Rav Itamar Schwartz on Kislev & Dreams
Just in time for Rosh Chodesh Kislev, it's very worth checking out Rav Itamar Schwartz's transcribed lectures on Kislev.
In particular, Rosh Chodesh Kislev: Dreams & Sleep contains lots of beautiful information.
For example, the famous verse in Shir Hashirim – "I am asleep, but my heart is awake" – contains many deep meanings, one of which refers to the creation of Chava.
A woman is the heart. When Hashem created Chava, He put Adam to sleep.
So Adam was asleep, but his heart – Chava – was awakening & awake.
Rav Schwartz also discusses dream interpretation and it has a lot to do with your own level of self-knowledge.
In a dvar Torah on one of the parshahs (can't remember which one), Rebbetzin Shira Smiles explained that the kavanot of the person who prepared your food can influence your dreams.
She gave the example of a big rav who experience a disturbing dream out of character from his high spiritual level, and discovered later that the person who produced the meal was a person with low-level (or even anti-Torah?) thoughts.
I was so happy to come across this dvar Torah because I never understood why food can impact your dreams so much, and this gave a pretty good explanation for that influence.
I suppose there are other reasons too, but that's a pretty good one.
If I remember correctly, Rav Shalom Arush in Garden of Healing also mentioned that a person's thoughts and attitudes while preparing food can influence the eaters, both physically & spiritually, for better or for worse.
It's a classic tradition for Jewish women to say l'chvod Shabbot when preparing Shabbat meals and to murmur prayers while kneading challah dough.
Once again, it's not so much what you do, but HOW you do it that makes all the difference.
And, as always, Rav Schwartz emphasizes the importance of looking to rabbinical sources for self-help, as opposed to secular sources. In this article, he recommends Michtav M'Eliyahu/Strive for Truth in particular.
His post on dreams is also followed by a really interesting & helpful Q&A.
In particular, Rosh Chodesh Kislev: Dreams & Sleep contains lots of beautiful information.
For example, the famous verse in Shir Hashirim – "I am asleep, but my heart is awake" – contains many deep meanings, one of which refers to the creation of Chava.
A woman is the heart. When Hashem created Chava, He put Adam to sleep.
So Adam was asleep, but his heart – Chava – was awakening & awake.
Rav Schwartz also discusses dream interpretation and it has a lot to do with your own level of self-knowledge.
In a dvar Torah on one of the parshahs (can't remember which one), Rebbetzin Shira Smiles explained that the kavanot of the person who prepared your food can influence your dreams.
She gave the example of a big rav who experience a disturbing dream out of character from his high spiritual level, and discovered later that the person who produced the meal was a person with low-level (or even anti-Torah?) thoughts.
I was so happy to come across this dvar Torah because I never understood why food can impact your dreams so much, and this gave a pretty good explanation for that influence.
I suppose there are other reasons too, but that's a pretty good one.
If I remember correctly, Rav Shalom Arush in Garden of Healing also mentioned that a person's thoughts and attitudes while preparing food can influence the eaters, both physically & spiritually, for better or for worse.
It's a classic tradition for Jewish women to say l'chvod Shabbot when preparing Shabbat meals and to murmur prayers while kneading challah dough.
Once again, it's not so much what you do, but HOW you do it that makes all the difference.
And, as always, Rav Schwartz emphasizes the importance of looking to rabbinical sources for self-help, as opposed to secular sources. In this article, he recommends Michtav M'Eliyahu/Strive for Truth in particular.
His post on dreams is also followed by a really interesting & helpful Q&A.
Rav Chaim Palagi's Kislev Segulah
Last year, I learned (I think on Shirat Devorah) of Rav Chaim Palagi's segulah to see a huge miracle this year.
Rabbi Alon Anava described it as the following 4 aspects:
Rabbi Alon Anava described it as the following 4 aspects:
1) From Rosh Chodesh until the last day of Chanukah, do not complain about anything (including in your thoughts).
2) Praise & thank Hashem a lot. (The 1st is "sur m'ra/turn from evil" and this 2nd step is "aseh tov/do good" – always a winning combination!)
3) Based on Sefer Yetzirah, Kislev is connected to the Hebrew letter samech ס, which hints at l'smoch – to rely, to count on. This is the underlying energy of Kislev. So work on relying on Hashem, and putting your trust in Him, i.e., bitachon.
4) Really put your faith in Hashem (emunah).
As you can see, the 4 steps are all interrelated.
It is also a very tall order. I must admit that I massively messed this up last year, so I'm aiming for more dedication & hoping for more siyata d'Shmaya this time around.
But you know what? Even if you already get all kvetchy, resentful, bitter, and faithless halfway through Rosh Chodesh, at least you still had some very spiritually powerful moments.
And even if you only find out about this segulah the day after Rosh Chodesh, it's still very worth trying.
And don't feel you've lost everything.
Pick yourself up & keep going until the last day of Chanukah.
Even if you fall on your face repeatedly, just keeping doing it.
Whether you'll merit a huge miracle some time this year or not, the above 4 steps contain tremendous positive spiritual power that benefit both you and the entire Am Yisrael.
We're all interconnected. Think of it like a person who tones & lifts weights with one leg while leaving the other by itself. He'll develop a major limp! But if he at least tries working out with the other leg, it'll still get stronger & hold up his body better than if he didn't work it at all.
That's us: one person altogether.
It is also a very tall order. I must admit that I massively messed this up last year, so I'm aiming for more dedication & hoping for more siyata d'Shmaya this time around.
But you know what? Even if you already get all kvetchy, resentful, bitter, and faithless halfway through Rosh Chodesh, at least you still had some very spiritually powerful moments.
And even if you only find out about this segulah the day after Rosh Chodesh, it's still very worth trying.
And don't feel you've lost everything.
Pick yourself up & keep going until the last day of Chanukah.
Even if you fall on your face repeatedly, just keeping doing it.
Whether you'll merit a huge miracle some time this year or not, the above 4 steps contain tremendous positive spiritual power that benefit both you and the entire Am Yisrael.
We're all interconnected. Think of it like a person who tones & lifts weights with one leg while leaving the other by itself. He'll develop a major limp! But if he at least tries working out with the other leg, it'll still get stronger & hold up his body better than if he didn't work it at all.
That's us: one person altogether.
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