Lazer Beams

10 Teveth: Rebbe Natan's Yahrtzeit in Pictures

Image 1, above: Praying by the holy gravesite of Rebbe Natan Sternhartz, 1780-1845, known as "Rebbe Natan (Nosson in Yiddish) of Breslev", Rebbe Nachman's prime disciple, who wrote down all of Rebbe Nachman's teachings. Today, 10 Teveth, is his "yahrtzeit", the anniversary of his passing from the physical world. The gravesite is located in Breslev, Ukraine.

Image 2, above: Rebbe Natan's gravesite, outside view.

Image 3, above: The Bugg River and the view of the Ukrainian countryside from Rebbe Natan's gravesite in Breslev, Ukraine.

Image 4, above: Personal prayer along the banks of the Bugg River, at the same exact spot where Rebbe Natan would spend hours pouring his heart out to Hashem.

May Rebbe Natan's holy and immortal soul intervene in our behalf, amen!

The Narrow Bridge: Fear Not

Let's all remember me remind everyone that Hashem runs the world, and everything He does is for the very best. Whether or not there will be problems from Iran, Hamas, Hizbulla or anyone else is not given to our free choice; whether or not each of us does serious teshuva and strengthens his or her emuna is certainly given to our free choice. The Yetzer Hara, or evil inclination, wants us to worry about what's beyond our control, while at the same time neglect what's within our control. Ridiculous, eh? The EI will let you do anything, so long as it has nothing to do with teshuva and emuna.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslev taught us that the whole world is a very narrow bridge, but the main thing is not to be afraid. This classic saying was put to music by Rabbi Baruch Chait. All of Israel sings it; it takes a Rebbe Nachman of Breslev to unify all of Israel, religious and non-religious alike.

The words of the song are: Kol Haolam kulo, gesher tzar m'ode... Ve'haikar, lo lefached klal. Translated, "The whole world is a very narrow bridge; the main thing is not to be afraid at all." You'll see our dear friends Rabbis Danny Bergson and Mitch Goodman performing it. So here's a big beam smile wishing you a peaceful Shabbat and a joyous weekend.

The Coronation

Rosh Hashana is the King's coronation, when we crown Hashem as our King. People ask me why we leave our holy Land of Israel to go to the Ukraine on Rosh Hashana. The reason is simple: Rebbe Nachman himself told us before he left this world, Ish bal ye'ader - No one shall be missing, in other words, we Breslevers have a directive from our holy Rebbe of blessed memory to spend Rosh Hashana in Uman. This tradition was continued by Rebbe Natan zatza'l and by all subsequent generations of Rebbe Nachman's disciples.

Intrinsically, the main coronation of The King takes place in the Kloiz, the cental prayer hall near Rebbe Nachman's holy gravesite in Uman, which was the site of one of the greatest sanctifications of Hashem's name in history. During the Cossack pogroms of 1728, 33,000 Jews were brutally slaughtered after they refused to give up their ancient faith. Uman is the biggest teshuva and emuna factory in the world. Amazingly enough, last year there were 33,000 Jews praying together in Uman. This year, many more are expected. G-d willing, today we're on our way to the Ukraine. See you in Uman!

Breslev and Black Jews

Dear Rabbi Brody,

I want you to know that Rabbi Shalom Arush's books, the Lazer Beams web journal and the Breslev Israel site were the messengers that Hashem chose to bring me to convert to Judaism. The rabbis of the Bet Din where I converted were amazed at my knowledge about emuna. At any rate, I feel like a Breslever. I love Rebbe Nachman's teachings and the way Rabbi Arush applies them to every phase of practical life. And I love the way you bring them to us English speakers. I owe you more than you'll ever know. But, when I saw your clip and poem We're All Brothers, I really had to write you. It's nice talk, but is it only you or is it all of Breslev? If I would make aliya (which I'm starting to think about), would an African-American convert like me be accepted? I'd appreciate you're being candid with me - don't spare my feelings, just give it to me straight so I won't have any illusions. I appreciate your taking the time to read this. With appreciation from the heart, Reuven from the USA

Dear Reuven,

Come to Uman on Rosh Hashana and see how many African-descended Jews you'll find. The same goes for our Yeshiva. When it comes to Jews, not only me but all of Breslev is color blind. A Jew is a Jew - Ashkenazi, Sefardi, black, white, religious or non-religious. The missiles of our enemies don't differentiate between Jews, so why should we? Aliya is a great idea. Our Yeshiva has open arms to any serious Jew, no matter what his color is. And, you won't be the first African-American convert in our community. May Hashem help you succeed always. With blessings of every shape and form, LB

Arik Shalom with Lazer at the Chut Shel Chesed Yeshiva in Jerusalem

Tattoos in the Mikva

I was in Denver last summer on Shabbat Shlach Lecho. On Saturday night, we had a late-night Melave Malka. I didn't know that anyone was filming it, but a very special 3-minute clip just surfaced this week, thanks to our friend FY. It's an amazing story:

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach: Rebbe Nachman Says...

Rebbe Natan's Wisdom

The Tenth of Teveth is a very special date on the Hebrew calendar. Not only is it a public fast day, but it also marks the anniversary of Rebbe Natan's departure from the physical world. Thanks to Rebbe Natan, we have the rich legacy of Rebbe Nachman's teachings. In fact, Rebbe Nachman himself once said, “Were it not for Natan, there wouldn't be a single sheet of my teachings!”

Rebbe Natan personifies the lofty element of bitul larabo, one's total self-nullification to one's rabbi, teacher and spiritual guide. Even though Rebbe Natan had a prodigious IQ and a magnificent talent for learning Torah, as proven by his total mastery of Talmud and religious law by age 22, he cast aside his own logic and intellect in favor Rebbe Nachman's way of thinking. Rebbe Natan's total internalization of Rebbe Nachman's teachings enabled him not only to think like his beloved and exalted teacher, but to author an entire compendium of nuances, elaborations, and esoteric commentary on The Shulchan Aruch Code of Jewish Law, known as Likutei Halachot.

Each minute of Rebbe Natan's life was a priceless pearl that he guarded carefully. No wonder he accomplished so much in his lifetime of 65 years.

Alim LeTrufa (Healing Leaves, abridged English edition) is a collection of Rebbe Natan's letters, most of which he wrote to his son, Reb Yitzchak. These letters are a source of inspiration and encouragement that defies any price tag. No matter where you open the book, you can find practical advice to help you get through the day a little bit easier. Rebbe Natan, the understudy and prime disciple of one of Judaism's great doctors of the soul, always seems to have the right words to encourage us. He is the master of hitchazkut, the art of  spiritually and emotionally strengthening oneself against all odds.

As a loving memorial to Rebbe Natan, of saintly and blessed memory, here are a few morsels of his advice, ever so relevant to the challenges of contemporary times:

Continue reading Rebbe Natan's Wisdom on this week's online edition of Breslev Israel magazine.

Also featured this week:

Rabbi Shalom Arush: The Daily Reminder

Rabbi Pinchas Winston: Moshiach Ben Yosef

Zev Ballen: The Therapeutic Wasteland

Howard Morton: A Hollywood Refugee

Rivka Levy: Back to Basics

Dovber HaLevi: A Conversation with Hashem

Racheli Reckles: The Good Fight

Chaya Ovadia: The Chameleon

Gila David: Returning Citizen

Emuna Outreach and Lazer Beams want to reemphasize our vehement opposition to religious fanaticism and violation of human rights, be it sexual, racial, or any other discrimination. But, we also condemn the media's incitement against the religious population, and its vulgar attempts to dehumanize and deligitimize observant Jews. We'll have a lot more to say on this matter, either here on the Beams or on our weekly show at Israel National Radio. Have a good week!