Chanukah Miracles

so whats the miracle of chanukah all about? the jews saw that the greek culture was overtaking the jewish people, so a few brave men who were led by an old brave and wise leader took on the fight with the world's superpower! and what happened? G-d showed the world that when you act like he wants you to act even when it goes above human reason then G-d responds in turn. and the jews won and got the temple back and the land and lit the chanukah menorah, and that's when the main miracle occurred, oil that was according to the laws of nature as described by physics and chemistry was only supposed to be lit for one day maybe a day and a few hours actually burned for a full eight days! showing the world that G-d made the laws of nature and He himself is not at all bound by them.

And what would be the miracle in our times, when each person decides to change his or her own life and do an extra good deed, or a commandment from G-d, showing that the world is a G-dly place and is ready for the coming of Moshiach!

chanukah menora

Happy seventh night of Chanukah!!!

whats all the noise about

Oy  i am tired, why is the shamash candle higher then all the other candles? because the person who helps to light up the soul of another person gets elevated even higher then the one whom he helped.

Moshiach Now!!!

5th night of Chanukah!!!

Rambam's Sea

In the last law of the Mishne Torah the Rambam writes that in the time of Moshiach the world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the sea beds.  The analogy is teaching us that the sea, which is full of all kinds of creatures and hidden things, is completely immersed and unnoticeable under the waters. The same way soon when Moshiach comes, the whole world and everything in it will exist, but it will be unnoticeable compared to the knowledge of G-d which we will all posses.

After this we go back to the beginning of the Mishne Torah and read the first halachah which stated: the the beginning of all beginnings and the cause of all causes is G-d, so our knowledge is heightened and we realize that there is nothing besides G-d.

real fake world

The stock market is a real fake thing. It is so volatile now that no one knows what will be with it soon. All goes to show that G-d is in charge and all the fake number crunching of the last couple of decades was in fact greedy and false. Now what? who the heck knows. Just days now before Moshiach comes.

the lubavitcher rebbe's letter on intermarriage and assimilation (one of many)

The threat facing Jewry today is that of assimilation. The Rebbe explains the urgency of the situation and outlines the Chabad approach to stilling the problem through Ahavas Yisroel.

5724 (1964)

New York, N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

I am in receipt of your letter, and of the preceding one. For certain reasons, I am replying in English, though your letters were written in Hebrew.

With your indulgence I must begin with some prefatory remarks which may partly be repetitious, as I believe I touched on the subject during our meeting. However, there are words which must be said even at the risk of repetition, rather than be left unsaid altogether.

I am referring to the concluding lines of your letter, where you speak of philosophy, psychology and various attitudes in general.

Parenthetically speaking, many aspects of your points of interest have been dealt with in books, not only in Hebrew but also in English. About these books you probably know or can find out. There are also similar sources which deal with Chasidus in general and Chabad in particular. However, this is mentioned only by the way.

The essential purpose of my writing is an attempt to clear up what is to me a puzzling thing: It is many months since we had our personal encounter, yet it seems that the discussion we had at that time, and my subsequent effort to help you find yourself, so to speak, have been fruitless so far. However, inasmuch as the reasons which impelled me to take up our discussion in the first place are still there, and perhaps have even grown stronger than before, I must restate my views even at the risk of some repetition.

1) There may be valid differences of opinion among men as to what activity or interest in the daily life should have priority over others. But this may be justified only in normal circumstances. When an a emergency arises, however, all theoretical differences must be put aside in order to deal with the emergency. To illustrate my point: It is one thing to debate what type of house - if it caught fire - is worth saving, or by what method, and by whom. It is quite another thing when one is actually facing a burning house with people trapped therein, old ones, younger ones, and children. At such a time there can be no difference of opinion as to the imperative need to fight the blaze and save the trapped ones. This is the duty of everyone who is nearby, even if he is not a trained firefighter, and even if those trapped inside the burning house are strangers. The obligation is immeasurably greater, of course, if those inside are one's own relatives, and especially if one has had experience and has been successful in fire-extinguishing activity.

2) Where a doubt exists as to what is good for an individual, or a group, or a nation, it is sometimes quite illuminating to consider what the enemy desires; especially if the enemy has shown persistent effort to attain his end. For then it would be clear that the opposite of what the enemy desires is good for that individual, group or nation.  

In our generation, we have seen with our own eyes what the arch-enemy of our people - Hitler and his followers - desired, plotted and unfortunately succeeded to a considerable degree, in regard to our people. He made no secret of his fiendish plan. His avowed intention was to exterminate the Jewish people and, above all, to eradicate the Jewish spirit. Therefore, his first victims were the Jewish books and synagogues, spiritual leaders and Rabbis.

There are several methods whereby our enemies hope to attain our annihilation, G-d forbid. To Hitler's twisted mind the obvious method was to simply send Jewish men, woman and children to the gas chambers and crematoria. But the method of spiritual cremation involving not the Jewish body, but the Jewish soul - through assimilation, intermarriage, etc, - is just as devastating.

The crematoria where Jewish bodies were incinerated, are a thing of the unforgettable horrible past. Thanks to the grace of the Almighty, these butchers were stopped before their work of destruction reached its goal. But the spiritual  crematoria, where Jewish souls are being consumed, are to our great distress still ablaze, and more fiercely than ever. The House of Israel is on fire (may G-d have mercy), and the young generation, as things now stand, is largely trapped. You are surely not unaware of the "dry" statistics of intermarriage and assimilation in this country, and the situation is similar in other countries. The subject is too painful to contemplate, and much more so to write about at length.

In a sense, the danger of "spiritual crematoria" is graver than that of physical genocide; for the heinousness of the latter can be understood without too much philosophical inquiry, while for the spiritual extermination there are certain groups which do not recognize this as a calamity, and some groups even champion it in the name of "freedom," "equality," integration," and other misconceived "ideals".

In light of the above preface, let us - you and I - consider our position. Surely, in the face of the situation as it now exists and is deteriorating, all debates and philosophical speculation must be set aside. The existing emergency demands immediate action to save Jewish souls, of the old, middle-aged and the young. This is the primary obligation of each and every one of us who desires to counteract the Hitler objective. This obligation is particularly imperative in regard to one's immediate environment where one has been raised, and to whom one owes a debt of gratitude, for many benefits. More compelling still is this duty to one who has tried his ability in the field of education and has met with success. So obvious should this be to the thinking and conscientious person, that it is puzzling if such a person fails to see it. I can only explain it as follows:

If the Yetzer Hara (our internal enemy) should come to a thinking person and tell him, "Forget about those spiritual crematoria; instead, go out and have a good time, give yourself up to the pleasures of the flesh!" - this line would not work, of course. But the Yetzer Hara has a better tactic, which is more "discreet" and "diplomatic." It follows in the opposite direction, something like this: "for a person like you, mundane pleasures are too trivial. You should think in terms of universal ideas, ideas which embrace the whole of mankind, based in the most profound philosophies, etc. Here you will find fulfillment of your soul's mission, for in saving the whole world you will save its part also," and so on, and so on. Unfortunately, this deception often succeeds with many a well meaning individual, and induces him to concentrate his attention on some utopian ideas, to the neglect of the immediate environment.

All that has been said above - in the hope of your kind indulgence - is, of course, not intended, G-d forbid, as a rebuke or argument for the sake of arguing. I simply want to understand how it is possible for a young man, who contemplates what is happening around him, to fall into such a misconception. Surely the daily newspapers cannot delude one into thinking that all is well and normal. The reports on juvenile delinquency and crime; the promiscuity among college students; the rising tide of intermarriage and assimilation, etc., surely must be a constant challenge to the decent and right-thinking young man, and should "sting" him into doing something practical, rather than engaging in some abstract topics, or in some research which, as all will agree, could at any rate wait for a while; whereas, the boy or girl in college cannot be left to wait, and unless helped and guided immediately, might soon be swept and irretrievably lost, G-d forbid, by the tide of intermarriage and assimilation.

3) Chabad exemplifies the right approach, and this will answer one of your questions, namely, what does Chabad aim at?

One of the basic tents of Chabad is that of Ahavat Hashem, namely unity with G-d, who is not only the Creator of mankind, but also the Creator of the universe, is synonymous with Ahavas Yisroel. And Ahavas Yisroel is not necessarily expressed in an attempt to save the whole Jewish people, but in helping even a single individual. Remember: "He who saves even one soul, is deemed to have saved the whole world." our Sages declared. Indeed, the founder of Chabad himself showed an example of it: When a poor woman gave birth at the far end of town, R. Shneur Zalman, we are told, took off his Talit and Tefillin, and went to her dingy hut to light the fire, and prepare some food for her. The Alter Rebbe saw no contradiction in interrupting his prayer to G-d (and be it remembered that the prayer even of an ordinary Jew, if it is sincere and wholehearted, achieves unity with the Creator of All) in order to help a woman in need; on the contrary, such help is the best expression of being attached to G-d. How can you - and I say this with all due respect to you - sit by idly in this city, surrounded by thousands upon thousands  of fellow Jews who are starving for guidance and direction towards the right path in life, the way of the Torah, Torat Chayim? Can you turn a deaf ear towards the cries of the Jewish children who, if denied immediate help, may be consigned to a spiritual crematorium, G-d forbid? Surely you should wish to dedicate all you energies and capacities to this life-saving work.

It is my prayerful hope that from now on, at least, you will open your eyes and heart to what I have said and written to you; that you will, without further procrastination, fully utilize the gifts and capacities which Divine Providence has bestowed upon you in helping to guide Jewish children and adolescents towards the path of Torah and Mitzvot, to help save them from the clutches of complete assimilation.

Moreover, as explained in Chabad in which, I am glad to see, you are interested, this sacred work will give you new insights into Ahavat Hashem and all that goes with it, and will help clear up many of the problems, enigmas, and conflicts which disturb your peace of mind at present.

I hope and pray that my words, coming form the heart, will find the proper response in your heart.

With blessing.

(Signature of the Rebbe)

something new

economic collapse

i have been thinking how can this "economic colapse" the media likes to talk about can possibly be a good thing for me,  my family or friends or the world in large? and esp. that after the full appearance of Moshiach such concepts as economic collapse will become obsolete. so i have come up with the answer. in a world which is perfect the concept of money has to have its proper place and standing, meaning that money is not the meaning of our lives. we use money to purchase what we need and want, but when we make our wants the most important and money making becomes the life pursuit, and takes precedence over family, morality, G-d, etc. then we have a world which does not see the truth, yet. so since the world is ready for moshiach the whole concept of living for money is collapsing in front of our eyes. sorry if you thought you're gonna make it big soon, G-d is breaking the false desire for money right in front of our eyes. Not one person should be poor G-d forbid, we should all have what we need and and even a lot of what we want, just the nastiness which sometimes comes with money hunger should be eleviated.

ksiva vhasima tova 

we should all have a great and sweet, sweet year

yechi HaMelech HaMoshiach

meaning of life

the question as to what the meaning of life is, is simply a stupid question. serve G-d, do mitzvas, learn Torah, be good to people. who needs a meaning.

just do it.

A Poem

a poem by my good friend Gregory currently residing in the beautiful state of Colorado...

This was somewhat inspired by a certain Chabadnik we both know. It says in the Talmud somewhere that a man should find a Rav and learn from him. Shabbat Shalom.

Gershon

Gregory
06/07/08, 2:45 AM
One Man's Happiness

He's coming home, the work is done for now
An average little house whose worth cannot be measured
Because there's more to life than wealth
No car, no big TV can equal happiness
True happiness is found in family

The door swings open and he sees her there
A wife whose smile is warmer than the sun
Whose love is without limits
Remember that she works as hard as you
And do not ever take this love for granted

He sees his child crawling on the floor
A little girl too young to stand alone
Her babble rarely forms a sentence
But her laughter fills the house
She hears a melody and falls asleep
Just like an angel ...

I pray to God that I can be this man
That there will come a day my searching will be over
That I survive these trying times and find a better world
Where honor and hard work are worth a damn
And men will prove that they are men by not running away
That I willl care about much more than just myself
That I will find a love that is worth keeping.

check Gershon out at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~gurman
http://www.myspace.com/gregoryurman
http://www.youtube.com/gregoryurman

cool new picture

living in a real fake world

the world we live in is real. but its really fake. the people act fake. they say things they dont mean. and what they mean they dont say. truth is gone from the world. i learned the other day. the sages say that in the end of days there will be no truth in the world. why dont they just say the world will be false or that there will be falsity. because in order to have a lie you first need the concept of truth, and then a sober mind and heart can declare this is true and this is false. but not in our world we live in we dont have the concept of truth so therefore there is no concept of lies either, its simply a world where the truth is gone.
i go up to a guy and say lets do it lets put on teffilin and moshiach will come. he says no, its good for you, but for me i dont want. thats the world i do what i want and you do what you want. and no body tell any body else whats right and whats wrong.
people are so lost. terrorists are rewarded and the victim is the perpetrator. its Americas fault that the taliban flies planes into civilian buildings, and the jews fault that arab terrorists shoot missiles at civilians. and at the end of the day, as long as there is money in our bank account we really don't care who did what, to whom and for what reason.
we're living in a real fake world.
time for the youth to arise and do the right thing. the real right thing. the seven noahide laws.

1. BELIEF IN G-D
Do not worship Idols

2. RESPECT G-D AND PRAISE HIM
Do Not Blaspheme His Name

3. RESPECT HUMAN LIFE
Do Not Murder

4. RESPECT THE FAMILY
Do Not Commit Immoral Sexual Acts

5. RESPECT FOR OTHERS’ RIGHTS AND PROPERTY
Do Not Steal

6. CREATION OF A JUDICIAL SYSTEM
Pursue Justice

7. RESPECT ALL CREATURES
Do not be cruel to animals.

drawing

moshiach, world events, trying to write more clearly

its so hard to write new posts for some reason, it takes actual brain stimulation of the sort required when they made you write essays back in high school or college for that matter. but here its a bit different because i feel like i actually want to write, but to find the right words is not an easy thing, because after all someone is actually going to read it, possibly at least.

so the Rebbe, he should be well, gave a prophecy in 1991 that "Behold, here he comes the Moshiach". I could not understand what kind of prophesy is this that here comes Moshiach! Lately I think have a bit of an understanding to the issue. all the events that happened since then and especially now, (since we are standing closer to the final and complete redemption), can be understood particularly well if we see them as events that bring closer the era of moshiach. Or at least as events that are being packed in right before Moshiachs coming. Here comes king moshiach means that first of all he is coming very soon, meaning it is relevant to those who are hearing the message, also it means we have to get ready and we should see that the world is now a world which is changing for the sake of moshiachs coming.

when i was in college i used to read world events and i thought to my self how is it at all possible to have an understand of where the world is going. every week seems like a whole new world already. the only way to see clearly the reality of the situation is w/the knowledge that G-d is changing around world all for the sake of the Jewish people and righteous gentiles that the world be fitting so we go out to greet moshiach. May it happen today.

what this means practically would take a long time to explain and talk about but, in a nut shell we all have to get closer to G-d and truth and goodness and kindness by learning Torah, halacha, nigla and especially chassidus from the Rebbe, because he is the one who pushed and is pushing the whole world and will soon lead us out to the true and complete redemption.

Yechi Hamelech HaMoshiach!!! Leolam Voed.

hitchhikers guide to the galaxy

know the book? maybe saw the movie (not worth it). anyhow the author gives the answer to the meaning of life to be 42! now see why its not just a stupid answer but has a lot of depth to it.

http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/402982/jewish/How-Many-Roads-Must-A-Man-Stumble-Down.htm

leave a response

how come nobody leaves comments? i know you're out there! leave a comment!

all those who desire life

the torah mandates that we should have six cities of refuges built where all those who are in danger of their lives can run and have refuge. these days we do not have the physical cities, but we have their conceptual counterparts. the six cities where one can have peace are the six things that we are obligated to do all moments of our lives. for example believing in G-d, loving G-d, Fearing G-d, denouncing idolatry, .. when a person enters into a state of mind and body of being connected to G-d, Torah, and truth he enters into a place of refuge. He escapes the deathly dangers that his soul faces every day in the not yet perfected physical world.
these cities were labeled very clearly and there were sign posts along the way which pointed to the cities. This Way To be Saved!

from the teachings of the Rebbe.
yechi adonenu marenu v'rabenu melech hamoshiach leolam voed.

picture

yechi, yechi, yechi, yechi,

Happiness

An amazing letter from Rabbi Vidal Bekerman:
Happiness doesn’t come naturally, and it certainly is no quick fix. It is something that requires constant vigilance and effort on the part of a human being. In fact, I would venture to go so far as to say that the “natural” state of man is to feel heavy, weighed down by all types of concerns. The key is not to dwell on the negative. We all have problems and we all carry our own load. It is no challenge to point out all that is difficult in life. What we were created for is to overcome our obstacles and transform them into opportunities to grow and learn from. As a wise friend told me once – its no kuntz to find the schmutz – the key is to find the gold and the sparkle in everything. Every experience and every event we encounter is an opportunity for us to see the positive and extract it from the experience. We thus reveal that everything is ultimately for the good. In other words, the key to being is happy is to put on a special pair of “happy” glasses which sees the half cup full, not empty.

Retro Pictures

Yechi Adonenu Morenu V'rabenu Melech HaMoshiach Leolam Voed!

on the verge of a real utopia

what's a fairly young jew supposed to do in the world? we have tried everything and nothing really satisfies us.

communism failed. art failed. so-called 'freedom' makes us feel as slaves to public opinion. partying makes us feel like were are not humans for the time being. making money has to reason onto itself (as a means to an end), it certainly brings no inner peace, just the contrary. consumerism/wealth/rock-star fun can go for a few years, but then breaks your body or kills your soul. (either overdose and die, or get away from it all - with all the inner trauma and unrest remaining). war is bad, but to have peace we have to be willing to fight for it, if we really mean it of course.

so what's a young jew to do? or for that matter what's anyone to do? if there is nothing to live for, to stand for, to fight for then all the other options sound better than nothing.

well there still remains inside us a pure place which thirsts and believes that thing can and will be perfect. the nations will be at peace and not learn war. that all people will have what to eat and drink. that competition and envy among people will end.
and that's only the beginning, because truly we want a world where our soul can shine and feel at home and at peace. where every single day one can feel better and be a better human being. a world where we know and thirst for the very hidden truths of the whole creation.
the jewish people never gave up on believing in such a utopia. in fact, we as a jews believe in the same utopia that the first jew, Abraham, believed in four thousand years ago! we build it by believing in the Almighty G-d and by doing good deeds. many, many good deeds. and of course learning the Torah a few minutes here and there.

the meaning of life

i used to search online for entries with the keyword meaning of life and was always very frustrated that nobody knew what the answer is , so naturally i wanted to figure it out for myself and with the help of of heaven, I've pretty much figured it out.
drum roll ................. the meaning of life is.......
to make a dwelling place for the infinite God down here in our finite world. not only in the general world but as well as in our personal worlds our finite minds, and hearts. thereby reveling the Godliness within the mundane world. that's the meaning to all of life ! given to us by the creator of the world, God Almighty. He desired to create a world for reasons known only to him, and he gave the human being the job to show, reveal, uncover and to find God hiding so it were within creation. the more we reveal Him in the world and in our lives the closer we come to fulfilling our personal life purpose and goal. and that ladies and gentlemen is the meaning to Life! there is by the way a practical how to guide but perhaps more about that later in general we just have to do what God wants from us as enumerated in Gods lesson book to human kind the Holy Torah.

what a world

since moshiach is about to come this is the reason there is so much garbage in the world, the highest revelations moshiach times are being pinned against the lowest of the low. this is how the world works, and what we choose to sponsor is our personal choice.! the world has certain things which are neither high nor low intrinsically speaking i guess. these things like music for example have sparks of holiness in it, we just need to find them and bring them out. its hard to stay away from things which are totally prohibited because we perceive that there are really high sparks of holiness there. but it is a terrible trap. unholy things are totally destructive and we cannot, we dont have the strength to make anything out of them which is productive, for a example a rave where there are men and women dancing together, drugs etc. is completely impossible to make holy. but we have such a strong urge to go. maybe we perceive it as an opportunity to bring unity amongst diff. people and races. or what ever. we could just be attracted because of the good time. which of course turns out to be not such a good time if thought about soberly. its a hard time to live in like i said the highest of the high. like my blog is pinned against the lowest of the low like for example many of the headlines in the Internet news!

hey whats up man

a hard thing about being religious is simply that i cannot do what i want. i cant look at anything i want i cant read anything i want i cant listen to anything i want. i have guidelines. things which are prohibited one hundred percent and things which are prohibited almost one hundred percent. so it makes one thing pretty clear the only thing to do really in this world is to learn about G-d from the Torah and to tell the world about it. and of course to do those mitzvot. its a hard life but someones gotta do it.

hey whats there to write about

people who might live in japan for example find life extremely normal i am assuming , but when you or me might go all of a sudden its a big interesting ordeal wow japan so exotic and such. well take pictures and make blogs and discuss it and who knows what else. but there were people there all along who dont really think its so exciting the things youre so fascinated by now all of a sudden like the way they walk or take or congregate or drinking their vodka and oj diff than us. like for example take the guy living in japan and put him here in new york what do you think he'll find interesting they way people behave here and the way people dress and who knows what maybe the empire state building and to you its like pretty normal already.

anyway what am i trying to say, nothing really, i am just thinking fine, the world has its interesting things and diff events happen, and people do seemingly new fun and exciting things, but intrinsically, is there any value to it. what are we getting so excited about? i mean how exciting can it be if for someone else it is meaningless? i am proposing that all excitements of the physical world should be lumped together into a category labeled meaningless of worthless, or at least extremely unimportant and we have to look for a new answer something that we can all agree has meaning, something which is true and deep and everlasting and right and good and proper and right.

this week's shabbos flowers

two days after shabbos!

last weeks shabbos flowers, in my brooklyn apartment. beautiful huh?

time zone

just checking
wanted to make sure we are in the eastern time zone and we are.
whole three hour difference from here to the other side of the country.
i wonder if alaska is four hours away, (or five)? anybody know?

a certain fellow would

a certain fellow would wake up and it would take him tens and and tens of minutes to find his shoes, keys, wallet, phone, coat, hat, etc. so he went to a his mentor and he told him that before he goes to sleep he should write down on a note card, the phone is here, the keys are there and so one. for a couple of days it works fine he's up and right on time. one day again, he's late. what happened? they ask him. his shirt he could find his keys he could find but as he was standing at the door ready to leave the house one thing he could not find - himself. who am i he asked himself. where am i? why am i? this he never found.

to be consistent in a changing world is sometimes a challenge. and many times a blessing. some people wear the same type of clothing every day. i try to these days. it is grueling sometimes to do such. a person has different moods. he goes in different environments, he wants to fit in, be left alone, to stand out, make a statement, conform, not conform. and here you are rain or shine, happy or sad. like it or not same outer clothes. same uniform. so i guess i am always ready to do one thing and that is to serve G-d. no matter anything else that's happening either inside or outside me.

going to sleep

the hardest thing about life sometimes is getting to bed on time. then you dont sleep properly, toss and turn and such, and the whole next morning and day is screwed up. before some people go to sleep they think about their day and how to improve tomorrow. i try that sometimes, but it gets to depressing to think about all the lost time and opportunity to have lived life better. oh well, i guess the point is to make the next day more full of life and meaning and goodness and truth and such.
i wish i had a picture to post.

a picture is worth a thousand words

just for the record: the real and final moshiach (messiah) according to me is above. the rebbe. Menachem Mendel Shneerson. picture taken from http://shluchim67rebbe.blogspot.com/.