Metzora: The Power of Speech

Rav Kook on the Torah Portion 

Only in Israel 

What is the root cause for the disease of tzara'at as described in the Torah? The Midrash explains that this skin disease is a punishment for gossip and slander. A person suffering from tzara'at is called a metzora because he is motzee sheim ra — he spreads derogatory reports [Vayikra Rabbah 16:1. See Rambam, Hilchot Tzara'at 16:15, that one fulfills the mitzvah "Be careful regarding tzara'at" [Deut. 24:8-9] by avoiding gossip].

Given that tzara'at is brought about by slander, one would expect that all peoples would be afflicted, since even non-Jews are culpable for personal damages. Yet, Maimonides wrote that tzara'at is not a natural phenomenon, but a unique sign found only among the people of Israel. Why should only the Jewish people suffer from this ailment?

Divine Speech 

There are two levels of speech. There is everyday speech, based on and limited to that which occurs in the physical universe. And there is a higher form of speech, a holy speech that God bestowed to Israel. This elevated speech does not come from the world. On the contrary, the world comes from it. This is the speech by which God created the world. "By the word of God, the heavens were made; and by the breath of His mouth, all of their host" [Psalms 33:6].

God granted us the power of His speech, this speech that preceded the world, when He gave us the Torah, the blueprint of creation. "He looked in the Torah and created the universe" [Zohar Terumah 161b]. The transmission of Divine speech to the Jewish people is hinted in the verse, "I put my speech in your mouth... to plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth" [Isaiah 51:16].

Redemption of Speech 

The Kabbalists explained that the Hebrew name for Passover, Pesach, is a combination of the words peh sach — 'the mouth speaks.' The redemption from Egypt, which paved the way for the Torah's revelation at Sinai, also redeemed the faculty of speech. For this reason, Passover is commemorated with an oral mitzvah, the mitzvah to retell the story of the Exodus. And we find that Moses, aware of this aspect of the redemption from Egypt, tried to disqualify himself by protesting, "I am not a man of speech" [Ex. 4:10].

In an essay entitled ' The Redemption of Speech,' Rav Kook wrote: "Sometimes we can sense the connection between our speech and the universe. This is the initial step to redeem speech from its exile."

"As the soul is elevated, we become acutely aware of the tremendous power that lies in our faculty of speech. We recognize clearly the tremendous significance of each utterance; the value of our prayers and blessings, the value of our Torah study, and of all of our discourse. We learn to perceive the overall impact of speech. We sense the change and great stirring of the world that is caused by speech." [Orot HaKodesh vol III, p. 285] 

Two Mouths 

The most striking expression of the difference between these two levels of speech is the remarkable statement of Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yochai: "Had I been present at Mount Sinai, I would have requested that God create us with two mouths. One mouth to speak in words of Torah, and one mouth for all of our mundane needs." [Jerusalem Talmud Berachot 1:2]

We may lack a mouth specially dedicated to Torah and prayer, but we can still deepen our awareness of the extraordinary nature of holy speech. At the start of the morning prayers, we recite a wonderful kavanah: "I hereby prepare my mouth to thank and praise my Creator." With this short declaration, we prepare ourselves to employ our mouth for a totally different form of speech. We prepare ourselves to use the sublime speech that is rooted in the source of Divine wisdom. Since this discourse comes from the elevated speech used to create the universe, our prayers have the ability to influence the world and change its course [Olat Re'iyah vol. I, p. 192].

With this appreciation for the power of holy speech, we may understand why tzara'at only afflicts the Jewish people. Our faculty of speech, based on the Divine speech that transcends the universe, can influence the world for good and for bad. When we misuse this great power, we damage the world and are held responsible. The affliction of tzara'at — and the process of purifying oneself from it — comes to repair this wrong. The verbal communication of other nations, however, comes from within the physical universe. Since it lacks the power of elevated speech, they are not punished for its misuse. [Adapted from Mo'adei HaRe'iyah, pp. 295-296]

Source: Rav Kook Torah

The Effects of an Eclipse

Tomorrow - April 20 - there will be a total hybrid solar eclipse over Western Australia. 

A hybrid eclipse is a rare type of solar eclipse that changes its appearance as the Moon's shadow moves across the Earth's surface. 

click here for more info

The Talmud [Sukah 29a] states that eclipses are bad signs for the world. The Talmud then elaborates on what can cause an eclipse:

An eclipse of the sun occurs for the following four reasons: For not having eulogized a chief judge (a chief judge is comparable to the sun, for he enlightens and clarifies things for the community - Maharsha); for not having helped a betrothed maiden when she called for help (to save her from ill treatment); for committing adultery and for killing two brothers on the same day.

Because of the following four reasons the moon and the stars eclipsed:

For committing forgery, for false witnesses, for raising sheep and goats in the land of Israel (that is, for letting goats and sheep pasture from other people's fields - Rashi), and for cutting down fruit-bearing trees.

The Shaloh [Noach p.274b] explains that seeing the lunar eclipse implies a bad sign. Hashem would ascertain that the Jews would see it if they were sinning. However, if they were not sinning, Hashem would darken the sky so that the eclipse would not be visible.

This interpretation is not satisfactory, for the Talmud states: "For the following reasons an eclipse occurs and not an eclipse is seen". The very occurrence of an eclipse is a consequence of the aforementioned sins and not the sight of the eclipse. Furthermore, in cloudless locations such as Egypt [see Rashi Vayigash 47:10 and Vaera 7:17] the Jews would always be capable of seeing the eclipse regardless of their behaviour.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Commentary:

How can we say that something as natural and predictable as an eclipse can have an affect on people's welfare? Furthermore, how can we say that the actions of people can provoke the occurrence of something that takes place as regularly and naturally as an eclipse?

It is a wellknown fact that Torah scholars had a vast knowledge of science in general and astronomy in particular. Astronomy was very important for the Jews in order to establish the calendar and proclaim the new months. Even great non-Jewish individuals would ask the Rabbis scientific questions. Therefore, we cannot say that the Rabbis were uttering nonsense when it came to the subject of the eclipse.

Mazal - or constellation - occurs when the stars are in a certain position. Some days or times are auspicious for a good mazal, others are known to be times in which misfortune could happen, G-d forbid, due to the unfavorable mazal. So at certain moments, the mazalot can have influence on the people. Even the day on which one is born has an influence on his characteristics (Shabbat 126a). Therefore, specific mazalot provide people with good or bad tendencies. (Nevertheless, the Rambam in Hilchot Teshuva 5:4 says that a person is not controlled by his natural tendencies and he has the power to change them)

During the time of an eclipse, the stars are in a position that can have a bad influence on the people. At such a time, the four aforementioned sins are more readily transgressed! For this reason the eclipse is a bad sign for the Jews, because they are more likely to sin than at some other time. As a result, they might be punished. Hence it is not our actions that cause the eclipse, but rather the eclipse that can alter our actions, triggering a heavenly punishment.

Therefore, if Jews are doing Hashem's will, the effects of the eclipse will not concern them. Chazal even say that we should not worry about the influence of stars if we do what Hashem wants. For as long as we do not let the bad mazal alter our actions, we do not deserve any punishment.

Jews are not limited by the boundaries of nature, including the celestial bodies. We have the power to change our mazal by doing good deeds. Our mazal depends on our actions and our prayers.

Source: Based on Likutei Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Vol. XV
"The Rebbe's Treasure: Interpretations of Talmudic Stories"

Wonders in the Heavens #7

As I've mentioned many times here, we currently have the Nibiru system very close to earth.  There are 8 or 9 planets in this system orbiting around a sun which is behind our sun.  And behind both suns is a giant star [or something]   which is why the sun sometimes looks like this:

Whether you believe this or not, you cannot deny the thousands and thousands of videos and photos of giant sphere shapes and terrifying looking clouds that are currently traversing the world right now.  These are the clouds from other planets, we are seeing their base clouds, and sometimes the sky is full of the entire planet's clouds.   If you think you haven't seen them, that's because you're lucky enough to live in a place which hasn't been flooded or quaked lately.  Meanwhile, when somewhere is being rain-bombed, the last thing they'll be doing is looking up at the sky, so they don't know there's a massive planet pushing away from earth and causing the floods in the process.

The planets push themselves away from earth electro-magnetically, which creates massive thunder and lightning storms, and sets off volcanoes and earthquakes.  

I have been researching this for months now, and whilst there is a ton of mis-information out there, and sometimes it's hard to know what to believe.... one thing which cannot be denied is actual videos of these events, dozens of which are uploaded daily to various sites on the internet.

The photos and videos below are from TikTok, they are all from random users around the world.  As you will see, they are all genuine.  The first one is the flooded airport in Florida, the rest are clouds that are nothing like our planet earth clouds.

Out of Love

"He should be brought to Aharon the Kohen..." [Tazria 13:2]

The Kohanim (priests) were people of inherent kindness who blessed the Jewish people with love.  Therefore, when it came to declaring somebody with the severe condition of tzara'as, which required total isolation from the Jewish camp, it was imperative that this harsh judgment be done out of love, so the Torah required it to be done by a Kohen.

From this we can learn a powerful lesson: that if one feels that another person has acted disgracefully and one wishes to chastise him, one must first examine one's own motives to see if one's desire to rebuke another is truly being done out of love.

Source: Likutei Sichos Lubavitcher Rebbe

HY"D

 

Lucy (Lucianne) Dee has tragically died of her wounds, three days after a West Bank terror shooting in which her two daughters were slain. Rabbi Leo Dee, father of Maia and Rina, and husband to Lucy called for the global Jewish community to share photos of Israeli flags to their social media channels to "send out a message to humanity, which is we will never accept terror as legitimate..."

Wonders in the Heavens: #6

Here are a couple of photos from the storm that hit eastern Australia on Friday night. The photos were taken by a storm chaser, they are not photo-shopped in any way, and yes the sky was purple.   It was the most amazing storm I've ever seen.  Definitely a Nibiru effect.

Where I was, the entire sky was lit up as if someone had shone a giant torch on it.  It went on flashing for hours.  I feel so blessed to have witnessed it - it was absolutely "biblical". No other word for it.

Yanuka's Message for this Pesach

 Hebrew with English subtitles

Chag Sameach

 

Wishing you all a chag kasher v'sameach, wondering what surprises are in store for us during the rest of Nissan, the month of miracles.  Trump being arrested erev Yomtov is a sign that they are desperate, they are terrified of him being re-elected and ruining O'Biden's destruction of all things good and true. I would love to hear Rabbi Kessin's thoughts.

My Giant Rainbow

This giant rainbow has been over Sydney for hours. My daughter said it followed them all the way to school this morning.  The photo does not do it justice, the colours were so bright, and it's been raining so much I couldn't take a photo until I got home.  This is just a small part of it. I've never seen such a brilliant rainbow, just a shame the photo doesn't capture the colours I saw. I hope someone's taken a better photo and I will share it if I can find one. 

Here's a slightly better photo of it but the colours still

don't appear as bright as I saw them

Spreading the Light

A continuous fire shall burn upon the altar; it shall not go out. [Tzav 6:6]

There were two types of fire in the Sanctuary and Holy Temple: one that burned on the outer altar, and one that burned in the menora inside. 

The priest whose job it was to light the menora did so with a flame taken from the outer altar. 

This teaches an important lesson: The outer altar is symbolic of our Divine service with other people; the kindling of the menora alludes to Torah study, as it states in Proverbs, "The Torah is light." 

Thus in order to merit the Torah's light it isn't enough to concern oneself with one's own spiritual progress; the concern should be extended to others as well.

Source: Likutei Sichot Lubavitcher Rebbe

Wonders in the Heavens #5: Seven Stars on the North

 

Pleiades - [Ernie Rossi, Florida]

".. 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] 

It just so happens that the "seven stars on the North side" mentioned in the Zohar above are currently visible in our night sky.  They are converging near the planetary line-up of Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Uranus and Venus as discussed below.  And the "star on the East side" is our Sun [Source: Dov bar Leib, when a similar thing occurred in 2012]

Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Uranus and Venus are currently lining up in a rare ‘planetary parade’, with their shiny formation visible to the naked eye....Although the alignment was at its brightest on Tuesday, March 28 for all those who got the chance to look up, it will continue to be visible to all lucky stargazers tonight, and into the next few days. 

But wait! The celestial wonders don’t end there. Astronomers have also said that a cluster of extremely bright, young and hot stars will be converging near the planetary line-up. The Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, are a set of brilliant blue stars hat are said to look particularly stunning when observed through a simple pair of binoculars...

Source: https://www.timeout.com/sydney/news/five-planets-are-currently-lined-up-above-australia-in-a-planetary-parade-032923

Blood Red Seas

 

So said the Lord, "With this you will know that I am the Lord." Behold, I will smite with the staff that is in my hand upon the water that is in the Nile, and it will turn to blood And the fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become putrid, and the Egyptians will weary [in their efforts] to drink water from the Nile.' [Vaeira 7:17-18]

Every time Nibiru crosses in front of the Earth, it plants our entire planet (land and seas) with millions of tons of fine red dust of Iron Oxide.   As time goes by, the Iron Oxide builds up sediment, and this is covered over by new layers of sedimentation that has been deposited on top.  And these days, the ground in many parts has moved.  It is possible that the movement of the ground left a cloak of Iron Oxide exposed, that would have come in contact with water and been dragged away.

Note: I did not come up with this theory, it is from a Nibiru "expert".  

The Mirror

The defects that you notice in someone else are the parts of yourself that still need fixing.

The world is a mirror ..... many people don't understand this.   Whenever you notice a particular character trait in another person..... that is the part of yourself that you need to work on.  If you think you have already fixed that trait in yourself, then why does it affect you so much when you see it in someone else?

The one who aggravates you the most, is most likely the one who possesses your own bad middot, but it's easier for us to criticize others than to work on ourselves.

If you can't see that trait in yourself, look harder. 

You can learn a great deal about someone by listening to what they say about others.  Most of what they say about someone else, applies to them !  They probably don't realize this.... and it's a good way of working out just who somebody really is.

The world is a mirror, you see your own reflection in other people.

The following is extracted from "Not Just Stories" by Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski M.D.

Denial is a psychological term referring to a person's inability to see reality. Denial is a frequently occuring phenomenon, and is one of the many psychological defense mechanisms, whose function is to shield a person from an awareness that would cause him distress.

A very common form of denial is a person's inability to see his own character defects. The reason is obvious: awareness of the presence of this defect in oneself is too much for a person to bear. Yet unawareness of these defects will result in one's doing nothing to improve upon them. Even a dedicated soul-searching may fail to reveal one's own shortcomings, since denial obscures their existence from him.

The Baal Shem Tov said that G-d provided a way to circumvent this denial: "The world is a mirror" said the Baal Shem Tov. "The defects you see in others are really your own."

While denial prevents a person from seeing his own character defects, it does not prevent him from seeing defects in other people. Quite the contrary, we are experts at detecting faults in others. All we need to do, then, said the Baal Shem Tov, is to realise that these are but a reflection of our own shortcomings. We do not see defects in others that are non-existent in ourselves.

"Love covers all offenses" [Proverbs 10:12] has filtered down to the colloquial aphorism that "Love is blind". It is common knowledge that we may be oblivious to defects in someone we love, although they may be blatant to other observers. Just as we may not see that which we do not wish to see, so it is conversely true that we only see something which, for some reason, attracts our attention. The Baal Shem Tov states that when we see defects in others, the reason for this recognition is that, in one way or another, they represent our own defects.

This principle is a major dynamic in the effectiveness of group therapy. In treatment of some types of emotional disorders, group therapy may be far more effective than individual therapy. A therapist pointing out a particular character defect to a client may be rejected, with the patient's denial preventing the necessary insight. In a group session, the client is very likely to note this very defect in another group member, and the group may then help him realize that he too has this particular characteristic, and this is extremely effective in overcoming one's denial.

It is the persistence of denial that constitutes a major obstacle to therapy and corrective action.

Rabbi Dov Ber of Lubavitch was receiving his chassidim, when he abruptly told his assistant to close the door and not allow anyone entry. Some of the chassidim, eager to understand the Rabbi's sudden desire for solitude, put their ears to the door and heard the Rabbi reciting Tehillim with heartrending tones.

The Rabbi later explained that whenever a chassid asks him for guidance to do teshuvah for a transgression; he immediately searches for that transgression within himself, according to the Baal Shem Tov's teaching that the world is a mirror, and had he not been guilty of the same thing, even in a much more diluted form, it would never have come to his attention. The discovery of an analogous defect within himself then allows him to make the necessary amends.

"When one chassid told me about something he had done wrong, I promptly began searching for a similar shortcoming in myself. However, I was unable to find it. This meant that I was deceiving myself, and that somewhere there was a dereliction of which I was unaware. Being oblivious of this would preclude my taking any corrective action, and I therefore had to pray intensely for Divine guidance to help me discover this defect in myself."

What a wonderful world it would be if every time we saw some defect in another person, we would do some soul-searching, and take corrective actions for self-improvement, rather than being critical of others and denoucing them.

Wonders in the Heavens #4

These photos were taken yesterday by a storm-watcher, it is not a bunch of clouds, it is the base cloud of a planet which probably caused the blocking out of the sun [see blog post immediately below this one] as it was passing by.  Notice the white line on top of the shelf cloud at the base, and how it then expands out into a sphere.  These are the base clouds of the planet being called "Napisiti" and I will stick to that name, for consistency.

Napisiti brings rain bombs and incredible lightning, thunder and flooding whenever it comes close to earth.  It uses the electro magnetic power of the storm to push away from earth.

Yesterday over Lake Macquarie, Australia

Yesterday over Molong, Australia

We see this exact same formation all over the world.  Clouds don't hold together and travel the world in the exact same formation, as you can see in these videos and photos, day after day after day.  This is not a bunch of storm clouds, this is a huge planet, part of the Nibiru system and we are looking at the atmosphere around it: these clouds belong to the planet Napisiti. 

I'm sure some are still going to be skeptical, but I'm blogging what I am seeing, and none of this is normal.  Hashem is showing us His awesome power and we are just getting started.

Today's Sun Block

 

This is Melbourne, Australia this morning, as the clouds blocked the sun and a huge storm hit.  Doesn't take too much imagination to understand how the Nibiru system can block the sun anytime anywhere.

Story: https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/sky-turns-black-in-melbourne-surprise-storm/news-story/2d7a21c0991be39a75c38d986f61889f 

Picture: News.com/ Channel 9

The Man Who Discovered Nibiru

This is the final interview of Professor Carlos Munoz Ferrada, the man who discovered the planet known as Nibiru.  Absolutely fascinating..... how Hashem has created this monster planet and how it operates, causing earthquakes/volcanic eruptions, and other disturbances with precision.

Video duration is 8 mins. After that it ends, and repeats itself. English subtitles.

Baseless Hatred

L'illui nishmat Esther Rivka bas Moshe

by Rabbi David Hanania Pinto 

We have learned of the paramount importance of loving one's fellow and how much we have to gain from it both spiritually and materially. Now, let us examine another facet: Let us see what we may lose if the love is replaced by hatred, and if unity is replaced with dispute.

In fact, just as we are commanded in the holy Torah to love our fellow by the mitzvah of "Love your fellow as yourself," we are likewise commanded [Vayikra 19:17], "You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your fellow, but you shall not bear a sin on his account." This implies that hating one's fellow does not only result in losing out on the mitzvah of loving one's fellow, but rather it is an outright prohibition of the Torah in itself.

When we hear of a certain person that got sick with a dangerous illness, G-d forbid, we shake our heads sympathetically: "Oh, how awful! How much bad news there is!" But oddly enough, regarding the dreaded illness of our hearts, we do not grieve over it and do not sense at all. We do not even notice it, and moreover, we do not realize how dangerous it is.

We are actually referring to the dreaded illness of baseless hatred. Yes! It is truly an illness, maybe even a widespread plague! But unlike most illnesses, this disease is an all-embracing disease that affects all 248 organs and 365 sinews of our body.

When one commits a sin, an impure spirit is drawn to that organ involved in the sin, as Chazal say [Ketubot 5b] "A man shall not let his ears hear idle things, because they are burnt first of [all] the organs." This implies that by hearing forbidden speech, a spirit of impurity is drawn upon the ear, and thus ultimately it is burnt first of all the organs. So too, every organ that is used to commit a sin, an impure spirit is drawn upon it, but this is not the place to expound on the topic.

While certain sins cast impurity upon organs that the neshamah is not dependent on, it is nonetheless a great impediment. How much more so is the danger when the spirit of impurity is cast upon an organ that the neshamah is dependent on, such as the heart, upon which the life of a person hinges. If the person, G-d forbid, lacks a heart, then he is considered dead! Thus, the severe sin of baseless hatred, which lies in the heart of a person, draws the impure spirit upon one's heart. Since it is the central organ of a person, consequently the spirit of impurity gets circulated throughout one's entire body! 

When a disease affects one organ, it can be really dangerous, but still there is a chance to save the patient. However, what happens when a tumor has spread to all the vital organs in the body, such as the heart, brain, and the like? Then the situation is so much worse, and the chance for surviving is almost non-existent.

The Chofetz Chaim elucidates that the same applies to illnesses of the soul. Every transgression affects a certain organ, with which the man sinned. When it comes to a less central organ, then even though the patient's condition is dangerous, there is still a chance to save him. The danger to his life is not immediate. However, when a person sins with an organ that his soul is dependent upon, like when a person harbors baseless hatred, then his condition is far more dangerous, and there is almost no chance of saving him.

Wonders in the Heavens #3 - Purple Skies

 

As the Nibiru system passes by earth, the planets in the system push themselves away from the earth electro-magnetically, resulting in powerful lightning storms, more powerful than any we have seen before.  When they are not creating storms, they appear to us as clouds in the shape of a huge sphere, in a deeper blue than the normal sky, and they take up most of the sky available to our eyes.  Once you start to recognize the distinct shapes of these clouds belonging to these planets, you will see them all the time, in random photos, videos and even on TV, where other people don't even realize what they are looking at.

From our perspective, these planets can appear to be right on top of us, and obviously people are noticing. 

All the planets are different colours.  I believe there are 8 planets and some of them have moons.  Eight planets and all of them are different colours....seems like we're in for a very colourful Geula.

The Zohar says that before the Moshiach comes, an especially bright and colorful rainbow will appear.  How is the rainbow connected to the coming of Moshiach? Answer: Before the coming of Moshiach, a very special rainbow will appear. This rainbow will be so bright that all rainbows that have appeared on earth will seem very dim and weak in comparison. The bright strong colors of this rainbow are a sign that the Redemption is about to come. It is this rainbow, the Zohar tells us, that G-d was speaking about when He said to Noah [Gen. 9:16], "I will look at it to recall the eternal promise." [Zohar 1:72b]

I will introduce the planets gradually as I find information iy"H.  The system is moving all the time, and can be seen all over the world at different times.

When the purple planet known as 'Atu' is close, it gives us purple sky along with the lightning, as can be seen in the videos below, from Turkey, Texas and California. 

Wonders in the Heavens #2

These are not Wonders, these are man-made lines in the sky.

This is just a selection of clips from various places, including several from Israel, showing the ridiculous amount of chemtrails in the sky lately. It is happening all over the world, and the question is - why?  

Why are they masking the sky?   Or is the real question: what are they trying to hide?

There is quite a lot to hide, not just one planet but according to some people there are actually 8 planets as well as moons and asteroids, all coming very close to earth and able to be seen from earth, once you realize what you are looking at.   That is what I have been calling the "Nibiru system".   Apparently NASA knows it's there, of course, and they are deliberately making trails in the sky so even when people do see something, they can't be sure what they're actually seeing.  Whoever controls these things believes that people would be terrified if they knew what they were seeing, so it is their duty to protect us all from our own fear. 

I'm not afraid, and either is anyone else, from what I can gather.  People think it's incredible, and that it's a sign of the End of Days, nothing to worry about folks, and whoever they think is the Messiah is about to arrive!  [but it is bringing the crazy weather]

In this last clip, he thinks the circle around the sun has been caused by chemicals from the chemtrails... but that's not the case. I think the circle is from a planet near the sun, [no I can't prove it, if you have another theory, please share it]

Yarzheit 21 Adar: The Rebbe of Rebbes

"Today, in our bitter exile, there are people who receive ruach hakodesh more easily than in the time of the prophets." [Noam Elimelech]

Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk [known as "The Rebbe of Rebbes"]  was the student of Dov Ber of Mezerich, the brother of Meshulam Zushia of Anipoli. He was born in 1717, and died on 21 Adar in 1786  [ this year - 14 March]

During the lifetime of Dov Ber of Mezerich he traveled widely with his brother all over Poland to spread Hassidism. After Dov Ber's death, Rebbe Elimelech settled in Lizhensk and attained great fame, thanks to his lofty life. During his lifetime, Lizhensk was turned into a center of Polish-Galician Hassidism. There, many famous Tzadikim and Hassidic activists of Galicia were educated and obtained their inspiration during the 18th century.

Rebbe Elimelech is the author of “Noam Elimelech” [Lvov 1798], a book of commentaries on the Pentateuch. In that book, the role of a Tzadik is set out and explained, and the doctrine of Hassidism is explained in greater detail. This book was subject to an intense investigation by the opponents of Hassidism. Many of his expositions are published in his work “Darche Tzedek”, and other works.

The Melitzer Rebbe shlit'a, a direct descendant of the "Noam Elimelech", stated that Rebbe Yisroel of Ruzhin said that 500 years before Rebbe Elimelech was born, the world received abundance in his merit. Now, after his death, even more so!

It is said that Rabbi Elimelech promised anyone who would visit his grave that they would not leave this world without teshuva.



Kever of Rabbi Elimelech in Lizensk, Poland [Photo: יהונתן וואקסמאן]

Ohel of Rebbe Elimelech, Lizensk Poland [Photo: יהונתן וואקסמאן]

After Rebbe Elimelech passed away, Rebbe Reb Zisha of Hanipoli was approached by his brother’s students to be their new leader. Rabbi Zisha declined and explained his reason with a parable. “The possuk in Bereshis 2:10 states “And a river went forth from Eden to water the garden and from there it split into four paths.”

The Torah is eternal and alludes to all events above and below for all generations. Eden alludes to our holy master the Baal Shem Tov. The river was his student the holy Mezitcher Maggid. The garden refers to my brother the Rebbe Elimelech.

This then is the meaning: a river flows from Eden to water the garden, the Torah flows as water from the Baal Shem Tov by way of the Mezritcher Maggid to the Rebbe Elimelech. From there it separates into four paths: they are :

1.The Holy Rebbe the Chozeh or Seer of Lublin;

2.The Holy Rebbe Avodas Yisrael the Koznitzer Maggid;

3. The Holy Rebbe Mendel Rimanover; and

4.The Holy Ohev Yisrael the Apta Rav.

Stories of Noam Elimelech

The Light of The Rebbe’s Prayer Sash

related by the Rabbi of Madin, grandson of the Ropshitzer

Rebbe Elimelech had a custom that after the afternoon Mincha service he would converse with his close followers. He would then proceed to a special private room to pray the evening Maariv service alone in seclusion, purity and sanctity.

Rabbi Naftali Ropshitzer, a student of the Rebbe always yearned to also be in that room. He constantly wished to see the deeds of his Rebbe and how he prayed at that time. Once he stole into the room unnoticed and hid beneath the bed. The holy Rebbe entered and closed the door behind him. He took his “gartel,” the traditional sash or belt used by Hassidim for prayer and preceded to fasten it about himself.

The first time he wound the sash about his waist the whole house was filled with an awesome unbelievable light. The second time he tied the gartel winding it around, the light grew in intensity until the Ropshitzer could no longer endure it. He grew weak and found himself fainting. He called out in a loud voice.

Rebbe Elimelech heard the cries of distress coming from his student and recognized their source. “Naftali my son are you here?” the Rebbe asked. “Fortunately, you did not remain here for the third and final time I wound the gartel. If you had remained your soul would have surely left your body from the intensity of the great light. Therefore leave now.”

An unusual guest for Tea

related in the name of The Shinover Rebbe

The author of the Hasidic work Maor va’Shemesh was a student of the Rebbe Elimelech. Once he asked the Rebbe Elimelech to be allowed to serve him, thereby learning directly from his Rebbe. Rebbe Elimelech conceded and asked him for a cup of tea. After preparing the tea, the student entered the room to give it to the Rebbe. Inside he saw the awesome figure of an old man sitting beside Rebbe Elimelech. He was overcome by fear, trembling and shaking so much so that he dropped the cup spilling the tea on the floor and ran out.

Later Rebbe Elimelech saw his student and asked him why he hadn’t given him the tea he requested. He answered that he had brought it but when he saw the figure of the old man he was so frightened he spilled the tea. The Rebbe then said to him in Yiddish “Oy vey iz das kind voos ken nisht kiken dem taten in poonim arayn: Woe is to the child who cannot look his own father in the face.” That old man you saw was none other than our forefather Avraham peace be upon him!

More information can be found at : JewishGen

Wisdom to the Wise

"He has imbued him with the spirit of God, with wisdom, with insight, and with knowledge, and with [talent for] all manner of craftsmanship" Vayakhel 35:31

The Midrash Rabbah states that Betzalel must have already possessed an extraordinary degree of wisdom even before he was blessed, for Hashem does not bestow wisdom upon an individual unless he is already wise.  This is as the verse states: "He gives wisdom to the wise" [Daniel 2:21]

To what can this be compared?  To a man who wanted to buy wine, oil, or honey, and walked into a store with an empty jug in hand.  If the storekeeper is intelligent, he does not have to ask the customer which of the three he wants to purchase.  All he needs to do is smell the man's jug; if it gives off the scent of wine, then he has come to purchase wine.  If, however, the scent is that of honey, then he has come to buy honey.

So it is with wisdom. When Hashem sees a person that has some wisdom, He fills him with more!

Source: Rabbi Y. Bronstein

Wonders in the Heavens

"And I will show wonders in the Heavens and on the earth" [Yoel 3:3]

Here are some 30second videos [click full screen for best viewing] and some photos of weather events, as well as weird halos and colours around the sun and the moon caused by the planet/sun behind our sun.  All of these events, giant shelf clouds, and other strange clouds are being brought to us by the "Nibiru" system.  None of the photos are photo-shopped, mostly they are stills taken from live videos on TikTok, filmed by ordinary people all over the world.   

 

Shelf Cloud from another planet's atmosphere, is what they are saying

This is a rain bomb, from another planet's atmosphere

This is a rain bomb

Another rain bomb

Sun with yellow aura, from a close-by yellow planet

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, about to get rain bombed

Rainbow halo sunset

Our sun with something red behind it

Since when did the moon have a rainbow halo

Red object near our sun

Rabbi Yuval Ovadia on "Planet X"

This is a re-posting from 2018.  Thank you Sherry for bringing it to my attention.  I think it is very relevant right now.  There's a lot more to come on this topic but for now, this is all I can manage.

The shiur includes the following information:

• Sources from the Torah and the Zohar
• This Star was seen in the war of Devorah and Sisera and will also be seen at the End of Days
• Which Rabbis have spoken about it, and why some Rabbis say it is nonsense
• The deliberate fake news and dates given on the internet purely to confuse people and cause them to think that it is not real, when it is in fact very real -  for example Obama Warns Americans
• It is not going to destroy the world
• Isaiah prophecies that those who try to escape by going into bunkers will just fall into another trap - they cannot run from Hashem 
• Rainbows, climate change, earthquakes, volcanoes, extreme weather
• How Gog u Magog will play out
• The government of Israel will stop functioning at the same time that Moshiach will be revealed
• The war against Moshiach ben David
• What kind of person Moshiach will be
• Nibiru is just a messenger of Hashem, we must do teshuvah [repent] - the effects of Nibiru are in our hands
• Moshiach is definitely coming soon and He will take the world into the new spiritual phase. 

Restoring Evil to Its Holy Source

"He forgives sins.... " [Ki Tisa 34:7]

The word for "forgive" here literally means "carry" or "lift". Based on this, the Baal Shem Tov taught that G-d elevates the sparks of holiness in the sin, for nothing - not even a sin - could exist unless it contained a spark of holiness. G-d returns them to their source. This is the essence of forgiveness.

Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi explained this idea as follows: It is indeed impossible to elevate a sinful act; such an act is evil, and the only proper treatment for it is to denounce it. 

In contrast, the power of desire vested in the act is not evil, for it is possible to utilize this power to desire good as well as evil. When we repent properly, we divest our power of desire of its veneer of evil and restore it to its holy source.

from the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Adapted by Moshe-Yaakov Wisnefsky

Purim 5783

Chag sameach everyone.  Sorry for the lack of posts, I haven't been feeling great lately, I think it is part of the suffering we all have to go through.

If you can't do much for Purim, at least give some tzadaka.  This can be done easily over the internet.  I know some people are homebound and may not even be able to hear the Megillah being read "live" and in person, unless they are fortunate enough to have someone come to their house and read it.

It seems a long time ago that I looked at a photo of a strange "planet" [moon?], seemingly covered in holes.  That same  planet is back again and starring in it's own cameo on the FAA Advisory camera.  It's part of the "Nibiru" system, and when I find out its name [someone has given them all names] I'll let you know.  

Why We Have Purim and Shushan Purim

 New shiur from Rabbi Mendel Kessin

Amalek and the Spiritual Essence of Purim

 New shiur from Rabbi Mendel Kessin