Hashem Will Bless You

Art Barbara Rochlitz

Text by Rabbi David Hanania Pinto Shlita

It is written, “Because of this thing, Hashem your G-d will bless you” [Re'eh 15:10].

The term hazeh (“this”) has a numerical value of 17.

The Sages say, “He who gives a small coin to a poor man obtains six blessings, and he who speaks comforting words to him obtains eleven blessings” [Bava Batra 9b]. 

Hence the verse states, “Because of hazeh [this] thing, Hashem your G-d will bless you.”

Source – Kol Eliyahu

Melbourne's Meteor

They are calling it a meteor but no-one really knows what fell from the sky last night.

Melbourne, Australia.

When is Moshiach Really Coming?

HT: Sherry

Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff

Blessings in Disguise

Art Mike Worrall

"See! I am giving to you today a blessing and a curse" [Re'eh 11:26]

Hashem did not want the soul to eat "bread of shame" [i.e. sustenance given gratuitously, without having been earned by the recipient]; He therefore made it possible for man to serve Him in a meaningful way with toil of body and soul. Through our endeavors in avodah [service of G-d] we are Divinely enabled to earn all manner of goodness.

The difficulties, trials, and tests of life are themselves the means by which we are to attain our ultimate objective - that the soul achieve the lofty spiritual level it once possessed before it descended into the body: "The soul that you have given me is pure."  The purpose of life is for the soul to regain that level of original "purity" and even transcend it - for one hour of teshuvah [repentance] and good deeds in this world is worth more than all the lifetime of the spiritual World to Come [Olam HaBa].

So you see that life's trials, tragedies, and difficulties actually bring us closer to our goal, our raison d'etre; they are part of the Divine system of toil and endeavour enabling us, finite mortals, to reach the highest levels of rewards and goodness - which can only be earned by meaningful "labor" and effort.  It follows that one must not allow the difficulties of life's trials [or even one's failure from time to time] to overcome the double joy of being G-d's children and of having received His promise "Your people are all righteous".

Source: Excerpt from a letter written by the Lubavitcher Rebbe

New Heavens and a New Earth

Singapore

Birmingham, England
rainbow colours from coloured asteroids
and gas giant behind our sun and second sun

Fruita, Colorado
lightning discharge from planet

Isaiah 65

16 So that he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself by the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from Mine eyes. 

17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. 

19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. 

25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, saith the LORD

Two Doors

 

Art Jorm Sangsorn

Hashem created two doors: one in Shamayim and one in the heart of man.

When one opens his heart to the needs of his fellow man, then the corresponding door in Shamayim is opened to hear his cry. 

Vilna Gaon

The Power of Tu b'Av and Rebirth after the 9th

 

Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz

Final Credits

Illui nishmat Mordechai ben Menachem

Artist Unknown

Every commandment that I command you this day you shall keep to do, that you may live and multiply, and come and possess the land that the Lord swore to your forefathers. [Eikev 8:1]

The lesson that one who completes a mitzvah is credited with it [see Rashi] is particularly apt for our generation.

For according to all the signs which were given by our Sages, we are presently in the last generation of exile, which will become the first generation of redemption.

Thus, it is greatly encouraging to know that despite the fact that the Torah study and observance of mitzvot in previous generations greatly surpassed that of our more humble efforts, nevertheless one who completes a mitzvah is credited with it.  

Mashiach will come in the merit of our mitzvot, which are performed in the last moments of exile.

Based on Likutei Sichos vol 9 pp 104-5 Lubavitcher Rebbe

Morning Moon and Night

Photographer Samuel  took these photos of the moon in Toowoomba Queensland Australia. The first one was taken last night.

and this one was taken this morning

Sometime in between those two photos, the moon looked like this

Photo: William in Raby NSW Australia

The Transformation of Reality in the Messianic Era

New shiur from Rabbi Mendel Kessin

Mashiach Facts

 

When Will the Mashiach Come?

There is a wide variety of opinions on the subject of when the Mashiach will come.  Some of the Jews' greatest minds have cursed those who try to predict the time of the Mashiach's coming, because errors in such predictions could cause people to lose faith in the messianic idea or in the Torah itself.  This actually happened in the 17th century, when Shabbtai Tzvi claimed to be the Mashiach; when Tzvi converted to Islam under threat of death, many Jews converted with him.  Nevertheless, this "prohibition" has not stopped anybody from speculating about the time when the Mashiach will come (including some who themselves spoke harshly of those who engaged in such vain efforts!).

Although some scholars believed that God has set aside a specific date for the coming of the Mashiach, most authorities suggest that the conduct of mankind will determine the time of the Mashiach's coming.  In general, it is believed that the Mashiach will come in a time when he is most needed (because the world is so evil), or in a time when he is most deserved (because the world is so good).  For example, each of the following has been suggested as the time when the Mashiach will come:

• when all Israel repent a single day
• when all Israel observe a single sabbath properly
• when all Israel observe two sabbaths in a row properly
• in a generation that is totally innocent, or totally guilty
• in a generation that loses hope
• in a generation where children are totally disrespectful towards their parents and elders (commonly thought to be "our generation", in every generation!)

What Will the Mashiach Do?

Before the time of the Mashiach, there will be war and great suffering (Ezekiel 38,16).  Then the Mashiach will bring about the political and spiritual redemption of the Jewish people by bringing all Jews outside Israel back to Israel, and restoring Jerusalem (Isaiah 11,11-12; Jeremiah 23,8; 30,3; Hosea 3,4-5).  He will establish a Torah government in Israel that will be the center of all world government, both for Jews and Gentiles (Isaiah 2,2-4; 11,10; 42,1).  He will rebuild the Temple and reestablish its worship (Jeremiah 33,18).  He will restore the religious court system of Israel, if it had not already been reestablished before him, and establish the Torah as the law of the land (Jeremiah 33,15).

Source and more at Mechon Mamre click here

Global Boiling

It's interesting that we have now entered the stage of "Global Boiling" rather than "global warming". This is a term brought to us by the UN.

Just as the souls from the generation of the Flood have re-incarnated at the End of Days,  we also have the "boiling" aspect of things.

At the time of the Flood:   "The gates of heaven broke loose, and the depths of the earth opened to send forth streams of raging, boiling water..."

Our water is also heating up.  On July 25 water temperatures off Florida Keys measured 101 degrees.

None of this is surprising when you consider that we currently have two suns, one behind the other. And behind the second one is a gas giant, hence the appearance of the sunset photo below. 

Sunset Italy July 22

A Sign: Fox on Temple Mount

 

Last night [Tisha b'Av]  in Jerusalem, a fox was spotted wandering among the rocks. On the solemn day of Tishabav, which commemorates the destruction of the Temple, we recall a story from the Talmud of Makkos. In this tale, a group of Rabbis visited Jerusalem to witness the ruins of the Temple. As they stood on the Temple Mount, they saw a fox emerging from the very place where the Holy of Holies once stood. This sight intensified their sadness, but Rabbi Akiva responded with laughter. 

Confused by his reaction, the other Rabbis asked Rabbi Akiva why he was laughing amidst their grief. He explained that their tears were fulfilling two prophecies. Uriah had predicted the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, which led to the area being inhabited by foxes. On the other hand, Zechariah had prophesied a future where people would return to Jerusalem and live there peacefully. 

Rabbi Akiva believed that since Uriah's prophecy had come true (seeing the fox), it meant that Zechariah's prophecy would also come true (people living peacefully in Jerusalem). Therefore, their tears of sorrow were actually bringing hope for a better future. The other Rabbis found comfort in Rabbi Akiva's explanation and thanked him for his wise words.

Source: Sholom Rochela Rodal

Yellow Moon

This may appear to be two suns.  It's actually three different objects.  On the left is the yellow moon belonging to another planet.  Then we have our sun, and behind our sun is a much larger sun, which you can see from the reddish halo around our sun.

There are a lot of photos showing this yellow moon, and people think it is the second sun.  We can't even see the second sun, it's BEHIND our sun.  The other planets and their moons are orbiting around the second sun, which is why they are so close to earth right now.

Here is a photo taken yesterday in Hungary, where you can clearly see the red behind our sun.

Labor Pains of the Mashiach

HT: Sherry

Rabbi Shimon Kessin

The Yanuka Shiur for Tisha b'Av

Hebrew with English subtitles

"Amen Yehai Sh'mai Raba" - Yanuka - with transcription

 Transcription of first half

With regards to the answering of  "Amen, may His great name be blessed" - אמן יהא שמיה רבה

I have spoken about this - אמן יהא שמיה רבה -  it is an individual redemption and a general redemption.

This is saying that if a person wishes to act before Hashem any sort of salvation, for what he needs from HaKodesh Baruch Hu, then he performs a salvation before HaKodesh Baruch Hu - individual and general.  

This is written in Zohar Noach 62b, in the Zohar Terumah 120b. In the Beit Yosef 56 he cites this. We mentioned yesterday Shabbat 119 in the name of  Tosafot that this helps for the salvation of the Jewish nation. In Massechet Sotah 49a and in Massechet Brachot 39a according to Tosafot we see that there is significance that a person says "Amen may His great Name be blessed", that his decree is torn up.

The Sefer Chareidim mentions that there is atonement... there are a few types of atonement for a person. One of the atonements that he mentions first is to say "Amen may his great Name be blessed". This is among the atonement that can atone for a person's soul.

When a person says אמן יהא שמיה רבה with kavana [concentration and meaning] this is atonement for him. When a person has atonement, HaKodesh Baruch Hu acts towards him with all good, from all good, in whatever he desires.

[He then goes on to explain what "kavanah" means.]

Mad World

If you're reading this in the comfort of your home, consider yourself extremely fortunate... that you are not fleeing the wildfires in Greece, losing your home to massive flooding in India, China, Kenya, Afghanistan, the Philippines or Pakistan, living near an active volcano or being rain-bombed and dodging hail  in Europe.  

There's an all-seeing eye in the sky, watching everything we do... even when no-one else sees, Hashem sees.  We are living through the most incredible time, but most people go about their days as if nothing special is happening, and it's business as usual.   

What do these people think is going to happen next? Do they just close their eyes to it all? 

I think they do, I think it's too hard to even think about all this chaos and they just operate on automatic. They don't have the knowledge or belief in the coming of Moshiach, and even if they learnt about it once or twice they don't feel it or expect it. Or they have Moshiach burn out.  Fed up with waiting and given up.  

So whatever is coming has to be incredible enough to wake all these people up.  I can't even begin to imagine. 

Making Room for G-d

''You shall love Hashem,  your God'' [Va'etchanan 6:5]

Every individual, remarked the Dubno Maggid, is required to love Hashem with all his heart.  In order to do this, he must remove all negative and sinful thoughts from his heart.

To what can this be compared?  - to a farmer who arrived in a city on the market day and quickly sold all of his merchandise.

Now that he had a large sum of money in his possession, he decided to buy himself an elegant outfit, the type customarily worn by the city dwellers.  He entered a store that sold expensive silk garments and was given one to try on. The garment seemed too small, however, as the farmer was unable to get his arm into the sleeve.

''The garment that you have given me is too small'', said the farmer to the storeowner.

''The garment is exactly your size,'' laughed the storeowner, ''but before you try it on, you must first remove  your heavy farmer's coat.''

Only after a man removes all the wicked thoughts from his heart, explained the maggid, can there be room in his heart to love Hashem properly.

Source: Rabbi Yisroel Bronstein

5 Av: Yarzheit 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.

14 Facts about the Arizal every Jew should know