Understanding the Success of the Israeli Leftist Party

 New shiur from Rabbi Mendel Kessin

A Lesson in Fund-raising

Rabbi Zusya of Hanipoli once came to a city to raise funds for charity. Two local young men were very eager to share in this great mitzvah by doing the legwork of going from door to door. There was a wealthy man in town who always gave a very generous donation to every good cause. They decided to approach him last, because his large donation was guaranteed.

After a long hard day of knocking on doors, the two volunteers succeeded in raising nearly 50 rubles, a very respectable sum. Bone tired but very optimistic, they approached their final, affluent prospect, expecting him to match the entire amount they had amassed. How chagrined and shocked they were when he gave them only the few rubles necessary to round out the full 50 rubles. All of their pleas for a more generous contribution fell on deaf ears. They could not believe it! Why had this philanthropist's heart suddenly turned to stone?

The two collectors returned to Reb Zusya and complained bitterly about their acute disappointment. The Rebbe silenced them saying "My dear sons, there is no reason to be upset. At the very moment a supplicant arrives in a city, a Heavenly decree pronounces how much money he will raise. Once the decree is issued, it cannot be changed. The poor man will not take from this city a penny more or a penny less."

Reb Zusya continued: "The moment I set foot in this city I heard a celestial voice crying out that I would raise exactly 50 rubles for charity. Had you approached the rich man first, he would certainly have given you a lavish donation. However, since you saved him for last, he could not give you more than the few pennies you were shy of 50 rubles."

From this story, the Stretiner Rebbe derived an essential lesson in fund-raising. Often people discourage a fund-raiser, saying that a certain person or group of people have been solicited time and again and they are probably sick and tired of giving, or have exhausted their charity account. This is absolutely false. For every new cause a new Heavenly decree determines how much will be raised. It makes no difference how many times these people were approached. As long as there are people willing to collect, the preordained sum will be raised.

In this vein the Ponevezher Rav would say "Ess felt nit kein tzedakah gelt in der velt, ess felt nemers!" - "There is no shortage of charity funds in the world; there is only a shortage of collectors!"

Nor should someone be upset when a donor gives a disappointing gift. It is very possible that it was decreed that no more money could be donated to this cause.

Source: Maamarei Tzedakah by Rabbi Aaron Roth

Who Are the Erev Rav? Do They Run the World?

 New shiur from Rabbi Alon Anava

When Will Eliyahu Ha Navi Show Up ?

No-one gives a shiur like Rabbi Jacobson.   

When will Eliyahu Ha Navi show up indeed.... and what will he do?

For Source sheets click here

Korach's Mistake

According to Chasidic thought, Korach's rebellion occurred at this point in time since it was prompted by the sin of the spies.  The inner reason why the spies did not want to enter the Land of Israel was because they preferred the exclusively spiritual life of the desert to a life of serving G-d and physical concerns, such as the need to earn a living.  The downfall of the spies thus sent a powerful message that Judaism prioritizes physical action over spiritual and intellectual pursuits.

Upon hearing this, Korach protested to Moshe "Why have you made yourselves elite over G-d's assembly?" [Korach 16:3]  "I can appreciate" argued Korach, "that you are a more spiritual and holy person than us, but since we now see that Judaism makes physical action the priority, how are you better than anybody else? Aren't your actions the same as ours?"

Korach's mistake was that the Torah does not demand lifeless action, but rather deeds that shine with inspiration and spiritual enlightenment.  Thus, the two mistakes of the spies and Korach teach us that a healthy equilibrium is required: One must not shy away from physical life, like the spies.  But on the other hand, Judaism's emphasis on action must never lead to a life of meaningless ritual and spiritual bankruptcy.  Every mitzvah should be carried out with the highest levels of spiritual consciousness.

Our struggle to harmonize physical action with spiritual contemplation is fought on three fronts:

a) the need to ensure that one's intentions do not remain in the realm of wishful thinking and that concrete action takes place;

b) that one's actions should always be dictated by the Torah's value system;

c) that action should never be overglorified, and that one should always aspire to be more spiritual.

Our Sages taught that the world was made with the letter ה.  This is because its shape represents the equilibrium between the more spiritual dimensions of thought and speech, versus physical deed.  Korach's name - קרח - is spelled by letters that are all distortions of the left side of the letter Hei, indicating how he wished to upset this equilibrium in the area of deeds.

In the ches ח the gap between deed and thought/speech is closed, suggesting that the physical no longer looks up to or aspires to the spiritual - which is why Korach rebelled against the spiritual leadership of Moshe and Aharon.

In the kuf ק deed has extended below and is no longer dictated by the thought and speech of Torah.

And in the raish ר, deed is missing altogether.

In short, it is relatively easy to be entirely spiritual and aloof, or entirely physical and mundane.  Our challenge is to harmonize both these qualities in our daily life, thus making a home for G-d below.

Based on Likutei Sichos, Lubavitcher Rebbe

Praying by the Graves of the Righteous

 

by Rabbi Benjy Simons

As an individual is taking leave of the cemetery after visiting his dearly departed mother, his attention is diverted to another man in the distance. The man seems to be praying with profound intensity and keeps repeating, “Why did you have to die? Why did you have to die?” 

The first man approaches him and says, “Sir, I do not wish to interfere with your private grief, but this demonstration of pain is more than I’ve ever seen before. Who are you mourning? A child? A parent?”

The mourner takes a moment to collect himself, then replies, “My wife’s first husband.” 

In this week’s Parsha the incident of the spies is told over in great length, and we have the first historical record of the concept of praying by a grave site. Rashi mentions that Calev who was the representative of the Tribe of Yehuda goes to Chevron to pray by the graves of the Patriarchs, which later became included in the tribal portion of Yehuda. He was concerned that he may be enticed by his colleagues who wished to disparage the Land of Israel, and unlike Yehoshua who received a name change and specific prayers from Moshe, Calev needed to draw down his own blessings for strength and fortitude (see Sotah 34b). 

While the Halachic commentators debate what exactly is permissible when interceding with those who have passed on, the Gemara (Ta’anis 16a) records the custom to go out on fast days to (Jewish) cemeteries and have those who have passed on to pray on our behalf. The Midrash (Sefer HaYashar Vayeishev Ch. 8) also records that Yosef prayed by his mother Rachel’s tomb when being brought down to Egypt in chains and that Ya’akov himself buried Rachel on the road to Bethlehem to enable her to pray on behalf of her children who would go into exile after the destruction of the First Temple (see Rashi to Bereishis 48:7). The Arizal writes that there exists a special energy at the grave of a Tzaddik and the Chasam Sofer equates the sanctity of a Kever with that of a Shule. 

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (128:13) writes in the context of the custom of visiting a cemetery on Erev Rosh Hashanah, that it is important that we not direct our prayers to the deceased, but rather may it be in their merit that we receive blessings and success. He writes that were one to pray to the deceased directly, one may be in violation of the prohibition of ‘inquiring of the dead’, and perhaps connected to why we do not know were Moshe is buried today, due to the concern that it would become a shrine and potentially likened to necromancy. 

The Zohar (Vayikra 70b) writes that when the world needs mercy and we are dwelling in pain, we go and notify those sleeping in Chevron and Hashem will do their desire and have mercy on the world. May we merit that all our prayers are answered and those who have passed on intercede on our behalf.

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23 Sivan: A Special Day for Salvation

Special prayer for the 23rd of Sivan [Thursday 3 June]

On the 23rd of the month of Sivan (כג׳ סיון) the decree of Haman (At the time of Mordechai and Esther) to annihilate the Jewish nation was nullified. 

The holy books teach us that this day is a very powerful day for prayers to nullify decrees and anything bad, evil and horrible against us. In the same way that from that day the situation of the Jewish nation changed and became good, and “Mordecai left the king’s presence with royal raiment” (Esther 8/15) … “and the city of Shushan shouted and rejoiced” … and as a result the Megila says… “The Jews had light and joy, and gladness and honor” – The holy books teach us that this day (Sivan 23) is a powerful day to revoke and nullify any decree against you (Sickness, death, poverty, infertile, etc.) 

Therefore on this powerful day there are a few things you want to do: 

Light two (2) candles for Esther and Mordechai 

• Give three (3) coins to charity. The coins should be held with both hands at the same time when placing in the charity box 
• Read chapters 22, 83, 130, 142 of Tehilim – Find text at link below 
• Read chapter 8 from the Megila of Esther – Find text at link below 
• Read Avinu Malkeinu (Without a blessing, just the text)- Find text at link below 
• Pray from your heart with your words anything you want and need – Ask from Hashem 
• Recite the short prayer – Find text at link below 
• Take upon yourself a good decision to add a Mitzvah to your daily schedule 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure all the above is done and read on the 23rd of Sivan during the day from dawn till sundown!

**All text available at Rabbi Anava's site: click here

 

Current Events [Moshiach] and the Existence of God

 New shiur from Rabbi Mendel Kessin

He also responds to the controversial comment at the end of his last shiur regarding Gerim. [you can hear this within the first 10 minutes of the lecture] - and for those who tried to comment on that on this blog, I did not publish those comments as I thought it was just extending the lashonhara even further.