TZADDIK stories…

STORIES

I tried to bring you back to God through my talks and Torah teachings, but they haven’t helped. So now I must tell you stories…

Sipurey Maasiot, Introduction

WAKE UP!!!

The tales and stories told by the Tzaddikim have the power to rouse those who are asleep so that their days will not be wasted. It is a great privilege to find a Tzaddik who has the power to rouse you from your sleep. Otherwise you could sleep away all your days, God forbid.

Likutey Moharan I, 60

WHY THE TZADDIK TELLS STORIES

Why does the Tzaddik tell stories? It’s like when a doctor becomes sick and is forced to put himself in the hands of an outstanding expert. The sick doctor wants to be given the kinds of simple treatments he understands, but the expert knows of unique cures.

Similarly a person may come to the outstanding sage and Tzaddik of the generation, who is doctor of the ailments of the soul. The person wants the Tzaddik to give him medicines – spiritual pathways of the kind he understands. However the Tzaddik has far more exalted medicines to administer.

Sometimes it is necessary to give the patient a certain medicine, but if the patient takes it as it is he will surely die. The medicine in question must therefore be mixed in with other ingredients. Similarly, there are people to whom it is impossible to reveal the inner face of the Torah teachings which they need for their healing. For healing comes from the Torah: “It will be health to your navel” (Proverbs 3:8). However, the Torah has two powers: it can either be an elixir of life or a fatal poison. For “If a person is deserving, it becomes an elixir of life; if not, it becomes a fatal poison” (Yoma 72b).

For this reason, if the person is given the teaching the way it is, he will certainly die, because for him, as one who is as yet unworthy, it would be a fatal poison. It is therefore necessary to clothe the inner face of the teaching within other Torah teachings. Sometimes even this is too much for the person to bear. The Tzaddik must then clothe his Torah teachings in apparently mundane stories or conversations in order for the person to be able to receive the medicine hidden beneath the surface. For the Torah teaching itself is now clothed within stories and conversations, because it was impossible to administer it the way it really is.

Likutey Moharan I, 164

Taken from The Essential Rabbi Nachman.

Printed and edited by Azamra Institute.

Website:

http://www.azamra.org/

The Zohar –– Pritzker Edition, Volume 8 (Book review)

Title: The Zohar –– Pritzker Edition, Volume 8
Published by: Stanford University Press

Translation and Commentary by: Daniel C. Matt
Manufactured: United States of America
Language: English
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 608
Official Website: http://www.sup.org/zohar/

Direct Link to Volume Eight http://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=23677

I would like to start this review by pointing out that this is a very serious translation of the Zohar, an elaboration that took years of work and research on the part of Daniel C. Matt and his team of several scholars who have spared no effort to give the greatest number information of each passuk, each parashah, bringing reliable sources. Nowadays, there are many non-Jews readers interested in studying Kabbala, in this The Zohar edition people will have a basic and advanced notion of The Zohar; many people continue buying books from authors “lacking full knowledge about Torah Kabbalah”, so there is a suggestion to get books published by scholarly authors such as Daniel C. Matt and ask questions directly to orthodox Rabbis - The Zohar is a holy book of great holiness, bringing the hidden wisdom, these comments are a good help for understanding (within the spiritual level of each person), of course, even if the study of Kabbalah is forbidden, but as we all know, it is easy to find in stores and on the internet many books on Kabbala and the Zohar. The best I can do is recommended you consult a Rabbi [tzaddik] to learn about such wisdom.

What is relevant is the translation of the Aramaic / Hebrew and also the careful and impressive production of the Academic Committee more than 20 professional in this work and the excellent design of STANFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.

This volume of The Zohar Pritzker Edition, Volume 8 consists of commentary on the end of Leviticus and the beginning of Numbers. We can study the Idra Rabba section. This fantastic edition of The Zohar not only presents an accurate translation of the text, but also an interpretation with insights, more accessible.The Aramaix text is available on the Website of Stanford University Press.

Brilliant expositions on complex subjects rendered easy by Daniel C. Matt, his wonderful ability to transmit profound ideas is amazing.

You can order this book directly from the publisher.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Daniel C. Matt is a leading authority on Jewish mysticism. For over twenty years, he served as Professor of Jewish Spirituality at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He has also taught at Stanford University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has published following books: The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Volume One and The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Volume Two Zohar: The Book of Enlightenment; Zohar: Annotated and Explained; The Essential Kabbalah; and God and the Big Bang: Discovering Harmony between Science and Spirituality as well as new editions of The Zohar. 

Reviewed by: Gilson Sasson.

How Important Is Jewish Unity?

How Important Is Jewish Unity?

Derech Hashem says that if all the Jewish people would be united as one nation, with one opinion, they would bring down the Shechinah just like at the giving of the Torah. The Torah says, "He camped" at Har Sinai, and the Gemara says "he" refers to the Jewish people. They became like one person, and because there were six hundred thousand people all in one place, the largest amount of Shechinah possible came down at that time. Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaacov didn't merit that. As noble as they were, they were not a multitude. When Jews come together, united for Hashem, the Shechinah comes down on them. That took place at Har Sinai and remained with us forever; we became Yisrael from that point on. While the nations of the world fell at that time, the Jewish people became greater. -- The Truth of the Torah.

Copyright © 2017 Simchas Hachaim Publishing, All rights reserved.

www.SimchasHachaim.com

Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, Apples from the Orchard [book review]

APPLES FROM THE ORCHARD / Gleanings from the mystical teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria—THE ARIZAL—on the weekly Torah portion.

Hardcover, 1070 pages. Translation and commentary by Rabbi Moshe Wisnefsky. Published by Thirty Seven Books.

B"H, we have a great work of Torah based on the mystical teachings of the holy Arizal, of blessed memory, the greatest master sage teacher of Kabbalah.

Thank you Rabbi Moshe Wisnefsky and Safed's Kabbala Online Shop for kindly forwarding this beautiful copy to the Journal Mitzvah for the review. May many blessings fall from Heaven to you and to all of Israel. This was a special opportunity for me to be receiving a book with the wisdom of the ARI which is the central figure of Kabbalah.

The concern of Rabbi Moshe Wisnefsky was to present the teachings with interpolated explanations that clarify the discreet prose of the original text and a commentary showing how these sometimes abstruse teachings can be applied to the relevant every day for both advanced students and beginners of Kabbalah. Contrary to what we may think, it is a complex and very profound study of the Torah which at the same time Rabbi Moshe Wisnefsky was careful to decode and generate notes and references that we may gradually understand the high teachings of the ARI. The development of purity and personal sanctification is important in these studies and to serve Hashem. "As described by the wise Rabbi Moshe Hayyim Luzzatto; We see that the Torah expects us to maintain an extremely high standard; we must be pure and clean in thought and behavior.”

Among the most fascinating of the Arizal’s teachings are his expositions on the Torah itself. Using the classic methods of rabbinic interpretation (with a marked emphasis on gematria, the numerical values of words), the Arizal unfolds before us a hidden dimension of the stories and laws of the Torah, showing how they reflect the inner dynamics of reality and how our knowledge and observance of the Torah is crucial to the proper functioning of creation.

This book is a collection of the Arizal’s teachings on the mystical dimension of the stories and laws in the Torah. The Arizal never wrote a commentary on the Torah per se. The present anthology are culled from several of Rabbi Chaim Vital’s works, chiefly Sha’ar HaPesukim, Sefer HaLikutim and Likutei Torah.

ABOUT AUTHOR:

Rabbi Moshe Wisnefsky studied science and music at UCLA and USC, and Torah at yeshivas in Los Angeles, Kefar Chabad, and Tzefat. He is one of the founders of Ascent Institute of Tzefat and has translated and edited a number of works in the field of Jewish mysticism. He is presently continuing his studies in Jerusalem, where he lives with his family.

AVAILABLE AT KABBALA ONLINE SHOP:

http://www.kabbalaonline-shop.com/APPLES-FROM-THE-ORCHARD-p/apples-orchard.htm

[Review by Gilson Sasson]

Years that end in 8 - Letter from Jerusalem

Letter from Jerusalem:

Shalom again from Yerushalayim as we advance further day by day into the New Year 5778, which we pray will surely be a Year of Grace and Favor for us and for all Israel.

Most major events in the history of Israel occurred in Jewish years ending in 8. So what lies in store this 5778?

As we prepare now for Yom Kippur this coming Shabbat (and Yom Kippur on Shabbat is itself supremely exalted), I feel it may enhance the sincerity of our prayers and penitence on this holiest of all days in our calendar if we will bear in mind the following comments by Rabbi Mordechai Ganut, outstanding contemporary expert on the intricacies and mysteries of the Torah calendar and all the related halachic, astronomical and historical factors, and author-editor of the annual Hebrew calendar and almanack, Davar Be-Ito:

“Once every ten years we have the privilege of a year ending in the number eight. And if you ask, ‘So what?’ The fact is that the great majority of the outstanding events that have occurred in the history of the people of Israel have occurred in years whose number ends in eight, signified in Hebrew by the letter Chet. That is why we are all gripped with excitement as we once again enter a year ending in the number eight, and we are all praying that we will be worthy of the coming of our Righteous Anointed Mashiach.” (Davar Be-Ito 5778 p. 110)

Rabbi Ganut goes on to list some of the major historical events that have taken place in years ending with the number eight. (All the Hebrew years of the Biblical events enumerated here are based on Midrash Seder Olam and derive from exact calculations of all the various time spans given in different places throughout the TaNaKh. To convert any given Hebrew year into the corresponding secular year, simply subtract 3760 from the Hebrew date in question, with -minus years being B.C.E.)

Birth of the patriarch Abraham 1948
Birth of the matriarch Sarah 1958
Covenant between the Parts 2018
Birth of the patriarch Isaac 2048
Marriage of Isaac with Rebecca 2088
Birth of the patriarch Jacob 2108
Death of the patriarch Isaac 2228
Descent of Jacob and his sons to Egypt 2238
Birth of Moses our Teacher 2368
Exodus from Egypt 2448
Giving of the Torah 2448
Death of Moses our Teacher 2488
Entry of Israel into the Land of Israel under Joshua 2488
Building of the First Temple 2928
Destruction of the First Temple and Exile to Babylon 3338
Building of the Second Temple 3408
Exile of the Sanhedrin from Jerusalem prior to the Destruction of the Second Temple 3788
Destruction of the Second Temple 3828
Establishment of the State of Israel 5708

Many critical situations are developing swiftly around the world, such as the N. Korea missile crisis, the Iranian race for nuclear weapons and their advance into Syria with backing from Russia and China, talk of possible rapprochement between some Sunni Arab states and Israel, the potentially explosive demand of the Kurds for their own independent state, the migrant crisis in Europe and America combined with growing rifts and tensions and escalating anti-Semitism disguised as anti-Zionism across the world. We seem to have all the ingredients for some very major developments this year! Fasten your seat-belts!

Let us open our hearts and bare our souls before G-d in these precious days of Teshuvah, and with His help and mercy may we see true Redemption in our times!

Shanah Tovah UMevorechet! Have a good and blessed New Year. G’mar Chatimah Tovah! May you and all your dear ones be sealed for good with all the House of Israel.

Shalom from Jerusalem

Avraham ben Yaakov

Demons on earth

Demons on earth.

To denigrate demons recite: Bible, Jeremiah 10:11. Rabbi Yeyuda Fetaya.

There are demons among us on earth, may our Father in Heaven protects us. They do not follow the divine Commandments or even the justice courts of men, the situation is serious, a simple but good-hearted person can feel and see it. You need not fear them 'demons', "Though I follow the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear nothing, for Thou shalt be with me." Be a Hashem agent, 'you are not obliged to complete the work, but neither are you at liberty to desist from it'. Avot 2:16. - Go forward with your feet firmly on the ground and looking up at the Heavenly dwellings of the Most High. Gilson Sasson. Shalom.

A Chama da Fé

A Chama da Fé

Uma vez, um homem deixou cair uma valiosa moeda de ouro em um saco contendo milhares de moedas falsificadas. Ele examinou algumas centenas de moedas e achou que elas eram falsas. No entanto, ele não desistiu da busca porque sabia com certeza que sua moeda estava na pilha. Assim também, HaShem estabeleceu uma data exata para a vinda do Mashiach. Assim como o Êxodo do Egito ocorreu na data pré-designada que HaShem escolheu, também, Mashiach certamente chegará precisamente no dia designado.

Lição: Cada dia que passa sem Mashiach simplesmente não é a data correta. Temos todas as razões para manter a chama da nossa fé forte porque a data designada da nossa redenção final certamente virá.

Lição: Saúda todos os dias com confiança e otimismo renovados, pois cada novo dia poderá ser o dia em que HaShem se preparou para trazer o Mashiach.

 (Baseado no Darchie Mussar de Rabino Yaacov Neiman).

Por: The Salant Foundation.