Ask JTF for May 19, 2013 is ready, baruch Hashem

[Chaim Ben Pesach]

בס''ד

The program is 1 hour and 20 minutes this week:



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[Rubystars]

Thanks for answering my question and for another great program Chaim.

[TruthSpreader]

Thank you, Chaim.

[Joe Gutfeld]

Thank you for telling the story.

[Ephraim Ben Noach]

Chaim that was a great show!  I have a question... If you're at a grave site, can you have a one way conversation with a dead person? Also, what if a spirit makes contact with you, can you respond?
                             

[eb22]

I have a question... If you're at a grave site, can you have a one way conversation with a dead person?
                           

While Chaim provided a terrific answer to my question,    the question you are asking is a large part of my overall question.     

Interestingly,   Chaim mentioned the possibility of being sent messages in dreams from those who are no longer alive.       Early Sunday Morning,   I had a dream that led me to asking Chaim the question on the  '  Ask JTF Program'.        I can't recall the details of the dream,    other than a connection with Chaim and JTF was part of the dream,    as well as my late Mom,   who passed away in October,  2007.      Thinking about my Mom after waking up was an emotional experience.     

[Ephraim Ben Noach]

While Chaim provided a terrific answer to my question,    the question you are asking is a large part of my overall question.     

Interestingly,   Chaim mentioned the possibility of being sent messages in dreams from those who are no longer alive.       Early Sunday Morning,   I had a dream that led me to asking Chaim the question on the  '  Ask JTF Program'.        I can't recall the details of the dream,    other than a connection with Chaim and JTF was part of the dream,    as well as my late Mom,   who passed away in October,  2007.      Thinking about my Mom after waking up was an emotional experience.     

I'm sorry for your loss eb22.   I lost my mom almost twenty years ago, I had a warning, but didn't respond and she died, but she did come and comfort me in a dream and tell me everything was ok...

[serbian army]

Great video for young Jews to educate themselves about free market economics. This school of economics was founded by Austrian and other European Jews. 

[muman613]

Chaim that was a great show!  I have a question... If you're at a grave site, can you have a one way conversation with a dead person? Also, what if a spirit makes contact with you, can you respond?
                           

I have posted about this several times.

As Chaim says, the Torah forbids that we communicate with the dead through any means including seance or other forms of divination. Hashem wants us to only pray to him, not to our ancestors or those who we consider to be righteous. But Judaism also has a concept that our ancestors are meritorious and remembering them in our prayers to HASHEM does a service for both ourselves and the person whose merit we are praying in. In this case it is permitted to pray in the merit of the tzadik, so long as our prayers are directed only toward Hashem. Often Chassidic Jews are accused of 'talking to the dead' when they are praying at the grave site of a famous Rabbi or Sage, but in reality they are not praying TO the Tzadik but rather they are praying in the merit of the Tzadik.

Here are some sources to investigate : http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/562222/jewish/Is-it-okay-to-ask-a-deceased-tzaddik-to-pray-on-my-behalf.htm

http://www.mohorosh.org/kuntress_english/alone.html

In particular, prayer poured out to G'd at the burial place of a tzaddik (spiritual master) is on an undescribable high level. Such prayer splits the very heavens. When a person cries to G'd and pleads with Him at length at the grave of a tzaddik, requesting that his prayer be accepted in the merit of the tzaddik buried there, his prayer is acceptable to G'd, and he can easily achieve his desire.

The Zohar states: "when people are in need of compassion and life, they tell of their needs to the souls of the tzaddikim and cry at the tzaddikim's gravesites ... then the souls of tzaddikim are aroused ... and all of them together ask for mercy for the living. Then, for their sake, G'd has mercy on the world" (Acharei).

Therefore, my dear sons and daughters, go to the burial place of a tzaddik and there Cry and pray to G'd alone that He help you in the merit of the holy tzaddik buried there. Ask G'd that He have mercy on you in the ment o t at tzaddik.

You cannot fathom the greatness of such prayer. You will attain all which you need if you only do not give up.

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov said: " When a person prays at the graves of tzaddikim, G'd does favors for him, even if he doesn't deserve them" (Sefer Hamidot - tzaddik 173).

Our Rabbis said: "Why do people go to graveyards? So that the dead may plead for compassion upon us" (Taanit 23a).

Our Rabbis also said, "(At the time of the spying of the land of Israel) Caleb separated himself and went to pray at the gravesite of the Patriarchs (in Hebron). He said to them 'My fathers, plead for mercy for me that I not be swayed by the in- tent of the other spies... (Sotah 34b). We see, then, the efficacy of prayer at the grave of a tzaddik: a person's request to G'd is speedily answered in the merit of the holy tzaddik buried in that place.

[eb22]

I'm sorry for your loss eb22.   I lost my mom almost twenty years ago, I had a warning, but didn't respond and she died, but she did come and comfort me in a dream and tell me everything was ok...

Thanks,   אפרים בן נח .    I'm sorry about the loss of your Mom but I'm very glad that she comforted you in a dream.

My Mom was diagnosed with cancer less than 3 weeks before she passed away.    While I knew after the MRI report that she was terminal,   she passed away sooner than I expected.       There was guilt feelings on my end but time helped me come to grips with everything that transpired.   Throughout my Mom's illness and after she passed away,  my faith in G-d was a tremendous help.     

On a bright note under an extremely difficult situation,   around 4 months after my Mom passed away,   I found out about JTF after seeing a video on ZooTube about the 2008 Republican Primary race.   To say the least,   that was a life changing experience.    There's no way of knowing if I ever would have found out about JTF if that time frame was a normal/  typical time frame for me.       Amazingly,   many months later,   I found out after sending him JTF info  that a long time friend ,who moved to Israel in the late 1990's,   was very active in JTF back in the organization's first few years.           

[muman613]

The Talmud does relate a story where a great Rabbi was able to see a deceased man who explains what the dead see/hear before they are buried...

http://halakhah.com/shabbath/shabbath_152.html

Rab Judah assembled ten men every day and they sat in his place. After seven days he [the dead man] appeared to him in a dream and said to him, 'Thy mind be at rest, for thou hast set my mind at rest.' R. Abbahu said: The dead man knows all that is said in his presence until the top-stone [golel] closes [the grave].1  R. Hiyya and R. Simeon b. Rabbi differ therein: one maintains, until the top-stone closes [the grave]; whilst the other says, until the flesh rots away. He who says, until the flesh rots away. — because it is written, But his flesh upon him hath pain and his soul within him mourneth.2  He who says, until the top-stone closes [the grave]. — because it is written, and the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God.3