וַיְהִי אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה - And it came about, after these words....[Vayeishev 40:1]
The "words" that are referred to here are those of Potifar's wife, who bad-mouthed Yosef throughout Egypt.
From the actions of Potifar's wife, we can learn a powerful lesson about judging other people:
At first glance, Potifar's wife's actions appear to have been utterly evil. Not only did she cause Yosef to be sent to prison, but furthermore, she spoke badly of him so that his name was blackened throughout Egypt.
Rashi however enlightens us to the truth, that even these actions were intended for the sake of Heaven! Despite the fact that she was brought up in the corrupt, idolatrous atmosphere of Egypt her intentions were pure, to the extent that our sages compared her to Tamar, the mother of "strong ones and righteous ones" [Rashi].
From this we can learn the importance of not judging other people by their first appearances.
Source: Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Art: Abraham Leon Kroll
Rabbi Y. Y. Jacobson's famous series "a journey through the fundamentals of chassidus''. This is just an introduction to the entire series, if you are interested, you can learn the entire Tanya with Rabbi Jacobson by downloading all the MP3s at this link.
The Alter Rebbe - Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi author of The Tanya
The 18th of Kislev marks the completion of the annual cycle of daily readings from the Tanya. The 19th and 20th of Kislev are the "Rosh HaShanah of Chassidus".
On Yud-Tes Kislev we re-commence the annual cycle of daily readings in Tanya, as divided by the Rebbe Rayatz.
It is the anniversary of the release of the Alter Rebbe - Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi [Hebrew: שניאור זלמן מליאדי], the first Rebbe of Chabad, who was informed upon by misnagdim in Russia and arrested on trumped-up charges of supporting the Ottoman Empire.
His informers pointed to the fact that he would urge his followers to send money to the Land of Israel as "evidence" of his alleged insurrectionist aspirations [in fact, the money was sent to support poor Jews]. At the time, the Land of Israel was a part of the Ottoman Empire, which was at war with Russia.
Rabbi Shneur Zalman was charged with treason, and released in the secular year 1798 on the Jewish date of Tuesday, 19 Kislev.
The 53 days of Rabbi Shneur Zalman's imprisonment are said to correspond to the 53 chapters of the first section of the Tanya.
19 Kislev is also considered to mark the day upon which Rabbi Shneur Zalman was conceived, for he was born exactly nine months later, on 18 Elul. [Shemu'os Vesippurim, Refoel Kahn, vol. 1, p. 39]
Rebbetzin Menuchah Rachel born [1798]
On the very day that Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi was liberated from prison, a granddaughter was born to him -- the daugher of his son Rabbi Dovber and his wife Rebbetzin Sheina. The girl was named Menuchah Rachel -- "Menuchah", meaning "tranquility" [Rachel was the name of a daughter of Rabbi Schneur Zalman who died in her youth].
In 1845, Rebbetzin Menuchah Rachel realized her lifelong desire to live in the Holy Land when she and her husband, Rabbi Yaakov Culi Slonim [d. 1857], led a contingent of Chassidim who settled in Hebron. Famed for her wisdom, piety and erudition, she served as the matriarch of the Chassidic community in Hebron until her passing in her 90th year in 1888.
The 19th of Kislev is also the yahrzeit of R. DovBer, the Maggid of Mezritch, who [as successor to the Baal Shem Tov] was the mentor of the second generation of the chassidic movement - from 5521 [1761] until his passing on the third day of the week of Parshas Vayeishev, Yud-Tes Kislev, 5533 [1772]. His resting place is in Anipoli.
Rabbi Dov Ber was born in Volhynia in 1710, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia, though other sources say his year of birth is unknown. Little is known about him before he became a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. A Hasidic legend states that, when he was five years old, his family home burst into flames. On hearing his mother weeping, he asked: "Mother, do we have to be so unhappy because we have lost a house?" She replied that she was mourning the family tree, which was destroyed, and had begun with Rabbi Yohanan, the sandal-maker and master in the Talmud. The boy replied: "And what does that matter! I shall get you a new family tree which begins with me!"
How aptly those words described the role he was later to play; for the boy was destined to become the successor to the Baal Shem Tov.
Five Life Lessons from one of the greatest Jewish mystics: the Alter Rebbe
1. Don't worry about the state of someone else's soul and the needs of your body,
Worry about the needs of someone else's body and the state of your own soul.
2. The bite of the snake doesn't kill you, it's poison does.
The bite is the sin itself; the poison is that voice inside us that whispers ''You are a loser''.
Ignore that voice and move on.
3. Having faith in G-d means having faith in other people, and the measure of our righteousness
lies in how many people we value, not in how many we condemn.
4. A little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness.
5. Heaven is nice, but on the best things like acts of loving kindness, earth has exclusive rights.
Rebbe Nachman said he knew the roots of every Jewish soul. At first he said that he knew them in the written Torah, but not in the Oral Torah. He later said that he knew the root of each Jewish soul in the Oral Torah as well. He knew how to provide each person with a remedy [tikkun] based on the place where his soul was rooted.
There were many things he told us to do. These did not involve deep intentions or the unification of the transcendental worlds through Yechudim. The things he told those close to him to do were simple acts of piety.
Rebbe Nachman told his followers not to fast at all unless he prescribed it. He might tell one person to fast for a certain interval. He might tell another person to stay awake one night and abstain from eating animal products for 24 hours. There were many whom Rebbe Nachman told to fast on erev Rosh Chodesh. He told many people to study 18 chapters of Mishneh every day. He prescribed many courses of study, a different one for each person.
There was one course of study, however, that he prescribed for all, and that was the daily study of the codes. Rebbe Nachman said that even when one has no time, he should still study at least one law in the Sulchan Aruch each day, no matter where that law might be. He said that this is an important obligation for every Jew.
Another practice that he universally prescribed was for us to seclude ourselves in prayer each day [hitbodedot]. He told us to express our thoughts before G-d and ask that He have mercy and allow us to achieve true devotion. This secluded prayer was to be in the language we normally spoke.... This is already discussed at length in Rebbe Nachman's printed works.
Rebbe Nachman would look at the root of a man's soul and prescribe the practice necessary to correct each blemish. Each person then required a specific practice. Most of the practices seemed very simple. However, they were all prescribed on the basis of awesome hidden mysteries and were very far from simple in their effect. Rebbe Nachman did not reveal any of these mysteries. He simply prescribed a routine and did what was necessary with it. He said "Everything I prescribe is helpful as a remedy both for the past and the future, as well as after death, in the Messianic Age, during the resurrection, and in the Future Life."
Previously, we expanded on the enormous reward in store for one who answers Amen, as presented in the words of Chazal and in the Midrash, that He opens the gates of heaven and brings down an abundance of spiritual and material blessings. Consequently, the reward for one who answers Amen is like the dividends, since his reward is guaranteed also in this world, aside from the principal, which is reserved for the World to Come, eternally.
There is an amazing story that took place in Baghdad in the days of Rabbi Yosef Chaim, zya”a, the Ben Ish Chai:
There were two partners who lived in Baghdad who dealt with old clothes. Once, they heard of a gentile family offering old clothes for sale, and they went together to purchase them.
On the way they passed by a Beit Haknesset where they sought a tenth man to fill the quorum in order to say Kaddish. One merchant replied that his time was short and he separated from his partner. However the other one abided by the words of Chazal who say “A mitzvah that comes your way, do not delay performing it.” He entered the Beit Haknesset and answered the Amens after the Kaddish and immediately continued on his destination. When he arrived, he discovered that his fellow had already bought most of the clothes, besides for some tattered rags. Nevertheless, in order not to return empty-handed, he bought the rags and left.
A surprise awaited him at home. Among the tattered rags there was an old pillow. When he tore open the seams to remove the feathers, he found a precious gem inside. Immediately he ran to the jeweler who estimated that it was worth fifty gulden, and he gave him the money for it in cash on the spot. But, when the merchant’s wife heard about this, she began to persuade her husband that the jeweler had swindled him, since the gem was worth a lot more, and he should fight to get the jewel back.
The merchant decided to consult the “Ben Ish Chai,” zt”l. When the Rabbi heard the entire story, he replied: According to Chazal [Chulin 87a] it seems that the reward for every Amen is worth ten gulden. If so, when you heard a half Kaddish and answered five Amens, according to the letter of the law, you deserve fifty gulden in this world, while the principal is reserved for you in the World to Come. Therefore, do not appeal the bargain you made!
Omitting Amen reflects a lack of faith
On the other hand, we should note the inspiring words of the “Moreh Mikdash” in the name of the Mahara”m Schiff, zt”l:
Every Jew must be aware of the magnitude of the prohibition of speaking mundane matters in the Beit Haknesset. In the holy Zohar it states that one who speaks [idly] in the Beit Haknesset, causes division – since his soul does not bond to the G-d of Israel, and also he harms his faith; meaning, that since he is engaged in chatter, he is not careful to answer Amen because he does not pay attention to the conclusion of the blessing. And even if he does pay attention, ultimately he does not know for what he is answering Amen (especially by the repetition of the Chazzan, if there are not ten men to answer Amen, then it is a blessing which is in vain). Since the one who answers Amen is called “guardian of faith – שומר אמנים”, then one who is not careful with this harms his faith.
This guy is posing the same questions that I have. What exactly is going on with the Moon lately? It is too bright, it has a large aura around it that is also very bright, and we keep seeing these blood moons. The moon talk is at the beginning of the video, for the first 4 minutes approx. I wouldn't bother with the rest of the video.
If you don't like Steve Olson, then don't watch this, but please don't complain about it either, unless you can explain the moon's weird positions and appearance - in which case I'll happily replace Steve with you !
Dov Bar-Leib joins Tamar Yonah and tells her that if Obama goes to the UN in order to ‘abstain’ on a UN Sec Council resolution recognizing and establishing a Palestine state, and he does this during the Hebrew month of Tevet [Dec/Jan] it could start the 9 month count-down to the war of Gog and Magog, and the arrival of the Moshaich.
He gives interesting possible links to past Biblical characters that he thinks could link to Obama and Trump.
from the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov translated by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan
Faith is a very strong thing, and it can greatly fortify your life.
If you have faith, then you have a source of comfort and inspiration even when troubles strike. You realize that all troubles are ultimately for your good and are an atonement for your sins. You know that G-d will be good to you in the end, both in this world and the next.
The faithless skeptic, on the other hand, has nowhere to turn when troubles strike. He is utterly alone, without comfort or inspiration.
It is impossible to put everything into writing, but an intelligent man should be able to build upon this himself.
The main thing is innocent faith. With it, one can have a portion both in this world and the next. Happy is he who has such faith, for he shall never be moved.
There are souls conceived in absolute holiness. When such a holy soul comes down to this world and is not tainted with sin, it results in a person with perfect faith. Such a person never has any doubts.
Others can express their skepticism in such a man's presence, but his faith is no way disturbed. He is totally oblivious to all doubts. His ears are deaf to all their speculation and confusion.
Even one who is not endowed with such an extraordinary soul can realize that the average person's questions are mere foolishness. Upon close examination, their questions turn out not to be questions at all.
Many people are disturbed by questions for years, not realizing that their questions are actually answers. It is only their lack of intelligence that makes them seem like questions in the first place.
They have questions like those one might ask a child: "If we have a broken window, why replace it with a pane from the next window if a bird can then fly through the remaining empty frame?"
Such a question actually includes its own answer. But a child does not realize this and considers it a very difficult question. He will ponder it and not know what to reply.
But the question itself is really very foolish. The question about the bird is really the answer to the first foolish question. The reason why we do not use the adjacent pane is precisely because it leaves a space through which a bird can fly.
A young child does not have enough intelligence to realize that the answer is included in such a question. For this very reason, the question seems very difficult to him.
The same is true of many people. A foolish question enters their mind, and they have no idea that this question actually includes its own answer. It seems like a difficult question, but only because of their lack of intelligence. Understand this well.
Consider all this and be strong in faith. Flee from this foolishness and confusion, and cast all questions and doubts from your mind.
And the light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold as the light of the seven days, on the day the Lord shall bind the fracture of His people, and the stroke of their wound He shall heal. [Isaiah 30:26]
I know some of you do not like it when I post videos from Steve Olson, who talks about the approach of Nibiru and the changes we are seeing in the skies, but I could not resist this one.
Apart from the fact that Venus is now blue - with a hole in the centre - the sun is apparently ''picking up extra electrons from the iron dust around it, causing it to burn helium instead of hydrogen'' - which will have the effect of the sun's brightness being increased SEVEN times, as described in the prophecy of Isaiah above.
The relevant part of the video begins around 3:45 mins. This is Steve Olson's new You Tube channel, he was evicted from his old channel but has re-appeared here.
Do you believe in coincidences? Do you think the world is run by random forces, without any meaning or purpose? Then please read this.
Exactly 28 years ago, in the Hebrew month of Kislev, of the year 5749 (1988), R’ Aron Amzalak of Sydney Australia was in New York. He had come for the engagement of his daughter Miriam to a young man from Venezuela, Moshe Moskowitz.
On the day they got engaged, Thursday 22 November, Amzalak went to inform the Rebbe of the good news. Thousands of people of all walks of life would line up to see the Rebbe, receive a blessing and a dollar to distribute to charity. In the brief moment that each person had with the Rebbe they could ask a quick question or make a short request, and the Rebbe would respond, as the line of people moved forward and the next person would have their turn.
As Amzalak comes before the Rebbe he tells him with a beaming smile, “My daughter became a Kallah (a bride) today.” The Rebbe gives him a dollar and blesses him that the wedding should take place at an auspicious time.
Amzalak continues walking and the next person in line, R’ Mendel Itkin of Los Angeles, comes before the Rebbe. But the Rebbe calls Amzalak to come back to him. He is holding another dollar that he wishes to give Amzalak in honour of his daughter’s engagement. But Amzalak does not hear this, and so there is a moment of confusion: the Rebbe is standing with dollar in hand, the line has stopped, Mendel Itkin is waiting in limbo, watching the Rebbe and trying to call Amzalak back.
In the commotion, the dollar that was going to be for Amzalak is given to Itkin instead. A moment later Amzalak returns to the Rebbe, who gives him another dollar, saying “This is for the bride.” Then the Rebbe takes another dollar and says to Amzalak, “For the groom.” But before giving the dollar to Amzalak, the Rebbe takes yet another dollar and gives both to Amzalak, asking him, “Kest?” a Yiddish word that means “dowry,” financial support that a father-in-law provides his son-in-law.
Amzalak smiles and receives these additional two dollars, then moves on. At this point the Rebbe seems to laugh and say, “He doesn't know what kest means!”
What is going on here? The Rebbe gave Amzalak four dollars, one for himself, one for his daughter, and two for his son-in-law. And a fifth dollar that the Rebbe had intended to give to Amzalak instead went to some guy from Los Angeles.
This mysterious exchange makes sense when we fast-forward 13 years. In 2001 that guy from Los Angeles, Mendel Itkin married Amzalak’s other daughter Aviva.
So the dollar that was meant for Amzalak’s daughter went to his other daughter’s future husband, who out of the thousands of people there that day just happened to be next in line. And the extra dollar “for the groom” was because another groom was being arranged for the Amzalak family that day.
And the Rebbe can’t help laughing, because indeed, at the time nobody knew what this all meant.
But there’s more. This is all captured on video but the characters in the story knew nothing about it until two weeks ago.
In yet another one of those accidents, someone stumbled upon the video on You Tube, recognized Amzalak and sent it to him. The family was amazed to see that future father-in-law and son-in-law had stood next to each other without knowing it, and the Rebbe had made the match so many years in advance.
And the timing of this discovery couldn't have been better. Because Mendel Itkin is right now battling for his life with a terrible illness. He needs our urgent prayers. But he just received that dollar and blessing from the Rebbe all over again. And we have all received a reminder that there are no accidents.
Update: Minutes after I blogged this, I heard of the passing of Mendel Itkin BDE
What is Sheker? שקר Sheker is lies, deceipt. Even the letters are out of order from their correct listing in the alef bet [ק-ר-ש].
“And that’s how Moshiach is going to be revealed. Moshiach needs to be revealed from the epitome of sheker, Moshiach and his people. They’re not going to be pulled by the sheker. The sheker wants to take everyone. The sheker says: ‘I didn’t say enough sheker. Maybe I’ll say a little bit more, maybe I’ll succeed in saying something else, a different way.’ - “The more falsehood there is, the more truth will be revealed in a clearer way”
These days you need to search very hard to find your own truth. There is an abundance of Rabbis Impeding the Redemption. There is an abundance of sheker.
I heard from my teacher and father-in-law, who was the chief disciple of Rebbe Yechiel Michal of Zlotchov, that once when the Baal Shem Tov was traveling on the road, he stepped into a wooded area to pray the afternoon prayer. His disciples were dumbfounded to see him hitting his head against a tree, crying and screaming. Afterward, they asked him what had happened. He explained that he had seen, with divine inspiration, that in the generations before the coming of the Moshiach there would be a multitude of rabbis, and that they would be the very ones who would impede the redemption. [Otzar Chayim]
Rabbi Mizrachi sent in response: Again and again, those zealous, fight-inducing people are expending efforts to harm the Teshuva campaign that embraces the world which I have been successful in building for 23 years of back-breaking work. It does not interest them that every year, there are many thousands of Ba'alei Teshuva in Israel and the world. As far as they're concerned, all of them would be lost forever - the main thing is their claims about what I said in its time many years ago regarding the terrible assimilation that preceded the Holocaust and caused many people with Jewish names not being Jewish according to Halacha and the Torah, something that anyone with a brain and truth knows - and that is exactly the situation in the US today.
Every time before I come to a speaking tour in Israel, whereby thousands of Jews are strengthened, amazingly those claims again start tweeting. Baruch Hashem, I work for Hashem and not for them, and we continue to grow every month Baruch Hashem just like it was from the day I started working. On the day that they will stop inventing lies and accusations against me, I will know that I have finished my mission for Am Yisrael.
Another article at Kikar adds how he received approbations from Dayanim in New York - see photo above - as well as receiving dozens of letters of support from Rabbanim Hashuvim after the original letter went out.
Due to the volatile nature of this issue, comments are closed.
The orthodox world has been rigorously debating women’s roles in Jewish communal leadership and whether women can formally serve as rabbis. Meanwhile, though it has no stated progressive agenda or goals, Chabad has quietly revolutionized the role of women in leadership. Chabad rebbetzins may not have the title of rabbi, but in most cases they are involved in, and empowered with, setting the vision of their community and executing the leadership necessary to make it a reality as much as their husbands are. They design programming, lead meetings, teach, give support at lifecycle events, play very public roles and are often listed as co-directors, equal with their husbands.
At the opening I attended, it was the rebbetzin, not the rabbi, who served as the master of ceremonies. The rabbi gave a wonderful dvar Torah and speech, but it was the rebbetzin who welcomed hundreds of people, offered expressions of gratitude to the list of dignitaries, gave her own dvar Torah, and charged the community with a vision of where they are going next.
The contemporary Chabad rebbetzin is functioning in a significantly different way than her predecessors and many of her peers in the orthodox world. And yet, one doesn’t find people questioning her motives, her commitment to halachik norms, or her respect for rabbinic authority.
"Yaakov has taken everything that belongs to our father, and from what belongs to our father he has amassed all his wealth" [Vayeitze 31:1]
The following question was once posed to the Vilna Gaon: The Midrash Rabbah states in relation to the abovementioned verse: "There is no honor except for [that accrued by] silver and gold". Yet, in Shemos Rabbah [ch 38] it states: "There is no honor except for [that accrued by] Torah, as the verse states: "The wise inherit honor". The question is, is it the Torah or one's wealth that brings a person honor?
Wherever we find the word kavod [honor] spelled without a vav, answered the Gaon, we are meant to apply Chazal's statement "There is no honor except for [that accrued by] silver and gold". For that type of honor is superficial and false.
However, continued the Gaon, when kavod is spelled in its complete spelling - with a vav - Chazal's statement "There is no honor except for [that accrued by] the Torah" applies. For the honor that comes from the Torah is genuine and full.
Today we're going to devote our thoughts to the coming year. The number of the
year has many allusions. This coming year is 5777, according to the Jewish
calendar, the number of years from creation. The way we usually count it is as
777, the 5000 being set apart. It is customary to create an acronym out of the
letters that spell the 777, which are תשעז .The acronym which is customarily given
starts with the two words, "May this be a year of…" [תַ נְ שׁ אֵ הֵ תּ ]And what we are
asking for is to interpret the two final letters, which in our case are עז .So the full
acronym depends on what the letters עז stand for.
According to the weather reports, we are expecting some massive storms this summer.... here is a photo of yesterday's storm as it blew in over Bondi Beach - I'm not complaining, storms are my favourite thing... and yesterday's thunder was just incredible.
In this week's parashah Vayeitzei we find a hint and wonderful inspiration about answering Amen after a blessing:
The influential Rabbi Eliyahu Roth once told his audience:
It is important to know that answering Amen properly has a positive effect on us both physically and spiritually, and it prevents sickness from visiting our homes. Each person must contemplate, what is more important to him; is it to go visit doctors, or to answer Amen loudly, which is a wonderful segulah to be saved from all these and bring salvation and success in all matters.
It is written in the sefer “Meorot Hadaf Hayomi” [Bechorot 43a] in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein:
As we know, one hundred blessings were instituted in order to save people from the curses that are written in the parashah of Reproof. If so, we can conclude that a reason for answering 90 times Amen each day is in order to be saved from the 90 bodily blemishes that disqualify a Kohen, as listed by the Rambam [Hilchot Biyat Mikdash 8:1]. Indeed, proof supporting this is found by the fact that the word “המום – blemish” has the same numerical value as אמן – Amen!
Causing Abundance to Shower from Heaven
Rabbanit Meislish, shetichye, who inspires large audiences about this important matter, relates:
My father, the Admor of Bobov, ztk”l, who lived in New York, used to celebrate Purim also on the fifteenth of Adar, in order to rejoice with the Jews living in Eretz Yisrael.
One year, amidst the celebration, my father was offered “brandy” and he recited the blessing “Shehakol nihiye bidvaro.” Afterward he began to recite the blessing “Borei nefashot,” while the Mashgiach of the yeshiva stood by his side. The Mashgiach was married for eight years but was still childless, and he sensed that this was an opportune time of grace. He therefore answered Amen with great concentration after the blessing of “Borei nefashot,” contemplating the meaning of the words “Borei nefashot.” This was his heart’s desire, to merit nefashot – souls.
At the same time, one of the gabaim was also present who had only one son and he wished to have more children but had not met with success. He turned to my father and said: “I too yearn to have a child.” My father closed his eyes and replied: “Borei nefashot – creates souls” is in the plural form.” The Gabai and the Mashgiach shouted together: Amen! Exactly ten months passed since that day and the wife of the Mashgiach, after having been married for nine years, gave birth to a girl, whereas the wife of the Gabai gave birth to a boy. Twenty years later the two children got married and built a home together.
And for her it is not at all surprising. This is stated explicitly: “פתחו שערים ויבוא גוי צדיק שומר אמנים – Open the gates, so the righteous nation, keeper of the faith [lit. Amenim], may enter,” since the power of answering Amen opens the gates of Gan Eden and showers down upon us abundance from the Supreme Source. It is amazing how one small word “Amen” can bring about supernatural salvation.
This is one photo I can share of an early map of the binary solar system very close to us now. It is just one opinion, there are others who ...
.
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad." "How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."
