Mazel Tov!

Lori, Thank you for sharing the correct meaning of Mazel Tov. Many years ago, I attended a conference where a Tarot Card Reader was one of the guest presenters. I knew I should not have joined the 25 others who stood in line to get a reading, but I did. The woman apparently was gifted because everyone she “read” gave affirming responses. When it was my turn, she flipped through a few tarot cards and then told me to step aside for a moment. When she returned to me and tried to “read” me again, she seemed a little annoyed. I thought she saw something dreadful. She finally said to me, “I don’t understand this. It’s like you don’t have a life. I see nothing about you. This is very strange.” I left the meeting and couldn’t wait to get home to pray. I’ve never done that since and never will. Your message is enlightening on several levels. Todah Rabah!

And Oy Vey as well.

Love your cheerful energy that you deliver. You're tremendous speaker, TU for posting the origin of Mazel Tov! As you know, the eyes are powerful tools of communication as they can shun or entice a listener, for the heart to receive what is needed to heal. Love how you give light to the true resolve our creator has given us to rise above any circumstance. Our thoughts are frequencies that create the world we live in! You certainly communicate on higher level of frequencies of thought that of which I would like to learn more about. I am so grateful for how much the Lord has blessed us with the ability of discipline and self-control to direct our own minds to change our world to shape our earthly realm, to live in heaven as if it were on earth. To believe in things that of which are not seen, and claim as if it were... that is what FAITH is and you definitely are drawing from the well of Living Water, and helping others to open and live in the realm of unlimited possiblities. Please never stop reaching out. "For those who have ears, let them hear.. TU Again!"

AH YES-----IT IS NOT WRITTEN UNTIL I WRITE IT!! THANK YOU----

Beautiful definition! I couldn't believe "mazel tov" meant "good luck,: and you confirmed it. Mazel tov!

but what do you with mazzeltov?when I look on google, I find all strange stories like breaking of glass at weddings or dance on muziek.I come from the Netherlands come from an I must investigate for my work but how can I do that when everyone say something else. what everyone else says? in the Netherlands after the second world war many Jews more so I can not ask for any man. want someone send me an email to: yleine.a @ hotmail.com (without head case) sorry when I doin't whrite the good wearts because I used thedictionary thanks, yleine 13 years old

I am tired of those who claim that modern Hebrew and Biblical Hebrew are not the same language. Now I'm hearing American English and British English are not the same language. This is a gross exaggeration. True that American, British, Australian, South African, and Southern American English have variants, but it is far fetched to claim they are different languages. The same applies to modern and bibilical Hebrew. Anyone who claims that modern and biblical Hebrew are totally different languages do not know what they are talking about and shouldn't be teaching Hebrew. (These are usually xtians.) I agree that one can tell when a biblical Hebrew student gets on an Israeli bus and tries to talk to the driver in "biblical Hebrew." One can also tell a person who is speaking in "King James English." But it is a farfetched to claim they are totally different languages.

Thank you for proving that I am correct. Mati

In addition to it being an aveirah (sin), getting your fortune told and finding out your future is like reading the end of a book before starting it or while you're still in the beginning. All the special things Hashem had in store for you for your life--gifts, surprises, simchas--are all spoiled. It's taking away something that is Hashem's right to give you. How disappointing would this be: you bought your child a gift for his birthday--something he really, really wanted that meant so much to him. It was really expensive, but every time you imagine the look on his face when he opens the gift makes it worth it and you can hardly wait until his birthday. But when his birthday finally comes, he pulls off the wrapping paper and--nothing. He's totally non-plussed. You soon find out that he peeked at the gift while you were not around. How disappointed and upset would you be? It's just not fair to the parent...it's just not fair to Hashem.

But here is another thing you missed: we don't need Tarot cards and the like to know our future when we can go straight to God. Also, those who lived evil lives are the ones walking this world in the afterlife. The righteous sit in the storehouse of souls peacefully awaiting judgement. The evil ones have been watching all of us live our lives and know all the right things to make us believe a medium is talking to our loved ones. So soothsayers of all types are NOT to be trusted. This is there, in black and white in the Torah. Just thought I'd share.

Knowing your future cannot change your future for otherwise it would not be your future. What knowing your future changes is your attitude toward, and your effort expended upon, living your life. Knowing your future is a bleak existence. It is like when someone tells you the ending of a movie. Then why bother to see the movie? Where are the surprises of life that make life so challenging and rewarding? Where is the joy in accomplishing something you already knew you would accomplish? Where is the genuine outpouring of empathy when someone close to you dies, and you have known, and lived, and rehearsed their death for decades? The future is our greatest journey. Knowing it destroys the joy of the walk, even when the path is strewn with stones.

First of all, Lori was using the "real", i.e. original definition of the word "mazel"; your dictionary likely had the Modern Hebrew defintion of the word (Modern Hebrew is NOT the same language as real Hebrew, despite many similarities; this is much the same way that the language called English, and that one that should be called American are not the same--some words have different meanings/uses/nuances). In addition, I once heard a different definition of "mazel", one which I really liked, courtesy of Rabbi Dr Akiva Tatz: The root word of Mazel is "zal", or "flow". Rabbi Dr Tatz explains that this means that "mazel" means that which flows down from a Higher Source. So, when you tell someone Mazel Tov, you are not saying "good luck"; on the contrary, you are telling him that "you should have good flowing down to you from a Higher Source"=Hashem should give you good!

Appreciated your comments but I feel that in Deuteronomy we are told not to seek future predictions or advice from anyone else bcuz G-d wants us to rely solely on Him. He says basically "if you ask someone else, don't bother asking me; you've chosen their "wisdom" over mine". It is idolatrous, disrespectful, and we know our G-d "is a jealous G-d." Seek Him and His ways; not others'.

Thats a real rock and a hard place.You poor thing to have such a mother in law. Bad economy, you could live in a place with a worse economy like Israel. Relative hunger is not satisfying. We all suffer from lifes vissisitudes. How we handle stress is what sets us apart from those seeking a majic bullet or a crystal ball. Astrologists don't temper our unreasonable demands on our spouses. We have to do that on our own.

Our world operates on two premises : 1. There is G-d's Torah which is not a pre-programmed blueprint of perfection 2. There is man's Free Choice which sometimes throws curve balls to the blueprint While both 1 and 2 operate at the same time, one can trust/have faith in the grand plan which will inevitably unfold as G-d has pre-destined. The path to this destination has bumps along the way/

Good points. If we knew our future, would we use our brains to work toward improving the health and welfare or mankind, or would we sit back like a couch potatoe and wait for someone else to turn on the switch. One of the joys of life is being surprised, by god or bad incidents, and working to improve the results. If we knew the future, why waste the time working toward the final outcome. I think the future should be inviolate.

To understand the free will and destiny, check on "Jewish Pathways" the FAQ: "What is the nature of “free will”?"

With the usual word for star, "kochba," I was surprised with what Lorie said so I had to look it up. According to my dict., star is given kochba as first def., mazal as second. Knowing how dict.'s work for languages, I then looked up mazal, star is not listed and neither is constellation. Rather zodiac sign, luck, fortune, fate. Thus, I will have to disagree with Lorie. Mazal, I always say, "is the cards, H" deals to you in life." I have hated "luck" and I don't and refuse to believe in luck and never use the word. I abolish superstition. "Not good luck," I alway retort, "good mazal." Sadly, now Lorie has taken mazal away from me, for I refuse to say "good zodiac sign/good star". Indeed we have made mazal become this, but I believe it doesn't mean fortune, luck, or zodiac sign. (I refuse these meanings.) H" orchestrates our lives and everything in the universe. This orchestration is mazal. This is my story, and I'm sticking to it....but I don't think I will say "mazal tov" anymore, ever. Perhaps, now, when I am at a wedding, I will say to them, "Good Orchestration!"

good point, if we know what the future is, then we might think we are stuck with it. However, when we don't know, then we can still change our destiny

G-d tells us in Deuteronomy, "Tamim Tihiyeh im Hashem Elokecha, Be Wholesome with Hashem your G-d". Rashi explains that to mean, "Don't worry about and try to figure out the future." Part of our trust in G-d is not knowing what lies before us, but trusting that He knows, and it will be great! One of our greatest praises and redeeming qualities recorded in Scripture is that, like Abraham before us, we blindly followed G-d for 40 years in the desert, placing all our trust in Him like a parent, king, and beloved. Our "fate" is up to G-d, but we always have the free choice how we respond to it to actualize our "destiny", make use of the circumstances we've been given.

I have never nor do I want to have my future told by a seer, tarrot cards or whatever. Suppose it was a very negative prediction that was so upsetting you may do something drastic or change the course of your life in the hope of avoiding this prediction..only to have it not happen at all, and your being distraught or worse was all for nothing? No, I would not take this type of prediction unless it came from G*d himself.

With the blessing and opportunity of living in Israel compared to elsewhere, you seperate yourself from one nations destiny from Israel's destiny of Israel. We make many choices in our lives, and these choices and our belief in G-d changes our mazel our stars.

We are allowed to use astrology according to our date of birth & Hebrew name in order to gain information about our personalities; strengths & weaknesses, but NOT to predict the future. If we knew the future, wouldn't it take away our free will?

Destiny is the stuff that HaShem should dabble in. To peak [into the future] is an attempt to undo the mysterious relationship we have with our own destiny and free will. Destiny is fluid and is influenced by our choices...the concept of tshuvah should dissuade any of us from peaking. We can always shift the cosmic mazel available to us with our devotion to G*d. Peakers fool themselves into a static, starch filled world that is not real life. G*d's gift of life is the gift of possibilities. And we are blessed with the capacity to reinvent ourselves and our destiny [!] at any moment. Go for it... BruceB

Hi Lori, wow so true, what ever God says I would listen to him, I have went to one a 5or 6 times over the years, until I found out thats what God don't want us to do,and yes I feel bad cause I went,I repented and never will do it..God gives us choices, pick him or them...Love your videos too!

A tenth of the vocabulary of the Tenach is Assyrian even as the "Square Hebrew" alphabet is. Mazal is Assyrian for a constellation - as admitted - and their astronomy was pretty accurate as they have left us via the Greeks and Romans, the circle of 360 degrees, near enough the days in the year; and "base 60" maths as in the system we still use of 60 minutes of arc in a degree - otherwise a nautical mile so that as you read your sextant you convert the degrees and minutes directly into sea miles - and 60 seconds of an arc in a minute thereof. Note also how an hour's transit of the sun is 15 degrees or 1/4 of base sixty style maths. The agricultural seasons of Iraq/ Mesopotamia are roughly in pairs of months so 60 days and sixths of a year even as a circle can be "walked " into sixths with the compass on the original radius radius so Magen David divides into 1/6ths of 60 degrees

I don't go to fortune-tellers. I trust G_d, to guide my life. I am only human, and if I was to know the future, than I would just worry about it and try to change things, ect. I don't need that. And I don't need to play those games. "LEAVE THE OUTCOME TO G_D, WHERE IT BELONGS. IF YOU ARE DOING YOUR BEST, YOU WON'T HAVE TIME TO WORRY ABOUT FAILURE OR THE FUTURE".

If you were told your future wouldn't that be bummer,either to live in fear of an event that could not be changed any which way,(so to speak),or the unbearable anticipation for something good where you miss all the little fineries that may take place unnoticed or unappreciated or cause you to over do anyone thing to the point of total exhaustion or total failure from the lack of a true understanding of a good or a bad event or its context.

Those who consult mediums don't understand the real reality - that the unseen world is actually more real (it's eternal!) than what we take in by our senses. And they also don't understand that there are two very real kingdoms who seek to exert their influence on us - God's kingdom and that of hasatan. If you breach God's instructions in this area, there is a price to pay. You are playing with fire and will be hurt. Deception can be such a subtle and tricky thing. Guard your soul and don't dabble in the occult.

Free will and choice -. Those are God given gifts. We earn much of our future but some of it is not quite so clear. If we reap what we sow, how is it that the good can be hurt and the not so good can be comfortable? There are stumbling blocks to happiness and success. Good health too, is not always a reward for good and righteous living. Mazel stands away from us. It is in the unknown---In the stars, no, even higher. Jews, I believe accept the puzzle of life, without the aid of images or amulets. We believe we have a private, individual connection to God. We pray and try hard to practice an ethical life. It is not transactional, because goodness, we discover, is its own reward. It is nice to wish someone Mazel Tov, but it is really only part of the schema of a life time partnership with God.

Many think that future reading is not possible and the Torah tells us not to seek soothsayers. Modern technology now allows us to see our medical future by DNA testing. Unless, one can alter the results after testing, then I believe the prohibition should stand

Those who claim to have such gifts who is making money off of it, then what source are they getting their knowledge from? Would G-d charge someone for a piece of divine advise? Would G-d charge someone for giving divine direction for your life journey? No he wouldn't and he doesn't. I've never gotten a bill from G-d. When I was a teenager I tried out some of those forbidden things to see what they were about. Once I called a Psychic over a health of a loved one. I was in prayer asking G-d for this person's health so they would live. I could tell in prayer, G-d wasn't listening, his answer was no. I didn't quite like that answer so I wanted someone to say otherwise. The Psychic said he was going to live. It was comforting at the time, but they were wrong, a few weeks later my loved one died. G-d was trying to tell me to prepare me for it, but it was I that wasn't listening to him. I for one wants divine direction from G-d. I did find it's best to go to G-d directly, even if what he says is hard to swallow at times, at least he will tell me the truth, and not just what I want to hear. I would rather get a word for the day through the scriptures, than get a word for the day through horoscopes. I found out it's better that way. I get blessed for reading the Torah, there isn't a blessing attached to horoscopes. I get blessed if I listen to G-d, and if I seek someone else out to hear from G-d for me, how do I know they have heard from G-d? I don't, they may have heard the opposite out and would lead me astray if I would listen to them.

we know we have to make an accounting each night, and make a tikkun , how seriously do we do this, we know that if we follow the rules, Hashem will give us rain at the proper time, take care of us, how adherent are we, know what gives us long life, we still speak l.h., we know that if we are overweight it will be very detrimental, but we do anyway, we know we should use our time productively, do we? So Hashem says no because even with the knowledge we do have, He knows us all too well and if we can't appreciate and take advantage of the knowledge that Hashem did give us, what on earth would we need to know what our mazel is. Every night we go to sleep we are to think that it was our last day here, do we really act diligently the next day and the next day and the next day. This has really been a note to myself, it's one of my goals to be more productive.

I have had this gift since I was a small child and other people would exploit this about me. I do not advertise my ability and have cut people off for advertising my ability to others. I do not EVER take payment for my service and I WILL NOT answer questions pertaining to health, death, lifespan. I have, however, used this gift in private to help prevent friends from entering bad marriages and making horrible choices. Having this connection of sorts i can also say that each person has a set of potential destinies leading to different directions that happen based on choices they make, just like fingers on a hand; all part of the same source (the hand) but leading to different places. Some things are inevitable. Becase of this gift, I am plagued with sleeping problems as other peoples' energy is always rinning through me; as a toddler i had nightmarish visions of things that were not age appropriate and seeing as how i never watched tv or movies at that age and grew up in upper middle class suburbia, there would be no logical explanation. it is a gift but also a tremendous responsibility and burden often adding stress to my life.

I am one who is very happy we are commanded not to seek out mediums. Hashem knows our weaknesses and what is best for us. We need to trust Him and follow His Torah. It's that simple.

Actually I'm super curious to look into my past lives!! Not so much into the future.

I think if a person is in a bad "matzav' (situation) s/he would want to know about how long they have to "hold on." Yes, even with Emunah...the pain is still very real. If you or I haven't been in such a horrible chapter in our lives...we can say....all is good...why chance it looking forward? But I know many people who do want to know when the suffering will end.

I am definitely happy that the Torah prohibits us from looking into our future; it is definitely an honor and a privelege that we, as the Jewish people, have the power to change our future. Thank you Lori!

Yes it is tempting, and yes i have gone in the past to some of them,where i have recieved some messages, that have shown me that it is not good to search for those kind of things... and in this point of my life i truly know it's a way to not trust in G-d's will. When we trust in what is coming in our way, when we belive in the Almighty, we don't have to search for premonitions...

I have gone to fortune tellers. One was very accurate. And I don't regret it. I would see her again.