Torah and Jewish Idea > Torah and Jewish Idea

Asking advice of Tzaddik (* What NOT to do)

<< < (2/18) > >>

muman613:
There is also a special Bracha which we say when we witness a personal miracle:


http://www.torah.org/learning/integrity/menorah_brachos.html

Grabbing the Moment

Every night of Chanuka we sing the piyut Maoz Tzur, which mentions the principal redemptions throughout the history of the Jewish people. It is clear why we specify Chanuka, for that is the holiday that we are currently experiencing, but why do we mention all of the other periods?

We have a similar situation when one comes to a place where a personal miracle occured. He recites the bracha, "Blessed is He Who made a miracle for me in this place." If he had a number of miracles transpire, he should add "in this place and this place ..." (Shulchan Aruch 218:4-5). If the main bracha is for the miracle that happened at the place that he is actually looking at, why must one mention all the other miracles that happened to him?

The same question can be asked with regard to Birkas Hamazon. Why isn't it enough to thank Hashem for the food and sustenance that He has given us, which has occasioned our gratitude at this moment? Why must we also express our gratitude for Torah and Eretz Yisrael as well?

Our Sages understood that when a person reaches a state of inspiration about one of Hashem's miracles, he should not let this opportunity slip through his fingers. Rather he should use this valuable moment in order to thank Hashem for all of the kindness that he has done for him (Rav Yoel Shwartz as cited in Mizmor LeSoda, p. 40-41). After thanking Him for the entire gamut of Jewish history, he will see clearly that Hashem's Hand is the one and only force guiding it, and he will realize that the same is true about his personal life. This will bring tremendous closeness to his Creator.

Through the recitation of the extra tefillos and brachos of Chanuka, may we all be inspired to recognize Hashem's glory and splendor at every moment and be motivated to serve Him with a fresh surge of inspiration during the rest of the year.

muman613:
Read Sotah 34B:


--- Quote ---And they went up by the South and he came unto Hebron16  — it should have read 'and they came'! — Raba said: It teaches that Caleb held aloof from the plan of the spies and went and prostrated himself upon the graves of the patriarchs, saying to them, 'My fathers, pray on my behalf that I may be delivered from the plan of the spies'. (As for Joshua, Moses had already prayed on his behalf; as it is said: And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua,17  [meaning], May Jah save thee [yoshi'aka] from the plan of the spies.) That is the intention of what is written: But My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him.18
--- End quote ---

muman613:
One more which attempts to explain why Hashem creates miracles:


http://www.neveh.org/winston/undwhy/undwhy04.html

In Need of a Miracle

Rav Papa said to Abaye, "What is the difference between the former generation and us, that miracles happened for them, and yet not for us?"... He replied, "The former generations sacrificed themselves for the sanctity of the name [of God]; we do not sacrifice ourselves for the sanctity of the name [of God]."
Talmud Brochos 20a

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

What provokes an obvious miracle? (There is a distinction between overt miracles and covert miracles. The latter happen all the time and are camouflaged to appear like acts of ‘nature’ (e.g., the entire process of birth); the former clearly break all the known patterns of creation in a way that does not suggest a random occurrence.) What draws out obvious Divine intervention? The Talmud’s answer: willingness to sanc-tify the name of God, even if it means giving up one’s own life. But is this true? Is self-sacrifice enough to be a source of miracles? Consider the following midrash:

Rabbi Samuel, the son of Rabbi Isaac said, ‘Abraham would not have been saved from the furnace of fire had it not been for the merit of his future grandson, Jacob.’ A parable explains this: once a man was brought before the Sultan to be judged, who subsequently ruled that the man should be burned to death. However, by way of astrology, it was revealed to the Sultan that in the future, the man, should he not be killed, would father a daughter who would one day marry the king. The Sultan said, ‘It is worth saving this man’s life for the daughter that will one day marry the king!’ Thus Abraham was judged to be burned in Ur Kasdim, and when it was revealed before God that in the future, Abraham would have a descendant Jacob, God said, ‘It is worth saving Abraham in the merit of Jacob!’ (Midrash Rabbah on Genesis 63:2.)

Tradition tells us that from an early age, Abraham was a truth-seeker. Though he was raised in an idol-worshipping society, he still believed that if there was a God, He had to be beyond physical limitation, not made of stone, wood, or metal.

It did not take long before Nimrod, king and self-proclaimed god of Babylonia, heard of Abra-ham’s belief. As a result, Abraham was brought before Nimrod and challenged. Abraham’s choice: give up his belief in God, or burn to death. Abraham chose to stand by his belief in God.

The day Abraham was to enter the furnace was a festive day for the Babylonians. (In fact, donations to cover the cost of the burning were plenty and generous.) But in spite of the fact that Abraham spent three days and nights in the fiery furnace, he did not burn. The servants of Nimrod opened the door expecting to find only ashes, but instead found a healthy Abraham to their utter shock and disbelief.

It was a great miracle that saved Abraham from certain death, and it earned him the respect of the people of Babylonia, including Nimrod himself. But why did Abraham warrant such a miracle in the first place? Was it because of his willingness to sacrifice his life to sanctify God’s name?

No, says the midrash. Abraham should have and would have died that day had it not been for Jacob.

This does not mean, however, that had Abraham died he would not have received ample reward for his self-sacrifice. (This is an important point that often gets overlooked in the discussion about suffering.) Perhaps he would even have been rewarded for what he would have achieved had he not been a ‘victim’ of man’s free-willed choices. In the end, Abraham’s death would have been the world’s loss, not his own, for eternal reward in the World-to-Come would have more than compensated him for what he had suffered in this world. (‘Ethics of Our Fathers’ teaches that one hour of eternal reward is far more pleasurable that an entire life of pleasure in this temporal world. This will be dealt with in more detail in Section Two.)

From the midrash, it seems what ‘forced’ God to make a miracle, even though it lessened the opportunity for free will choice of those who witnessed it, was the future birth of Jacob. The potential loss of Jacob weighed greater in the heavenly scale than the loss of the free-will of the Babylonians who witnessed the miracle.

(The Midrash indicates elsewhere that the philosophy of the Babylonians probably wouldn’t have permitted them to seek truth. However, even after the miracle, there were many who refused to accept Abraham’s explanation of the miracle, and instead attributed his redemption from the flames to magic. And by the splitting of the sea (Exodus 14:21), God employed and east wind to bring the miracle about, leaving enough room for doubt to remain in the mind’s of disbelievers as to the involvement of God.)

This principle is by no means absolute, (In the book, The Way of God, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzatto, in the essay titled, ‘Miracles,’ states various reasons for the occurrence of a miracle, but concludes by saying, "It is possible that miracles should occur for many other reasons that are not comprehensible to us at all." It is a fundamental of Judaism that as much as we’re able to detect logic behind God’s actions, there is always an element of mystery that remains. An anology of this may be, as much as people understand Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, there is still much they don’t understand about it. Even that which they think they understand they probably don’t completely relate to. If this true when understanding the ideas of humans, how much more so is this the case when trying understand Divine wisdom!) but it does give an indication as to what might lead to an obvious miracle in some situations. Thus, if a person is indispensable to creation because of what he or she will eventually produce if he or she survives, then, though man’s free will choices might lead to their death, God may interfere on his or her behalf to save them.

This of course does not mean that if a miracle is not performed to save a person’s life, he is not viewed as righteous in the eyes of God. It just means that the open miracle necessary to save the person would have a negative net effect on history as a whole, and this is an accounting only God can make. (Likewise, to be saved by an open miracle suggests a responsibility to the future of mankind. It is also the belief in this idea that prompts people, when in dangerous situations, to make vows to God that depend upon their personal salvation, to justify a miracle being done for them.)

Thus, in the end, the will of man creates the need for miracles, but the ultimate purpose of creation sometimes demands that God not get so involved in the affairs of humans, at least not in an obvious way. The net result of these two opposing needs may be suffering, even for the righteous. However, this does not mean that the suffering that does occur does not accomplish something positive.

muman613:
I have been searching for any site which comes up via my Kosher search engine which suggest that praying to the dead is acceptable. I have found none although I have found others who accuse Chassidim of doing this. I have scoured the Chabad site and other Chassidic sites and always they state the known Halacha, that it is forbidden to pray TO THE DEAD, but we are permitted to pray in the merit of the dead.

Here is another example of this Halacha:

http://www.atorahminute.com/2009-07-06

Praying to the deceased, Heaven forbid
Rabbi Ya'aqob Menashe

Monday, July 6, 2009/Tammuz 14, 5769

When visiting a cemetery, we have to be very careful not to pray directly to those who are buried there, since we are forbidden to pray to the dead to do anything for us. Rather, we have to increase our repentance and pray to G-d that for the merit of the righteous person who is buried there, He will have mercy on us, (or do such and such for us according to our requests).

We are, permitted, however, to make a request at the grave of the soul of the person who is buried there, especially of the Saddiqim (righteous), that the soul will intercede on our behalf with Haqqadosh Barukh Hu (the Holy One Blessed be He).

(See Rab Pe'alim, Heleq Beh, Yorah De'ah, Lamad Aleph, and Ben Ish Hai, Shanah Aleph, Parashath Nisabim, Oth Beh)

Ephraim Ben Noach:
I do not understand this...   "but you violate this too, and lie by telling others they may talk to the dead. Not only can the dead not hear our words, they cannot do anything. They know nothing, as King Solomon said, “for the dead know nothing.” (Ecclesiastes, 9:5) "

 What do they mean, the dead cannot hear anything, and they cannot do anything? So when you die your soul goes nowhere in just vanishes into thin air, that's it there's nothing else on the other side?

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page