In the merit of righteous women

Rebbe Nachman is usually credited with his teaching 282, sometimes called Azamra.

In Likkutei Moharan I:282, Rebbe Nachman explains that through judging someone favorably one can bring that person over entirely to the side of good, until you will look for him in his former [evil] place and you won't find him. (והתבוננתה על מקומו ואיננו)

Today I saw in Masechet Berachot 10a that the originator of this idea is not Rebbe Nachman, but rather Rabbi Hanina ben Teradyon's daughter, Rebbe Meir's wife, Bruriah, and she was just explaining pshat (the plain meaning) in Tehillim:

הנהו בריוני דהוו בשבבותיה דר"מ והוו קא מצערו ליה טובא הוה קא בעי ר' מאיר רחמי עלויהו כי היכי דלימותו אמרה לי' ברוריא דביתהו מאי דעתך משום דכתיב (תהילים קד) יתמו חטאים מי כתיב חוטאים חטאים כתיב ועוד שפיל לסיפיה דקרא ורשעים עוד אינם כיון דיתמו חטאים ורשעים עוד אינם אלא בעי רחמי עלויהו דלהדרו בתשובה ורשעים עוד אינם בעא רחמי עלויהו והדרו בתשובה:  אמר לה ההוא <צדוקי> {מינא} לברוריא כתיב (ישעיהו נד) רני עקרה לא ילדה משום דלא ילדה רני אמרה ליה שטיא שפיל לסיפיה דקרא דכתיב כי רבים בני שוממה מבני בעולה אמר ה' אלא מאי עקרה לא ילדה רני כנסת ישראל שדומה לאשה עקרה שלא ילדה בנים לגיהנם כותייכו

(From Snunit Kodesh archive: Talmud Bavli Masechet Berachot 10a)

Here is an english translation I found on e-daf from http://halakhah.com/:

There were once some highwaymen3 in the neighbourhood of R. Meir who caused him a great deal of trouble. R. Meir accordingly prayed that they should die. His wife Beruria4 said to him: How do you make out [that such a prayer should be permitted]? Because it is written Let hatta'im cease? Is it written hot'im?5 It is written hatta'im!6 Further, look at the end of the verse: and let the wicked men be no more. Since the sins will cease, there will be no more wicked men! Rather pray for them that they should repent, and there will be no more wicked. He did pray for them, and they repented.

    A certain Min7 said to Beruria: it is written: Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear.8 Because she did not bear is she to sing? She replied to him: You fool! Look at the end of the verse, where it is written, For the children of the desolate shall be more than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.9 But what then is the meaning of ‘a barren that did not bear’? Sing, O community of Israel, who resemblest a barren woman, for not having born children like you for Gehenna.

Three things everyone could learn from Breslov

If everyone did these three things daily, their quality of life would be greatly improved:

1. Be happy, always. (happiness is a choice, not a response to pleasing stimuli!)
2. Have a private open-ended conversation with God. (every day for at least a half hour, don't cheat yourself out of quality time with Abba!)
3. Judge other people favorably. (even when they are severely flawed, focus on their positive traits- they're in there somewhere!)

This is not a religious doctrine as much as it is the secret to heaven on earth.

a most important reminder

The Baal Shem Tov shares a scary idea with us: Sometimes God is doubly hidden, so much so that even though we think HaShem is close to us, we are really very far from Him.

At face value I wouldn't share this Torah because it's too painful to hear. But it is an extremely potent weapon against depression and the Yetzer Hara:

If we feel that we're very far from HaShem, immediately we need to tell ourselves that that is a tremendously comforting feeling -- it means God is only singly hidden. It's an irony of existence that when HaShem feels far we can bank on Him being closer to us than perhaps when we mistakenly feel He's close.

On the other hand, when we feel that He is close we can say, "What the heck, I feel like I'm close to HaShem, so I'll rejoice in that feeling, even if it is illusory. From that happiness maybe I'll come to true closeness!"

This is the path of Hassidut, to always move in a positive direction, to always arouse oneself to happiness. [Happiness is the root of all spiritual experience.]

thank you thank you i'm here all week

The key to living in Shabbat all week long: Say thank you. All the time. That's a lesson from Rebbe Nachman as brought down by Reb Natan as brought down by Rav Shalom Arush.

Mizmor shir l'yom haShabbat, tov l'hodot laHaShem.The opening phrase of the special chapter of Tehillim for Shabbat: a song for Shabbath, it is good to thank HaShem.

This is all seems rather arcane, just like all the rest of the teachings of Rebbe Nachman, but just like all the other teachings of Rebbe Nachman, it's really so simple.

Why is saying thank you the defining characteristic of Shabbat? From a purely Halachic sense, we can't ask for anything on Shabbat, it is forebidden -- the only kind of prayer available to us? Saying thanks!!

From a slightly more idyllic place: Shabbath is the day we sit back and let HaShem provide for us. Since He's providing for us, it's only appropriate that we say, "Thank you!"

you sent me to egypt to live

At the very end of Sefer Bereishith we learn the difference between Yosef HaTzaddik's approach to the world and everyone else's.

He explains to his brothers, "You intended me harm, but God intended good, He sent me to provide life to the whole land."

A slightly different more literal translation of Yosef's words is rendered: "You judged me for my evil qualities, and God judged me by my good qualities."

It was this judgement according to his potential for Good, this kindness from HaShem, through which the entire budding nation of Israel received their livelihood.

This reading also brings clarity to the teachings of the midrashim regarding the redemption from Egypt, especially the splitting of the sea.

We are taught that it was in Yosef's merit that the sea split. We say in Hallel every Rosh Hodesh, "the sea saw and retreated." The Rabbis teach, what did the seas see that made them retreat? They saw the bones of Yosef which the Israelites brought with them out of Egypt -- from where do we learn this out? The same word that means "retreated" (וינס) is the word that describes how Yosef fled from Potiphar's wife. So in Hallel the passuk has a double entendre: The sea saw Yosef (who fled) and retreated.

But why did the sea split for Yosef?

We learn that at the moment of the splitting of the sea, the heavenly angels petitioned God, "They (the Israelites) are idolators, and they (the Egyptians) are idolators? Why will you save one and kill off the other?" It was a serious dilemma, God is Just, where is the basis to justify this apparent discrimination?

From our new understanding of the end of sefer Bereishith, we can better understand the splitting of the sea:

Bnei Yisrael carried Yosef's coffin with them into the sea, saying "Judge us based on our potential for good, not based on our failings. That's the lesson we learned from Yosef. You sent us to Egypt to live and not to die."

treat yourself to an eternal vacation

The Baal Shem Tov teaches that guests bring with them the light of the world to come.

After thinking about it for some time, it seems to me that the plain meaning of the Baal Shem Tov is this:

In reality, we all exist as guests of HaShem. As taught elsewhere, the idea of midah k'neged midah and the idea that one isn't punished until one passes judgement on oneself (as taught by the Baal Shem Tov) come together here: When we are hosts we have a chance to demonstrate how it is we would like HaShem to act with us.

We can either have mercy on our guests and shower them with every kindness, or we can take advantage of them ruthlessly. (has v'shalom)

It seems that the plight of the guest is a truly unique one. While you are unable to provide for and help yourself, even your own feeling of imposition or of unworthiness to be served is a function of how your host behaves. The unworthy in this world are fed the bread of shame in the world to come. This means that while HaShem provides for their every need, they enjoy nothing, for they are ashamed they can't take care of themselves.

a berachah withheld

The Ben Ish Hai (Hilchot Tzitzith) explains that the principle of Safek Berachot L'Hakel (when in doubt, we don't say a berachah - lest we utter God's name needlessly.) is stronger even than the Shulchan Aruch's psak Halachah.

But get this: We don't use Safek Berachot L'Hakel against the teachings of the Arizal.

That's intense.

A cute parable regarding this principle: There's a question about the berachah we make on Rosh HaShanah, that HaShem forgives His people. How can we make a blessing as if God will certainly forgive us, even before we ask for forgiveness? Maybe we won't merit to be forgiven?

The answer lies in this story: a child really wanted an apple, but his father didn't want to give it to him, so the insistent child made a berachah on the apple, and his father was forced to give it to him. (otherwise it would have been a needless utterance of God's name) Similarly we make the blessing on Rosh HaShanah to (figuratively) force HaShem's Hand to forgive us.

ps. Someone please remind me of the source of this parable.

letting it all hang out

"Tzitzith are supposed to be warn over the clothes, plainly visible to all." While there are many who agree that while living amongst the gentiles, it is ok to wear the tzitzith garment under their clothes, those who tuck the tzitzit (the fringes) themselves into their pants are dishonoring one of God's mitzvot. If they had an article of clothing inscribed with the name of their king, you can be sure they would be wearing it proudly, adorning themselves in it as often as possible.
(paraphrased from: Mishnah Berurah 8:11[26])

This should speak to our generation, whose every possession is branded labeled and relabeled with so many slogans and logos.

The Hafetz Hayyim hints here to the fact that God's name is hinted at in the number of strings and knots in the Tzitzit. Why don't we wear God's name proudly and openly? Why do we hide it away while sporting endless articles of clothing emblazoned with Nike, Apple, Obama, Sports teams etc.?

I think what is beautiful is that there is a movement in our times to bring the emphasis back to Judaism, and to wear it proudly in so many ways. I don't always agree with the means or the message, but it's breathtaking to see a generation living the words of the Hafetz Hayyim, at least in spirit if not to the letter, even in the midst of so many other confusions.

What we can take from this is to strengthen ourselves both with pride in being Jewish, and with stronger dedication to perform and guard HaShem's mitzwoth -- the two go hand in hand. That's why the most widely accepted book of Jewish Law (The Shulchan Aruch) begins with the lesson that we must be mighty in God's service, we must have the courage to go against the grain, against the social pressures of wherever we may find ourselves.

May we merit to see Jews in increasing numbers flaunting their Tzitzith, enjoying their God-given duty to walk around wearing God's logo.

[note: this is not halachah for Sefardim who, based on Kabbalistic reasons, don't wear their tzitzith openly. Nor should anyone be basing their actions on any halachah mentioned here, they should have a Rav/Rabbi/Rebbe and be in touch with them. If for some reason, you cannot find or have not found a Rav/Rabbi/Rebbe, I will be happy to try to put you in touch with someone appropriate to your spiritual, intellectual, and geographical predicament.]

king david as a posek

David HaMelech was a posek. At least according to Masechet Brachot 3b. It's an interesting insight, I never thought of that before, never considered that angle. In fact, I was about to ask why was David HaMelech a posek, when the Tanya (Igeret HaKodesh ch.29) answered my question before I asked it:

In it, Rebbe Shneur Zalman explains that the Oral Torah, through revealing the Divine Will hidden in the Written Torah becomes a crown for the Torah.

To me this connects all of the dots: The Oral Torah and speech in general is related to the Sefirah of Malchut, Kingship. So, it follows perfectly that David HaMelech, the King of Israel would be responsible to reveal the Divine Will inherent in the keeping of the mitzwoth as recorded in the Written Torah, through paskening Halachah, Oral Torah.