Rav Yehuda Petaya and The Elderly Ba'al Teshuva

Story 1: Rav Yehuda Petaya and The Elderly Ba’al Teshuva

In the book "Minchat Yehuda" (number 86), we find the following account:

In the year 5683 (1923), I was approached by a certain older man who confessed to me that he had sinned with his daughter in law while she was married to his son. He told me that he wanted to make teshuva and atone for his sin. However, he did not possess the strength anymore to perform many fasts or to do other difficult sigufim (self-mortifications) for atonement.

I asked him if he would at very least be able to fast for one full day, similar to that of Yom Kippur? He said yes.

I told him to go and dip seven times in the mikva, and then to accept upon himself a 24 hour fast for the above mentioned sin.

I instructed him that on the day of the fast he was to come to me with a pidyon (redemption money) for the 325 fasts that were necessary to atone for the sin of being with a married woman, and that I would assist him with his tikkun, and so it was.

On the day of the fast he came to me and entered into my room. He took four steps barefoot (as a gesture of repentance) and stood in front of me and confessed his above mentioned sin. After his confession, he handed me the pidyon money and said, “Here is the pidyon money for the 325 fasts which I am required to do as atonement for my sin, please take it and distribute it as charity to whomever you wish.”

When I received the money from his hand, I said, “Behold, I am receiving this money from so and so who has given it as charity in order to redeem the remaining fasts which he is obligated to do as atonement for the sin which he sinned with his daughter in law, etc. For You hear the prayers of all mouths, blessed are You who hears prayers.

I then suspected that that this old man was very poor and actually borrowed this money from others, so I returned to him the whole amount as charity – keeping nothing but two small coins.

Two years later, this old man passed away, and I saw him in a dream standing before the Heavenly Court. He was received above as a Ba’al Teshuva, however, they found that he had only repented for the sin of being with a married woman, and was still lacking atonement for the sin of being with his daughter in law.

He was not spoken to, and he removed himself to a side room and lowered himself down to his knees. The Heavenly Court lifted their eyes upward, and three angels instantly descended from the heavens above and performed a surgery on his organ – removing from it the rust and blemish of the sin of being with his daughter in law. They then healed him completely and exited.

This is all what I saw in my dream. And from this account, one can see the great value and preciousness of teshuva, for it saved this old man of hundreds of years of kaf hakele, painful reincarnations and gehenom. Therefore our sages teach us, “Finer is one hour of repentance and good deeds in this world; then is the value of the entire World to Come.”

(Until here were the words of Rav Yehuda Petaya)

Deep Thoughts About the Purpose of Life

Words from, Rejoice O Youth! by Rav Avigdor Miller zt"l

(whoever reads these words very carefully and thinks about them, will find enough reason and encouragement to begin a whole new life dictated by total Truth and Virtue - blessings, Hazak We'ematz)

The truth is everywhere, but few men are able to see it. This world is a night of darkness; we see nothing, despite the brightness of the daylight. We move all about, all our lives, in a thick fog which conceals from our eyes all the great truths. Out of this heavy, impenetrable mist, murky phantoms loom up before us. Some terrify us, and some lure us on; but all are unreal fantasies fashioned by the fog swirls.

Sometimes the evil inclination conceals from men the fact of G-d's control over their affairs. This is the darkness which causes a man to seem to be a post, and a post to appear to be a man. Men fail to see the real perils, including the waste of their lives, which is a loss never to be regained; but they see only the imaginary forms of happiness, theories of error, and the threat to their economic security. Thus men are affrighted by the phantoms of poverty which the Evil Inclination conjures up and by this means enslaves them to the pursuit of security. For this, they forsake their sole purpose in life, which is the pursuit of Perfection; and they pursue the illusion of security. 

Sometimes, for a fleeting moment, the fog lifts, such as when men are about to leave the world, or in times of catastrophe or great excitement. For a brief interval the light appears; but again the mist closes in, and men continue their blind march in the dark.

This universal darkness and error is essential to the World-Plan, and it has been so arranged by the Creator: 'You make darkness, and it becomes night' (Psalms 104:20); 'This refers to this world, which is like the night' (Bava Metzia 83 b). In this blackness, men are led into two errors (Mesillas Yesharim): 1) They fail to see the truth and 2) they believe the imaginary phantoms to be real. Thus, the nations have adored men who were worthless; and they vilified some men of great virtue.

youth: "But why should the Creator permit this force to exist?"

sage: "Because it is of the greatest benefit to mankind."

youth: "The greatest enemy, which distorts all the truths of life, is the greatest benefit?"

sage: "Yes. The purpose of life is to practice Free-Will. G-d does not wish to force men into righteousness, for then the entire plan would be frustrated. But if men were not blinded by the Evil Inclination, they could not avoid seeing the truths. They would recognize G-d from the overwhelming and incontrovertible demonstration of plan-and purpose everywhere in the world,they would recognize Man's role as the sole recipient of G-d's unbounded kindliness, they would understand the end-purpose of the Afterlife, and they would see the true function of life as the pursuit of virtue and Perfection. G-d said: 'No man shall see Me and live' (Shemot 33:20); for such clarity of perception would hamper the Free-Will, without which life would be useless. 'You impose darkness and it is night' (Psalms 104:20). This world has been made dark by G-d, for if men could see the whole Truth, they could no longer act except in accordance with it. Virtue would be as natural as the instinct of self-preservation. It would not be the result of men's Free-Will. The concealing of all these truths creates the ordeal of Free-Will."

Men are so blind that they do not see their own faults, for even the lowest criminals regard themselves as good men. The greatest are sometimes deceived by this darkness. The wise and noble brothers of Joseph considered him a wicked man who deserved to be destroyed, despite the fact that they had seventeen years to observe his behavior. Even our father Issac was unable to discern the wickedness of Esau, who had lived in his house for over sixty years; and he wished to confer the blessings upon him.

Even the physical world is totally concealed from our eyes. By day we see an empty sky; and we forget that huge worlds hover overhead in space. Even at night we are deceived; for unless we look through the giant telescopes, we cannot visualize the vast numbers of the celestial bodies. Without the aid of the microscope, our eyes do not see the teeming millions of bacteria swarming upon our bodies, upon our clothing, and in the air we breathe... Even we, today, are completely unaware of numerous physical phenomena, before our eyes, which will be revealed in later generations. If such ignorance is possible in material things, then how great is the ignorance of men in the non-physical truths!

Rabbotai, we want the whole world to come and pray with us for one day; for on that one day, there will be peace in the entire world! Reb Shlomo Carlebach zt"l

Benefits to Living in Israel

All the blessings of the Land will open up for you when you come here. 

Making Aliya is a leap of faith. It has to come from you, when you decide and truly believe that Hashem desires closeness with you. 

The best feeling for a parent is to know that their children are home and safe.

Israel is the Holy Land and Jerusalem is the Kings Royal City. We are His children and He wants us all to come back home. 

Leave the dark and scary streets of the 70 nations and come back to our happy and loving home.

"The air of Eretz Yisrael makes one wise"

(Bava Batra 158b)

"It is preferable to dwell in the deserts of Eretz Yisrael than the palaces of Chutz LaAretz"

(Bereshit Rabba 39:8)

"Fortunate is he who merits in his lifetime to fix his residence in Eretz HaKodesh"

(Zohar HaKadosh III 72b)

"And remove from your heart this false belief that a man has more blessings outside the land"

(Alshich HaKadosh, Ki Tavo 28:6)

"Living in Eretz Yisrael is the equivalent of all the Mitzvot in the Torah"

(Sifrei, Parashat Re'e, Tosefta Avoda Zara 5)

"There is no happiness, but only when Yisrael is settled in the Holy Land"

(Zohar HaKadosh, Bamidbar 118a)

"He who lives in Eretz Yisrael should be perpetually happy with this Mitzvah, and all the suffering he experiences should be insignificant to him in light of his love for this Mitzvah"

(Pele Yoetz, Eretz)

"Anyone who dwells in Eretz Yisrael, the very Land attones for him"

(Sifrei, Haazinu)

"Only in Eretz Yisrael can happiness be complete; and it is also possible to sanctify oneself with great kedusha, something that is impossible in foreign lands"

(Rabbi Elimelech MiLizensk)

"Eretz Yisrael lacks nothing"

(Brachot 36)

If you'd like to find out more about making the move and buying a property in Israel, contact my good friend Aaron Morgan:

Morgan Mortgage
Habasor 10/2, Beit Shemesh, 99632, Israel
Tel: 02-992-4137
Cel: 0525-688-940
USA Tel:        1-914-339-0583

Canada  Tel:  1-647-558-4952

Israel Fax: 153-2-992-4137 (Fax must be sent from Israel)

US Fax: 1-208-247-4561

Email: aaron@morganmortgage.co.il

Please visit our website at: www.morganmortgage.co.il

The Eyes

We will begin by taking a look at a few ideas from the second chapter of the sefer Kav HaYashar: 

King David, peace be upon him, said in Tehillim (119:37), "Avert my eyes from seeing vanity, cause me to live in Your ways." A person must know that many things depend on sight. Therefore it seems to me that if upon arising from sleep one's gaze falls upon the house, one should reflect that the Holy one blessed is He gave us the mitzvah of affixing a mezuzah to the entryway and the mitzvah of making a ma'akeh (a parapet) around the roof, as it is written, "And you shall make a parapet for your roof" (Devarim 22:8).

And if upon going out the doorway he encounters clean animals, fit to be offered as sacrifices, let him reflect that the Holy One Blessed is He commanded us to offer sacrifices. And if he encounters impure domesticated or wild animals let him reflect that it is forbidden to consume them. Similarly, if he meets a gentile let him reflect that it is forbidden to intermarry with them.

In short, each person should engage in reflection according to his knowledge and learning. This is a very great matter, for in this way one clothes his eyes with sanctity regarding everything they behold.

The converse is also true. Just as one who gazes at holy matters creates a garment of sanctity for his faculty of sight, so too when a man allows himself to gaze at forbidden sights and strange women, he clothes himself in deep defilement, Heaven forbid.

A solid proof that sight has the power to cause harm to the viewer himself as well as others can be adduced from the bird called the bas haya'anah. This bird's eggs lie in front of the mother while she stares at them, piercing them with her gaze until a chick emerges from each one. In the chapters to come I will bring demonstrations of further insights into this matter.

For this reason our sages of blessed memory (Avoda Zara 20a) erected a protective fence forbidding a man from gazing upon anything that is liable to bring him to sin. For instance, he is forbidden from gazing at women and girls lest he be guilty of wasting seed. This is what King David had in mind when he wrote, "Avert my eyes from seeing vanity, cause me to live in your ways" (Tehillim 119:37). The numetical value for the word shav, "vanity,"

is 307, represented by the letters shin zayin, which is also the acronym for the term shichvas zera, "spilling seed." (Dovid prayed that his eyes should not behold anything that could lead to shichvat zera.) This is a bold hint.

It seems to me further that because Lilis and her cohorts are called "pangs of vanity" (shav) and also "pangs of death", as is mentioned several times in the Zohar (I:12b; II:33a), therefore David prayed, saying, "Cause me to live in Your ways." That is, he asked to be influenced by the side of life and not the side of death, Heaven forbid.

The authors of the ethical literature write of a wonderful strategy for avoiding this sin: Let a man envision to himself continually that Hashem's four letter name is written before him in black ink upon parchment, in keeping with the verse, "I have placed Hashem (i.e., the four-letter name) before me continually" (Tehillim 16:8). This is the principle that King David alludes to in the verse, "My eyes are always directed towards Hashem, for He will free my feet from the net" (Tehillim 25:15). The meaning should be obvious.

... Come take a look at what is stated in the Zohar, parashas Pikudei (263b). There it tells of an angel called Patos who seduces (mefateh) men to gaze at and examine that which is not necessary for them in an adulterous and wanton manner. After a man dies and is buried in the grave this angel then comes and restores to him his soul, after which he takes hold of him cruelly and brakes the sockets of his eyes and plucks out his eyes. Later on the man is sentenced to terrible afflictions and then lowered into a pit filled with snakes and scorpions, which attack him and execute upon him terrible judgments, Heaven spare us!

... It follows from the above that a person must be very protective of his faculty of sight.

My Encounter With a Hidden Tzaddik

BS"D

Find out how to solve all of your problems and difficulties by learning to thank Hashem for all the good He is doing for you in your life. 

You are about to find out an amazing secret remedy that is vey easy to do which I was taught by a Hidden Tzaddik here in Yerushalayim. It works for any problems and difficulties in life. (It's free, so you can relax and read on :)

A few days ago I was walking along deep in my thoughts of some of the different worries and problems I have in life. Don't worry, I wasn't sad or depressed, just deep in thought of what does Hashem want from me, and what is the way out of these difficulties?

Just as I was asking Hashem to please send me some kind of message, to please show me some kind of sign, to please give me some kind of way out... 

I hear "Shalom, how are you (in an old Yiddish accent - but full of life)." It was Rav Brizel, a very special Tzaddik that lives here in Yerushalayim. I looked at him and said, "Yeah Baruch Hashem, I'm OK." He then gave me a blessing and I walked on. 

Just then, I thought to myself, "Hey, maybe this is the sign Hashem is sending me. Maybe he can give me some advice or direction to help me with my problems." I quickly turned around and walked right back to him and started telling him what was going on in my life. I mentioned one problem, "I don't have..." and another one, "I don't know..." and another one "I'm not able..." and then he stopped me and asked me if I sing?

I was a bit taken aback. Do I sing - I thought to myself? Yes, but not so much lately, and not as much as I probably should I answered. He then asked me to sing him a song, so I thought for a while and thought some more and finally some song of the past came to me that I have used to help me out af a few tough times, "Say don't worry about a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be allright..." I wasn't singing it with full enthusiasm - I was a bit embarrassed as well. Then he said, "Another one." I was a bit relieved, and I thought again, I said come on Hashem help me find a good one. Then it hit me, this was a song I really liked and it has really helped me tremendously out of several downs - it was a real winner, 

"Uman Rosh Hashana sheli oleh al hakol, Mah omar lachem - ein davar gadol mizeh, lihyot etzli al Rosh Hashana. Umi shehaya etzli, etzli al Rosh Hashana, rauy lismoach - lismoach kol hashana." (Translation: My Uman Rosh Hashana is greater than everything. What shall I say to you, there is nothing greater than to be by me on Rosh Hashana. And one who was by me - by me on Rosh Hashana, it is fitting for him to rejoice - to rejoice the entire year.) Since I made it to Uman this past Rosh Hashana, B"H, I remind myself by singing this song that inspite of anything, I should be happy all year long just because of that.

OK, so back to our story. Rav Brizel picked up on the song and started humming along the tune while I was singing it. He then jumped into the tune with different words. He sang "Hodu l'A-donai ki tov, ki leolam chasdo" (Translation: Acknowledge / thank Hashem for He is good, forever is His kindness.) He went on singing it for a while, and then he explained the following.

He said that this above verse contained the winning formula that can solve any and all problems and difficulties in life. It works like this. 

Hodu l'A-donai: (Acknowledge  / thank Hashem) - He explained that we must always be thanking Hashem. If we truly believe that everything Hashem does is for the good, so we need to be thanking Him all the time for everything. He then stressed the importance of saying the Name of Hashem A'D-onai when singing the song and not substituting it with the word Hashem. He explained that when you want to call someone you see in the street you need to use their name, otherwise they will not know you are calling them. So too with Hashem, if we want to call Him to our assistance, we must use His Name. When Hashem hears us call His Name, He right away pays attention - so to speak and listens to what we have to say to Him.

He then stopped to tell me a story:

In a certain town there was a barber who did not believe in G-d. When asked why, he responded, "Look at all the sick people, look at all the problems people have, how can there be a G-d if such things exist in the world!?" Upon hearing this, the man he was speaking to turned around and began to shout out in the street, "I do not believe that there is a barber in this town, there is no barber in this town!" The barber then stopped him and said with surprise, "But I am a barber, I am standing right in front of you. How can you say that you do not believe there is a barber here?" To this the man responded, "I look around and see people with long hair, with messy hair, with dirty hair, since all these people have problems with their hair, it must mean that there is no barber in this town. To this the barber responded, "But what can I do, I can only help these people if they come to me." The man said, "Hashem too can only help those who come to Him!"

Now back to explaining our song:

Ki Tov, Ki Leolam Chasdo: (for He is good, forever is His kindness) - Aha, says Hashem, he is calling Me good and kind. My child below is calling Me and praising Me for my goodness and My kindness. This draws Hashems' attention to us and invokes His mercy on us and all our problems begin to dissappear. He explained it like this, when you acknowledge someone for their goodness and kindness, then you make them want to bestow more goodness and kindness. Same thing with Hashem, if He hears us singing to Him and saying that He is good and kind, then He will automatically start sending us more goodness and kindness, and making sure that we can see His goodness and kindness, so we can thank Him and acknowledge Him more.

(This by the way is a big secret in any relationship, especially in a marriage and as parents. The more we acknowledge the good in our spouse and in our children - the more good we will keep bringing out of them.)

That is the secret of the above verse and the Rav said I should sing it all the time. When I am walking, when I am sitting, at home, on the road, just keep singing "Hodu l'A-donai ki tov, ki leolam chasdo," and he said I would see miracles.

We sang it a bit more and he then explained to me the other approach. What happens if we say all day long, "I have this problem," "I have this difficulty," "I have no strength," "I have no money," "My child always makes trouble." He said that we should train ourselves not to speak like this because our words make a decree on ourselves. When you say, "I have no money," you have just decreed upon yourself with your own words that you have no money. If you say, "My child always makes trouble," you have just decreed upon yourself to have a child who always makes trouble. 

You see how it works. It's scary when we actually begin to think about how many times we make such horrible negative decrees upon ourselves with our very own mouth. Insted we need to just sing all the time "Hodu l'A-donai ki tov, ki leolam chasdo." In this way we are decreeing upon ourselves that our lives are filled with nothing but good and kindness. We are thanking Hashem for filling our lives with only good and kindness and this is the secret to positive thinking and positive speaking and this will miraculously change everthing in our lives for the good, G-d willing.

I realized myself this past Shabbat in the Mizmor LeDavid Psalm we say before the Kiddush, that near the end it says, "Only good and kindness has chased me all the days of my life." Then I thought, David Hamelech was probably the most chased and downtrodden figure we have in the whole Bible. He was an outcast from his family, Shaul Hamelech tried to kill him, his own son Avshalom tried to kill him, he suffered shame and humiliation from the incident with Batsheva, Doeg publicly cursed him, he had enemies and wars all around him, it goes on and on. Yet what does he say, "Only good and kindness has chased me all the days of my life." That is what made him great and that is why he survived it all and in the end became David Hamelech the father of the eventual Moshiach. In the merit of the greatness of his tests and the fact that he still only praised Hashem for the good and kindness and asked to dwell in the house of Hashem for all his days, that is what made him truly great and that is why he merited what he merited.

Ribbono Shel Olam, may You have mercy on Your beloved children. May we remember to call Your Name in all our times of trouble. May we never forget that everything You may put us through or send our way is nothing but good and kindness with the purpose of drawing us closer to You. In the merit of David Hamelech may we be worthy of singing to you from whatever place we may be and may Your kindess and mercy always be aroused upon us to help us out with whatever we may need.

See the video clip of Rav Brizel himself singing the song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZpnBJ1ja3g&feature=youtu.be