Shirat Devorah

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

To Remain in the Desert

''You will not come to the Land...'' [Shelach 14:30]

G-d does not issue a punishment to bring revenge on the sinner. Rather, the ''punishment'' is a form of spiritual ''medicine'' aimed at correcting the spiritual deficiency caused by a sin.

With this in mind, the ''punishment'' given to the Jewish people here is difficult to understand. Their sin was that they did not wish to enter the Land because they desired to remain in the desert where they could serve G-d without distraction; and yet, their punishment was to receive what they wanted: to remain in the desert [for forty years!] How would this ''correct' their sin of not wanting to enter the Land?

In truth however, the sin of the spies was not that they were too spiritual, but rather they were not spiritual enough. To be involved with the physical world and remain spiritually attuned demands the highest degree of attachment to G-d. So when the generation showed that they were lacking this level of dedication, they were given 40 more years of unrestricted Divine worship, enabling them to reach the level where they would be ready to engage in the world.

Source: Based on Likutei Sichos Vol 33 Lubavitcher Rebbe

Monday, June 8, 2026

23 Sivan Foretold

H/t Yosef Shidler for text and images

There is a short video uploaded here by Yosef Shidler

If you can't access it, I've copied the transcript.

All right. So the megilla explicitly mentions - in the first column of the megilla - in the first chapter it mentions that this year is 5786 ....what is happening and what is most interesting on what is happening is that this year current events with this whole Iran war, which basically is Persia, the place where the megilla happened, are aligning specifically with the four months that the megilla explicitly mentions.

Teves, the first month that the megilla mentions in the order of things, right? Why Teves is interesting is because Teves is when all the Iranians went out and they started to try and overthrow and cause this uprising, right? Remember this whole scenario? So they were trying to overthrow the government. That happened - the real beginning of that they pinned right to about 8th of Teves and it ended right before the end of Shevat.

Nothing happens. I remember we were all sitting in Shevat and we're like oh come on. When's this Iran war going to happen? When's this Iran war going to happen? Trump keeps talking about it. Everyone in the media is talking. When's the war finally going to happen? And we were sitting there and nothing's happening. The whole month of Shvat, right? Shvat's not mentioned in the megllah..

Then we get to the first date that we can read the megillah... All right, that is when the war begins and it goes all the way until the middle of Nissan. Then there's a ceasefire and it concludes, right - and so we have Teves, we have Adar and we have Nissan - all three months mentioned in the megillah, right? Then we go into Iyar and everyone's like, "Okay, what's happening with this Iran war?" And all this discussion and conversation and everything's going on, right? Nothing happening. Everyone's wondering, "Why is nothing happening?"

All right, so we're sitting there. We're trying to figure out what's the next step. When's Trump going to act? Finally, 29 Iyar, right? On 29 Iyar, the final day of Iyar, Trump puts up a big post, "the calm before the storm". The storm is coming back, right? We're going to go back into Iran. We're going to do our business right - today is Rosh Chodesh. So literally Trump is saying that I'm about to pick up and he showed the Iranian boats in that picture that he posted. We know that he's going back for Iran.

So essentially you have a pattern where you have months on, then off, months on off right - so what is the mathematical odds that we would get this whole pattern to exactly line up the way it did?

Also first of all let's just do it in the terms of just this year, meaning that the fact that this year the megilla....you know you have four months that are mentioned in the megilla out of 12 and the factor of all four months lining up specifically to have the megillah calls out those four months. So it says those odds are one in essentially 495 that that happens.

Then you factor that there's a code in the megilla.. The megilla potentially called out this year of 5786 and that number goes up by like a thousand. Like the mathematical odds that the megilla called out this year and that events are aligning with these months in order is crazy crazy crazy - numbers that are like blown up to the sky type of numbers. meaning that for for this to be predicted or for this to have been predicted and then happen, the mathematical odds are extremely extremely extremely low and very very unlikely to happen.

So bottom line I guess the month of Sivan is going to be very very telling as to what happens during this month if we perceive and if miracles happen and you know the war continues and I think we have a lot in store for us. I think it's going to be extremely interesting and extremely telling in the general course of events throughout the month. So, I guess pay attention to what happens because it's definitely going to be very very interesting to see that pattern emerge and continue.

Sunday, June 7, 2026

Sh'lach - Rejecting the Land of Israel

Art: Jerusalem Landscape by Michoel Muchnik

"And [the spies] began to speak badly about the land that they had explored." [Sh'lach 13:32]

A dispirited discussion took place at Beit HaRav, Rav Kook's house in Jerusalem, not long after the end of World War II. The Chief Rabbi had passed away ten years earlier; now it was his son, Rabbi Tzvi Yehudah Kook, who sat at the head of the table.

One participant at the Sabbath table had brought up a disturbing topic: the phenomenon of visitors touring Eretz Yisrael and then criticizing the country after returning to their homes. These visitors complain about everything: the heat, the poverty, the backwardness, the political situation - and discourage other Jews from moving here, he lamented.

Rav Tzvi Yehudah responded by telling over the following parable, one he had heard in the name of Rabbi Samuel Mohilever, the rabbi of Bialystok.

The Failed Match

There was once a wealthy man who sought the hand of a certain young lady. She was the most beautiful girl in town, and was blessed with many talents and a truly refined character. Her family was not well-off, so they were eager about a possible match with the prosperous fellow.

The young woman, however, was not interested in the match. Rich or not, the prospective suitor was known to be coarse and ill-mannered. She refused to meet with him.

The father asked her to at least meet with the young man in their home, so as not to embarrass him. After all, one meeting doesn't obligate you to marry him! To please her father, the young woman agreed.

The following Sabbath afternoon, the fellow arrived at the house as arranged, and was warmly received by the father. Shortly afterwards, his daughter made her entrance. But her hair was uncombed, and she wore a faded, crumpled dress and shabby house slippers. Appalled at her disheveled appearance, it did not take long before the young man excused himself and made a hurried exit.

What everyone says about this girl - it's not true, exclaimed the astonished young man to his friends. She's hideous!

Rav Tzvi Yehudah stopped briefly, surveying the guests seated around the table. Superficially, it would appear that the brash young fellow had rejected the young woman. But in fact, it was she who had rejected him.

The same is true regarding the Land of Israel, the rabbi explained. Eretz Yisrael is a special land, only ready to accept those who are receptive to its unique spiritual qualities. The Land does not reveal its inner beauty to all who visit. Not everyone is worthy to perceive its special holiness.

It may appear as if the dissatisfied visitors are the ones who reject the Land of Israel, he concluded. But in fact, it is the Land that rejects them!

A thoughtful silence pervaded the room. Those present were stunned by the parable and the rabbi's impassioned delivery. Then one of the guests observed, Reb Tzvi Yehudah, your words are suitable for a son of your eminent father, may his memory be a blessing!

Seeing the Goodness of Jerusalem

Rav Tzvi Yehudah's response was indeed appropriate for Rav Kook's son. When visitors from outside the country would approach the Chief Rabbi for a blessing, Rav Kook would quote from the Book of Psalms, "May God bless you from Zion" [128:5].

Then he would ask: What exactly is this blessing from Zion? In fact, the content of the blessing is described in the continuation of the verse: "May you see the goodness of Jerusalem."

The rabbi would explain: The verse does not say that one should merit seeing Jerusalem; but that one should merit seeing 'the goodness of Jerusalem.' Many people visit Jerusalem. But how many of them merit seeing the inner goodness hidden in the holy city?

And that, he concluded, is God's special blessing from Zion.

[ Source: Stories from the Land of Israel. Adapted from Malachim Kivnei Adam]

Friday, June 5, 2026

Second Thoughts

Source: "Anatomy of the Soul" - Chaim Kramer - from the writings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

Guard your thoughts carefully, for thought can literally create a living thing. The higher a faculty, the further it can reach. You can kick something with your foot, but throw it higher with your hand. You can reach still farther with your voice, calling to a person very far away. Hearing reaches yet further, for you can hear sounds like gunfire from a very great distance. Your sight reaches even further, seeing things in the sky. Highest of all is the mind, which can penetrate the loftiest heights. You must therefore safeguard your mind above all else. [Rebbe Nachman's Wisdom]

Knowing that thought can reach the loftiest heights, we must realize that thoughts are never mere thoughts. We must never allow ourselves to entertain the notion that it doesn't matter what we think. Good thoughts are extremely beneficial both to those who think them and to the world at large, while evil thoughts are most detrimental.

Rebbe Nachman taught: In ancient amphitheaters, monarchs used to stage battles between wild beasts and their prey. The same type of battle is waged daily in one's mind: battles between good thoughts and evil thoughts. When the good thoughts emerge victorious from the battle, it causes great pleasure Above. [Likutey Moharan 1, 233]

Rebbe Nachman also explains a related passage from the Zohar [III, 123a]

"Every day contains hidden good. But accompanying each day is an angel that prevents people (who are unworthy) from partaking of this good. This angel can take many forms - darkness, thorns, snakes, scorpions - all of which act as guardians to protect the good of that day and to prevent anyone who is unworthy from benefitting. Indeed, were it not for these guardians, the wicked would be able to freely enter into the mysteries of the Torah (and partake of the hidden good of that day).

"It is for this reason that when someone who is not worthy attempts to gain entrance into the Torah's mysteries, troops of destroying angels, which manifest as darkness, concealment, confusion etc. immediately surround him and confuse his thoughts, preventing him from trespassing. However, when one who is worthy wishes to enter, these guardians assist him.... they bring him to the hidden good and speak in his favour to the Master of the Universe..."

The "snakes and scorpions" are the thoughts that confuse a person when he wants to learn the mysteries of the Torah. Yet if he persists in his desire to find G-d, these very thoughts will assist him, then he will find great good every day.... For a person has the ability to incline his thoughts in any direction he wants. Even when his thoughts stray, it is within his power to harness them and return them to the straight path.

The harmful thoughts that assail people serve as a reminder of the ongoing battle with Amalek, the archenemy of the Jewish people. This is the meaning of the verse "Man's thoughts are rak ra kol hayom [only evil all the day]. In Hebrew, the final letters of these words spell AMaLeK. Evil thoughts represent the Amalek within. Amalek also alludes to doubts and confusion. This is seen in the numerical value of the word Safek (doubt) which is 240, the same as the gematria of the world Amalek. Like Amalek, doubts attack a person stealthily. Even before we realize we are under siege, we find ourselves overwhelmed by conflicting thoughts and emotions. It is therefore a Biblical commandment to remember Amalek, that is to be aware of him and his stealthy manner and to wage a constant battle against him.