The Route to Holiness

Digital Photo by David Pasillas

''You shall be holy'' [Kedoshim 19:2]

There is a principle in Chassidic thought that ''the higher something is, the lower it falls''.

For this reason, a person reaches the highest levels of spiritual greatness, not through intellectual endeavours alone, but by involving himself in the physical world, observing the mitzvot and helping others to do likewise.

Thus, at the literal level, one actually fulfills the command ''You shall be holy'' by refraining from the lowest and most debased acts [i.e. forbidden relations - see Rashi v.2].  For the route towards the highest degree of holiness, becoming holy like G-d [''You shall be holy, because I, your G-d, am holy''] is through refraining from the lowest of acts, because ''the higher something is, the lower it falls''.

This also explains why, at the minchah prayer on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year - before beginning the Ne'ilah prayer, the climax of the day - the Torah portion that is read discusses forbidden relations.  For it is through restraint from the very lowest of acts that one reaches the very highest degrees of holiness.

Source: Lubavitcher Rebbe: based on Sichas Shabbos Parshas Kedoshim 5725

Planet X Nibiru - Rabbi Yuval Ovadia [video in English]

This was originally posted in Hebrew, now translated.  HT: Andrew

Torah Codes say President Hillary

HT: Yaak

[Apparently] an orthodox yeshiva student was trying to see what the outcome of the US elections would be through the Torah codes and was looking for President Trump, but was surprised to discover the words "President Hillary".

Source: Kikar

Hillary as President would be ''a time of terrible distress'', according to Joel Gallis a''h and Dr Robert Wolf from their article written in 2009.  Read it here.

Motivation

Text by Rabbi Yisroel Bronstein

''Hashem spoke to Moshe after the death of Aharon's two sons'' [Acharei 1:1]

Why, asks Rashi, does the verse state ''Hashem spoke to Moshe after the death of Aharon's two sons''? Why not simply say ''Hashem spoke to Moshe''?

To answer the question, Rashi quotes R' Elazar ben Azaryah's parable:  A sick man called for a doctor.  The doctor instructed him ''Do not eat cold food, and do not lie in a damp chilly place.''

Then a second doctor came and told the man ''Do not eat cold food, and do not lie in a damp chilly place, so that you will not die like so-and-so did.''

By alluding to somebody who died as a result of not taking these precautions, the second doctor was more successful than the first in rousing the man to take care of himself.

This is why, explains Rashi, the verse states ''after the death of Aharon's two sons''.  It was in order to give Aharon an extra measure of motivation to keep the laws enumerated in this portion.

How to help kids with ADD and ADHD

I have a son who used to have ADHD, so whenever I heard a rabbi speaking about this topic, I tuned in.  However, to date, not one of these rabbis has ever had anything sensible to say about it, and to my horror some have even made fun of the problem, or denied that it even exists !  Finally Rabbi Alon Anava has once again come to the rescue.  He explains the spiritual reason, according to Kabbalah, although as he points out, if you want to really understand the process you would need to spend three years in a Yeshiva - but he does give us some great insights.  This is really something to think about, and if you are one of those people who ridicules the very real problem that exists, think again.

Even Today

[This should be sub-titled ''Geula Watch 5408'' !]


by Rabbi Yisroel Bronstein

''With this shall Aharon come into the Sanctuary''  [Acharei 16:3]

The Jewish nation was ravaged with brutal and horrible pogroms in the year 5408 [1648 - the year commonly referred to as ''tach'' the numerical equivalent of 408].  Jews all over the world shook the Heavens with their prayers for an imminent redemption.

''I am quite certain'' remarked the great kabbalist R' Shimshon of Ostropoli, ''that we will indeed be redeemed this year, for the verse states: ''With this [b'zos] shall Aharon come into the Sanctuary.'' The numerical value of ''b'zos is four hundred and eight: ''tach'' !

When the year had passed and the redemption had not arrived, R' Shabsai Cohen [known as the ''Shach''] sent out a proclamation which stated:  ''The verse says 'This emanated from Hashem; it is wondrous in our eyes. This is the day Hashem has made' [Tehillim 118: 23,24].  ''This [zos] emanated from Hashem'' - the year tach was destined by Hashem - ''it is wondrous in our eyes'' - to be the year that we would witness the wonderful redemption of the Jewish nation.  However, ''Today is the day Hashem has made'' - we failed to repent as hinted to by the word ''today''.  

For Chazal recount in Maseches Sanhedrin [98a] that R' Yehoshua ben Levi asked Eliyahu HaNavi ''When will Mashiach come?''  ''Today!'' replied Eliyahu.  Later, Eliyahu explained that he was referring to the verse ''Even, today, if we but heed His call''.  When we repent wholeheartedly, we will be worthy of redemption.

''In our time as well'' concluded the Shach, ''we lacked the merit of repentance, which would have enabled us to have been redeemed this past year !''

The Prohibition of Eating Blood

Parshat Acharei 17:10-12

Why is the prohibition of eating blood so severe that it causes G-d to ''make Himself free'' from all his affairs, and deal with the guilty person?  And why does Rashi not address this obvious question?

Rashi did not need to explain why the prohibition of eating blood is so severe, because the Torah states the reason explicitly: ''Because the soul of [every creature's] body [depends on its] blood''.

Furthermore, the reader will remember that, after the Flood, G-d told Noach: ''Every moving thing that lives shall be yours to eat.  Like the green vegetation [which was all that man could eat before] I have [now] given you everything'' [Noach 9:3].  Rashi [ibid] comments:  ''I did not permit Adam, the first man, to eat meat, but only vegetation.  But, for you, like the green vegetation which I allowed Adam [before], I have [now] given you everything''.

Why did G-d forbid Adam to eat meat and then permit it to Noach?

Rashi did not explain this matter as he held it to be self-evident.  G-d forbade Adam to take the soul from a living creature merely for the sake of eating it.  But after the Flood, there was a weakening of the physical makeup of man requiring the additional nutritional value of meat, and therefore G-d permitted man to eat meat.

Nevertheless, even after G-d permitted man to eat meat, He imposed certain restrictions.  To non-Jews He prohibited eating meat which had been detached from a living animal [Noach 9:4] and to Jews he also prohibited the consumption of the animal's blood.  For while a dispensation had been granted to eat meat, it was nevertheless not absolute.  So, while it became necessary [for nutritional reasons] to allow man to eat the flesh of the animal, it remained prohibited to eat its blood, which contains the very life and soul of an animal.

Based on Sichos Shabbos Parshas Acharei 5746 - Lubavitcher Rebbe

Why Me

"...You shall not stand by [the shedding of] your fellow's blood...." [Kedoshim 19:16]

The Baal Shem Tov taught that everything that a person sees is orchestrated by G-d as a specific message to him. 

This is the inner significance of Rashi's comment to verse 16: The fact that you see someone whose life is in danger proves that "you are able to save him".  For the fact that G-d allowed you to witness this event must surely be for a practical reason - namely that you, of all people, have the ability to save this person.

Likewise, if one sees a person "drowning" spiritually, it is a sign from Above that one has the ability to draw him back to the fountains of living Judaism.

[Based on Likutei Sichos Lubavitcher Rebbe]