Stormy Weather Ahead

Photo: Wolter Peeters

Welcome to this year's Summer in Sydney - Forecast: Thunder, lightning, hail and lots of rain.
The weather will be wet and wild this summer, thanks to El Nina: Spanish Lady with Wild Temper to take Sydney by storm this summer

Bad Dreams

Art: Stairway of Dreams - Josephine Wall

from a letter of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Igros Kodesh Vol. 5 #1265

You ask for advice concerning your wife's bad dreams that disturb her from her sleep. I suggest you check your mezuzos throughout your home. Also, ask your wife if recently she embarrassed anybody; if she did, she should ask for forgiveness before three people. She should say "If I embarrassed any Jew, intentionally or accidentally, I regret whole-heartedly and ask forgiveness." She should also give tzedaka to Rabbi Meir Baal HaNess (a charity associated with the Holy Land of Israel). Prior to reading the Shema and going to sleep she should read, in English, Yiddish or any other language, from the memoirs of my saintly father-in-law.

I am sure that all of these spiritual remedies will reduce her bad dreams and eventually will remove them completely.

Alternate Means

"For I have seen all that Lavan is doing to you" [Vayeitze 31:12]

The Chofetz Chaim expounded on this verse by giving the following parable: A father gave out portions of food to each of his sons. When they had received their portions, one of the sons quickly snatched away his brother's portion.

The son whose portion had been stolen approached his father and said "Father, I asked my brother to return my portion, but he refuses to do so. I know that you do not want me to quarrel with him and forcibly take it back. I am therefore requesting, Father, than you give me another portion."

When the father heard these words from his son, he kissed him on the head. In addition, he gave him another portion that was bigger than the one he had received previously. Said the father, "My son, your fine character has found favor in my eyes. Your brother who has stolen from you can keep the portion that he has stolen. But at our next meal, I will not give him anything at all. To you however, I will give twice as much!"

The same is true, said the Chofetz Chaim, of one's livelihood. Hashem's concern extends to each and every individual, and He graciously provides each person with sustenance. On occasion, an individual may infringe upon another's livelihood, causing him to lose business and profit. The victim will probably ask the person to stop his infringement, but the request may be ignored.

At this point, the wise individual will turn to Hashem and request that He provide him with an alternate means of earning a livelihood, so that he should not be forced to quarrel with the other fellow.

Such a request, concluded the Chofetz Chaim, will certainly find favor in the eyes of Hashem, and He will provide the person with a livelihood many times greater than what was originally intended for him.

by Rabbi Y. Bronstein

Deceptive Appearances

Art by Krista Huot

In Parshas Toldos we read about Eisav's deceptive acts towards his father, climaxing at the end of the Parsha, where he marries one of Yishmael's daughters in order to appear righteous in Yitzchak's eyes. 

Rashi, however, comments that in fact "he added wickedness upon his wickedness, in that he did not divorce the first ones" [28:9] - i.e. just like he had married his first wives in an attempt to appear righteous [26:34] so too here "he added wickedness upon wickedness" marrying once again, this time to a member of Avraham's family in order to maintain his deceptive veil of righteousness.

In the following Parsha, Vayeitzei, we read of another trickster, Lavan, who acted deceptively towards Yaakov. However, it could be argued that Eisav's deception towards his father reprsented a greater degree of moral corruption than the acts of Lavan, because Eisav actively promoted himself as a righteous person.  Lavan, on the other hand, may have acted deceptively, but he did not scheme to find ways of proving his righteousness to others.  He merely concealed his selfish and corrupt motives so Yaakov would not come to uncover his plans.

So, the Torah's description of Eisav here, at the end of Parshas Toldos, comes to warn us of the moral corruption which was exemplified by Eisav.  Here we are warned to steer clear of this lowly activity: promoting oneself as righteous while the truth is something very different indeed.

Source: Based on Likutei Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, The Gutnick Chumash

Overcoming Anxiety

In life we have to cross a very narrow bridge. The most important thing is not to be afraid. [Likutey Moharan II, 48 - Rebbe Nachman of Breslov]

The following is from the letters of Reb Noson of Breslov:

All your downheartedness and depression is just another barrier that has set itself in your path which must be broken.  Above all, you must work to break depression, which is more harmful than anything else.  Gevalt! Do not be afraid, my beloved son! Do not be afraid! G-d really is with you! Remember what our master, teacher and Rebbe said: "G-d is great and we have no comprehension at all of His greatness. G-d stands by each of you, wherever you may have fallen. There is a phenomenon whereby everything turns into good, for His greatness is unfathomable.

I spoke once with someone and asked him "Were you the first person born?" [Job 15:7]  This is what Job's friends asked him in response to his bitter complaint.

Rashi explains their question as "Were you born before Adam, the first man, so that you are in a position to know what has happened to every person in the world?"

Each person can apply this thought to whatever he is going through, be it in connection with his physical needs and livelihood, or with regard to his own personality traits and behaviour.  Were you born before Adam, the first man, that you understand what is behind what every person goes through?

The whole reason a person is placed in this world is to go through all that he must! He must be as strong and as solid as a rock to bear everything in life.  Whatever a person experiences, he must hope and yearn and wait for G-d, and under no circumstances should he despair of G-d's mercy.

What's In a Name

The Hebrew word for soul is "Neshama" - נשׁמה
The middle letters of נשׁמה spell "shem" - which means "name".
This shows us the importance of your name - it is the centre of the soul.

Your Hebrew name functions as a conduit, channeling spiritual energy from G-d into your soul and your body.

This is why, say the Chassidic masters, an unconscious person will often respond and be revived when his or her name is called. To wake someone up, all you need to do is whisper their Hebrew name into their ear.

Your Hebrew name is your spiritual call sign, embodying your unique character traits and G-d-given gifts. Ideally, you should use it 24 hours a day, not just when you're called to the Torah or when prayers are offered on your behalf.

According to Jewish custom, a critically ill person is sometimes given an additional Hebrew name -- somewhat like a spiritual bypass operation to funnel fresh spirituality around their existing name and into their bodies; with the influx of spirituality, the body is given renewed vigor to heal itself.

The book of Genesis teaches that G-d created the world with "speech" ("And G-d said, 'Let there be light!', and there was light" ).

In the Kabbalah it is explained that the 22 sacred letters of the Hebrew alef-bet are the spiritual "building blocks" of all created reality, and that the name of a thing in the Holy Tongue represents the combination of sacred letters that reflects its distinct characteristics and the purpose and role towards which it was created.

If you are not using your Hebrew name, you are not tapping into your G-d given powers. If you're feeling tired and rundown, this could be the solution to your inertia.

Usually, your Hebrew name is given to you soon after birth. Jewish boys are named at their brit (circumcision), and girls at a Torah reading shortly after their birth. Your name is selected by your parents who usually name you after a dear departed loved one, most often an ancestor. Or, if they don’t have anyone to memorialize, you just might end up with a Hebrew name of their own preference. Either way, however, our sages have declared that your parents' choice of a name constitutes a "minor prophecy", since the name they choose conforms with the inborn nature of your soul.

If your parents didn't give you a brit or didn't name you at a Torah reading -- or if you're a non-Jew who's converting to Judaism -- you can select any Hebrew name that resonates with you.

There are people who complete the mission associated with their name in the middle of their lifetime.

They are then given a new mission, and hence, a new name. This concept contains many deep and awesome secrets.

It is customary to give a new name to a dangerously sick person. The sick person has already fulfilled his destiny according to his original name, and is therefore ready to die. We then give him a new name, thereby also giving him a new mission. The sick person can now continue to live and complete the mission associated with his new name.

Our Rabbis teach us that Moses had many names. Moses had many missions in life; he therefore required a different name for each one of his great tasks.

Source: Rebbe Nachman's Wisdom

Naming A Baby After Someone Who Recently Died

by Rav Menashe Klein

Rav Menashe Klein (Mishneh Halachos 4:152) was asked if it is permissible to name a baby after someone who died but was not yet buried. Although reluctant to answer a question not found in Shas or Poskim, he said that people are noheg to do so.

However he did see in the Zohar that it may not be effective. The Zohar says that until a person is buried, his Neshama cannot enter another a person in the form of a Gilgul. Since one of the reasons we name after a niftar is to enable the neshama to enter the child as a gilgul, it would be pointless until after the burial. This is also the opinion of the Shu"t Tshuras Shai and the Recanti.

What if the child was born while the person was still alive but the name will be given after the burial? In this case he says that even though the child already received a neshama at birth, nevertheless the neshama of the gilgul can enter at the time the name is given. We see this from Pinchas who received the neshamos of Nadav and Avihu even though he was alive at the time of their death.

This is the same logic as giving a sick person a new name. The hope is that the neshama of a person with the same name will enter into him and extend his life. For this reason changing the name of a Choleh should be handled only by someone who is well versed in these matters.

Source: Revach L'Neshama

The Power to Change

Art: 'Triple Self Portrait' by Norman Rockwell

And the children struggled within her, and she said, "If [it be] so, why am I [like] this?" And she went to inquire of the Lord. [Toldot - Genesis 25:22]

Why did the children "struggle inside her"?

How could Yitzchak, our righteous patriarch, have a son whose very nature even in the womb was inclined towards idol worship?

G-d can either make a person's disposition naturally good or naturally bad.  But, even if a person has a natural inclination to evil, that does not mean that he is evil per se, for he is given free choice.

Rather, the reason why he was given such an inclination was to rise to the challenge and overcome it.  Thus, Eisav was given a natural tendency to evil so that he could excel in the Divine service of "quashing" the evil inclination.

Even though he failed in his task, we can nevertheless learn from Eisav that if a person has strong desires to do something bad, it means that he has been given the special Divine mission of overcoming his inclinations.

Source: Gutnick Chumash: Based on Likutei Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Palm Reading and Horoscopes



Art: Georges de la Tour: "The Fortune Teller"


by Rabbi Aron Moss

Question:

What is Judaism’s take on looking into our future? I’ve always been under the impression that it is forbidden for us to consult with spiritual ‘mediums’, but more and more I’m hearing of people who are paying big money to find out what their future may hold. Is it possible to know our destiny?

Answer:

The Torah forbids looking into the future, not because it isn’t possible to do, but because it isn’t a good idea.

There are indeed ways to divine the future. There are Jewish sources that speak of things like horoscopes and palm reading. The problem is not that these are false (though many practitioners of them are), it is that there is a danger when they are used to predict the future.

These readings can do nothing more than predict someone’s destiny based on current circumstances. The way things stand now, if all variables remain unchanged, this is your fate. What they can’t predict is human free choice.

We have the ability to choose our path, to change our destiny and to outsmart fate. We are not bound to a future that is out of our control. While we can’t change the forces of destiny, we can change ourselves. When a person improves themselves, becomes a better person, then they are now a new being with a new destiny. The human power to change is a variable no seer can predict.

This is why we are better off not knowing what is in store for us. Because once we hear it, we may become stuck in the belief that our future is set. And this itself may affect our future negatively, as our will to change and freedom to choose becomes paralysed.

If I am told that my future is all good, I will have wealth and love and happiness, this knowledge may make me complacent and lazy, expecting these things to just come on their own. But they will not. If I want wealth I need to work, if I want to find love I need to meet people, if I want happiness I need to live a life of meaning. G-d may want to bestow much good upon me, but it won’t happen without my effort.

So too if I am given a negative prognosis, if I am told that I am destined to suffer and be sick, then the worry and anxiety caused by such a prediction can itself lead to the suffering and sickness I am dreading. The prediction becomes self-fulfilling, as I give in to a fate that need not be mine.

For these reasons and more, you are better off leaving the future for tomorrow and focusing on today. If you do that, I predict good things in store for you.

For more on Jewish Astrology click here

More from Rabbi Moss, click here