BRI On the Parasha www.breslov.org

Dvar Torah for Chanukah

Based on Shivchei HaRan (Praises of Rebbe Nachman) #13

As a young child, [Rebbe Nachman] would often take several large coins and change them for small ones. Then he would slip into the synagogue, through the window or somehow. He would recite a Kabbalistic prayer that precedes the doing of a mitzvah and then take a coin and toss it in the charity box for anonymous donors.

Then he would pretend that his attention had been diverted. Then he would repeat the prayer and deposit another coin. He would again “be diverted,” say the prayer and toss in a coin. The Rebbe would do this until he had placed every coin in the charity box, each time reciting the prayer. He did this so that he could do many mitzvot.

I recalled this episode the other morning as I was doing hitbodedut.

When I went to Shachris, I only had a five-shekel coin to give away to tzedakkah (charity). Knowing that Wednesdays are a busy day for collectors here in Yerushalayim, I realized that I would have to get change in order to maximize my giving. So I did.

Afterwards, mid-hitbodedut, I thanked our dear Creator for letting me give tzedakkah. And I made a calculation. Our Sages teach that giving tzedakkah is equivalent to performing all 613 mitzvot. Turning a five-shekel coin into ten half-shekels gave me 10x613 mitzvot. 6,130 mitzvot! In less than one hour! Made my day.

So I thought of the above episode from Rebbe Nachman’s life which made me think of Chanukah. Chanukah is a time for giving tzedakkah. “On Chanukah, we give more tzedakkah than usual because it is a propitious time for rectifying one’s soul through charity giving, especially if one provides support for indigent Torah scholars” (Kitzur Shulchan Arukh 139:1 [end]).

Our Sages teach that Yerushalayim will be redeemed only through tzedakkah (Shabbat 139a). Since Chanukah is a time when geulah

(redemption) is literally in the air, it is a time to engage in activities which bring geulah (and the Geulah) closer. By giving tzedakkah we create an atmosphere of peace and friendship (Likutey Moharan I, Lesson 17:1), the opposite of the sinat chinam (baseless

hatred) which caused and perpetuates our current exile. Because “Torah scholars increase peace in the world” (Berakhot 64a), supporting them gives an extra measure of peace.

Perhaps the Rebbe’s “childish” behavior can give us some ChiNuKh

(education) for ChaNuKah. Even if our gifts seem limited (they are) we can still be creative and stretch them to get “more mileage” out of them. Not for the sake of reward, but for the sake of making within ourselves, and in the great wide world, a deeper, more powerful emunah

(faith) and resolve to do more, better mitzvot, no matter what.

alichtege freilekhen Chanukah!

Chanukah sameach!

Happy Chanukah!

Don't sit here! Talk it out! Parashas Vayaishev.

Taken from Growth Through Torah by Rabbi Zelig Plisking
Don't sit here!

"Vayaishev Yackov/And Yackov sat...."(Beraishis 37:1)

Rashi cites the sages who say that Yackov wanted to live in peace and serenity. But this was not to be, and the troubles of his son Yosef began. Hashem said , "Is it not sufficient for the righteous that they receive their reward in the world to come? Why do they need to live in serenity in this world."

The question arises: Why is it wrong to want to live in serenity? The answer is that there is nothing wrong with a little serenity as long as its a means to the end and not the end. The lesson we learn in this from Yackov avinu is that we can never stop growing, never stop striving for better. The "Mash" Rav Blumenfeld from Neveh Tzion once said that Yidishkeit is like going up a down escalator, once you stop going up you right away are going down. So we can chill, we can have fun, we can enjoy, as long as its in the right way and as long as its in order to give us strength to go on further, higher and higher.

That answer was for us but what's the answer by Yackov? Yackov avinu desired serenity not so that he could devote his time to personal pleasures, but rather to be able to engage in spiritual pursuits. The answer for that is that a life without challenges is a life not lived. Every life situation can bring spiritual growth.

Talk it out!

"Vayeesnu oso vlo yachlu dabro lshalom/And they hated him and they were not able to speak to him for peace." (Beraishis 37:4)

Rav Yonosan Eibeshutz says something amazing here. It is possible that if the brothers would have spoken the matter over with Yosef they would have been able to make peace. The problem was that they were not talking to each other. This is what frequently happens when people are in the midst of a feud. OLne does not want to listen to the other. However, when one person tells another that he wronged him, the other person might apologize and accept upon himself not to do it again. (Tiferes Yonasan)

Parashas Vayishlach

"Hatzilainee nah miyad achi miyad Eisav/ Save me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Eisav." (Brashis 32:12)

Yackov repeated the words "from the hand of" twice. The reason for this repetition in his prayer is because when a brother turns into an enemy, he becomes a much more dangerous enemy than a stranger. (This concept , based on Mishlei 27:6, is found in Tosfos to Tannis 20a.) (Megaleh Amukos; cited in Biurei Hamikubalim Beniglah)
Tosfos adds that just as a one time beloved friend is the worst enemy, so too when two enemies become friends it is the strongest of friendships. So just because someone is your enemy at this time doesn't mean that it has to be that way forever. Just think, you can be the best of friends with that person with just a little bit of work. (Taken from Growth Through Torah)

Vay-ishlach Yackov..... And Yackov sent away the "vay" the sadness! R' Naftali M'Ropshitz Let's send away the sadness people and we will see amazing things!

BRI Weekly
December 03, 2009 / Parshat VaYishlach

PARSHA DVAR TORAH

Dvar Torah for Parshat VaYishlach

Based on Likutey Moharan II, Lesson 4:10

Yaakov said [to Esav], “Please don’t [refuse my gift]. If I have found favor in your eyes, take my offering...For me, seeing your face is like seeing the face of an angel; and you have received me favorably”

(Genesis 33:10).

Said Rebbe Elazar, “When the Temple stood, a person would donate his [annual] shekel and be forgiven. Now that the Temple is not standing, if he gives charity, fine. If not, gentiles will come and take it by force. Nonetheless, it will be considered as if he gave charity, as the verse says (Isaiah 60:17), ‘[Instead of] your creditors, charity’

(Baba Batra 9a).

I don’t know if this is 100% true, but it’s pretty close, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes.” It’s human nature to want to maximize income and making legitimate, legal use of tax loopholes is as natural in Beijing as it is in Brooklyn. (Do I have to say that hiding income and cheating the government may be counter to halakhah, and may also lead to chillul Hashem [disgrace of God’s name]? There—I’ve said it.)

Even though we often see “our tax dollars at work” on various public projects (like fixing traffic lights), we don’t like to pay taxes because we feel that it is money wasted. Well, I hope the following will make you feel a little better, even if it doesn’t save you any money.

The taxes you pay have, to some degree, the same positive effects as giving tzedakkah (charity). Such as? Such as opening the doors to kedushah (holiness). Whatever particular emphasis or improvement you want to make in your Jewishness—stronger faith or more clarity in your Torah study, for example—giving tzedakkah will make it easier, more accessible. In particular, Rebbe Nachman teaches that giving tzedakkah has the strength to fix (and undo) our misguided notion that things happen “naturally,” automatically. Giving tzedakkah increases our belief in God’s ratzon (will), that everything that happens in life is only because God wants it so.

Rebbe Nachman teaches that the real work of tzedakkah requires overcoming one’s greed (a form of cruelty) with generosity (a form of compassion). The Parparot l’Chokhmah explains that though paying taxes requires no victory of compassion over heartlessness, nonetheless paying taxes puts Jews in a nicer light, creating a degree of compassion that at least somewhat tempers potential anti-Semitism a host government may be wont to have.

agutn Shabbos!

Shabbat Shalom!

Vayeitzei Yackov

"And Yackov went out..." In order to do anything, especially something noble, something holy; we need to go out. Out of ourselves out of the box. Once we do that we can accomplish anything.

Breslov on the Parasha (from www.Breslov.org)

Based on Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #92

The Midrash (Kohelet Rabbah 9:11) teaches: Yesterday, “[Yaakov] rolled the stone off the well” (Genesis 29:10). Today, “[his] sons carried Yaakov to Egypt” (ibid. 46:5).

Rebbe Nachman once commented that an average human lifespan, seventy to eighty years, consists of three periods: growth, stability (“the prime of life”) and decline.

Rebbe Nachman—who died in his 39th year after suffering from tuberculosis for three years—is giving us a heads-up: Don’t expect to stay the same throughout your life. We all know that’s true, but we aren’t practiced in the downside of it. We’re used to growth, not decay. For the first two-thirds or so of life we’re growing stronger and more capable, and then enjoying those strengths. It’s only in the last third that we ask people to repeat what they said (A LITTLE LOUDER PLEASE) or to bring us our cane.

But decay and decline—and death—are parts of life. To spare ourselves grief and despair so that our Jewishness can get stronger even as the body gets weaker, we must have a strategy, a Torah, in place for dealing with the decline, before it arrives. We need to assume a positive perspective. We need to focus not on what the decline/decay is taking away, but what is it GIVING? (Not a far-fetched notion. Just as earlier maturation in the womb and childhood prepared us for later stages and events in life, so does later-stage maturation.)

This perspective helps in dealing with a physical loss. For example, the loss of mobility (no more driving/jogging/walking) is (or can be) a loss of independence. But it prepares us for the future, for life in the very cramped space of the grave (Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom #51). If one had to immediately adjust to it from a far-ranging, (near) unlimited mobility, it would be extremely difficult. Being slowly slowed-down makes the transition easier. In addition, being slowed-down gives us time to focus so that we can make amends and arrangements, as necessary.

But it ain’t necessarily so that the infirmities are the most problematic problem. Often (but not always), there are ways to compensate, or assistance to be had. Loss of identity is often a bigger problem; if I can’t do/have X, I’m no longer me. As in Rebbe Nachman’s parable about the farmer who found and then lost a diamond, the “diamond” that one loses was never really his since it was taken away. Knowing that a particular power or possession eventually fades inhibits one from basing his identity on it to begin with, saving one much existential anguish.

agutn Shabbos!

Shabbat Shalom!

BRI Weekly (Breslov Research Institute) www.breslov.org

November 19, 2009 / Parshat Toldos

PARSHA DVAR TORAH

Dvar Torah for Parshat Toldot

Based on Rebbe Nachman's Stories, The Seven Beggars/Hunchback

"There was a famine in the land...and so Yitzchak went...to Gerar...He sowed in that land and produced that year a hundred-fold" (Genesis 26:1, 12). Rashi (v. 12) asks why the location and year are emphasized. He answers, "Even though it was an unyielding land and a hard year, still Yitzchak was blessed.

Constriction breeds constriction. A small-mind breeds small-thinking. If you don't see enough room, or if you don't see enough opportunity, you're not going to try too hard, if at all. Rebbe Nachman talks about the hunchbacked beggar, a person who seems unable to carry much, but actually carries the entire world on his shoulders. This "beggar"–who, like all the others in the story, is actually a consummate giver–teaches us the lesson of the little that holds much. What is that? How can we access it?

The hunchback tells us that he brought a group of people to a tree that stands beyond space. The tree provides shelter and tranquility to every type of animal and bird. They all abide there in peace and harmony. To locate and arrive at the tree, the group must manifest the trees characteristics: faith, reverence, humility (the roots) and honesty (the trunk). Only a person with a sufficient degree of each of these qualities can come to the tree. (Rebbe Nachman doesn't say so, but apparently animals and birds have these qualities built-in and can get there automatically!) Not all the members of the group guided by the hunchback had these qualities. Nonetheless, their mutual friendship ran very deep; those who had the required characteristics waited for the others to gain them. And then off they went.

The Jews throughout their history provide many good case studies for producing a lot from a little. After "washing ashore" penniless in a strange place–a hard year, in a hard land–after any number of exiles and banishments, they manage to produce undreamed of success, hundred-fold fruits. So it seems that they had enough of the tree's characteristics, and the unity, to pull through hard times. So do we.

The initial example of "little that holds much" is of an estate that produces more fruit than its land could possibly produce. That's what we see in Parshat Toldot and in current headlines. But Rebbe Nachman said that economics very much depends on people's thinking (Rebbe Nachman's Wisdom #62). So let's think positively, work together, develop whatever of the tree's qualities we have and deliver the goods–and then some.

agutn Shabbos!

Shabbat Shalom!

The Family Jewels Parashas Toldos

"Va'yeitzei harishon admoni kulo kaderes seiar vayikru shmo eisav/And the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment, and they called his name Aisav." Beraishis 25:25

Taken from Growth Through Torah By Rabbi Zelig Pliskin:
The Midrash (Beraishis Rabbah 63) relates that when Shmuel went to appoint David to be king of Israel, he saw that David was "admoni", that is, of ruddy complexion. In other words a redhead. He became very frightened and said "He too will be a murderer like Aisav." Hashem told Shmuel that there was no need to be afraid. When Aisav killed it was in cold blood, but David would only take a life to carry out the just decisions of the Sanhedrin.

We see from this Midrash that when someone has a basic personality tendency it is a reality of his nature that he will be what he truly is. But a person has free will to choose how this tendency willbe manifested. Aisav's tendency towards bloodshed led him down an evil path. David, on the other hand, was a mighty warrior who would utilize his natural tendencies for elevated purposes.

This concept is expressed very clearly by the Vilna Gaon: "A person should not go completely against his nature even if it is bad, for he will not succeed. He should merely train himself to follow the staright path in accordance with his nature. The famous example is that one who has an inclination to spill blood should train himself to be a shochet or a mohel.

May we all merit to first find our true natural tendencies and then be able to use them to follow the straight path. And in doing that may we help bring the Moshiach speedily! In our days! Amen! Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Etan

Parashas Noach

"Noach ish tzadik tamim haya b'dorosav/Noach was a righteous man, flawless in his generation..." Bereishis 6:9
The second Rashi in our parasha brings up the famous machlokes on the word "b'dorosav/in his generation." "There are those among our sages (yesh miraboseinu) who infer from it to his praise. Certainly, had he lived in a righteous generation he would have been even more righteous. There are others who infer it to his discredit. Relative to his generation he was righteous, but had he lived in the generation of Avraham he would not have been considered significant."

Rav Yackov Dovid from Amshinov points out that the ones who infer from it to Noach's praise are called our sages, and the ones who infer it to Noach's discredit have the title sages removed. We learn from this the important lesson that we always have to give people the benefit of the doubt. Every Jew has a good point inside. It may be buried deep inside but it is there.

When Hashem commanded Noach, "Two of each you shall bring into the ark," all creatures entered in pairs.
Deceit wanted to come into the arkalso. Noach said to him, "You cannot enter without a mate!"
Deceit went in search of a mate and found Want.
"From where have you come?" asked Want .
"I return from Noach's ark. I wanted to enter, but was rejected for lack of a partner. Do you want to be my mate?"
"Gladly," replied Want, "but what do you offer me in exchange?"
"Whatever I acquire, you may take."
"A deal!" said Want.
So Deceit and Want entered the ark together, with an eternal partnership: Whatever Deceit acquires, Want takes away. Midrash Shocher Tov

Have a great week everybody!!!!

Kizur Parashas Noach

Noach
The Decree of the Flood
The Final Call
The Flood Inundates the World
The Waters Recede
Sending Forth the Raven
The Dove
The Earth Dries
The Command to Leave the Ark
Noach Brings an Offering
Rebuilding a Ruined World
God's Covenant with Noach
The Rainbow: An Eternal Covenant
The Intoxication and Shame of Noach
Noach Foretells the Destiny of His Sons
The Descendants of Noach: The Seventy Nations
Nimrod
The Tower of Babel and the Dispersion
The Ten Generations from Noach to Avraham

Q.Q.'s

If I am I b/c I am I, and you are you b/c you are you, than I am I and you are you. But if I am I b/c you are you, and you are you b/c I am I than I am not and you are not. The Kotzker Rebbe

It has been said that it requires great fortitude to be a believer. Perhaps so, but it requires even greater fortitude to be a non-believer. True, the belief in God leaves one with the conclusion that human suffering makes no sense, but not believing leaves one with the conclusion that nothing makes sense. Choose Life

Kitzur Parshas Hashavua ( From The Artscroll Chumash)

The Beginning:
First Day
Second Day
Third Day
Fourth Day
Firth Day
Sixth Day
Seventh Day: The Sabbath
The Garden of Eden
Man in the Garden
The Serpent's Enticement
The Sinners Are Punished
Man's Expulsion from Eden
Cain and Abel
The Descendants of Cain
The Genealogy of Mankind
The Ten Generations from Adam to Noach
Prelude to the Flood

And some more....

"Torah is the electricity and Israel is the light bulb. Only Torah can make Israel shine and only through Israel is Torah, the resplendence of thee Creator revealed in this world. When all of Israel will shine forth with the light of Torah in it's full beauty in the days of the Mashiach, the mission begun by Avraham will be complete. Then all of the nations will see how creation was meant to be in the beginning. They will thank and admire us for being different throughout all of the centuries of persecution. It will not sound strange to them to hear that the Jewish people are a chosen people and that the world was created for Israel." Choose Life by Ezriel Tauber

The Begining of Quotable Quotes!

Beraishis is a new beginning so we start with a new flow to the blog. Here it goes.....

"Being in God's presence calls for a different manner of living, thinking, speaking and doing that is much more refined and sacred." Where Heaven and Earth Kiss by Ozer Bergman

Dvar Torah for Rosh HaShanah

Based on Likutey Halakhot, Beheimah v'Chayah Tehorah 4:45–46

Why do we eat honey with the challah and with the apple the first
night of Rosh HaShanah? Every Jew knows it’s a siman, a sign, that
we should have a sweet year. (It’s a testament to our faith that we
believe that our eating honey has theurgical effect.) But there’s an
even more powerful message in that sweet bite.

For a Jew, one of the most amazing things about honey is that it is
kosher. Bees are not kosher, yet the honey they produce is. No other
non-kosher animal or bird can make that claim! This is even more
amazing when we consider that there's no procedure or mitzvah that we
need to do to make it kosher.

Reb Noson explains that in the on-going journey that mankind is
making, there are two broad categories of tikkunim, rectifications,
that are being made. There are those that we the people are
responsible for, and those that God is doing. We’re supposed serve
Him and obey. We do what we can, imperfectly because we are only
human, and God finishes the job.

But being human we don’t always do what we’re supposed to.
Sometimes our mistakes are unintentional, but sometimes—and let’s
be honest here—they’re quite intentional. How can our mistakes
bring us, as individuals and as a species, to our desired destiny? Reb
Noson quotes Rebbe Nachman who said, “God is constantly getting the
job done.”* What Rebbe Nachman meant, explains Reb Noson, is that no
matter how badly a person or the human race botches the job, God will
fix and steer things to the ending He wants**—if and when we do
teshuvah (return).

That's the lesson of the honey. We haven't been so kosher for much
too long a time. Yet, somehow, in some mysterious, unfathomable way,
God can take all our sick and crazy ideas, our poisonous, filthy
words, our laziness and greed, our cruelty to ourselves and others,
and our disrespect for Him, and turn it all into the sweetest and best
of all possible worlds.

May we live to see it and be part of it. Amen.

May you and yours be immediately written into the Book of the
Tzaddikim.

Copyright 2009 Breslov Research Institute

*Actually, what he said was, “Gott firt tamid ois.”

** WARNING! This is only for past mistakes and unintentional future
mistakes. There is absolutely no license for behaving badly and
relying on God’s kindness to clean up your mess.

--

www.breslov.org

Parashas Nitzovim

"V'haya ki yavou alecha kol ha'devarim ha'eleh ha'bracha v'ha'klalah asher nasati lefanecha vhashevosa el levavecha/And it will be when all these things come to you, the blessing and the curse which I have given before you, and you shall take it to your heart." (Devorim 30:1)

Rav Yonason Eybeshutz explained that every life situation has its unique test of our character and can either be utilized for growth or can cause a person to have new faults. When a person is blessed with financial success, he can free his mind from things that distract his concentration during prayers and Torah study. Poverty, too, can help a person elevate himself by breaking his arrogance and conceit. This will be beneficial in his relationship with Hashem and with his fellowman. On the other hand, wealth can cause a person to commit all kinds of wrongdoings and to distance himself from Hashem. Poverty also can prevent a person from seeking self improvement. Everything is dependent on how a person utilizes or misuses both the good fortune and the difficulties that Hashem sends to test him. Therefore the Torah tells us "you shal take it to heart." It is entirely up to us (with Hashems help of course!) how we respond to various life-tests. Talk to Hashem about it, ask Him what your supposed to learn, which way your supposed to go. As we see in the end of the parasha "Ki karov elecha hadavar meod bficha ubilvavecha la'asoso/The matter is very close to you in your mouth and heart to do it." (Devorim 30:14) As the saying goes "Just do it!!!" And even if you cant at this time just the desire that you have for doing the right thing gets you credit!

Have a great Shabbos. See you in Uman!!!!

Parashas Ki Savo - Rejoice with all the good the Almighty has given you.

"V'samachta bkol hatov asher natan lecha Hashem Elokecha/And you shall rejoice with all the good that the Almighty has given you" (Devarim 26:11)

This is a mitzvah. We are obligated to feel joy with what we were given by Hashem the Almighty. Why do we need a directive to rejoice since we should automatically be happy when we have good things? Man's nature is to constantly want more than he presently has. "He who has one hundred wants two hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34) Our moments of joy are always mixed with a certain amount of sadness over what we lack. The Torah, therefore, commands us to rejoice with what we have. We should always strive to feel a joy that is complete. Lack of joy with what we have is destructive both physically and spiritually. (Rabbi Mordechai Gifter; Pirkei Torah)

It's like Rebbe Nachman always said"Mitzvah Gedolah Lehios B'simcha tamid/It is a great mitzvah to always be happy!!!!!"

Have a wonderful Shabbos and please join me in welcoming The Family Jewels back to the blogging world!!!!
Etan

Dvar Torah for Parshat Tzav

Taken from The Breslov Research Institute

Based on Chayey Moharan/Tzaddik #172 (46)

...the Altar’s fire shall be ignited with [the offerings’ remains]...he shall remove the ashes of the burnt offerings consumed by the fire...he shall take [them] to a ritually pure place outside the camp. The fire of the Altar shall be ignited...Each morning the kohen will kindle...In this way, there will be a constant fire burning on the Altar; it will not be extinguished (Leviticus 6:2–6).

We all have a very human problem: the initial enthusiasm runs out. This is not a bad thing when it comes to a poker game, but for a Jew serious about his Jewishness, it is an occupational hazard. Even we, as holy as we are, can’t capture lightning in a bottle. But there are solutions.

Most of forget that we serve as kohanim (priests) in God’s Temple. True the Temple, the Beit HaMikdash, is in ruins, and maybe you’re not descended from a kohen who served there (or are otherwise ineligible), but nonetheless, a kohen you are (see Exodus 19:6)in the temple that is the world (Zohar, passim). Part of a kohen’s job is keeping the fire on the Altar burning at all times. That entails removing the ashes and lighting it anew every morning or, in our situation, as often as necessary.

Where does the fiery heat, the inspiration, come from? Motion generates heat; thought generates motion. Holy thought generates holy motion (Likutey Moharan I, Lesson #156). To keep the fire burning in our heart, we have to keep our minds regularly engaged in Torah study.

There is no expiration date on the information, faith, holiness or anything we’ve gained from our Torah study. So even after its inspiration has burned out and turned into “ash,” we use the embers to kindle a new round of inspired, inspiring Torah study. After that, the pile of ashes that has grown on the Altar is treated with great respect. Instead of dumping it unceremoniously, we make sure to take it to a “ritually pure place.” That’s the simple meaning.

The Hebrew word for ashes, deshen, also means richness, fatty (Metzudot on Psalms 23:6 and Proverbs 15:30)and elevated (Likutey Moharan II, Lesson #80). On a deeper level, the “ashes” are so rich with holiness we have to elevate them to a higher level, “outside the camp” and realm of ordinary life, to a dimension that is completely pure, untainted by the vagaries of the physical.

Rebbe Nachman teaches that it’s not good to be old, that at no point can we let the fire go out (Rebbe Nachman’s Wisdom #51). We need to perpetuate our initial enthusiasm, a la the Rebbe Reb Zusha, so that it infuses our entire Jewishness (Tzaddik #518). Our Torah study is necessary, a solution that will definitely help.

And so will this second solution: plugging into Rebbe Nachman’s teachings and path. As the Rebbe said (Tzaddik #172), “My fire will burn forever. It will never be extinguished. It will burn until Mashiach comes”—may it be swiftly and soon, in our lifetime. Amen.

Pesach is here! Lets start with some Reb Nosson!!!

My beloved son,
On erev Shabbos I sent you a lengthy letter I'm certain you enjoyed it. And thanks to Hashem the letter I wrote you has helped me as well, with the help of Hashem. Pay heed to those things, and you will pleasure forever.
For now there is nothing new to bring up.The joy of the chag that is upon us for good should be pleasant for you. And you should merit to be constantly renewed from now on and forever, to escape from slavery to true freedom forever, from chametz to matazah and you should not let your mind turn sour, anymore G-d forbid, with any foreign thoughts, or even worse any forbidden desires chas v'shalom. And you should fulfill: "Rebuke ChayaT (the beast) of the reed" as explained in Siman 5, look there {But the most important thing is that a person safegaurd his mind from being chametz. This is (Tehilim 68:31) "Rebuke ChayaT (the beast) of the reed" As the Zohar (3, 252a) states; Break the reed of the CheT and make it a heh, thus transforming the letters Chametz into Matzah. Your wisdom will then not turn sour. Lekutey Moharan #5:4, pg: 208 in the BRI edition.} Alim L'trufah. Letters of Reb Nosson

Happy Tu B'Shevat everyone!!!!!!

Based on Likutey MoHaran I, Lesson #224
Based on Rabbi Nachman's Stories; The Exchanged Children

Tu b'Shevat (the 15^th of Shevat), is the New Year for trees. (Fruits blossoming prior to Tu b'Shevat are tithed separately from fruits blossoming from Tu b'Shevat on.)

In honor of this occasion we will present two short pieces. The first is a translation of Likutey MoHaran I, Lesson #224. In addition to portraying the tzaddik as a tree, it offers some insight as to how we are all connected as part of a larger scheme of things, even if we may not be aware of it.

'Even those who are distant from the tzaddik receive vitality and light from him by his shading them. This is like a tree, which has branches, bark and leaves; they each draw life from the tree. There are also grasses that are distant from the tree, so that it seems as if they receive no vitality from the tree. But in truth, they too receive vitality from it, because the tree protects them and shades them from the sun.

'Similarly, in relation to the tzaddik there are those in the aspect of leaves, branches, etc., as is explained in Likutey MoHaran I, Lesson #66:1. And even those who are distant receive vitality from him, by his shading them, like the tree, as explained above.Ó

From The Exchanged Children:

The true prince and his slave are lost deep in the forest. They are found by the forest man who takes them to his home to be his guests. At night they heard the sounds of the beasts: lions roaring, leopards growling, birds chirping and whistling, etc. Initially they were quite frightened and could not concentrated on the sounds. However, when they were able to concentrate, they realized it was an awesomely beautiful song, a very wondrous chant that was a tremendous joy to hear.

When they asked the forest man about the song, he told them it was a melody that the animals had composed in honor of the moon. The forest man also told them that he had an instrument, a family heirloom. This instrument was a box made of wood, leaves and colors. 'When the box is placed on any animal or bird, it immediately begins to sing the songÓ that the animals in the forest sing. The forest man gave the prince the wooden instrument and brought him and the prince's slave back to civilization.

It often seems that we live deep in the forest. It's hard to get our bearings, we wonder what's lurking behind the next tree, what's underfoot, what is making all those sounds and if we'll make it out alive and in one piece! We may be distressed by an upcoming payment for which there are insufficient funds, confused by competition in the workplace or dismayed by personal relationships. We are bombarded by reports of newsworthy and non-newsworthy events. How do we get our bearings?!

As frightened as we may be, we have to do our best to listen. We must make harmony out of cacophony. The 'birds and 'animals may not know that their voices are joining to form a song, but God the Conductor does. We must strain–and train–our ears to make out the melody.

If we appreciate the melody sufficiently we may be fortunate enough to find ourselves presented with a Divine gift: the ability to help others be more in harmony with themselves, so that their lives become part of the Divine song.

May God bless us that the trees grow stronger and produce evermore beautiful fruit and may we be branches of the tree that is the tzaddik. Amen!