Lazer Beams

Let's Stop Crying

Rebbe Natan writes (Likutei Halachot, Hilchot Hoda’a, 5) that without emuna, one’s mind and thought process are in exile, chained like a prisoner in captivity. One cannot escape such mental and spiritual bondage by way of logic or reason…only by way of emuna, can the mind terminate its exile and become free. We can therefore conclude that Emuna not only means the pure belief in Hashem, it means freedom of the mind and soul. Mathematically speaking, Emuna = Freedom.

My beloved teacher and spiritual guide has been talking incessantly lately about our need to Stop Crying and complaining, because it's holding up the full redemption of our people. So, let's get our act together and taste some real freedom this Pesach.

Thanks to Rabbi Dov Grant's excellent translations, Breslev Israel gives readers a taste of Rebbe Natan's original writings about the significance of Searching for Chametz.

Rabbi Erez Moshe Doron writes about the World of Shallow Opinions, in his series The Journey, that elaborates on Rebbe Nachman's classic tale, The Rabbi and the Only Son.

This week we have a special treat for you. Kumi Neshama is one of my favorite songs, a niggun that I've used in umpteen hours of hitbodedut. It's composer and performer, Yisrael Dagan, is one of my favorite people. Yisrael is affectionately nick-named Rebbe Nachman's Court Singer, as you'll see in this delightful interview.

By the way, you can hear Yisrael Dagan, Yosef Karduner, Guy-Tzvi Mintz, Udi Davidi, Shibi Keller and many more of the Breslev, Sefardi and Chassidic stars of Jewish music 24-hours a day non-stop on Breslev Beams Radio, which you can reach whenever you like from the "Beams Radio" link on the top navigation bar of this site. Stay tuned in all day long for commercial-free listening pleasure, and every once in a while you'll be surprised with a lesson by Rabbi Shalom Arush and by yours truly.

This coming Shabbat is Shabbat HaGadol. My esteemed friend Rabbi Pinchas Winston, whose fantastic mind and brilliant ideas make the Hope Diamond look like costume jewelry, explains its significance in A Big Key to Freedom. Our cyber preparations for Pesach also include Shoshie Nissenbaum's Searching for Crumbs.

The Careful Student is of special interest for our special Noahide readers. We also have this week the continuation of Shlomo Brunell's moving spiritual odyssey from minister in Finland to Orthodox Jew in Israel in this week's Farmer and Fireman.

Here's the first part of Perek Shira for kids, King David and the Frog. This week's Torah portion is Tzav.

Many people have been asking me about what they can do to beat the rap of these hard financial times. The Gemara says that when you take pity on someone else, Hashem has special compassion for you. Therefore, probably the best investment a person could make - which is also fantastic personal income insurance - is to participate in Breslev Israel's Kimcha D'Pischa, which provides food baskets for hundreds of Jerusalem's needy families before Passover, enabling them to celebrate the holiday with dignity. I can't begin to explain the importance of this mitzva, but just thinking about Jerusalem's needy - many of whom go hungry quietly without asking for a handout - is enough to bring tears to my eyes while I'm writing this. Let's open our hearts to the worthy poor of Jerusalem. Anyone who contributes - no matter how small or great the contribution - will undoubtedly reap the best of material and spiritual blessings for a joyous, kosher, and prosperous Passover, amen.

Serving the same G-d

On Shabbat, the Melitzer Rebbe shlit'a told me the following beautiful story, passed down from father to son from his great great grandfather Rebbe Meir'l of Promiszlan; Keep it in mind before allowing yourself the "luxury" of feuding with a fellow Jew:

Serving the same G-d

Rebbe Meir'l of Promiszlan and Rebbe Yitzchok of Strettin were engaged in a long, drawn-out feud. Knowing that dissension serves no purpose, Rebbe Meir'l approached Rebbe Yitzchok and attempted to make peace. The latter only turned his face to the wall. "Please, Strettinner Rebbe, allow me to tell you a tale," said Rebbe Meir'l, and told him the following story:

During the time of the Spanish Inquisition, a Marrano* suspected of secretly being Jewish became deathly ill. The Inquisitors called the local priest, and told him to go see if the dying man would make last confession, proving that he's a Catholic, or else otherwise be burned at the stake as a Jew. The Priest and the Henchman entered the sick man's room, and the sick man turned his face to the wall, refusing to reject his true faith in Hashem during his last minutes on earth.

The Inquisitors said, "Ahah, he's a secret Jew!" The priest said no, he's embarrassed to confess in front of others. Everyone must leave the room!

Only the dying man and the Priest remained in the room. The priest, a Marranno himself, whispered in the man's ear, "You can say Shma Yisrael now, and express your belief in Hashem before you die. You no longer need to turn your back on me, because we both serve the same G-d." With his dying breath, the Marrano utterred, "Hear O Israel, the Lord our G-d, the Lord is one!"

"So you see, Strettinner Rebbe," said Rebbe Meir'l, "You no longer have to turn your back on me, because we serve the same G-d!" The feud ended on the spot.

*Marranos - the Spanish Jews who posed as Catholics on the outside, and secretly continued to practice their Judaism behind closed doors

Wasted Tears

There's a right way and a wrong way to do anything. People think that if you don't shed tears when they're praying, then their prayer lacks intent. That's a big fallacy, as we're about to learn. But there is a right way to cry. Join us in the front row of the Chut Shel Chesed Yeshiva to learn about Wasted Tears.

This week's Torah portion is Vayikra. Have a wonderful Shabbat and weekend.

Emuna and Jewish Unity: The Invincible Combination

A little over three weeks ago, I arrived in Hamilton, Ontario for an evening with the entire Jewish community. The tension among the Jewish community - particularly among the Jewish students at the local McMaster University - reminded me of the days here in the south of Israel when GRAD missiles were falling two and three times a day. After the Hillel House in York University in neighboring Toronto was stormed by Arab students, the atmosphere at McMaster was electrified with the impending Israel Apartheid Week and the anticipated Arab and pro-Pally student demonstrations. Hamilton's Jewish student body was terrified. Nobody new what the Canadian Ishmaelites and their groupies were planning.

Thanks to the efforts of Canadian Betar's President Rose Lax, Rabbi Green of Hamilton, and Breslev Israel's Hamilton representatives Avi and Rebecca Shapiro, the entire Jewish community - including the Jewish students of McMaster - showed up for an evening of Emuna, unity, and encouragement. They asked me to address the challenge of Apartheid Week and what to do about it. I explained that we have to fight on our home turf (which is emuna and above the stars) and not to slug it out in the gutter of campus activism and counter demonstrations that are bound to fail.

To make a long story short,the evening was beautiful with all of us singing Rebbe Nachman's "Gesher Tzar Meod" and saying "Shma" together. The Jews of Hamilton responded just like the Jews of Shushan, learning that if you fear Hashem, you don't have to fear anyone or anything, including the Arabs on campus. Hashem put words in my mouth, and I promised that with such emuna and unity, nothing wrong could happen to the Jews of Hamilton and McMaster.

The very next day, everything went wrong on campus - all the anti-Israel and anti-semitic activities were either strangely cancelled or postponed indefinitely. In the words of Hamilton's Jews that wrote me, an outright miracle had taken place.

Earlier today, I received an email from Rose Lax. She writes: "It (Apartheid Week at McMaster U.) just literally fell apart. Furthermore and more importantly the JEWISH COMMUNITY FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER TURNED OUT IN MASS TO EACH OF THE PROGRAMS PRESENTED BY OUR SIDE. I have been fighting this with a few students since 2002 and this is the first time we have we have fought together as a people since Tel Hai..." Jewish unity is the real deal.

Emuna and Jewish unity are an invincible combination. Just ask the Hamilton Jewish community. I thank Hashem with all my being for the privilege of seeing His phenominal Divine Providence right before our very eyes.

All for the Best

Probably the biggest buzz on the Israeli web is INN's exclusive item entitled "America Moves Toward Abandonment of Israel." With emuna, you don't have to lose one second of your beauty sleep because of this. Do you know why?

Hashem does everything for the best. Whenever Israel leans on a wobbly reed, Hashem breaks the reed so that Israel will learn to depend on Hashem. This is all part of the scenario of Geula, and all for the best. Have a great Shabbat!

Stop Crying

Our ingratitude to Hashem has been the root to all of our problems since the beginning of time, as you'll see and hear in today's emuna lesson, filmed live from the Chut Shel Chesed Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

Rabbi Yosef Nechama (General Director of Breslev Israel Communications) and I are expected to be in the USA some time between April 19th and May 7th. If you'd like us to visit and speak in your community, please contact Rabbi Yosef right away.

Parental Attention and ADHD

In my experience of counseling parents on child-rearing issues, I've found a strong correlation between kids being diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and lack of attention at home. In quite a few cases pertaining to the children of our own Beams readers, parents asked for my opinion after school counselors and educational psychologists had not only prescribed Ritalin, but stipulated that the child's continued attendance at their school was contingent upon his taking the drug every day.

I asked parents to delay the use of the drug while first planning a program of maximum parental one-on-one quality time. Each program was tailor-made to the child. In extreme cases, I recommended home-schooling. The results, with Hashem's loving grace, have been superb.

In general, I urge parents to invest "yechidut" time, where the the parent gives total attention to the so-called ADHD child, with no other siblings around. For example, a father takes the son on a hike in the woods for 2 or 3 hours, once a week, and together they learn about trees, rocks, and birds while also doing personal prayer together. A mother might take her daughter for a lengthy exercise walk & talk, or they might shop together or bake challas together.

The one-on-one quality time with a parent calms a child, elevates his self-image, and does wonders for his inner joy, which is ever so important in enhancing the child's attention span and thought process.

At least 3 dozen children of our readers - that we know about - have rendered the use of Ritalin superfluous in the above manner.

Many parents protest that they lack the time to invest in their children. Priorities, folks... In the end, they ending up wasting more time running to school counselors, doctors and psychologists, not to mention the money involved either.

One of our readers sent me the following poignant anecdote to bring the point home:

A 5 year old boy asked his Daddy one day, “Daddy, how much do you make an hour?” His father was quite pieved and said, “What business is it of yours?” The little boy persisted, so in the end, the father said, “Well, if you must know, I make $20 an hour”.

“In that case,” said the little boy, “can I have $9?”

His father was furious. He told the little boy to go and sit quietly in his room. Eventually he calmed down, and thought to himself, well, maybe he had a good reason to ask for $9, and he doesn’t ask me for money often. So he went to see his son, and told him, “Perhaps I was too hard on you earlier, and I am going to give you that $9”. When he gave it to him, he saw his son take a number of bills from under his pillow, and add the $9 to it. The father was surprised. “If you had all that money already”, he said, “why did you ask me for more?”

“Well”, said the boy, “ I did not have enough money before. But now I do. Can I buy an hour of your time?”

Think about it. Our children are precious little souls that Hashem has entrusted in our care. They deserve our undivided attention.