BD"E

I sat on a roof and watched the moon eclipse over Sydney Harbour early Shabbat morning. It was the most amazing sight, and I watched it for over an hour.

It seemed fitting that the moon would eclipse as my father Mordechai ben Menachem ob''m had passed away only hours earlier.

I will be sitting Shiva this week.

The Longest Eclipse

The longest eclipse of the 21st century can be seen Friday nigth/Saturday morning.

Click here for full info.

Video: Rabbi Simon Jacobson 

Some of life's greatest lessons can be derived (learned, gleaned) from the cosmos. We can learn much from just looking up at the heavens (sky) and watching the celestial bodies in space. This is especially true for the moon, which has always mesmerized the human race. Its close proximity to earth, its haunting glow, its phases and effects on our tides and plants -- have fed science, religion and folklore, and our quest to better understand ourselves and the world in which we live. 

During the night of the full moon this month (on July 27/the 15th of Av) the longest total lunar eclipse of the century will fill the sky (it won't be visible in North America, but most of the Eastern Hemisphere will see it). Totality will last for 1 hour and 43 minutes! 

Please join Rabbi Jacobson for this special full moon edition, and learn fascinating lessons - personal, spiritual and psychological - (personal, spiritual and psychological lessons from this historic lunar eclipse. Discover the deeper meaning of the moon as an archetype reflected in each one of us, and how the lunar cycles and eclipses illuminate and teach us extraordinary personal, spiritual and psychological lessons for our lives and our relationships. 

Understanding the Kaddish Prayer

For Michoel ben Mordechai a''h

Why is the Kaddish prayer so important?  What exactly does it mean and how does it benefit the dead?

Rabbi Mizrachi gives some interesting insights, including the topics of reincarnation and Gehennom.

Rabbi Mizrachi on Trump/Putin

Right at the start of this shiur, hear Rabbi Mizrachi's take on the Trump Putin meeting yesterday.

The Secret Message behind the teachings of the Ari'zal

Rabbi Alon Anava

5 Av - Yarzheit Arizal

Arizal Synagogue, Safed - Photo Steven Pinker

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.

More about the Arizal at Ascent of Safed or click on the label "ARIZAL" below to read more of his teachings.

The Essence of Tisha B'Av

Rabbi Mendel Kessin

An Upside Down World

This one is for my brother Michoel ben Mordechai, a"h.


When the light that enters our eye reaches the back of the lens to form a picture the objects appear upside down and backwards. Only when the image reaches the brain is the image corrected, allowing us to see right side up.

As we know, "nothing is for nothing" and everything was created with Hashem's infinite wisdom. This begs the question of why would Hashem make our visual experience so roundabout? Why would our initial viewing experience be, out of all things, upside down?

The gemara [Bava Basra 10b] tells the story of Rav Yosef the son of Rav Yehoshua who became very ill and lost consciousness. When he awoke his father asked him, "What did you see?" He told his father, "Olam Hafuch Ra'isi Elyonim L'Mata V'Tachtonim L'Mata", I saw an upside down world. The rich people who are regarded here as the upper echelons of society were considered lowly people, while the poor wise people who do good deeds and are considered the lower class here were considered the upper crust over there. His father answered him that he was mistaken. He did not see an upside down world, but rather the world as it truly is. The world we live in is the upside down world.

Every one of our 248 physical limbs mirrors a spiritual limb. Our eyes are our main interface with the world beyond us. Yet the image the world projects is upside down. Only when the image enters our brain and we use our mind to process it, do we make heads and tails of it. The same holds true for the story behind the picture. What we see at first glance without using our Sechel [inteligence] - is always upside down. Just like the brain processes images and straightens them out, so too our brain must use its unbiased intelligence to make sense of the things we see.

Just like flipping an image, understanding the story is meant to be simple and a routine operation as the Pasuk [Koheles 7:29] says, "Asa HaElokim Es Ha'Adam Yashar", Hashem made a person straight. Unfortunately we all have forces within us that interfere with this process, be they poor Middos [traits] or selfish motives. We let these things take over our brain, as the pasuk concludes "V'Heima Bikshu Cheshbonos Rabbim". But the choice is our to see the world with clarity if only we choose to do so.

Source: Revach L'Neshama