Monday, September 14, 2009

Dveykus IV

And sometimes I close my eyes...

Someone once asked me how in the world could I concentrate with my eyes
closed, without looking in the siddur?

The truth is, I look in the siddur for most of davening, its only the
amidah, the silent shemoneh esrei where the conflict begins...

On the one hand we always say osios machkimos - the letters make one wiser.
There is a spirtiual light within the holy letters of the Hebrew language.
Especially if we see them written in Kesav Ashuri like in the Sefer Torah.

On the other hand, when I close my eyes, my concentration is so much
stronger, nothing to see and distract me. My mind begins to focus inward.
Sometimes I can see the letters in my mind. I draw them like glowing coals
in my mind's eye.

Other times I am free of letters, no letters just thoughts.

Still other times the kaleidoscope of images in my minds eye explodes with
brilliant colors, shapes and forms, full of the fire of prayer.

Some people close their eyes to escape and to stop seeing the world.
Some people only see the world for the first time truly, when they close
their eyes.

Like Rebbe Nachman's story about the Beggars, the Blind Beggar sees the
reality so much that he is blind to the falsehood of the physical world of
lies.

What do you see when you close your eyes?

Kol Tuv,
R' Tal Moshe Zwecker
Director Machon Be'er Mayim Chaim
www.chassidusonline.com
chassidusonline@gmail.com
Phone: 972-2-992-1218 / Cell: 972-54-842-4725
VoIP: 516-320-6022
eFax: 1-832-213-3135
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Sunday, September 13, 2009

Selichos

Selichos - Forgiveness
The Tiferes Shlomo of Radomsk taught:


We know that all the Jewish souls are a G-dly portion from above. A person
should always be attached to his supernal roots in the higher worlds like a
branch is attached to the tree. However once a person veers off the straight
path of righteousness his sins and transgressions form a barrier that
separates him from G-d.


This is the meaning of the verse "because with You is forgiveness." It means
that we are parying and beseeching Hashem to forgive our sins in order that
we can once again be reunited "with You," attached in rapture and dveykus.
Then there will no longer be any barrier separating between us and Hashem.

Kol Tuv,
R' Tal Moshe Zwecker
Director Machon Be'er Mayim Chaim
www.chassidusonline.com
chassidusonline@gmail.com
Phone: 972-2-992-1218 / Cell: 972-54-842-4725
VoIP: 516-320-6022
eFax: 1-832-213-3135
join the mailing list to keep updated about new projects here:
http://groups.google.com/group/beermayimchaim