New Video About the Piaseczner Rebbe, the Aish Kodesh

-Dixie Yid

Statements by Chazal about Gerim

-When the Jewish people do Hashem's will, He scouers the world, and when he sees a Tzadik among the nations of the world, he brings him and attaches him to the Jewish poeple [as a Ger]. Yerushalmi Brachos 2.

-Hashem only dispersed the Jewish people among the nations in order to add onto them Gerim. Pesachim 87b.

-Three [types of people] love one another: Gerim, slaves, and guarentors. Pesachim 113b.

-When the Gerim come in the world to come, Antoninus will come at the head. Yerushalmi Megillah 1.

-Whether a male converts [to marry a Jewish] woman, or a woman who converts [to marry a Jewish] man... they are not [valid] Gerim. Yevamos 24b.

-There is an advantage that exisits between Yisroel and Gerim. Whereas by Yisroel, the pasuk says 'I shall be to them a G-d and they shall be to me, a nation,' by Gerim it is written, 'Who is this whose heart guarentees him to approach me?' [a more intimate level than just being His nation] Kiddushin 70b.

Perhaps I will cover more ma'amarei Chazel later, but this is a small sampling. Some sound superficially negative but I feel that I cannot quote these without greater explanation, which I will perhaps get to another time.

-Dixie Yid

(See also my recent post at Beyond BT)

(Picture courtesy of Mikvah.org - picture is of Mikvah is Las Vegas, NV)

(I found these sources using אוצר האגדה, Otzar Ha'agada)

(This post also appears at Mystical Paths)

Being a BT and a Ger - At Beyond BT

I have contributed a guest post at Beyond BT which relates a little bit of my story, which has the properties of being a BT and of being a Ger. Please read!

-Dixie Yid

(Picture is courtesy of Chabad.org)

Great opportunity- Breslov Shabbaton in Ramat Beit Shemesh

Please read Rabbi Tal Zwecker's post about a Shabbaton with many of the great teachers in Breslov today this Shabbos in Ramat Beit Shemesh. It sounds like a great opportunity for those of you who live in Eretz Yisroel!

-Dixie Yid

Why the 3 Weeks are best time for Kirvas Hashem

My friend who is, for the rest of the week, in the armpit of Dixie, pointed out a great Ohr Gedaliyahu on parshas Matos Ma'asei that relates to the Shabbosim of the 3 Weeks.

Rav Gedaliya Shor says over the well-known vort about the 3 Weeks from Rav Ber (?)on the pasuk (Eicha 1:3), "כָּל-רֹדְפֶיהָ הִשִּׂיגוּהָ, בֵּין הַמְּצָרִים." He says that the pasuk should be read that "All who pursue Hashem [yud hei], will reach Him Bein Hametzarim [in the 3 Weeks]. Why is the 3 Weeks such an opportune time to get closer to Hashem? Rav Ber explains that it is analogous to a King who is traveling. When the King is at home in the palace, it is difficult for anyone to have access to him. However, when the King is traveling, even simple people can meet the King. So too, during the 3 Weeks, when the Shechina is in Galus, it is easier for simple people like us to connect to Hashem.

He told over another explanation as to why it is easier to connect to Hashem during the 3 Weeks, and especially during the Shabbosim of the 3 Weeks. He says, in the name of Rav Simcha Bunim of Peshischa, that it is similar to Shabbos at mincha time. Usually Mincha time is a time of Din (Yitzchak/Mincha). However, since Shabbos is Rachamim, Shabbos reveals the deepest Ahava and rachamim during the time of mincha. That is why Mincha is the holiest part of Shabbos, Ra'ava D'ra'avon. Similarly, Rav Simcha Bunim says that the 3 weeks are a time of dinim. This indicates that he greatest rachamim is hidden within that time. So when the Shabbosim of the 3 Weeks come (keeping in mind that Shabbos=rachamim as mentioned above) those whole Shabbosim reveal the love and rachamim within the 3 weeks, which makes them a great time of potential closeness with Hashem. And mincha time of the Shabbosim of the 3 Weeks is the biggest of all.

May Hashem reveal how this time is a time of closeness and not a time of suffering, soon in our days!

-Dixie Yid

When a Tzadik Says "No," Does He Mean "No"?

This posting can also be found at Mystical Paths, where I'll be making some guest posts for the next couple of weeks, while R' Akiva and R' Nati work on perfecting their new podcasts. Well worth the listen!

I saw a very interesting and somewhat troubling ma'aseh in Rav Shlomo Yosef Zevin's sefer, "Sipurei Chassidim," on parshas Matos, relating to the seriousness of oaths.

There was a Chassid of the Shpoler Zaide who was unable to have children. He tried appealing to his holy rebbe many times to intercede with Hashem so that he and his wife could have a child. Every time, the Shpoler Zaide would push him off and find some reason not to accede to his request. On one occassion, the Chassid was at his wits end and made the decision that come-what-may, he was going to go over to his rebbe and was not going to leave him alone until the Tzadik would decree that he would be saved from his tzaros.

When he got there, the Shpoler Zaide was immersed in his thoughts and was involved with the higher worlds. He asked the Chassid to please leave him alone right then, because he was involved in matters involving the whole Jewish people and the time was not right for being involved with the problems of the individual. The Chassid felt like this was the perfect time of Hashem's willingness, so he continued to pester his Rebbe to give him a child without letting up. The Shpoler Zaide begged him to stop, because he was unable to concentrate with all of the commotion the Chassid was making. Eventually, the Tzadik could not longer take it, and he yelled at the Chassid, "I swear to you that you will never have children!"

The Chassid was extremely shaken and frightened by the rebbe's words and he said, "If so, I see that my root soul has no place here," he said "Shalom," to the tzadik and left.

After some time, he found himself in Koritz on business. After davening one morning there, he saw Rav Pinchas of Koritz, before the time when R' Pinchas was known as a tzadik. He was a sharp minded though and he could see that there was something very special about this Jew, even though no one else showed him any special deference. It was a few days before Pesach and after watching R' Pinchas daven, he was sure that this man was a very special tzadik, so he came up with a plan to see if R' Pinchas could help relieve him of his childless state. He went to R' Pinchas' house and asked his wife what they had for Pesach. She said that they were very poor, and unfortunately they had absolutely nothing. Therefore, he told her that he would provide them with everything they needed for Pesach and asked that he be their guest over Yuntif. She agreed.

The whole erev Pesach, he supplied them with a new table, chairs, all of the money she would need to buy Matzos, wine, fish, and meat for the Yomim Tovim and Sedorim. The whole day he went back to their house many times to check and see what they were still lacking and he supplied it in generous supply. Reb Pinchas knew nothing of this because he was immersed in his learning and avoda all day. He was actually suprised that his wife had not called him home to provide for the needs of the seder, since he knew they had nothing. He was happy, however, that he was able to devote all of his attention to the avoda of the day.

When he got home that night for the seder, he was astonished to find everything provided for in such a way. He asked his wife who was responsible for all of that and she introduced him to the Chassid. He greeted the guest but asked him nothing else. After the first two kosos of the Seder, he asked the Chassid, "What brings you here and what is your request?" He told R' Pinchas everything that had happened and the story with the Shpoler Zaide and the oath. He asked Rav Pinchas to find a way around the Shpoler Zaide's oath in order that he have health living children. R' Pinchas answered, "If I have some merit in shamayim, I swear to you that this year, your wife will have a son." And that is exactly what happened.

When Rav Yisroel of Ruzhin told this story, he added that there was a big dispute in Shamayim. Whose oath should give way to whose? The oaths of both Tzadikim are mutually exclusive. It was eventually decided that whichever Tzadik had never made an oath in his entire life, even a true one, would have his oath fulfilled. Since R' Pinchas Koritzer had made no oath his entire life, the Shpoler Zaide's oath had to make way for R' PInchas Koritzer's oath. However, such a thing does not happen without consequences, and that son that was borne of R' Pinchas' oath turned out to be a Rasha and a Moser.

Ad kan is the story. I have many questions that I want to leave you with. Why did the Shpoler Zaide push off the Chassid's request so many times before that fatefull day of the oath? I heard another story which is very similar about the Baal Shem Tov where he was hesitant to give a bracha for a child because of the avreiros that child would do. If that was the case here too, then perhaps the Shpoler Zaide had very good reason not to want this man to have a child... Relatedly, what is the dividing line between when you insist on help from a Tzadik despite his efforts to push you off, because those obstacles are merely a test, and when should a person listen to the Tzadik to stop trying? Please ponder!

-Dixie Yid

P.S. The picture is "Old Jew from Jaffa," courtesy of gwu.edu.

Ironies of Anonymous Blogging

I answered A Simple Jew's question about anonymous blogging. Here's his question:

A Simple Jew asks:

One of the advantages of being an anonymous blogger is the freedom to write one's inner thoughts and thereby give the reader a glimpse into the private thoughts within one's mind. Routinely, we share thoughts we would never share with someone who knew our identity.

Yet, as time elapses and we gain regular readers, we instinctively become more guarded with what we write. It is almost as if we are afraid that our words will reveal a divergence between our written words and our online personas.

As another anonymous blogger, do you have any thoughts on this phenomenon?

Click here for my answer.

-Dixie Yid

Bilvavi Video 8 now available online!

Please click here to view the eighth video in the series given at the Shorashim center in Tel Aviv.

-Dixie Yid

P.S. This blog hit 5,000 visitors last night!

Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh Author Available to Speak

The Author of the Seforim, Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh will be in the New York area Sunday-Thursday, August 26-30, 2007. The flyer above is being distributed and you may contact the guy there to arrange to have the author of the Bilvavi seforim speak at your Shul, organization, or yeshiva. As you know if you've seen the videos (links to them are available in the Bilvavi links section of the right sidebar), he will be speaking in easy Hebrew.

For those of you who have not learned the seforim or watched the video shiurim yet, the Rav has an amazing ability to explain the depth within the simplest truths and open up a path to make them accesible to people like us. I highly recommend that you forward the flyer I've scanned above to anyone who might be interested in having him speak. It is a rare opportunity that people will have to connect to the Tzaddik during that week that he will be in the New York area.

Update: Here's the schedule.

-Dixie Yid

Guide to Labeling Orthodox Jews

FFB: (Frum From Birth)

FFBWL: Frum From Birth With Lapses- "My yeshiva had the best weed..."

FFBOOH: Frum From Birth Out Of Habit

BT: Ba'al Teshuva

IBT: Integrated Ba'al Teshuva- "You're a Ba'al Teshuva?!"

NIBT: Non-Integrated Ba'al Teshuva- Q: "Can I help you find the pages during the service?" A: "I'm okay, thanks."

BTNOOH: Ba'al Teshuva Now Out Of Habit

Ger/Giores


-Dixie Yid (card-carrying Underconstructionist)

Bilvavi Video shiur #7 is now available online!

The seventh video shiur by the author of the Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh seforim is now available online at Shorashim.info on a permanent link.

-Dixie Yid

Why do we work? Important Video Shiur - Must see!

There is the most amazing video shiur that I am posting below. It will put your whole attitude towards how and why you work into perspective. It is truly eye opening and I highly recommend it! Please watch and be misbonein!

-Dixie Yid

Pinchas, Kehuna, Reb Tzadok, and Spiritual Actions

The following is based on a shiur.

There are two basic lines of interpretation of the pasuk in Parshas Pinchas (Bamidbar 25:12) " הִנְנִי נֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת-בְּרִיתִי, שָׁלוֹם." One says that because Pinchas did an act of making peace between Bnei Yisroel and the Ribbono Shel Olam, he is rewarded, mida keneged mida, with the "covenant of peace." Meaning that since Kohanim also have the duty of helping the Jewish people come closer to Hashem, they also make peace between Hashem and the Jewish people. Therefore, Pinchas, for making peace, is rewarded with the covenant of peace, Kehuna.

The other line of interpretation says that even though Pinchas' killing of Zimri and Kozbi was a mitzvah, since it involved an act of cruelty, which could affect him detrimentally by making Pinchas more cruel, he is given the Kehuna (i.e. the covenant of peace) to counteract that natural tendency whereby acts of cruelty make one more cruel.

Reb Tzadok Hakohen of Lublin teaches in Resisei Laila that when one is doing a ma'aseh Ruchani, a spiritual act, it does not have the natural physical result that one would normally expect. For instance, it is obvious that when one gives tzedaka, he becomes poorer. If you give $10,000, there is $10,000 less in your bank account. Yet since giving tzedakah is not a naturalistic act, but a ma'aseh ruchani, the Gemara in Ta'anis 9a darshens the pasuk in Devarim 14:22 עשר תעשר to mean עשר בשביל שתתעשר. When ones gives tzedakah, he not only doesn't becomes poorer, he get's more wealthy!

The Rav from whom I heard the shiur suggested that one could use this interpretation to create a synthesis of the two ways of understanding Hashem's gift of Shalom/Kehuna to Pinchas. One interpretation was that his act was an act of peace. The other side said that it was not an act of peace, even though it was a mitzva and therefore required the Kehuna as a tikun for the possible negative effect of the act on Pinchas. According to this yesod of Reb Tzadok, it is possible that since the killing of Zimri was a ma'aseh ruchani, a spiritual act, despite the fact that it would naturally lead to an internalization of the mida of achzarius, cruelty, it does exactly the opposite because of its character as a ma'aseh ruchani. Since it was a spiritual act, the killing of Zimri and Kozbi naturally had the opposite of the natural effect, i.e. that it gave Pinchas a greater level of compassion and peace. Therefore, he was rewarded mida k'neged mida with the covenant of Peace, Kehuna.

May we all merit that our physical actions be acts of ruchnius and that they always make us more ruchani people and not, cv"s, the opposite.

-Dixie Yid

Amazing Ohr Hachaim Biography on Heichal Hanegina

Please read these stories of the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh on Yitz's blog, Heichal Haneginah here. It's worth the read!

-Dixie Yid

Funny Anonymous Blogging Story

Perhaps this is only funny in a you-had-to-be-there sort of way, but I just had to share this little story. A Simple Jew told me once he would get a big kick out of it if he was in Shul somewhere and he heard people talking about the "A Simple Jew" blog in front of him. What happened wasn't quite that good but it was quite amusing so I wanted to share it.

When I initially announced that the author of the Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh seforim was going to being giving his first live video shiur I, as Dixie Yid, sent out an e-mail to many people letting them know about it. One of the recipients was a friend of mine (in real life) who feels that the seforim are life-changing for him. He did not know, however, that "Dixie Yid" was someone he knows in "real life." Apparantly he missed the shiur and was very upset about that, but e-mailed Dixie Yid to see if he had any pictures online that he could forward. I obliged by sending him several screen shots I'd taken during that first shiur. Later that day I received an e-mail from this same guy on my person e-mail account sending the-real-life-me those pictures he'd just received from Dixie Yid, but whithout saying where he got them. He just knew the "real me" would appreciate it. I decided to play around with him a little bit so I thanked him for the pictures and asked him where he got them. He responded later that he got them from "a chaver."

A bit later, I got another e-mail from my friend on my Dixie Yid e-mail account, asking me how I'd gotten into the Bilvavi seforim. I told him about it and other seforim I (as Dixie Yid) was learning. Apparantly what I wrote about struck a chord, because he continued to ask me more questions about who I was and where I was from, since he has other friends that learn the same seforim. I didn't answer with my identity but just enjoyed cooresponding with my friend about the seforim we have a mutual interest in, as two different people. At some point I decided to reveal who I was to him and stop playing around so at the end of one of my e-mails as Dixie Yid, I asked him, "Why don't you tell (my real life name) who your chaver was who sent you the pictures of the Bilvavi author?" After a few laughs, we kept talking after I'd been "unmasked."

The funny part doesn't end there however. I received an instant message the other day from a friend I haven't seen or talked to in a very long time. Let's call him "Shloime Shpader". He told me that he was working with a Rav that my aforementioned friend coordinates shiurim with from time to time. I asked "Shloime" if he knew my friend and he said that not only did he know who he was, they were currently cooresponding by e-mail to coordinate a shiur. He then copy/pasted the latest e-mail he'd received from my friend and IMed it to me. I then e-mailed my friend (as the real me) and asked him if he knew "Shloime" from that Rav's office. He wasn't sure he recognized the name so I e-mailed him the text of the e-mail he'd just sent "Shloime" earlier that day. He wrote me back totally confused and asked, "Don't tell me you're 'Shloime Shpader' too!?"

We had another good laugh and I clarified that no, "Dixie Yid," was my only alternate personality. So anonymous blogging can be funny sometimes!

-Dixie Yid