Raining down blessings

I have found myself saying baruch Hashem (thank g-d) so many times during the last few rains.
After our severe drought situation in the holy land one really feels Hashems love and compassion descending.

I look at the rainfall with much more gratitude after hearing Rabbi Lazer Brody's words connecting our drought to not thanking Hashem for the miracles during the war. http://www.breslev.co.il/video-stream/asx/brody17.asx

The Zohar tells us that relating Hashem's miracles is so powerful that when we do so, He summons the entire heavenly assembly to come hear us speak about them.

Last Shabbat as we all sat around the Shabbat table saying Amen to eachothers blessings for thunder and lighting excitement filled the air. (Though I have been religious for a while I could not believe this was the first time I had ever said these).

In addition we are are taught that there are 3 times Hashem does not send an intermediary to do the act 1. childbirth 2. resurrection of the dead 3. Bringing rain.

May we be blessed to recognize Hashems divine intervention always.

Parshat Trumah - Tzedakah's eternal gift

Teaching taken from Shira Smiles' lecture: A Give and Take Relationship, Parshat Trumah. Video available at Na'aleh

Parsha Terumah begins: Hashem spoke to Moses saying - Speak to the children of Israel and let them take for Me a portion from every man whose heart motivates him.

The question the commentators ask is why take for me when Am Yisrael is supposed to be giving to the mishkan.

A gemara is sighted where a man whose family has saved money for many generations during a famine decides to split it up amongst the people. He is questioned "your family have saved for generations how could you just spend it all like this"

He answers"My forefathers stored it down here. I will store it up in heaven" "I have stored it in a place where no one can touch it" "They stored it for this world I have stored it for the next."בגמרה( ב''ב יא

This is the answer to why it says take and not give. The money that we give to charity is the only money that is really ours because it (or in the parsha the mishkan) is eternal. NO OTHER MONEY BELONGS TO YOU. In addition the poor person is giving us much more than we are to them.

May we be blessed to always have our hand open. To give the 10-20% of our maaser with complete joy, remembering our money is just on loan from Hashem. Like in the story when times our rough like today our tzedakah should not decrease but increase. Only our chesed truly effects both this world and the next.

Redemption in the air

A last communication

Virtual tehillim group

"Saying Tehilim has enormous power to chase away destructive forces
and to open the gates of heavenly mercy, and to arouse heaven's good
will, and to stir people to do teshuva, to heal people and to atone
for their sins, and to have all their prayers granted. Saying Tehilim
can accomplish nearly anything, and a woman who says Tehilim regularly
can turn her whole world around for the good. Tehilim uproot many,
many accusing forces and many sins a woman has done in her life.
Saying Tehilim arouses heavenly mercy for the one who says them and
for the whole Jewish people.
If you could only see what saying Tehillim does in heaven, you
wouldn't do anything else and spend the whole day saying Tehilim. How
many heavenly lights they kindle. It's like a little village which is
steeped in total darkness -- whenever people say Tehilim, each word
they say turns on another light so that one house after another grows
bright until that village, which started out so dark, is filled with a
brilliant light which can be seen for miles around." Galia
http://www.signsfromheaven.com/files/English_Index.html

I do a weekly Shabbat tehillim group, anyone worldwide can participate and I will send weekly reminders. Let me know if you are interested in even 1 a week

Evil and illusion insights into Purim

In Sarah Idit Schneiders profound book Purim Bursts she states:
Amalek(the national identity oh Haman) embodies the deepest and irredeemable root of evil in the universe.

"Evil is here defined as the illusion of separation and independance from G-d. The illusion is significant since nothing can actually be separate from G-d for G-d is one. To the extent that something presents the appearance of self containment, self soverignty and multiplicity, to that extent it partakes of the quality of evil. Conversely to the extent that it communicates through itself the truth of G-ds oneness, compassion, and generosity, to that extent it partakes of the quality of holiness" (Purim Bursts, 2000)

Meditate on this truth and its profound implications for Am Yisrael now and in the future

Reflective waters

Usually when I do my 3 dunks in the mikveh waters, though I let the prayers fill my head without forethought they proceed something like this: 1.My immediate family 2. My extended family and friends 3.Am Yisrael. This past visit all 3 prayers that came forth intuitively were for Am Yisrael.

May we merit the redemption of our whole nation

Check out this new torah video gem on Kabbalah and Chassidut from wonderful Israeli teachers !!

Amazing new live video archive. Teachers from Ascent, Bat Ayin, Simchat Shlomo, Maayanot, Pardes Center.

Topics include: Torah and healing, tehillim, Megilat Esther, Rabbi Kaplan's Inner Space, Lekuitei Moharan, Mystical Nature of Light, Tanya and Chassidut, Rav Kook, Paths of our mothers, Torah and Nature

See direct link under Torah Links at top

http://www.oneg.tv/video/homepage-1711