Lazer Beams

The Ladder

The secret of spiritual ascent is in this week's 60-minute Emuna lesson, The Ladder.

Take that First Step

 

A group of friends once made a trip together. On the way to their destination, they saw someone standing with a backpack on a desert crossroads. Seven days later, on their way home, they encountered the same person with the backpack standing on the same desert crossroads in the hot sun. The group of friends asked the backpacker, "Why are you standing here?"

"I want to go to Jerusalem," responded the backpacker. "I'm waiting for a ride."

"How long have you been waiting?" they asked.

"More than a week," he answered.

They laughed. "Jerusalem's only a two-day walk from here. If you'd have started walking, you could have been there and back four times already!"

Many of us want to change, yet we expect it to happen automatically, with no effort on our part. Life doesn't work that way. An old Hebrew expression says, "Even a journey of a thousand kilometers begins with a first step."

Continue reading Start Walking in this week's issue of Breslev Israel web magazine.

Yours truly answers a young lady's question about Anger, Talent, and Recognition. Also, after a young man sought my advice on a marital problem, he asked another rabbi who gave him very different advice. Read about it in Get Tough, or Not?

The Melitzer Rebbetzen gives a delightful Historical Overview of Chanukah, which is only twelve days away. Rebbetzen Siegelbaum, esteemed Dean of Midreshet Beerot Bat Ayin for women, beautifully elaborates on this week's Torah portion Vayishlach in Hashem's DNA.

Also in this week's issue, David Fink talks about the bad habits we acquire from our neighbors in Tefilla and Tequila.  Rivka Levy talks about life in Israel in Funny, No Money. Alice Jonsson tells about Revelations of Godliness. Frederick Betesh tells about his kidney adventure in One in a Million. For Breslev Kids, Rebecca Shapiro has part 6 of David the Shepherd Boy.

You can now pick up 20-piece sets of our Emuna CDs in English at really low prices at the Breslev Israel Online Store.

Have a wonderful week, with blessings of success in everything you do! 

The Power of Gratitude

Over the course of the past few months, Rabbi Shalom Arush and I have been speaking extensively about the power of gratitude. It may sound incredible to those who are far from emuna, but learning to say thank you to Hashem has the power of nullifying the harshest decree, even a terminal disease, Heaven forbid. You can hear all about it in our recently released CDs, Learn to Say Thank You and Stop Crying, both of which are circulating in Israel and abroad like wildfire.

Goldie from Montreal, a longtime Beams reader and friend, sent us an amazing link where clinical research proves that giving thanks promotes health and happiness. We don't need the research, because Rebbe Nachman taught us the secret of gratitude over 200 years ago. By the way, that's what Chanukah and the month of Kislev are all about - learning to say "Thank You" to Hashem. Gratitude is a virtual lifesaver.

A candid interview with Doctor S

Doctor S is a summa cum laude graduate of one of the world's best medical schools. He is a general practitioner who spends half his time in his private clinic, and the other half as a public-medicine physician in Israel's Kupat Cholim system. He is an individual of rare integrity and a veteran of three wars. At age 63, he's still a renegade, and a medical version of a Frank Serpico. Therefore, we have to cloud his identity for obvious reasons, as you'll soon see:

LB: Dr. S, would you describe yourself as a religious person?

Dr. S: Not in your sense of the word. But, I have a strong faith in The Creator and tremendous respect for our Jewish heritage.

LB: From your standpoint, does emuna play a role in medicine?

Dr. S: It sure does, not only from the patient's angle, but from the doctor's angle. My atheistic colleagues are blind to their own deficiencies. It's literally impossible to cure without the Creator's help.

LB: Are you saying that for my benefit?

Dr. S: You know me better than that. A physician that doesn't recognize that he or she is a mere messenger of The Creator is probably arrogant and ineffective. Even worse, he or she is dangerous.

LB: Does that explain the recent scandal in an Israeli hospital where 12 doctors were arrested for experimenting on patients?

Dr. S: That and more. A physician with no emuna believes he has the right to give and take life, especially for the advancement of his own career and/or bank account.

LB: What type of experiments do they perform?

Dr. S: A surgeon may try a totally experimental procedure on a patient with no firm family backing or round-the-clock supervision, such as a neglected old person. If he succeeds, he gets fame, money, and a write-up in a medical journal. If he flops, they bury the patient and nobody cares. That's why you people are problematic.

LB: What do you mean?

Dr. S: Haredi patients are usually surrounded by a bevy of caring children and grandchildren, with representatives of the Haredi community that keep an eye on doctors. Most doctors won't toy around with a patient that benefits from strong family and community support.

LB: So the lonelier a patient is, the more vulnerable he or she is to experiments?

Dr. S: Correct.

LB: What happened 7 weeks ago when 4 Israelis died of flu vaccination?

Dr.S: The Health Department is working day and night to cover their bases, so I don't categorically know. Behind closed doors, I've heard that a bad batch of vaccine snuck its way into Israel.

LB: How can that happen?

Dr. S: Public medicine, especially here in Israel, is looking to save money. Frequently, procurement managers buy cheap batches of outdated drugs from the USA, and use them widespread here.

LB: Are you serious? How so?

Dr. S: Suppose that a certain antibiotic has long been outshined on the USA drug market, and the manufacturer is stuck with a big inventory; the same antibiotic is then offered to Kupat Cholim for a song. Now, all the doctors in public clinics here will be instructed to give this antibiotic to anybody that walks in the door.

LB: What do you have to say about antibiotics?

Dr. S: Use only as a last resort. We don't give the body a chance to repair itself. Many drugs destroy the body's ability to fight disease on its own. Nevertheless, I want to stress that when somebody has a strep throat with 104 F. fever, then you zap them with antibiotics - there's no other choice. But, I don't give antibiotics for the flu (unlike many of my colleagues that give antibiotics for anything), because they do nothing against viruses.

LB: Do you recommend flu shots?

Dr. S: No! Sometimes, the flu vaccine embeds viruses within the body that we don't know how to dislodge.

LB: What about alternate medicine?

Dr. S: Depends; it's wildcat, especially here in Israel, and you could fall into the hands of a quack. I do believe in herb medicine, grandma remedies, natural foods and diet, and good old exercise.

LB: What's your opinion on Ritalin for kids?

Dr. S: Do you ride horses, rabbi?

LB: Whenever I have the chance...

Dr. S: Then you know that a spirited horse is sometimes hard to break in, but once you do, you have a good mount. Giving a hyperactive child Ritalin is like drugging a horse instead of training it. No, I believe that caring and dedicated teachers don't need Ritalin solutions.

LB: Do you recommend regular checkups?

Dr. S: As long as you feel good, stay away from doctors.

LB: Amen! Thanks and G-d bless, Dr. S.

Sonogram: Proceed with Caution

Dear Rabbi Brody,

Reading your article about ultrasounds stuck a nerve so I felt the need to share my story with you. About a year after we made Aliyah (1996) when our youngest daughter was about 6 months old, I became pregnant with what would have been our 4th child.  Into my 11th week, I was feeling weak and wanted some vitamins but didn’t want to spend too much, so I called my obstetrician for a prescription.  She wouldn’t give one without an appointment first (unlike Canada where the doctor will not see the patient until 3 months had passed). When I saw her, she said I must go for an ultrasound.  I questioned it, since there was no reason for it and had never had one with my previous, thank G-d normal pregnancies. She said I must have the ultrasound or I would not get the prescription, so I obeyed.

While having the ultrasound, I saw a baby in the screen but was told there was no heartbeat. I couldn’t believe it but the technician said there was no doubt and called in another technician to verify it. When I was leaving, she advised me to have a D & C so I wouldn’t hemorrhage and have problems later. In shock, I took the results to my doctor (a religious woman I might add) who told me to follow the advice. I was in a daze but followed the instructions, made arrangements for my family and checked into Shaare Tzedek Hospital .  During the intake process, I requested a second opinion and a second ultrasound but was refused.

As I waited for my turn in surgery for a good part of the day, I spoke with everyone about my doubts. I almost walked out, but the words ‘you could hemorrhage’ kept ringing in my ears. Two other doctors confirmed there could be no mistake but they also refused to give me a second ultrasound.  My husband would not call a Rabbi at my request to get proper advice. (I am sure this led to many of our martial problems which followed, since at the time, I blamed him for my traumatic experience). The frum woman in the bed beside me offered her husband’s assistance to ask his Rabbi, but I felt uncomfortable to involve him. She did insist that he look after the fetus when it is aborted since, from her experience, she knew that he/she needed to be buried properly. I gratefully accepted this kindness.

For all the years that followed, I was haunted by the possibility that I aborted a live fetus, a baby. Never in my lifetime would I do such a thing! Even though it was beyond my control, and I had no proof that I was right, I was full of guilt.

After all these years, as difficult as it is, I finally came to terms with it by your teachings, through the words of Rav Nachman of Breslov, of Blessed Memory, and by reading the Garden of Emuna. Regardless of whether I did the unthinkable or not, it was not in my hands but the Will of G-d.  As you have stated, nothing happens in the world without, so it must have been His will that this tender little soul was not born into this world at that time. There is really nothing more I can do but to be thankful for the experience and for all the blessings that I do have and appreciate immensely.

Thank you for being there for all of us! Tzippi from Israel

Tzippi's experience leads us to the following conclusions:

1. If you're pregnant and your doctor says you need a sonogram (ultrasound), ask him why then consult a knowledgable rabbi before you do it.

2. If the doctor says something's wrong with the fetus and wants you to abort, first consult with a knowledgable rabbi  with experience in this field.

3. As a rule of thumb, if you are feeling good, don't initiate checkups and sonograms.

4. Hashem can correct all kinds of problems in a pregnancy; the Melitzer Rebbe says that it's much better not to pry into His act of creation.

We pray that all the expectant mothers have continued healthy pregnancies and easy deliveries, amen!

Sinner Man

Periodically, Hashem gives me the gift of hosting an evening of emuna and inspiration with my cherished friend and holy brother, Shlomo Katz. In the following clip - a taste of one such evening we did recently - we tell the story of the well-known folk song, "Sinner Man, Where You Gonna Run to?" Believe it or not, the story comes right out of the Gemara, tractate Avoda Zara 17a. The "Sinner Man" was a real person, the playboy of his day by the name of Eliezer ben Dordia. The Gemara's conclusion is bittersweet - Eliezer ben Dordia made teshuva and cried his heart out to Hashem until his holy soul left his body. Enjoy the 9-minute clip:

Here's another treat: Look at a new father in seventh heaven. Shlomo Katz and his one-week old daughter, Tiferet. May Shlomo and Bina raise their lovely daughter in strength of body and spirit to Torah, Chuppa, and Maasim Tovim, amen! 

Gog & Magog - Postwar Fallout

Here’s the good news: many tzaddikim say that there won’t be any more push-button nuclear wars because the physical part of the Gog & Magog war is over.

Yet, we can’t yet celebrate: from the unfortunate experiences of nuclear explosions around the world, we've learned that post-explosion fallout is no less perilous than the explosion itself. Years after an explosion, high levels of radioactivity remain in the soil, distorting and causing sickness to flaura, fauna, and man alike.

Gog and Magog, the pograms and the Holocaust, have left a terrible aftermath. Nuclear fallout is radioactivity, which threatens bodies. Spiritual fallout is epikorsis, the denial of faith, which kills souls. Rebbe Nachman of Breslev, just about 200 years ago, warned that epikorsis would be a bigger threat to the Jewish people than any physical calamity. A large number of Jews around the world - including Israelis - die spiritual deaths while falling victim to epikorsis and assimilation every day. The damage is a thousand-fold worse than the combined damages of the Intifada and world terror.

Don't despair, dear brothers and sisters: when the smoke clears from the postwar spiritual fallout, those who cling to their faith will find themselves in the Inaugural of a new and wonderful age...

Read Gog & Magog in its entirety in this weeks web edition of Breslev Israel magazine.

Our readers have written how much they love Rivka Levy's articles. She's featured this week with The Poor Me Syndrome.

Don't be Smug, warns Rabbi Shalom Arush.

Breslev Israel is honored to host Professor J. Huston McCulloch from Ohio State University who tells us all about the Ohio Hannukiah Mound, lending ever so much more credence to the theory that certain Native American tribes are in essence remnants of the Lost Tribes of Israel. My esteemed friend Sitting Owl, chief of the Tennessee Cherokee Nation, has been saying this for a long time. So have we.

With global warming, Water is ever the more precious, especially here in Israel.

The Rescue is part 5 of David the Shepherd Boy for Breslev Kids.

This week's Torah portion is Vayetze. Don't miss Rebbetzen Siegelbaum's Bridge of the Mothers.

More Good News: our latest CD, Pipes of Abundance, has been released and is now available at a ridiculously low price at the Breslev Israel Online Store. This particular CD will help you beat the rap of recession and financial woes. If you haven't heard No Bad in the World and Learn to Say Thank You, pick them up too. These new Emuna CDs will add sunlight to any cloudy day.

Big Beam blessings for a beautiful week.