Lazer Brody's Blog, page 6

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Welcome! You'll find health, happiness and Rabbi Lazer Brody at Strength and Serenity.

End of an Era, New Beginning

In this world, all things come to an end.

"Lazer Beams" has been on the web for over 14 years, since November of 2004. This blog, like everything else in life, has had amazing ups and downs. It's now time to move on...

Recently, hospitalized for six days with pneumonia and a pericardial infection that felt just like a heart attack, I had a great opportunity to take stock in myself and in where my life was going. I had to stop the sound of my own wheels from driving me crazy and had to get off the chinchilla wheel of 20-hour work days with no family or chill time. 

The great news is that I'm already stronger than before. Part of my recovery has been the half day that I learn Torah in the Melitzer Rebbe's kollel.

Today - Sunday, March 24, 2019, is my last day with Breslev Israel and the Chut Shel Chesed Institutions. I've retired as their English-language editor and spiritual dean. I no longer represent them and they no longer represent me in any capacity.

In now have my own plans, things that I love to do, at my own pace and with those whom I decide to work with. 

I don't know how many rabbis there are in the world who are also certified health coaches, fitness trainers and holistic nutritionists, but I am one of them. I want to help people live happier and healthier lives. My approach is holistic, which takes the entire body and soul into consideration when coaching people to good health - mentally, physically and emotionally. You're more than welcome to visit my new blog, Strength and Serenity, which is designed for everyone. Those who want personal and individual coaching are welcome to contact me to set up an appointment, by person or by phone. The new site will be revealed in its entirety at 12:01 AM on Monday, March 25, 2019.

Meanwhile, don't ever forget that your most priceless asset is the time you spend alone with your Creator. That will bring you to truth and inner peace.

Hoping to see you soon at Strength and Serenity and praying for you success and happiness,

Your friend always, Lazer

Horseshoes and Souls

People ask me why their lives are so difficult. Here's my answer:
It ain't easy, but it's all good. Be sure to tune in to the Beams this coming Sunday, because I hope, G-d willing, to share a dramatic (but all good) personal announcement with you. Meanwhile, G-d bless for a wonderful Shabbat!

A Practical Guide to Purim, 2019/5779

Here's everything you need to know about properly preparing for, observing and celebrating Purim this year, in a nutshell:

Fast of Esther 13 Adar, Wednesday, March 20, 2019

The fast starts before dawn and ends after dark, and entails no eating or drinking. There are special services at synagogue both morning and afternoon. The money saved by not eating should go to charity; the time, to Torah-study and mitzva-performance.

Purim 14 Adar (Wednesday Night - Thursday, March 20-21, 2019)

1. Megilla - Hear a public reading of the Scroll of Esther in the evening and again during the day.

2. Matanot L���evyonim - "Gifts for the Poor": Give money to at least two needy individuals.

3. Mishloach Manot: Send (via a third party) a gift of two or more kinds of ready-to-eat foods and/or drink to at least one friend (not a relative).

4. Se���udat Purim: Celebrate at a festive day-time meal with bread, good food, and plenty of red wine. The Talmud and Codes of Law instruct us to drink until we can no longer differentiate between "Blessed is Mordechai" and "Cursed is Haman"! (A few authorities opine that the minimum obligation is to drink only "a bit more than what one is used to". Looking ahead to Passover night, perhaps the quantity implied is 4 cups plus!).

5. Add "Al HaNissim" to the daily Standing Prayers and to the Blessings-After-Meals. (See daily prayerbook in the Thanksgiving/Modim section of the Standing Prayer.)

Shushan Purim 15 Adar (Friday, March 22, 2019)

Inhabitants of cities that were important enough to be surrounded by walls at the time of the Jews' entrance into the Holy Land at the time of Joshua celebrate Purim one day later than everyone else (see Esther 9:17-19). The prime example is that of Jerusalem. Be careful this year to complete all the mitzvoth of Purim, including the festive meal, well before sundown and the beginning of Shabbat.

Be sure to pass this post on to whoever needs it! Happy Purim preparations!

A Tata Bleibt a Tata: A Father is a Father

People are unhappy for two reasons only:

They forget that Hashem is their Father.
They forget that Hashem loves them infinitely and always has mercy on them, even when things seem otherwise.

Our dear friend "CME" (Chaim Meir Erps) wrote a beautiful song that has captured the Chassidic world. Last night I was at a wedding, and we danced for nearly a half hour to this song. It reminds us that Hashem is our father, and a father is always a father. Here is the song, delightfully sung by Mendy Weiss and his son Hershy (lyrics in transliteration and translation below, so you can follow along):

Here are the words, which begin by paraphrasing Psalm 103:13, and then continue in Yiddish:

Transliteration:

Krachem av al banim, ken terachem Hashem aleinu.

Vayil a tata bleibt a tata, er heat oif zeine kinder, a tata bleibt a tata allemol.

Translation:

As a father has mercy on his children, so Hashem will have mercy on us.

For a father is a father, he protects his children, a father always stays a father.

Original Hebrew and Yiddish:

�������� ���� ���� �������� ���� �������� ��' ����������.
���������� �� �������� ������������ �� ��������, ���� ������ �������� ���������� ������������,
�� �������� ������������ �� �������� ������������

Blessings for a wonderful Shabbat Zchor!

The Lethal Jokester

Shavua Tov! Before you feel like laughing or making a joke or pulling a prank, even on Purim, think about whether what you���re going to do or say will cause damage to anyone���

Parshat Pekudei: Taking Inventory

Why does the Torah devote a whole portion to making a thorough inventory of everything that went inside the holy Tabernacle? What relevance does this have to us today? Enjoy this week's mini-lesson and have a lovely Shabbat!

Moshe Rabbenu and NASA

All over the world - in the USA, in the UK and Europe, and even here in Israel, certain political elements are trying to force the Torah-observant population to dilute the Torah education of the cheders and yeshivas with secular studies. What's more, with the "teshuva" movement of today, many people are worried that their sons prefer Torah study in Yeshiva to the pursuit of "Hellenistic" intellectual disciplines in university. Be proud and happy, dear parents, and please don't worry anymore. Although many people who were born into the Torah world succumb to outside propaganda and pressure, thinking that people in the universities know something that our sages of the Talmud didn't know, they'd be well-advised to take a closer look. Here's why:

Hashem taught Moshe Rabbenu on Mount Sinai the secrets of the universe, including astronomy and astrophysics. NASA is over 3,300 years behind Moshe Rabbenu; thanks to their advanced technological equipment, they're only beginning to learn what Moshe Rabbenu knew way back then. And, Moshe Rabbenu didn't have satellites, astrophotography or atomic clocks - he didn't need them.

Let's compare NASA's latest billion-dollar research on the lunar cycle to what our sages in Talmud have known for the past thousands of years:

The Talmud states that the lunar cycle spans ���29.5 days and 793 fractions of an hour���. In Talmudic terms, the hour is divided into 1080 parts.

793/1080 = 0.734259 hours.

0.734259/24 = 0.03059 days.

29.5 days + 0.03059 days  =  29.53059 days for the moon to travel around Earth.

NASA Research concluded that the lunar cycle is 29.530588 days, two 1/1000ths of a second short of the Talmudic figure. More advanced research in Berlin came to a figure of 29.530589 days, only one thousandth of a second short of the Talmudic figure.

The Sinai tradition of the span of the lunar cycle is thus corroborated by figures reached via advanced satellites and atomic clocks.

Put down the astronomy book and start learning Tractate Rosh Hashana, the Rambam's laws of the new moon, and the Tiferet Yisroel's commentary on Mishnayot. If you're looking for a degree, go to university; if you're looking for wisdom, go to the Torah. 

The Lethal Jokester

We all know the type - the person that throws a rock at you and then says he was only joking; or how about the woman who humiliated you in front of all your friends and then says she didn't mean it...

Before you feel like laughing or making a joke or pulling a prank, even on Purim, think about whether what you���re going to do or say will cause damage to anyone. It's a more serious violation of Torah than eating pork, and Yom Kippur doesn't atone for it. 

You won't want to miss today's emuna lesson and live broadcast from Jerusalem entitled "The Lethal Jokester", which will take place, G-d willing, on the ground-floor main sanctuary of the Chut Shel Chessed Yeshiva on 13 Shmuel Hanavi Street in Jerusalem at 7 PM Israel time; the shiur is open to the public - both men and women are invited. You can see today's lesson here - the broadcast, as well as our lessons posted from now on - are Mac and iPod compatible. If you tune in too early to the live broadcast link, you'll be sent to the main page of the Breslev Israel website, so try to tune in on time.  If you are not able to view today's broadcast live, then G-d willing, you'll be able to see the video tape of it later this coming week on Lazer Beams. 

Photo of the Year - "Careful, my payis!"

 

This post is for all my cherished friends in the UK, especially you, DD...

Congratulations to Eurostar for winning the Beams' Adar, 5779 photo award.

By the way, don't forget to tell the barber to be careful not to chop your payis (sidelocks).

Keep smiling - Purim's only 2 weeks away...