The Miraculous Etrog Tree

Rav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz zt"l

It is well-known that Rav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz zt”l, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Ponovezh L’tzeirim, who was niftar this summer, was given seeds of an esrog by the Chazon Ish to plant to produce esrogim that are pure and are under no suspicion of being murkav, grafted.  The Chazon Ish had approached him with an esrog that he said was definitely kosher and was not grafted. The Chazon Ish actually asked Rav Michel Yehudah to plant the esrog seeds in his yard and told him that he would have parnassah from it. 

Rav Michel Yehudah asked, “Can an esrog grow in the Bnei Brak climate? Moreover, I don’t have any experience growing esrogim, and an esrog tree takes much time to cultivate. I don’t have time to cultivate it; I want to learn Torah!”

The Chazon Ish replied that all he would have to do was plant the esrog and water it. The Chazon Ish promised him that it would not take up much of his time.

Remarkably, that esrog tree grew into the famous “Lefkowitz-Chazon Ish Esrogim.” Rav Michel Yehudah barely had to invest any time into it, despite the fact that an esrog tree is usually very sensitive, requires much attention, and does not last for many years. 70 years later, that tree stood tall in Rav Michel Yehudah’s yard and was still producing beautiful esrogim.

However, this month, news emerged from Bnei Brak that the historic tree has died. Since the time of Rav Michel Yehudah’s petirah, the tree’s branches have gradually been getting dried out, and, at the present time, the tree is all but dead. The fruit have fallen off and the branches have dried out.

Upon learning of the news, the Toldos Aharon Rebbe, who is makpid each Sukkos to make a bracha on an esrog from Rav Michel Yehudah’s yard, sent chassidim to confirm the report. They indeed found that the tree has withered.

Source and more at : Matzav

3 Elul: Yarzheit Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook

[3 Elul begins Thursday night]

Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook was born on the 16th Elul 5625 (September 1864). On the day of his bris, he received a kippah as a gift. From that day on, his parents always kept a kippah on his head. Even while he was sleeping, Avraham Yitzchak's parents did not take the kippah off his head so that he should not be bareheaded - not even for a minute. The little boy would not fall asleep without his kippah. When he turned over and it fell off, he immediately woke up.

Avraham Yitzchak was four years old when he was brought to the cheder (school) in his home town of Geriva, to learn to read. The teacher offered him a siddur and turned to the page with the alef-bet. The child stubbornly refused to learn.

"Why won't you study?" asked the teacher.

"I want to learn from the big books" replied Avraham Yitzchak shyly.

"Which big books?" asked the teacher.

Avraham Yitzchak did not know how to answer. Instead he ran home and brought back a Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Law, and another large heavy book. The teacher smiled and said to the child: "If you want to be able to learn from the big books, you must first study from the small books." Avraham Yitzchak understood and began to read the alef-bet from the siddur.

In the same cheder, there was a class of older children who were studying Torah. Every Friday, these children were tested on the material they learned all week. One Friday, an interesting thing happened. One of the older children did not know the answer. There was silence. Sudddenly, the voice of a small boy from the youngest reading table was heard. It was the answer, spoken clearly and correctly. Avraham Yitzchak had been listening to the lessons of the older children and had understood them.

Little Avraham Yitzchak invented an unusual game to play with his friends in cheder. He arranged the children in rows. Each child had a knapsack on his back, as if they were getting ready for a long journey. Avraham Yitzchak was their guide. The small soldiers asked: "Where are we going?"

"To Israel, to Eretz Yisrael..."

*************************************

After many years of diligent study, Rav Kook was appointed as the rabbi of Zoimel, one of the small villages in Lithuania. After serving as rabbi of the town of Zoimel, Rav Kook was appointed the rabbi of a large city, Boisk. In Boisk, the Rav could sit and learn Torah for many hours each day. There was a time when he would learn 50 or 60 pages of Talmud in one day.

Many years passed before the Rav went to live in Eretz Yisrael. When the possibility of becoming the Rav of Jaffa arose, he refused all other appealing offers which came from European Yeshivot which asked him to be their Rosh Yeshivah or from great cities abroad, whose congregants wanted him to be their rabbi.

In addition, the congregation of Boisk refused to allow their rabbi to leave, until the Jews of Jaffa wrote to them explaining that the mitzvah of yishuv Eretz Yisrael, settling the land of Israel, takes precedence over everything else.

On Friday 28th Iyar 5664 (10 May 1904) Rav Kook went to live in Eretz Yisrael. He was received at the port of Jaffa with great honours and began his term as Rabbi of Jaffa. At that time, Israel was under Turkish rule and Jewish settlements were first being established. Jaffa was one of the main centers of Jewish settlement.

Hundreds of people from Jerusalem, Rishon LeZion, Rehovot and Petach Tikvah came to welcome the Rav and to form their own impressions of this unique figure, and his wife the Rabbanit Raiza Rivka.

The first World War broke out. The Rav had gone to Europe on shlichut, as an emissary for Eretz Yisrael, and could not return to his home in Jaffa because of the war. He stayed in London and served as a rabbi of the city. But he was constantly worried about the fate of his community in Jaffa and the hardships facing Jews in Israel which was then in a state of siege and famine.

After the war ended, the Rav returned to Eretz Yisrael. The Jews of Jaffa wanted him to continue as their rabbi. At the same time, the community of Jerusalem asked him to become their rabbi. The Rav debated this dilemma for quite some time. He knew that a small part of the Jewish community of Jerusalem did not want him as Rabbi. He did not want to be the cause of fights and arguments in the Holy City. On the 3rd Elul 5679 (29 August 1919), the Rav came to Jerusalem and only after a while did he bend to the will of the community, and become the rabbi of Jerusalem.

Here he established the centre of the world-renowned Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav, the "Centre of the Rav". Later, along with Rav Yaakov Meir Charlop, he instituted the Chief Rabbinate of Eretz Yisrael, with both rabbis acting as Chief Rabbi. All his time and effort was dedicated to the Rabbinate, the affairs of the community, and to the learning of Torah.

*******************************

The author, Tikvah Sarig, tells the following story about Rav Kook:

On the first Yom Kippur eve, after my father passed away, I was not yet five years old. Every morning since his death, my mother would wake me before dawn and wipe the sleep from my eyes with the same words: "Get up, my daughter, my neshama, my soul, to pray for the memory of your righteous father, the tzaddik".

What a tzaddik was, I did not know, but I imagined he looked like this: a kippah on his head, his beard long, his eyes warm and good, the palms of his hands soft, and his voice, melodic. Just like my father who was taken from me.

It was erev Yom Kippur. After the pre-fast meal, my mother took me to the house of Rav Kook. The sun was about to set. We marched quickly to the Rav's house. The streets were filled with worshippers, clad in white, hurrying to the synagogue to hear Kol Nidre, the opening Yom Kippur prayer.

Opening the door, we were welcomed by the fragrance and warmth of burning candles. Rebbetzin Kook and her daughter opened their arms to us and began to cry. My mother patted my head.

"Soon you will go into the Rav's study to receive his blessing" said the Rebbetzin.

With her words, my fear grew. I sighed loudly. Just then, the great door opened and from within, a righteous man, a tzaddik, came out. He was all dressed in white, his gartel was embroidered with gold. On his head he wore a white kippah; his beard was long. His eyes, warm and good, were looking at me with pity and kindness.

"Aba! Daddy!" I cried and clung closely to my mother, hiding my face in her dress, my limbs trembling. I heard my mother's voice through my tears: "Go my child. Receive a blessing from the honoured Rav!"

She led me a few steps towards him. The Rav took my small hands into his warm, soft ones.

"Do not cry, my child" he said, placing his hands on my head. "Do not be afraid of me. I was a friend of your father. Come here and I will bless you on this holy day."

The Rav's hands were soft and warm - just like my father's. His voice was melodic - just like my father's. I felt as if a river of kindness and warmth washed all over me - from my head to my toes - just like when I used to sit on my father's lap.

*********************************

Rav Kook was so righteous that he always forgave his enemies and even loved and blessed them.

*********************************

In his last days, the Rav became very sick. He suffered in terrible pain. It was difficult for him to learn, and it was difficult for him to hide his anguish from his students and relatives.

On the morning of the 3rd Elul, his condition became worse. Even though speaking was very hard for him, he strained himself and demanded of his family and students not to add any titles to his name on the cover pages of his books, not to eulogize him, telling them (do not call me) "Rabbeinu, our Rabbi, and not the "Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael" - "Simply HaRav - the Rav".

A large crowd stood outside the house, where the Rav lay on his deathbed. He raised his eyes to the window in his room. Everyone in Eretz Yisrael knew that a great leader, a teacher, a man of wisdom, was about to leave the land he loved so much.

The Rav grew weaker by the hour. His family, relatives, and a number of his students gathered around his bedside. In his last hours, the Rav's face was turned towards the wall. His students knew that it was written in the Talmud: "If a man passes away with his face towards the wall - it is a bad sign, and if his face is turned toward the people, it is a good sign". With his remaining strength, the Rav struggled and turned himself to face the people. At the last moment, all those who were standing around the Rav broke out saying "Shema Yisrael".

At sunset, on the third day of Elul 5695 (Sept 1st, 1935) the Rav passed away. The news flashed through the Jewish nation with the speed of lightning. The backbone of the Jewish nation was broken. The Rav of the generation was gone, the Rav of the era, the Rav of Eretz Yisrael at the time of her rebirth.

Exactly 16 years (3rd Elul) after Rav Kook ascended to Jerusalem, he ascended to Heaven.

Source: Reprinted from "Stories from the Life of Rav Kook" edited and translated by Masha Fridman

More on Rav Kook at Rav Kook Torah

Over-Reaction or Wake Up Call

by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis

That which transpired during these last few weeks should have shaken us all. To be sure, traumatic happenings have been pounding away at American Jewry for years now ... as a matter of fact, from 9/11 on. But very few of us have taken them to heart or even blinked an eye to somehow indicate that we heard “the message”. Something was happening and is happening in the world, but we react as if we are blind and deaf. We choose not to see; we choose not to hear. It’s easier to attribute everything to natural causes, because in that way, we can go on our merry way and indulge in “business as usual”.

But this time, things were different – that which transpired during the past several weeks must make us all stop and ponder.. First, we were witness to the roller coaster stock market. For three consecutive days, the market plummeted and each day, at its closing, the numbers differed, but on each day, totaled “26", which in Hebrew, the Holy Tongue, equals the Name of G-d.. If you recall, at that time, I wrote about it at length. People smiled – they found it curious. Some put it down to “so much hype” but few took it seriously. Only a very small number considered that it might be a message from G-d telling us that at the end of the day, it is He, and only He who is in charge. If He wills it, all our speculation, our best laid plans can come to naught, and in a matter of minutes, our money is gone.

We try to place the blame for our financial downfall on this or that, but only to an exceptional few has it occurred that this might be a warning from the Almighty to stop worshiping the “Golden Calf” and re-examine our lives. We refuse to listen, so the wake up calls became more intense. New York, the bastion of strength and finance, Washington the symbol of power, shook and trembled....tremors of an earthquake rocked our very foundations. To be sure, it lasted only a few moments, so the experience made for good conversation. “Did you feel that?” we asked one another. “Where were you when it happened?” “Wasn’t it amazing?”, etc. etc. Once again, we failed to heed the call. It all flew over our heads and we went on with “business as usual”.

But G-d keeps knocking. The wake-up call becomes louder and louder. “Irene”in all her fury comes to visit. We hear the warning – an historic hurricane, the likes of which New York has not witnessed. The mayor takes to the airways and warns all citizens to be on guard. Hundred mile an hour winds are predicted, swells from the ocean might go 10 – 15 feet, all public transportation is shut down, communities in low-lying areas close to the shore are ordered to evacuate. Once again, many people dismiss the warnings and attribute them to overreaction. But then, the warnings become more urgent and can no longer be ignored..

I myself reside on Long Island and it was on erev Shabbos, that we were told to evacuate.

But since it was almost Shabbos, we were even more conflicted.. What to do? Where to go? How would we make it before Shabbos.

Panic broke out. Frantic calls were made. People tried to get reservations in nearby hotels, only to be told that they were all fully booked.. Many decided to leave their homes. I and my two children who live nearby were caught in a dilemma. What should we do? To be sure, we had many invitations. My children who reside in Brooklyn urged us to come to them. Hineni friends who have studied with us for years and live in areas that were not threatened, offered hospitality with generosity and heart felt concern. But where to go remained a major problem.

What if we encountered a traffic jam and couldn’t make it to our destination before sundown? Every highway had its own perils, so we decided to stay put together in the home of my daughter. The knowledge that we would all be together was comforting and strengthening. B’li ayn hara – Baruch Hashem, with all the kinderlach, we are a large mishpocha. My children decided that we would all sleep on the same floor so that we might watch over one another and, if the electricity failed or some other crisis erupted, we would all be there to help.

Of course, we did not have beds for so many people, so the children would sleep on the floor. If you are mishpocha, there is always place for everyone. 

Shabbos was calm, but the announcements became more ominous. The eye of the storm was expected to hit with full force in the middle of the night or at dawn. Once again, we were told to evacuate. However, the same problem which we encountered just before Shabbos still prevailed. This time there was no fear of desecrating the Sabbath, but the possibility of being stuck on the road with babies and small children was frightening, so once again, we decided to stay put. The little ones kept everyone busy. One of my grandsons learned the entire night, my daughter recited tehillim until the break of dawn, we all davened with full heart. As for me, I was in a strange place. The word “evacuation” evoked ominous memories. It took me back to a different time. I will never forget the sound of their voices – “All Jews must evacuate!” And there were other painful reminders – the question of what to do – where to go?... the dangers we might encounter on the road, all served to recall the past.

My father, HaRav HaGaon Avrahan HaLevi Jungreis, Z’tl was the Rabbi of our city. I remember the meeting in our home – “Where is it safer? The shtetlach? The city? The forest?” No one had an answer ... no one knew .... but we did know for certain that all roads were perilous. The Nazis and the Hungarian Zsandars (Gestapo) were everywhere, ready to slaughter us.

Oh, I know. I know my thoughts were totally ridiculous. There was no comparison – this was totally different, but just the same, you, my readers must understand that those of us who went through that gehenom remain forever scarred and can never forget. Even as these recollections crowded my heart, our Torah teaching of the flood in the days of Noah also came to mind. I asked myself a simple question that we must all ask – Are the heinous sins that brought about the flood still a part of us? Over the thousands of years that have since transpired, have we really changed? Of course, we cloak our transgressions in sophisticated 21st century garb, but the question remains, Have we changed? Are we living by the laws of our G-d?

We Jews who are the custodians of the Torah, have to understand that there are no accidents in this world. Nothing, but nothing happens by coincidence and that which happened these past few weeks are wake-up calls that we dare not ignore, that we dare not attribute to happen stance.

“Ayn yisorim bah l’olam eleh bishvil Yisroel....” Tribulations are not visited upon the world but for the Jewish people...” is a teaching of the Talmud. Yes, all these events are wake-up calls urging us to act before further tragedy strikes, and we have seen many of these calls unfolding in recent months – the passing of three Torah sages in the U.S., Europe, and Israel within a period of two weeks; the barbaric, unfathomable slaughter of little Leiby, the savage murder of a great Torah Sage in Israel — and sadly, I could cite many more. But as much as we mourned and wept, as much as we united in expressing our sorrow, we have yet to make changes in our lives, and banish the jealousies, the mean spiritedness, the strife and hatred that have become part and parcel of our lives.

As these thoughts dominated my mind, the sound of the fierce winds and torrential rain could be heard from outside. Suddenly, it became dark – we lost power, and in the darkness of the night, I made a silent prayer, “Ribbonoh Shel Olam – Almighty G-d, Creator of the Universe... In the parsha that we read this Shabbos, You told us that we were Bonim L’Makom – Your special children, chosen from all the nations of the world to be Your treasured people. So. Almighty G-d,” I pleaded, “You are not only the Creator of the Universe, G-d our King, but You are our Father, Who chose us to be His.

“Surely, as our Father, You will forgive us and spare us from any further tribulations. Let none of Your children come to any harm in the fury of this storm. Protect us, guard us, even if we are not deserving”

“As for me, I give You my word that so long as You allow me, I will not stop, but will remind myself and all Your children of who we are – Bonim L’Makom – Your special children who have a mandate to live by that awesome calling. It is to that end that, B’ezrat Hashem, I will devote my next few columns. It is to that end that I will speak. True, I have always tried to achieve that goal. It was in that spirit that I founded Hineni so many years ago when outreach was virtually unknown. It was in that spirit that we called for a Jewish awakening in Madison Square Garden.

So what is different now, you might ask. Haven’t you been doing this all along?

The answer to that is “yes” and “no” -

Yes, Hashem did grant us the privilege of being among the first to start a kiruv – outreach movement, but now, in these pre-messianic times, our thrust cannot be directed to secular Jews alone, for the sin that is at the root of our destruction, the sin that has enveloped us in dense darkness for almost 2,000 years is not limited to a small segment of our people, but is sadly, very much a part of all of us, even our own Torah community.

Surrounded by Angels

Every action we do creates an angel. A good action creates a defending angel, a bad one creates a prosecuting angel.

One lie will lead to many more lies, creating more and more prosecuting angels.

Every day contains the potential for the creation of good angels who will defend and assist you in times of need.

The path you choose to follow is the path along which you will be lead. Good deeds will lead to more good deeds.... while lies and deception bring about a continuing cycle of lying to cover up the previous lies.

There is a way to break the cycle, and that is to about-turn, and retrace your steps. This is teshuvah - returning to the right path. This path ensures a continual helping hand from Above.

Any obstacles encountered whilst retracing your steps are called "tikunim" - corrections. Each one is a test, tailored to suit your needs. Passing each test is achieving a tikkun in that area, or with a particular person.

Sometimes tests come all at once, and sometimes they are few and far between. Each person will be given exactly what they require at exactly the right time.

Tikunim can also relate to actions done in past lives. You may have owed someone an apology from another lifetime. You have met up now, in order to achieve a rectification.

As long as you are on the right path, the obstacles will be easily taken care of. The key is to have trust [bitachon] in Hashem and never give up or be side-tracked. But even if this does happen, you can again retrace your steps and return. Teshuvah is never out of anyone's reach.

A life without bitachon leads to worry and anxiety:

ביטחון - bitachon - trust

דאגה - deagah - worry or anxiety

דאגה contains the first 5 letters of the alef-beis, minus the letter "beis" - which stands for "bitachon" showing us that a life without trust in Hashem will result in worry and anxiety.

באר - baer - is the Hebrew word for "well"

בור - bore - is the Hebrew word for "bore/pit"

Whilst they sound the same, and have similar meanings, there is a major difference between the two.

A Baer is a living well, a well containing water that is "alive".

A Bore is a hole, containing dead stagnant water or worse.

The difference between the two words in Hebrew is the Aleph in the centre of the word באר.

The Aleph represents Hashem [Adon Olam]. If you have Hashem in the middle of your life, you will access the well of the living waters. If you remove Hashem from the centre of your life, it becomes a bottomless pit.

Shoftim: Identifying False Witnesses

"And they shall judge the people with righteous judgment" [Shoftim 16:18]

A group of wicked individuals in the city of Vilna libeled one of the city's distinguished citizens. To ruin the man's reputation, they even hired false witnesses to substantiate their claim.

When word of the scandal reached the Vilna Gaon, he immediately suspected that the witnesses were hired to slander the man. He therefore requested to personally examine the "witnesses".

The witnesses appeared before the Gaon and related their testimony. The Gaon kept his eyes closed throughout their testimony and waited for them to finish. When they concluded, the Gaon rose to his feet and declared "They are false witnesses!"

The imposters, terrified by the Gaon's declaration, quickly admitted their guilt and revealed that they had been hired to deliver a false testimony.

The judges of the Beth Din were amazed. "How did Rebbeinu know that they were false witnesses?" they asked the Gaon.

"The answer lies in a Mishnah in Maseches Sanhedrin [5:4]" he replied.

"The Mishnah states that the judges first listen to the testimony of one witness. When the witness has concluded, the judges invite the second witness to testify. The Mishnah then states "If the words were found to correspond" then they are believed.

What does "if the words were found to correspond" mean? Either the testimonies match up or they do not; what need is there for the judges to figure out if the testimonies correspond?

"The reason" explained the Gaon, "is as follows: Every individual has his own style and approach when it comes to relating that which he has seen. Therefore, when judges hear two testimonies that differ slightly from one another, if they can find a way to reconcile them, the testimonies will be accepted by the Beth Din. For although the two witnesses expressed themselves in different manners, the two testimonies are one and the same. In fact, it is a sign that the witnesses are honest.

"However, when these witnesses testified before me" concluded the Gaon, "there were no discrepancies between their testimonies. If two people recount the same story, using the exact same words, it is a clear indication that they are false witnesses!"

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

The Floods of Irene [video]

Tropical Storm Irene which hit the US east coast has caused flash flooding in upper New York state and Vermont.

Surging water levels have left a trail of devastation in places like Margaretville and the Catskills, destroying bridges and damaging properties

Jim Avila reports for ABC News.

Opening The Gates

Judges and police officers you shall appoint in all your cities..... [Shoftim 16:18]

Source: Mipeninei Noam Elimelech
Translated by Tal Moshe Zwecker

This verse can be understood in the light of the teaching found in the Talmud in Berachos [61b] that "Tzaddikim are judged by their yetzer tov [good inclination] and the wicked are judged by the yetzer hara [evil inclination]. The average person is judged by both."

The righteous have an admonisher inside them who reproves and reprimands them even about the good deeds that they perform. He points out the defects and shortcomings of their actions, how they are lacking and how they should have been performed for the Almighty Creator. In this way they are "judged by their yetzer tov".

The wicked are just the opposite. Not only do all their actions appear good in their eyes, but their evil inclination shows them that even the evil deeds they do are good. Thus, the wicked are judged by the yetzer hara.

But the average person is judged by both, and as the Tanna taught, "we are average people" - that a person should always consider himself a beinoni, average, as someone who walks on both paths. On the one hand, he should constantly rebuke himself, debating his own actions; he should consider himself to be falling short of properly serving Hashem and fulfilling his obligations. When doing mitzvos, he should understand well that he has not acted properly with true clarity and purity as befitting the service of the Almighty; he should be humble and lowly in his own eyes.

Even so, one should not consider himself wicked, Heaven forbid, as our Sages taught: "Do not be wicked in your own eyes" [Avos 2:18] Otherwise if one does consider himself wicked, he will have no motivation to perform the mitzvos, not to learn Torah or pray or perform any good deed. He will give up hope, resigned that he is not worthy enough to do these things. Therefore, one must hold on to both paths at the same time in order to be complete. Then he will fulfill the teaching of our Sages "With all your heart" [Devarim 6:5] - with both inclinations. This is the meaning of "we are average people" and the "average person is judged by both".

Thus it says "Appoint for yourself judges and police officers". This refers to the two judges we spoke about, the good and evil inclinations. The good inclination is an "officer" since it polices the nation, preventing them from committing any offence, and so the good inclination admonishes and rebukes man for his misdeeds and shortcomings in serving G-d.

"In all your cities" [literally "gates"] - every mitzvah and holy act has its own gate. When a person learns, prays, or does any other act of holiness in this world, he opens the gates to that specific mitzvah above.

Shoftim - The Spiritual Significance of Cities of Refuge

"You should separate three cities for yourself within your land...." [Shoftim 19:2]

Any sin shares qualities with murder itself, since the abuse of energy for the purposes of evil is like the spilling of blood. However, a sin is only like accidental murder, since the true intention of every Jew, as Rambam testifies is "To fulfill all the commandments and to avoid any sins".

Furthermore, the act of sin is considered to have been done "unintentionally" for "a person does not commit a sin unless he is possessed by a spirit of folly".

The atonement for this is to study Torah, which is analogous to the escape to a city of refuge - because "the words of Torah protect". In other words, just like a city of refuge is a haven to protect accidental murderers from "avengers of the blood" (relatives of the deceased who seek revenge) so too Torah is a refuge from one's personal "avenger of the blood" - the evil inclination.

Furthermore, Torah study is effective in achieving atonement for the "spilt blood" since one's energies become re-devoted to holiness and Torah, which is described as the "Torah of life".

However, in the Messianic Era, the Cities of Refuge will fulfill a diferent purpose altogether.

Despite the perfect global refinement which will occur in the future, the first stage of the Messianic Era will not witness a total elimination of evil, since the possibility of evil occurring will still remain. Only afterwards, in the period of the resurrection, will G-d completely eliminate the existence of evil from the world, when "I will cause the spirit of impurity to depart the earth" [Zechariah 13:2].

Consequently, Cities of Refuge will be required as a mechanism to eliminate even the possibility of sin, which exists as a result of the residual evil within the world (similar to the state of the world before Adam's sin, when there was no actual evil - just the potential for sin).

This prevention of the possibility of evil will be achieved by the introduction of a new type of city of refuge, the three new cities - which allude to a new dimension of mystical knowledge, which will provide protection against even the possibility of evil.

Source: Sicha of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Shavuot 5751

Gilad's Birthday

Lemon just reminded me, it's Gilad Shalit's birthday. Thanks Lemon, I knew the 28th August was something, but couldn't think what it was.

Gilad's birthday..... another one in captivity..... and Irene bearing down on N.Y.

I'm sure there's a connection there somewhere.

The History Channel's Irene Scenario for New York

This is scary folks, if you're in New York, our thoughts and prayers are with you.

History Channel Mega Disasters: Hurricane Irene Predictive Programming?

Is this History Channel documentary on mega disasters a form of predictive programming for what is about to happen when Hurricane Irene hits? [quoting The Intel Hub]

Hurricane Irene in Bible Codes

Elul Month 5771 Crucial To Israel in Bible Code

Will You Be Judged on "Judgement Day"?

What is the “Great Day of Judgment” and who will be judged on it? Three Answers from the Arizal, Ramban and the Frierdiker Rebbe.

Source: ChabadWorld.net 

Question:  What is the “Great Day of Judgment” and who will be judged on it? 

Answer:  In classical Jewish sources, there are three opinions about the “Great Day of Judgment” referred to in the Prophets. According to Rabbi Yitzchak Abarbanel, there will be no grand Day of Judgment when Moshiach comes, since each person is judged individually after death. The sources referring to a “day of judgment” are talking about a day of punishment and retribution.

According to the famous Kabbalist, the Arizal, there will be a day of judgment, but not for the Jewish People: “Since the soul has already been through the Day of Atonement, and suffering cleanses, and then the soul has been through a number of transmigrations, why is there a need for the soul to return and be judged on a Great Day of Judgment!” In the book Nishmat Chaim, he adds: “And if you say, what will be with those who die close to the time of resurrection, and they have not yet been through the cleansing process or transmigration?... My answer is that instead of a lengthy process of judgment, they will receive their punishment in one intense burst of short duration.”

Therefore, the Arizal establishes that the Great Day of Judgment will be only for the gentile nations of the world.

The Ramban holds that a massive Day of Judgment will be held before the resurrection of the dead. In his opinion, the judgment will be held for every person to determine “if he is worthy of resurrection and the pleasantness of body and soul in that time.”

The Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, offers his view of the ultimate Day of Judgment: “The judgment will be made by Moshiach himself, on whom the verse was said, ‘He will not judge by the sight of his eyes or rebuke by the sound of his ears’…. Moshiach will place himself into the difficulties of the Jewish People in exile, and will arouse mercy upon them and find merit for them, that they did not desire to sin but could not withstand their evil inclination.”

Busy With Personal Troubles As Disaster Looms on the Horizon

Source: Revach.net

"Eretz Yisroel is in Sakana [danger]." We've been hearing this from our gedolim for the past few years and never have things seemed so ominous. We are not talking about a doomsday scenario of nuclear war which is a bit beyond our capability to grasp. We are talking about easy to imagine threats from those next to us. We have already suffered from these in small doses in the past, including terror and outright attacks from those living inside our borders, as well as missile barrages from our neighbors. Even those were very painful and now we are facing all that and much more, in a way that make those outbreaks look pale in comparison.

Yet as we approach this very real fear, no one seems to seems to really be concerned about it. Why? Will history judge us as naive as we have judged our predecessors who sat idle in the face of annihilation? The truth is that history only sees big things and does not possess the tools to see the fine lines. Nowadays how could anyone be concerned about potential threats when we live with real problems, daily? Who doesn't have them. Some families are struggling with parnassa, while others R"L are dealing with illness. Most of us are struggling with the Chinuch of our children in a world gone mad, and all of us are working on improving ourselves as we watch our generation sink into a moral abyss and we ourselves don't seem to match up to generations gone by. We simply don't have any room on our overflowing plate of tzorus for doomsday predictions on the political front.

This makes you wonder. Why then in this critical juncture of history, when Hashem is preparing a huge storm on the horizon, potentially the biggest storm ever, would He distract us with so many of our own personal problems. Why wouldn't Hashem awaken our hearts to focus on how we can head off a catastrophic future?

The answer seems simple and the fact that we are so quiet seems to indicate that deep down we understand this. It is clear as our Gedolim have told us over and over again the past few decades, we are living in Ikvisa Meshicha, the generation that bridges the galus and the days of Moshiach. We are living in the absolute physical and spiritual blackness before the dawn. To successfully cross the bridge and skip over this deep and dangerous ravine we need two things. First we need to show we have rid ourselves of the cause of the destruction many years ago, Sinas Chinam. Second in order to be zocheh to greet Moshiach we must fill ourselves with complete Emunah in Hashem.

If we are actually standing at the threshhold of the last and most painful step that will herald the Geula, Hashem has indeed done us a tremendous service by sending us these waves and waves of distractions. Focusing on potential war would be not only fruitless as we are not in the position to to do anything about it, but it would even be counter productive. What would we do, go on a PR offensive? Take self defense courses? Arm ourselves and prepare to defend our lives? Nonsense. It would just serve to exacerbate our lack of emunah.

The generation before Moshiach is called Chevlei Moshiach because Chevel means rope. We are all hanging by a rope that is shaking violently trying to throw us off. Only those who manage to hang on will survive this brutal period. Only the strongest among us will hang on, the rest will fall into the abyss. And what is this rope attached to, that will save us? Emunah! The rope has never shaken so violently in history. Mankind has determined we are the masters of the world. For money, dial education and acumen. For health, see modern medicine. For model children, choose from an assortment of self help books. We are the self help generation. We truly believe that we can have whatever it is we set our heart on. It is up to us! And it is, each man to his own, stoking the flames of Sinas Chinam.

So instead of letting us lead tranquil lives and let us focus on winning the next big war, Hashem has let us sink so low in Sinas Chinam that we no longer follow the news, and unfortunately we are the news. Instead of shedding light on the nations, we are enveloping the world in darkness that no one has ever expected from Hashem's chosen nation, murdering our own children and murdering our own Holy men. Maybe Hashem is taking us to lowest point so we can finally after 2,000 years understand the implications of Sinas Chinam.

Maybe our health, livelihood and families are crumbling around us so that despite our mighty efforts, we understand before tragedy strikes, that we must live a life of self responsibility but not self help, as help comes only from one place high above us.

Our personal lives are not a distraction from the events ahead, they are the perfect lead up to them. We should appreciate these lessons, as only a true recognition of what we are being taught us will save us from the ultimate day of rage. And then with our Ahavas Yisroel and Emunah in hand, we will survive that day and live to dance before Moshiach Tzidkeinu in a world of Giluy Shechina, bimheira biyameinu, Amen!

Irene Threatens New York, Long Island

Time to batten down the hatches if you're on the East Coast.

Threat of Irene exposes New York's vulnerability
* Latest track models suggest Long Island hit on Sunday
* 1821, 1938 storms show potential for severe loss

* Some already warning of $10 billion-plus disaster

NEW YORK, Aug 24 (Reuters) - In the annals of natural disasters, it doesn't get much worse than a major hurricane directly striking New York City and Long Island.

Hurricane Irene is on a course that will take it up the East Coast from the weekend. While there is still uncertainty about where it will hit and when, the forecast models increasingly suggest some parts of the greater New York area will face some type of storm or hurricane impact. 

According to New York City's Office of Emergency Management, the last hurricane to pass directly over the city was in 1821 -- and it caused tides to rise 13 feet in one hour, flooding all of lower Manhattan to Canal St.

Source and more: Reuters

Richard, Kate, His Mother.... and Irene

Hurricane Irene's first casualty was Richard Branson's magnificant island paradise known as "Great House on Necker" which was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground last Monday.

This smouldering wreckage is all that remains today of Sir Richard Branson's luxury Caribbean home after it was razed to the ground by fire. The multi-million-pound Great House on Necker, the Virgin tycoon’s £60million private island, caught fire after it was struck by lightning in the early hours of Monday when the region was battered by Hurricane Irene.

Richard himself "ran naked through the house to rescue Kate Winslet and my mother" [surely he should have said "my mother and Kate Winslet..."] - actually it was Kate Winslet who rescued Richard's mother, so in hindsight his naked dash seems a bit pointless.

Today's Daily Mail gives many insights into life at "Great House on Necker" -  after reading it, some people may not find it so strange that it was hit by lightning and destroyed. Richard, however, plans to rebuild immediately, G-d willing....

Earthquake in Virginia: Torah Codes

Same Hebrew date as Hurricane Katrina.... !

Testing Times

[Eleanor Roosevelt]

One of the basic teachings of the Torah is that G-d does not expect of a human being anything which is beyond the human capacity to carry out.  This is quite understandable, for even a human being, who is very far from absolute perfection, would not expect of a tool that he has fashioned any more than he has put into it.  Certainly G-d, the Creator of man, knows man's capacities.  

From this, it immediately follows that when a person faces any kind of a test of faith, it is certain that he has been given the capacity to overcome it.  And the more difficult the test, the greater are the individual's capacities.  

The reason that an individual is tested is not because G-d wants to know how he will acquit himself, but in order that this person be afforded the opportunity to realize his potential, even that which is unknown to him.  And when one's potential capacities are released, and activated, they become part and parcel of his or her arsenal, to be used for personal as well as communal benefit.

The stronger one's faith in G-d remains even under adverse circumstances, the sooner it will become clear it was all a matter of a test.  But this faith should not be merely a matter of lip service, but must have the full force of conviction.

Some people are born with greater natural capacities, and consequently they are faced with greater challenges and trials.  Others are born with lesser capacities, and therefore the challenges and trials that G-d presents to them are also lesser, in keeping with their strength.... If you truly have great trials, this in itself is proof that you possess a great capacity and strength to overcome them.

When it is seen Above that one is strong in one's faith in G-d, and one rises in the general observance of Torah and mitzvos, the test is nullified and there is an increase in blessing, salvation and success.

Source: Excerpts from letters written by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

What is the blessing for an earthquake?

The Gemara [Brachos 54a] tells us that whoever witnesses an earthquake, as well as a number of other natural phenomena in which Hashem’s awesome power is apparent, should immediately say either one of the following two brachos:

 

Baruch Atta Hashem Elokeinu Melech ha’olam osei ma’asei bereishis.
Blessed are You, L‑rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who reenacts the works of creation.

Baruch Atta Hashem Elokeinu Melech ha’olam shekocho ugevuraso malei olam.
Blessed are You, L‑rd our G‑d, King of the universe, whose power and might fill the world.

This helps bring into focus how the forces of nature are all truly from G‑d and expressions of His majesty.

Source: Menachem Posner, Matzav.com Newscenter

Hurricane Irene

Projected path of Hurricane Irene as it moves up the East Coast of America.

All you need to know about Irene here: ACCU Weather