Lazer Brody's Blog, page 314

Moshe Rabbenu and NASA

So many people are worried that their sons prefer Torah study in Yeshiva to university. Be proud and happy, and please don't worry anymore. 

Hashem taught Moshe Rabbenu on Mount Sinai things that NASA is only discovering today, thanks to their advanced technological equipment. And, Moshe Rabbenu didn't have satellites or atomic clocks - he didn't need them.

My wonderful friends and colleagues at Israel National News have made a beautiful sanctification of Hashem's name by comparing NASA's latest research on the lunar cycle to what our sages in Talmud have known for the past thousands of years:

The Talmud states that the lunar cycle spans '29.5 days and 793 fractions of an hour'. In Talmudic terms, the hour is divided into 1080 parts.

793/1080 = 0.734259 hours.

0.734259/24 = 0.03059 days.

29.5 days + 0.03059 days  =  29.53059 days for the moon to travel around Earth.

NASA Research concluded that the lunar cycle is 29.530588 days, two 1/1000ths of a second short of the Talmudic figure. More advanced research in Berlin came to a figure of 29.530589 days, only one thousandth of a second short of the Talmudic figure.

The Sinai tradition of the span of the lunar cycle is thus corroborated by figures reached via advanced satellites and atomic clocks.

Put down the astronomy book and start learning Tractate Rosh Hashana, the Rambam's laws of the new moon, and the Tiferet Yisroel's commentary on Mishnayot. If you're looking for a degree, go to university; if you're looking for wisdom, go to the Torah.

Beams Bulletin: Missile Attack on Ashdod

11:15 PM Israel - the Red Alert sent us all for cover. We just heard a loud blast less than about a mile from my home. We have no further details yet.

Weekly Emuna Live Broadcast

With Hashem's loving grace, we're back with our weekly emuna lesson and live broadcast, which will take place today (Wednesday) at 7:15 PM local time at our newly remodeled Chut Shel Chessed Yeshiva, 13 Shmuel Hanavi Street, Jerusalem, on the second floor in the main study hall. Everyone is welcome, both men and women.

This week's lesson is entitled, "Your Own Path" and it's the key to happiness and success. So if you're in the area, come on by. 

Today's lesson as always is open to the public, both men and women are welcome. You can see today's lesson live right here at 9 AM in LA and the West Coast, 11:15 AM Denver, 12:15 AM Mexico and CDT, 1:15 PM EDT, 6:15 PM in the UK, or 7:15 PM Israel time. As soon as we can, G-d willing, we'll post a link to the lesson for all those who couldn't see it live.

Bitter or Grateful

Bitter people are never grateful; grateful people are never bitter. Lazer Beams

Beams Bulletins

Now that the holidays are over, we're back full steam - here are a few updates:

Weekly emuna lesson - our weekly lesson in English open to the public will resume this Wednesday at 6 PM, G-d willing, at the Chut Shel Chesed Yeshiva, Shmuel Hananvi 13, Jeruslaem

New Radio Show - Israel National Radio has undergone a complete overhaul. Our very dear friend Tamar Yonah is now the new program director, and we'll be hosting a new show - Lazer Beams - that will air for the first time next week, G-d willing, on Thursday, November 3 at 7 PM Israel time. More details forthcoming.

London - G-d willing, we'll be in London the weekend of Shabbat Chayei Sarah, November 17-19.

USA - It looks like our upcoming USA speaking tour will be in the last two weeks of December. If you're interested in having us visit your community, please write Breslev Israel's general director Yosef Nechama.

Breslev Israel Magazine - Do you have something important to say? A story about emuna or something of interest to truth-seekers? Would you like to reach over 150,000 readers around the world? Breslev Israel web magazine is happy to accept quality 800-1000 word essays on any range of topics from Judaism to Noahide World, Marriage and family, spiritual growth, or even current events. Send your submissions directly to me.

Blessings and tons of success, LB

The Genuine Leader

People ask me why so many groups – even among the Chassidic movement – were against Rebbe Nachman of blessed and saintly memory. In my humble opinion, the answer is quite obvious. Rebbe Nachman's magnet was truth. During his time, few were attracted by that magnet. Rebbe Nachman was not a populist Rebbe – he didn't distribute wholesale blessings for health, income, and worldly amenities. His soul concern was bringing his followers closer to the truth.

Rebbe Nachman disdained the false leaders who were concerned with their own appetite-gratification, whether they sought prestige, fame, money or whatever. On numerous occasions, he chastised the mefursamim shel sheker – the famous false leaders, whom most of the masses chased after. The masses were much more comfortable with tasting their leader's potato kugel on Friday night tish and feeling great about themselves: "I'm a chassid – a pious one!"

Rebbe Nachman's demands of his followers to wake up at midnight for tikkun chatzot, to speak to Hashem in personal prayer and in probing self-assessment every day, to guard one's eyes and zealously maintain personal holiness, and to put the bulk of one's efforts to Torah and prayer were a lot less popular then the mere outer trappings of shtreimel-and-gefilte fish Chassidut. Add to this his criticism of false leaders, and you don't get a formula for popularity among the masses, in the short term...

Continue reading The Genuine Leader in this week's issue of Breslev Israel web magazine, back with vigor after the holidays. Also featured this week:

Rabbi Shalom Arush - Salvation in Six

Rabbi Nissan Dovid Kivak - High Class Purgatory

Rabbi Pinchas Winston - In The Hand of Heaven

Rivka Levy - The Bird's Song

Dovber Halevi - Root of the Problem

Natalie Kovan - Heavenly Hugs

Tikvah Motley - The Wild Steed

The Beams and Breslev Israel wish you a healthy winter and a wonderful week!

Attention London: We look forward to spending Shabbat Chayei Sarah with you:

Never Give Up!

Here is a priceless gem: Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach of blessed memory, one of the greatest storytellers that ever lived, tlls a story about a banker on the verge of bankruptcy who was saved by Rebbe Nachman of Breslev.

Now that the holidays are over, we are facing challenging times. But all we have to do is listen to our holy Rebbe Nachman, may his sacred memory illuminate our lives, and never give up! There is no such thing as despair for a person with emuna.

A bright Beam blessing to the Bell family of Ramat Bet Shemesh for their contribution to this post.

Rav Shalom, Singing and Smiling

Let's start the year off with a big smile - we can learn how to smile from my beloved teacher and spiritual guide Rabbi Shalom Arush, may Hashem bless him always.

A happy and healthy winter to everyone and a wonderful Shabbat!

The Barometer of Joy

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On Simchat Torah, we spend hours dancing with the Torah scrolls, both at night and during the following morning. We rejoice at our annual completion of reading the Torah, and during the same festival, we begin to read the Torah from the beginning once more. Surely, this is a joyous holiday; but why do we dance until our clothes are literally soaked and until we can barely stand up?

Rebbe Natan of Breslev writes (Sichot HaRan, 299), "It was my custom to see the Rebbe (Rebbe Nachman - LB) every year after Simchat Torah. He would always ask me if I truly rejoiced on the festival. Many times he told me how the community celebrated in his house and how much pleasure he derived from their joy. Once, the Rebbe spoke to me about Simchat Torah in the middle of the year. He asked me, 'Do you now feel joy in your heart? Do you feel this happiness at least once a year?' … The Rebbe very much wanted us to be joyous all year round, particularly on Simchat Torah… The Rebbe told me that once on Simchat Torah he was so overjoyed that he danced all by himself in his room."

We learn several amazing lessons from the above discourse. First, that Rebbe Nachman attributed tremendous importance to being joyous on Simchat Torah; second, that Rebbe Nachman was very concerned that his Chassidim were joyous on Simchat Torah and derived enormous gratification when they actually were; third, that Simchas Torah is the time to harvest happiness – "joy in the heart" – for the whole year; and fourth, Rebbe Nachman himself danced as an expression of his joy.

Two special occasions in Judaism are the best-known times for dancing – weddings and Simchat Torah. The two are strikingly similar: A wedding is the celebration of the newly-created bond between bride and groom; Simchat Torah is the celebration of the renewed bond between the Torah, the spiritual bride that's betrothed to the People of Israel, the groom. The more a bride and groom rejoice in one another, the more fervently they dance. Rebbe Nachman had lofty goals for Reb Nosson, his chief disciple. Rebbe Nachman wanted Reb Nosson to attain the level of perfect, unblemished love of Torah. Therefore, he would question Reb Nosson every year about the latter's degree of happiness on Simchat Torah, for clearly, the level of one's rejoicing on Simchat Torah is the barometer for one's true love of Torah, as we shall see in the following parable, with Hashem's loving grace:

Continue reading Barometer of Joy on this week's special edition of Breslev Israel web magazine for Simchat Torah

Welcome Home, Gilad!

With Hashem's loving grace, Gilad Shalit is free and now in Israel.

We pray to welcome home Jonathan Pollard in the nearest future too, amen.