Erev Yom Kippur

Erev Yom Kippur

Corresponds to Yesod

The tzaddik who is always בשמחה

The Zohar obligates simcha today

In anticipation of Hashem’s wedding

The second luchos received unbreakable

Causing critical clemency

Poskim elaborate on the obligation to eat all day today

But the simcha seems forgotten

Like the obligation for daily learning

The simcha of which seems forgotten

The Brisker Rav left the world today

His Torah intensity legendary

His simcha seems forgotten

Coach Rambam Speaks

Coach Rambam Speaks

אע״פ שהתשובה והצעקה יפה לעולם

בעשרת הימים שבין ראש השנה ויום הכפורים היא יפה ביותר

ומיד היא מתקבלת

נהגו כל בית ישראל

להרבות בצדקה

ובמעשים טובים

ולעסוק במצוות

מראש השנה ועד יום הכפורים

יתר מכל השנה

ונהגו כולם לקום בלילה

בעשרת ימים אלו

ולהתפלל בבתי כנסיות

בדברי תחנונים

ודברי כיבושין

עד שיאור היום

Kavanas Elul

Kavanas Elul

In Tikunei Zohar

וצדקה תהיה לנו כי = צורת אדם

In Sefer Yetzira

The focus is on מעשה

והיה מעשה צדקה שלום

In Likutei Moharan

It’s finding what you’ve lost

Particularly yourself

Tzedaka morning and evening

Can cover all three bases

Shofar at those two times

Grand Slam

Shabbos Shalom

Are Your Tzitzis Out?

Are Your Tzitzis Out?

And your yarmulke is…a baseball cap?

Bein Hazmanim is a time for Bnei Torah

To showcase the real world

How real Yiddishkeit functions

Moshe Rabenu never made it to Israel

Yosef HaTzaddik made it back and was buried there

Moshe Rabenu went incognito

Aquiesced to being called איש מצרי

Yosef flaunted his religion

Despite the hostile environment

Earned the title נער עברי

Jewish Fool

Embarrassed of who you are?

If you’re afraid for your well-being

Jew don’t belong there

Messe Cried Last Night

Messe Cried Last Night

Like we did in the desert

Inviting Tisha Bav

Churban is home

For קנא״ה תאו״ה וכבו״ד

And רו״ת ignites her world

Of cryogenics

Spawning דוד מלכא משיחא

Rabbi Shimon’s utopian circle

And the Arizal’s dimension

Are impenetrable

To the crying impaired

The heartless can’t cry

And a messy heart

Shouldn’t bother

The Arizal Left Our World

The Arizal Left Our World

Disappointed

Like the Beis Hamikdash

His prize talmid ignored the rules

And machlokes torpedoed his chabura

Like the Beis Hamikdash

Moments before leaving he said

Had even one of his group

Been a complete tzaddik

He wouldn’t have to die prematurely

Whoever wants the Beis Hamikdash

Must internalize the epitaph of the Arizal

Before immersing in avodas Hashem

ואהבת לרעך כמוך

Most of us don’t know

Or don’t care

How these words obligate us

See Mesilas Yesharim Ch. 11

Until Moshiach Is Born

Until Moshiach Is Born

At Mincha time of Tisha Bav

Our נחמה Is Chanuka

נר חנוכה מצוה להניחה בתוך עשרה

Anywhere within ten?

Mekubalim say at seven

Halacha says above three

Why the ambiguity?

Twenty one days of בין המצרים

Bemoaning the churban

Bring us to thank Hashem for it

At the bottom of the ninth

לנח״ם בתוך עשרה

Shabbos Chazon Shalom

A Lesson For The Road

A Lesson For The Road

From the Baal Shem Tov

And Rabenu

Every Jew endures מ״ב travels during his lifetime

First Class like Yaakov

Or Business like Esav

אלה מסעי בני ישראל

Resulting from

אלה אלהיך ישראל

Esav travels to his golden end

בר מינן

Yaakov to his land

מחזיק ברכה

Shabbos Chazak Shalom

Immortalized Or Murderer

Immortalized Or Murderer

Depends on your kavana

Earning Olam Haba

Or just Olam Hazeh

Depends on your kavana

Mitzvos without kavana

Are like goof without neshama

Goofy never graduates Disney World

Real Jews outgrow the Mouseketeers

That’s Hashem’s kavana

Shabbos Shalom Shalom

Korach Was A Smart Men

Korach Was A Smart Men

Smart enough to question Moshe Rabenu

And Hashem too

The ultimate attribute is intelligence

In the eyes of apostasy

Korach was a פקח = בעל מום

יראה – deficient

ראשית חכמה יראת השם

Intelligence without a commensurate amount of יראה

Is like an accelerator without brakes

All you geniuses out there

Fasten your seat belts

Shabbos Shalom