Tzav: The Conscious and the Sub-Conscious Mitzvot

Do we really have free choice? Most people tend to view this as a yes-or-no type of question, but the correct answer is in fact, yes and no.

a) The inner core of the soul is totally at one with G-d. At this subconscious level, the soul of every Jew wishes to observe all the mitzvot and to avoid transgressing any prohibitions. There is no desire for evil here; there simply is no other option than doing good.

b) At the conscious level however, where we interact with the more superficial layers of the soul's complex psyche, there is room for both good and evil. Here, the soul's inner desire to observe all the mitzvot is felt only as a weaker 'signal', which is susceptible to 'interference' from the opposing messages of our animalistic instincts. So at the conscious level, we do indeed possess free choice.

In general, the Torah speaks to our conscious mind. We are told to observe the mitzvot with the full awareness of what we are doing, and we are charged with bringing an awareness of spirituality into our normal, daily lives.

However, at this conscious level, we are susceptible to being drawn away from a life of holiness, or stifled by the limitations that the world appears to present. So while most of the mitzvot were given to the conscious part of the soul, G-d saw it necessary to give us some mitzvot which speak directly to the inner core of the soul, helping the soul's unlimited energy and total commitment to good to flow outwards to the conscious mind. These special mitzvot help us stay in tune with our subconscious commitment to Judaism, when our conscious observance becomes strained or limited.

With most mitzvot, G-d told Moshe to address the Jewish people with the term דבר "daber" [speak] or אמור "emor" [say]. While the mitzvot conveyed with these terms are of course obligatory, the more passive, indirect mood of the words "speak" and "say" indicate that these mitzvot are directed at the superficial layers of the soul which possess free choice.

Parshas Tzav, in contrast, uses the more direct imperative term צו "tsav" [command], alluding to a type of mitzvah which speaks to the soul's inner core that does not possess true free-choice; and is simply "commanded" to obey G-d's will. These special mitzvot which are included in this Parsha are aimed at helping our inner identity of unquestioning and uninhibited commitment to the Jewish faith surface in everyday life.

Based on Likutei Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Machloket and the [Current] Royal Family

Machloket, the Hebrew word for dispute or strife, is related to the word "piece" or "fragment" because a machloket shatters the Peace into pieces.  There is fall-out and bad things happen. That's why you should always stay away from arguments [unless they are for the sake of Heaven].

The machloket in the British Royal family, initiated by Harry and Meghan, caused a worldwide machloket. People were taking sides: for and against.   

Several years after it had begun, King Charles III and his daughter-in-law the Princess of Wales are both diagnosed with cancer, requiring them both to begin chemotherapy and cease Royal duties until their health has returned.

That's what a machloket does.  You're watching it play out now.  

Of course it's no accident that Harry married Meghan.  He's probably a gilgul of King Edward VIII who abdicated the throne in favour of marrying his lover Wallis Simpson.  Meghan is the new Wallis Simpson, very similar in personality and probably another gilgul.  No surprise that Prince Philip used to call her DOW [Duchess of Windsor]

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov explains "machloket":

At the end of his story “The Spider and The Fly” (Rabbi Nachman’s Stories, p. 151), Rebbe Nachman tells us that when the soul of a great tzaddik—him!—comes to this world, Satan protests. “If the tzaddik is allowed to come to the world, I will be unable to do my job! Do not let him be born!” God’s reply is that the tzaddik must be born. Satan must seek a solution to his problem. 

The tzaddik must come in order to teach and model for us how life is meant to be lived. If not, we could not know and we would have no chance to choose a proper way of life. On the other hand, as Satan correctly pointed out, the tzaddik would be so successful that he, Satan, could not do his job. There must be free will. That’s the point of living: having and using free will, preferably making right choices! So what is Satan’s solution? He befriends a stooped-over old man: machloket—argument, strife, dissension, politics. And the Satan laughs; he is no longer afraid of the great tzaddik and his teachings.

Let’s think for a moment. Satan goes from pleading and being distraught at the prospect of squaring off against the tzaddik, to laughing and being unconcerned. Why? He has found machloket. The implication is that the tzaddik needs and thrives on shalom. Shalom means more than “peace.” Just as machloket is related to the Hebrew word for “piece” and “fragment,” shalom is related to the words “whole” and “complete.” Everything in Rebbe Nachman’s teachings stresses—and sometimes screams—wholeness: in prayer, in Torah study, in caring and sharing (chessed and tzedakah).

Source: Breslov

This is Above Us Now: Between the Sun and the Earth

This video is 11 years old, and it is from a totally different source to the person I usually quote on these things.

This system has been here since 2010, and in this video you can see clearly all the planets, their colours and their names.  It is very interesting that the planet called "Nibiru" looks very similar to planet Earth. The translation of the title of the video is "Nibiru is planet number 6 in the brown dwarf Immaru's Solar System".

Note that the beginning of the video seems a bit strange, but that's just sound effects to get you in the mood for a journey to outer space....

How our Inner Thoughts have Power over our Destinies.

In an address the Lubavitcher Rebbe gave in 1963, he expanded on the philosophical and spiritual dynamic behind the principle “Think good, and it will be good.” 

He began by asking the obvious question: On the basis of what should one believe that in the face of any challenge, “it (the outcome) will be good”? Isn’t it presumptuous to assume that in every given situation we are always deserving of Divine grace, regardless of our state of religious and moral standing? 

And what of the basic Jewish belief that there is a Divine order of reward and punishment that governs our world, making salvation dependent on righteous behavior?

The Rebbe’s answer was: When a Jew decides to place his trust in G‑d, believing that his current crisis will be resolved favorably despite facing a bleak reality that suggests otherwise, he has, in effect, risen above his own nature, which in turn elicits, reciprocally, “measure for measure” the suspension of the Divine order, where only the righteous are deserving of salvation.   In fact, according to Nachmanides [Bechukotai 26:11]: “When the majority of the Jewish people are complete [in their faith in G‑d], their affairs are not run by the natural order…to the extent that there is no need for a physician or to follow the ways of medicine, as it says, ‘I am the L‑rd your healer….’” Obviously, those times of spiritual perfection are all too rare, and under the current circumstances, we are encouraged to follow the natural order of things.

G‑d, the creator of Man, understands how difficult and even “supernatural” it is for a human being to truly believe—to the degree that he or she no longer experiences fear and anxiety—that an unpromising and even seemingly hopeless situation will have a positive outcome. And, thus, as a result and even reward for the extraordinary act of worship of “tracht gut,” G‑d deems the believer, who is otherwise undeserving of a positive outcome, to be deserving in this instance of an extra measure of Divine generosity.

This was extracted from an essay at Chabad, to see the original plus footnotes, click here

The Essence of Amalek and it's Relevance to the End of Time

Rabbi Mendel Kessin

Holy Cow

The battle for Moshiach continues on many fronts.  Here is one of them: the preparations for the Third Temple/Red Heifers, as reported on CBS News recently.

Esther's Secret Prophetic Vision

Hidden in the Megillah is a strange code.  3 min video showing Esther's secret prophetic vision.

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 This was posted by Rabbi Ginsburgh at Inner.org