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Lessons in Derech Hashem - The Way of God - False Prophets - Lesson 22 S...

The Ramchal teaches us about false prophets. Sometimes people are false prophets intentionally and other times false prophecy occurs simply to test those who will find themselves listening to those people.

Whatever the case, those who wanted to be prophets would have to make sure they had an experienced teacher to lead them on a path that would be pure.

Lessons in Tanya - Lesson 23 - Two Kings Ruling Over One City - Chapter 9

A fascinating chapter into the world of the city of the human body. Its inhabitants include the limbs of the body. But who is the king? There are two. There is the Animal Soul which believes it has full rights to rule over the city and there is Godly Soul which believe it has full rights to rule over the city.

Each of the kings wants to make the inhabitants been under their rulership expecting the limbs to acknowledge it has supreme king and agreeing to its terms and conditions.

Our chapter focuses on the behaviour of the Godly soul which wants the body to do as it dictates in every way - in thought, speech and action.

The chapter concludes by telling us that just as the rulership applies to the Godly soul - so too does it apply to the animal soul. Now the real battle begins and the Tanya will continue to elaborate on the real test that the Beinoni (the middle/average man) must fight each day.

Who will win?

Only time will tell...

Learn Talmud - Berachot - Lesson 18 Daf 7a (Koren Talmud Bavli) - Moshs'...

Though Bilam wanted to curse the Jewish people, he was unable to. Actually, his unique talent was that he knew the moment God is angry each day, and was able to tap into that moment to say his nasty things. At the moment of God's anger, those words would have a great effect - and he knew it!



Unfortunately for him, God showed no anger in those days, and as a result, his curse resulted in him reciting a blessing for the Jewish people! So much for cursing others! The Talmud tells us - for those interested in knowing - exactly when God gets angry angry each day and why. It's at that time that man can have an effect on the world in a most negative manner!



One of the Sages of the Talmud had his own anger issues with a particular rebellious nudnik and wanted to curse him. He tried the technique offered in the Talmud, but it did not go well unfortunately! No! Cursing is no good even for a great man to do towards a lowly person!



The Talmud teaches us some Mussar about the value of regret and just how it compares with actual physical discipline. Interesting!



Moshe asks three requests from God and apparently God grants him all the requests. But another Sage says that he was only granted two of those requests. It seems, that not even Moshe came to know the reason why God bestows His kindness on the evil people of the world...



The Talmud teaches us another aspect of the Tefillin that God wears.



The Talmud teaches us that contrary to thinking that God was not pleased that Moshe had not looked at His presence when He appeared to him in the burning bush, in fact, God was most pleased and rewarded him for this humility in turning away from the Divine presence that showed itself then.



It is not for us to stare at the Godly presence when She shows herself to us. It is a great honour if ever God reveals Himself to us in some way. By turning away in humility - we are truly more honoured by our having shown respect to God.

Lessons in Derech Hashem - The Way of God - How the Prophet Sees His Pro...

Prophets experience their prophecies differently. Some through pictures, others through words. The most famous prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah etc. were able to express what they saw in actual words. In addition, they used physical objects to share with others what their prophecies were all about. In fact, their very actions were the catalysts to make their prophecies begin to take root!



The terms "prophet" is applied to someone who has already attained that status. He is able to have a prophecy. Those learning can also be considered prophets, but they are still learning. They can be prone to err. It is important that they have a teacher who will guide them so that they will be able to learn what to be careful of - what is true and what is false.

Lessons in Tanya - Lesson 22 - Blemishes Caused by Kelipah Nogah & The 3...

Ending chapter 8 of Tanya, we learn about the blemishes that the Kelipah Nogah caused to one's soul (ultimately through the body) and how those blemishes can be purified and cleaned. We also learn about the problems associated with purifying the 3 totally impure Kelipot.

General study of the wisdoms of the nations carries with it a problem of being involved in the three entirely impure kelipot, but the truth is that if one uses those studies for the sake of Torah, then even though they seem to be directed more towards those 3 impure kelipot, we see that their potential is still founded in kelipah nogah and the studies of the wisdoms that relate to the nations of the world can actually be uplifted.

One can use mathematics for Torah - as one can science. One will ultimately have to learn mathematics in any case if one is to understand the calculations involved calculating the months of the year and when one is required to add an additional month etc.

We then make a start onto Chapter 9 - which will discuss the real challenge of the battle that is fought between the animal soul and the Godly soul. Perhaps it is here where all our learning begins to take on a real active challenge. It's no longer just about learning what the soul is made up of and how it works, but rather, how to use these soul powers so as to overcome the negative evil and focus one's life on positive good.

Learn Talmud - Berachot - Lesson 17 Daf 6b/7a (Koren Talmud Bavli) - The...

A person who has fear of Heaven will have his words heard by others. Fear of Heaven is perhaps the most important quality we could have. It makes us into human beings who realise that there is a Creator in the world who has created and made us. Suddenly - we realise that we must have some type of obligation in our lives. We need to listen to what this Creator wants from us. When we listen and do as we should - amazingly - others listen to what we have to say too!

Peace... It is perhaps the best single thing we all need in life. It's easy to make the start of bringing peace into the world. Just greet another! And if they seem to always greet you first - then make a change - catch them out before they have the chance to! Greet them first! When a poor man greets one, make sure to return the greeting. For him, it might be the only thing he has to give. The only? Hardly! Greeting others brings peace. That is the power we have in the world to do good other. Just say "Hello!" - or better yet "Shalom!" "Peace!"

Did you know that God prays? The Talmud tells us what His prayer is all about!

We read a story about the great High Priest (the Kohein Gadol) Yishmael ben Elisha who, when entering the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur, was asked by God to bless him. Yishmael blesses God with a blessing we should all learn from - and how important these attributes are for ourselves too! You'll need to listen in to the lesson to hear about it though!

The Talmud teaches us just how great our own blessings are - even if it seems like we are simple. Every one of us has the power to bless others! (See my interview with Judy Simon "The Power of Blessings" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVaC3zv4iQY for more about this).

Indeed - peace and blessings. Who can ask for more?! Stop with the hurtful words about others. Start thinking about the power of words - and when one speaks well about others and towards others, just what a difference it can make in their lives, in yours, and the difference it will make to the entire world!

The Talmud tells us about an aspect of God that we wish would not exist. This is His attribute of judgment and anger. The Talmud tells us just how powerful it is and how Bilam (who wished to curse the Jewish people) wanted to make use of God's anger in order to destroy the Jewish people themselves.

It's another fascinating page in the Talmud. Watch the full Shiur and feel free to contemplate the thoughts that come to you - and send me an email sharing what you've learnt too!

Learn Talmud - Berachot - Lesson 16 Daf 6b (Koren Talmud Bavli) - Import...

The Talmud teaches us that the rewards given for various Mitzvot are often not the Mitzvot themselves, but rather something else that is hidden behind the scenes within the Mitzvah we perform.

For example, the reward for attending a wedding is not the attendance of the wedding itself, but rather, reward is given only when one brings happiness to the bride and the groom. One should speak well of the bride and groom. Praise them for who they are and for who they have become! Wish them well.

Imagine that?! And we thought a wedding was all about the Scotch, the steaks and the pudding!

Our page in our lesson teaches us about the importance of the Minchah (afternoon) prayer... the morning prayer... and the evening prayer! They are all important. We learn some valuable lessons from some pieces of Aggadata (the story parts) of the Gemara in our lesson.

We learn about some difficulties that the poor man must deal with - notably the embarrassment that he/she feels when having to ask and receive charity. But it shouldn't be that way. There is really a constant give and take in this world. We never know what life brings us and we should remain humble. Someone in need today, may well be the same person to give to the other the next day!

For some reason, God has set up the world in this way. But it takes real humility on the part of the giver (who has the means) to be able to give without causing undue embarrassment to the poor person.

Lessons in Derech Hashem - The Way of God - Prophets Sent on Missions - ...

Prophets come in two types. There are those who are actually sent on missions, and then there are those who have no particular mission. Their prophecy is given to them as a simple gift from God. The prophet has the advantage in being able to be close to God and to experience Divine ecstasy! He has no other reason to receive the prophecy other than a reward for his effort in his work in striving to become holier and to cleaving to God.

The Ramchal continues to teach us something else about prophecy. While a prophet sent on a mission may well know what he is doing, he may well also not know exactly what he is doing! As a result, he can come to make a mistake or end up considering the prophecy a certain way when in fact it is not that way at all! Nevertheless, in hindsight, one can see clearly that the prophecy that is given to the prophet can actually go both ways.

A prophet's duty is to ultimately attend to whatever it is that God wants from him. This - if he is being sent on a mission. For the rest of the prophets, they engage in the practice of prophecy to delight in God and to be merit revelations that will assist them in their lives in this world - ultimately to be granted further holiness and a closeness to God.

Lessons in Tanya - Lesson 21 - Uplifting The 3 Evil Kelipot and The Keli...

Chapter 8 continues the theme of the 3 evil kelipot (husks/shells/peels) and the kelipah nogah (the glowing husk). The Alter Rebbe (1745-1812) teaches us about the quality of evil inherent within various worldly things and our ability to refine it.

The 3 evil kelipot cannot be uplifted and raised to higher levels - no matter what we do with it. These parts of creation remain bound to the forces of evil. If we speak about them binding themselves to forbidden food - then even if we eat that food le'shem shamayim (for the sake of heaven), and we bless the food and use that energy for holy things - still none of this can uplift the evil that is to be found in them. There is nothing we can do with this energy ever. We must wait until the days of Moshiach when God will completely obliterate this evil from the world.

On the other hand, the kelipah nogah has within it the ability to be uplifted. As a result - if we talk about food and the kelipah nogah having a hold on the food, then even if we eat this food out of desire (and not for the sake of God) - because we are tempted to eat it (instead of wanting to eat it to make use of its energy for holy matters), then still - we can uplift the sparks contained within the food at another stage.

However, there is always a little left over and there is a way that it will ultimately fall away from us.

We briefly speak about another type of kelipah nogah. This is the kelipah nogah that relates to empty, useless and unnecessary talk. Even though it may not be evil - it "smacks" of it. Because of that, the "evil" contained within the wasted words must also be removed before the soul can be purified from the negative parts of its activities in this world. The Baal HaTanya explains to us how it is purified.