The Geula Depends on the Learning of the Zohar

It is known to all that the sefer HaZohar of the G-dly Tanna Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, may his merit protect us, breaks through thousands and tens of thousands of worlds, passes through the Serafim, Ofanim, Chashmalim and Chayot Hakodesh, all the way up to the Holy One Blessed Be He, Who delights with it, builds new worlds with it and has mercy on our world because of it.

See what the Gaon HaChida writes about the Zohar:
The learning of the Zohar is exalted above any other study, even if one does not understand a word he is saying.

The "Kisse Melech" says:
The simple reading of the Zohar alone builds new upper worlds.

Eliyahu Hanavi of Blessed memory said this to Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai:
When this sefer of the Zohar is revealed to the world in the final generation, the Jews will be redeemed from their exile.

Moshe Rabenu said this to Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai:
The brilliant ones (those who learn the Zohar) will shine like the radiance of the Heavens and with this book of yours, the sefer HaZohar, they will not need to experience any difficulties. (That is to say, they will not have to endure the birth pains of the Mashiach) And in the future, when Yisrael will taste from the Tree of Life, which is this sefer HaZohar, they will be redeemed from their exile with mercy.

Rebbe Chaim Vital writes in a letter:
Behold, the learning of Zohar arouses mercy and the spirit of the Mashiach, and it reveals and builds the Beit Hamikdash and allows Israel to dwell securely, and one who studies it will certainly not suffer any of the birth pains of the Mashiach. Therefore, we the rabbis and chachamim of the holy city of Jerusalem as well as it's Battei Dinim have aroused ourselves to establish learning of the Zohar both in Israel and in Chutz LaAretz in order to complete 1000 siyumim of the Zohar.
Therefore, we are calling out to you, our brothers, rabbis and chachamim, merchants, workers and baalei batim, strengthen yourselves to take part in this with us. The weak one must say I am strong. Know that it is your Father in Heaven who purifies you and every word of the Zohar that is read builds thousands and tens of thousands of worlds in the Heavens

We all know the dangerous situation that we are currently in (both physically and spiritually), and no one knows what each new day will bring.
Who is not afraid of a nuclear bomb from Iran?
Moshe Rabbenu, Eliyahu Hanavi and Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai may peace be upon them, have all said that with the sefer HaZohar we will be redeemed from our exile with mercy. Only those who read the Zohar will enter into the 'Noach's Ark' of our generation which is the Holy Zohar.

For more Zohar resources go to www.theholy-zohar.blogspot.com
For Zohar resources in English go to www.TheZoharInEnglish.com

Rebbe Shimon's Promise
"In the future, when Am Yisrael will merit to taste from the Tree of Life which is this book of the Zohar, they will be redeemed from their exile with mercy" (Zohar parashat Nasso).

Therefore, the best advice to sweeten the birth pains before the coming of the Moshiach is to read the holy Zohar. It is fitting to be read by men, women and children and it has the ability to purify the body and soul as well as cancel any harsh decrees that may be upon Am Yisrael even if one does not understand a word they are reading.

Rebbe Shimon is fitting to be relied upon in a time of great need.

What's Cooking in The Pot?

Once at his Shabbat table, the Choze of Lublin was sitting with his eyes closed for a long time. His guests anxiously watched as he was groaning and grunting with great intensity. Then the Rebbe opened his eyes and this is what he said.

The holy Baal Shem Tov's soul was once elevated to the upper worlds. When he came back down this is what he told those sitting around him, "Know, that I saw in the Heavens a group of angels building a very large and wide pot. I then asked one of the angels, 'What is this great big pot that you are building?' The angel then lifted me up over the ledge of the pot and asked me to tell him what I saw inside. When I looked in, I saw that the pot was full of arms and legs.

Then the angel said to me, 'Know, that close to the time of the coming of the Mashiach, there will reincarnate into the world souls from the generation of the Tower of Bavel (people who do not believe in G-d and rebel against G-d) as well as souls from the generation of the Flood of Noach (people who have great immodesty, women who go with their arms and legs revealed). It is for them that I am building this great big pot through which to take them down into Gehenom. Specifically it is also to be used for cooking those arms and legs of theirs that they immodestly revealed.

The Choze of Lublin then concluded and said, " The Baal Shem Tov saw this all in a vision, but we are seeing this happen in actuality. We are actually beginning to see those immoral and rebellious souls coming into this world." He then concluded by saying, "Hashem have mercy on us and of all of Israel, that we should be able to withstand the great tests that are now coming into the world"

( "Otzar Hasippurim" Rav Tzvi Moskowitz Vol. 4-12)

Holiness, Zohar and The Final Redemption

BS"D

Those who were dancing were considered crazy in the eyes of those who could not hear the music.

If the eye does not see it, than the heart can not desire it.

We all want happiness, but as long as we are busy chasing after physical desires and pleasures, we will never be able to get what we want. The eye is never satisfied with what it sees. We all know that there is no lasting satisfaction when it comes to physical desires. A gambler never feels satisfied with his wins, he always wants more. A woman never feels satisfied after a day of shopping, there is always another store to visit or a new season of fashion to come.

So then how do we get happiness and satisfaction that lasts? The answer is, we need to change our way of looking at things - literally. That is, we need to stop looking at things. The more we look at things in this physical world, the more we will desire them, and the less happy we will be. If we close our physical eyes, than we will understand and develop a way to see things with our spiritual eyes - this is the start of true happiness.

This is the Jewish concept of modesty in marriage. You see, the less we inappropriately look look at our wives in a physical way, the more we will be able to desire them in a spiritual way. Therefore if you really want your marriage to last and be special, you need to learn to see your wife in a spiritual way, this can only happen if you are able to weaken and lessen your physical desire for women. I know this sounds crazy, let me explain. You see, if you see your wife physically, then she is just one of billions. However, if you learn to see her spiritually, then she is the only one for you. As the Zohar describes how Adam felt when he 'saw' Chava, "All other women were like monkeys to him."

Have you ever tried to read braille? I have, I cant even notice a difference to the touch. So how is it that a blind person can read a whole book just by running his finger over those dots? The answer is, since one of his senses has been removed, the others get stronger and more sensitive. In the same way, if we weaken and lessen our intake of the physical world, than we will automatically increase our sensitivity and perception of the spiritual world. Chazal tell us that most of the desire for the physical world comes in through our eyes. Therefore, if we guard what our physical eyes see, then we will allow room for the development of our spiritual eyes. This will lead to happiness and holiness.

The end of the evil and falsehood in the world is coming soon. We all know that there is a war coming and we all can feel that something big is getting ready to happen. Our prophets and holy books tell us that holiness is the most precious asset to have when the final showdown happens. The survivors will walk on the path of holiness says the prophet Yeshaya (Isaiah). The secret is out, you do not need to store gold or food to make it through to the end, you need holiness. There is no faking holiness, those who try to fake it are in for a big surprise. Only prayer and a genuine effort to remove all the impurities and falsehood from yourselves will work.
 
With that being said, there is one more thing we all can do to help give us the will and desire for holiness, and that is to read the Zohar.

As Rav Arush wrote in a letter a few weeks ago, "The reading of the Zohar will give a person the will and desire to make teshuva and purify himself to guard the holy brit"

The Chafetz Chaim would always encourage the study of Zohar and he said that without the study of the secrets of the Torah, it is as if we are groping around in the dark. He would also learn the Zohar on the parasha every single Shabbat and he would tell others to do the same, even unmarried men (Meir Einei Yisrael, vol 3 pg 556).

The Chazon Ish said that there is no greater mussar sefer than the Zohar (Ma'ase Ish, vol 3 pg 98).

The Vilna Gaon writes in his sefer Even Sheleima, ch 11, "The geula will only come in the merit of Torah study, but it is primarily dependent on the study of Kabbalah"
As the holy Zohar tells us, one who studies the Zohar will be spared any suffering when the Mashiach arrives, "For in the future, Yisrael will taste of the Tree of Life, which is the book of the Zohar, and will thus experience the final redemption through mercy."
In the Tikkunei Zohar, end of the 6th tikkun it says, "From this book of yours, elevated people will be sustained, until this book is revealed to those below in the last generation in the end of days. And because of it, you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants" And the Vilna Gaon wrote in his commentary, "They will be redeemed in the merit of studying the Zohar."

To find out more about Zohar learning and for free Zohar downloads (with Lashon Kodesh translation) go to
http://www.theholy-zohar.blogspot.com/ or email theholyzohar@gmail.com

Yehoshua Goldstein

Rebbe Shimon's Promise

"In the future, when Am Yisrael will merit to taste from the Tree of Life which is this book of the Zohar, they will be redeemed from their exile in mercy" (Zohar parashat Nasso).

Therefore, the best advice to sweeten the birth pains before the coming of the Moshiach is to read the holy Zohar. It is fitting to be read by men, women and children and it has the ability to purify the body and soul as well as cancel any harsh decrees that may be upon Am Yisrael even if one does not understand a word they are reading.

Rebbe Shimon is fitting to be relied upon in a time of great need.

 

Happiness - The Medicine of The Future

"It is a great mitzvah to always be happy," but have you ever wondered some of the reasons why? In Likkutei Moharan II:24, Rebbe Nachman teaches us that all the sicknesses that come upon a person, only come because of a lack of happiness. The lesson goes on to explain that there are ten different types of melody which are all an aspect of happiness. All these ten melodies are found within the ten different pulses in the body, which give life to the melodies through their pulsating. Now when there is a breakdown of happiness which is the life force behind these ten pulses, then the sickness comes as a result of the weakening of the pulses. For all the different illnesses are included within these ten pulses; and similarly, all the different melodies are included in these ten melodies. Therefore, according to the breakdown of the happiness and the melody, so will be the sickness that comes. All the medical experts have explained this subject at length; that all illnesses come as a result of sadness and depression, and that happiness is a great healing and cure. The Rebbe adds that in the future, happiness will increase very much, and through happiness, all the sicknesses will be cured.

We see from this lesson some of the great benefits of happiness, now we just have to learn how to always be happy. It appears to me with Hashems help, that the Rebbe is hinting to us a secret to being happy when he says that 'in the future' happiness will increase very much. What is it about the future which will allow happiness to increase very much?

Two things come to mind when the future is mentioned; one, is what we say in the Aleinu prayer to end each of our three daily prayers which comes from the prophet Zecharia 14:9, "Hashem will be the king over all the land; on that day Hashem will be One and His Name will be One." The commentators explain that this is referring to the Day of Judgment that will take place in Messianic times, when there will be no more idolatry and falsehood in the world. On a deeper level it is also referring to the new level of consciousness that we will attain at that time in which both Hashem (G-d's aspect of mercy) and His Name – Elokim (G-d's aspect of judgment) will be one. That is, we will gain a clear understanding in future times that everything is from Hashem and all that happens to us is really His loving kindness (this is also hinted to in the numerical value of the word echad (one) which is 13 and ahava (love) which is also 13). With this explanation of what will be in 'the future', we now have a tool to help us maintain a state of constant and increased happiness. If we know that everything we encounter in life, whether good or seemingly bad is really all Hashems' loving kindness, then we can certainly be happy all the time.

The second thing that comes to mind when one mentions the future is Olam Haba, The World to Come. Now what exactly is true about The World to Come which can help us achieve this state of happiness. For this we can look in the Likkutei Moharan, at the beginning of lesson 4, "When a person knows that all that happens to him is for his good, this is an aspect of The World to Come." Well there you have it; the Rebbe describes The World to Come with knowing that all that happens to a person is for his good.

So now if we put these two 'future' examples together, we can say that the real secret to happiness which is also the cure for all illnesses is the knowledge that everything is from Hashem and everything is for our good. The best way to express this is by thanking Hashem for everything in life, both good and bad with the knowledge that even if you can't understand why this is happening, it is still from Hashem and it is therefore good for you. Eventually the words will penetrate into your heart, and G-d willing you will merit seeing the true hidden good which is in everything that is happening to you.

This also goes well with what the prophet Yeshayahu (Isaiah) says, that in the future when Moshiach comes, there will be no death or sickness anymore. It makes sense that when we all gain the knowledge of the future, then we will all be happy, as it says in Tehillim, "Then our mouths will be filled with laughter", and this will be the end to all sickness and death in the world.

May we merit to make 'the future' now; and may Hashem bless us all with true happiness and a complete healing both physically and mentally for all of Am Yisrael, amen.

The City of Diamonds

BS"D

There was a very poor man who was told that somewhere on a far off island there existed a city of diamonds.
Seeing that he had no other choice, he packed up a few of his belongings, said goodbye to his wife and kids and set off on the journey.
After a long and difficult journey, he finally discovered the island with the city of diamonds. After collapsing on the diamond covered shore, he grabbed a handful of diamonds and stuffed them into his pocket. Before collecting more diamonds, he realized that he had not eaten in many days, so he staggered into a restaurant and ordered a large filling meal. When the bill came, he reached into his pocket, placed a diamond on the table and told the waiter to keep the change. The waiter started to laugh and said, "Surely you must be joking, over here these stones are of no value, here our currency is potatoes. In spud we trust!"
The poor man was in shock and didn't know what to do. The manager of the restaurant had him wash dishes to work off his bill. He worked hard and was offered a permanent job as a dishwasher which he accepted. It was not long before he moved up to becoming a waiter and because of his hard work and diligence, he eventually became the assistant manager. At this point he was earning a good amount of potatoes every month and he was feeling very good about his turn in fortune. Soon the old manager confided in the poor man that he wanted to retire and leave the restaurant over in his hands. The poor man gladly accepted and continued to grow more and more successful until he owned many other restaurants and businesses and he soon became the wealthiest man on the island.
After many years, he remembered his poor wife and kids and how much they all must be suffering and missing him, so he hired a giant ship, packed up all his millions of potatoes and set sail for the long journey home. Upon his arrival home, he greeted his wife with a big smile and open arms and said, here I am and we are rich, I have millions of potatoes in the boat. Now by this time, all his potatoes had gone rotten and turned into a stinky putrid mush. His wife clobbered him over the head with her purse and shouted at him, "You fool, you were supposed to get the DIAMONDS, what good are all these lousy rotten potatoes."
The poor man sunk into despair and he cried and cried over his terrible misfortune. Meanwhile, the wife being a true woman of valor started sifting through the rotten potatoes with the hope to salvage a few good potatoes to boil in a stew. In the corner of the boat she found a sack with her husbands' old clothes and she decided to take them to wash. In the pocket she felt a few lumps and to her surprise and great excitement, she discovered a pocketful of diamonds. They were able to live happily ever after...

Before our soul enters into this world, we are very clear on our mission: To gather as many diamonds (Torah and Mitzvot) as possible. When we get here however, we are constantly mislead and persuaded by the world into believing that the real currency is dollars or shekels or gold or whatever other toys and gadgets they make us desire.
How sorry we will be after we return home from our long journey here in this world only to discover that all our money and physical possessions are worth nothing more than rotten putrid potatoes and have no value at all in the spiritual world. How fortunate we will be if we have even a few diamonds to take with us back home...