Failed Suicide - Great Yichus

Another great lesson from Rabbi Alon Anava. He discusses topics that other rabbis don't really speak 

about.  Only Hashem decides who will die, and when.  

How To Get Rid of Bad Thoughts

All day long we have unwanted thoughts in our mind. Where do they come from and how can I block them and/or get rid of them?

A Date With Nibiru

It is a fact that Rav Moshe Sternbuch has said it is too early to speak about Nibiru [see video here by Rabbi Daniel Travis] and also Nir ben Artzi, when asked about Nibiru, replied that he is aware of it, but did not have any information to add, therefore he does not discuss it yet [see comments here].

I find it quite strange that if Nibiru is indeed going to show itself on or around Purim, that Rav Sternbuch would say it is too early to speak about it.  So I began to think that the proposed date of Purim, or even Pesach, would not necessarily be correct.

This comment was just posted on Nibiru: You Will Lift Up Your Eyes to the Sky and I am re-publishing it as a blog post, below, as it makes perfect sense.  The author of the text below is ''Daniel'', and the highlighted links are my own additions for clarification.  Thank you Daniel.

''Rabbi Travis the Tzadik did leave out some very important mekoros regarding "Nibiru" as the world calls it [Xena according to NASA] that explains it more fully including why the date of March 26 is completely false and will be altered soon.

It was all forecast 3,300 years ago by Bilaam the gentile prophet in Parshas Balak. דרך כוכב מיעקוב -- "When the star of Yaakov is on its pathway towards the earth" -- is that exact prediction. When the star of Yaakov is en route...then קם שבט מישראל... Mashiach Ben Yoseph will rise up.

''Jacks''

The Ramak, Rabbi Moshe Cordevero, classically and clearly explains the Zohar on this key pasuk [Balak 212b] in such detail that he even draws a picture of how the star will look. Remember we used to play with Jacks? That's precisely what he drew. A star with several smaller bodies surrounding it with 70 rays of light streaming out of [Nibiru] connecting itself to each body surrounding the star. 
[and we can almost see this from Devash's photo here]

This display will be seen above the earth when he states that all will marvel at the following event: The rays of light will gradually [over 70 days] swallow each of the seven smaller bodies that will be absorbed into this Star [I believe this represents the seven continents]. 

The whole world will see this happen and will indeed panic but know this is from Hashem who is arranging this display because of us - Yaakov [Yisroel] since he had a family of 70 vs. the 70 nations of the world. 

I believe scientists and astrologers may attempt to explain it away as a "natural phenomena" saying it is either turning into a black hole or going supernova - but they will try to explain it away when it is anything but a "natural " occurrence. 

Immediately after this they will be overcome by Mashiach -- the True Star after the 70 days of viewing this heavenly display. 

The Ramak even gives the date: the 25th day of the six month -  כה׳ אלול  [Elul 25 -  since that was the date of creation, so HASHEM will begin this display just prior to a briah chadasha - new creation coming.''

Grandfather's Demand in a Dream

After a retired Mohel declined to perform the bris, the boy's late grandfather appeared in a dream and gave a chilling motivator.

A full crowd filled the main hall of Chabad's Jewish Russian Community Center of Montreal to participate in the bris milah ceremony for the son of Lubavitcher couple R' Simi and Chana Wenger.

The celebration on Sunday was especially joyous, in addition to being held in the month of Adar, in a year of Hakhel gathering and the fact that a new child would be entering the covenant of Avraham Avinu.

Unlike most bris milahs, this child was older than 8 days old. In fact, the boy was 2 months old, having been hospitalized since his birth on the 7th of Teves 5776. He has been connected to machines and receiving close medical attention due to health complications.

"Can you write to say Tehillim for my baby," the father asked COLlive.com to post a public Tehillim request on Rosh Chodesh Adar I. The name given for prayers was simply tinok ben Esther Chana (child son of Esther Chana, the mother).

On Friday, Simi Wenger already had good news to share. "Baruch Hashem, our baby came home Wednesday night," he updated COLlive.

"We wanted to thank everyone who said Tehillim and had the baby in mind," he wrote. "He went from being on a ventilator and fully sedated to being home 2 weeks later. We should all hear only good news."

Following the circumcision, the child was finally given his own name: Ori Yosef Wenger. He was named after his great-grandfather, Rabbi Ori Shonthal OBM, the long-time Director of Ecole Primaire Beth Rivkah, a Lubavitch girls school in France.

If that wasn't enough of a cause for celebration and joy, then came a chilling speech at the festive Seudas Mitzvah meal that followed. The speaker was Rabbi Pesach Sperlin, Director of Mesivta Ateres Menachem of Montreal and Shliach of Chabad Montreal West center, who performed the bris.

Rabbi Sperlin candidly told the crowd that when Simi Wenger first approached him to do the bris, he immediately declined. "I stopped doing brisim to focus on the Mesivta and the Chabad House," he said. "If I make an exception now, it will be difficult for me to refuse others in the future."

So what made him agree to perform the bris, after all?

Rabbi Sperlin said that a few nights later he had a dream about the child's late grandfather, Rabbi Eliezer Wenger, the noted teacher, author, and publisher of works on halacha, who passed away on 22 Adar 5770.

"Rabbi Wenger, olov hashalom, was visibly very happy and asked me to wish him a Mazal Tov. I asked him what is the occasion and he replied that Simi had a son. So I wished him a Mazal Tov," Sperlin told.

He continued, "Rabbi Wenger then asked him to do the bris. To show me that it was not just a dream, he told me to look in the middle drawer of my desk."

When Rabbi Sperlin woke, he rushed over to the desk in his home and rummaged around a little. To his astonishment, he found a photo of himself standing alongside Rabbi Wenger and reciting the Birchas Kohanim at the Chuppah of Simi and Chana Wenger, the child's parents.

Agreeing to do the bris was not a question any more...

Source and more photos at: COLLive

Mental Illness: Where does it come from? How to fix it?

Rabbi Alon Anava

 

''Mashiach'' - Zusha

Past Life Sins

Art: K. Madison-Moore

In his commentary on the Book of Yonah, the Vilna Gaon writes 

“The main thing [to keep in mind is that the purpose of reincarnation] is to effect the repair of a [negative] influence originating in a previous lifetime... [One way] to discern exactly what that negative influence is is to reflect upon the type of wrong your soul yearns after the most in this lifetime. That which you yearn after most is likely something you became habituated to in a previous life. And therefore pay attention to your vices. [They tell you exactly what you have to work on in this lifetime.] ...The main thing is to repair that which one stumbled in in a previous [life] ... How can one know what one stumbled in during a previous life? ... [Pay attention] to that particular sin one’s soul longs for greatly (for it was emblazened into the soul as a habit in the previous life). That’s why some people are drawn after one type of sin more than another. And that’s also why our Sages say that one must continually judge himself and weigh his actions..."

Note the subtle difference here between culpability and character improvement [tikkun]. Consider yourself not responsible for any sins you may or may not have done in a previous life, if you even had one (and/or know about it). Nevertheless, since in principle, at least, a previous life may be impacting on your present life circumstance, pay attention to your vices. Rather than limiting your free will, this information can, in theory, help it. For instance, you may feel you have no chance to overcome your lust for cheeseburgers. You may tell yourself you were born with this lust. It’s genetic. You feel you have no free will to oppose it. Every time you pass a McDonald’s you have to go in there and order a Big Mac.

However, if you take the Vilna Gaon’s teaching to heart, you may then come to realize that, although you are not now responsible for the sin of eating cheeseburgers in a previous life, you have this great lust as an opportunity for tikkun. Had it been just a regular lust for cheeseburgers your overcoming it may not be metaken (fix) the original weakness emblazoned into your soul. You don’t want this weakness when you are given your place in Eternity. So you were sent back here for the opportunity of eliminating the weakness; indeed, turning it into a strength. Overcoming this extra-powerful lust in this world turns your soul into a “body-builder’s” soul; perhaps even a “Mr. Universe” soul. It’s now stronger than it ever was. In any event, the point is that knowledge or even intuition about a past life can be a powerful aid to free will in this life.

Granted, it can theoretically create the opposite effect. A person may think, for example: What the heck; I’ll get it right in the next life. Or: If I didn’t get it right in the past what’s the point in trying in this life etc. The latter fear is the reason I believe the doctrine was restricted to Kabbalah, which ideally is reserved for select individuals of a higher spiritual standing to begin with.

Source: Jewish Soul Searching [unfortunately that site no longer exists]

Seclusion

Art Erik Johansson

It happened in a far-off country that there was a Tzaddik who used to shut himself up in his house in total seclusion. He spoke to no-one but just sat, wrapped in his tallis and tefillin all day, completely separated from the outside world. He sat and learned Torah in this manner day and night. One day, he heard about the illustrious Rebbe, the holy Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk, of his miraculous wonders and his amazing powers of ruach hakodesh, and he set out to see the Rebbe.

When he was about to enter the Rebbe's beis midrash, Rebbe Elimelech, who already knew with his ruach hakodesh of the visitor, came out to greet him. He welcomed the traveller and said to him "Im yesaser ish b'mistarim v'lo arenu ne'um Hashem" - "Shall a man hide and think that I do not see him? says G-d".

The Rebbe was implying that "if a man shall hide himself, I shall not look upon him" says Hashem. The Tzaddik understood that the Rebbe had rebuked him for going into seclusion and he wondered how the Rebbe could have known this about him. Amazed and inspired, the traveller became one of Rebbe Elimelech's greatest students and followers.

Source: Mipeninei Noam Elimelech translated by Tal Moshe Zwecker

Why is God Punishing Me?

Square, Not Round

Now it came to pass when he drew closer to the camp and saw the calf and the dances, that Moses' anger was kindled, and he flung the tablets from his hands, shattering them at the foot of the mountain. [Ki Tisa 32:19]

According to the Talmud, the Tablets were each 6 x 6 tefachim in size, and together they filled the Ark, leaving no space [Bava Basra 14a].  From this we see that the Tablets were square in shape.

Furthermore, there is a halachic principle that the vessels of the Temple are only valid if they are "intact and full". Thus, it was a legal imperative that the Tablets filled the Ark completely leaving no space.  Obviously, ths would preclude them from being rounded in shape.

The concept of tablets with rounded tops is actually non-Jewish in origin, being derived from Roman tradition (the nation that destroyed our holy Temple).  Nevertheless, the image found its way into our books due to the non-Jewish censorship of printing spanning many centuries.  As a result, today there are even religious Jews who depict the tablets as being round on the top, contrary to the Talmud.

It is a mitzvah to publicize at every opportunity that, according to Jewish sources, the Tablets are square in shape.

[Based on Sichas Shabbos Parshas Ki Tisa 5741 - Lubavitcher Rebbe]

BDE : Erlauer Rebbe zt''l

A very special soul has passed from this world.

''B’tzaar Ra’av we regret to report the passing of the Erlauer Rebbe, Harav Yochonon Sofer zt”l. He was 92 years old. 

Harav Yochanan Sofer, the Erlau Rebbe, was born in Erlau, Hungary, in Teves 5683/1923. His father, Harav Moshe Sofer, great-grandson and namesake of the Chasam Sofer, zt”l, was the son of the Rav of Erlau, Harav Shimon Sofer, known for his sefer Hisorerus Teshuvah.

In his later years, Harav Shimon appointed his son, Harav Moshe, to serve as Rav of Erlau alongside him.''

More at Hamodia

Purim Katan: The Rebbe Explains

According to the Jewish calendar, a second month of Adar is added in a leap-year. While Purim is usually celebrated in Adar, during a leap-year it is postponed until the second Adar, and we mark Purim Katan - “the small Purim” in the first month.

 

Moshiach's Arrival: How Do We Know It's Imminent

I ''accidentally'' stumbled upon this shiur, while I was looking for something else.  It is one of the best shiurim I've heard.   It was given a couple of years ago, but is timeless - absolutely brilliant

Rabbi Shimon Kessin speaking at KSY, Kehillas Shivtei Yeshurun, in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel in 2013.

 

Pride

Art by Ben Goosens

Text by Rabbi David Hanania Pinto Shlita 

Pride is a type of currency that the Supreme King has declared null and condemned in the Torah: “Beware lest you forget the L-RD your G-d, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” In fact, the man of pride forgets his Creator, as it is written: “Your cattle and sheep increase, and you increase silver and gold for yourselves … and you may say in your heart, ‘My strength and the might of my hand made me all this wealth!’ Then you shall remember the L-RD your G-d, that it was He Who gave you strength to make wealth.” The king himself is also warned, “so that his heart not become haughty over his brothers.” If the Torah judged it necessary to make this recommendation to the king, how much more so is it essential for ordinary people, in order that they not lord it over one another!

A person can act arrogantly with his ears, by not listening to the cries of the poor, or by his nose, if he is disgusted by standing near the poor or going to their homes because of the smell. One can also be arrogant by one’s words, by making haughty and brazen remarks against the upright. Pride can be recognized by eating and dressing habits, with the man who wears pretentious clothing. The Torah warns us concerning this: “Do not follow the ways of the nations.” Arrogant men are abysmal in G-d’s eyes – “All haughty hearts are loathsome to G-d.” These people will be delivered to their desires because G-d, Who loathes them, will not come to their aid. And even if a man does not demonstrate his arrogance to others by his actions or his words, but rather keeps it in his heart, he is called “loathsome,” for it is written: “All haughty hearts are loathsome to G-d” – even if his pride is only in his heart.

Nibiru - ''You Will Lift Up Your Eyes To the Sky''

All of the words and phrases listed below have been found encoded in close proximity in the Torah Codes: 

Threat of the comet - Nibiru - [verses from the Torah] ''stars in the Heavens'' - ''you will lift up your eyes to the sky'' - Moshiach - 5776 - the month of March - Adar Beit

Click on the NIBIRU label below this post to see more.

The Power of Charity

Rabbi Alon Anava: The Power of Charity: Parts One and Two
Learn all about the great Mitzvah of giving Charity and its spiritual powers

Rav Kanievsky: Moshiach is at the door

Rabbi Chananya Chollak, the founder and international chairman of Ezer Mizion, visited Rav Chaim Kanievsky today.

During the course of their conversation, Rabbi Chollak mentioned the horrific, tragic crash on Highway 1 on Sunday that claimed six Yiddishe neshamos.

“Moshiach is on his way,” Rav Chaim told Rabbi Chollak.

“But what’s going to be with the rash of tragedies we have been experiencing?” asked Rabbi Chollak.

Rav Chaim responded, “Moshiach is not just on the way. He is at the very door.”

Source: David Steger – Matzav.com Israel

A Hint of Moshe Rabbeinu

"And you will command the Children of Israel" [Tetzaveh 27:20]

The Vilna Gaon asks why the verse begins with Hashem instructing Moshe "And you will command..." without first stating the standard opening "Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying..."

The answer, said the Gaon, is as follows:

The day of Moshe Rabbeinu's passing [and day of his birth] was the seventh of Adar. In most years, this day falls out during the week in which Parshas Tetzaveh is read. Now, in the entire Parshas Tetzaveh, Moshe's name is not mentioned, even once. This alludes to the fact that Moshe's demise took place during this week.

However, continued the Gaon, even though Moshe's name is not mentioned explicitly in Tetzaveh, it is nevertheless there in a hint:

There are 101 verses in the Parsha. If the letters that comprise the name "Moshe" - משׁה -are spelled out in their entirety, we would have the following:

מ the letters comprising Mem are מ מ -

שׁ the letters comprising Shin are שׁ י ן -

ה the letters compring Hey are ה א -

Total numerical value: 446

If we add up the numerical value of all these letters, and then subtract the numerical value of משׁה [Moshe: 345] - we will be left with the number 101 - the exact number of verses in the parsha.

Source: Rabbi Y. Bronstein

The Torah is Light

''To light up the lamp continuously'' [Tetzaveh 27:20]

The Ner Tamid  [perpetual candle] which the Kohen Gadol kindled in the Beis HaMikdash symbolized the Torah, as the verse states: ''The Torah is light'' [Mishlei 6:23]

In the same way that the Ner Tamid was never extinguished, and its light was a constant source of illumination, so too, the radiance of the Torah will always shine upon the world and its inhabitants.

Each and every individual is commanded to fulfill the precept of ''You should contemplate it day and night'' [Yehoshua 1:8].  By upholding this commandment we ensure that the Torah's light continuously shines and illuminates the world.

**********

The Vilna Gaon's diligence in Torah study was legendary. His days were spent in his room, delving into the depths of the Torah with every ounce of strength that he possessed.

On one occasion, the Gaon's sister arrived from a distant land in order to pay him a visit.  This was by no means a minor event, as the two had not seen each other for some fifty years !

The Gaon went out to greet his sister and, as the halachah dictates, recited the blessing that is said upon seeing an acquaintance that one has not seen for a long time - ''Blessed are You, Hashem... Who resuscitates the dead.''

After concluding the blessing, the Gaon said to his sister: ''My dear sister. I know that we have not seen one another for quite some time. However, when I leave this world and am called before the Heavenly Tribune, I will be asked to give an accounting for every single second of my life.  Each moment of time will be scrutinized and judged on whether or not it was utilized studying Torah and performing Hashem's mitzvos.  How, then, can I waste away the precious time that I have been allotted, by engaging in trivial conversations?''

''I therefore beg your forgiveness, but I must return to my room and resume my Torah study.''

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

The Divided Heart

Rebbe Nachman taught: A person's heart contains two inclinations: one towards good and one towards evil. This causes division within the heart. An example of this division is when a person feels he "knows" that G-d is always present, yet is lax in using his prayer time to really speak to G-d. If he truly felt G-d's presence, he would certainly pray with all his might. The fact that he is lax and does not exert himself to pray with full concentration shows that part of him "does not acknowledge" G-d's presence. This is the result of a "divided" heart. [Likutey Moharan I 62:2]

Strife, simply defined, is a lack of accord between two parties. Two countries might argue between themselves, so might two families or two individuals. The strife that exists within one's own heart is the result of a schism between one's right side, which strives for spirituality, and one's left side, which pulls towards materialism. Someone who has not yet succeeded in fully purifying his heart will always feel this "inner strife". Questions of faith, and confusion concerning both one's immediate and longterm goals are all symptomatic of a divided heart.

Rebbe Nachman explained it this way: The world is full of strife. There are wars between the great world powers, there are conflicts within different localities, there are feuds among families, there is discord between neighbours and friction within a household, between man and wife, between parents and children... Life is short; people die a little each day. The day that just passed will never return, but people still fight, and never once do they remember their ultimate goal in life.

The characteristic traits of each nation are reflected in individuals. Some nations are known for their anger, for example, and others for bloodthirstiness. Each nation has its own particular trait. In the same way, these traits are to be found in each household. Even someone who wishes to live in peace can be dragged into conflict by virtue of his living among conflicting parties.

Man is a microcosm, holding within himself the world and everything in it. A man living alone can become insane, because his personality is forced to focus upon the "warring nations" within him, and he finds no peace. When Moshiach comes, all these wars will be abolished.

If someone's heart is divided, what can he do to "pull himself together"?

Rebbe Nachman placed much emphasis on the study of the Codes of Law. The Codes abound with discussions, sometimes quite heated, between the various Sages regarding what is permitted and what is forbidden, what is pure and what is impure, and so on. One's goal during one's studies should be to clarify the opinions of the Sages, bringing "peace" to the opposing views and coming to a clear conclusion. This method of study - examining opposing views and arriving at a peaceful solution - can have a deep and lasting effect upon a person's character. Employing one's Binah (understanding) to resolve a conflict of Torah Law can bring "peace" to one's divided heart, the heart divided between two inclinations.

Though this method of study is an advanced one and will certainly pose difficulties for those who are unfamiliar with the system of Talmudic research, Rebbe Nachman's directive to study the Codes in order to achieve lasting benefit is a universal one. In several lessons, he speaks about the importance of studying and knowing the Codes in order to proceed on the proper path in life.

Rebbe Nachman taught further: The good inclination is known as "a poor but wise child" [Ecclesiasties 4:13] - poor because few listen to him, wise because he leads one on the path of life. The evil inclination is compared to "an old foolish king" - people tend to listen because he is king, but his advice is foolish. These two inclinations represent the kingdom of holiness and the kingdom of impurity. One who studies Torah with effort strengthens the kingdom of holiness. [Likutey Moharan I 1:2]

The Arizal used to expend tremendous effort in his studies of the Codes. He exerted himself so much that it caused him to break out in a sweat.

Rebbe Nachman teaches that advice which comes from improper sources overwhelms the heart and putrefies it. The heart is then compared to an outhouse; the advice of that heart is malodorous. Rabbi Chaim Vital thus writes that the reason the Arizal worked himself into a sweat when he studied was in order to break the illusory powers of the evil inclination that envelop the heart. We know that excess waste products pollute one's system and we know that sweating is one way of purifying the body of this waste. The 613 commandments of the Torah are called the "613 precepts of advice". This type of advice also brings harmony to the heart, clearing it of division.

Source: "Anatomy of the Soul" by Chaim Kramer