Lazer Brody's Blog, page 323

A Message from Shilo

This message, especially for Tisha B'Av, was filmed recently in the hill country of Ephraim north of Bet El. This is the site of our Holy Tabernacle in Shilo, where our people made holy sacrifice offering before the First Holy Temple was built.

Blessings for an easy fast and good tidings soon, amen!

Zero Hour

Tisha B'Av should be giving us a broken heart, not leading us to sadness and depression. Whereas the former comes from holiness, the latter comes from the dark side. But we must listen to Hashem's message, for there's little time left...

Righteous Warriors

During my visit to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, I asked Major Jimmy W., head US Army chaplain there, what started his spiritual rethinking.
 
"The Garden of Emuna," he answered emphatically. "Rabbi Arush's teachings about having your own intimate relationship with G-d brought me to reevaluate everything I've been taught from childhood and Divinity School on up. So I tried personal prayer; today I can't live without it. As a result, I left Christianity and became a Noahide."

Wow... we're talking about the chaplain that's in charge of the spiritual welfare of 25,000 US troops...

I then asked Major Jimmy about the cross on his uniform – his chaplain's insignia.
 
"I put in a formal request to my superiors, asking to remove the cross. But since I'm neither a Jewish nor an Islamic chaplain, I can't wear their emblems. Also, since the Noahide movement has not yet been recognized by the US Military, we have no symbol. At any rate, I'll be retiring from the military in a few months, so I won't be wearing the cross anymore anyway."
 
Imagine how much courage it required for the head military chaplain of a major US Army base to request that the cross be removed from his uniform…

Continue reading Righteous Warriors in this week's stimulating issue of Breslev Israel web magazine.

Also featured this week:

Rav Shalom Arush: Aspirations, Spice of Life

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach: Yerushalayim

Zev Ballen: Jerusalem Forever

Rabbi Baruch Gartner: Commanded Love

Racheli Reckles: Silent Heroes

Yehudit Levy: Kindergarten Emuna

Rivka Levy: Pivotal Moments

Yael Karni: Together, But Apart

Dovber Halevy: Global Tumult

Here's hoping that Moshiach will come today and that the fast of Tisha B'Av will be cancelled on the spot! 

The Beams and Breslev Israel send our heartfelt condolences to the families of the elite US Navy SEALS who were killed in Afghanistan earlier this weekend. 

Tonight in Efrat

Attention Jerusalem, Bet Shemesh, Gush Etzion and Hevron: G-d willing, we'll be giving an emuna lesson in Efrat tonight entitled, "Rebuilding Your Mini-Temple". The shiur is all about marital peace, and designed for men and women. It will take place at Beit Keneset Zayit Raanan, Givat Hazayit, Efrat. 8pm maariv followed by the shiur. If you need directions, contact Eitan Ashman, 0525421155.

A Home for Hashem

There isn't a single one of us who doesn't have a problem that hurts - some have health problems, others have financial difficulties, many have marital issues, quite a few have grief from their children. Some couples don't have children at all, and still others long to find their soulmate and are lonely in the meanwhile. If I haven't alluded to your particular problem, simply fill in the blank. We all have our ills, whether physical, emotional, spiritual, or interpersonal.

Most of us think that an "ointment" of a raise in salary, a new toy, a night on the town or relief of our localized problem will end our ills. Wrong. The root of all our ills is Jerusalem - the lack of our Holy Temple and the Divine Presence within our midst.

We sorely need the tamidim, the daily sacrifices on the altar, and especially the monthly se'ir chata'at, the sin offering that atones for all of Israel. We don't realize how badly are souls have withered, for we've never heard the sublime melodies (in this reincarnation) of 24-part Levite harmony or the magical strains of a Levite's flute and harp – one song or prayer in the Beit HaMikdash would be enough to send our souls in orbit, leaving the disgust of the gross material world that so many of are attached to.

Like those born in caves that have never seen the light, we don't know what we're missing.

Since Jerusalem is the heart of the Jewish people, we have an acute national cardiac ailment. The root of the all our pain is in the heart of Judaism – Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple. Hashem wants us to wake up before 9th of Av – this Monday night and Tuesday - to ponder the meaning of the Holy Temple's destruction, not merely from a historical perspective, but from a very pragmatic contemporary perspective as well.

When we think about all that's lacking in our lives a Torah-observant people - High Priest, the sacrifices, the Levites, mitzvoth that can only be performed in the context of the Holy Temple, the Sanhedrin, true spiritual purity and true spirituality – only then do we begin to lament the Temple's destruction with any semblance of sincerity.  But rather than crying out to Hashem, we are tacitly agreeing to the dissection and ultimate surrender of Jerusalem, the heart of the Jewish people. Have we asked Hashem even once to prevent the dissection of Jerusalem? Or are we more concerned about our new ceramic floor in the bathroom? We want new furniture and a remodeled kitchen, but are we aware that Hashem's Divine Presence is homeless? Isn't it time we built a home for Hashem?

With the Divine Presence within our midst, there is a limitless blessing of abundance for health, happiness, and everything we need. Our sages say that if we don't rebuild Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash in our generation, it's as if we destroyed it, Heaven forbid. Raise your voice now – skyward. Hashem is listening. Redemption could be no more than a heartbeat away. Your prayers could tip the scales for Moshiach and the full redemption of our people, and maybe we won't have to fast this week, amen.

Emuna Down the Hatch

We need Moshiach super fast.

While Hamas is busy renewing missile attacks on the south of Israel today, the IDF top brass reacts by removing Hashem's name from the army Yizkor prayer. 

If the IDF top brass is kicking Hashem out of the front door, then Emuna Outreach will not let up in continuing to bring Hashem through the back door; better yet, we're trying our best to bring emuna right down the hatch of every tank and ATC on the Gaza border.

Above - Emuna books that have been stashed in the hold of an IDF armored troop carrier; emuna right down the hatch!

Earlier this week, I spent the day with a platoon of Golani soldiers on the Gaza border. Next week, G-d willing, we'll be featuring a full-length article with film clip on Breslev Israel Magazine, but in the meanwhile, here are a few glimpses:

Above - Gaza border patrol

Above - An Emuna briefing with Rabbi Lazer

Rabbi Lazer and Golani on the Gaza Border

Photography by David Bader and courtesy of Emuna Outreach

Have a great Shabbat! Don't forget to spread Ahavat Yisrael - say "Shabbat Shalom" to others with a big smile on your face.

Got Emuna?

The following clip is from Yosef Shidler's interview of me in NYC several months ago. People know the laws of muktza, but do they know the principles of emuna?

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, "Zero Hour" and it's one that you don't want to miss. 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.

Ad Ana: How long will we mourn?

The Search

Today's emuna lesson will help you find the true tzaddik.