Monday, August 11, 2025

Gog u Magog Upcoming

Australia has announced that it WILL support a Palestinian State. Well there's a surprise !

He's been dying to say that for weeks.  No surprise because he is best friends with Abbas as of last week.  

I don't know how many countries have officially declared their ill-feelings towards Israel, but we seem to be inching closer and closer to the Gog Magog scenario when the world turns on Israel.

This is what Bibi had to say to a journalist, regarding Australia's attitude, prior to Australia's announcement that they would accept a P. State.


Sky Talk


We're coming up to a very exciting time which is the second half of August and September, because the things that will be happening above our heads are getting more and more intense.

The planets that are passing by Earth, spinning around between earth and the sun, are now visible directly above us.  That is why Brisbane Australia looked like this on July 31 - blue stripes everywhere covering the entire sky.  That is the atmosphere of the planet Napisiti.





Everything we were taught about the solar system is probably wrong.  According to what we know, something like this is impossible, and if other planets came this close, earth would be wiped out.
Well, they are this close, and we're all still here.  

The weather... however.... is absolutely off the charts.

One minute you have a normal day, and the next your entire house is flooded and the street is a river. That is something that didn't happen prior to the arrival of the planets.  A rain bomb from Napisiti will turn the streets into a river in five minutes.  Check out this video and see the insane lightning [which is courtesy of the planet Atu - the purple planet] and the floods which followed.  Most of these things are not reported on mainstream news, just on their local news.  You have NO IDEA how many countries have been flooded out lately.  



These passing planets are Hashem's tools to cause the destructive weather on earth.   They are spinning around their sun, which is bigger than our sun, and that is why parts of the world have been so hot this year.  They drifted over into our view, and that is why the Sumerians named Nibiru the "Planet of the Crossing" because it crosses over with us approximately every 3600 years, give or take a few hundred, no-one is actually sure of the exact figure.

However, the internet is full of false information about Nibiru, and it is generally regarded as nonsense and fiction, because that is what they want you to think.  Meanwhile most of the world sees the changes in the sky but don't realize what they are actually seeing. Because they've been brainwashed to believe that a planet looks like an obvious round circle in the sky.... but it doesn't.... all planets are surrounded by their atmosphere.  Each planet has a different kind of atmosphere and different shaped clouds and colours, that is how we can recognise them.   Earth also has it's own atmosphere and when viewed from afar, it is also surrounded by clouds.

The Trait of Arrogance

וְלֹא תָבִיא תוֹעֵבָה אֶל בֵּיתֶךָ 
Nor should you bring an abomination into your house [Eikev 7:26]


The verse teaches us, noted R' Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, just how despicable the trait of arrogance truly is.  It is so abhorred that one is forbidden to even allow a haughty individual to enter his home.

We learn this from a verse in Mishlei: ''Every haughty heart is the abomination of Hashem'' [Mishlei 16:5]

We see, therefore, that a haughty individual is referred to as an ''abomination'', about which our verse explicitly states:  "And you must not bring an abomination into your home''.

Source: Rabbi Y. Bronstein


Friday, August 8, 2025

The Strength of the Sun Weakens




Tu B’Av - which begins tonight [Friday] - is just 45 days before the holiday of Rosh Hashanah. 

In his 18th-century chasidic work, Rabbi Avraham Dov Auerbach of Avritch explains the special relationship between Tu B’Av and the period leading up to Rosh Hashanah.

And it appears to me according to that which I heard in the name of the great Maggid, may his memory be blessed for life in the world to come [it is brought in the Ohr HaMeir, at the beginning of the teaching on Rosh Hashanah]: 

As he said, "Before the sun darkens (techshach)" [Ecclesiastes 12:2]" - that [corresponds to] the fifteenth of Av. 

As the letters of techshach are [the same as] tash koach (strength weakens). And on the fifteenth of Av, the strength of the sun weakens, as it is found in the Talmud [Taanit 31a]… 

Bat Ayin, Eikev 2

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Remember Who We Are Now


The Australian PM is "seeking a Netanyahu call" after Sydney's "Palestine" march on Sunday.  He wants to tell Bibi that Israel must support the "two state solution". 

Yes, the Australian PM is an idiot.

Bibi will chew him up and spit him out.


Meanwhile, this is what Caroline Glick had to say back in May, to the UK, France and Canada, on the same subject:


Go Shove It You sanctimonious, hypocritical cowards. How dare you threaten the one Jewish state on earth—after everything your nations did to us. You dare speak of “humanitarian values” while standing on piles of Jewish bones your ancestors buried beneath cobblestones, cathedrals, and charters of “civilized” nations.

Britain Oh, Britain. The empire that carved up the Middle East with a pencil and a gin-and-tonic. You issued the Balfour Declaration and then slammed the door on Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis. You handed chunks of Jewish land to Arab monarchs and let Jews die in the Holocaust rather than let them enter your precious Mandate. You interned Holocaust survivors in Cyprus like they were criminals. And now you’re wagging your colonial finger at Jews for building homes on our ancestral hills? Go shove your royal hypocrisy back into Buckingham Palace and deal with your own collapsing society—where knife crime, antisemitism, and Islamic extremism are more common than fish and chips. 

France Liberté, égalité, fraternité—unless you’re a Jew. You deported over 75,000 Jews to their deaths during the Holocaust with the full cooperation of the French Vichy regime. You let them be shoved into cattle cars from the Vel d’Hiv while Parisians watched. And after the war? No justice. No reckoning. Just decades of indifference and empty words. Today, Jews are being stabbed in the streets of France, synagogues are under military guard, and you still have the audacity to lecture us about morality? You couldn’t defend your own republic from a gang of jihadists in a van, but now you want to dictate how Israel defends itself from genocidal terrorists hiding behind human shields? You are morally bankrupt and culturally collapsing. Go lecture someone else while your republic burns. 

Canada Oh Canada—America’s cold, smug, spineless cousin. Your “moral high ground” is a snow-covered hill of lies. You locked Jewish refugees out during the Holocaust. The ship St. Louis begged for your mercy. You sent them back—to die. “None is too many,” your officials said. That’s your legacy. Your history. And today, your politicians pose for photo ops in mosques that glorify martyrs while denouncing Israel for fighting genocidal killers. You’ve turned your universities into Hamas fan clubs and your Parliament into a circus of virtue signaling. You host terrorists in suits and call it diplomacy. You abandoned the Jews when we were stateless, and now you want to punish us for defending our state? 

Here’s Our Response: 
We’re not the broken, stateless Jews of 1942. We’re the sovereign people of Israel—armed, aware, and unapologetic. Your sanctions are a joke. Your threats are meaningless. Your moral lectures are garbage. We don’t need your permission to live. We don’t need your validation to fight. You allowed Jewish blood to soak your soil for centuries. Now that Jews fight back, build, thrive—you clutch your pearls? Israel doesn’t need your empty Western democracy. We have something older, holier, and stronger: truth, covenant, survival. Go shove your resolutions where the sun doesn’t shine. 

We’re not going anywhere. And next time you dare threaten the Jewish state— Remember who we are now.

Monday, August 4, 2025

The Harmful Spirits Flee


by Rabbi David Hanania Pinto


"And write them on the doorposts of your house and upon your gates" [Va'etchanan 6:9]

The mitzvah of mezuzah is well-known segulah for protecting the home from evil mishaps, destructive spiritual impediments, and harmful spirits.

The sefarim write that the word 'מזזות', mezuzot, can be re-arranged to form two words, 'זז-מות'. Chazal say (Shabbat 32a) that for the sin of not placing a mezuzah on one's doorpost, one's children may die r"l, but one who is careful with mezuzah, 'זז מות', 'death moves away' from his home.

This is the reason, writes the 'Sha'ar Bat Rabim', for writing the Name 'שד-י' on the outside of the mezuzah. 'שד-י' is an acronym for 'שומר דלתות ישראל', 'He guards the doors of Yisrael'. When they see Hashem's Holy Name written on the outside of the mezuzah, all harmful spirits and impediments are subdued and flee from this doorway.

Friday, August 1, 2025

The Vision of Isaiah




A commentary on the Haftarah for Shabbat Chazon 


by Yitzi Hurwitz 

On the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av, called Shabbat Chazon, we read the haftorah that begins with the words: “Chazon Yeshayahu” [vision of Isaiah].

The haftorah ends: “Zion will be redeemed with justice, and its captives, with tzedakah.”

The question is: Who or what is Zion? And who are the captives?

Some simply translate Zion to refer to Jerusalem, and the captives are the Jewish people. Others understand Zion to be the Jewish people. But if so, then who are the captives?

The answer is that Zion refers to Jews who study Torah and do the mitzvahs, and the captives are Jews who are not involved in Torah and mitzvahs. They are called captives because they have surrendered their will to their bodies and their “animal souls.” So-called Zion Jews are redeemed with justice because they earned it. However, the captive Jews are redeemed with tzedakah because they otherwise can’t be redeemed.

We are told that in the end, all Jews will repent and immediately be redeemed. This is an act of kindness, of tzedakah.

As Jews, we know that our bodies can be subjected to exile. Our G‑dly souls, however, cannot.

Even when the soul is sent down to influence the body and the physical world since it is an actual part of G‑d, it is not affected by the dark concealment it experiences. On the contrary, the darkness and the exile cause the soul to bring out hidden strength that had been lying dormant, strengthening its connection with G‑d.

The body, on the other hand, is subject to the harsh conditions and darkness of the exile. G‑d put us in this great darkness so we can transform the darkness into light.

While the soul is strengthened because of the darkness, it doesn’t directly affect the darkness. However, the body, through fulfilling G‑d’s will in the exile, changes the darkness into light. This light is greater than the light of the soul. It is Hashem’s will, His very essence, which is the greatest light possible.

This brings us to yet a third explanation of our verse. Zion refers to our bodies, and v’shaveha [which we had translated as “captives,” but can also mean “returnees”] refers to our souls.

The soul is not subject to the exile. Being in the body, which is in exile, is merely a matter of being in the wrong place. It doesn’t need redemption; all it needs is to return.

The body will be redeemed with justice because it suffered in exile and did the work, and so it rightfully earned its redemption.

The neshamah, which did not suffer in exile, returns as a kindness, a tzedakah. It did influence the body, and so it comes along and receives the greatest revelation through the body: the body’s reward for its physical work in the dark exile, the revelation of G‑d’s essence.

Now we can understand the first words of the haftorah: “Chazon Yeshayahu.” Chazon means the vision, and the name Yeshayahu comes from the word yeshuah, which means “redemption.” Our haftorah is telling us that specifically during times of darkness, which the Three Weeks and Tisha B’Av symbolize, is where you can accomplish the vision of the redemption.

We will experience this great revelation with the coming of Moshiach. May He come soon. 

Source: Chabad

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

This Generation's Transgression of the Three Cardinal Sins

Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz

First 30 seconds there is music.

Parshat Devarim, Geula and Tisha b'Av.


Lashon Hara vs Psychological/Emotional Damage

 


An important area of speech which is considered constructive is that which helps to relieve someone of psychological or emotional damage caused by others. 

It is permissible for anyone who is suffering emotionally or psychologically to seek appropriate help even if this involves discussions of people and events that would otherwise constitute lashon hara. If possible, names should be omitted, and only pertinent information should be shared. 

The Chofetz Chaim speculates that it may be considered constructive for a person troubled by an issue to unburden himself to someone even if only to relieve himself of stress. 

Obviously, this applies to especially difficult situations and not to the daily vicissitudes of life.

CHOFETZ CHAIM A Lesson A Day
You can read all the daily lessons here, see Archives on the right side menu for all previous days. 

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

5 Av Yarzheit - The Arizal


The Arizal [1534-1572] - Rabbi Isaac Luria was the most famous Kabbalist in the city of Safed, Israel who became known as the "Arizal" or ARI, an acronym for “The G-dly Rabbi Isaac of Blessed Memory.”

The Arizal passed away at the age of 38, and it was only during the last two years of his life that he met his foremost disciple, Rabbi Chaim Vital. The Arizal himself never wrote any books, however all his words were faithfully recorded by Rabbi Chaim Vital in what is known as Kitvei Ari, the “writings of the Arizal.” The Kitvei Ari is the key to the secrets of the Zohar, and it was the Arizal who formulated the Kabbalah into a comprehensive system. Rabbi Chaim Vital writes in the name of the Arizal that, “It is a Mitzvah to reveal this wisdom.” Until the time of the Arizal, knowledge of Kabbalah was not known outside of the tightly knit circle of the tzaddikim.

The Subtle Rebuke

Art Efraim Gavrilobich



When rebuking the Jewish people here, Moshe did not mention, or even allude to their sins.  Rather, in order to maintain their dignity, he merely mentioned the places where they had sinned [see Rashi].  

This teaches us how careful one should be not to cause distress to another person.  

If, on occasion, it proves necessary to rebuke another - even for serious sins, such as the ones which Moshe indicated here - one should nevertheless do so subtly and gently, while at the same time drawing the person close with warmth and love.

Lubavitcher Rebbe: Sichas Shabbos Parshas Devarim 5725

Monday, July 28, 2025

Be Prepared: Mashiach's Arrival Will Happen in an Instant

Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff




Ovadiah the Prophet describes the fall of Edom, Yemen and Hamas before Mashiach



Friday, July 25, 2025

Only Through the Strength of Torah

H/t Sherry


One of the conditions during the time immediately before Moshiach is that the pious will be despised. 


HaGaon HaRav Povarsky On Draft Law Crisis: “This Is The Only Thing You Need To Keep In Mind”


HaGaon HaRav Baruch Dov Povarsky. (Photo: Elazer Feinstein)


Rosh Yeshivah Ponevezh HaGaon HaRav Berel Povarsky published a letter of chizuk to bnei yeshivos via the Va’ad Hayeshivos on Wednesday evening.

“To the beloved and dear bnei yeshivos,” the letter begins. “Words are superfluous regarding your preciousness and virtues. All the koach of Klal Yisrael and its successes are only through the koach haTorah.” 

“But unfortunately, the wicked government behaves with complete disregard for this, and out of unrestrained hatred, the hatred of the ignorant and wicked towards Talmidei Chachamim and Bnei Torah, they declare lomdei Torah as criminals and evaders, rachmana litzlan—when the opposite is true, and those who have no part in the Torah are the evaders and destroyers of our existence.” 

The Rosh Yeshivah also called on bnei yeshivos not to be drawn into debates with the public over the draft issue. “It is not our job to negotiate with them and discuss their vanities,” he wrote. “We only need to remember the second bracha in the Shema of Maariv, that the love of Hakadosh Baruch Hu for Yisrael stems from the koach of Ahavas Torah and engaging in it day and night, and to believe in this with complete faith—that His love will never depart from us.” 

“And no one will have the power to cause us pain or harm us, chas v’chalilah, because we’re the loved ones of the One who loves us with a great and everlasting love,” the Rosh Yeshivah concluded.

Thursday, July 24, 2025

At The Gates of Heaven

Art by Schnette


R' Meir of Premishlan or, as he was fondly known, R' Maer'l, was renowned for his devotion to tzedakah. Any gifts he received from his Chassidim he immediately distributed to the poor. He explained himself in this way:

"Meir'l once went up to Heaven in a dream and observed what happened to people as they came to Heaven after they died.

"The first to appear by the celestial gates was a great Torah scholar, who was not granted immediate entry into Heaven. Instead, he was politely asked to wait outside a while so that the angels could determine whether his studies were pursued with pure intentions or in order to be recognized and praised for his great wisdom.

"The second soul to appear before the gates was that of a tzaddik who devoted his life to leading and advising his flock in their search to serve Hashem. He too was cordially asked to wait outside while his motives were thoroughly investigated.

"The third to arrive was a poor innkeeper who accepted all guests into his inn. If someone had money to pay for his room and board, the innkeeper would graciously accept it. However, if the person were too poor to pay, the host would gladly provide hospitality free of charge.

"The angels immediately decided that he should be ushered into the presence of Hashem without any delay. They had no doubt that his charity was pure because he had not done it for recognition and he helped the poor without expecting any reward in return.

"From this dream Maer'l learnt the enormous importance of tzedakah and decided to become a gabbai tzedakah to distribute Hashem's money among the poor."

Source: Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Feuer

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Don't Ask "Why Me?"

 

Art Richard Prince


Sometimes you're not being tested, you're being trusted.

Hashem saw your soul and whispered: "She can carry light into places no-one else can" 

So the challenge came. 

Not to break you 

But to reveal you. 

So don't ask "why me?" 

Ask: "What light did He see in me, that I haven't even met yet."



Source: Rita Inspired  [via Chaya, and that rhymes, so give me a dime]

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Is It OK to ask a Deceased Tzaddik to Pray on My Behalf ?

This is one of the most mis-understood concepts in Judaism.
It came up on one of my random searches, and I thought it needed to be blogged again.


Text by Tzvi Freeman

Question:

I was always under the impression that Judaism firmly believed that there are no intermediaries between man and G‑d, and to pray to the deceased is blasphemous and outlawed by the Bible. If so, why is it permissible to ask the Rebbe to intercede on one's behalf at the Ohel?

Answer:

Yes, Jewish customs can be perplexing. Judaism is all about having a direct connection to G-d. An intermediary is a form of idolatry (see "Unidolatry" for more explanation of why this is forbidden.). Yet for as long as there are records, Jews have been in the habit of asking righteous men and women to have a chat with G-d on their behalf.

We see that the Jewish people asked Moses to intercede many times and he accepted their request. If he hadn't, we wouldn't be here--so G-d obviously figured it was okay. The Talmud [Baba Batra 116a] tells us that "If there is someone ill in your house, go to the wise man of the city and ask that he should pray for him." Of course, this person also needs to pray for himself, as his family should as well--and any Jew who knows that another Jew is ill should pray for him. But you need to go to that wise man as well.

The same with visiting graves: On the one hand, as you pointed out, the Torah tells us not to "beseech the dead." It's listed along with all the other "abominations" practiced by the people that lived in Canaan before we came there. And yet, we have an ancient and popular custom to visit the graves of righteous people and pray there.

Just how ancient and popular is this custom? The Torah tells us that Caleb, one of the twelve spies that Moses sent to spy out the Land of Canaan, made a personal detour to Hebron. What was his interest in Hebron? The Talmud [Sotah 34b] tells that he wished to pray at the cave where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob and Leah are buried. He prayed there for mercy on his soul and he was saved from the fateful decision of the other spies.

The Talmud also states that it is customary to visit a cemetery on a fast day [Taanit 16a]. Why? Typical of the Talmud (and anything that involves Jewish people), two opinions are provided: Some say that this is simply to remind those who are fasting of their own mortality--a graveyard can be a magically effective cold-bucket of inspiration when you're feeling smug and self-assured. But others say that this is in order to connect to ask the souls of the righteous who are buried there that they intercede on our behalf. In fact, the Zohar states that if it were not for the intercession of those souls who reside in that afterworld, our world would not endure for a moment.

So why is this not called "beseeching the dead?" And why doesn't asking any tzaddik, living or dead, to intercede on our behalf constitute making an intermediate between ourselves and G‑d?

This very question was raised by a nineteenth century foremost authority on Jewish law, Rabbi Moshe Shik [known as "the Maharam Shik"], a student of the Chatam Sofer.

He explains as follows:

A Jew is not permitted an intermediary. There must be nothing between the Jew and G‑d.
Nevertheless, as previously established, it is permissible for a Jew to ask another Jew to be an intermediary between him and G‑d.

Rabbi Shik explains this apparent anomaly in the name of his teacher, the Chatam Sofer: When one Jew approaches another and tells of the pain he is suffering, the other Jew feels it just as he does. Now they are both in need of prayer. The Jew does not feel he is praying for an "other"--he is praying for himself.

In other words, all Jews can be considered as one body. If the toe is hurting, it needs the head and the heart to help it. So too, if I am in need, I can call upon all other Jews--and especially those who are the head and the heart of our people--to pray for me as well. Because if one Jew is hurting, we are all hurting.

Rabbi Shik then extends this to the deceased, as well. According to the Talmud and the Zohar, those righteous souls who have passed on from this world are still very much in touch with their students and family and care for them and their problems. We petition them to pray on our behalf--and they do and often their prayers are more effective than our own. After all, we often don't fathom the seriousness of these problems from our limited perspective as much as they might from their much more lofty view.

Praying at a gravesite does not mean you are beseeching this dead person to rise from the grave and appear before you. That is the abomination to which the above-cited verse refers. Neither are you, G‑d forbid, praying to the dead—a practice that is most certainly forbidden. But you are able to connect with these souls, since, when it comes to the soul, all of us are truly one.

You are simply expressing your faith that the righteous never really die, truth is never truly lost and even the grave cannot prevent you from connecting to this great teacher and righteous soul. Just as this tzaddik cared and took care of others during his lifetime--not as "others" but as he cared for his own soul--so too now, nothing has changed and he still can feel your pain and pray with you.

The Zohar states this as well, when it tells us that the tzaddik is here with us after his passing even more than before. During his lifetime, the tzaddik was limited within a physical body. Now he has transcended those limitations. But he never transcends his sympathy for the plight of another soul--no matter where that soul may be found. Just as during his lifetime, he ignored the boundaries of "I and you," so now he can ignore the boundaries of life and afterlife.

This is the fundamental reasoning behind beseeching those in the grave to intercede on our behalf. And this, in fact, has been the common practice in Jewish communities around the world.

Source: Chabad.org

Sufficient Aggravation


Rabbi Nota of Chelm had a chassid who was very well-to-do, who said to him "I am very wealthy and I lack for nothing. But recently there is a little voice within me, that tells me that all is not well. It is as if I have a premonition that my fortunes are about to take a turn. It is one thing if a person is born into a life of poverty, and accepts poverty as a way of life. Not so with me. If I lose my fortune, the change will be disastrous, and I doubt that I will be able to adjust to it."

"What kind of changes have you made in your home recently?" Rabbi Nota asked.

Assuming that the Rabbi was inquiring about laxity of Torah observance, the chassid said "G-d forbid, Rabbi. Everything is as it was. Shabbos is totally Shabbos, my kosher standards are as rigid as ever, and I faithfully study the Torah daily."

"That's not what I am after" the Rabbi said. "What physical changes have you recently made in your household?"

The chassid thought for a moment, then said "Yes, I did make a change, but it is hardly significant. I had a set of expensive crystal glassware, but I would get upset when a crystal goblet fell or was chipped. I therefore set it aside, and bought silver goblets which are more resistant to damage."

"There you have your answer" Rabbi Nota said. "Every person is destined to experience a small amount of adversity. You were fulfilling your quota of unpleasantness when a piece of crystal was damaged. When you eliminated that source of unpleasantness, you invited adversity from other sources. Put away the silver goblets and use the crystal again. You will then have sufficient aggravation from the crystal being chipped so that you will not need any other."

And so we have an explanation for the custom in Jewish homes that when a glass or dish breaks, we exclaim "Mazel tov!" If we were destined to experience some loss, we satisfied this decree by the loss of the glass or dish, and now we could go on to be happy.

Source: Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski MD

Thursday, July 17, 2025

The 210-214 years

This was written by Rabbi Pinchas Winston in 2012.

I have crossed out his estimation back then, and replaced it with the estimation from now.  


According to the Zohar, the entire period of time allotted for Techiyas HaMeisim is between 210-214 years in advance of 6000. These are not the opinions of obscure rabbis, but of Rebi Yehudah HaNasi, the author of the Mishnah, and Rebi Yitzchak, a central figure of the same time period. They are, therefore, mainstream opinions, with which no one argues, at least not in the Zohar. As hard as this may be to fathom, that Techiyas HaMeisim may be only 14-18 years away, months away,  there really is no reason not to believe it. 




Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Netanyahu: “This is unlike anything we've ever seen…”

I don't know who saw the Mark Levin interview with Netanyahu.  I didn't see it, but I was reminded of it just now, so here it is, introduced by Rabbi Dovid Vigler.


Tuesday, July 15, 2025

The Right Path




"Of Yetzer, the Yitzri family; of Shilem, the Shilemi family" [Pinchas 26:49]


This verse, said the Chofetz Chaim, can be expounded upon in the following manner:

"Of Yetzer" - One who succumbs to the lure of the yetzer hara (evil inclination) will immediately find himself in the company of the "Yitzri family" - the members of the yetzer hara's family are all more than ready to help him along the path of wickedness.

"Of Shilem" - But one who strives for perfection (sheleimus) will find himself in the company of the "Shilemi family" - those who fear Heaven and have achieved spiritual perfection will help him along the upright path.

"In the path that a man wishes to go, he is led" [Makkos 10b]

Friday, July 11, 2025

Listen to Your Body, It Has a Message For You

Art Jeremy Dyer


The Talking Donkey by Rabbi Simon Jacobson

A mysterious event in this week’s Torah portion reveals a phenomenon new to modern psychology—that we must listen to our body’s voice, which carries messages, memories and potent power.

One of the strangest episodes in history takes place in this week’s Torah portion. The gentile prophet Balaam is commissioned by Moabite King Balak to curse the Jewish people. Balak felt threatened by the Jews. He wanted to defeat them in battle and drive them away.

Initially G-d does not allow Balaam to go. But after Balak’s emissaries beseech him G-d permits him to go, saying “But only do exactly as I instruct you.”

Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his female donkey and went on his way. G-d plants His angel in the road to oppose him.

When the donkey saw G-d’s angel standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, the donkey went aside from the road into the field. Balaam beat the donkey to get it back on the road. G-d’s angel then stood in a narrow path through the vineyard, where there was a fence on either side.

When the donkey saw G-d’s angel, it edged over to the side, crushing Balaam’s foot against the wall. [Balaam] beat it even more. G-d’s angel continued ahead, and he stood in a narrow place, where there was no room to turn right or left. When the donkey saw G-d’s angel, it lay down [refusing to budge] for Balaam. Balaam lost his temper and beat the donkey with a stick.

G-d then opened the donkey’s mouth and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you beat me these three times?” “You have embarrassed me [or: been playing games with me],” shouted Balaam at the donkey. “If I had a sword in my hand just now, I would have killed you!”

The donkey replied to Balaam, “Am I not your [faithful] donkey, upon which you have been riding from back when until this day. Have I ever been unmindful to you?” “No,” replied Balaam. G-d then opened Balaam’s eyes and he perceived the angel standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. [Balaam] kneeled and prostrated himself on his face.

G-d’s angel said to him, “Why did you beat your donkey these three times? I have come out to oppose you, because your errand is obnoxious to me. When the donkey saw me, it turned aside these three times. If it had not turned aside before me, as it did now, I would have killed you and spared [the donkey].”

Balaam said to G-d’s angel: “I have sinned! I did not know that you were standing on the road before me. If you consider it wrong [for me to go], I will return home.” G-d’s angel said to Balaam, “Go with the men. But do not say anything other than the exact words that I declare to you.

The narrative continues with G-d compelling Balaam to bless the Jews instead of cursing them, to the chagrin of Balak and his cronies.

This story with the talking donkey is puzzling from beginning to end. If G-d didn’t want Balaam to go to Balak, why didn’t he just stop him from going? If for whatever reason G-d wanted to block his way with an angel, why did he hide the fact from Balaam and allowed the donkey to see the angel – after all Balaam not the donkey was the prophet?!

A Torah axiom states that G-d does not perform miracles in vain. Why then was this miracle of miracles necessary, to have the donkey see the angel, resist moving on, until the donkey ends up speaking?! This miracle would have been totally unnecessary if Balaam had seen the angel himself. Why the need to open the donkey’s mouth?!

The plot thickens: the Mishne states [in the Ethics of our Fathers] that the “donkey’s mouth” was one of the ten unique things created at dusk on the sixth day of creation! In other words, G-d planted this episode from the beginning of time by creating the “donkey’s mouth” for the day when the donkey would speak to Balaam!

Why is the “donkey’s mouth” so significant?

Briefly:

Torah speaks in the language of man. Beneath the literal meaning in the Torah narrative are layers upon layers of deeper dimensions. Within the “body” of the story lies it’s soul – profound spiritual and psychological insights that illuminate the nature of our psyches and provide direction on how to deal with the challenges of life. Every character in Torah, every episode of its narrative, parallels a facet of our personalities.

The story of Balaam and his donkey is the story of our own lives, with a multitude of lessons.

The Hebrew word for donkey is “chamor.” [A female donkey (jennet) is called “osson.” “Pered” is the Hebrew name for a mule (or a hinny), a hybrid borne of a horse and a donkey. But the general name for donkey, male or female, is “chamor”].

The Baal Shem Tov explains that “chamor” also means matter. In Exodus the verse states: “When you see the donkey of your enemy being overburdened by its burdens, don’t ignore it. It’s incumbent upon you to help relieve its burden.” Interprets the Baal Shem Tov: You observe “chamor” – your physical body and the coarse materialism of life – and you see that it is your enemy, opposing all things spiritual, and feeling overburdened by the sublime responsibilities of the soul. You may then consider ignoring the body so that it does not distract you from fulfilling your calling. You may even want to punish your body through asceticism and self-affliction.

Says the Torah: No! You are responsible to support, refine and elevate the “chamor,” even if it is ostensibly your enemy.

Balaam the prophet represents the paradox of a spiritual man locked in a decadent lifestyle. Each of us has two dimensions: A sacred side and a profane one. A person may be deeply spiritual, yet also profoundly corrupt. Indeed, the Talmud says “the greater the person, the greater his evil inclination.”

An extraordinarily gifted person always has equally powerful unique challenges. Left without discipline these gifts can be abused. And when they are, it is very difficult to get through to the person. Because the smarter he is, the better are his excuses and his ability to cover his tracks. He can mask his subjectivity with brilliant smokescreens.

At it’s extreme, you have Balaam: A prophet willing and delighted to use his Divine power to curse an entire nation.

Spiritual corruption or distortion is worse than other forms of corruption, because it uses a very positive force for negative ends. In other instances of corruption, you can always hope that a person’s conscience and spirit can be aroused. But once the spirit has been corrupted, and the soul has been taken hostage by destructive forces, what recourse is left?

The same holds true for any abuse perpetrated by a person who is supposed to love you: A parent, a sibling, a spouse. With strangers we have our guard up. If a stranger is abusive, s/he cannot hurt you that much because you don’t necessarily expect much from a stranger. But abuse coming from a loved one hurts us in the deepest place: the place of love. A parent, for instance, is supposed to love you, and as a child you are vulnerable before your parent. Thus, when the parent is abusive, it touches the very core of our beings: our souls. The worst abuse is the one that scars our most vulnerable places. Nothing is worse then love itself – and the source of love – being (ab)used in a cruel way.

So what is the antidote to this epitome of distortion? If the gifted person, or the one who is supposed to be providing love, has become corrupt to the point that he cannot even listen, how then do you get through to him?

The dilemma is also from the perspective of the abusee (the survivor): Once someone has been hurt in a deep part of his spirit, he doesn’t allow anyone in. So how can he be reached?

Yet, G-d in His infinite wisdom precedes the cure before the illness. Even when the soul may be unable to hear the message, the body has its own voice that speaks to us.

In modern psychology there is a phenomenon, which we shall call “psychological hypothermia.” When a child suffers severe abuse from a loved one (especially if its ongoing), the child will go “out of body” to separate himself from the experience. One of the reasons for this is presumably because the child cannot tolerate the possibility of a loved one hurting him. He therefore disassociates from the experience, as if it didn’t happen to him.

Hypothermia is “a decrease in the core body temperature to a level at which normal muscular and cerebral functions are impaired.” When a child, for instance, falls into ice-cold water, and his temperature drops to dangerous levels, the child will go into a state of shock, which shuts down the primary life functions to the point that the child may appear dead, in order to preserve the bare minimum energy for the vital organs. In other words, in order to survive the conscious faculties have to temporarily stop functioning.

The same is true psychologically. For survival purpose, sometimes we have to detach from an experience, to the point that we may be unaware of it in our conscious minds.

Yet – and this is the big yet – even as our conscious spirits may be unaware of the experience, our bodies remember them. Every experience in our lives is etched into the memory of our bodies. That is why we talk about experiencing “knots” and “tightness” in our bodies. Psychological feelings do not remain in the mental domain; they seep into the body, causing all sorts of physical reactions (“knots in the stomach” is one mild example). Anxiety oozes toxins into your body. Strong traumatic experiences tie up your body in knots.

In severe cases, the personality shift that happens at the time of abuse remains long after the experience. A child may grow into an adult that has actually shifted his personality, and is living, in some ways, like another person, often having “out of body” experiences. So severe was the initial abuse.

But, even when the soul, for whatever reason, is unable to consciously acknowledge an experience, the body has stored it away, for the day when it will be safe to emerge.

And therein lies the true power of therapy and growth: To help an individual find safety and security, so that he or she can then work on “untying the knots,” and allowing himself to access the soul that he had to hide away so long ago.

By no means is this a simple process. It can even be torturous at times. Yet, in a strange way this phenomenon is a testimony to one of the greatest resiliencies of the human being: G-d allows a child to survive even the worst experiences, and then gives him the strength to reconnect with himself when the times is right and the situation safe.

Even when the soul is not conscious of the memory, because the abuse came from a soul connection – a loving person – the body is endowed with a wisdom that does remember. And it holds the secret till the day when the soul will be able to hear the message.

This is the inside story of Balaam and his donkey. G-d could not get through to Balaam on a fundamental level. He saw that Balaam was intent on going to Balak and helping him implement his malevolent plan. But even when the soul cannot be reached, the body can. So it is the “chamor” – the body – that sees the “angel,” and it is the body that cries out to the person prodding him to open his eyes.

What is most fascinating about this concept is that usually we associate awareness with the soul. Yet, Jewish mysticism teaches that the body too was created by G-d. It therefore contains unique Divine energy of its own. Indeed, the body carries enormous power stemming from the Essence of G-d, which in some ways is superior even to the energy of the soul!

But often when our bodies speak to us, beckoning us to act, we may ignore the voice. Or worse: We may “beat” the body, as Balaam beat his donkey, because it is becoming a nuisance and distracting us from our misguided plans.

So, we have many voices available to us. In healthy situations, and in many instances, it is the voice of our souls that we should be heeding. Yet, at times our bodies carry important messages for us.

The question is: Are we listening?




....If you want to listen some more, click here to go to Rabbi Y. Y. Jacobson's lecture Moshiach's Donkey: A Drama in Four Acts 

Thursday, July 10, 2025

GLOBAL ALERT: Iran, Russia, China… Is the END near?

Rav Ron Chaya

Bibi is in Washington with Trump. Iran is threatening. Putin is advancing. China is targeting Taiwan… What are these powers planning? Is this the final countdown? In light of the prophecies, Rav Ron Chaya deciphers the critical moment the world is experiencing.

[He's speaking in French, and there is an overlay of someone speaking the English translation.  I actually found it easier to turn the sound off and just read the sub-titles, but other people may prefer to listen.]


Jewish Spiritual Dimensions in the Messianic Era - Part 3

Rabbi Mendel Kessin


Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Prophecy Is Returning - Upgrade in Consciousness - Are You Ready?

Rabbi Y. Y. Jacobson

For the Sake of Heaven

 

"How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!" [Balak 24:5]

Rashi writes that Bilaam was inspired by the Jewish tents "because he saw that the entrances were not opposite each other".

The arrangement of tents alludes to scholars convening together to discuss matters of Torah, each one offering his own interpretations.  Then, if their "entrances" - meaning their mouths - are "opposite each other" i.e. their intention is to show that their own ideas are superior than those of the others, then woe to them and their souls!  

But if their intentions are for the sake of Heaven, then they are certainly deserving that the Divine presence should rest with them.

Based on Ohr Torah of the Mezritcher Maggid

Monday, July 7, 2025

Last Night's Storm

No filter, this is how it was.  Purple.  Strobe lightning.

And where I was, the lightning lit up the entire sky in brilliant white.



Balak curses the Jews but creates a future Mashiach and Temple

Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff - 16 mins


Sunday, July 6, 2025

Israel Calls out Australia's Anti-Semitic Attacks



‘Vile’: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu hits out after Melbourne synagogue fire


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other high-ranking Israeli officials have responded with fury to the attacks on a Melbourne synagogue and Jewish restaurant on Friday night.

In a Hebrew-language statement posted on Saturday, Mr Netanyahu called the attack on the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and Miznon restaurant “vile” and called on the Australian government to take “all necessary measures” to bring the offenders to justice. 

“Vile antisemitic attacks, accompanied by chants of ‘Death to the IDF’ and an attempt to harm a house of worship, are serious hate crimes that must be uprooted at their source,” he said.

“Israel will continue to stand with the Jewish community in Australia, and we call on the Australian government to take all necessary measures to bring the rioters to justice and to prevent such attacks in the future.”

 

Friday, July 4, 2025

Rav Yosef Dayan: The Hidden Tzadik [Tzaddik Nistar]





Rabbi Yosef Dayan, the author of "Sefer HaTikunim", who departed from this world on 9 Tamuz 5745 [1985], was an Israeli Sefardi Tzaddik of Syrian background.

Rabbi Dayan was unusual in a number of ways. Firstly, after the Jewish people were returned to the Land of Israel, he spent a great deal of time discovering and uncovering the tombs of ancient tzaddikim throughout the Land. We are unsure exactly how he did this, but he did! He spent long periods of time at many of these holy sites, sometimes surrounded by hostile Arabs (although he was fearless through his attachment to G-d).

Secondly, he remained un-married, very unusual for a tzaddik.

Thirdly, he taught that prayer should be repeated. He often quoted the Talmud, that if your prayer is not answered, pray more, continue to pray and to beseech G-d. This was Rabbi Dayan's approach. He did not make do with a short prayer offered once. He taught regularity and consistency in prayer, according to Rabbi Hanina's teaching in Berachot 32a: "Everyone who prays long, his prayer does not return empty."

Rabbi Dayan explained the need to pray much and not to tire, until our request is received in Heaven. Because of our little worth and deficient deeds, we do not have the power to make prayer effective immediately. We need to persist in the avodah (service) of prayer, until we succeed in splitting the barrier that separates us from G-d.

He also said that, when you pray for something, you should pray using the same words each time (this explains the efficacy of a mantra**). Any change in the wording, he said, causes difficulties in the prayer being accepted. He also said it is desirable to focus on one request, not many, because according to the Sages, if you grab too much, you grab nothing.

Rabbi Dayan taught that it is helpful to offer tzedaka (charity) when praying and to pray at a holy site.

(From Od Yosef Hai)

** The mantras used in the eastern religions are the "shem tuma" (impure names) which Avraham sent to the east as gifts to the children of his pilagshim. Mentioned in passing in this post, it should be noted that they are STRICTLY FORBIDDEN to a Jew because they bring tuma (impurity) on a person, r"l, and give strength to the sitra achra. A Jew should not say these "mantras", nor should he allow them to be said in his home. [Comment from Yaakov Nathan]

**********************************

Stories about the Holy Tzadik HaRav Yosef Dayan, author of Sefer HaTikkunim

1. Rav Yosef Dayan would always see the name of Hashem in front of him at all times. Once while talking to his student H'Rav Yosef accidentally said "I always see the holy fearsome Shem Havayah engraved in my mind's eye intertwined with the Shem Adnus."

2. Rav Yosef Dayan was on such a high level that he was able to walk in the streets and the Pritzut in front of him would not even register in his mind, since his thoughts were constantly bound to the supernatural lights.

3. Immediately after finishing Shacharis at Netz, H'Rav Yosef Dayan would enter the Beis Medrash. Then while still fasting he would learn straight for hours with great fervor and no interruptions. He would not take a break for a minute, even when people would knock on the door he would not interrupt his learning. This would continue until Mincha time when he would get up and once again and go to the Beis Medrash to pray.

4. Every Motzai Shabbat he would pray Maariv in the Beit Knesset "Shoson". Due to his prolonged prayer he would miss the Kedusha of "V'atah Kadosh." H'Rav Yosef Dayan would therefore go to a second Minyan in Bais Knesset "Ohel Rochel" which had started later. He would arrive there just as the chazan would start with "V'atah Kadosh."The gabby of that Minyan thought Rav Yosef to be a simple and ignorant man. When he saw him come late week after week and start in middle of the prayers, the Gabby would begin yelling at him and publicly denouncing him for missing the first part of the prayer. H'Rav Yosef would remain silent and accept the embarrassment so as not to reveal that he had already prayed and was just coming to hear the Kedushah. These rebukes happened weekly both from the Gabaim and from the members of the minyan.

A student of Rav Yosef who saw what was going on was not able to hold himself back and finally asked Rav Yosef why he simply did not state that he had already completed the first part of the prayers. H'Rav Yosef answered him "Shhh don't reveal that, I am very happy with embarrassments I receive."

5. One year, there was a lack of rain in Eretz Yisroel. The drought continued through Kislev, Teves and even Adar. All over the country mass prayer sessions were organized to plead to our Father in Heaven to send rain. As usual H'Rav Dayan and his students would gather in Kever Shmuel Hanavi to pray and do Tikkunim for the nation of Yisroel.

The students noticed that H'Rav Yosef was not actually addressing the lack of rain. A number of students kept on bringing up the issue but H'Rav Dayan remained silent. One student pleaded with him to pray and do Kavanot for the rain, reminding him of the severe situation the country was facing. Finally H'Rav Dayan replied with a short and definite answer "If there will be no impurity and Pritzut in the world, the rains will not be held back." He then continued praying as usual.

6. There was a long period of time that H'Rav Yosef Dayan was accustomed to light candles every day in the merit of Rebbe Meir Baal Haneis and the Rashbi, may their merit protect us. H'Rav Yosef would light the candles in a certain local Bait Knesset. Before lighting the candles he would recite many prayers in great trepidation, he would then do mighty meditations and Yichudim. At the time of the lighting he would say Leshem Yichud.....I am lighting this candle to raise the Shechinah from exile and to raise the soul of the holy Tzakik in whose merit the candle is being lit. These candles would burn for twenty four hours straight. H'Rav Yosef would prepare special wicks and the right amounts of oil in advance.In the neighborhood there lived two men who were greatly upset by H'Rav Dayan's daily candle lighting ritual. They would steal his wicks and hide his oil in an effort to prevent it from happening. When H'Rav Yosef saw this he was greatly pained. He finally said "These people that are trying to prevent the candle lighting do not know with whom they are dealing with, they are not dealing with me but rather with Rebbe Meir Baal Haneis and the Rashbi, I do not envy their future." That same week the two men were struck by the hand of G-d. The first man broke his leg and had to lay in a body cast for a number of months, the second man became paralyzed in half his body.

7. The Mekubal H'Rav Yitzchak Kaduri would say that he knew for a fact that H'Rav Yosef Dayan was one of the thirty six hidden Tzakikkim. H'Rav Mordechai Sharabi likewise gave testimony that H'Rav Yosef Dayan was one of the thirty six hidden Tzadikim.

8. Once a student of H'Rav Dayan approached him and told him that he was having a lot of problems avoiding being drafted to the Israeli army. H'Rav Yosef Dayan simply handed him his hat and told him to wear it on his next visit to the army office. The student took the hat of the Tzadik and wore it on his next interview. When the general saw the hat, without saying a word he signed his release papers and told him to leave.



The video below is in Hebrew, given by one of the students of the Yanuka.  I haven't watched it yet, but when I saw it come up on my feed it reminded me of Rav Dayan and I remembered to blog this for his yarzheit.