Weekday Shiur on
Likutei Moharan -
presented by
Reb Yedidyah Blanton
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Our own Reb Yedidyah Blanton teaches lessons from Likutei Moharan,
the teachings of
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
Every Sunday night
8:00pm - 9:30pm
at Reb Shalom Yakov /
Jeff Mann's home:
1037 South Sherbourne Dr.
LA 90035
(between Olympic & Whitworth)
(There's no charge for this class!)
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Awesome Phone Shiur
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Listen to the deepest Torahs and stories from the teachings of Reb Shlomo Carlebach and the Izshbitzer, from the book "Lev HaShamayim" - given over by Rabbi Nossen and Rebbetzin Channah Schafer in Boston
Live: Sunday Night
9 pm - 10:00 pm EST
Call (641) 715-3300
Conf code: 818022#.
Recorded: Listen anytime! Each class is recorded and available until the next shiur, which will replace it.
Playback Number: (641) 715-3412
Access Code: 818022#
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New Album Released by R' Shlomo Katz
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Happy Minyan Newsletter - Kol Sasson
Parshas Bo |
January 2010 |
Greetings!
Here are some deep words on Shevat from Reb Shlomo:
 Shevat: Getting the Vessels to Receive the Redemption
By Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach on January 27th, 1993
Reb Leible Eiger says it takes 45 days for a seed to sink in and become rooted into the earth.
So there are 45 days from Rosh Chodesh Shevat until Purim. That's Beis Shammai. And 45 days from Tu B'Shvat until Nisan. That's Beis Hillel.
Timing is everything...
What is exile? Lack of growth.
So the growth is the beginning of Redemption.
Beis Hillel is Nisan. Pesach.
Beis Shammai is Purim.
The Gemara teaches that in Olam Hazeh, halacha is k'Beis Hillel. Beis Shammai is for the times of Moshiach.
The Exodus from Egypt, that is of this world.
Purim we wipe out Amalek, we wipe out evil from the world.
That is Moshiach.
What is the difference between a tree and a vegetable? A tree is perennial. The vegetable is new every year. On Tu B'Shvat, the tree is at the point of death. On the outside, dead completely.
Unless you are receiving newness, you are completely dead.
I was once invited to a function for Yom HaAtzmaut.
This important rich man spoke, he said, "I am here today with you as a proud American".
Completely dead.
Not here as a Jew.
Gevalt.
Now listen to this - The Redemption is all about timing.
Once I went to a Reiki healer. Stupid, I put on Shabbos clothes by mistake, I get there and I have no money. She gives me her card, nebech I lost it, even forgot her name. I promised to pay her for the treatment, but now how could I? Very spiritual lady, but not Jewish. What a Chilul HaShem (desecration of HaShem's Name)! Three years later, I'm at Famous (deli restaurant on 72nd street) for breakfast, and who do I see outside the restaurant? The Reiki healer! And what does she tell me? Oy vey! Last night I was robbed and all my money was taken. So I've been walking up and down 72nd street all morning looking for someone from whom I can borrow some money. This is Tu B'Shvat. When you think you're at the end, it happens.
The Zohar teaches us, "Vachamushim alu Bnei Yisrael m'eretz mitzrayim." The literal translation of "chamushim" is with weapons. But what it really means is that we are at the final gate, the fiftieth (chamishim) gate of impurity, the gate from which there is no return, G-d forbid, and at that very split second, we get out of Egypt and the sea splits open.
Until the sea split, we thought the redemption was for only three days. Now we know the redemption is forever.
The first two Holy Temples were but for a while.
The Third Temple is forever.
The first two Holy Temples were built by the Kings of Israel.
The Third Holy Temple is built by HaShem Himself.
Haman's tree stands fifty feet high. What is Amalek? He tells you he is the fiftieth gate of holiness. But really he is the fiftieth gate of unholiness. So he is hanged from the tree that he built himself.
So on Tu B'Shvat, I am mamash at the end.
So Reb Leible Eiger tells us, we get back our soul, new energy, the strength not to give up.
"Az yimale s'chok pinu". - When Moshiach comes then our mouths will be full with laughter... All the great leaders of the Jewish people will be sitting in a gala reception hall when moshiach is here. The most important leaders of the Jewish Establishment will have seats on the dais right next to the Moshiach himself. And there will be a benefit journal, and all the great Jewish leaders will have pages and pages giving koved, honor, to each other. And all the great leaders will wait for Moshiach to honor the greatest of them for having helped bring about his coming and the final redemption, and then... Moshiach will get up and say, "Moishele the water-carrier, standing all the way in the back of the hall - you brought me here!" And everyone will laugh. That's a P'sishche Torah.
The mazel, astrological sign, of Shevat is Aquarius, the water drawer. In Hebrew, the word is "dli". Rivka drew water for Eliezer. Yaakov drew water for Rachel. Moshe Rabbeinu drew water for Tzipporah. This all happened on Tu B'Shvat.
Moshe gave over the Torah of Devarim (Deuteronomy) which is called B'eir haTorah - Wellspring of Torah, Torah She B'al Peh, in Shevat.
Like the seed, you have to descend into such depth, such darkness to grow again.
If you didn't get the redemption at the very second you reached the deepest depths, then you aren't yet open for it.
In Shevat we get the vessels to receive it.
New York, Shevat 5753.
Wishing You a Chodesh Shevat Tov and Good Shabbos!
Rachel |
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Happy Minyan News & Upcoming Events
*Annual Sisterhood sponsored Shabbos Shira Kiddush Lunch: Shabbos Shira (and Tu B'Shevat) are next week!We still need your support to make this really special. Any and all contributions are welcome and will help. We need to raise a total of $1,200 to pay for the Kiddush - and 3/4 has been raised already, B"H.
If you have already sent in a contribution (like from Simchat Torah when kiddushes are auctioned off), please let Rachel know about it so we know exactly how much we already have collected and therefore how much we have left to raise.
If you would like to contribute - please do so. Simply mail in a check to the Happy Minyan or pay online via Paypal - the mailing address and Paypal link are both easily accessed at happyminyan.org If you are going to make a contribution, as stated above, please let Rachel know about that, too.
*Vino, Gvina and Bina / Cirque-in-the-'hood
Happy Minyan Sisterhood 2nd Annual Fundraiser - 2/20/10
Note the change of date:
*Become a Member of the Happy Minyan!:
It's not too late to pay
for Happy Minyan Membership!
(In fact, it's NEVER too late to make a contribution and support our minyan! Be sure to pay for membership if you haven't yet! And please also be sure to send in your pledges from Yom Kippur and Simchas Torah. You can also make arrangements to pay in installments if that will help you give back to the minyan that is so happy to give to you!)
 To pay via Paypal, click here:
Or mail your checks to:
P.O. Box 16002, Beverly Hills, CA 9020 |
Bo - 5770
- Rav Sholom Brodt, Rosh Yeshiva of Simchas Shlomo
Our Oppressors - Our Friends?
11:1 Hashem said to Moshe, "There is one more plague that I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. After that he will send you away from here. When he sends you away, he will actually drive you out from here completely.
11:2: Speak, please, in the ears of the people, and let each man request [borrow] from his friend, and each woman from her friend, articles of silver and articles of gold." 11:3: Hashem gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. Moshe too was very great in the land of Egypt, [both] in the eyes of Pharaoh's servants and in the eyes of the people.
Rashi explains that Hashem commanded Moshe to tell us to request articles of silver and gold before leaving Mitzrayim in order to fulfill His promise to Avraham that : 'And afterwards they will leave with great wealth.'
What is particularly striking here is the change in the words referring to the Egyptians: At the 'burning bush' Hashem said to Moshe: Every woman shall borrow from her neighbor, (3:21) and now Hashem says 'each man shall request from his friend, and each woman from her friend' - since when were the Egyptians our friends?
The 'Sechel Bracha' explains that after the ten plagues many Egyptians regretted their evil behavior and started to treat us friends and thus they gladly gave us their precious objects.
Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch in his beautiful commentary on the Torah develops this further. He explains that after the plague of Darkness the Egyptians realized that the Jewish people possessed high moral standards. The Torah tells us that while the Egyptians were stuck and even paralyzed in darkness "all the B'nei Yisrael had light in their dwellings" (10:23); the Jews moved about freely in light. And so after the darkness was over the Egyptians were quite astonished to discover that nothing of their possessions was missing. Though we suffered poverty and horrible slavery for many generations and though we knew of Hashem's promise to Avraham Avinu that we would leave Mitzrayim with great wealth, we realized that Hashem desired that our prosperity "be acquired and consecrated through the recognition of their moral greatness by those who had hitherto despised and looked down upon them." And so we resisted all temptation to help ourselves to the gold and silver that the Egyptians had acquired on the backs of our slavery.
Realizing this high level of moral behavior moved the Egyptians "to make some slight atonement for their past behavior" and now they acted as our friends. This moral behavior of ours as well as the Egyptians' tshuvah response, though only short lived, was the moral "great wealth" that we acquired in Egypt.
In Pirkei Avot chapter 4:1, the Mishna teaches: Ben Zoma says: Who is strong? One who conquers his evil inclination, as it is stated: "He who is slow to anger is better than the strong man, and he who masters his passions is better than one who conquers a city." (Proverbs 16:32)
Material wealth alone cannot make up for one's suffering- you may call it wealth, but you cannot call it "great wealth". But when one rises to a higher level of morality and consciousness as a result of the suffering they experienced, that deserves to be called "great wealth".
In Chassidut we learn that gold and silver represent fear and love of Hashem. Fear and love are the two primary motivators of all behavior. Our exile is meant to teach us to elevate our fear and love of the mundane into the service of Hashem. May we be blessed to see the end of our bitter and lengthy exile. May we participate in our ultimate redemption with the coming of Moshiach and the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash quickly in our days. Amen.
Have a wonderful Shabbos b'ahavah ubivracha
Sholom |
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"Tikkun Rachel" - Divrei Torah by Rachel Espana
Time for Freedom in Bo
Think for a minute, if you don't already know the answer, what do you imagine G-d would first command the Jewish People? What do you think the first mitzvah would be that He would ask us all to take on? Shabbat? Kosher? Torah study? It was none of these, actually.
The first commandment that the entire People (the Children of Israel) received is related in this week's parsha, Bo. That mitzvah is Rosh Chodesh, the setting and declaring of the months of the Jewish Calendar.
The Children of Israel were preparing to leave Egypt and the time of that momentous event was set to be on the 15th of Nisan. However, there was no Nisan for them yet. Slaves don't have calendars. Slaves have no time of their own. So before they could prepare to leave at the proper time, and indeed before they could leave at the appointed time itself, they needed to know when that time would be. They needed a calendar.
What an incredible commandment to give us. With this mitzvah, we went from being slaves and having no time of our own, beholden to our taskmasters, to the exact opposite. When we declare the new month, we set the schedule, we say what the day is. It is now entirely up to us when we celebrate, when we leave that which constrains us, when we walk into freedom.
May this new month of Shevat, in which we celebrate the New Year of the Trees, be a month of growth and reaping the fruits of our labor. May we be blessed to connect to all our new months with a new perspective - Rosh Chodesh is almost the exact same words as "Rosh Chadash", which means a new mind, and new way of thinking. May the great exodus be soon, where we leave all kinds of slavery behind and come fully into freedom.
Shababt Shalom,
Rachel |
 David Sacks
teaches every Shabbos morning
at 8:30am at the Happy Minyan,
and every Sunday morning
at 10:30 am at Cong. Mogen David,
9717 W. Pico Blvd.
You can also listen to David Sacks online anytime by down- loading his Torah on iTunes, or you can read some of his best articles - check out his fantastic site Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.
Portals To Other Dimensions
Dear Friends,
Our Holy tradition teaches that Hashem created the world with the letters of the aleph-bais. With this in mind, our Sages teach in the Talmud (Shabbos 104) that there is a system called A"t B"ash where we reimagine words by exchanging the last letter of the alphabet for the first letter, the second to last letter of the alphabet for the second letter and so on. More than just "playing games" to derive new spellings, the Sages are offering us a new portal into accessing the infinity of the Torah. In this talk we deeply explore the geometry of this world and the next, and the opportunities available to us only in the here and now.
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About Happy Minyan - Los Angeles
Please join us for davening every Shabbat!
Friday night: Mincha begins around 10 minutes after candle-lighting time, followed by Kabballat Shabbat and Maariv.
Saturday morning: David Sacks' class begins at 8:30am, followed by Shacharit at 9am, then Torah reading and Musaf. There is a Kiddush after davening at around 12pm.
Saturday afternoon:
Mincha and Seudah Shlishit are usually around 20 minutes before candle-lighting time and followed by Maariv and Havdallah at the conclusion of
Shabbat.
We also meet for davening on all major Jewish holidays.
The Happy Minyan is located at
the Karate Academy
9218 West Pico Blvd (at Glenville)
Los Angeles, California90035
Good Shabbos! Good Shabbos!
The Happy Minyan
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