• AY

  Avner YD -12 years ago

  Reb Simcha Bunim
  B"H
  
  
  
  49th day of the Omer
  
  
  
  Did Reb Simcha Bunim of Prashischa give this explanation on how the advisor should approach the son or is this strictly your explanation based on the Rebbe's request to open up the eyes? Absolutely awesome metaphor (if not my favorite)!

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    Anonymous -12 years ago

    Re: Reb Simcha Bunim
    I looked through my notebooks--Reb Simcha Bunim taught the idea that the worst part of galus is that we don't taste the bitterness, and that's how he explains that by the Seder night, if you swallow the Marror without chewing and tasting you did not do the mitzvah--because the beginning of redemption is first tasting the bitterness of exile....Next to that in my notebook, this parable is written, and I REALLY don't recall if I saw it from RS"B, or I wrote in on my own.....
    
    
    
    One way or the other--that's what we need to do with all Jews--not mussar and harsh words, G-d forbid--learn with them Chassidus and SHOW THEM G-D'S PALACE!!!

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• S

  Shimon -12 years ago

  Dear Rabbi Braun,
  First of all, we love your Shiurim, your positive attitude is felt in everything you say, your clarity in metaphor and concrete applications and most of all making your mission (opening the eyes) clear and practical.
  
  Thank you for clarifying, I was trying to put too much info into a small statement, it was based on "Reb Hillel P. on Shaar Hayichud chapter 9 עמוד קע''ו
  
  קמי' אין כאן חלל חוץ ממנו ח''ו רק כח החלל וכח הקו נכלל ובטל בו...שבודאי יש מציאות העולמות אבי''ע ודצח''ם גשמיים רק לגבי עצמותו אינם תופסים מקום כמו דבר שאינו במציאות כלל
  
  
  
  Kindly View page 358
  
  ענין הצמצום...מניעת גילוי הזיו לגבי המקבלים שלא יאיר כמו שהוא רק הארה...ונמצא שצמצום זה וחלל זה אינם אמיתים רק לגבי המקבלים...להם נראה ומורגש התסלקות האור....אבל באמת...ואין כאן חלל ומקו''פ כלל כי באמת הוא במהותו...וכמ''ש בשם אדמו''ר הזקן נ''ע שאמר ששמע בק'ק מעזריטש לא תחללו את שם קדשי שלא תעשו בחי' חלל באא''ס הנק' שם קדשי שלא יבינו ענין הצמצום כפשוטו שהוא סילק המהות
  
  
  
  Keep up your great work!
  
  Shimon

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    Anonymous -12 years ago

    Re: Dear Rabbi Braun,
    Reb Shimon--
    
    Thank you so much for the kind words...
    
    
    
    I actually feel a special affinity with Reb Hillel Paritcher, (besides loving his books) as my birthday is on his yahrtzeit...
    
    
    
    I LOVE your quotes, especially the second, which translates that if one doesn't appreciate the immanence of G-d's Essential Light, it's a LITERAL chillul Hashem (by the way--check out Derech Mitzvosecha Chilul Hashem where a similar idea is brought...).
    
    
    
    But they still don't contradict what I wrote. This is the not the place to get into a deep explanation of Tzimtzum Lo Kiphshuto, but as I wrote earlier that's what ViYadata Moscow is about--that the secret of Havaya VeElokim Kula Chad is, that all the finitude,vessels,garments, and shells ARE A CONTINUATION of Or Ein Sof--meaning the concealment ITSELF is not an illlusion, they really contract, conceal, and make finite--they are Shem Elokim--BUT THEY ARE TRULY ALSO "part" of Or Ein Sof--Shem Havaya....His Infinite Light IS ALSO finitude and concealment...

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• S

  Shimon -12 years ago

  To Kayo
  B"H
  
  As far as I understand, Tzimtzum only exists in our mind, meaning how much we are permitted to see and feel about Hashem e.g. a green tree, hard brown table, soft chair
  
  Angels are permitted to see a little more and when they see a green tree they also see the angels involved in up keeping the tree, they see more because they have less Tzimtzum. The less Tzimtzum the more you see of Hashem, until all you can see is the word of Hashem making the tree. The Alter Rebbe said all he can see is the word of Hashem in the wooden beam, before he passed away.
  
  The Kav is the establishment of chronology (beginning, middle, end & how much) with which Hashem measures the plans of creation and every aspect of creation itself. The fact that we think chronologically also comes from the kav. The Kav is the first tool of creation.
  
  Just because you clear your mind and picture a ruler does not make you into two people, everything you were thinking before is still all in your mind. This is only one metaphor but gives over the main point.

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    Anonymous -12 years ago

    Re: To Kayo
    Shimon,
    
    Though much of what you're saying is accurate, I need to clarify your first sentence which is not true. As I said on the video, the Tzimtzum is a REAL, vital part of creation--even in G-d's eyes. He, too, now "sees" reality "after tzimtzum" as having emerged and been revealed from His essence--yet just as unified with His Infinite Light as before. Because as the Rebbe Rashab explained--the Torah Genesis 1:1 says clearly that G-d did create the world--so creation really happened--even in G-d's perception--just not SEPERATION from Him. In other words, all the aspects of Tzimtzum that bring about lower worlds, even our physical world--i.e. vessels, garments, even shells--are all REAL; just the aspect of them that make them seem seperate from G-d--THAT'S an illusion. (See the maamar VeYadata Moscow, from Rebbe Rashab that explains this at length. Here's the link http://store.kehotonline.co... ). After all, the purpose of creation is for G-d to have a dwelling place in lowest world--so even in G-d's eyes, this world, because of all the contractions etc. is a LOW WORLD, but still unified with Him. See also beginning of Tanya Chapter 36.

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• AY

  Avner YD -12 years ago

  First idea spoken about
  B"H
  
  
  
  One more thing Rabbi-
  
  
  
  I am still working hard to collect interviews, edit videos, etc to present an empirical database of human experiences which "open up our eyes" to the intrinsic and undenaiable truth of Torah/Hashem.
  
  
  
  Maybe this website or you would like to share or help me with these videos? It is a direct and seemingless movement from what can be mistaken as just philosophy to the correct G-dly perception of reality.
  
  
  
  The most recent video also has a blog written with it: http://sefferelad.typepad.com

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    Anonymous -12 years ago

    Re: First idea spoken about
    Hi Avner!!
    
    
    
    As I said on the video, training ourselves to see reality as G-d sees it--is the very essence of Chassidus, and opening our eyes to that IS the Messianic Era...
    
    
    
    
    
    So your idea is vital. Let me know how I could help...

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• K

  Kayo -12 years ago

  Question - Nothing besides Him
  Baruch HaShem
  
  I learned that HaShem created Creation because of His Tinug and Ratzon. And you told us that He concealed His Light. In other words, He had a state that He did not have the state of concealment. That contradicts the notion of Echad - He is everything and everything is Him, nothing besides Him exists. My understanding of this problem is that within Him exist past, present and future. We think of things chronologically, but this is not apprecable to HaShem. I think the state of Ein Sof without concealment, and Ein Sof with Halaru, concealment, and the Ein Sof that will have concealment, all exist in Echad. Is it correct?

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    Anonymous -12 years ago

    Re: Question - Nothing besides Him
    Kayo,
    
    Chassidus explains (particularly in Derech Mitzvosecha from Tzemach Tzedek, Mitzvas Haamanus Elokus Chapter 8) that of course our "version" of reality also is recognized, even experienced by G-D. It's just that He's not "trapped" within it. Like a great brilliant professor, who comes home and sits on the floor to play with his 4-year-old, relates and communicates with the child, speaks his language and shows interest in what the child enjoys, and yet five minutes later, when returning to his "professor" way of seeing reality, looks at the child's reality and his own partaking of that reality five minutes earlier, as--childishness, lowly and far beneath who he really is.
    
    
    
    The difference is, concludes the Tzemach Tzedek, that a human being could only function on one wavelength of existence, could only be in one framework of mind; whereas G-d is "seeing" both frameworks simultaneously. He is above tzimtzum, and sees how all is included in Or Ein Sof, and at the same time experiences the worlds on their terms after Tzimtum.

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• AY

  Avner YD -12 years ago

  AWESOME!
  B"H
  
  
  
  Hi Rabbi Braun-
  
  
  
  It's Avner-Yaakov (Jacob).
  
  
  
  It's about time that I can watch sets of classes from you. So far I have been very impressed with the 2 other classes.
  
  
  
  The first class had an amazing song. Can you or the person that put together the video send me a link.
  
  
  
  Also, were you able to find the teaching from the Ba'al Shem Tov?

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Shmuel Braun

• June 1, 2011
• |
• 28 Iyyar 5771
• |
• 252 views

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