Lazer Beams

Holocaust? No, it can't happen here...

Famous last words of German Jews prior to Kristallnacht: "No, it can't happen here..."

American Jews, ever so comfy, say the same thing today. With oil up to $120/barrel and the value of the dollar down by over 30%, with a waning economy and increasing unemployment, it's only a matter of time until the ground really starts burning under the feet of American Jews. Why? Whenever a nation's economy gets squeezed, it's blame-the-Jews time. Besides, Hashem wants his American kinderlach here in Israel, exchanging their golf and country club membership for a true Torah lifestyle. Since the destruction of the Holy Temple, whenever Jews have it too cushy in the Diaspora, the mad dogs of antisemitism start barking and ultimately bite. Two prime examples are pre-Inquisition Spain and pre-Holocaust Germany. America really fits history's template like a glove. Now, with the Pollard #2 (suspected spy Ben Ami Kadish) affair hitting the fan, you can really expect some serious anti-Jewish animosity in the USA.

Thanks to our Emuna Outreach staffer in Alabama, Cookie Dalton, you can here a segment of my comments on the gathering clouds of American antisemitism from my latest broadcast on Israel National Radio:

Birkat Ha'Ilanot: Blessing of the Trees

Once a year, during the Hebrew month of Nissan, we have the special mitzva of making a blessing over (at least two) blossoming fruit trees. According to Kabbala, this blessing is deeply significant, and helps correct the soul that is reincarnated within the tree. That soul is forever beholding to the person that makes the blessing, for he or she has done a great favor in helping that soul attain its tikkun, or correction.

You have only six more days (until Monday, May 5, 2008) to fulfill this wonderful mitzva. All you need are two blossoming fruit trees within reasonable distance of one another (i.e. that you can see both at the time of making the blessing).

For your convenience, here is the blessing,

In English: Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the Universe, who let nothing lack in His universe and created within it good creatures and good trees in order to give pleasure to human beings.

In Transliteration: Baruch ata Adonoi, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, she-lo chisar be-olamo klum v-vara vo beriyyot tovot ve-ilanot tovim lehanot bahem bnai Adam.

In Hebrew:  ברוך אתה ה' אלהינו מלך העולם שלא חסר בעולמו כלום וברא בו בריות טובות ואילנות טובים להנות בהם בני אדם

Thanks to my brothers-in-emuna-arms Reb Nati and Reb Akiva of Mystical Paths, here we are performing the mitzva here in the Land of Israel, in a citrus grove near Moshav Beit Chilkia, between Ashdod and Jerusalem.

This week at Breslov World

This coming Wednesday night and Thursday,  26 Nissan (1 May, 08) is Holocaust Remembrance Day. This week's Breslov World has 17 articles and stories about the Holocaust. No, we'll never forget.

For your personal spiritual enrichment, don't miss Rabbi Shalom Arush's article about Facial Illumination. This week's Kabbalah lesson also speaks about the aspect of faces in Sefirah & Partzuf, about the Divine Countenance.

For English-speaking lover's of Chassidic thought and folklore, we're happy to introduce you to Rabbi Tal Moshe Zwecker's new translation of the Noam Elimelech, a compilation of stories and teachings from the famed Chassidic master Rebbe Elimelech of Lizensk.

The Melitzer Rebbetzen is back with part one of Star of the Show.

My keyboard has been humming lately too. I answer the letter of a person that's stressed out of his skull from a tyrannical boss in "Boss Blues". Count Oliver's Dog is an eye-opening tale from French history with a timely message for all of us.

Noahide correspondent Alice Jonsson dukes it out with the Hillel House in "Challenge to Hillel", and Rebecca Shapiro delights the kiddies with another episode of Little Nachman.

This week's Torah portion is Kedoshim.  We wish you all a wonderful week.

Search for Truth

Dear Rabbi,

I am in an unusual situation. Since studying various aspects of Judaism, I find myself drawn more and more into Judaism as the true way to interpret and practice my faith, especially with regards to cleaving to G-d. What makes this unusual is that I am a minister and non-Jewish. Now I incorporate many of these ideas in what I teach because most in my faith seem to pursue the idea of G-d and a general morality more than a desire to know G-d intimately. I believe in prayer and meditation and letting G-d search my heart to deal with things that are not His will, but I also believe that yeshua is Messiah. My understanding is that Yeshua was a Rabbi and did not seek to cancel out the Torah, but lately, I've been having doubts. I honestly do not know what to do, and was wondering if you had any advice. Sincerely, Rev. RT, USA

Dear Reverend RT,

I sincerely appreciate your letter, and highly respect your search for the truth. I want you to know that I religiously refrain from debating religion, not only with my honored Chrisitian and Muslim friends, but with my fellow Jews of all backgrounds as well. Nevertheless, when a fellow human seeks my help, opinion, or advice, I try my best to do what I can.

For the Jewish view on non-Jewish interpretations of the Bible, please check out "The Messiah Truth Project". They have a number of eye-opening articles, which explain quite clearly why Jews don't believe that Yeshua was the Messiah. I also recommend you read "Sing, You Righteous", by Rabbi Avigdor Miller of blessed memory.

Reverend, I suggest you facilitate your search for truth by spending at least a half hour a day in personal prayer to The Almighty, and begging Him to show you the way, putting all your preconceptions aside. The Almighty doesn't need our permission to search our hearts. We need to ask His help so that we can search our own hearts; that's what real soul-searching is all about. Yours with best wishes, Lazer Brody

"M'kimi" - the personal freedom song

"He raises me from meager dust, from the trash heap He has lifted the destitute; to seat me with nobles, with the nobles of His people." Psalm 113:7-8

The above passages are the story of my life. Pesach not only is the national freedom holiday, put my personal freedom holiday, when I thank Hashem especially for liberating my soul via Torah, tshuva, and emuna.

"He raises me" in Hebrew is "M'kimi," from Psalm 113 that we'll all be saying during the Hallel prayer on Pesach."M'kimi" is the song that my cherished friend Rav Yosef Karduner and I are singing together in the following clip (click on the embedded video below), our way of wishing you and yours a joyous Shabbat and 7th day of Passover (plus 8th day for our friends overseas) with true freedom of the body, mind, and soul, amen.

I want to send an extra heartfelt thank-you and blessing to all of you who have given so much of your time, talents, and resources to help Emuna Outreach spread the message of hope and faith to the far corners of the world. May Hashem bless you always, and grant you all your heart's wishes for the very best, amen.

Rabbinical cosmetology

Welcome to our new readers and visitors. I lot of you have been asking me exactly what kind of rabbi I am; well, I'm certainly not a shul rabbi. In a way, I'm a street rabbi, but maybe a field or beach rabbi is a better definition. For that matter, I'm a woods and park rabbi too.

Here's a better definition - call me a rabbinical cosmetologist. You see, with Hashem's help, I teach folks how to look their best and save them money. How? Here at the Beams, we dish out a lot of advice - for free - to help people enhance their emuna (complete faith in Hashem) and achieve inner peace. No cosmetic in the world can improve your appearance like inner peace does. Conversely, no cosmetic in the world can compensate for the lack of inner peace.

Let me explain how the above principle works: With genuine emuna - meaning that you have a strong, personal relationship with The Almighty - divine light illuminates your soul. A person's eyes and countenance are the windows of the soul. Therefore, spiritually-connected people radiate with an indescribable beauty. Divine light shines from their eyes, mouth, and forehead. Nothing is so conducive to natural beauty as divine light - vitamins from the Creator Himself!

So, if you've had a facial and a hairdo (or if you're Jewish, religious, and you've just purchased a stunning new hair covering), and you're still not looking your best, then pay us a visit here and hopefully you'll walk away with a smile on your face and a guaranteed sparkle in your eyes that Revlon or Helena Rubinstein won't be able to give you. A few rays of divine light will keep both men and women looking young and vibrant. That's what Lazer Beams is all about - to help you achieve your physical and spiritual best.

Anger - the Real Chametz

Thanks to the Emuna Outreach Production crew in Bet Shemesh, we have another 25-minute segment of our March 13, 2007 talk at the Carlebach Shul in Ramat Bet Shemesh. The overall shiur was entitled "Rejewvenuting Your Marriage", and we spoke about cleaning the worst type of chametz before Pesach, the anger and arrogance in our hearts. This particular segment focuses on shalom bayit, or peace in the home. Husbands - Do you know what your wife wants more than anything? You'll find the answer in the above clip. Enjoy!

Likutei Moharan II:44 - Preparing for Pesach

Rebbe Nachman of Breslev teaches us in Likutei Moharan II:44 not to let our feeble human brains get in our way. In the above 17-minute clip, we explain the ramifications of this teaching in regards to preparing for Pesach, and warn against chumras, or excessive stringencies. Take a coffee break and enjoy the lesson, which comes to us thanks to the Emuna Outreach team in Bet Shemesh, may Hashem bless them in every way.

One week until Seder night!

With Seder night only a week away, here are a few important announcements:

CD and Book orders: All orders that reach us after 1 PM EDT this coming Wednesday, 16 April, 2008 will be processed and mailed only after Pesach; in other words, on April 28, 2008. Therefore, if you need any Emuna Outreach CDs or books, please get your order in before Wednesday.

Correspondence: The intermediate days (Chol HaMoed) of the Pesach and Succoth festivals are my annual vacation time, when I double up on Torah learning and attention to my family. Therefore, during the period of Friday, April 18 - Monday, April 28, 2008, I will be responding, G-d willing, to letters of an urgent nature only.

Lazer Beams: The Beams will be up during Chol HaMoed on an auto-pilot mode. G-d willing, we'll be resuming daily posts on Monday, April 28, 2008.

A joyous Pesach holiday to everyone. Don't forget to burn the anger with the chometz.

A Signed Check by Rebbe Eliezer the Great

We've heard quite a bit recently about the dangers the people of Israel face. Rav Shalom Arush told us to turn to Hashem with more emuna and prayer, for there's no other solution than raising our voice to Heaven.

One of the greatest of our Tannaim (Mishnaic sages, 1st - 2nd Century CE) was Rebbe Eliezer the son of Horkonus, or Eliezer the Great. Rebbe Eliezer promises: "Anyone who engrosses himself in Pereq Shira every day - I bear witness that he is destined for the World-to-Come, and is delivered from calamity, and from the Evil Inclination, and from severe judgment, and from the Satan, and from all types of evil and destruction..." (introduction, Perek Shira).

What could be a better signed check than being delivered from all calamity, Evil Inclination, and destruction? Who can give you a better life and homeowner's policy for 10-12 minutes a day?

Emuna Outreach and the Beams are pleased to take away anybody's excuse that they don't have Perek Shira; here are our free downloads, which also include the Tikkun Klali:

Perek Shira in Hebrew

Perek Shira in English

This week's Torah portion is Metzora, and all though the Shabbat HaGadol is officially next week, the day before Pesach, your local rabbis will be giving special sermons about Pesach this coming Shabbat.

Have a wonderful Shabbat and G-d bless always. Here's Beamin' atcha...