Lazer Beams

Preparing for Shavuot: The Barometer of Successful Torah Learning

Our sages teach that all of Torah centers around loving our fellow human as we love ourselves. Apparently, this is an odd concept: What do the laws of Kashrut, Shabbat, or tefillin have to do with brotherly love? The following video clip, filmed in the gorgeous Judean Hills between Gush Etzion and Hevron, provides the answer and gives us food for thought in preparation for Shavuot, the holiday that commemorates our people's receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai.

The Kotel

Any nation that is foolish enough to attempt severing any part of the Temple Mount and Jerusalem from the Jewish people hasn't learned the lessons of history:

Flight 613

You can learn about emuna from all the stimuli in your environment and in your daily routine. "Flight 613", a little 2-minute inspirational shot of emuna, is the product of my thoughts on a recent plane trip. I hope you enjoy it.

Why Cover My Hair?

Many women ask me why Jewish law requires them to cover their hair. In a nutshell, the status of a woman's hair changes at the time she is married to her zivug, her soul-mate. The restriction of not displaying her hair to any and all onlookers symbolizes the discipline she brings to herself upon making the commitment to a single male. Through this, she brings phenominal blessings to herself, to her husband, and to her entire family, even affecting the uprightness of her descendants!

My esteemed friend, scholar, and Kabbalist Rabbi Pinchas Winston gives one of the best explanations I've ever seen as to why a married woman should cover her hair in this week's Breslev Israel web magazine.

This coming Friday (and Shabbat, outside of Israel) is Shavuot. Shavuot is also the yahrtzeit of King David and the Baal Shem Tov.

Hashem had to put evil's #1 angel to sleep before He could give the Torah to Israel. Read about it in Our Secret Weapon.

It's better to owe to your wife than to owe to the credit company, as you'll find out in My Wife, the Creditor.

Rebbe Natan explains that adultery results from a spirit of Folly.

Many have asked us about the Breslever custom of the "techelet", the blue string on their tzitzit. Read all about it in our wonderful new series, In Search of Biblical Blue.

Each Jew is a Letter of the Torah.

Fighting the Tide is part 11 of Strangers No More.

Alice Jonsson writes this week that Pity is not Justice.

Breslev Kids are learning Perek Shira; this week, the learn The Song of the Lightning.

This week's Torah portion is Bamidbar (In Israel; outside of Israel, for the next 6 weeks, our overseas brothers will be a week behind us since this coming Shabbat they'll be reading the Torah portion for the second day of Shavuot).

Breslev Israel and the Beams wish you a wonderful week and upcoming Shavuot holiday.

Last Generation Before Moshiach

"VeHacohanim"

Earlier this week, Shlomo Katz (a "Cohen," or member of the priestly tribe) and I joined together in an evening of song and inspiration in Ramat Bet Shemesh. Here is one of Shlomo's very special original melodies, based on the Yom Kippur liturgy that describes how the People of Israel in the courtyard of our Holy Temple in Jerusalem fall on their faces and prostrate themselves when they hear the High Priest call out the Ineffable Name Yud-kay-Vav-kay once a year on Yom Kippur. How I long to witness such a Yom Kippur - soon, G-d willing. The Beams, Emuna Outreach, and Breslev Israel wish you a wonderful Shabbat. 

The King's Son

Here's the 58-minute playback of our weekly Wednesday emuna lesson, with a front-row seat for you at our Chut Shel Chessed Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Rav Shalom Arush revealed to me a few amazing secrets in attaining true happiness, which we're happy to share with you on today's lesson entitled The King's Son. Enjoy it.