Rebbe Nachman’s Stories
THE SEARCH FOR PERFECT WHOLESOMENESS
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PARSHAS YISRO
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PARSHAS YISRO YERUSHALAYIM
In this week’s Parsha, we read and receive the story of the giving of the Torah to Am Yisrael.
What has the Torah brought to mankind? What has the Torah brought to Am Yisrael?
The Ten Commandments which basically direct morality to world is one answer. Without accepting a Divine, Higher morality, this world would be infinitely more corrupt and polluted. The Laws of Torah keep humankind focused and aware of the sociological necessity of certain principles of behavior.
But we know that laws and directives cannot be the main aspect of Torah, notwithstanding the fact that the event of Har Sinai, witnessed by millions of people did focus on law. Rashi brings this point up in his first comment in Torah. If the focus of Torah was only legal, the Torah should have begun with law. The Torah does not begin with law, but with the Creation of creation.
According to Rashi, the Torah begins with an account of creation to give validity and credence to an historical event which would take place two and a half thousand years after the appearance of the first man. When Am Yisrael would take possession of Eretz Yisrael, the nations of the world would protest. They will accuse us of being aggressors, thieves. This accusation will be delivered despite the fact that all nations conquer land either by warfare or economic manipulation. Yet, when it comes time for our Nation to acquire our homeland, the world will protest. How true this prediction was and is, is a matter of historic fact, and we are still not free of this almost global attitude.
So, Rashi says that Hashem recorded His creation of creation so that we would have a Pitchon Peh, an acceptable answer to the nations. Hashem created, all of creation is His, and He can appropriate whatever land He wants to whichever people He chooses.
That answer might satisfy a Jew, but why should it satisfy anyone else on the planet? Who says Hashem gave us this land? The same Torah. Why should a human believe the Torah? The genius of Rashi reveals the Genius of Torah. It is a big gamble to write about a creation, in the details the Torah does. The more information the Torah supplies about this event, the more chance there is of repudiating this information. If the entire claim of a Jew to
For centuries, the apparent conflict between science and Torah caused much discomfort. Millions of words have been written, from the side of Torah and the side of science trying to either repudiate the opponent or to minimize their differences. However, now we are witness to a generation of physicists who are daily proving, to the extent that a human mind can, that every aspect of creation, every detail of the thirty one Pesukim of creation, is scientifically sound. And perfect. (If you are interested in this topic, you might want to read the books of Dr. Gerald Schroeder, an MIT trained scientist who teaches at
It seems that the most powerful, primary information in the universe has been revealed. Rashi comments that the first words of Torah demand deep reading and interpretation, and cannot be only read literally. He teaches that the phrase Beraishis Bara Elokim means ‘Hashem created creation for the sake of and to allow the free expression of Torah, which is called His Way’. Torah is called the Wisdom of God. To allow this wisdom expression is the purpose of creation.
Concurrent with all the work being done in the scientific community to demonstrate the unity of all entities in the universe and the uniqueness of every moment and object, a long forgotten, almost neglected document of Jewish Lore has re-emerged on the scene, and appears to be encouraging us to again access the secrets of the universe from a mystical and spiritual direction. This document is called Perek Shira. It appears that Perek Shira is a method of focusing on the Wisdom of Hashem inherent and pulsating throughout creation.
Hashem is patient. He has created a masterpiece, exquisite in perfection and intricate beyond imagination. Into this creation He has stamped His signature and this cosmic movie has been playing for the human race for over five thousand years. Hashem is patient, beyond time. He waits for us to read His message, to learn His wisdom. Torah gives us the keys to that Wisdom. Perek Shira might be giving us a clue to its tune.
There are so many levels of human consciousness and awareness. Many of us are happy if we remember to pay our bills and the birthdays of loved ones. Einstein said we use less than 10% of our mind’s capacity. Yet, Torah is giving us the tool, the key, the window into the Ultimate Mind, the Highest Wisdom. And as the Rambam and The Vilna Gaon taught, science is a tool to understand Torah.
Fish live in water. They don’t know this. They are not aware of the medium in which they swim. Humans live within the lower atmosphere. We live in a medium that we call air. And although we officially know this, we do not continually call this into our conscious awareness. The world was created from Torah. Chazal tell us this. “Hashem looked into the Torah and created the world”. Tehillim teaches us this. “Hashem Bechachma Yasad Aretz”. The medium in which we live, in addition to the physical atmosphere, is the medium of Torah. We are swimming in a stream of Hashem’s mind, Hashem’s consciousness. We live in the medium of wisdom. And we remain mostly oblivious to this fact.
Rabbi Akiva taught a beautiful parable. When asked why he continued to teach Torah publicly, even after the Romans declared this punishable by death, he replied,” There was once a fox walking along the river’s edge. He saw a fish in distress, swimming rapidly. The fox asked the fish, “Why do you appear so upset?” The fish replied that there were fishermen who had set nets in the bottom of the river. “We can avoid their baited lines, but when they pull up their nets, we become quickly entangled”. The cunning fox, seeing the possibility of a good meal, suggested that the fish come out of the dangerous water and onto the dry land. “There are no nets or fishermen on the river’s edge”. The fish replied,” If in the water which gives me life and breath I am in danger, how much more dangerous is the land where I cannot breathe and where live things more perilous than I can imagine”. Rabbi Akiva’s point is clear. If a Jew is under decree, Heavenly decree, the safest place is the medium of our very life’s breath- Torah.
The mindset we are aiming toward is that of an awareness of Hashem at all times. An awareness of His awesome power and His unlimited love. Perek Shira helps us in this awareness.
The first and most primary and important Passuk reveals to us the teaching that the heavens proclaim.
The heavens are saying,” Hashamayim Mesaprim Kevod Keil, Umaaseh Yadav Magid Harakia”.
The heavens tell us that they are speaking to us at all times, telling us of the greatness, the unlimited awesomeness of Hashem.
The numbers are staggering, beyond comprehension and therefore, almost impractical and useless. Billions and billions of heavenly bodies, including stars, comets, asteroids, planets, moons, black holes and energy points fill the space outside of the planet we call home. All of these celestial bodies interact with each other, exert forces on each other, and are all precisely coordinated. Can you juggle three oranges? Can you manage a day with ten different appointments and tasks? Can you manage ten trillion in a second? This is what the heavens are pointing our awareness to. Hashem created it all manages it all and it is all there for our viewing, entertainment and inspiration.
Meditate on what is above your head. Look at the sky; realize that the atmosphere we see is just a screen. The sky is not blue, but deep black. The screen of blue hides by day the complex array of the cosmos. It is as if Hashem is telling us that by day, we have much work to do and need not be concerned with that which is above us. Yet, sometimes we feel pulled down by our earthly responsibilities. We sometimes worry, or lose focus on the Tachlis of life. At that point, look up at the sky, enjoy the color, or the clouds, and then, in your mind, peel away the layer of screen and view the stage of the cosmos. Feel the awe, the grandeur. Be amazed at the view. You will be able to train yourself to go out of your small mind, into the higher mind and you will gain the skill of focus. Focus on what is highly meaningful and timeless, whether in your own life, in the life of the world or a focus on The Eternal One.
The next focus in Perek Shira is on things of the earth. Pulling us down to the grounded practicality of our daily life, “The Earth is saying, “Everything in the earth belongs to Hashem.” This thought, that the trillions upon trillions of atoms, items and lives upon this planet are all owned by Hashem. A humbling thought, a grounding thought, and a great balance to the lofty inspiration of the heavens. These two spans of expanse, heavenly sky and grounded earth are available to our eye almost continuously and their song is within our range of hearing.
There are certain learned scholars who have taught that there is an actual physical frequency or vibration at which every created thing vibrates. A human, with proper training, Torah training, might be able to literally hear or resonate at the same frequency as whatever he or she is trying to ‘hear’. Perhaps a deep meditation of Perek Shira will help us.
The times of Mashiach are categorized as a time when the knowledge of Hashem will cover the earth as the waters cover the oceans. This pleasure is becoming more available to us as technology allows us to observe that which was once thought of as impossible or metaphysical. More and more people are becoming aware of different energies emitting from different situations, persons and objects. There is more interest in probing the powers of the mind, the psychic powers, and the intuitive powers. And although a Jew must be careful not to go about these studies in the wrong way, i.e. through powers of Tum’ah, still the world is opening up and the knowledge is truly astounding.
So many prophecies have come true. We have returned to
A student of mine pointed out that the computer was originally created, developed and invested in by the American Department of Defense in the First World War. It was to be a weapon, to keep track of other weapons and to be used for war. This computer is now the center of the world’s economy. When the year two thousand approached, people were worried that the computers would not transition to the correct date, and the economy of the world would collapse. So, the primary economic tool of today’s world was originally created for the war effort. This could be the fulfillment of the prophecy of Yeshayahu that when the redemption is here, the sword will turn into the plow. This Passuk is actually written on the Isaiah wall of the United Nations in
May we all celebrate in the Yeshua of Klal Yisrael with the coming of the Geula and the revelation and leadership of Mashiach Tzidkeinu now and forever.
SHABBAT SHALOM, GOOD SHABBOS
REWARDS DOUBLED
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THE COMFORT OF PARSHAS BESHALACH-
HAVE A WONDERFULLY FRUITFUL TU BESHVAT
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Parshat Beshalach- The Song of the Women
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From a Sicha of the Lubavicher Rebbe…
This shiur was given at Yeshivat Simchat Shlomo in Nachlaot, Yerushalayim. You can join us every Monday night at 5 PM, or you can watch the shiur live at their website ( 10AM, NY time )
18 HaGilboa Street
Nachlaot
02 6221456
http://shlomoyeshiva.org/
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Towards Simplicity and Perfection
Rebbe Nachman told the story of the Tam and the Chacham, the Simpleton and the Sophisticate, to guide us in our Avodas Hashem. The story tells of two friends who begin life in the same town, and have the same education and basic upbringing. The time comes for them to go out into the world and make their own way in life. One of the boys is given the description as being a Chacham- in a negative sense. He is sophisticated, complex, searching and seemingly never satisfied with his place in life. His friend is more direct, simple, uncomplicated. He takes things at face value, trusts himself and Hashem and leads a simple life.
Each of us contain both of these characters in our personality and mind. In this shiur, we begin to learn of the ways of the Tam…The sound in the beginning of the shiur is low, but the quality improves a few minutes into the shiur
As an aside, if anyone has advice for me on which digital recorder to use to enhance the volume of these shiurim, let me know. I am now using an Ipod with its detachable microphone, and the sound quality seems fine, but the volume is not high ehough.
Enjoy the shiur and let me hear from you!
Blessings-
Morah Rochel
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PLEASE JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL SHIUR
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YOU ARE INVITED TO A SPECIAL SHIUR MONDAY NIGHT JAN 14, SHVAT 8, AT 8 PM IN MY HOME
RUZHIN 35 APARTMENT 12 FLOOR #5
HAR NOF, YERUSHALAYIM
052 76 11 508
WE ARE LEARNING REBBE NACHMAN’S STORY
THE SIMPLETON AND THE SOPHISTICATE
I HOPE TO WELCOME YOU PERSONALLY!!
Chodesh Shvat-
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Every month has its special qualities and strengths. One special energy we can access is an awareness of the correct way to eat! Listen here to this short shiur and enjoy!
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Parshas Va’era- An unusual Geula thought
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We usually think that the Geula is dependent on our behavior and level of spirituality. That might be true on an individual basis, but the final redemption of our Nation and of the world will take place exactly when Hashem desires it- whether we are deserving or not! Listen here for a remarkable teaching from the Shem MiShmuel…
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