Karen Speech

Chag Sameach. Erev Tov Vehag Sameah! I don't know how many Lag B'Omers we sat here and been here, but every time it's special, every time it's different. אני מאוד מצטערת שאני מדברת רק באנגלית, I'm very sorry that I speak only in English, כי אם אני אדבר איתכם בעברית because if I speak with you in Hebrew חצי אתם תבינו וחצי אתם לא תבינו. you will understand half, and half you will not understand. אז לא הולך. So it doesn't work. אז עדיף שאדבר באנגלית. סליחה! So it's better that I speak in English. Sorry! ,אבל יש משהו שאני רוצה לומר הלילה But there is something that I want to say tonight, .אני חושבת שזה חשוב I think it's important. ...אנחנו לומדים כל הזמן We always learn... English? Sometimes I forget. We teach in the classes, and those of you that have read know the seriousness about 'Lashon Hara'. We know that 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva were destroyed, and it is written that the main reason for that was that greatest of our 'Talmidim Chachamim' they became so wise, so wise and so wise that they didn't have anymore respect for each other. Each one was involved with their own brilliance, their own ability, their own capability, and so it says that they didn't have respect for each other. And so they were taken from this world at this time, right now until this day - Lag BaOmer which is the day finally that the plague stopped, and the day that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai chose to leave the world. And he chose to leave the world on this special day for many many reasons. As the Zohar explains clearly that he himself said: "I have finished my work and that I've given the presence of the Light, I've given the ability for the world now to take this energy which I have created via the channels that will come down through the years and distribute it and break it up, and fragment it up to the people until the final generation which will be the generation that will bring, finally, the conclusion, the Meshiach, the Final Redemption to the world. We learn from the teachings and we understand as we look around us at the chaos that exists in the world that - guess what guys? We are it! We are the Final Generation. And that is why the Zohar that has come from such a high place where people couldn't comprehend it, they couldn't possibly open up the Zohar and learn it. And through the centuries it has come down. It came down through Rabbi Shimon, it came down through the Ari, it came down through Rav Ashlag until the place where we, the world of Malchut are able to take and decipher, and sift. And one of the major reasons that today, as Eliyahu has said, "Yes, there are millions of people today learning Kabbalah." And the reason that they can is because in this generation it says: that no more will man teach his fellow man, but all will know the glory of the Creator. Meaning that each and every one of us will have enough simplified knowledge to understand the divinity of the internal which is ours. And in that hope we will become more like that force through the teachings which each time, every generation it has past down to a place where it could be understood. We have had the great fortune to have these totally difficult concepts brought down to a level where you and I, and hopefully everybody in this world, can understand enough to change their process, to create a space where you and I will be able to finish our tikkun, finish our process. And by so doing that cause enough Light to be able to bring the Final Redemption for you and I, and for the whole world. Now, going back to the students of Rabbi Akiva. We talk a lot about 'Lashon Hara', we talk a lot about how when we speak about other people to other people that it's a really bad thing, because it says that we hurt three people: the one we are talking about, the one who is listening and the soul of everybody that is involved in that. But there is another concept, 'Dibur Hanamasa' I think it's called. It means to willfully and hurtfully say something to another human being through anger, through purpose, or sometimes without a purpose, that becomes a forked tongue that we speak as if we take a knife and put it into somebody. I'm sure all of us in the anger has done that to somebody we love at least once. As 'Lashon Hara' does indeed destroy the soul, this type of action which we do unconsciously sometimes also dense, makes sparks, makes very heavy curves inside the person: a) that is doing and, b) the person that is spoken to. And I think that one of the things we need to learn, and we need to learn it from the people that are before us. As Rabbi Shimon said, "It isn't the manner by which you walk, it's the speech by which you give to others." We need to be cognizant of our words, yes? More importantly, we need to make sure that when we speak of them, it is not to hurt the other person. Sometimes we do it with a 'davka', sometimes we want to do that, and sometimes it's simply our inconsideration for others, and sometimes it could be a little bit of selfishness. And specially on a night like this if we can put that some place in the channels of our consciousness, we can change that in ourselves, so that we speak in tones that are more endearing, with less judgement and less negativity. So that's one thing. The second thing is, you know, within 'Bereshit' 32 times the name of 'Elokim' which is the process of the world of Malchut, appears the word 'Elokim' appears 32 times. The process of Lag BaOmer on a 33rd day is the Central Column. It's now, of course, when the plague stopped, but the 17 days to follow is 'Tov'. And that's why Lag BaOmer appears 'Hod shebe Hod'. Because it appears at a place where is the Central Column to magnetize the world of Malchut, the world of Kingdom. Rabbi Shimon didn't write the Zohar for the angels, and God doesn't expect us to be angels. You know, often times we go for the perfection. All we always see in our mind's eye, what we think we need, or who we think we are. And it says, you know, if He wants perfection, He has the angels, they are so much better than we are. They do what He says and they sing all day. What does He need us for? He needs us because, I say it over and over again, it's our own place, our own negativity that draws that Light, that draws that amount of energy that is necessary to complete for ourselves and for the world this time. Because there is very little, unfortunately, time left. All of us are all souls that have come around this pathway many, many times. And I, for one, would prefer not to come back again. I prefer to see the Final Redemption. I prefer to be a part of the team that says whatever a cost it takes, whatever I need to do, I want to be a part of that party. Tonight is the most perfect time to start, because, you know, Rav used to say, he didn't care about what people thought, what people said, he said it as it was, and people respected that. Well I’m not a "said it as I am" person, but I do know one thing; that if there is any chance we have to bring a collective consciousness to the world, it's through the Centre, it's through our teachings, it's through our teachers and it's certainly through you - the students of the Centre. And to that I thank all of you. Thank you!