The Mikvah of the Arizal - Rabbi Yitzchak Luria - Mystic: Why I Took This Photo

The picture may look a little dreary for some, but that's only because many are not aware of what they are looking at. I guess that's a little like someone involved in mining who seems to only see dirt - and then all of a sudden realises that while it may look like a lot of dirt - when one looks and searches, one finds gold and diamonds all around one! It's about putting aside the outward appearance and instead, focusing on what the treasure in front of us actually is!

Here I was in the holy city of Safed in Israel. Nobody who values this pool of water can be in Safed and not immerse in it... 

Here lies the Mikvah of the Arizal - Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (1534-1572). This is the very place that he would immerse in to purify his body every day. Rabbi Yitzchak Luria was one of the key rabbis involved in transmitting the authentic teachings of kabbalah to us - until today. His teacher was no less than Elijah the Prophet himself. While there will always be pessimists who consider that ridiculous, a sampling of his work is enough for anyone to realise that it is simply not possible for a person of flesh and blood to express himself in such a way - and in so doing, teach the most hidden secrets of Creation and life, unless of course there was someone from a far superior realm guiding him. Indeed - this was Eliyahu (Elijah) the Prophet! We may as well mention that when it came to teaching the Baal Shem Tov - Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem (1698-1760) - the secrets of Torah, it was Achiya HaShiloni - the teacher of Elijah the Prophet - who taught him! 

In the world of Torah, there is nothing strange about what lies hidden from the human eye. Just because a blind man cannot see, does not mean that physical human beings do not exist. There are certainly others who do see them. For those who purify themselves sufficiently, they too may be privy to the experiences of visions in seeing and learning from the Maggidim - the Angels from on High, from the souls of those who have already left this world, as well as from the great Prophets themselves...

The Mikvah is one the most mysterious of creations that God has blessed us with. Herein lies parts of the mysteries of birth. Just as the baby will find itself immersed in the womb, surrounded by water, so too is the Mikvah a womb for the "bigger" body to immerse itself in - in order to return to that womb, and to start life again, so to speak. Water has always carried with it that description, that property of purity. In fact the body itself is composed of some 73% water! Water is life! When feeling exhausted, it is to water that we will turn to refresh ourselves again! It is the most keen component in a healthy lifestyle. Drink water - and lots of it - every day! 8 glasses? Go for 12 - every single day! Our bodies love water, and it is the most basic of all healthy diets in order to keep the body working at its very very best! Without it, dehydration occurs, loss of energy, and simply an inability to do anything. One cannot survive in this physical for too long without re-hydrating ourselves!

Just as water absorbed into the internal part of the body has the effect of purifying one - so too does water when it is applied to the outside of the body. Yet again, after a hard day of work, after a workout, after just about any physical activity - a well earned shower and bath is taken by us all. The warm (or cool) water refreshes us yet again making us feel ready to start life again, or to just relax, feeling just wonderful!

The most mysterious of water is that that is completely natural - untouched by human hands! This is the water from the clouds - rain! It is God's own direct source of purity which He sends to us regularly - without which we would die! Once that water is handled by man, however, it does indeed lose something of its purity. So the Torah instructs us, that in the making of a system of water that will bring the highest levels of purity to us, we must make a Mikvah!

The Mikvah is a completely natural body of water made according to the strict laws as set down in the Shulchan Aruch - the Jewish work of law par excellence. After preparing a hole in the ground, one waits for the rain to fill it up. It is this water that will bring purity in the spiritual sense of the word - to the person who immerses inside it! Modern Mikvaot do not work in this exact way - but rather, they have a pool specially attached to the natural body of water, with an opening that connects the two. As long as the opening is open, then even the man-made pool connects to the holiness from the original water. If it is closed however, it is simply a man-made pool! That water is cleaned out regularly to keep the Mikvah clean and hygienic. The original rain-water however remains in the hole originally prepared.

Another type of Mikvah is a natural spring. After all, what can be more natural in terms of water than water which flows from a natural spring - with no human intervention at all?! While it is not always easy to get to a natural spring, there are indeed some around, and then there are those who use them! The Mikvah pictured in the image above is indeed from a natural spring. The water has flowed from the snow coming from the mountains - already for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. Due to this, the water is absolutely freezing and immersing for even the most minimum of time is an experience one will never forget! Not all Mikvaot are like this however. Modern Mikvaot are warmed up through permissible means. Tradition has it that one who immerses in the Mikvah of the Ari will certainly do Teshuvah (he will repent from all his sins) before he dies - a very meritorious thing to do!

A story is told that when the Arizal died, as is the custom that a Jewish body be immersed in a Mikvah before burial - they took his body for immersion right here... When they placed the body inside, the body began to move on its own, and the Arizal immersed himself, by himself...

The Arizal would immerse in this Mikvah daily - even when he was very sick, suffering from a stomach problem, though his mother had constantly warned him not to immerse due to his bad health. He died at the young age of just 38! This is the very same Mikvah one can immerse in today! Not only the Arizal, but hundreds of thousands of people - some of them the greatest giants of the Torah world in every aspect of Torah - have immersed in that very pool! It is an awesome experience to immerse there - as one contemplates just how many people have stood in that exact spot - the greatest of giants of every generation! It must surely add to the holiness!

It is a Mitzvah for a woman to immerse in a Mikvah once a month i.e. when she has her menstrual cycle. This is the only time she needs to immerse. Men have the custom to immerse in a Mikvah before Rosh HaShanah - the New Year - and the day before Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement. Yet others are careful to immerse once a week on the eve of the Sabbath day. Yet others - especially Chassidim and those who immerse themselves for their studies of kabbalah - will immerse themselves every single day, every morning before the morning prayers (Shacharit). 

There are other important times that a man should immerse as well (contact me for more details.)

In summary: The Mikvah is a pool of natural water. The water purifies a person spiritually from any type of spiritual impurity he may have - as he immerses himself, his entire body without any intervening substance whatsoever (including watches, jewlry or even dirty nails etc.) completely naked in one-go into the "womb" of life, emerging completely purified, to begin his service of serving God again, as if he were a new-born baby. When immersing, his body should be relaxed with his fingers opened slightly so that the water will reach every place of the body. His eyes may be closed gently and he should not hold on to anything inside the pool while immersing.

This picture is the Mikvah that was used by the Arizal himself, and it stands out as a reminder of how important it is for a man to immerse regularly. Those who wish to study the secrets of Torah (Kabbalah) should not do so under any circumstances if they do not immerse in a Mikvah regularly (every single day.) The experience is refreshing, rejuvenating, cleansing and purifying. Anyone doing so regularly will begin to feel like there is a whole different way of life, a newness to everything, and a clarity in one's way of thinking (even!)

Immersing in a Mikvah is for me - one of the most important parts of the day. It somehow gives a charged-start to all of my activities!

You can purchase this picture here, print it out and contemplate some of these thoughts whenever you look at it - or meditate on your own thoughts. If you have never been to a Mikvah before, do it today! If you have, but don't do so regularly - make a new start! And if you do go regularly - you are truly blessed!

By purchasing one of my pictures, or booking a time to learn with me online, or making a donation, you are not just taking a part in supporting a Torah scholar, but you are assisting a Jew to be able to live while giving him the opportunity to continue his own learning in Torah. Be a part of it - today!

Miriam's Yahrtzeit and The Mysterious Well

The 10th of Nissan is the day upon which Miriam - the sister of Moshe Rabbeinu, died. Miriam's greatness lies not only in the fact that she was a prophetess and that she led the women in song after the Jews crossed the Red Sea as they fled Egypt, but also due to an event that occurred in her youth. 

When just a child, her father Amram, and mother Yocheved had separated from each other due to the harsh decree of Pharaoh to kill all first born sons - to have them thrown into the River Nile. She explained to her parents that while Pharaoh had made his decree only upon the sons who would be born, he had made no such decree against daughters! Surely their decree was even harsher than Pharaoh's! Her words found favour in their eyes, and they united again. Through the union that took place - her brother Moshe would be born - the man responsible for being the leader of the Jewish people some 80 years later, receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai, and thereafter taking them out of Egypt to lead them into the Promised Land (which Joshua would ultimately do.)

Indeed, after Moshe was born, and Pharaoh's guards kept a watch out for any "transgressors", Miriam watched her brother as he was placed in a basket that was placed on the river - in order to save his life. She wanted to continue to care for her brother and to find out what would happen to him. She watched as Pharaoh's own daughter (Batya) drew Moshe out the water, taking him in to the palace in order to be taken care of!

Miriam was 126 years old when she died, making her approximately 5 years old at the time she had encouraged her parents to unite, and just about 6 years old when her brother Moshe was born!

When the Israelites journeyed through the desert, three miraculous things accompanied them. There was the Manna (the food which rained from heaven) that came down to them in the merit of Moshe. There were the Clouds of Glory that protected the Israelites through their 40 year journey. These were granted to them in the merit of Aharon. Then there was the Well. The Well was given to them in the merit of Miriam through her righteous acts and her piety. The Well brought the Israelites water while they journeyed.

A mysterious story is told about that Well which teaches us a fascinating teaching about the study of Torah. The Well would end up in the Lake Kinneret - where it is to this day...

Many years ago - the great kabbalist known as the Arizal lived (1534-1572). He was told through mysterious Divine inspiration that he was to journey from his home in Egypt to Sefad where he would find a great man by the name of Rabbi Chaim Vital (1542-1620) - who he would have to teach his Torah to. The Ari revealed that it was in fact for this purpose that his soul descended to the world - in order to teach the secret teachings of the kabbalistic tradition to Rabbi Chaim Vital. We must remember the level of both these giants in Torah - both who were very young when they met - Rabbi Yitzchak Luria being only 36 years and Rabbi Chaim Vital, just 28! When Rabbi Chaim Vital met the Ari for the first time, he felt he was more qualified to study and teach Kabbalah than the Ari - though his thoughts would change swiftly! 

In just two years, the holy Ari taught Rabbi Chaim Vital everything we have today of the teachings of the Ari - including the 8 Gates (the Shemonah Shearim), the Eitz Chaim (the Tree of Life), the Otzrot Chaim and other various manuscripts. It is incredible to believe that not only was this material taught, but that it would be transcribed in such detail - through just two years of teaching! Even the seasoned student of Torah today knows just how difficult the material is, how abstract the concepts are and how ultimately they include the secrets of Creation, the secrets of how the world is directed by G-d (in a theoretical context) and the "magic" that exists in life.

When Rabbi Chaim Vital met the Ari and the Ari began to teach him, Rabbi Chaim Vital would sit, listen, and then simply reply that he understood nothing of what the Ari was talking about. True humility from a scholar who had once thought himself greater than his teacher! The Ari told him to take a journey with him one day. They went in a boat in Lake Kinneret and began sailing. At a certain point, the Ari stopped the boat, scooped out some water and gave it to Rabbi Chaim Vital to drink from. He told Rabbi Chaim Vital that right there - where they were - was the Well of Miriam - and that the water he was drinking, was from this mystical well which accompanied the Israelites throughout their 40 year journey in the desert!

From that day onwards - says Rabbi Chaim Vital - he was able to understand everything that the Ari told him!

Torah is not always easy to understand. Sometimes we cannot remember things. Other times we cannot understand the abstract points being mentioned. Other times, nothing seems to make sense at all! Sometimes there are just too many opinions on the same matter, making us retreat wondering what the correct approach should be to take!

Rabbi Chaim Vital merited to understand the Ari's teachings, only because he drank from the Well of Miriam - and again - these teachings that he could not understand before, are the very teachings the serious student of the mystical tradition of Torah will learn today! Our Rabbis teach us that when Moshe went on to Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, he was only able to understand it when G-d eventually gave it to him as a gift!

We too should realise that the gift of Torah is ultimately something that G-d gives to each of us when we thirst for it enough. We must never give up. We must never think it is in *our* hands to succeed in either. Rather, we must realise, that ultimately the blessing of understanding Torah comes from G-d. In the merit of our efforts and in the merit of the greater souls who we connect with throughout the generations - we are able to merit the beauty of Torah, whether the simplest parts with the most basic of meanings, to the most mysterious secrets of life and creation. Ultimately, our lives, and everything we have are a gift from G-d. Let us be grateful for all of this. With this - let us become stronger in our learning and know that our success, our health, our wealth, our intelligence and actually - everything - is not ours by the strength of our hands, but rather, it is a gift from G-d.

For those interested in learning more about some of the teachings of Rabbi Chaim Vital, contact Reb Eliyahu for more information.

For the serious student of Torah wanting to learn some of the wonderful books of Rabbi Chaim Vital such as the Shaarei Kedushah (Gates of Holiness), the Shaar HaGilgulim (Book of Reincarnations) or others - in the original Hebrew, make a time to learn with Reb Eliyahu Online today with Skype and Webcam!

True Love - Words From the Arizal - Rabbi Yitzchak Luria

Before a person arranges his prayers in shul (or wherever he will be praying,) before the portion concerning the Akeidah (the binding of Isaac) and onwards, he should accept upon himself the Mitzvah of "ואהבת לרעך כמוך" - "I accept upon myself to love my fellow Jew as myself." 

One should have intention to love every single Jew as one loves oneself. This is because it is through this that his prayer will rise up being included with all the prayers of the Jewish people - and it is able to rise upwards causing fruit to bear from it. In particular the love of ones friends who study Torah together with one - everyone should include himself as if he was one of the limbs of his friends.

In particular - if any one of his friends is beset with distress, everybody (in the group) should join themselves with his distress - whether it be because of sickness or children (or because of a lack of children G-d forbid) and he should pray for him.

Likewise in all ones prayers and his needs and other things - he should join his friend together with him.

My teacher (the holy Arizal) warned me very much in the matter of loving our friends especially when they were part of a click (a group.)

--- Rabbi Chaim Vital (the Rechu) relating over his teacher's (the Arizal's) teachings. See beginning of Shaar HaKavanot and Pri Etz Chaim, Shaar Olam Ha'Asiya Chapter 1. Brought in Shulchan Aruch HaArizal, Chapter 1:2

The Holy Arizal - Yahrtzeit 5 Av

THE HOLY ARIZAL – Yahrtzeit 5 Av

Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (1534-1572), whose Yahrtzeit is today – the 5^th day of Av, was one of the most influential true Kabbalists of all time. While Moses himself received the entire Torah from G-d at Mount Sinai, it would be up to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai to make the inner secrets of Torah more easily accessible to the Jews forced into exile about 1000 years later. But even then, anyone taking a close examination at the Zohar realises that unless he understands the vocabulary used, the Zohar can be a mystery of nonsensical concepts, words and descriptions. In fact, while the Zohar revealed the inner secrets of Torah, it was exceptionally good at also concealing the mysteries of the Torah!

It would take a man on the level of the holy Arizal (the initials of his name being “The G-dly Rabbi Yitzchak") to be able to unravel the mysteries of understanding the Zohar and the entire kabbalistic tradition, and write them out in a more easily understood language. This he did by teaching his pupil Rabbi Chaim Vital the most important principles to understand. The entire tradition we have from the holy Ari was actually taught to Rabbi Vital in a period of less than two years! In fact, if not for Rabbi Chaim Vital, none of the Ari’s teachings would be available today. In truth, the Ari HaChai wrote down nothing of his own, it was all written by his pupil.

The Kabblah of the Ari was not much easier for Rabbi Chaim Vital to understand than it was for others, and it is taught that he could not understand a thing of what the Ari would teach him (much like Moses was unable to understand the Torah taught by G‑d, until eventually G-d gave it to him as a gift.) The Ari took his pupil for a boat ride along the Kinneret. At a certain point, the Ari placed a cup into the water, and drew it out, offering it to Rabbi Chaim to drink from. Rabbi Chaim said that from the time that he drank from those waters, he was able to understand everything the Ari taught him! The Ari explained that he had taken Rabbi Vital out to the very place where the Well of Miriam (which went with the Children of Israel out from Egypt) is hidden to this day!

His main work – the Eitz Chaim, describes the levels of creation and how creation came about. Thereafter, Rabbi Chaim Vital wrote 8 main works entitled the Shemonah Shearim – the Eight Gates, in which he describes everything from the basic theoretical structures of the kabbalistic system – to the practicalities of how to implant Kavanot – intentions in prayer and Mitzvot, and various other practical implementations in order to actually bring the theory into the practical. Nevertheless even with a good understanding of the Hebrew language, without having someone to learn from, most of the Ari’s writings are a closed book as well. (For those who cannot find a teacher… do not give up. One never knows if one may merit Elijah the Prophet appearing to one to teach him personally… see below!)

This posting is not to go into depth about the writings, the names of the books and what each one is about – but rather to give a small glimpse into something about this holy man – who although was just 38 years old when he died – was familiar with every part of Torah, filled with Ruach HaKodesh – Divine Inspiration and had the good fortune of being visited by Elijah the Prophet on a regular basis in order to learn even higher levels of Torah not readily available through ordinary books. In fact, the Ari was on such a level, that he could even tell everything that a person had done, including his sins, by simply glancing at the markings on his forehead!

On one occasion, he was approached by a man who had committed numerous sins. The man was wearing a hat, and had pulled it down over his forehead in the hope that the Ari would not be able to see the markings on his forehead. The Ari remarked, “Don’t you think that someone who can see through the markings on a forehead can also see through the material of a hat?!”

Learning about the life of the Ari (and his teachings) is extremely fascinating and encouraging. One learns about a man who lived Torah – who breathed it, who saw the heavenly realms with his spiritual eyes, like we are able to see clearly the physical world with our physical eyes. He did everything he could possibly do to serve G-d day and night. He was a man focused on bringing this world to a state of complete perfection and ultimately to bring Moshiach. Perhaps, in fact, he was Moshiach – as he once told his students that they would merit to see Moshiach… Much time passed after his death, and the students complained to his main disciple, Rabbi Vital asking why they never merited to see Moshiach – just like the Ari had promised them. Rabbi Vital responded, “But you DID see Moshiach!” What could he ever have meant?!

The story is told in the book “Emek HaMelech”. It was once the eve of the holy Shabbat, close to the time when Shabbat would be coming in. The Ari and his pupils were outside in the city of Tzefat wearing garments of white in order to receive the Shabbat day. They began to welcome the Shabbat with the first Psalms recited – before actually bringing in the Shabbat day.

While they were singing, the Rav said to his disciples, “Friends, do you wish to go to Jerusalem before Shabbat and we can make Shabbat in Jerusalem?” Now… Jerusalem is a 4 hour journey by ordinary transport… let alone going by horse, let alone taking a jog there. Shabbat was literally a few minutes away… There was simply not enough time to get there – by any ordinary means anyway!

Some of his students responded in the affirmative, and some said that they wished to go home to inform their wives first.

Since they said that they wished to go home first, the Rav trembled in great fear and hit his hands together stating, “Woe to us, that we did not have the merit to be redeemed. If only you had all answered with one voice that you wished to go in great happiness, immediately all of Israel would have been redeemed! Since now was the moment of Divine favour for this auspicious time to be redeemed, and since you refused in this matter, the exile has returned to its full strength – due to our many sins!”

We can learn much from every story – but this story highlights the importance of understanding the true reality of everything.

1. We are currently in exile… a state which is uncomfortable and abnormal for any Jewish soul to be in.
2. Everything we do in life must be directed to the purpose of bringing Moshiach. All Torah and Mitzvos is nothing more than to perfect this world so that Moshiach should come.
3. Redemption should be our main focus – at all times and at every moment. Whether one minute before Shabbat, on Shabbat itself or any other occasion… the redemption can come even then. (For those who hold that various sources may point against Moshiach arriving on certain days, this is not our concern. Let us hope for Moshiach even then, that he reveal himself. Afterwards we’ll ask Moshiach to explain the Gemaras! In fact Moshiach can come even if we haven’t yet finished learning ShaS!)
4. The leader of the generation knows well what is happening Above. Therefore when he says things that are necessary to follow, he already understands the implications of what he is saying and that now is the time to attend to what he is asking.
5. We can always come up with a dozen excuses as to why something *shouldn’t* be done a certain way. We can check with the Shulchan Aruch – just to make sure though. We can even go and ask our wives first… In fact when the leader of the generation says things that simply don’t make sense to us, we can even prove him wrong through all of our own means. Yet, he too has learned Shulchan Aruch and knows what is written there – and he too has a wife… If he has spoken of the importance of doing something, even something totally strange and foreign, the chances are (so long as he is truly a leader of the Jewish people and not someone out for his own honour,) – that he knows why he is saying what he is, and therefore we need to listen.

The Ari was the Moses of his generation, just as our generation has a Moses too. Our duty is to be aware of who this person is, to listen to his teachings, and to realise that if he is saying that we are in need of doing something, then this something must be done – even when everything in our logical senses tells us the opposite. It is for us to know that the Moses of the generation is already familiar with the Shulchan Aruch – and even the Zohar, the writings of the Ari, the entire oral tradition, Talmud, Midrashim and everything in between. Our duty is to now realise that we are like the students of the Ari – the lion – who is telling us what needs to be done to welcome the Shabbat day. It is for us to go forward now in action, ready to fly to Jerusalem NOW – even if it looks like we have no wings, and the trip will be a bumpy one!

The moment we are ready to hear the words of Moses speaking and telling us what we need to do, immediately we will be redeemed, each of us being taken with a private cloud of glory, flown through the cool peaceful air through the heavens as we are taken to Jerusalem. There, we will see a spiritual/physical building coming down from above… and as it does so, Moshiach will announce our freedom. The world will suddenly be filled with complete goodness and kindness and we will be taken to a realm of beauty that none of us has ever even imagined before.

May we merit – in the merit of the holy Ari, that we humble ourselves to understand what needs to be done, and that we set ourselves up to do what is necessary – and then, even before we do it, the Great Shofar will be heard and we will all be taken out of the constraints that we are in, and merit the final redemption! Amen!

A story of the Holy Arizal - True Compassion, Caring, Empathy and Help!

Dedicated to

Esther bas Nachum Dov Ber

For an Aliyas Neshama

It happened once that Rabbi Shmuel Avazida entered before the holy Arizal. The Rav (the Arizal) stood up in front of him and then seated him to his right. He spoke with him about all his needs, to such a degree that the events happening were rather astounding in front of all those present. When he left, Rabbi Chaim Vital (the student par excellence of the Arizal) asked him what was special about the day, that the Arizal had given so much honour towards Rabbi Shmuel, something that he had never done on previous occasions when he would come and go.

The Arizal replied that he had not stood up for him (i.e. Rabbi Shmuel) but rather that he had stood for Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair (the father-in-law of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the author of the Zohar who had lived some 1500 years before!) The Arizal explained that Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair had entered together with Rabbi Shmuel because of a Mitzvah that he had done. It was a Mitzvah that Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair was accustomed to do.

When Rabbi Chaim Vital heard this, he ran to greet him (Rabbi Shmuel) and created a friendly atmosphere and repoire with him. Said Rabbi Chaim Vital, "By my life, my master, tell me what Mitzvah did you do today, that which the Rav spoke about?" Rabbi Shmuel responded, "I arose early in the morning to go to shul (the synagogue) as is my custom - to be counted as one of the first of the first ten to arrive. I heard a voice crying greatly coming from one of the houses. And so I turned towards there to know what was happening. I entered and saw that everyone was crying, since it had happened that thieves had come that past evening, and they stole all their clothes and *everything* that they had owned, and my mercy was aroused. And so I removed my very own garments and I gave them to them - and the proof of this is that I am currently wearing my festive Shabbos clothing."

When Rabbi Chaim Vital heard this, he kissed him upon his hand and blessed him!

___________________________________________________

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS STORY?

1. The Tzaddikim - even those in other worlds, are well aware of our deeds in this world. More than this, they are delighted to attach themselves to those who take special care in performing Mitzvahs with all their hearts.

2. When we perform Mitzvos that those Tzaddikim had performed in their lifetimes with care - then they accompany us - often protecting us from many things in this world. They very often help us in understanding many areas of Torah we may not understand on our own. They also may help us in other areas.

3. Tzaddikim (NOTE: TRUE TZADDIKIM) are also able to see with their physical eyes other souls walking in this world and are also aware of the reasons as to why these souls are present.

___________________________________________________

WHAT CAN WE LEARN ABOUT COMPASSION AND HELPING A FELLOW JEW?

Many times we simply continue with the humdrum of life, oblivious to the real pain of others. How often it can happen that another person will have such tragedies happen to them (Lo Aleinu) that they can be robbed of their most precious possessions. In such instances, we often turn towards them with an apparently kind word, "Have faith!" - we say. Or perhaps, "Don't you believe in G-d? All is for the good!" We might even say such things as, "Now that G-d has punished you, you will be well compensated and all blessings will flow from this point onwards!"

Often we find ourselves occupied in our own Mitzvos when tragedy may strike another (Lo Aleinu). After all, we have Tefillin to put on, a Minyan to catch! Perhaps it's Sukkos and it's time to get into our Sukkos with a smile on our faces - the time of our happiness - as the Torah calls it! We encounter a Jew who has suffered such a tragedy, and with a smile, we shrug our shoulders, wish them well, barely understanding their pain on this - OUR happy occasion! Indeed, we have Kiddush to make and we simply may hope that the victim find his own way home to tend to his own problems - on his own. We're sure he'll be able to call the police (on Sukkos of course!) and have them come to attend to his loss. And of course, he probably won't feel frightened that evening as he sits in his Sukka - his home robbed of much - wondering if perhaps the thieves will return knowing fully well that the entire home is now wide open!

We can come up with a dozen excuses regarding our behaviour. Whether it's the apparently "kind" word uttered, or the important duties we have to perform. Things will eventually get taken care of.

The Arizal teaches us otherwise. Rabbi Chaim Vital knows better... and Rabbi Shmuel performs the actual deed! There are no excuses to be made. When another is suffering, there is only one way to help... IT IS TO HELP!

As the Baal Shem Tov teaches, "Make your friend's spiritual needs be considered like your physical needs, and make your friend's physical needs be considered like your spiritual needs."

Instead of a righteous attitude and offering false platitudes, the Baal Shem Tov teaches the importance of the immediacy of the situation... TO TAKE ACTION AND HELP ANOTHER IMMEDIATELY! Whether on our way to another Mitzvah... Whether the family concerned may even be apparently deserving of something (just because we rationalise it so!) Or whether it's simply because we apparently have all the perfect right words to say. All of this is WORTHLESS!

What is needed is immediate action - HELP!

When a person behaves in this way, not only does he do what is right - and he will certainly receive his reward, but he merits that a Tzaddik from another world will accompany him on his journies that day. He will bless him, be with him and aid and protect him. Indeed, there are others who know that such things take place. For those of us with spiritual eyes, we will see such things. For those of us with physical eyes, we must be stronger in our faith to be aware that these things do actually happen.