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!