Lazer Beams

Back On Our Feet

The eternal nation isn't afraid of a long trek...

My father, may he rest in peace, was the only Jewish pilot from Western Canada in the RCAF in World War II. He went to flight school flight school at the Edmonon, Alberta training base. He told me that as a trainee, they had quite a few survival and land-navigational exercises. These were led by a mean sergeant major named Macdonald, who despised Jews. My Pop never hid his Judaism.

Once, Macdonald was leading the trainees up a difficult mountain path in the ice. My father slipped and fell, but was instantly back on his feet. Macdonald didn't miss the opportunity and snorted, "You see - you fell because you're a Jew!"

My Pop was quick on the draw too, and more than a bit sassy. "Wrong, sergeant major," he snapped back, not caring about the consequences, "I'm back on my feet because I'm a Jew!"

Never despair

One candle is enough to illuminate the pitch-black darkness. King Solomon compared the candle to the human soul. Thus, the Chanuka candles can teach us a lot about our inner selves.

Despair and depression are darkness. Judaism - particularly the Chanuka holiday - teaches that there is no room for despair and depression in the Jewish lexicon. There's always hope. The Gemorra teaches that even if a sharp knife is resting on your throat, don't despair - trust in Hashem's magnificent and merciful lovingkindness.

The Yetzer Hora, or Evil Inclination, wants you to lose hope. He doesn't want you to believe that redemption can be right now, at any minute, and that Moshiach is right around the corner. By convincing you that the Jewish notion of eagerly anticipating the Geula is false and ridiculous, he eventually convinces you that all of Torah is false and ridiculous, G-d forbid.

On the contrary, when a doctor tells an expectant mother that she must abort, that's false and ridiculous. When a person is told that he or she has a terminal disease, that's false and ridiculous. The light of a Chanuka candle - which the holy Ariza"l says is symbolic of emuna, or faith - carries a person above the clutches of nature. Torah, Teshuva, and prayer do the same. A soldier can be pinned down, with no logical way out; yet, Hashem has solutions. Never despair, or the ballgame's over. Put your Zoloft down, and pick up a Book of Psalms. Let the light of King David's eternal and universal words light up your soul.

Many of us are scarred from life in this cold and empty world, where few care about nothing other than a greenback or their next cheap thrill. Yet, if a wounded soldier stops shooting, he's finished; if he transfers his rifle from his wounded right arm to his healthy left arm, he can continue fighting and ultimately triumph.

Be happy! Eat some latkes and play draidel with your children. Don't succumb to depression; depression won't put money in the bank - faith in Hashem will! Let Chanuka brighten your life.

Illustration courtesy of my wonderful friends at www.chabad.org - if you'd like to know more about the story of Chanuka or Chanuka customs, pay them a visit.

Don't be discouraged by anything. If you don't surrender to the Yetzer, you might be the person that changes the world, like Yehudit did. Light your candles and ponder them; open up your soul to Hashem's light. Once you really do, you'll be healthy and happy, and you won't need the shrink or his nasty little pills any more.

Our sages teach that as long as the candle is burning, there's always hope. Never despair, no matter what your seemingly insurmountable problem is. Rebbe Nachman of Breslev says, יש ענין שיתהפך הכל לטובה - everything could turn itself around for the better in the nearest future. Just like the few Maccabees who remained faithful to Hashem and to His Torah, you might be outnumbered by a massive enemy too. But, if you learn from those little flickering Chanuka candles that defeat the darkness, you'll be a winner too. Jews are used to being the underdogs - we thrive on come-from-behind and against-all-odds victories and watching the tyrants of the world crumble.

The Jewish people are sometimes down, but never out. The tiny flames of Chanuka always lift us out of the dark abyss.

Don't despair. Don't ever lose faith. Salvation is on the way, for sure.

Happy Chanuka.

A Gruelling Test of Emuna

Dear Rabbi Lazer,

I'm sure you remember me from Uman. I'm the tall person with the red beard that spoke to you after your shiur in the Kloiz. That was only two months ago. You gave me much encouragement, but my situation is now much worse. After Yom Kippur, the doctors started the heavy chemo, and in a short time I've developed a moon face and have lost most of my beard and payis. The tumor in my colon isn't any larger, but new spots are showing up on my liver and a few in my lungs. I can't describe the torture I'm going through. I know that we all have to die sometime, but I'm not ready to go at 27. The truth is that I'm scared. I want to live and I want to get better, but when I'm not in the hospital, it's difficult for me to concentrate. My memory is terrible because of the chemo, and all I can do is listen to CDs. Your voice is at my bedside all the time, but I often yell at you with big questions like why Hashem is punishing me so terribly. I feel that I must have failed Him in some way and it drives me crazy. Always, after I yell at you, I break down crying. Why isn't Rebbe Nachman shaking the Heavenly Throne to get me better? Why am I being eaten alive? Few people visit me because they are embarrassed to see someone that has been labelled as a dying man. I know you're busy, but please don't forsake me. Please answer this letter. I apologize if I said anything sacreligious. Eagerly awaiting your answer, Alexander ben Sonia

Dear Alexander,

I most certainly remember you. I remember that you were born in Russia and came to the States at age 11 in 1991 after the Perestroika. I remember your smile and the courage in your eyes.

Alexander, Hashem is certainly not punishing you. Our beloved people Israel and the cherished holy land of our forefathers are now in extreme peril with what's going on in Annapolis and around the world. What's happening down on this earth is only a manifestation of what's happening in the Heavens. Just as our enemies down here are trying to wrench our homes and our ancient inheritence from us, in shamayim the accusing dark-side angels are demanding severe judgments against us, claiming that we don't deserve this cherished land of Israel. They are the best lawyers with tons of factual dossiers, not only against the anti-emuna government but against all the intramural hate, contention, and discrimination among religious Jews themselves. Hashem wants to silence these forces of evil. So, He picks out a special neshama (soul) for a special mission: this neshama is required to ungergo the most excruciating test of emuna imaginable. By doing so, Hashem shows the accusers that His beloved children truly deserve to remain in all parts of our holy homeland.

Alexander - beloved brother - I believe that you are such a neshama. Not only is Hashem not punishing you, He has chosen you to stand in the forefront of the fiercest battle. By accepting your indescribable tribulations with emuna, you are the one that could be tipping the scales in our favor this very moment. You could be the one that is saving 275,000 Jews in Judea and Samaria from exile. Please hold on, Alexander. All eyes look toward you. Before I answered this letter, I cried out in the citrus groves for an hour just begging Hashem on your behalf. I believe with all my heart that you're going to be cured, just put all your trust in Hashem like I said in the very first CD we recorded, Trust in One. This is a rough test for sure, but if you think Rebbe Nachman has forgotten or forsaken you, you're wrong. The Rebbe is surely shaking the heavens in your behalf.

Only Hashem gives life, not the doctors. With whatever strength you have, call out to Hashem, Alexander. Maybe you have a spark of Yitzchak Avinu, and this is your personal Akeda. Alexander ben Sonia, your clinging to your emuna is the biggest show of valor that could possibly be. We're all in your corner. May Hashem send you a speedy, complete, and miraculous recovery. With blessings always, LB

"Ma Lachem Lid'og?!" You Have Nothing to Worry About!

Now that Yom Kippur's over, once you've fasted and made your best effort to repent, don't worry any more about the outcome! Rebbe Nachman of Breslov said, "Ma lachem lid'og, you have nothing to worry about because I'm paving the way for you." Those of us who are connected to the tzaddik know that we must make our best effort, and leave the rest up to the tzaddik, who paves the way for our true and complete soul correction by helping us get closer to Hashem. I shudder to think where I'd be without my beloved Rebbe Nachman. With that in mind, grab your hammer and nails, put a big smile on your face, and start building your succa! Here's a niggun to help you get started:

The Wisdom of the Banana Grove

The Beams is always happy to show you another lovely portion of our exquisitely beautiful and holy Land of Israel. Today, we're in a banana grove right near the Mediterranean coast south of Haifa. Would you believe that there's much to learn from the banana grove? Come join us...

The Big Boulders

Our arch-enemy, The Yetzer Hara (evil inclination), does his very best to throw us into a state of despair. He makes our problems look like 10-ton boulders on our shoulders, with no hope of lightening the load. This video mini-clip, filmed in the lovely Judean Hills near Gush Etzion, teaches how to deal with the Yetzer's big boulders.

Happiness Milestones

The entire purpose of all my books, CDs, and lectures is to help people live healthier and happier lives by strengthening emuna and getting closer to Hashem. Some folks measure success in money and fame; money doesn't mean much to me except for being able to produce another CD or to be able to send spiritual care packages to GIs in combat zones or to the terminally ill that the doctors have given up on. As for fame, even if Oprah were to invite me on her show, I'd have to turn her down for kedusha reasons. Those of you that have visited my modest Ashdod flat know that there's nothing much there but a wall full of books, a tremendous hardwood table, and a sofa. I don't own a car, and disdain superfluous material things. Spirituality and "things" don't usually mix.

A well-known Israeli personality recently visited me at my home to discuss his battle with chronic depression. The individual makes about $120K a year, which is an astronomical sum in Israel. Yet, he and his wife are constantly overdrawn at the bank. (I make a fraction of what he does, and Baruch Hashem don't owe a cent to anyone). He sat down at my table, looked around the living room, and said, "It's so calm and peaceful here - I feel more relaxed already!" I told him that the walls of a person's home absorb peace and holiness, as well as the opposite, G-d forbid. My so very wonderful wife Yehudit and I try to maintain an atmosphere of spiritual fresh air in our humble but happy home.

Talking to Hashem, seeing His wisdom in every creation, and learning His Torah make me happy. Also, hearing your good news. Since Succoth is the time for harvesting happiness, I want to share with you a few choice happiness milestones of fellow Beams readers, that have resulted from their listening to our CDs and reading our books, particularly The Trail to Tranquility. Amazingly, I've already received fantastic feedback from people that bought The Garden of Emuna and gobbled it up in a day or two. Enjoy!

* Dennis from the USA has been cold turkey on alcohol for 6 months now, thanks to TTTT

* RS from South Africa has traded his former addiction to porn sites on the web with Tikkun Klali, mikva, daily personal prayer, and Arush-Brody CDs - he writes me that he hasn't looked at an immodest picture in over 6 weeks

* David and wife have scrapped their plans for divorce. They just finished learning 30 minutes of TTTT together every night, and they've just started learning The Garden of Emuna.

* RT from Ramat HaSharon and Michael from Haifa haven't seen shrinks or taken pills ever since they started listening to the Emuna-series CDs several months ago. Michael says that without the CDs, he would have had a nervous breakdown during the recent bombardments of Haifa.

* More than 4 Beam-reader families have strengthened their emuna and have cast birth control aside.

* More than 6 Beam-reader families have discontinued the use of Ritalin on their children with encouraging results.

* 9 months ago, the doctors told Morris from the UK that he had 3 months to live; smiling Morris is still with us, putting on tefillin and talking to Hashem for an hour every day. He no longer needs blood transfusions.

* William from Florida was unemployed for 3 years. His confidence was shot and so was his shalom bayis. A month after he began listening to our CDs (which he couldn't even afford at first; I sent him his first three CDs as a gift from our Outreach program, thanks to your generous donations) and talking to Hashem every day for an hour of personal prayer, he landed a great job at $8K more than he had ever earned annually before. He writes, "Rabbi Lazer - tell everybody that I said that emuna works miracles!" Tell it to the people, William!

And more... The above list doesn't include a long list of outright miracles that people have written me about since I took their kvittlach to Uman. These are the type of things that make me the happiest person on earth. When your goal in life is emuna, you walk around with a sparkle in your eyes and a smile on your lips all day long. Thank You, Hashem - for everything. And thanks to you, dear friends and readers, for sharing your wonderful news.

When the brain kicks out

Understanding that a given situation is for the best is not emuna that everything is for the best. From a spiritual standpoint, comprehension is a much lower level than emuna. At the point where the brain no longer understands how Hashem is doing everything for the very best, emuna begins. In other words, emuna kicks in when the brain kicks out.

In trying times like the present, whenever the brain complains that a certain situation is bad, we do ourselves a tremendous favor by putting our brains aside and by activating our emuna that everything Hashem does is for the very best. With emuna, we rejoice rather than succumbing to despair and depression. When we're happy, our brains operate much more efficiently. Therefore, emuna actually enhances our brain power and our ability to cope under any situation - even in an Olmert-governed Israel of national chaos and corruption.

When something distasteful happens to us, such as seeing our country come apart at the hands of an immoral self-serving anti-Jewish regime, and we wish that life would be different, we still must subjugate our will to Hashem's will. Reconciling oneself with Hashem's will is virtually impossible without emuna, for if a person doesn't believe that Hashem is doing everything for the ultimate best, then why accept Hashem's will? Who wants a life of "bad"?

Emuna illuminates our hearts with the confidence that Hashem has a good reason for everything He does, and that the currently rocky roads will eventually lead to eternally smooth and peaceful paths. By letting our emuna override our brains, we can readily rise to any challenge that life throws our way; mark my words, the challenges are already on the way. Anyone without strong emuna - either here or overseas - will be blown away like chaff in the wind. With the world becoming more spiritual, comfort-zone material-oriented lives will soon be a figment of the past.

Our sages teach that when a person thanks Hashem and is happy under any circumstance – relying on the emuna that everything Hashem does is for the very best – he or she will see the most trying situations in life make complete turnarounds for the better. Emuna is therefore the best way out of any difficulty. Only emuna will enable us to weather the current circumstances until Hashem decides that we've made adequate tshuva and have suffered enough.

Beloved Father in Heaven, You can torment us from within and from without, but we won't stop loving You, ever. Isn't time You stopped playing hide and seek? All the good folks that read Emuna News see Your fingerprints all over the place.

In light of the above, rather than wasting our energies on activism, lobbying, or protesting in the hot sun, let's grab our weapons of Torah, prayer, and hibodedut; when we grab the spiritual weapons, Hashem does the fighting. Soon - very soon - you'll see the bitter end of the tyrannical and the corrupt. Meanwhile, tshuva and strengthening emuna are the order of the day, to prepare for the beautiful new day that's fast on the way.

Glossary:

Emuna - complete and firm belief in G-d

Tshuva - returning to G-d, repentance

The beautiful new day that's fast on the way (above, sunrise over Kinneret, looking from the south of Tiberias in the direction of the Golan).

Don't lose heart!

Most of what goes on in my Outreach Program never reaches cyber limelight here at Lazer Beams, because - in addition to kiruv - of the sensitivity of the type of things we're involved in, such as emotional guidance and encouragement for people of all backgrounds, especially those who've been afflicted with the nasty big C (cancer). Rebbe Nachman of Breslev said that there's no such thing as despair; I believe him with simple and uncomplicated faith.

The Talmud says (tractate Brochos, 10a), that even if a sharp sword is positioned on a person's throat, that person should continue to seek Hashem's mercy. I can testify to the bare truth of that statement, because on more than one occasion, I never believed that I'd live to write these words.

The Midrash teaches us (Koheles Raba, ch. 7) that tshuva, prayer, and charity are capable of cancelling an evil edict.

My own father of blessed memory came down with 4 different types of the nasty big C - in his lung, in his joints, in his bone marrow, and in his blood. Then, in 1992, the doctors at NIH said he had 3 more weeks to live. My father came from a non-religious household, but he had a wonderful Jewish heart and was very proud of his son the baal tshuva rabbi. I asked him to do three easy mitzvas, one in the area of tshuva, a second in the area of prayer, and a third in the area of charity. My Pop agreed to throw away his razor blades and shave with an electric razor (tshuva), to say Shma Yisrael every morning after washing his hands (prayer), and to give charity every single day. He lived for another nine years.

Don't let the doctors tell your loved one or friend how long they have to live; the doctors don't run the world. If you have a friend or a loved one with a serious illness, drop me an email (lazer[at]lazerbrody.net) and we'll work out a strategy of how to beat the rap. There's plenty to be done, everything to win, and absolutely nothing to lose. Pretty soon, G-d willing, the sharp sword will be slitting the throat of The Angel of Death; you're right - he and the Yetzer Hora are the same dude. "Hashem will eliminate death forever and will erase tears from all faces (Isaiah 25:8)", amen.

Look at the expression on this courageous father's face, while guarding his daughter with his own body during a terrorist attack; he knows that with Hashem's help, there's forever hope. Don't lose heart! (photo courtesy of Arutz 7)

Playing The Right Game

Dear Rabbi Lazer,

The United Stated Army uses a slogan “be all you can be”.  In the accounting profession, being all you can be means becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).  For ten years earlier in my career as an accountant, I taught what was considered the top CPA review course in the country and helped thousands of accounting students overcome the incredible obstacle of the CPA exam.  Historically in New Jersey, only 2% of those who took the exam pass it the first attempt.  Yet of those who keep trying, 70% would eventually succeed.  One of the key things I use to tell my students is don’t give up.

The author of the CPA course I taught had a great motto that was called “Playing the Right Game.”  (I use this same motto today on my kids in yeshiva).   He would tell the students there are two games you can play - the right game and the wrong game. The wrong game is how little can I do and just get by. The right game is how much can I possibly do to make darn sure I pass.  He would then tell the class to ask themselves, “Which game you are playing? If you're not playing the game of how much can I do to make darn sure I pass, then its not too late to switch to the right game”.

As an accountant, I always seek the bottom line, and the bottom line in Torah is truth. Truth from Torah, and also truth from ourselves. The question is, what game are we individually and collectively playing as Jews? Are we playing the game of the US Army by trying to be all we can be? 

Are we satisfied in being spiritual pussycats when with a little effort and dedication, we can be lions of Judea? Are we trying to improve and perfect ourselves in Torah?  Or, are we superficially just trying to meet some basic minimal requirements? That's the area where we should be soul-searching. In my jargon, we all need a thorough spiritual audit.

Unfortunately, we are living in an age of spiritual darkness.  Modern society prevents us from seeing truth. The media and social convention stuff up our ears so we can't hear truth, and the garbage they feed us clogs our minds and prevents us from perceiving truth.

Your recent articles have been inspiring, and serve as an antidote to the EI and his army of liars. Now, it's up to us to elevate ourselves and apply your teachings, letting them fully touch our souls, so that we can be all that we can be.

Chazak ve'amatz, Rich Lener, E. Brunswick, NJ