Lazer Beams

The Divine Aura

Is the Divine Aura for real? It sure is, for scientists have not only proven the presence of the aura, but have even photographed it. Today's 6-minute clip tells all about the Divine Aura, including an amazing true story about Rabbi Chaim ben Attar, the holy "Ohr HaChaim" rabbi from early 18th century Morocco. Enjoy!

Have a wonderful Shabbat, with Bouquets of Big Beam Blessings!

Spiritual Amnesia

We hope you enjoy Spiritual Amnesia, this week's 60-minute Emuna lesson that you don't want to miss.

A nation of miracles

"For the people of Israel, miracles are the way of nature, for the people of Israel are above nature." Rebbe Nachman of Breslev

Don't be upset with the nations of the world because they don't understand us; they're not capable of understanding us.

My beloved teacher and spiritual guide Rabbi Shalom Arush says that if you haven't yet seen a miracle today, it's because you haven't said thank-you to Hashem today. So what are you waiting for?

Weekly Emuna Live Broadcast

G-d willing, our weekly emuna lesson will be broadcast live today (Wednesday) at 5 PM from the Chut Shel Chessed Yeshiva, 13 Shmuel HaNavi Street, Jerusalem. This week's lesson is entitled, "Spiritual Amnesia" and is open to the public, both men and women are welcome. You can see today's lesson live right here at 11 AM EDT, 4 PM in the UK, or 5 PM Israel time (we are now on the winter clock). Tomorrow night, G-d willing, we'll post a link to the lesson for all those who couldn't see it live.

Advice for a Duckling

Iran is threatening us; so is Hamas, Fatah, Hizbullah, Syria, and even Lebanon. The EU and the USA want to take half of Jerusalem away from us and much of Judah and Samaria. Our own government will send troops against us if we dare to add another tiny room to our modest homes or apartments even one inch over the imaginary Green Line (1967 border). Our own courts are opening main roads to potential free movement of terrorists. 

All we want is to live a quiet life of Torah and emuna in the holy Land of Israel. So many people - including the local secular media - seem to want to swallow us alive. Yet, with emuna, we take everything in our stride with a big smile on our face too.

This all reminds me of a pack of hungry wolves who saw a little duckling. Each claimed the poor little thing for their supper, so they began to fight each other in a ferocious melee of blood and fangs. Each clamping on to the other's jugular, until they all dropped dead in a puddle of their own blood. When everything quieted down, the duckling crawled out from his hiding place under the table, and resumed his happy life as normal. אל תירא, תולעת יעקב - With that said, I'm returning to my Gemara, Bava Batra 133; then, I have a stack of letters to answer and a lesson to prepare for tomorrow.

Advice to all ducklings: hide under Hashem's wing; it worked for King David (see Psalm 17:8) and it'll work for us. 

This place belongs to you

You're looking at the world's oldest mailbox. This is the holy Kotel, the Western Wall and last remnant of our Beis HaMikdash, the holy Temple where prayers ascend to the Heavenly Throne.

Did you realize that you are a multimillionaire? Yes, you are a full shareholder in this precious piece of real estate. Come stake your claim, for this place belongs to you.

While you're at the Kotel - or wherever you are - please pray for our beloved brothers in captivity, Yehonatan ben Malka (Jonathan Pollard) and Gilead ben Aviva [Shalit]. Also don't forget our cherished brothers who have been missing in action for decades already, Ron Ben Batya [Arad], Guy Ben Rina [Hever], Tzvi Ben Pninah [Feldman], Yekutiel Yehuda Nachman Ben Sarah [Katz], and Zecharia Shlomo Ben Miriam [Baumel]. May beloved sons return to their homeland borders, soon, amen!

Roving Eye

If a husband knew just how bad his failure to guard his eyes devastates his wife, he'd maybe think twice about surfing schmutz on the web. One such victimized wife wrote me, among other things: "I was really hurt to find all of it. I think that was when the reality of his past sunk deep into my heart and crushed me. In the first year of our marriage my husband would stay up really late on the computer. Doing what? I have no clue. I started regularly checking the internet history. Now that every once in a while check has become an obsession! On the surface we look like a happy couple and my husband would probably say we are but I am dying inside. This fear is killing me. It makes it hard for me to desire intimacy. I'm always scared during intimacy he is thinking of another woman..."

Read The Roving Eye in its entirety in this week's issue of Breslev Israel web magazine.

Rebbe Natan of Breslev tells about Learning for the Wrong Reasons.

You can't be healthy if you eat Chocolate-covered Poison, says Rabbi Shalom Arush.

For Rivka Levy, it's The End of I. Bracha Goetz remenisces about Fragile Wings. Yehuda Frischman writes about the Sun, Torah, and Vitamin D. For Alice Jonnson, it's The Old Work Ethic. Rebbe Siegelbaum elaborates on this week's Torah portion - Vayichi - in For Rachel's Sake. Breslev Kids can read part 10 of David the Shepherd Boy, The Yetzer Tov Wins.

For those who are asking, we hope to have "Women's Wisdom" (The Garden of Peace for Women) completed and in print within 9 weeks - we're really working full steam on this project, for there's already an unbelievable demand for the book.

Have a wonderful week, with Big Beam Blessings to Brighten your life.

The Tragic Result of Freed Terrorists

Raed Sarkaji, one of Fatah's Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades members responsible for the cold-blooded murder of Rabbi Meir Chai HY"D, was killed by IDF troops during a daring anti-terroristoperation in Shechem yesterday. The terrorist leader had been interred in an Israeli prisoner until January 2009. Sarkaji took almost no time in returning to terrorism, the very activity for which he was arrested in the first place.

Anan Sabeh, Sarkaji's accomplice whose rifle was found to be compatible with the bullet shells found at the scene of Rabbi Chai's murder, had also been released from an Israeli prison as part of the amnesty deal with the Palestinian Authority in 2007, in which Israel agreed not to hunt down Palestinian gunmen who agreed to lay down their arms.

Until Rabbi Chai was murdered, I had expressed my support for the release of terrorists in a deal to gain the freedom of Gilead Shalit. Reality has painfully shown that releasing such terrorists is worse than folly - it costs us more blood. My desire to see Gilead Shalit come home soon simply overcome my better judgment. Stark reality proved me wrong. As much as we want Gilead home, we can't look into the eyes of any more orphans while advocating the release of terrorists.

Just today, I heard something unbelievably courageous: The highest echelons in Israel wanted to engineer a swap with the USA and the PA - Marwan Barghouti's freedom for Jonathan Pollard. Jonathan heard about it, and despite 25 years of indescribable anguish in prison, he refused to be a side in any deal that sets him free if a single terrorist will be freed as well.

May Hashem free all our prisoners in His own miraculous way! As for us, we have to beef up our prayers for Yehonatan ben Malka and Gilead ben Aviva.

Emotional Self Help

Would you believe that you can heal yourself of post-trauma damage in only a few short minutes? See the following 6-minute clip - you'll be happy you did.

Today, 10 Teveth: Fast Day and Rebbe Natan's Yahrtzeit

Today, Sunday 10 Teveth (27 Dec) is a fast day that commemorates the beginning of the Babylonian siege around Jerusalem, before the city fell and the First Holy Temple was destroyed two and a half years later. 

10 Teveth also commemorates the 165th anniversary of the passing of our holy Rabbi and spiritual guide, Rebbe Natan of Breslev, of saintly and blessed memory. Were it not for Rebbe Natan, we wouldn't have had such a rich legacy of Rebbe Nachman's teachings. Rebbe Natan is a spiritual Transformer, for he brings us Rebbe Nachman's dazzling light in a measure that we can absorb. Rebbe Natan is also My Hero. May his blessed and holy memory intercede on our behalf, amen.

The Emuna Tattoo

My cherished and esteemed friend Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein from New York City is probably America's #1 rabbi for saving kids that have gone haywire and bringing them back into the fold. He's also one of America's best rabbinical speakers. In the clip below, he's telling a true story he heard from yours truly when we met in NYC last month. You'll love this: