A Lecture on Reincarnation from Rabbi Nissel (The best Rabbi EVER!)
Definition of Reincarnation: Understand what exactly happens at the end of days. Sources: Living in the 21st century- does reincarnation affect us.
Derech Hashem: Reward and Punishment: In the real world everything we do has a consequence. The reason we do not stress the negative, we have very low expectations for our generation. The Arizal taught us: as we get closer to mashiach, a small mitzvah is huge in this time (because of the distortion of proper living in this generation).
There are 3 places where g-d can reward and punish us for what we have done. This world, the world to come and Olam Hanishamos, your body goes into a state which is expunged by the snake gunk (gunk of death inside of us, mystical introspection of the snake gunk causing mortality to Eve) a process of being purified under the ground. The body goes to the world of souls and the olam hanishamos is similar to the world to come. It is like: Ex: you can see what is going on in the other worlds, then there is the place (11 months) for cleansing your soul.
Punishment is a secular chirstian word. Our explanation is removing the damaging of your soul. We would rather get punishment here.
Ramchal asks: the questions should not be why do bad things happen to good ppl, but why do good things happen to good people. When you see righteous people go through suffering in this world it is because god wants to give them maximum enjoyment in the world. When you see a person enjoying life here in "reward" it is possibly questionable what punishment they are recieving later on.
EX: A guy goes into a gorgeous fancy 5 star restaurant. He sits down (beautiful ambience), beautiful people serve him the best food, he orders the biggest steak in the house. As the guy eats he can't remember having so much pleasure. Afterwards they say it is no bill, it is on the house. The guy tries to stand up, and he realizes he can't. He realizes he can't move. He looks under the table and realizes he has no legs. He's been eating his own flesh. He's been eating his own legs. Everyone is laughing at him, and he cannot believe a greater hell. People don't realize how they are eating their own flesh.
Another root is found about the way in this world to give the best opportunity for man: The goal of the whole system is to give maximum pleasure to man. One soul can come to this world many times in different bodies. What is the purpose of this, through this, you can fix up the second time around that which you messed up the first time. Another reason is to complete that which was not completed. After all the incarnations have been completed (there is a maximum of 4 shots)- the law at the end of days (the great moment of judgement)- you will be judged as the sum of all your reincarnations.
Which body do we have? We are not a soul or a body. We are the way our soul and our body connects. The heart is the interface between the higher spiritual you and the physical earthly animal you. That is what the you has to come back in the world to come. So which body you get in the world to come?
There are two reasons why g-d favors us we already recited.
Story: there was a certain rabbi that lived the last 100 of years (controversy)- the reform movement gave him alot of grief. He revealed one day to his inner circle of students: "I happen to know the following information that in my first incarnation, I was one of the people who came out of Egypt. I was a good Jew, but when it came to the rebellion with Korach, I took a neutral stance. (Korach was a tzadik, by the way, not just an evil being). Now my job in the world is to fight for Moshe's emes. G-d will put people in the environment and manipulate the environment and will have this test once again. Another example is given in the...
Zohar: "The laws of Mishpatim- all the laws of social legislation- stealing, ownership, buying and selling etc..." This parsha is the big secret of incarnations. The laws of justice is the secret of gilgul!! why?
Once upon a time there was a man called the Chazon Ish, he was a person who was not spooky at all- after the holocaust- he rebuilt torah judaism together with the brisker rav (in bnei brak) he was a halachik and political leader in klal yisroel (but he knew about these spooky things). One of his students puts his hand down and finds a shilling (a british coin) and says "I'm aloud to keep this." The Chazon Ish says correct. A person losing money - Yiush shelo mida'as lo havi Yi'ush- The student asks the Chazon ish- is this because of gilgul? What does this mean? Ex: if reuven is walking down the street and the coin belonged to Shimon. Reuven can keep it, because perhaps in the gilgul previous time, Shimon owned reuven the equivalent of a coin. These are oporrtunities to complete something through an alternative form of compensation.
A male can only reincarnated as a male, female a female- a Jew as a Jew.
A person is very poor in their lifetime and doesn't have a chance to accomplish what a rich person has to do in their lifestyle (Tzedaka, using money in a form of recognition you a merely a harbinger of the coin granted to you by the divine). The last generatino since the holocausts- Jews have been wealthy- and it coule be very well that we originally were poor in "morroco" and now we have another task to fulfill we couldn't fulfill then. Could also be that when we were in a previous life we were living in a ghetto- and now we have a different test where religion is not given on a plate.
The Zohar brings another example how Gilgulim work. This is very spooky and beautiful. The Zohar is living up on a mysitcal level: If you are sold as a Jewish slave (debt) and they are treated like a king in the household (more like your a partner in the family because you are treated well). We don't want this but if they do come in like this married, you leave married. If you come in single and master gives you a wife (A Canaanite bondswoman) you don't take her with you once you are liberated.
What happens if you come in single (meaning) : into this world, married, and you can't have children. If you leave without children, G-d will bring you back again and will have kids. Your wife from your previous incarnation will be your bashert in your next incarnation.
Does everyone agree with the Ramchal. The Arizal (the father of modern mysticism living 500 yrs ago in sfat wrote 30-40 pages, lists all the famous gilgulim). For example, Moshe's wife was Tzipora but she doesn't have the easiest marriage because her husband is not with her. Within all her holiness her husband cannot spend time with her, she comes back and remarried someone who she has a more connected relationship with. No one has ever disputed with Ramchal since it was written.
What does a body mean? If you die in old age, you want to come back looking young and beautiful. Your body is something that makes no sense, because it is constantly changing. Every person in this room goes through six stages. First atge of the body is a fertilized ovam- then you come out looking like a rat (ha)- clearisal stage (ha) hormones kicking in- handsome stage- slowly towards old age- prune old stage: If you took a photograph of these five stages, you cannot recognize its the same person. What happens if you have a liver transplant? what happens?
Moshe Rabbeinu's face after being 40 days learning from Hashem up on the Har had become a spiritual being- which is why Hashem put a 'mask' on him. the body itself is not what we see in the mirror, the real you is the body you create through your actions and your deeds. Moshe's face underneath the ask is a little bit what our body is going to be like at the end of days. The body itself is going to be more spiritual than physical. (Mashiach's face looks like a light).
You can see gedolim and see there faces glow. (Rav Nebentsal).
What does the concept of reincarnation mean for me, myself and I?
Absolutely nothing. The last 45 minutes have been a total waste of time in practical application. the following scenario is where the concept of gilgul becomes very important. When a hcild dies young and you want to console a parent- the most powerful comfort is telling them that they are part of a greater plan of life- and that- their child remains their child.
Ramchal was 39 when he died. Rabbi Akiva became religious at 40. Ramchal came down to rectify the first 40 years of Rabbi Akiva's life (twilight zone music). We say the word special about kids, we need to realize they really are special- The Steipler would stand up for special children- not because they wanted to make the parents feels good- but because this child has been brought into the world for tikunim trapped in this body for a reason. Therefore they need certain frusteration in this world to completely cleanse their body.
Through facilitation we see they are much more connected to their spirituality. Tzadikim gedolim know what they have to fix. When you see there is one error of halacha you are constantly struggling with- it could be the reason you came down here... thinking about it.
You as a Jew must live the best possible life, but know there is something much bigger and more powerful going out there.
Story: Lives in 4 Parnas (Rav Nissel)
An outreach rabbi in 6 parnas lives on a synagogue complex on the premises of the synagogue and the mikvah. The following happened 4-5 yrs ago. They gave birth to a child, and the child grew up in the synagogue (first 3-4 years of its life). The child had a special friendship with a special kid (11 yr old girl). If you look at the child you can say the child was truly sweet at a very young age who looked like they had a great future. Usually children with a good nature are dispositioned to doing right. Every time the father would go over to Germany the kid would start behaving dysfunctionally (he independently verified it from the whole community). One day the child was playing in the mikvah, jumped into the mikvah and drowned. For 7 days the parents sat in the floor mourning. On the night of the 7th day of the shiva, the child comes back to the father- he said "I came back in this world because I needed rectification"- I lived in the middle ages as a great Talmud and I died by the sword without a proper Jewish burial- and now I have a proper Jewish burial and am permitted to go to the high place. The Father woke up and wanted to know if such a rabbi existed killed by the crusades- there was indeed a great rabbi in the back of the talmud was the Mordichai never had the honor of a Jewish burial. The father took upon himself to study all the works of the Mordichai. The father after the tragedy- had a dream- the child came back and said "I told you not to cry for me, why are you crying for me"- he was referring when he was crying his eyes out when he put his clothing away. They went to the 11 yr old girl, and communicated with her and asked what she knew- she said it's obvious he's the Mordichai and came back to fulfill the proper burial (twilight zone music).
Current Mood: 
Hashem loves me 
curious