Rabbi Mendel Kessin Part 7 - finally !!

Distortion of reality, levels of arrogance, and the four parts of Eisav
To see previous shiurim click the KESSIN label below

Higher

The Light of the Sun Shall be Sevenfold

Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the bruise of His people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.

[Isaiah 30:26]

19 For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the wicked people and all the evildoers will be like straw; and that coming day will burn them up, says Hashem, Master of Legions, so that it will not leave them a root or branch. 20 But a sun of righteousness will shine for you who fear My Name, with healing in its rays, and you will go out and flourish like calves [fattened] in the stall. [Malachi 3:19-24]

For those of you keeping up with the Nibiru news and the strange events in the heavens,  you will be aware that the sun has an almost permanent halo around it now. This halo has been the source of much discussion and speculation.  In today's video Steve Olson quotes a physicist who tells us that this halo is the actually the new surface of the sun!

''The sun is charging up its new outer edge [according to this physicist].  ...This process seems to indicate that eventually all light from the sun will come from the outer edge of the halo - this would then become the new surface of the sun. This means we will have a far larger sun.  I'm not sure what we would feel on earth but the possibility is that the sun would feel much hotter.... [from 1.42 on the video]

To Nullify the Cause of the Exile

''Holy Land'' by Michoel Muchnik

Excerpt from a letter written by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 5731

''As for your mentioning the fact that according to the opinion of several poskim [legal authorities] it is a mitzvah to live in Eretz Yisrael, surely you know that all poskim agree that there are 612 additional mitzvot to be observed by Jews everywhere, and especially by those already living in the Holy Land.  Indeed, those who are already there and are fulfilling the mitzvah of living in Eretz Yisrael should surely concentrate on the rest of the 612 mitzvot - those which apply nowadays of course.

Yishuv Eretz Yisrael [settling the Land of Israel] is so closely linked with the observance of the mitzvot, as also so clearly underscored in the prayer [in the additional service for festivals] which we have been saying for thousands of years - ''Because of our sins we have been exiled from our Land''.  

This clearly indicates that every Jew who wants to help nullify the result [exile from our Land] must first of all nullify the cause - our sins.''

Do the Opposite

One who wishes to succeed in guarding his tongue should do the opposite of what gossipers do. 

They usually gravitate towards crowds so that they might glean a piece of information which they could thereafter use to degrade others. 

They also pursue new developments in other people’s interpersonal relationships so that they could have more to gossip about throughout the day. 

A G-d fearing Jew should do the opposite. 

[Rabbi David Hanania Pinto]

The Subtle Evil

Art by Ileanap

Parshat Matot 31:1-3

According to Chassidic thought, the war against the seven Cana'anite nations alludes to the ''battle'' of refining one's overtly undesirable character traits [which fall into seven broad categories, stemming from the seven emotional facilities of the Animal Soul - the Nefesh HaBehamis]  Consequently, this ''war'' is not relevant to the tribe of Levi, or to those who aspire to their spiritual level - as Rambam writes that this could be ''any type of person - whose spirit inspires him, and he resolves in his mind to set himself apart [from worldly pursuit], to stand before G-d and serve as His minister, to work for Him, and to know G-d'' [end of Laws of the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years].

In contrast, the war against Midian involved fighting against a subtle type of evil which is found in virtually every personality, even those who dedicate themselves as full time ''ministers'' of G-d.  Thus, even the Levites and those among the Jewish people who devote themselves ''to stand before G-d and serve as His ministers'' must participate in waging the spiritual war against Midian.

What is the ''subtle evil'' that can plague even the most dedicated servant of G-d? Chassidic thought explains that this is a lack of unity and camaraderie between one man and another, indicating underlying emotions of divisiveness and unjustified hatred.   All this arises from a sense of our over-inflated self-importance, which causes a person to be intolerant of others and eventually view them as enemies.  Clearly the war against these attributes is very important indeed.

Source: Based on Likutei Sichos vol 28 Lubavitcher Rebbe

Why Moshiach Hasn't Yet Come

I have not listened to this yet, may not have time to do so today, but the subjects he is talking about include ''why Messiah isn't coming'' .... I'm guessing he means to say ''why Moshiach hasn't come yet''.  Please leave a comment if you have already listened to it and let us know.

Your Special Mission

While Jewish law obligates each person to observe all the mitzvot, there is always at least one particular mitzvah to which one's soul is drawn more strongly.  According to Chassidic thought, this concept is hinted to by the fact that the Land was apportioned ''by means of a lottery'' [Pinchas 26:55] suggesting that one's primary mission in life, one's spiritual ''inheritance'' has been pre-allotted to him on High, and one has no choice in the matter.

The reason why a person's soul has a particular affinity to its ''special mitzvah'' is because each soul is a ''spark'' of the general soul which Adam possessed; and corresponding to its original ''location'' within Adam's soul, it will have a distinct spiritual path of its own.  Consequently, through observing his ''special mitzvah'' the person will become spiritually fulfilled, which will give him additional enthusiasm in the observance of all the other mitzvot as well.

How can a person discover what ''his special mitzvah'' is?  There is no simple solution.  However, being that a person's mission in life is centered around his ''special mitzvah'', it follows that his ''evil inclination'' will oppose this mitzvah strongly, which may give a person a clue as to what it is. Furthermore, Divine Providence will inevitably lead a person to circumstances which are conducive to the observance of his ''special mitzvah''.  [So if one is wealthy, for example, his special mitzvah is quite possibly to give charity.]

In addition to all the above, every person in a given generation will have a ''special mitzvah'' by virtue of the times in which he lives.  And in our times, this is the obligation to promote knowledge, belief and  yearning for the coming of Moshiach, since our souls have, by Divine Providence, been placed here in the last generation of Exile.

Source: Lubavitcher Rebbe - based on Likutei Sichos vol 2 p.346, Sefer Hama'amorim 5706 p.240, Sefer HaSichos 5752 vol 1 p.97