Lazer Beams

"M'kimi" - the personal freedom song

"He raises me from meager dust, from the trash heap He has lifted the destitute; to seat me with nobles, with the nobles of His people." Psalm 113:7-8

The above passages are the story of my life. Pesach not only is the national freedom holiday, put my personal freedom holiday, when I thank Hashem especially for liberating my soul via Torah, tshuva, and emuna.

"He raises me" in Hebrew is "M'kimi," from Psalm 113 that we'll all be saying during the Hallel prayer on Pesach."M'kimi" is the song that my cherished friend Rav Yosef Karduner and I are singing together in the following clip (click on the embedded video below), our way of wishing you and yours a joyous Shabbat and 7th day of Passover (plus 8th day for our friends overseas) with true freedom of the body, mind, and soul, amen.

I want to send an extra heartfelt thank-you and blessing to all of you who have given so much of your time, talents, and resources to help Emuna Outreach spread the message of hope and faith to the far corners of the world. May Hashem bless you always, and grant you all your heart's wishes for the very best, amen.

Pesach Seder night - Hashem's favorite night

Rama, Shulchan Oruch, Orach Chaim 481:2 – "This night is protected from the forces of evil."

The Torah describes Seder night as a "night of protection" (Exodus 12:42), when Hashem personally took His beloved children of Israel out of Egypt. The original Hebrew lail shimorim is interpreted two different ways in the Midrash: First, it is a "reserved" night, since Hashem redeemed Israel from bondage on the night of the 15^th of Nisan, he reserves this same night to redeem his children Israel in the future (Yalkut Shimoni, Bo, 210). Second, it's a "protected" night (ibid), since Hashem's divine presence repels all mazikim, the dark-side forces of evil.

"Night of protection" is no mere homiletic catchphrase; it's anchored in religious law! The Abridged Code of Jewish Law (119:9), in explaining how to perform the latter part of the Seder, writes: "After grace following the meal, we pour the fourth cup. According to custom, we open the door in remembrance that tonight is a protected night and we fear nothing."

What's the secret of Seder night? Why is a person so protected, that he or she doesn't even need to say Kriat Shema before going to sleep (ibid)? With Hashem's grace, the following parable will us why:

The King was furious at his servants. One spilled the King's best wine all over the monarch's new white velvet robe. A second served "sweetened" the King tea with three teaspoons of salt instead of sugar. A third left a straight pin in the King's new shirt that painfully pricked His Majesty in the arm. A cloud of premonition descended upon the palace, for the servants trembled in apprehension of the King's wrath.

The trusty butler summoned the palace musicians. The King craved music, especially the delightful string-instrument arrangements of his beloved musicians. "Go into the King's chamber and begin playing – don't stop even if your fingers fall off! Only you can placate the King," said the butler with urgency.

All eyes were cast on the musicians: The violin laughed while the cello cried; the viola tiptoed on the upper octaves to the King's delight, while the bass fiddle maintained a steady and soothing tempo that relaxed the King's soul. Enchanted by the exquisite strains, the King put all other matters aside to fully enjoy the music. Gradually, a gratifying smile replaced the monarch's frown.

The musicians had saved the day. The King not only pardoned the servants, but declared a palace holiday in honor of his wonderful string quartet.

The string quartet is symbolic of the four sons. On Seder night, even the wicked, the simple, and the timid sons join their wise brother in singing Hashem's praise and relating the story of our exodus from bondage in Egypt. Such "music", when all four sons join in, is indescribably gratifying to Hashem, the King of all kings.

On Seder night, every Jew speaks to Hashem. Rebbe Nachman of Breslev explains (Sichos HaRan, 70), "For when a Jew wishes to speak to Hashem, Hashem casts aside everything else. Evil decrees are even set aside at this time. Hashem puts aside everything and only listens to the person seeking His presence."

In light of Rebbe Nachman's above teaching, it's easy to understand why Seder night is called a "night of protection", since all of Israel is busy at their Seder tables thanking Hashem and singing His praise. All the heavenly hosts come to earth to hear the story of our exodus from Egypt. Hashem bestows his divine presence on His beloved children, and listens to all the sweet words that are said around the Seder table. The evil elements don't dare show their faces on a holy night like this.

A person can turn any night into a "night of protection" by simply pouring his or her heart out in personal prayer. Rebbe Nachman teaches that when a Jew desires to speak to Hashem, Hashem moves everything aside to listen. By virtue of our speaking to Hashem, we hasten the day of the ingathering of the exiles and the final redemption of our people, amen.

*****

This Shabbat is Shabbat HaHadol and Passover Eve. Have a good rest so that you'll be bright-eyed for the Seder. This week's Torah portion is Acharei Mot, and here's wishing you a wonderful week.

Matzo Man

Here, take a break from the Pesach cleaning, and enjoy something really cute from last year's Beams. Remember Matzo Man? He was a parody of the song "Macho Man" by the Village People. Anyway, the Matzo Man scored big here at the Beams, because he put a smile on many faces. Enjoy! It's a big mitzva to be happy.

Happy Purim!

The Gemara in tractate Gittin (57b) says that Haman's grandsons are learning Torah in Bnai Brak:

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Purim is a great time for teshuva and a time when Hashem answers all our prayers. Ask for whatever you want today. Many of us are like lost sheep - we need Hashem to bring us back in the flock. That's exactly the subject of the following song that Yosef Karduner and I are singing in the following clip:

A happy Purim and a wonderful Shabbat.

This week's Torah portion is Tsav. Here's a story and a Chassidic Pearl for your Shabbat table.

The Price of a Miracle

We often take for granted the fact that we, the Jewish people, live on miracles. The Jewish people in Israel especially exist on a higher-than-nature plateau that defies any natural course of events. Only an idiot would attribute Israel's existence to military might and so forth. On a military level, Israel has no answer to missile warfare, as so painfully demonstrated in the last Lebanon War and today in the south of Israel, from Ashkelon to Sderot and all points in between.
People have the mistaken impression that we can sit back and do nothing while Hashem gives us miracles. That's wrong. The miracle of Purim was only after Esther said to Mordechai (Esther 4:16), "Go gather all the Jews... fast for me, don't eat or drink for 3 days and 3 nights; I and my handmaidens shall fast likewise." In other words, the entire Jewish people made complete teshuva and returned to Hashem.
The existential threat of this generation is just as bad as it was in the time of Haman. Achmedinejad and Nasralla's designs as well as global Islamofascist objectives are no different than Haman's platform. Every Adar, we therefore need a renewal of the miracle. But, when there's no teshuva to pay for it, Hashem must take a public sacrifice from the greatest and purest tzaddikim of our generation. That explains the brutal murder of Erez Levanon during his personal prayer to Hashem exactly a year ago in Adar, and the barbaric massacre of the 8 Mercaz HaRav boys during their Torah study this past Thursday, on Rosh Chodesh Adar.
Who needs more martyrs? Let's gather all the Jews and commit to genuine teshuva.

Like the Trees in Winter

This acacia from the dunes in the south of Israel is remindful of the letter "shin" in Hebrew, the first letter of Hashem's Holy Name Sh-add-ai, to whom the trees sing constantly. These were the trees that were used to build the Holy Tabernacle in the desert. Like everything else that grows here, they have a special holiness.

Many of you probably ask why Judaism needs a separate New Year for trees. The answer according to nigla (revealed Torah) is that numerous Torah commandments deal with trees and the fruit of trees in the holy Land of Israel. For example, one must not eat orla, which is fruit from the first three years of the tree's life. Neta reva'i, or 4th-year fruit, must be eaten in Jerusalem. Other mitzvot include trumot, maaserot, maaser rishon, leket, shichacha, peah. The tree's age plays a role in the fulfillment of these mitzvot, and the trees age is calculated from the new arbor year that begins today, the 15th of Shvat commonly known as Tu B'Shvat.

The Torah says (Dvorim 20:19), “For man is a tree in the field.” This is one of the greatest secrets of Torah. It's also the story of our life here in the Land of Israel, as follows:

Tu B'Shvat always lands in the middle of winter. The trees have lost their leaves. They look brittle, weak, and unsightly. They're subjected to strong winds and storms that threaten to uproot them. An unsuspecting onlooker wouldn't believe that these bare and dry branches will ever sprout green again, much less give fruit. The cold and the frosts look like they'll finish the poor trees off...

Today, the Jewish people in the Land of Israel are just like the trees in winter. They too look weak and unsightly, as enemies from without and within slash them with the strong winds of territorial surrender and disdain for the holiness of our land. It doesn't look like our beautiful settlements will continue to exist, G-d forbid, much less expand. The cold and frosts of heresy, licentiousness, corruption, and self-hatred threaten to finish off the world of Torah and the holy settlements completely.

Wait a second, there's no reason to despair.

In a few short weeks, the weather will turn warm and The Land of Israel will blossom in all of its arbor glory. The entire country will be intoxicatingly aromatic from dunam upon dunam of flowering citrus groves and deciduous orchards. Do you know what that signifies?

As mentioned earlier, man is a tree in the field, especially in Israel. We may look ugly in the midst of this spiritual winter, but soon - very soon - Moshiach will come and the Land of Israel, her pioneer sons and her scholars of Torah shall flourish and blossom in all their glory, from Mount Hermon to the Red Sea and from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River, amen.

Happy Tu B'Shvat!

For more on Tu B'Shvat, check out Lazer's editorial over at BreslovWorld.

The Story of Chana Maccabee

Tamar Yonah from Israel National Radio asked me to check out the authenticity of the following Midrash, a real eye-opener that describes the outbreak of the Hasmonian Rebellion and the marriage of Channa, daughter of Mattatyahu the High Priest (Cohen Gadol):

As part of their campaign to break the spirit of the Jews, the Greeks decreed that every maiden must spend her wedding night in the bed of the regional governor, and that only afterward would she be permitted to her husband. As a result of this decree, the Jews stopped marrying. For three years and three months, no wedding was held in Judea. Then it came time for Channa, daughter of Mattityahu the Hasmonean to marry. In spite of the decree, Mattityahu held a great celebration, inviting the leaders of the nation, for Mattatyahu's family was extremely prominent. The bride sat, as was customary, at the head table, but suddenly stood up, clapped her hands together, and tore her expensive wedding dress, exposing herself. Everyone looked away in embarrassment, and her brothers ran to fall upon her and kill her for shaming herself and her family.

But Channa said to them, "Why, when I shame myself before my relatives and friends are you so filled with embarrassment and anger that you wish to kill me, but you agree to surrender me this night so the heathen governor can lie with me? Why do you not learn from Simon and Levy, sons of our forefather Jacob, who avenged the rape of their sister Dinah (in Genesis, chapter 34)?"

Everyone realized that Channa was right; her brothers discussed the matter and came to a decision. They dressed their sister in the finest garments and brought her with great ceremony, at the head of a large procession, to the King. Channa's brothers declared, "We are the sons of the High Priest, and it is not fitting that our sister be given to the governor. Our sister is fit only for the King himself!" The brothers' words found favor in the King's eyes.

The Maccabbee brothers - Yehuda, Yochanan, Yonatan, Shimon, and Eliezer - accompanied Channa to the royal bed chamber, and thereupon, seized the King and killed him. Afterward, they stormed out killing ministers, guards, and servants, who were in the palace. And Hashem delivered the enemy into their hands. At that time, a voice [bat kol] was heard in the Holy of Holies that said, "The lambs [Israel] are victorious in Antioch [Greek HQ in ancient Israel]".

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The original in Hebrew appears here on the website of Rav Yosef Shuvali's Yeshivat Tikkun Hamidot, a superb Breslever Yeshiva for baalei teshuva in the Haifa area. The Midrash appears in Part One of Midrash Otzar Tov and in Part 5 of Midrash Bet HaMidrash. This certainly appears to be the real deal.

If they had any brains, Hollywood screenwriters would be studying our Midrash.

Simchat Torah: Barometer of Joy

Simchat Torah is the time to harvest happiness – "joy in the heart" – for the whole year; and fourth, Rebbe Nachman himself danced as an expression of his joy.

On Simchat Torah, we spend hours dancing with the Torah scrolls, both at night and during the following morning. We rejoice at our annual completion of reading the Torah, and during the same festival, we begin to read the Torah from the beginning once more. Surely, this is a joyous holiday; but why do we dance until our clothes are literally soaked and until we can barely stand up?

Click here to read why...

A wonderful Shabbat and joyous Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.

 

The Expanding Succoth Waistline

My good buddy Yankel'e "Dry Bones" Kirschen, the creator of Emuna Outreach's mascot little Natty Emuna , really hits home. The perenniel post-holiday problem of many Jewish people is the added calories, pounds, flab, and cholesterol of a week of eating and rejoicing in the Succa. As the Beams is committed to the health of body, mind, and soul, we've composed a few guidelines to combat the expanding Succoth waistline.

Beware of the cakes: Many people want to make a blessing on the Succa every time they enter it. But, one really shouldn't make a blessing unless he eats something. For that reason, many folks eat cake ("mezonos", at a minimum amount of a little over and ounce) so they can say the "Leshev B'Succa" blessing, the blessing to sit in the Succa. If a person eats 2 ounces of cake 3 times a day, that adds another 840 calories to his daily intake. The Melitzer Rebbe shlit'a says that one should make a "Leshev B'Succa" blessing only when eating a proper meal that includes washing your hands and breaking bread. So, don't eat cake for the purpose of making a blessing to sit in the Succa. If a person eats 3 average-sized portions of cake a day for the 9 (outside of Israel, 8 in Israel) days of the Succoth/Simchat Torah holiday, he'll gain more than two pounds. We suggest eating sliced fresh carrots or sliced green apples instead of the cake.

Beware of the liquor: Many people make a "Lechayim" every time they visit the Succa of a friend and relative. In Israel, quite a few people that barely touch alcoholic beverages all year long keep them on hand to serve guests, and end up toasting glass-per-glass with the guest. A one-ounce shot of vodka or 86-proof Whiskey is 70 calories, while an ounce of a 72-proof liqueur such as Kahlua or Banana Liqueur is a hefty 117 calories. 3 "Lechayims" a day is enough to pick up another half pound during the week of the holiday. Adding that to the cakes (see above), you've already gained 2.5 pounds during Succoth. Putting the weight on is so much easier than taking it off.

Beware of sweet beverages: Succoth is a time when parents allow the Pepsi and the Coke to flow frely all week long. Now hear this - an 8-ounce glass of Coke Classic is a whopping 97 calories, just as caloric as the equivalent amount of beer or of a slice and a half of bread. A person that drinks 6 glasses of cola a day will gain almost a pound on Succoth, please wreck his teeth in the process. We suggest that you reach for the mineral water, sparkling water, or herb tea instead, for they have zero caloric value.

Beware of snacks: People like to munch in the Succa. We all know that you can't eat one Frito or potato chip - therefore, those plastic bags empty fast. One ounce of fritos, potato chips, or our Bamba and Bisli add another 160 calories to your calorie-aglore score. If a person drinks two glasses of cola and consumes two ounces of snack foods a day, he'll gain over a pound during Succoth. Again, fresh carrot and cucumber sticks are a virtually non-cloric and healthy replacement for the junky snack foods.

So, with the cakes, the l'chayims, the cokes and the snacks alone - without the heavy meals that include kugel and fat meats, you've already gained close to 5 pounds. And, if you drink diet beverages and use artificial sweeteners, you might not gain the weight but you'll be likely to suffer from headaches and anxiety.

True, tradition is important; that is, as long as it doesn't ruin your health. Here at the Brody homestead, whole-grained rice, buckwheat groats and quinoa have replaced fried farfel and oil-dripping kugel. We don't fry, but boil and bake. We eat loads of veggies and fresh fruit, and drink a great brand of Golan-Heights mineral water. Fish and lean poultry have replaced the beef and veal. Dessert is homemade applesauce, fresh cantelope cubes, or an almond-stuffed fresh date. Our bread is home-baked and whole-grain. We want to control what enters our bodies; the manufacturers care about making money, not about our health. That's why we don't buy their products. Our bodies weren't designed to digest the myriad of chemical additives and preservatives that they force-feed us.

The Rambam gives an important reminder - don't eat until you're full. The stomach resembles a washing machine - if you overload it, it can't do the laundry. By the same token, an overloaded stomach can't digest, resulting in indigestion, another common Succoth ailment.

A great way to combat the the expanding Succoth waistline is to walk for an hour a day. Better yet, while you're walking, talk to Hashem in personal prayer. That way, your body gets its exercise and your soul gets its nourishment, that is none other than connecting with Hashem. What could be better? Emuna Outreach and the Beams wish you a happy and healthy Succoth with no indigestion and no expanding waistline, amen.

Going Higher

The biggest symphony of the year in the Chassidic neighborhoods of Ashdod is the harmony of hammers, buzz-saws, and power drills following Yom Kippur, as folks here begin building their Succas.

When it's all done, my neighborhood looks like this:

Having cleansed ourselves of sin on Yom Kippur (for those of us who begged Hashem for forgiveness), we're now preparing to dwell in the Succah, together with Hashem's Divine Presence. We're going higher!

In that vein, here's an exclusive Emuna Outreach clip featuring Elyon (Eliezer Kosoy and Yonason Hill) singing "Going Higher." Enjoy it.