Who is Adam's Second Wife? What Happens When We Sin?

Rabbi Anava has a new series of shiurim on The Zohar.

You can find a list of all of them [so far] here on You Tube




Synopsis of this shiur:
The Zohar: Page 18/b - 19/a - Parashat Vayikra

When G-d created us, he created us perfect, when we sin, we damage our perfection and bring on us a spirit of impurity. When G-d created Adam and Chava they were one body. Came another female who is the mother of all demons and evil spirits and her name is Li-Li-t (We DO NOT say her name) and at that time a thousand spirits without bodies came and stood around Adams spiritless body, all wanted to enter Adams body. When Li-Li saw that it was Chava (who’s original name was Chaya) was chosen to be Adams wife (other half) she ran away and hid in the depth of the oceans and is here to harm us human beings All this and MUCH more is this class!

Choose Your Special Mitzvah

Art Letvent

If you don't already have a ''special mitzvah'' that you have made your own, now would be a good time to think about it.

"The Holy One Blessed Be He wished to reward the Jewish people. Therefore He heaped upon them Torah and mitzvos" [Makkos 3:16].

Maimonides, in his Commentary to the Mishnah on Makkos 3:16, offers a unique and fascinating interpretation when he writes that it is a fundamental tenet of the Torah to believe that when a person properly fulfills just one of the 613 commandments with no ulterior motives but entirely for the sake of Heaven and out of love for G-d, he will merit entry into Olam HaBa.

All that each of us has to do is to choose just one mitzvah in the Torah, and make it our own. Choose the mitzvah that resonates with you..... It could be the mitzvah of Tzedaka [charity], avoiding Lashon Hara [evil speech], Tzniut [modest dressing], lighting Shabbat candles, bikkur cholim [visiting the sick]..... basically any mitzvah that you choose.... but you have to make a commitment and do it consistently solely for the sake of Heaven.

[That doesn't mean you can ignore all the other mitzvot.... it means that you choose one, and do that one to the utmost degree]

Learn as much as you can about your chosen mitzvah and make sure you stick to your goals, making it a priority.

A portion of this blog post came from Torch Torah Weekly

Blood Red Moon

It was very cloudy last night where I am living, but here is a great photo by Jeremy Hui of the super moon eclipse in Singapore.

Ancient Prophecy: Convergence of Lunar Eclipse With Tu B’Shvat Signals End of Ishmael’s Reign

The Tikkun of Tu b'Shvat

a Mystical Interpretation by David Aaron

The celebration of Tu B'Shvat--the 15th of the month of Shevat on the Hebrew calendar--is not mentioned in the Bible. The oldest reference is found in the Talmud, where Tu B'Shvat is called "the new year of the trees." The Talmud ascribes significance to this date only in terms of the legal implications of taking tithes [10%] from fruits.

About 500 years ago, the Kabbalists revealed the deeper meaning of Tu B'Shvat. They taught that Tu B'Shvat is an opportune time for rectifying the transgression of Adam and Eve. Amazingly, just through the simple act of eating fruit during the Tu B'Shvat festive dinner, we are able to contribute to this cosmic repair ["tikkun"].

But how? How are we "fixing" the transgression of Adam and Eve, according to the Kabbalists? First let's explore the transgression of Adam and Eve, and then we can understand the mystical meaning of the Tu B'Shvat holiday, and why eating fruit is the way we celebrate it.

Amazingly, just through the simple act of eating fruit during the Tu B'Shvat festive dinner, we are able to contribute to this cosmic repair of Adam and Eve's transgression The Torah says that G‑d put Adam and Eve in the garden "to work it and to guard it."[1] The Jewish oral tradition teaches us that this refers to the do's and don'ts of the Torah. The do's are called the "positive mitzvot" and the don'ts are called the "negative mitzvot." Adam and Eve were given very little to do: "eat from all the trees of the garden."[2] And their only don't--their single prohibition--was not to eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. [3] What was that about?

The Torah teaches that G‑d created the world so that we could experience goodness in general, and His goodness in particular. Experiencing His goodness—-bonding with G‑d—-is the greatest joy imaginable. G‑d empowers us to bond with Him by serving His purpose for creation. Just as when we do for others, we feel connected to them, so, too, serving G‑d enables us to bond with Him. Ironically, serving G‑d is actually self-serving—-profoundly fulfilling and pleasurable.

If we eat and enjoy the fruits of this world for G‑d's sake-—because this is what He asks of us-—then we are actually serving G‑d and bonding with Him. We serve G‑d by acknowledging that the fruits of this world are His gifts to us and by willfully accepting and enjoying those gifts.

The root of Jewish life is, in fact, enjoyment—-the pleasure of connecting to G‑d. We connect to G‑d by serving Him, and this means obeying His command to enjoy the fruits of this world.

While in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve's entire obligation was to enjoy all the lush fruits-—with the notable exception of one forbidden fruit. Sure enough, they went after that one. This misdeed demonstrated their confused orientation to the real meaning of pleasure. Rather than seeing the fruits as pleasurable because they are G‑d's gifts and enjoying them as part of their service to G‑d, they wanted to partake of them independently of G‑d-—in fact, contrary to His will.

The Art of Receiving

As already explained, real pleasure is experiencing a connection with G‑d. We enjoy the ultimate spiritual pleasure when we enjoy the physical pleasures of this world as part of our divine service. Then, the act of receiving and enjoying G‑d's gifts to us is amazingly transformed into a selfless act of serving G‑d.

We can understand now that G‑d’s only desire in giving Adam and Eve those two mitzvot was to give them the ultimate pleasure—-bonding with Him. True pleasure was not in the taste of the fruits, but in eating and enjoying these gifts from G‑d. This was the way to serve and connect with Him—-the Ultimate Pleasure.

But Adam and Eve misunderstood this. They did not see physical pleasure as a conduit to the spiritual pleasure of bonding with G‑d. Rather, they sought pleasure independent of G‑d.

This is the root of all wrongdoing: when instead of seeing the pleasures of this world as a gift from G‑d, enjoying them in the service of G‑d and using them as conduits to a connection to G‑d, we seek pleasure independent of any connection to G‑d. In other words, is the pleasure about us, or is the pleasure about our relationship with G‑d?

There is a fundamental difference between having pleasure and receiving pleasure. If we want to have pleasure, it doesn't matter where it comes from There is a fundamental difference between having pleasure and receiving pleasure. If we want to have pleasure, it doesn't matter where it comes from. Having pleasure is void of any connection to a reality greater than ourselves. It is simply a selfish desire to experience a particular pleasure for its own sake. Receiving pleasure, on the other hand, is rooted in the soul's desire to serve G‑d's purpose, which is to receive the ultimate joy of connecting to Him.

Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden fruit because they were confused about their purpose on earth and, consequently, what is truly pleasurable in this world. They were clueless about what would bring them meaning and joy in life.

Following Adam and Eve’s fatal mistake, G‑d told them, "Because you ate from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from, the earth has become cursed."[4] G‑d was not punishing the earth because of Adam and Eve's transgression; rather He was informing them that their distorted orientation towards physical pleasures has turned the earth into a source of curse rather than blessing for them and for their descendants.

Depending on how we view the physical world, it is cursed or blessed Depending on how we view the physical world, it is cursed or blessed. If we look at the physical world as a conduit to a connection with G‑d, and if, as a service to G‑d, we gratefully receive His gift of delicious fruits, we thereby experience His presence and the physical world becomes blessed. The physical world then becomes a bridge between the human and the divine. But if we fixate on the physical, independent of any relationship with G‑d, and mistakenly perceive this world as the source of our pleasure rather than as a bridge to G‑d, then this world becomes a barrier to G‑d and a curse for us.

Now that we understand the transgression of Adam and Eve, we can begin to appreciate how we can contribute to its rectification on Tu B'Shvat.

On Tu B'Shvat, the new sap begins to rise up into the trees. And we bring abundance to this process when we celebrate Tu B'Shvat.

More than the baby wants to suck, a mother wants to nurse. The Talmud says that more than the baby wants to suck, a mother wants to nurse. The mother not only gets tremendous pleasure from nursing her baby, but the flow of her milk is actually generated by its sucking. The more the baby wants to suck, the more milk the mother has to give. This principle also applies to our relationship to G‑d.

G‑d wants to give us the greatest of all pleasures, which is a connection with Him. But if we don't recognize that to be the greatest pleasure, and we don't want it, then He can't give it to us. Of course, G‑d could give it to us, but it would just be a waste, because we wouldn't recognize it for what it is.

The Power of a Blessing

On Tu B'Shvat, we take a fruit, and before enjoying it, we recite a blessing: "Blessed are you, G‑d ou G‑d, king of the universe, who creates the fruit of the tree." In other words, "You, G‑d, are the source of this blessing." In doing this, we attempt to rectify the transgression of Adam and Eve.

When I taste an apple with that kind of consciousness, I cannot but experience the presence of G‑d within the physical An apple is not just an apple; an apple is a blessing. Maybe I could believe that apples come from trees, but a blessing could only come from G‑d. If I really contemplate the mystery and miracle of the taste, fragrance, beauty and nutrition wrapped up in this apple, I see that it's more than just a fruit--it is a wondrous loving gift from G‑d. When I taste an apple with that kind of consciousness, I cannot but experience the presence of G‑d within the physical. When I recite a blessing before I eat and acknowledge it as a gift from G‑d, I reveal the divinity within it, and the transient sensual pleasure of the food is transformed, because it is filled with eternal spiritual pleasure. The food then feeds not only my body but also my soul. However, when I eat without a blessing, it's as if I stole the food. Perhaps it will nourish and bring pleasure to my body, but it will do nothing for my soul. The soul is only nourished when it experiences its eternal connection to G‑d.

Tu B'Shvat is an opportune time to celebrate how eating and enjoying the fruits of trees can be a bridge to G‑d, and how it can bring back the blessing to the earth.

When we enjoy the fruits of the previous year as wonderful gifts from G‑d and affirm our yearning for G‑d's presence manifest in the fruit, we are like a baby sucking its mother's milk with great appetite. We draw forth with great abundance the "milk of the earth"—-the sap in the trees rises up with great abundance, so that they will bear much fruit in the coming year.

Unlike Adam and Eve who sought pleasure separate from G‑d and who turned physical pleasure into a barrier to G‑d, we—-on Tu B'Shvat-—enjoy the fruits as G‑d's gift and experience their pleasure as a connection to G‑d. In this way we rectify the transgression of Adam and Eve. We free the earth from being a curse for us—-a barrier to G‑d. We transform it into a bridge, so that it becomes a wellspring of blessing and G‑d-given pleasure.

Footnotes
1. Genesis 2:15
2. Ibid. verse 16
3. Ibid. verse 17
4. Genesis 3:17

Source: Chabad

Also see: Tu B'Shvat and the Transformation of Eating and The Seven Species of Israel

Nobody Lied

A recent video clip on Facebook, taken from a longer shiur by Rabbi Mizrachi, is causing some controversy on the internet.

Firstly, let me say that I respect Rabbi Mizrachi very much, and I listen to his shiurim all the time.  I have learnt a great deal from him.

However, he is wrong to say that people are lying about the Lubavitcher Rebbe's stance on wigs. No-one is lying.  I even have a book right next to me called "Beautiful Within'' which clearly outlines the Rebbe's viewpoint at the time, and there are several quotes from his letters to various people.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe wrote  thousands of letters in response to questions he received from people all over the world.  Many of these letters have been published in volumes called ''The Igros''.  Everyone who wrote to the Rebbe received a personalized response.  That means that several people could ask the same question and receive DIFFERENT answers - because the Rebbe tailored these responses to these specific individuals.  

Generally speaking, the Rebbe did instruct women to specifically wear wigs [sheitels] as a wig covers the entire head and no stray hairs poke out, as they sometimes do when wearing a scarf or tichel.

And herein lies the catch...... in the days of the Rebbe, wigs DID cover the entire head.... these days some of them don't as they can be specifically constructed to allow the woman's own front hair to be brushed over the wig to appear more natural.  That is just one issue.  Of course the other issue is that some women are wearing very long wigs and 99% of the wigs worn today are made from human hair, which may have been offered up to an idol before it became a wig.

Would the Rebbe allow these kind of wigs ?  No, he probably would not have. 

But the Rebbe is not here to instruct people any more.  People rely on his teachings and writings and do not deviate from them.  That is why Lubavitchers and others continue to wear wigs.

The Rebbe is also not here to pull some of his followers into line..... a minority have given the majority a bad name.  

So in summing up, Rabbi Mizrachi is both right and wrong..... the Lubavitcher Rebbe said both things, to different people, at different times.  That was over 25 years ago, when wigs were obviously wigs.

People have different challenges in life.    Wearing a natural-looking wig is perhaps the only way some women can do this mitzvah.

Soon the Moshiach will come and sort everything out.  In the meantime, everyone calm down and realize that just because someone is wearing a long wig, or dressing slightly off-the-derech.... it doesn't mean that they are worthy of your abuse.  [Please do not think that I am directing that last comment at Rabbi Mizrachi - absolutely not ! .......it is for other writers on the internet who have an ulterior intent]

Total Lunar Eclipse: Super Blue Red Moon

On Wednesday night we will see an eclipse of the moon, the second full moon for the month, making it a ''blue'' moon, which will turn red.

Neshama's blog: Once in 150 Years 

Where and when to see the eclipse: full map

Current Events and Tu B'Shvat

Latest from Rabbi Mendel Kessin

Includes discussion about VP Mike Pence's speech, Bibi Netanyahu's visit to India and the connections to Tu B'Shvat, and the Messianic process.

When the Tzadik Decrees

Art Maya Angelou

by Rabbi David Hanania Pinto 

When I was a young boy, I used to watch Father, zy”a, light many lamps in cups of oil in memory of the tzaddikim, may their memories be blessed. Father would light untold amounts of these lights, to the extent that he would often say that if he had eye problems, it was surely due to the smoke that emanated from them. Nevertheless, he would scrupulously light the wicks with unbridled joy and deep concentration.

One day, Mr. Amram Ben-Chamou, a”h, came to visit precisely when Father was lighting the candles. Mr. Ben-Chamou explained that he suffered from heart problems. The doctors had informed him that if he suffered another heart attack, no matter how light, he would die.

“Does the number twenty-six, which is the numerical equivalent of Hashem’s Name, י-ה-ו-ה, find favor in your eyes?” asked Father.

“Yes!” answered Mr. Ben-Chamou.

“In that case, Hashem will add another twenty-six years to your life, in the merit of the tzaddikim for whom I am now lighting candles,” was Father’s blessing.

Mr. Ben-Chamou was pleased with these words and left with a spring in his step.

Twenty-six years came and went. Mr. Ben-Chamou was struck with a heart attack. His wife, who stood devotedly at his side, called me up to ask that I come and bless him with a complete recovery. I asked to speak with the sick man. He said to me, “I want you to know, honored Rav, that I am on the brink of death.”

“Why do you talk like that?” I asked, surprised.

“Your father, zy”a, blessed me that I live another twenty-six years. This coming Monday completes twenty-six full years from the time of that blessing. I am sure that I will die then. Nothing can help.”

That very Monday, he returned his soul to his Maker. I was left with the lesson of the greatness of tzaddikim, who are able to decree what will be. Hashem fulfills their decrees, in the merit of their attachment to Torah throughout their lives. Moreover, this tale teaches the significance of lighting candles in the memory of the tzaddikim of old.