Notice: We're downsizing

Hello everyone!

This is Moshe. I'd just like to thank you all for all your support.
Unfortunately we're downsizing in awesometorah. There will no longer be a daily Tanach video. Every day at 5:00 AM a video will come on. Every day has it's schedule. Sunday: Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, Monday: Jews for Judaism, Tuesday: My Fiance, Wednesday: Rabbi Lazer Brody, Thursday: Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and on Friday: A Tanach video from me. I apologize that I can no longer bring you a Tanach video daily but with a family to feed I simply don't have time. If you want a daily Tanach video than please by all means read it yourself and if it's kosher like from a Kosher company or Chabad.org or you translate it directly than we'll feature you on here.
Due to the fact that it's currently the three weeks there will be some days with no video because we can't listen to music during a period of mourning.

I thank you all once again for all your support.

sincerely,

Moshe.

Masei 5771 - Covenant & Conversation - Thoughts on the weekly Torah portion from the Chief Rabbi

The book of Bemidbar draws to a close with an account of the cities of refuge, the six cities -- three on each side of the Jordan -- set apart as places to which people found innocent of murder, but guilty of manslaughter, were sent.

In early societies, especially non-urban ones that lacked an extensive police force, there was always a danger that people would take the law into their own hands, in particular when a member of their family or tribe had been killed.

Thus would begin a cycle of vengeance and retaliation that had no natural end, one revenge-killing leading to another and another, until the community had been decimated, a phenomenon familiar to us from literature, from the Montagues and Capulets of Romeo and Juliet, to the Sharks and Jets of West Side Story, to the Corleones and Tattaglias of The Godfather.

The only viable solution is the effective and impartial rule of law. There is, though, one persisting danger. If Reuben killed Shimon and is deemed innocent of murder by the court -- it was an accident, there was no malice aforethought, the victim and perpetrator were not enemies -- then there is still the danger that the family of the victim may feel that justice has not been done. Their close relative lies dead and no one has been punished.

Rabbi Skobac on James the brother of Jesus part 1

Mattot 5771 - Covenant & Conversation - Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks speaks on the weekly Torah portion

The Lesson of Orla

Rabbi Lazer Brody explains "Orla," the Torah's commandment to refrain from eating the fruit of any tree that's less than four years old. The mitzva of Orla has a deep inner meaning, teaching us the concept of spiritual maturity.

Family quality time

Society is so busy nowadays. However, we should take a moment and spend more time with our family. - Either during the day or evening, anytime. Even just doing something fun like bike riding, or playing a simple game at home. We should treasure each moment

Rabbi Skobac How Christianity has so many followers

shlomo carlebach teaching about sadness part /4

...MORE STOREIS ...http://rebshlomocarlebach.blogspot.com/ .r' shlomo carlebach teaching about sadness

שלום לכם חבירי׳ בכל מקום שאתם, אתם יודעים, רבי נחמן אומר כי החטא הגדול ביותר בעולם הוא להיות עצוב, החטא הגדול ביותר בעולם ״שלא להיות מלא שמחה״ בכל רגע.
חבירי׳ וידידי׳, כולנו רוצים כל כך הרבה, ואנחנו צריכים כל כך הרבה. אבל לא מקבלים את זה, בגלל מה? אני אגיד לכם, זה קורה בשביל שכאשר אנו מבקשים משהו משמים. תחשבו, כאשר אתה מבקש משהו מבן אדם, הם לא מתכוונים לשים לך לב, אלא אם כן יש לך לב מלא שמחה. אנשים תמיד שמחים לתת למישהו שהוא מלא שמחה. אז רק לדמיין את זה: אני מבקש מיליוני דברים מן השמים, וכאן המשרת השמימי דופק על הדלת שלי. הוא רוצה לתת לי הכול, אבל כשאני פותח את הדלת ואני עצוב, אני שבור. מי רוצה שום קשר עם אדם עצוב? אז הם זורקים אותי כמה פירורים, ועוזבים מיד. ואפילו יותר מזה, הקב״ה רוצה לתת לך כל כך הרבה אתה צריך המון כוח כדי לשאת את זה, אתה יודע כשאתה מלא שמחה אתה מלא כח, אתה יכול לבצע שום דבר, אתה יכול לשאת את העולם כולו על אצבע האחת, אבל אם אתה עצוב אתה לא יכול לשאת שום דבר, אתה לוקח קצת ואת הדוור השמימי ממריא.
אם תשאלו מישהו לאיזהו טובה ואתה פשוט יושב שם ובוכה, הם לא יכולים להיפטר ממך מהר מספיק. אבל אם אתה מלא שמחה, אם הלב שלך היא רוקדת כל הזמן ואת העיניים שלך נוצצות משמחה, אז אנשים רוצים כל כך הרבה להיות קרוב אליך. אתם יודעים חברים מה שהעולם צריך ביותר, כולם חושבים שאנחנו צריכים שלום, כן, אנחנו צריכים שלום, אבל אתה יודע למה אנחנו לא עושים שלום ״כי אין לנו מספיק שמחה בעולם״ וזה מה שהקדוש רבי נחמן אומר, אנשים שונאים זה את זה, רק בשביל שהם עצובים. זה מה שהוא אומר, לדמיין שיש מישהו בעולם שאני שונא לו המקסימום שאני יכול, אני פשוט שונא אותו אדם, וכל יום אני שונא אותו יותר, ואז לדמיין, נא תברכו אותי, ואני יברך אתכם, שכולנו נזכה בעז״ה להיות אצל החתונה של הילדים שלנו, ולדמיין שהילד שלי מתחתנת, וברום השמחה של החתונה, אני לוקח את יד בני החתן ואנחנו עולים על השולחן ורוקדים ביחד, זה רגע הכי מאושר בחיי, געוואלד, איך אוכל להודות את האחד יחיד ומיוחד הקב״ה, אתה חושב שאני בגן עדן? אהה, הרבה יותר מגן עדן.
ובאותו רגע הדלת נפתחת, והשונא הגדול שלי נכנס, אז אני שואל אתכם אחים ואחיות שלי, מה אתם חושב שיקרה? אתם יודעים מה יקרה? באמצע הריקוד, ואני אמרתי לך שאני מעבר לגן העדן, ומשהו יקרה לי ואני יגיע אפילו גבוה עוד יותר, אני קופץ מהשולחן, ואני רץ אליו ומחבק ומנשק האויב הגדול שלי, ושואלו, תגיד לי ידידי היקר והיפה, איפה היית בסעודת החתונה? ואני לא משקר, כי ברגע הזה יהיה ברור לי, שאנחנו אף פעם לא שנאו זה את זה, אתם מבינים חברים, יש רק דבר אחד שהוא אנטי-שנאה, והוא שמחה!, ואתם ואני אם אנחנו חולמים על יום אחד שכל העולם יהי׳ באחדות, אתם צריכים לדעת, שזה יהיה רק על ידי ״שמחה״.

Pinchas 5771 - Covenant & Conversation - Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks speaks on the weekly Torah

Embedded in this week's parsha is one of the great principles of leadership.
The context is this: Moses, knowing that he was not destined to lead the next generation across the Jordan into the promised land, asked God to appoint a successor.
He remembered what happened when he was away from the Israelites for a mere 40 days. They panicked and made a golden calf. Even when he was present, there was a rebellion on the part of Korach and others against his leadership. The possibility of rift or schism if he died without a designated successor was immense. So he said to God:

"May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community to go out before them and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in. Let the Lord's people not be like sheep without a shepherd." (Num, 27: 16-17)

God duly chose Joshua, and Moses inducted him. One detail in Moses' request, however, always puzzled me. Moses asked for a leader who would "go out before them and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in."
That, surely, is saying the same thing twice. If you go out before the people, you are leading them out. If you come in before the people, you are bringing them in. Why then say the same thing twice?


The answer comes from a direct experience of leadership itself.

A Tour of the Negev

The Emuna Outreach "Land of Israel" Series takes you on a pictorial and musical tour of Israel's Negev Desert. Music from Shlomo Katz's latest album, "Malei Olam." Photography by Rabbi Lazer Brody.

secret to happiness

We all want happiness and we think that the more we have, the happier we are. Yes, when we get what we want, we are happy for awhile, But then want more. The way to be happy is to enjoy what we have. It's natural to focus on the negative side sometimes. What helps is to make a list of things you enjoy and are glad to have. Then we notice our blessings.

for my blog
http://abitoflight.blogspot.com

A fundemetalist Christian becomes a Noahide

purim with reb shlomo carlebach, telling a unbelievable holy story

http://rebshlomocarlebach.blogspot.com/ purim with reb shlomo carlebach, telling a story which touch's all jewish hearts

http://rebshlomocarlebach.blogspot.com/

While It's not Purim or even close to Purim i thought this would be a good next Rabbi Carlebach video.

Balak 5771 - Covenant & Conversation - Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks on the weekly torah portion

A People that Dwells Alone?

The dictionary defines epiphany as "a sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something; a comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization." This is the story of an epiphany I experienced one day in May, 2001, and it changed my perception of the Jewish fate.

It was Shavuot, and we were in Jerusalem. We had gone for lunch to a former lay leader of a major Diaspora community. Also present at the table was an Israeli diplomat, together with one of the leaders of the Canadian Jewish Community.

The conversation turned to the then forthcoming -- now notorious -- United Nations' Conference against Racism at Durban. Though the conference would not take place until August, we already knew that it and the parallel gathering of NGOs would turn into a diatribe against Israel, marking a new phase in the assault against its legitimacy.

The diplomat, noting that the conversation had taken a pessimistic turn, and being a religious man, sought to comfort us. "It was ever thus," he said, and then quoted a famous phrase: "We are am levadad yishkon, the people that dwells alone."
It comes from this week's parsha. Bilam, hired to curse the Jewish people, instead repeatedly blesses them. In his first utterance he says to Balak king of Moab:

How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord has not defied? From the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, it is a people that dwells alone, not reckoned among the nations. (Num. 23: 8-9)

Hearing these words in that context I experienced an explosion of light in the brain. I suddenly saw how dangerous this phrase is, and how close it runs the risk of being a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you define yourself as the people that dwells alone, you are likely to find yourself alone. That is not a safe place to be.

Menachem Herman and Rabbi Lazer Brody: Melave Malka jam

Join Menachem Herman and Rabbi Lazer for some Saturday night fun in a little "Melave Malka" jam that includes three songs - Ivdu, Sha'as Rachamim, and Oseh Shalom

Just a cool vid

hope you like

Shlomo Carlebach composing a new song 2/2

http://rebshlomocarlebach.blogspot.com/ Reb Shlomo Carlebach composing a new song .....

http://rebshlomocarlebach.blogspot.com/...