Silence: The Language of Connection

by Rabbi Michoel Gourarie

Art: Luis Beltran

In Pirkei Avot a great rabbi taught:

"All my days I grew up among the sages and did not find anything better for the body than silence."

Jewish sources define the human being as "the speaker". The ability to communicate is central to human function. Speech allows us to express our feelings, develop our emotions, explain concepts, influence other people and strengthen relationships.

Why then would the sage suggest that silence is a value worth pursuing? Isn't silence the absence of speech?

The answer lies in the definition. There are two forms of silence. One is just absence of words and the other is a prerequisite and foundation of effective speech.

The first silence is a negative trait that stems from an inability or unwillingness to communicate effectively. This silence [unlike speech] causes division and separation, creating dysfunction in human relationships.

Some examples:

• Getting upset and giving someone silent treatment. When we are offended or hurt, respectful conversation is the only tool to resolve issues and repair relationships. Remaining silent and refusing to talk is a form of aggression and totally ineffective.
• A parent who is afraid of his/her children and cannot be assertive with appropriate guidance and direction. This is a silence that comes from weakness and leads to dysfunctional behavior.

The second is a good silence that creates the platform for effective and positive speech. It allows the goals of communication to be achieved. True communication can only occur when there is mutual understanding and deep respect for each other's position. For this to take place our words must be preceded and guided by appropriate silence. This means:

Waiting to respond so that we can think before we talk rather than speak impulsively.

To actively listen to someone else without interrupting them so that we can really understand their perspective and that they can feel heard.

Creating boundaries around our words so that we carefully choose words that will bring us closer together and remain silent when they create more distance.

It is this form of silence that the sage is referring too. Before we can be true to our identity as "speakers and communicators" we must learn the art of good silence.

Being quiet when we should talk creates dysfunction and disunity among us. But silence, when timed correctly, is the language of connection.

Iran's Banks Cut Off

This news is a couple of days old... but here's a video news report.

Iranian banks cut off from SWIFT system
Financial group vital for oil exports cuts business with banks blacklisted by EU to enforce sanctions.
Source: Aljazeera

Obama Preparing for .... ?

Whitehouse releases new Executive Order: National Defense Resources Preparedness - giving them the power to basically do anything they like, and take control of everything and everyone in case of war.

You can read it here: The Whitehouse

"And the king of the north shall again set forth a multitude, greater than the former; and he shall come on at the end of the times, even of years, with a great army and with much substance. And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south; also the children of the violent among thy people shall lift themselves up to establish the vision; but they shall stumble. And the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mound, and take a well-fortified city; and the arms of the south shall not withstand; and as for his chosen people, there shall be no strength in them to withstand. But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him; and he shall stand in the beauteous land, and in his hand shall be extermination."

......I heard from Rav Yehuda Sheinfeld Shlit"a and Rav David Hameyahel Shlit"a who explained these verses as referring to a war between Edom and Paras, which is the expected war between the U.S.A. and Iran. The King of the South is Iran, who is in the South, whereas the King of the North is the U.S.A. and Europe who are in the North. [Source: Geula Update: Rav Fish]

Cyclone Lua hits Western Australia

• Cyclone Lua crosses WA coast as Category four
• Devastating wind gusts of up to 250km/hr
• "Every light fitting, the water had seeped in"

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Rabbi Elimelech's Dance

The Bobover Rebbe and his brother, the Pakshavitzer Rebbe, in the midst of Rebbe Elimelech's dance.

Thousands upon thousands of pages have already been filled with writings about the saintly tzaddik, Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk, zt"l whose yahrtzeit was on 21 Adar, yet mere pen and paper cannot do proper justice to the sublime holiness that characterized this human angel. In the following lines we do not attempt to add to the descriptions of this saintly personality, but rather to turn the spotlight on a phenomenon that is mystically accredited to the Rebbe Elimelech.

Throughout the ages, various original dances have been woven into the rich tapestry of Jewish tradition. There is the Techiyas Hameisim dance, the Sheidim (Devil) dance, the Brogez (Angry) dance, and others. One popular dance that has been widely incorporated in Chassidic circles and has become a classic at many weddings is known as "Rebbe Elimelech's dance".

Aside from the lofty significance attributed to the dance itself, the tune that it goes with also has deep-seated roots in tradition. The marching tune, which starts off slow and increases in tempo as the song progresses, is sung by some to the words of "Eliyahu Hanavi" on Motzoei Shabbos. In the dance, which is also called the Under-Over dance, partners weave through "bridges" formed by clasped hands, alternately going under a "bridge" and then allowing a different pair of partners to go under their "bridge." As the tempo of the song quickens, so does the dance, which adds a unique touch of merriment to the simchah.

I spent many hours searching for the reason this dance is called Rebbe Elimelech's dance, trying to discover what connection the dance has with the holy Rebbe. I have not been able to draw a definite conclusion. I have even spoken to one prominent individual, a descendant of Rebbe Elimelech, who told me that he had attempted to solve this riddle many years ago, but was unsuccessful. Perhaps as a result of sharing the riddle with our readers, we will ultimately be enlightened.

Some say that Rebbe Elimelech used to dance this dance with his brother, Rebbe Zushe, but there is no reliable source for this.

When I spoke to Harav Dovid Meisels, shlita, of Seagate, he told me that a recent publication quoted the Bobover Rebbe, Harav Shlomo, zy"a, as saying, "Not in Ropshitz, nor in Sanz or in Bobov, did they dance Rebbe Elimelech's dance. But I saw my father, the Kedushas Tzion, dancing this sort of dance."

The Bobover Rav said in the name of Reb Itzikel, the son of Reb Mottel Neiman, Hy"d, from the city of Bobov, that the meaning of the dance lies in the fact that the dancers must bend in order to go under the "bridge." This is done at weddings in order to teach the chassan and kallah that they must bend and compromise with each other. On a similar note, the Veitzener Rav used to say that before saying Oseh Shalom, we take three steps back to teach us that if we want peace, sometimes we need to concede and take three steps back.

The Kedushas Tzion once explained that the dance alludes to the ups and downs that we encounter in our lives. Every person experiences good times and bad times, and the dance is meant to teach us to pick ourselves up immediately after a low point and not, chas v'shalom, to get mired in depression.

At the weddings of his children and grandchildren, the Bobover Rebbe, Harav Shlomo, used to dance this dance with his close acquaintances, including his brother, the Pakshavitzer Rebbe, and his brother-in-law, the Veitzener Rav, zt"l.

Harav Dovid Meisels, a grandson of the Veitzener Rav, related, "My grandfather, the Veitzener Rav, zt"l, was a brother-in-law of the Bobover Rav; both were sons-in-law of the Limonver Rav, zt"l, before the war. Both of them lost their first wives during the war, and when they came to America, the two made a pact that when, with Hashem's help, they rebuilt their families, they would maintain close ties. Indeed, the two always accompanied each other's children under the chuppah, and at each wedding they danced Rebbe Elimelech's dance with extraordinary jubilance, as if to show the world that they were taking revenge on Hitler, yemach shemo."

Original article: Hamodia

The Hopi Blue and Red Kachinas

This video shows us the Hopi peoples' concept of Moshiach's time.

The Silent Scream

from the writings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

You can shout and scream with a "still, small voice" without anybody hearing you. Everybody can do this. Imagine the sound of such a scream in your mind. Imagine the shout exactly as it would sound. Concentrate on hearing the scream in your mind until you are literally screaming with this soundless "still, small voice" - and nobody else will hear anything.

This is actually a scream and not mere imagination. Just as there are channels that bring the sound from your lungs to your lips, so there are nerves that bring the sound to the brain. You can draw the sound through these nerves, literally bringing it into your head. When you do this, you are actually shouting inside your brain.

When you imagine this scream in your mind, the sound actually rings inside your brain. You can stand in a crowd of people screaming this way and no- one hears you.

It could be that when you do this, a faint sound may escape your mouth. This is because the sound traveling through the nerves to the brain can also activate the vocal organs, and they may then produce some sound. But it will be very faint.

It is much easier to shout in this way without words. When you wish to express yourself in words, it is harder to hold the voice in the mind without letting a sound escape your lips. Without words, it is much easier.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov: Sichot Haran #16

Sydney's Sun Halo

The effect, known as the 22-degree halo, occurs when the sun's rays pass through a particular type of ice crystal in the upper atmosphere.

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