A new begining!!!!

Bshem Hashem na'aseh v'natzliach!!!! In the name of Hashem we will do and we will succeed!!!

Due to various levels of miniyos, that have been coming in the disguise of technical difficulties, a dear friend last night mentioned the idea of starting a blog. So here it is. I hope you enjoy and if you do that you spread the word. Most importantly now that we have the medium I invite others to contribute and to send their feedback!!!!

We'll start off with a tefilla to Hashem that everything that we say here be as true as can be and that in the merit of all of the tzadikim in this generation and all of the tzadikim in the previous generations especialy Reb Nachman and his favorite student Reb Nosson (who's yartzeit is today) going all the way back to the Avos Hakedoshim that all we say and do be truly in the name of Hashem and with the only intention being to bring ourselves and any others who may be interested, closer to Hashem the One who makes it all happen and who puts all the pieces in place all of the time.

At the end of last weeks parasha when Binyomin was caught red-handed with Yosefs goblet in his bag, we find the 10 brothers, the Jewish people on the verge of yeiush/despair!!!! "What can we say to my lord? How can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? G-d has uncovered the sin of your servants. Here we are: We are ready to be slaves to my lord - both we and the one in whose hand the goblet was found." We all know that one of Reb Nachmans most important teachings was what he used to yell "Gevalt!!!! Ein yeiush baolam clall/There is no despair in this world at all!!!!!" No matter where we may be, either on a personal or on a national level all that we have to do is call out to Hashem and He will help us out. "Vayigash Yehuda.../And Yehuda approached..." There are three different types of "approach" in the Torah; an approach to war, an approach to peace, and an approach to tefilla. Yehuda's approach was an approach to tefilla and from it we learn the secret to getting our tefillos answered. If we try davening for ourselves it's very hard for our teffilos to get answered with anything but a no. The reason is because when we daven for ourselves the tefilla has to go past the malachim/angels, and they are all and only about serving Hashem, so not only do they rip apart our tefillos but they also bring up all of our shortcomings. "Vayigash eilav Yehuda vayomer bee adonee....." Bee adonee can be loosely translated as "Within me there is G-d" so Yehuda is teaching us here that our tefillos should be not for ourselves but rather for that little piece of Hashem that is within each and every one of us. "Bchol tzarasam Lo tzar.Eemo Anochi btzar/In all of our distress He is in distress. He is with us in our distress." In stead of worrying about our pain and suffering if we would try to daven for Hashem's pain and Hashem's despair we would be much more likely to get a positive response. The pasuk goes on "Yidaber nah avdecha davar baznei hamelech/may your servant speak a word in my lords ear" Yehuda is teaching us here to stick in a little prayer that our tefillos skip the malachim and go straight into Hashems ears. These two secrets are nice but a little bit lofty for those of us not holding on such high levels of kavanah. So we go to the next pasuk ".....Hayesh lachem av oh ach/Have you a father or a brother?" So you can't have kavanah for Hashem your father? No worries theres another way to get your tefillos answered, ask for your brother!!!! Daven for others, people you know, people you don't know, for the Jewish people in general. Hashem likes that and listens to tefillos like those with a more open ear. If we just start having the desire to daven with these and other true kavanos we will see a difference in our davening and also in our every day lives.

The other lesson from the parasha and from the Torah in general is Emunah!!! Yosef reveals himself to his brothers after all of this time and what does he say to them "And now, be not distressed, nor reproach yourselves for having sold me here, for it was to be a provider that Hashem sent me ahead of you." Its really simple believe it or not! If we just give it up to Hashem and drill it into our minds that everything, from big to tiny, that happens to me in my life is from Hashem, it's for the best, and it fits into the bigger picture we will say goodbye to distress and live a much happier life! It's all about Emunah! It all comes from Emunah! It all leads to Emunah! We just have to open our eyes!!!!

Asarah b'Tevet was the day that Nevuchadnetzar started the three year long siege on Yerushalayim!!! When trials and tribulations come onto us it is a call to do teshuvah, to come back to serving Hashem truthfully!!! If we don't come back to Him the trials and tribulations will just continue. These days more than ever Yerushalayim is under siege!!! We can't be content with the fact that we have Yerushalyim and we could go to the Kosel etc.... We have to do teshuvah and really try and bring Yerushalayim back to its grandeaur as Ir Hakodesh!!!! If we start at least striving for that we will turn Asarah b"Tevet to a joyous holiday!!! With all these things in mind may our fasting, teshuvah, and tefillos from yesterday bring the Mashiach out of hiding to help us build the third and final Beis Hamikdash!!!!! Speedily in our days!!!! Amen!!!