Breslov Blog

  Kabbolas Ha Torah was a singular event in the Jewish history that is still uniquely important for us on so many levels. Even before the Yidden received the Torah, when Moshe Rabbeinu spoke to them about serving Hashem, they responded with unequivocal acceptance, “All that Hashem has spoken, we will do and we will listen!” This is the famous declaration “ naaseh v’nishmah ” that became a symbol of our devotion to Hashem. The Rebbe revealed in Torah 22 – one of the most beautiful lessons in the whole “Likutei Moharan” - that these two words “ naaseh v’nishmah ” actually contain a model for true Jewish living. The “ naaseh ” stands for all that we already capable of doing in our avodas Hashem , while the “ nishmah ” represents the next level that we’d like to reach. This means that, as servants of Hashem and true followers of the Rebbe, we should never be complacent, considering our current madregah as being “good enough” already, so we can relax and stop earning for more. We should

Yesterday me and my husband went to Kever Rochel. I had long been fascinated by gematrias, and so on the way there I did a quick calculation that the words "קבר רחל" ("Kever Rochel") have the same numerical value as the word "רשם" ("imprint"). This made me realize that a visit to Kever Rochel is supposed to make an imprint on a person, and I had a feeling that our visit really would.  When we got to Kever Rochel, I went to the ezras nashim and started saying Tehillim. For some reason, they resonated with me like almost never before, and it was difficult for me to tear myself away when the rime was up and I had to go back to meet my husband and get on the bus, I was sure that, somehow, a new chapter was starting. Back home, I decided to review the Torah in "Likutei Moharan" that deals with saying Tehillim- Siman 73 in the second part (all the more so because it is related to the Counting of the Omer, the period that we are in now). Ther

I never felt part of the world and never had any sense of belonging.  This is probably understandable, considering that I grew up in a Russian working-class neighborhood, with practically no Jews around but with a lot of Anti-Semitism (or maybe just plain xenophobia). This made an indelible impression upon me, and, try as I might, I could never really shake it off. When I was very young, I still tried to fit in, but, after I came to America with my parents at the age of 22, it became too hard. After a few feeble attempts, I totally gave up on being part of the world and sunk into a deep depression. After a few years, I came back to Russia but couldn't find a place for myself there, either. I had a felling that, if I ever allowed myself to become part of the world, it would somehow destroy me. For this reason, I was mortally afraid of getting a full-time job; I earned some money (not much) by giving private English lessons, but, for the most part, I was supported by my father. Then,

The numerical value of Rabbeinu's name נחמן (Nachman) is 148. There are a number of other words that have the same gematria: "קמח "("flour", which could also mean material sustenance in general), "נצח" ("eternity"), and "חלקי" ("my portion").  As I once wrote, this can be understood to mean that, if a person really makes Rabbeinu into their portion and stays with him through thick and thin, then Rabbenu is going to give that person everything they need, in ruachnius as well as in gashmius , both in this world and in the Next One. But how can a person attach themselves to Rabbeinu? It was only today that I thought of another word that has the same numerical value: "בממוני" ("through my money"). Words and declarations, however passionate, are not enough. It is only through giving money to the tzaddik (or through supporting his causes) that one really becomes included in him. On the one hand, this is pret

The word "ערוה" ("lewdness", "illicit relations") is very interesting. It has four letters, like the Name of Hashem יהוה; moreover, its last two letters are the same as the last two letters of this Name. As for its first two letters, if rearranged, they spell the word "רע" ("bad"). So it can be seen as a  special Name of Impurity because, as it says in " Koheles ", Hashem "created one opposite the other". As is known, the first two letters of the Name יהוה signify the level of the mochin (spiritual intellect). So this is what ערוה really is: replacing the spiritual intellect, the higher consciousness with the overwhelming desire for illicit relations. That's why it is said that the main פגם הברית (damage of the Covenant) occurs on the thought level. 

As always, the preparations for Pesach bring with it a powerful feeling of renewal, which reminds me of Torah 6 in "Likutei Moharan" with its haunting message of " ana zamin lemehavei " - "I'm preparing to be". This Torah is about teshuvah , and it teaches us what teshuvah is all about: realizing that the way we've been living is very far from true being; it's just barely functioning and existing, like we're not even there. And, of course, true being means living our lives with awareness of Hashem and letting it affect everything we feel, think, say, and do. It's interesting that the words "I'm preparing to be" - "אנא זמין למהוי" in Hebrew - have the gematria of 250, the same as the word "נר" - "a candle". So when we go searching with a candle during bedikas chametz , this is what we should have in mind: that we're looking for the last traces of what is holding us back from true being. It