How to Deal with Economic Challenge

The "days" and "nights" of life

by Rabbi Y. Y. Jacobson

The Debate

An architect, a surgeon, and economist are arguing who of them holds the most prominent position.

The surgeon said, 'Look, we're the most important. The very first thing G-d did was surgery: to extract Eve from Adam's rib.'

The architect said, 'No, wait a minute, G-d is an architect first and foremost. G-d made the world in six days out of chaos.'

The economist smiled, 'And who made the chaos?’

The Dual Canopy

"On the day the Tabernacle was erected, the cloud covered the Tabernacle," the Bible records in the Torah portion of Behaalosecha (1). "Then, in the evening, there would be upon the Tabernacle like a fiery glow till morning."

"From then on it remained that way," the Torah continues. "The cloud would cover it [by day] and a glow of fire by night (2)."

Two points require clarification. First: What was the significance and purpose of this dual miraculous canopy that hovered over the Tabernacle in the desert -- a cloud during the day and a glowing flame during the night (3)?

Second: Like every episode recorded in the Bible, this one, too, contains a spiritual interpretation that continuously plays itself out in journeys of the human spirit. How can we apply the story of this Tabernacle canopy to our lives today?

Smugness Vs. Despair

The Tabernacle was the edifice erected by the people of Israel in the Sinai desert to serve as a home for the Divine presence. In Jewish writings, the Tabernacle represents the place in the human heart where the light of G-d resides (4). The Tabernacle, then, exists timelessly within the human soul.

This sacred and noble place within us, declares the Bible, must include both a cloud by day and a fire by night. Let us apply this practically:

Each person experiences in his or her life "days" and "nights" -- moments of light and moments of darkness, times of happiness and contentment as well as times of agony and turmoil. For some, the days are longer than the nights; for others the nights sadly exceed the days. Yet most humans possess a share of both realities.

Now, when things are going well for us -- when we're paying the bills nicely, the kids are healthy, our spouses are there for us and we're satisfied with our lot -- we often forget how vulnerable we really are in this world. We tend to become smug, complacent and desensitized. We often become apathetic to other people's pain. We don't feel the need for genuine friendships, and certainly not for a relationship with G-d. We don't feel the urgent need to be real. At moments of bliss people often feel that they are on top of the world and they do not need anybody. They forget their humaneness and simplicity.

On the other hand, when things become (heaven forbid) difficult and painful – your company “is in der erd” (Yiddish for “is in the ground”), a loss in the family, illness of a loved one, a marriage goes sour, the bank is after us, our children are not doing well or we are overcome by inner mental or physical challenges -- we often fall prey to feelings of despair and loneliness. We sink into the morass of life's hardships, as we say to ourselves, "it's dark and it's getting darker."

Maintain Perspective

Thus, the Torah this week teaches us a movingly profound lesson.

If you are to become a human Tabernacle, if you wish to discover the grace of G-d within your heart, you must recall the darker cloud hovering above you even during times of brightness and splendor. A person must always remember that ultimately he cannot claim ownership over anything in his life: Life is a gift, love is gift, parents are gifts and children are gifts. Financial success, too, is not a natural symptom of your brilliant investments; it is a gift. One ought never to become blind to the truth that everything can change in a single instance (5) and that there is so much pain in the world. When you remember the clouds, you will never become arrogant, detached and false.

On the other hand, when night falls upon us, when life exposes its painful and darker side to us, we need to recall the glowing light hovering above us. We must remember that every experience we endure is part of our life's mission to serve G-d under these circumstances and to transform the world into a home for goodness and G-dliness. Every challenge contains an opportunity for deeper growth and for a deeper relationship with our soul and our G-d. Each cloud contains a flame within.

Judaism's Mission Statement

This is the powerful significance behind the mitzvah, the Jewish tradition, to recite twice each day the Shema Yisroel, the most reverent Jewish prayer, once in the morning and once in the evening.

When dawn breaks and the sun emerges to embrace us with its warmth, we state: "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One." Each of us is essentially a reflection of G-d, a recipient of His grace.

When night falls and darkness makes its way into our lives, we once again declare: "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One." G-d is one means that the same G-d Who was present during the "day," is also present during the "night." Darkness is painful and bitter, but it, too, must become part of a dynamic relationship with life and with G-d (6).

The Breaking of the Glass

This is also the mystical reason for the enigmatic Jewish custom to break a glass under the wedding canopy (the Chupah) at the moment when the groom and the bride are about to enter into a private room and celebrate their union, and the guests are about to begin feasting and dancing.

Granted, we break a glass during a marriage ceremony to remember the destruction of Jerusalem and all of the broken hearts in the world. But couldn't we do the breaking a little earlier, during the more solemn moments of the ceremony? Must we, at the happiest moment of a bride and a groom, introduce sadness and melancholy?

The answer: Those who at the peak of their personal joy and remember the pain that is still present in the outside world, will, at the moment of their pain, remember the joy out there in the world. On the other hand, those who at a moment of a personal high, become totally submerged in their own mood and are indifferent to the broken hearts around them, then, when struck by pain and hardship, they will remain stuck in their own quagmire, unable to reach out and glean hope and inspiration from the laughter and joy still present in the world (7).

Thus, the Torah states: "From then on it remained that way, the cloud would cover it [by day] and a glow of fire by night." This is an eternal directive. During your days, look up to the clouds; during your nights, gaze up to the fire.

And if during your days, you will remember the clouds, then during your nights you will remember the flame (8).

To view the footnotes: click here

Out of Order

Teshuvah has the power to wipe away a person's past deeds, and transform him into a new person.

This is the inner reason why the account of the Second Pesach offering [Beha'alotecha 9:2] - which represents the concept of correcting and compensating for the mistakes of the past - was recorded out of chronological order, because teshuvah has the power to re-arrange a person's life ''out of chronological order'', wiping away his past mistakes.

Based on Likutei Sichos Lubavitcher Rebbe

Edan's Got Talent

Piano-playing Edan Pinchot, head adorned with a yarmulke, does an amazing job on America's Got Talent.

 

Moses' Worst Crisis

How We Inspire the People Who Inspire Us
Sigmund Freud’s Advice to the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1903

What was the advice Sigmund Freud gave the Rebbe Rashab in Vienna in 1903. World renowned teacher Rabbi YY Jacobson explores one of the most fascinating stories of the Rebbe Rashab paying a visit by Sigmund Freud. 

Watch video shiur by Rabbi Y. Y. Jacobson at: TheYeshiva.net

Shomrei Emunim Rebbe's Out of Body Experience

HT: Yaak

“I got there and I simply witnessed the medical miracle. A man who was pulseless was alive and alert the very next day, propped up in bed. There is no explanation other than a miracle”.

Read about it at: The Yeshiva World

Partial Lunar Eclipse June 4 [video]

HT: Miguel

 

BeHa'alotecha: Great Dreams

Written by Chanan Morrison - Rav Kook Torah

In contrast to the unique level and clarity of Moses' prophecy, ordinary prophecy is bestowed through the medium of visions and dreams:

"If someone among you experiences divine prophecy, I will make Myself known to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream." [Num. 12:6]

Why Dreams?

Dreams, Rav Kook wrote, serve an important function in the world. Great dreams are the very foundation of the universe. Dreams exist on many levels. There are the prescient dreams of prophets, and the conscious dreaming of poets. There are the idealistic dreams of great visionaries for a better world; and there are our national dreams of redemption — "When God will return the captivity of Zion, we will be like dreamers" [Psalms 126:1].

Of course, not every dream falls under the category of a great dream. Some dreams are inconsequential, as it says, "Dreams speak falsely" [Zechariah 10:2]. What determines whether a dream is prophetic or meaningless?

True and False Dreams

True servants of God concentrate their aspirations and efforts on rectifying the entire world. When one's thoughts and actions are devoted exclusively to perfecting all of creation, then one's imagination will only be stimulated by matters that relate to the universal reality. The dreams of such individuals will naturally be of great significance. Their dreams are tied to the inner truth of reality, to its past, present, and future.

But for those people who are preoccupied with private concerns, their imaginative faculties will be limited — like their waking thoughts and actions — to personal issues. What truth could be revealed in imaginings that never succeeded in rising above the thoughts and wishes of a self-centered individual?

The Sages expressed this idea with the following allegorical imagery: prophetic dreams are brought by angels, while false dreams are brought by demons [Berachot 55b]. What does this mean? Angels are constant forces in the universe, pre-arranged to perfect the world. True dreams relate to these underlying positive forces. Demons, on the other hand, are non-holy forces based on specific objectives which are inconsistent with the overall universal order. False dreams are the resultant fantasies of such private desires.

The True Reality of Dreams

What would the world be like without dreams? Life immersed solely in its material aspects is coarse and bleak. It lacks the inspiring splendor of wide horizons; like a bird with clipped wings, it is unable to transcend the bitter harshness of the current reality. The ability to free ourselves from these shackles is only through the power of dreams.

Some foolishly take pride in being 'realists.' They insist on only considering the material world in its present state — a partial and fragmented view of reality. In fact, it is our dreams that liberate us from the limitations of the current reality. It is our dreams that accurately reveal the inner truth of the universe.

As that future reality is steadily revealed, we merit an increasing clarity of vision. Our perception approaches the aspaklaria me'irah of Moses, with whom God spoke "face to face, in a vision not containing allegory, so that he could see a true picture of God" [Num. 12:8].

[Adapted from Orot HaKodesh vol. I, p. 226; Ein Eyah vol. II, p. 279]

Source: RavKookTorah.org

Mysticism: Manna for All

But the multitude among them began to have strong cravings. Then even the children of Israel once again began to cry, and they said, "Who will feed us meat?  [Behaalotecha 11:4]

Ordinary bread [''bread from the earth''] which is the product of hard physical labor, is a metaphor for the ''revealed'' interpretations of the Torah [nigleh] found in the Talmud, which require arduous analysis, questioning etc.

On the other hand, manna [''bread from Heaven''] represents the mystical teachings of the Torah, which are of such a ''heavenly'' nature that there is no disagreement or argument.

Logically speaking, a person might think that it is necessary to have a firm grounding in classic texts, and achieve a certain degree of spiritual greatness before one can progress to the study of mysticism.  However, the Torah teaches here that even the wicked individuals who complained to Moshe ate manna.

From this we can learn that it is appropriate for people from all walks of life to study the mystical teachings of the Torah - particularly as they are formulated clearly and methodically in the teachings of Chassidus.

Based on Likutei Sichos Lubavitcher Rebbe

'Beware a rerun of the Great Panic of 2008'

Head of World Bank warns Europe is heading for 'danger zone' as world markets suffer bleakest day of the year so far

The head of the World Bank yesterday warned that financial markets face a rerun of the Great Panic of 2008.

On the bleakest day for the global economy this year, Robert Zoellick said crisis-torn Europe was heading for the ‘danger zone’.

Mr Zoellick, who stands down at the end of the month after five years in charge of the watchdog, said it was ‘far from clear that eurozone leaders have steeled themselves’ for the looming catastrophe amid fears of a Greek exit from the single currency and meltdown in Spain.

The flow of money into so-called ‘safe havens’ such as UK, German and US government debt turned into a stampede yesterday.

Read more: Daily Mail

Look on the Bright Side

HT: Commenter at Absolute Truth

The ''Flame''

Disclaimer: This is speculation.

HT: Dov bar Leib


We already saw the star on the East swallowing the seven stars on the North [see this post]

when a star on the East side will swallow seven stars on the North side, and a flame of black fire will be hanging in the firmament 60 days..... [Zohar]

And now we have something called the "Flame Virus'' [a hint?]

Exactly 60 days before Tisha B'Av. The Flame virus is now being called the most dangerous malware virus ever created, as revealed today by Russian sources:

A massive, data-slurping cyberweapon is circulating in the Middle East, and computers in Iran appear to have been particularly affected, according to a Russian Internet security firm. Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab ZAO said the "Flame" virus was unprecedented both in terms of its size and complexity, possessing the ability to turn infected computers into all-purpose spying machines that can even suck information out of nearby cell phones.

Source: Flame Computer Virus Strikes Middle East, Speculation Continues
 Also see: Telegraph

Hidden Secrets in Torah

Extracted from ''Letters of Fire'' by Rabbi M. Glazerson

The Torah has a revealed [nigleh] and a hidden [nistar] aspect.  One who looks at it in a superficial manner deals only with the revealed aspect.  However, if one deeply contemplates the Divinely-given Torah, one begins to discover the secrets hidden beneath the revealed aspect.

The root  סכה can mean either ''to cover'' or ''to see''.  In his works Kad Ha-Kemach and Sidduro shel Shabbat, Rabbeinu Bachyei mentions the dual meaning of the root  סכה, and relates it to a verse in Mishlei:  ''An utterance spoken in the right context is like golden apples in silver coverings''.  The word for coverings is maskiot, which comes from the root שׁכה.  Since the letters שׁ and ס are interchangeable this root is equivalent to סכה.  The silver coverings, says Rabbeinu Bachyei, have small holes in them, through which one can see סכה the golden apples within.

The ''golden apples'' within the coverings symbolize the secrets of the Torah, while the ''silver coverings'' symbolize the revealed aspect.  Only by means of the ''coverings'' - the revealed Torah - can man glimpse the ''golden apples'' within; for the secrets of the Torah are deeper than the ocean and wider than all the world, and man's intellect would not be able to grasp them at all without the aid of the revealed Torah.

Thus the covering - סכה - is what makes the seeing - סכה - possible.  Similarly, the משׁל mashal [fable or simile] or סמל [semel - symbol] is like a שׂמלה [simlah - garment].  On the one hand, it covers the inner content, but on the other hand it enables one to view and understand it.

If a person is lazy and does not exert himself in his studies, he will not see the inner meaning and will be left only with the outer ''covering'' - סכה.   His Torah study will be full of unresolved questions and apparent contradictions.  But one who labors indefatigably will discern - סכה - the truth hidden within the Torah.  Labor [עמל - amal] leads to revelation of the inner secrets of both the person who studies and of the Torah which is studied.  Thus, the letters following עמל in the alphabet are  פנם [penim ''inner''].

פ follows ע

נ follows מ

ם follows ל

The Torah's outer cover, its revealed meaning, enables one to see its inner light.  This may be compared to tinted glasses which are necessary in order to gaze at the sun.

The Last Revelation

There is a tradition that King David passed away on Shavuos: in the year 2924 [837 BCE].  Read more here: The Shepherd Who Became King

The Baal Shem Tov also left this world on Shavuos:

On the day of his passing from the world [the first day of Shavuos], the Baal Shem Tov was in his bed surrounded by his closest chassidim. Only Reb Hershelah Tzvi, the Baal Shem Tov's only son, was absent.

The chassidim warily asked, "Rebbe, don't you want to give your son a few last instructions?"

The Baal Shem Tom answered with a sigh, "How can I? He is still sleeping."

A few Chassidim rushed out to wake Reb Hershelah. "Reb Hershelah, quick, wake up, your father the Rebbe is getting ready to leave the world."

"Oh no," answered Reb Hershelah with a shock, "that's impossible! I don't believe my father is passing on to the next world."

"Reb Hershelah," they said with a solemn voice, "the Rebbe said that he will leave the world today."

Reb Hershelah quickly dressed and rushed to his father's room. When he arrived at his father's side, Reb Hershelah started weeping, "Father, father, please don't leave us."

The Baal Shem Tov reached out and held his son's hand. "My dear son, I'm going to depart from this world. One thing I want you to know is that you have a very holy soul. When your mother and I conceived you, the very Heavens shook. At that time, I had the power to bring any soul I chose, even that of Adam HaRishon [the first man]. But I selected your soul because it was very holy and possessed all that you will need."

"Please father, tell me something before you depart," begged Reb Hershelah. So the Baal Shem Tov started to speak to his son, but his voice was barely audible.

"Father, I can't understand what you are trying to tell me," said Reb Hershelah in a distraught voice.

The Baal Shem Tov gathered his strength and spoke louder, "My dearest son, there is nothing that I can do now. Just listen and remember this Name." Then the Baal Shem Tov motioned to his son to come closer. Reb Hershelah bent down very near to his father and the Baal Shem Tov whispered the Name to him. Then he said, "Whenever you concentrate on this Name, I will come and study with you."

Reb Hershelah spoke, "But what if I forget the Name?"

"Come close to me again," said the Baal Shem Tov, "and I'll tell you a way of remembering the Name."

After the Baal Shem Tov whispered the way to remember to Reb Hershelah, he closed his eyes and his soul ascended.

And to this day, no one knows the Name or how to remember the Name.

And so it was.

Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir HaCohane Cohn from a story in SHIVCHEI HABAAL SHEM TOV and translated in IN PRAISE OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV by Mintz and Ben Amos.

No Common Ground

Two people in Vilna had an argument that required a Din Torah. The agreed to choose the Dayanim through Borerus, where each one chose one Dayan and the two Dayanim would choose the third. One side chose the Vilna Gaon. The other side chose someone who wasn't a Ben Torah and the Vilna Gaon said he would not hear the case together with this other Dayan. He said that the Daas of a Ba'al HaBayis is completely different from Daas Torah and they would never see things eye to eye. 

When the Vilna Gaon was asked where his basis for this was in the Torah, he said that it can be found in Parshas Bamidbar. When discussing the encampment of the Shevatim, the Torah says each Degel had three Shevatim under it. By the last Shevet in each group the pasuk say's "U'Mateh," and the Shevet... By Zevulun who was last in the Degel of Yehuda, right after Yisachar, it says [Bamidbar 2:7] "Mateh," without the letter "Vav".

The Vilna Gaon explains that the letter Vav connects what is written previously with what the Torah is saying now. Since Yisachar learned Torah, and Zevulun were the businessmen, their outlook was always different and there was no common ground between the two. Therefore, the connecting "Vav" was left out.

Source: Revach.net

Nevua: An Out of Body Experience

Shavuos: How Could the Bnei Yisroel Oversleep The Day of Matan Torah?

Our Minhag is to stay up all Shavuos night in order to make sure we don't oversleep on the morning of Kabalas HaTorah. Chazal tell us that on the morning of Matan Torah the Bnei Yisroel were sleeping and Moshe Rabbeinu had to wake them up and bring them to Kabalas HaTorah. How could this be? Weren't they up preparing all night for this unprecedented historic event?

Reb Chaim Yaakov Safran, the Komarna Rebbe, in the Hakdama to the Chumash Heichal HaBracha, answers as follows. 

The Rambam says that there are many levels of Nevuah [prophesy]. Typically, it is an out of body experience where the Navi's neshama reaches such a high level that it leaves his body, which remains in a trance, while the neshama receives the nevuah. The Rambam calls this "sheina", sleep. In order to prepare to hear Hashem's words at Har Sinai the Bnei Yisroel brought themselves to this state of "sheina". 

On the other hand, Moshe Rabbeinu who had purified his soul and body to a state of perfection, was the only Navi in history that was able to receive nevuah in a perfectly conscious state. This is called "Aspaklariya HaMeira".

This explains the midrash. Bnei Yisroel went to "sleep" or "sheina" to enable themselves to hear Hashem's words. Until, that is, Moshe Rabbeinu woke them up. He brought them up to his level of Aspaklariya HaMeira in order for the Torah to be given to humans and not angels. At Har Sinai we heard, for the only time in history, Hashem speak while we were fully conscious.

Source: Revach.net

Shavuos: Torah, Tikkun, Segulas and More

Reb Boruch of Mezibuzh says that on Rosh Hashana we are judged on material matters, but on Shavuos we are judged on spiritual matters. [Botzina Dinehora] 

It says “ad mochoras haShabbos”, meaning that we have the whole sefira including the 50th day to teshuva and purify ourselves (the word “sapir” can mean purify). And if one can’t purify himself, even on the last day, then he has no choice but to attach himself to the Tzadik Emes, and he will lift him up and purify him. Through his attachment to the Tzadik Emes, he will be able to do teshuva. [Divrei Dovid] 

Read the post at: Shavuos - Torah, Tikun, Segulas and more

The Media and Chassidic Women

Chaya writes:  When you slam Orthodox Jews because you think you're defending or somehow liberating the women of our communities, you're actually doing us a huge disservice.

Hi. I'm Chaya, and I am a Chassidic Jewish woman. I am also a media professional with a degree in Women's Studies from a large, very liberal university (magna cum laude, baby!).

In the past few days, I've been reading the backlash against "the asifa," a recent mass meeting of religious Jewish men meant to draw a few boundaries around Internet use in our homes (meaning religious Jewish homes; not your house).

Whenever religious Jews make a stink about some cultural issue, the media moves in on it with a bizarre kind of vengeance. Like yesterday, Katie J.M. Baker published an article on Jezebel about the event, in which she actually compared Jewish men to ants!

See: "While men in traditional Orthodox garb filed into Citi Field as steadily as a never-ending line of ants approaching an anthill…" Um, where have I seen Jews compared to insects before? Oh, wait, WWII. 

 Continue reading at: What Women's Media Needs to Know about Chassidic Women

Why Tzadikim Atone for Us All

Regarding the Horrific tragedy in Northern Israel of the Atias family zt"l

Question: How can the death of a Tzaddik become a Kapparah [atonement]?
Answer by Rabbi Elchanan Lewis

Answer: The Tzadik is not a personal individual that has an impact only on himself, he is a public figure who impacts on all those around him; the loss of a Tzadik is therefore a public loss, not an individual or family one. The Tzadikim are here not for themselves, rather for others - that is how they live their lives and that is how they also die; Just as the death serves as atonement to the deceased himself, so the departure of a Tzadik does to his community.

Also see: A Kapora for Am Yisrael

Shavuot Video: King David's Passing

Rabbi Y. Y. Jacobson - Exploring a strange Talmudic story about the passing of King David - 
''A Dead King and Hungry Dogs''

Shelah HaKadosh Prayer for Children

This Monday, 21 May, 2012 is Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan when this special prayer for parents should be said.

Yom Yerushalayim May 20

How did the "Western Wall " survive for almost three thousand years of wars and destruction? 

The answer lies in an ancient Jewish Midrash. "Behold - He stands behind our wall'' - this refers to the Western Wall of the Temple. Why so? Because God has sworn that it will never be destroyed." [Midrash Raba, Song of Songs 2:4]    

Source: Evidence for Torah - A website which I just discovered and is well worth a visit.

In The Desert

Bamidbar, the name of this week's parsha as well as the name of the entire 4th book of the Torah, means "in the desert". However, the name Bamidbar itself does not seem to bring to light any unique qualities of the Parsha at all. At this point, the Jewish people have been situated in the desert for a considerable period of time: throughout the whole book of Vayikra and part of the book of Shemos. So what is added now by stressing that the Jewish people were "in the desert"?

The answer to this question lies in the fact that "we always read Parshas Bamidbar before Shavuot" [Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim]. Before we experience the giving of the Torah once again - for spiritually the Torah is given anew every Shavuot - it is necessary to recall and take to heart the fact that the Torah was not given in a civilized environment, but in a desert.

The lesson here is twofold:

1. A desert is a place of utter desolation where "no man can live". Thus the Torah was given there to indicate that it should be embraced without any preconceptions or ulterior motives. When a person lives in a civilized place and he encounters a new idea or suggestions, he will first evaluate it to determine whether it is acceptable according to societal norms. With Torah, however, this would be a mistake; the correct approach to accepting the Torah is "we will do, and (later) we will understand" (Shemos 24:7). Therefore the Torah was given in a desert, where nobody lives, to indicate that one needs to be truly "open-minded" - i.e. not influenced by one's environment - to appreciate its values.

2. The Torah was given in a desert to teach that sharing the Torah with those who currently find themselves in a spiritual desert is fundamental to Torah Judaism. It is not the case that the Torah can "also" reach those who are found in a spiritual wasteland; to the contrary, this is a central theme of the giving of the Torah: To transform every spiritual desert into a "civilized environment".

Based on Sichas Shabbos Parshas Bamidbar of the Lubavitcher Rebbe (5732 and 5734)

Seven Stars on the North and 60 days

I have updated this post as some new information has been passed on to me from Dov bar Leib, which is actually very exciting:

The seven stars on the North side, as mentioned below, ARE the Pleiades - they are actually known as the Seven Sisters in Greek mythology because it is composed primarily of seven bright stars in a very large nebula which can be seen as a Messier object called M45 by Astronomers. The key point being that the Pleiades highlights 7 stars.....

.. when a star on the East side will swallow seven stars on the North side, and a flame of black fire will be hanging in the firmament 60 days..... [Zohar]

[The star on the East side would be the Sun itself]........ It is hard to keep up with the plethora of gods and goddesses from Greek mythology, but one thing that sticks out with regards to the Seven Sisters is that they are the nursemaids to Dionysus, the god of drunkenness and the grape harvest. The Sin of the Spies was during the grape harvest in Eretz Yisrael, but the spies were dispatched on the last day of Sivan, not at its molad, which is this coming solar eclipse in the Ring of Fire. [Source: Dov bar Leib]

May 20 [Yom Yerushalayim] will see the alignment of the earth, moon, sun and the Pleiades - as well as an Annular Solar Eclipse  [see video]

You can read more about this eventful date, and the Mayan Messiah Theory at: Venus Transit and the Star of Moshiach

60 days after this brings us to erev Rosh Chodesh Av - July 19.

July 20 is when Obama's Presidency reaches it's three-and-a-half-year mark: which could refer to Sefer Daniel [where President Obama is hinted to] - see ''time and times and a half of time'' for more on this.

And as Devash just blogged: Sixty days after Shavuot, the London Olympics will begin.

It's just speculation on my part ...... we'll have to wait and see.

Ubuntu Philosophy

An anthropologist suggested the following game to a group of children in a tribe in Africa: He placed a basket full of fresh fruits under a tree. He then said that whoever reached the basket first in a race would be the winner of all the fruits. As he gave the signal to begin the race, the whole group held hands, ran bonded together and then sat and enjoyed the prize together.

When he asked why they had done such thing, when he had offered the possibility to one to be the ultimate winner. They replied: " UBUNTU"-- how could one of us be happy [feel happiness] while the rest are in despair, unhappy?

Ubuntu in the Xhosa culture means: "I am, because we are."

Greece: Bank Run

Greek Depositors Withdrew $898 Million From Banks Monday 

ATHENS—Greek depositors withdrew €700 million ($898 million) from local banks Monday, the country's president said, as he warned that the situation facing Greece's lenders was very difficult.

In a transcript of remarks by President Karolos Papoulias to Greek political leaders that was released Tuesday, Mr. Papoulias said that withdrawals plus buy orders received by Greek banks for German bunds totalled some 800 million.

Citing a conversation he had with Greek Central Bank Governor George Provopoulos, Mr. Papoulias said "that the strength of banks is very weak right now."

Source: WSJ

Greece and Europe: Back on the Brink

Europe is back on the economic brink.

With a leaderless Greece approaching another milestone in its struggle with debt, European stock markets closed yesterday's session at a 4-and-a-half year lows.  Source: ABC

Following news that Greece has failed to form a government, the Greek stock market is crashing.

It went from being up modestly to down 4.5% in a matter of seconds......Greek banks are getting totally crushed.  Source: Business Insider

A Lesson for Ahmadinejad from King Titus

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on May 12 said that Israel poses little threat to the Islamic Republic and compared it to a pesky insect.

“Israel is nothing more than a mosquito which cannot see the broad horizon of the Iranian nation,” Ahmadinejad said while speaking in northeastern Iran’s Khorassan province, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.  [ Before Nuclear Talks, Iranian President Compares Israel to Mosquito ]

Our Sages tell us: When Titus was traveling back to Rome on a ship with the Jewish captives and the vessels of the Holy Temple, a storm at sea threatened to drown him. He said: "It seems that the G‑d of these people only has power over water. When Pharaoh came, He drowned him in water. When Sisera came, He drowned him in water. Now He is about to drown me in water. If He wants to show His strength, let Him come onto dry land and fight with me there!" 

A Divine voice came forth and said to him: "Wicked one, the son of a wicked one, descendant of Esau the wicked, I have an insignificant creature in My world called a gnat. Come ashore and do battle with it!" Titus went ashore and a gnat [mosquito] came and entered his nostril, and pecked at his brain for seven years. 

One day, Titus was walking past a blacksmith's shop. The gnat heard the noise of the sledgehammer and became silent. Titus said: "There is a remedy!" Every day they brought a blacksmith and he hammered in Titus' presence. To a gentile blacksmith he would give a handsome stipend, but to a Jew he would say: "It is sufficient that you see your enemy suffering!"

For thirty days they brought smiths to hammer in Titus' presence. Then the gnat adjusted to the noise of the hammer, and continued pecking at Titus' brain even when the hammers were struck.

Rabbi Pinchas ben Arova said: "I was with the great men of Rome at the time when Titus died. They examined his brain and what they found in it was the size of a small bird!"

As Titus lay dying, he instructed his servants: "Burn me and scatter my ashes over the seven seas so that the G‑d of the Jews cannot find me and bring me to judgment."  [See: Death of Titus]

The Path of the Just

The Mesillat Yesharim [The Path of the Just] is probably the most popular musar [instruction] work in Jewish literature.

Authored by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, also known as the RaMCHaL after his initials, Mesillat Yesharim is studied in all Yeshivos and is considered the finest such work ever written. Indeed, Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, founder of the Musar movement which stressed the study of such books on piety, said, "All the classical works of Musar demonstrate that man must fear God. The Mesilas Yesharim tells us how."

"I have been given permission (from upstairs) to ask and understand in any and all matters of the holy Torah even the most difficult passages in the Zohar.."  [RamChaL]

 More and more, however, people are also realizing that Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto was one of the most brilliant thinkers of the past several centuries. Both his depth of thought and systematic mind are evident in all his works, which are literally filled with important basic insights. Over two hundred years ago, Rabbi Eliahu, the famed Vilna Gaon, declared that Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto had the most profound understanding of Judaism that any mortal human could attain. He furthermore stated that if Luzzatto were alive in his generation, he would go by foot from Vilna to Italy to sit at his feet and learn from him.

A new point-by-point summary of the book can be found at Daf Yomi Review

Then read the entire book in english at: Shechem

No Shortage of Onions

"If you ask "What will we eat in the seventh year?" [Behar 25:20]

The year 5719 [1958-1959] was a shemittah year.  With the encouragement of the great Chazon Ish [R' Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz], a special committee was formed in order to assist shemittah-observant Jews.  Despite their endeavours, however, there was a noticeable shortage of onions.

One mornin, an ownerless cargo ship sailed into the Jaffa seaport.  Amazingly, the ship was fully stocked - with onions!

After a thorough investigation, it turned out that the ship was an Egyptian carrier that had been on its way to Egypt.  The captain had made a navigational error, and had mistakenly sailed the ship into Jaffa.  When he realized that they were nearing the coast of Israel, he and his crew abandoned the ship in a panic.

That year, there were plenty of onions for the shemittah-observing farmers - "The strong warriors who do His bidding, to obey the voice of His word" [Tehillim 103:20]

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

Dreams and Messages

Last night I had one of the most amazing dreams I've ever had: I was travelling through a place which seemed to be a Paradise. It was so real, and the colours were so intense, the sky and sunrise were different to anything I've ever seen before.   I tried to find an image on Google that represented my dream, but nothing came close to the colors I saw, and I remember thinking in my dream that if only people knew about this, they'd all be rushing to get here.  I really hope that the dream was a message about the world in the near future: if so, we have a lot to look forward to.

The video below was sent to me by a reader [Jacob] and is an introduction to a few videos he has on the Afterlife. To see all the other videos go to: You Tube

Bechukotai: Prophetic Letters

by Rabbi Chanan Morrison

Five Double Letters

Of the 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, five are called 'double letters,' as they take on a different form when appearing at the end of a word. The five letters are Mem, Nun, Tzadi, Pay, and Chaf. When placed together as one word, they spell M-N-Tz-P-Ch.

According to Talmudic tradition [Shabbat 104a], the dual form of these letters goes back to the prophets. The abbreviation M-N-Tz-P-Ch can be read as Min Tzophim — 'from the prophets.'

From the Prophets

This claim — that the special form of these letters originated with the prophets — needs clarification. The Torah of Moses is complete and whole in itself. Even a prophet is not allowed to add or invent a new mitzvah. The Torah explicitly states:

"These are the decrees, laws and codes that God set between Himself and Israel at Mount Sinai, through the hand of Moses" [Lev. 26:46]

The phrase ' These are the decrees' indicates that only the decrees that Moses set down in the Torah are in fact between God and Israel. How could the prophets change the Torah by adding new shapes of letters?

The Talmud explains that the prophets did not actually introduce anything new. There always existed two ways to write these five letters. With the passage of time, however, it was forgotten which shape belongs at the end of the word, and which at the beginning and middle. The prophets did not devise the two forms; they merely recovered the lost knowledge of which letterform belongs at the end of the word.

Why Two Forms?

Still, we need to understand: why do these letters have dual forms? What is the significance of their relative position in the word? And why were the prophets (and not the sages or the grammarians) the ones who restored this knowledge?

Letters are more than just elements of speech. They are the building blocks of creation. The Sages taught, "The universe was created with ten utterances" [Avot 5:1]. Each letter in the alphabet represents a fundamental force in the world.

Rav Kook explained that the 'final forms' — the shape that these letters take at the end of words — are the holiest. The final forms most accurately portray the sublime essence of each letter, fully expressing its ultimate purpose. To better understand this statement, we must analyze the morphological differences between the two forms of these letters.

With four of the letters — Nun, Tzadi, Pay, Chaf — the regular form is smaller and more cramped. The 'leg' of the letter is constrained and bent upwards. The form appearing at the end of the word, on the other hand, allows the 'leg' to stretch and extend itself fully. It is the final form that truly expresses the full content and power of these letters.

The two shapes of the letter Mem are distinguished in a different fashion. The regular Mem has a small opening at the bottom. It is called the Mem Petuchah, the Open Mem. It is open and revealed to all.

The final Mem is closed off on all sides. It is called the Mem Setumah, the Sealed Mem. Or perhaps — the Esoteric Mem. This form of Mem is more sublime than the regular Open Mem. Thus, the holiest written object, the stone tablets engraved with the Ten Commandments, contained only Sealed Mems, with the center part of the Mem hanging miraculously in place. The final Mem is closed off and concealed. It guards its inner secret, which due to its profound holiness may not be revealed to all.

Why is the more elevated form used at the end of the word? A hidden light appears at the ultimate vision of every noble matter. The hidden light of the M-N-Tz-P-Ch letters belongs to the end. The beginning and middle appearances of these letters are open and revealed. Their light steadily increases, until it brings us to the final, sublime conclusion.

The prophets are called tzofim, visionaries, as they were blessed with prophetic vision. Their greatness was that they could perceive the final outcome while still living in a flawed present. Understandably, it was these tzofim who sensed that the more elevated letterforms belong at the end.

Source: Rav Kook Torah

Lies from Obama's Past

Glenn Beck reviews the Lies of Obama [video] HT: Joe

What Is My Mission In Life? Why Am I Here?

I've been enjoying the blog posts from Rav Menachem at Absolute Truth 613, and I know a lot of you are doing the same.

The other day, he wrote about discovering our mission in life, and one of the ways in which this can be done is by looking at your birthdate, checking what that week's Parsha was, and then finding the Aliyah for the particular day you were born.  The easiest way to do this on the internet is by first discovering the parsha of your date of birth, by going to Hebrew Calendar and entering in your birth year and month, then checking the box ''Weekly Sedrot on Saturdays''.  Then click ''Preview Calendar'' and you will see the Parsha for the week listed under Saturday.

Now you know your birth Parsha, you can easily find the Aliyah for the day of the week you were born by going to the Chabad Parsha page, Click onto your Parsha, then onto ''text of parsha with Rashi'' [Rashi's commentary may help shed some extra light] -  and you will see at the top of the page there are Seven Portions, representing each day of the week.  The first portion relates to Sunday, second to Monday etc.

The text you will find there relates to you, somehow.  I must admit that finding mine didn't bring me any closer to discovering my mission in life, as I couldn't really relate any of it to my life's circumstances.  Sometimes, though, it can be very obvious, and the text will strongly resonate with you.

There is another way to discover what your mission in life is, and that is by looking at the things that are the hardest for you to do.  Those things that are the most difficult are the very reason we were re-incarnated - in order to rectify them. For more info on this see Rectifying Past Lives.

Moshiach's Rainbow and Lag B'Omer

Lag B'Omer occurs on the 18th day of Iyar: this year Thursday May 10 [begins Wednesday night]

Why is Lag b’Omer celebrated with bonfires and bows and arrows?

by Rabbi Yossi Marcus

The bonfires celebrate the immense light that was brought into the world by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai [who passed away on Lag b’Omer], especially on the day of his passing.

The bow commemorates the fact that during Rabbi Shimon’s lifetime no rainbow was ever seen. [Bereishit Rabbah 35:2] Note: This was a good thing because the rainbow appears when the earth deserves punishment. The first time a rainbow appeared was after Noah’s flood, when G-d said that He will no longer destroy the world, rather He would send a sign: the rainbow. During Rabbi Shimon’s lifetime, the world was filled with merit because of him and therefore never saw a rainbow. [Genesis 9:8-17 and Rashi there]

There is a Kabbalistic tradition that on Lag b’Omer a rainbow will appear in a different color, which will symbolize the arrival of the Messianic age [Bnei Yissaschar]

Surrender to God

You shall not desecrate My Holy Name.  [Emor 22:32]

Rashi: [It teaches us:] Surrender your life [and do not transgress God’s commandments], and [thus] sanctify My Name.

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

In Chassidic thought it is explained that a person who actually surrenders his life to G-d is superior to one who merely wishes to do so.  This is because the desire to surrender to G-d stems from the Godly Soul [nefesh haElokis]*, and so long as the person has not surrendered himself in actuality then his Animal Soul [nefesh haBehamis]** has not been affected by this desire.

Furthermore, the Animal Soul's inherent desire is to live. Therefore, if the person actually surrenders his life, the Animal Soul has consented to an act which is the very opposite of its nature.

Since the Godly Soul and Animal Soul are coupled together, the act of surrendering one's life also teaches the Godly Soul how to go beyond its own nature, as it learns from the Animal Soul's total sacrifice.

[Sefer Hamaámorim Melukat: Lubavitcher Rebbe]

*also known as the yetzer tov - good inclination
** also known as the yetzer hara - evil inclination

Many Jews Prepare to Leave France for Israel

by Ben Shapiro

According to the Jewish Agency for Israel, over 5,000 Jews from throughout France attended a fair in the heart of Paris about immigrating to Israel. The fair was attended by the Chairman of the Jewish Agency, former member of Knesset, Soviet expatriate and dissident Natan Sharansky. 

“I cannot recall having seen such a massive number of people interested in aliyah [immigration] since the days when lines of people stretched out of the Israeli embassy in Moscow,” said Sharansky. 

The fair took place the same day as the election that rousted Nicholas Sarkozy, a reliable anti-Iran voice in Europe, from power, replacing him with the far less reliable Francois Hollande, a socialist with heavy ties to anti-Israel populations. 

The French Jewish community is comprised of approximately 500,000 people. Immigration from France to Israel has increased significantly over the past several years, largely due to upticks in perceived anti-Semitic feeling in the country.

Source: Breitbart
HT: Dov bar Leib

Jewish Spiritual Healing

As a follow-up to yesterday's blog about psychic healing, here is an article from the website Jewish Healing which has a great deal of information for all who want to learn more.

The main difference between Jewish healing and and the rest of medicine

by: Ya'akov Gerlitz, Dipl.Ac and C.H

The main distinguishing feature of Jewish healing is that it is an "open" medical system. An open medical system is one where the body is viewed from the perspective that it continually receives vitality and life from outside of itself. All medical systems reject this notion. That is, all except one, Jewish Healing. According to Judaism, healing is a function of Divine Will. It does not matter whether the healing comes through the medium of an aspirin, homeopathic remedy or the blessing of a Rebbe. The final fact remains that all healing comes from Hashem.

This is good news. According to many vitalistic medical systems, when a person's vitality runs critically low there is no way to revive it. There comes a point where even the best acupuncturist and herbalist has to say that the qi is so deficient that it cannot be tonified. Homeopathy teaches that there comes a point where the disease becomes so complicated and deep seated, with the vital principle and organs so damaged that there is no hope of a cure (Western medicine is not a vitalistic medical system, thus it has not opinion on the matter).

Of course, we know from Jewish law that a doctor is not allowed to give a negative prognostication. A doctor's right to heal is limited to healing, not predicting the future. As it says in the Torah, "that even if a sword is on one's neck he must pray to Hashem to save him." When my mother, zt"l, was sick with cancer and the situation turned from bad to worse, I spoke to a Rabbi to discuss a variety of issues, and he told me that we have to continually pray and hope that Hashem would perform a wonder and that she would recover. This is a Jew's task; to pray to Hashem.

All healing comes from Hashem. In the act of Jewish healing our job is to connect a person to the Divine source of all life. When I perform acupuncture I don't just try to harmonize the body and correct any imbalances, I also try to connect the person to Hashem's Divine Will.

As the Ramchal says, "to the extent that a person is connected to Hashem, there is wellbeing." This does not mean that people who are sick are bad people. That is not the intention of this, but rather that at its core all sickness is a distancing of Divinity within a person. It should be mentioned here that these rules do not apply to a Tzaddik. They are in another category, different spiritually from us mere mortals. In short, Tzaddikim take upon themselves the suffering of the generation and its rectification. This can manifest itself in many ways, one of them being the suffering of physical ills and pains. This subject is long and complicated, but suffice it to say we are discussing the general population.

Many of the techniques we use in Jewish healing are designed to bring in a new influx of Divine "light" into the individual being treated. This is also one of the purposes of Jewish prayer. It is this light that sustains and vivifies creation. When we pray for a person we are beseeching Hashem to send more of His light into the person needing the healing. This light not only heals the person, but also has a positive effect on creation as a whole (see other paper for an elaboration on this).

Being that Hashem is Merciful, Compassionate and Kind (not only is He the epitome of these attributes, He created them), there is nothing Hashem would rather want for a sick person but to heal him and bestow upon him goodness. The issue usually lies with the person himself. Many times it is we who do not accept the blessings that Hashem is sending us. Jewish healing has techniques that help resolve these (usually subconscious) self destructive issues and thus promote health and healing.

Psychic Healers

A few weeks ago I published an article: The Healing Powers of Rabbi Mendel Morozow

This weekend the NY Post published the article below, entitled ''A too-high price for ‘faith healing’ by Eliyahu Federman - Source: NY Post

[HT: Josh ]

Just a note: to be fair to Rabbi Morozow, a doctor [or healer] is entitled to charge for their services.  If some people think the price is too high, that doesn't necessarily mean the healer is not to be trusted - I don't know what the going rate is for a ''healing'' session generally, but I think it is somewhere around the $200 mark for one appointment [if you know, please leave a comment].  Does anyone personally know someone who has been psychically healed?

''A too-high price for ‘faith healing’ by Eliyahu Federman 

The practice of “faith healing” carries obvious dangers, such as discouraging those who need conventional medical help from seeking it. When the “healer” charges for it, the obvious worry is financial exploitation of the vulnerable and naïve. And I, for one, am more disturbed when the person charging for this “help” is a respected figure such as a rabbi.

Yet in my own Jewish community, I’m seeing a rise in rabbinical authorities charging money for psychic healing sessions.

Rabbi Mendel Morosow, for instance, in a recent interview on the Jewish news site COLlive, claimed to have healed a boy by simply “focus[ing] energy on him for a few minutes,” so that the boy “no longer need[ed] any operation.” He further claimed to have healed someone from gout — also through “focused energy.”

According to his own site, Morosow charges $300 an hour for his services.

Over the years, I’ve personally come to know at least five psychic healers in my Jewish community. I have family members who’ve paid for these “services.”

It was troubling to see Rabbi Morosow, like me a member of Chabad-Lubavitch, describe his practice as being consistent with Chabad and Judaism.

I’m sorry: Charging exorbitant hourly rates for faith-healing “services” belie Chabad values and Jewish tradition. It’s what televangelist faith healers like Peter Popoff do, not mainstream rabbis.

Yes, countless stories attest to the efficacy and care of the late Rebbe Menachem M. Schnerson’s blessings and counsel. But the Rebbe never claimed to possess psychic or supernatural healing powers. He even once crossed out the word “psychic” when a PhD student used that term to describe his powers.

And he never charged money to those who sought his advice or blessings. Indeed, he customarily gave them dollars.

And the Rebbe encouraged those with physical issues to seek medical help; often suggesting they seek the advice of several doctors to ensure the right treatment was being pursued. Maimonides, the physician and Torah scholar, embraced the need to work within nature in order to heal sickness. He scoffed at the notion that disregarding nature, by avoiding medical advice, could ever be the will of God — and prohibited using spiritual incantations to cure physical wounds.

Rabbi Morosow does recommend medical intervention in the case of a “serious health issue,” which certainly suggests any of his positive results are merely from the placebo effect. A widely cited Journal of American Medical Association study showed “therapeutic energy” healers couldn’t even detect the presence of a concealed hand from a few inches away. Bottom line: As appropriate as it may be for clergy to treat spiritual and emotional issues, physical ailments should be the sole province of medical professionals. Religious authorities who charge money for mystical treatments are tarnishing the faith.

Eliyahu Federman contributes to the Huffington Post, Algemeiner Journal and Jerusalem Post.

France election 2012: Nicolas Sarkozy booted out of office having exhausted France

Nicolas Sarkozy who rode to office five years ago promising a historic "rupture" was on Sunday night booted out of office having exhausted his nation.

Story: Telegraph

''Sons of Aaron'' and ''Kohanim''

Birkhat Kohanim by Alex Levin

The son of a Kohen's forbidden marriage may not serve in the Temple, yet he can still make a Korban, and it will be accepted.


by Chanan Morrison

Emor: Agents of Holiness

The Talmud in Nedarim 32b describes the kohanim as sheluchei didan. The kohanim act as our agents or emissaries as they perform the Temple service.

Yet this idea — that the kohanim act as agents for the Jewish people - appears to violate the legal definition of the powers of a shaliach. An agent acts on behalf of the one sending him [the principal], executing his wishes. The agent cannot do that which the principal himself is incapable of doing. So how can the kohanim perform the Temple service on our behalf, when non-kohanim are not permitted to serve in the Beit HaMikdash?

Potential vs. Actual

The parashah opens with special directives for kohanim: "God spoke to Moses: Tell the kohanim, the sons of Aaron..." [Lev. 21:1]. Yet the text appears repetitive — "the kohanim, the sons of Aaron." Do we not know that the kohanim are descended from Aaron?

These two terms — 'kohanim' and 'sons of Aaron' — indicate two different aspects of the special sanctity of kohanim. The first is an intrinsic holiness, passed down from father to son. The phrase "sons of Aaron" refers to this inherent sanctity.

The second aspect is an additional layer of holiness, one's actual functioning as a kohen. This aspect is designated by the term 'kohanim.' [The verb lechahein means 'to serve,' so the word 'kohanim' indicates their actual service.] Thus the term "sons of Aaron" refers to their inherited potential, while 'kohanim' refers to their realized state of priestly service.

The Chalal

Usually a kohen will have both potential and actual kohanic-holiness. Yet there are certain situations that allow us to distinguish between the two.

A kohen is forbidden to marry a divorced woman. Should he nonetheless marry a divorcee, his son falls under a special category. He is called a chalal, from the word chilul, 'to defile holiness.' Despite his lineage, a chalal may not serve in the Temple.

Yet if a chalal went ahead and offered a korban, his offerings are accepted after the fact [Maimonides, Hilchot Bi'at Mikdash 6:10]. This is quite surprising. In general, a chalal has the legal status of a non-kohen. If a non-kohen brought an offering, his service would be disqualified. Yet the offerings of a chalal are accepted after the fact. Why is this?

The distinction between potential and actual kohanic status, between "sons of Aaron" and 'kohanim,' allows us to understand the unusual status of a chalal. Due to the fact that he is the son of a divorcee, he has lost the realized sanctity of a functioning kohen. But he still retains the inherited sanctity of "sons of Aaron." This intrinsic sanctity cannot be revoked. Therefore, while a chalal is not allowed to serve in the Temple, after the fact his offerings are accepted.

The Sages derived this ruling from Moses' blessing of the tribe of Levi: "May God bless his strength ['cheilo'], and favor the works of his hands" [Deut. 33:11]. Even the works of those who are chulin, who have lost part of their kohanic-sanctity, are still acceptable to God [Kiddushin 66b].

[That a chalal falls under the category of "the sons of Aaron" but not 'kohanim' is seen in the Midrash Halachah quoted by Rashi. "One might think that chalalim are included? Therefore it says, 'the kohanim'" - excluding chalalim from the special laws of kohanim.]

Continue reading at: Rav Kook Torah