Lazer Beams

Aliya: All on the Table

This post is an answer to the many (Thank G-d, many!) inquiries I have been receiving recently about aliya. I'll address, with Hashem's help, the spiritual side of the issue. For the practical side, see my cherished friends and their fact-filled website at Nefesh B'Nefesh.

Israel today has its problems. Militarily, tens of thousands of missiles are aimed at us right this moment. Iran? Only Hashem knows what'll be. Almost a third of our citizens have experienced rocket attacks. A leftist elite anti-emuna press and oligarchy have systematically deligitimized our dearest citizens who were once proudly called "pioneers" but are now addressed (with a snarl) as "settlers". There is a terrible animosity between much of the Haredi community and much of the secular community, even between the national religious community and the Haredi community. Torah's overall prestige among the genuine populace is alarmingly low. A secular Israeli youth is much more interested in the NBA than he is in Mordechai and Esther.

The Arabs seem to be warming up for a third intifada. Ahlan wa'sahlan, let them start...

And yes, if your kids can't live without American fun and games, they'll have a rough time time adjusting.

Now for the good news.

Israel is in the midst of the biggest spiritual awakening since the days of Mordechai and Esther. The BTs are conservatively estimated in the high 6 figures, if not more.

Anyone that opens their eyes in Israel realizes that Hashem controls everything. The day-to-day miracles here are beyond belief.

People here are real - not superficially polite, but real. Give any two Israelis 5 minutes to talk to each other on a personal level, and they'll bind.

This is our country and our homeland. You here a siren set in to warn that Shabbat is imminent. In all the cities, there are Purim parades. Everyone speaks Hebrew. Kids grow up with different values. No, we don't haveWalt Disney and Fantasy Land - we have Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai and Miron.

Every hill in Israel has its own melody.

If you love being Jewish and you want a life (not easy, mind you) of joy and emuna, come by all means. If you're willing to become an Israeli, aliya is for you. Most people who seek to live an American, Canadian or British lifestyle in Israel are miserably frustrated.

The Gemara says that three things don't come easy: Torah, the World to Come, and the Land of Israel. Be ready to pay your dues with a big smile.

With all the above in mind and you still want to come, the Land of Israel will embrace you like a loving mother. Call NBN, and tell them that Lazer sent you.

Visit to Iran, the Holy Gravesite of Esther and Mordechai

Thanks to the Farhang Foundation for Iranian Heritage, we are delighted to take Beams readers on an 8-minute excursion to the holy gravesite of Esther and Mordechai. Enjoy!

Above the Sun

This coming Shabbat is Shabbat Parshat Zchor, when the Torah commands us to especially remember what the evil Amalek did to us.

King Solomon teaches us that there's nothing new under the sun; what was in the past is what will be in the future. If someone says something's new, don't listen – it has already happened in former generations (see Ecclesiastes 1:9-10).

How can King Solomon, the wisest of all men that ever walked the face of the earth, make the above statements? Was there Google Search in his time? What does he mean, “nothing's new”?

King Solomon didn't need Google Search. Google Search is a mega-source of information, but it can't decide which of two warring women is the real mother of a baby that each claims to be hers. Google Search is a tremendous cyber pack mule, but when it comes to wisdom and insight, it can't compete with King Solomon. Not only that, but like his father King David, King Solomon could understand the language of all four levels of creation – mineral, plant, animal, and of course man. He could understand the birds' chatter about the approaching rain clouds and the lament of a soul reincarnated in a tree. With neither high-powered telescopes or satellite probes, he knew the exact timerequired for the moon to circle the earth even better than NASA does now.

In all fairness, when King Solomon said there's nothing new, he wasn't referring to technology but to human nature. Even though you take a Harvard MBA, dress him in a three-piece suit, give him an attaché case with a Mac-Book Air and an IPod inside, put a wad of credit cards and a Blackberry in his vest pocket and deposit him on Wall Street in lower Manhattan, he still has the same drives and bodily urges that his counterpart twenty-five centuries ago had. Both he and his ancient predecessor chased money, prestige, and attractive members of the opposite sex. They both enveloped personal interests in lofty-sounding ideals that couldn't withstand the test of truth. Both justified cut-throat competition, and in the finest tradition of Sparta, never had qualms about trampling a competitor, whether by sword or in a court of law.

Having retained everything he ever learned, King Solomon could truly say there's nothing new. He made a point to remember. His father, King David, taught him to remember and never forget.

Continue reading Above the Sun on this week's edition of Breslev Israel web magazine.

Also featured this week:

Rav Shalom Arush: A Positive Outlook

Rav Avraham HaCohen Kook: The Aspiring Convert

Zev Ballen: Dear Nachlaot

Rivka Levy: Lonely Woman of Faith

Yehudit Bell: Daily Accounting

Dovber Halevi: Constant Movement

Chaya Ovadia: Nemalah - The Ant, special for Breslev Kids!

Natalie Kovan: Little Queen Esther

Rachel Polansky: The Apple Press

Big Beams blessings for a wonderful week!

Two-way Street

Many of us are extremely careful about the Kashruth of what goes into our mouths. Do we exercise equivalent caution about what comes out of our mouths, both in quality and quantity? Please excuse the inconvenience, but because of technical difficulties, this week's emuna lesson is split into two twenty-minute halves. Big Beams blessings for a great week!

It's Here! The Universal Garden of Emuna

It's no rumor - it's true: there now a Universal Garden of Emuna, completely non-denominational, for all of mankind. If we want to save planet Earth of ours, then we should spread this book far and wide.

There's no bigger mitzva than spreading emuna in the world. We say thrice daily in the "Aleinu" prayer, that we await the day when all living flesh will call Hashem's Name. Let's invoke Divine compassion by hastening that day. You can use you maaser (tithe) money to buy these books and distribute them among your non-Jewish neighbors. One of the Arab judges in the Jerusalem Municipal Court read this book and told Rav Shalom that he should translate it into Arabic too. True emuna has the power to bring peace to mankind. There's no other solution.

Rav Shalom Arush: A Message for the Jews of South Africa

A Worthy Dwelling Place for Hashem

This Shabbat is Parshat Truma. We're pleased to treat our readers with this week's parsha sheet in English. Enjoy it!

How do we make ourselves miniature tabernacles and worthy dwelling places for Hashem? Found out on this week's mini-lesson on the Torah portion. Shabbat Shalom and a joyous new month of Adar!