The Great Designer

The famous question: Did human beings come from apes, or did God create this world (and many others too)? 

The story was once told about the famous Posek - Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. It happened on one occasion that he was sitting on an airplane. On the plane there was a very disruptive young boy who showed very little respect to his grandfather. On this same plane, Reb Moshe sat with a grandson of his who seemed to be showing his grandfather much respect throughout the journey. Reb Moshe was asked how it happened to be that on one side of the plane the grandson showed his father little respect (with the grandfather even giving in to his grandson), yet on the other side of the plane, a grandson would show his grandfather so much respect.

Reb Moshe answered: It is because they believe that they are descended from apes. Since this is so, it is only natural that the grandfather should show his grandson much respect - after all, he is two generations further removed from an ape. Whereas in our case, we received the Torah over three thousand years ago. As each generation comes about, we are further removed from the greatness of the generations before us which are one generation closer to that Godly experience of hearing God and seeing the Torah as it was given by God. This is why the grandson shows his grandfather much respect.

It's an important decision to make that affects our entire lives. Are we living as improved apes? Or are we living as souls from God? For those who continue to believe in the ape (let alone frog) theory, it is a wonder how they can continue to see the miracles of the world and imagine that yes indeed this entire world came about through a non-existent Bang that made life in a most basic form which then miraculously changed over the millions of years where nature became humans.

Yet - for the believer in a God - it is not all that difficult to perceive the true miracles of life as implanted in the world. Here, they are implanted by a Being who has taken everything into account already - to make a world filled with miracles - operating like nature - and allowing us to live as we do.

In fact, it takes a far greater believer to believe that we came from apes, than that we have come from God - as souls living in bodies. In this wonderful video clip, Rabbi Avigdor Miller shares with us one of the most remarkable of miracles we take for granted. The apple - the apple tree - and the pip! Here, God has implanted a miraculous entity which continues to allow itself to grow forever. Indeed, He has also created a ground surface able to receive the miraculous seed. He has created the winds and the winged creatures who eat the seeds inside the apples dropping them from their bodies with their digested food - to continue to implant themselves into the ground. The ground awakens, taking the genetics of the seed, causes it to grow - and another life-sustaining tree grows!

It is not a silver coin inside the apple that makes it stand out. It is a simple seed that for us looks like nothing more than something we'd rather throw away. Inside it - however, is another apple tree waiting to grow.

So too, has God created all of nature this way. The wealth that surrounds us is hidden within nature. It is hidden in ways that cause us to think it worthless and even worthy of being thrown out. Yet, it's value is far greater than silver - far greater than gold! It's value is life itself - the greatest gift of all.

It is there, for everyone - even the apes. Enjoy the video!

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!

Answering the Non-Believer (Including Two Fascinating Videos)

Technology has contributed to our lives today in ways generations gone by could barely even dream of. Those in the "older" generation may well remember such brilliant encyclopaedias as the World Book and Britannica. These were the ultimate resource tool for any serious student of anything and everything about life. They were beautifully bound and contained information on just about anything anyone could ever imagine. Those purchasing these masterpieces would need to purchase the year book to keep up with the latest developments throughout the year, but if one had the patience to work through a few hundred extra pages of info, one could be brought up to date on just about anything! I guess that's where the expression concerning a smart person – "He/She is a walking encyclopaedia" came from. 

In today's times, technology has moved so fast, that a set of even 100 of such books does little justice to the amount of change in the world today. Amazingly however, the Internet has allowed people to share with others around the world (in real time of course!) the progression of some astounding developments. It's fantastic to be able to see these things happening – on demand and immediately!

Two video clips had recently caught my attention – both actually quite old (one year and two years) but had to do with unbelievable developments in technology that allow those who have various physical disabilities to be able to have the additional luxury of those not lacking these disabilities.

The videos point to the advancement in science and technology, and one who watches them objectively can only but think how brilliant Man is to be able to develop such amazing tools. Think of this for a moment… A person who is paralysed is suddenly able to walk again with the aid of a machine. Sounds too good to be true. Think of the brilliance of inventing a device to allow a paraplegic person to actually walk again. He wears a "suit" of sorts which hold on to his legs and at the touch of a button is able to move his legs. He can't actually move the legs himself, but the machine does the work for him. One watches the video and thinks of just how brilliant science is. Okay, it costs some $20 000 to own one of these kits, but if one can afford it and is in such a position (Lo Aleinu) Man has invented something to help this person. Nobody wants to ever need it. But if one finds himself in such a position (Lo Aleinu) and has the means – one can turn around and truly thank science for the developments it has made!

But imagine something even more wondrous. Imagine a blind person being able to see again. The eyes may not work, so instead a whole new concept to seeing takes place. Imagine a person developing a system of sound that causes the listener to hear images?! Instead of being able to see with one's eyes, one can suddenly see with one's ears! How does one even begin to come up with such ideas?! But they are out there, and when one sees the progress of science one can really give tremendous respect for just how much it has advanced. After all, we were certainly once all monkeys many millions of years ago…

But for those who are able to take a few steps back and reconsider, perhaps such video footage can help us in another direction altogether. The direction whereby we stop *every single day* and acknowledge that actually those of us who are healthy (Baruch Hashem) actually have all this technology built into ourselves. We *can* actually see! We *can* actually hear! And we don't need to pay tens of thousands of dollars for the machine that gives us these comforts. How much would the person unable to see give (if he could afford it) if he knew the latest machine would indeed allow him to see?! How much would a paraplegic person give to own a machine (if it worked) that allowed him to walk again?! And how much do those with health truly give thanks (every single day) for having these inbuilt working "utilities?"

If we can imagine that instead of considering ourselves monkeys – that we are actually real human beings created by a Divine Creator, we can wake up every single morning and thank Him (immediately!) for the wonders which He has already implanted inside us!

Of course, the non-believer will always look to the wonders of science – and rightly so. To develop a machine to help a paraplegic person walk is incredible! To develop technology to allow a blind person to see through his hearing is another incredible miracle! But the believer cannot be fooled. He knows that he never had to pay a cent for his ultimate machine and that it's able to perform all these things for him every single day. He gets the best out of everything without having to praise science. Instead – he praises G-d. He acknowledges that science may be great… but G-d is greater. It is G-d who hides behind all of this, ultimately giving each of us the freedom of choice to decide. He tells each of us – you can be amazed at science and think that not just so long ago you were once a monkey and now look how far you've come – being able to even help a paraplegic person walk – or you can be amazed every single morning when you wake up, find you're able to move by yourself, see by yourself, hear by yourself and do everything else by yourself and turn only one direction – upwards! There, you realise that the most unbelievable machine – the human body – created by G-d Himself, is given – free of charge. Other than the ups and downs which happen with it, it works almost perfectly! Walking is steady, sight is beautiful, hearing – pleasant!

It amazes me to see the wonders of technology. Every day one is able to tune in somewhere to see an advancement of science somewhere in the world. One is not limited to learning on a once a year basis of new things just out. Rather one can keep up with technology every single day. And as one does so, one is able to see and consider just how amazing and brilliant Man is to be able to develop such wonders to help himself. 

But there's something that amazes me more! With all this around us, there are still so many who while acknowledging the brilliance of man-made machines, cannot spend time each day – turning to the actual Creator of the entire world – and thank Him for the wonder of the human body, the wonder of sight, of hearing, of walking. Everything working just as it should.

So where exactly is G-d then and why can't He come up with His own YouTube videos to show us what His latest developments in cutting technology are all about?! When you wake in the morning, take a short visit to the mirror (if you don't usually.) Then take a good look at what you'll see. There's an amazing machine (on the private "YouTube") designed by the greatest Scientist of all. So long as we are treating it right – this machine continues to work splendidly! The eyes on it cost nothing to acquire. Neither did the ears, mouth, tongue or nose. Neither did the arms which work together with the hands with thousands of muscle movements in perfect precision (ask a heart, eye or brain surgeon to confirm that!) 

And with such simplicity – G-d hides Himself behind this, taking no real credit for His work. Those who do not wish to believe He is there will always be truly amazed by science and what it has brought us. But those who believe turn to G-d in thanks every single day for their gifts that they have been granted. When they turn to science, it is only to confirm more of just how great G-d is in allowing us to further our own growth through even more progress. The believer is amazed that the body can work so perfectly – at no initial cost at all!

For the Jew, his first thought as he awakens is his thanking G-d for having woken up. Shortly afterwards he begins to feel his body and thanks G-d for its perfection. This is the beginning of a Jew's day. It is also the beginning of a Jew's life.

Isn't science amazing?! Isn't the Scientist amazing?!

Enjoy the videos!