After Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur is the one time a year when we really face our shortcomings head on and own them. Instead of walking through life carrying pieces of guilt from our mistakes and having them weigh us down, draining our energy and straining our relationships, we bring them to the surface, put them on the table, recognize them for what they are and say “I did this but that’s not who I am. This is not who I want to be.”

We make a separation between ourselves and the deeds we regret in the healthiest possible way. If we’ve hurt another person, we ask for forgiveness and try to make amends. We resolve not to do the same thing again. The same goes if we've hurt ourselves or our relationship with Hashem. And Hashem loves us and knows exactly where we’re coming from. He is waiting for us to reconnect with Him and accepts our heartfelt efforts with open arms.

Hopefully, we were all able to utilize Yom Kippur and heal ourselves and our relationships on the deepest level. As we ended the day with newfound humility and holiness, purified and cleansed, we can now start the new year afresh.

Now, it's up to us to go on to accomplish all the incredible things we are capable of. All we have to remember is, whatever we did in the past does not the define the person we are or the person we want to become. We want to be greater and we must strive to be better. 

May we be able to take the inspiration of Yom Kippur into the upcoming week and take small steps towards becoming the very best versions of ourselves!

Hamantashen and Triangles

I know Purim has passed and our minds are busy with Pesach and the preparations that go along with it. Yet I still want to share one inspiring message while the taste of the sweetness of Purim still lingers.

On Purim, we eat hamantashen.

Why?

Look at the shape of this cookie. It is shaped like a triangle-the same shape as one of the nekudos, a סגל. We see this root word in one of the names given to the Jewish People. We are called the עם סגולה. 

What is the significance to all this?

If you look at the סגל, you will notice that any way you turn it, it will keep its shape. The same is true of the hamantash and triangle. It doesn’t change its shape when you twist it, twirl it or flip it.

The same is true of every Jewish person. No matter what a person does, no matter which way they turn, they will always remain a part of the עם סגולה. There is nothing a person can do-no sin, no act, no thought and no belief that can change the fact that they are a part of the Chosen Nation, the עם סגולה. 

So no matter which way life takes you, remember this. Remember this on all the twists and turns of life. Remember this forever.

You will always be a part of our Chosen Nation.

That is the secret behind the hamantash.

And that is what bothered Haman so much about us to the point that he wanted to kill us. We are an עם מפוזר ומפורד בין העמים. We are scattered, far-flung and widespread and yet at the same time, ודתיהם שונות-we have different customs. We don’t do what the goyim do. We are different.

How?

Because we are an עם סגולה. And by always remembering that we are part of the Chosen Nation, we can keep our identity strong no matter which direction life takes us.

May we always be able to keep our identity strong and remain proud of who we are.

The Most Meaningful Birthday

Today was my hebrew birthday. 

It's a different birthday than other years. 

I think back to the time when I used to be able to feel something different on this special day. It used to feel meaningful. I'd wake up in the morning and I'd feel like I can imbue meaning and spirituality into my day.

I would daven the full davening, slowly and with concentration.

Today, I only davened the brachos. I'm lucky to be at this stage. A mommy, and a busy one too. My daughter was home; her school has mid winter break. She needed me and my attention, I had to put my siddur away.

I thought back to the birthday I celebrated while I was in seminary in Eretz Yisroel. It was so meaningful. So spiritual. Such an uplifting day. I heard from other girls that it's a nice thing to say the whole tehillim on your birthday. So when I saw my birthday fell out on shabbos that year, I thought I might be able to do it. And I pushed myself to do it. 

I spent the shabbos of my hebrew birthday in Yerushalayim that week, not too far from the kosel, and I went to the kosel on shabbos and was able to complete the entire sefer tehillim in one day. At the holiest place in the holiest city.

It was a spiritually uplifting experience. That moment when I closed my tehillim and stepped away from those holy stones, feeling like I just accomplished something big...It was special. 

And now? I can't daven like I used to. I can't even daven shemona esrei! My kids need to be watched at all times and if I so much as try to pull out a siddur to entertain the thought of a meaningful prayer, they make sure to put me in my place. Either it's a fight or a needy kvetch, but it's always something.

I remember the time we were staying at my Grandmother's new apartment and I decided to take out a siddur and daven an amidah prayer. All was quiet so I thought, why not? I was up to magen avraham when I felt a hard bang on my head. My son had found a metal pole that was in the door to the backyard (usually put there to keep the kids from opening the door, but you can't put anything past my kids!) And he hit me with it. I don't know if he realized what he was doing, but I got the message. Loud and clear. This was not the time to try to daven. I never had to be "hit over the head" again to understand my role. I need to take care of my kids and be there for them, not with a siddur but always with a prayer on my lips, in my own language.

It took time for me to acknowledge and accept that this is my tafkid right now. Davening with a siddur is not for now. Now my job is to look after my children, Hashem's children, and to make sure they are safe, happy and healthy. 

I can still daven. And I do. I just can't take out a siddur and rely on the ancient verses established by the anshei kneses hagedolah.

I can talk to Hashem from my heart. And I do. Throughout my day, I can ask Him for the things I need and thank Him for the things He gives me.

I know that as a Jewish woman, my job is to uplift the physical to a spiritual level. That's my role. I taught that to my students and I continue to teach it to myself. To remind myself.

When my sister told me that she met someone who davens for each of her children as she folds their laundry, I thought, "I love that! That is such a powerful yet simple way to elevate a mundane job into something more meaningful."
And I try to remember to do it too.

(And I forget half the time :) Cuz I'm a mommy and my brain is on overload.)

So this year, although it may not be as spiritually elevating for me, I can accept that this is exactly where Hashem put me and this is my role. No, not to daven and say tehillim all day. I can start each day with a small prayer, and then I move on to the regular tasks of a mother. And I can give my kids a good time, help them learn how to interact with others in a peaceful way, making a kiddush Hashem wherever we go. I can imbue them with a love for Hashem, the Torah and His mitzvos. 

And I can give my readers a bracha :). It may not be as long as my old ones, because bh I'm too busy for that, but it's still my wishes for you. 

May you be able to find fulfilment in whatever you do and may you be able to uplift every physical activity to something more meaningful. May you feel at peace with your role but never fully at peace with yourself, always climbing higher and setting new goals for your life. May you be able to strengthen your emunah in Hashem and believe that every single thing He does is for the good.

And most importantly, may you have health and strength to be able to live your life to the fullest.

Middo Are the Way we Act...

A couple of weeks ago, I gave someone a ride and she shared the following story with me.

The person in this story is just a "regular" Jewish person. Not someone anyone knows as exceptional. Though what he did was exceptional. And inspiring.

This woman takes two buses every day to get to her job. Every day she noticed a man who took the same route as her...But his face was in his tehillim throughout the entire ride. They never exchanged as much as a hello. When they'd get off the first bus, she'd get off in the back and he in the front. They waited at the same stop for the next bus and he'd be saying tehillim the whole time. She was sure he never noticed her. One day, as she came off the first bus, she saw that the next bus already pulled up and was waiting for her! She couldn't believe it. This guy, who never even looked at her and she was sure didn't know she existed, had the bus wait for her to get on. 

THAT is called middos. 

Looking out for other people, doing chessed quietly, helping others in small ways. All these little acts are so big. Why? Because it shows what is going on in the person's mind. They aren't just doing one isolated nice act of kindness. It shows that this person is on the lookout for good deeds. Doing chessed is part of their being.

It seemed like this man didn't pay attention to the woman who took the same route as her each day. He was busy saying tehillim. (No, he wasn't busy on his phone. Is this a rarity?) But somewhere, in the corner of his eye, in the corner of his soul, he noticed and grabbed the opportunity to do a tiny chessed. Which is huge on so many levels. He made a kiddush Hashem, he saved her from the frustration of juust missing a bus and having to wait for another one, he saved her time and gave her an inner peace-menuchas hanefesh along with a wonderful feeling inside...knowing she belongs to such an incredible nation, the Jewish People.

May this story serve as an inspiration that yes, there are good people out there, people who are simply good and looking out to spread the light of the Jewish People. And may this story inspire us to look out for other people, notice what they need and help them.

May opportunities for acts of kindness come your way and may you be able to be on the giving end of chessed always!

Special Moments

My friend, R.P. wrote this after she went to a simchas beis hasho'eiva and gave me permission to post it here. Can you relate to this? Has it ever happened to you?

Sometimes I feel a real deep inner feeling
Deep inside me

That is fulfilling
And I wonder about it
And I realize
That it's moments of real deep inner connection with you, Hashem
It's feelings of a complete sense of inner happiness and peace

It's sparks of true inspiration that you send throughout my life
It's the peak of what I can reach and live up to
But it's only a few moments long
And as soon as it's gone,
The desire grows stronger,
And I want it back,
But I know the work is up to me,

To take those precious moments

And try as much as I can to reach that peak of what I felt
And to make it a part of me,
To be everlasting.
Those moments also help me continue and move on, when it's becomes hard

When you feel so far away

And I remember about them
And it becomes easier for me

Those moments are a special gift from you, Hashem.

I just want to thank you for them.

Lingering at the Chanukah Candles

I heard something about Chanukah that I wanted to share with you.

There are specific halachos of what types of wicks are allowed to be used when lighting candles for shabbos. Interestingly, certain wicks that are not permitted to be used for shabbos candles are allowed to be used to light the Chanukah menorah.

There is an amazing lesson we can take from this.

We know that a flame is compared to the neshama of a person like it says, ner Hashem nishmas adam.

We can see from here the those neshamos who are not affected by the kedushah of shabbos, who are not touched by the purity and holiness of the shabbos candles, can be affected by the Chanukah lights. There is something so special and uplifting about the Chanukah candles that it can touch anybody and can bring them to greater heights in their avodas Hashem.

The key is to let it in. To open up your heart and to let the purity of the flames enter your very being and allow it to penetrate your soul.

But...how?

I think the answer to how you can be affected by the holiness of the Chanukah candles is dependent on what you do after those candles are lit. Do you quickly walk away and get busy with other things or do you linger there for a bit longer?

You can spend a little bit of time at the menorah after the flames have been lit and let the fire ignite your soul. Just look at the candles, at those burning lights.

Think.

Reflect.

And pray.

Use those few moments at the candles...for a spiritual awakening...for growth and inspiration.

Talk to Hashem.

He's your Father.

He's listening to you.

Tell Him about whatever is inside you. Things that are bothering you. Things you want. Changes you'd like to see in your life. Changes you wish you can see in yourself. Ask Him for help.

And...don't forget to thank Him. He gives you so much blessing. Think about those things too...and show your appreciation.

The time you spend at the candles can be utilized for moments of introspection and connection.

***

There is something interesting about candles. If you hold it in your hand, no matter which way you turn the candle, the flame will always be reaching upwards.

And the same is true with a neshama, with every Jewish soul. No matter which way you turn it, no matter what situation a person is in, there is always that pintele yid, that Jewish flame inside of them. There is always a yearning to become better. A Jew can be put in the most trying situation but their soul is like a flame, always reaching upwards-to greater spiritual levels.

When you stand in front of the Chanukah menorah this year, look at the candles and watch the flames go higher. Let that little spark, that pintele yid inside your soul be ignited by the beauty of the Chanukah candles. Daven to Hashem to help you reach higher heights in your avodas Hashem, to keep climbing up and up just like those candles.

And may the flame and excitement inside your heart never be extinguished...so you can take this special inspiration with you long after Chanukah is gone.

Have a happy and enlightening Chanukah!

Cheese Blintz Forgeries

Someone sent this email to me - I think the message is great! Many people don't feel inspired by Judaism. Read on to see how this Rabbi answers the question.

Question of the Week:

Judaism doesn't do it for me. To be honest I don't understand what you see in it. I've been there done that, and it's not for me. What do you say to people like me who simply are not inspired by Judaism?

Answer:
You remind me of the story of the poor man's cheese blintzes.

A poor man was once walking the streets, feeling hungry, when he was struck by a delicious aroma. From out of the kitchen window of a huge mansion wafted the smells of a rich man's breakfast. Looking through the window, he watched carefully as the cook mixed the ingredients and prepared a pile of cheese blintzes. He had never seen or smelled anything so appetizing in his life.

He ran home and told his wife, "We must have some cheese blintzes for breakfast. They are delicious. Can you make me some? All we need is French pancake mix, milk and eggs, some butter to fry them in and cheese for the filling."

"Certainly my dear husband," the kind woman replied. "I will whip up the best cheese blintzes anyone ever tasted."

But when she looked into her pantry for the ingredients, she was greeted by empty shelves. An industrious and resourceful woman, she wasn't phased. "We will have to be a bit creative," she thought to herself. "I haven't got any French pancake mix, but a little potato flour should be just as good. We are a little low on milk. I'll just use water. Eggs.... I don't have any eggs, but I can throw in a few potatoes. We certainly can't afford butter for frying, but I have some old oil that I used last week, I am sure it can be used again. And cheese costs a fortune these days. We will have to settle for some mashed potatoes instead of cheese, that will be close enough."

In no time the delicious breakfast was ready, a pile of home made cheese blintzes. The good wife brought them before her excited and grateful husband, who eagerly bit into the first cheese blintz he had ever tasted in his life. After chewing for a while on the first blintz, his face turned from eager anticipation to bitter disappointment.

"I have to be honest," he said, "I don't really get what those rich people see in cheese blintzes. They really are nothing special...."

The Judaism you have tasted is about as authentic as those cheese blintzes. You may think you have been exposed to the Jewish way of life. After all, you sat through a year of bar mitzvah classes, crept into the back row of a synagogue on Yom Kippur every a year and even spent three months on a kibbutz in Israel when you were 19.

This is all very nice. But these are not the ingredients for a true Jewish experience.

If you have never racked your brain over a page of Talmud; if your soul has never been touched by the deeper meanings of the Torah; if you have never felt the embrace of a warm and spiritually committed community; if you have never experienced the peace and holiness of keeping a Shabbos fully and correctly, then you have never had a taste of real Judaism.

Enough of the cheap imitations. Go eat a genuine cheese blintz.
Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Moss

To subscribe to emails such as these, send an email to rabbimoss@nefesh.com.au

Tiny Spark

Yesterday, I had a meeting with someone at work. Her name sounded pretty Jewish but from the way she looked there was no way to tell. Pants and a short-sleeved t-shirt, long brown hair with light yellow streaks (obviously dyed), I couldn't know for sure.

When there was a technical glitch on the computer and I couldn't continue with our meeting, we instead started to talk. She was very friendly and open about her life and I asked her some basic questions about herself.

It was interesting that when I asked her which school she went to, she immediately chose to identify herself with the Jewish one she had gone to up until 5th grade. Although after that she went to public school and then continued on to college, she chose to tell me that she went to a Jewish school. It was geared to Russian girls who came from non-religious homes, just like she did.

It was taking a while for the technician to fix the technical problem on the computer but let me tell you, everything has a reason. Hashem set the stage, for her to come with more than enough time for the meeting before going on to her next stop and for the computer to act up (it barely EVER happens) so that we could talk about Judaism (for close to an HOUR)!

It was amazing to see that when I started telling her little things about torah, I was able to see the interest on her face, like she was listening with her heart and so badly wanted to hear more.

I asked her if she keeps kosher and she said no. I asked her if she keeps shabbos and she said no. But her family does do something each shabbos. Her mother doesn't light candles on Friday night and her father surely doesn't go to shul. The extent of their shabbos is a family meal together every Friday night. No kiddush, no zemiros, no divrei torah. Just a meal with everyone together on Friday night. I told her that what her family does is really big in Hashem's eyes because they are remembering every single week that shabbos has come. And that is what is important.

I told her that people think Judaism is all or nothing - but that's not true. Hashem doesn't expect us to do everything in one day. A person shouldn't think that if they can't keep the whole shabbos they shouldn't even try. I told her how valuable every act she does is in shamayim, how Hashem wants to see that a person remembers that it's shabbos, even if that means not answering the phone the second it rings, waiting a minute to respond to that text message or not turning the TV on for an extra five or ten minutes. Because that is showing Hashem that she remembers that today is shabbos.

It was so sad to see how far removed she is. But it was heartwarming to see how much she wanted to learn and know and how that pintele yid, that teeny flame, is alive in her heart.

I told her a lot of things while the computer technician did his work. I could see that she really wanted to hear more. Her neshama was starving for inspiration and I could see it on her face. My job is not to make her frum. All I wanted to do was give her a positive Jewish experience.

She told me that she would want to learn more about Judaism, she's just been really busy and doesn't have time. When she has children, she would want them to go to a Jewish school so they can learn more about what it means to be a Jew and then hopefully she can learn from them. She is quite a few years older than me but I told her it is not too late to learn, it is never too late to learn more.

I am hoping to follow up with her somewhat over the next few phone conversations with her but it's a hard balance. I have to be able to mix (or not) business with pleasure and must be careful not to cross the line.

What inspired me most about our meeting was that deep connection that every Jewish soul has and nothing can take that away. Speaking to someone who has very little connection to the Jewish nation but yet when she met me she immediately identified herself with the Jewish school she went to and showed such a strong interest in hearing more about yiddishkeit showed me that it never hurts to open up a conversation with someone about Judaism. You never know how they'll react and how years down the line they may remember the conversation they had with you.

May Hashem bring back all the lost souls so they can see with their own eyes and feel in their hearts how lucky we all are to be born into the Jewish nation!

There is so much more in my heart and so many thoughts from that meeting that are hard to put down...but let's hope that one day she will learn more, grow more and realize that she has a treasure in her backyard...and begin to live with it!

Inspiration on the Job

Q: I work in an office and I am very grateful to Hashem that I have a job, However, there is one thing that is hard. My day is filled with numbers since I do accouting and it just feels so empty! There's just no ruchniyes involved at all. At the end of the day I might have finished piles of work and that might be off my head, however, it's not a real accomplishment! It doesn't feel real! I wish I can be involved with more!!! When a person teaches others or does for others it makes them feel like they really are accomplishing! When I spoke this year to girls on a shabbaton, it was just the best! I felt like I really actually did something real!
I do try to make this up, that's why at nights I go to shiurim and I go on your blog. However I still wish there could be more to my day! I do know that this is where I am supposed to be right now, and one day I might get involved with teaching, however at this point I am involved with bookkeeping.
One thing that is wonderful about my office that I don't think many offices have, is that once a month we have a speaker right around Rosh Chodesh. That is a wonderful thing that my boss is on top of this!!!
Anyways, Is it a wrong outlook that I have on my job, or should i just be happy where I am and stop having these thoughts?

A: About your job, I know exactly how you feel. I work in an office too - there isn't much spirituality, no speeches (lucky you that they give you a speech once a month!), no hebrew classes - this is life. You start off going to school and being spoon fed inspiration each day, teachers who give over lessons about the yomim tovim and many topics in Judaism. But once real life starts and you graduate, no one is there to do it for you. You have to keep yourself inspired with shiurim - which is amazing that you are able to do that - and read books/seforim on shabbos, learn with a friend on the phone or sign up for Partners in Torah so you can learn with someone who doesnt know as much as you about torah and mitzvos - all these things can help you stay inspired.

Now you are living real life - and you are not in school. Life will continue this way. Iy"h you'll build your own home and may not have time to go to shiurim all the time like you are able to do now. The important thing to realize is that you can inject spirituality even into your mundane job of bookkeeping - because through the job that you do, you are making sure that people get paid, the numbers all match up, the company does not get into trouble for any financial fraud...and this is really a big deal! If not for your job, it is possible that your entire company wouldn't be able to function! Imagine that - you are able to get the zechus of all the good that is being done to help these children!

On your way to work, remind yourself how important you are and how much your office needs you to be there to get your job done! Also know that your job in this world is to do the mitzvos - and that means bringing Hashem into your everyday life by making a kiddush Hashem wherever you go, being honest in business (for example, coming on time), making brachos when you eat during the day, remembering your bracha achrona...by doing all these things you are remembering Hashem throughout your day.
Of course it may not feel as fulfilling as standing in front of a class and teaching and maybe that is something that you'll do in the future. But for now, know that this is your job and you need to do it right - with honesty.
Try to smile at other people so you can uplift their mood and make them happy. Going through your day this way will make it not just a regular day but a special day.

Also, try to focus on doing one extra thing each day that you may not have done before. This way, when you look back at the end of your day, you'll feel good about yourself. For example, you can give someone a compliment, have extra kavanah when you say birchas hamazon after you ate lunch, do an anonymous act of kindness...there are many things you can do to inject spirituality into your day. This way, when you look back at your day, you'll feel accomplished because you did something new and different!

You can read this post about bringing Hashem into your everyday life.
Let me know what you think of this and if it helps.

Milestone-Thank You!

I just want to thank each and every one of you for visiting this blog and continuing to read on a constant basis. It is only because there are people out there reading what I write that I continue to post things as often as I can. Today, this blog has reached a milestone of 10,000 visitors, people who want to learn more, grow and change. What a nachas ruach to Hashem, how much He must be smiling up there when He sees that His children want to do the right thing and what to become better!!

Think about how much my brother, Shalom a"h is smiling in shamayim when he gets little present boxes of zechusim sent up to him so he can go higher and higher in gan eden! This is all from you, the readers, who are growing and gaining from this blog. The more you read and get inspired, the higher he goes! What a nechama!

It is a true inspiration to see that so many people are looking to grow and looking for ways to come closer to Hashem and I am so happy that I am able to help you along. I hope you all continue to gain from this blog and I am able to continue providing you with inspiration for a long, long time.

Thanks again for visiting and please keep coming back!

No Tefillah is EVER Wasted!!

This was posted before but the story is so powerful and inspires me every time I read it that I'm letting you all read it again...and gain from it! Enjoy!

by Rabbi Aryeh Z. Ginzberg

This is one of the coolest stories that I've heard in a long time! YOU can be the one to make a difference! Just know that each of your tefillos are sooo precious to Hashem.

The call came from one of my old ba’alei battim, whose son was serving in the Israeli army. Several years earlier, his son had gone to learn in Eretz Yisrael after high school, like many of our children do, and had fallen in love with Eretz Yisrael. He joined a hesder yeshiva and promptly entered into the army.

Quickly advancing in the army ranks, after just three years, he became an officer in charge of a large group of men. Last summer, exactly one year ago, he was assigned to lead a group of solders to evacuate one of the settlements in Gush Katif. He begged to be released from that assignment, as he was totally opposed to the government’s decision to remove the settlers from their homes, but was ordered to do so anyway. On the morning of the evacuation, he entered into a small moshav and went directly to the shul, where everyone had gathered, including the rabbi of the moshav.

After davening and crying together, both the rav and the soldier spoke about the need to exit peacefully, so brother would not have to fight against brother. With tears, everyone exited the rear of the shul onto the buses, waiting to escort them from the only home that many of them had ever known. The rav and the officer exited together at the end of the line.
Before the soldier got onto the bus, he stopped in his tracts, reached back into his knapsack, and withdrew his personal siddur from it, opened it up and wrote in that day’s date. He then got down on his knees, and with his bare hands started digging a hole in the ground. After a few minutes, he kissed the siddur, placed it into the ground, covered it up with the dirt, and then stood up.

The rav was watching him, and asked him why he was burying his siddur in the ground. He explained that he was confident that one day Jews will return to Gush Katif and to this moshav. He didn’t know when – maybe in ten years, or twenty or fifty – but one day maybe a Jew will find his siddur and realize that Jews were here and left their hearts behind. With that being said, the soldier and rabbi embraced and then together, arm in arm, got onto the bus and left.

Eleven Months Later

The story continues some eleven months later. This soldier, now an officer in the Engineers Corps, received an order to enter Gaza with his men under the cover of darkness and set up a headquarters from which the soldiers would be sent for missions deep into Gaza.

He entered Gaza, proceeded to the designated spot, and set up the headquarters tent. When it began to get light, he looked around, and all he saw was total destruction. Mountains of debris and devastation abounded; he had no idea exactly where he was. All of a sudden – he doesn’t know what compelled him to do so – he dropped to his knees and began to dig furiously at the dirt with his hands. After several moments, he felt something. As he reached in further, he pulled out his own siddur, the very siddur that he had buried just eleven months earlier.

He was in shock. After several moments, his entire body began to shake uncontrollably. He cried out loud, “Hashem, why? What are you trying to tell me? What is the message that I am to get from coming back to the very spot where I buried my siddur only eleven months ago and finding it again?”

He called his father in New York and told him the story. He requested, “Please call Rabbi Ginzberg, tell him what happened to me and ask him for an explanation.”

The call touched me to the core of my neshama. I explained to the father that I am not on the level required to even begin to understand the meaning of this incident and what Hakadosh Baruch Hu was telling His son. But I had a suggestion. “There is an adam gadol in Bnei Brak who lies in a world of kulo Torah. Maybe he can answer you.” I told him I would arrange a private visit for him on Motzaei Shabbos. He should go to Bnei Brak and tell his story to Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky shlita.

I called Rav Chaim’s son, explained the matter, and arranged for him to meet Rav Chaim on Motzaei Shabbos. He was received with the utmost seriousness. Rav Chaim responded to his question immediately.

He asked him what he did to prevent the expulsion from Gaza. The soldier said, “I davened constantly, and pleaded with my superiors to ignore the government’s directives, all to no avail.”

“And after the expulsion, what did you do?” asked Rav Chaim.

The soldier responded. “What could I do? It was all over.”

Rav Chaim said, “The power of tefilla is not to be underestimated. You should have taken your siddur in hand and continued davening. Who knows what Hakadosh Baruch Hu would have done, if we still stormed Shamayim with tefillos! You instead chose to bury your siddur in the ground. For you it was over. But Hashem says, ‘It’s not over. Here is your siddur. Pour your heart out again for Eretz Yisrael and for Klal Yisrael.’”

What an inspiring and powerful response: Through continued tefilla, through inspired tefilla, anything is possible and everything is possible. Things change so quickly in Eretz Yisrael. Not in months or weeks, but in days and in hours. Our tefillos can be crucial.

This article is from http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/2753

My Friday Night Story - Part 3

Here's the end of my story...but maybe it's just the beginning of her story!!

We got to the house, looked at the name on the bell just to make sure it was the right house and knocked on the door. So the craziest thing is, that the name that we had was this person’s maiden name! Mind you, she is married for over 15 years but for some reason, she is known by both last names. The hostess opened the door, let out a yell, hugged her guest (twice!) and jumped up and down saying, “I can’t believe you are here!!” Then she gave us a little background about her guest. Basically, they meet at their Weight Watchers group every week, but this girl had never had a Shabbos meal before, her parents are against her learning about Judaism, but she was invited as a “no commitment” just to come for a Friday night dinner and enjoy. No books, speeches, lectures…just come and see what a Friday night meal is all about and enjoy it. This girl is thirty-two years old and never had a shabbos meal in her life!! Think about that!! She spent thirty-two years in this world and never spent shabbos surrounded by family with the warmth and love that we all enjoy and take for granted!!

The hostess then said that they already started their meal but, “Don’t worry, my son will do it all over again for you! He will make Kiddush, hamotzi…and I lit the shabbos candle for you already so whenever you are ready, you can accept the shabbos and let it enter your heart!”

The girl was HIGH! Seriously, she was in the clouds that Hashem helped her all along to find her place. The whole thing was amazing!! Every minute of her night was calculated! She got lost, my mother and sister left my house at exactly that minute so they can meet up with her, they came to my house and I knew the hostess because of the one time she had given me a ride, my neighbor was able to give us exact directions to their house and this girl felt Hashem with her every step of the way!


Now here’s a continuation of this story. I was running into a grocery store on my way home from work to pick up something really quickly for supper the next night and who do I see?! The hostess!! (Do you see how Hashem plans every minute of your day?! I was going to run in and out and as I was going into the store, I saw her walking right in front of me!) She told me that this shabbos was unbelievable for her guest. She was so inspired, so uplifted, she loved EVERYTHING about shabbos! She was only supposed to stay for the Friday night meal but loved it so much, she asked to stay overnight. They set up a bedroom in the basement for her, she went to shul on shabbos morning, went to a shiur on shabbos afternoon, did not pick up her cell phone the entire shabbos, and just loved everything about shabbos! She said it felt so right, so good, she wanted to know everything and keep it all! Of course, the hostess told her that she should take it slow and not take everything upon herself at once but this girl’s life is changing, that’s for sure!! She was on a total high from her shabbos experience!! It looks like she will be spending many more shabbos meals with religious families…and who knows how far she can come, in another few years…

My Friday Night Story - Part 2

Here's Part 2 of the amazing story that happened to me...

After a few minutes of talking and the get-to-know-you introductions, I casually asked, “Oh, so what’s the name of the family you were supposed to eat by?”
When she told me the (mother’s) name, I said, “I know who she is!!”
She jumped off the couch (for real!) with excitement and started to flip out!! She wanted to know how I knew her and was already holding on to her bags and was going to run over to the house. But although I know the lady, I didn’t know exactly where she lives, I just knew she lived within a few blocks from my house but had no clue exactly where.

Happens to be (nothing really “happens to be") that I know her because she had given me a ride once when she stopped by my office and was not able to drive me all the way home because she had to stop by her house to take care of something and then was going to run somewhere else…

So while she sat on the couch, I looked up the name in all the phone books I have and couldn’t find it. I went with Elisheva to two neighbors to ask them if they knew where this family lives. Neither of them answered the door. I went back upstairs and a few minutes later, my husband came home from shul. I quickly explained the whole story to him and we decided I’d go with my mother and sister and try to find the house. Hashem would help us!!
I knocked on the first neighbors door, looked through a phone book that I don’t have in my house and couldn’t find her name. I went to another neighbors (they were already up to the soup and I felt so bad to interrupt!) and they knew who she was and where she lived!! They told me the street name, described what the house looked like, (pass the garage, the first house on that street, with a gate around it…)

Yipee!! Finally! We were making progress!!!

So together we walked listening to this girl tell us more about herself. She totally felt Hashem with her! it was not normal because this girl is not frum, doesn’t know about shabbos and mitzvos and here she is, telling us how she feels Hashem is with her…and she told us that her earliest memory was when she was 3 years old, they made a mi shebairach for her in shul because she was sick with pneumonia and ever since then, she never got sick!! She was always healthy and she felt that it was because of the mi shebairach they made for her in shul!!

My Friday Night Story - Part 1

I'm breaking this post up into a few parts because after I put it up here, I realized that it's too long to read at once...

These stories don’t happen to me! I’m telling you! I know I’m Chaya Sara’s sister, but this story is the type to happen to her not to me!!
Anyway, you just see how Hashem is in charge of every little detail of what happens and every minute of your day…

Last week (not this past week, but the week before), I was having a very busy erev Shabbos and my younger sister, Elisheva, called me when I was super busy to ask me if she can come visit me on Friday night. She was planning to come right before candle-lighting when it’s not-yet-dark outside and then she would need to be taken home because in order to walk from my house to my mother, you need to pass through a not-so-safe neighborhood. I was waaaay too tired so I told her that it wouldn’t really work for me since I had a very exhausting week so maybe she’d come another week.
Well, a few minutes after I lit candles, I heard someone coming up the stairs. I went to answer the door and who was standing there? My sister, Elisheva! She was puffing and panting and said, “You don’t understand what happened!!” And then she started to tell me:

I was walking with mommy to come visit you (she must’ve really wanted to come visit me, because she came up with her own plan, walk with mommy and so she’d have someone to walk home with!) and as we were walking, we saw a girl (who was obviously not religious) carrying a bag. She asked us, “Is it shabbos yet?” (sounds like that book…Is it Shabbos Yet?!) and mommy said, “Yes, but let me help you. You look lost!”
So this girl said that she was supposed to be eating by someone but I lost their address. So my mother, being the tzadekes that she is, stayed with this girl to try to help her find her place. Together, they knocked on the door of someone on that block to try to get the address of the family this girl was supposed to eat by. In the meantime, Elisheva came to my house and told me a little bit about the girl they had met. She was reform, never kept shabbos before and her train got delayed and here she was, roaming the streets, trying to find someone to help her. Once she met my mother, the two of them started on their search.

Elisheva was very worried about my mother. They had gone a few blocks away from my house, where the not-so-safe neighborhood gets even worse to try to find this family. Elisheva kept peeking out of the window, opening my door and trying to listen out for my mother, hoping she was okay. I kept calming her down. Finally, after what felt like a long wait, there was a knock on my door…this time it was my mother and the girl she had met.

Now, before I continue my story, I want to just describe to you what this girl looked like, just so you can get a better picture of where she is coming from. She was wearing bright red lipstick, a bright orange long-sleeved t-shirt (and when I say bright, I mean bright, like the type that you need to squint when you look at her, it was so bright!), a flairy mid-length denim skirt (She said it’s the longest skirt she has!), lots of (gold) necklaces of different lengths, a bunch of bracelets, multi-colored sneakers that lace up to the middle of her leg, and carrying a backpack. I don’t know if this describes her well, but this can definitely give you a start.

I welcomed them in, had them sit down on the couch and listened. They ended up knocking on the door of a family with the same last name - but not the family they were looking for. They had walked in the freezing cold and now they were stuck. They guessed that this person was not listed in the phone book and came to me. The girl made herself comfortable and started telling us a little bit about herself and about how sorry she felt that she wouldn’t be able to join that family for the meal. In my head, I was already planning the rest of her shabbos for her. She’d eat the meal at my house and I’d ask my neighbor if she could sleep in their guest room. I hadn’t prepared extra food and since we are only a family of two who eat (my baby’s food is of a different sort!), and I was not sure what we’d do. I figured we’d do the best we can, I definitely have enough challah and dips and salad but when I prepare for two, I already know how much we eat. Well, Hashem runs the world and we just got to see it so clearly!!! We can try to plan but the One Above has everything all planned out for us!!

Is Hashem Evil?

This is brilliant!!! I had to post it!!!

The university professor challenged his students with this question. “Did Hashem create everything that exists?”

A student bravely replied, “Yes, He did!”

"Hashem created everything?” The professor asked.

“Yes sir”, the student replied.

The professor answered, “If Hashem created everything, then He created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are, then Hashem is evil”.

The student became quiet before such an answer. The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Jewish faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, “Can I ask you a question professor?”

“Of course”, replied the professor.

The student stood up and asked, “Professor, does cold exist?”

“What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?” The students snickered at the young man’s question.

The young man replied, “In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat.”

The student continued, “Professor, does darkness exist?”

The professor responded, “Of course it does.”

The student replied, “Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton’s prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn’t this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present.”

Finally the young man asked the professor, “Sir, does evil exist?”

Now uncertain, to professor responded, “Of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.”

To this the student replied, “Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of Hashem; it is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the an existance without Hashem. Hashem did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have Hashem’s love present in his heart. It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.”

The professor sat down.
The young man’s name--- Albert Einstein

The Wagon Driver

There was once a story about a wagon driver who fell asleep while leading his horses. His horses went on their own and landed in a deep pit. Suddenly the wagon driver woke up and saw that he was now stuck in a deep muddy pit.

He jumped off his carriage and started pulling and pulling but nothing helped the wagon did not budge. People passed by and told him to bring a lift to pull the wagon out.

He listened and went to a nearby city to get a lift. The wagon was easily removed from the pit. Pleased with himself the wagon driver thought to himself “ Why do I need horses for?, horses need to be fed and cared for and in the end they abundant me, only the lift helped me!”

What did he do? He sold his horses and bought a lift. He placed his wagon on the lift and sat down but the wagon did not move…

They told him “This is not wise!!” the lift can only lift the wagon but only horses can pull and go….

We all just went through Rosh Hashana but that was only a lift, be we need to occupy ourselves with constant inspiration and keep ourselves on a regular schedule to be able to go on and be succesesful. A daily prayer, a daily learning, to uplift ourselves and to be able to find our way to the right goal. It is not enough to go through the inspiring "lift" of Rosh Hashana - we also must make sure to pull ourselves out of the mud by doing real teshuva during these important days of Aseres Yimei Teshuva!!

Have a Gemar Chasima Tova!

Dear Year 5769...

Dear year 5769,

Just yesterday we stood at your entrance without any idea as to what your days would bring- all 365 of them. Now another 365 days are standing lined up one after the other, behind locked doors. We tried peeking in but failed; even the smallest speck was hidden from us. And now as I write to you, year 5769 who is about to exit now, I am shaking with awesome fright.

Would I have ever imagined what you would have looked like as I stood in the synagogue last Rosh Hashanah? I was full with wishes and hopes… and wondering: would you bring happiness, growth, success-or disappointment and failure? Would you be filled with good times, good friendships? With what would you fill up all you 8,700 hours, and 525,600 minutes? How would your newspaper headlines appear? Would they be filed with excitement and good news or God Forbid… What was in store for the peoples of the world- would major crucial changes take place? In my family? Or maybe me… or within me?

Everything… everything was written and signed already then from Rosh Hashanah till Yom Kippur of 5769. If I could have just know then what I know now by in mere turn of 365 days. If only I would have just imagined, for example, that within your days very precious souls would be taken away from this world…

How many measures of emotional strength and how many tears I would have invested in the words “Our father, our King do not turn us away from You empty-handed”. Had I seen then as I see now right in front of my eyes, the people who so desperately await their own personal salvation, but yet another year just passed them by unanswered, another 365 days. The 365 days, the 8,760 hours, and the 525,600 minutes, that you contained were all full with their suffering, yet with their hope. If only I had begged a bit more before Hashem stamped his final signature on that day! I have no doubt in me that had I seen it all before me, “I would have invested every last effort and intensified my prayer to no end.

Sadly, it was just then that my desperation and imagination decided to stall. Just then, when every hour, every minute was so crucial….

Where was my imagination? Where was I when I had the power in my hand to correct, to erase, to sweeten my fate and that of others?

When I flash in front of me the year that just passed, an accusing finger screams at me:

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TRY HARDER??”

Yes, year 5769, you are about to end. You’ve taught me a lot. This time I know. This time I’ll try. This time I won’t hesitate to let the tears fall. I don’t know what year 5770 will bring, but I do know how much power lies within me.

The three Hebrew letters: shin, nun, and hei when are put together can be read in three different ways. Shana (year), shena (sleep) and shoneh (change). The message here is that if we sleep through the month of Elul and through Rosh Hashanah we should not expect a better year to come.
But if we change ourselves for better the year also will be more blessed and successful.
So let’s leshanot (change) ourselves for the better,so we can all have a better and more successful shana (year).

Of Bombs and Burials

by Rabbi Aryeh Z. Ginzberg

This is one of the coolest stories that I've heard in a long time! YOU can be the one to make a difference! Just know that each of your tefillos are sooo precious to Hashem.

The call came from one of my old ba’alei battim, whose son was serving in the Israeli army. Several years earlier, his son had gone to learn in Eretz Yisrael after high school, like many of our children do, and had fallen in love with Eretz Yisrael. He joined a hesder yeshiva and promptly entered into the army.

Quickly advancing in the army ranks, after just three years, he became an officer in charge of a large group of men. Last summer, exactly one year ago, he was assigned to lead a group of solders to evacuate one of the settlements in Gush Katif. He begged to be released from that assignment, as he was totally opposed to the government’s decision to remove the settlers from their homes, but was ordered to do so anyway. On the morning of the evacuation, he entered into a small moshav and went directly to the shul, where everyone had gathered, including the rabbi of the moshav.

After davening and crying together, both the rav and the soldier spoke about the need to exit peacefully, so brother would not have to fight against brother. With tears, everyone exited the rear of the shul onto the buses, waiting to escort them from the only home that many of them had ever known. The rav and the officer exited together at the end of the line.
Before the soldier got onto the bus, he stopped in his tracts, reached back into his knapsack, and withdrew his personal siddur from it, opened it up and wrote in that day’s date. He then got down on his knees, and with his bare hands started digging a hole in the ground. After a few minutes, he kissed the siddur, placed it into the ground, covered it up with the dirt, and then stood up.

The rav was watching him, and asked him why he was burying his siddur in the ground. He explained that he was confident that one day Jews will return to Gush Katif and to this moshav. He didn’t know when – maybe in ten years, or twenty or fifty – but one day maybe a Jew will find his siddur and realize that Jews were here and left their hearts behind. With that being said, the soldier and rabbi embraced and then together, arm in arm, got onto the bus and left.

Eleven Months Later

The story continues some eleven months later. This soldier, now an officer in the Engineers Corps, received an order to enter Gaza with his men under the cover of darkness and set up a headquarters from which the soldiers would be sent for missions deep into Gaza.

He entered Gaza, proceeded to the designated spot, and set up the headquarters tent. When it began to get light, he looked around, and all he saw was total destruction. Mountains of debris and devastation abounded; he had no idea exactly where he was. All of a sudden – he doesn’t know what compelled him to do so – he dropped to his knees and began to dig furiously at the dirt with his hands. After several moments, he felt something. As he reached in further, he pulled out his own siddur, the very siddur that he had buried just eleven months earlier.

He was in shock. After several moments, his entire body began to shake uncontrollably. He cried out loud, “Hashem, why? What are you trying to tell me? What is the message that I am to get from coming back to the very spot where I buried my siddur only eleven months ago and finding it again?”

He called his father in New York and told him the story. He requested, “Please call Rabbi Ginzberg, tell him what happened to me and ask him for an explanation.”

The call touched me to the core of my neshama. I explained to the father that I am not on the level required to even begin to understand the meaning of this incident and what Hakadosh Baruch Hu was telling His son. But I had a suggestion. “There is an adam gadol in Bnei Brak who lies in a world of kulo Torah. Maybe he can answer you.” I told him I would arrange a private visit for him on Motzaei Shabbos. He should go to Bnei Brak and tell his story to Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky shlita.

I called Rav Chaim’s son, explained the matter, and arranged for him to meet Rav Chaim on Motzaei Shabbos. He was received with the utmost seriousness. Rav Chaim responded to his question immediately.

He asked him what he did to prevent the expulsion from Gaza. The soldier said, “I davened constantly, and pleaded with my superiors to ignore the government’s directives, all to no avail.”

“And after the expulsion, what did you do?” asked Rav Chaim.

The soldier responded. “What could I do? It was all over.”

Rav Chaim said, “The power of tefilla is not to be underestimated. You should have taken your siddur in hand and continued davening. Who knows what Hakadosh Baruch Hu would have done, if we still stormed Shamayim with tefillos! You instead chose to bury your siddur in the ground. For you it was over. But Hashem says, ‘It’s not over. Here is your siddur. Pour your heart out again for Eretz Yisrael and for Klal Yisrael.’”

What an inspiring and powerful response: Through continued tefilla, through inspired tefilla, anything is possible and everything is possible. Things change so quickly in Eretz Yisrael. Not in months or weeks, but in days and in hours. Our tefillos can be crucial.

This article is from http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/2753

Hashem is holding my hand

Hi there! I’m a teenager, just like a lot of you guys. Most of you probably don’t know me- I live out here in Columbus, Ohio. But I recently had a crazy, life altering experience that Chaya Sara asked me to share with all of you, so here goes!
You know those moments in your life that are frozen in your memory forever? Sometimes you have a terrifying experience just a few seconds long and it keeps replaying over and over in your mind for days. Well, as I’m sitting here I can see the entire incident playing out before me in slow motion, each detail excruciatingly clear. I can still taste the fear and my stomach is churning at the memory. I don’t want to overburden you with background details so suffice it to say that my older sister is has just gone through a very stormy and turbulent divorce. She came home to us together with her daughter, a perfectly scrumptious 2 year old. This adorable child is the light of her life. I hate to play favorites, but somehow she managed to steal my heart like none of my other nieces can. Anyway, down to the story, it was a regular Sunday afternoon. I was outside in front of the house, when I suddenly heard terrified screaming. I turned to look and my blood ran cold. My X-brother-in-law was speeding down the street with my sister hanging on to the side of his car for dear life. It took me only a split second to realize that my dearly beloved, heavenly adorable niece was in the car BEING KIDNAPPED!!! I couldn’t scream, I couldn’t move. I could only stare in sheer horror as my sister was shoved to the side, almost being run over in the process, and the car disappeared down the street. My sister was shrieking hysterically, as you can imagine. My father had the presence of mind to jump into his car with her to chase after her X husband. My mother was screaming and crying in shock. And me? I was just about too traumatized to do anything but stare numbly at the empty spot on the street where my niece had stood just a minute ago.
And then suddenly, amidst the terrifying chaos I made a dive for the only secure thing in the world that still existed for me. My siddur. I yanked it open to perek chaf. Sobbing I repeated the words over and over again without stopping. “Yaancha Hashem biyom tzarah.” The minutes that followed were absolutely the scariest ones of my life. But I wouldn’t stop saying tehillim, not even for a second. I somehow had the feeling that my words were going to save us. My legs quivered like jelly but deep inside I was calm with the knowledge that Hashem was taking care of us. In those horrible moments of sheer desperation, I somehow felt him closer to me than ever before in my life. After what seemed like an eternity but could only have been a few minutes, the phone rang. I grabbed it instantly. “Sara Miriam”, my sister sobbed, “we have the baby!” I can’t describe to you the relief that those four words brought to us. It was like having a rush of cool water poured on me in the midst of a fiery heat. My family screamed with joy but I just whispered “Thank you Hashem. Thank you for listening to me.”
I’m sure you can imagine why I’m so traumatized every time I recall this experience. Even now, I am shaking. Yet at the same time a feel a reassuring squeeze on my hand. It is the hand of my father in heaven who will never ever let go. And I want you to know, that no matter what kind of crazy things are happening in your life, Hashem is right there beside you. Just reach out to him, let him take your hand, and you will see his miracles unfolding before your eyes.

You can beat the Yetzer Hara

i just read this e mail sent to me from guard your eyes.com and i really thought it was cool so i wanted to share it with you!
Sometimes we are like a Dovid, standing up alone against a great and powerful Golyas. The special Jewish Neshama that wants to serve Hashem, is pitted against the powerful Yetzer Hara who seems so much stronger than us. It can look like there is no way to win this battle, in the same way that that there was no way Dovid could vanquish the mighty Golyas. But he did!!! In his eyes there was no way to win, but when we ask Hashem to fight our battle anything can be done!!
He did, because he came with Bitachon - because he came in the name of Hashem.
If only we could see how our little actions affect all the upper worlds... If only we could see what pleasure we give Hashem when we try to serve him even though he seems so hidden from us... If only we could know how our daily battles affects all of Klal Yisrael...
We must believe this, even though we don't see it. All Hashem truly wants from us in this world is "Emunah". Hashem wants our heart to call out to him with all our pain and all our emotions!! Just sit down in your room and start telling hashem how you want to beat your yetzer hara and ask him to help you!!
You can Fight the Yetzer Hara. Tell him, like Dovid told Golyas, that although he is stronger, we are coming to fight him in the name of Hashem . Just sling some stones of Tefillah and Emunah at him and he will fall with a mighty thud!
pls write any ideas that you have for me
if you put it onto the comments then i will look at it and see if its rlly good well put it up onto the site!!
thank you so much for coming and wanting to grow!!