Lazer Brody's Blog, page 346

Ted Williams' One Hour a Day with God

Ted Williams until a few days ago was a homeless panhandler with a great radiophonic voice. Yet, he'd spend an hour a day speaking to Hashem (see the video at 5:00). Look what Hashem did to him, overnight!

A bright Beam blessing to Yoss and to Reuven for the tipoff to this post.

Evil Speech: Like a Worm

Yehudit via Julie sent me the following thought after reading our Worm editorial on Breslev Israel:

"In the car this morning, I made an effort to do five minutes of hitbodedut (personal prayer - LB). I'd felt kind-of, well, yucky, for hearing different stories yesterday from different people about subject matter that would fit into the lashon hara (unwholesome speech - LB) spectrum. I was asking Hashem what it was about yesterday - and the two incidents - that I should be learning. Then it hit me. This morning, I realized my computer had been infected - attacked, really - by a virus, a worm, something unkosher in the hard drive. My computer was rendered useless.

"I put two and two together. Like viruses or worms, lashon hara slithers its way into your ear and lodges itself into your brain...and your soul. It proceeds to tempt you to slither it on to another person. I so wanted to share what I'd heard with my husband, but there were distractions with the kids and the phone and - well - I didn't get the chance.

"I realized I'd be better off not to discuss either stories with anyone. And so I killed the virus, the worm of lashon hara. And my husband did the same with my computer today. Now if only I had these lightbulb moments more often!"

The above thought really sinks in - like a worm... Thanks so much to Yehudit and Julie for these special thoughts.

Weekly Emuna Live Broadcast

G-d willing, our weekly emuna lesson will be broadcast live 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, "Spiritual Gravity" and is open to the public, both men and women are welcome. Don't miss it, because it's a spiritual survival course. You can see today's lesson live right here at 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.

Debt Collecting

Hi Rabbi Brody,

My husband is having a difficult time collecting money from one of his patients ($1,436) for over a year already. The man is a "frum" Jew but he keeps making excuses.  He acknowledges that the dental treatment my husband gave him was excellent, but he says he can't pay. We tried arranging a payment plan several times, but then he gets annoyed and avoids the issue.

We are aware that a civil small claims court would force him to pay, but we are also aware that Jewish Law requires us to settle such disputes in a Rabbinical Court (Beis Din). We'd rather not take him to Beis Din or send his debt to a collection agency. How do we convince him to pay us? We happen to know that the individual is not destitute, but is a man having some financial setbacks. Are we inconsiderate "villians" for wanting our honest, hard-earned money? What do you suggest we do?

Thank you, S from NYC

Dear S,

You and your husband are certainly not villains; indeed, you are righteous individuals worthy of praise. Simply by forgoing an easy victory in claims court in order to observe the law that requires us to settle disputes in a Court of Torah Law, you and your husband earn the title of tzaddikim. In my humble opinion, one's true level of faith is manifest by his or her financial dealings. Also, I know how easy it would be to turn to a strong-armed collection company; many a person in your situation would be happy to pay 25-35% in order to salvage what they could, not caring if and how the collection company twists the guy's arm. So now that we know you're not a villain, but on the contrary - a rightoeus Jew, I think you have one of 3 choices:

1. Call him and ask him what he prefers - Beis Din or payment arrangement. Tell him emphatically that if he refuses to commit to a payment schedule, the next call he gets will be a summons from the Beis Din. This is money you earned and you deserve to be paid.
2. Ask Hashem to handle this for you, since you are not interested in fighting with another Jew, knowing that Hashem will give you what you need and when you need it from whatever source He decides.
3. Write it off as maaser, forgive the Jew, and Hashem will forgive you of every spiritual debit you ever owed Him.

The choice you make depends on your spiritual level. All three are kosher choices. A person with less emuna may think that options #2 and #3 are incentives for further debt delinquencies, but a person with true high-level emuna knows otherwise. I don't know you well enough to suggest which option is best for you and your husband, but pick the option you can live with comfortably; don't fool yourselves. Blessings and all the very best, LB

The Empowered Woman

Husbands, your wife deserves a well-earned break, something to rejuvenate her soul and to refresh herself. You have a chance to give her a magnificent gift - 4 (optional, 6) days away from home with a great bunch of women for a retreat experience she'll never forget from March 3-6, 2011 in Uman, by the holy gravesite of our beloved Rebbe nachman of Breslev. Read all about it Uman Experience Women's Retreat here, or contact Shira Herman at Uman Experience for reservations and/or more details.

North America Tour Agenda, January 16-29, 2011

 

The Mighty Worm

 

Until quite recently, I never understood the full implication of the prophet's famous saying (Isaiah 41:14), "Do not fear, worm of Jacob; masses of Israel, it is I who has helped you, the word of God, your Redeemer."

It's amazing how Time, Newsweek, and the CNN look at the news with no spiritual awareness whatsoever. The above quote should have been the banner headline of 2010, for it's the secret that underlies this past year's most earth-shaking events, especially Stuxnet and WikiLeaks, the two hottest names in the news.

"Worm of Jacob?" At first glance, Isaiah's metaphor seems strange. Why compare Israel to a worm? Isaiah was one of our greatest prophets. He foresaw everything. Didn't he see our modern IDF fighter squadrons? Didn't he see our hi-tech capabilities? Didn't he see the Mossad's surgical-precision striking capabilities, our sophisticated unmanned planes and our nuclear reactors?

You can be assured that he did.

Continue reading The Mighty Worm in this week's lively issue of Breslev Israel web magazine.

Rabbi Shalom Arush asks, Is Hashem Fair, or Not?

Racheli Reckles writes about The Gift of Gratitude. Rivka Levy advises us to get off the fence and Just Do It. DovBer Halevi saws some things are cool, but then there's the Eternally Cool. It's not even Tu B'Shvat yet, but Yehudit Levy wants to know how Haman is Back Already. Chaya Ovadia takes us on a Return to Gan Eden.

In our series section, Pitched Battle is Part 48 of Rabbi Erez Moshe Doron's Warriors of Transcendence, and In the Austrian Army is part 13 of Solomon's Trains.

This weeks Torah portion is Bo. Have a wonderful week!

Let Our Pollard Go!

Unlikely Messenger

Today's lesson helps us realize our potential and our own special mission. If a frog can do it...

If you have any difficulty seeing the above video viewer, click here. Have a wonderful weekend and please drive safely.

Parshat Va'era: Hashem's Lesson of Gratitude

If you have trouble seeing the above screen, click here to see today's 14-minute lesson. Have a wonderful Shabbat!