The Rabbi A.D. Karnowsky Show

A quick and profound look at the Three Weeks.

A quick and profound look at the Book of Psalms. Chapters 141-150

A quick and profound look at the Book of Psalms. Chapters 131-140

A quick and profound look at the Book of Psalms. Chapters 121-130

A quick and profound look at the Book of Psalms. Chapters 111-120

A quick and profound look at the Book of Psalms. Chapters 101-110

A quick and profound look at the Book of Psalms. Chapters 91-100

A quick and profound look on Pesach.

A quick and profound look at the Book of Psalms. Chapters 81-90

A quick and profound look at the Book of Psalms. Chapters 71-80

A quick and profound look at the Book of Psalms. Chapters 61-70

A quick and profound look at the Book of Psalms. Chapters 51-60

A quick and profound look on Purim.

A quick and profound look at the Book of Psalms. Chapters 41-50

A quick and profound look at the Book of Psalms chapters 31-40

A quick and profound look at the Book of Psalms chapters 21-30

A quick and profound look at the Book of Psalms chapters 11-20

A quick and profound look at the Book of Psalms chapters 1-10

The Jewish Nation heard the first two commandments from Hashem directly. The power of this experience caused them to die. Hashem had to revive them from the dead. The purpose of this was to trade in our physical, finite existence for a new type of body. A body which has Torah as its DNA. This body is bound with Hashem and lives forever. Death is only final for a finite body. One who is willing to give up ones life for Hashem, has traded in one's physical body for an eternal infinite existence. Such a person can never truly die!

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai died with the words "Chayim- life." Some die because life leaves them. Some die because they are so elevated and close to the source of life, that they move into a different and eternal realm of life. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai revealed on his deathbed the deepest secrets of the Torah. His death was an act of life. He reached the pinnacle of life possible, to the point that his dying word was life. A Jew can connect to Hashem with such a strong connection that he can never sever his ties from life. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai physically died, but spiritually, his death was a kiss of eternal life.

The Sfas Emes reveals that there are 3 levels of holiness. Level 1 - Angel's - they are completely disconnected from the physicality of this world. There is nothing holding them back from being holy. Level 2 - Jewish Nation - we live in this world, interact with it, but. nevertheless, guard our core Kedusha inside of us. Level 3 - Hashem - creates and sustains the entire world and none of it has an effect on His Holiness. A Jew in this world cannot attempt level 3. If one connects to evil and is surrounded with it, it will have an adverse effect on his personal holiness. That's why Hashem gave us such specific guidelines on how to navigate life in this world. It's a path in how to guard ones holiness and not let our surroundings enter our orbit.

Man was created on day 6 of creation, after all the animals and insects. The reason for this is so we should have the ability to connect everything to Hashem - from the very bottom to the very top. Hashem gave man a neshama from the highest place and a body from the lowest place. This gives us the unique opportunity and ability to connect all the dots, no matter how low, back to Hashem.

The purpose of eating is to elevate all elements of the world and connect it to Hashem. The earth rises thought he grass. The animal takes the grass and elevates it to the level of life. The human being takes the animal and elevates it higher. The Jew comes and eats the animal and then uses his mouth to study and pray, thereby connecting it all to Hashem.

We came out of Mitzrayim in two stages. Yetzias Mitzrayim and Krias Mitzrayim. Zohar Hakadosh reveals that our speech was in exile in Mitzrayim. This means that we did not have an ability to express ourselves and connect to Hashem through our speech. Hashem redeemed us and gave us the gift of speech. Yetzias Mitzrayim gave us the freedom to connect to Him through crying and tzeaka. Krias Yam Suf freed us to be able to connect to him by singing. Wherever we find ourselves, we can connect with our mouths. We can cry and we an sing and praise His Name with a heart overflowing with joy. Dibbur has come out of Exile!

The 4 key elements of the Seder night are: Korban Pesach, Matzah, Maror & Daled Kosos. Maror cleanses our bodies from grime and sin. The Korban Pesach lifts us out of the rut and places us in an elevated place. Matzah is spirtual food that allows the body to become more spiritual. 4 cups of wine knock out the 4 forces of evil that exist in the world. They represent the 4 lights that emanate from the Divine Name. Each year, we take another blow at evil and eventually evil will cease to exist. Afikoman is the final thing we eat, because we want the spiritual light we received on the Seder night to linger and last for the entire year.

Arizal reveals that the Jews in Egypt had sunken to level 49 of impurity. They had to be redeemed in great haste to catch them before they slipped to level 50, which would have deemed them irredeemable. What was the purpose of this? Yetzias Mitzrayim was the root of all future redemptions. Hashem wanted us to be redeemed from the lowest possible point in order to create an everlasting ability for a Jew to be redeemed from anywhere. No Jew can say today that he has slipped to the point of being irredeemable. Hashem redeemed us from level 49 out of Egypt and we can access that point of freedom wherever we find ourselves today.

Zohar reveals that one who guards the days from Pesach until Shavuos, will not need to go through the judgement of Tishrei. Sfas Emes explains that Tishrei is the month that Hashem created the world. Nissan is the month that He took us out of Egypt and we became his chosen nation, ultimately receiving the Torah at Har Sinai. If we understand that connecting to Hashem is the most valuable thing in the world, we will realize that Nissan is a more important month for us than Tishrei. Leaving Egypt is even more significant than our very creation! Such a Jew will merit to receive his judgment in the month of Nissan, a month of kindness and redemption.

We don't always feel a spiritual high after completing a mitzvah. Sfas Emes explains that since the Torah is spiritual and we are physical, there is no way that we will immediately feel the beauty and light of the Torah. It's only through fulfilling the Mitzvos many times, that will form us into a more refined vessel and we will start to feel the beauty of a Mitzvah. Torah is the light and Mitzvos is the candle that holds the light. There is no point expecting to understand a mitzvah before having fulfilled it. The more we do, the more we will start to develop and appreciate its taste. One needs a lot of emunah to jump in and do the mitzvah even if one does not initially understand it. But the understanding will come eventually. 613 Mitzvos - 613 solutions how a human being can become a vessel to flood himself with the light of the Torah.

Mordechai is led through the streets on a royal horse by his arch enemy - Haman. How did this help to save the Jewish people from the threat of annihilation? Rav Aaron Lopiansky explains that it helped the Jewish people to realize that any situation can be reversed in a moment, if Hashem desires. This allowed them to pray with a firm belief that their salvation was possible. Purim is a day where we allow ourselves to say dreams and aspirations that we thought were impossible and out of reach. We listen to ourselves and realize that we can become great people - It's truly possible. Now we can daven for its fulfillment with a belief in the impossible becoming possible.

Our Sages write that one should get to a level on Purim where one cannot differentiate between "blessed is Mordechai and cursed is Haman." What is the meaning of this? Haman asks his wife, Zeresh, for advice on how to deal with Mordechai, the Jew. She gives him a solution to build a gallows 50 Amos high and hang him from there. What was the great wisdom in this solution of hers? Listen to this episode to understand the deeper fight taking place here - who exists at the 50th level of wisdom. Based on the teachings of the Maharal and the Sfas Emes. I will be sharing a daily (one minute) dose of Purim inspiration ft the Sfas Emes and others. Click https://chat.whatsapp.com/CM4shx2ZIiOEgOxP34kFnA to join the group Feel free to share this link with friends and family

When Adar arrives, we increase in Simcha. Sefer Yetzira reveals that Adar has to do with the concept of sechok - laughter. A good joke is when the story was going one way and unexpectedly it flips around - that elicits strong laughter. The ultimate laughter is when the world looks like it is going one way and then it turns on its head - that will bring us to a state of laughter. Our Sages teach us that it's forbidden to fill our hearts with laughter in this world- only in the world to come. Only then will we understand that all the things in the world that liked like they had to come to an end, we're really being reborn to a brand new level of existence. Just like a seed falls apart in order to sprout a tree, so too our body goes into the ground to be able to be resurrected in a most pure and holy fashion. Haman mistakenly thought that Adar was our weak point because Moshe died. He didn't realize that Moshe was also born in the month of Adar. The depth being conveyed here is that his death in itself was an act of rebirth. Nothing in Judaism ever dies. Whatever looks like it came to an end, is looped in a circle and connected to a new beginning. This is the true joke of our existence in this world.

Our Sages teach us that Hashem said all Ten Commandments in one utterance. Maharal explains the purpose of this was to teach us that the entire Torah is One. Ramchal explains that Hashem Echad means that there is nothing else that exists besides for Hashem. Everything that exists is part of Hashems existence. Hashems unity is the only concept we can grasp by negating what it is not. By knowing that Ein Od Milvado, we can know that Hashem is One. All the details and commandments of the Torah are all part of the Oneness of G-d. There are 613 ways and doorways on how to become part of this Oneness. The world was created with a Beis. Ten Commandments starts with an Aleph. The world looks like fragmented pieces and the job of the Adam is to take all the pieces and show how they are all part of the Oneness of Hashem. Mashiach is the ultimate Adam who will unite the world and show how everything is part of Hashems unified existence.

Why do we place such an emphasis on the fact that we left Egypt? Ramchal writes that “bereishis” means tikva. Tikva means hope. The root of the word tikva is kav which means a line. The difference between a circle and a line is that a circle stays in its limitations but a line can break all barriers. So long as we are connected to the lifeline that Hashem extended to us, we have hope. The hope is that we can transcend this finite and limited world because we are on a line that connects us to infinity and eternity. When we went to Egypt, we had almost lost connection to our lifeline. When Hashem took us out, he gave us a new line with a fresh beginning. The Jews saw this at the splitting of the sea and they sang with clarity and conviction- Hashem Yimloch Leila Vaed. They knew they would reach their purpose because they were back into the line. Every generation is further down this line. If we are able to still hold on to the same line that our ancestors held onto l, even though we are so far down the line, that merit is ample hope that we can be the generation to bring the Mashiach!

Hashem is infinite, however, he created a finite and seemingly limited world. Infinity is beyond the human beings comprehension, and he can therefore end up with nothing. Something small and concrete allows us to grasp it and comprehend it.  But since it's coming from an infinite source, we have the ability to constantly climb up the ladder one finite step at a time ad infinitum!

The Zohar Hakadosh writes that the concept of speech was in exile in Egypt. There are thoughts, speech and action. The concept of speech is to express our loftiest thoughts into the world. It comes from a perfect marriage between body and soul. The greater the persons thoughts, the harder it is to express and limit them into finite words. Moshe Rabbeinu had a speech impediment precisely because of his greatness. He couldn't communicate his lofty ideas into speech. Babies cannot speak - not because of a lack of ability, rather, a lack of what to say! The child hasn't yet grasped concepts at a level that they can be expressed. Medrash explains that the Torah healed Moshes speech. Torah is the great gift that we were given which allowed us to truly speak. It comes from a lofty worlds but has words that we can use to express them into the word. In Egypt we couldn't fully express our loftiness. We were redeemed and received Torah and now true speech has been born.

Ariza"l reveals that the six weeks where we read from Shemos through Mishpatim are days where one can rectify sins that could not be rectified during the rest of the year. Rav Tzadok Hakohen of Lublin explains that going into exile, forced the Jew to look deep inwards and reach a level of crying out to Hashem from a very real and deep place. Sfas Emes points out that not having a Beis Hamikdash forces a Jew to not get stuck on anything superficial, but, rather to connect to his pure neshama in a very sincere way. Rebbe Nachamn of Breslov writes that one can cry out to Hashem in a very faint voice that no-one ese can hear. Mashiach will blow a shofar gadol which will awaken every Jew, even a Jew that has totally forgotten his Jewish identity. This is the purpose of our long exile and this is how we can merit to bring mashiach. The Jew today has no place to look outward, all one can do is focus deeper and deeper on ones essence and core and unveil Hashem's presence in a way that no previous generation could do.

Our Sages teach us that Mashiach has to come at a time when no-one imagines he will come. Why does it have to be like that? Why was Daniel told to obscure it until the end of times? Why is Olam Haba - the World to Come not spoken about explicitly in the Torah? Rav Moshe Shapira explains that the world to come is a dimension beyond the limitations of words. Its too lofty to be able to be described. Mashiach is the bridge that takes us from this world to this new dimension - Olam Haba. The concept of Mashiach is revealed because he will arrive into this revealed world, but the day and time has to be obscured because he is coming from Olam Haba to take us back there with him. We don't want to know the date because then we have limited his ability to take us to new dimensions and levels.

Our Sages reveal that mashiach ben yosef will arrive first, followed by mashiach ben david. David is a descendant of Yehuda. The Ariza"l reveals that Yehuda has the letters of the Divine Name in his name, plus a letter Daled. Sfas Emes explains that Yosef signifies addition, which comes from going up to the source of blessing. Yehuda and David signify receiving the blessing at the bottom of the ladder, together with an understanding that the sole purpose of receiving is to be able to reflect Hashem's Light into the world. Shabbos is the day that we connect to Yosef - we go up to the source. The six days of the week we receive the blessing down here and we reflect it to the world around us. Mashiach will first come at the source and only then can he be revealed down here.

The entity called darkness has an end. It must be so, because, its a created entity to temporarily cover Hashem's infinite light, allowing us the possibility of making a mistake. It allows us to get stuck on the outer cover and not see the light at its core. Mashiach will rip off this cover for the entire world. One who is able to see through the cover even in the darkness of exile, has effectively already been redeemed!

The Holy Berditchaver revealed that that the miracles that took place originally on Chanukah, recur every single year during these 8 days. The Chidushei Harim expounds that the holiness impacts every Jew on his level. The righteous person is immediately grateful for the ability to serve Hashem. The Jew at the bottom of the ladder doesn't appreciate it right away, but, eventually his soul will awaken and come to the realization that connection to Hashem is what he really wants. These are the 2 concepts of Chanukah, praise and admission. Praise for the goodness and admission to the fact that this is what is truly meaningful and everlasting. The Sfas Emes takes this even further that the light of Chanukah allows us to say Hallel even while still in exile, because its about Hashem's light penetrating the darkness, We can be touched and spiritually awakened even while still in exile.

Yaakov recieves a new name - Yisrael. The Sfas Emes explains the meaning of each name. Yaakov refers to navigating the crookidness of this world. Yisrael refers to the higher and deeper aspect of the Jew, rooted beneath the kisei hakavod, where everything is straight and clear. Yaakov went out of his natural level, down to the lowest point, in order to fight the angel of Esav at every level. By doing this, he created the ability for all his descendants to be able to navigate this world and find a path back to the heavenly throne from any given point. During the six work days, we work mainly on the aspect of Yaakov. On Shabbos, we rise to the lofty level of Yisrael. At that level, we feel our neshama in a much stronger way. Our Sages refer to this clarity as the "Neshama Yeseira."

Our forefather, Jacob instituted the evening prayer - Maariv. He opened up for us the ability to find and connect to G-d even in the darkness of the night. A Jew is able to have a connection to G-d in the daytime when things are clear, but also to have faith that G-d is hiding in the darkness, too. All we need is a tremendous desire to find him there, and we will uncover His presence in every situation. Having this level of faith will ultimately unveil the greatest dawn of all times - the coming of the Messiah.