raisinSoul

raisinSoul

because my soul is not a raisin 
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Rebbe Nachman

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Mar 22

Pesach questions

"Shema Hashem koli ekrah..." - "Hear O G-d to my voice when I call out..." (Tehillim, 27:7)

Rebbe Nachman taught that the first letters of these words spell out Kashya - question. Meaning, that every question calls out from our depths and builds a desire for an answer. So that whenever there is a question we are waiting for an answer from Hashem.

Once at the Pesach seder of Reb Levi Yitzchak, when they reached the Rebbe's turn to ask the Four Question, he was silent. After everyone was waiting and waiting, the Kedushas Levi called out, "Four questions? Only four questions? I have a million questions!"

Filed under  //  Kedushas Levi   Rebbe Nachman  

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Mar 15

the essence of renewal

All a person has in this world is the very day and very hour he finds himself in. Tomorrow is a completely different world.

Rebbe Nachman, Likutey Moharan (I:272)

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Feb 24

the redemption begins with Purim

It used to be that the beginnings (in avodas Hashem) were from Pesach, but now all beginnings are from Purim.

Rebbe Nachman Likutei Mohoran, 2:74 Likutei Halachos, Birchas Hareiach 4:25

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Feb 17

what goes down must go up

The chassidim are very mistaken when they think, at times, that they have suddenly fallen in their avodas Hashem. This is not really a fall at all. It is precisely because they are asscending from level to level that all the old obstacles - the desires, confusion, fantasies, doubts and impediments - reawaken and attack again. A person must constantly work to subdue the barriers on every level. The truth is, this is not a fall at all.

Rebbe Nachman, Likutey Moharan 1:25

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Feb 10

the power of music

The Power Of Music And The Damage Of Impure Music by Rav Moshe Weinberger  
(download)

 

This is a talk that Rav Moshe Weinberger gave on the third lesson of Rebbe Nachman in Likutei Mohoran. Its about the power of music. Rebbe Nachman has a very stringent position regarding listening to music: listen only to music created by a holy source because the danger of impure music is that it prevents and obstructs the ability to connect to spirituality.

I can't do this justice in a few lines but simply put, Rebbe Nachman talks about the two birds that are brought as an offering for tzora'as.The birds are a manifestation of binah, the ability to contemplate, and malchus, the ability to speak. The potential to communicate and express the depths of something that is understood, and thereby influence others, is the combination of binah and malchus. Rebbe Nachman teaches that the power of song actually comes from the birds since they have the power of perfected "speech" (perfected binah and malchus). Following the general rule that for every type of energy that exists on the side of holiness there exists the opposite on the side of unholiness, there exists holy music and unholy music, it all depends on the singer.

This lesson of Rebbe Nachman's is certainly a challenging one and I think it's important to listen to. I am not posting this shiur to convince anyone to stop listening to their favorite music, rather, I think that it's important to live with the dissonance of our choices. So even if you don't live by the teaching, know that it exists.

In defense of my listening habits, I heard in the name of Rav Koenig from Tzfat, that modern music is the aspect of the red heifer.  It will make holy the one who is impure and it will defile the one who is holy. I did hear directly from the Biala Rebbe that listening to non-jewish music is acceptable with a warning to be careful about offensive language. (I specifically asked about classical music, which he had never heard, but i did hear from others that he has said the same thing about modern music. Don't take this as psak halachah, ask him yourself - or another competent authority).

So if your music inspires, listen and channel the inspiration to the service of Hashem.  Bottom line is: respect your level.

Rav Weinberger ended the shiur with a story. Once the Baal HaTanya went to Minsk, a place where most people were opposed to Chassidus. Despite the opposition, he was respected because he was an accomplished scholar. The entire town made a reception for him and they brought him to the biggest shul and sat him on a big chair at the head of a table with the greatest scholars of Minsk. The Baal HaTanya looked at them and, despite the respect that some had for him, he saw that they really wanted to disgrace him with questions that they thought that he could not answer. He said to them, "Gentlemen, before you ask any questions, lets sing a song together." He began a melody which they sang and sang; when they finally finished, their "questions" had disappeared.

via youtube.com
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Feb 9

the fine wine of Moshiach

via youtube.com

This is a sweet song by Yisrael Dagan. The words are from a Rebbi Nachman story (Chayei Moharan 260) about an excellent Hungarian wine. Once you have had the best, an inferior product is easy to discern. The same will be true about the Torah of Moshiach.

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Jan 18

awaken the child within

The entire world tells stories to put children to sleep but Jews tell stories to wake children up.

Rebbe Nachman (said something like this)

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Jan 6

our weapon vs. theirs

via popularmechanics.com

Rebbe Nachman teaches that the main "weapon" of Mashioch is prayer. This new wonder weapon of the U.S. Army does look awesome but if you have ever seen Tzvi Meir (or the likes) davening then you know that there is no comparison to be made.

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Jan 5

flying high again

via danweinsteinsart.com
Just as you see me, I mean to say, that you regard me as a complete tzaddik, even so, if Heaven forbid I were to commit the greatest sin in the world, even so, I would not let the sin thrown me down, I would just continue to be a kosher person after the sin as before the sin, only afterwords, I would do teshuva!

Rebbe Nachman (Chayei Moharan, 440)

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