Lazer Beams

Jerusalem Won't be Split in Two

The Ministers of the European Union want to split Jerusalem, G-d forbid. All types of little birds tell me that the top White House advisors are in on this too. I guess they don't know the meaning of Chanuka... the Hellenist Israeli Government has declared war on the Maccabees of this generation and will fall, all our enemies abroad will fall, and the light of Torah and emuna will continue to burn bright from Jerusalem. Just ask my beloved friend and soul brother Menachem Herman (see lyrics below the video clip):

 

Sweet Home, Jerusalem

Lyrics By Rabbi Lazer Brody

 

Eagles wings keep on flyin'

Carry me home to see The King

Singing songs about my City,

Jerusalem you're in my dreams  

And I'm gonna sing, yes.  

Well I heard the UN talk about her

But a Jewish boy won't drink this brew

Uncle Sam please remember, that

"Jerusalem won't be split in two!"

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

Where the skies are so blue

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

L-rd I'm coming home to you.

We're all waiting for Mashiach (OOH OOH OOH)

You can bet he's coming soon

We'll all be dancing in Jerusalem

And we'll all be singing the same tune

Now that's the truth

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

Where the skies are so blue

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

L-rd I'm coming home to you.

The wise men of the Holy City

They've been known to pick a song or two

They help my soul when I'm hurting

They give me joy when I'm feeling blue

Now how about you?

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

Where the skies are so blue

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

L-rd I'm coming home to you.

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

Where the skies are so blue

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

L-rd I'm coming home to you.

 

* * * * * 

 

Happy Chanuka to everyone!

The Perpetual Test: The Righteous Few against the Masses

You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, the masses into the hands of the few (The "Al HaNissim" prayer for Chanuka).

Contrary to the misguided notions of the uneducated and uninformed, Judaism is not a mere preservation of outdated traditions and nostalgia of yesteryear; it is as vibrant, relevant, and meaningful today as it was thousands of years ago. Chanukah is not just a child's celebration because the good army of the few righteous defeated the evil army of the masses some 2,200 years ago. The struggle of Chanukah continues to this very day.

The Hellenists were "benevolent" in that they didn't kill Jews unconditionally. If a Jew was willing to sacrifice his Judaism and bend to the winds of heresy, the Hellenists would accept him into their schools, their social circles, and their homes. Such assimilation was worse than a physical death; for assimilation and capitulation to the Hellenists meant death to the soul. Since the soul transcends time and space, its death is a much greater tragedy than physical death. After all, the body eventually disintegrates while the soul is eternal.

The battle of the righteous few against the ignorant masses continues. Rebbe Nachman of Breslev forewarned us of the dangers we'd be exposed to in the generation before Moshiach (see Rebbe Nachman's Discourses, 220):

"A tremendous spirit of agnosticism is coming to the world. Agnosticism will come to the world as a test from on High. I know that my followers will be strong and remain firm in their faith without this warning, but I am revealing this to further encourage them. Let them know that this has already been predicted… "

With a deep and painful sigh Rebbe Nachman would say, "Woe! How can a few men stand up against the whole world?!"

This very day, we see how Rebbe Nachman's prediction came true...

Continue reading Chanuka on this week's web issue of Breslev Israel magazine.

Also this week, Rabbi Dovid Sears tells about Breslever customs for Chanuka. Bracha Goetz presents us with one of her very poignant poems, A Hellenist Left Standing. There are plenty more Chanuka articles this week too.

Rav Shalom Arush writes about the Respite from the Rat Race.

Are Jews allowed to marry cousins, nieces, and other close relatives? Find out in Kissing Cousins. Apropo marriage, this week's Torah portion is Miketz, where Joseph marries Osnath. Read about it in The Perfect Match.

What's it like Above the Clouds? Anger challenged emuna and lost, 1- 0. Breslev Kids can read how well David the Shepherd Boy does in Passing the Test.

In honor of Chanuka, Breslev Israel's online store is having a Super Sale. Here's your chance to obtain emuna books and CDs for the lowest price anywhere.

Bright Beam Blessings for a Happy Chanuka and a great week.

Light of Moshiach and How to Play Dreydel

The famed tzaddik and Kabbalist, Rebbe Zvi Elimelech of Dinov, author of the B'nai Yissachar, calls the light of Chanuka Or Haganuz and Or pnai Moshiach, or the "hidden Divine lights" and "the lights of Moshiach's countenance. These concepts cannot be understood by logic, explains the Melitzer Rebbe, only by pure and simple faith.

The Melitzer Rebbe speaks quite a bit about Moshiach during Chanuka. He also has a very special dreydel - pure silver - with the letters nun - gimel - hey - shin on it, one letter per side. I asked the Rebbe why he uses a dreydel with a shin and not with a pey, as most people in Israel do. The Rebbe hinted that there are tremendous inner secrets in these four letters, and particularly that the numerical value of nun (50), gimel (3), hey (5), and shin (300) equal 358, the exact numeric value of Moshiach (mem - 50, shin - 300, yud - 10, chet - 8 = 358). My dreydel, pictured on the left, is an exact copy of the Rebbe's. The Rebbe also added something very cryptic when he told me that each spin of the dreydel brings Moshiach closer.

Don't underestimate the fantastic quality time of playing dreydel with your children. In the Brody household, we play for almonds, for cashews, or for coins. The action is better than Vegas, and it's kosher too! Here's how to play dreydel in classic Chassidic Yiddish tradition:

First, make a cental kitty, starting with about 20 coins or almonds. Let each player have at least 10 of his own units to play with.

Second, give the dreydel the best spin you can. Champion spinners have prestige status...

Third, once the dreydel lands, here's what you do:

Nun: first letter of "nem" in Yiddish (take) - take one coin or nut from the central kitty

Gimel: first letter of "gib" in Yiddish (give) - put one coin or nut in the central kitty

Shin: first letter of "shik" in Yiddish (send) - send every other player one coin or nut from your own pot

Hey: first letter of "halb" in Yiddish (half) - you win half the central pot

Your children and grandchildren won't forget the quality dreydel time you spend with them for the rest of their lives. When the dreydel game is over, serve the Chanukah delicacies...

May the light of Chanuka illuminate our lives, and may we all benefit to see the Menora kindled in the Beit HaMikdash this coming Chanuka, amen.

No to Drugs

Tonight, Friday night, is the first candle of Chanukah. It's extra special because it's Shabbat too. While we're enjoying the holiness of the Sabbath and our Festival of Lights, many of our brothers and sisters around the world are still slaves to the dark-side forces of evil that manifest themselves as substance abuse. It breaks my heart to see homes and marriages destroyed because of this plague. On Chanukah, we hope that the light of holiness chases away the darkness. The following clip is not dreidel and latkes, but it's our war against substance abuse. Please forward this clip to anyone you know with a substance problem. You can hear more on our CD No to Drugs.

Bright Beam Blessings for a Happy Shabbat Chanukah.

No Despair

Even if a sharp sword is hovering above your jugular vein, G-d forbid, don't despair. When there's no one to turn to for salvation, then emuna kicks win with its after-burner, as we'll see in today's 55-minute emuna lesson, No Despair.

It's Here! Lazer Beams: Rays of Inspiration

We're delighted to announce the international debut of Lazer Beams: Rays of Inspiration, beautifully edited and exquisitely illustrated by Rivka Levy. The book, a perfect gift for someone you really care about, is available online at Breslev Israel.

Father and Son Jam Session: Thank You, Hashem...

My oldest son, Rabbi BenTzion Brody from Jerusalem, is a remarkable individual. A baal teshuva in his own right, he's a former commando in the Israeli Navy's super-elite Shayetet 13, and he holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland. He found Hashem on his own, and then went total-immersion Torah mode in Jerusalem. Today he has seven children, and he learns Torah all day long in phenomenal dedication. Ben Tzion is unbelievably gentle tzaddik, all neshama, and a fantastic songwriter. I lured him to Ashdod with a surprise birthday & Chanukah present, the new guitar he's playing in the following clip. We broke out into a spontaneous expression of thanks to the Almighty when a thunderclap split the seam of a cloud to end a nasty dry spell we've been having.

There's nothing in the world like quality one-on-one time with your children, no matter how young or old they are. Enjoy!