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Class 3 of 3 of Saving Ourselves from Fires
Class 2 of Saving Ourselves from Fires
Class 1 of Saving Ourselves from Fires
Class Time 12:30 ET pm on Wednesdays (11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT, 9:30 AM PT)
Class is approximately 30 to 45 minutes
Call 712-770-4598 and enter passcode: 144097# to join in live class
Final Class Next Week, IyH Subscribe to blog for notifications.
Class 2 of Saving Ourselves from Fires
Class 1 of Saving Ourselves from Fires
Class Time 12:30 ET pm on Wednesdays (11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT, 9:30 AM PT)
Class is approximately 30 to 45 minutes
Call 712-770-4598 and enter passcode: 144097# to join in live class
Class 1 of Saving Ourselves from Fires
Class Time 12:30 ET pm on Wednesdays (11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT, 9:30 AM PT)
Class is approximately 30 to 45 minutes
Call 712-770-4598 and enter passcode: 144097# to join in live class
“I pleaded with God at that time, saying…” Va’etchanan 3:23 (Deuteronomy 3:23)
“A song of ascents. When the Lord returns the returnees to Zion, we shall be like dreamers. Then our mouths will be filled with laughter and our tongues with songs of praise; then they will say among the nations, “The Lord has done great things with these.” Tehillim 126:1-2 (Psalms 126:1-2)
In Parshat Va’etchanan, Moshe Rabbeinu explains that he beseeched Hashem in prayer. Rashi says that va’etchanan (I pleaded) comes from chinun (related to chein, or graciousness) and signifies an undeserved gift. Moshe knew this because the Almighty had said to him: I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. (Shemot 33:19)
Rashi teaches us that the righteous technically could claim a reward based on their good deeds, they ask Hashem only for a “free gift.”* In Likutey Moharan 20, Rebbe Nachman tell sus that when we want something from Hashem, we should pray to receive it solely as an unearned, undeserved gift, and definitely not as a reward for our good deeds.
Why does the Rebbe encourage us to ask only for an undeserved gift from Hashem? We must never press the issue and demand what we want, the Rebbe tells us. We must not think we “deserve”. The consequences of asking for (let alone expecting or demanding) a reward can be unforeseen and calamitous as we aren’t privy to the ways in which Hashem measures and evaluates what is deserved and what isn’t. We are taught that Hashem treats us with love and mercy and gives us far more than we deserve, certainly far more than our good deeds merit. We aren’t held to strict measure for measure with Hashem, and therefore aren’t able to calculate our reward. Relying on Hashem’s lovingkindness, graciousness, and mercy is the best possible course of action.
This coming Shabbat is Shabbat Nachamu, and on this Shabbat, we are comforted after the constrictions and mourning of Tisha B’av, the Nine Days, and the Three Weeks. Through our tears we prayed for the end to exile and the Redemption. Soon, God willing, we will receive the ultimate comfort from Hashem: He will open His treasury, so to speak, and reveal Mashiach, restore us to our Holy Land, and establish the third Beit Hamikdash, Amen.
*The Midrash (Shemot Rabah 44) tells us that Hashem has an Otzar Matnat Chinam, a treasury of unearned gifts, which the tzaddikim may take and distribute.
Previously published at BRI Breslov.org.
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What are we grieving for when we grieve over the loss of the Bet Hamikdash? Why do we mourn? Why do we care? The Holy Temple in Jerusalem was a place in which Hashem was very close to us. The loss is personal to each one of us. Soon, God willing, the Mashiach will come, the third Bet Hamikdash will be built, and we will return to Zion in joy. Chaya Rivka Z. explains.
Chaya Rivka Zwolinski teaches Rebbe Nachman of Breslov wisdom to English speakers around the world, using a psychospiritual approach. She leads trips for women to Uman and Jewish Ukraine and teaches in NYC and other locations. Find her video classes, articles, and podcasts at Breslov.org, BreslovWoman.org, and YouTube.com (BRI Breslov).