Lazer Brody's Blog, page 340

Loving Your Fellow Human

Loving your fellow human is like a party - everyone brings something, and everyone has a good time. Everyone's a winner:

Ani Ma'amin: I Believe

My special friend Ari Goldwag, who in his younger days was the lead singer of the Miami Boys Choir, beautifully puts to music the first of the Rambam's 13 Principles of faith and the basis of the Jewish religion: "I believe with a full and complete belief that The Creator blessed be His Name is Creator and Director of all creations, and He alone did, does, and will do every deed." This is all you need to know to succeed in life. Have a wonderful Shabbat!

It's All for the Best

Political activism is worthless; it won't do a thing to save Judea, Samaria, or Jerusalem. Politicians can't stop Iran's nuclear ambitions or the Islamic Jihadi objectives. Torah, teshuva, and prayer can. If you don't believe in prayer, says my beloved teacher and spiritual guide Rav Shalom Arush, you don't believe in Hashem.

Let's not wait for more tribulations to bring us together in a new unity, rallying around emuna. The growing emuna alliance will flourish, G-d willing, and lead the way to the final redemption of our people, our homeland, and global peace. But, let's do it on our own initiative, without Hashem having to prod us like stubborn cows that won't move.

We don't yet have the entire picture. As humans, with flesh-and-blood eyes and brains, we don't understand everything that Hashem is doing right now in the Arab world and everywhere else around the globe. But we do know that he's doing everything for the very best.

Rav Elchonon Wasserman of saintly and martyred memory told the following parable:

Once a man who knew nothing at all about agriculture came to a farmer and asked to be taught about farming. The farmer took him to his field and asked him what he saw. "I see a beautiful piece of land, lush with grass, and pleasing to the eye." Then the visitor stood aghast while the farmer plowed under the grass and turned the beautiful green field into a mass of shallow brown ditches.

"Why did you ruin the field!" he demanded.

"Be patient. You will see," said the farmer.

The farmer then showed his guest a sackful of plump kernels of wheat and said, "Tell me what you see." The visitor described the nutritious, inviting grain, and then, once more watched in shock as the farmer ruined something beautiful. This time, he walked up and down the furrows and dropped kernels into the open ground wherever he went. Then he covered the kernels with clods of soil.

"Are you insane?" the man demanded. "First you destroyed the field and then you ruined the grain!"

"Be patient. You will see."

Time went by, and once more the farmer took his guest out to the field. Now they saw endless, straight rows of green stalks sprouting up from all the furrows. The visitor smiled broadly.

"I apologize. Now I understand what you were doing. You made the field more beautiful than ever. The art of farming is truly marvelous."

"No," said the farmer. "We are not done. You must still be patient."

More time went by and the stalks were fully grown. The farmer came with a sickle and chopped them all down as his visitor watched open-mouthed, seeing how the orderly field became an ugly scene of destruction. The farmer bound the fallen stalks into bundles and decorated the field with them. Later, he took the bundles to another area where he beat and crushed them until they became a mass of straw and loose kernels. Then he separated the kernels from the chaff and piled them up in a huge hill. Always he told his protesting visitor, "We are not done, you must be more patient."

The farmer came with his wagon and piled it high with grain, which he took to a mill. There, the beautiful grain was ground into formless, choking dust. The visitor complained again. "You have taken grain and transformed it into dirt!" Again, he was told to be patient.

The farmer put the dust into sacks and took it back home. He took some dust and mixed it with water while his guest marveled at the foolishness of making "whitish mud." Then the farmer fashioned the "mud" into the shape of a loaf. The visitor saw the perfectly formed loaf and smiled broadly, but his happiness did not last. The farmer kindled a fire in an oven and put the loaf into it.

"Now I know you are insane. After all that work, you burn what you have made."

The farmer looked at him and laughed. "Have I not told you to be patient?" Finally, the farmer opened the oven and took out a freshly baked bread, crisp and brown, with an aroma that made the visitor's mouth water. "Come," the farmer said. He led his guest to the kitchen table where he cut the bread and offered his now-pleased visitor a liberally buttered slice. "Now," the farmer said, "now you understand."

***********

Hashem is the Farmer and we are the uncomprehending visitors who do not begin to understand His ways or the outcome of His plan. Only when the process is complete and Redemption is a reality will the Jewish people know why all that transpired during this long and bitter exile had to happen. Until then, we must be patient and have faith that everything, even the destructive and painful, is a part of a Divine process that will produce ultimate goodness and beauty.

 

Weekly Emuna Live Broadcast

G-d willing, our weekly emuna lesson and live broadcast will take place today (Wednesday) at 6:00 PM local time from the Chut Shel Chessed Yeshiva, 56 Shivtei Yisrael Street, Jerusalem. Since the main study hall of the Yeshiva is being renovated, the shiur will be broadcast from the young-men's yeshiva across the street.

This week's lesson is entitled, "Creating a Soul." It's open to the public, both men and women are welcome. You can see today's lesson live right here at 10:00 AM Mexico and CST, 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.

Jerusalem: A Healthy Heart

A Ukranian peasant felt pain in his left arm. He went to his local village doctor, and the doctor gave him an ointment to rub on his arm. The peasant felt better for a day or two, but soon the pain returned even stronger than before. The peasant returned to the local village doctor, who referred him to a big specialist in Kiev. The peasant made the long journey to Kiev, and after much searching, finally located the specialist's address.

The peasant complained to the specialist about the fierce pain in his arm. The doctor took one look at the arm and told the peasant to take off his shirt. The bewildered peasant asked, "Doctor, why must I remove my shirt if my arm hurts?"

The doctor placed his stethoscope on the peasant's chest, smiled patiently, and answered, "I must examine your heart. What you feel in your arm is only radiated pain. The root of the pain is in your heart."

* * * * *

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 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. The root of the all our pain is in the heart of Judaism – Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple.

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?

My cherished brothers and sisters wherever you are - don't think that Jerusalem is the Israel's problem alone; it's just as much your problem too. You are limbs that extend from the same heart that is known as Yerushalayim and Bet HaMikdash. When we here at the Beams are crying out for Jerusalem and Moshiach, it's because our national cure depends on a healthy heart - Jerusalem and the full redemption of our people. 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. Let's start building...

Moshiach and Teshuva Time

The Talmud distinguishes between two types of Teshuva, or penitence. The first is teshuva me'yira, or penitence that results from the fear of punishment. This type of teshuva has the power to turn all of one's intended transgressions into the lighter form of accidental transgressions. Yet, such teshuva lacks the power to completely cleanse the soul.

The second type of teshuva is Teshuva me'ahava, or penitence that results from the love of G-d. A person awakens to such penitence as soon as he or she realizes the infinite goodness of G-d, and contemplates the thousands of favors He does for each of us every single hour. When you love someone, the last thing in the world you want to do is to cause them sorrow or disappointment. When we realize how terribly our misdeeds sadden Hashem, we "return", or repent out of sheer love. Such penitence has the power to turn willfull, premeditated transgressions into mitzvas, thereby completely cleansing the soul.

All of the political and geophysical upheavals in the world today are Hashem's high-volume wake-up calls. All of our spiritual leaders say that the Geula and Moshiach are imminent. Some, like Rabbi Nir Artzi, say that Moshiach is here already. At any rate, we must polish our spiritual buttons fast. Our souls must be blemish-free, like a Marine's dress uniform, to greet Moshiach. Teshuva me'ahava is the best way to cleanse a soul and make it shine. Teshuva today is not only important - it's urgent. So-called religious people have just as much work to do as secular people do. So let's not waste any time; in the end, eveyone will do teshuva. So why wait until the ballistic missiles, hurricanes, and more earthquakes make the ground tremble under our feet? Frightened people do teshuva from fear, which is much less cherished Above than teshuva from love.

The age of Moshiach is teshuva time; there's still time for teshuva with love.

By the way, it will be really embarassing if Moshiach gets here and you're not here to greet him. Emuna Outreach put together the following clip to fuel your longing for our beloved holy Land of Emuna. We're waiting for you:

The Emotional Beggar

Manny from Canada writes:

The other day, I lit a memorial (yahrtzeit) candle for my father, who passed away ten years ago. I really miss him, and at the moment, choked up with emotion and started crying. My wife saw me, and she started to ridicule me, saying, "What are you bawling about?" I just about lost it, but luckily, I didn't answer her. What does Hashem expect me to do with such a callous women? Am I not entitled to a single word of comfort or encouragement? I really need to hear your thoughts. Thanks for your attention and taking the time to read this.

You can read my answer to him in The Emotional Beggar, this week on Breslev Israel web magazine.

My beloved rabbi and spiritual guide Rav Shalom Arush shows how little problems can save big headaches in 500,000% Dividends.

Rivka Levy locks horns with The Hard Questions. Yehudit Levy asks if being tough on your children is Kindness or Cruelty? Racheli Reckles addresses people's misconception that run things in Out of Control. Gila David deals with old emotional baggage in Ice Breaker. Chaya Ovadia sees happiness as The Missing Piece in life. 

Dovber HaLevi introduces us to Joe Cool. Yehoshua Goldstein elaborates on Authority and Personal Example. Zeev Ballen tells us the story of Bert and the Beast.

The Prisoner is Part 56 of Warriors of Transcendence, by Rabbi Erez Moshe Doron.

This week's Torah Portion is Pekudei.

Purim is coming up fast. If you can't make up your mind what you want to give to that extra special person for Purim, Breslev Israel's online store has a load of wonderful suggestions of books, music, and gifts for Purim. Check 'em out...

Breslev Israel and the Beams wish you a wonderful week! 

 

2012: Fasten Your Seat Belts

Here's some food for thought in light of the lightning-fast changes in the world and in light of our posts this past week:

One thing is sure - it's time for teshuva. You don't want to put your head in the ground, especially when the ground is trembling.

Ari Goldwag: L'Olam Lo Eshkach

Here's something lovely to start off the new week:

Three Levels of Speech

This week's 51-minute emuna lesson speaks about current events and today's challenges. Don't miss Three Levels of Speech, and have a wonderful Shabbat!