Lazer Beams

The Gambler

The lust to gamble comes from the lust for money. It causes a person to deviate from Hashem’s commandments him and uproots a person’s emuna in Hashem, truth and Divine Providence.

Gambling seems like an easy path to big money, but it’s really a rocky road that leads the person – and all his relatives – to an unbearably hard and bitter life.

Gambling disorients a person, because the evil inclination always makes sure that some people will earn large sums through gambling. One’s imagination and envy skyrockets when he hears about of someone else’s windfall on the poker table or at the roulette wheel. The evil inclination suckers him into believing that he too can become a “big roller” who earns colossal sums. He loses his good sense and in a short time wastes a tremendous amount of money that he worked very hard for, whereas he could have used the money in a positive way.

The gambler causes untold grief to all of his relatives, and in particular to his wife and children. Their hearts bleed when they see the money that wasted on gambling instead of used on what they really need it.

According to Jewish Law, money that a person earns from gambling is considered thievery; there’s consequently no blessing in such money. Everyone will realize that the money comes from an unclean source and won’t be enjoyed - it only causes suffering...

Continue reading The Gambler on this week's Breslev Israel web magazine.

More great reading this week on Breslev Israel:

Rebbe Natan of Breslev on Good and Evil Speech.

This week, we enter the three-week period between 17 Tammuz (this coming Thursday) and Tisha B'Av. To learn more, see Jerusalem Center Stage and The Three Weeks Again.

The Melitzer Rebbetzen writes about Basic Gratitude.

Bracha Goetz tells about the Survivors of Child Abuse.

Aliya is part 17 of Strangers No More.

The Song of the Insects is part 12 of Perek Shira for Children.

Blaspheming is part 3 of The Seven Noahide Commandments.

Outstanding Daughters is an excellent commentary on this week's Torah portion, Pinchas.

Breslev Israel and the Beams wish you a wonderful week.

Independence Day

To all our friends in the USA, happy Independence Day. Have you ever thought what Independence Day really means? How are you independent when everybody from the bank to your boss is telling you what to do and when to do it?

Independence is asking and receiving everything you need - emotionally, spiritually, and materially - from Hashem. That way, you're independent, because you don't need a handout from anyone.

For Breslevers, every day is Independence Day, a day when we spend at least an hour talking to Hashem. Have a great week.

The River's Song

Osyio (Greetings - LB) Rabbi Wolf Brother,

I was so happy to hear that our Tsa la Gi (Cherokee - LB) brothers in Tennessee and Texas also hold the opinion that we have Hebrew roots. So much is the same - I follow your teachings about personal prayer in solitude with the Holy One out in nature and I'm moved to tears about the Jewish Perek Shira song of creation. Our meditation, the fringes on our clothes, our language, and our clinging to the One God (in the old way, not the way the white missionaries did to our people) are all signs of our mutual roots. Now that we have DNA testing, there is no doubt.

As a small token of appreciation for the love and respect you have honored our people with, I'm enclosing a film clip of Wayra, a Bolivian Indian who plays the native American flute like we do. To the best of my knowledge, King David also had such a similar flute. May you enjoy it, and may the Holy One bless your journeys in life with smooth and pleasant paths.

Looking forward to the day when the lost tribes will be returned and reunited with mother Israel, your friend and brother, Silver Cloud from Oklahoma

Who Goes First?

Rebbe Natan tells about a dispute between Hashem and the Jewish People that delays the final redemption. Hashem says, “Come back to Me and I will come back to you” (Malachi 3:10). Hashem wants us to take the initiative, awaken ourselves, and repent. Then, He will come back to us and redeem us.

The Jewish people say, “Bring us back to You and we shall return” (Lamentations 5:21). They claim the opposite - first Hashem should bring us back and redeem us and then we will repent. In other words, let Hashem take the initiative.

Hashem wants us to make the first move and we want Hashem to initiate. This dispute is holding up the redemption.

Who's right? Who has to make the first step? Watch this week's lesson, Who Goes First?, and you'll find out.

Weekly Emuna Live Broadcast

Today's weekly emuna lesson entitled "Who Goes First?" will be broadcast live today (Wednesday) at 5 PM from the Chut Shel Chessed Yeshiva, 13 Shmuel HaNavi Street, Jerusalem. The lesson is open to the public, and both men and women are welcome. You can see today's lesson live right here at 10 AM EST, 3 PM in the UK, or 5 PM Israel time. Tomorrow night, G-d willing, we'll post a link to the lesson for all those who couldn't see it live.

All for the Best

Dear Rabbi Brody,

The underlying theme of many of your teachings is that everything Hashem does is for the very best. My husband, 4 children and I live in a lovely home in Gush Etzion, a half hour south of Jerusalem. Now, the threat that we might lose our home is becoming more and more real. What's worse is that Bibi is cracking under American pressure and construction of new units has stopped. Many people here are worried that this is only the beginning.

3 questions:

A) How is the threat that we may soon be refugees and exiles in our own homeland be for the good? It seems to me to be outright cruel!

B) How can President Obama, who you yourself have wiped the floor with, be for the best?

C) How can the Israeli Government's surrender to American pressure be for the best?

Thanks for your time and patience. I'm not trying to argue politics, I just need some answers from an emuna standpoint to give my emuna a shot in the arm. Sincerely, Shirlee from one of the Etzion bloc towns (settlements, according to the media)

Dear Shirlee,

Good questions. All three reflect Hashem's magnificent loving kindness. With Hashem's loving grace, here are your answers:

A) Many people enjoy comfort-zone spirituality. They think that by being "religious", they're exempt from teshuva. The fact that our very homes are threatened is a wake-up call from Hashem for us to do teshuva. I for one thought that the disengagement from Jewish Gaza and the exile of 8500 Jews from their homes would trigger a mass teshuva movement; it didn't. Instead, many people put their energies in political activism. The political activism has proven a tragic waste of time. Hashem can't send us Moshiach and build the Holy Temple as long as we're in spiritual slumber. He therefore is sending now a stronger wake-up call, with nearly 300,000 Jews having a sharp sword hovering over their homes, G-d forbid. Once the People of Israel make teshuva, we'll see enormous miracles and the threat will melt way. This is all for the best.

B) Mr. Obama is none other than a puppet in the hands of Hashem. If we get out of line, Obama will simply be another of any zillion of Divinely-employed messengers to growl and grab our trouser's leg in his teeth. Mister Obama is certainly for the best - he will expedite the ingathering of the exiles because he'll unwittingly stimulate more American immigration to Israel than even the Israeli Ministry of Absorption will. Hashem is also using Mister Obama to help us do teshuva, just like Hashem used every other tyrant - it's all for the best.

C) The Israeli Government's buckling under American pressure shows how ridiculous it is to put one's trust in any politician or political party. Bibi's government has more ex-Special Forces commandos than any other, but they all get wobbly knees as soon as Hillary opens up her mouth. What could be more of a joke? Hashem has a great sense of humor and is telling us, in the tone of a most-loving Father, "My beloved kinderlach (Yiddish for kiddies), trust Me only; it's time to make teshuva and to come home to Me." If Bibi and Barak were so tough, people might be fooled into trusting them. Even Benny Begin and Boogie - as good people as they are - don't give the government the backbone it needs. We have no choice but to put all our trust in Hashem. This is one of the lessons we came to this earth to learn. So you see Shirlee, it's all for the best.

Since Hashem does everything for the best, we have to thank Him profusely all the time, even for the things you write about. When we thank Hashem for our seemingly bad, He gives us really good reasons to thank Him more and more. With blessings always, LB

Will Obama outlaw the Eighteen Benedictions?

We say to Hashem thrice daily in the Amida prayer, "And to Jerusalem Your city return in mercy, and dwell within as You promised," invoking Hashem to return and rebuild the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

Hold on folks, there's a problem here: The Holy Temple Mount is in East Jerusalem. Obama wants a total freeze on Jewish east Jerusalem, including natural growth, much less additional construction.

Will Obama outlaw the Eighteen Benedictions (Amida, or "Shmona Esrei") because of the Jerusalem benediction? According to Obama, G-d is potentially an illegal settler in Jerusalem Who must be stopped!

Obama has therefore told G-d that He may not build the Third Temple, and He certainly may not dwell there. Hashem is violating the settlement freeze by bringing Moshiach and building Bet HaMikdash.

Up until now, few were so cheeky as to blaspheme Hashem. Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and Titus did, and each had a very tragic ending.

Mr. Obama, telling families in Modiin Illit and Beitar Illit that they cannot have more children is blaspheming Hashem. For the good of your country, back off, sir; you are playing with an all-consuming fire. Wait and see.

Yizhar Shabi: Shir HaMaalot

Here's a special treat: Breslever Yizhar Shabi is singing Shir HaMaalot, with a great film clip showing many tzaddikim and Breslever scenes. In the film, you'll say Rav Lazer Berland, Rav Shalom Arush, Rav Odesser of blessed and saintly memory and the Lubavitcher Rebbe of blessed and saintly memory, and many more. Click here to enjoy it!