The Sukkah and the Heavenly Hug

Wishing everyone a Chag Sameach !

 

Adapted from the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s teachings by Rabbi Y. Y. Jacobson

The Sukkah hut is frail and vulnerable, but its walls have basic specifications: They must be two full walls, plus a third wall of only 3.5 inches, measured in Hebrew as a ‘Tefach’ handbreadth. It’s okay to have 3 or 4 full walls; but the minimum is two plus a tiny bit of a third.

What is the spiritual significance of this tiny third handbreadth-size wall?

Anatomy of an Embrace

Two great Jewish thinkers, Rabbi Isaac Luria and Rabbi Schnuer Zalman of Liadi, turn our attention to the affectionate words uttered by the Bride in the Song of Songs: "His left arm is under my head, and His right arm embraces me."

These metaphors address two distinct moments in the relationship between G-d, the Groom, and His people, the Bride. During the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur "days of awe," G-d's "left arm," as it were, is under the head of Israel. The left side represents introspection, strict discipline and awe.

Sukkos, on the other hand, is "the time of our joy," when “G-d's right arm embraces me."

Our arm is divided into 3 sections. The first is the arm itself, from the shoulder to the elbow; the second is the forearm, from the elbow to the wrist; and the third is from the wrist to the fingertips.

Our Sukkah walls represent the "right arm's embrace." The first full wall represents a Divine embrace from the "shoulder" to the "elbow;" the second wall reflects the "forearm," and the third tiny wall symbolizes the palm’s embrace.

Expressions of Love

There are three ways of expressing love.

The first is words. "I love you," when uttered sincerely, has impact. A second, more powerful expression of love is a kiss. A genuine kiss expresses a deep intense feeling that may not be grasped in words. Words can state, "I love you," while a kiss declares, "I love you more then I will ever be able to tell you."

An embrace is a third expression of love.

Dissecting the Hug

Which form of love do children cherish most?

Children enjoy being spoken to. They certainly take pleasure from being kissed. Yet, most children, especially infants, cherish being hugged. When our children hurt themselves or break something, they cry and come running to their parents for a hug to calm them down and to restore their confidence.

Two significant features set apart an embrace from the other "love communicators."

Affection is directed primarily toward the face of the beloved. You speak to one's face, kiss one's cheeks or lips, or gaze at one's eyes. An embrace involves the nape and back of the one being embraced.

Another feature that distinguishes an embrace is the firm physical bond of a hug. When I utter words of love, even when I kiss, I am not holding on to you. But when I embrace you, even if you wish to escape my embrace, you are "trapped" in my gripping hug; I don't let you tear yourself away from me.

Two forms of love

There is reciprocal love and unconditional love. The first is directed to the face of the beloved one; the second is directed to the back of the beloved.

I may love you because of what I receive in return for my relationship. You may be wise, deep, sensitive, kind, beautiful, humorous, challenging etc. - qualities expressed through your face, eyes, ears and mouth - and I love you because of these or other qualities that enrich my life.

This type of love is communicated in words of affection, or in a kiss, directed toward the face of the beloved, the primary location of reciprocity. Expressing my attachment in these forms shows that I cherish you because of your qualities.

This love may be deep and can bestow blessings and fulfillment. Yet it is conditional on reciprocity. As long as you are here for me, I am here for you. In essence, I love you because I love myself, and you make my "self" so much deeper and happier.

Yet there is a deeper love of an embrace, in which my arms encircle your backside. The hug represents an unconditional, unqualified and absolute love. It is not about your face, it is about your back, an area lacking meaningful reciprocity. I don't love you because of me; I love you because of you. You may not give me anything in return for my love, you may even want me out of your life, but I still love you with all my heart.

Do you embrace your children?

That’s why children need their parents to embrace them.

When children get hurt or break something, they are searching for affirmation that their validity was not compromised. They are yearning to hear that their value does not depend on them being perfect and impeccable, but that their dignity is absolute. "Show me," asks the child, "that you love me unconditionally because of who I am and not because of what I achieve."

When a child cries because their finger is bleeding, and you simply place a band aid on the wound and go away, you may have forfeited the opportunity to teach your child the most important lesson: Your dignity stems from your very being. Even when you will fall in life and bleed badly, your very being and identity is indispensable.

We also relate to G-d on these two levels.

All year around, G-d's light relates to us as a result of the choices we make. The more we rise to the higher truth, the more we hear G-d’s silent voice resonating in our souls.

Throughout the year, we experience G-d's presence only through our efforts and toil to refine our behavior. When we meditate, pray, reflect, study and live morally and holy, we catch a glimpse of G-d's love toward us. When I work against my immoral temptations and cravings, I can at times sense a reciprocal kiss from G-d.

Throughout the year, we enjoy a reciprocal relationship with G-d. G-d might talk to you, He may even kiss you or gaze at you, but You must show Him your face. If you don't turn your back on Him, He will be there for you.

But during Sukkot, G-d shares His love unconditionally and embraces us.

We eat, drink, chat, and relax in a Sukkah- all mundane activities with little spirituality. Yet when performed in the Sukkah, these acts are a Mitzvah, a medium through which we relate to Him.

The Sukkah walls are saying: I love and cherish you not because of what you do for me or because of what I gain from you. I am attached to you not because of your spiritual sophistication or because of your noble pursuits. I love you because I love you. I am one with you as you are. I am in love with your very core.

So for a real good hug, spend time in a Sukkah.

Sustaining the Embrace
Each Jewish holiday leaves us with a special energy that affects the entire year. This Divine “hug” even while we are in a physical mode, empowers and inspires us to transform our physical and mundane endeavors throughout the year into tools through which to bring Divine light into the world.

This year 5787 is transformative! Things are not going to be the same.

Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff

How the war of Gog and Magog will play out this year and its strong connection to the festival of Sukkot

Asteroids over South Africa

These are not UFOs, they are clouds formed by asteroids.

This is the Red Asteroid - sometimes it looks blue/grey, depends on atmospheric and lighting conditions
Link to original photo on FB

Two more, they're all around us

What Will Actually Happen When Mashiach Comes

Rabbi David Gottleib

What will actually happen when The Messiah comes? Will the natural world continue? Does Jewish tradition really teach that history must end after 6,000 years? 

What is the difference between the days of Mashiach and the World to Come? And why would the greatest sages throughout history yearn so intensely for the Messianic age? 

Many people imagine the Messianic age as a supernatural end of the world filled with earth-shattering miracles and dramatic cosmic events. 

But the Rambam presents a very different picture. 

In this fascinating Torah class, we explore what Maimonides says about Mashiach, the Messianic era, Biblical prophecy and Olam Haba—and why some of the most dramatic descriptions of the End Times may not mean what they appear to mean. 

A thought-provoking journey through Rambam, prophecy, redemption, resurrection and the ultimate purpose of the world to come.

]

Just a Passing Planet over N.Y.

One of the planets orbiting the second sun a.k.a. Kochav Yaakov.

Not AI.  Weather reporters do not publish AI nonsense.  

We are currently in a 180 day "close pass" of these planets.   When you see something like this, it's not "just clouds".  

Canandaigua, NY Sept 15
Link to original FB post

Today’s weather report by Charles Ruoff, Rochester NY.  Link to original FB post

It's That Time Again

During the ten days of teshuva [repentence] between Rosh haShana and Yom Kippur, we are supposed to apologize and make amends to anyone we have upset during the past year.  

One of the dangers of blogging is that you upset many people who you don't even know you've upset.  None of it is intentional.  I don't know most of the people who read this blog, I don't even know where they come from, although mostly it is the U.S. and Israel, with a scattering of Europe, Canada and Australia.

Most of the hits come from bots.  I can get 40,000 hits from bots in one day.  I know they are bots because they come from places like Vietnam and Singapore, where I have no real readers at all.  [If you are a reader who comes from Singapore, please let me know, and I'm sorry I called you a bot].

I have no idea how many people read this blog.  The numbers I'm given make no sense at all.  

Now, back to the apology.  As I was saying, it is very easy to offend some people, such as the person who came to my blog not so long ago and asked a question, which I answered, and then they responded by telling me how rude I was and that they would never come back again.  I still don't know what I did wrong!    I decided there was no point apologizing because they weren't coming back anyway.

Sometimes it's my Aussie accent that can sound rude to people from other countries.  In Australia, we call a spade a spade, and don't bother flattering the spade by calling it by some flowery name.  If you want an honest opinion, ask an Australian, but be prepared for the honesty, because that's what you'll get.  So perhaps it's my Aussie accent that offends some people, but whatever the case, that's my language, straight and to the point, I don't bend the truth and I don't know who anyone is, so it's never personal.

I wish everyone a peaceful and delightful 5787, with the coming of Moshiach, who should have come last year but if He turns up this year then that's fine with me.  I forgive everyone who's aggravated me in any way, and I will try my best not to offend anyone in the future.  

Just wanted to get all that off my chest and I feel much better now.

The Torah Verse that Connects to This Year 5787

Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff - 6 min video

The Essence

God's Portion: His People

The Baal Shem Tov taught: ''The quality of essence is such that as soon as one grasps a tiny part of the essence, one grasps the whole of it.''

Thus it follows, that since all Jews [''His people''] have a Godly soul which is ''literally a portion of God above'' [Tanya Ch.2] - ''God's portion'' - then even when that soul undergoes the long journey downwards to this world, it remains inseparably bound with the Essence of God.  [See Ha'azinu 32:9]

Based on Sefer Hama'amarim 5735 p.243 Lubavitcher Rebbe

Message to the UK France and Canada from Caroline Glick

H/T DusizNies Blog

The following is authored by 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗚𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸, Israeli-American Journalist and commentator.

To the 𝗨𝗞, 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, & 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗮: 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 with 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 signalling. 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.

RE: GENESIS 12:3 ✡️🇮🇱

GOD WON'T BE MOCKED...

Tsunami ?

Sea levels near Anak Krakatau have dropped after the eruption. The head of BMKG Region II, Hartanto, said they have not yet found evidence that the sea level drop is related to the activity of Mount Anak Krakatau.  BMKG is urging the public to remain vigilant. He said that if the sea suddenly recedes rapidly and does not follow the normal tidal pattern, especially if accompanied by a loud rumbling sound or unusual waves, people are asked to immediately move away from the beach.

Torah From Shamayim

Listen, heavens...and I shall speak  [Ha'azinu: Devarim 32:1]

This can be explained based on a statement found in the holy Zohar "When the righteous Moshiach will come, speedily in our days, Moshe Rabbeinu will come along with him and teach the Jewish people Torah. He will reveal to them the secrets and explanations of the Torah."

Moshe said to the people "Listen, heavens" - calling the people "the heavens" because those who study Torah are called "shamayim" - heavens. Moshe commanded them that when they reveal novel original ideas on the Torah, they should do so in a manner of "listening". They should hear those ideas from above, for when they learn, the holy light shines upon them from above, and then they open their mouths to speak and say over the idea they receive.

Through their Torah learning, they can hasten the redemption, as Moshe implies with the words "I shall speak". When you learn Torah by being open to receiving ideas from above, then, says Moshe, you will be able to hear the secrets of Torah from me as in earlier days. You will be the direct cause of Moshe speaking with you in the future by learning in the manner described and thus hastening the redemption, may it be speedily in our days, Amen.

Source:  Mipeninei Noam Elimelech  Translated by Tal Moshe Zwecker

The Star is Approaching

Our sun is the small one

Rabbi Yuval Ovadia - 5 min video - click the You Tube logo on the video and watch on You Tube for auto-dub into English.   He has uploaded this video again, and I am blogging it again, because it's the biggest news in the world right now. 

The only Rabbi who knows what's going on !     Thank you Rabbi Ovadia.

Where Are We At ?

Tonight, my time, 25 Elul begins.  The 25th day of the sixth month, the date foretold for the appearance of the Kochav Yaakov.  The only problem is that the prophecy also says it will be on the sixth day of the week, and it's nowhere near the sixth day of the week. 

But as we can see this Star already, or something that appears to be this Star.... then I don't really know where it all stands.  

I just read a post from a friend of mine, the sister of a man who was one of the 15 murdered last Chanukah at Bondi Beach.... she was saying that he told her that this year 5786, would be amazing.... and, quoting her " You said this year was going to be amazing so that means the Revelation . Please please please do your thing and show us the full picture . Moshiach now ! Techiyas hamesim now ! And a yeshua for every single person that needs it right now..."

I want to remind you that there are 271 days counting from the first night of Chanukah [the Bondi Beach attack] until Rosh haShanah - 271 days is the number of days given in the Talmud for a pregnancy.

I also want to remind you of this shiur from Rabbi Yossi Saadeh Is 5786 the Year of Moshiach  showing the hints that he discovered in the Torah, as well as so many other hints and clues we've had such as the 6 7 phenomenon.

And right now, one of the world's deadliest volcanoes just went nuts.

Between now and Yom Kippur, anything can happen.  We are heading into 6 7 territory, the swap over of the years.  I remain hopeful and pray that we will see the coming of Moshiach before too long.

The Future Redemption

Parshat Nitzavim:

The future redemption: Moses warns of the exile and desolation of the Land that will result if Israel abandons G‑d’s laws, but then he prophesies that in the end, “You will return to the L‑rd your G‑d . . . If your outcasts shall be at the ends of the heavens, from there will the L‑rd your G‑d gather you . . . and bring you into the Land which your fathers have possessed.” 

The Talmud Talmud [Sanhedrin 97a–98a] mentions various signs to identify the generation in which Moshiach will arrive.

In that generation:

• Torah scholarship will be diminished. 
• There will be many troubles and difficult decrees. 
• The younger generation will not respect their elders. 
• There will be inflation in food prices. 
• The government will turn towards heresy (denying the Torah). 
• People will despair of the Redemption. 
• People will have no money left in their pockets (i.e., savings). 
• The Jewish people will not have supporters. 
• The generation will be either entirely righteous or entirely wicked. 
• There will be no fish available for purchase, even for sick people. 
• There will be no arrogant people left amongst the Jews. 
• There will be no judges or enforcers left amongst the Jewish people.

Source: Chabad

Under Water

We began the new 180 day "close pass" of the planets when September kicked off.   Looks like we're just getting started.

Toronto had a visitor yesterday -

Roads turned to rivers.

There's only one planet that turns the sky green, and that's Napisiti, the planet of the rain bombs and instant rivers. I couldn't download the video but I did a screenshot to show you the green sky. [Napisiti is the green planet, hence the green sky]

Here's a video, he's even telling you the sky is green. That cloud is the base cloud of the planet Napisiti.

Napisiti is one of the planets orbiting the second sun.  We've got 180 days of this kind of event.  Buckle up.

Here we have pink lightning.  Pink and purple lightning come from the passing planets.  

Maybe Moshiach will show up before we're all under water.

Here it is over Cleveland today, from News5 Cleveland.

The Hidden Time of the Redemption

 

"The hidden things belong to the Lord, our God, but the revealed things apply to us and to our children forever: that we must fulfill all the words of this Torah." [Nitzavim 29:28]

[Written by Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein]

In Maseches Sanhedrin [98a], R'Yehoshua ben Levi poses a question regarding a verse dealing with the eventual redemption of the Jewish people. The verse sates, "I am Hashem, in its time I will hasten it" [Yeshayahu 60:22]

Asks R'Yehoshua ben Levi: If the redemption will ultimately occur "in its time", then how can Hashem promise the Jewish people "I will hasten it"?

The answer, says the Gemara, is as follows: If the Jewish people will carry out the will of Hashem, then the redemption will, in fact, be hastened.  But if not, then the redemption will occur at its assigned time.

Chazal's words, said the Kesav Sofer [R'Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer, son of the Chasam Sofer] are alluded to in the above mentioned verse: "The hidden are for Hashem, our G-d" - if the Jewish people will not perform the will of Hashem, then the redemption will come at a fixed date, one that is ultimately hidden from us and known only to Hashem.  However, "the revealed are our and our children's [responsibility]" - if the Jews choose to follow the will of Hashem, then the redemption will arrive immediately.

The time of the redemption, therefore, can be revealed and known to the Jewish people, for it is something that can be determined by their actions.

Second Sun in the East

It's even setting in the East ....  people are noticing now ... this is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to us.  Sorry if I'm driving you nuts with this.  Sorry but not sorry.  

Are Narcissists Bad People?

Rabbi Y. Y. Jacobson

Chai Elul

Art Baruch Nachshon

"Chai Elul" -- the 18th day of the Hebrew month of Elul -- is a most significant date on the Chassidic calendar. The founder of Chassidism, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, was born on this date, in 1698. It is also the day, 36 years later, on which the Baal Shem Tov began to publicly disseminate his teachings, after many years as a member of the society of "hidden tzaddikim" during which he lived disguised as a simple innkeeper and clay-digger, his greatness known only to a very small circle of fellow mystics and disciples.

Elul 18 is also the birthday -- in 1745 -- of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, who often referred to himself as the Baal Shem Tov's "spiritual grandson" [Rabbi Schneur Zalman was the disciple of Rabbi Israel's disciple, Rabbi DovBer of Mezeritch]. After gaining fame as a child prodigy and young Talmudic genius, Rabbi Schneur Zalman journeyed to Mezeritch to study under the tutelage of the Baal Shem Tov's successor--as he later explained, "to study I knew somewhat, but I needed to learn how to pray"--and was soon accepted into the intimate circle of Rabbi DovBer's leading disciples. Rabbi Schneur Zalman established the "Chabad" branch of Chassidism, which emphasizes in-depth study and intense contemplation as the key to vitalizing the entire person, from sublime mind to practical deed.

"I See It.... But Not Now...."

I see it, but not now; I behold it, but not soon. A star has gone forth from Jacob.... Balak 24:17

The second sun... aka Kochav Yaakov...filmed August 25 2026 Nevada Las Vegas - East

Rosh haShanah on Shabbat : A Signal for the World

H/t Sherry

Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff

When Rosh haShanah falls on Shabbat, extra-ordinary things happen.  Rabbi Hajioff explains.

What can we expect?  

Rosh Hashanah 2026 falls on Shabbat, and Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff explains why this year carries such a powerful message. 

What is the real meaning of Rosh Hashanah? 

Why does the Torah describe it as a day of sounding the shofar rather than simply a “Day of Judgment”? 

And what does the shofar reveal about teshuvah, judgment, redemption and the year ahead? 

 In this conversation, Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff explores the deeper meaning of the shofar, the spiritual significance of listening, and the teaching that Rosh Hashanah is a microcosm of the entire coming year. 

 We discuss: 

 • Why the shofar is the central Torah mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah 

• The connection between listening, judgment and the scales of Rosh Hashanah 

• Why the shofar represents the inner cry of the Jewish soul 

• The shofar of Mount Sinai and the future shofar of redemption 

• The Rambam’s famous description of the shofar as a spiritual wake up call 

• Why one mitzvah can change a person and even impact the entire world 

• What Rosh Hashanah means for Jews who only come to synagogue once or twice a year 

• The remarkable lesson of Ishmael and “ba’asher hu sham” 

• Why a person is judged according to who they are right now 

• How teshuvah, tefillah and tzedakah can change a difficult decree 

• Why Rosh Hashanah 2026 falling on Shabbat is especially worth thinking about 

• A blessing for a sweet new year, redemption and the rebuilding of the Third Temple 

Rabbi Hajioff explains that Rosh Hashanah is not simply about fear. It is about renewal. It is the moment when we stop, listen, examine who we are and recognize that the coming year can still be changed. 

May we all be written and sealed for a Shana Tova U’Metuka, a good and sweet year filled with blessing, peace and redemption.

The Unconscious Mitzvah

''....when you forget a bundle in the field...'' [Ki Teitzei 24:19]

Why should a person be blessed for performing a mitzvah if he unwittingly - and even unwillingly - drops money on the floor, which is later found by a poor person? [see Rashi v.19]

Chassidic thought explains that every Jew, regardless of his status and station, is essentially willing to do all that he is commanded to do by our Torah.  The fact that he might sometimes be influenced to do otherwise is because  his conscious state can be affected by external pressures that induce states of mind and even behaviour which is contrary to his essential nature [Rambam, Laws of Divorce 2:20]

Therefore, if he performs a mitzvah which was not consciously intended, it is nevertheless an act that is consistent with his inner, subconscious desire.  In fact, what has actually occurred here is that his subconscious mind has been able to influence his actions directly, without passing through the conscious state.

So, if a person drops money which is later found by a poor person, he has done an action which is commensurate with his true, inner desire to serve G-d, and therefore he is blessed because of it.

Based on Sefer Hama'amarim Mehukat vol 5 p 50 Lubavitcher Rebbe

How The Mighty Fall

 

The son of Rabbi Yeshua Halevi went up to heaven and then came down. It doesn’t mean he went up physically. He went “up” in consciousness. He had ruach ha’kodesh -- holy spirit - so he could see into the world of Yetzira. 

When he came back, he was asked what he saw up there. He uttered the famous statement, “olam hafoch hu”--it’s an upside-down world. Whoever was great here is, basically, almost a nobody up there, and whoever was nobody here was an incredible godol--a person of great stature up there. 

How could that be? How could we not see who’s really worth something? 

The answer is: the critical determinant of who you are is not your physical act; it’s the yegiah--hardship, the darkness of the klippa that you undergo and yet remain G-d-fearing, to believe and trust in G-d that we cannot see. You could have Mr. A who is unbelievably diligent in doing mitzvahs, and Mr. B who hardly does any, but Mr. B may have a terrible struggle to do the few mitzvahs he does. This makes him much greater than Mr. A.

The above text is an excerpt from Rabbi Mendel Kessin's "The Model for the Redemption"

click here for full transcription and lecture

So who is the Judge?  Only Hashem.  Our eyes cannot judge anyone.  We think we know, but we don't.

Those who are mighty one day, may fall the next day.  A lot of the time, their fall is due to narcissism, greed and corruption.  Greed for money and power.  The more money they have, the more they need to feel fulfilled.  Many times, a poor person can be far happier than a rich one, simply because his needs are less.  He doesn't expect so much.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe was legendary for treating every single person he encountered with profound dignity, noticing even those passing by or waiting just to catch a glimpse.  Stories frequently shared within the Chassidic community  illustrate that the Rebbe made it a point to always greet others with a warm, personal "hello" and a radiant smile, teaching that no individual is ever invisible. 

Beware the trap of thinking you are at the top, because the next day you may find yourself at the bottom.  

How does it happen?  Through greed and thinking yourself better than the other person. But maybe the other person is far greater than you, and you have just insulted on a true Tzadik.

Time is Running Out

H/t Elisheva

Rabbi Isser Weisberg - from 2022 - a calculation based on Sefer Daniel

We discussed how I came to the conclusion that the final Redemption must occur before the closure of the Hebrew year 5787 (corresponding to October 1, 2027), and why I surmise that the Lubavitcher Rebbe deliberately left us clues supporting my calculation.

"When the Messiah Comes and You Meet With Him"

Let's clear up the mis-understandings once and for all.   Here is the video of Rabbi Moshe Ben-Tov, the Holy Mezuzah man, putting up the mezuzot in Netanyahu's office, and he is telling him "when the Messiah comes and  you meet with Him and you hang the key of completion"..... see for yourself.

I also suggest you check out the latest comments at Dov bar Leib's blog by clicking here although you may have to scroll down to the end as there are a lot of comments there. I'm speaking about the latest comments written by Dov bar Leib regarding Netanyahu.

ROME is NEXT. End Time Prophecy Happening Now.

Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff

Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff went to Rome searching for the menorah... What he discovered connects directly to end-time prophecy.

Two Suns Captured

As I told you, the second sun [aka Kochav Yaakov, sometimes wrongly called Nemesis or Nibiru or Planet X - even though it's not a Planet] has been here since 2010.  Nibiru IS a planet, and it is just one of the seven planets orbiting the second sun.  "Nibiru" means "planet of the crossing" because our system crosses over into their system.... or their system crosses over into ours, take your pick.   

So people asked if it's mentioned in the Torah.... yes the Kochav Yaakov is mentioned in the Torah.  Parshat Balak : "A star shoots forth from Yaakov." 

The second sun has been visible for quite a few years and here are a few examples.

Note the two lens flares

Again note the two lens flares

The Star of Moshiach is Closer Than Ever

At 2:43 on this video you can clearly see two suns.  A big one and a small one.  I've been telling you we have two suns for a long time now....  some people don't believe it, seeing is believing.... how about the heat in the Northern Hemisphere....  the fires all over the world from the heat.... it's not normal.   Yes, we have two suns.   Is the second sun the Kochav Yaakov?  I have always believed that this second sun is something special, and is connected to Geula, and possibly the Kochav Yaakov.  The second sun has seven or eight planets orbiting around it which can clearly be seen from earth and are photographed on a daily basis from various places by a team of dedicated sky watchers.  

Rabbi Ovadia does not know much about the second sun, apart from thinking it is the Kochav Yaakov.  I, on the other hand, have spent about five years following this second sun and it's planets, so I know quite a lot about it.   Unfortunately, the only person who has been talking about this on the internet [Samuel Hofman] mixes up the truth with a lot of nonsense and therefore it's a mish-mash of truth and fiction.  

Yes, we have two suns.  One of them, the red star, is quite possibly [probably?] the Kochav Yaakov, as Rabbi Ovadia is mentioning in this video.  And yes, the Kochav Yaakov is RED.  

The Kochav Yaakov is predicted to appear on the 25th day of the sixth month, which is Elul.  We are currently in Elul, and we are about three weeks away from that date.  

It will either happen, or it won't.  We've been waiting a long time..... but it's here, and it's been here for many years, since 2010 to be exact.  That was the Hebrew year 5770.  An auspicious number if ever there was one.  So let us pray that it happens, and we don't have to wait any more.  

Rabbi Yuval Ovadia - watch on You Tube if you want the video to auto-dub into English: click on the You Tube logo bottom right of the video to take you there.

Words That Kill

"Gossip: - Norman Rockwell

From the writings of Hacham Yosef Hayyim of Baghdad -the Ben Ish Hai


"All the gates are locked except for the gates through which cries from onaah enter..." [Bava Metzia 59a, Rashi]

The Torah forbids us to wrong one another through onaah [Lev 25:14-17] of which there are two types: cheating by overcharging or underpaying, and speaking hurtful words.

The second type is worse. The first hurts the pocketbook, the second hurts the person himself. Moreover, money can be refunded, words cannot be taken back. [Bava Metzia 58b]

Worst of all is to insult a person to the point that he is shamed. Calling him by an unflattering nickname, even if he is used to it and does not feel embarrassed, is onaah if the intention was to embarrass him. [Ben Yehoyada - Ben Ish Hai, Shannah 1, Ki Teitzei]

Whoever hurts his friend even verbally must appease him, as it is written: My son, if you became a guarantor for your neighbour... if you are caught by the words of your mouth... do this, now, my son, and save yourself.... Go, humble yourself and appease your neighbour. [Proverbs 6:1-3]

What does a guarantor's financial obligation have to do with verbal abuse?

A person who guarantees a loan through speech alone, without so much as a handshake, is legally bound to pay if the friend defaults. [Shulhan Aruch, Hoshen Mishpat 129:2] This shows that words have consequences. So a person who hurts his friend verbally cannot say "What does it matter? It was only words." [Ben Yehoyada]

Whoever shames his friend in public, it is as if he sheds blood. [damim, literally: bloods] [Bava Metzia 58b]

Why does our Gemara speak of shedding "bloods" in the plural?

Shaming a person in public even once sheds his blood several times: each time he recalls the incident or sees those who witnessed it. [Ben Yehoyada]

Whoever shames his friend in public to the point of making him turn pale, is as if he sheds blood.... for we see that the red drains out of his face and is replaced by white. [Bava Metzia 58b]

A person should enter a fiery furnace rather than shame his friend publicly. How do we know? From Tamar, as it is written: "She was taken out." [Genesis 38:2] [Ketubot 67b; Sotah 10b]

Tamar was found guilty of immorality and taken out to be burned. She could have saved herself by revealing that Judah was responsible for her pregnancy, but chose to die rather than expose him to public disgrace. At the last minute, Judah realized that he was responsible, admitted it publicly, and saved her.

From Tamar we learn not to publicly shame others regardless of personal consequences. It is better to enter a red fire than to make the red leave a friend's face by shaming him.

In the Holy Land, they are particularly careful to avoid shaming people and causing them to turn pale. [Bava Metzia 58b]

Why is this specific to the Land of Israel?

There are two angels in charge of death. The one in charge of the Diaspora is from the Side of Evil; the one in charge of the Holy Land is not. [Hesed L'Avraham]

Bloodshed evokes the jealousy of these angels. "Taking lives is my craft" they say. "How dare man encroach on my domain?" And shaming people is akin to shedding their blood.

The Jews of the Holy Land were afraid that the evil angel might say "The inhabitants of the Holy Land have encroached on my domain; I will encroach on theirs and enter their Land." Therefore they were particularly careful to avoid shaming people. [Ben Yehoyada]

An Exact Calculation

Who remembers the first night of Chanukah last year?  Bondi Beach.... the murder of 15 people..... have I jogged your memory?

15 is one of the numbers of Hashem's Name: it is a Yud Heh : Yud is 10, Heh is 5 = 15.

The Talmud finds an allusion to the period of time for a full-term pregnancy in the Hebrew word, “harayon” הריון –which also means “idea.” The numerical value of “harayon” is equal to 271, which is equal to nine full months [Niddah 38a].

Now, let's count nine months from the date of the Chanukah attack... in fact let's count the number of days of a pregnancy, as specified in the Talmud - 271 days.

From the first night of Chanukah 5786 until the first day of Rosh haShanah 5787 is 271 days or nine months... the exact duration of a pregnancy. 

You can see it for yourself by clicking here.

What are the chances?   Coincidence?   We don't believe in coincidences.  In Jewish thought and the Torah, a literal "coincidence" does not exist. Instead, what looks like random chance is viewed as Hashgacha Pratit [Divine Providence]—a hidden signal or deliberate moment orchestrated by G-d.

3 Elul: Yarzheit Rav Kook

"Before the world of truth can come, the world of lies must disappear" - 

Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook

It was the first of Elul, 5695 [1935], when Rabbi David Cohen [known as ‘the Rav HaNazir’] arrived at the guest house where Rav Kook was staying in Kiryat Moshe.

Exactly twenty years had passed since their first transformative encounter in Switzerland. This time he held in his hands a special document to show his dying master.

For twelve years, the Rav HaNazir had labored to organize Rav Kook’s writings into a systematic, comprehensive work. As his revered master lay on his death bed, he showed him the beginning fruits of his labor - the title page of the first volume of Orot HaKodesh. Rav Kook rejoiced; and he shed tears.

On the day of his death, Rav Kook motioned to his son, Rav Tzvi Yehudah, to come close. “Please pay off any outstanding debts. I do not want to owe anyone, not even the smallest amount.” He then made a second request: “Please prepare my writings for publication. But take care that the only title given to me is ‘rabbi.'”

With great effort, Rav Kook turned his face towards the scholars in the room. When it became clear that his soul would soon depart, the people cried out, “Shema Yisrael!” Rav Kook whispered after them, “Shema Yisrael,” breathing his final breath with the word echad - one. “The Eternal is one.”

The Rav HaNazir wrote:

“When the Rav passed away, We heard a heavenly voice. The voice called out, “Haim, ad olam!” ‘Life, forever!’ Even after completing life in this world, the soul continues, and it grows even stronger, with blessing, in eternal life.”

[Stories from the Land of Israel. Adapted from Malachim Kivnei Adam, p. 420; preface to Orot HaKodesh, pp. 24, 30.]

Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook was born on the 16th Elul 5625 (September 1864). On the day of his bris, he received a kippah as a gift. From that day on, his parents always kept a kippah on his head. Even while he was sleeping, Avraham Yitzchak's parents did not take the kippah off his head so that he should not be bareheaded - not even for a minute. The little boy would not fall asleep without his kippah. When he turned over and it fell off, he immediately woke up.

Avraham Yitzchak was four years old when he was brought to the cheder (school) in his home town of Geriva, to learn to read. The teacher offered him a siddur and turned to the page with the alef-bet. The child stubbornly refused to learn.

"Why won't you study?" asked the teacher.

"I want to learn from the big books" replied Avraham Yitzchak shyly.

"Which big books?" asked the teacher.

Avraham Yitzchak did not know how to answer. Instead he ran home and brought back a Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Law, and another large heavy book. The teacher smiled and said to the child: "If you want to be able to learn from the big books, you must first study from the small books." Avraham Yitzchak understood and began to read the alef-bet from the siddur.

In the same cheder, there was a class of older children who were studying Torah. Every Friday, these children were tested on the material they learned all week. One Friday, an interesting thing happened. One of the older children did not know the answer. There was silence. Sudddenly, the voice of a small boy from the youngest reading table was heard. It was the answer, spoken clearly and correctly. Avraham Yitzchak had been listening to the lessons of the older children and had understood them.

Little Avraham Yitzchak invented an unusual game to play with his friends in cheder. He arranged the children in rows. Each child had a knapsack on his back, as if they were getting ready for a long journey. Avraham Yitzchak was their guide. The small soldiers asked: "Where are we going?"

"To Israel, to Eretz Yisrael..."

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

After many years of diligent study, Rav Kook was appointed as the rabbi of Zoimel, one of the small villages in Lithuania. After serving as rabbi of the town of Zoimel, Rav Kook was appointed the rabbi of a large city, Boisk. In Boisk, the Rav could sit and learn Torah for many hours each day. There was a time when he would learn 50 or 60 pages of Talmud in one day.

Many years passed before the Rav went to live in Eretz Yisrael. When the possibility of becoming the Rav of Jaffa arose, he refused all other appealing offers which came from European Yeshivot which asked him to be their Rosh Yeshivah or from great cities abroad, whose congregants wanted him to be their rabbi.

In addition, the congregation of Boisk refused to allow their rabbi to leave, until the Jews of Jaffa wrote to them explaining that the mitzvah of yishuv Eretz Yisrael, settling the land of Israel, takes precedence over everything else.

On Friday 28th Iyar 5664 (10 May 1904) Rav Kook went to live in Eretz Yisrael. He was received at the port of Jaffa with great honours and began his term as Rabbi of Jaffa. At that time, Israel was under Turkish rule and Jewish settlements were first being established. Jaffa was one of the main centers of Jewish settlement.

Hundreds of people from Jerusalem, Rishon LeZion, Rehovot and Petach Tikvah came to welcome the Rav and to form their own impressions of this unique figure, and his wife the Rabbanit Raiza Rivka.

The first World War broke out. The Rav had gone to Europe on shlichut, as an emissary for Eretz Yisrael, and could not return to his home in Jaffa because of the war. He stayed in London and served as a rabbi of the city. But he was constantly worried about the fate of his community in Jaffa and the hardships facing Jews in Israel which was then in a state of siege and famine.

After the war ended, the Rav returned to Eretz Yisrael. The Jews of Jaffa wanted him to continue as their rabbi. At the same time, the community of Jerusalem asked him to become their rabbi. The Rav debated this dilemma for quite some time. He knew that a small part of the Jewish community of Jerusalem did not want him as Rabbi. He did not want to be the cause of fights and arguments in the Holy City. On the 3rd Elul 5679 (29 August 1919), the Rav came to Jerusalem and only after a while did he bend to the will of the community, and become the rabbi of Jerusalem.

Here he established the centre of the world-renowned Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav, the "Centre of the Rav". Later, along with Rav Yaakov Meir Charlop, he instituted the Chief Rabbinate of Eretz Yisrael, with both rabbis acting as Chief Rabbi. All his time and effort was dedicated to the Rabbinate, the affairs of the community, and to the learning of Torah.

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

The author, Tikvah Sarig, tells the following story about Rav Kook:

On the first Yom Kippur eve, after my father passed away, I was not yet five years old. Every morning since his death, my mother would wake me before dawn and wipe the sleep from my eyes with the same words: "Get up, my daughter, my neshama, my soul, to pray for the memory of your righteous father, the tzaddik".

What a tzaddik was, I did not know, but I imagined he looked like this: a kippah on his head, his beard long, his eyes warm and good, the palms of his hands soft, and his voice, melodic. Just like my father who was taken from me.

It was erev Yom Kippur. After the pre-fast meal, my mother took me to the house of Rav Kook. The sun was about to set. We marched quickly to the Rav's house. The streets were filled with worshippers, clad in white, hurrying to the synagogue to hear Kol Nidre, the opening Yom Kippur prayer.

Opening the door, we were welcomed by the fragrance and warmth of burning candles. Rebbetzin Kook and her daughter opened their arms to us and began to cry. My mother patted my head.

"Soon you will go into the Rav's study to receive his blessing" said the Rebbetzin.

With her words, my fear grew. I sighed loudly. Just then, the great door opened and from within, a righteous man, a tzaddik, came out. He was all dressed in white, his gartel was embroidered with gold. On his head he wore a white kippah; his beard was long. His eyes, warm and good, were looking at me with pity and kindness.

"Aba! Daddy!" I cried and clung closely to my mother, hiding my face in her dress, my limbs trembling. I heard my mother's voice through my tears: "Go my child. Receive a blessing from the honoured Rav!"

She led me a few steps towards him. The Rav took my small hands into his warm, soft ones.

"Do not cry, my child" he said, placing his hands on my head. "Do not be afraid of me. I was a friend of your father. Come here and I will bless you on this holy day."

The Rav's hands were soft and warm - just like my father's. His voice was melodic - just like my father's. I felt as if a river of kindness and warmth washed all over me - from my head to my toes - just like when I used to sit on my father's lap.

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

Rav Kook was so righteous that he always forgave his enemies and even loved and blessed them.

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

In his last days, the Rav became very sick. He suffered in terrible pain. It was difficult for him to learn, and it was difficult for him to hide his anguish from his students and relatives.

On the morning of the 3rd Elul, his condition became worse. Even though speaking was very hard for him, he strained himself and demanded of his family and students not to add any titles to his name on the cover pages of his books, not to eulogize him, telling them (do not call me) "Rabbeinu, our Rabbi, and not the "Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael" - "Simply HaRav - the Rav".

A large crowd stood outside the house, where the Rav lay on his deathbed. He raised his eyes to the window in his room. Everyone in Eretz Yisrael knew that a great leader, a teacher, a man of wisdom, was about to leave the land he loved so much.

The Rav grew weaker by the hour. His family, relatives, and a number of his students gathered around his bedside. In his last hours, the Rav's face was turned towards the wall. His students knew that it was written in the Talmud: "If a man passes away with his face towards the wall - it is a bad sign, and if his face is turned toward the people, it is a good sign". With his remaining strength, the Rav struggled and turned himself to face the people. At the last moment, all those who were standing around the Rav broke out saying "Shema Yisrael".

At sunset, on the third day of Elul 5695 (Sept 1st, 1935) the Rav passed away. The news flashed through the Jewish nation with the speed of lightning. The backbone of the Jewish nation was broken. The Rav of the generation was gone, the Rav of the era, the Rav of Eretz Yisrael at the time of her rebirth.

Exactly 16 years (3rd Elul) after Rav Kook ascended to Jerusalem, he ascended to Heaven.

Source: Reprinted from "Stories from the Life of Rav Kook" edited and translated by Masha Fridman

More on Rav Kook at Rav Kook Torah