Lazer Brody's Blog, page 348

Getting off the Fiery Fence

 

The very first tenet of Rabbenu Nachman's teachings as presented in the first discourse of Likutei Moharan is that we must look for the intrinsic wisdom in every occurrence, for that way, we connect to Hashem. In other words, since everything comes from Hashem, then all events in our lives are Hashem's ways of communicating to us. By ignoring Hashem's messages via the stimuli of our daily lives, we become spiritually blind and deaf, Heaven forbid.

The three-year long drought in Israel and its horrific culmination that was manifest by the devastating Carmel fire should have triggered a process of national soul-searching, personal conclusions, and subsequent rectification of our misdeeds. Unfortunately, it did nothing more than cause partisan mudslinging and bureaucratic blame games. Except for those who personally lost their homes or a loved one, it's business as usual. That's scary. When a wake-up call at a given volume is insufficient, then the next wake-up call is even louder…

Although the fires no longer rage in Carmel and the drought has yielded to heavy gray cumulus clouds that bestowed their precious payloads on Israel's parched fields last week, the post-drought/fire situation is ominous. Israel's water supplies are nearly depleted. The newly forecast rains have again yielded to clear blue skies. And, as of today, our government's fire-fighting and civil-defense capabilities aren't any better than they were several weeks ago when the fires were still raging on Mount Carmel. Hashem is showing us that salvation can come only from Him.

Continue reading Getting off the Fiery Fence in this week's exciting issue of Breslev Israel web magazine.

Also featured this week: My beloved rabbi and spiritual guide Rav Shalom Arush, may Hashem bless him, writes about the Ninety-Minute Club.

This week's Torah portion is Shmot; don't miss Rabbi Pinchas Winston's modern-day elaboration entitled Roller Blades and Mezuzas.

No woman should go without reading Racheli Reckles's amazing article, Un-Hollywood Glamor.

Rivka Levy has us take our Battle Stations.

Our dear friend psychotherapist Dr. Zev Ballen writes about The Spiritual Solution for emotional health of the aged.

"Frum" isn't enough. Check out From Frum to Emuna by Michael and Shoshana Gros. 

DovBer HaLevi asks, What's the Rush?

The Master's Melody is part 46 of Rabbi Erez Moshe Doron's Warriors of Transcendence.

The Meeting is part 11 of Yaakov bar Nahman's Solomon's Trains.

Breslev Israel and the Beams wish you a wonderful week!

The Secret

Make yourself your favorite beverage, and take 48 minutes for a shot in the arm of emuna with this week's emuna lesson entitled, The Secret.

Rebbe Natan

Today, the 10th of Teveth, is the 166th Yahrtzeit of Rebbe Natan of Breslev, Rebbe Nachman's prime disciple, my hero and role model.

You Are Unique

Past Life, Present Gift

Yehudit Levy sent me a phenomenal email, which with her kind permission, I'm happy to share with you:

Dear Rabbi,

In one of your shiurim you said that we should never have any regrets, because Hashem gives us our "past lives" to use in our Avodat Hashem when we are lucky enough to return to Him. I was profoundly touched by this. Last week, I was given the wonderful gift of insight into how my history can help me today:

I was a talented pianist, and from a young age had to practise a lot. My mother, a prodigy herself, was very strict about the practising and I had to do two hours a day by the age of about 12, one hour in the morning, one hour at night. If I didn't practise in the morning, I had to do it all at night. SO I used to discipline myself to wake up at 5 (the whole house was still sleeping, no taskmaster at hand) so I could eat a leisurely breakfast and not hurry, and then practise from 6-7 and then leave for school. To be honest, much as I loved the piano, I hated this ritual but didn't dare abandon it. Now that I'm a mother, I often tell my husband how amazing it was that I did that, since I can see that it is pretty abnormal for a child to be so self-disciplined!!! And I attribute it to my absolute respect and (healthy) fear of my parents, and wish to give them nachas, not to disappoint them: another trait that is missing from most children today, mine included.

SO, the other day I was lamenting the fact that since my two babies were born in the last year, I have just not been able to get back into regular hitbodedut. I think you can see where this is heading... suddenly Hashem sent into my head the image of me practising piano as a child in a dark silent house: and then your words reverberated; and I knew with absolute certainty that the only reason I went through that trial was to come back to Hashem and say:

Hashem, if as a child I could drag myself out of bed every morning for years out of respect for my parents, then surely I can and must do the same for You! 

As an aside, even though I always thought my mother was sleeping, somehow she always heard me playing and would tell me in the afternoon how beautiful it was: maybe I can wishfully think that Hashem is thinking the same thing.... "Lo Yanum ve Lo Yishan"....

Thank you so much. One sentence healed me more than years of therapy ever could! Many blessings, Yehudit Levy

Nick's Story: Stop Complaining!

Our "Right to Life" week here at the Beams has been showing how many so-called "handicapped" individuals are umpteen times more productive than the millions of so-called "healthy" people that waste their time and their seeking bodily gratifications, contributing zilch to mankind.

There are amazingly heroic individuals with physical limitations. Let's remember them the next time we feel like complaining about anything. First, listen to our Stop Crying CD. Then, watch the clip below, all about Nick Vujicic - a guy that makes all the Rambos of the world look like wimps:

Important Notice - Rabbi Lazer's Shiur resumes today!

After our recent overseas speaking tour and Chanukah break, our weekly emuna lesson open to the public at the Chut Shel Chesed Yeshiva will resume today, Wednesday 6PM Israel time (11 AM EST), Shivtei Yisrael Street, Jerusalem. We hope to post a link to the video replay of the shiur by the end of the week, G-d willing.

Patrick

In continuation of our post yesterday, A Handicap, So What?, here's a really inspiring movie about an amazing young man named Patrick Henry Hughes who has a no less-amazing father. This is a must see. It is the type of media that makes me especially proud to be a graduate of Aish HaTora - they do wonderful things all over the world.

Now, stop and think how many doctors today would have virtually coerced Patrick's parents to abort him. Think how many lives Patrick has touched. Would the world be the same without him? No, it would be a lot colder and darker. Join us in the fight for life.

A Handicap - So What?

 

The concept of a master-race nation didn't start with Hitler; it goes back to ancient Sparta.

Sparta used to weed out the sickly and handicapped babies. They only let the strong survive. Guess what - neither Sparta, nor any other of those who aspired to be a master race, are around anymore. The joke's on them - they've disappeared into oblivion.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was a cripple and Mickey Mantle had severe osteomyelitis. Would anyone say that they didn't deserve to live? What about Helen Keller, Stevie Wonder, and Ray Charles? They were all blind! I don't think the USA would be the USA without any of these personalities. So who says that the pregnancy of a child with a birth defect should be terminated? Most of the time, the doctors are mistaken and there's no birth defect at all. And even if there is, with emuna, you know that if Hashem wants your child to be the future President of the United States, he or she will be, with or without a birth defect.

With emuna, a handicapped person realizes that he or she can't attain their soul correction in a healthy body. A handicapped person with emuna lives a happy and productive life. Oftentimes, the physically handicapped have fewer emotional hang-ups than so many emotionally handicapped people. So who's to decide that a person with two healthy legs is better than a person with crippled legs? Where do all these doctors get the right to send unborn babies into the white-collar gas chambers of abortion?

Continue reading A Handicap - So What? in this week's stimulating issue of Breslev Israel web magazine.

What would you answer if Rabbi Shalom Arush asked you, Got Emuna?

This week's Torah portion is Vayichi. Thanks to Rabbi Chanan Morrison, we can read what Rav Kook wrote about Revealing the End of Days. Rabbi Mordechai Kornfeld explains to us the notion of Torah of Peace.

You haven't heard of Spiritual science fiction? That's because you haven't been following Rabbi Erez Moshe Doron's gripping serial (now in book form), Warriors of Trancendence. This week's episode is An Initiation Discussion.

Those who think that the Jews of Europe were passive before World War II should read Yaacov bar Nahman's Revenge.

Michael and Shoshana Gros present us with the moving story of a emergency-room physician who finds out that his own son is critically injured and on the way to the hospital after a terrible car accident. A Cry from the Heart is a must-read.

If loving everything you do is a criterion of happiness, then Hashem has put me up at the top of the list - I truly love everything I do. One of the great things about being the editor of Breslev Israel's web magazine in English is our all-star staff of regular contributors. This week, Rivka Levy looks into Autistics, Prophets or Not?  Natalie Kovan has some wild Adventures in Teshuva that all of us BTs can relate to, and Rachali Reckles takes us on a voyage of Finding Spirituality in Judaism.

Breslev Israel and the Beams wish you a wonderful week!

500 Miles

Music is not only a great way to relax, but it's a wonderful way to express yourself too. Whenever we're together, Menachem Herman and I love to start the week out with a little happy and informal jamming, right after Havdala. Here's "500 Miles," an old Peter, Paul & Mary favorite. Have a wonderful week!

The Perfect Couple

My beloved wife Yehudit deserves the credit for everything Hashem enables me to do. She inspired the following two-minute clip - it gives us all a goal to shoot for. Have a wonderful Shabbat Vayigash and weekend. Don't ever be discouraged because Hashem loves you just the way you are. We do too.