It Is Time For The Truth To Be Told

The Jewish People have one little spot on the planet that to the Torah Jew is sacrosanct to the nth degree.
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The Bible that Islam and other religions depend on, is all about this land and this people. They are special in the eyes of the Master of the Universe and yet people have been trying to lure them away, kill them, and defame them.
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What people don't understand is that there is a spiritual realm and Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov were not just ordinary men. They were world changers from a perspective far and above the "world."
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There are teachings about this geographical area that are mystical and yet simple and easy to understand when people step away from their personal agenda and "self."There are lessons to be learned in the fact that Jacob went to Goshen, but his burial was in the land of Israel. This is not just ceremony. Korach collected money, Moses collect bones some Rabbis say more than just the ossuary of Joseph, but all the buried bones of Klal Yisroel.Why?
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There are even stories about earth in Genesis and how it disrespected the blood of Abel. The four elements have more life and existence than our simple minds can understand and which is far beyond the scope of my learning.So the actual "earth" of Israel, the pipelines and Techiyas Ha Masim, are all pieces of the puzzle.
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The challenge is for all to work on their characters, but the Jewish People carry a far more difficult burden. People are jealous, plain and simple of the Jewish People, but what they don't realize is how difficult it is to be a Jew and the cost to the individual who ditches Yiddishkite.The farther they are, the harder they fall.
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God Bless the Jewish People and give them the courage to finally shut up pride, ego and self. This is not a popularity contest, tell the world to take a hike and shut the Meraglim up and fight for Israel, which is a true fight for the world.
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Why I Love Torah

Blue Snow - David Adler

There is nothing in the world that can bring us closer to Hashem than Torah. It is a realm, a beautiful realm that when you enter it you know you are there. It is similar to the feeling we get when we listen to the music of a particular era of our life. There are songs that remind me of my youth, my first love, my failures. It is mystical, but Torah is far and above, many millions of miles above even this glimpse called music.

When life gets hard, I have this sanctuary at my desk that feels like a nest. I am surrounded by Torah, from Chumash to RamChal.

I ask myself all the time, why did I deserve this glorious treasure? I have not been an admirable in my actions so many times that I'm ashamed. Looking back at my past makes me shudder. Why me an Irish German lady?

I can't explain it, but I remember clearly after a life of seeking Hashem, the moment I found Rabbi Kalatsky 1/2003 and heard the words of True Torah. I was down at the river and what I thought was an inadvertant scream of joy was the release of my neshamah from the chains of world.

That portion of my life that was like tohu and bohu, darkness and confusion, was amputated like a gangrenous limb. It has been a long hard road, very slow, bitty steps to get even to this level I'm on today. And I know clearly that his is like mile 47 in a zeccazillion mile path to know Ha Kodesh Baruch Hu.

All that I know for sure is that my thirst for world is quelled and my appetite is growing. How wonderful is that?

RamChal: These words have the unique property of causing one who reads them to incorporate in himself the highest excellence and the greatest perfection.

The condition: That they be read with hoiness and purity, with the proper intent of fulfilling God's Will.

MH: Even to the slightest degree.

Thank you Hashem.

Poetry, my heart is singing.

Mary Hogan

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The panic ignited by Nancy Pelosi

Of self-aggrandizement and weaving her legacy

A legacy so rife with ego pollution

Like a twisted embilical exphyxiating all children

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A congress supported by animals like Soros

As corrupt an conniving as a night stalking junki

Who bark out their minds, as if they ever had minds

An sell their glass as diamonds on the playground

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No heart, no soul, no brains only ego

Only ego and checkbooks and checkbooks and ego

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No good, no bad, only ways of confusion

Only ego and checkbooks and ways of confusion

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No right, no wrong, only depths of enslavement

Only ego and checkbooks and ways of confusion, only ways of confusion and depth of enslavement.

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Intricacies of Job, Iyov II

Rabbi Eisemann

What is unquestioning integrity?

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Tam v'yashar, Rashi writes for tam, perfect in his actions.

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R' Eisemann: "We believe this to imply a life lived in congruence with the ideals and principles which guide it. There are no aberratations, everyithing contributes to a totally integrated person."

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MH: Can you imagine?

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There are other connotations of tam, Genesis 25:27 Jacob is described as a tam. In this situation, tam implies a simplicity of sorts, a naivete. It is a person that speaks from the heart with no guile or alternative motivation. This person has a very difficult time lying, which when you study Jacob and get to know him you understand the situation of the blessing and the lamb's wool.

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The Gra, the Vilna Gaon to Proverbs 2:7 discusses tam and Yashar. He states that the Torah is offering advice to the tam and the yashar.

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Rabbi Eisemann: The yashar is a man whose intellect directs his steps and human qualities into the straight and virtuous paths laid down by God.

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MH: So what's the difference, really? The yashar depends greatly on the precepts of the Torah to keep him from slipping into worldly processes. The Tam doesn't deviate right or left. His path is simplistic, so to speak (although definitely not easy, it is not the "easy path.") So, his path depends on the same precepts of Torah.

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What's the difference then between a tam and a yashar?

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The yashar depends on his intellect, while the tam follows the Torah he has learned. Please don't quote me, this is my own take. The tam does everything from a base of true faith.

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Rabbi Eisemann: "He needs no advice since his understanding is not the determining factor. "

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MH: He doesn't have to prepare himself against battles in his mind.

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Rabbi Eisemann: "He may well stumble and thus he needs a shield to protect him from faltering."

Looking at Torah Through Hebrew II

Rashi, Ramban, Ibn Ezra, Malbim, Abarbanel

Rashi: 1:2 And the "ruach" of God was hovering over the water. Rashi interprets ruach spirit, and asks "The Scripture has not yet revealed at that point when the creation of the waters took place."

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The "hey mayim" the water with the definite article according to Rashi "indicates that it refers to pre-existing water, not water created after the creation of the heavens and the earth."

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Rashi goes on to suggest that this tells us that water preceded the earth and the heavens because Chagigah 12a explains that the heavens were created from fire and water. This also, according to Rashi proves no chronological order.

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Ramban: Ramban translate ruach as wind. "The wind from God hovered upon the surface of the waters." Also notice "on" instead of Rashi's "over."

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Ramban asks "Why is the the wind in our verse described as a wind from God? Weren't all four elements "from God?" Ramban explains his query according to his opinion: "wind is more intangible than the other elements and is above them all."

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Rashi: "The breath of God was hovering. The Throne of Glory was standing in the air and hovering over the surface of the water, by the breath of the Holy One, Blessed is He, and by His statement, like a dove that hovers over a nest."

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Chagigah 15a; Midrash Tehillim 93-5, breath does not hover.

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MH; So what does this teach me? One thing I've learned about Great Sages and Rabbis compared to teachers of other religions and belief systems, is that Rabbis believe God. In this belief they realize that a lot that is going on is impossible to understand.

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Unlike Hellenistic systems, where some guy reaches a high level of understanding and puppets follow him without study, deeming themselves inferior, this study takes every element of Torah and scrutinizes not only the tapestry, but the details of the writing down to letters and combinations of letters.

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I believe that we are here to gather the Truth and we are then weighed on a scale according to how much we actually got correct. Personally, I think that Rashi's voluminous work will stand high in the crowd, but learning a Ramban can even elucidate further.

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Torah is the greatest Treasure on the planet.

Trouble, Your Name Was Test

All the scary things that occurred in the last week or so are all resolved. The health problems have been addressed and stamped clean. It was a test. And guess Who saw me through it all, Ha Kodesh Baruch Hu, the Holy One Blessed is He!!!!

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There are no words for my gratitude, Hashem. No words can describe how much I love You!!!

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(Please no more tests for a while) But I do remember the learning about Yaakov begging You for time of rest and You responded, "You want rest in this world and the world to come?"

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It never hurts to ask!!!!

For Time Bomb

Derech Hashem /Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzatto / RamChal http://www.feldheim.com/


As I study Derech Hashem 1:5:8 this morning I thought of you. I am very cautious of what goes in my mind and what stays out, but I thought of you as I studied this morning.

Light is not just a free concept, like a butterfly ready to be caught indeterminately. I've been working on understanding a Tanya teaching of bittul and bottol. It has been a long walk that is a golden ring for me, but it eludes me.

My study this morning lead me slightly closer and it is seemingly so simplistic that a first grader could comprehend. But there is a deeper learning from this simple knowledge.

I learned many, many years ago that the Light (all goodness) is God and that absence of this Light, to whatever degree is evil. It sits firmly in my mind, but my heart understands it only superficially. I'm not asking for explanation from anyone, I will find it on the pathway. A short constructive discussion could be interesting, but my veto pen would be in hand because far flung, half baked, teachers outside of Torah study are very dangerous. I do read Hebrew and have learned many intricacies according to my level.

RamChal: The True cause of everything good, whether among the Forces or their effects, is the Light of God's Presence. The cause of all evil, on the other hand is the absence of this light.

MH: So the God is the cause of actual good, "both general and in particular." So evil is the absence of this "good." Like a shade tree blocks the sun's light. A boxed in room with no windows is all dark. It is not dark in itself, but is merely the absence of the sun. This is where my mind seizes in regard to bittul and bottol.

There is deep learning in this that I want to extract in this lifetime.

So, in essence, God is an indirect cause of evil, because He is not present in darkness. Very explanatory of the situation of the world we live in now.

RamChal: The purpose of the source of evil was to give rise to particular concepts, to the extent that the Highest Wisdom determined necessary so that both man and the world be in its desired state. Isaiah 45:7. [God] forms light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates evil.

MH: It is about a deficiency.

RamChal: The activity of these evil forces, both individually and as a whole, depends on the extent to which God's LIght is absent and His Presence concealed. The greater this absence of LIght, the more authority and power these Forces have to act, both in general and in particular.

MH: The more weakened good, the more powerful evil. Today we have weakened good to the extent that bad is seen as totally acceptible.

RamChal: When these evil Forces are subjugated and deprived of their authority and power to act, on the other hand, then the good becomes strengthened. The Roots of all created things are then rectified and are set in a agood state so that both they and their brances are strengthened.

Looking at Torah Through Hebrew

Abarbanel, Malbim, Chazon Ish, Ibn Ezra, Rashi, Ramban

Berashit bara Elokim et hashamayim v'et haaretz.

1:1

Rashi: In the beginning of [God's] creating. Rashi says that this verse screams "expound me!" It is the beginning of the Torah which is called rashit darcu, the beginning of His way. The verse is not teach the order of creation. Rashi says if it were chronological It should have been written "At first, He created the Heavens, etc." The word Rashit in Torah is always attached to the word that follows it.

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The perplexing proof Rashi uses is "And the spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters." Ha Mayim "the water" with a definite article indicates a pre-existing water. So does the water precede the earth? We see also that the water was created before the Heavens.

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Rashi maintains that water, wind, earth, and many other things were created on the first day.

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Ibn Ezra: In full agreement with Rashi on the first three words of 1:1 "In the beginning of God's Creation, however there is disagreement understanding the verse as a whole.

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He sees the Heavens, the earth, the deep and the water, were not created on the first day, rather on their respective days. Before them all, God created light.

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Ramban: In the beginning God created. Ramban states that it is imperative to begin the Torah with in the beginning God Created, for the account of creation is the basis of all faith.

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The Holy One created all creation from absolute nihility. There is no word to express this and that is why bara (create) was used.

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Derech Hashem/The Way Of God III

Derech Hashem/Ramchal

http://www.feldheim.com/

Ramchal: The purpose of all that was created was therefore to bring into existence a creature who could derive pleasure from God's own good, in a way that would be possible for it.

MH: Everyone is looking for True Good. This is a clue that everyone is really looking for God. Even though the physical pulls at us, there is a differing percentage of desire for good in every one of us. The extent of our merit (talk is cheap actions speak louder than words) is weighed by the distance we pull away from physical desire.

Some examples: Take a cantankerous person. This person may just seem like a miserable person happy to be unhappy. If he happens to run into a truly loving person with no guile, just the ability to love the people he meets, even the cantankerous can feel True Good.

Take a thief. There was a story I heard, I think it was Rabbi Tatz. He had been in a market when theives entered with guns and robbed everyone. This is the tsk, before he robbed Rabbi Tatz he said "forgive me father." There was a glimmer in the thief.

God gives us the opportunity to attach ourselves to Him. This is D'vakus and the spectrum is huge. The above thief had attached, but in a very limited way. I spend every waking moment thinking about Hashem, but I will also see how limited that attachment is, and how it as grown closer throughout my life.

RamChal: The purpose of all that was created was therefore to bring into existence a creature who could derive pleasure from God's own good, in a way that would be possible for it.

MH: The last week has been a bit scary. It worked out to a great degree, but the whole time I refused to allow myself deep fear. Why? I said over and over, that Hashem is the Conductor and Arranger of this life of mine. I knew deeply that out of it would come a courage so embedded with True Good, a refinement, that the result would be far better than the challenge.

I'll be back very soon

Picture by R. Wangsa

I have been a little preoccupied this week. I will return ASAP.

MH