Rabbi Winston on Current Events [video]

Rabbi Pinchas Winston speaks on why the world seems to be falling apart, why we should not be worried, and why Moshiach is not very far away.

Also see: The Eleventh Hour

Everything happens for a reason

Source: Malbim's commentary on Megillat Esther, translated by Jonathan Taub

Before recounting the troubles that befell the Jewish people, we are told that "the cure preceded the wound". We are taught that the Almighty only strikes us in order to heal us. This is the meaning of the verse: "All the diseases which I brought on Mitzrayim I will not place upon you, because I am Hashem Who Heals You." [Shemos 15:26]

When the messengers sent by Hasach gave Esther's instructions to Mordechai, Mordechai told them to reply to Esther: "Do not think to yourself that you can escape in the king's house more than all the Jews." [Megillat Esther 4:13]

Why did Mordechai say "Do not think to yourself" when "Do not think" would have sufficed?

Mordechai informed Esther of several fundamental principles:

1) Any time something unusual and extraordinary occurs, we must realize that the Almighty has brought this about as a means to achieving some important providential end.  Esther's remarkable elevation to the position of queen was clearly Divinely determined for some significant purpose.  With the revelation of the decree to annihilate the Jewish people, it was now obvious that Esther was intended to help save the Jews.

2) For any tragedy that befalls the Jews, there is a specific time and day ready for their deliverance by certain prepared means. If these means are not actualized, then the Almighty will prepare other means to save them.

3) Anything that does not exist for itself, but to help something else, has its entire existence dependent on what it was destined to help.  For example, if a gardener wants to plant certain flowers in the winter, he will construct a special greenhouse with a heating system to help these flowers grow.  If he changes his mind and wants the flowers to flourish in the summer, when there is an abundance of natural light and heat from the sun, he will dismantle the greenhouse, for it is no longer required.

Mordechai was telling Esther that her position in the royal house was not for her own benefit, but for the sake of the Jews.  If Esther decided not to help rescue them, the Almighty undoubtedly had other means and methods of bringing about their redemption, regardless of how improbable they might seem.

Since Esther was granted her position as queen only in order to help the Jews, and since the date for their salvation had already been determined, if she did not act immediately she might miss the appointed time and the Almighty would use other agents to affect their deliverance.

This was Mordechai's warning to Esther.  Do not think that your elevation to royalty is to yourself, for your own benefit, so that you can escape in the king's house, rather than for saving the Jewish nation.  The opposite is true: it is only to enable you to rescue the Jews.

Appearances can be Deceptive

A Purim Vort

Why did Vashti refuse to appear naked before the King?  The Ohr HaMeir says in the name of the Baal Shem Tov:

Vashti is klipah and Esther is Kedusha. "The King" is obviously in reference to Hashem, the True King.

Klipah is the outer shell - it encases that which is in it, in essence holding what is inside it prisoner. Kedusha is holiness.

The only advantage that klipah has over kedushah is that it is beautifully clothed. The klipah appears to be attractive. But as soon as you remove the levushim (robes) - the klipah has nothing to hang on to and it vanishes completely. Thus, the klipah cannot come before the King.

Anything in this physical world that entices us that is not Kedusha will be nothing in the future: it will cease to exist, because klipah cannot stand before the King "unclothed".

Purim begins this Saturday night.  At that time we will see the Super Moon - the moon will appear huge because it will be very close to the earth -  356,577km away.  The moon represents the Jewish people... so it's a good sign.

The Prophetic Words of the (Previous) Lubavitcher Rebbe

The moment the tsunami hit Japan

Before Redemption: A Tremendous Flood
[originally published at Yiddishkeit.org by R. Yaakov Nathan]

The prophectic words of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe  (Tammuz, 5704/1944)

Psalm 93

The rivers have raised, O Lord, the rivers have raised their voice; the rivers raise their raging waves.

More than the sound of many waters, than the mighty breakers of the sea, is the Lord mighty on High.
Your testimonies are most trustworthy; Your House will be resplendent in holiness, O Lord, forever.
 
This chapter of Tehillim was composed by the G-dly poet regarding Yemos Ha’Moshiach (the Messianic days). He hints briefly at the events which will take place before the geula. The central theme of the chapter is that the Jews living at that time will understand by means of these events, that the galus is over and geula has begun.....

"..... the roaring rivers will bring great changes to the world; for example: they will drown an entire nation or at least a great portion, and this natural disaster will cause a revolution in man’s perspective. They will see this as a G-dly punishment. It’s also possible that this natural disaster will change the world political map by a chain of events which will begin with that nation that drowns."

To read the entire article go to: Before Geula a Great Roaring of Water

Water gushing from Kotel

Received via email:

My sister in law is a kalla and her wedding is tonight. She just went to the kotel to pray and asked to go into the tunnels where there is a spot that is next to the kodesh K'dashim. She was told that it is closed because a lot of water came gushing out from Har Habayit and a wall collapsed there.

The prophet Ezekiel prophesied about the water which would go out from the Temple Mount in the end-times which will be a sign of the redemption of the people and land of Israel.

And from an old Lazer Beams posting (which I could only find quoted on google) "By our own tradition, the moisture at the Western Wall of the Holy Temple indicates the impending redemption of the people and land of Israel, the rebuilding of the Temple and the coming of Moshiach ben David, speedily and in our time, amen."

Gemara [Yoma 77b-78a] :

R' Pinchas said in the name of Rav Huna of Tzippori: The spring that issues from the Holy of Holies initially resembles the antennae of locust. Once it reaches the entrace of the Sanctuary it swells and becomes as wide as the thread of the warp. Once it reaches the entrance of the Antechamber, it becomes as wide as the thread of the woof. Once it reaches the entrance of the Courtyard it becomes as wide as the mouth of a small flask. And this is the meaning of what we learned in the Mishna (Middos 2:6) R' Eliezer Ben Yaakov says: By this gate a stream of water, as wide as that which issues from a flask, will emerge from under the threshold of the temple. From here onward [the stream] will rise unabatedly until it reaches the entrance of the house of David (i.e. Har Tzion, Mount Zion in Jerusalem - Rashi). Once it reaches the house of David it becomes a swiftly flowing stream, in which zavin, zavos, niddos, and childbearing women will immerse and cleanse themselves from their tumah. As it is stated: On that day there will be a spring opened up for the house of David and for all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for cleaning and for purification. [Zechariah 13:1]

The Tsunamic Deluge

Article below by Laibl Wolf, Dean, Spiritgrow - The Josef Kryss Wholistic Centre, Australia

You have been away for some weeks, maybe months, travelling or visiting. You finally come home. And it feels so good, so secure, so familiar. You sit yourself down in your favorite lounge chair and look around and mentally whisper, “It’s just great coming back home.”

The fifty foot wave carries everything in its path along miles of wave front, frothing angrily at all in its path. Effortlessly it sweeps houses off their foundations, carelessly catapults container ships ashore, drags hundreds of cars like plastic toys through towns and fields, crashing and crushing bridges, refineries, and shopping centres. The roar of destruction is awesome, terrifying. Bodies bob up and down but soon cease to feature in the macro sweep of titanic garbage that makes up the jetsam and flotsam of civilization that ceases to be – drowned by cataclysm and vis major.

Our home is our castle. Every nook and cranny triggers a memory – a piece of our life. The house is as intimate with our soul as is our body. It snuggles us in its womb, extricating us from the demons outside, from a world of thrust and parry. It encompasses us in a warm blanket of security fending off the lurking dangers of a world no longer safe.

It arrives so suddenly – a deafening crackle of crunching tectonic plate sheering a few more centimeters of its opposite number, and all too suddenly the Pacific Rim is the setting for topographical mayhem. A mere rubbing of subterranean shoulders, and life on the surface of the green planet is turned upside down. New Zealand and Tokyo join a modern history of quakes that rudely destroys landscapes of earth and lives alike.

Our comfort zone is more than a house. It is a state of mind. It accepts the high predictability of tomorrow’s normalcy and continuity. It anticipates the newspaper on the front porch, the neighbour’s dog barking, the good-morning kiss of our child, the familiar face on the bus, and the setting of the afternoon sun. Change is uncomfortable. Transformation is painful. Destruction is soul destroying.

The plume of nuclear cloud floats away ominously from the cracked nuclear plant torn asunder by forces far stronger. We breathe the air of our city and wonder. The unspoken sense of personal security is hesitant and thinly veiled. Our sense of tomorrow is no longer a given, a bedrock of assumption, an axiom of life’s continuity. Our complacency is undressed and the veneer of self-assurance cracked wide open.

Is there rhyme or reason? Or are we dry leaves driven by powerful and wanton winds of arbitrary change?

I think not. I believe not. To a world of moderns who exult themselves in their political and physical capacity to rule and over-rule, to control and defeat, to invade and subjugate, to maim and murder – comes a message, a correcting mechanism, a reminder: you are but ants to be stamped out at Will. And as the Torah notes: when the angel of death is given permission, it doesn’t discriminate between the good and the bad. Rough justice for human sensibilities!

We are witnessing a cosmic lesson in humility. The animalistic tendency of man is being checked and subdued. A force far greater is reminding us of the higher purpose of creation: “And it was good.” When we make it less good, it comes to bite us. ‘ The Kabbalistic teachings describe the physical features of life as shards of a broken Divine container that humans have been given the privilege to raise up and restore. And not just a privilege – but an absolute duty, loosely described as Tikkun Olam – the 613 Mitzvot that repair the world.

Jewish people have a 3500 year tradition of response to supreme adversity. It is called Teshuva – returning to the norm. In the place of fear and repair, the onlooker of tragedy has to visit his/her own heart and commit to a life of high values, true Hessed (compassion), real nurture of family and friendship, meaningful contribution to the welfare of others and community, and expression of real love – even for the stranger.

Read the signs well and make a change in your life. The tsunamic flood seeks a Noachide response of principle and brotherhood - Ahavat Yisrael.

 

Source: Spirit Grow

Women Unite for Fogel Family

A Jewish response to tragedy is to add light to this dark world. Women around the world are uniting to light candles for this coming shabbat, March 18, in merit of the holy souls of members of the Fogel family murdered mercilessly. Please check your local Shabbat candle lighting time and make this your status. May Hashem have pity on his children.

Guys, please remember if you live on your own, you can also join in by lighting the candles for shabbat or you can get family and friends to do so!

Please note that if you already light shabbat candles, it is better not to add extra candle in their memory, but rather invite a friend who does not light to do so. If you keep shabbat you may choose to light the candles a little earlier.

May Hakodosh Boruch Hu inundate our world with his light and the light of peace and may the holy neshamot (souls) of these special people who lived for Israel and for peace enjoy eternal life and be our emissary in asking G-d for peace...

Click here for Facebook page and add yourself to the 11,000 plus names already there.

"A small amount of light dispels a great deal of darkness" [Tanya Ch. 12]

Eleven

Ever since the Twin Towers fell on 9 11 people have tuned into the number 11.

What is the significance of eleven in the Jewish religion? And why is that number being drawn to our attention again and again this year, with the major events all falling on the 11th day of the month, in the year of 2011 ?
 

1.11.11 -  Australia Hit with Massive Flooding - Parts of the country disappear under water

2.11.11 - Egypt's government falls: Mubarak steps down -  [7 Adar I]

3.11.11 - Japan quake, tsunami  

According to some people, 11/11 is a portal opening, a time when we can expect change.  Going by the events so far this year, it certainly seems to be the case !

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Here's a few things I found regarding the number eleven and it's relevance to the Messianic Era, and which may explain why it is being brought to our attention again and again :

"Normally the attributes (Sefirot) add up to ten. There is, however a case where the number eleven comes into play. This would be the level of Kodesh HaKodoshim, (Holy of Holies) or the "crown." "You are One but not in the numerical sense" [Tikkunei Zohar, Introduction II], meaning not in the normal order of ten, rather eleven!

"We would associate the eleventh level with the Divine service of ba'alei teshuvah, who reach above the system of development of the worlds, where even tzaddikim don't stand.

"Chassidus teaches us that in the future G-d will cause the tzaddikim to rise to the level of teshuvah, thus, then, all will reach to the same level of eleven!

"Which also connects all these thoughts with the theme of parshas Shemini where we are told that Moshe and Aharon entered the Communion Tent to burn the incense and then the Shechinah came to rest in the Tabernacle.

"The incense was composed of eleven different spices and symbolized the aspect of teshuvah, which brings the revelation of: "You are one but not in the numerical sense" (above the Ten Sefiros)."

Source: Sichos in English

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"The number eleven, which is how many spices there were in the Ketores, at first seems rather odd. However, Kabbalistically it is a number of tremendous importance for it alludes to one of the most prized possessions in all of history: Da'as Elokim - G-dly-Knowledge.

"It is well-known that there are only ten fixed Sefiros: Keter, Chochmah, Binah, Chesed, Gevurah, Tifferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut - Crown, Wisdom, Understanding, Kindness, Strength, Harmony, Dominance, Glory, Foundation, and Kingship. They are, for all intents and purposes, the spiritual DNA for all of existence, and the filters through which the G-d of light passes to make it all exist and happen.

"Kabbalah explains that there is actually an eleventh sefirah. However, because it is really the product of other sefiros and subject to movement, meaning that it can come and go based upon the efforts of man, it is more like a pseudo-sefirah, though its centrality is not to be under-estimated. (In truth, Da'at is what the light of Keter becomes after being filtered through Chochmah and Binah, which is why it is not really counted independently, but that is already a discussion that goes above our heads.)

"Brushing aside the details, Da'at means one thing and one thing only: Redemption. The more of this light that exists in the world, the more redemption will become a real and fixed reality, which is why the prophets describe Yemos HaMoshiach as a time when the world will be filled with Da'at, just as Betzalel was to construct the Mishkan, a microcosm of the entire universe in perfection, as the Zohar said:

"Ya'akov wanted to establish the Mystery of Unity below, and composed the twenty-four letters of, "Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom forever." He didn't make it twenty-five letters since the Mishkan (Tabernacle) had yet to be built. Once the Mishkan was built, the first word was completed . . . With regard to this it says, "G-d spoke to him from the Appointed Tent, saying . . ." [Vayikrah 1:1] which has twenty-five letters. [Zohar 2:139b]

"The golden calf represents the other extreme - the world without Da'at, a forerunner of modern Western Society.  The Parah Adumah of course is the tikun for the golden calf, and therefore an expression of this very concept. [See Rashi at the beginning of Parashas Chukas]

"Thus, there are some very famous elevens through history, and they are all associated with this concept of Da'at. For example, Yosef was the eleventh son born to Ya'akov, the one through whom the hand of G-d became clear and from whom Moshiach ben Yosef will descend to help us across the threshold into Moshiach's time.

"However, perhaps the most famous eleven is the gematria of the letters "Vav-Heh" from G-d's Tetragrammaton Name, purposely left out at the end of Parashas Beshallach when G-d swears there will be war against Amalek until the end of history. The Name of G-d that represents this reality is "Elokim." Once Amalek is finally snuffed out in Moshiach's time, they will return and G-d's Name will once again be one. However, until such time it is as if they remain hidden, like the hand of G-d itself in the affairs of man, allowing Gevuros and Amalek to do their thing."

Source: Torah.org

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"The number eleven is associated with the phrase, "an eleven day journey from Choreb." This implies that after the experience of Choreb, the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, there is the need to proceed to a higher rung, "an eleven day journey."

"This teaches that one should not content himself with the service of the ten conscious powers of the soul, but should also involve our encompassing powers, including the power of yechidah whose transcendent nature is symbolized by the number eleven. Furthermore, both these dimensions of service should be fused together.

"The fusion of ten and eleven relates to our present time, the time when all of our energies are directed towards "bringing the Era of the Mashiach." This will be the tenth redemption. Simultaneously, there is a connection to eleven for the "the new [dimensions of the] Torah that will emerge from Me" represents an increase beyond the Ten Commandments and thus relates to the number eleven."

Sources: Sichos in English  and Eleven Days Fall from Edom

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And from Rebetzin Esther Jungreis:

"Turning to parshas Nitzavim [Deut. 28:28], in which it is written: "The hidden things are for G-d, but that which is revealed is for us and our children." Over the words "for us and our children" there are dots, and if you count them, you will discover exactly eleven! .... What is the meaning of eleven? I called all the members of my family for their input, and each of them came up with a different Torah answer.

"In the Book of Daniel, Chapter 7, the prophet speaks of a vision of "horns" which symbolize the various regimes that we will encounter in our exile. The last and smallest of these horns will be the eleventh, after which the messianic period will be ushered in. Sadya Gaon, the Rambam, and the Malbim all interpret this eleventh horn as the religion of Ishmael - Mohammed - Islam! The Rambam, in his "Epistle to Yemen"writes that "the horn has human eyes and a mouth speaking big things, that is to say that this upstart would conjure up a religion similar to the G-dly religion. He will say that he is a prophet and say many things. His interest will be to hinder and destroy the true religion and he shall think to change the times and the law...." I was floored by it all and continued to search.

"Eleven, I remembered is also the eleven stars that Joseph saw in his dream which foretold his future. Joseph was the eleventh son of the patriarch Jacob, and he died at the age of 110 (remove the zero and once again, you have 11)."

Update:  See the bigger picture