Creating Angels

According to Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, we create an angel whenever we do any cleaning for Pesach.

The following is written by R' Tal Moshe Zwecker

Once, when the Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch was traveling through Berditchev, he saw a group of elderly Tolna chassidim carrying buckets of water and scrubbing the walls and floor of a little shul in preparation for a visit from their Rebbe the following day.

When the Rebbe asked them why they were doing all the work themselves instead of letting the younger chassidim help them, they answered, "We are doing this ourselves because we want to have healthy angels to assist the advocating angels who come out of the tekios, the blasts of the shofar."

"You know the Yehi Ratzon that is said after the tekios of Rosh HaShanah — the one that mentions 'the angels that are formed from the blowing of the shofar, and from the tekia, the shevarim, the teruah, and the tekiah, (kshr"k),' [the identifying letters of the Hebrew words that signify the various sounds of the shofar]?

Well, one Rosh HaShanah the holy Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev said: 'Sweet Father, compassionate Father! Just in case the angels that proceed from the shofar that Levi Yitzchak the son of Sarah Sasha has just blown are weak angels, let their place be taken by the holy, healthy angels that were created by the toil of Your people in preparation for Passover, as they cleaned their kitchen utensils in order to fulfill their mitzvah as perfectly as possible:

kratzen (scouring), shobben (scraping), rieben (rubbing), and kasheren (making kosher)'" — [for the initials of these four Yiddish words are also kshr"k].

[Likkutei Dibburim of the Rebbe Rayatz of Lubavitch, Vol. I p. 280]

--------------------------

Similarly we find in the holy sefer Kav HaYashar Part II Chapter 89:

It is proper to teach the women of Beis Yisroel to have the following in mind while they are kashering their utensils from Chametz for Pesach through hagalah and libun that [just as they are removing the Chametz ] so should the Holy One should remove and destroy the evil inclination, evil and wickedness from the land. And we trust in the Holy One to removed idolatry from our midst.

The minhag of Yisroel is Torah, that they have the custom to scrape clean tables, benches and chairs as well as the walls from any suspicion of contact with Chametz  and Hashem's watchful eyes gaze over all the actions of Bnei Yisroel His treasured people who are holy and the sons of the holy ones whose hard work and labor is all for the sake of removing and destroying chametz all the days of the month of Nissan, and so should the Holy One scrape away all the afflictions which come from the "other side" [which are found sunk in the walls of homes in this bitter exile] and any prosecutions against us and from their power they cause us suffering in this bitter exile."

Source and more at: Berdichev Org

The Spiritual Ladder

I heard in the name of Rebbe Elimelech that if a person wishes to rise higher in his spiritual level, he must see to it that his character traits are whole and perfect on the lower level. This is because it is impossible to maintain a constant static level.

A person is like the angels called Chayos, which run and return, for sometimes he rises and sometimes he falls.  And if his lower levels are not perfected, how can he return to them?

The Rebbe compared this to a man climbing a ladder.  The wise and intelligent man will first test all the rungs to make sure that they are whole and intact so that if needs be he can retrace his steps and return to them.

[Tal Moshe Zwecker: Mipeninei Noam Elimelech]

Mind Games



Art: Mike Worrall



The Baal Shem Tov said : "The world is a mirror. The defects you see in others are really your own."


That solves one problem: if we see a defect in someone else, we can rest assured that defect exists in us too, otherwise we wouldn't have noticed it.

But what happens when that defect does not exist in you, and therefore you don't notice it in someone else... ?

That's how simple, naive, innocent people fall for con-men. These innocent people don't possess a sneaky side: for them, it would be unthinkable to deceive someone else.... and therefore they do not realise when they are being taken for a ride.

They didn't see it, because they don't have that quality themselves.

When the truth finally hits, that they have actually been deceived, they are in a state of shock. It's hard to believe, how could this happen? Sometimes the victim will turn nasty and try to shoot the messenger, but ultimately they will realize that the "messenger" was the one they should be thanking for waking them up.

It's no crime to be innocent and naive, in fact it's a virtue, but these days the world is a very dangerous place, and we need to be on the alert for anyone who's messing with our minds.

Geneivat da'at - Theft of the Mind - is the worst theft of all.

Geneivat da'at is not limited to con-artists..... it's practised all the time by abusers and manipulators.  They do the crime, but they won't admit it, or accept responsibility for it.  Instead, they'll blame you, the victim, for everything, and bring attention to your defects in order to take the heat off themselves.   They will try to discredit you in every way possible in order to ensure that no-one will listen to a word you're saying.

Be aware that this is how abusers behave, and be on your guard in the future. Get as far away from these people as you can, and don't go back. 

The Three Levels of Tzaddikim

In every generation there exists 36 tzadikim nistarim [hidden righteous men] - sometimes known as "the Lamed Vav-niks" - [Lamed Vav is Hebrew for 36], whose existence sustain the world.

When one of them dies, G-d finds another replacement.

A tzadik nistar is a hidden tzadik, whose righteousness remains unknown to his community. In every generation there are 36 tzadikim nistarim in addition to 36 revealed tzadikim. [see Leviatan and Behemot]. Together they combine to form the 72 "bridges" (corresponding to the 72 Names of G-d) described in the Zohar as linking together the concealed and revealed worlds. It requires tremendous self sacrifice for a tzadik nistar to reveal himself to the world. This was first accomplished in full by the Ba'al Shem Tov.

A tzadik is someone who has succeeded in fully overcoming the evil inclination of his animal soul (and has converted its potential into good) and who dedicates himself to spiritually elevating his people.

There are in general three levels of the tzadik:

1. A "complete tzadik" [tzadik gamur] who not only vanquishes in full his innate evil inclination, but even transforms it into good [for which reason he is referred to as tzadik v'tov lo," a tzadik who possesses only good].

2. An "incomplete tzadik" [tzadik she'eino gamur] who has not yet completed the task of vanquishing his evil inclination, though he has mineralized it in essence [for which reason he is called a tzadik v'ra lo," a tzadik who [still] possesses [a bit of] evil].

3. A "relative tzadik" [tzadik b'shem hamushal, or tzadik b'din] whose merits exceed his liabilities [see Tanya, chapt. 1].

Emett : Truth

from the writings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

A person who wants to attach to Hashem, so that his thoughts travel from one chamber to the next, seeing these chambers with his mind's eye - should avoid speaking falsely, even by mistake.

One may distort the truth to preserve peace.

Those who lie are not worthy of receiving the Shechinah (the Divine presence).

A tzaddik is free to act deceitfully with one who deceives others.

All those who add, detract.

A man of truth can recognise in another if he is speaking falsely or not.

A sign that something is false is that it encounters opposition from the majority (of wise men). The liar is one of the three types of people whom G-d despises.

Giving charity rectifies one's speech.

Truth protects the world from all forms of harm.

When there is no truth, there is no kindness. Such a person cannot deal kindly with people.

A person should rather die than live and be considered a liar by others.

Where there is truth, there is peace.

The further a man is from truth, the more he considers one who turns away from evil to be a fool.

When a person does not speak falsely, G-d saves him in time of pain. He will also be blessed with children.

Someone who tells lies is cut down. He also becomes a fool.

A person who guards himself from falsehood is always victorious.

It is permissible to distort (the truth) in order to save oneself.

Truth saves a person from slander. By telling the truth, their prayers are accepted, and when judged Above, they will be judged according to their merits.

One who was a liar in a previous lifetime will be reincarnated left-handed.

When you see a liar, you should know that his spiritual leader is also false.

Truth will bring the final redemption. When Moshiach comes, falsehood will not exist and so there will be no evil inclination in the world.

[Rebbe Nachman's Aphorisms on Jewish Living]

For the Sake of Peace

from the writings of the Ben Ish Chai

"Tzedek, Tzedek shall you pursue, that you may live and inherit the earth." [Deut 16:20]

"Pursuit" in Scripture is usually in order to destroy, as in "Five of you shall pursue a hundred" [Lev. 26:8].  Why, then, are we told to pursue tzedek - truth - as if it were an evil that we wish to eradicate?

There are times when we must keep away from the truth.

G-d asked Abraham: "Why did Sarah laugh, saying "Will I really give birth, when I have become old?" [Genesis 18:13]. Actually, Sarah had said that Abraham was old [Gen 18:12].  G-d changed the report for the sake of harmony between the two.

Why did G-d mention age at all?

To teach us to use falsehood when necessary for peace.  Being overly "righteous" about it is forbidden.

There are times when truth destroys and falsehood builds.

This is demonstrated by the very word שׁקר - "falsehood". Two of its letters stand on a single base, making them unstable.  Why, though, is the first letter - שׁ - sometimes formed with a stable base?  To show that we should not always discard falsehood. On occasion it is necessary.

Returning to our verse: "Tzedek, tzedek shall you pursue, so that you may live and inherit the earth".  The first tzedek means "charity" or "kindness".  The second means "truth". (Tzedek bears both meanings in Biblical Hebrew).  Our verse hints that truth is to bring charity and kindness in its wake.  Sometimes, charity and kindness require you to "pursue" and banish truth.  When?  "So that you may live" - when life is at stake.

If a critically ill person asks you how he looks, don't reply: "You look as if your condition is deteriorating."  That might hasten his death.  Lie and say: "You look as if you are on your way to recovery."  His joy at hearing this may help him recover.

You may also have to banish truth to bring peace.

Let's say Reuven sent a messenger to pick something up from Shimon, whose response was to curse Reuven.  Afterward, Reuven asks his messenger "What did Shimon say?"  To prevent a feud, Shimon must refrain from telling him the truth.

Pursue truth "and inherit the earth" - banish truth to bring peace, which preserves the earth.

Source: Od Yosef Hai, Derushim Shoftim - Ben Ish Chai

Lessons to be learned

"This shall be the law of the metzora" [Metzora 14:2]

Why, asked R' Shmuel of Sochotchov, does the verse state: "This shall be the law of the metzora" and not "This is the law of the metzora"?

The tzara'as affliction, answered the Rebbe, is brought about by the sin of haughtiness.  Once he is afflicted, however, and individuals begin to distance themselves from him, he feels contrite and humbled.

But this feeling of humility must accompany him for the rest of his life.  Even after he is healed, let him not return to his previous state of arrogance; rather, he must ingrain the lesson he has learned as a metzora and remain humble until his very last day.

Source: Rabbi Y. Bronstein

Melbourne's Double Comet [last night]

The Tzaddik Decrees and God Fulfills It

Art: Fenna Moehn-Hummel

It once happened in the times of Rebbe Elimelech that there was a terrible decree issued against the Jews. All the people's eyes were trained on the Tzaddik, looking to him to pray that the decree should be nullified.

The Rebbe answered them thus: "I am from the World of Truth and no secret is hidden from me. I know the reason behind all things, and I, too, have agreed to this decree. How can I go back and pray for a decree, that was issued with my consent, to be nullified?  You should instead look to a Tzaddik who doesn't know the reasons behind this decree, since this decree was issued without his knowledge or consent.  Such a righteous Tzaddik can call out and pray to Hashem, and maybe his prayers will be answered."

Source: Mipeninei Noam Elimelech: translated by Tal Moshe Zwecker

Overcoming Obstacles

Always remember: You are never given an obstacle you cannot overcome. [Rebbe Nachman of Breslov]

The Rebbe Maharash innovated the concept of "L'chatchila ariber".  The approach of l'chatchila Ariber teaches that if we come upon an obstacle to a task we are involved in, or an obstacle to a mitzva or project or good deed which comes our way (or we pursue), we should overcome the obstacle in the most direct manner. The Rebbe Maharash explained that while some people propose that when confronted with an obstacle the best route is to go around, or under it -- and the Rebbe Maharash says: "And I say one has to go l'chatchila ariber [from the start, go over it]."

Loneliness

Never succumb to feelings of loneliness. No matter where you are, God is close by.

Remember: Feeling distant from God is subjective, not objective; it is just your own feeling, not reality.

[Rebbe Nachman of Breslov]

It is still possible to repair



 'The Shoemaker' by Elena Flerova

R' Yisrael Salanter was returning home very late one night. As he walked through the dark alleyways, he suddenly noticed that a light was still burning in the home of the shoemaker. He knocked on the door and entered his home.

"Why are you still sitting and working at such a late hour?" asked R' Salanter.

"As long as the candle burns" replied the shoemaker, "it is still possible to repair."

Those words made a great impression upon R' Salanter and, from then on, he repeated them on many occasions.

"Do you hear?" R' Salanter would ask. "As long as the candle burns, it is still possible to repair! As long as a person is alive and his soul is within him, he can still repent and rectify his deeds."

Sustenance

The Midrash Rabbah relates a story about a Kohen who used to examine individuals afflicted with tzara'as. The Kohen was extremely poor, however, and he was desperate for a means to earn a livelihood.

Perhaps, he thought, I should leave Eretz Yisrael and seek my fortune abroad. It is much easier to make a comfortable living overseas....

The Kohen discussed his plans with his wife, and he said to her, "People often come to me to examine their tzara'as marks, and I feel bad leaving them.  Let me teach you how to examine these marks, so that while I'm away, you will take my place and perform the necessary examinations."

His wife agreed, and the Kohen began to teach her the laws of tzara'as.

"When a person comes to be examined", instructed the Kohen, "make sure to observe his hair. It is important for you to know that each strand of a person's hair grows from a separate opening, and each one is nourished from its own follicle.  If you see that the openings around the hairs have dried out, then you can be sure that the person has tzara'as."

"Listen to what you are saying!" responded his wife. "If HaKadosh Baruch Hu has provided each hair with a wellspring from which to draw its sustenance, how much more so you, His very handiwork. Hashem will most certainly provide you with a livelihood! Why must you wander so far away, and search for a livelihood in chutz la'aretz?"

The Kohen heeded his wife's profound words and remained at home.

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

Iranian Video: "Mahdi is Near"

New evidence has emerged that the Iranian government sees the current unrest in the Middle East as a signal that the Mahdi--or Islamic messiah--is about to appear.

CBN News has obtained a never-before-seen video produced by the Iranian regime that says all the signs are moving into place -- and that Iran will soon help usher in the end times.

While the revolutionary movements gripping the Middle East have created uncertainty throughout the region, the video shows that the Iranian regime believes the chaos is divine proof that their ultimate victory is at hand.

'The Coming is Near'

The propaganda footage has reportedly been approved at the highest levels of the Iranian government.

It's called The Coming is Near and it describes current events in the Middle East as a prelude to the arrival of the mythical tweflth Imam or Mahdi -- the messiah figure who Islamic scriptures say will lead the armies of Islam to victory over all non-Muslims in the last days.

Full article at: CBN News  [Hat tip: Moriah]

Rebuke

"He should be brought to Aharon the Kohen..." [Tazria 13:2]

The Kohanim (priests) were people of inherent kindness who blessed the Jewish people with love.  Therefore, when it came to declaring somebody with the severe condition of tzara'as, which required total isolation from the Jewish camp, it was imperative that this harsh judgment be done out of love, so the Torah required it to be done by a Kohen.

From this we can learn a powerful lesson: that if one feels that another person has acted disgracefully and one wishes to chastise him, one must first examine one's own motives to see if one's desire to rebuke another is truly being done out of love.

Source: Likutei Sichos Lubavitcher Rebbe

It's All Good

Always look for the good in yourself.

Focus on that good, highlight it, and turn even depression into joy.

from the writings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

Brave New World

Art by Schnette

Essay: Stress Before Redemption by Roy (Yisroel) S. Neuberger   Hat tip: Devorah Designs

Dear Friends:

During our Biblical Redemption, the foundations of Egypt crumbled. We don't have to imagine what that means; the world has witnessed it in Japan.

"Several times I heard from the holy Chofetz Chaim that we can learn about the end of our exile from what happened at the end of our exile in Egypt, as it says [Micha 7:15], 'As in the days of your leaving Egypt, I will [in the Final Redemption] show wonders.'" [Rabbi Elchonen Wasserman zt"l as quoted in Redemption Unfolding by Rabbi A. A. Mandelbaum]

Egypt, the world's most powerful country in Biblical times, crumbled like the World Trade Center crumbled on 9/11. But the Final Redemption may take place on an even larger scale. Since the Jewish People are now spread all over the world, our future Redemption will have to be correspondingly gigantic. Do we not ask G-d to gather us from "the four corners of the earth"? During the Final Redemption the entire world structure as we know it may be dismantled, just as the structure of Egypt was dismantled in ancient days.

Redemption does not have to be violent. All decent people hope that Moshiach will come peacefully. But that, after all, depends on us! If the Children of Israel do teshuva, all will be well!

If not ....

One thing should be clear: following the Final Redemption, the world will look completely different. The Maharal writes, "a complete change will come over the world, to the extent that the world of Moshiach will be considered a new creation in comparison to the world as we know it." [Netzach Yisroel, Ch.47] The direction of world affairs will be the Torah! "Ki Mitzvion taitzai Torah u'dvar Hashem miYerushalayim... From Zion will come forth Torah and the Word of G-d from Jerusalem." [Yeshaya 2:3] G-d will be One and His Name One.

The process has already begun. Every area of life is in crisis. As a result, we are exposed to enormous stress, be it financial, medical, psychological, family, children ... the list goes on and on!

"Maase avos siman l'banim... The actions of the Fathers are signs for the Children."

In Egypt eighty per cent perished during the Plague of Darkness because they "did not wish to depart [from Egypt]" [Rashi on Exodus 10:22]. The stress in Biblical Egypt was enormous. So strong was the pull of the surrounding culture that a huge percentage of the Children of Israel were unable to extricate themselves from its influence! This is a message for our contemporary world!

Today, people are under enormous strain. You see it in hair-trigger tempers. You see it in aggressive driving. You see it in lack of proper behavior, as people rush to put themselves first. You see it in desperate attempts to acquire money. You see it in lavish expenditures on vacations and luxuries, attempts to find peace in a world in which there is no peace!

"Moshe spoke to the Children of Israel, but they did not heed him because of shortness of breath..." [Exodus 6:9]. In Egypt, the stress was so great that many of the Children of Israel did not listen to the voice which would have saved them if they had listened. The same danger exists today. We are so panicked that we are not behaving rationally. If we hold on to the unreality of the surrounding culture, G-d forbid, that "support" will break like a flimsy reed and we will perish when that culture goes under! But if we grasp onto the Torah -lehavdil! - we will live forever!

"Moshe said to the people, 'Do not fear! Stand fast and see the salvation of Hashem that He will perform for you today!" [Exodus 14:13]

Let's learn from this! The Torah is telling us what happened in Egypt so that we may survive during the events of the Final Redemption. Our Rabbis have explained: "In the final war before the coming of Moshiach, all the Jews who fear Hashem will survive. Hashem will say to them, 'All those who are removed from the secular, worldly culture ... you are Mine.'" [Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein zt"l, Leket Rishimos]

THERE IS NO SOURCE OF SUPPORT BESIDE HASHEM AND HIS TORAH!

In Egypt, the Tribe of Levi escaped slavery because they were completely involved with Torah!

King David's life was in constant danger. How did he survive? He visualized himself as standing constantly before the Presence of G-d. "Shivisi Hashem l'negdi samid... I have set Hashem before me constantly." [Psalm 16]

When we pray, do we envision the Holy Temple? Soon B"H the Presence of G-d will return to Zion, and the HolyTemple will stand before our eyes. If we envision this future event, then we have an "anchor" by which we can steady ourselves as the chaos whirls around us.

Our Rabbis spoke words to sustain us.

"Hashem is with me; I have no fear! How can man affect me?" [Psalm 118]

"Ani maamin be'emunah shelemah ... I believe with complete faith in the coming of Moshiach, and even though he may delay, nevertheless I anticipate every day that he will come." [Rambam, Principle 12]

May we all soon "hear ... for a second time ... in the presence of all the living ... 'I am Hashem your G-d.'" [Shabbos Mussaf Kedusha]

A Whiter Shade of Pale

"If he has turned completely white, he remains pure" [Tazria 13:13]

R' Yochanan in Maseches Sanhedrin [98a] taught: "Mashiach, the son of David, will only come to a generation that is either entirely meritorious or entirely guilty".

This statement is difficult to understand, noted the Chasam Sofer (R' Moshe Sofer).  For while it is easily understood why a generation that is entirely meritorious would be worthy of receiving Mashiach, on what basis would a thoroughly guilty generation receive him?

We find a similar difficulty in the verse: "If he has turned completely white, he remains pure".  If a small affliction is considered impure, why is it considered pure when it covers the metzora's entire body?

We can answer both questions with one answer. Skin afflictions come upon an individual in order to inspire him to repent for his misdeeds.  Now, if his entire body has turned white, he will definitely be humbled to repent completely and sincerely. There is therefore no need to declare him impure.

The same applies to a generation that is completely guilty.  The way to awaken a generation that is full of sin is not with reproach but by sending them Mashiach ben David.  Then they will return to Hashem in complete repentance.

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

The Talmud states: "The son of David [Moshiach] will only come when every government becomes heretical".

Rabah said: "Where do we see [an allusion to] this in Scripture?  From the verse: "he has turned completely white, he is ritually pure." [Sanhedrin 97a]

Rashi explains: "Just like when the affliction has spread throughout the entire skin the person is ritually pure, so too when all the governments have become heretical, the redemption will come."

This sign of redemption could be seen as either:

a) A negative sign, that people have become so corrupt that G-d is forced, so to speak, to save the world and bring redemption.

b) A positive sign, that the world has become so refined that it is clear to everybody that any regime or government which is not based on Torah is heretical and corrupt.

This parallels the two views expressed above:

a) If the corruption of governments is a negative sign, it follows that G-d is "forced" to bring the redemption, so to speak, despite the world.  This corresponds to the view that the law ("he has turned completely white, he is ritually pure") is a super-rational decree of scripture, which is followed despite the fact that it is illogical.

b) But if the corruption of governments is a positive sign, it follows that G-d is bringing the redemption because the world has become good. This corresponds to the view that the law is logical.

Source: Based on Likutei Sichos Lubavitcher Rebbe

First Libya, then Israel .....?

Quoting Frank Gaffney Jr. "Particularly concerning is the prospect that what we might call the Gaddafi Precedent will be used in the not-to-distant future to justify and threaten the use of U.S. military forces against an American ally: Israel."

Full article here: UN intervention into Libya an ominous precedent for Israel

Glenn Beck sets it all out for us in these two videos: [Hat tip Moriah]

Revisiting the Prophecies in Psalm 93

Guest post, received via email, published with permission:

Regarding the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe’s prophecy [written in approx. 1943, in a publication called Keriah VeKudusah, explaining Tehillim 93].

[The Arizal says that our generation is a reincarnation of the generation that was in Egypt over 3,000 years ago. Also, the way in which the Geula will happen now will be similar to the way it happened in Egypt; as explained in the Hagaddah. Therefore, just as in Egypt, there were ten ways nature was changed in order to prove to the nations that G-d runs the world; so too now.]

To paraphrase:

There are two parts to the Prophecy:

1. Hashem wants the entire world (not just the Jews) to know that He runs the world; but simultaneously, He wants everyone to have free-choice.

How does He accomplish this, as well as the second part of the Prophecy [see below]?

Answer: Through flooding.

The flooding will reach to such an extent, that it will become obvious that these are not natural events.

2. The second part of the prophecy has not happened yet.

The Previous Rebbe says that a certain country will be either totally, or almost totally, inundated by flooding.

This will reach to such an extent that everyone will realize that this is a punishment from G-d; and the world’s political structure will change accordingly.

As explained in the talks from 1991-1992, as opposed to previous miracles that were mainly for Jews, the current changes will be visible to the entire world.

[As long as the wizards in Egypt could tell Pharaoh that they could duplicate Moshe's miracles, the Egyptians thought that Moshe was just a great wizard.]

So too now, as long as people can say that current events happen once every hundred years, or are due to natural causes; these events have not achieved their goal.

To say that these events happen once a century could be considered justified - if only one or two events were occurring - but when multiple events happen across the globe, how can they all be seen as happening once every one hundred years?

From the Previous Rebbe’s words it would seem that there is a land-locked country that will be entirely flooded.

It will not be near an ocean, so that we can’t say it is a tsunami; or in an earthquake or flooding zone, so that we can say it was nature.

And somehow the world will realize that G-d did it, in order to bring the Geula to the world.

Also see: Decoding Psalm 93