The 17th of Tammuz they will say that you don't fast

From the writings of Rav Yisroel Odesser ('the Sabba'):

In the year 5682 (1922), on the Seventeenth of Tammuz, I felt a terrible weakness. The evil urge overcame me in the morning and said, "Behold, you are very weak! You need to eat!" And I had not drinken or eaten from midnight until that morning. But I ate, cautiously, as though eating damaging substances, but without hands and without feet [i.e., without any enthusiasm]. After eating I recited the Grace after Meals and walked to the Mikveh. You can imagine how my prayers went and how I felt after such a thing. For when I was with Rabbi Yisroel Karduner, he had been careful about every fast in the Shulchan Aruch, especially the Seventeeth of Tammuz, the most serious of the four major fast days. Already as a child, from the age of six, I had been accustomed to fasting every Monday and Thursday; yet now, today, I stumbled and ate before praying. I didn't want to live, and I fell into such dejection that I couldn't speak or be seen with people.

I walked to the Yeshiva and lay down in the synagogue in the Yeshiva, like a dead man. I didn't speak and didn't eat for the next six days. Whoever entered the synagogue, including the Yeshiva students, and saw Reb Yisroel Ber lying in such dejection, was afraid. For they were used to my always being happy and dancing and were amazed at how Yisroel Ber could be happy. "Why is he happy? He has no livelihood or bread for his children." They said that this Yisroel Ber was not the Yisroel Ber they knew. "This Reb Yisroel Ber had gone out of his mind, and such is the fate of all the Breslovers, that in the end they go out of their minds. For they walk at midnight to the fields and forests, and sometimes they are frightened by a dog or wild animal or a gentile, and therefore in the end they go crazy". I felt terribly dejected, and what they were saying now caused me even greater dejection. For I felt that I was the cause of everything they were saying.

In any event, I felt great pain and distress and didn't want to live. I saw that my great sadness was causing a desecration of G*d's Name and a disgrace to Breslov Chassidus. Then I did hisbodedus and prayed to the Blessed G*d: "Master of the Universe. Look at my situation. It's true that I ate and did what I did. But I want to return to You. Heal me and remove me from this situation, this sadness, for I am causing a desecration of Your Name and blemishing Breslov Chassidus". Then I cried before the Blessed G*d and said in the synagogue: "Master of the Universe. Heal me so that I can escape from this sadness."A powerful thought came to me, as though someone had entered my head and my mind. The thought said to me: "Go into your room!" (I was in the synagogue and my room was next to the synagogue.) "Go into your room, and open the bookcase, and put your hand on any book, and remove it and open it, and there you will find a cure for your soul." I wanted a cure, and I had prayed. So I said in my heart, "This thought of mine, is it a serious thing?" Then I said, "I'll try and see what happens."So I did this: I went from the synagogue into my room, and opened the bookcase, as the thought had said to me, and put my hand on a certain book, and removed it and opened it. And there was this letter.

It was very difficult for me to come down to you

my precious student to tell you that I had pleasure

very much from your devotion and upon you I said

My fire will burn until

Messiah is coming be strong and courageous

in your devotion

Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman

And with this I will reveal to you a secret and it is:

Full and heaped up from one extreme to another extreme פצפציה

And with the strengthening of your devotion you will understand it and a sign

The 17th of Tammuz they will say that you don't fast

At first I saw just a piece of paper and I didn't know what it was doing in the book. Possibly it was a bookmark to indicate where I was learning. I didn't pay attention to this piece of paper. In any event, afterwards I noticed that there were lines of writing on it. I started to read and I saw what was written: "My precious student…I benefited greatly from your service." This sadness, this broken heart that I had because of my sin of not fasting on the Seventeenth of Tammuz-"I benefited greatly from your service." "And the sign," at the end of the whole letter: "On the Seventeenth of Tammuz they will say that you are not fasting." "On the Seventeenth of Tammuz they will say." This implied that the letter was written before the Seventeenth of Tammuz. It was telling me a sign: "On the Seventeenth of Tammuz they will say that you are not fasting."

In any event I read this, and just as before I had been so sad, now I received so much joy from this letter, joy not of this world, that the sadness had no value compared to the joy. Amidst such joy I started to dance in my room in the Yeshiva. The Yeshiva students said: "The crazy man is happy now. He's dancing!" They all came into my room and watched me dancing. But I paid no attention to them. I danced and rejoiced until they gave in and took me outside. They stood in a circle with me in the middle. I danced for many hours that night, until they became tired. They stood for a long time and said: "He won't tire out. He will tire us out. We have no more strength." They left and I danced alone the whole night. Anyway it is impossible to describe and to relate adequately what had happened to me: such sadness, such healing, such joy that I experienced.

Fast times (dawn-nightfall):

Jerusalem: 4:22-8:12
New York: 3:58-8:55
Los Angeles: 4:28-8:31

See here for other locations

6 Tammuz: The Uman Massacre

Uman, the burial place of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

Today is the memorial day for the Uman Massacre of June 17th, 1768 (6 Tammuz 5528).

The Hasidic movement, with all its joy and liveliness, was born on the background of a dark chapter in Eastern European Jewish history. In 1768, the Haidameks, a movement of ruthless, anti-Semitic Ukranian rebels, revolted against Polish authorities in the Ukraine. In their rampage, the Jews were perceived as an urban class protected by the Polish forces, and were therefore their first victims. The Haidameks carried out a series of pogroms throughout the Ukraine, and in 1768 set their sights on Uman, a well-fortified city guarded by Polish troops.

On their way, Ivan Gonta and Maxim Zalzinak led the Haidameks in raids of several Jewish towns across Podolia, causing many Jewish refugees to flee to Uman, which they believed to be a refuge from the Ukranian rebels, as it was guarded by their enemy, the Poles. Yet on June 14th, the Haidameks reached Uman and after one unsuccessful attempt, laid seige on the city on the 17th on June. After three days, during which many Ukranians serving in the Polish forces joined the ranks of the Haidameks, the city fell to the bloodthirsty rebels. The Jews of Uman, led by Leib Shargorodski and Moses Menaker, attempted to fight back, one group barricading themselves in one of the city's synagogues. Yet after the ensuing battle, nearly all of Uman's 33,000 Jews hy"d were murdered by the Haidameks.

After the Uman Massacre, Catherine the Great of Russia feared the rebellion would spread to her territory, and dispatched a commander to infiltrate the Haidameks' ranks. Ivan Gonta was seied and handed over the Poles, who sentenced him to a nailing on the gallows, which was gruesomely exhibited across Podolia. Nonetheless, Gonta is memorialized as a folk hero in Ukranian songs and legends.

Almost four years after the Uman Massacre, Rebbe Nachman was born in Medzhibizh in the Ukraine, on Rosh Chodesh Nissan of 5532. Once, on his way from Eastern Ukraine to Breslov, Rebbe Nachman passed by the mas grave of Uman's Jews. He called for his wagon driver to stop, paused and took in a deep breath.

"Here is the scent of Heaven. This is a good place to lay in rest."

Rebbe Nachman chose to be buried in Uman because of the Jews who gave their lives for their emunah, their pure and complete faith in Hashem. Until this day, tens of thousands of Jews from all backgrounds and all countries continue to make pilgrimage to this holy site on Rosh Hashana and throughout the year and draw emunah from the 30,000 holy yidden and from the Great Tzaddik. May the souls of all the martyrs be bound in eternal life with Hashem, and may all yidden draw ever greater levels of Emunah from all those who died for kiddush Hashem and from the Great Tzaddik, the everlasting stream of wisdom, Rebbe Nachman of Uman.

נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן

Kokhav Yaakov: A Deeper Look

This post is a follow-up to Comet Elenin and Rebbe Nachman.

In this week's Torah portion, Balaam wraps up his words with a prophecy concerning the end of days:

וְעַתָּה הִנְנִי הוֹלֵךְ לְעַמִּי לְכָה אִיעָצְךָ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה הָעָם הַזֶּה לְעַמְּךָ בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים

And now, I am going to my people. Come, I will advise you...what this people will do to your people at the end of days.

In verse 17, he mentions the shooting star of Jacob (this is really the accurate translation, if we go by Rashi, whose commentary appears below):

אֶרְאֶנּוּ וְלֹא עַתָּה אֲשׁוּרֶנּוּ וְלֹא קָרוֹב דָּרַךְ כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב וְקָם שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל וּמָחַץ פַּאֲתֵי מוֹאָב וְקַרְקַר כָּל בְּנֵי שֵׁת

I see it, but not now; I behold it, but not soon. A star has gone forth from Jacob, and a staff will arise from Israel which will crush the princes of Moab and uproot all the sons of Seth

The words "a star has gone forth" is translation of the Hebrew noun kokhav and the verb darakh, which is related to the root of derekh, way. According to Rashi, this indicaes sudden, swift and direct movement, and is actually a metaphor for the rise of Mashiach:

דרך כוכב: כתרגומו, לשון דרך קשתו (איכה ב ד), שהכוכב עובר כחץ, ובלע"ז דישטנ"ט (מזנק) כלומר יקום משל

A star goes gorth: As it is translated, he drew his bow (Eichah 2:4), that the star passes like an arrow...that is, a ruler will rise

Rebbe Nachman, whose yartzheit falls on the day on which the newly discovered relatively bright Comet Elenin will come closest to earth, on Tishrei 18 5772, gives the following explanation of the statement "a star has gone forth from Jacob":

And know, that there are twelve tribes, corresponding to the twelve mazalot (signs of the zodiac). And each and every tribe has its own special formula (nuscha) and special gate through which (derekh) his prayer enters, and every tribe, through its pryaer, awakens the power of its mazal of the twelve mazalot, and the mazal illuminates below and causes the plant to grow, as well as other things it needs, and this is the meaning of 'A star goes forth from Jacob, and a staff will arise from Israel,' 'will rise' this is amidah, or prayer, when a tribe from Israel stands to pray, its prayer awakens a star, and the star shoots forth (dorekh) and nudges (makeh) various things, that they will grow, as our sages said, 'there is not a single blade of grass below, here on earth, which does not have an angel above telling it, Grow! (Likkutei Moharan 9)

In other words, according to Rebbe Nachman, the shooting of the star of Jacob is related to the power of prayer. Prayers of the various tribes awaken the stars to shoot forth and awaken the flora and fauna of earth to prosper. Life is traced to the stars, and the stars to prayer.

Back to the parsha: According to verse 17, the star of Jacob and staff of Israel will crush the nations of Moab and Seth. The Maharal elaborates that the keshet (bow) and chetz (arrow) symbolize the gevurah to needed for these struggles. Unkolus explains 'crush' as inheritance of the nations' kingdoms.

Verse 18 expands the prophecy to Edom, represented by Europe, the United States, and Western civilization at large:

וְהָיָה אֱדוֹם יְרֵשָׁה וְהָיָה יְרֵשָׁה שֵׂעִיר אֹיְבָיו וְיִשְׂרָאֵל עֹשֶׂה חָיִל

Edom shall be possessed, and Seir shall become the possession of his enemies, and Israel shall triumph.

Amalek:

וַיַּרְא אֶת עֲמָלֵק וַיִּשָּׂא מְשָׁלוֹ וַיֹּאמַר רֵאשִׁית גּוֹיִם עֲמָלֵק וְאַחֲרִיתוֹ עֲדֵי אֹבֵד

When he saw Amalek, he took up his parable and said, "Amalek was the first of the nations, and his fate shall be everlasting destruction."

Assyria:

וְצִים מִיַּד כִּתִּים וְעִנּוּ אַשּׁוּר וְעִנּוּ עֵבֶר וְגַם הוּא עֲדֵי אֹבֵד

Ships will come from the Kittites and afflict Assyria and afflict those on the other side, but he too will perish forever. 

And then Balaam wraps it up:

וַיֹּאמַר אוֹי מִי יִחְיֶה מִשֻּׂמוֹ אֵל

Alas! Who can survive these things from God?

 מה טובו אהלך יעקב משכנותיך ישראל

How lucky we are to have the Torah to guide us through these times.

Comet Elenin and Rebbe Nachman

According to 2012 doomsdayers, the end of the world which will also mark the beginning a new era may be highlighted by a collision between a large planetary object and the planet Earth, dubbed the Nibiru collision. As I have said before, the arrival of the Messianic era may be a phenomenon that other cultures have alluded to as well, insofar as awareness of the universe which Hashem put into place inevitably holds clues to its ultimate purpose. In this way, staying abreast of global shifts taking place in natural, economic and political orders, as well as cosmological orders, can both keep our eyes open for Mashiach, and help to bring the concept of Mashiach into the world in a revealed way.

In December 2010, the amateur Russian astronomer Leonid Elenin discovered a comet now called Comet Elenin, which some have identified as Nibiru. Shirat Devorah raises the question whether there may be a connection between this week's Torah portion's mention of Kokhav Yaakov and Elenin. The last words of Balaam in this week's reading hold a prophecy interpreted as an allusion to Mashiach (Numbers 24:17):

I see it, but not now;
I behold it, but not in the near future.
A star shall go forth from Jacob,
And a staff [shevet] shall arise from Israel

See Kokhav Yaakov: A deeper look for further interpretations on this verse. In the Laws of Kings, the Rambam's discussion of the Messianic era, the star of Jacob refers to King David:

The King Mashiach will rise forth and return the Kingdom of David to its former state. The Torah testifies [in several places] concerning him [the King Mashiach] [amongst them,] in the portion of Bila'am whose prophecies concern two messianic figures: the first Mashiach is King David who saved Israel from its oppressors; the final Mashiach will rise forth from his [King David's] descendants and save Israel in the end of days. Bila'am prophesizes: 'I see it, but not now'-- this refers to King David; 'I behold it, but not in the near future'-- this refers to the King Mashiach; 'A star shall go forth from Jacob'-- this refers to King David; 'and a staff shall arise in Israel'-- this refers to the King Mashiach.

Kokhav Yaakov is further elaborated in Terumah 172b (hat tip again to Shirat Devorah):

Then the 7th window will open in the entire world, and its star is Kochav Yaakov, and this is the one about which Bilaam said “a star shoots forth from Yaakov,” and this star will be luminous for 40 days and 40 nights. When Melech Hamoshiach will be revealed, and all the people’s of the world will be gathered to him, then the verse will be fulfilled which states [Yeshaya 11:10]: “the root of Yishai, which stands as a banner for peoples, to him shall the nations inquire, and his peace shall be [with] honor.”

We have yet to see whether Elenin will exhibit a 40-day luminosity, or astrologically speaking, whether it will be visible during that time span from Earth. According to calculations, Elenin will come closest to earth in mid-October, when it will be slightly closer to Earth than the planet Venus. According to the Minor Planet Center, Elenin is a relative bright comet, and it is uncertain just how bright it will become. 

What does the relative relationship between a comet, the sun and Earth mean for us? The best lessons may be learned in hindsight. On March 14, 2011, the comet came into opposition with the sun, and will do so again on November 22 of this year. March 14th, mind you, was several days after the massive tsunami hit Japan, wreaking massive environmental and human disaster, and setting off an international nuclear crisis that is unsolved to this day. That's an opposition; a near-alignment between the sun, Elenin and Earth will occur on September 26th.

Yet perhaps the most interesting date is that on which the comet will be closest to earth, October 16, 2011. And if there had to be one tzaddik who could ensure the effect of such a movement would be beneficial rather than destructive, who better than Rebbe Nachman, the everlasting stream of wisdom, whose 201st Yartzheit is Tishrei 18 5772, which falls on October 16th in 2011, as it did on the day he left this world in 1810.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman / Elenin ?

The peel must precede the fruit

וביום השמיני ימול בשר ערלתו

On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 

 (Leviticus 12:3) 

A baby must endure seven "foreskin days", and only on the eighth day is he circumcised. This can be compared to the Land of Israel, which originally was in the hands of the Canaanites, and only afterwards was given to Israel. In the same way, the world existed for 26 generations without Torah, and only after this was the Torah given, because in each case, the peel must precede the fruit.

The truth is, even when the peel that precedes the fruit rules, during the days of the foreskin, when the Land of Israel is in the hands of the Canaanites, and in the 26 generations before the Torah was given, then too the world receives life-force from Hashem, who enlivens everything out of His great lovingkindness. This is the aspect of Hidden Torah. And this is the essence of the world's existence.

When a person sins and God forbid damages the Holy Covenant (i.e. commits a sexual sin h"v),  the foreskin that hovers over the Covenant is drawn down into the world. At this point, it would be appropriate that the world, God forbid, revert to chaos, because the essence of the world's existence is the Fixing of the Covenant (tikkun habrit), as it says: "If not for My covenant day and night, the ordinances of heaven and earth I have not established." (Jeremiah 33:25) For the essence of the entire Torah is guarding the Holy Covenant, as expanded upon in Zohar and elsewhere. 

Yet Hashem desires good, and therefore He created the world such that the peel comes before the fruit, and seven days of foreskin precede the circumcision, to show that also in the days of foreskin, Hashem sustains all through His great lovingkindness, the Hidden Torah. Thus even if a person sins God forbid and damages the Covenant, Hashem sustains him out of His lovingkindness, from the Hidden Torah, and He is patient with him, until he returns.

This too explains what it says in the Zohar, that Teshuva cannot fix sins of the Covenant. The deepest truth (ha'emet l'amito) is that teshuva can fix everything, but according to all the revealed Torah, teshuva indeed does not help in the case of an emission. However, there is also Hidden Torah, which is chesed chinam - Hashem's unconditional love - the kindness beyond our grasp - by which the world was able to exist before the Torah was given, and even during the days of foreskin. 

And with this level of Chesed, Teshuva can fix everything.

(Rebbe Natan of Nemirov, Likkutei Halachot, Yoreh Deah - Laws of Circumcision 3:4)