24 Responses

1. if we dont understand the zohar hakodosh …….???

2. THIS IS JUST GREAT! AN ENTIRE FAMILY IS WIPED OUT AND THE RABBI HAS IT ALL FIGURED OUT WHY.

3. He says, “the tragic event that occurred was due to sinas chinam in Am Yisrael, and only achdus can prevent additional tragedies like this”.

   With absolutely no disrespect intended…I am troubled by this…

   It’s one thing to say it is the will of G-d…quite another to claim to know the “why.” How can anyone be so certain that he knows the ratzon of Hashem?

4. DKH…

   Good question. I personally consider (Rav Nachman’s) ‘Likutei Maharan’ to be ‘Zohar for Dummies’ (like me!) and I consider the ‘Kitzur Likutei Maharan’ to be the ‘Likutei Maharan for Dummies’.

   Try one or both of those. They are wonderful seforim to learn.

5. Matuk M’Devash is a fantastic perush available only for the past few years. It’s truly a perush for just about anyone who reads ivrit. Free excerpts are given out in many places throughout Eretz Yisroel. Ask around in shul.

6. So which is it, reading Zohar or working on our Ahavas Yisroel and minimizing/eliminating sinas chinam?

7. I guess we replaced the Torah and Shas with the Zohar.

   Why are people always looking for the “magic formula” to save Klal Yisroel from Tzar? Just learn and follow the Torah. What could be simpler?

8. I thought the tragedies were because of internet use. I dont recall where I saw that, but I definitely remember reading that. My point is that I cannot stand when people blame tragedies on “things that klal yisrael is doing”. Internet, Achdus whatever. Every Rebbe and Rav feels as if they have to make a point about why something happened.

9. I thought your not supposed to learn Kabala till your 40?

10. The Rav is a great Tzaddik and a well-known established Mekubal. I know him personally and value him very much. Nevertheless I do not believe that HKBH wants all of us to learn Zohar, at least not before we finished learning Shas. If in doubt, ask your own Rav.

11. #1 It doesn’t matter whether you understand it. Like torah shebiksav, saying the words is also a good thing.

12. #1. The letter was to his talmidim, and he runs a Yeshiva that stresses Zohar study.

    Extrapolate it to your own level and understanding of Torah study and intensify it in some measure.

13. This Rav should be ignored. Only those who can understand the Zohar should be reading it. I believe that is the long-standing opinion of HaRav Yaakov Hillel. It would be more sensible to do Teshuva. Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l would say that the first area that should be addressed in any such Tzara is the area of Shalom Bayis.

14. Women also?
    Are women allowed to?

15. If you can read the words but can’t understand it, you can rely on the Peleh Yo’etz, who says reading it alone, even without understanding, is gevaldik. If you can’t even read the words, you’re obviously exempt.

16. I can say without a doubt anyone knocking this Rabbi, truly is either against chassidus, or doesn’t learn or understand it. Ignorance is not an excuse to bash or think u know better than a holy Rabbi. Please don’t comment if u have nothing positive to say. Ahavas Yisroel gets improved by learning Zohar- hence the connection between Lag BOmer revelation of Zohar to the stopping of R Akivas students for not respecting each other. Learning penimius of Torah helps u appreciate penimius of a Yid.

17. I happened to have met the Rabbi personally & he told the group I was with to READ not learn Zohar 10 mins a day. We were a group of Baale Batim & do not have the slightest understanding of Zohar. He is one of the most respected real Mekubalim in our Dor so I am disappointed that I sense cynicism in this heimish forum. The logic he gave to us when we said we don’t understand Zohar- was not that he wants us to learn Kabala but rather Zohar has the unique ability to purify your Neshama & you get Schar even when you do not understand. He is not saying to start Kabala Sedarim but rather take 10 mins out of your day to read Zohar

18. בטח יודע מאגה״ק של הבעש׳־ט שהמשיח א״ל שיבוא כשיפוצו
    מעינות הבעש״ט חוצה – ואחכ״ז כותב ומדפיס לרבים, אשר כל מי
    שלא הגיע לזה אשר ״יערה עליו רוח ממרום לתתנהג בקדושה וטהרה
    ופרישות יתרה״ לא ילמוד אלא בנגלות התורה.
    והגע בעצמך: האריז׳׳ל אמר (כמו שהביא רבנו תזקן בשמו באגרת
    הקודש סכ״ה דדוקא בדורות אלו האחרונים מותר ומצוה לגלות זאת
    ובגין a , החכמה. רעיא מהימנא הוא משח רבנו אמר (זח ״ג קכד
    דעתידין ישראל למטעם מאילנא דחיי דאיהו האי ס׳ הזהר יפקון בי־
    מן גלותא ברחמי(ועייג״כ ת׳׳ז סוף ת״ 0. הקב״ה מגלה מסתורין שלו
    ע״י הבעש׳׳ט תלמידיו ותלמידי תלמידיו וגם בדורותנו אלו, ובלבד
    שתבוא הגאולה, חרות מיצה״ר ושעבוד מלכיות, ושכ׳׳ז יחי׳, כנ״ל
    ברע׳׳מ, ברחמי, וכל אשר ההשפעה בידו צריך הי׳ לצעוק בקול פנימי:
    אחב״י חוסו על עצמכם ועל כלל ישראל והפיצו תורת ודברי אלק׳
    חיים. ולהודיע ממש׳׳כ ר׳׳ח ויטל בתקדמתו לשער ההקדמות שעי״ז
    הוא עכוב קץ הגאולה, היינו שמעכבין עי׳׳ז את עצמו את כלל ישראל
    וכביכול א ת השכינה בגלות.
    ותמורת זה נדפס, אשר לע׳־ע יש לחכות ולהסתפק בלימוד הנגלה,
    וכשיפנה ויערה עליו רוח ממרום ויתנהג בקדושה ובטהרה ופרישות
    יתרה אז יתחיל בלימוד פנימיות התורה!
    האומנם לא די בצרות ישראל ע״ע ח׳׳ו? ואין מספ יק ח״ו הגלותי
    או שח׳׳ו לא יאמנו דברי הגואל אחרון הוא משיח צדקנו, דכשיפוצו
    מעינות הבעש״ט חוצה אז יבוא. והם הם דברי הגואל ראשון הוא
    רע״מ, דבגין דיטעמו מס׳ הזהר יפקון מן גלותא?
    הארכתי בזה לגודל צער העניו. ואם יהיו תוצאות מכתבי זה, אשר
    בהקדם היותר אפשרי יתקן את הנ׳׳ל – (כמובן אינו נוגע כלל שידעו
    שהי׳ מי שעורר ע״ז) – דיינו.
    From Igrot Kodesh book 3 page159

19. YonasonW, we are supposed to figure out the “why”. R Shmueli thinks he has; maybe he’s right and maybe he isn’t, but since he thinks he has figured out at least part of it, he has a duty to warn people. And really, even if he’s not right in this particular instance, what he’s saying is good advice anyway, so what difference does it make? Even if these particular measures would not have prevented the last incident, they may stave off the next one.

    Learning Kaboloh is not for everyone; saying the holy words of the Zohar is for every Jew who’s shomer mitzvos. If you don’t understand them, say them like tehillim, which our bobbes and elte bobbes didn’t undrestand either.

20. supposedly a rav once made a statement in a similar vein regarding a tragedy and reb yakovs response was “do you have ruach hakodesh”. talking during davening has been said by gedolim to cause massive tzoros so obviously we need to fix things but to definitvely stae why something happened? i would love to know what hashem thinks of such statements

21. WOW

    What we need is to speak only GOOD about the future of kllal yisyoel

    Who are we to say negative things about the possible future….Have e been appointed by the creator to speak out like the prophets of old??????

    Let us only bless ourselves

22. The Mishnah and Gemara at the end of Sotah learn from the pasuk ‘In the evening, you will say “Let it be morning”; that after the Hurban Bayis Sheni, the Tzaros of our nation will increase DAILY until Mashiach’s time. Since the Bayis Sheni was destroyed due to Sinas Hinam, it follows that all our Tzaros stem from this sin. This is no Hidush!!

    The Zohar itself, in its introduction, sites reading/ learning the Zohar as the key to delivering us from the Galus. If one cannot “learn” it, read it; however, there are many excellent translations (with light comment) into Hebrew and English from the original Aramaic. “Matuk m’Dvash” (R. Daniel Frish) has an easy Hebrew commentary on “Niglas HaZohar” which can be understood by any Yeshiva Bachur / Baais Yaakov girl of 16+ years.

23. #20, how do you know he doesn’t have ruach hakodesh?

24. for those who havent started reading the Zohar hakadosh yet, in this week´s portion, Naso, verse 90, Moshe Rabeinu says to Rabbi Shimon – bechibura dilach yifkun Yisrael min galuta berachamei – that the ZOhar is the key to bring the Geula with mercy. Do you believe in the Kdusha and truth of the Zohar? – and as Rabbi Eliezer Papo mentions in the “Pele Yoets“ – one should read the Zohar with the intention of understanding it, and even if they dont understand a thing – it makes an amazing impression in the upper worlds.