False gods - Cling To A Torah Scholar- Guys Named Bill - When You Can Believe Lashon Hara - What People Choose To Believe

In a recent post we discussed intellectual idolatry. Not bowing down to idols but to a god that doesn't exist. That is ALSO a form of idolatry. If our perception of Hashem is twisted or tainted, then the god we are serving is not the G-d of Israel but a foreign non-existent god. This is a profound idea and I am honored to have shared it with the world. [In general, I am honored and thank the G-d of Israel for the privilege of being able to spread His word as I try my best to understand it. And thank YOU for being my "study" partner, invisible as you may be to me....]

I would like to expand this "foreign god" definition, especially as this week we read the BIG 10 dibros that changed world history.

The psukim tell us to "cling" to Hashem  - ובו תדבק, ולדבקה בו [Dvarim 10/20, 10/22]. The gemara [ksubos 111b] wonders how we can possibly cling to Hashem who is a consuming fire אש אכלה? The gemara answers that we cling to him through a conduit - Talmidei Chachomim. They are Hashem's ambassoders on earth, so to speak. The Rambam rules in Mitzva 6 that this is a mitzva from the Torah and explains that by being close to him we can learn from his ways how to get close Hashem. [Another good reason to have a Rebbi.....]

It emerges then that if one connects to fake, non-genuine, inauthentic, Talmid Chochom, he is clinging to a "false god". The mitzva is to cling to the real G-d through the real Talmid Chochom, anybody else is a false conduit to an non-existent god.

I wonder about a lot of people. Take the very well known rabbi of a very wealthy congregation somewhere on the east coast. This rabbi has the moral turpitude located somewhere between Bill Cosby and  Bill Clinton [girls - think twice before marrying a guy named Bill?:-)] and he doesn't deny it. Hey, attraction is attraction. Why should being married to someone else get in the way? Minor detail.  He also admittedly has very serious emotional problems. Yet, contrary to anything within the realm of the what my miniature brain can wrap itself around - his community insists upon retaining him as their "spiritual leader". What spirituality can you get from such a man?? It is certainly not Jewish spirituality.

This is also a form of a "false god". The דבקות to the "spiritual guide" is taking one in the opposite direction of the true G-d. If that isn't idolatry - then what is?

It befuddles my mind when again and again prominent people get in trouble with the law [both Jewish and, li-havdil - secular] and people CONTINUE TO FLOCK TO THEM. Wonder of wonders.

The complexity of man and the decisions he makes and what he chooses to believe.... A theme we have been fleshing out recently.

I am not saying that we should believe every story about every rabbi. Chas Vi-shalom. אסור להאמין ללשון הרע. But sometimes there is overwhelming evidence and the story is considered דברים הניכרים - clearly accurate, and one may believe it [see Hilchos Lashon Hara כלל ז הלכה י' י"א]. In other cases the accused admits it. At other times one should at least - as the Chofetz Chaim himself says - למיחש מיהא בעי, be wary. But no, people don't want to believe it so they don't and continue to follow and seek spiritual guidance from this spiritually sick man. For example - there is someone in Eretz Yisrael that Rav Aharon Lichtenstein said is dangerous and shouldn't be teaching due to issues he has. Let's say you are not convinced. OK. But isn't Rav Aharon enough of a "gavra rabba", that he would never say such a thing and publicize it unless he was sure that he was correct. I am no "gush-nik" but it is more likely that Derek Jeter would convert and a month later be learning in Chazon Ish kollel in Bnei Brak than it is that Rav Aharon Lichtenstein would say one word of lashon hara. If he said it, at LEAST למיחש מיהא בעי.

There are so many good people out there. Why can't people follow them and stay away from the creepy ones?

So the point of this "thread" [weird word they made up for post] is - connect to true tzadikkim and true talmidei chachomim and stay away from the problematic ones that either steal money, or have serious issues with gilui arayos in its various forms וד"ל. Of course, if he is a בעל גאוה or afflicted with other diseases of character he should also be avoided.

ויה"ר שה' יצילנו משגיאות ומתורתו יראנו נפלאות!!

לזכות עדינה בת שבע בת נעכא גיטל לברכה והצלחה ושמחה תמיד

Frumkeit Vs. Mentchlichkeit

Rav Kook is famous for promoting natural morality.

דבר מוכרח הוא שיסגל האדם לעצמו את המוסר הטבעי הפשוט, בכל רוחבו ועומקו, ואת יראת ד', ותמצית הטהור של האמונה הפשוטה, וכל מידותיה ברוחב ובעומק, ועל גבי שתי סגולות הללו יבנה את כל מעלות רוחו העליונות. [אורות הקודש ח"ג הקדמה אות י"א]

 

It is necessary for a person to adopt for himself simple natural morality, in all of it's breadth and depth and fear of G-d, the essential purity of pure faith and all of its qualities in breadth and depth. On top of these two treasures [natural morality and fear of G-d/ faith] he should build a more elevated spiritual level.

 

He continues and says:

 

 אסור ליראת שמים שתדחק את המוסר הטבעי של האדם, כי אז אינה עוד יראת שמים טהורה, סימן ליראת שמים טהורה הוא כשהמוסר הטבעי , הנטוע בטבע הישר של האדם, הולך ועולה על פיה במעלות יותר גבוהות ממה שהוא עומד מבלעדה. אבל אם תצוייר יראת שמים בתכונה כזאת שבלא השפעתה על החיים היו החיים יותר נוטים לפעול טוב, ולהוציא אל הפועל דברים מועילים לפרט ולכלל, ועל פי השפעתה מתמעט כח הפועל ההוא, יראת שמיים כזאת היא יראה פסולה.

 

It is forbidden for yiras shomayim [fear of heaven] to push away the natural morality of a person for then it is not pure. A sign of pure yiras shomayim is when natural morality, that is deeply embedded in the basic nature of man, becomes stronger and more elevated than it would have in the absence of yiras shomayim. But if there is a scenario where without the influence of yiras shomayim, life would be filled with more goodness for the individual and community and because of yiras shomayim, this goodness is diminshed - such yiras shoamyim is pasul [disqualified].

 

In simple Monsey language - if becoming more frum makes you less of a mentsch, then the frumkeit is treif!:-)

 

The Chazon Ish who was ideologically not associated with Rav Kook [although he had a great deal of respect for him], says the same idea - halacha li-myse!:-)

 

מספר אחד מגדולי ת"ח שליט"א עליתי לארץ ישראל בשנת תש"ח והורי ז"ל הגיעו ארצה בשנת תש"י. רציתי לסייע להם במציאת מקום דיור ותעסוקה, והלכתי לשאול את מו"ר הגאון רבי אייזיק שר זצ"ל אם מותר לי להיעדר מהישיבה למשך כמה שבועות, היה זה בסוף זמן חורף] כדי לסייע להם בעניין כי אני כבר הכרתי את המקום ואת השפה ואמר לי לכאורה כן אבל יש לי ספק אחד. ועל כן הפנה אותי לשאול את החזו"א. בשו"ע הרב הלכות תלמוד תורה פסק שמי שיכול להגיע
לדרגת ידיעת התורה אין אצלו שום דיחוי ואינו רשאי לבטל מת"ת גם למצוה שאי אפשר לעשותה על ידי אחרים.

הלכתי לחזו"א ושאלתי מה עלי לעשות [ולא הזכרתי בפניו לדברי שו"ע הרב] והשיב זה טבעי שהילדים עושים את זה להורים שלהם.

[שבתי למו"ר הגר"א שר זצ"ל והוא הסביר לי את תשובת החזו"א כל מה שבאופן טבעי ובדרך כלל הילדים מתמסרים ועושים בשביל ההורים ההלכה היא שאין בזה ביטול תורה].

 

מפי בעל המעשה - מעשה איש ח"ב עמ' קפ"ד

 

In short: A boy made aliyah in 1948 and his parents came in 1950. He wanted to help them find an apartment, employment etc. but that would have resulted in bittul Torah. He asked his Rosh Yeshiva Rav Isaac Sher ztz"l who said that he thinks that he should help them but he is not sure because the Shulchan Aruch HaRav [written by the Baal Hatanya ztz"l] rules that if one can reach a high level of Torah knowledge, he may not stop learning even for a mitzva that cannot be done by others. So it would seem that according to him, the boy should not interrupt his learning and help his parents. So he told the boy to ask the Chazon Ish.

 

He asked the Chazon Ish who said "It is natural for children to do this for their parents" and thus it is not bittul Torah and permitted.

 

It seems that the key phrase here is "natural morality". If he would have continued learning and ignored his parents' need for assistance then he would have been guilty of being one who would be a better person if he had LESS yiras shomayim. Such yiras shomayim is not authentic.

 

Huge lesson:-):-)

 

 לזכות חנה ליבא בת נעכא גיטל לשמחה תמיד וברכה והצלחה בכל מעשי ידיה

 

 

 

Maybe He Is At Fault? - Can't Tell A Lie - Be Careful How You Speak To Your Parents

A young man once got into a big fight with his father. Soon after his father passed away and the boy felt extremely guilty and that he was responsible for his fathers death. As a result, he became very depressed.

A number of avreichim went to the Chazon Ish and told him the story. The Chazon Ish asked what they wanted from him. They said that they want him to tell the man that it is not his fault. The Chazon Ish said "How can I say it was not his fault?"

They continued pressuring the Chazon Ish and said that he is really depressed. "But how can I tell him that it is not his fault?"

Then they said that we have to have mercy on his young wife who is suffering from her depressed husband. "Uber fort [but still] how can I say that it is not his fault".

[Maase Ish Vol. 2 P. 183-4]

Note: When our chachomim have such high standards of honesty, they can be trusted and emunas chachomim can thrive.

זכותו יגן עלינו

לזכות עדינה בת שבע בת נעכא גיטל

Rav Menachem Nuchem Of Boyan - Chernovitz

The oldest of the Pachad Yitzchok's four sons, Reb Menachem Nuchem, was born on the twenty first of Kislev 5629 (1869). Being the firstborn, his father made a pidyon haben (redemption of the first born son) when he was thirty days old. When the infant was carried in, people noticed that he had kicked off part of the blanket covering him and commented about his vigor. The zeide (grandfather) Reb Avrohom Yaakov of Sadiger remarked, "It seems that this child will not succeed in concealing his holiness." The words of the Sadigerer Rebbe were borne out in later years. The child grew up to become the famous Reb Menachem Nuchem, noted for his fiery zeal in his worship of Hashem.

Every Friday night when Reb Menachem Nuchem recited kiddush, his face was afire like a torch. He became so excited when he uttered the first words the cup shook violently in his hand and most of the wine spilled. Often the cup fell from his hand, but the Rebbe was so engrossed in the words that he never realized that his cup had been refilled and replaced in his hand.
Those who saw his kiddush never forgot it, even many years later. In a letter, one of his chassidim describes the kiddush, "At the appointed time the Rebbe arrived, his appearance like that of a malach. (angel) In a lion's voice he started to recite kiddush, all the while our hearts were thumping with fright. Within the first few seconds, all the wine had spilled from the cup - such was his dveikus.(attachment to Hashem) I don't believe that anyone who was there wasn't moved to thoughts of teshuva."
When one of Reb Menachem Nuchem's chassidim described his avodah to his youngest brother, Reb Mordechai Shlomo zt'l, he exclaimed, "What's the chiddush! My brother is on the madreigah (level) of tzaddikim from previous generations."

Similarly, when he would say Torah, it was also with great dveikus, often accompanied with sighs and sobs. By the end of the tish, there wasn't a dry eye in sight. The chassidim returned home after Shabbos purified and uplifted from what they had seen and heard. An extraordinary story is told from when Reb Menachem Nuchem was still a young child. A group of chassidim were busy discussing about Moshiach and the final geula. In the middle of their conversation, Reb Menachem Nuchem came over to them and told them, "When Moshiach comes we will be the generals." One of the chassidim proceeded to ask the young boy when he thinks Moshiach will finally come. Reb Menachem Nuchem started to answer him, but as he was about to explain, he suddenly fainted. When word of the incident reached the ears of his zeide, he warned his chassidim that from then on they may not speak to him regarding such topics!

Reb Menachem Nuchem grew up under the close scrutiny of his zeide. He acquired a prominent place amongst the elder chassidim. Blessed with an excellent memory, he helped transcribe the divrei Torah that his zeide delivered during the tish on Shabbos. A letter written by Reb Dudia of Berditchev (author of the classic sefer Tehilla Ledovid), bears testimony to the young boy's brilliance. In the letter, written when Reb Menachem Nuchem was just twelve years old, he writes, "The additions between the lines are the sections of the Rebbe's Torah that I wasn't able to recall and was reminded of by the young Reb Menachem Nuchem shlita."

Reb Menachem Nuchem was not just a son to his father, but a fervent chossid also. At the chasunah  of one of the children of the Belzer Rov, Reb Yissocher Dov zt'l, in 1899, the Belzer Rov asked Reb Menachem Nuchem, who had attended the chasunah, to stay for Shabbos Sheva Berachos. Reb Menachem Nuchem refused, telling him that when he left Boyan he hadn't told his father that he would be away for Shabbos. The Belzer Rov however, didn't take 'no' for an answer and told him that he could tell his father that he had been pressured into staying for Shabbos. Reb Menachem Nuchem still refused and answered, "I have never yet excused myself to my father!" The Belzer Rov was extremely impressed with his response and didn't press him further, and when Reb Menachem Nuchem left on his journey home, the Belzer Rov accompanied him to the station as a sign of respect for him.   To what extent Reb Menachem Nuchem respected and stood in awe of his father can be seen from his tzavaah  which he wrote before his petirah.  In it he wrote, "I command that they bury me in the hut where the holy body of my father zt'l is buried, but it should be as far away from my father's kever  as possible." The Boyaner Rebbe also held his son in high esteem, relying on him as his representative on various occasions. One year, during one of the winter months, bad weather prevented the Boyaner Rebbe from being able to perform the mitzva of kiddush levanah. The last possible night to be mekadesh the levanoh (to bless the new moon) arrived, and still there was no sign of the moon. The chassidim became worried that their failure to perform the mitzva was a bad omen of things to come. They asked the Rebbe to daven that the clouds should clear so that they shouldn't miss out on this important mitzva. The Rebbe instructed them to go to his son Reb Menachem Nuchem and tell him in his name that he should see to it that there be a clear levanoh. Reb Menachem Nuchem accepted the shlichus and a few minutes later the clouds cleared, leaving the moon shining brightly for all to see. The Boyaner Rebbe trained his son to take over his position. On one occasion the Boyaner Rebbe spoke of his wish to go live in Eretz Yisroel. He told his Rebbitzen, "We will go and settle in Eretz Yisroel, and as for the chassidim, Baruch Hashem we have whom to leave them with." The outbreak of the first World War in 1914 changed his plans and the Boyaner Rebbe was forced to flee to Vienna where he was niftar on the seventeenth of Adar 5677 (1917). For the Boyaner chassidim this second blow was enough almost to break them. Not only had the Rebbe's court in Boyan been totally destroyed, they had now lost their crown as well.  Reb Menachem Nuchem decided to move to Chernovitz where there was a large Boyaner beis hamedrash which had been opened many years earlier. Vienna was overcrowded with refugees and the atmosphere of confusion and turmoil was not conducive to rebuilding the Boyaner Chassidus. Next to the beis hamedrash a large court was built. From there Reb Menachem Nuchem was able to lead his chassidim in style as his father had done in Boyan. On the arrival of the new Rebbe in Chernovitz, thousands turned out to accompany him as he entered his new court for the first time. The Rebbe's court became a magnet for the thousands of Boyaner chassidim, a beacon of light in the ever darkening gloom. The Rebbe would sit and listen to the woes and worries of his chassidim, as one by one they loaded him with the problems in their hearts. Due to the war many had lost their homes and their jobs, and they had no one to help them. For hours on end, day after day, the Rebbe would sit and listen to their woes as they poured out their hearts to him, leaving his room only after he had succeeded in comforting them - convincing them that through their bitachon combined with the zechusim of the tzaddikim, all would turn out for the best. Even when the situation seemed hopeless, the Rebbe still didn't rest from davening, begging Hashem to help His Yidden and improve their lot. A chossid whose sister was lying in hospital in critical condition came to the Rebbe, begging him to daven  for her. The chossid gave the Rebbe an enormous sum of money as a pidyon,  hoping that it would help his sister somehow. The Rebbe, however, didn't accept the money and told him, "What do you want? To bribe me with money!" Hearing the Rebbe's negative reply, the chossid started to cry, begging the Rebbe to have pity on his sister and save her. The Rebbe took the pidyon, and after he wished the ill lady a speedy recovery asked the man to leave the room. No sooner had the door shut, than the Rebbe started to pace up and down in great dveikus, imploring Hashem to have mercy and revoke the decree. The same day the woman had a miraculous recovery, living to an old age. On one of the rare occasions that the Rebbe spoke about himself, he said, "It doesn't take me long to understand the problems of others, and it doesn't take me long to secure a yeshuah for them."   The Rebbe took onto himself the worries of Klal Yisroel, carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders. Only through superhuman strength was he able to soldier on, not allowing the constant problems to break him. On one occasion, after he heard of a particularly distressing problem, he commented to one of his close chassidim, "Chazal  tell us, if a person has a problem he should speak it over with others. One person on his own cannot cope with a problem and therefore Chazal advise us to speak over the problem with a second person... Nu, and what should I do?" The Rebbe added with a sigh, "I sit here the whole day and everyone tells me their problems and I have to bear it all!"

---

Besides the thousands of Boyaner chassidim living in Europe, the Rebbe also had many chassidim living in Eretz Yisroel. Due to the high costs involved most of them could not afford to go see the Rebbe. Therefore, it was with great simcha (joy) that they received the news that the Rebbe had agreed to their request to come visit Eretz Yisroel.  During the four weeks that the Rebbe spent in Eretz Yisroel, he infused new life into his chassidim. He took a ship from Trieste to Alexandria in Egypt from where he travelled by train, arriving in Lod on the fifteenth of Iyar 5687 (1927). From Lod the Rebbe travelled to Sefas where an estimated crowd of four thousand people came out to welcome him. Whilst in Sefas he went to daven at the kever of the Arizal and the other tzaddikim buried there. His tefillos, which were accompanied by hot tears, aroused the many onlookers. After he finished davening, he spoke a few words. "When one realizes the greatness of the Gedolim buried here, and thinks that we were zocheh to have them as our leaders, it is possible to come to gaavah  chas vesholom. Instead one has to make sure as my holy zeide from Sadiger once said, 'When a person remembers the kedusha (holiness) of the zeides and compares it to our own lowly madreigah, he becomes humble and small in his own eyes and not chas vesholom haughty.'"   In a letter from one of the chassidim who accompanied the Rebbe he wrote, "When these words left the Rebbe's mouth, tears streamed down from his eyes. All those around him also cried with true broken hearts, and I could not stop myself from crying along, and cried then with such a broken heart like I have never cried before."   On the twenty ninth of Sivan, the Rebbe left for Yerushalayim, again thousands turned out to meet him with the Rov of Yerushalayim, Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld at their head. Despite the royal welcome, the Rebbe wasn't besimcha.  He told his chassidim, "In Yerushalayim one sees the Churban  in every corner." His body became covered in boils and blisters from his anguish. His pain was such that he couldn't sleep at night and spent the time pacing up and down in his room. When the Rebbe arrived back in Chernovitz, he told his chassidim, "The reason for my trip was to heal my neshamo, and even though the journey was very difficult, my neshamo gained from the trip. If Hashem helps a person to prepare himself properly in chutz la-aretz, then when he arrives in Eretz Yisroel, he truly feels the kedusha  of the land in all his bones." For almost twenty years the Rebbe led his flock. In his last years, as the threats from Germany became louder and louder, his whole being was totally given over to entreating Hashem to annul the evil decrees. When a chossid asked him for a berocha (blessing) to a certain problem, he answered, "Now isn't the time to worry about people's private problems, now is the time to worry about the klall (community) as a whole." To a second person he commented, "The plight of the Yidden doesn't leave my mind for a second." Although his tefillos had always been full of sighs and tears, in his last years his tears became a literal flood as he poured out his heart in constant tefilla. Although the Rebbe had been suffering for a number of years from a severe kidney disorder, he had managed to conceal it from even his closest chassidim. Although he suffered terrible pains, in his typical way he had managed to hide it. The severity of his pain can be seen from what the Rebbe wrote in his tzavaah, "Even though Chazal say that a person only suffers if he has sinned, and who can say that they are innocent from sin? A person knows how he has acted, and I don't chas vesholom feel that I have committed such a sin that I should have received such suffering...". His pains were such that his zeide the Sadigerer Rebbe zt'l said, "Tzaddikim accept suffering on themselves to atone for the sins of the generation." In his last year his illness became worse and the doctors decided that he would have to undergo an operation. The Rebbe, however, refused to hear of it. The family decided to ask the Rebbe's cousin, the Sadigerer Rebbe, Reb Avrohom Yaakov zt'l, to try and persuade the Rebbe to change his mind. The Sadigerer Rebbe agreed and went especially to Chernovitz to speak to the Rebbe. On various occasions the Sadigerer Rebbe would relate the following story, which he himself had witnessed. When he opened the door to the room where the Rebbe was lying in bed, he stopped in shock. Standing next to the bed was the Rebbe's father, the Pachad Yitzchok of Boyan. Immediately, the Sadigerer Rebbe closed the door and went away. An hour later, the Sadigerer Rebbe returned and when he opened the door for the second time, the Pachad Yitzchok was still standing there in the same place. The Sadigerer ended this story saying, "From this incident I understood that his days were numbered, and he was already busy preparing to leave this world."   Ten days before his petirah, the Rebbe agreed to travel to Vienna to undergo medical treatment. After a few days his condition took a sudden turn for the worse.  During his last hours on the nineteenth of Av 5696 (1936) he lay peacefully in bed, his face radiant as he prepared himself to meet his Creator. His whole being glowed with kedusha as his holy neshamo ascended. Zechuso yogein oleinu.   The Rebbe was succeeded by his two sons, Reb Aharon and Reb Mordechai Shraga, who led the chassidim together until they and their families died through the hands of the Germans, ym's, during the second World War. Hashem yinkom domom.

[From The Golden Dynasty]

Even Moshe Rabbeinu May Not Watch Television - Shidduch Resumes - Dangerous - Different Levels Of Prophecy

For the speedy recovery of R' Mordechai Dovid ben Kreina"

 

 

"ת"ר המרצה מעות לאשה מידו לידה כדי להסתכל בה, אפילו קבל תורה מסיני כמרע"ה דכתיב ביה מימינו אש דת למו, לא ינקה מדינה של גיהינם, כו'". [ברכות ס"א]

 

הרבה היו טועים לחשוב שההנהגות המוסריות של הצניעות וגדריהן, הם נחוצים רק לחסרי ההשלמה השכלית. אבל מי שגבר בשכלו למעלה עליונה, אינו צריך עוד לגדרים של מוסר ושל צניעות. למדונו חז"ל, שירדו לסוף דעת האדם וחלישותו, שלא מבעי רוב האנשים שהשכלותיהם מעורבות בדמיונות, שהם ודאי עלולים ליפול ברשת של חטאים גדולים בפרץ גדרי הצניעות, שהדמיון שהם לא ניקו ממנו הם מחולל ג"כ את יצרי כל חטא ופשע, ויוכל לעשות את העולם כולו כמשור, בפרץ גדר המוסר מפני התאוה הסוררה. אמנם גם אותם היחידים שבחכמי לב, השרידים שאין בהשכלתם עירוב דמיון כל שהוא, גם המה עלולים הם להשחת במוסרם, בעת ירידת ושבירת הגדרים המוסריים. נבואתו של משרע"ה היא מובדלת מנבואת כל הנביאים בזה שהיא לא צרפה אליה את כח המדמה במאומה, כדברי הר"מ ז"ל במו"נ. וע"כ נאמר על התוה"ק "מימינו אש דת למו", תחת אשר נאמר בנבואה "היתה עלי יד ד'", וסתם יד היא שמאל (מנחות, פ' הקומץ ) שהוא כח המדמה העוזר להוציא אל הפועל את כל מערכת הנבואה. נאמר בנבואתה של תורה שהיתה בלא שום עזר של כח המדמה "מימינו אש דת למו", דת אש, המטהרת כל בדיל וסיג מההשגות הנעלות. בכ"ז לא ינקה מפגיעה של תכונה ע"י פריצת הגדרים המוסריים. שמענו מזה שהגדרים המוסריים המה דברים מוכרחים לאדם באשר הוא אדם, והמבקש לפרץ אותם, הוא אות על שפלות נפשו, הרחוקה מכבוד האמת הראויה למעלת האדם האמיתית.

 

Our world is one where there are no barriers. Everything is "out there" for everyone to see and talk about. Millions upon millions are on Facebook looking at pictures of other people. The social media is constantly abuzz with what is going on in everybody's lives. There are huge billboards everywhere that show everything. In our face to face interactions there are also very few barriers. People of opposite genders kiss and hug when they see each other, even if they are married - and even if they just finished davening. 

 

"I am Modern Orthodox Meikel. I don't keep that halacha". Modern Orthodox Meikel people are just as obligated in mitzvos as "Modern Orthodox Machmir" and "Yeshivish Meikeil" and "Yeshivish Machmir" and "Chasidish". All of these descriptions might help on a shidduch resume but have no bearing on one's real obligations in life. Living in Engelwood is not a heter to keep less mitzvos than if one would live in Flatbush. People in Gush Etzion are no less Jewish than people in Bnei Brak. We are all obligated in the same 613 mitzvos, in all of the rabbinic mitzvos and in all of the minhagim we are accustomed to keeping. Labels are for cans.

 

We ALL need fences to distance ourselves from sin. Even Talmidei Chachomim have to be careful. We have all heard of too many scandals where people who should know otherwise were involved in inappropriate behavior. For every case we have heard of - there are many more that we have not. Men teach young girls in seminaries. Dangerous. Men are in coed summer camps around women all day. Dangerous. Men who work closely with women. Dangerous. People are just people. Having a long beard or long black frock is no promise that the yetzer hara will not cause one to stumble. The yetzer isn't impressed with clothing, titles [Rabbi, HaRav Hagaon, Rebbe] or spiritual accomplishments.

 

I am not looking forward to dying but one thing makes it welcoming. It will be on THAT DAY when I will be sure that the yezter won't get me anymore. Until that day - I and everybody else needs to make fences to ensure lives of kedusha. People who say "I am not affected" or "I am not worried about falling" are either stupid, living in a fantasy world, delusional, or I don't know what.

 

The gemara says that if one counts money into a woman's hand in order to look at her, even if he is on the level of MOSHE RABBEINU and received Torah from Sinai - he will not be cleansed from the judgement of gehenom. Even Moshe Rabbeinu may not look. If it is a regular person it will more likely lead to even worse, acts. But even a Moshe Rabbeinu-esque person, who is pure intellect and immersed in spirituality, must avoid unnecessary looking.

 

Most Neviim didn't have pure prophecy. There was always some level of imagination mixed in with the Divine message. About Yechezkel it says היתה עלי יד השם [37/1] and the word יד refers to the LEFT hand [Menachos 36b]. The left hand is the helping hand. Most prophets needed the help of their imaginitory faculty to help them perceive their prophecy [Moreh Nevuchim].

 

Moshe was different. His prophecy was clean of any traces of imagination. It was pure G-dly communication. מימינו אש דת למו. It was a law that came from fire, which purified the prophecy of any dross. This is a level of prophecy of a completely different order.

 

Nevertheless - even he [or anyone like him] needs to maintain the fences that the Torah established for us. Otherwise, all of the Torah will not help and לא ינקה מדינה של גיהנום - He will not be cleansed from the judgement of gehenom.

 

We learn ow CRITICAL it is to do everything we can in order to maintain our purity, regardless of our station in life.    

Feel The Geula [Don't Just Shop There]

Tu B'av and this coming Shabbos are a מעין - an inkling, of the ultimate geulah!!!

Find out why, here.