The Emuna Cats

12/07/2013 – ה׳ באב ה׳תשע״ג – ה׳ באב ה׳תשע״ג – 09:47

By: Chaya Golda Ovadia

Dumpster Diving anyone?

White Cat

I’m not really a cat lover. I do have a soft spot for animals but until we took in Reggie eight years ago, I would have never thought I would adopt a cat. I grew up with a dog and after I was married we looked after a variety of living creatures; birds, fish, hamsters, dogs and even a rabbit (against my better judgment). Then one day, I saw an ad from a friend who was trying to find homes for a litter of kittens that had been abandoned by the garbage bin. After a couple of weeks, her plea to rescue these fluffy felines finally got to me. I decided to bring home a live Chanukah gift for our kids. In fact, Reggie chose us rather than the other way around as he would not let us leave without him.Since learning over the years, it seems that having a pet is really not so simple in terms of Jewish law, purity and holiness. Many owners are not aware of the numerous problems that can arise with these furry mammals, but that is a whole different discussion.

Reggie is an indoor-outdoor cat. He enjoys the benefits of life in the warmth of our home including regular meals, yet he is free to run in the outdoors to his little heart’s content. He has it pretty good. By contrast, our neighborhood is overrun with street cats. They mostly live out of the garbage bins and literally fend for themselves. Three brothers recently found a nice little hideout in the entrance of our apartment. When they aren’t out searching for food, they can be found snuggling up together or playing. Despite their hard lives, these cats seem happy.

Reggie knows he will be fed and doesn’t worry where his next meal is coming from. When he is hungry, he comes in and there is food and water waiting for him. If, for some reason, the bowls are empty, a few meows or a different method of grabbing my attention is all that is needed to have them refilled. If cats possessed human qualities, it would seem that Reggie should have much stronger emuna than all those street cats. After all, he trusts in us, his guardians, to ensure he has all he needs met. He never does without. He knows there is nothing to worry about and for him, life is good.

Upon deeper examination, though, it is really the homeless variety that has a much higher level of emuna. Despite their difficulties in life, they forge on daily in their struggle for survival. They are always scavenging for food and they somehow manage to find their sustenance, yet at the end of the day, they are happy and content.

Although cats are selfish by nature, whenever we occasionally to throw a few scraps their way (yes, we’re guilty) they are so thankful, they purr with gratitude. Reggie, on the other hand, takes it all for granted. I know he appreciates it in his own animal way, but the trio outside really makes me feel like they are grateful for anything they receive.

This is something we should be striving for as well. By being complacent and assuming it is all coming to us, we are not showing HaShem our gratitude. He doesn’t have to give us anything and we shouldn’t be presumptuous about all our blessings. We could very well be like the street cats, down and out, not knowing where our next meal is coming from or how we are going to pay our rent or mortgage. We must constantly pray for even the most basic mercies such as having a roof over our heads. With emuna, when we realize that it is all for the best, the Master of the World will provide for us.

Every living creature has some unique qualities we can learn from. The Gemara in Eruvin (43a-line 46) says that we learn tzniut (modesty) from a cat. A cat is very private in its personal hygiene among other things.

Perek Shira also tells of the wisdom we can gain through G-d’s creations. Unlike dogs, cats don’t try to please others and are persistent in their goals. The cat says, in Psalm 18:38, “I will pursue my enemies and overtake them, and will not turn back until they are destroyed.” While this probably refers to a cat hunting a mouse for dinner, we can apply it to standing up for what we believe in or resolving to defeat our adversaries. Yet don’t be fooled into assuming that our successes come about through our own might.

For the cat also observes, “If you raise up to place your nest among the stars like an eagle, from there I shall bring you down, says G-d (Ovadia 1:4). If we are too haughty, HaShem can surely put us in our place. Physically and spiritually, it is only through His guiding hand that we can soar to any heights at all.

In these days of turmoil, when our enemies seek to destroy us and we have no one to turn to but our Father in Heaven, we must pray that our leaders take heed of the lessons of the cat as well. We must firm in our resolve to defend our right to exist in freedom and holiness in the Land HaShem promised us. But only if we act with the modesty and integrity fit for the children of the King, will we merit G-d’s Divine protection.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in HaShem, then HaShem will be his security. I was young and also have aged, and I have not seen a righteous man forsaken with his children begging for bread. HaShem will give might to His people. HaShem will bless his people with peace”. (from Grace After Meals; Artscroll).

Ken Yehi Ratzon – May it be G-d’s Will!

Pearls of Emuna

Pearls of Emuna is a new pocket-sized gem that includes key Emuna principles, The Tikkun Klali, the Transliterated Tikkun Klali, and Perek Shira all in English. This is your new master key to blessings and salvations! 64 pages. Softcover.

ISBN: 9-5000

The Garden of Emuna

Garden of Emuna

The Garden of Emuna – English

New Expanded Edition!!! “By way of emuna, life in this world is more beautiful, and…the entire world is like a blossoming garden.” This is a practical guide to life. Discover the power of emuna and powerful tools for dealing with life’s challenges.

By Rabbi Shalom Arush, translated by Rabbi Lazer Brody.

Paperback, 292 information packed pages.

ISBN: 56-1024

Yalkut Siach B’Sadeh – Tikkun Klali

Emuna Essay, Hatikkun Haklali, Psalm 148, Pereq Shira

Yalkut Siach B’Sadeh – Tikkun Klali

A unique collection of prayers and songs of praise. Including: Siach B’Sadeh Essay, Hatikkun Haklali, Psalm 148, Pereq Shira. Your master key to blessings and salvation. Eng/Heb, 56 pages, soft cover.

ISBN: 9-2000

Large Tikkun Haklali

Rebbi Nachman’s general remedy of 10 psalms

Large print format of the Tikkun Haklali (Rebbi Nachman’s general remedy of 10 psalms).

ISBN: 1-2660

Tikkun Haklali

Pocket sized Tikun Haklali (Rebbe Nachman’s general remedy of 10 psalms) + Birkat HaMazon + Maariv

ISBN: 1-2607

The Garden of Wisdom – English

A Practical Guide to Happiness in Life

The Garden of Wisdom
A Practical Guide to Happiness in LifeAs we all know, the road to happiness is strewn with formidable obstacles and grueling challenges. Modern society is plagued with ruthless competition, never-ending comparisons between oneself and others, anxiety and depression, and a general feeling of dissatisfaction. The goal of inner peace is one that few truly attain, yet so many sell their birthright to happiness for a few inconsequential thrills.The Garden of Wisdom gives the modern reader a new lease on life, a way to say goodbye to a rat-race existence and hello to a life of meaning and tranquility. Here, you will learn the secret of simplicity, as well as its intrinsic power. Bestselling author Rabbi Shalom Arush presents readers with a practical methodology for assessing themselves and moving forward in life. You’ll surely find yourself within the coming pages…With The Garden of Wisdom, you’ll be one of those fortunate individuals who succeeds in learning that simple emuna – uncomplicated faith – is the master key to opening to true success in life. What could be better? Once you read this book, you won’t know how you ever lived without it.Discover the secret power of simple emuna and how it is your key to happiness and success.
By world-renown spiritual guide and bestselling author Rabbi Shalom Arush, translated by Rabbi Lazer Brody. Paperback, 343 stimulating pages.

ISBN: 42-1113

The Garden of Gratitude – English

This book is the next step up the ladder of inner peace and self-realization from Rabbi Shalom Arush

The Garden of Gratitude by Rabbi Shalom Arush and translated by Rabbi Lazer Brody is an ever-so-bright spiritual light that is guaranteed to illuminate your life in a way you can’t begin to imagine. This book is the next step up the ladder of inner peace and self-realization from Rabbi Shalom Arush’s multi-million copy international best-seller, The Garden of Emuna.Written in a reader-friendly and readily comprehensible style, The Garden of Gratitude explains how to make a quantum leap in your personal and spiritual growth – through gratefulness! The attribute of gratitude is a prerequisite to true happiness and success in all of our interpersonal relations, especially marriage.

If life seems to be like a brick wall or a dead end, then learning to give thanks is the key to a new tomorrow. As you’ll see in this amazing book, gratitude defies nature and invokes miracles of every type. People surrounded by the darkness of supposedly-terminal diseases or apparently insurmountable debts saw the light of day after taking the advice of this book.

Imagine that your life is a digital washing machine with 26 cycles, but you only know how to use 3 of them. The Garden of Gratitude will teach you how to learn the other 23 and get the most out of your life. Reading this unforgettable book will make a dramatic change in your life for the better and will do wonders for your interpersonal relationships. This book is something you owe yourself.

Deluxe softcover, 384 pages.

ISBN: 56-8000

The Warriors of Transcendence

The Warriors of Transcendence ISBN: 56-1000

This captivating fantasy, reminiscent of Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings, takes the reader to a different world-which is, essentially, our world. A runaway bestseller in Israel, this book has now been rewritten as a screenplay for a Hollywood film, soon to be released. 484 pages, softcover.

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Tale of a House Mouse

12/07/2013 – ה׳ באב ה׳תשע״ג – ה׳ באב ה׳תשע״ג – 09:30

Throughout history, many nations have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the Jewish People’s struggle for survival, as we are painfully reminded during the Three Weeks and on Tisha B’Av. Yet, the world’s mighty civilizations are no longer here, but we – the Jewish People – continue to thrive. In order for us to merit the end of Diaspora and exile, we must no longer turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the plight of our brothers and sisters, wherever they are, for one Jew’s problem is every Jew’s problem. May we soon be one people with one united heart, amen!

Tale of a House Mouse

by Rabbi Lazer Brody

Marty Mouse lived a good life as a house mouse on a farm in Iowa. He lived happily alone in a hole in the kitchen wall of the family farmhouse. His landlords, Al and Sue Gillian, raised poultry, a few cattle, corn and soybeans. They made their own cheese, which was Marty’s delight. Every day after breakfast, when Al would go out to the fields and his wife Sue would feed the poultry and the cattle, Marty would scurry out of his hole and feast on the crumbs of cheese that fell off the kitchen table. He’d then go for a walk around the barnyard, visiting his feathered and hoofed friends.

Suddenly, Marty’s dolce vita – his sweet life – came to an abrupt end. In a moment of carelessness, he left some tell-tale droppings in the kitchen. Sue Gillian found them and was furious, livid that a rodent dared to violate the sanctity of her kitchen. She drove to a hardware store in Des Moines and bought the strongest, deadliest, most effective mousetrap on the market.

Peeking out of his hole, Marty Mouse saw his landlady set the deadly contraption, right under the kitchen table where he eats! “I’ll starve,” Marty gasped, trying not to emit a giveaway squeak. “This is an existential threat!” That morning, he went without his favorite breakfast, having to compromise on a few dry grains of chicken feed out in the Gillian chicken house.

Marty approached Henrietta Hen, a venerable great-grandma hen that all the other hens looked up to. “Henrietta, I have a terrible problem; please help me!”

“Cluck-cluck, Marty Mouse – what’s on your mind?”

“My entire life is threatened. The Gillians set this doomsday mousetrap under the kitchen table. There’s no way I can get my daily portion of cheese anymore. That trap is worse than Napoleon’s guillotine!”

“Cluck-cluck, ridiculous rodent; why should I care? We have enough problems out here with unwelcome guests like foxes and weasels. This is the Iowa, not Broadway! You’ll have to find your own solution – it’s not my problem.” Henrietta Hen turned up her beak and pranced away.

Alone and dejected, Marty scampered across the barnyard to the turkey barn. He approached the head turkey, Thomas. “Thomas, I need your help! The Gillian’s set this killer mousetrap under the kitchen table. I’ll starve!”

“Gobble-gobble, silly house mouse; since when do we turkeys intervene in household affairs? This is definitely not my problem. You’ll have to find your own solution.” With another gobble, Thomas Turkey walked away, leaving Marty high and dry.

“This is no time for despair,” Marty told himself, scurrying across the barnyard to the cattle corral. He encountered Andy Angus, the Gillian’s prize young bull. “Andy, you must help me – I am now facing a major existential threat. This is not something off in the future – my life and livelihood are at stake right now!” Marty then told Andy the bull all about the new mousetrap in the kitchen.

“Mooooooove away,” Andy advised.

“But this is my home,” Marty Mouse objected tearfully.

“Then mooooooove out of my way, mouse,” Andy mooed, “this has nothing to do with me and is expressly not my problem!”

That night, Marty went to bed hungry. He chanted the mouse’s prayer from Perek Shira, “And You are just for all that comes upon me, for You, Hashem, have acted in truth and I have been wicked.” He put his trust in G-d and fell asleep.

An hour or so transpired, and all of a sudden, “SNAP-POP!” The mousetrap had been sprung.

Sue Gillian ran into the kitchen to see what happened. A semi-poisonous snake was caught by its tale in the trap. But before she knew what happened, the snake bit her in the leg. Instantaneously, her leg began to swell. She screamed for her husband. He rushed her to the emergency ward of the local hospital. Sue was given a series of injections and sent home. Doctor Sacks assured her husband, “If you need any help, call me on my private number. There’s nothing more to do for her. She needs rest.”

At home, Sue’s fever continued to rise. Al called Dr. Sacks and asked what to do. “Use the old grandmother’s remedy – make a chicken soup from the oldest hen you can find.” Al ran out to the poultry house and slaughtered Henrietta Hen.

A day later, Sue’s fever got even worse. Al called Dr. Sacks again and asked what to do. “She needs some very high-quality protein,” the doctor said,”to give her body strength to fight the fever. Give her some fresh turkey breast – it’s 26% protein and readily digestible.” Al ran to the turkey barn and slaughtered Thomas Turkey.

The fever still climbed to unprecedented heights, overcoming Sue’s last drop of resistance. She died, and was buried a day later.

As customary in Iowa, Al had to feed the hundreds of mourners who came to pay their respects. He had to serve a lot of meat, so he slaughtered Andy the young bull.

Marty watched in awe. He felt so sorrow for his landlord’s tragic loss. Yet Marty was still alive. All those who had no sympathy for him and refused to help him were no longer alive. Even though Marty loved cheese, this was food for thought that kept his mind satiated for a long time.

Moral of the Story: Throughout history, many nations have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the Jewish People’s struggle for survival, as we are painfully reminded during the Three Weeks and on Tisha B’Av. Yet, the world’s mighty civilizations are no longer here, but we – the Jewish People – continue to thrive. In order for us to merit the end of Diaspora and exile, we must no longer turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the plight of our brothers and sisters, wherever they are, for one Jew’s problem is every Jew’s problem. May we soon be one people with one united heart, amen!

By Staff | Posted in Positive Thinking | Tagged The Three Weeks | Comments Off

Tisha B’Av 2013 תשעה באב תשע”ג

08/07/2013 – ב׳ באב ה׳תשע״ג – ב׳ באב ה׳תשע״ג – 19:49

On Tisha B’Av we have a choice of either the past or the future of Light and Joy, Gladness and Honor!
“בית מקדש שלישי בירושלים Third Beit HaMikdash Holy Temple in Jerusalem; And rebuild Jerusalem the holy city soon in our days! Blessed are You, O Lord, Who will rebuild Jerusalem in His mercy.	Night by Elie Wiesel destruction of the 2nd Temple by the Romans


Tisha B’Av 2013: The Children Are Ready II TEMPLE INSTITUTE
It’s time to come home! Nefesh B’Nefesh: Live the Dream 1-866-4-ALIYAH Nefesh B’Nefesh: Live the Dream US & CAN 1-866-4-ALIYAH \| UK 020-8150-6690 or 0800-085-2105 \| Israel 02-659-5800 https://www.nbn.org.il/ info@nbn.org.il
Don’t miss the excitement of the 3rd Temple. Click on the banner or call 1-866-4-ALIYAH Today. If the Holocaust Survivors, The North African Jews, The Russian Jews, The Ethiopian Jews, The Venezuelan Jews, The French Jews and the Jews from the US can make it. You can to. But you say “I can’t speak Hebrew.” Israel has free classes and you only really need to know one word, “תודה” Thank You.
The Jerusalem Chords Bridge or Jerusalem Bridge of Strings גשר המיתרים‎, Gesher HaMeitarim, also called the Jerusalem Light Rail Bridge is a cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge at the entrance to the city of Jerusalem, Israel, designed by the Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava. The bridge is used by Jerusalem Light Rail’s Red Line, Incorporated in the structure is a glass-sided pedestrian bridge enabling pedestrians to cross from Kiryat Moshe to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station.	The Jerusalem Light Rail Train covered in Snow and still running!
Jerusalem’s “First” Train Station: the Refurbished Station The Kotel (Western Wall of the Temple) at Night	3rd Temple Golden Menorah
IDF Praying at Western Wall	The Red Heifer

Tisha B’Av: The Children are Ready
<span style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" data-mce-type="bookmark" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span> Blueprints Revealed For The Third Jewish Temple
Blueprints and Computer Animation of the Sanhedrin Chamber of Hewn Stone

RED HEIFER in Israel This upcoming Shabbat, (March 26), we read the special Torah reading, Parashat Parah, Numbers 19, all about the parah adumah – the red heifer. A necessary part of Passover preparation during the time of the Holy Temple, the reading of the Torah description of the statute of the red heifer continues to be part of our tradition today. In spite of it all, the red heifer remains to this day the most compelling and elusive mystery in the Holy Torah. Yet what the mystery reveals about our own nature and our relationship with G-d is most enlightening. http://universaltorah.com/programming… Visit us: http://www.templeinstitute.org/