Lazer Beams

Only the Beginning

For most of the soldiers, the Gaza War is over for the time being. For others though, the struggle is only beginning. Behind the names on the prayer and tehillim lists that are circulating, there are soldiers that have paid the price of Israel's defense with their own limbs - courageous young men fighting the tough road to recovery that's just as tough a spiritual and emotional uphill battle as it is a physical one. Some of these young man are amputees; others have been crippled and will have to learn to walk again. Each has his own story and his own inner issues. Emuna Outreach is doing everything it can to augment medical treatment and physical therapy with the type of spiritual therapy - emuna enhancement - that will be conducive to the wounded soldiers' faster and more complete recovery and rehabilitation.

Do you remember a Mother's Emuna Story from ten days ago? Her son Moshe, a new Oleh from Miami who has been in the IDF for slightly under a year, is a valiant young man who lost an arm in a bombardment in the south of Gaza. Moshe is undergoing tremendous pain, a known phenomena among amputees known as "phantom pains," where the almost unbearable excruciating pain seems to be coming from the newly missing limb. Moshe and I have spoken several times on the phone, and 2 nights ago, I went to visit him at the Orthopedic Rehabilitation Center at the Tel Hashomer Hospital outside of Tel Aviv.

Photo above: Moshe and Rabbi Lazer

Moshe is amazing - all he wants is to return to his unit. His rehab will take a few months, and once his wound heals, he'll be outfitted with an artificial arm. Meanwhile, he's in tremendous pain; we're trying our best to help him keep his mind off the pain with loads of books and CDs.

While at Tel Hashomer, we spent  time with other wounded soldiers in rehabilitation, making a special effort to visit the new-immigrant soldiers. Ivgeny Viernik is an NCO in the Givati Infantry regiment who came to Israel from the Ukraine. Ivgeny was shot in the leg by a sniper, but he too is a brave trooper that doesn't utter a word of complaint.

Photo, above: Ivgeny and Rabbi Lazer

Emuna Outreach wants to thank all of our generous contributors who enabled us to distribute so many books and CDs among the soldiers of the IDF and the civilians in areas under missile attack during the recent war. Many people told us that the books and CDs played a big part in keeping them strong under super-stress situations.

For our wounded soldiers, this is only the beginning of new challenges and lives that will see drastic changes. Let's pray for their full recovery in body, mind, and spirit, amen.

Calling up the Emuna Reserves

12:40 PM - I just spoke with Rav Shalom Arush on the phone; two busloads of Chut shel Chesed Yeshiva students are on the way to Ashdod, and will be handing out free emuna books and CDs to strengthen and encourage those who have been under missile attack for the past 3 days. Only emuna will win this war.

Emuna Outreach is distributing free emuna books for children of English-speaking families and free "chizuk" books for Hebrew-speaking families in the south of Israel within a 20-mile radius of Gaza. If you're in the vicinity of Sderot, Ofakim, Netivot, Ashkelon, Ashdod, send an email to Emuna Outreach to get your copy, while the supply lasts.

Shma Yisrael

We here at Emuna Outreach and the Beams want to pave the road for Moshiach, so that he'll get here a little faster. We're sure that you want to help. It's a tremendous mitzva and it won't cost you a cent. So what do we do?

Both Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef and the Melitzer Rebbe, may Hashem bless them both, told me that if a million more Jewish children knew how to say "Shma Yisrael," Moshiach would come. Together, we can do it.

Email your not-yet-observant friends and family, and promise them limitless blessings for their children by just saying one sentence before bedtime:

Shma Yisrael, Adonoi Elohenu, Adonoi Echad

Hear O Israel, The Lord is our God, The Lord is One!

The more ambitious can find the entire Shma in Hebrew, English and transliteration here.

Here is a moving filmclip that shows how the Shma prayer alone can protect a Jewish soul:

Emuna Outreach needs your help in this project. This very moment, you can become a full activist in Jewish Outreach by helping us to spread the word. You can't imagine the blessing you'll be invoking on yourself and on your family for every child you tell about "Shma Yisrael". Make it clear to the parents that you're not out to change their lifestyle or anything else, just to teach them and their children the catch phrase that is the secret of Jewish survival since the beginning of time. All you have to do is send your friends a link to this post (click on "permalink" at the bottom of this post for the link), and you're already part of our team.  We welcome you!

Mumbai: The Real War

The Western intelligence community doesn’t yet realize the ramifications of Mumbai. Even if the CIA, Mossad, and MI5 pool their resources, they still lack the spiritual insight to realize what they’re up against. The real war in Mumbai is not a matter of western democracy versus Islamofascist terrorism. It’s much deeper than that...

It's unusual when the directorship of Breslev Israel asks me to write an additional editorial in the middle of the week. But, with the return home of our Mumbai Martyrs of saintly and blessed memory, it's imperative to understand the spiritual background of what's happening. Continue reading here. 

Who needs Moshiach?

King Solomon, the wisest of men, said (Ecclesiastes 12:1), "And there shall come days of which you will say that you have no use for them." What did he mean? The Gemorra in tractate Shabbat (151b) explains that the "worthless days" are the days of Messianic times, when people won't have either reward or punishment for their deeds, because everyone will automatically behave according to G-d's laws. Without a context of free choice and spiritual opposition (the Yetzer Hora, or Evil Inclination), rewards and punishments are meaningless, like a football team bragging that they scored ten touchdowns, only the other team hadn't yet arrived at the stadium.

My esteemed teacher, the Melitzer Rebbe shlit'a, says that it was worth Hashem's efforts to create the world just to hear one Jew say, Baruch hu u'varuch shmo, or blessed is He and Blessed is His name. The Rebbe continues, and says that one Amen is worth a hundred times Baruch hu u'varuch shmo. One Y'he shmay raba in Kaddish is worth a hundred times Amen. That's not all: One word of Gemorra study is worth a hundred times Y'he shmay raba. Therefore, a single word of Gemorra study is worth a million Baruch hu u'varuch shmo; that means that Hashem is willing to create a million universes just to hear one word of Gemorra study. Now, if a person can say - learning slowly - 90 words a minute, then in one hour he accumulates 5400 million reasons for Hashem to continue to sustain the universe. As you can see, the rewards for Torah learning are mind-boggling.

Now, imagine the rewards of a rabbi who devotes his life to learning and outreach, helping others to learn Torah and fulfill its commandments. In addition to his own merits, he reaps dividends from the merits of those he has taught and influenced, along with their offspring until the arrival of Moshiach. The accrued mitzva value for such a "Mezakeh rabim" is beyond human comprehension.

With the above in mind, one would think that such leaders of the Tshuva movement as Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak, Rabbi Shalom Arush, and Rabbi Uri Zohar - may Hashem bless them and all the mezakey rabim, wherever they may be - would be protesting day and night the arrival of Moshiach. Sure, the current spiritual wars are so tough that our holy sages were afraid of what Messianic times hold in store, but the spiritual paydirt is Fat City for those who remain faithful to Hashem and his Torah. If so, you ask, then who the heck needs Moshiach?

We all do. But why?

1. To stop the chilul Hashem, or defamation of Hashem's Holy Name: Every day, some new politician or journalist sprouts like an unwanted weed here in our beloved holy homeland to sling filth about Hashem's loyal sons and daughters, while trampling Hashem's Holy Name G-d forbid, the Torah, and Tzaddikim G'Dolei Yisroel (the righteous leaders of Israel). The chilul Hashem (defamation of Hashem's name) must stop immediately; only Moshiach can put a stop to it.

2. In Israel alone, 1.5 million children are totally ignorant of their Judaism, and don't know the meaning of kriat shma. The Teshuva movement, which all its might, has succeeded in solving a mere 7% of the problem with their dedication-fueled meager resources, bringing about 100,000 children into religious education; even with our greatest efforts, we're not cutting the mustard. Only Moshiach can save all these kids from a dismal spiritual future.

3. Never since the holocaust, has there been such evil decrees as the current one threatening to expel tens of thousands of Jews from their homes, here in the heartland of Israel, Heaven forbid. Only Hashem knows what the future holds in store. For the future of the people of Israel in the Land of Israel, we need Moshiach now!

4. Despite Boro Park and Stamford Hill, the numbers of Jews in the diaspora are rapidly decreasing because of assimilation and intermarriage, which together comprise a spiritual holocaust that only Moshiach can prevent.

A devout Torah scholar can't sit in the comforts of his Williamsburg home and say, "I don't care about the others - my Olam Haba (world to come) is set!" Sorry, pal - Klal Yisroel is like a ship; you may have a berth on the luxury deck, but if someone down in the hold drills a hole in the floorboards, you're going to sink with everybody else.

Looking at our own expected rewards is utterly egotistical. Every single one of has has to bleed and tear his or her clothes at the sight of Chilul Hashem. Every single one of us must pour his or her heart out in prayer that a fellow Jew doesn't lose his home - anywhere - and especially in Eretz Yisroel. Every single one of us has to do everything in his or her power to support Jewish outreach and to spread emuna in the world until every Jewish child in the world carries Shma Yisroel on his or her lips. Every single one of us has to beg Hashem to send Moshiach now in order to stop the spiritual holocaust, and to raise the Holy Shechina (the Divine Presence) from the dust of diaspora, speedily and in our days, amen.

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

Big Business, or Why ask a Rabbi?

Dear Rabbi Brody,

I'm an experienced retailer, and until 3 years ago, enjoyed a six-figure-plus income. Lately, whatever business I try turns sour. My neighbor, an orthodox Jew, suggested that I write you and ask for advice, a blessing, or both. I understand the blessing part, but why ask for your advice? Are you a Wharton MBA? Do you understand about business? What's this middle-ages gunk of running to a rabbi for every little thing? I'm not being a wise guy, I just want to know. Yours, Ralph from Detroit

Dear Ralph,

No, I don't have an MBA from Wharton, but I do understand about business. You see, I'm sort of a broker; I help people invest their lives in those endeavors that pay the best dividends. I also help arrange deals between small businessmen like you and between a major investor who'd be interested in helping you succeed. You see, as an orthodox rabbi, I represent a firm with unlimited capital and vast multinational resources. Therefore, people ask for my advice from all over the world.

I don't solicit new business, and I certainly won't be upset if you don't seek my assistance, because I'm already up to my eyeballs in an ever-increasing pile of mail, that I try my best to answer the same day. To be honest, I'm not that bright, but the Chairman of the Board of the firm I represent likes my performance, so He fulfills almost any promise I make to people. You see, the Chairman of the Board does whatever He wishes whenever He wishes; it's His power and brains that I depend on, not my own. So, in effect, when you ask me - or any other qualified rabbi who dedicates his life to helping people - a question, you're really getting the answer from the Chairman of the Board. That way, you end up succeeding in whatever you do. So, if your business has had tough times the last couple of years, you won't lose anything by asking a qualified rabbi. People that don't ask questions, and that rely on their own brainpower, often make mistakes, and mistakes carry a big price tag.

By the way,  I can arrange for you to meet the Chairman of the Board at your convenience - you can pick the time and the place. You can even call Him by his nickname - "Hashem". Best wishes for your success, Lazer Brody

The Geula: Ever so Close

It's all coming down. The various prophecies about the Geula (the full redemption of our people) that appear throughout the Gemara have been fulfilled to the letter. So why is Hashem prolonging the exile?

Rebbe Nachman of Breslev says (Likutei Moharan I:7), that the exile and diaspora are perpetuated because of a lack of emuna. For that reason, Rav Shalom Arush and I have dedicated our lives to spreading emuna in the world.

Emuna Outreach is doing everything in its power to make emuna books and CDs readily accessible to everyone. Despite the fact the the dollar has lost 26% in value during this past year, we haven't raised prices. How? We've been working day and night to find less expensive alternatives for our printing and CD recording, and we've been printing in much greater amounts. All these savings have been passed on to our consumers. Thanks to our wonderful supporters, we've not only sent spiritual care packages of books and CDs to border settlements, to the spiritual rehab program of local prisons, and not only to the IDF, but also to the US forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and more recently to Korea.

Now, we're taking another step forward for our private consumers. We have separated the shipping expenses from the book and CD prices. So, all unit prices are lower. On top of that, Emuna Outreach is now providing free international airmail shipping to anywhere in the world for orders over $25. For orders over $150, Emuna Outreach is providing free EMS (4-business-day) shipping.

As you'll notice on the top right-hand toolbar, we now have sets of 20 CDs each packed in an attractive CD carrying case and also at a considerable discount.

Rav Shalom Arush says that the greatest lovingkindness a person can do in this generation is to help someone strengthen emuna. Today, that's a simple mitzva - just hand the person an emuna CD or a copy of The Garden of Emuna.

The faster we spread emuna, the quicker we'll see our own personal redemption, as well as the national redemption of our people, very soon, amen!

Sweet Home, Jerusalem

Here's a little surprise of something sweet on the way from Israel's (and maybe the world's) favorite guitarist, Menachem Herman:

Sweet Home, Jerusalem

Lyrics By Rabbi Lazer Brody

(Edited By Steve Gasner)

 

Eagles wings keep on flyin'

Carry me home to see The King

Singing songs about my City,

Jerusalem you're in my dreams  

And I'm gonna sing, yes.  

 

Well I heard the UN talk about her

But a Jewish boy won't drink this brew

Uncle Sam please remember, that

"Jerusalem won't be split in two!"

 

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

Where the skies are so blue

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

L-rd I'm coming home to you.

 

We're all waiting for Mashiach (OOH OOH OOH)

You can bet he's coming soon

We'll all be dancing in Jerusalem

And we'll all be singing the same tune

Now that's the truth

 

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

Where the skies are so blue

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

L-rd I'm coming home to you.

 

The wise men of the Holy City

They've been known to pick a song or two

They help my soul when I'm hurting

They give me joy when I'm feeling blue

Now how about you?

 

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

Where the skies are so blue

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

L-rd I'm coming home to you.

 

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

Where the skies are so blue

Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem

L-rd I'm coming home to you.

 

* * * * * 

 

G-d willing, Menachem Herman's new CD album "Emuna Reigns" will be released before Rosh Hashana.

 

This week's Torah portion is Pinchas. A wonderful Shabbat and weekend to everyone!

 

 

Join The Emuna Network

Yaacov Lehrfeld, one of our important Emuna Outreach activists in the USA, is working on a revolutionary project of producing an emuna network of people who'll work together to spread Emuna to the Four Corners of the Earth.

He needs people to work on various levels:

1- Distribution people to go to Yeshivas, Shuls, Schools, Hospitals, etc. to give out free CDs.  

2 - People to be in charge of each city.

3 - People to donate money CDs.

4 - People praying for Success.

If you're looking to join the elite team that's spreading emuna and paving the way for Moshiach, contact Yaacov Shalom at JACOB(at)AJCGARFUNKEL.COM .