, and sometimes the figurine would explode in the kiln. Finally, after three months of hard work, I managed to make the little man I had dreamt about. He had no ears, because I didn’t know how to make them!”

Jacqui’s perseverance paid off, and so began the G’sundheit Collectables. G’sundheit means “good health” in Yiddish, and is used to wish the blessing of good health upon someone. While Jacqui didn’t realize it at the time, she was in fact in desperate need of a blessing for good health—both of her hips and her spine were deteriorating.

At the absorption center in Ranana, in an attempt to support herself, Jacqui began once again to work on her G’sundheit Collectables. She spent the mornings working on her clay figurines, and the afternoons in Tel Aviv working as a secretary. She had to start from scratch, because every single one of the figurines that she had so carefully packed in cushions and pillows before leaving Sydney had arrived shattered. Luckily, she could fall back on her indomitable spirit! To fire the figurines, she had to drag them in plastic drawers across a field to her friend Marianne Davidow’s kiln. “About six weeks after I arrived in Israel, I set off for Jerusalem with my G’sundheit Collectables loaded in my old overnight bag on wheels. I dragged myself up Ben Yehuda Street and down to the Cardo in the Old City, my bag bouncing merrily along the cobblestones and my back aching horribly.” Although she didn’t know it at the time, the pain in her back was an ominous signal that surgery was imminent. “I sold everything,” says Jacqui, smiling, as she relives the pleasure of her first sales.

Even though Jacqui was managing to earn a living, she was still desperately searching for life’s purpose" Jacqui’s G’sundheit Collectables ceramic figurines display all the spiritual yearnings and humor of their creator. Whether it’s the grandmother holding freshly baked challot, the cantor with his prayer shawl or the tennis player with his shtreimel, every unique miniature will make you smile as you notice the details she captures. Jacqui quips, “I’d have an all-out battle in my studio if I sent them out not properly ‘dressed’!”

A Life of Spirit
Even though Jacqui was managing to earn a living, she was still desperately searching for life’s purpose. As a child, she had always been aware that G‑d was around, but she had never felt that He was intimately involved in her life. This changed during these difficult months. “During this time, I used to say little prayers like ‘G‑d, you know I don’t even know where You are. But please hang in there with me, because You know I want to find You.’ I wanted G‑d to be included in my day-to-day activities, but I had no idea how to do this.”

The answer came in the guise of a shiny green book. “One day I went into a Jewish bookstore. I was looking for something, anything, to help me get past this confused state. I put my hand on a shiny green book all about prayer. This book was to change my life and my way of thinking. It was all about the amidah, a prayer of nineteen blessings that we recite silently. There was an introduction that explained the way we should approach prayer, and a translation of the Hebrew words into English. Suddenly the amidah was no longer ‘that prayer during which you didn’t talk.’ Here was a chance to talk to G‑d.” As Jacqui learnt about the power of prayer, she was able to include G‑d in her day-to-day life.

Fusing Art and Spirit
Perhaps one of Jacqui’s biggest challenges was waking up to the fact that her artistic talents are gifts from G‑d and not a direct result of her own singlehanded endeavors. “I finally understood to whom I owe gratitude,” Jacqui says. “By seeing my talents as a gift, I was able to take my ego out of other parts of my life too, and I changed.

“As I changed, my relationship with my children improved, and I became more involved in their lives. I also married a wonderful man, who has become the mainstay in my life.” From her studio in her apartment overlooking the hills of Israel, she now always remembers to ask for her Creator’s help before and during her work on a G’sundheit. “Finally, I’m at a point where I feel that G‑d is involved in my day-to-day life. I even talk to Him when I need to find a spot to park the car. I just say, ‘G‑d, You know I can’t walk far. Please, could You find me a spot?”

“I get up each day with a real and valid purpose” Jacqui may have learnt only recently to fuse art and spirit, but she sees now how G‑d laid the groundwork as far back as her first miniature—the little man with a tallit and kippah, but no ears. Torah law instructs us to avoid making a full “graven image” of a person, but since all of Jacqui’s miniatures lack ears, there is an opinion that she never actually made the type of image that is forbidden. [Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah 141:7, as understood by Chochmat Adam 85:4]

Jacqui’s desire to develop the spirit and humor that encompass Judaism inspired her to develop new ideas—the Hareidim G’sundheits. So if you see a miniature of a rabbi in a shtreimel, with a long black coat and his tzitzit hanging out, playing golf, tennis or cycling, you can be sure that you’re looking at one of Jacqui’s creations.

Living Beyond the Pain
When the back pain that Jacqui had first noticed as she dragged her bag of G’sundheits through Jerusalem worsened, she went to the doctor and was diagnosed with avascular necrosis (AVN) in her right hip. Since the bone tissue wasn’t receiving blood, the tissue was dying and the bone was collapsing. In 2001, Jacqui underwent her first total hip replacement. However, the procedure wasn’t entirely successful: her hip actually dislocated four times. Each dislocation meant undergoing full anesthesia to relocate the hip. Eventually, the hip was revised in England.

Nine years later, Jacqui underwent hip replacement surgery a second time: this time, her left side was operated on. As if that wasn’t enough, a year later, due to very severe spinal stenosis, Jacqui’s spine collapsed and she had to undergo spinal fusion. Prior to the surgery—although she had to spend three weeks in bed—as one would expect of her, Jacqui pushed onwards, and actually did manage to attend one meal at her grandson’s bar mitzvah. Today, Jacqui lives with pain, and she has elevated cobalt levels from the metal-on-metal prosthesis of her Birmingham hip, which will need constant monitoring.

Jacqui can no longer walk around selling her ceramics and oil paintings, because she is mostly housebound. As she is unwilling to give up on her creativity, she has she has found a way to keep working without actually running a business, which she no longer has the energy or financial means to do. A significant portion of the income from her ceramics is donated to charity. In addition, she has begun to make ceramic jewelry and teach clay modeling to children. “G‑d gave me a gift, and I don’t want it to go only towards my own happiness and self-fulfillment. Now I feel as though I am giving back something. Best of all, I get up each day with a real and valid purpose, and I’m so busy that I have no time to think of the pain.”

But Jacqui is the first to admit that it isn’t always easy. “There are times when I burst into tears because of the pain that stops me from creating anything worthwhile,” she admits. “Then I try to thank G‑d for my blessings, in particular for my husband, who encourages me endlessly by constantly reminding me that G‑d doesn’t give us what we cannot cope with, and pray for the strength to continue with my creative work.”

Coming full circle, Jacqui combines a life of art with a life of spirit, and of course she finds the impetus to surge forward.

Source: Chabad.org

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Obama for a Second Term? - Torah/Bible Codes

Rabbi Glazerson video:

515

by Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

''I implored Hashem'' [Va'etchanan 3:23]

The Midrash states that Moshe offered 515 prayers to Hashem in order to be allowed to enter the Land of Israel.  This is alluded to in the word ''Va'eschanan'' whose numerical value is 515.

Not only does the word ''Va'etchanan'' equal 515, noted the Chasam Sofer [R' Moshe Sofer], but so does the word ''tefillah'' [prayer].

Furthermore, if we add 26 - the numerical value of the ineffable Name of Hashem [yud, hei, vav, hei] to the number 515, we will get 541 - the numerical value of the word Yisrael.

Also see: What Happens to Unanswered Prayers

Monday, July 30, 2012

Adding the Truth



by Rabbi Daniel Travis

“There are 248 limbs in the body, and each word of Shema serves to protect one of them” [Zohar Chadash, Rus 97b]. However, when making a tally of all of the sections of Shema, one comes up with only 245 words. How do we make up for the three missing words?

“In order to make up the missing three words, the prayer leader should repeat the last three words of Shema, Hashem Elokeichem Emes [Hashem your G-d is Truth]” [Shulchan Aruch 61,3]. This is based on the halachic principle of “shome’a k’oneh,” that when one listens to words it is as if one said them personally. Therefore, these three words, in addition to the 245 words of Shema, bring us to the sum total of 248 words.


Shema in Hebrew [add the word ''Emes'' at the end]

Shema in English [note that the word ''True'' has been added at the end]

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Prayer on Tisha b'Av

The fast of Tisha b'Av this year begins Saturday night
The prayer of Eichah - [Lamentations] can be found here

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Self-Centredness: The Sad Secret of Tisha B'Av


A New Essay by Rabbi Chaim Ingram

The three weeks leading up to the fast of Tisha b’Av, and especially the nine days of Av, are replete with restrictive customs. These restrictions are intended to bring home to us our loss: the loss of the Bet haMikdash, the Holy Temple, spiritual powerhouse for the whole of the Jewish people and ultimately the world. They also reinforce the need for us to approach with renewed fervour the Assessor Supreme to make good those losses. In so doing we remind ourselves of the reasons for these losses: primarily failure in interpersonal relations, a lack of outward-directed Ahavat Yisrael, in short the kind of self-centred indifference or, worse, sin’at chinam (gratuitous hatred) that is still with us, else the Bet haMikdash would have been rebuilt already. And “any generation in which the Temple is not rebuilt is reckoned to have destroyed it” [Jer. Talmud Yoma 1:1].

One of the restrictions of this period is that we do not bless Shehecheyanu. This is essentially an inward-directed blessing, recited when we are the beneficiaries of something new intended for our personal use or benefit: a new fruit, a new dress, an inheritance of which one is the sole beneficiary. In contrast, another blessing, ha-tov ve-hametiv, is made when others also benefit. This is an outward-directed blessing. It may be said on purchasing new household silverware or on inheriting a legacy also shared by others (siblings, etc.). We do not find that the recital of this latter blessing is explicitly restricted during this period. If it were, it would convey the wrong message. The lesson is that we should at all times find pleasure in others’ pleasure. This is part of ahavat chinam (boundless love). If loving means selfless giving (as it does in the Hebrew language) then hatred is manifested in extreme self-centredness Therefore only inward-directed, selfish pleasure is to be curtailed.

The eradication of selfishness is the key to understanding Tisha b’Av. After all, what could have been more selfish than the burning by the Zealots of storehouses of wheat, barley and wood sufficient to sustain Jerusalem for 21 years, thus forcing Judea to confront Rome with disastrous consequences. Or the perfidious betrayal by Bar Kamtsa of his people to the Caesar to avenge his own hurt.

The tragic history of the ninth day of Av goes all the way back to the slanderous report of the spies and the popular uprising against taking possession of the Land ruefully recalled by Moses in this week’s sidra. This sin too had its roots in the vice of selfishness. Our midrashic commentators explain that the men (and it was only the men who complained) had lacked the courage to go up and fight for the Land of Israel preferring instead to subject their wives and children to the tyranny of renewed foreign domination.

It took forty years of intense introspection and soul-searching in the desert to mend this selfish trait. But when Am Yisrael procrastinated mentally before embarking on the final desert war against Midian, it was for a very unselfish reason – because they knew Moses would perish afterwards [see Rashi to Num 31:5]. Moses himself is alacritous to go to battle against Midian even though he knows he will die thereafter. And when the people do go to war, as Rashi [31:4, citing Sifri] explicitly tells us, they are accompanied in this milkhemet mitsva (obligatory war) by the spiritual elite of Israel, not only the Levites but also Pinchas the Kohen who understood that his presence at the battlefield was essential for the morale of the nation. Possibly it was his inspiration that helped the Bnei Yisrael over the final hurdle and into the Promised Land.

The need to rise above selfish and self-centred interests challenges all strata of our people, whether ‘religious’ or ‘secular’ (and labels are invidious). The yetzer ha-ra (evil inclination) struts around among our nation indiscriminately and with differing degrees of false piety. Ultimately only a deep and abiding cheshbon ha-nefesh (soul-searching) among religious and secular alike (there were no distinctions in the desert) will alter ingrained attitudes which threaten to split our nation into two.

Mashiach awaits us – and only an abundance of ahavat chinam (causeless love), inter-fraternal understanding and outer-directedness will push us those final furlongs to our destination ensuring we will never ever have to fast again on Tisha b’Av.

Monday, July 23, 2012

The Fall of the King of the East [Damascus] - Torah Codes

This is the sign [that the redemption is imminent]: When you see the fall of the King of the East in Damascus, the Eastern Kingdom will fall, and then the Jews will experience salvation, and Moshiach Ben David will arrive, and they [the Jews] will ascend to Jerusalem and enjoy it, as it says [in Tehillim 37:11] But the humble will inherit the land and delight themselves with the abundant peace. May G-d have mercy on us and send us the redeemer speedily in our days, Amen.
[as related to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai by an angel, while he was hiding in the cave]
See: Chabad.info

New video: Moshiach, Damascus will fall

Connecting with a Tzadik

by Rav DovBer Pinson [Iyyun.com]

This week we begin the fifth book of the Torah, Devarim, which is literally translated as ‘words.’

The Torah reading this week begins with “These are the words that Moshe/Moses spoke to all the Israelites on the east bank of the Jordan.”

Unlike the earlier four books of the Torah where the Torah is written in the third person, as in “And Hashem spoke to Moshe..,” in this book it is Moshe’s voice in first person, as in “These are the words of Moshe.”

In the earlier books, although Moshe wrote the books, he was not present as an individual. In the fifth book however, he is speaking “in his own words” [Megilah, 31b], he is fully present in his voice, even though his words are spoken through Ruach Ha’Kodesh/ Divine Inspiration. [Tosefos]

In the Zohar it is written; "the teachings… in the book of Devarim, were [written by] Moshe himself." Is it possible that even one letter that Moshe spoke came from himself? And the Zohar answers that not even one letter that emerged from the mouth of Moshe was self-generated, each letter and sound issued forth was completely precise and calculated. The words that came from the mouth of Moshe was a manifestation of a Divine voice that possessed him. [Zohar 3, 265a]

“The Shechinah – the divine presence within creation- was talking through the mouth of Moshe.”

So Devarim is Divine Wisdom the way it is revealed and unpacked by Moshe’s own individuality, his unique voice. This book thus becomes the bridge between the written dimension of Torah, which is the revelation from Above, and the oral dimension of Torah, which is the human innovation and creativity, emanating from Below. [Zohar 3, 261a] There is a merging of heaven and earth, a revelation from humanity that originates and is consistent with the Sinaic revelation from Above.

In each one of us there is an aspect of Moshe. [Tanya] There are those who fully realize their ‘inner Moshe’ and are able to channel Torah wisdom, completely laying aside their ego so that they become a pure conduit of energy. This person becomes a vessel which receives and gives the light in a continuous motion. This is the Tzadik.

The Energy of the Week

Connecting to a Tzadik
This week’s energy is our connection with the life and teachings of a Tzadik.

If there is a Tzadik that you have connected with in your past, or know of one whose teachings you have felt connected to - this is a powerful time to study their words and reconnect yourself to the Tzadik.

A true Tzadik is someone who is your perfect mirror, reflecting back to you your potential to be a Tzadik as well.

We all have the potential to be like Moshe [Rambam]. Through observing a Tzadik, or learning his or her teachings, we come in close contact with a fully realized person, one who is living their true potential and this inspires the same in ourselves. A sign of a true, great Tzadik is a person who inspires greatness in others.

This week’s energy allows us to connect ourselves to a Tzadik. It does not have to be a person that is living, for the Tzadikim in their teachings and lifetimes of giving, leave a legacy that we can continue to strongly connect with even after their passing. Study the teachings of the Tzadik and read the story of their life - in this way you begin to reflect the Tzadik and bring out your own inner Tzadik as well.

An additional energy this week connecting to the period of the Nine days which begins on Monday:

In all of our dealings, especially with children, students or employees this week, we must be sure to lessen any forms of aggression.

We need to be extra gentle and compassionate in our communications and disciplining methods during the Nine day period.

The Messianic Temple

Author Chaim Clorfene discusses the significance of studying the subject of The Third Temple, and introduces his book "The Messianic Temple, Understanding Ezekiel's Prophecy".



Read more: click here

Friday, July 20, 2012

The Greatness of Moshiach

The greatness of Moshiach? Humility! On one hand he will study Torah with Moses and our Forefathers; on the other, with simplest people - [HaYomYom]

[HT: Rabbi B. Milecki]

Damascus: 'City in grip of fear'

A day after the attack on the national security headquarters that killed three top officials, a Damascus-based reporter describes the fear and fighting on the streets of the Syrian capital.

The scene in Damascus is very different today - there is no movement in town, most shops are closed and there is a heavy sense of fear and tension.

There are very few cars on the streets and the number of pedestrians walking around can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

It looks like any Friday morning during these times of tension when people prefer to stay at home to avoid the gunfire. But, even on Fridays, some people would still go to cafes and some restaurants. This seems less likely today.

Most workers who come in from suburbs did not make it to work or were afraid to leave home. The suburbs are cut off and even in parts of areas close to the city centre like Midan, Zahera, Qaboun and Barzeh people either fled or were unable to leave their homes. The battle is now too close.

The killing of Defence Minister Daoud Rajiha, President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law Assef Shawkat and Gen Hassan Turkomani has shaken the country.

Many people believe this will weaken the regime from within, especially as it is believed an insider was behind it.

'City of refugees'
The whole city is shaken. Worried about passing any government building or checkpoint, people are choosing to stay at home instead.

Syrian official media have shown pictures of troops involved in fighting in the Midan area of Damascus
Overnight, the sound of explosions and gunfire was heard in several areas, sometimes very close to the city centre...

Story: BBC

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Syria, Iran and the Chemical Weapons

Hours after the Syrian regime suffered its greatest setback in the yearlong civil war, the U.S. and U.K. defense chiefs feared that dictator Bashar Assad might use his stockpile of chemical weapons — the results of what may be the largest active chemical program on the planet. But because of the structure of Assad’s extensive chemical weapons effort, stopping him from using his weapons may not be possible, even if the U.S. military suddenly decided to openly intervene.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Assad’s rule was “rapidly spinning out of control” after a suicide bomber in Damascus killed the defense minister and possibly other high-ranking security officials. But that raises questions about whether a desperate Assad would turn to his large stockpiles of sarin, VX and mustard gas in order to cling to power. Reportedly, Assad has begun moving his chemical weapons out of storage.

Source:  U.S. May Not Be Able to Stop Syria From Using Chemical Weapons

Iran's contribution: Iranian trucks with chemicals intercepted en route to Syria

Rav Eliyashiv zt"l in Torah Codes

HT: Miguel

Moshiach Comes Av


The Haredi World lost a luminary. May the merit of learning Torah bring a Speedy Redemption!

...roshei tavos [first letters] of Rav Elyashiv's Name:  יוסף שלום בן אברהם חיה מושה  is:
משיח בא\אב - "Moshiach Comes / Moshiach Av

Source: Soul Mazal

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

''Battle for Damascus has started'' [video]

International envoy Kofi Annan says the 16-month conflict in Syria has reached a critical point as heavy fighting in the capital Damascus enters a third straight day.

Syria's rebel army says it has launched a full scale offensive to "liberate" the capital, dubbing the campaign "the Damascus volcano and earthquakes of Syria."

Fighting in the capital appears to be worsening, with reports that government forces are deploying tanks and helicopter gunships as they fight to regain control of rebel-held areas.

The clashes have now reached Sabaa Bahrat Square - a central site where President Assad's regime once staged pro-government rallies to counter the opposition protests that erupted early last year.

"There is no going back. The Damascus battle has priority for us. We have started the operation to liberate Damascus," rebel commander Colonel Qassem Saadeddine said.

Story and more videos at:  ABC.net

No Dispute


Camping in front of the Mishkan, in front of the Tent of Meeting to the east were Moses, Aaron and his sons... [Bamidbar 3:38]

Rashi coments: Adjacent to them was the division of the camp of Yehudah, with whom Yissachar and Zevulun camped.  The righteous man prospers and his neighbor prospers!  Since they were neighbors of Moshe, who was engaged in Torah study, they became great Torah scholars.

*********
A person could influence his neighbour with any good or bad quality.  Nevertheless, the fact that Rashi mentions just one good quality - Torah study - and one negative quality - being quarrelsome [see Rashi's Commentary to v. 29 and 38], is certainly no coincidence; it indicates that these two qualities are connected with each other. 

Rashi is teaching us that the study of Torah and involvement in disputes are diametric opposites.  If a person studies Torah with the proper intentions and sufficient dedication, he simply will not become involved in disputes, bcause Torah is the common thread which unites all Jews.

Based on Likutei Sichos vol 33, pp 16-17 Lubavitcher Rebbe

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

What is a Tzaddik?

by Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin

A man living in California once came to the Lubavitcher Rebbe for yechidus (a private audience). He was afflicted with an incurable case of psoriasis and came to ask the Rebbe for help. He told the Rebbe, “I’ve heard great things about you. I’ve heard that you perform miracles and I came to ask you to perform a miracle for me. As for my background, I went through the Holocaust. I don’t pray to G-d and I don’t believe in G-d. But I do believe in tzaddikim (completely righteous people). My father was a Bobover chassid and always went to his Rebbe for blessings, so I’ve always believed in the power of tzaddikim.”

The Rebbe replied that a tzaddik has no power of his own. A tzaddik is merely an extension of G-d here in this world to help people, which he does by tapping into G-d’s powers. “If you don’t believe in G-d, you cannot believe in me.”

The man waved his hand, “Eh! I still believe in tzaddikim.” So the Rebbe told him to take off his shirt and undershirt and stand up. The Rebbe got up from his chair. He took his two hands and put them on the man’s right arm and slid them from top to bottom, upon which the psoriasis disap­peared. The Rebbe repeated the action with the man’s left arm and again the man’s scales receded. Then the Rebbe took his two hands and applied them to the man’s chest and back. The psoriasis fell away. The Rebbe told his visitor that he normally did not perform revealed miracles. Generally, Heav­enly assistance would appear in a more concealed manner. But there are always exceptions to the rule. He hoped that from that day on, the man would once again believe in G-d and begin living a life of Torah and mitzvos.

Design
Tzaddik is the eighteenth letter of the alef-beis.

The design of a tzaddik is a yud on top of the letter nun. One interpretation of the nun is that it stands for ona’ah, deceit and fraud. By nature, most of us have the misconception that it is the physical world that is the source of ultimate truth and pleasure. But the yud, or Divine intellect, is added to the nun to teach us that the material world is ephemeral, and not the source of consummate goodness and joy. Therefore there must be something truer and more G-dly upon which to focus. This heightened intention is the essence of the tzaddik.

The Zohar recounts that when G-d wanted to create the world, every letter of the alef-beis came before Him and said, “G-d, create the world with me.” The tav came first, and then the shin, and so on. Then the tzaddik appeared before G-d and said, “G-d, create the world with me. I am the tzaddik, the righteous one.” So G-d responded, “Yes, but because you are righteous you must be hidden. Therefore, I cannot create the world with you.”

Chassidus asks why this is so. If the tzaddik is righteous, why wouldn’t G-d have wanted to use it to create the world? Every creature in the world would then be upright and pure. Rather than living in a realm of immorality, theft and deceit, we would live in a world that is safe, peaceful and G-dly. What would be wrong with that?

The answer is that it would be too easy. G-d’s intention is that we should be born into an incomplete physical world and strive to perfect it. With the G-dliness that flows from the yud, we can strengthen our ability to overcome the nun, the pleas­ures of the corporeal world. The tzaddik must therefore be concealed in Creation so that one strives for righteousness on his own.

Gematria
The numerical equivalent of the letter tzaddik is ninety. In Ethics of Our Fathers it says: “When one reaches the age of ninety, one is bent over (lashuach).” On a physical level, this means that at ninety, a man is infirm and bowed with weak­ness. On a spiritual plane, it represents the concept of humility. When one reaches ninety, he has become so spiritual and humble that he bends over for G-d. He is no longer an inde­pendent character but an extension of G-d Himself.

At the age of ninety, one has achieved a heightened level of prayer. He has the ability to feel a direct connection to G-d when he prays. Additionally, it is explained in the Midrash Shmuel that the word lashuach means “to pray constantly.” That connection is the foundation of a tzaddik. A tzaddik exists not for his own benefit, but to serve as an offshoot of G-d. We go to tzaddikim to pray on our behalf because we know that the prayers of the tzaddik will be answered.

Meaning
The name tzaddik means “righteous one,” a leader and teacher of a generation. We also know that many tzaddikim are called Rebbe. This tradition began with Moses, the first Rebbe of the Jewish people. Another famous tzaddik known as “Rebbe” is Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, the redactor of the Mishnah. There is a Rebbe in every generation, a tzaddik who is that era’s spiritual leader.

What is the concept of a Rebbe? “Rebbe,” רבי, is an acronym for Rosh B’nei Yisrael, “the head of the Jewish people.” What is a head? The head of a body is its control center. It gives life, nourishment, and direction to the rest of the body. It also feels the pain, desires and needs of every aspect of its body.

A Rebbe, then, is both literally and figuratively the head of the Jewish community. When a person has a dilemma, what should he or she do? Perhaps the problem is whether or not to visit Israel, buy a house, or marry a certain man or woman. That person goes to visit the Rebbe. Just as the head houses the eyes, the Rebbe is the eyes of his community. He has the ability to see things that the lone questioning individual cannot.

A Rebbe’s ability to intervene on behalf of the Jewish people is not magic. It is a natural and organic outgrowth of his right­eousness. Just as it is perfectly normal for the head to feel and respond to the needs of the whole body, it is natural for the Rebbe to feel and respond to the needs of his people.

What sources support the premise that a Jew can get closer to G-d through communication with a Rebbe? Moreover, doesn’t Judaism frown on “intermediaries” between man and G-d? The answer lies in the mitzvah u’ledavka bo, which means to cleave to G-d. The Rambam, based on the words of the Talmud, asks, “How is it possible that one should cleave to G-d? G-d is fire and we are physical. One who touches fire will burn.” The Sages answer,“‘To cleave unto Him’ means that we should cleave to wise men and to their disciples,” i.e., tzad­dikim. We cleave through connection with a tzaddik, who is one with G-d. Furthermore, believing in tzaddikim is based on a verse in Exodus said every day in our morning prayers: “[The Jews] believed in G-d and Moses His servant.” The Mechilta queries, “Why is it important to tell us that the Jewish people believed in Moses His servant? How can we equate our faith in Moses with our belief in G-d?” The answer is, without faith in Moses, or the Moses of every generation, there cannot be belief in G-d.

G-d puts tzaddikim in this world to testify to the fact that He exists. By virtue of our connection to these righteous people and our belief in them, we are provided with a channel to connect with G-d.

The letter tzaddik has two forms. There is the bent tzaddik which occurs at the beginning or middle of a word. Then there is the straight tzaddik which occurs at the end of a word. What is the significance of each? The straight tzaddik represents the baal teshuvah, one who has worked to improve his connection to G-d and returned to his essential holy nature. The bent tzaddik is born righteous, but has not yet reached the level of a baal teshuvah. As we are told, even a complete tzaddik cannot stand in the place of a baal teshuvah. A baal teshuvah stands higher.

What does this mean? How is it possible that a baal teshuvah—one who has sinned all his life and then decides to change—stands higher than a tzaddik? There are two reasons. The first is that the one who has transgressed has already tasted cheese­burgers and lobster, and relished them. Now he must wrest himself from their grip. It is similar to the difficulty experi­enced by a long-time smoker who now wants to quit. There might be a certain temptation on the part of one who has never smoked to try a cigarette. But having never smoked, it is much easier for him to control the temptation. One who has already experienced its physical pleasure, however, might be hooked. It is very difficult to extirpate that aspect from his life, and it requires tremendous strength and commitment. Thus a baal teshuvah who was born to a non-religious home, who never learned anything about Judaism, and lives according to the secular ways of the world creates an elevated connection to G-d when he decides to change. G-d says, “You, My dear child, stand higher than the tzaddik.”

The second reason the baal teshuvah stands higher than the tzaddik is that the wrongdoings of the baal teshuvah are con­verted into mitzvos. Once his past sins have been renounced, they are actually credited as positive command­ments.

How is this possible? The answer to that question requires a discussion of the method by which neutral and impure entities are spiritually elevated.There are two arenas in the physical world: the realm of the neutral and the realm of the impure. The realm of the neutral contains things that are capable of being elevated to holiness, like kosher food, Shabbos candles, and an esrog (citron) for the lulav. Those things that are com­pletely impure (i.e., pork, forbidden relationships) cannot be elevated and are therefore prohibited.

As an example of how the neutral realm can be affected, let’s say that I take an apple or a piece of kosher chicken and make a blessing on it before eating it. What’s my ultimate purpose in eating? Not to satisfy or gratify my selfish personal needs, but to acquire the strength to serve G-d. Making a blessing before one eats empowers the individual to elevate the food. In so doing, the neutral realm of the food has been elevated to the level of spirituality.

Conversely, consider the fact that I’m eating simply because I’m ravenous. I just want to fill my stomach, and G-d is the last thing on my mind. In this instance, I’m taking the neutral arena and drawing it down into the three levels of impurity. This arena of impurity denotes not only that which is prohibited—pork, shrimp, non-kosher meat and so forth—but that which is neutral and debased through improper action or intention.

Now, how do I elevate that which is impure by nature—that which is unable to be elevated under normal circumstances? By resisting it. For example, you’re walking down the street and see a hot dog stand. You have a desire to eat a hot dog even though they are not kosher. The moment you say, “No, I won’t eat one,” you’ve performed a mitzvah. You get credit for a mitzvah by not eating it, by curbing your desire. This is the meaning of fulfilling a negative commandment. Nevertheless, while the credit for fulfilling a negative (passive) command­ment is similar to performing a positive (active) one, it is not quite identical.

Now, to return to the original question, let’s say you’ve transgressed a negative commandment (e.g., done or eaten something prohibited). How do you transform the penalties associated with violating a negative commandment into the rewards generated by performance of a positive command­ment? This is accomplished by the decision to do teshuvah. You say, “G-d, I’m sorry for the past. I want to return to You. I will never sin again.” At that moment, all the accumulated sins become positive commandments.

Perhaps by knowing this someone could say, “Great. Now I can go down to the hot dog stand, eat a few frankfurters, and make up for it by doing teshuvah later.” Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. Anyone who says, “I will intentionally sin and then return to G-d later” is not given the opportunity to repent. A person can’t engage in the teshuvah process in a deceptive, self-serving manner. The essence of the baal teshu­vah’s return is the pure desire to rectify a previous wrong and return to his intrinsic connection to G-d. Can the one who sins in the present with the idea that he’ll repent later, in fact repent? If he is stubborn, yes. Nothing can stand in the way of teshuvah, and even for the worst sins in the Torah a person can repent. But in general, if one sins in order to repent, he will not be given the opportunity to do teshuvah.

It states in the Zohar that when Mashiach comes to the world, he will cause all the tzaddikim to do teshuvah. This means that Mashiach will bring a heightened awareness even to that person who has served G-d perfectly every day of his life. This is the bent tzaddik. This tzaddik will be blessed with an even greater desire and urgency to perform mitzvos than he previously possessed. He will have the ability to go beyond his nature and do more than he did yesterday. Thus the bent tzad­dik will also acquire the qualities of the baal teshuvah, the straight tzaddik.

When a child is born, he is administered an oath, “Be a tzad­dik and do not be wicked.” From birth, every individual has the ability to become a tzaddik. If one constantly recalls the existence of this oath, he or she can undoubtedly bring it from potential into reality.

Footnotes: click here: Chabad.org

Damascus Will Fall 5772 - Torah Codes

End of Days - Assad - Syria - Damascus - 5772 - [times of] Moshiach - The End of the Beginning, before the Beginning of the End.

Rebbe Nachman on Punishment

A person is sometimes punished even in the performance of a mitzvah. This is because he previously passed up an opportunity to fulfill just such a positive command.

A person sometimes unknowingly passes judgment on himself (by being asked to select a fitting punishment for someone else).

There are times when a person is killed because he failed to speak out on behalf of someone who is unjustly despised.

A person will sometimes be punished for having engaged in some illegal business practice, or because (he has been included in) a harsh decree passed against his neighbours or nation.

The Holy One hastens to exact punishments from an ungrateful person, punishing him at the hands of another ingrate.

A person bitten by a dog has either accepted malicious gossip or spoken it.

Source:  Sefer HaMiddot (The Book of Attributes) - Rabbi Nachman of Breslov
translated by Moshe Mykoff

Monday, July 16, 2012

Not the Shortest Way


A NYC Taxi driver wrote:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.