The Yanuka: Safeguarding the Eyes

"The eye is the way to come closer to Hashem..... all of the functioning of the body is through the eyes..

based on what is seen, all of the body organs, sinews.... all follow what a person sees."

Hashem wants us to see the beauty of His creation and lift our eyes to Heaven.

Regarding this Yeshayahu said "Raise your eyes on high and see who created these things".

Video: Hebrew with English subtitles.

Entering the King's Palace

"A man's holy items shall remain his" [Naso 5:10]

To what can this be compared, asked the Chofetz Chaim? Answer: to a King who summoned his servant Reuven, to appear before him.

Reuven was filled with dread and thought "why has the King summoned me? Perhaps someone has slandered me and falsely accused me of committing some crime".

Reuven approached his trusted friend Shimon, and asked him to accompany him to the King's courtyard; yet Shimon refused!

"What shall I do" thought Reuven. "Shimon my closest friend has refused to join me; I will go and ask Levi. True, Levi is not my best friend, but perhaps my plea will sway him enough that he will accompany me."

"I am prepared to join you" replied Levi, "but I am afraid of entering the King's palace. I will accompany you to the King's courtyard, and then I will have to part from you."

Left with little choice, Reuven approached Yehudah, whom he hardly knew.

Surprisingly, it was Yehudah who agreed to join Reuven on his visit to the King. He agreed to enter the palace and intercede on Reuven's behalf.

"When a person departs from this world", concluded the Chofetz Chaim, "and is summoned to appear before HaKadosh Baruch Hu, the King of all kings, his closest "friend" - the gold and silver that took so much effort to amass - will refuse to accompany him. His sons and daughters escort him partway, but they will not enter the King's palace.

"Only the mitzvos and good deeds that he performed during his life - the things he appreciated least - will be the ones to accompany him all the way to the Throne of Glory. Only they will plead on his behalf!"

This is as the verse states: "A man's holy items" - the mitzvos and holy deeds that a man has done throughout his life - "shall remain his" - only they will remain with him to intervene on his behalf after passing from this world.

Source: Rabbi Y. Bronstein on the Weekly Parsha

Meteor Last Night: Queensland Australia

Gog u Magog and What Will Be at the End of Days

HT: Sherry

Correction: this is not a new video, it's from 5775 - eight years ago.  It's just been re-released. Nevertheless, he's giving a lesson on how the End of Days will present itself.

How should people face the End of Days? What does it mean? Will the holocaust happen at the End of Days? Why didn't the Ancient virtuous people wish to live in the last days? Rabbi Yirmiyahu Ullman will answer all of your questions in detail. Stay tuned till the end of the video. 

Rabbi Yirmiyahu Ullman Rabbi Yirmiyahu Ullman studied Literature and Chemistry at Harvard University, later graduating from Williams College, where he majored in History and the Sciences. After receiving his rabbinical ordination in Jerusalem, he published a 600-page halachic work titled "Iyunei Deah," which is studied by many aspiring rabbis preparing for semicha in Yoreh Deah. He teaches at Ohr Somayach's Jerusalem campus, where he lectures on a variety of topics in Jewish thought, and writes the "Ask the Rabbi" column for the Yeshiva's website and Ohrnet publication. He has published articles in numerous Jewish magazines and journals and lectures for a variety of kiruv organizations worldwide.

Wonders in the Heavens #14

We don't know what's going on in the Heavens, but when you see something like this it brings to mind the Third Temple... well, sort of.  I don't have any explanation for it.

The following three videos show various comet tails and another strange object in the sky. 

Consequences of Zohama and the Origin of Disease

New shiur from Rabbi Mendel Kessin

Wonders in the Heavens #13

Have you ever seen square clouds?

The Secret of Pain: Why My Soul Chose ABUSE

Rabbi Y. Y. Jacobson

Your soul is so pure, and it said "I'm gonna go into this place -  and in order to go into this place, I can't remain in heaven. 

It's not only I have to go down, I have to become entangled = I have to become enmeshed. 

I have to allow myself  to become, so to speak, a victim - in order to be able to be inside that space."

And at that moment you have to know that the soul itself was never contaminated, never!  

It can't be.

But there are Souls that sign up for this journey and it seems like an incredibly painful journey -

because it is.

But really what's happening here is that these are the souls that destroy the impurity in the world, and the impurity in the community, and the impurity on the planet.

These are the souls.

It's a lot of courage.

You have to give yourself credit.

The neshama [soul] signed up for this.

People can suffer their whole life because of things that happened [to them], and they don't give themselves credit. 

Your neshama said "Ribono shel Olam.... I'll go there"

The tragedy is that you don't know you signed up for it and you blame yourself and you think you're evil.

But the truth is the exact opposite.