Parshas Vayishlach

After Yakov fought the Malach of Eisav, he asked him, "What is your name?" The response of the malach was, "Why are you asking for my name?"

This is the essence of the yetzer hara. He tries to disguise himself so we don't realize we are doing the wrong thing. Things become unclear when we are fighting the yetzer hara and don't realize it's him. Things like, "I'm saying this for to'eles" or "I'm going online for a good reason" (and end up wasting so much time) are ways the yetzer hara traps us. Any time we are tricked into thinking were doing something good but the loss outweighs the gain, we should realize it's time to back down.

May we be able to be vigilant, on guard and aware of these tricks so we can come out winning the battle against the Sar shel Eisav, the yetzer hara!

Parshas Vayeilech

Moshe Rabbeinu talks to BY before he dies. He repeats, Stay strong and don't be afraid because Hashem will fight against your enemies for you.

In life, we all have battles that we are trying to fight. The way to stay strong and not be afraid is to strengthen our faith in Hashem. We must realize that He is at our side and will help us fight each of those battles. We should daven that we feel His presence and that Hashem gives us the ability to keep pushing, to keep trying and to ultimately succeed. 

May we be able to tap into our inner strength and feel Hashem helping us fight all our battles-spiritual, emotions and physical ones and come out at the top!

Protection From Harm

Sometimes, we underestimate the power of one small mitzvah. We may think to ourselves, "How important is it to do something that seems so small? Does it really make a difference if I kiss the mezuzah every time I pass one in the doorway?"

But the mitzvos we do really are important. They really do make a difference. Even the ones that may seem small are much greater than we imagine.

Here are two stories that illustrate the power of one small mitzvah and how it can truly save lives.

Prior to the Israeli Army’s last incursion into Gaza, an effort was made to purchase pairs of tzitzis for not yet religious Israeli soldiers. The Army agreed that if the tzitzis were made to specific specifications, e.g. “non slip”, and special material, they would allow the soldiers to wear them. Funds were raised and numerous soldiers asked for and were given tzitzis, for many this was the very first time they were zocheh to this mitzvah. A division of the elite Golan brigade is known as the Yalom force. This team of ten elite highly trained soldiers is assigned the riskiest covert operations. They have a support staff of sixty soldiers, including spotters, reconnaissance, etc. supporting their efforts. Camouflaged as Chablonim, terrorists, they were assigned the mission of penetrating the enemy front lines and preparing for the Israeli incursion to follow. It was in middle of the night, they were lying on a rooftop in enemy territory, shooting down at the enemy, when suddenly Israeli warplanes spotted them from above and began raking the rooftop with machine gun fire. Communications were down, and there was no way to notify the planes that these were “our boys”. Suddenly, a few of them jumped up, tore off their shirts and began waving their tzitzis that they were wearing. The soldiers in the plane saw the tzitzis and flew off. The mitzvah of tzitzis saved their lives.

This story was told by Rav Moshe Tuvia Lieff, Shlita, at last week’s Pirkei Avos shiur. He was told the story by a mispallel of his Shul in Minneapolis, whose son was one of the soldiers on the rooftop.

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The following story was submitted by a reader of the Hakhel daily emails.

My father's tzitzis saved his life. He was once mugged by a young person who was very nervous and obviously "new" on the job. At the time, my father was very strong and could have easily overpowered the mugger except for one thing--the mugger had a gun pointed to my father's head and my father was afraid that the shaking mugger would shoot him just out of nerves even if he did not intend to shoot. The mugger held one hand on the gun pointed directly to my father's head and with the other hand he went through my father's pockets, all the while it was obvious that the mugger was nervous. When the mugger pulled out my father's tzitzis he asked what they were. When my father replied that they were “holy strings" the strangest thing happened. Something overcame the mugger and he calmed down. He told my father to lie down on the ground...and promptly ran away!

Look at how powerful one little mitzvah is! The tzitzis these people wore were a protection for them and saved them from harm!

You never know how your little mitzvah can really affect the things that happen to you. One extra inch, covering your hair, knees, elbows or any part that should be covered - these are very big in Hashem's eyes!

When you are careful with saying brachos properly, washing your hands before you eat bread, kissing the mezuzah, remember that although these actions may seem small in your eyes, they are not small at all-they are big!

Question: But I Want to Enjoy and Have Fun...!!

(This question was sent to me via email but I think you can all gain from the answer so I am posting it here with permission from the girl who asked it.)

Question: We're in this world to grow and accomplish so that our souls can reach an elevated level in the World to Come. Right? So where does all the physical stuff fit in? Though I'd love to be, I'm definitely not on the level where I can eat just to make a bracha and all that jazz, so what do I do? What right do i have to read a book just for fun, etc.? Then there's also the issue where moshiach can either come any day or anyone could die any day. Once you're dead or moshiach's here, you can't grow anymore, and i don't want to be at my current level when either of those events take place. The problem is that no matter how much I want to grow and live each day like my last, it's really hard. Basically, I'd love to always be growing and doing holy things, but I reallyreallyreally want to read books for fun and just chill and enjoy myself, and I don't want to get up to Olam HaBa and feel stupid for wasting my time down here. How can I reconcile these desires?

Answer: Your question is amazing - it really shows that you are thinking deeply into things and don't just sail through life and go with the flow! I think it is so important for you to be an individual and spend some time trying to figure out where you want to go with your life and what you want to do!! That is so special of you!!

To answer the first part of your question, you have to remember that Hashem created you as a human being, not as a malach - you are not expected, at this point in your life - to be on the level of the gedolim or great people you may have read or heard stories about.

I will mention an amazing thing I learned in seminary taken from the Michtav M'Eiliyahu by R' Eliyahu Dessler . We can take the mashal of the yetzer hara and compare it to when someone goes to fight a war. When a warrior is going out to battle, he has to know who he is fighting. He knows which territory is already conquered, which areas are beyond him and what he is fighting right now. A person who wants to fight the yetzer hara also has to know that - there are certain things that are already conquered territory, (I'm so past that!) certain things that are beyond him (maybe one day I'll get there) and certain things that he is fighting/struggling with (now this is a challenge for me!).

To illustrate this idea, our teacher had us divide a paper into three parts from top to bottom. The middle of the page was our struggle right now, the bottom was things we are not dealing with at all because it was considered "conquered territory" and the top were things that were just "beyond us" which were too high a level for us to be struggling with right now. She then proceeded to read a list of different areas in avodas hashem and every girl wrote that down somewhere on their paper - in their personal category - whichever one it belonged to in their own life. I'll give you some examples: (I'm writing some of these from memory of her list, others I'm making up just for you to get the picture.)

• Say a bracha before each food that you eat


• Daven with nussach ari (special kavanos with each word)


• Daven shacharis every day


• Daven mincha every day


• Have kavanah on the simple meaning of each word


• Cover your elbows and knees whenever you go outside


• Eat food just so you can fulfill your 100 brachos for the day


• Watch TV on Shabbos


• Not watch movies


• Speak without curse words


• Say a bracha acharonah after every food you eat


• Say "hello" and greet people with a pleasant face


• Say "thank you" to Hashem every time you hear about a simcha


• Not eat chometz all pesach long


• Speak pleasantly to every person you meet


• Only listen to Jewish music


• Never speak Lashon Hara


• Have an hour-a-day that is Lashon Hara Free

I think you get the picture - there are certain things that you are not even struggling with, other things that are beyond you and other things that are hard for you right now. When you keep in mind that there are some things that are just beyond you right now, you will realize that it's okay not to live in a world where you "eat just so you can make a bracha" because you are not holding there right now! Instead, focus on the things that you are struggling with-the things that a normal teenager finds hard to do. You can always keep in mind that those high madreigos are in the "beyond you" right now but maybe, one day, in the far off future, you will get there. But there's no use in fighting a battle that is not in your realm.

In general, a person should always keep in mind that there are certain goals or ideas that are the "ideal" and the right way to do it-which you hope to get to one day. For now, try to work on the things that are in your "territory."

It is important to keep in mind that there are so many levels in each area of yiddishkeit. So when you see that something is "beyond you" you should look up to it and respect it and think that this is something great and special and not to make fun of it in any way. Think to yourself that right now I am not there yet but one day, maybe, in the distant future, I will do it. And if it's something you can never imagine ever doing (like, for example, wearing a shpitzel when you get married - something the very chassidish people do), at least look up to them and say, "wow! they are so special for doing such and such thing."

This can also help answer your question about moshiach. I once heard that when moshiach will come, there will still be struggles in every persons avodas Hashem. It's not like we are going to stay where we are when moshiach comes. The difference is, the struggles will then be between good, better and best as opposed to between good and bad because we will have a special clarity to know what is good and what is bad. You don't have to worry about what level you are on now and if you will be happy with that when moshiach comes because worrying will only prevent you from making any positive changes, it is a tactic of the yetzer hara - that you spend so much time thinking and worrying about it that you are too distracted to actually think of moving forward!! Instead, try to spend your time focusing on how you could change in a normal and healthy way - but remember that you are not a malach and Hashem doesn't expect you to be one!!

It's okay, and even normal for you to need some "chilling time"-time when you can relax, spend time with friends, read books, listen to music and you know what? Spending time with friends gives you many opportunities to do mitzvos too! There are loads of mitzvos bein adam l'chaveiro that you can do - complimenting friends, being careful with how you speak...And also, having a good time and taking care of yourself emotionally and physically is also part of the mitzvah of v'nishmartem me'od l'nafshoseychem-watching over your body. Hashem gave you one body and you have to make sure you take good care of it!! We are not expected to spend every hour of the day immersed in holy seforim and learning until the wee hours of the night!! It is also important, in order for you to stay sane and healthy, to relax sometimes, read, chill, go out with friends and do all those things that you enjoy!!

I hope this answers your questions. You are such a special girl to be thinking this way!!