Lazer Brody's Blog, page 311

Sweetening the Sorrow

People are frequently their own worst enemies by doing things that invoke stern judgments. This week's emuna lesson shows how to mitigate them. Have a wonderful week!

Esau the Red

This week's mini Torah-portion lesson shows how a comparison between the eating habits of Jacob and Esau reveals their entire orientation in life, giving us a choice between two distinctly contrasting role models. Have a wonderful Shabbat!

Thanksgiving

The USA has Thanksgiving once a year. A Jew has thanksgiving every single day of his life. The word Yehudi - Jew - literally means a "thanks giver." Even the word for turkey in Hebrew - tarnagol hodu - means a "fowl of thanks." Even so, happy Thanksgiving, America.

The River's Song

Osyio (Greetings - LB) Rabbi Wolf Brother,

I was so happy to discover your website some months ago and read that our Tsa la Gi (Cherokee - LB) brothers in Tennessee and Texas also hold the opinion that we have Hebrew roots. So much is the same - I follow your teachings about personal prayer in solitude with the Holy One out in nature and I'm moved to tears about the Jewish Perek Shira song of creation. Our meditation, the fringes on our clothes, our language, and our clinging to the One God (in the old way, not the way the white missionaries did to our people) are all signs of our mutual roots. Now that we have DNA testing, there is no doubt.

As a small token of appreciation for the love and respect you have honored our people with, I'm enclosing a film clip of Wayra, a Bolivian Indian who plays the native American flute like we do. To the best of my knowledge, King David also had such a similar flute. May you enjoy it, and may the Holy One bless your journeys in life with smooth and pleasant paths.

Looking forward to the day when the lost tribes will be returned and reunited with mother Israel, your friend and brother, Silver Cloud from Oklahoma

The Seven Gates

What's wrong? Why are we having difficulties in life? The root of the nagging anxiety that plagues so many of us is spiritual contamination of the soul. Here's how to prevent it… 

Wows and Woes

The two families had so much in common: they had both come to Israel from the USA. Danny's mother was an Orthodox convert and so was Racheli's mother. Both families had children who were still living secular lifestyles in the States. Both Danny and Racheli were intelligent and attractive. Danny, after serving for three years in a top-notch IDF fighting unit, had now started learning in a yeshiva forBaalei Teshuva (newly observant Jews). Naturally, when the two respective families asked me about the prospects of a match between Danny and Racheli, I enthusiastically gave them my wholehearted blessing. It seemed to be a match made in Heaven.

Danny and Racheli went out on their first date, spending a pleasant evening talking and sipping coffee in a local café. The meeting lasted for three hours. Their conversation flowed so effortlessly that they didn't realize how the time flied…

That same evening, Danny's family called the shadchan, the matchmaker who so adeptly arranged what looked like a perfect match, and happily informed him that Danny is more than interested in meeting Racheli again. He had stars in his eyes, convinced that he had found his perfect soulmate. They asked the shadchan to arrange a second date.

One day passed without the shadchan hearing anything from Racheli's family. The next day, the shadchan took the initiative and called Racheli's parents. Racheli's mother answered the phone. The shadchan asked how she liked Danny.

"Believe me," Racheli's mother told the shadchan, "if it were up to me, I'd seal the deal right now. Danny is just the type of boy I want for my daughter. I'm sorry for not getting back with you until now, but Racheli has her reservations…"

"What's the matter?" probed the shadchan. "What could she possibly find wrong with Danny?"

"She admits that he's intelligent, nice looking and very polite. She said that his manners were perfect and his middot seemed impeccable. He was a great listener and pleasant to be with…"

"So what's the matter? Why not arrange a second date already?" asked the shadchan, with a tinge of impatience.

Racheli's mother cleared her throat, hesitating and trying to swallow her embarrassment. "R-racheli said that he didn't ignite a spark. He lacks the "WOW" factor…"

Continue reading Wows and Woes on this week's exciting issue of Breslev Israel web magazine.

Also featured this week:

Please Don't Push: The Breslev view of manners and derech eretz by Rabbi Shalom Arush

Kabbala and Witchcraft: The fine line between the holy and the unholy, by Rabbi Nissan Dovid Kivak

Fuggetaboutit: Making a new start, by Racheli Reckles

Return to Fantasy World: The dangers of Diaspora by Rivka Levy

Gullible but Secure: The advantages of being naive by Zev Ballen

Pay to Pray: Synagogue can be a thrill by Rivka Levy

Using Your Toolbox: Making the most out of yourself, by Cindy Schwartz

Why Evil Comes Easy: It's a cinch to sin, by Dovber Halevi

Parshat Toldot: This week's Torah portion with Rabbi Avraham HaCohen Kook

Big Beam blessings for a continued successful week.

 

 

Introducing Eliezer Kosoy and Yonason Hill

Simon and Garfunkel haven't been smart enough to make teshuva, but even if they do, they'll have to take a back seat to a dynamic new duo that the Beams is proud to introduce to you. These two very unique and inspirational musicians - my special friends Eliezer Kosoy and Yonason Hill - form the musical duet "Elyon," having recently released their first album together with the same title, under the Sameach Music record label. Elyon is Eliezer Kosoy's third original album; Yonason Hill (son of actor Steven Hill) has been featured as a backup vocalist and guitarist on over 20 albums. The two currently live in Israel where they learn Torah most of the day, and they bring a wealth of life experience and spiritual vision to their music.

They originally met many years ago at Yeshivas Ohr Somayach in Jerusalem and discovered their musical connection while singing zemiros together at Yonason's Shabbos table. After recording a demo CD together 2 years ago, they began performing for kiruv groups and yeshivas throughout Israel. The response to their music was excellent, and groups were simultaneously inspired as well as entertained. These two are my type of musicians - extremely talented, modest, and true servants of Hashem. Their mellow and distinctive style resonates with inner beauty and and truth. It just makes you happy to listen to their music.

Elyon, which combines the beginnings of their first names, is also a Hebrew word that means high and exalted. True to its title, the album takes its listeners to a high and exalted place, with 13 inspirational and unforgettable tracks. My favorite is "Eye on the Light", which you're welcome to hear at the bottom of this post. The vision of Elyon is to create a unique brand of Jewish music that will inspire, strengthen and arouse the hearts of Jews to come closer to Hashem.  The music is strongly influenced by ideas from the Chassidic and Mussar movements, and takes from classical American folk.  In an article written for Jemagazine entitled "If Simon and Garfunkel were frum" they were accurately compared to that legendary duo--the sweet voices of Elyon blend together in an unmistakable harmony. 

Elyon is planning a music tour from december 15 to 25 and if anyone is interested in booking them (you'[ll be happy that you did), they can contact them at 972-2-5324867 or 972-57-114867 or at elyonsong@gmail.com.

May Hashem bless Eliezer and Yonason with smashing success, and may their music continue to all inspire those who listen to it, amen.

Spiritually Receptive 3-Year Old

Dear Rabbi Lazer,

Is it true that a three-year old can be highly receptive on a spiritual level? We had a maid that used to listen motivational CDs with subliminal messages and my son of 3 Immanuel  (Hebrew for 'Hashem is with us' -LB) told me that he listened from that maid "ugly and scary messages" and we fired her. As a result of her CDs, he was having nightmares. I bought Calming Waters and let my son listen to the peaceful flute and nice sounds; my son insists that your CD is full of beautiful messages. The Gemara says that Hashem hides secrets and prophecies with toddlers and infants. I don't mean to pry, but is my son really receptive to subtle spiritual messages? Does your CD really have spiritual messages? Thanks so much, DR from LA

Dear DR,

Yes, your son is very receptive, indicative of his very holy and pure soul. Make sure you give him the best Torah education imaginable. And yes, all my flute music has messages, since the melodies come to me during personal prayer, when I'm speaking to Hashem. They reflect a yearning for Hashem and a desire for Hashem to bring us close to Him. That's why the melodies are so soothing to the soul. Blessings lways, LB

Ka Echsof: A Melody for Shabbat

Here's a lovely melody for Shabbat, the classic "Ka Echsof" - I yearn for Hashem, by the holy Rabbi Aaron of Karlin, zatza"l. My great-grandfather Reb Yaakov Podrub of blessed memory from Grodno, a blacksmith who was a hidden tzaddik and a Stolin-Karliner chassid, sang his melody on his Shabbat table. My sons, my grandsons and I continue with this tradition. Enjoy it and have a wonderful Shabbat Chayei Sara!

The Truth about Anger Management

"Normal" doesn't necessarily mean "healthy". A cave dweller thinks that darkness is normal, and can't fathom the beauty and the benefits of sunlight. In the same way, tranquility is so elusive today that many people don't even consider it a realistic emotional goal. Yet, if we want to escape a lifelong fate of emotional darkness, we desperately need to find a way back into the "emotional sunlight" that is the birthright of each and every one of us.

A good example of this confusion between "normal" and "healthy" comes from the American Psychological Association. In their position paper on anger, they conclude:"Remember, you can't eliminate anger - and it wouldn't be a good idea if you could. Anger is a natural, adaptive response to threats; it inspires powerful, often aggressive, feelings and behaviors, which allow us to fight and to defend ourselves when we are attacked. A certain amount of anger, therefore, is necessary to our survival."

These words strike me as most peculiar. They seem to assume that we all live in a dangerous jungle, where only the biggest, angriest inhabitants manage to survive. In fact, I can testify from my own personal combat experience in one of the world's most elite military units that anger clouds decisions and lowers effectiveness. If we're talking about survival, an angry soldier is far less likely to survive that a calm one. A good soldier has to be cool-headed in order to function at an optimal level. An angry soldier, by contrast, is a menace to both himself and his brothers in arms. And if that's true in the high-stress battlefield arena, it's certainly true on the city streets.

Most of conventional psychology's anger-management programs are based on the faulty assumption that "containable" anger is a good and even necessary thing. For example, the APA suggests that with anger management therapy "a highly angry person can move closer to a middle range of anger in about 8 to 10 weeks". Translated, that means that you won't break windows anymore, but you'll still be gritting your teeth, clenching your fists, and maintaining your candidacy for heart disease and strokes.

The basic flaw with this approach is easy to understand once you realize an important truth about anger: Fundamentally, anger is an addiction. And you can't "manage" an addiction - as any drug, tobacco, or alcohol rehabilitation specialist will tell you. An alcoholic can't limit himself to two Bloody Marys a day, just as a heavy smoker can't cut back to five cigarettes a day. The results are not permanent! Addiction management requires a huge amount of sustained willpower. Why invest so much physical and emotional energy when better options are available?

Oh, you'd like an example of a better option than substances or anger management? Try combining walking with personal prayer. The Trail to Tranquility will also make a dramatic change in your life for the better.