Making Sense

[a Dvar Torah from Rav Yaakov, forwarded by a reader]

BS”D

Hhukath 5771 (?5951?)

You have to find a steer who is 100% red, has never had a yoke on it, is physically perfect. The mathematical/statistical chance is so low it’s pitiful. Then you take this super-rare find, slaughter it, burn it to ashes along with some moss, a branch of cedar and some red cloth. Now if you did that with any steer it would make no difference. But with this red one the man who burns it and the man who handles the ashes become tmei’im (spiritually impure). Then when someone touches or is under the roof with a human corpse he becomes tameh (spiritually impure) and gets purified by having sprinkled on him water mixed with the very same ashes that caused those men to be tameh plus the one who sprinkled the water on him becomes tameh instead of the ‘besprinkled’.

Go figure it out.

Does it make any logical sense to you?

Nu – be honest.

It can’t make sense to you because you are a mere human being with the limited human mind. Yes even the most brilliant of humans has a mind/brain that in relation to the ‘mind’ of HaShem is extremely limited. It would be something like comparing a certified idiot to a certified mega-genius with an IQ of say 400.

For you info; Genius = IQ above 135, Cretin = IQ 70-85, Moron = IQ 55-70, Imbecile = IQ 40-55, Idiot = IQ under 40 (Wiley Coyote = IQ 35, supporters of “pres” B.H.O. = 25).

The difference between HaShem’s “mental powers” and ours is beyond conception. That is part of why the Hebrew word for world is “Olam” which stems from the root word “elem” meaning unseen/un-seeable. What we see and our brains can fathom is less than the tip of the iceberg. Most is, as far as we are concerned, hidden and un-seeable.

Just as a “small” example: Our neviim and Zohar hint to a time near the coming of Mashiah when there will be wars, rumors of wars (riots), strange weather, many natural disasters, changes in the moon etc. This year we see much of this. Yet it is all not realized by most people who can’t connect the dots. Now we hear from amateur astronomers that yes the moon has changed its angle and its position in the sky , while government paid astronomers refuse to reply to queries on this. We also now hear from Rav Glazerson that Torah Codes tell of a change in the moon this very year 5771. Nothing just happens by coincidence. There is a hand, a very BIG hand behind it all with HIS unfathomable, unknowable intentions and plans behind it all.

Think of it as being shown on a giant screen - a moving constantly changing immense collage of images. You’d catch a small miniscule part of it if anything at all.

Haza”l told us that if we were able to see all the entities surrounding us and all their activity we would go nuts in seconds.

When a navi (prophet) received a nevuah (prophecy) he did not sense what he was told or wrote down. He received a multimedia multidimensional image that has zero sense to just about anyone including himself. It also must be in the language-concept type of his society language etc.

E.g. the Amerindians called the train an ‘iron horse’ for this was the work animal they knew, and they called negroes ‘white men” because of the association.

His human mind had to translate as if it were this super-hologram into words that a human mind can grasp. There is where some people went wrong. If the receiver is pure, righteous, free of arrogance-selfproudfullness-jealousy-envy, free of low lusts etc then he will develop a good rendering of the image. If not; then not. It’s a simple mathematical physics equation. Send a light beam through a good quality lens and a good image comes through. If the lens is warped so will be the image.

This was the mistake of Adam Harishon, of Korahh, of Bilaam, of Shabtai Ssvi etc. However, I must be quick to say that Adam was in a different league totally from the others mentioned.

Adam saw that in the future he would be allowed to eat from the tree of knowledge, but failed to see that a certain time must pass so that the tree would repaired beforehand. Korahh saw that his sons would be uplifted by HaShem, but failed to see why. He saw that a prophet, Shmuel, would be one of his descendants, and that in the future the Leviim would also perform functions in the Beit Hamikdash like the Cohanim. But he too jumped the gun. His sons were uplifted and merited a descendant to be the prophet who would coronate kings especially David the root of Mashiahh because they did not partake in his mahhloketh against Moshe while at the same time they kept a behavior of respect to their wayward father. Bilaam was misguided by his greed. Sh’Ss by his bodily lusts was made fodder for shin daledim etc who led him believe that he was Mashiahh.

What could have saved them and others from similar failures and fates? What can save us from such failures and fates? True, while none of us are prophets, all of us can get ‘messages’. All of us get ideas etc in our heads. How can we even hope to be sure to not go astray?

Had Adam stopped and said to himself, “Let me talk to HaShem, talk to my Neshama (upper soul) and find out of this is really what HaShem wants of me or is it a false flag” he would never have taken that fateful disastrous nibble. The world would have been a lot different.

Had Korahh done this he would have seen the clear picture and realized that he was a clear choice to make, accept Moshe’s leadership 100% and survive to have his descendants reach the same high level but for better reason, or give in to his envy and fall as he did.

If Sh’ss had done hitbodeduth (solitary talk with ones Neshama and HaShem) he would have been able to free himself from his crude lusts and not become so enveloped and influenced by klipoth and shin daledim. He would therefore not have gone so astray.

If a person who is thirsting to go buy a new BMW 740i even though it means a big loan would stop, do hitbodeduth and ask inside/upstairs “is there a real true reason why my 3 year old Chevy Citation isn’t good enough?” he would stick with his “old” car and prevent the debts and pressures. That’s just one example. Think about it and you’ll see there are tons of others in your life.

Talk to HIM. Ask HIM why HE put you here at all. Ask HIM why HE arranged your life to bring you to the spot/situation etc you are in. Ask HIM what HE wants of you, what you are supposed to learn from the events etc in your life. Ask HIM for HIS Divine guidance and help in doing what HE wants of you.

As a master Torah genius of a few generations ago said, “You must investigate everything with the goal of finding the Sekhel (mentality-intelligence, sense) of HaShem in everything all the time”.

It will change your world, your life for the better.

With that I send to all of you my precious brothers, sisters, friends and students my blessings

Rav Yaakov

A Time, Times and a Half of Time

Barack Obama and The Book of Daniel  
from Radio Broadcast of 15 May 2007 at Redemption5768 [Download #9]

The last chapter of Daniel, chapter 12 contains probably the most mysterious verse in Torah. It calculates that the time of the end will be after a time, times and a half of time passes. Many people are aware of this verse, but forget that chapter 7 also has some intriguing and similar language. It occurs after describing the 4th beast representing our 4th and final exile, the exile of Yishmael, the Arab nation.

Verse 24 states that ten kings shall come out of this kingdom, but then another king will emerge and subdue three kings. He shall speak arrogantly against Hashem and the Jews and will believe that he can change the times. We will be given into his hands for, a time, times and a half of time.

"And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the seasons and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time."  Daniel 7:25

[Also see Obama and the Evil at the End of Days]

Just as Lost as you Are

Concerning this, those who speak in parables say "Come to Heshbon...." [Chukat 21:27]

In Maseches Bava Basra [78b], Chazal expound on this verse as follows: "Regarding this hamoshlim would say - This refers to those who rule [hamoshlim] over their yetzer hara.  'Come to Cheshbon' - Come and let us make a calculation [cheshbon] of world importance."  This teaches us that it is incumbent upon each individual to evaluate his deeds in order to determine whether or not he is acting properly.

R' Yitzchak Blaser, one of the primary figures in the Mussar movement, was approached by members of his community who requested that the Rav rouse them with words of inspiration in light of the upcoming High Holy days.

"Allow me to draw a parable" he began.  "A caravan lost its way in a forest. For a week the travelers wandered around aimlessly, unable to find their way out.  Suddenly, the men saw a lone figure walking in the distance. They quickly made their way toward him and asked him to show them the way out of the forest.

"My brothers and friends" replied the man, "you have been roaming this forest for only a week.  I, however, have already been lost for several weeks. Let us try to find the way out of here together, perhaps then we will be successful."

"But there is one area in which I can be of assistance" continued the man. "I will tell you the paths that I have already tried, and we will know not to mistakenly tread them again."

"This applies to our own situation as well" said R' Blaser with great humility. "I am just as lost as you are; only more so, for I am old and have already been lost for many years.  Yet my experience can be of benefit, as I will be able to enlighten you as to things that I have seen in my life which I have investigated and found to be trivial and meaningless!

"You can trust me on those matters that it would not be worth your while to try those things.

"Come, let us search together for the path that leads to complete repentance!"

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

The Tenth Red Cow

"They should take some of the ashes of the burnt purification offering [of the red cow] and place them in a vessel [filled] with spring water" [Chukas 19:17]

Rambam comments: "Nine red heifers were prepared from the time this mitzvah was given until the destruction of the Second Temple.  The first was prepared by Moshe, the second by Ezra, and there were seven from Ezra until the destruction of the Temple.  The tenth will be made by King Mashiach - May he be speedily revealed! Amen, may this be your Will!"

The fact that Rambam mentions the tenth red heifer that "will be made by King Mashiach" in his legal Code [the Mishneh Torah] is understood, since Rambam included in his Code many laws that will only be applicable in the future era.  What is difficult to comprehend is why he concluded this law with a prayer "May he be speedily revealed! Amen, may this be Your Will!"  Surely a legal Code is not the place for the author to record his personal emotions and feelings, or to lapse into prayerful wishes?

It could be argued, however, that with his "prayer", Rambam did teach us a point of Jewish Law - or, to be precise, three points:

Judaism requires a person:

1) Not merely to believe [intellectually] in Mashiach, but also to actively await and yearn [emotionally] for his coming [Laws of Kings 11:1]

2) Inevitably, feeling this void will lead a person to pray for Mashiach's coming, just as he prays for any other thing that is lacking in his life.

3) And being that the requirement to believe in Mashiach is in force at all times, it follows that likewise, a person must yearn and pray for Mashiach constantly.

Therefore:

1) Rambam included prayerful wishes here in his legal Code to indicate that awaiting Mashiach must not be only expressed intellectually, but emotionally too.

2) He stresses that Mashiach should come "speedily" to indicate Mashiach's coming should be a personal heartfelt desire.

3) He recorded the above principles, not in his codification of the laws concerning Mashiach, but here out of context, to indicate that one must express a yearning for Mashiach constantly, whatever the context of one's discusion happens to be.

Source: Likutei Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

The View from Above

Yesterday was pretty chaotic for me, but I did have a couple of hours of sanity where I sat on someone else's roof deck, and took these photos.

Looking down towards Bondi Beach

Lost Penguin Update

For those who were worried about last week's Lost Penguin [now named "Happy Feet"] - you will be pleased to hear he is being looked after and New Zealand zoo staff are hoping he will make a full recovery, and that he will be well enough to take up the offer of a place onboard a cruise-ship back home to Antarctica.

The emperor penguin swam about 3200km from its Antarctic home to Peka Peka beach, about 60km north of Wellington. The only previous recording of an emperor penguin in New Zealand was at Southland's Oreti Beach in 1967.

Full story here

Australia's disappearing beach

A popular beach known as Inskip Point near Australia's Frazer Island began to disappear into a sinkhole yesterday.   As nearby campers looked on, the beach began to vanish in front of them.

Miriam's Well

Art: Devorah Designs

[Please pray for the refuah shelaima [complete recovery] of Chaya Bracha Miriam Shira bat Mira, from the Lubavitch community in Chicago, mother of four young children]


"The congregation had no water, so they ganged up against Moshe and Aharon..." [Chukas 20:2]

Water assists the digestive system to break down food, and the water within the bloodstream carries those nutrients to all parts of the body.  This represents the mission of all Jewish women: to bring the well of living water - Torah - to nourish all segments of the Jewish people, even those who totally lack knowledge of it.  Thus we find that, while still in Egypt, Miriam devoted herself to small children, and her heroic efforts led to the annulment of Pharoah's decree against children.  Consequently, it was in her merit that the well water came, since water represents the universal dissemination of Torah.

Thus, when a mother, sister or teacher educates a child, we witness the modern-day "living waters of Miriam" sustaining the Jewish people in exile, making it possible to go peacefully throughout our current "sojourn" in the "desert" of exile.

In addition to providing water to drink, Miriam's well also made it possible for the mitzvah of taharas hamishpachah [family purity] to be fulfilled.  There was no other source of water in the desert, so Miriam's well served as a mikvah, enabling children to be born throughout the forty years.

The custom of drawing water on Motzei Shabbat [to draw from the well of Miriam] is cited in the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch.  This appears to suggest that it is applicable today; however, this was not a custom practiced in the House of the Chabad Rebbeim.  In any case, it certainly applies to all of us spiritually: studying this law about Miriam's well influences the whole week, that it may be a healthy week in both spiritual and physical terms.

Source: Gutnick Chumash: Based on various Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe