How our sense of smell connects us spiritually & why Esther’s real name was Hadassah

Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff

The Serpent's Lie

The Rebbe Reb Zisha once asked his brother "My beloved brother, in the holy writings it is written that all the souls were once included and contained in Adam, the first man. If so, we must also have been there at the moment he sinned and ate from the tree of knowledge. Why didn't we prevent him from doing so?"

The Rebbe Reb Elimelech answered him thus: "Brother, we were obliged to let him eat the fruit. If he had not, the serpent's lie would still stand and would never have been proven false. The serpent said to him "Your eyes will open and you will be as G-d, knowing good and evil and able to create worlds." This is why Adam had to eat the fruit - once he did so, he saw that even though he had eaten of the fruit, he was still just a human being and no more."

Source: Mipeninei Noam Elimelech - translated by Tal Moshe Zwecker

The First Tablets vs the Second Tablets

There are a number of key differences between the first and second tablets:

The Tablets themselves: The first tablets were ''the work of God'' [Ki Tisa 32:16], whereas the second tablets God told Moshe to ''carve for yourself'' [34:1]

The writing:  The Talmud states that only the first tablets possessed the quality of ''God's writing'', which would have caused the words to be forever engraved in Israel's heart and never forgotten [Eruvan 54a and Rashi ibid]

The spiritual level of Israel: By the first tablets, the Jewish people were tzadikim [saintly], whereas by the second tablets they were ba'alei teshuvah [penitents].

The spiritual level of Moshe:  Moshe was given ''one thousand lights'' as a present when the Torah was given, but with the sin of the golden calf they were taken away.

The second tablets had the advantage that (a) they were given with ''halachot, midrash and aggadot'' and (b) Moshe's face shone with light when they were given.

Source: Lubavitcher Rebbe Hayom Yom 17 Tamuz

The True Greatness of Purim

Rabbi Mendel Kessin, new shiur given 3/5/25

Southern Hemisphere: Six Cyclones

 

No-one can remember six separate cyclones all at once.  Cyclone Alfred is due to hit the East Coast of Australia Friday morning.  No doubt a result of the Australian government's negative stance on Israel.

Three formed in the Indian Ocean and another three formed in the Pacific, maps from Zoom Earth show. The tropical storms range from category one to category four level hurricanes, including Seru and Rae north of New Zealand, Alfred northeast of Australia, Bianca west of Australia, Honde off Mozambique and Garance off Madagascar.

The Psychic Breastplate

Art: Rabbi Mordechai Becher

"And Aaron shall carry the names of the Children of Israel in the Breastplate of Judgment over his heart, when he enters the Holy Place, as a rememberance before G·d at all times........ And you shall place the Urim and the Tumin (a parchment containing G-d's name) into the (fold of the) Breastplate of Judgment so that it will be over Aaron's heart when he comes before G·d . . "

[Tetzaveh 28:29-30]

The Breastplate of Judgment was a prophetic device, worn by the High Priest, through which questions could be asked of G·d. When the king or the High Court (Sanhedrin) would ask a question, the Priest would see various letters sparkle or bulge out. Using Divine Inspiration, he would then be able to combine the letters to spell out the answer. [See Aryeh Kaplan, Handbook of Jewish Thought, vol. 1 (New York: Moznaim, 1979), 6:36 and fn. 110, for more on this subject]

There were twelve precious stones set in the Breastplate of Judgment. They were engraved with the names of the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the names of the twelve tribes, and the words "tribes of Yeshurun." Certain letters, such as the gimel or the zayin, were written only once. [Yoma 73b]

As our Sages have said, the Breastplate barely contained all twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Therefore, when they had to ask a question that used several of the same letters, such as "Should I go to Bavel," how were they answered?

The question "Should I go to Bavel?" contains two letters beit, and three lameds. However, it is likely that the author was only using this as an example of a phrase with repeating letters, because there were at least five beits and four lameds in the Breastplate - enough to spell out these words.

There is a very great mystery in this . . . I heard from my grandfather [the Baal Shem Tov], that each of the twenty-two letters [of the Hebrew alphabet] contains within it all the other letters of the alphabet - these can be attained by spelling out each letter in full. For instance, writing out the letter aleph in full provides a lamed and a phey. Furthermore, each of these letters can be further expanded, to produce even more letters, until the entire Hebrew alphabet is reconstituted - except for the letter mem which, when written in full, will not produce any additional letters.

Since G·d commanded that all twenty-two letters be inscribed on the Breastplate, when the priest would be enwrapped in Divine inspiration, the letters would shine in their expanded forms. This enabled the priest to receive everything he needed to know. This is the meaning of "shoham stones and filling stones "avnei miluyim" for the apron and for the Breastplate" [Tetzaveh 25:7].

"Avnei miluyim" read alternatively as "stones that are filled out" - meaning that the engraved letters shone in their expanded forms. In a number of other lessons on this theme, the Baal Shem Tov explains that additional letters can be derived from a single letter by using the techniques of gematria (numerical value of the letters), or by dividing the letters into their component parts. It is possible that those approaches were originally mentioned with this lesson, since there are a number of other letters, such as the gimel, zayin, ches, tes and samech that could never be derived from the other letters, no matter how many times they are spelled out.

Source: From the writings of the Baal Shem Tov

Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Shore

"Bibas" three times in the Parsha

The name Bibas is shown three times, written backwards

Terumah 25:24-25

The Spiritual Meaning of Snow

by Rabbi Simon Jacobson

[Snow for Israel this weekend...? ]

Nothing is as it appears. What lies beneath the enchanting snowflakes floating gently from heaven to earth? From whence do these white angels originate? Is this heaven speaking to us?

Mysticism teaches that everything in the physical universe has a spiritual counterpart. Just as a teardrop is a manifestation of human emotion, and anger is an expression of repressed energy, so physical phenomena actually evolve from and are a manifestation of a spiritual reality. Thus snow is a channel of energy, it is a Divine voice speaking to us through visual imagery so that we can experience it with our bodily senses.

Meteorologists may perceive snow to be a result of pressure systems and precipitation levels; physicists will recognize the subatomic particles that create snow; but the mystic sees the cosmic energy that snow manifests and the facets of our psyche that it illuminates.

Let us explore the spirit within the snow.

Water in all its forms is a symbol of knowledge. Descending water represents the transmission of knowledge from a higher to a lower place, the flow of information from teacher to student. On a cosmic level, rain and snow reflect different ways in which divine energy flows to us from a higher spiritual plane.

Water flowing downward thus describes G-d’s way of transmitting His energy to us and represents the conduit through which our material existence and G-d interact. The purpose of existence is to create unity between G-d and man, so that we, in our limited, material existence can become integrated and unified in an intimate and equal relationship with G-d. To achieve this neither the Divine nor the human can be compromised. Unity achieved on G-d’s terms would annihilate our identities, our existence. Can we (our egos, vanities, and needs) co-exist with G-d who is infinite, uncontained and undefined? And unity attained on our material, finite terms would compromise G-d, because He would have to limit Himself to our existence.

If water - the divine wisdom - were to flow continuously, it would totally submerge and obliterate, not allowing space for any other existence. So water flows in various measures to allow for the transmission to be internalized. Sometimes water flows as rain and sometimes it freezes to different degrees producing snow, hail or sleet, which are all metaphors for the teacher monitoring and transforming the flow into forms that the student can contain and assimilate.

Rain is a transmission that is more on Divine terms. Admittedly it falls in drops which symbolizes some level of contraction, but it flows continuously like a stream of information retaining its fluidity and it is absorbed quickly into the earth.

Ice on the other hand, is a transmission that is more on the recipient’s terms. The information has solidified into a compact state so that the student can internalize it. The flow has ceased and turned into a solid form, so the student is not overwhelmed by the continuous flow of new ideas.

Snow is an intermediary state between fluid water and solid ice. In order to appreciate the spiritual implications of this, we need to examine the properties of snow.

A snowflake needs at least two components in order to form. In addition obviously to cold air, it requires water droplets (vapor), and a nucleus. The nucleus is made up of dust, minerals or other microscopic particles in the air. A snowflake is formed when water takes shape around these microscopic particles and the cold air turns it into ice crystals. Thus snow has two components: water and earth - earth being the particles, and the water being the droplets. Earth is the material world - without any recognition of G-dliness; water is the knowledge of G-d - divine energy without any containers. Thus snow, being half heaven and half earth provides the perfect intermediary between these two worlds.

Snow consists of separate snowflakes that are actually independent properties - each comprised of about 100 ice crystals. Snowflakes cling to each other but they are not intrinsically one. In contrast, water is one unified entity. Although it consists of droplets, each drop joins with another and they become one body of water. What is the symbolism of this in the flow of knowledge?

When a teacher has to reach out to a student who is far beneath his or her level of knowledge and understanding, he or she cannot allow the water to just flow freely, it has to be dressed up in metaphors and it has to be paced. In order for the student to understand a new concept, the teacher needs to create a point of reference by using examples, anecdotes, stories, and analogies. Thus snowflakes represent the need to explain gradually, step by step, in a language that is accessible to the student.

Snow falls gently and silently, teaching us in our own process of educating others and educating ourselves, that we need gentleness. If we educate with a sledgehammer - with unceasing rain pour - it will simply submerge and destroy the crops. Even when it rains on earth, science tells us that on a higher level, the beginning process could have originated in snowflakes. So snowflakes are a symbol of that first gentle step.

Who has not been awed by the beauty of the city or countryside covered in snow? The serenity and whiteness of snow attracts us. We sense the purity of snow when we wake up in the morning and the streets, which are so often filled with grime, are all covered with a white blanket of snow. Snow is a great equalizer - no matter how big the building, or the car, whether a Lexus or a Hyundai, they’re all covered equally by the snow. Snow has the ability to cover over the impurities of life and remind us of our own purity.

So snow is heaven speaking to us - speaking to us through purity, speaking to us gently and gradually on our terms. Snow is the intermediary stage between heaven and earth; ice is a little closer to the level of earth; sleet is in between snow and ice. Thus every weather condition sends us a message and lesson - whether it’s rain, snow, ice, sleet or hail.

Ultimately, the intention is that the snow should melt and turn to water. Once the snow falls and blocks our driveways and streets, we want it to melt. In the education process the student needs to pause which requires a freezing of the water, but then at some point it has to melt and integrate into our system in order for us to grow.

***

The idea of educating through metaphor is further expressed through the numerical secret of snow. The gematria (numerical equivalent) of the Hebrew word sheleg [snow] is 333 [shin=300, lamed=30, gimmel=3]. It says in Kabbalah that sheleg is the gematria of three times the letter alef. When you spell out the letter alef, it is 111. [Alef, lamed, and fei is 1+30+80=111] So 111 times 3 is 333 which is sheleg.

What is the significance? The verse states, “Vayidaber Melech Shlomo shaloshes alafim moshel - King Solomon, [the wise one] spoke in 3,000 metaphors.” The number 3,000, three elefs [elef is one thousand], is snow. [The letter alef also refers to the word elef, 1,000]. So snow relates to the concept of three thousand metaphors.

What’s the relationship between the two? Sheleg, snow, is the concept of metaphor itself. The spiritual dimension of snow serves as an intermediary between Divine energy and the universe. Snow is the concept of explaining knowledge in metaphor. Its cosmic significance is this: To understand the process of how G-d created the universe, G-d could not allow the borders of divinity and spirituality to just flow ceaselessly and annihilate the boundaries of existence. G-d had to contain it, and the way He contained it is reflected in snow.

The mystique of snow is precisely because of its dual quality of heaven meeting earth, water meeting land. Next time you look at the snowflakes gently dropping from heaven, blanketing earth in its white embrace, remember that you are witnessing a kiss – the kiss of the Divine and the mundane.

Source: Meaningful Life

Rav Moshe Sternbuch: "Salvation Will Not Come From President Trump"

 

A critical message about redemption!!!! 

"Salvation will not come from President Trump" 

Maran Posak Hador Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch

A 1 min video: English with Hebrew sub-titles

Signs in the Heavens 2025

Grand Planetary Alignment Feb 20-28

Blood Red Moon A total lunar eclipse will occur on PURIM-  March 14, 2025, and will be visible from parts of the world including the Americas, Antarctica, and parts of Africa. 

 

The Messianic Contributions of Elon Musk

Rabbi Mendel Kessin

Mashiach and His Mission to Destroy Amalek

Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff

Tu b'Shvat: The Segulot of the Fruits According to Kabbalah

 

Tu b'Shvat [15 Shvat] begins Wednesday night into Thursday February 13

Everything you want to know about Tu b'Shvat from Chabad

The ritual of Tu B’Shvat is not a Halachic obligation but a custom containing marvelous segulot (metaphysical phenomena derived from the Torah) that bring abundance and blessings. 

Each species has a particular "segula". It is enough to look at the species and to have the proper intention while eating it, to benefit from the goodness it can bring. The Torah-Box team suggests:

Wisdom and Parnassa 

Wheat (cakes, bread) is a segula for lucidity, wisdom, and success in studies. Also, ask for plenty of parnassa (sustenance). 

Shalom Bayit 

Beer and pearl barley are a segula for Shalom Bayit. A Sota (a woman suspected of adultery, who was then exonerated) had to bring a barley sacrifice to purify herself for her husband, and she thus deserved to have a boy. 

Marriage 

Wine, grape juice, raisins, stuffed grape leaves are a segula for finding one's Zivug (spouse). It is not for no reason that during a wedding we sing "The grapes of the vine assemble with the grapes of the vine". Grapes are also a segula for fertility, "Your wife will be like a fruitful vine". 

Pure Mouth 

The pomegranate has the same color as the lips, as it says, "Your lips are like a scarlet thread." Its segula is in guarding the mouth against Lashon hara (gossip) and bad words. 

Righteous Children 

The olives and its oil are a segula to have children who are Tzaddikim (righteous). In the same way that the leaves of the olives do not fall, so we hope that our children will not go in the wrong direction. But also "a good name" because "A good name is better than scented oil" and a good memory because olive oil is a segula for the memory. 

Health 

The date is a wonderful segula for greatness and success, as the date is the heart of the sky, so we ask "help us to rise like the date". The date is also a segula for healing and good health.

Source: Torah Box

Long Box Cube

As well as the cube, there is also a long box cube.  Someone asked to see photos, these are the best ones I could find.  There are many more images but they are difficult to see, I just used the ones that are obvious.

First two images are from 2021

2022

2024

Teves the Month of the Goat/Eisav

 

The month of Esav…every month has a certain mazel—fortune and the mazel of Esav in his evil guise, is the month of Teves, the month of the goat. The sign of Esav is the “seir,” a goat, so what is interesting is the Aschaltah D’Geulah began on November 5th which is the month that begins the Redemption, and Trump takes office on January 20th which is Teves.  

Source: Rabbi Mendel Kessin  "What is the Messianic Meaning of the Trump Presidency" - transcription

Now have a look at the golden-hoofed goat at Trump's Mar-a-Lago, it's covered in dollar bills printed with the words "in Trump we trust".

Source: MeidasNews

The Cube

This is an actual photo taken from a video shot yesterday by a photographer in Nevada.  You can check it with any AI detector you like, and you'll see it's real.  It was taken during a live podcast, 500 people saw it come up on the screen as he was filming.   

This is the giant cube that's flying around our skies. 

Photos: C. Kuchuris

The Black Devil Fish Warning

I'm not making any of this up.  It's all true.

The Black Devil Fish, a creature of the deep, is adapted to a life of perpetual darkness, relying on bio-luminescence for survival.  

On January 26 this year it rose near to the surface in Tenerife and was captured on film.  

The earthquakes and Kolumbo underwater volcano threat at Santorini followed soon after.  

Trump’s Gaza Plan is “The Final task before Messiah”

This is the relevant part of the article:

Rabbi Yekutiel Fish, a respected mystic rabbi from Jerusalem who authors a Torah blog titled Sod HaChashmal, praised Trump’s plan and predicted that its success was inevitable. 

“Trump is a successful man and puts together business deals that no one else could manage,” Rabbi Fish said. “For him, this is a deal that all sides benefit.” 

But Rabbi Fish saw Trump’s Gaza plan as part of a bigger picture. 

“Everyone is focused on Gaza, but that is only one part of the end-of-days agenda, which has the Jews living in Israel’s prophesied borders,” Rabbi Fish said. “The Torah explicitly includes Gaza. What Trump is doing is cleaning out Gaza of all the haters of Israel. They cannot be in Israel after the Messiah comes. After the Messiah, the only people who can be in the Biblical borders of Israel are those who believe He is One and His name is One. This will include Gaza, half of Lebanon, and much of Jordan.” 

And we see that we are almost there. Syria fell. Lebanon is half gone. Gaza is ripped up. The stage is nearly set for Messiah. But how can the Palestinians be here when we go to greet the Messiah? The Messiah needs someone to take care of this, and in this case, it is Donald Trump. Trump is merely carrying out the final tasks needed before Messiah is revealed,” Rabbi Fish said.

Source: Israel365 [which some say is a missionary hang-out, but this is just an article that seems missionary-free, I don't necessarily recommend this site in general, but sometimes there is information that should be shared]

If you want to know more about Rav Fish, as he is actually known [rather than Rabbi] you can find a lot more of his famous gematriot and other chiddushim at Yeranen Yaakov by searching for "Rav Fish" there.

Sun Over Santorini

Have a look at this 14 sec video, it's showing the sun over Santorini.

You can see that the sun is not a perfect circle, something is causing it to appear distorted and there is a blue line coming out of it.  As the video ends, you can clearly see a pale blue sphere appear at the 11 o'clock mark above the sun.  It's not a lens flare, it's a separate body moving near the sun.  

I've taken a screen shot of the relevant part, see photo below video.

Trump Has No Clue Why He Was Chosen. But I Do.

H/t CSF

Rabbi Isser Weisberg

In this video Rabbi Weisberg reveals what he believes to be the true role of Donald J Trump -- something which he is completely unaware of. The introduction is quite important, but if you want to go straight to where he reveals why he believes Trump was chosen by God, go to about 30:00. 

Also in this video... The destiny of America and western civilization was clearly prophesied dozens of times throughout the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible. And it is not pretty. Destruction and desolation was their destiny, as punishment for all the evil deeds perpetrated by the progeny of Esau / Edom / Rome.

Metaphysically all the souls of this mighty Empire which was destined to last until the Messiah comes - are intertwined, and their destiny is linked. However these prophecies were reversed due to the herculine efforts of a great, holy and righteous Jewish leader whose identity the Rabbi will only reveal in a future video. Trump has a major role in this fascinating turn of events, as revealed in this video.