Conclusion of Rav Lazer Brody’s recent talk at the Carlebach shul in Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel.
Archive for March, 2008
The Path of Inner Peace, Part 5
Continuation of Rav Lazer Brody’s recent talk at the Carlebach shul in Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel.
The Path to Inner Peace, Part 4
Continuation of Rav Lazer Brody’s recent talk at the Carlebach shul in Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel.
The Path to Inner Peace, Part 3
The continuation of Rav Brody’s Dec.07 talk in Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel.
The Path to Inner Peace, Part 2
The second part of Rav Lazer Brody’s lecture on finding Inner Peace, December, 2007.
The Path to Inner Peace, Part 1
A lecture given by Rabbi Lazer Brody in the Carlebach Shul, Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel.
Israel faces its greatest existential threat in its history.
Just finished reading Rabbi Lazer Brody’s, Emuna News Special Report: The Sword on Israel’s Jugular. Which states the following:
Israel faces its greatest existential threat in its history. At this very moment, every single city, town, and village between the northern border and Dimona is a push-button away from oblivion, for the triple menace of missiles from Syria, Hizbollah, and Iran rest like a sharp sword on Israel’s Jugular.
Complete article.
Is there anything we can do? Most of us are hundreds or thousands of miles away, in our own communities; yet our very being cries out: What can we do?
Here my dear brethren are some ideas that we can start puting into action immediately.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, taught us that, yes, there is something we can do.
The Rebbe taught us the power of a mitzvah.
A mitzvah, a G-dly deed, has the power to reach deep into the core of our being–where we are all one, and the physical distance between us is of no consequence. At this core, a positive deed on our part will help bring salvation to a brother and sister in distress.
During past conflicts in the Land of Israel, and during times of danger for the Jewish people, the Rebbe made practical suggestions of mitzvot that would elicit G-d’s blessings and protection.
Let us not underestimate the power of good! With a single good deed on our part, here and now, we can each contribute toward the victory and safety of our fellow Jews in Israel.
Take a minute to do one or more of the following. You can make a difference!
Torah study
Say a prayer for the soldiers of the IDF, and for all residents of the Holy Land (suggestion: Psalm 20 is traditionally said in times of distress).
Charity and acts of kindness: Put a coin in a charity box, give a gift of money to a fellow in need or to a charitable cause, or extend a helping hand to someone who needs it.
Tefillin: If you already put on tefillin every day, encourage a friend to do so. If you don’t yet, now is a good time to start!.
Mezuzah: If you don’t yet have a mezuzah get one now! If you already do have one, it may be time to have it checked to ensure that the words on the parchment have not faded.
Tzitzit: start wearing tzitzit even during the night, and even while sleeping.
To help you in your service, Free Beams Downloads:
As Rabbi Brody say’s “Let’s invoke Divine compassion by turning the tides of assimilation and spiritual contamination with a worldwide return to Hashem. Our lives depend on it”.
Golden Rule for Repentance
by Rabeinu Yona zt”l – beginning of Yesod HaTeshuva
“First thing is to drop the burden of your past completely from your shoulders. Start anew as if you were born today. Now, for 30 days, Three times a day examine your actions (morning, afternoon, evening). If you find any negative behavior confess to G-d over it. This practice will slowly distance you from all sin, since next time temptation comes your way you will say to yourself, ‘how can I have the chutzpa to do this sin, and then confess for it later to G-d.'” (see beginning of Yesod HaTeshuva for more details)
Drop the Past!. G-d created the world in a way that screams renewal. Every day is a brand new beginning. Even if you fall a thousand times, drop it all and start over. Drop the voice of the yetzer hara saying “how can you dare forget your past?”
============================================
Note:
The Yetzer Hara (evil inclination) has 3 basic strategies (from Michtav M’Eliyahu vol.3 pg38):
1. Renewal – he comes back always in different forms.
2. Strengthening – becomes stronger with time. Like someone who decided to stop smoking or learn for a few hours. At first it’s easy, then with time it becomes increasingly difficult.
3. Habit – When someone does something wrong a few times, he loses the feeling of conscience when he repeats it. The sin becomes permitted in his eyes.
The solution to the yetzer hara is to prepare strategies ahead of time.
Kind Courtesy of Daf Yomi Review
From the Well of Kindness
THE PATHS OF THE MYSTERIES
by Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook
There are people great in Torah [learning], fear of heaven and wisdom, to whom matters relating to the secrets of the Torah have no relevance, because they are on that great level and possess a breadth of resources with which to occupy their spirit in the treasures of revealed Torah and wisdom.
If you instead sense within yourself an inner sensitivity to the paths of mysteries and a pressure of the yearning of your soul, do not be dismayed.
Even if it grows clear that you have this desire because your ability in revealed matters is minimal, what of it? This is, in the end, the gift of your inheritance.
Rejoice in your portion, for Hashem is close to all who call to Him; who call to him truly and whole-heartedly.
And He does not favour the wealthy in relationship to the poor(Iyov 34:19).
Orot Hatorah 10:4
Divorce in Preparation for War
“Chazal say that the evil inclination is called our enemy since he is always trying different strategies to cause us to fall into gehinnom. The yetzer hara has many methods to overcome us. Sometimes he uses money; by chasing money or some other worldly need, one can lose a lot of valuable zechuyos. A person might forgo davening with a minyan, he might be tempted to take interest, or steal, or cheat, or even violate the holy Shabbos!
The Gemara in Kesuvos 9b states that the custom was for Jewish soldiers to give their wives a writ of divorce before going into battle.
Read complete article.
The Benoni 