Father-Kind

Kindness builds the world. It’s not me saying that. It’s King David (Psalms 89:2). People who do kindness, especially people who actively seek to do kindness, are building God’s world.

We usually don’t think of being a father as an opportunity to be kind or to do kindness, but it certainly is. Bringing a human being into the world to serve and connect with God, to teach that human being how to navigate through life—those are huge kindnesses.

So if there’s a little person who doesn’t have his built-in Dad to provide the “how to navigate through life” kindness, it’s a huge kindness to be step in and do what Dad can’t. It’s an ever greater kindness to get people to be that person.

When I was 16, my father a”h/o.b.m. died suddenly. He survived World War II, being sent to Siberia, but died in his home by falling down a flight of stairs. It took me over 25 years to realize what I had lost, to understand what my friends had had—what my children have had—that I did not. (My wife recently pointed out that she could count on one hand how many times I have talked about my father in our 35 years of marriage.)

So when I see The Mentoring Project providing mentors for boys without fathers, it resonates. They are doing something that is beyond noble. The Mishnah teaches, “Who is wise? One who learns from anyone” (Avot/Ethics of the FATHERS 4:1). We should learn from their example.

Worth the Trade

“I threw it all away.” Ruth of Moab

Now, she didn’t really say that, but she could’ve. She was a princess, beautiful and wealthy. She could have had pleasure and power had she stayed in her native land, instead of migrating to the Land of Israel. But she saw something in her late Jewish husband, or in her mother-in-law, Naomi, or in both. When Naomi set out to return home to the Land of Israel and tried hard to dissuade Ruth from joining her, Ruth refused. “Wherever you go, I will go.” Even to poverty, even to risk my life because I don’t yet know everything about being Jewish and may commit a sin. It’s worth all that—and more—to be Jewish.

Ruth never regretted her choice and was never bitter about it. She was such a kind and loving person that anything she looked at became blessed.

So what happened because this woman threw it all away and became Jewish? We ended up with King David and his Tehillim (Psalms). And we will end with tikkun haolam when Mashiach comes, swiftly and soon, in our lifetime. Amen.

Behar-Bechukotai

Dvar Torah for Parshat Behar-Bechukotai 5773

All Beginnings Are Difficult

Well now. 148West’s maiden dvar Torah. Very exciting, for me at least. After writing “a weekly column” for someone else, I’m doing it for someone else—me. The exciting part is, that no longer working as “an official spokesman” for Breslov Research Institute (blessed be its name) and, by extension, Breslov, I can write about topics that an organization wouldn’t. To have that freedom is exciting.

It’s also a big responsibility. Those who know me, or of me, expect that what I say is Breslov, or defines Breslov, or is the consensus of Breslover chassidim. That’s a definite maybe. I try, in my personal life, to behave (and speak, and think) in accord with what I learn in Rebbe Nachman’s works. (When I say “Rebbe Nachman’s works” I mean also those of Reb Noson, in particular Likutey Halakhot.) Of course, no two Breslovers understand the Rebbe’s teachings in the same way—which is exactly how he intended it, and exactly the way it oughta be.

As I wrote there, on 148West’s home page, I’m not here to preach. I’m here to teach, to share, to probe, maybe even to provide answers. The point is—and I firmly believe it’s the baseline of Rebbe Nachman’s mission—to help anyone and everyone Be. More. Jewish.

Which leads us in to our dvar Torah. Actualizing potential is the major theme of Likutey Moharan Lesson #66. Let’s take a look at a small section of the lesson (the start of §2):

The final outcome starts in thought. For example, when a person wants to do something, to build a bayit (house, home), let’s say, he must first think and consider what his bayit will look like. When he has a clear picture of what his bayit will look like, he can begin to build it. In this way, the ultimate product starts in the mind. And until the potential is actualized, the potential [bayit] is bound to the germ of the idea.

Part of what makes Likutey Moharan so powerful is the perspective it gives us for viewing life, on a grand, sweeping historical scale, on a personal, microscopic scale, and everything in between. For example, the bayit the Rebbe refers to is not just a physical structure, a yurt or an igloo. He means your ultimate bayit, the place you will reside for eternity.

Before we go on, let’s think about this vague word, “eternity.” The Steipler Rov, Reb Yaakov Yisrael Kanievesky obm (1899–1985), gave the following analogy to give us an idea of “how long is eternity.” Imagine, Planet Earth covered around and around by a pile of sand 10 miles high. Now, once every 10,000 years a bird flies in and takes away a grain of sand. How long will it take for the bird to remove all the sand? Eternity is longer than that. Back to our topic.

Did you ever think what your bayit will look like? One room for emunah (faith), one for tefilah (prayer), another for your kindness to orphans and one for your kindness to widows, to the poor. Rooms for the various areas of Torah you studied and others for Torah that you taught. And how well-lit will your bayit be? There’s an old Yiddish expression applied to a person who has passed on: May he have a lichtege Gan Eden, a bright Garden of Eden. You don’t want a small light bulb, do you?

So we need to spend time thinking about our future bayit. We’ve got to think about how we’re going to build it, and get started.

There’s another bayit that needs to be built. Although it doesn’t make sense to talk of God “actualizing His potential,” the world He created needs to actualize its potential. God created the world in order to “dwell” in it, which is one of the reasons we were commanded to make a Mishkan (Tabernacle) in the desert and build the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple) in Jerusalem. As we consider building our individual bayit, actualizing our personal potential, we should try our best to see how that fits with building God’s bayit, actualizing the potential of other people as well.

Because sometimes, I can develop and grow a good deal if I focus on myself. On the other hand, if I open myself to giving my time to others, I won’t get as far. but others will make progress that they couldn’t have without me. Some might make more progress than I ever could have made. And some may end up helping so many, many more people than I could ever have dreamed possible.

Thinking I’m making this up? Adam, the first human being, was to have lived for a thousand years. He didn’t keep them all for himself. He gave away 70 years of his life to King David, who was to have been stillborn. But by giving away his time—years, decades of his life!—Adam triggered a events that led to one person’s living a life in which he built the Kingdom of Israel, laid the foundation for the first Beit HaMikdash, wrote Tehillim (Psalms) and began the royal line that will lead to the Mashiach, may he come swiftly and soon, in our lifetime. Amen.

Based on Likutey Moharan I, Lesson #66

agutn Shabbos! Shabbat Shalom!

Reb Noson’s Prayers

A few introductory words to this post. Reb Noson was Rebbe Nachman’s primary disciple. He wrote prayers based on Rebbe Nachman’s teachings, and later compiled them into Likutey Tefilot (An Anthology of Prayers).

Hisbodedus (aka hitbodedut) is talking to God in your own words about whatever you want to talk about. Some call it a “conversation” with God. The emphasis with which Rebbe Nachman recommended this practice cannot be overstated.

I’ve heard a lot of praises about Reb Noson’s Likutey Tefilot. Yet, I’ve never actually used them. Whenever I have merited to do hisbodedus, I have had what I would call an ego block that doesn’t allow me to go use Reb Noson’s prayers. Are there some words of encouragement or ideas that you could give me to help give me that boost and convince me to give them more of a try? I guess I always imagined that if it’s not my words, then how can I use them in conversation with God?

Well, first thing to do is ask your ego to sit down on the bench and rest for awhile. Let’s remember that we are latecomers to avodat Hashem (serious, dedicated Jewish practice). Reb Noson, on the other hand, was thoroughly immersed in Torah and prayer since birth, and was a student not only of Rebbe Nachman’s teachings, but of Rebbe Nachman the person. When he “prays” a teaching, he’s also teaching us. He’s teaching us some of the more subtle points of the lesson. He’s teaching us how to pray.

In all areas of life, beginners learn from watching and imitating experts. Prayer is no different. “Watching” how Reb Noson prays teaches us how we can pray, how we can be better Jews and what it means to be a Breslover Chassid.

That’s one. Also, Reb Noson gave us the Likutey Tefilot. When we say Tehillim (Psalms), we don’t think, “Hey, these are someone else’s words. They’re not going to help me.” When we say Tehillim, they become our words, our prayers. Similarly, Reb Noson’s words and prayers become ours.

Hope this helped.

148 West

NEVER EVER DESPAIR!

Tag Archives: Tehillim

Father-Kind

Worth the Trade

Behar-Bechukotai

All Beginnings Are Difficult

Reb Noson’s Prayers