Thursday, April 26, 2012

The Power of Words

Pharris Art
This shall be the law of the person afflicted with tzara'ath, on the day of his cleansing: he shall be brought to the kohen. [Metzora 14:2]

People have a tendency to make light of the sin of loshon hara, said the Dubno Maggid.  They say to themselves:  ''What are mere words? I am not harming my friend in any way by simply speaking about him.''

The Torah therefore requires that the metzora be brought to the Kohen, in order for him to witness what man's speech is capable of doing.  With one word, the Kohen defines the status of the metzora, making him either pure or impure - such is the power of man's words!

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

''No Fear'' Video Goes Viral

Hard hitting video on Iranian threat to U.S. goes viral, is featured on Fox News.

A hard hitting video that focuses on the Iranian threat to the U.S. is a hit on the Internet, garnering over 2.3 million views in less than a week. Created and narrated by Ari Abramowitz and Jeremy Gimpel of TheLandOfIsrael.com, the video's message is that while Iran poses a mortal threat to the U.S. and the West, fear is paralyzing Westerners and preventing them from dealing rationally with the problem.

Read more: Israel National News    [HT: Moriah]

 

Iran Preparing for ''Last Six Months''

Source says leaders expect attack that will usher in 'messiah' 

Despite the recent declaration by Iran that it does not want a nuclear bomb and statements by regime officials that they are willing to negotiate over the nuclear issue, indications from within Iran signal massive preparation for an all-out war as part of its destiny.

Nine years ago a Revolutionary Guards arm, the Holy Defense, published a book, “The Last Six Months,” in which it describes the conditions needed in the last six months prior to the reappearance of the last Islamic messiah. The book was distributed in the hundreds of thousands to all Guards, Basij and army bases throughout the country.

Islam’s Shiites believe their 12th Imam, Mahdi, will reappear at the end of times and kill all the infidels, raising the flag of Islam in all four corners of the world.

The book admonishes the military forces that they must be prepared to do their duties during those six months and that there will be many signs to help the faithful to understand the transition, which will center on Iran.

The book, which relies on Islamic hadiths by the Prophet Mohammad and his descendants from centuries ago, describes the 9/11 attacks and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq as signs that the time is near. But it also prophesies much more significant signs that would launch the six-month time frame for the reappearance of Mahdi: an attack on Syria and then an attack on Iran. 

Both those events are looking increasingly likely as Syria’s Bashar al-Assad continues to murder his own people and Iran continues its quest for nuclear weapons.

Mahdi will only reappear, Shiites believe, when Israel is destroyed and the U.S. is brought to its knees; two-thirds of the world’s population will die in a nuclear exchange, and with this chaos and havoc engulfing the earth, the “coming” will unfold.

 Continue reading at: WND

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The Day of Seven Judgments

The days of our lives are seventy years, if with special strength, eighty years; most of them are troubled, and then they are cut.....  [Psalms 90:10]

The day of one's death is one's personal Day of Judgment, when one's deeds, both good and evil, are scrutinized. The Zohar [II, 199b] teaches that it is a day of seven judgments:

1. The actual death

2. Announcement of one's deeds, whether good or evil

3. Placement in the grave

4. The judgment of the grave

5. The decaying of the body

6. Gehennom

7. The interval before the soul is completely purified

The Arizal teaches that these various judgments are not intended as punishments so much as they are meant to cleanse a person from sin. Thus, Gehennom - and reincarnation, when it is imposed - are means by which one's sins are purged. Death, too, is an integral part of this cleansing process.

The accounting system which G-d uses when drawing up our final balance sheet is far beyond the level of man's understanding. In His unfathomable mercy, G-d adds to the credit column all mitigating circumstances - one's upbringing, environment, financial resources and so on. Nevertheless, the judgment is real: we are held fully accountable. The main question that we must answer is : Have I tried hard enough?

Reb Nosson writes that a person's most important advocate for mercy on the day of judgment is the "will factor", the degree to which he or she wanted spirituality. If our will was strong throughout life, even if we were remiss, our credit is greatly increased. This does not imply that a weak effort can suffice. "I just couldn't do it" is not an acceptable excuse. Reb Nosson's "will factor" involves making every possible effort. If our efforts prove unsuccessful, then what are we to do? We must try again and again and again. As Rebbe Nachman used to say: "Gevalt! Never give up!"

Source: from the writings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
adapted by Chaim Kramer

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Metzora: The Power of Speech

Rav Kook on the Torah Portion 

Only in Israel 
What is the root cause for the disease of tzara'at as described in the Torah? The Midrash explains that this skin disease is a punishment for gossip and slander. A person suffering from tzara'at is called a metzora because he is motzee sheim ra — he spreads derogatory reports [Vayikra Rabbah 16:1. See Rambam, Hilchot Tzara'at 16:15, that one fulfills the mitzvah "Be careful regarding tzara'at" [Deut. 24:8-9] by avoiding gossip].

Given that tzara'at is brought about by slander, one would expect that all peoples would be afflicted, since even non-Jews are culpable for personal damages. Yet, Maimonides wrote that tzara'at is not a natural phenomenon, but a unique sign found only among the people of Israel. Why should only the Jewish people suffer from this ailment?

Divine Speech 
There are two levels of speech. There is everyday speech, based on and limited to that which occurs in the physical universe. And there is a higher form of speech, a holy speech that God bestowed to Israel. This elevated speech does not come from the world. On the contrary, the world comes from it. This is the speech by which God created the world. "By the word of God, the heavens were made; and by the breath of His mouth, all of their host" [Psalms 33:6].

God granted us the power of His speech, this speech that preceded the world, when He gave us the Torah, the blueprint of creation. "He looked in the Torah and created the universe" [Zohar Terumah 161b]. The transmission of Divine speech to the Jewish people is hinted in the verse, "I put my speech in your mouth... to plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth" [Isaiah 51:16].

Redemption of Speech 
The Kabbalists explained that the Hebrew name for Passover, Pesach, is a combination of the words peh sach — 'the mouth speaks.' The redemption from Egypt, which paved the way for the Torah's revelation at Sinai, also redeemed the faculty of speech. For this reason, Passover is commemorated with an oral mitzvah, the mitzvah to retell the story of the Exodus. And we find that Moses, aware of this aspect of the redemption from Egypt, tried to disqualify himself by protesting, "I am not a man of speech" [Ex. 4:10].

In an essay entitled ' The Redemption of Speech,' Rav Kook wrote: "Sometimes we can sense the connection between our speech and the universe. This is the initial step to redeem speech from its exile."

"As the soul is elevated, we become acutely aware of the tremendous power that lies in our faculty of speech. We recognize clearly the tremendous significance of each utterance; the value of our prayers and blessings, the value of our Torah study, and of all of our discourse. We learn to perceive the overall impact of speech. We sense the change and great stirring of the world that is caused by speech." [Orot HaKodesh vol III, p. 285] 

Two Mouths 
The most striking expression of the difference between these two levels of speech is the remarkable statement of Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yochai: "Had I been present at Mount Sinai, I would have requested that God create us with two mouths. One mouth to speak in words of Torah, and one mouth for all of our mundane needs." [Jerusalem Talmud Berachot 1:2]

We may lack a mouth specially dedicated to Torah and prayer, but we can still deepen our awareness of the extraordinary nature of holy speech. At the start of the morning prayers, we recite a wonderful kavanah: "I hereby prepare my mouth to thank and praise my Creator." With this short declaration, we prepare ourselves to employ our mouth for a totally different form of speech. We prepare ourselves to use the sublime speech that is rooted in the source of Divine wisdom. Since this discourse comes from the elevated speech used to create the universe, our prayers have the ability to influence the world and change its course [Olat Re'iyah vol. I, p. 192].

With this appreciation for the power of holy speech, we may understand why tzara'at only afflicts the Jewish people. Our faculty of speech, based on the Divine speech that transcends the universe, can influence the world for good and for bad. When we misuse this great power, we damage the world and are held responsible. The affliction of tzara'at — and the process of purifying oneself from it — comes to repair this wrong. The verbal communication of other nations, however, comes from within the physical universe. Since it lacks the power of elevated speech, they are not punished for its misuse. [Adapted from Mo'adei HaRe'iyah, pp. 295-296]

Source: Rav Kook Torah

Friday, April 20, 2012

Obama Officially Ineligible !!

US President Barack Obama released a long form version of his birth certificate after extended criticism by those who do not believe he was born in the United States. Now his lawyers have been forced to admit it was a fake! Photo credit: Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images

A crushing situation is emerging for, not only Barack Obama, but also for the American people as a landmark statement has been made by the Obama administration that is going to turn the entire 2012 Presidential race and potentially much more on its head.

 Lawyers representing the current sitting President of the United States of America have been forced, under penalty of perjury, to admit that the long-form birth certificate presented by the White House in April of 2011 is a total forgery.

In a NJ ballot access eligibility case spawned by Tea Party activists, attorneys representing Obama had to admit the document presented to the American people by Obama himself is actually knowingly faked and was used to fool the American public into believing a complete fabrication.

Continue reading at The Examiner

The Healing Powers of Rabbi Mendel Marozow

Rabbi Mendel Marozow, a Crown Heights Lubavitcher, speaks to COLlive about his "intuitive powers" used by thousands - including rabbis and mashpiim, and why he kept them secret for years.

By A. Bakaleynik for COLLive

R' Mendel, how did you discover these "intuitive" or "empathic" healing powers? 
For many years, my wife and I had no children. We went to all kinds of doctors, including highly recommended experts on alternative medicine. A homeopath noticed I could sense the effects of the remedies he was suggesting, and asked whether I could sense details about him and his family. With great reluctance, I described what came to mind, and he said I was right on target.

How did you feel about it? 
I was the biggest skeptic! I come from a rational, intellectual background. But I began to see it was true; I really could discern things about people, feel the root of their problems and how they might be helped.

Did you notice this ability before? 
Actually, throughout my life, I seemed to pick up on people's moods or feel their aches and pains, without realizing what it was. I didn't realize it was the states of other people that I was experiencing. I thought it was me.

That must have been strange... 
It was indeed confusing. I understood various situations intuitively, but learned not to talk about it, because others laughed at me: How could a youngster know things that required real life experience? So I learned to keep my mouth shut.

When did you start actually developing this talent, instead of hiding it? 
That homeopath asked for my help in order to get a better reading of some of his clients. Sometimes he asked me to use my energy to "deliver" a remedy to them.

How does this work in practice? 
When I "tune in" to people, I sense things about them. I might see an image, or actual words run through my mind. Sometimes I just "know" something – I have no idea from where. For instance, I may see a place or object, or feel some emotion.

What sort of problems can you help? 
I've helped with all sorts of problems: health, emotional issues, shalom bayis, chinuch, parnassa and business decisions, and many shidduchim issues. Of course, if it's a serious health issue, I tell them to visit a doctor, as well.

When you get a call, how do you approach the issue? 
My approach is two-fold: First, I ask the person to describe his or her problem in brief. Then I "tune in" to see what might be causing it. Even if it's a health issue, sometimes it has a psychological or emotional basis.

Can't you tell automatically what the problem is? 
I could, in theory, but people may have several issues, and it's best when they tell me which one to focus on. Also, using intuition requires mental energy, which I would rather save for addressing the problem itself.

What comes next? 
After identifying the source of a problem, I get a sense of how to fix it.

And how do you fix it? What do you do in actuality? 
It can be any of a few options. It could be as simple as recommending a change in routine or advice that an outsider might think of commonsense. Often I feel something is wrong in the tefilin or mezuzos, so I advise getting them checked by an expert sofer. Or I focus energy on a problem to correct it.

A spiritual technique? 
No. I don't feel that my intuition itself is ruchnius and never did any training or took any courses or studied "healing." Rather it's an ability to "pick up" and understand reality, like radio waves traveling to a cell phone – definitely something physical, not spiritual. Various themes discussed in Chassidus may make this easier to understand, but the actual ability is not necessarily spiritual.

Have you had Halachic concerns? 
I have asked Rabbonim whether I may use this ability and talent. Those of them familiar with the concept told me I'm allowed to use it, especially in order to help people. However, I try to keep away from sensing the future, as that can get complicated from a Halachic point of view.

Do you have reservations about giving advice on what to do about serious matters? 
Naturally, dealing with serious personal issues is a huge responsibility, and I can't honestly accept responsibility for people's life decisions. I can only ask leading questions, give suggestions and encouragement, and hope to point people in a good direction.

For example, a client once traveled overseas, where he checked out certain properties with an eye to investment. He called me – giving the places nicknames, because I don't need addresses – and I told him something bothered me about one property, which seemed to be on the border between neighborhoods. My client returned to check on it in the evening and discovered that, although it was in a good neighborhood, it was close to a bad one, and at night it became a noisy hangout, with music blasting and neighbors complaining the noise disturbed their sleep. When he told me about another place, I felt it to be full of sunshine, with young couples moving in, a neighborhood that was up and coming. He found that too to be true.

But wouldn't anyone with real estate buying experience have noticed all that? 
Indeed, and many of my ideas turn out to be plain common sense. The difference is that for an expert in the field it's common sense, while with me it's pure intuition. Besides, that investor lived far from those places, so he wouldn't have time to check them thoroughly. He might have missed the clues, so he was glad he had asked me.

How many people have approached you for advice? 
Over the 10 years I've been doing this, I've probably had thousands of cases, including thousands involving tefilin and mezuzos. I have helped many, many members of the worldwide Lubavitcher community, as anyone can ascertain by asking around. My clients have included prominent rabbonim from communities around the world and mashpiim. Rabbi Manis Friedman, for example, has referred people to me.

How much time do you spend with clients? 
Usually it's up to the individual. Some need just a few minutes, especially if they get straight to the point and immediately follow my advice, in which case they soon see results. Others need more time, particularly if they don't immediately follow my advice, in which case they'll keep coming back. I also work over the phone, which adds a layer of privacy and helps people feel more at ease. After discussing the problem with them, I may continue thinking about them, sending them "energy" to help with the problem. At the beginning of Likutei Diburim, the Rebbe RaYYaTz explains that thinking about someone can help him.

What is your success rate? 
Boruch Hashem, I have been blessed with abundant success. I've never taken the time to measure it in exact numbers, but great numbers of people feel they have been helped and their problems resolved. The fact that I get many referrals from previous clients is the best testimony.

Can you give examples of your success? 
I have hundreds of stories, some of them really amazing.
A teenager once told me his ankle gave him constant severe pain, for which he needed an operation. From across the table, I focused energy on him for a few minutes, and he told me the pain was getting less and less, until it disappeared. When I met him a year later, he told me the pain had never returned, and he no longer needed any operation.

At a L'chaim [engagement party], I had a farbrengen with some bochurim. One mentioned that he suffered from gout, which caused him constant acute pain in his leg. For a few minutes, I focused energy on him and the pain disappeared. He was skeptical about it and didn't believe he would long remain free of pain. But when I met him again over a year later, he reported that, "strangely enough," the pain had never returned!

A few years ago, a man aged around 60 was limping painfully. He had had a knee-cap replacement, and needed another one on his other knee. I focused energy on his problem several times, at personal meetings and during phone conversations. Since then, his pain has disappeared and he hasn't needed a replacement for his other knee.

Give us an example about tefilin. 
One man often experienced sudden blackouts, causing him to lose consciousness, fall down and get hurt. It wasn't epilepsy, said his doctors, but they didn't know what else it could be. As I spoke to him, an image of tefilin came into my mind, then the kesher of the shel rosh [knot of the head tefilin]. I asked whether he placed the kesher on the correct part of the head. He replied that he did, but added that, six years earlier – which happened to be when his problem started, of course – someone in shul, not a Rov or sofer but just a well-meaning person, had told him to change where he placed it. I advised him to check with an expert. As soon as he changed back to his original placement of the kesher, his blackouts stopped. That was the first time I advised resolving a problem by ensuring correct observance of tefilin or mezuzos.

So it was your mind's image of the kesher that helped resolve his problem? 
Yes. People may not realize that problems with tefilin and mezuzos involve more than just the written text.
For example, the Alter Rebbe (in his Shulchan Aruch and Siddur) points out a common problem: In the lower area of the tefilin shel rosh, glue is used to keep the parts of the bayis together. But often, while the tefilin are being formed and the glue is still wet, it can spread upwards between the four compartments, where it can render the tefilin non-kosher. In my experience, about 70% of tefilin have this problem, and most soferim aren't trained how to check for it and fix it.

Also, the batim of tefilin have to be perfectly square, but many are not, and not all soferim always check for this. Also a small scratch in the black paint of some parts of the retzuos [tefilin straps] can be very serious.

Another problem with tefilin and mezuzos is with the two tagin [short vertical lines attached to a letter] on top of every lamed letter. According to Halacha, the tag on the right should extend slightly higher than the left one. Kabala explains the underlying reason for this: The right tag represents chessed [kindness] and should therefore be higher than the left one, which represents gevura [severity or judgment], in order to ensure that the flow of Divine kindness overwhelms any possible "judgments."

A lot of soferim usually don't look for this problem unless specifically asked to do so, because it's time-consuming. But when it's not fixed, it can have a negative effect on the wearer and his loved ones. In fact, every detail of tefilin can affect not only the wearer but his wife, young sons and unmarried daughters.

Often I advise someone to recheck even several times for problems with tefilin and mezuzos, because, as in any other field, not all soferim are equally thorough.

Can you give an example of a case about shidduchim. 
A certain girl was already beyond the usual age for shidduchim, yet nothing was moving for her. I asked if their home had a balcony. Yes, and their balcony had two sets of doors. I advised bringing a Rov to check whether the mezuzos were placed correctly. He found them to be on the wrong sides of the doors. They were changed, and the girl became engaged within a few months.

Placement of mezuzos can make a huge difference for shidduchim, health and other areas. When an expert is invited into homes to check on mezuza placement, he finds problems in over 90% of homes, in my experience.

What advice would you give people in general? 
People often create their own problems through excessive worry and fear. My intuitive energy approach can help with that, but I also advise people to increase their emuna and bitochon in Hashem. When negativity is removed, healing takes place, parnassa flows, health blossoms, and relationships heal. As the Zohar says, "When someone is happy, it opens up all the Divine sources Above."

Thanks for speaking with us 
It is my pleasure. I can be reached at The Helping Rabbi

A Permanent and Prized Acquisition

The Suffering Servant
by Rabbi Chaim Ingram

[Extracted from his forthcoming book Fragments Of The Hammer: Discoveries in the Weekly Sidra - reprinted with permission]

R. Shimon bar Yochai said: The Holy One Blessed is He gave three gifts to Israel and all of them He gave only through suffering. They are: Torah, the Land of Israel and the World to Come [Berakhot 5a].

On this Shabbat when we read of a personal tragedy unequalled in the Torah, the sudden striking down of Aaron’s sons Nadav and Avihu by divine fire on the day of their [and their father’s] induction as kohanim, it is timely to examine the issue of suffering through the prism of Judaism.

To do this, it may be instructive to contrast the approach of Christianity. Its founder allegedly suffered [and atoned] for the sins of others. This gave rise to the theology of suffering as enobling, hence the highest possible form of service of the D-vine.

The Jewish approach is subtly different. Judaism accepts that sufferings borne in this world may purge a soul of its iniquity in order that it may achieve the bliss of the Afterlife. However this is rationalised only bediavad [post facto]. Jews are not expected to seek out suffering nor even to affirm its beneficial qualities. In a subsequent passage to that cited above [5b] three leading rabbis of the generation, Rabbi Chiya, Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Elazar, are all visited by colleagues in their sickness and are asked in turn “Are your sufferings precious to you?” [i.e “are you happy that they will purge you of your sins in order that you will inherit a prize portion in the World to Come?”] Each of them responds with identical words. Lo hen lo sekharan. “I would prefer to have neither the sufferings nor their reward!”

How then should the Jew react to suffering? Aaron demonstrates quintessentially the answer to this most difficult of questions. His silent acquiescence to the D-vine decree against his sons [Lev. 10:3] is only the beginning. Let us reflect upon the true meaning of korban, of the sacrificial service in the Sanctuary and the Temple of which Aharon haKohen was the founding father. 

When a Jew brings an offering he is required to be present when the animal is slaughtered. Why? In order that, with a Jewish heart overflowing with compassion, he agonises over the death of this animal and reflects that it could have been his own life forfeit; and only by the grace of the merciful G-D has he been granted the precious gift of extended life [based on writings of the Ramban].

Imagine! Every time Aaron offered up a korban he would have to reflect that, for reasons unbeknown to him, his own sons were designated as korbanot on the day of their inauguration, that they were not granted extended life. And he would do it silently, acceptingly, without bitterness. Not, G-D forbid, rejoicing in his own suffering as might be a Christian approach. But accepting it lovingly without beginning to comprehend its rationale.

All this may help us better understand a puzzling explanation of a seminal passage in Genesis. In the section known as the b’rit ben ha-besarim, the Covenant between the Parts, Abraham asks G-D “How will I know that I will inherit the Land of Israel?” G-D replies by enacting with Abraham the Covenant and declaring that his descendants “will be aliens in a land not theirs, enslaved to their oppressors for 400 years” after which “they will emerge with great substance” [Gen 15:14].

The Talmud in Nedarim [32a] cites the amoraic sage Shmuel as linking our exile and suffering in Egypt to Abraham’s question “How will I know that I will inherit Erets Yisrael”. This is generally understood as indicating a lack of faith on the part of Abraham resulting in the “punishment” of exile for his descendants. However I would venture to offer a different explanation. 

G-D is offering Abraham [and us] a unique insight into the role of suffering in His world. How will we know that we shall acquire the Land of Israel as an eternal inheritance? Because we will suffer for centuries before inheriting it! And anything earned through suffering – as Torah and the World to Come also are earned – will be a permanent and prized acquisition.