You can do anything

Do you know that you have unlimited power inside of you?

Do you know that it is there, bubbling beneath the surface?

Do you know that you - yes you! - have the ability to change the world?

There's a voice that quickly snaps, "No, that's not true."

But underneath the harshness of its tone, there is a hint of something hopeful, perhaps wistful. Something inside of you believes that I might really be talking to you.

Because I am.

And it's true.

I'm reminded of a time that I spoke to an elderly woman. She had grown up in a world of resentment. In a world without God.

When she was young, a close family member had taken ill, and she was told to pray, and that God would heal. She prayed for a week, and the person died. But no one told her, and she kept praying for another week.

When they finally did tell her, she learned that God does not answer prayers, if He's there at all.

And that little girl went through life without God.

And even as the elderly woman told her story, and explained why she could not pray to this very day, I watched a tear form in the edge of her eye.

That same voice that tells us not to pray, because He's not listening, that same part of us that is cold and hardened, also wishes that we would somehow figure out how to break its macho facade.
That part of us that has us convinced that we can never burst out and use our potential, that has us believe that we are limited...

... it knows the truth. That its own 'truth' is a shabby, forlorn version of reality. That its covering up a diamond that is meant to shine out into the world with all its brilliance.

And that God is waiting to shine His light through that gem stone out onto the world. Not just for yourself, so that you can make a claim to its light. That would be the return of the false voice.

That light you have inside is meant to shine for everyone to see - for their sake. Because when they see it, they will realize that they also have a light to shine, and they will reflect it back at you.

And the most amazing thing happens when I'm shining my sun on you - just for you - and you are shining your star on me - just for me...

... because at that moment, there is no me, and there is no you. There's only the light that we're shining, which is the light of God.

Something Different

Here is a song that I wrote today, called Something Different.

Please don't distribute beyond this blog and/or my facebook page.

Enjoy!

There's something different in the air
Things are changing everywhere
All the walls are crumbling down
Emptiness is all around

Angry voices serenade
tauntingly their music plays
Somewhere in the raucous din
A quiet voice is there within

Peel away the layers of anger and sorrow
Open up your heart to the gift of tomorrow
Find the love, accept what you're given with gladness
Open up the door and escape from your sadness

The darkness that surrounds us now
Is a chance, I'll show you how
to uncover endless light
Lift your wings, begin your flight

In the darkest depths of night
When it seems no hope's in sight
It's that very place you'll find
The still, fine voice of peace of mind

The secret hidden in your heart
Hashem has been there from the start
Waiting for you patiently
to open up your destiny

All you need to see His hand
to begin to understand
Move beyond the selfish drive
Reveal the love you have inside

דור שכולו חייב

Our Chachamim say that Moshiach will come either in a generation that is completely righteous, or a generation that is completely the opposite. As things look today, I think it is quite clear that we are not living in a completely righteous generation. If not for this statement of our sages, one would be hard-pressed to imagine how such a low generation could receive Moshiach, and enter into a completely spiritual dimension. On the surface, it would seem that the better option is that the world should be completely righteous, and Moshiach should enter into such a generation. The current situation, on the surface, would seem to be a poor second choice. Recently, I realized that this is not so. In truth, as you will see, the best way Moshiach can come is in a generation such as ours, a דור שכולו חייב.

I recently received a great treasure. When I was in the states for the Aseres Yemei Teshuva, I saw a good friend of mine from Yeshiva, and he told me he was about to get a set of DVDs containing many shiurim from my Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yechiel Perr. I asked if somehow I could get a copy of the shiurim. About a week and a half ago, the package came in the mail, containing four DVDs of shiurim covering over fifteen years of tapes that were transferred onto mp3. Of course, trying to sift through such a vast amount of material is impossible, but I immediately began listening to the most recent Mussar Vaadim that were there, which were from 5768.

My Rosh Yeshiva has the most wonderful style, where he reads a few lines from a piece in the sefer he is teaching (usually Madreigas Ha'adam). He then proceeds to expand on the ideas, painting a picture through his personal life stories and other anecdotes that bring across his point. It brought me back to my time in Yeshiva when I would get to hear the Mussar Vaadim every day.

Over the past few days, I have been back and forth to Yerushalayim, to play music there for three different yeshivas' Chanukah parties. The most wonderful thing about it is the opportunity to listen to the Rosh Yeshiva on the way to and from Jerusalem. My Rosh Yeshiva is the type of person who says it like it is, unafraid to tell serious stories that bring across his point, unafraid to make his strong Torah opinion known. His message of Mussar, striving for greatness, releasing oneself from the trap of the Yetzer Hara, hits right on target.

Something that struck me, that I would like to share, is that he spoke about the contrast between the way the Jewish people received the Torah at Sinai, and how they reaccepted upon themselves the Torah after the story of Purim. The Jewish people at Sinai were in a state of unbelievable inspiration. They experienced an intense revelation of Hashem and of the spiritual worlds. While it was true that they said נעשה ונשמע, accepting the Torah with no preconditions, our Chazal speak of the fact that Hashem forced them to receive the Torah (כפה עליהם הר כגיגית). The Alter of Novardhok explains that since they were on such a spiritual high, and the reality of Hashem was so clear to them, their acceptance of the Torah was, in fact, forced upon them. They did not have free will in accepting it, because there was no serious alternative. It was like a person who experiences a high on Yom Kippur, and promises himself he will take on a certain stringency. Once he comes down from his spiritual high, it is difficult to live up to the promise he has made.

The Jewish people in the times of Esther, on the other hand, were on a spiritual low. They had begun to assimilate, and they even partook of the party of Achashverosh, which represented Hashem's rejection of the Jewish people as his chosen nation, Heaven forbid. They had reached this great abyss, but they were brought to a great level of Teshuva, where they ended up accepting the Torah on themselves, rededicating themselves to their relationship with Hashem. Because this came out of a very low spiritual state, it was a relationship that they now forged through their own free will. This type of relationship is one that has much more staying power. It is akin to the alcoholic who has descended to the greatest depths on his alcoholism, and has realized that he must climb out of the pit he has dug for himself. He knows that he can never touch the alcohol again. Because he has fallen so low, he knows that he must never go anywhere near the wasteland he had created out of his life.

We don't need to look too far back in history to see how powerful this idea is. Just look at the war that we fought less than a year ago in Gaza. As the soldiers were about to enter into the boobytrapped city where the Hamas hoodlums laid to ambush them, they knew they had no chance without turning to Hashem. There was a tremendous spirit of unity here, where people across the spectrum knew that our brothers were there fighting, and that missiles were raining down on Jewish cities, and that we as a people were under attack. The non-religious soldiers were putting on Tefillin before going to the front lines, protecting themselves with tzitzis and Tehillim. Soldiers were paired with Yeshiva boys who would have them in mind during their learning, so the Torah should protect them and give them success. It was the pressure of the difficult situation that planted the seeds for a great salvation. There was a palpable sense of togetherness, and we turned to Hashem, because there was nowhere else to turn.

The first type of relationship, which is one that is based on a high, is extremely difficult to sustain. The second type of relationship, where one has climbed out of the depths, is one that has the potential to last forever.

This, I believe, is why Moshiach will come in our generation, a generation that is completely חייב. The spiritual low that we experience is one that will form the basis for the greatest relationship that is possible, the open revelation of Hashem. The contrast will be staggering, but I think that it will be born out of the growing awareness of the emptiness that our lives have become. If we look around the world, or even introspectively into our own lives, we will realize that our existence has become filled with a pursuit of emptiness. Empty money, empty houses, empty cars, empty computers, empty relationships, empty Torah. The list goes on and on, because our lives are completely empty. Most of the things we do are just to kill time. The contrast between what we do now and what we will do then will be so stark - it will be the ultimate joke. But I believe we all will laugh, because Hashem will give us a tremendous opportunity, just like the chance that was given to the Jews in the story of Purim. We will be faced with a king whose decrees will be worse than the decrees of Haman. We will be at a low that parallels the low we reached then, and we will climb out of the depths back into the waiting arms of Hashem. Only a דור שכולו חייב can truly reach the highest and deepest relationship that Hashem has in store for us in the times of Moshiach.

Important message

Last week, there was a horribly tragic story where R' Shmuel Borger's son Motty, who had just gotten married, died two days after his wedding. R' Shmuel Borger is someone who has been involved in chizzuk for Klal Yisrael for many years, and specifically recently with the production of the Tisha B'av chizzuk videos on behalf of Chofetz Chaim heritage foundation. In the middle of Shiva, this amazing person recorded a small request from us. Please listen and take the inspiration, putting it into action, then pass it on.

http://www.chofetzchaimusa.org/requestfromshmuelborger.mp3

Why are Jews in America?

Over the last two weeks, and for another week or so, I am visiting the United States for a family Simcha. I have not really had much of a chance until now to write any serious posts, but my thoughts have been rolling as always with ideas that beg expression. So, here I begin.

Before we left Israel for this visit to the US, my son, who is six years old, said that he does not want to go to America. When questioned as to why, he explained that his rebbe told him that one who lives in Eretz Yisrael is constantly getting mitzvos, and therefore, he does not want to go to a place where he is missing that.

On a different occasion, my son asked me, with incredulity, Why would anyone want to live in America?

I thought I would share some of the thoughts I shared with him.

This question really goes deeper, and the question really becomes, Why are Jews outside of Israel at all? What is the purpose of Jews being dispersed all over the world? How does this help accomplish Hashem's materplan? How do Jews in America, Europe, Asia, Africa, etc. help bring Moshiach?

The answer is that in order for Moshiach to come it is essential that Jews be in these countries! What? Essential? Don't we all need to be back in Israel?

Rav Kessin explains, based on the Ramchal, that the reason the Jew enters another nation is in order to draw out the sparks of holiness that are entrapped in that nation. There are two entities that vie for the sparks - the Jewish people and the Satan. If the Jewish people sin, the sparks are given to the Satan, and he in turn gives them to the nations of the world. Then the job of the Jewish people is to release those sparks of holiness and bring them back to the side of Good. This can only be accomoplished in three ways. One, is by keeping mitzvos despite being embedded in the host nation. The second way of releasing the sparks is by doing teshuva for the aveiros. The third way is through yisurin, difficulties.

When all the sparks have been completely redeemed, we reach the days of Moshiach.

This is precisely what occurred in Egypt. The job of the Jewish people was to stay strong in their mitzvah observance. As they lost their Jewish identity, they began to be enslaved and experience hardships. The greatest hardships came at the very end as the geulah fast approached. But who was exempt from the slavery? The Leviim who kept on learning the Torah! They were able to remove the sparks that way, while their brethren unfortunately had to remove the sparks through hardships.

Thus, the purpose of the Jewish people being spread throughout the world is to redeem the sparks that are entrapped in these far-flung places.

As the sparks are redeemed, the Jewish people can return more and more to Israel. It is extremely interesting that there is a tremendous amount of Aliyah (courtesy of Nefesh b'Nefesh) from the US, Britain, etc. This would seem to indicate that Esav is getting sucked out of the sparks, allowing for the sparks to be returned to the Jewish people, and allowing them to be rejoined with their Holy Land.

So what do the Jews in Israel do then? The answer is that they are pulling the sparks out of the Erev Rav, which is the last place the sparks will reside. As the sparks are sucked out of Esav, they end up trapped in the Erev Rav.

Both of these jobs are necessary and essential in order to bring Moshiach.

It is interesting to think about which job is greater. On one hand, removing the sparks from Edom is the first stage, one we have been 'working on' for close to 2000 years, or more. On the other hand, pulling out the sparks from the Erev Rav is the final stage before Geulah. Each of these entails difficulty and challenge.

Something interesting that bothered me was that we know that one of Moshiach ben Yosef's jobs is to destroy Edom - to completely remove the sparks from the Western world and return them to the Jewish people. It seems on the surface, however, that the Arabs are doing this job. They are slowly taking over the Western world as they have more and more children.

I was thinking that the fact that they are able to do this is actually a clear sign that we, the Jewish people, are successfully completing our job of removing the sparks from Esav. As long as Esav has the sparks, he is dominant and powerful, and Yishmael can not take over. As we suck out the power from Esav, however, Yishmael can easily come in and take over, because Esav is powerless to stop them.

The bottom line of it all is that no matter where we are, we have an important job to do in order to bring Moshiach closer. My instinct is that the greater feat is to be in Eretz Yisrael, finishing off the job, but this does not take away from the importance of those outside of Israel who are helping as well.

Our job is accomplished as we dedicate ourselves to Torah, striving to come close to Hashem and be in sync with who we really are. As we do that, we give new strength to the Jewish people. Our job is to do teshuva and repent the sins we have done, thereby further bringing back the sparks to our people. And finally, if Hashem must bring us difficulties, we can accept them with love, knowing that ultimately He is giving us the opportunity to take part in the Moshiach process, hastening the day that all will be able to intimately experience Hashem's closeness.

One final thought I had is that Elul is a tremendous time for releasing the sparks from Esav. This is the month that we rededicate ourselves to our Avodas Hashem, really being strong in learning, studying mussar, and thinking about Teshuva. I think it was not a coincidence that it was in Elul last year that the Economic downturn began. As we draw the sparks out, all the false ideals of Esav come crashing down. This is the greatest sign that we are indeed succeeding in our efforts to bring the downfall of spiritual blindness, and raising the banner of Moshiach.

Making sense of world events

I am going to do something out of character with this post, and I accede that it represents a failing in myself. My better judgment tells me to never make predictions, and to generally try to avoid reading the news and hype that we, the Moshiach blogosphere, create for ourselves. For better or for worse, I part here from better judgment.

With that introduction, naturally you the reader may take what I am about to say with a grain of salt. I think that would indeed be well-advised.

A number of thoughts have been parading around my mind over the last bit of time. I watched with interest as the Israeli media coverage on North Korea stood in stark contrast with the American media coverage. Here we had the Israeli media reporting North Korea testing a second missile and threatening to "attack offensively without mercy" but not a word of this was mentioned in the American media. This seemed odd to me. It also was strange that not one blog that I have read seems to have made note of it. When there finally was mention made of the sanctions being prepared, nothing was even said of the North's response. Then immediately afterward, North Korea has completely disappeared from the news. Perhaps just for the moment.

The parade continues with thoughts about Tamuz and Av coming. I came across an interesting piece of Zohar on Shavuos that was in my machzor, and it stated that the months of Nissan and Iyar, as well as Sivan until Shavuos, were given to the Jewish People. The months of Tamuz and Av, however, were given to Esav. This fact hit me with a certain weight when I considered that both last year on Rosh Chodesh Av, as well as this year on Rosh Chodesh Av, a certain event transpires - a solar eclipse. The solar eclipse, as we know from the Gemara in Succah, represents a negative sign for the nations of the world. Is it a coincidence that it occurs in the very months that represent the power of Esav?

Following last year's eclipse, the world entered a steady economic decline. Edom elected a leader who represents an unprecendented shift from truth to falsehood. I don't think it is necessary to continue the litany.

Rosh Chodesh Tamuz also pranced across my mind's stage, as I realized that if the sin of the spies happened on Tisha B'av, they left forty days earlier, on Rosh Chodesh Tamuz, to begin their act of spying. As I said in the Parsha Podcast, the forty days represent a development of something that was conceived.

While Tisha B'av represents for us the loss of the light of Moshiach in the Midbar, it is also called the day that Moshiach is born. Hashem's way is to take the evil itself and use it for His very purpose. He is like the Master Chess Player, who knows how to use every move of His opponent for His own benefit. Our Chazal tell us that Tisha B'av will be a holiday when Moshiach comes. In a similar vein, Esav's grandchild, Amalek, who lives to destroy the Jewish people, is actually used as an instrument by Hashem to bring about the ultimate redemption, and the ultimate glory of His true chosen nation.

It is possible that Tisha B'av should have been the day when the Jewish people began their ascent to the Holy Land. This was the day the spies would have returned with the information to guide the people along the paths of Eretz Yisrael. It would have represented the culmination of the Exodus in this respect. When the opportunity was lost, the day still retained that potential, and it would indeed one day take on that greatest joy.

When Rebbe Akiva saw the Har Habayis lying in utter desolation, he laughed. He knew that in its destruction lay the potential for its ultimate deliverance. He was Moshiach ben Yosef - who is 'codenamed' the איש צמח - the man who sprouts. In fact whenever we talk of the צמח דוד, it is a veiled reference to him. Rebbe Akiva knew the secret - he knew the joke. The destruction itself is the construction - סתירת זקנים בנין. The redemption sprouts from the destruction.

Is it any clearer than the Holocaust? Of course, we can not fathom the depths of this devastating event, but isn't it obvious that the destruction there directly led to a tremendous growth for our people in the the Holy Land?

The Zohar quoted earlier shows that there is a certain power that Esav has in the months of Tamuz and Av. This power was only given to him by Hashem in order to ultimately be handed back to the Jewish people when they return to their former glory. This power was wielded to destroy the second Beis Hamikdash, but that very destruction was the seed for Esav's ultimate destruction. Tamuz and Av are only temporarily given to him. They are also the instrument for Esav's downfall.

It is no coincidence that the solar eclipses have fallen in Av. As the power is drawn out of Esav and returned to the Jewish people, it becomes increasingly clear that there is a fall that is taking place in the Western world.

According to Rav Shimon Kessin, the sparks of Holiness have been almost completely removed from Edom, and we are seeing the final stages as they are completely transferred back to us, and the dawn of the era of Moshiach commences. While this is exciting, it also entails difficult times. Just as a woman giving birth undergoes birth trauma, our Chazal say that there is a birthing process of Moshiach that can entail great difficulty.

I would again return to a previous theme, which is that Tisha B'av represents a time of rising from the dust, of sprouting from the ashes. The potential for this is laid, however, on Rosh Chodesh Tamuz. Then, the seed of redemption is planted. But we only reep what we sow - whatever happens on Tisha B'av reveals what was planted previously.

We can use this time for introspection. Our sages tell us that whoever mourns the destruction of Jerusalem merits to see its rebuilding. I visited the Kotel today, and I had not been there since Pesach, so I tore my shirt and felt the sadness of the destruction wash over me. I went down to daven, and as I stepped back from the Kotel, I watched admiringly as some non-observant Jews placed tefillin on their arms and heads. There were a number of people interested, more than the few guys stationed to help could handle, so I gave a hand and explained to a young man from Connecticut a little bit of the significance of the Tefillin. The love of God for His people. Our love for Him. We rap ourselves in that love, and He does too. I walked away feeling really nice.

I can't help but think how the Kotel, the ultimate symbol of our destruction, somehow draws these Jews, who literally know nothing, and are also the symbol of our destruction. Yet there are dedicated people who will give a spark of light to their lost brethren, helping them to strap on a mitzvah, make a little connection to Hashem. Right there at the very site of our greatest devastation, the seeds are being planted for a new light to shine on Tzion. May it be soon. Amen.

On our own

On a short walk in Ramat Bet Shemesh, I had a most moving thought.

As the Jewish people once again seems to find itself in a corner, with no one to rely on but Hashem, there is a striking parallel to another point in history that presaged a potential Geulah. This was actually in the time of Avraham Avinu. Avraham was also referred to as an עברי - what we translate as 'Hebrew,' but what actually means 'one who is on the side.' He was called this because while the entire world was on the side of evil, clamoring to create a tower to rebel against Hashem, Avraham was on the side of Good, constantly striving to bring Hashem's kindness into the world through his benevolent acts of unconditional kindness. He stood on one side - the עברי - while the whole world stood on the other. This pure altruistic mode of living brought Hashem to create a ברית with Avraham that meant that he would take over the purpose of mankind - the תיקון עולם - rectification of the world - that meant his children would need to remove the darkness that had taken over mankind. This meant that Avraham's children would enter into the place where that darkness was centered - Mitzrayim. There his children would face an opportunity to bring the redemption by staying true to the ways of their forefathers through their devotion to Hashem. When they would fail in that devotion, they would experience the hardships of slavery that also would help them take back the Holiness that was being leeched by the dark forces of Egypt. When they finally had succeeded, there was a redemption that brought them to Har Sinai, where they returned to the state of Adam Harishon, attaining the light of Moshiach on Shavuos. The dream was shortlived, however, when the Jews sinned with the Golden Calf and lost that level of perfection.

Just as it was with Avraham, who stood on one side while all the world stood on the other, in their perverse evil and self-centeredness, so it is now. We are beginning to see that there is no one to rely upon but Hashem. While the American president seems to be a man who threatens our very existence here in Israel, he is clearly the messenger of Hashem. We are being placed into a predicament where we are truly alone. This situation is the opportunity for a great attainment of trust and reliance upon Hashem. As long as we feel that others are on our side, we have a sense of self-confidence. When the world comes down upon us from every direction, demanding our annihilation, we are shocked into a realization of the true reality.

We are on one side. Everyone else is on the other. This is the precursor for Moshiach.

This presents us with a test and a great opportunity, no matter where we are. Hashem is making it obvious that the leader of America has no qualms with creating a situation that is tantamount to Israel's destruction. We look up from our morning paper and we say, "Is this real?" The answer is that it is. And it is really the chance for every Jew to identify with his brother's pain no matter where he may be. Every Jew can look up from his paper and say, "This is unjust! The country of Israel and the Jewish people will not survive with these terms and conditions. We must stand up for what is right." This statement will attach every Jew to each other - creating a web that binds us to one another. Just as the Geulah of Purim came with an unnatural and illogical call for our destruction and caused the Jewish people to reunite as one, we are now being given the opportunity to do this once again.

During the Holocaust, there was a similar opportunity for the Jewish people to look at the plight of their brethren in Europe and to stand up for their cause. At that time, there was a failure to do so, perhaps because of disbelief, or perhaps because of apathy. An opportunity for unity and complete Geulah was lost then. It seems that we are about to be faced with a similar chance. This opportunity must not be missed. We must strengthen each other and our commitment to our brethren no matter where we may be. We must feel the pain of our brothers and we must stand up with dignity, showing our solidarity in the face of the world's disdain. Our blood must boil from the unfairness to which our people are being subjected. We must not stand idly by.

Chazal tell us that אתם קרויים אדם - the Jewish people are called Adam. This means that we have a chance to join together as one in order to bring Hashem's Shechinah into the world and to reflect Hashem's light to all the nations. We can only do this when we behave as we did at Har Sinai. At that time, we stood as one - כאיש אחד בלב אחד - as one man with one heart. We then reached the level of Adam Harishon before the sin - the level of Moshiach. We are about to face another shot at it. May Hashem help us, for the sake of His Shechinah, and for the sake of the honor of His beloved nation.

Come to Israel, now?

It's been over a week since my last real post, and I had many thoughts that bounced around my head since then. On one hand, the post was nice for anyone in the US, because it made one feel rather comfortable kind of ignoring the urgency of some other blogs. It also kind of left the impression that parnassah is the end all answer to whether one should come here. I'd like to share some of my subsequent thoughts.

The Chofetz Chaim, in his seforim Shem Olam and Ahavas Chessed, uses a certain theme to help us in our thinking about our service of Hashem. Many times we have a certain attitude when it comes to our performance of mitzvos which might be somewhat lackluster. The objective comparison will always shed light on the more correct approach.

The Chofetz Chaim tells us that we need but look at a storeowner to understand the proper approach to Avodas Hashem. Someone who loves money will do anything to make money. He will get up early to work and go to bed late. He will travel to distant lands to buy the right merchandise. He will dedicate himself completely to the task of making a buck.

From the way such a person behaves, we can learn how we must approach our service of Hashem. There is a level of dedication that is necessary for success in any area, and certainly in the most important area of connecting to spirituality. If we must get up early to achieve it, if we must go to sleep late, it must be done. If we must travel to a far off land in pursuit of this most important goal, and if it might involve a great sacrifice, it must be done.

If someone would invest years of difficulty in order to one day be the millionaire of his dreams, would it not be worth a similar investment to earn the greatest closeness to Hashem possible by living in Eretz Yisrael? Is there no greater goal that one could imagine? Is there anyplace one can serve Hashem as Yisrael? Is there another place one feels the constant hand of Hashem guiding him? Is there another place that people are really as focused on their life's goal of serving Hashem? Is there another place that loving Hashem is really an aspiration? Is there anywhere in the world?

Is there another place where the entire country of six million Jews is eating matza on Pesach? Is there another country where six million of its inhabitants are fasting on Yom Kippur? Is there another country where the standard greeting on Friday is 'Shabat Shalom?' Is there another place where every single person on the street makes sure your kid is warm as you pass by on a cold day? Is there anywhere else where everyone calls you their brother? Is there any other place where 'baruch Hashem' rolls off the non-religious taxi driver's tongue? Is there a place where people feel each other's pain and each other's joys the way they do here? Is there another city like Jerusalem that as soon as you enter the holiness is palpable?

This is our land. It's the land Hashem promised to our people for all time. Let's come home with love.

Moshiach, now?

The following comment was posted on the previous post:

Please, Ari, please don't fall into the trap of predicting a scary downfall of America. Just three months ago, I asked R. Chaim Kanievsky if I should move my family to E"Y. I was all excited about it.

He replied that I cannot come without parnassah. I asked him if I should just "cash out" and come. He said, "Then you spend it and go back. What's the point?"

Parnassah is in the hands of HaShem. Thus, for us, so is moving to E'Y. In the meantime, we must have faith that HaShem is going to orchestrate the kibbutz galius we just read about in the Pesach haftorah.

Please don't be insensitive to those who b'emes long to come to E"Y, but don't have the financial capabilities (yet!) to do so.

I would just like to clarify my general approach with this blog. I really try not to make any predictions, and it was not my intent to predict the fall of the US. I was merely sharing a story with you that I thought would be interesting. I personally firmly believe that every single person must ask a shailah in regards to how they should proceed with life, and rest assured that if they follow da'as Torah, Hashem will not steer them wrong. I encourage everyone to do so, and it is interesting to me that when you asked R' Chaim he responded that way, as someone else recently told me in a conversation that they asked an American Gadol (who is very serious about the idea of living in Eretz Yisrael) the same question and received the same exact answer - one can not come here without a realistic plan for parnassah.

One thought I would like to mention that hits me as I am writing this, is that even if a particular Gadol, say, R' Kanievsky, told one person that this is the proper approach, he may not tell the next person the same thing. Our Gedolim are gifted with Ruach Hakodesh and receive constant guidance as they help out the Klal as well as the many individuals who seek their guidance. I almost laugh as I think about the obviousness of it, but I think we've learned that what a Gadol says for one person will not necessarily apply to another. Just because you read in this blog that R' Chaim told 'anonymous' not to come here doesn't mean you shouldn't ask your rav if it might be the right thing for you.

Our lives must center around serving Hashem, and while צפית לישועה is of course an important thing, it mustn't take over our lives. I realized how compulsively I was checking the news, and I realized that it began when I got very into the whole Moshiach kick. I was never into politics, not here in Israel, and not in the US. It is all a waste of time, and all it does is steer us away from our avodas Hashem. I have really been conscious of not looking at the news, and I am proud to say that I was surprised that I didn't know that 'Durban II' was happening until someone told me about it.

I think it is important to talk and be excited and hopeful about Moshiach's advent, and I do believe he will be here soon. I am happy to say that I don't know how soon, but I do wait for him every day, so I think I'm headed in a good direction. Do I think that the US will fall? I don't know, and I don't wish it upon anyone, certainly not our wonderful brothers and sisters who live there (and might even want to be here in Israel much more than being there). One thing I am sure of is that no matter where we are, Hashem will be taking care of us, and if we have indeed reached the final stages of Geulah, or are nearing them, there will be a tremendous amount of rachamim for us, not destruction ח"ו.

The final redemption will defy logic, and if one takes a look around, the entire world, and the entire state of affairs for the Jewish people as a whole defies all logic. When everything defies logic, it is Hashem's fingerprints, his voice whispering, "I'm here with you." When the winter goes by and it is one of the driest winters in years, and the weather experts are exclaiming that the chances of such a winter are zero - when the chances are zero, this is Hashem speaking. It's no coincidence that this horrible winter in Israel was the worst time for the entire world since the Great Depression. Israel is the conduit for Hashem's goodness. Whatever happens here is a sign of what is happening everywhere else.

Bottom line is that we need to love Hashem, commit to coming close to Him, chuck all the distractions, and focus in on what really counts. We don't need to know what will happen in the future. The more we try to figure it out, the more futile it will be. We can want Moshiach without needing to know when he will be here, and without trying to figure out precisely what will happen and how it will unfold.

In any event, my bet is that it will be interesting, as there's no better 'storyteller' than Hashem. We can sit back and enjoy the show without trying to figure out the ending. We can also get 'into' the story and watch as it progresses without getting carried away and losing sight of what's really important in our lives. We can be excited when we hear that the gematria of ברק אובאמה is the same as the נחש which is also the same as משיח because they are all forces that come into play in the final story. And we can also say that maybe that's not significant and maybe the story will end in a different way. If a great author can give you a surprising and shocking ending, do we think that we can figure out the ending to this story written by Hashem? No matter what it will be interesting, and no matter what it will be the Ultimate Good. Let's try to do this with balance.

Fall of the US

Yeah, that title got your attention!

It's so funny, because the last place I would have expected to hear that the US is falling is in the misrad haklitah - the office for absorption.

See, my wife and I officially made aliyah a little less than three years ago after living here for over five years, and we basically lost all of our aliyah rights for waiting too long to make Aliyah. But because my parents kind of made aliyah in 1980 (long story), and I was with them, even though we went right back to the US then, I was able to get limited mortgage rights.

Anyway, on my 'teudat oleh' - the document I use to get the rights, it says I made aliyah in 1980. So when I go to transfer my American license to an Israeli one, which can only easily be done within three years of making aliyah, they tell me that it's a no-can-do - I made aliyah in 1980. It's been a lot more than three years. (Anyone following this?)

To make a long story short, I went to the office of absorption yesterday to see if we could get some document to make it clear that I've only been Israeli for less than three years, so I can just transfer my American license to an Israeli one (rather than taking 28 driving lessons). It becomes painfully clear that just about anything that makes sense logically is the opposite of what the law, and as you know, rules are rules.

In any event, talking to the woman there at the misrad haklitah, kind of laughing at our situation, she mentions that everyone is running away from America. I asked her what she meant. She said that the misrad haklitah is subsidizing many El Al flights for American Jews who are coming here in increasing numbers, getting away from the financial situation. She continued to tell me how there is no 'mussar' in the US, just people trying to make money, and now the 'egel hazahav' is falling. It sounded like she was talking straight out of an autistic website!

She asks me if I've seen the translation of the book of Daniel. She continues to tell me about the statue whose head is gold, body is bronze, and feet are dirt. "This is Obama!" she exclaims. "He is Christian, Muslim, and pagan!" I could barely contain my smile.

Either she's reading all the Moshiach sites too, or word is spreading fast.

Pesach Podcast

The Pesach podcast is entitled 'Blossoming Redemption,' and discussed are the following questions.

Why do we have the seder at night if the actual redemption happened during the day?

Why is it important that Pesach is referred to as 'Chag ha'aviv?'

Why does Pesach seem to be a climax of redemption, yet we see it also seems to be the beginning stage of counting toward Shavuos?

Rav Elya Svei's hesped and more

A reader of this blog was at Rav Elya's levaya, and shared with me that Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Philadelphia, in his eulogy of Rav Svei, said that Rav Svei had said ten years ago that Moshiach would come in 2009.

A comment on the previous post gave the following link to a video of Rav Elya himself quoting Reb Elchonon Wasserman's statement in 1939 at 36 minutes and 20 seconds.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8045533956953563939&hl=en

Another comment from 'גילוי' (keitz meguleh) stated that the seventy years spoken of are not consecutive, and in fact some of that time occurred before 5699 and some will occur after 5769 as well.

Another point worthy of mention was something my wife read in the Mishpacha magazine, which quoted Rav Kaduri (who the author of the article personally heard it from) as saying that on the day of Birkas Hachama (this Wednesday) there will be a sign of מתיקות הדינים - sweetening of judgments.

I found this last point to be very significant, as my הרגש tells me (for what it's worth) that we are in for some hefty רחמים from Hashem, and if we are indeed standing at the threshold of Moshiach, then the incredible miracles that await us will require the type of actions that are above the logic dictating what we deserve, getting us into the realm of Kesser.

Economics touching home

This past Shabbos, my rav shared a thought which I would like to share with you as well.

He was speaking about the fact that many people are currently facing financial difficulty due to the current economic crisis. What should the approach be for those who aren't as affected toward those who are more affected?

We have an example from Yakov avinu. There was a great famine in Eretz Yisrael, but the meforshim explain that Yakov and his family were not affected by it. Nevertheless, Yakov sent his sons down to Egypt to procure provisions, saying, "למה תתראו" - "Why should we draw the attention of those around us?"

When others are in financial distress and do not have the means to live by a higher standard, it is at that time that those who may still have the means need to exercise their sensitivity. This is something that each person needs to judge for themselves, but if, for example, one is accustomed to always having something noticably new for the Yom Tov season, one must be aware of attracting the attention of those who used to be able to do the same, but no longer can. This is not so much to prevent jealousy, more to increase sensitivity and being נושא בעול עם חבירו - lightening others' load by taking on some of it as well.

May Hashem help us and provide us with all our needs.

Singing for real

I would like to share the following story that has happened on a number of occasions, with slight variations. There is something deep and human about this experience, as you will soon see.

As you may know, Hashem sends me parnassah through music - I play and sing at weddings and other simchas. Quite often, there will be a guest at the affair who would like to sing, usually a friend of the chosson or a family member. On one such occasion, a young man who was mentally retarded came up to the stage and wanted to sing. He was accompanied by an adult who was encouraging him, and the sound man gave him a 'wireless' microphone. It was not connected to the sound system, but the young man did not realize this.

The young man stood next to me and was singing with me, very excited to be on stage, performing for a large crowd. He danced a little next to me, and made some dramatic movements, perhaps imitating some artist he had seen on video. At a certain point, he became aware of the fact that he could not hear his voice coming out of the speakers. His friend who was there to encourage him pointed to the speaker and made a thumbs up sign to indicate that the young man's voice was indeed audible (which it obviously was not). This interchange repeated itself a number of times.

Along the way, some other people noticed what was going on and offered their encouragement to the young retarded man as well, thus furthering his belief that indeed he was performing to an adoring crowd. At a certain point, he had performed enough (I think it was about 10-15 minutes), and he left the stage, completely proud of his great achievement.

I look at these type of 'performances' and wonder to myself, what is the message?

Many years ago, I spent some time taking voice lessons, and one of the things my voice teacher told me was that, "Your ego should always be one level beneath your talent." In other words, a person needs to be realistic about who he is and what his place in life is.

There are many people who would envision themselves as being an amazingly talented _______ (fill in the blank). And they will find 'yes' men who will encourage them and have them believe that indeed they possess that great ability. It would do us well to sometimes take a step back and ask ourselves why we are doing things. Do we get up to sing because we really want to (or have what to) contribute to someone else's simcha, or are we really just in it for our own ego? Is our opinion really the end all and the absolute truth, or have we surrounded ourselves with people who believe the same fiction we espouse?

Sometimes we may need to swallow the bitter pill of humility and realize that we may not be as great as we think. At that moment, we create the potential for rising to a much greater level in our spiritual growth.

Seeds of redemption

Before Purim, someone shared a beautiful pshat with me in the name of the Chasam Sofer (I believe).

If one goes back to the root of the miracle of Purim, we can trace the beginning stage to the party of Achashverosh that is described at the beginning of the story. During that party, the king asks Vashti to appear, but she refuses. In his anger, he heeds the advice to be rid of her, lest the women in the countries of his dominion learn of her intransigence and be led to do the same to their own husbands. Vashti is removed from the scene, leaving an opening for Esther to become a key player in the miracle of Purim.

What is most interesting is that the seeds for the miracle are sown at the very moment that the Jewish people were doing the sin that created the necessity for the miracle! They had been instructed by Mordechai to refrain from partaking in the party of Achashverosh, but they did not listen to the advice of the gadol. In their minds it was more important to join the party, as loyal citizens of Persia, rather than make a scene. Their mistake led to the decree of Haman to wipe out the Jewish people.

What comes out of it is that at the time the Jews were sinning and bringing upon themselves a great calamity, Hashem was concurrently preparing the miracle of their salvation. What an amazing chessed of Hashem! When His beloved people are straying from Him, in His great love He is thinking of them and creating the potential for the miracle of their salvation.

When I heard this idea, I could only think of our people today, many of whom may be entrenched in things that would pull us away from Hashem, ח"ו. Nevertheless, Hashem is constantly looking out for our best, planting the seeds of redemption even as we do things that perhaps make us unworthy! Could there be any greater kindness?

Az die rebbe zingt

This is a video of my father (Mr. Murray Goldwag) singing in a nursing home in Jerusalem on February 28, 2009. My mother (Mrs. Meryl Goldwag) is accompanying him on the guitar. My father shared with me that of all the experiences he has had here in Israel since living here starting in September, this was one of the most enjoyable (besides for hanging out with his kids and grandkids). I think it attests to our need to give and the wonderful feeling we get when we do - it is tapping into our own root in Hashem's attribute of pure giving.

Purim gelt

Guest post by Daniel

Based on my best calculations, I gave very close to, or just over, $25 in tzedakah throughout Purim this year. I was makpid to the best of my ability to always give something to anyone that asked me.

Upon arriving back at my house, there was a letter waiting for me, literally right outside my door. It was a 6-week late birthday card from a non-Jewish relative of mine. They don't even know it's Purim this week, let alone what Purim is. There was cash enclosed totaling $25.
Baruch Hashem!

The money came right back to me in lightning speed. One thing this teaches me is that the true price of a mitzvah is not the financial expense. It's like my money was distilled, extracting the spirituality (the mitzvah) within it, if you can picture that, and then sent right back to me. So what was extracted in that process? What was the real "currency" that was used to "purchase" my mitzvos?
I believe it was the emunah muscles I had to flex each time I gave money, whether a dollar or a quarter.
It was the challenge of not only parting with my own money, but the challenge of ignoring the rants of the yetzer hara who challenges the worthiness of every beggar and collector that asks for help.
"Why is it always these types of people" "Why is he asking while I'm praying?" "Wasn't he here 10 minutes ago asking for money?" "They should get jobs instead of taking other people's money" and on and on.
The best response I found was to completely immerse myself in the mida of Hashem's chesed. In that way, it doesn't matter if they are or are not worthy in my eyes - in Hashem's view (lehavdil), as it were, they are all worthy of my tzedakah! It doesn't matter if the guy is coming back to ask for a second time, especially not on Purim.
Similarly, it doesn't matter if all I can afford to give out this year amounts to just $25 - the real currency, strengthening emunah and overcoming the yetzer hara, is present for each person as long as he gives according to his particular income.
From all of this, we should take great joy, for "G-d wished to give Israel merit, therefore he gave them much Torah and many commandments." (Mishnah Makos 3:16)

Ashreichem Yisroel!

Bring my children from afar

I recently read an article on Israel National News about the aliyah of a number of Yemenite Jews due to the terrorism there. It brought to mind the passuk in Yeshaya (43:6), "אומר לצפון תני ולתימן אל תכלאי הביאי בני מרחוק ובנותי מקצה הארץ" - "Say to the North wind, give, and to the Southerly wind, do not hold back. Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the Earth."

The psukim there are speaking about the redemption, and the special nature of Hashem's relationship with the Jewish people. It uses the word Teman for the word Southerly wind, and I could not help but think of a possible alternate explanation of the verse. The word Teman is also the Hebrew name of the country Yemen, so the passuk could also be saying that Hashem says to Yemen not to hold back its Jews, rather to bring them all back to Eretz Yisrael.

Thus, this article struck me as a sign that we are nearing a critical stage of Kibbutz Galiyos (ingathering of the exiles).

The following Gemara becomes all the more meaningful.

The Gemara in Menachos on Daf 110 explains the verse "Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the Earth," by saying that there are two groups of people referenced in the verse. As Rashi explains there, there is the group of 'sons', who live in Babylonia, who have special treatment from the government, and therefore feel quite settled and unthreatened there. They are referred to as 'sons' because in general men are more settled. Then there is the group of 'daughters' who are less settled and do not feel as comfortable in the lands that they live in.

In our day, the 'sons' would be those living in countries that are not hostile to the Jew, for example the United States, and the 'daughters' would be those living in countries that are indeed Anti-Semitic.

Putting together this Gemara with what we said previously, we can offer the following interpretation. When Yemen no longer holds back her people, all of the Jews will return to Israel, whether they feel comfortable where they are or not. כן יהי רצון מלפניו יתברך אמן

Thank you

Last week, I was spurred to write twice for this blog, after a bit of a hiatus when my daughter was born. What was it that gave me the push?

My wife had been in the center of town, and a woman in the neighborhood expressed appreciation for my blog, saying that it was good to find others who are excited about Moshiach.

It's this kind of encouragement that gives one impetus to keep going, to keep inspiring, to keep giving.

Later, I reflected on this, and realized that we are programmed this way - to respond to gratitude with a greater desire to give. And as the Nefesh Hachaim writes, we are created B'tzelem Elokim, which means that we are programmed in a way that corresponds to the workings of the Universe. If we respond to gratitude with a desire to give, this reflects the higher reality - that when we show our gratitude to Hashem, it creates a desire in Him to give, as it were.

This reminds me of the time I came to Reb Chaim Kanievsky to ask him for a bracha. It had been three years since I and my wife had had a child, and I told him of our situation, looking for his blessing.

When I told him that I baruch Hashem have two children, a boy and a girl, he told me I should be satisfied with what I have. This response was a little shocking to me. Here I came for a bracha, and I was told by the gadol that I should be happy with my lot? Did this mean I would have no more children ח"ו?

I spoke with my rav about the interaction, and it became clear that Rav Kanievsky did not mean that at all. What he really was saying was that in order for more blessing to come into one's life, one must appreciate the blessings he has. When we truly have a deep sense of gratitude for what we have, and we express that, Hashem responds by giving us more.

Indeed, our new baby was born a little over a year from that conversation (four weeks ago). We named her תהילה אשירה, which means, "I will sing praise!" Thank you Hashem!

Absolute Mercy

I recently came across the following beautiful quote from the sefer Sha'arei Orah (שער י):

The tenth [and highest] name of the Holy Names is called אקיה (Ehkyeh). This is the name that reaches the level of כתר - Crown - that none other than He knows. This is the name of absolute Mercy with no admixture of Judgment. From there the thirteen attributes of Mercy are drawn.

We must mention the great mercy of Hashem, that even if the people of the world are judged in the Heavenly courts and are deserving of all types of punishments, the supplications can switch it all to good. This is what the verse says, צדיק מושל יראת אלקים - The righteous one rules fear of God. The gemara in Moed Katan (16B) explains that Hashem says, "Who rules over me? The Tzaddik. For I make a decree and he annuls it."

How is this? At the time that there is a tzadik in the world who knows how to meditate on his tefila, and he knows how to reach the level of Hashem's desire and Mercy, even though there is a decree in the Heavenly court, the prayer of that tzadik reaches up to the Crown (כתר), and the gates of the World of Mercy are opened. When that occurs, those judgments are nullified, because the lights of Mercy have appeared and filled all the Sefiros with mercy and an influx of blessings and nearness [to Hashem].

After we have given this concept to you, it should be known that when the time came for the Jewish people to be redeemed from Egypt, they were not fitting for redemption. What did Hashem do? He saw the time (קץ) had arrived and they were not worthy so He revealed the face of the Crown (כתר) which is the world of pure Mercy. Then all the sefiros and all the channels were filled with Chessed (kindness) and Mercy, and the anger passed.

This is what Hashem meant when He said to Moshe, "Tell the children of Israel that Ehkyeh sent me" - in other words - the World of pure Mercy was being revealed (corresponding to the world of כתר which is denoted by the name Ehkyeh - ag). The attribute of Justice has been switched to the attribute of Mercy, and for this reason you are being redeemed. With this name of Mercy, "Ehkyeh" are you being redeemed.

עד כאן דבריו

The final redemption, too, will occur with this highest level of Hashem's name. It would seem that just as in Egypt the Jewish people were not worthy, but Hashem displayed his unconditional Love for us, so too it will be in the Final Redemption, may it be soon. Amen.