Podcasts about Parashah

What is are most important relationships? Family? Community? Work? What gives us more satisfaction, strength, motivation, than anything else? Why is the spiritual dimension necessary for every person to function properly? Meditation of Emunah - Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gITjyVrM4yE Meditation of ascending from below - Drawing Light from above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8AzyLFM2AY For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/vayigash Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

Rabbi Menashe Reizman shared a beautiful idea from the Or HaChaim that we can take with us as the days of Chanukah come to an end. One of the central components of lighting the Nerot Chanukah is pirsumei nisa—publicizing the miracle. But this raises a question. The miracle that the oil lasted for eight days is common knowledge among Jews. Why, then, is there such an emphasis on publicizing it? Usually, the need to publicize something is when the message is not yet well known. The Ramban, at the end of Parashat Bo, explains that when Hashem performs open miracles, the purpose is not only the miracle itself, but what we are meant to learn from it. We are meant to internalize that just as Hashem performs revealed miracles, He is equally behind all the hidden miracles that take place every second of our lives. That is the true message we are meant to publicize. Not merely that oil burned for eight days, but that Hashem is behind everything that happens in this world, at every moment. In this week's Parashah, Vayigash, when Yaakov Avinu hears that Yosef is still alive, the pasuk says וַיָּפָג לִבּוֹ כִּי לֹא הֶאֱמִין - that his heart did not believe them. Rashi explains that although Yaakov physically heard the words, his heart was not yet ready to internalize the reality. This happens to us very often. With our mouths, we say that we believe Hashem is in charge of everything that happens in the world. But when we look honestly at the way we live, it becomes clear that our hearts have not fully internalized that belief. If we truly believed that only Hashem runs everything, why do we get so angry when things don't go our way? Why do we become upset at people when they hurt us? Why don't we invest more effort into tefillah? Why are we late to tefillah? If Hashem is the only One in control, then He is the only One we need to impress. If HaKadosh Baruch Hu alone decides our parnassah, then why do we feel pressured to run out of davening for a business meeting? The Nerot Chanukah are there to remind us that Hashem's presence fills every detail of life. Hashem decided that a small amount of oil would burn for eight days. Oil does not burn on its own—it burns only because Hashem wills it to burn. He also made a small group of Jews defeat the mighty Greek army. The Greeks wanted us to believe that the world runs on autopilot, that everything happens naturally. Unfortunately, this belief still exists today. People see weather patterns and global warming, but they don't see Hashem behind every raindrop, every gust of wind, and every change in temperature. When someone loses a business deal, he sees the person who took it away, not Hashem. When someone gains a good opportunity, he credits the person who gave it, not Hashem. We must know with absolute clarity that no human being has any power to help or harm us. No one can use their free will to affect our lives unless Hashem decrees it. But because we are constantly involved in hishtadlut—searching for the best doctor, the best shadchan, the best deal—we easily become absorbed in the effort itself. We begin to believe that success comes from our actions or from the people we rely on, and we forget Who is truly running everything. The message of the Nerot Chanukah is that Hashem alone is behind it all. Someone who has not yet married off his children may still believe that shidduchim depend on shadchanim and networking. But someone who has already married off his children knows with absolute clarity and without the slightest doubt that HaKadosh Baruch Hu alone does everything. There are people who send their children to one yeshivah instead of another out of fear that it might, quote-unquote, "damage shidduchim." But what does that really mean? Hashem brings the shidduch, and He would never want us to do something that is not truly beneficial for our child. One of the clearest indicators of whether we truly believe in Hashem's control is the way we engage in hishtadlut. May we be zocheh to take the light of the Nerot Chanukah with us throughout the year—to move our emunah from our lips into our hearts—and to live with a deep, internalized belief in Hashem's absolute control over everything that happens.

Parashah Mikeitz 5786

In parashas Mikeitz, Judah responds to his father's concern forBenjamin's safety by saying: "Send the lad with me, and we will ariseand go, that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also ourlittle ones." Many commentators explain this to mean that Judah wasconceding the danger that the trip posed to Benjamin but arguing thatthe danger to the whole family of not going was greater. Our class thisweek will explore this idea from the halachic perspective.Archive.org link, including handout: link

Why do we enter into situations of distress and darkness? What is the formula for getting out of darkness and trouble? Does it depend on others? How does it depend on us? Meditation of Emunah - Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gITjyVrM4yE Meditation of ascending from below - Drawing Light from above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8AzyLFM2AY For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/mikkets Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

The two main stories in the parasha - the story of Yoseph and the story of Yehudah - form the basis for Joseph being the chariot of Yesod, the implementer of Tiferet - Jacob. Likewise, Yoseph is the source of the Messiah Ben Yoseph - the developmental stage of humanity preceding the era of enlightenment and spirituality - the Messiah Ben David. Are we witnessing a transition between the two periods? At such a dramatic time in human history? Will we soon see a wave of spiritual awakening coming from the upper worlds? Meditation of Emunah - Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gITjyVrM4yE Meditation of ascending from below - Drawing Light from above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8AzyLFM2AY For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/vayeshev Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

Parashah Vayeishev 5786

In this class we discuss Judah's proposal to his brothers to sell Joseph rather than kill him. Our discussion involves two of our favorite themes:  the question of the legitimacy of moral compromise when moral absolutism seems infeasible, and the moral ambiguity frequently present in Biblical narrative.Archive.org version, including handout: link

In the beginning of this week's Parashat Vayishlach, Ya'akov Avinu is preparing to confront Esav, who wanted to kill him. Rashi tells us that Ya'akov prepared himself in three ways: sending gifts, praying, and strategizing for a potential battle. Why did Rashi list them in this order—placing tefillah second, between sending gifts and preparing for war? The Be'era Parashah explains that Rashi is teaching a fundamental principle about tefillah. Hashem built into the nature of the world that prayer works. And just as giving gifts and preparing for war are normal hishtadlut that people do, so too tefillah operates within the natural order. It is not considered miraculous to have prayers answered. For this reason, the Maharsha writes that although the Gemara teaches that a miracle performed for a person can deduct from his merits, anything attained through tefillah—even the greatest salvations—does not take away any merits, because tefillah is never considered a miracle. This understanding should give us tremendous chizuk. The answering of tefillah is part of how the world was created to function. Tefillot are so powerful that they can change decrees no matter how impossible the odds may appear. Chazal tell us that in Shamayim it had been decreed that Esav would marry Le'ah and Ya'akov would marry Rachel—"the older for the older, and the younger for the younger." The Alshich adds that Le'ah had four overwhelming hurdles preventing her from marrying Ya'akov. First, the heavenly decree had designated her for Esav. Second, the Pasuk testifies to Rachel's beauty. Third, the Pasuk tells us that Ya'akov loved Rachel. And fourth, Ya'akov worked for seven years for Rachel and took great precautions not to be deceived by Lavan. Yet Le'ah prayed so intensely, so persistently, with so many tears that her eyes became tender. And through those tefillot, she overturned the decree and all the natural odds. Chazal say that the greatness of tefillah is such that not only did Le'ah avoid marrying Esav, she even preceded Rachel to marry Ya'akov. And because of those same tefillot, she gave birth to six of the twelve Shevatim—the Bechor, the Kehunah, the Levi'im, the Meluchah, and the lineage of Mashiah—all emerging from her prayers. The Pasuk in Parashat Vayera says that the angels were sent to destroy Sedom while Avraham was still standing before Hashem. The next Pasuk tells us that Avraham prayed for Sedom to be spared. The Seforno explains: even though the decree had already been issued and the angels had already arrived in Sedom, Avraham still prayed, because he understood the ways of Hashem. As Chazal tell us Even if a sharp sword is already touching a person's neck, he should still pray, because tefillah can work no matter how desperate the situation seems. This past year, a woman received the difficult news that she had a tumor, lo 'alenu. At that time, she strengthened herself in guarding her speech and devoted herself to encouraging others to do the same. She was told that she would need the strongest form of chemotherapy. The doctors warned her of every side effect—especially that it was absolutely guaranteed she would lose all her hair. She asked them if there was anything at all she could do to avoid this. Their answer was clear: with the dosage she required, there was a one-hundred-percent certainty she would lose every strand. But she strengthened herself with the knowledge that with Hashem, nothing is fixed. She poured her heart into tefillah—not only for a full recovery, but also that she should not lose any of her hair. Today, Baruch Hashem the tumor has been completely removed. And amazingly, she did not lose even one strand of hair throughout the entire process. The doctors had no explanation. But the explanation is clear. She prayed to the Creator of the world—the One Who decides whether hair falls out or remains. Tefillah is wondrous, and Hashem created it to work as part of the natural order of the world. The more a person recognizes Hashem's power and involvement in every aspect of his life, the deeper, stronger, and more effective his tefillah becomes. Shabbat shalom.

Archive.org version, including handout: link

Parashah Vayishlach 5786

To earn the connection to the Light of Infinity, each of us must wage our own internal battle between Esau - the evil inclination, and Jacob - the good inclination. To win the battle, it takes a lot of cunning and resourcefulness, prayer, and good deeds. We can use Angels on the way for our goal. Here we learn how the desire for conquest and power can be used to bring about the coming of the Messiah and redemption. Meditation of Emunah - Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gITjyVrM4yE Meditation of ascending from below - Drawing Light from above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8AzyLFM2AY For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/vayishlah Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-tree-of-life-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

The past few weeks I have been on a mission to meet and hear from Palestinian and Jewish voices. The angst, ambivalence, and longings associated with this journey found catharsis and resonance for me in a comment of Rashi to this weeks Parashah. This is from my heart.

Parashah Vayeitze 5786

To earn the connection to the Light-Infinity, each of us must wage our own internal battle between Esau - the evil inclination, and Jacob - the good inclination. When we overcome the darkness and turn it into light, the bitter into sweet, and the tribulation into victory. We can step out of the box, out of our mental dungeon, to flee up and above our limited logic, be inspired and create the miracle. The month of Kislev is a month of miracles, transcending the limits of reason - Jacob's ladder - The secrets of Prophetic Dreams. Meditation of Emunah - Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gITjyVrM4yE&pp=0gcJCR0AztywvtLA Meditation of ascending from below - Drawing Light from above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8AzyLFM2AY For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/vayetse Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

Parashah Toldos 5786

To earn the connection to the Light of Infinity, each of us must wage our own internal battle between Esau - the evil inclination, and Jacob - the good inclination. Anyone who does not know 'who's really fighting who' does not understand the story of our reality, and of course, is not realistic. In order for there to be Free Will, Esau controls the centers of power, all of them. Human society is enslaved to the illusion of fake power, money, and might. How are the power systems really structured? How do Isaac's blessings affect contemporary world politics? Are we getting near 'The End of Days'? Are we witnessing the greatest revolution of all times? Meditation of Emunah - Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gITjyVrM4yE Meditation of ascending from below - Drawing Light from above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8AzyLFM2AY For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/toldot Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-tree-of-life-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

Parashah Chaya Sarah 5786

The complete person lives a double life - he experiences the material life and succeeds in it, because at the same time he expands his consciousness and enlarges it to the rich world beyond. Beyond the senses, beyond material culture, beyond limited human logic. Only when we expand the range of our personal experiences in every area of ​​life, can we experience true satiety, happiness, success and fulfillment that are authentic and lasting. Meditation of Emunah - Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gITjyVrM4yE Meditation of ascending from below - Drawing Light from above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8AzyLFM2AY For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/hayei-sarah Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

Parashah Vayeira 5786

When we connect to success, lust and enthusiasm it can burn and cause a fall, despair and depression. This is what happens when the enthusiasm of youth turns into bitterness, despair and apathy. There is a cure for this, the secret of the Three Columns - The Binding of Isaac. The grace that can correct selfishness and judgments and preserve the joy of youth. This is the secret of the process of the development of the human race, here lies the secret of the days of the Messiah and the understanding of the intense historical process that humanity is experiencing today. Meditation of Emunah - Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gITjyVrM4yE Meditation of ascending from below - Drawing Light from above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8AzyLFM2AY For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/vayera Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-tree-of-life-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

In this week's Parasha, Lech Lecha, we begin once again to learn lessons from the lives of Avraham and Sarah. They were both great nivi'im and understood the ways of Heaven. When Sarah saw that she was not meriting to have children, she began to think of what she could do as a special zechut to change her mazal. Chazal tell us that Sarah was not physically capable of bearing children, as she did not even have a womb. She realized that for such a salvation, she would need an enormous zechut. So what did she do? The pasuk tells us: Sarah gave her maidservant Hagar to Avraham as a wife, saying, "Perhaps I will be built through her." What was so great about giving Hagar to Avraham? Sarah knew that Avraham had a mitzvah to have children, but perhaps she was the one preventing him from fulfilling that mitzvah. With tremendous selflessness, she gave another woman to her own husband, solely so that he could fulfill Hashem's will. Moreover, Sarah could have suggested that Hagar be taken as a pilegesh instead of a full wife. But she was concerned for the kavod of Avraham. He was like a prince, and it was not fitting for him to have less than a true wife. We know that the natural longing of a woman is for the attention of her husband. In fact, the Gemara calls a co-wife a tzarah — a rival — because it becomes a rivalry for their husband's attention. For Sarah to voluntarily offer her husband a different wife so he could fulfill the mitzvah was an act of extraordinary mesirut nefesh. Sarah understood that self-sacrifice brings great berachah and yeshuah. And indeed, later in the Parashah, Hashem changed her name from Sarai to Sarah, and announced that she would be blessed with a child — the child who would become the future of Klal Yisrael. The Kli Yakar explains that Hashem removed the Yud from "Sarai" because the letter Yud is masculine, symbolizing that she had been created like a male in that she was unable to bear children. He replaced it with the letter Hei , which is feminine, signifying that she would now be able to bear children in the normal way of a female. But numerically, there was a loss — Yud equals ten, Hei equals five. To restore balance, Hashem created another Hei (five) and attached it to the name of Avram, turning him into Avraham. The mekubalim explain that the letter Hei is associated with reproduction. The Kli Yakar writes that it was Sarah's zechut — the selflessness with which she gave her maidservant to Avraham — that enabled not only herself, but also Avram, who until then was unable to father children, to now have children. The Hei that was added to Avraham's name came from Sarah, because it was in her merit that he gained this ability. From here we see the enormous power of a mitzvah done with mesirut nefesh. Sarah's selflessness was the catalyst that enabled both her and Avraham to have children — and through it, Yitzchak Avinu came into the world. Every extra zechut that a person gains is of immeasurable value. Our Rabbis tell us that when a mitzvah is performed, it creates an et ratzon — a time of Divine favor. The greater the mitzvah, the greater the et ratzon . And tefillot offered at such a time rise even higher. May we all merit, be'ezrat Hashem , to gain the right zichuyot that will bring about yeshuot for all who need them. Shabbat Shalom

A person can plan, prepare, and work as hard as possible, but without Hashem's help, nothing will succeed. We make the efforts, but the outcome is never in our hands. From the simplest tasks of daily life to the greatest undertakings, we are dependent every moment on the blessing of Hashem. Be'ezrat Hashem , Living Emunah on the Parashah Volume 2 is about to be released. During the summer, I received a phone call from one of the sponsors who was going to help bring this project to fruition. He explained that he had fallen on hard times and was not going to be able to fulfill his pledge. I wished this man berachah v'hatzlachah , and then I turned to Hashem and asked Him to please send a different messenger to help. The very next morning, I overslept and missed my alarm. That small mishap caused me to pray in a shul I did not normally attend. After tefilah, as I stood in the lobby, a man recognized me and asked if I had time to hear a nice hashgachah peratit story. I told him most definitely, and he began. He told me about his associate, whom we'll call Yehuda, who was in the nursing home business. For nearly three years, Yehuda had been trying to secure a meeting with a very influential man in the industry. At last, the meeting was scheduled — Thursday night in a Manhattan restaurant. But Yehuda gave a shiur every Thursday night in Lakewood, and he never missed it under any circumstances. Now he was torn. This was the opportunity he had waited for, yet it would mean skipping his shiur. He tried to reschedule, but was turned down. Finally, with great strength, he told the man he could not attend and canceled the meeting. At first, he felt terrible. Three years of waiting, and he had given it up. But then he told himself: A person never loses by doing the will of Hashem. That Thursday, he prayed Minchah in Lakewood, as usual, being that he didn't have to travel to Manhattan. In that very minyan, he met a man who was even more prominent in the nursing home business than the one he had originally been scheduled to meet. He introduced himself, arranged a meeting, and ended up with a deal far greater than he could have imagined. Yehuda was overjoyed. By holding onto his shiur, he saw Hashem's blessing so clearly. When the man finished his story, I thanked him — and then asked if he might know someone who would be interested in sponsoring Living Emunah on the Parashah Volume 2 . His eyes lit up. "What? Living Emunah on the Parashah? I'm the number one fan of that book! I've given out over forty copies of the first volume. It has brought so many people closer to religion. It would be my greatest honor and pleasure to help sponsor the new volume." And just like that, the missing sponsor was replaced. It was then that I understood why I had overslept that morning. Hashem guided me to the shul where the very person I needed was waiting. Everything gets accomplished only with siyata diShmaya. While we were talking, a rabbi visiting from Israel overheard part of the conversation. He walked over and asked, "Are you sharing hashgachah peratit stories?" When we said yes, he told us he had one of the greatest stories that ever happened — and it happened to him personally. With Hashem's help, I will share that story tomorrow.

Parashah Lech Lecha 5786

When our father Abraham embarks on the journey to the Promised Land, he lays the foundations for rebuilding humanity as a society of renewal, faith in goodness, the right for happiness, and hope for a better future. Abraham's journey is still in full swing. The struggle between light and darkness, between hope and doom, still continues. Yet, Abraham is no longer alone on the path, a large part of humanity has already joined the journey, the other part is still fighting it. Meditation of Emunah - Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gITjyVrM4yE Meditation of ascending from below - Drawing Light from above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8AzyLFM2AY For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/lekh-lekha Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-tree-of-life-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

Parashah Noah 5786

Humanity is in the midst of a process of reshaping each person's perception of reality. This is the process of redemption. A painful process that leads to awakening, a redefinition of identity, destiny, and purpose. Understanding the process can help us better cope with the difficulties of the path. Meditation of Emunah - Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gITjyVrM4yE Meditation of ascending from below - Drawing Light from above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8AzyLFM2AY For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/noah Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-tree-of-life-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

Humanity is in the midst of a process of reshaping each person's perception of reality. This is the process of redemption. A painful process that leads to awakening, a redefinition of identity, destiny, and purpose. Understanding the process can help us better cope with the difficulties of the path. Meditation of Emunah - Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gITjyVrM4yE Meditation of ascending from below - Drawing Light from above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8AzyLFM2AY For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/beresheet Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

Parashah Bereshit 5786

Parashah Ha'azinu 5786

The quality of the coming year is determined these days. How can we improve our luck, be saved from our enemies, and achieve a good life? Meditation of Emunah - Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gITjyVrM4yE Meditation of ascending from below - Drawing Light from above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8AzyLFM2AY For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/haazinu Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

How does the process of Teshuvah (Return) - the levels of consciousness, mark the different groups in the public? How will it help us win the global war and bring the message of freedom to all the nations of the world? How does Rosh Hashanah express more than anything the preparation for the real war on our lives? Meditation of Emunah - Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gITjyVrM4yE Meditation of ascending from below - Drawing Light from above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8AzyLFM2AY For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/vayelekh Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

Parashah Nitzavim 5785

The great world war that is expending around us is the war over our consciousness. Will we become slaves to those who run the world behind the scenes? Will we stand up for the war for the divine consciousness that is within each of us? How will this help us win the world war and bring the message of freedom to all the nations of the world? How does Rosh Hashanah express more than anything the preparation for the real war over our lives, identity & freedom? For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/nitsavim Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

Parashah Ki Tavo 5785

The internal war of the month of Elul will determine the arena in which we will live in the coming year. To create a good and sweet year on this coming Rosh-HaShanah, we need to know how to turn the curses that befall us into blessings. The events surrounding the legitimacy of the State of Israel are encompassing the entire world and will reach their peak in a few days in New York at a conference of most of the world's nations. Did the Zohar predict the process and the event? How does the Zohar predict that it will end? For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/ki-tavo Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-tree-of-life-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

Parashah Ki Seitzei 5785

The internal war of the month of Elul will determine the arena in which we will live in the coming year. The condition for winning the battle is the successful identification of the enemy. In our case, the main war is an internal war against the false self. The war is also waged externally, as the false self creates an environment that will determine the results of the internal war. For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/ki-tetse Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-tree-of-life-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

Parashah Shoftim 5785

Parashat Shoftim connects us to the spiritual awareness that allows us to win the internal war. Mind control is the most important weapon in the 3rd world war we are at the beginning of. What gives us victory and what gives us protection? How do you see the real picture behind the distraction, disruption and confusion created by terrorism? Who produces the most effective terrorism, the armed organizations? Probably not. For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/shoftim Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-tree-of-life-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

Parashat Re'eh connects us to the cognitive tools that allow a person to see the picture of reality that leads to finding safety and success. Mind control is the most important weapon in the 3rd world war we are at the beginning of. What gives us victory and what gives us protection? How do you see the real picture behind the distraction, disruption and confusion created by terrorism? Who produces the most effective terrorism, the armed organizations? Probably not. For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/reeh Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

Michael Cohen, who would later go on to found the well-known organization Mitzvah Man , once set a personal goal to do at least one act of chesed every single day. But one day—years before his organization ever existed—he found himself struggling to fulfill that mission. He drove around like a salesman searching for a client, only he was looking for a mitzvah. Maybe someone needed a ride. Maybe a pauper was waiting for tzedakah. Maybe someone just needed a helping hand. But nothing came his way. Still determined, he turned to Hashem and prayed: Please send me a mitzvah. I want to do something for You. Toward the end of the day, he passed a food pantry gemach and decided to walk in. "Is there anything I could do to help?" he asked. The person behind the desk looked relieved. "Actually, yes—perfect timing. We have a huge amount of garbage piled up in the back. Would you mind helping us get rid of it?" At first, Michael was taken aback. Garbage? he thought. After sincerely wanting to do a mitzvah, this was what he got? This was his big mission? But then he caught himself. If I'm a true eved Hashem, I should be happy to do whatever job Hashem gives me. I asked for a mitzvah, and this is what He sent. That means this is exactly what I'm supposed to do. He rolled up his sleeves and did the job with a full heart—because when a person serves Hashem with emunah, no act is beneath him. If Hashem sent it, it's a privilege. שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד - The pasuk teaches that in every situation in life, even when something doesn't look glamorous or meaningful, we must remember: I'm standing before Hashem. This is the mission He's giving me right now. Real emunah means living with Hashem every moment. When we truly feel that everything in front of us was given to us by Hashem for a reason—whether it's giving a shiur or dragging garbage bags—it all becomes avodat Hashem , if done with the right mindset. Rav Yerucham Levovitz used to speak about the greatness of kavod Shamayim . He told the story of a man who cleaned the area in front of the Aron Kodesh with his own beard—just to give more honor to Hashem. What others might have seen as lowly or extreme, he saw as an exalted expression of love and reverence for the Melech Malchei HaMelachim, HaKadosh Baruch Hu . A Rosh Yeshiva once shared a story about a young boy in yeshivah who was not known for his brilliance, but was consistent, sincere, and always willing to help. One Erev Shabbat, while the rest of the boys were busy preparing for Shabbat, someone accidentally knocked over a large pot of soup in the kitchen. It spilled everywhere—steaming hot liquid all over the floor. Most of the boys quickly moved on, not wanting to get involved. But this one boy quietly got down on his hands and knees and started cleaning, without being asked. That Shabbat, the Rosh Yeshiva commented during his drashah: "Sometimes Hashem looks at how a person reacts in the quiet moments. You're not being tested on a big stage—just with a dirty floor. But your decision in that moment can lift you to greatness." We don't always know which moment or mitzvah will shape our future. Sometimes it's the most unexpected acts—the so-called small ones that we almost turn down—that open doors we never imagined. Maybe it was Michael Cohen's sincere willingness to take out garbage for the sake of kavod Shamayim that earned him the heavenly assistance to later build a world-renowned chesed organization. What matters most is that we're willing—to accept whatever mission Hashem puts in front of us, and to do it with joy. Because whether we're giving someone a ride, giving tzedakah, or just taking out the garbage—if we do it l'shem Shamayim , we become partners in Hashem's plan. May we all merit to embrace every opportunity Hashem gives us with emunah, humility, and joy. Be'ezrat Hashem , we hope to release Living Emunah on the Parashah , Volume Two, sometime next month. There are a few opportunities for dedications If anyone would like the zechut of dedicating part of the book, please email: livingemunah123@gmail.com