Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Mrs. Mozart, Viktor Frankl and the Lubavitcher Rebbe

How a Chassidic Master Affected the Trend of Psychology in the 20th Century

Note: A first and terribly incomplete draft of this article was posted on some websites and blogs. This version below is far more complete and authoritative, finalized after extensive research.  [Shirat Devorah was one of the blogs that published one of the first drafts, so here is the complete version]

Three Lives
This is a story about three remarkable lives which converged, in the most unlikely of circumstances, with extraordinary results. It is a story about a Jewish girl who became an opera singer, performing in front of Adolf Hitler; about a Jewish spiritual and Chassidic master, and a world-famous psychiatrist. [1]

It would have remained a secret if not for a strange phenomenon. The famed Viennese professor Victor Frankl (1905-1997), author of the perennial best-seller Man's Search for Meaning and founder of Logotherapy, would send each year before the High Holidays a donation to Chabad of Vienna. This began in 1981 when Rabbi Jacob and Edla Biderman arrived in Vienna to serve as Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries in Austria and began sending an appeal to all the local Jews along with a Jewish calendar in honor of the upcoming High Holidays.

Nobody in the Chabad center or in the larger Jewish community could understand why. Here was a man who was not affiliated with the Jewish community of Vienna. He did not attend synagogue, not even on Yom Kippur. He was married to a devout Catholic woman. Yet, he would not miss a single year of sending a contribution to Chabad before Yom Kippur.

The enigma was answered only in 1995, two years before Dr. Frankl's death at the age of 92.

I Am the First Emissary
Marguerite Kozenn-Chajes (1909-2000) walked into the office of Rabbi Jacob Biderman, the ambassador of Chabad to Austria, who has since built the magnificent "Lauder Campus" in Vienna, infusing Jewish spirit and life in the country which gave birth to Hitler.

Marguerite, an 85 year old woman, was dressed very classy, and looked youthful and energetic. She told Rabbi Biderman: "I know you think you are the first emissary (shliach) of the Lubavitcher Rebbe to Vienna; but that is not the case. I have served as the first ambassador of the Lubavitcher Rebbe to this city, many years before you."

From the Chassidim to the Opera
Marguerite began to relate her story.

Her mother's maiden name was Hager. The Hagers were no ordinary Jewish family but descendants of the Rebbes of the famed Vishnitz chassidic dynasty. [2] Marguerite was born in Chernowitz, where she studied to become an opera singer, and then moved to Vienna where her career blossomed. She married a Jewish young man with the family name Chajes. [3] They had a daughter.

Marguerite performed during the 1930's in the Salzburger Festspiele (pronounced: Fest Shpile) -- The Salzburg Festival --a prominent festival of music and drama, held each summer in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

On 12 March 1938, German troops marched into Salzburg. The Anschluss -- the annexation of Austria by Germany -- was now complete, and Nazi ideology immediately began to affect the Salzburg Festival. All Jewish artists were banned, the leading Jewish conductors and composers were removed. Yet Marguerite Chajes was still performing.

For the Festspiele in August 1939, Hitler himself made an appearance at two Mozart operas. He did not know that one of the young women singing majestically was a young Jewess, a scion of a leading Chassidic family, Marguerite Chajes.

Shortly thereafter, the general management made a surprise announcement that the Festival would terminate on 31 August, a week ahead of the scheduled finale on 8 September. The reason was, supposedly, that the Vienna Philharmonic was required to perform at the Nuremberg Party Convention. But the Germans were brilliant deceivers. The true reason became apparent on 1 September when the German army invaded Poland and unleashed the Second World War, exterminating a third of the Jewish people, including Marguerite's family.

On the very night after her performance at the Salzburg Festspiele, close friends smuggled her with her husband and daughter out of Germany to Italy. From there she managed to embark on the last boat to the US before the war broke out just a few days later. Marguerite and her family settled in Detroit, where she became founder and president of the Pro Mozart Society of Greater Detroit, and acquired in her circles the name "Mrs. Mozart."

When she was asked in an interview why does a previously successful soprano work so avidly for the reputation of Mozart? Her answer was: "Because the idea of humanity is nowhere so convincingly expressed as in the work of Mozart."

Years passed. Marguerite's daughter grew up and married a doctor, who, in 1959, was honored at the dinner of a Chabad institution. In conjunction with that occasion, Marguerite had an audience with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. [4]

"I walked into the Rebbe's room," related Marguerite to Rabbi Biderman, "I cannot explain why, but suddenly, for the first time since the Holocaust, I felt that I could cry. I -- like so many other survivors who have lost entire families -- never cried before. We knew that if we would start crying, we might never stop, or that in order to survive we can't express our emotions. But at that moment, it was as though the dam obstructing my inner waterfall of tears was removed. I began sobbing like a baby. I shared with the Rebbe my entire story: My innocent childhood; becoming a star in Vienna; performing in front of Hitler; escaping to the US; learning of the death of my closest kin.

"The Rebbe listened. But he not only listened with his ears. He listened with his eyes, with his heart, with his soul, and he took it all in. I shared all of my experiences and he absorbed it all. That night I felt like I was given a second father. I felt that the Rebbe adopted me as his daughter."

Two Requests
At the end of my meeting with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, I expressed my strong desire to go back for a visit to Vienna.   Margerata was, after all, a kind of self-appointed "propaganda activist" for Austria and its music and she craved to visit the city of her youth.

The Rebbe requested from me that before I make the trip, I visit him again.

A short while later, en route to Vienna, I visited the Rebbe. He asked me for a favor: to visit two people during my stay in the city. The first was Viennese Chief Rabbi Akiva Eisenberg, and give him regards from the Rebbe (the Rebbe said that his secretariat would give me the address and literature to give to Rabbi Eisenberg.) The second person he wanted me to visit I would have to look up his address myself. The Rebbe said that he headed the Vienna Policlinic of Neurology. His name was Dr. Victor Frankl.

You Will Prevail
"Send Dr. Frankl my regards," the Lubavitcher Rebbe said to me, "and tell him in my name that he should not give up. He should be strong and continue his work, with complete resolve. No matter what, he should not give up. If he remains strong and committed, he will certainly prevail."

Using the German dialect, so Marguerite would understand, the Rebbe spoke for a long time about the messages he wished to convey to Dr. Frankl. Close to forty years later she did not recall all of the details, but the primary point was that Frankl should never give up and he should keep on working to achieve his goals with unflinching courage and determination.

"I didn't understand what the Rebbe was talking about. Who was Dr. Frankl? Why was the Rebbe sending him this message? Why through me? I did not have an answer to any of these questions, but I obeyed."

Marguerite traveled to Vienna. Her visit with Rabbi Eisenberg proved to be a simple task. Meeting Victor Frankl proved far more difficult. When she arrived at the clinic they informed her that the professor had not shown up in two weeks, thus there was no way she could meet him. After a few failed attempts to locate him at the clinic, Marguerite gave up.

Feeling guilty not to fulfill the Rebbe's request, she decided to violate Austrian mannerisms. She looked up the professor's private home address, traveled there and knocked at the door.

A woman opened the door.

"May I see Herr Frankl please?" asked Marguerite.

"Yes. Please wait."

The first thing she caught sight of in the home was a cross, hanging prominently on the wall. (In 1947 Frankl married his second wife, Eleonore Katharina Schwindt, a devout Catholic. They had a daughter Gabriella.)

"It was obvious that this was a Christian home. I thought to myself, that this must be a mistake; this can't be the person whom the Lubavitcher Rebbe wanted me to encourage."

Victor Frankl showed up a few moments later, and after ascertaining that he was the professor, she told him that she had regards for him.

"He was impatient, and frankly looked quite uninterested. It felt very awkward."

"I have regards from Rabbi Schneerson in Brooklyn, New York," Marguerite told him. "Rabbi Schneerson asked me to tell you in his name that you must not give up. You ought to remain strong. Continue your work with unflinching determination and resolve, and you will prevail.

"Do not fall into despair. March on with confidence," Rabbi Schneerson said, "and you will achieve great success."

"Suddenly," Marguerite related, "the uninterested professor broke down. He began sobbing and would not calm down. I did not understand what was going on."

"This Rabbi from Brooklyn knew exactly when to send you here," Dr. Frankl told her. He could not thank her enough for the visit.

"So you see Rabbi Biderman?" Marguerite completed her tale, "I have been an emissary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe to Vienna many years before you came around."

Forever Grateful
Rabbi Biderman was intrigued. Victor Frankl was now 90 years of age, and was an international celebrity. He had written 32 books which were ranslated into 30 languages. His book "Man's search for Meaning" has been deemed by the Library of Congress as one of the ten most influential books of the 20th century. What was the behind the Rebbe's message to Victor Frankl?

"I called him a few days later," Biderman recalls, "and asked to meet him. But it was difficult for him to meet me in person. So we spoke over the phone. Initially he sounded impatient and somewhat cold.

"Do you remember a regards Marguerite Chajes brought you from Rabbi Schneerson in Brooklyn," Rabbi Biderman asked Dr. Frankl.

Suddenly, a change in his voice. Dr. Frankl melted. "Of course I remember. I will never forget it. My gratitude to Rabbi Schneerson is eternal." In the actual German words of Dr. Frankl: "Eich vel eim eibek dankbar zein." (I will forever be grateful to him.)

And Victor Frankl confirmed the rest of the story Marguerite had already explained to Rabbi Biderman, which revolves around one of the greatest debates in psychology of the previous century.

In the Camps
Victor Frankl was born in 1905 -- three years after the Lubavitcher Rebbe -- in Vienna.   The young Frankl studied neurology and psychiatry, and in 1923 became part of the inner circle of one of the most famous Jews of the time, Dr. Sigmund Freud, the "Father of Psychoanalysis" who lived and practiced in Vienna.

The "Final Solution" did not skip over the Frankl family.  Dr. Frankl relates in his memoirs of the war years that he had a chance before the war to go to America to write his books and build a reputation. Yet he was confused. Should he pursue his career and abandon his parents or should he remain with them? He arrived home from the American consulate, visa in hand, to find a large block of marble sitting on the table. Recovered by his father from a local synagogue razed by the Nazis, it was, Frankl recalled, a piece from a tablet bearing the first letters of the Commandment, "Honor your father and your mother." He let his visa lapse and stayed.

Victor's mother and father were murdered in Auschwitz; his first Jewish wife, pregnant, was murdered in Bergen Belsen. All of his siblings and relatives were exterminated. Professor Frankl was a lone survivor in Auschwitz (he had one sister who immigrated to Australia before the war.) After the war, he returned to Vienna where he taught neurology and psychiatry.

The Great Debate
Already before the war, and even more so during his three years in the Nazi death camps, Victor Frankl developed ideas which differed radically from Sigmund Freud. Yet the faculty of his department and the academic elite in post-war Vienna consisted of staunch Freudian scholars ("Freudesten," in Frankl's expression).  They defined Frankl's ideas as "pseudo-science."

Freud emphasized the idea that all things come down to physiology. The human mind and heart could be best understood as a side effect of brain mechanisms. Humans are like machines, responding to stimuli from within or from without, a completely physical, predictable and godless machine, albeit a very complicated machine.

Victor Frankl disagreed. He felt that Freud and his colleagues reduced the human being to a mere mechanical creature depriving him or her of his true essence. "If Freud were in the concentration camps," Frankl wrote, "he would have changed his position. Beyond the basic natural drives and instincts of people, he would have encountered the human capacity for self-transcendence. Man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those chambers upright, with the Shema Yisrael on his lips."

"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: The last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

He concludes that even in the most severe suffering, the human being can find meaning and thus hope. In his words, "Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how.'" A person was not a son of his past, but the father of his future.

After the war, Frankl returned to Vienna, where he developed and lectured about his own approach to psychological healing. He believed that people are primarily driven by a "striving to find meaning in one's life," and that it is this sense of meaning that enables us to overcome painful experiences. In the second half of his book, Frankl outlines the form of psychotherapy that he developed based on these beliefs, called logotherapy - the treatment of emotional pain by helping people find meaning in their lives.

But in the Academic Vienna of the 40's and 50's they defined Frankl's ideas as fanatic religiosity, bringing back the old, unscientific notions of conscience, religion and guilt. It was unpopular for students to attend his courses; his lectures were shunned.

"My position was extremely difficult," Frankl shared with Rabbi Biderman. "Rabiner Biderman!" Frankl said, "I could survive the German death camps, but I could not survive the derision of my colleagues who would not stop taunting me and undermining my success."

The pressure against Dr. Frankl was so severe, that he decided to give up. It was simply too much to bear. He was watching his life-work fade away. One day, sitting at home, he began drafting his resignation papers and decided to relocate to Australia where his sister lived. In the battle between Freud and Frankl, Freud would at last be triumphant. Soullessness would prove more powerful than soulfulness.

Hope and Resolve
And then suddenly, as he was sitting at his home, downtrodden, in walked a beautiful woman. She sent him regards from a Chassidic master, Rabbi Schneerson from Brooklyn, New York. His message? "Do not dare give up. Do not dare despair. If you will continue your work with absolute determination, you will prevail."

Frankl was stunned. Somebody in Brooklyn, no less a Chassidic Rebbe, knew about his predicament? And what is more -- cared about his predicament? And what is more -- sent someone to locate him in Vienna to shower him with courage and inspiration?

Frankl began to cry. He was deeply moved and felt like a transformed man. It was exactly what he needed to hear. Someone believed in him, in his work, in his contributions, in his ideas about the infinite transcendence and potential of the human person.

"That very moment I knew that I would not surrender. I tore up my resignation papers. New vitality was blown into me. I grew confident and became motivated."

Courage of "One Professor"
The Rebbe, we know from other sources as well, was well versed in the important debate which carried critical ramifications on the future of psychoanalysis and therapy. In a letter from May 31, 1962 (27 Iyar 5722) [5] he laments the fact that some psychiatrists and psychologists feel the need to begin "treating their patients by talking against G-d, against respect for a Higher reality, against respect of a father and mother etc. We need to research and explore how great are the benefits of this type of treatment? And even if this is important, does this approach not backfire as time passes?"

"It is obvious," the Rebbe continues in this letter, "that some doctors have helped and healed their patients in straight ways, especially since one professor found the courage in his soul to declare and announce that - contrary to the opinion of the famous founder of psychoanalysis - the faith in G-d, and a religious inclination in general, which gives meaning to life, etc. etc. is one of the most effective ways of healing etc.

"Nonetheless, due to several reasons, this philosophy has not penetrated the mainstream of these doctors..."

Clearly, the Rebbe is referring to the courage of "one professor," Victor Frankl, to stand up to the Freudian school and declare that discovering meaning in life is the primary cause for well-being and emotional health. As we have seen, part of this courage was inspired by the Rebbe himself.

The Conflict between Religion and Therapy
Why did the academic community dismiss Dr. Frankl?

In a letter dated June 19, 1969 (3rd Tammuz, 5729), to an Israeli psychiatrist, Dr. S. Stern-Mirz in Haifa, concerning one of her patients, the Lubavitcher Rebbe presents one possible reason. [6]

"I would like to take this opportunity to add another point, albeit this is her field, that the medical condition of ........ proves (if proof is needed in this area) the great power of faith - especially when applied and expressed in practical action, community work, observance of mitzvot, etc. - to fortify a person's emotional tranquility, to minimize and sometimes even eliminate inner conflicts, as well as "complaints" one may have to his surroundings, etc.

"This is in spite of the philosophy that faith and religion demand from a person the "acceptance of the yoke" - to restrain and suppress natural instincts and drives - and is, therefore, undesirable for any person, particularly in the case of a person who requires treatment for emotional anxiety.

"I particularly took interest in the writing of Dr. Frankl (from Vienna) in this matter. [7] To my surprise, however, his approach has apparently not been appropriately disseminated and appreciated. Although one can find numerous reasons as to why his ideas are not accepted so much, including the fact that such treatment is related to the personal lifestyle exemplified by the treating doctor, nevertheless the question [as to why it is not appreciated] still remains."

Use Me as a Reference
The Rebbe's relationship with Frankl is evident also from the following episode.

In the early 1970's (around 1973-74), Clive Cohen, studying psychology at the University of Leeds, visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe.  Clive, who began exploring the teachings of Judaism at the Morristown NJ Chabad Yeshiva, asked the Rebbe how to deal with the numerous conflicts between the contemporary study of psychology and the paradigms of Judaism.

The Rebbe suggested that he correspond with Victor Frankl on the matter. "If you wish," the Rebbe added, "you can use my name as a reference." [8]

International Influence
Back to the telephone conversation between the Chabad ambassador to Austria and Dr. Frankl.

"Indeed," Victor confirmed, "the words of Rabbi Schneerson materialized. My work soon began to flourish."

A short while later, Frankl's magnum opus "Man's Search for Meaning" was translated into English (first under a different title). It became an ongoing bestseller to this very day and has been deemed as one of the most influential books of the 20th century.The professor's career began to soar. The once-scoffed-at professor became one of the most celebrated psychiatrists of a generation. "Man's Search for Meaning" has been translated into 28 languages and has sold over 10 million copies during his life time. Frankl became a guest lecturer at 209 universities on all five continents, held 29 honorary doctorates from universities around the world, and received 19 national and international awards and medals for his work in psychotherapy.

His brand of therapy inspired thousands of other books, seminars, workshops, new-age and spiritual groups, which have all been based on Frankl's ideas of the unique ability of the human to choose its path and discover meaning in every experience. From Scot Peck's "Road Less Traveled" to Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits," and hundreds of other bestsellers during the last 30 years, all of them were students of Victor Frankl's perspectives.

Victor Frankl concluded his story to Rabbi Biderman with these words stated above: eich vel eim eibek dankbar zein, I will eternally be grateful to him, to the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Chabad Is a Good Cause...
Not knowing who he was talking to, Victor Frankl added:

"A number of years ago Chabad established itself here in Vienna. I became a supporter. You too should support it. They are the best..."

Finally, Rabbi Biderman understood why he was getting a check in the mail each year.

Indeed, during a conversation with Rabbi Biderman, Frankl's non-Jewish son-in-law, Professor Alexander David Vesely, related that his mother-in-law, Eleonore Frankl, shared with him that her husband spoke of the Rabbi with "great respect."

Marguerite, who lived out her final years in Vienna, has become a close friend to Chabad in Austria. "She rediscovered her Chassidic roots, and became deeply involved in our work," Rabbi Biderman relates. She died in March 2000 and was interred in the Jewish cemetery in her beloved Vienna.

Daily Prayers
The story, though, is not over.

When Dr. Frankl was asked about faith in G-d, he regularly gave an ambiguous answer. Throughout his years he never displayed any connection to Jewish faith or practice.

Yet in 2003, Dr. Shimon Cowen, an Australian expert on Frankl, went to visit his non-Jewish widow, Eleonore, in Vienna.She took out a pair of tefilin (phylacteries) and showed it to him.

"My late husband would put these on each and every day," she said to him.

Then she took out a pair of tzitzis (fringes) he made for himself to wear.

At night in bed, the widow related, Victor would recite the book of Psalms. [9]

Indeed, Haddon Klingberg, author of "When Life Calls Out To Us: the love and lifework of Viktor and Elly Frankl", the only authorized biography of Viktor and Eleonore ("Elly"), writes:

"After his death I asked Elly if he actually made these prayers every day. "Absolutely. He never missed a day. Every morning for more than fifty years. But nobody knew this." As they traveled the globe Viktor took the phylacteries with them, and everywhere, every morning, he prayed. He uttered memorized words of Jewish prayers and Psalms."

"After Viktor died I saw his phylacteries for the first time. Elly had placed them in the little cubicle with his few simple possessions..."

Frankl's son-in-law also confirmed this fact to Rabbi Biderman: "My father-in-law would close himself off in a room every day for a little while. Once I opened the door and saw him with black boxes on his head and hand. He was annoyed about my intruding on his privacy. When he was taken to the hospital, however, his practice of putting on tefillin became public." [10]

It seems that the Lubavitcher Rebbe was determined to help Dr. Frankl get this message out to the world: We really do have a soul; the soul is the deepest and most real part of us; and that we will never be fully alive if we don't access our souls.
________________
Footnotes
[1] For this essay I personally interviewed Rabbi Yaakov Biderman. The quotes in the story are not verbatim but completely accurate in content.
[2] Vishnitz was founded by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hager in the 19th century. Vizhnitz is the Yiddish name of Vyzhnytsia, a village in present-day Ukraine. Followers of the Rebbe's of Vizhnitz are called Vizhnitzer Chasidim. Today its main centers are in Benei Berak, Israel and in Monsey, NY.
[3] He was a grandson of Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Chajes (צבי הירש חיות), who lived from 1805 till 1855, was one of the foremost Galician Talmudic scholars. He is best known for his work Mevo Hatalmud (Introduction to the Talmud), which serves both as commentary and introduction, as well as for his commentary on the actual Talmud. He was the nephew of Rabbi Zvi Peretz Chajes, who served as chief Rabbi of Vienna, from 1918 till his death in 1927. Another uncle was the publisher of the famous "Kozenn Atlas."
[4] Rabbi Sholom DovBer Shem Tov, the Chabad ambassador to Michigan, confirmed to me in a telephone conversation that he had some relationship with Chabad during those years. He did not recall details.
[5] Published in Igros Kodesh vol. 22 p. 227.
[6] Published in Igros Kodesh vol. 26 p. 156.
[7] One episode to illustrate this: A religious Jewish psychiatrist, Jacob Greenwald (today in Jerusalem), related that he was once invited by the Lubavitcher Rebbe for a visit. The Rebbe wanted to know if he was familiar with the writings of Victor Frankl and if they could be integrated into A Torah perspective of therapy. Greenwald was surprised of how familiar the Rebbe was with Frankl's works, "especially due to the fact that to the best of my knowledge his writings were available at the time only in German and Portuguese." (Related by Greenwald to Moshe Palace, who shared this episode with me. Palace did acknowledge that he heard this from Greenwald many years ago and would need to re-confirm details.)
[8] Mr. Moshe Palace (Monsey, NY) related this episode to me. He heard it directly from Mr. Cohen when the latter left the Rebbe's room.
[9] Rabbi Dr. Shimon Cowen shared all of these details with me in an e-mail exchange.
[10] Rabbi Leib Blatner, from Chabad of Arizona, related to me that during one Friday night dinner he was graced with a visit by Dr. Frankl's non-Jewish grandson. He, too, confirmed that his grandfather donned tefilin each day. Even when he went to the hospital, he would take them with him. "As he was taken for the final time to the hospital where he died, he told me he does not need them. I was surprised. Apparently he felt that this was the end.

Israel on Obama's Agenda

US President Barack Obama will visit Israel, US ambassador to Israel James B. Cunningham told Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday.

"The president wants to visit and he will do so," Cunningham told Rivlin. Though he did not specify a date for the visit, Cunningham said it was on Obama's agenda.

Rivlin told Cunningham that "Israelis sense that the atmosphere in the White House has changed for the worse. The feeling is that Obama views Israel as a burden more than as a strategic asset."

Source: JPost

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a stone of burden for all the peoples; all that burden themselves with it shall be sore wounded; and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it."    Zechariah 12:3

For the Sake of Heaven

 
"How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!" [Balak 24:5]

Rashi writes that Bilam was inspired by the Jewish tents "because he saw that the entrances were not opposite each other".

The arrangement of tents alludes to scholars convening together to discuss matters of Torah, each one offering his own interpretations.  Then, if their "entrances" - meaning their mouths - are "opposite each other" i.e. their intention is to show that their own ideas are superior than those of the others, then woe to them and their souls!  

But if their intentions are for the sake of Heaven, then they are certainly deserving that the Divine presence should rest with them.

Based on Ohr Torah of the Mezritcher Maggid

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

The End of the World According to the Torah


The World is changing rapidly - how will it end?
There is a Master Plan - Blueprint of Creation:
THE TORAH

An amazing site which is still under construction [there have been a lot of updates since the last time I linked to it], well worth a visit, as it explains in easy-to-understand language how the world will change in the days of Moshiach:  watch the video and then click onto About Moshiach to start reading. Maybe a lot of hits on the site will spur him on to finish it even faster.


The End of the World from itamar hatzvi on Vimeo.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Sparks


"A star will shoot forth from Jacob, and a staff will arise from Israel" [Balak 24:17]

Rambam understood the verse above as referring to King David and Moshiach.  The Jerusalem Talmud, however, uses the metaphor of a "star" in this verse to refer to even the ordinary Jew. 

At first glance, this appears to be a contradiction, for Moshiach represents the highest perfection possible in a human being, whereas the "ordinary" Jew includes every Jewish person, even the most simple.  However, the matter can be reconciled based on the Baal Shem Tov's teaching that every Jew contains within him a "spark" of the soul of Moshiach.  The verse therefore refers to both Moshiach himself and the "Moshiach" within us.

The presence of this "spark" of Moshiach has a twofold implication:

a) The verse states the star will "shoot forth" suggesting that one's personal spark of Moshiach should be revealed and "shoot out" into the world;

b) Every Jew is able to speed up and bring about the actual manifestation of Moshiach through revealing his own spark and adding in Torah and Mitzvot.

Likutei Sichos Lubavitcher Rebbe

Alef and Elula

Two babies and two unique names.

Actress Isla Fisher and partner Sacha Baron Cohen have named their second baby girl Elula.  More here

Isla Fisher and baby Elula


Unconfirmed reports say that actress Natalie Portman and partner Benjamin Millepied have named their baby boy Alef. More here


Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millipied

Gimel Tamuz and Why I Blog


Today is Gimel Tamuz, the 17th yarzheit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.   The only reason I continue to blog every day is because of a dream I had back in 2007, where the Lubavitcher Rebbe appeared.  It was the second time I'd dreamt of the Rebbe: the first dream was in 1996 and literally saved my life. And although I am not an official "lubavitcher", I obviously have a very strong connection to the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

In 2007 I'd gone to bed thinking about what I should do about a certain situation on the internet, where a non-Jew had a hugely successful website, teaching Torah laced with spiritualism, and in the process duping hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting Jews [me being one of them]...... 

In the dream I was about to light Shabbat candles, and the Rebbe came into the room and lit them for me.  I understood the message that was being sent to me - that once again the Rebbe would take care of the problems I would experience along the way..... and there were many problems - I was stalked, I had death threats, they hired lawyers to sue me...but in the end the blog I made at that time succeeded in shutting down the fake Jewish site - although the author of it has since returned to the web, he is now honest about who and what he is.

So while many people tell me I should "get off the internet", I'm afraid I can't.  This is what I'm meant to be doing, at least until I'm informed otherwise.  And sometimes it's very difficult, and sometimes I want to delete the whole site......and for those who remember, I did delete it last year.... and then had to put it back together :) - but ultimately I know the Rebbe is there in the background, giving me the strength I need to continue..... until Moshiach comes, which will hopefully be sooner rather than later.

More on the Rebbe and Gimel Tamuz at Rucho Shel Mashiach

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Listen to your Body

The Talking Donkey by Rabbi Simon Jacobson

A mysterious event in this week’s Torah portion reveals a phenomenon new to modern psychology—that we must listen to our body’s voice, which carries messages, memories and potent power.

One of the strangest episodes in history takes place in this week’s Torah portion. The gentile prophet Balaam is commissioned by Moabite King Balak to curse the Jewish people. Balak felt threatened by the Jews. He wanted to defeat them in battle and drive them away.

Initially G-d does not allow Balaam to go. But after Balak’s emissaries beseech him G-d permits him to go, saying “But only do exactly as I instruct you.”

Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his female donkey and went on his way. G-d plants His angel in the road to oppose him.

When the donkey saw G-d’s angel standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, the donkey went aside from the road into the field. Balaam beat the donkey to get it back on the road. G-d’s angel then stood in a narrow path through the vineyard, where there was a fence on either side.

When the donkey saw G-d’s angel, it edged over to the side, crushing Balaam’s foot against the wall. [Balaam] beat it even more. G-d’s angel continued ahead, and he stood in a narrow place, where there was no room to turn right or left. When the donkey saw G-d’s angel, it lay down [refusing to budge] for Balaam. Balaam lost his temper and beat the donkey with a stick.

G-d then opened the donkey’s mouth and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you beat me these three times?” “You have embarrassed me [or: been playing games with me],” shouted Balaam at the donkey. “If I had a sword in my hand just now, I would have killed you!”

The donkey replied to Balaam, “Am I not your [faithful] donkey, upon which you have been riding from back when until this day. Have I ever been unmindful to you?” “No,” replied Balaam. G-d then opened Balaam’s eyes and he perceived the angel standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. [Balaam] kneeled and prostrated himself on his face.

G-d’s angel said to him, “Why did you beat your donkey these three times? I have come out to oppose you, because your errand is obnoxious to me. When the donkey saw me, it turned aside these three times. If it had not turned aside before me, as it did now, I would have killed you and spared [the donkey].”

Balaam said to G-d’s angel: “I have sinned! I did not know that you were standing on the road before me. If you consider it wrong [for me to go], I will return home.” G-d’s angel said to Balaam, “Go with the men. But do not say anything other than the exact words that I declare to you.

The narrative continues with G-d compelling Balaam to bless the Jews instead of cursing them, to the chagrin of Balak and his cronies.

This story with the talking donkey is puzzling from beginning to end. If G-d didn’t want Balaam to go to Balak, why didn’t he just stop him from going? If for whatever reason G-d wanted to block his way with an angel, why did he hide the fact from Balaam and allowed the donkey to see the angel – after all Balaam not the donkey was the prophet?!

A Torah axiom states that G-d does not perform miracles in vain. Why then was this miracle of miracles necessary, to have the donkey see the angel, resist moving on, until the donkey ends up speaking?! This miracle would have been totally unnecessary if Balaam had seen the angel himself. Why the need to open the donkey’s mouth?!

The plot thickens: the Mishne states (in the Ethics of our Fathers) that the “donkey’s mouth” was one of the ten unique things created at dusk on the sixth day of creation! In other words, G-d planted this episode from the beginning of time by creating the “donkey’s mouth” for the day when the donkey would speak to Balaam!

Why is the “donkey’s mouth” so significant?

Briefly:

Torah speaks in the language of man. Beneath the literal meaning in the Torah narrative lay layers upon layers of deeper dimensions. Within the “body” of the story lies it’s soul – profound spiritual and psychological insights that illuminate the nature of our psyches and provide direction how to deal with the challenges of life. Every character in Torah, every episode of its narrative, parallels a facet of our personalities.

The story of Balaam and his donkey is the story of our own lives, with a multitude of lessons.

The Hebrew word for donkey is “chamor.” [A female donkey (jennet) is called “osson.” “Pered” is the Hebrew name for a mule (or a hinny), a hybrid borne of a horse and a donkey. But the general name for donkey, male or female, is “chamor”].

The Baal Shem Tov explains that “chamor” also means matter. In Exodus the verse states: “When you see the donkey of your enemy being overburdened by its burdens, don’t ignore it. It’s incumbent upon you to help relieve its burden.” Interprets the Baal Shem Tov: You observe “chamor” – your physical body and the coarse materialism of life – and you see that it is your enemy, opposing all things spiritual, and feeling overburdened by the sublime responsibilities of the soul. You may then consider ignoring the body so that it does not distract you from fulfilling your calling. You may even want to punish your body through asceticism and self-affliction.

Says the Torah: No! You are responsible to support, refine and elevate the “chamor,” even if it is ostensibly your enemy.

Balaam the prophet represents the paradox of a spiritual man locked in a decadent lifestyle. Each of us has two dimensions: A sacred side and a profane one. A person may be deeply spiritual, yet also profoundly corrupt. Indeed, the Talmud says “the greater the person, the greater his evil inclination.”

An extraordinarily gifted person always has equally powerful unique challenges. Left without discipline these gifts can be abused. And when they are, it is very difficult to get through to the person. Because the smarter he is, the better are his excuses and his ability to cover his tracks. He can mask his subjectivity with brilliant smokescreens.

At it’s extreme, you have Balaam: A prophet willing and delighted to use his Divine power to curse an entire nation.

Spiritual corruption or distortion is worse than other forms of corruption, because it uses a very positive force for negative ends. In other instances of corruption, you can always hope that a person’s conscience and spirit can be aroused. But once the spirit has been corrupted, and the soul has been taken hostage by destructive forces, what recourse is left?

The same holds true for any abuse perpetrated by a person who is supposed to love you: A parent, a sibling, a spouse. With strangers we have our guard up. If a stranger is abusive, s/he cannot hurt you that much because you don’t necessarily expect much from a stranger. But abuse coming from a loved one hurts us in the deepest place: the place of love. A parent, for instance, is supposed to love you, and as a child you are vulnerable before your parent. Thus, when the parent is abusive, it touches the very core of our beings: our souls. The worst abuse is the one that scars our most vulnerable places. Nothing is worse then love itself – and the source of love – being (ab)used in a cruel way.

So what is the antidote to this epitome of distortion? If the gifted person, or the one who is supposed to be providing love, has become corrupt to the point that he cannot even listen, how then do you get through to him?

The dilemma is also from the perspective of the abusee (the survivor): Once someone has been hurt in a deep part of his spirit, he doesn’t allow anyone in. So how can he be reached?

Yet, G-d in His infinite wisdom precedes the cure before the illness. Even when the soul may be unable to hear the message, the body has its own voice that speaks to us.

In modern psychology there is a phenomenon, which we shall call “psychological hypothermia.” When a child suffers severe abuse from a loved one (especially if its ongoing), the child will go “out of body” to separate himself from the experience. One of the reasons for this is presumably because the child cannot tolerate the possibility of a loved one hurting him. He therefore disassociates from the experience, as if it didn’t happen to him.

Hypothermia is “a decrease in the core body temperature to a level at which normal muscular and cerebral functions are impaired.” When a child, for instance, falls into ice-cold water, and his temperature drops to dangerous levels, the child will go into a state of shock, which shuts down the primary life functions to the point that the child may appear dead, in order to preserve the bare minimum energy for the vital organs. In other words, in order to survive the conscious faculties have to temporarily stop functioning.

The same is true psychologically. For survival purpose, sometimes we have to detach from an experience, to the point that we may be unaware of it in our conscious minds.

Yet – and this is the big yet – even as our conscious spirits may be unaware of the experience, our bodies remember them. Every experience in our lives is etched into the memory of our bodies. That is why we talk about experiencing “knots” and “tightness” in our bodies. Psychological feelings do not remain in the mental domain; they seep into the body, causing all sorts of physical reactions (“knots in the stomach” is one mild example). Anxiety oozes toxins into your body. Strong traumatic experiences tie up your body in knots.

In severe cases, the personality shift that happens at the time of abuse remains long after the experience. A child may grow into an adult that has actually shifted his personality, and is living, in some ways, like another person, often having “out of body” experiences. So severe was the initial abuse.

But, even when the soul, for whatever reason, is unable to consciously acknowledge an experience, the body has stored it away, for the day when it will be safe to emerge.

And therein lies the true power of therapy and growth: To help an individual find safety and security, so that he or she can then work on “untying the knots,” and allowing himself to access the soul that he had to hide away so long ago.

By no means is this a simple process. It can even be torturous at times. Yet, in a strange way this phenomenon is a testimony to one of the greatest resiliencies of the human being: G-d allows a child to survive even the worst experiences, and then gives him the strength to reconnect with himself when the times is right and the situation safe.

Even when the soul is not conscious of the memory, because the abuse came from a soul connection – a loving person – the body is endowed with a wisdom that does remember. And it holds the secret till the day when the soul will be able to hear the message.

This is the inside story of Balaam and his donkey. G-d could not get through to Balaam on a fundamental level. He saw that Balaam was intent on going to Balak and helping him implement his malevolent plan. But even when the soul cannot be reached, the body can. So it is the “chamor” – the body – that sees the “angel,” and it is the body that cries out to the person prodding him to open his eyes.

What is most fascinating about this concept is that usually we associate awareness with the soul. Yet, Jewish mysticism teaches that the body too was created by G-d. It therefore contains unique Divine energy of its own. Indeed, the body carries enormous power stemming from the Essence of G-d, which in some ways is superior even to the energy of the soul!

But often when our bodies speak to us, beckoning us to act, we may ignore the voice. Or worse: We may “beat” the body, as Balaam beat his donkey, because it is becoming a nuisance and distracting us from our misguided plans.

So, we have many voices available to us. In healthy situations, and in many instances, it is the voice of our souls that we should be heeding. Yet, at times our bodies carry important messages for us.

The question is: Are we listening?

Making Sense

[a Dvar Torah from Rav Yaakov, forwarded by a reader]

BS”D

Hhukath 5771 (?5951?)


You have to find a steer who is 100% red, has never had a yoke on it, is physically perfect. The mathematical/statistical chance is so low it’s pitiful. Then you take this super-rare find, slaughter it, burn it to ashes along with some moss, a branch of cedar and some red cloth. Now if you did that with any steer it would make no difference. But with this red one the man who burns it and the man who handles the ashes become tmei’im (spiritually impure). Then when someone touches or is under the roof with a human corpse he becomes tameh (spiritually impure) and gets purified by having sprinkled on him water mixed with the very same ashes that caused those men to be tameh plus the one who sprinkled the water on him becomes tameh instead of the ‘besprinkled’.

Go figure it out.

Does it make any logical sense to you?

Nu – be honest.

It can’t make sense to you because you are a mere human being with the limited human mind. Yes even the most brilliant of humans has a mind/brain that in relation to the ‘mind’ of HaShem is extremely limited. It would be something like comparing a certified idiot to a certified mega-genius with an IQ of say 400.

For you info; Genius = IQ above 135, Cretin = IQ 70-85, Moron = IQ 55-70, Imbecile = IQ 40-55, Idiot = IQ under 40 (Wiley Coyote = IQ 35, supporters of “pres” B.H.O. = 25).

The difference between HaShem’s “mental powers” and ours is beyond conception. That is part of why the Hebrew word for world is “Olam” which stems from the root word “elem” meaning unseen/un-seeable. What we see and our brains can fathom is less than the tip of the iceberg. Most is, as far as we are concerned, hidden and un-seeable.

Just as a “small” example: Our neviim and Zohar hint to a time near the coming of Mashiah when there will be wars, rumors of wars (riots), strange weather, many natural disasters, changes in the moon etc. This year we see much of this. Yet it is all not realized by most people who can’t connect the dots. Now we hear from amateur astronomers that yes the moon has changed its angle and its position in the sky , while government paid astronomers refuse to reply to queries on this. We also now hear from Rav Glazerson that Torah Codes tell of a change in the moon this very year 5771. Nothing just happens by coincidence. There is a hand, a very BIG hand behind it all with HIS unfathomable, unknowable intentions and plans behind it all.

Think of it as being shown on a giant screen - a moving constantly changing immense collage of images. You’d catch a small miniscule part of it if anything at all.

Haza”l told us that if we were able to see all the entities surrounding us and all their activity we would go nuts in seconds.

When a navi (prophet) received a nevuah (prophecy) he did not sense what he was told or wrote down. He received a multimedia multidimensional image that has zero sense to just about anyone including himself. It also must be in the language-concept type of his society language etc.

E.g. the Amerindians called the train an ‘iron horse’ for this was the work animal they knew, and they called negroes ‘white men” because of the association.

His human mind had to translate as if it were this super-hologram into words that a human mind can grasp. There is where some people went wrong. If the receiver is pure, righteous, free of arrogance-selfproudfullness-jealousy-envy, free of low lusts etc then he will develop a good rendering of the image. If not; then not. It’s a simple mathematical physics equation. Send a light beam through a good quality lens and a good image comes through. If the lens is warped so will be the image.

This was the mistake of Adam Harishon, of Korahh, of Bilaam, of Shabtai Ssvi etc. However, I must be quick to say that Adam was in a different league totally from the others mentioned.

Adam saw that in the future he would be allowed to eat from the tree of knowledge, but failed to see that a certain time must pass so that the tree would repaired beforehand. Korahh saw that his sons would be uplifted by HaShem, but failed to see why. He saw that a prophet, Shmuel, would be one of his descendants, and that in the future the Leviim would also perform functions in the Beit Hamikdash like the Cohanim. But he too jumped the gun. His sons were uplifted and merited a descendant to be the prophet who would coronate kings especially David the root of Mashiahh because they did not partake in his mahhloketh against Moshe while at the same time they kept a behavior of respect to their wayward father. Bilaam was misguided by his greed. Sh’Ss by his bodily lusts was made fodder for shin daledim etc who led him believe that he was Mashiahh.

What could have saved them and others from similar failures and fates? What can save us from such failures and fates? True, while none of us are prophets, all of us can get ‘messages’. All of us get ideas etc in our heads. How can we even hope to be sure to not go astray?

Had Adam stopped and said to himself, “Let me talk to HaShem, talk to my Neshama (upper soul) and find out of this is really what HaShem wants of me or is it a false flag” he would never have taken that fateful disastrous nibble. The world would have been a lot different.

Had Korahh done this he would have seen the clear picture and realized that he was a clear choice to make, accept Moshe’s leadership 100% and survive to have his descendants reach the same high level but for better reason, or give in to his envy and fall as he did.

If Sh’ss had done hitbodeduth (solitary talk with ones Neshama and HaShem) he would have been able to free himself from his crude lusts and not become so enveloped and influenced by klipoth and shin daledim. He would therefore not have gone so astray.

If a person who is thirsting to go buy a new BMW 740i even though it means a big loan would stop, do hitbodeduth and ask inside/upstairs “is there a real true reason why my 3 year old Chevy Citation isn’t good enough?” he would stick with his “old” car and prevent the debts and pressures. That’s just one example. Think about it and you’ll see there are tons of others in your life.

Talk to HIM. Ask HIM why HE put you here at all. Ask HIM why HE arranged your life to bring you to the spot/situation etc you are in. Ask HIM what HE wants of you, what you are supposed to learn from the events etc in your life. Ask HIM for HIS Divine guidance and help in doing what HE wants of you.

As a master Torah genius of a few generations ago said, “You must investigate everything with the goal of finding the Sekhel (mentality-intelligence, sense) of HaShem in everything all the time”.

It will change your world, your life for the better.

With that I send to all of you my precious brothers, sisters, friends and students my blessings

Rav Yaakov

Friday, July 1, 2011

A Time, Times and a Half of Time




Barack Obama and The Book of Daniel  
from Radio Broadcast of 15 May 2007 at Redemption5768 [Download #9]

The last chapter of Daniel, chapter 12 contains probably the most mysterious verse in Torah. It calculates that the time of the end will be after a time, times and a half of time passes. Many people are aware of this verse, but forget that chapter 7 also has some intriguing and similar language. It occurs after describing the 4th beast representing our 4th and final exile, the exile of Yishmael, the Arab nation.

Verse 24 states that ten kings shall come out of this kingdom, but then another king will emerge and subdue three kings. He shall speak arrogantly against Hashem and the Jews and will believe that he can change the times. We will be given into his hands for, a time, times and a half of time.


"And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the seasons and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time."  Daniel 7:25

[Also see Obama and the Evil at the End of Days]


Thursday, June 30, 2011

Just as Lost as you Are


Concerning this, those who speak in parables say "Come to Heshbon...." [Chukat 21:27]

In Maseches Bava Basra [78b], Chazal expound on this verse as follows: "Regarding this hamoshlim would say - This refers to those who rule [hamoshlim] over their yetzer hara.  'Come to Cheshbon' - Come and let us make a calculation [cheshbon] of world importance."  This teaches us that it is incumbent upon each individual to evaluate his deeds in order to determine whether or not he is acting properly.

R' Yitzchak Blaser, one of the primary figures in the Mussar movement, was approached by members of his community who requested that the Rav rouse them with words of inspiration in light of the upcoming High Holy days.

"Allow me to draw a parable" he began.  "A caravan lost its way in a forest. For a week the travelers wandered around aimlessly, unable to find their way out.  Suddenly, the men saw a lone figure walking in the distance. They quickly made their way toward him and asked him to show them the way out of the forest.

"My brothers and friends" replied the man, "you have been roaming this forest for only a week.  I, however, have already been lost for several weeks. Let us try to find the way out of here together, perhaps then we will be successful."

"But there is one area in which I can be of assistance" continued the man. "I will tell you the paths that I have already tried, and we will know not to mistakenly tread them again."

"This applies to our own situation as well" said R' Blaser with great humility. "I am just as lost as you are; only more so, for I am old and have already been lost for many years.  Yet my experience can be of benefit, as I will be able to enlighten you as to things that I have seen in my life which I have investigated and found to be trivial and meaningless!

"You can trust me on those matters that it would not be worth your while to try those things.

"Come, let us search together for the path that leads to complete repentance!"

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein


Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The Tenth Red Cow


"They should take some of the ashes of the burnt purification offering [of the red cow] and place them in a vessel [filled] with spring water" [Chukas 19:17]

Rambam comments: "Nine red heifers were prepared from the time this mitzvah was given until the destruction of the Second Temple.  The first was prepared by Moshe, the second by Ezra, and there were seven from Ezra until the destruction of the Temple.  The tenth will be made by King Mashiach - May he be speedily revealed! Amen, may this be your Will!"

The fact that Rambam mentions the tenth red heifer that "will be made by King Mashiach" in his legal Code [the Mishneh Torah] is understood, since Rambam included in his Code many laws that will only be applicable in the future era.  What is difficult to comprehend is why he concluded this law with a prayer "May he be speedily revealed! Amen, may this be Your Will!"  Surely a legal Code is not the place for the author to record his personal emotions and feelings, or to lapse into prayerful wishes?

It could be argued, however, that with his "prayer", Rambam did teach us a point of Jewish Law - or, to be precise, three points:

Judaism requires a person:

1) Not merely to believe [intellectually] in Mashiach, but also to actively await and yearn [emotionally] for his coming [Laws of Kings 11:1]

2) Inevitably, feeling this void will lead a person to pray for Mashiach's coming, just as he prays for any other thing that is lacking in his life.

3) And being that the requirement to believe in Mashiach is in force at all times, it follows that likewise, a person must yearn and pray for Mashiach constantly.

Therefore:

1) Rambam included prayerful wishes here in his legal Code to indicate that awaiting Mashiach must not be only expressed intellectually, but emotionally too.

2) He stresses that Mashiach should come "speedily" to indicate Mashiach's coming should be a personal heartfelt desire.

3) He recorded the above principles, not in his codification of the laws concerning Mashiach, but here out of context, to indicate that one must express a yearning for Mashiach constantly, whatever the context of one's discusion happens to be.

Source: Likutei Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The View from Above

Yesterday was pretty chaotic for me, but I did have a couple of hours of sanity where I sat on someone else's roof deck, and took these photos.

Looking down towards Bondi Beach

Monday, June 27, 2011

Lost Penguin Update

For those who were worried about last week's Lost Penguin [now named "Happy Feet"] - you will be pleased to hear he is being looked after and New Zealand zoo staff are hoping he will make a full recovery, and that he will be well enough to take up the offer of a place onboard a cruise-ship back home to Antarctica.

The emperor penguin swam about 3200km from its Antarctic home to Peka Peka beach, about 60km north of Wellington. The only previous recording of an emperor penguin in New Zealand was at Southland's Oreti Beach in 1967.

Full story here

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Australia's disappearing beach

A popular beach known as Inskip Point near Australia's Frazer Island began to disappear into a sinkhole yesterday.   As nearby campers looked on, the beach began to vanish in front of them.

Miriam's Well

Art: Devorah Designs


[Please pray for the refuah shelaima [complete recovery] of Chaya Bracha Miriam Shira bat Mira, from the Lubavitch community in Chicago, mother of four young children]


"The congregation had no water, so they ganged up against Moshe and Aharon..." [Chukas 20:2]

Water assists the digestive system to break down food, and the water within the bloodstream carries those nutrients to all parts of the body.  This represents the mission of all Jewish women: to bring the well of living water - Torah - to nourish all segments of the Jewish people, even those who totally lack knowledge of it.  Thus we find that, while still in Egypt, Miriam devoted herself to small children, and her heroic efforts led to the annulment of Pharoah's decree against children.  Consequently, it was in her merit that the well water came, since water represents the universal dissemination of Torah.

Thus, when a mother, sister or teacher educates a child, we witness the modern-day "living waters of Miriam" sustaining the Jewish people in exile, making it possible to go peacefully throughout our current "sojourn" in the "desert" of exile.

In addition to providing water to drink, Miriam's well also made it possible for the mitzvah of taharas hamishpachah [family purity] to be fulfilled.  There was no other source of water in the desert, so Miriam's well served as a mikvah, enabling children to be born throughout the forty years.

The custom of drawing water on Motzei Shabbat [to draw from the well of Miriam] is cited in the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch.  This appears to suggest that it is applicable today; however, this was not a custom practiced in the House of the Chabad Rebbeim.  In any case, it certainly applies to all of us spiritually: studying this law about Miriam's well influences the whole week, that it may be a healthy week in both spiritual and physical terms.

Source: Gutnick Chumash: Based on various Sichos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Yarzheit: 26 Sivan: Rabbi Yonatan ben Uziel

Kever of Rabbi Yonatan ben Uziel, Amuka Israel

Tradition has it that Rabbi Yonatan ben Uziel - יונתן בן עוזיאל - gave a blessing to all those who are unmarried that if they visited his resting place they would merit to meet their soulmates and marry within the period of one year. This blessing has worked for all these centuries and countless numbers of people have married.

***********************************

"It was said that whenever Rabbi Yonathan, son of Uziel, sat down to delve into the Torah, any bird straying over his head was burnt by his words."  [Tractate Sukkah 28a]

"No fly passed over the table of the prophet Elisha." [Tractate Brakhoth 10b]

The Baal Shem Tov taught: A person is surrounded by spiritual worlds that mirror his thoughts. If his thoughts are holy, then he is surrounded by holy worlds, but if his thoughts are impure, then he is he surrounded by impure worlds.

By the same token, wherever a person's thoughts are, and whichever worlds surround him, so too he is surrounded in this earthly world, be it with kosher birds and animals, or non-kosher birds and animals. In the source text [Ben Porath Yoseph 56d-57a], the Baal Shem Tov adds that whatever happens to a person is also a mirror of his inner world. Thus, G d is constantly talking to each and everyone of us, trying to make us aware of what is going on inside us. Hence, when we see some human act "out there" that is "non-kosher," we should look inside ourselves for similar failings, rather than judge the other person.

There are three categories of worlds: the pure, the impure, and the in-between. Above these categories is the world of pure thought, which cannot be fathomed. This, then, is why any bird straying above Rabbi Yonathan son of Uziel was burnt. ["Straying birds" is an allusion to straying thoughts, which were "burnt" by Rabbi Yonathan's Torah study. Similarly, no fly, being a non-kosher creature, flew over Elisha's table, because his thoughts were always holy.]

And because no fly passed over Elisha's table, his host knew that he his thoughts were holy and that he was a holy man.

[from the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov]

Friday, June 24, 2011

Anger Management


by Rabbi Michoel Gourarie

Question:
I have come to the realization that I have a real temper problem. I lose my cool quickly and fairly often. With the smallest provocation I fly off the handle, scream and shout and say things that I later regret. Sometimes I can be quite abusive, humiliating those around me. I really need to work on this problem. What do you suggest?

Answer:
Fixing a personality defect or a character flaw is no different to treating a physical disease.

There are 5 steps in dealing with physical illness:

a) The first and most critical step is to recognize that we are ill.
b) We don't have the necessary expertise ourselves, so we go to the doctor.
c) The professional makes a diagnosis.
d) Based on an accurate diagnosis the doctor prescribes the appropriate treatment.
e) Just focusing on the specific sickness is ineffective. We need to develop a general health plan. Healthy routines of eating, exercise, rest and stress management, affect our general strength and help prevent future disease.

Dealing with a character deficit such as out of control anger is no different.

a) You have to recognize that you have a problem (you have done that already - congratulations, you are on the way to recovery).

b) Don't do it alone. Discuss it with a mentor and if necessary with a competent therapist.

c) Although the ultimate goal of self control is obvious, it can only really be sustained with a good diagnosis. You need to understand why you are so easily provoked, what are the red flags that ignite an outburst and what are the times that you are most vulnerable.

d) With a good diagnosis your mentor or counselor can help you develop a good action plan. This will include learning how to recognize the onset of an angry mood and the strategies to make sure it doesn't explode.

e) You need a general health plan. Sometimes we fail in specific areas because we have lost a general positive focus. Developing a good plan of growth where we ensure that we are involved in activities of kindness, spiritual growth, personal study all create a stronger person that can fight specific weaknesses with strength .

You have already completed step one. Only four to go - good luck.