Be A Part of History!
March 11th, 2010
Dvar Torah
March 12th, 2010
Based on Likutey Halakhot, M’onen u’M’nacheish 2
Parshat HaChodesh, celebrating as it does our very first mitzvah that we received as a people, cries for an explanation: Why are we moonies (pardon the expression)?
From its first mention in the Torah, the moon represents all that has gone wrong and remains in a state of imperfection in the world, as it currently operates. By immediately giving us the mitzvah to sanctify the moon, God is telling us that our mission is to correct what is broken, to “fill the moon’s lack.”
“[None among you shall be a...] diviner of auspicious times or omens…” (Deuteronomy 18:10). One of the motivations for seeking out the help of fortune-tellers and soothsayers is to gain an advantage over Nature by knowing what is in store and how to avoid it, if detrimental, or how to optimally use it. The mitzvah to not seek such knowledge is to remind us that we are, essentially, a super-natural people. Of course, none of us can fly and we all have to look both ways before crossing the street—we are not impervious to physical
harm or disease.
But to fulfill our mission as a people, we as individuals have to take care to guard our essence, our connection to the Creator of Nature. In an ideal world, one’s connection to the Divine, through observance and performance of His will, would correspond directly to a like-result. We know all too well, however, that the world does not currently operate that way. God hides His continual, loving control and guidance behind the screen of Nature.
Filling the moon’s lack requires our synthesizing the natural and the rational laws of life with faith in the Creator, Who is beyond and outside them, Who can contravene them as He likes, whenever He chooses. To seek magical and paranormal solutions is to misuse our faith, even if we haven’t totally excluded God from our calculations.
And coming on the heels of last week’s episode of the Golden Calf, we see that the Jewish women, who refused to give their jewelery to produce the Golden Calf, exhibited a Jewish essence deeper than their husbands’. This is why they, and not the men, were given Rosh Chodesh as a special holiday, and why they are promised to be continually renewed in the Future (Pirkei d’Rebbe Eliezer, Chapter 45), when faith and nature will collaborate to reveal God’s presence.
May we live to see it, soon. Amen.
agutn Shabbos!
Shabbat Shalom!
© Copyright 2010 Breslov Research Institute
Weekly Parsha
March 5th, 2010
Based on Likutey Halakhot, Chukat HaAkum 2:6–7
Dvar Torah for Parshat Ki Tisa
“God said to Moshe…ki tisa et rosh, when you take a census (literally, ‘when you lift the head’) of the Israelites…each shall give an atonement offering…everyone included…must give a half-shekel…” (Exodus 30:11–12).
Lifting your head, writes Reb Noson, means cutting through the mirage that chains you a lower, less spiritual quality of life.
Lifting your head can be accomplished by giving tzedakah, charity. In adition to the obvious result of helping the cause to which you have donated, giving tzedakah has two not-so-obvious, but related, by-products. The first is that the true beauty of the Jewish people becomes more visible: all can see that Jews are kind, generous and charitable. The other result, even more subtle, is that God’s greatness, His kindness and generosity, also becomes more apparent.
Perceiving God’s greatness, “lifting the head” and growing wiser, causes the mirage to vanish. What seemed apparent, so true and solid, is no longer there to confuse our thinking and throw us off course.
We all know, however, that giving tzedakah is not the easiest mitzvah. This struggle is hinted at by the Torah’s telling us to give a “half-shekel.” Each of us has his tests and struggles in which two lights, one finite, one infinite, seem balanced, half and half. Until and unless we “lift the head,” the mirage persists. Giving tzedakah lifts our thinking so that we see clearly how the infinite far out-weighs the finite.
But which tzedakah? Should you give to Congregation Yeshiva Mishkan or to the Golden Calf Society (God forbid!)? A donation to either would be an expression of Jewish generosity. Your choice will reflect what you image yourself to be. If you picture yourself as a Jew who will emulate God’s compassion and graciousness, then Congregation Yeshiva Mishkan will benefit from your largesse. One who harbors, God forbid, an ambition to be a Golden Calfer throws away his money on the production of more mirages.
So, writes Reb Noson, our ability to image is like the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It can go either way. It depends on what we want. To help us make the right choice, we are advised of two mitzvahs—to imitate God’s behavior and to keep company with genuine Torah scholars—and a third mitzvah, to avoid associating with those who don’t incorporate Torah values into their lifestyle.
agutn Shabbos!
Shabbat Shalom!
© Copyright 2010 Breslov Research Institute
Dvar Torah for The Fast of Esther
February 24th, 2010
Based on Ohr Chadash* of Maharal of Prague and Likutey Halakhot, Tefillin 6:30
[Queen Esther said to Mordekhai the Jew,] “Go gather all the Jews found in Shushan and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, by day or night….” (Esther 4:16)
Queen Esther told Mordekhai—the Jew—that in praying to avert and rescind the decree of annihilation, it is necessary for the Jews to pray together. Staying at home to pray as individuals won’t be enough.
Maharal points out that this is also the opinion of Tosfot (Megilah 2a).
Jews joining together for the purpose of prayer redeems us and, as it were, the Shekhinah from exile (Berakhot 8a). (The Shekhinah herself is never in exile, but considered to be so because she never leaves our side.) Our praying together when we have gathered for the purpose of praying to God, is an in-gathering from the Exile.
The gathering together to fast was (and is) meant to be an un-doing, as well. Shortly before Esther became queen, many Jews had gathered to eat and drink at Achahveirosh’s ball (Esther 1:1–8). Since their enjoyment of that event was one of the causes for the decree (Megilah 12a), negating the decree called for un-doing their sin.
But un-doing a sin means more than just not doing it, or doing the opposite of what you did. It means feeling ashamed of having lost (control of) your self to such a degree that you acted so un-Jewishly and of being ashamed that you had no shame. Ideally, Rebbe Nachman teaches, one should feel so ashamed that he’s too embarrassed and unworthy to eat.
Then, writes Reb Noson, God wipes away all your wrong-doing and shame, and invites you to eat, drink and be merry at the Purim seudah (meal).
However foolish or silly you may be then, He accepts it in love.
Have an easy, meaningful fast.
*The Maharal’s commentary on the Book of Esther.
© Copyright 2010 Breslov Research Institute
How to Learn Likutey Moharan
January 28th, 2010
We will meet at 7:00 PM EDT, February 2, 2010 on Skype to Study Likutey Moharan. Our focus will be building content knowledge, learning skills and an overall appreciation of the Rebbe’s Teachings.
The topic of this series of is: “You are HOW you Eat”.
Source Material:
Advice by Reb Nasson, Eating, Page 20 – 25, Breslov Research Institute
Crossing The Narrow Bridge, Food, Glorious Food, Page 215-225, Breslov Research Institute
Likutey Moharan, Lesson 17:3,Page 29-35, Volume lll, Breslov Research Institute
Likutey Moharan, Lesson 62:1,2,5,Page 282-319, Volume Vll, Breslov Research Institute
Please join us for this group study session if you can!
To join the class contact howard.o on Skype at the start time.
Email me at coliver@breslov.org if you need any help with Skype.
Chaim Oliver
A Dose of Rebbe Noson
January 26th, 2010
“And the Jewish People passed through the Sea on dry land…”
Every one of us is constantly attacked and bombarded by his mind. The best way to avoid becoming overwhelmed by ones thoughts and worries is by simply not paying any attention to them at all. We must split the sea!
When the rushing waters start to overpower us, when we are stuck in the depth of the sea with nowhere to run, the Jewish Soul is in great distress – it is overwhelmed. Don’t look back! You have but one option – pay no attention to that which is going on around you.
God commanded Moshe: “Tell the people they should journey!” Go forward but don’t look back for even one second. And so Nachshon jumped into the sea and the rest of the Jewish People followed. God saw our strength and thus split the sea for us. If we strengthen and encourage ourselves and go forward without looking back – immediately our doubts and negativity disappear and we cross over on dry land.
Written by Yossi Katz
Based on Likutey Halachos Yoreh Deah, Shluach HaKan Halacha 4.
Dvar Torah for Parshat Bo
January 20th, 2010
Based on Likutey Moharan I, Lesson #54
“Moshe said, ‘God said, “About midnight I will make Myself known in Egypt and every firstborn in Egypt will die”…’” (Exodus 11:4–5).
“At midnight I awake to thank You…” (Psalms 119:62).
Did David know and Moshe not know [when midnight was]?! David had a harp hanging over his bed. When midnight came, the North Wind would blow, and the harp played by itself (Berakhot 3b).
At midnight, sacred music, descended from David’s harp, is triggered.
This is the music that extracts the good spirit from the bad. This is the time [of day] to strengthen oneself in service of God, to awake and immerse oneself in Divine worship, to pour out one’s heart to God…Understand well the practical application of these words.
(Lesson #54 [end])
Let’s face it. When the Redemption, the one we Jews have been waiting for for close to two thousand (count ‘em—2000!) years, finally comes, the “bad guys,” people whose attitudes and behavior are antithetical to what redemption and the Redemption Era are all about, are going to get hurt. They will have to be “removed.”
This is not something that has to happen. It is quite avoidable.
People and peoples can get with the program so that they can be part of the Redemption Era. Pharaoh got hit real bad because he wouldn’t take a hint and get the message to rehabilitate himself. He had opportunities to soften his heart and change for the better, but he waffled and refused so often that ultimately he couldn’t.
When Pharaoh didn’t change, neither did his people. As a result, they died—but not from loss of life. They died from too much life. When God revealed Himself, they didn’t have the vessels to hold the Divine life-force. They shattered.
Rebbe Nachman teaches that God is constantly trying to get us to soften our hearts. Whatever your situation, everything in your life, even the seemingly random, is a message to “let My people go so they may serve Me” (Exodus 9:1). Admittedly, says Rebbe Nachman, the ordinary folk cannot perceive from every detail of life every hint.
But we ready ourselves to hear and accept the message through simple
activities: sleeping, tzitzit and tefillin, Torah study (including reading the Shema), prayer and business. Each, in its way, prepares a person to understand what s/he needs to understand to become a better Jew.
Rebbe Nachman suggests another way to prepare: wake at midnight. By waking in the still of night to devote time to hitbodedut, Torah study and prayer, one will remember life’s true purpose. The more one’s memory is sensitized to that purpose, the more one is prepared to receive the life-force of the Redemption Era, may it come swiftly and soon, in our lifetime. Amen
agutn Shabbos!
Shabbat Shalom!
© Copyright 2010 Breslov Research Institute
Dvar Torah for Parshat VaEra
January 14th, 2010
Based on Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #232
“The Israelites didn’t listen to me, how will Pharaoh? And my lips are sealed” (Exodus 6:12, see Rashi).
Even Moshe Rabbeinu, who knew how to daven (pray) very well (as evidenced by the results of his prayers following the sin of the Golden Calf and the sin of Miriam), felt that he didn’t have the words to overcome Pharaoh. He felt that way despite the fact that it was God Who was sending him to speak! The lack of immediate success in liberating the Israelites and the worsening of their condition, discouraged him so much.
Sometimes you and I might also feel that way. The “Pharaoh” of food or money, or some other “Pharaoh,” doesn’t let the “Israelite” within you go free so fast. In fact, despite your hitbodedut (speaking to God in your own words), your spiritual feelings and progress are making negative progress. So although you have something convincing to say that will actually free you from your bondage, you feel too discouraged. You’re trapped at the gates of your lips.
Rebbe Nachman likens this to a warrior, armed to the hilt, who comes to the gates and finding them covered by spiderwebs, turns back from his mission. How silly! says the Rebbe. On account of some defeat and for the lack of a bit of courage should you give up the mission you set out on and for which you are so thoroughly equipped?! Absolutely not.
God sent Aharon to assist Moshe Rabbeinu. We also have tzaddikim, their works and other good teachers who can (and will) accompany us on our mission to overcome Pharaoh. Let’s not be bashful in asking God for help to find them, and in asking them to teach us what to say and to daven on our behalf.
agutn Shabbos
Shabbat Shalom!
© Copyright 2010 Breslov Research Institute
We will meet at 7:00 PM EDT, January 12, 2010 on Skype to Study the Rebbe’s Torahs on Rosh Chodesh
January 11th, 2010
To join the class contact howard.o on Skype at the start time.
Email me at coliver@breslov.org if you need any help with Skype.
Chaim Oliver
ASK A BRESLOVER
January 11th, 2010
Question: Is it really true that if you Daven enough, you could get anything? Doesn’t HaShem sometimes answer no?
Answer: Generally speaking HaShem is testing us with things in life because he wants us to build a relationship with Him and ASK for what we need rather than just taking everything for granted. Now many times we may pray and do not get the answer we wanted because HaShem in His Infinite wisdom knows best that perhaps certain things are not for our ultimate benefit. However, if we push and push then the power of prayer is so great that HaShem could say if you want it that badly and don’t care what I think then fine – here it is. This is a bad thing and we must be careful to pray as much in a general way as possible. For example one who is looking for a marriage partner should not pray that the one he/she is dating right now turn out to be his/her spouse but rather that HaShem should lead him to the one that is truly right.
We see this concept in the Ashrey prayer we say three times daily.
“The will of the ones who fear him He establishes – and their cries He hears and saves them.” Now if He is doing what is asked of him, why are they crying? Because they pushed and didn’t have proper Emunah/Faith and now they cry: Oyyy! This was terrible for me. You shouldn’t have given me wealth, this spouse, car, house, job etc… But HaShem is so great that he still hears our cries even afterwards and saves us!
May we are merit to pray with real sincerity and to merit that our prayers are heard and answered for our true eternal benefit. Amen.
Yossi Katz
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