The Kabbalah of Pokémon GO

[Chabad.org] [Magazine] [Dedicate an email] Tammuz 14, 5776 · July 20, 2016 Editor's Note: Dear Friend, This Shabbat is the [17th of Tammuz], a tragic day in Jewish history, and the start of a [three-week period of mourning] for the destruction of the first and second Holy Temples. The day is usually marked with fasting, repentance and prayers. But don’t throw out the Shabbat food! This year, the joy of Shabbat will override the sorrows of the date, and the fast is postponed until Sunday. Rather than mourning, we’ll be celebrating with songs and happiness, and I’m even baking some extra treats for Shabbat. How fitting that in [this week’s Torah] portion, we read about Balaam, the prophet and sorcerer who was hired to curse the Jewish nation. The plot took a twist when, instead of curses, blessings poured out of his mouth. “The L‑rd, your G‑d, transformed the curse into a blessing for you, because the L‑rd, your G‑d, loves you.” In the future, the prophet Zechariah tells us, the fast days will be times of “rejoicing and celebration and festivals.” This Shabbat, along with chocolate-chip-oatmeal cookies, we will experience a taste of [the final redemption], when G‑d will permanently transform curses into blessings and sorrow into joy. Let’s increase in acts of goodness and kindness and pray that it happens soon. Rochel Chein responder for Ask the Rabbi @ Chabad.org [Post a Comment »] This Week's Features [Printable Magazine] [17th of Tammuz: History, Laws and Customs] Feature [The Kabbalah of Pokémon GO] Can Nintendo save the world? It’s confirmed. Nintendo has Kabbalists designing their games. By Tzvi Freeman Parshah [Counting Other People’s Money] At each of their stops over their forty-year trek, the people made sure to erect their tents in a modest arrangement. Apparently, it was this exceptionally sensitive quality amongst them that made it impossible for Balaam to harm them. By Rochel Holzkenner [Balak In Depth] A condensation of the weekly Torah portion alongside select commentaries culled from the Midrash, Talmud, Chassidic masters, and the broad corpus of Jewish scholarship. Women [What Does ‘Special Needs’ Really Mean?] My five-year-old took a seat next to me on the couch. She looked straight at me and said, “So, what does having special-needs mean anyway?” By Chana Scop [A Hard Lesson Taken to Heart] I'm not sure what my sister Stephanie and I were doing that February night in 1963 when our grandfather, our mother’s father, called us on the phone. I just remember we were busy. By Lieba Rudolph [Looking Back, Digging Deeper and Finding the Silver Lining] One part of me lives as though something scary is just waiting to whip its head out from around the corner up ahead. Another part of me sees life from a bird’s-eye view, and knows that although things were frightening, they worked out, and I was in fact being guided to a more beautiful place. By Liat Levy Your Questions [Why So Little About Life After Death in the Bible?] Does Judaism believe in an afterlife? From what I’ve read of the Torah, it seems that there is no mention of life after death. By Aron Moss [Why Hold Tzitzit for Baruch She’amar?] I understand why we hold the fringes during the Shema, which mentions the mitzvah of tzitzit, by why for Baruch She’amar? By Yehuda Shurpin Video [Lesson 8. All Set: The Codification of Jewish Law] The first half of the last millennium (1000–1500) saw an explosion in Jewish literacy in many fields: Kabbalah, philosophy, biblical commentary, poetry, and most notably the great codifications of Halachah (Jewish Law). How did these great Codes originate? By Michael Chighel [[Watch] Watch] (10:00) [Fast Day Postponed, Indefinitely.] When the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha B’Av coincide with Shabbat. By Moishe New [[Watch] Watch] (43:46) [Enjoy an Authentic Chassidic Melody] Live in concert with Yair Kalev Yair Kalev [[Watch] Watch] (4:32) On the Calendar [The Smoke of the Rebbe’s Train] Back in the day, when long-distance travel was far more arduous and costly, the glorious and cavernous halls of train stations were the backdrops of all the poignant comings and goings of life. By Mendel Rubin Story [The Skeptic, the Baal Shem Tov, and the Paralyzed Girl] The village healer tried all her remedies, the big-city doctor prescribed a regimen of healthy foods, but the poor girl remained unable to move. From the Chassidic Masters [The Fifth Aliyah] He was so overcome with nostalgia that he left the wagon with its costly load in the forest and made his way to the Rebbe. Lifestyle [Cold Cucumber Soup with Fresh Tuna and Soba Noodles] By Miriam Szokovski Jewish News [Shabbat in Nice: Staunch Community Keeps Synagogue Open] The Jewish community in Nice, France, observed the holy day of rest in unison and defiance following a terror attack that left 84 dead and 200 wounded in this serene city on the Mediterranean Coast. By Dovid Margolin [Chabad Opens First Center in East Africa, as Couple Heads to Nairobi, Kenya] Reflecting years of work on the continent and responding to a Jewish community asking for help. 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