Lazer Brody's Blog, page 325

Mad at the Rabbi, Glad for the Result

Dear Rabbi Brody,

I emailed you in December last year requesting your advice. I had been diagnosed with breast cancer and a mastectomy was scheduled within a few days. The chronology is a little fuzzy in my memory now.  The final email I received from you was something to the effect of "have the surgery and thank HaShem for your disease". 

Not exactly what I wanted to hear at that particular moment!  Not only was it, in my mind, cold and generic, how would it be humanly possible for me to be thankful for this horrible disease?  I was angry with you, threatened to boycott Lazer Beams, Breslev, and cancel my membership with Breslev Israel!  A day or so later, I mentioned to my friend Bill (also a reader of yours) that I had received a reply from you.  I had told him that I wrote to you.  I also told him the way I felt about your less-than-10-word response. 

Keep in mind that we had already read Garden of Emuna and listened to numerous of your emuna series lectures.  Bill reminded me that I had contacted you and I was obligated to follow your advice. He also reminded me that you answer tons of letters every day and that I was being a little selfish to expect a long wordy email. After all, you're the rabbi!  So I swallowed my indignation, pride, fear, etc., walked out in my backyard and began to pray.  I thought I would choke on the words, but, with tears streaming down my cheeks, I thanked HaShem for "the disease".  Instantly, the fear left me and I regained my "center", that being connected with G-d in a way I had not been since I got the diagnosis.  I was once again at peace in the core of my being. 

Soon thereafter I had the surgery and was never afraid.  Bill kept reminding me that G-d already knew the outcome and there was nothing to fear.  Several weeks later I met with my oncologist for the first time.  She wanted to submit my lab work to a hoity-toity lab in California for an oncotype test before deciding on a course of treatment for my cancer.  I had never heard of this before, but agreed.  Apparently it would indicate the likelihood of cancer recurring in my body.  I was still seeing my surgeon at this time, who I really liked, and he was also anxiously awaiting the outcome. 

When the results were in, I went to see the oncologist for her to interpret them to me.  My oncotype test score was 2.  She explained to me that that was extremely low and that I would need neither chemotherapy nor radiation!  I grinned, said Baruch HaShem, full well believing that this would be the case.  A day or so later I had an appointment with my surgeon and he further explained that he had never, in his years of practice specializing in breast cancer, seen a single digit score on an oncotype test.  He had seen some 12s or 14s, but never a 2! 

Needless to say, I had no angst or problem thanking HaShem for this turn of events and this is what I knew the outcome would be because I had followed your advice, thanked HaShem every day, and maintained my emuna even when it was difficult to do so.  Thus, my sincere gratitude to you for making me mad!  I truly am blessed to know you and I am honored to have met you in person last month.  We need help here in OKC and you hit the nail on the head in your talk.  Love and unity, which is what I was praying you would talk about as I was driving to the shul.  Funny how that works, huh? 

Shalom and best wishes, Dawn from Oklahoma

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, "How to Love" and hopefully, it will not only make you much happier, but it will help expedite the Geula. 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.

* * * * *

Tonight in Bat Ayin: Women in the Jerusalem - Beitar - Gush Etzion - Hevron area are cordially invited to our monthly Emuna lesson at the Midrashia in Bat Ayin, tonight July 20th at 8:15 PM. The title of tonight's talk is "Peaceful Redemption".

 

The Answer to Child Molesters

Five months ago, I was interviewed in New York City about the painful subject of child molesters and what to do about them. In the aftermath of the Leiby Kletzky ob"m tragedy, this interview is more timely than ever. You'll see and hear me declaring in a loud voice that anyone - rabbi or otherwise - who helps cover up a case of child molesting is an accomplice to the crime. From now on, may we only hear good tidings, amen!

Tonight Begins the Three Weeks

The first Holy Temple was destroyed because of idolatry and 70 Jubilee cycles that were not observed, both heinous transgressions in Judaism. The punishment - 70 years of exile.

The second Holy Temple was destroyed because of baseless intramural hate, apparently a much lesser transgression than idolatry and desecration of Sabbatical years. Yet, 2000 years have gone by and we're still in exile. When will we ever learn? Hashem despises arrogance; when one person or group thinks that he's better than anyone else, that's sufficient arrogance to perpetuate the exile. The result? Another Three Weeks of lamentations.

Hashem doesn't need the lamentations of the "frum," the ones who think they're "holier than thou" and allow themselves the luxury of condemning/hating/snobbing/boycotting other Jews. Thank G-d my beloved rabbi and teacher Rav Shalom Arush is a beacon of unconditional love and demands the same of his students.

Loving another Jew doesn't mean that you necessarily agree with his practices or philosophy in life. Loving the other person is a simple commandment of Torah that Hashem unconditionally requires of all of us.

Just remember - our sages in Tikkun Chatzot (Midnight Lamentations) say that every generation who failed to rebuild the Holy Temple is as if they destroyed it. Categorically, intramural hatred is not only perpetuating the exile, but is causing Hashem to use drastic measures to wake us up and to prod us to act like brothers toward each other.

There's something else that I am sure of: the tragic and untimely deaths of the Fogel family in Israel and little Leiby Kletzky in New York are high-volume wake up calls to make us come together. Enough of these wakeup calls! Spiritually, those who disdain others are dangerous to the public.

My very special friend Lipa Schmeltzer sent me the following clip, which reflects what we're all feeling on the 17th of Tammuz. Please, let us all commit to strengthening our ahavat Yisrael, so that there will be no more tragedies like that of Leiby Kletzky of sacred memory:

Land of the Deer

Summer should be a time of joy, when we recharge ourselves with new and greater energies. But suddenly, we're called upon to curtail our joy because the infamous Three Weeks have rolled around, and we feel deflated. The time between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av is the recurring period of national calamity that we could do without. But here's the good news: if we remember who we are and what we are, we can turn the Three Weeks into a meaningfully productive time for greater personal and spiritual growth. Here's how:

In Israel, there are two schools of thought. One is the material school, who sees Israel as a street-café extension of modern Europe or the USA, where one's only concerns are high-tech, making money, having a good time, and self. If one has to step on others or even sell parts of the homeland for a few years of ersatz quiet, then so be it. This is the wolf school of thought. We'll soon see where it takes us.

The other school of thought sees Israel through spiritual eyes, as our Divine inheritance and the hallowed homeland that is the most conducive place on the globe for learning emuna and fulfilling all of Hashem's commandments. Such a holy land, with its center in the Holy Temple and Jerusalem, is non-negotiable. This is the deer school of thought, and we'll soon see where it takes us...

Continue reading The Land of the Deer in this week's issue of Breslev Israel web magazine.

Also this week: 

Rabbi Shalom Arush - Why the Three Weeks?

Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Hacohen Kook - Two Paths to Purity

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach - So Pure, So Awesome

Rabbi Pinchas Winston - Caesaria and Jerusalem

Rabbi Binyomin Adilman - Between the Days of Distress

Rivka Levy - Nowhere to Run

Chaya Ovadia - Spider's Web

May Hashem turn the Three Weeks of lamentations into three weeks of Redemption, speedily, amen! Have a wonderful week and drive safely. 

 

Finding a Husband

Shalom Rabbi Brody,

I am in my early 30's, divorced with 3 children. I was offered 2 shidduchim whom I feel may not be observant enough for me. Both don't daven in minyan regularly.  It is very important to me that a man wakes up for shacharit. It's definitely because my ex never cared for it and caused a lot of strife between us. Also both don't have a rabbi that they are close with.

What do you think? Am I expecting too much?

Thanks so much, Feigie from the West Coast USA

Feigie, you're 100% right to demand that a person has a rabbi who serves as his spiritual guide. One who acts as his own rabbi has a fool for a student. Also, Rav Shalom always stresses the importance of a man getting out of bed early and praying with a public quorum of ten men. If the day starts early and bright, the entire day will continue so. Those who roll out of bed at late hours have no blessing for the rest of the day. You therefore are more than justified to want a man who is connected to an upright rabbi and spiritual guide. You are also justified in looking for a man that prays in a minyan. Such a person is easy to check out because you can ask his rabbi about him.

To make life easy,for you, follow 3 guidelines with no compromise:

1. Go for the good heart;

2. Look for a man with emuna. If he has a good heart, he'll be happy to strengthen himself in Emuna, because people with truly good hearts desire to get closer to Hashem.

3. If he hasn't already read The Garden of Peace, he must be willing to do so and to commit to upholding the advice therein.

Don't compromise on the above 3 points. Money and good looks don't stay with a person, but emuna and a good heart are assets for posterity. You are in my prayers for a great match in the nearest future. Blessings always, LB

Wings of a Dove

Join me in a 3-minute trip across the length and width of the USA - this is the pictorial diary of the places where we did personal prayer during our recent USA speaking tour. Yes, you can speak to Hashem in the USA too (only from Israel, it's a local call). Have a great Shabbat!

Little Leibby, of blessed memory

Rebbe Nachman warned us that the tests of emuna would be the most difficult right before Moshiach comes.

What could possibly be the rhyme or reason for the brutal and gruesome murder of a gentle little innocent and pure 9 year-old Chassidic boy with rosy white cheeks and silky black sidecurls? This is certainly beyond any realm of human compassion.

Meanwhile, another little Chassidic boy is missing in the Catskills. What's happening?

Although the two cases bear little in common, Little Leibby reminds me of the Fogel children, murdered mercilessly in their sleep by the lowest form of bloodthirsty subhuman beasts. Whoever murdered Little Leibby Kletzky was also a subhuman beast.

Our people are suffering sacrifices on both sides of the ocean. The Fogels and Little Leibby were and are unblemished sacrifices to atone for our sins. When flawless children die, it's time for national soul-searching and teshuva. The best thing we can do to prevent more sacrifices is to simultaneously return to Hashem and to His Torah, and to spread emuna as far and as wide as fast as we can. Let's show Hashem that we don't need any more wakeup calls.

The Beams and Breslev Israel convey our deepest heartfelt condolences to the Kletzky family. May they be comforted amongst the other mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

Back with Weekly Emuna Live Broadcast

Home, sweet home; we'll be back in Jerusalem this afternoon, G-d willing, with our weekly emuna lesson and live broadcast that 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, "Rebuilding the Soul" and hopefully, it will help be a spiritual elixir of rejuvenation for you. So if you're in the area, come on by. Today's lesson is our first since the week before Shavuot, after which we were in the USA and Europe on a month-long speaking tour.

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.

 

Blue Otter's Dream

"Blue Otter" is a Tennessee Cherokee. Together with Chief Sitting Owl of the Central Tennessee Cherokee Nation, he travelled nearly 200 miles to meet me in person for the first time and hear me speak in Memphis this past month. A few days later, Blue Otter sent me the following email:

Osyio, Rabbi Lazer!

That night after the lecture, as I was blissfully sleeping in the Chief's "luxury suite," (as he calls it, and I did find it to be very commodious)... I dreamed that wherever you go on earth, there is a square 7' x 7' patch of what looked like "rain" that constantly follows and covers you. That was an interesting dream! I know it's true...

Shalom, Gah gey you e,

Blue Otter

Blue Otter's dream is remarkable. The minimum size of a kosher Succa is 7 tefachim by 7 tefachim. Our sages tell us that this is the smallest area befitting for the "Clouds of Emuna" to hover (in the words of the Zohar, tzila demehaimnuta). May we all be worthy vessels of the Divine Presence, amen.