Lazer Brody's Blog, page 15

Parshat Vayigash: Avoiding the Blame Game

After Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and outfits them with all the need to make the journey to Canaan and bring Jacob their father down to Egypt, he warns them not to argue on the way. What was his apprehension? Enjoy this week's mini-lesson on the Torah portion, because it has an important message for each of us. Blessings for a lovely Shabbat!

Yearning for Hashem: Yedid Nefesh, Friend of My Soul

The anti-emuna media here is like a coin or two in a jar - shake the jar and it makes a lot of noise. If the jar were full of content, it wouldn't make noise.

The true picture in Israel is that people are coming back to Hashem right and left. They see that the only thing that can save a soul from depression and despair is emuna and a connection with Hashem. As such, there are virtually no Baal-teshuva yeshivas or seminars with empty seats.

Many of Israel's finest singers and musicians are coming home to their spiritual roots and making teshuva. Several have got together and created a Shabbat-Song Project, where voluntarily, they're recording Shabbat songs so that everyone can learn them. Our appreciation to Roni Eylon and "Shamayim" Center. Enjoy - already on Thursday, we start looking forward to the light of the coming Shabbat, the day that we put aside worldly matters and spend completely with Hashem, Father in Heaven and Friend of our Soul.

How To Make Your Child Successful

As much as I hate giving David credit for stuff, I am forced to give him credit for this video. You know, he really doesn't deserve credit, now that I think about it. It's not like he was in the video, or he filmed the video. He just sent it to me. So no credit is due.

In case you're too lazy busy to watch it, I'll quickly tell you what it's about. (To be honest, I didn't watch the whole thing either, because I'm also very lazy busy.) But what I did watch was incredibly moving. 

This guy was speaking at some school graduation. I don't know if it was college, grad school, medical school, whatever. By the sound of his voice I'm assuming it wasn't high school. Okay, so I didn't really pay attention that well. But I did kinda listen to what he was saying, and wow, was it powerful!

He spoke about the secret to his success. He gave one very special person all the credit to helping him become who he is today. 

That person was his father. 

Because of his father's example as a very hard-working man, he learned what it means to put forth effort in order to get what you want.

But what I found even more special was the way he spoke about his father's use of motivation. Whatever that means.

His father used to constantly build him up and tell him he could do anything. He told his son he was smart. Whatever he wanted, he could accomplish with diligence and hard work. And all kinds of stuff like that.

You know, I really hope I got that right because as I type this, I'm seriously doubting if I remember that speech correctly.

In any case, my point is the same.

Every parent wants to see his kid succeed. But what many parents don't realize is how much of the kid's success is tied into the parent's moral support and motivation.

Giving your kid constant reminders about putting forth effort, believing in himself, pushing himself to do better and better - all these things impact your kid in a very deep way.

Building your kid up is the secret to his success in life.

Let's not take it for granted that our kids may be smart, or they may already be doing well in school. Every kid needs constant positive reinforcement and building up. 

G-d willing, one day all of our children will look back on their childhoods and remember our support as being one of the most influential aspects of their success.

Here's another secret: even if your kid isn't doing well in school, and he's not making any effort, that's even more reason to lie to them and give them all that positive reinforcement. You'll see that just by saying wonderful things to them, they will become the hard-working kid that actually does their homework. Supposedly. I mean, I'm not making any promises here. 

But it if works, please let me know! 

Don't wait another minute to tell your kids how wonderful, smart, talented, hard-working, and beautiful they are! 

Oh, and this little secret also works for women! For example, if your wife isn't the best cook, compliment her cooking as you choke down her overdone hamburgers that are dry like the Sahara desert.

Better yet, take her out for dinner.  

~Racheli

p.s.- Don't miss Rav Brody's weekly Emuna talk tonight! Details below.

Hanging Tough

During my many years of coaching people, both on a spiritual and physical level, I've heard repeatedly such expressions and excuses as, "Yeah, I could have been better if I had the been born with athletic/intellectual/business/spiritual prowess;" or, "I could have been great too if I had the advantages that a tzaddik has. I wasn't born the son or daughter of a big rabbi or Rosh Yeshiva." People who talk like that then go back to their plasma screens and their bowl of potato chips...

I personally don't know anyone of greatness who was born with a silver spoon. The great tzaddikim, even the ones with righteous parents, had unspeakable difficulties, ascents and rock-bottom descents on their way to the top. By no small coincidence, the truly great people in other endeavors of life can say the same thing.

What's the secret to true greatness? Rebbe Natan of Breslev calls it hitchazkut - in loose translation, calling it "hanging tough." That's the name of today's lesson, which is not only a key to greatness but a key to survival.

Don't miss today's emuna lesson and live broadcast from Jerusalem entitled "Hanging Tough", which will take place, G-d willing, on the ground-floor main sanctuary of the Chut Shel Chessed Yeshiva on 13 Shmuel Hanavi Street in Jerusalem at 7 PM Israel time; the shiur is open to the public - both men and women are invited. You can see today's lesson here - the broadcast, as well as our lessons posted from now on - are Mac and iPod compatible. If you tune in too early to the live broadcast link, you'll be sent to the main page of the Breslev Israel website, so try to tune in on time.  If you are not able to view today's broadcast live, then G-d willing, you'll be able to see the video tape of it later this coming week on Lazer Beams. 

 

It Don't Come Easy

Nothing in my life was ever easy. In athletics, everybody on the team had more talent than I did. In the army, all my buddies were stronger and faster than I was. In Rabbinical Yeshiva, I was always the last one in the class to understand a concept. Sounds like a curse, doesn't it, as if Hashem was giving me a raw deal, Heaven-forbid...

It was the biggest blessing. If fueled my desire and made me work harder. The desire and the willingness to sweat are what makes the tortoises of the world surpass the hares.

Due to the nature of the unit where I was privileged to serve in the IDF, our training was gruelling, long and forever challenging, both mentally and physically. In one instance, during a night-time run with full backpack on rough terrain, my legs and lungs were about to give out. Anyone who wouldn't complete this run would be kicked out of the unit. I had no more physical strength. The game was about to be over for me. Suddenly, one of my favorite songs from way back when popped into my head: it was Ringo Starr singing, "It Don't Come Easy". I kicked into gear with a second wind and a surge of strength, playing that song over and over in my head until I finished the run. This is the song that became my personal theme song during all my years of army service. And thanks to you, Ringo:

The problem with the internet and Ipod generation is that they expect instant gratification, a great life with no effort. Sorry, youngin's, things don't work that way. If you want to succeed big time, you have to take The First Step.

The Book of Life

Our beloved teacher and spiritual guide Rabbi Shalom Arush writes that desire is the root of Creation and the purpose of the entire Torah. Desire is the path, the instrument and the power with which to attain everything in life. Desire is the entire character of a person and of his or her service here in this world. And practically speaking, one's desire is the very character of his or her life! A person without desire is dead, and a person with desire is alive. Rabbi Shalom relates, "I once went to a yeshiva to deliver a talk. I saw that although the students were learning and praying, they were gloomy and rigid, almost dead. I asked them, ���Is this a yeshiva or a cemetery!?��� If a person���s Torah learning doesn���t inspire him to constantly kindle his desire to get close to Hashem, then the very essence of that learning is lacking...

Continue reading Rabbi Shalom Arush's The Torah of Life in this week's new issue of Breslev Israel web magazine.

Also featured this week:

Rabbi Nissan Dovid Kivak - It's Not the Intermediaries

Rabbi Lazer Brody - The Kidnapped Baby

Dr. Zev Ballen - The Emuna Pause

Racheli Reckles - A Misused Torah

David Ben Horin - Dissent from Decadence

Dennis Rosen - Real Gratitude

Tziporah Barabi - The Fruit in the Mirror

Enjoy, and have a Happy 8th Day of Chanuka and a wonderful new month of Teveth!

Hashem Loves Me

Do you know why people are weak in their love for others? They don't love themselves.

Do you know why people are weak in their love for themselves? They don't believe that Hashem loves them.

If you feel down for some reason, watch the following 3-minute clip. It will pick you up. My Chanukah gift to you today is a 3-word saying that you must tell yourself as soon as you sense the slightest bit of sadness or depression: Hashem Loves Me. It's true, and it kills the evil inclination. Enjoy.

You can obtain the full-length Hashem Loves Me CD and many more Rav Arush/Brody titles at the Breslev Israel Online Store. These are vitamins for the soul that we all need. Happy Chanukah and a wonderful new month of Teveth!

Rabbi Lazer's Chanukah Message: Mattatyahu's Courage

Image above: the holy gravesite of Mattatyahu son of Yochanan, the High Priest (Cohen HaGadol), father and spiritual leader of the Maccabees

Happy Chanuka!

Mattatyahu Cohen HaGadol, whom we remember every time we say the "Al HaNissim" prayer during Chanuka, is buried in a cave in a forest, about a kilometer north of Highway 443 near Mevo Modiin, which Hashem enabled me to visit yesterday.

Mattatyahu and his sons fought a double war - not only against the Syrian Greeks, but against the 95% of the Jewish people who had become assimilated Hellenists. But because of his steadfast, unwavering and uncompromising commitment to Hashem, to his emuna, to the Torah and to his homeland, he was able to overcome all obstacles and instill the fire of emuna and total dedication in the hearts of his brave sons and daughter.

Where did he get his strength and courage from?

Nothing gives a person strength like clarification of the truth. A person who knows the truth and who lives according to the truth is as fierce as a lion. He is not willing to live a lie; so, if you take the truth away from him, he'll no longer regard his life as worth living. That's why our ancestors in every generation all the way back to our forefather Abraham were willing to sacrifice their last breath and heartbeat for our faith in Hashem and our Torah.

Mattatyahu and his sons Yehuda, Elazar, Shimon, Yochanan and Yonatan knew the truth. For a servant of Hashem, life is worthless without Torah, emuna, and holiness. The Hellenists fooled themselves while trying to dilute the truth and appease the Syrian Greeks, but the latter wanted to destroy it altogether and to substitute it with a life of pursuing bodily amenities.

Did Hashem send our souls down to this lowly earth just for another piece of steak, another fling with the opposite sex, or another NBA game? Those who waste their lives in the pursuit of material appetites are neither happy nor fulfilled. What's worse, they haven't devoted a single minute to clarifying the truth.

21" biceps won't give you courage. Truth and emuna will.

If the Prime Minister of Israel would clarify the truth, no foreign pressure in the world would sway him a single millimeter. If a teenager would clarify the truth, then he'd say no to the stupid things that his peers are doing. If a woman knew the truth, she wouldn't care if her neighbors called her "nebby" or "yachna" for dressing the way Hashem wants her to dress. If a man would be honest with himself, he'd realize how contemptible it would be to sacrifice one's entire family for a few moments of illicit thrills.

Mattatyahu and his sons were masters at truth clarification. They weren't willing to live for two minutes without the truth. That's where they derived the courage to fight a virtually impossible war. And that's why they won.

While we're basking in the holy light of the Chanuka candles, let's ponder the real meaning of this beautiful festival that commemorates the miracle of the few prevailing over many, the pure prevailing over the impure, and the light prevailing over darkness. Let's remember the dedication and commitment of Mattatyahu and his sons. Let's strengthen ourselves and carry their torch of Torah and truth, no matter what the odds. We can do it. All we need is emuna. Blessings for a wonderful Shabbat Chanuka!

Yosef Zev Braver: Al Hanissim

Here's a new single especially for Chanukah from our cherished friend Yosef Zev Braver, who made aliya not long ago from Brooklyn. Enjoy, and have a wonderful Shabbat Chanukah!

Israel's Chanuka Message to the World: We're not Budging

It's ever so appropriate that the UN and the European Union show their true colors by denying our ancient rights to Jerusalem, Shilo and Hevron. Nothing's new under the sun, as King Solomon teaches us in Ecclesiastes. I won't answer them - Shimon Maccabee the son of Mattatyahu Cohen Hagadol Chashmonai (whose gravesite I visited earlier today) and brother of Yehuda  Maccabee gave a most appropriate answer some 22oo years ago:

���We have not taken foreign territory or any alien property, but have occupied our ancestral heritage, for some time unjustly wrested from us by our enemies; now that we have a favorable opportunity, we are merely recovering our ancestral heritage��� (Maccabees 1, 15:33-34).

We weathered the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Spanish Inquisition, the Nazis and the Communists. We're still here and they've all disappeared. It seems that the oppressors of today want to join them. They'll never learn. Meanwhile, we're not budging.