The Ascent of Sin

"He forgives sins.... " [Vayakhel 34:7]

The word for "forgive" here literally means "carry" or "lift". Based on this, the Baal Shem Tov taught that G-d elevates the sparks of holiness in the sin, for nothing - not even a sin - could exist unless it contained a spark of holiness. G-d returns them to their source. This is the essence of forgiveness.

Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi explained this idea as follows: It is indeed impossible to elevate a sinful act; such an act is evil, and the only proper treatment for it is to denounce it. 

In contrast, the power of desire vested in the act is not evil, for it is possible to utilize this power to desire good as well as evil. When we repent properly, we divest our power of desire of its veneer of evil and restore it to its holy source.

from the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Adapted by Moshe-Yaakov Wisnefsky

How our sense of smell connects us spiritually & why Esther’s real name was Hadassah

Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff

Queen Esther's Kabbalah

Rabbi Efraim Palvanov

Revealing the hidden wisdom in one of the most mystical ancient texts, the Book of Esther. Along the way, we explore the Seven Prophetess of Israel, the Ten Sefirot, the mysterious “Erev Rav”, and Esther’s incredible prophecy of the Nuremberg Trials. Plus: why is the number three so important in Judaism, and what is the deeper meaning behind the triangle and the Star of David?

The Serpent's Lie

The Rebbe Reb Zisha once asked his brother "My beloved brother, in the holy writings it is written that all the souls were once included and contained in Adam, the first man. If so, we must also have been there at the moment he sinned and ate from the tree of knowledge. Why didn't we prevent him from doing so?"

The Rebbe Reb Elimelech answered him thus: "Brother, we were obliged to let him eat the fruit. If he had not, the serpent's lie would still stand and would never have been proven false. The serpent said to him "Your eyes will open and you will be as G-d, knowing good and evil and able to create worlds." This is why Adam had to eat the fruit - once he did so, he saw that even though he had eaten of the fruit, he was still just a human being and no more."

Source: Mipeninei Noam Elimelech - translated by Tal Moshe Zwecker

Rabbi Palvanov Interview on Current Events

 

On This Episode of ‘The Tamar Yonah Show’: 

* Prophecy, Purim & Global Upheaval – Are We Witnessing the End of Days? 

* Biblical Prophecy Unfolding? How today’s headlines mirror ancient predictions. 

*A Lunar Eclipse & Purim both together! – Is this a Heavenly Sign? -What this rare event could mean! 

* Iran & Purim Déjà Vu? The modern-day Persia and its chilling replay of Haman’s plot to annihilate the Children of Israel! 

* Gog & Magog, Hamas, Amalek & the Radical Left – The deeper battle behind today’s global storm.

*Moshiach is Closer Than Ever! Are we on the brink of redemption? 

Guest: Efraim Palvanov – educator, author, and researcher, renowned for merging Jewish wisdom with science, history, philosophy, and Kabbalah (Jewish Mysticism). Palvanov shares powerful Torah classes on YouTube and writes the thought-provoking ‘Mayim Achronim’ blog.

Click here to listen to interview

The First Tablets vs the Second Tablets

There are a number of key differences between the first and second tablets:

The Tablets themselves: The first tablets were ''the work of God'' [Ki Tisa 32:16], whereas the second tablets God told Moshe to ''carve for yourself'' [34:1]

The writing:  The Talmud states that only the first tablets possessed the quality of ''God's writing'', which would have caused the words to be forever engraved in Israel's heart and never forgotten [Eruvan 54a and Rashi ibid]

The spiritual level of Israel: By the first tablets, the Jewish people were tzadikim [saintly], whereas by the second tablets they were ba'alei teshuvah [penitents].

The spiritual level of Moshe:  Moshe was given ''one thousand lights'' as a present when the Torah was given, but with the sin of the golden calf they were taken away.

The second tablets had the advantage that (a) they were given with ''halachot, midrash and aggadot'' and (b) Moshe's face shone with light when they were given.

Source: Lubavitcher Rebbe Hayom Yom 17 Tamuz

The True Greatness of Purim

Rabbi Mendel Kessin, new shiur given 3/5/25

Southern Hemisphere: Six Cyclones

 

No-one can remember six separate cyclones all at once.  Cyclone Alfred is due to hit the East Coast of Australia Friday morning.  No doubt a result of the Australian government's negative stance on Israel.

Three formed in the Indian Ocean and another three formed in the Pacific, maps from Zoom Earth show. The tropical storms range from category one to category four level hurricanes, including Seru and Rae north of New Zealand, Alfred northeast of Australia, Bianca west of Australia, Honde off Mozambique and Garance off Madagascar.