Lazer Beams

Shlomo Katz becomes a father

A lucky little baby girl was born in Jerusalem yesterday morning at 8 AM, only a few short hours after her father and I appeared together in Ramat Bet Shemesh for an evening of song and inspiration. This angelically beautiful child is the firstborn of my soul-brother and cherished friend, Israel's sweet singer Shlomo Katz and his lovely wife Bina.

Bina had an amazing 4-hour natural birth that was in effect a 4-hour hitbodedut (personal prayer) session. Every time she had an excruciating contraction, she thanked Hashem. Between contractions, she asked for the courage and strength to withstand the next one, all the time asking for Hashem's help. Now you can imagine what type of heavenly people the Katz family are. 

Here's what little Baby Katz can look forward to at lullaby time:

Emuna Outreach and the Beams send a hearty Mazal Tov to Shlomo and Bina - may they raise their daughter to Torah, to chuppa, and to good deeds, here in our beloved holy Land of Israel, amen! 

A Tour of the Negev

Our Land of Israel series takes you on a tour of the Negev desert in the south of Israel, accompanied by the beautiful strains of my dear friend and holy brother, Shlomo Katz:

The background music comes from Shlomo's newest album "Malei Olam," which you can obtain online here.

One Hour a Day

Do you remember the song "Peace of Mind" from way back when, by a group named "Boston"? Well, Menachem Herman and I got a hold of it. I changed the lyrics and called it "One Hour a Day," turning it into a song about hitbodedut, talking to Hashem for an hour a day in personal prayer. Menachem of course plays the music better than the original, just like he did in Sweet Home, Jerusalem. Here's something to really brighten your day:

ONE HOUR A DAY

Music by "Boston", performed by Menachem Herman and Emuna - Lyrics by Rabbi Lazer Brody

Now if you're feelin' kinda low 'cause your soul is cryin'
The Geula's coming much too slow
And you shout in the darkness 'cause you feel like dyin'
There doesn't seem to be any place to go
Yeah, yeah, yeah

I understand about deep depression
But I don't care what people say
My heart and my soul need their daily expression
I'll talk to Hashem for one hour a day. (yea...)

Now you're lookin' around for some real action
Something that's good for your head
But wherever you search you get a bad reaction

So why not try Hashem instead?

I understand about deep depression
But I don't care what people say
My heart and my soul need their daily expression
I'll talk to Hashem for an hour a day.. 

One hour a day, an hour a day, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...woa!

Now everybody's got advice they just keep on givin'
Doesn't mean too much to me

Lot's of people out to make-believe they're livin'
'Cause emuna they don't yet see.

I understand about deep depression
But I don't care what people say
My heart and my soul need their daily expression
I'll talk to Hashem for an hour a day.. 

One hour a day, an hour a day, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...woa!

Everything is Certainly for the Best

One of Rebbe Nachman's most important, yet profoundly simple teachings is the key to emuna, to life itself, and to happiness: since everything comes from Hashem, everything is certainly for the best. The original words in Hebrew are:

Me'achar vehakol me'Ito Yitbarach, Bevadai Shehakol Letova.

Learn these words, and sing along with Menachem Herman and me. Remember this song - it's a lifesaver for difficult times.

Emuna Outreach and the Beams wish you a wonderful Shabbat Ki Tetze.

Carlebach-style Havdala with Menachem Herman

In Judaism, the new week begins with ushering out the holy Sabbath and welcoming the new week, differentiating between the holy and the mundane. This ceremony, called "Havdala" (Hebrew for "differentiation") was done beautifully in song by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, of blessed memory. Here, Menachem Herman and Rabbi Lazer perform the Havdala in Carlebach tradition.

Knocking on Heaven's Door: The Uman Experience

The Uman experience is a great way for an English speaker to spend Rosh Hashana with the Breslever Chasidim in Uman. A special group of English speakers just like you has a wonderful lodging with glatt kosher home-cooked meals for YomTov, and you'll be staying with Menachem Herman and Rabbi Lazer Brody. For more information write: umanexperience@gmail.com . Have a great Shabbat Nachamu!

The River's Song

Osyio (Greetings - LB) Rabbi Wolf Brother,

I was so happy to hear that our Tsa la Gi (Cherokee - LB) brothers in Tennessee and Texas also hold the opinion that we have Hebrew roots. So much is the same - I follow your teachings about personal prayer in solitude with the Holy One out in nature and I'm moved to tears about the Jewish Perek Shira song of creation. Our meditation, the fringes on our clothes, our language, and our clinging to the One God (in the old way, not the way the white missionaries did to our people) are all signs of our mutual roots. Now that we have DNA testing, there is no doubt.

As a small token of appreciation for the love and respect you have honored our people with, I'm enclosing a film clip of Wayra, a Bolivian Indian who plays the native American flute like we do. To the best of my knowledge, King David also had such a similar flute. May you enjoy it, and may the Holy One bless your journeys in life with smooth and pleasant paths.

Looking forward to the day when the lost tribes will be returned and reunited with mother Israel, your friend and brother, Silver Cloud from Oklahoma

Menachem Herman and Lazer on Israel National Radio

Ben Bresky of Israel National Radio did a really lively interview with Menachem Herman and Lazer on his popular show "The Beat" the day before yesterday. It's a half hour long, lots of fun, and interspersed with Menachem's fantastic music from our new emuna project. Enjoy! A Big Beam Blessing to Cookie Dalton, Emuna Outreach's staffer in Alabama, for preparing this post

"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.

Doron: Story of a True Tzaddik

Doron Mahareta (left) of blessed and saintly memory HY"D was one of the eight Yeshiva students that were massacred last week in Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav in Jerusalem.

Last night, I paid a shiva (condolence) call to Doron's family. Every single type of Jew was sitting together, from Ethiopians to Polish Chassidim, from knit kippot to Yerushalmi white kippot, from jeans and sandals to long black frocks. Too bad that it takes a martyr of Doron's magnitude to unite everyone.

One of the rabbis from Mercaz HaRav told me the most amazing story you'll ever hear about Doron's dedication to learning Torah, a story that competes with the Gemara's account of Hillel's near freezing on the roof of Shmaya and Avtalion's Yeshiva (see tractate Yoma, 35b).

Doron wanted to learn Torah in Mercaz HaRav, one of the best of Israel's yeshivas. But, since his early schooling was in Ethiopia, he lacked a strong background in Gemara. The Yeshiva rejected him. He wasn't discouraged. He asked, "If you won't let me learn Torah, will you let me wash the dishes in the mess hall?" For a year and a half, Doron washed dishes. But, he spent every spare minute in the study hall. He inquired what the yeshiva boys were learning, and spent most of the nights and all of his Shabbatot with his head in the Gemara learning what they learned. One day, the "dish washer" asked the Rosh Yeshiva to test him. The Rosh Yeshiva politely smiled and tried to gently dismiss Doron, but Doron wouldn't budge. He forced the Rosh Yeshiva into a Torah discussion; the next day, he was no longer a dish washer but a full-fledged "yeshiva bachur".

On weekends, when Doron would come home to visit his family in Ashdod, he'd spend the entire Shabbat either in the Melitzer Shul or the neighboring Gerrer shtiebel learning Shulchan Aruch and its commentaries. Three weeks ago, he finished the entire Shulchan Aruch and principle commentaries. Doron achieved in his tender 26 years what others don't attain in 88 years. He truly was an unblemished sacrifice, who gave his life for all of us.

The next time you want to close the Gemara to watch TV, think of Doron. The next time your son doesn't want to do his Torah homework, tell him about the price that tzaddikim like Hillel the Elder and Doron Mahareta paid to learn Torah. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Doron wasn't a reincarnation of Hillel. May his holy soul beg mercy for the grieving nation he left behind, amen.