Lazer Brody's Blog, page 319
September 10, 2011
Egyptian Rioters Storm Israeli Embassy in Cairo
An unbelievable drama of pikuach nefesh (Hebrew for "saving life"; one is allowed to violate the Sabbath in order to save a life) took place in Cairo, Egypt while the rest of us were sitting peacefully at our Shabbat table or fast asleep already.
Late Friday afternoon, when the frenzied Moslem mobs poured out of the mosques after being fired up with from the venom of the Jew-hating Qadis, hundreds - which qickly swelled to thousands - gathered at the concrete retaining wall in front of the Israeli Embassy in Cairo. For about 7 hours, the Egyptian police stood by and did nothing. In the following video, you'll see how the crowd breaches the wall with no intervention by Egyptian police at all.
Israel had to make a bold and quick decision: It send an emergency IAF plane to evacuate Ambassador to Egypt Yitzhak Levanon, some 80 diplomats and their dependents, who were transferred to Cairo airport in a secret operation, under tight security. The plane landed safely in Israel early Shabbat morning. But the drama wasn't over.
Six security guards and embassy staff were stranded in the embassy, which was already breached on the lower floors by the rioters. Israel asked the USA to intervene, and following a frantic USA phone call to Egypt, an Egyptian commando successfully evacuated the remaining six, who were flown to Israel in a second emergency flight which landed in Israel a few hours after the first flight.
Thank G-d not a single Israeli was hurt. The fact that the embassy staff and families are home safely in Israel is a major miracle.
This event is less than one week after the Israeli ambassador and staff were expelled from Turkey.
For some time now, Islamic extremists have controlled Sinai. Now it seems that they are gaining control of Cairo too.
Many people scoffed when I wrote on Thursday that Rav Shalom Arush shlit'a warns of imminent conflict if we don't all start crying out to Hashem. Take another look at the above-posted video of our frenzied neighbors. What will the Israeli government do if millions of them decide to march on our borders on September 20? We had better start taking things seriously. Exactly 10 years ago, on September 11, 2001, Hashem gave a wake-up call to our brothers and sisters in the USA to start taking things seriously; unfortunately, few did. After the smoke and the debris settled at Ground Zero, it was business as usual. In Israel, it is no longer business as usual. Our neighbors' noose is closing around our necks. It's time to wake up, for who knows how loud the next wakeup call will be.
September 8, 2011
Rosh Hashana: The Pivotal Point
Yesterday (Thursday), my beloved rabbi and spiritual guide Rosh Yeshivat "Chut Shel Chessed" Rav Shalom Arush shlit'a interrupted studies at our yeshiva and took the entire student body out to the field for a 6-hour personal prayer session. The Rav, may Hashem bless him and give him good health and length of days, instructed our young men to pray for a mitigation of all stern judgments and at least a delay of stern-judgment implementation until after Rosh Hashana. Rav Shalom said that if the war starts before Rosh Hashana, we might not be able to fly to Uman for Rosh Hashana. But, if the war is delayed, and if we do succeed in spending Rosh Hashana by the holy gravesite of Rabbenu Nachman, then there will be an amazing "sweetening" of harsh judgments.
In the meanwhile, Rav Shalom instructed us to pray that our enemies direct their fury at one another and not at us, so that their war effort will fizzle. Every Jew who does teshuva and starts talking to Hashem for an hour a day can help such a scenario come true, where Hamas and the Fatah return to their old feud, or else the age-old hate between Shiites and Sunnis is rekindled, leaving them no time to fool around with us.
Let's apply the prayer pressure now and hopefully laugh later. If you're a Jew outside the borders of Israel, don't think that you're exempt from prayer and teshuva. The harsh decrees apply to the Jewish people worldwide. There's no more time for spiritual slumber. May we all hear good tidings soon, amen. Shabbat Shalom!
Rav Berland: We Are There!
My special friend and the hot red pepper of the Jewish blogosphere, Reb Nati of Mystical Paths. met Rav Lazer Berland shlit'a earlier today. Here's what Reb Nati writes:
Dear Rabbi Lazer,
I spoke personally to Rav Lazer Berland shilta – he confirms what Rav Shalom Arush says - WE ARE THERE!
So if we are there what are we to do? We need only to listen to the words of the sages and keep our eyes in the holy texts and to do what he sages told us.
Emunah is our spiritual immunity…It protects us from spiritual disease. Just like a virus breaks down our immune system so does the negative mida Arrogance.
Arrogance leads to Emunah Deficiency Syndrome, It is our very own ego centric self-reliant attitude that is the leading cause of our suffering in our world today.
We struggle against this daily, but know! This is an eternal struggle. From the time of Yaakov and Esav. And it is these very midot that keep us in Galus today. Arrogance, Rebellion, and Heresy.
These three negative midot are the source of the evil inclination, and feed the kilpot of Esav, Yishmael and Erev Rav. Which are the source of our Galus. These midot are what we come to repair during the days of repentance.
But mainly the mida of Arrogance.
For we know that it was on Rosh Hashanah that Yaakov battled the angel of Esav. "This encounter was on, the eternal days of atonement "for days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are days of the great war between Yaakov and Esav." i.e. Humility vs. Arrogance.
The Holy Zohar parshat mishpatim tells us that the angel of Esav comes every year to accuse Yaakov in this eternal court case on Rosh Hashanah. He accuses us of not being brotherly. And Yaakov is an aspect of all of Am Yisrael. "He provokes the 'Midat of Din' against us." For on the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Yisrael is involved in the Great War against Amalek and it is only by the strength of the Tzaddik Ha Emes, who is an aspect of Moshe Rabbenu that we can win this war. Likutey halchot
And because the main aspect of T'Shuvah is in overcoming the 'mida of Esav' which is arrogance.
The sages teach us that it is only Esav who can destroy us. i.e. his mida. That of arrogance, it is the most destructive of all forces and is the root to all sins.
And the main T'Shuvah is emulating the mida of humility which is an aspect of Moshe our teacher. Moshe was the complete opposite of Esav. Esav ha Rasha and Moshe ha Tzaddik. HaShem says that "He and the arrogant one cannot exist in the same world", thus HaShem leaves. Oy!
Prayer is an aspect of T'Shuvah as it takes a breaking of one's will to be able to pray.
And it is only through prayer and the breaking of one's will that we are able to draw closer to HaShem.
There exists in the world today an insanity which is produced by arrogance. For it is impossible to be arrogant and not be insane. The arrogant one say's "I, will do it!" He leaves out any possibility of Hashem's involvement. FOOL!
It is as if we are saying to HaShem move over I'm sitting down on Your Throne and running my world! "Leave me alone!" OY! Gevalt!!
And this very act is Heresy… Idol worship at its best "I am now god!"
What a terrible situation to find ourselves in, separated from our source, from all our blessing, from our life force. OY!!!
It is most unfortunate that the majority of the world today suffers from this heresy induced insanity.
Most today live in a Heresy induced dream world of thinking we are in control, sole rules of 'our' worlds.
What a lie! It is none other than the serpent himself who puts this vain thought into our minds.
BUT THERE IS HOPE!
There is a cure for H.I.I. Heresy Induced Insanity. This is a symptom of E.D.S Emunah Deficiency Syndrome.
It is humbling ourselves and opening up our mouths and crying out to HaShem in prayer!
This is exactly what our soul's needs to overcome E.D.S and avoid H.I.I.
Only by prayer can we draw close to HaShem which in Turn defeats Esav and his evil middot.
On the very day that we overcome our Arrogance we will have the Geula and the restoration of the Beis HaMikdash. Then we can be Yisrael!
What are we waiting for?
Hashem said "Return to me and I will return to you".
A big hug, and looking forward to seeing you in Uman on Rosh Hashana, with wishes for a miraculous emuna-filled New Year 5772, Nati
September 7, 2011
Is Israel on the Brink of War?
Back in Rosh Hashana eve of 1973, Moshe Dayan and Golda Meir reassured a complacent Israeli public still drunk from the miraculous 1967 Six-Day War victory, "We've never been stronger! The Arabs wouldn't dream of attacking." On Yom Kippur of 1973, Syria and Egypt launched a two-prong surprise attack that brought Israel to its knees. Moshe Dayan was the first one to have a panic attack. Hashem saved us by a bigger miracle than 1967. Those of us who fought in that war can testify first hand.
Exactly 38 years later, we are in the same exact position. Only this time, the Arab noose is umpteen times more dangerous. Iran will have an A-bomb any day now. Al Qaida has taken over Sinai and our once quiet border with Egypt is now a powder keg. Turkey, our newest (old) enemy, i moving ships into our side of the Mediterranean. Hamas in Gaza has dangerous new Iranian and Libyan weapons, including bunker busters. Syria and Hizbulla have the nastiest chemical warheads, something beyond Satan's imagination.
One honest IDF commander - Home Front Command chief Maj. Gen. Eyal Eisenberg - said we must prepare for imminent war. Defense Minister Barak and company say that Eisenberg is exaggerating. Minister Yaalon is now joining the bandwagon of complacency too, saying, "No war in sight." These politicians are spiritually deaf and blind, hearing none of Hashem's wakeup calls.
My beloved teacher and spiritual guide, Rav Shalom Arush shlit'a, called me urgently to come see him today - he rarely does that, for we usually meet at regular intervals. He told me that his spiritual guide - the holy hidden Kabbalist Rabbi Yehuda Zev Leibowitz of saintly memory - came to him in a dream last night and said that in Heaven, all-out war against Israel has been decreed, a war which is supposed to break out before Rosh Hashana, in other words, within the next 3 weeks.
But, don't be afraid. Hashem does love us and wants to be with us. But, we must be worthy of the Divine Presence. Rav Shalom told me that every single Jew must begin doing serious teshuva and self-assessment while begging Hashem to delay this harsh decree. I asked Rav Shalom, "Why pray for a delay? Why not pray for a total cancellation?" Rav Shalom said the delay is to allow more people to make teshuva. A cancellation is almost impossible, because it's part of Hashem's plan to bring Moshiach, in the nearest future. Once Moshiach comes, teshuva will be worthless. Today, teshuva is still worth it's weight in diamonds. But time is running out super-fast.
I know that this post may earn me the status of the village idiot. But it's worth it if even one family heeds me. There is little time left. Forget about the new furniture and the new jewelry. We must all raise our voices in such a manner that the Heavenly Throne shudders. This is Nineveh 2011. Please, if you love your spouse and your children, start speaking to Hashem for an hour a day. Personal prayer invokes phenomenal Divine compassion, because it's a strong expression of emuna. Rav Shalom says, if you believe in Hashem, you speak to Him. If you don't believe in Him, then you don't speak. Let's all start speaking before it's too late.
Rebuilding the Idols? Not this time...
As a result of the rare earthquake in Washington, DC two weeks ago, Hashem toppled the spires of the National Cathedral, built on DC's highest hill and one the biggest churches in the world. The Atlantic Wire brings some amazing images of the damage that it received from the National Cathedral itself. Here is one of them, evidence at what the sages tell us that when Hashem is about to bring down a regime (as in Pharaoh's Egypt), He first destroys their idols:
Above image courtesy of National Cathedral via Atlantic Wire.
Hold on, the story's not yet over. Earlier today, a 500-foot crane was dispatched to repair the damage. As it began to work, massive thunderstorms hit the Washington, DC are unloading 6" (150 mm - a third of Ashdod's annual rainfall!) in a few short hours. The crane fell in the muddy ground that gave way, damaging two buildings and several vehicles, as seen in the image below, courtesy of AP via The Washington Post.
How often do you hear about a 500-foot crane falling over backwards? And how often do you hear about 6 inches of rain in two hours? No, we are very close to Moshiach, and Hashem is not letting anyone ignore His messages any longer. Coincidence? No. It's time for the whole world to come back to Hashem. The amusement park days are over.
A big beams blessing to brother ZZ in DC for the tipoff of this story.
September 6, 2011
Weekly Emuna Live Broadcast
G-d willing, with our weekly emuna lesson and live broadcast will take place today (Wednesday) at 6:00 PM local time at the Chut Shel Chessed Yeshiva, 56 Shivtei Yisrael Street, Jerusalem.
This week's lesson is entitled, "Above Time" and it's a guide for making the most out of Elul as well as weathering the challenging times that face us. 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 8 AM in LA and the West Coast, 9 AM Denver, 10:00 AM Mexico and CDT, 11:00 AM EDT, 4:00 PM in the UK, or 6:00 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.
September 21st: What Did Rav Shalom Really Say?
Our email boxes are currently flooded with dozens of emails asking to confirm a chain email that summarizes what my beloved rabbi and spiritual guide Rav Shalom Arush shlit'a said in a talk to our Yeshiva student body yesterday.
Most of the email which appears below in italics is accurate. I have colored the inaccurate portion in red, followed by what the Rav shlit'a really said in green, as follows:
Rabbi Shalom Arush is the Rosh Yeshiva (Head of the Yeshiva) of Chut Shel Chessed, and author of several books. His most well-known book, the Garden of Emuna, has sold well over one million copies, and is printed in 8 different languages. Rabbi Arush is widely respected as one of Israel's foremost religious leaders. People come to him from around the world for blessings, and he is well known to have many miraculous salvations (cures
from severe health problems etc..) to his name.
Rabbi Arush gave his weekly address to the Yeshiva yesterday, and said as follows:
- He has been informed by one of the Zadikim Nistarim (hidden zadik) [who he has known for many years], that the 'Gates of Tshuva' are closing soon [ie, there will be no more Tshuva – repentance/returning to Hashem - after that date]. The Rav shlit'a said that Moshiach will be here soon; once Moshiach arrives, the gates of teshuva will be closed, so now is the time to make teshuva. The Rav did not say that the gates of teshuva will be closed on September 21 or on any other specific date.
- There is a terrible decree in Shamayim [heaven] that [chas ve'shalom] on 21st Ellul [20th September 2011] six Arab nations plan to send up to 3 million Arabs to march on Jerusalem, un-armed.
- [This might not sound particularly terrible, seeing as they are un-armed. However, Rav Arush stressed that we do not understand how terrible this decree will be and that we must all pray for it to be rescinded.]
- Rav Arush is taking the message from the Zadik Nistar very seriously, despite the fact the many other of our religious leaders are not taking this seriously. He told the Yeshiva that he personally called up non-religious family members and asked them to please start keeping Shabbat, and to put on Tefillin and keep any other mitzvahs they can. Now may be the last time that a person will be able to do Tshuva and return to Hashem. No one knows when time will run out, so teshuva can be delayed no longer.
- Rav Arush then made immediate changes to the Yeshiva. He has changed the normal learning schedule so that instead of learning from 1pm – 5pm, all students at the Yeshiva are to go out at this time to distribute Torah literature, CD's and books...
For months now, we've been calling on everyone to strengthen ourselves in emuna and teshuva. Hashem's global wakeup calls have included missile barrages, tragic murders, earthquakes, floods, and a killer hurricane. Now, Egypt is about to be taken over by radical Islamis, the Sinai border is hostile, Turkey is aligning with Iran and Hamas and Iran against Israel, and Syria and Hizbulla are itching to use chemical warheads against us. What more do we need to make teshuva? No one seems to get the message. But, those few families who strengthen themselves in true emuna and teshuva will see miracles and salvation, speedily, amen!
September 5, 2011
Longing for Shilo
Nothing makes one's soul feel so good as connecting to Hashem. The holy places in our beloved holy Land of Israel are most conducive for connecting to Hashem, therefore the soul feels wonderful there and yearns for more and more Divine Light. In such places, my flute plays a melody that seems to permeate the atmosphere. Join me on a visit to Shilo, in the hill country of Ephraim, the site of our Holy Tabernacle (mishkan) before it was moved to Har HaBayit in Jerusalem.

September 4, 2011
The Tarfon Shtiebel Miracle
The Gemara in Tractate Ketubot calls the Land of Israel, "The Land of Emuna." Emuna is above the limitations of nature. Miracles are too. In that respect, you could nickname Israel, "The Land of Miracles. Those of us in the south of Israel know how very true that is. In our land of emuna and miracles, you see Hashem's fingerprints all over the place.
In the aftermath of the recent terrorist attacks north of Eilat on Thursday, August 18, 2011, Israel retaliated by bombing the Palestinian Resistance Committee (PRC) headquarters in Rafah and by targeting the perpetrators of the attacks which left 8 Israelis dead and over 40 wounded. The terrorists countered with missile barrages against Israel's main southern cities – Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Beer Sheva – as well as mortar and Kassam rocket attacks against the kibbutzim and moshavim in the vicinity of Gaza.
Aftermath of a GRAD missile that didn't even explode – Rebbe Tarfon Shtiebel, Ashdod, 2011 – image courtesy of Emuna Outreach
The residents of Ashdod received a wake-up call, courtesy of the Gazan terrorists – Hamas, PRC, and the Jihad Islami – the next morning, Friday, August 19, 2011, at 5:45 AM. A pair of GRAD missiles exploded in an open area right outside the city. At 7:45 AM, the Red Alert siren again went off, followed by 2 thundering crashes forty seconds later. One missile crashed and exploded right outside the "Lev Simcha" Gur Yeshiva in Rova Zayin (seventh canton), Ashdod's largest religious neighborhood. Miraculously, no one was hurt. But, when the young men of the Yeshiva thought that all was clear, they went outside. A second missile struck then and there. Cars parked nearby were totally destroyed. Ten people suffered shrapnel wounds, but amazingly, no one was killed.
Then the big miracle happened...
Continue reading the Tarfon Shtiebel Miracle in this week's stimulating issue of Breslev Israel web magazine.
Also this week:
Rabbi Shalom Arush: Craving the Right Thing
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Hacohen Cook: Miriam's Punishment
Rabbi Nissan Dovid Kivak: Don't Be Fooled
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach: Humble Chutzpa
Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh: 13 Principles of Faith
Rivka Levy: An End to Plastic Purchasing
Zev Ballen: Cognitive Dissonance
Yael Karni: The Tooth Fairy
Dovber Halevi: Eternally Employed
Be careful driving in the USA's Labor-Day weekend traffic, and have a safe and joyous week!
September 3, 2011
Kisufim sings Selichot
Our Sephardi Jewish brothers have already started saying Selichot - forgiveness prayers before daybreak - which continue the whole month of Elul and then in Tishrei until Yom Kippur. Here are my very special friends, the Kisufim trio (Mordechai, Moshe, and Aviel from Tekoa in the Judean desert), singing Selichot in Sephardi style. Enjoy, and have a great week!

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