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Based on Likutey Halakhot, Shavuot 2:35 and Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #96

“Therefore, proclaim, Behold! I [God] give [Pinchas] My covenant: Peace” (Numbers 25:12).

We know that God acts measure for measure. How, then, does a spear-toting, tribal-head killing “zealot” (a loaded word, if ever there was one!) get rewarded with God’s covenant of shalom, peace?! A question like this tells us we need to re-examine our definitions and premises.

It’s easier to deal with one opponent than with many. So, one accused of suspect behavior is better off being attacked by a vigilante than by a mob. The mob’s judgment would overwhelm him. Therefore, by silencing the mob with his attack, the vigilante does the suspect a great favor.

This is what happened in the episode of Pinchas and Zimri. “Pinchas…turned My wrath away from the children of Israel, when he took My revenge…and I did not destroy them” (Numbers 25:11). Pinchas killed the sinner Zimri, taking judgment into his own hands. Had he not done so, the Jews would have been annihilated, God forbid. But because Pinchas took God’s vengeance into his own hands, the accusation against the Jews was silenced.

So, although your opponent—and you—may not realize it, his attack may be saving you from something worse. As a people this is also true. Protests made by one element of our wonderful nation, may be saving the rest of us from who knows what tragedy, God forbid!

But wait! Who says “the other guy” or “they,” are wrong? Maybe they’re OK and the protestor is wrong? Oyyy! That’s another reason this long, bitter galut (exile) is so horrible—everybody claims they’ve got the truth! “With God and/or Torah on our side” (and not theirs!) is a refrain understood, if not actually heard, from many religious quarters. And for better or worse, the Godless make claim after claim of other truths, with a certainty that rivals religious fervor.

What’s a seeker to do?

Reb Noson writes that somehow, in some amazing fashion, despite the constant, daily attacks, God protects and preserves the essence of truth from being falsified or adulterated. He quotes Rebbe Nachman: “Gott firt tamid ois; God is constantly finishing” His work of perfecting the world. One who seeks the truth even after thinking he’s found it, will continue to seek it. He will observe the effect of his giving charity. Wrong charity will lead to dissension; kosher charity will lead to shalom.

But! warns Reb Noson, peace is not apathy! To let wrongdoing continue because one doesn’t want to be a troublemaker or is content with his situation, is flattery and falsehood, not shalom. Real truth cannot be done away with, and will not be silenced. Shalom can only be established when the lies surrender, and submit to the truth.

May the One Who makes shalom above, make shalom between us and between all Israel. Amen!

agutn Shabbos!
Shabbat Shalom!

© Copyright 2010 Breslov Research Institute

Ozer Shalom/Peace, charity, truth, tzedakkah charity, Dvar Torah, Parsha, peace, Shalom, truth

Week of Malkhut, Sixth Day

Major sefirah: Malkhut/Royalty-Kingship; minor sefirah: Yesod/Foundation

When it comes to crimes against the government not all misbehavior is the same. There are misdemeanors and there are felonies. But most kings and kingdoms, the smart ones, realize that their subjects will make mistakes: give in to temptation, scoff at certain laws, etc. Although every lapse indicates a buried disregard for the majesty of the king—which should always be severely censured—those which are relatively insignificant can be dealt with a relatively minor penalty. Concessions to human nature have to be made.

Even though more serious crimes (felonies) have to be dealt with more severely—after all, being too lenient leads to entropy which causes the whole enterprise to fall apart—a wise government accommodates its citizens’ frailties and attempts to balance the punishment with the crime. Of course all of the above applies only as long as the crimes are not flagrantly committed.

But some crimes, no matter how large the temptation, are always treasonous. They strike at the base of the kingdom. Not only do they impugn the king’s honor, they invite people to forge new allegiances that will take them further and further away from obeying their king. Such a crime I never want to commit!

A “peaceful kingdom” at home, with spouse and children, is the foundation of a peaceful for God. The time and effort invested in trying to build such a home is a very important (and too often neglected) part of serving Hashem (God).

When I daven (pray) the Shemonah Esrei blessing Sim Shalom (Place peace #19) I will try to make amends for persisting in being argumentative for no good reason, which causes so much pain to the Shekhinah.

Ozer Child rearing, Sefirat HaOmer, Shalom/Peace, Shemonah Esrei Amidah, peace, sefirah, Shalom, Shemonah Esrei

Week of Yesod, Sixth Day

Major sefirah: Yesod/Foundation; minor sefirah: Yesod/Foundation

What’s the foundation of the Foundation, eh? Good question. I’ve discovered that quiet itself is foundational (Zohar 3:115b). When I reach that inner-stillness I feel the strength to carry out my resolutions because that inner-quietness can overpower all the outer-noise.

And that strength of my convictions gets carried by my words. I’m able to calmly persuade others how critically important it is to maintain a high standard of decency and modesty, both in private and in public.

To make sure I’m holy, I’m going to make sure I’m happy. Bad moods and gloom always invite the fantasy of quick fixes, but once the physical pleasure wears off I’m just gloomy again. Singing, I’ve noted, really does drive away the blues. And I find there’s no desire for things that aren’t mine.

When I say the Shemonah Esrei blessing Sim Shalom (Place Peace #19) I will regret having been a master of gloom and doom, of going around glowering instead of glowing. So I made the world an angry, argumentative place, delaying mankind’s redemption. Now I have to make peace with myself and with others. Amen!

Ozer Sefirat HaOmer, Shalom/Peace, prayer, teshuvah Amidah, peace, redemption, sefirah, Shavuot, Shemonah Esrei, unity

Week of Yesod, First Day

Major sefirah: Yesod/Foundation; minor sefirah: Chessed/Kindness

A few days ago I mentioned that I realized that certain central components of my being determine the quality of my thinking and behavior. If a certain appetite takes control, just about any behavior or belief that indulges the appetite can be rationalized. The appetite becomes a god, a relentless, demanding god.

So it’s a real chessed (kindness) for me—and my fellow Israelites—that God insists on a very high standard of morality. Honestly trying to maintain that standard prevents the gods and goddesses of licentiousness from driving a wedge between me and E-L (alef lamed), the Almighty.

And a greater chessed lays within that standard. Because the standard is not merely to keep the aforementioned gods and goddesses at bay, but to ever-enhance the relationship that God has made with and for us. Is there a greater kindness than that?

I can also do that favor for people. If, God forbid, there’s a wedge between friends or neighbors, and especially if there is distance between husband and wife, I will try to do them the kindness of (re-)stabilizing the foundation of their familiarity.

When I daven (pray) the Shemonah Esrei blessing Slach na (Forgive, please #6), I will ask God to excuse me for being unkind to Him by becoming aloof because I was lackadaisical in maintaining our standards.

Ozer Sefirat HaOmer, Shalom/Peace, Shemonah Esrei Amidah, peace, sefirah, Shalom, Shemonah Esrei, Tzaddik

You may have noticed that we what we write about in this blog, and in our mailings, is rarely related to current events, and (almost) never to politics. We don’t, not because people don’t ask us to (they do), and not because we have no opinion about such things (we assuredly do). We don’t because controversy and politics get in the way.

The real purpose of life—to become constantly more God-aware—requires a friendly and peaceful atmosphere. And while friends can certainly agree to disagree, generally we are too judgmental about other people’s “wrongheaded” opinions to objectively receive the truth of what their saying. As a result we lose many opportunities to receive someone else’s “good point,” the unique perception of the Divine that only he (or she) has, that you and I need to perfect our own perception of same.

Underlying many, if not all, of Rebbe Nachman’s teachings, is the concept of unity, of arranging one’s life and it’s various facets, so that the individual—and society, and mankind—becomes more whole and integrated, materially, emotionally and spiritually. This is more likely to happen when we generously share what we have. A genuine talmid chakham (as compared to one who merely knows a lot of Torah facts) actively works to expand the attitude and atmosphere of shalom (see Berakhot 64a).

Will Rogers once said, “There’s no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you.” It would be no trick for us to mock presidents or prime ministers, a ruling party or its opposition. But it would serve no point and it would run counter to Rebbe Nachman’s work of bringing tikkun haolam closer.

The Beit HaMikdash was destroyed because of sinat chinam, baseless hatred. Rebbe Nachman counseled and implored us to pray the Tikkun Chatzot (Midnight Lament) so that the Beit HaMikdash would be rebuilt that much sooner. If we can’t be part of the solution, at least let’s not be part of the problem.

© Copyright 2009 Breslov Research Institute

Ozer Torah Beit HaMikdash, peace, politics, sinat chinam, Three Weeks

Tiferet translates as beauty and represents the harmony and truth that can, and do, illuminate our lives. The Hebrew word tiPhERet shares the same root as the words Pe’ER (beauty) and PuRah (branches). In the array of the Sefirot we find Tiferet in the C column, branching out to the right and left sides, receiving from the upper Sefirot and transferring their bounty to the lower evels. This, in a sense, is the true beauty of Tiferet, which is able to unite and harmonize different energies and channel them in a manner that brings beneficence to all.

As a symbol of truth and unity, Tiferet also represents peace. We see this on a human scale when families or groups manage to live at peace with each other despite their differences. It is also evident on a Divine scale as God, Who is One, is at the same time the Ultimate Truth, the Ultimate Unity and the Ultimate Giver of Peace. Thus Tiferet manifests the peace that results from unity despite divergent approaches.* Tiferet also corresponds to Torah study. Like Tiferet, the Torah has many “branches.” Starting with a single verse or phrase from Scripture, the commentators cull references from other parts of Torah to develop and reveal different shades of meaning and even new ideas in the original verse. Those familiar with the study of Torah-both its Written and Oral components, including the Kabbalah-are aware of the Torah’s ability to guide a person from the first thought (i.e., teaching) towards a logical conclusion of the subject matter. What better way to learn how to grasp our own potential than by applying the analytical reasoning of God’s Law to practical use?

Naturally, everyone claims to have the truth and, interestingly enough, every person does, in one way or another. We all have our own individual element or perspective of what truth is. As for the real core of truth-well, that’s a different story. Rebbe Nachman’s teachings on the subjects of truth, harmony and peace are concrete pillars that will help us master these attributes.

Once Reb Noson’s family put pressure on him to accept a job offer as a rabbi in a certain town. Reb Noson was reluctant to take the position because it might interfere with his learning sessions with Rebbe Nachman. When he discussed the pros and cons with the Rebbe, the latter asked him, “Who else should be the rabbi? One who doesn’t know the answers?”
Reb Noson was taken aback. “Rebbe! Is that the truth? Should I take the job?”
Rebbe Nachman replied, “Yes. That’s the truth?”
Hearing the inflection in the Rebbe’s voice, Reb Noson persisted, “But Rebbe, is that the emeser emes (the real truth)?”
Rebbe Nachman then answered, “No! The real truth is for you not to accept that position.” (In this case, it would have hindered Reb Noson’s spiritual growth.)

May we perceive truth in different ways, with a a truly wise judge to help us to recognize, accept and even bridge the vast differences between us so that we can live in harmony! This is the manifestation of Tiferet.

To be continued…

*Tiferet is sometimes called Rachamim (Mercy) and sometimes Mishpat (fair and proper Judgment). Tiferet is therefore Merciful Judgment-judgment tempered with mercy. The function of a judge in a dispute is to adjudicate between contending parties and help them arrive at a peaceful settlement.
Although we as individuals

Taken from Hidden Treasures, by Chaim Kramer http://www.breslov.org/bookstore/explorations/the-exchanged-children-an-allegorical-reading/prod_61.html

© Copyright 2009 Breslov Research Institute

admin Uncategorized peace, Reb Noson, Rebbe Nachman, sefirah, Tiferet, truth, unity