Rabbi M. Kessin on Moshiach ben Yosef

This is an old lecture, from 2015, which has been put up on You Tube along with several other older lectures.

Erev Supermoon

 

This is a photo of the moon setting at 4.45am in Australia this morning.

It's huge, and it has an orange aura around it, reflecting something from the sun.

Tonight is the actual supermoon.

Photo by Dianne Rankin

Behold the Sun

 

So first we had the fires that destroyed Lahaina, which means "cruel sun", and now we have a hurricane called Idalia bringing "once-in-a-lifetime strength and storm surge levels" to parts of the state's Gulf Coast.

"Idalia" means "behold the sun".   

According to Google, the Hebrew Adalia means "G-d is my refuge".

These are of course man-made names. 

Also man-made is the huge problem of gas being contaminated with diesel fuel in Florida,  So of course the conspiracy theorists are claiming that the US government is trying to get as many people stuck in Florida as possible, to be trapped in the hurricane.  The water temperature is the highest it's ever been and that is not good news as far as hurricanes are concerned.

It's not easy to distinguish between the man-made evil, and the weather events themselves.  To all my Floridian readers, we are thinking of you and pray that you are safe.

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Back to the sun:   All over the world people have been taking photos of "two suns", as well as multiple planets/moons near the sun.  

Here's a few photos and videos I've been collecting. Once again these are not photoshopped, and the videos are obviously taken by random people, no big productions here, just people filming what they are seeing.

Florida

                                                 Chile: Multiple objects next to the sun

Italy

Denver Colorado

Mexico

Bulgaria

Mexico

Show Time

Do you remember going to a show at the theatre or any kind of production.... [seems like 100 years ago I did that]... but anyway, just before the show is about to start, they flick the lights on and off to let people know it's about to begin.    

When I see this lightning, the kind of lightning we have never seen before - purple and blue .... and I saw it here in Sydney not so long ago, I sat and watched it for hours... it just went on and on..... and this is happening all over the world.  I feel this is a sign that something is about to begin.

The Gate of Tears

by Rabbi David Pinto Shlita 

It is written, “Because you did not serve Hashem your G-d amid joy and goodness of heart” [Ki Tavo 28:47].

Rabbi Yossi said, “It is written: ‘Serve Hashem with joy, come before Him with joyous song’ [Tehillim 100:2], for in His service there is no room for sadness. It may be asked: What if a man is deep in sorrow and tribulation, and has no heart to rejoice, and yet his trouble forces him to seek compassion from the Heavenly King? Should he refrain from praying on account of his sorrow? What can he do? He cannot help being heavy-hearted!

The answer is, ‘All gates have been closed since the destruction of the Temple, but the gate of tears has not been closed’ – and tears are an expression of sadness and sorrow. The celestial beings appointed over the gate of tears break down all the iron locks and bars, and let these tears pass through. The prayers of the afflicted penetrate and reach the holy King…. Thus the prayers of the afflicted person do not return to him empty, and the Holy One takes pity on him. Blessed is the man who in his prayers sheds tears before the Holy One.”

– Zohar II:165ab

The End of Doubt

One of the asteroids currently visible from Earth is the skull-shaped asteroid known simply as "the skull". This is the only picture I could get - we see it in the shape of clouds, which is exactly how Earth looks when seen from outer space. All planets/moons/asteroids have their own clouds around them. The asteroid itself looks exactly like a skull.

After I saw this photo, I then saw the article below and it seemed like a perfect match.

The following text by Gal Einei Institute [Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh]

He [Hillel the Elder] also saw a skull floating upon the water. He said to it: “Because you drowned others, you were drowned; and those who drowned you, will themselves be drowned. [Pirkei Avot 2:6]

This mishnah[1] is in the name of Hillel the Elder and quotes Hillel the Elder. The Holy Ari says that this is an allusion to Hillel being a reincarnation of Moses. Hillel actually has other important soul roots, such as Aaron the High Priest, King David, and King Solomon. Indeed, in the tractate of Avot, we can find a number of Hillel’s teachings that can be associated with each of these important soul roots. 

In the tractate’s first chapter, we find him mentioned in the following mishnah: “Hillel says, be counted among the disciples of Aaron,” a clear expression of his soul’s root in Aaron the High Priest. Later in that chapter, he is quoted, “If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”[2] associating him with his root in King David whose Psalms center on the rectification of the “I,” the sefirah of kingdom. Later, in the 2nd chapter, Hillel says, “The more flesh one has, the more worms [i.e., decay, he will suffer from]”[3]—which is similar to many statements found in Ecclesiastes, and thus a clear allusion to its author, King Solomon. 

In his book, Notzer Chesed, the Komarna Rebbe presents a wondrous teaching on our mishnah. The skull (pronounced: gulgolet) is an allusion to the level of gulgalta (i.e., skull) in the Supernal Crown referring particularly to the highest “head” in the crown, known as the Unknowable Head (Radla). The structure of the Unknowable Head incorporates essential doubts known as the “five doubts in the crown.” In the future, however, when prophecy returns to Israel,[4] the Unknowable Head will be revealed. This is hinted at in the words, “Because you drowned others, you were drowned” (עַל דַּאֲטֵפְתְּ, אַטְפוּךְ), which can also mean, “Because you were the source of prophecy, you will give more prophecy [in the future].”[5] 

When this state is reached in the future, freedom of choice will not figure prominently in the human condition because the freedom of choice is a byproduct of these essential doubts found in the Unknowable Head. As long as there are doubts or questions that cannot be satisfactorily addressed, we human beings are forced to choose between the various possibilities. When there are no doubts, however, there is no free choice and everything is clear, as it is currently before God. 

When we experience the fulfillment of the prophecies, “All will know Me”[6] and “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of God,”[7] then (says the Notzer Chessed), “It will be known, that which is in this ‘head,’” referring to the Unknowable Head in the sefirah of crown. Hence, the term “the Unknowable Head” is temporary. Ultimately it will be known as “the Knowable Head.” There is a beautiful gematria hiding here: the value of “the Knowable Head” (רֵישָׁא דְּאִתְיְדַע) is 1000, the secret of the thousand lights that were given to Moses (of whom Hillel is a reincarnation) at Mt. Sinai, and then taken away after the Israelites sinned with the Golden Calf. It is also the secret of the soul of Rabbi Yisrael Ba’al Shem Tov (יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּעַל שֵׁם טוֹב), who began to reveal the thousand lights.

Source and Footnotes click here

Causing Someone Else to Suffer

וְעֵינֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ כָּֽבְד֣וּ מִזֹּ֔קֶן לֹ֥א יוּכַ֖ל לִרְא֑וֹת Yaakov was no longer able to see." [Vayechi 48:10]

Chazal tell us various reasons why Yitzchok became blind. but why did Yaakov become blind?

Rav Shlomo Zalman Zelaznik Ztz"l. the Rosh Yeshiva of Eitz Chaim. explained with the principle that if someone suffers on your account, you are punished, even if you have done nothing wrong. In Yaakov's case we find two people whose eyes suffered on account of him. The first was Yitzchok. who Chazal say became blind so that Yaakov would be able to fool him and take the blessings. The second is Leah. whose eyes were swollen because she was destined to marry Eisav. while Rochel was supposed to marry Yaakov.

 "Either of these two occurrences," says Rav Zelaznik, "were enough cause to warrant Yaakov losing his eyesight despite his complete innocence of any wrongdoing. If such is the Midas HaDin when we are completely innocent of any wrongdoing, certainly, if we actually play a part in the suffering of another person, we are in huge trouble."

Source: Revach.net

What Does G-d Really Want From Us?

Rabbi Efraim Palvanov 

Is faith in God enough to attain redemption and salvation? Or must one punctiliously fulfil God's Law? Can the Torah's 613 commandments be summarized into one? And if faith is enough, how does one attain true faith anyway? Find out what the Talmud has to say in a fascinating short passage.