One of the greatest attorneys our Nation has is Rebbe Levi Yitzchak Ben Sara Sasha of Berdichev. He is a legendary fighter for Jewish continuity and success, both during his life, and certainly after his entrance into the world of souls. As our sages teach, a Tzaddik is more powerful after the death of his body than when the soul was in the body.

Reb Levi Yitzchak teaches a short but powerful teaching on the above Passuk.

The rule is that The Holy One, Blessed is He, pours blessing and favorable bounty onto Yisrael. Then, Yisrael takes the raw energy of that blessing and focuses it, each Jew according to his or her desire, be it to life, to peace etc. This is the meaning of Ki Chok Hu, since the word Chok, which is generally interpreted to mean a law in Torah whose total meaning is above human understanding, also means to constrict or to define

This Passuk, which we say in the Shmoneh Esray of Mussaf on Rosh Hashana, opens a door into our own power on this very powerful day. Read more

MIZMOR LETODAH- A SONG OF THANKS

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TEHILLIM TIDBITS
Mizmor LeTodah Tehillim 100

The Zohar gives Dovid Hamelech the unique title of Dovid Malka Meshicha, indicating that the soul of the original King Dovid will return in the final redeemer. Since, according to virtually every Torah authority, we are in the era immediately preceding the revelation of Mashiach, it is understandable that the need and desire to say and study Tehillim has increased. The words, emotions, attitudes and teachings of Dovid Hamelech will guide us to recognize, understand, love and identify with Mashiach Tzidkeinu.

Tehillim is a beloved book. It is a powerful book. It is almost universally venerated and more than half the world’s inhabitants find comfort and Godliness in its words. Ashreinu, fortunate are we to have the keys to unlock the truths hidden in Tehillim. Read more

Rosh Hashana 5767

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 ROSH HASHANA 5767 YERUSHALAYIM IH’K

EVRACH MIMCHA AYLECHA (Piyut by R Shlomo Ibn Gavirol) – I flee from You, right into You.

This saying expresses a wonderful understanding of the Yamim Noraim and our attitude towards them.
Rav Shimshon Pinkus, a Rav who worked for years in Kiruv here in Eretz Yisrael has a sweet teaching. He says that as we all know, the severity of the judgment on Yom Hadin is tempered by Teshuva. But there is another way to emerge victorious from judgment. That is to throw yourself at the feet of the judge, the Feet of The Judge, and plead for mercy.

Mercy means that we are accessing a Midah that is above judgment. Mercy is not a ‘freebee’. It is not asking Hashem to just make things as if I never erred. It is accessing a fundamental attribute of Rachamim which Hashem hardwired into creation and put at our service.

Rachamim is a program that is sitting on your PC, waiting to be opened. It has already been downloaded into your hard drive, it has a shortcut sitting on your desktop and it really wants to be opened. It will never give you a virus- just the opposite- it will remove all your (a) viroses!!

One way to run this Rachamim program is to ‘run’ into Hashem’s waiting and outstretched ‘Arms’. Read more

CHAI ELUL AND 9-11

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SHALOM FROM YERUSHALAYIM
This Sunday night and Monday is Chai Elul, the eighteenth day of Elul. It is the birthday of the founder of Chassidut, the Baal Shem Tov and also the birthday of his spiritual grandson the Baal Hatanya, founder of Chabad Chassidut.

Usually when a person is still in this world, we celebrate his birthday as a day when his mazal shines strongly and we acknowledge and give honor to the Tafkid he has assumed in this lifetime. When he passes on, his new birthday in his new world is celebrated. We call this the Yahrtzeit or Hilula. The fact that we still celebrate the earthly birthdays of the Holy Baal Shem and of the Alter Rebbe indicate that their work is still very much in this world and that in a certain way they didn’t leave. Their motto was and is Ha’maaseh Hu Ha’ikar calling for action and not just intention.
On their birthday into this world of Asiyah we recommit to the lesson of Asher Barah Elokim LA’ASOT. To put the ideals of the Holy Torah into the action of Mitzvot.
The previous Rebbe of Lubavich taught that Chai Elul brings new life (Chayus) into the service of Elul. More than half of Elul has passed!! Elul is when Hashem is so close. Have we accessed this closeness? The heavenly sense of humor places Elul squarely between shlepping home from summer vacation, shopping for school supplies, teachers meetings and the trauma of getting back into the yearly routine. If you are involved in Klal work, it’s getting the shul and/or school set up for Yom Tov. There are menus to plan, outfits to coordinate, and guests to juggle. We know that Elul is the time to return again to where we belong, to our Beloved. We really would like to. But who has the time?
So the holy Baal Shem and Baal Hatanya highlighted the 18th day of Elul by their appearances on this world and we pause and sigh and yearn to begin the return.
Chai Elul gives new life and new energy to the business of coming closer to Hashem and making up to Him for being too busy to pay much attention to The One Who Gives Life. More… There are twelve days from Chai Elul till Rosh Hashanah. Each day corresponds to one month, with Chai Elul corresponding to Tishrei of this past year. We can do Teshuva in these 12 days for the entire year! Sometimes its amazing to think about what happened in our lives this past year and realize that each event was the result of our efforts last Tishrei. The energy of Chai Elul is connective since it joins last Tishrei which it parallels to this Tishrei which it introduces.
Where there’s life, there’s hope! We have a day that contains the life force of the love, yearning and closeness to Hashem that hallmarks Elul and additionally breathes with the awesome power of the entire month of Tishrei. Hashem should bless us all among all of Klal Yisrael to truly live already and be reborn on Chai Elul. Read more

Parshat Nitzavim Vayelech 5766

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PARSHAS NITZAVIM-VAYELECH 5766 YERUSHALAYIM IH’K

A man decided to become a Chassid of the Rebbe Reb Zusha, after observing his piety and wholesome goodness. As he strengthened his devotion to his Rebbe, his business began to prosper. Once he went to Reb Zusha, only to find that he had gone to visit his own Rebbe, the Maggid of Mezrich. This shocked our friend, who had no idea that his own Rebbe had a Rebbe. And his pragmatic business head began to work overtime. If he had succeeded so greatly in business just by following Reb Zusha, how much more would he prosper if he became a follower of his Rebbe’s Rebbe, who must necessarily have greater powers. So, the man began to visit the Maggid and neglected Reb Zusha. As time went on, business dropped. The more he followed the greater Rebbe, the Maggid, the less success he had in business. He thought that perhaps he had offended the Rebbe Reb Zusha and this was his punishment. So, off he went to ask for forgiveness, and for guidance. When he explained the situation to Reb Zusha, the Rebbe smiled and said the following: “Indeed I am a smaller Rebbe than the Maggid, so when you came to me, you were riding on my merits, which are perhaps less than my Rebbe. Once you began to calculate and measure my greatness in relation to the Maggid, up in Shamayim they did the same with you. The court began to scrutinize you, and your merits. You came up lacking, and your Parnassa decreased”.

Last week’s Parsha of Ki Tavo begins with the Mitzva of Bikurim. The Sifri teaches that the merit of Bikurim brought us into Eretz Yisrael. Yet how can that be- we are only responsible to bring Bikurim once we are settled in Eretz Yisrael? The Nesivos Shalom points out that giving Bikurim goes against the nature of a person. A person is very emotionally attached to that which we create and we somehow see in our creations a part of ourselves. To donate the very first success of your financial or creative life to a higher cause is to go above human nature. It is supernatural. Living in Eretz Yisrael is also supernatural. It summons all of our Emuna, and makes us come face to face with living our Hashkafa. There are no places even within a person that we can hide. Here, one must be real. And for a Jew, reality means setting aside ‘reality’ and living with Emuna. This is an above nature existence. The going against our ‘nature’ by offering back to Hashem the first fruits of our lives brings us to the inner space of above nature living that defines Eretz Yisrael. Read more

Tehillim Tidbits – Monday

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TEHILLIM TIDBITS MONDAY, YOM SHEINI

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The second day of the week represents Gevura, the second of the seven sefiros. Gevura means strength. The Mishna in Avos reminds us that the Jewish concept of strength is not about gyms and working out. It is the ability to hold back, to restrain an impulse, or to redirect an impulse. It is about self control, with its prerequisite clear definition of what is right and what is not. Gevura is measured, well thought out, precise, organized and practical.

In the Chesed-Gevura relationship, which is the basic paradigm of creative energy, Chesed provides the raw energy, be it an idea, a feeling, or an inspiration. Gevura then takes over and makes that idea happen in the real world. Gevura gives focus and consequently power to the unbounded, dynamic Chesed energy.

As is well known, and is explained in the Gemara, in the dynamic of a family, the husband is the one who generally provides the majority of the resources. It is the wife who then takes these resources and transforms them into a beautiful and loving home. That is one reason why, in Halacha, a wife is actually called a man’s home.

Kabalistically, a man is said to ‘come’ from side of Chesed and a woman from the side of Gevura. Read more

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