Is Breslov For You?

I've been gone awhile, and I'll be back soon. In the meantime, here is a video I made with a pretty decent text-to-speech app. I'm thinking of making more like this, on various topics.

As always, if you like it, share it.

Hanuka and Oil

What Was the Miracle?

Many think that the miracle of Hanuka was having one day's oil last eight. The main miracle of the oil was the great military victory HaShem gave to Israel over the Greeks. How is that a miracle of oil, you might ask? Because an 'ish shemen', that is, an 'oil man', means a warrior.

Having a hard time believing this is the main miracle? Take a look at '`al hanisim' that we add in our prayers during Hanuka. What does it say there? It thanks HaShem for the military victory, the giving over of the wicked, militarily strong, and impure Greeks into the hands of the righteous, militarily small, and pure Jews - and that's it. No mention of the oil lasting eight days, which is minor and secondary.

Running and Returning

Raso washov, from Yehezqel 1:14, meaning 'running/going out and returning'. This concept is mentioned multiple times by R' Nahman in Liquttei Moharan, at least in 6, 13 and 79 of the first part.

(Sorry for these westernized renditions of Yehezqel's vision. They're entertaining, at least.)

While Rabenu offers fresh, original, and new hidushim on this concept from one Torah to the next, I just understood a very practical understanding of this concept that is something based mostly on what Torah 6 of L"M teaches about it.

Explaining the Different Aspects of Torah

There are important questions to ask about the many different aspects of the Torah, especially like: which should be prioritized?

Ideally, one would want to study all aspects of Torah. However, there are so many aspects of Torah, it would be hard to fit it all into one day, even if you had all day to learn. Here, I want to explain and prioritize it, which can be beneficial to the newbie and the experienced.

How Halakha Works

A lot of people are confused about what is and isn't halakha. That isn't very surprising, since the whole subject of halakha and minhagh isn't really explained. Instead, many people are left with books and volumes of halakhic codes without much explanation of what has taken place for such a book to be written. However, when it comes to religious individuals either not knowing the difference in many important cases, or not properly distinguishing it themselves - this can be disheartening and problematic. Especially when someone tries to claim a halakhic monopoly by insisting that you must submit to what the majority of Jews customarily practice.

Likutei Etzot, Hitbodedut 4-9

Hitbodedut (continued)

4. Within everyone is a very precious good point, the desire of which is always very strong to do only the will of it's Creator. However, the lusts break one's heart, and through this, one's heart is far from this [good] point. Therefore, one must speak between himself and his Creator in order to enlighten the aspect of the [good] point within him, to his heart. Through this, he'll nullify the foreskin of his heart, that is, evil love which is the disgrace of the heart that breaks the heart of a man (see sec. Tzadik, #42). (From Likutei Moharan I, 34)

Likutei Etzot, Hitbodedut 1-3

Hitbodedut

1. One who wants to taste a taste of the hidden light, that is, the secrets of the Torah that will be revealed in the future, he should increase in [doing] hitbodedut between himself and his Creator and judge and adjudicate himself all the time regarding all his actions and affairs, whether or not such [a deed or affair] is proper and decent for him to do and to act accordingly in front of [the sight of] HaShem who rewards him all the time and at every instance with goodness.