Wednesday, October 31, 2012
I JUST HEARD AN OUTSTANDING MESSAGE WITH ABOUT THE HURICANE MUST READ!!!!
I JUST HEARD ON A HOT LINE FROM REB. KALMINOVITCH AN OUTSTANDING DREAM THAT A BIG TZADDIK HAD THIS YEAR!!! IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HEAR THIS STORY FROM HER PLS CALL 1718 906 6451 AND PRESS THE NUMBER FOR THE HURRICANE AND YOU WILL HEAR CHANA TOBY AND THEN REB. KALMINOVITCH ITS UNREAL TO HEAR THIS IS 100% TRUE!!!
HARAV POSEK FROM BORO PARK HAD A DREAM ABOUT THE GEDOLEI YISROEL THAT WERE JUST NIFTAR THIS YEAR!THE GEDOLEI YISROEL WERE BY THE BES DIN SHEL MAALA AND WERE BEGGING HASHEM TO PLEASE LOOK AT HOW MUCH WE HAVE WORKED ON OURSELVES AND HOW MUCH WE AS KLAL YISROEL HAVE GROWN THIS YEAR!! THEY WERE SAYING THAT LOOK HOW MANY PEOPLE GOT RID OF THE TUMA IN THEIR HOMES AND HOW MUCH WE REALLY WANT TO BE CONNECTED TO HASHEM! THEY WERE BEGGING AND BEGGING HASHEM TO PLS END THIS GALUS AND BRING MASHIACH.SUDDENLY A LOUD VOICE WAS HEARD AND THEY STARTED SAYING DO BNEI YISROEL REALLY WANT HASHEM'S NAME TO BE KNOWN AND FULL OF KEDUSHA IN THE WORLD!!! WHAT ABOUT HOW PEOPLE ARE ACTING ESP. IN SHUL TALKING DURING KEDUSHA AND NOT GIVING KAVOD TO THE SHUL, DO THEY REALLY WANT IT!! AND THEN THEY DECIDED TO COME UP WITH A CONCLUSION THAT THIS YEAR TAF SHIN AYIN GIMMEL IS A BIG EIS RATZON AND MASHIACH IS REALLY ABLE TO COME AND HASHEM WANTS TO BRING HIM THERE IS JUST ONE MORE POINT!!HASHEM WILL TEST US THIS YEAR IN A HUGE WAY TO SEE IF WE REALLY WANT MASHIACH, IF WE ARE DOING THINGS FOR THE KAVOD OF SHAMAYIM OR FOR THE KAVOD OF OURSELVES!!!!THIS YEAR COULD BE THE GEULA AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
THIS TZADDIK WOKE UP IN A SWEAT HE WAS SOOO SHOOKEN UP COULDNT BELIEVE WHAT HE HEARD AND SAW.. HE WAS SHAKING FROM REAL FEAR!! CAN WE IMAGINE THAT THIS IS WHERE WE ARE UP TO!!!! MASHIACH IS AT THE DOORSTEP AND EVERY ONE OF US HAS THE POWER TO SHOW HASHEM I JUST WANT TO DO MITZVOS FOR YOU TO BRING KAVOD TO YOUR NAME AND THEN WE WILL HASTEN THIS GEULA!!! WE NEED EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU WHO READS THIS TO SHARE THIS OUTSTANDING DREAM TO OTHERS AND WAKE UP THE WORLD TO REALIZE THAT ALL WE NEED IS A DESIRE TO SHOW HASHEM THAT WE REALLY WANT THIS GALUS TO END!!! IMAGINE THE SOUND OF THE SHOFAR AND YOU BEING HERE TO WITNESS THIS DAY ITS BEYOND IMAGINATION THAT WE COULD BE ALIVE TO REALLY EXPERIENCE THIS DAY!!!!!!!!! PLS HELP US!!!!
REB. KALMINOVITCH ALSO SAID THAT WHEN SUCH A RAIN FALLS LIKE SOOOO STRONG ITS A SIGN THAT HASHEM WANTS US TO CHANGE SO THAT WE COULD BE ZOCHE TO REALIZE THAT THE GEULA IS SOOOOO CLOSE!!! ITS IN YOUR HANDS!!! WAKE UP AND SEE HOW CAN I DO A MITZVA AND REALIZE THAT I JUST WANT TO BRING KAVOD TO HASHEM'S NAME!!
LETS ALL TAKE THIS LESSON TO OUR HEARTS AND REALIZE THAT WE REALLY NEED TO WAKE UP AND SHAKE OURSELVES BACK INTO REALITY!!!
WATING TO HEAR FROM YOU WHAT YOU FEEL ABOUT WHAT YOU JUST READ!:)
THANK YOU SO MUCH MISS SAMUEL AND MRS. KLEIN FROM SHALSHELES FOR SHARING THIS WITH ME:)
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Hurricane Sandy
Someone submitted the following question anonymously. Please could you write about the hurricane what message can we take from it... it was only one day and then everything back to normal!?!
There are many lessons and messages that we can take from the hurricane and all that happened in the last few days-the excitement and preparation leading up to it, the time spent indoors to ensure full protection from the storm, and the aftermath…living without electricity and waiting for the power to be restored.
I got the following text message this morning: Hashem is powerful and we are powerless.
When we are hit by a “natural” disaster, it gives us a chance to stop and think. To realize WHO really is in control of every aspect of our lives.
Yes, we are the ones who go through the motions of our day-to-day lives, accomplishing and getting things done. But when we are blessed with that clarity the moment we lose power, we realize Who is the one who has the power and who is really powerless.
I am reminded of a poem/song I once posted, If Hashem Were To Go On Strike. It's taken from a tape, The Iron Butterfly, by Suki and Ding. I will post it here again because the message is so on target.
It’s just a good thing that Hashem above has never gone on strike,
Because He wasn’t treated for or for the things he didn’t like.
And if He had just once sat down and said, “That’s it, I’m through,
I’ve had enough of those on earth so this is what I’ll do:
I’ll give my orders to the sun, cut off your heat supply,
And to the clouds, give no more rain and run those oceans dry.”
And just to make it tough and to put the pressure on,
He’d cut off all the oxygen ‘til every breath is gone.
Do you know that Hashem would be justified if fairness were the game,
For no one has been more abused or treated with disdain.
And yet Hashem has carried on supplying you and me,
With all the favors in His world and everything for free.
No more would flowers bud in spring and food just wouldn’t grow,
And summer turn to winter, Hashem can do it all, you know.
He could make the daytime pitch black so we’d see our way no more,
There’s just so much Hashem can do to even up the score!
Men say they want a better deal and so on strike they go,
But what a deal we’ve given Hashem to whom everything we owe?
We don’t care who we hurt or harm to gain the things we like,
But what a mess we’d all be in if Hashem were to go on strike!!
So here we have it-Hashem "pushed a button" and the whole world went crazy. People ran around stocking up on water, canned goods, bread, candles, flashlights...you name it. How could we live for a few days without power?
People are left without access to the internet. Ask yourself this question. Who is part of your social circle? Does it extend past your Facebook friends and those you talk to through email and text? How much face to face contact do you have with the people who are important to you-beyond your immediate family?
In preparation for the hurricane, someone on the radio mentioned that this will give families a chance to reconnect with each other. When the power goes out and the batteries on all the electronic devices start to die, siblings and parents can actually talk to each other. There's no distraction of laptops and computers, iPhones and Tablets and any other electronic devices. Devices that instead of connecting us, disconnect us from those who are important and close to us.
Trees got thrown down just a few inches away from houses and cars. I saw with my own eyes the precision of the fall...how every inch is calculated. Another inch-and that car would have been smashed. Another inch-and that house would have had major damage. This showed me how every little detail is calculated, every inch, every moment of our lives. The same One who made the tree fall directly in front of that house and an inch away from that car, is watching over me every moment. The details of my life are calculated; Hashem works with precision and care.
Many people are still in the dark. They are illuminating their homes with candles instead of electric lights. The effects of the hurricane are far from over. It will still take another few days for power to be restored. The impact and the message of Hurricane Sandy may stay with them for a little longer than it stays with you. The choice is yours.
How long do you want to remember this hurricane for? How long will these messages stay with you?
There are many lessons and messages that we can take from the hurricane and all that happened in the last few days-the excitement and preparation leading up to it, the time spent indoors to ensure full protection from the storm, and the aftermath…living without electricity and waiting for the power to be restored.
I got the following text message this morning: Hashem is powerful and we are powerless.
When we are hit by a “natural” disaster, it gives us a chance to stop and think. To realize WHO really is in control of every aspect of our lives.
Yes, we are the ones who go through the motions of our day-to-day lives, accomplishing and getting things done. But when we are blessed with that clarity the moment we lose power, we realize Who is the one who has the power and who is really powerless.
I am reminded of a poem/song I once posted, If Hashem Were To Go On Strike. It's taken from a tape, The Iron Butterfly, by Suki and Ding. I will post it here again because the message is so on target.
It’s just a good thing that Hashem above has never gone on strike,
Because He wasn’t treated for or for the things he didn’t like.
And if He had just once sat down and said, “That’s it, I’m through,
I’ve had enough of those on earth so this is what I’ll do:
I’ll give my orders to the sun, cut off your heat supply,
And to the clouds, give no more rain and run those oceans dry.”
And just to make it tough and to put the pressure on,
He’d cut off all the oxygen ‘til every breath is gone.
Do you know that Hashem would be justified if fairness were the game,
For no one has been more abused or treated with disdain.
And yet Hashem has carried on supplying you and me,
With all the favors in His world and everything for free.
No more would flowers bud in spring and food just wouldn’t grow,
And summer turn to winter, Hashem can do it all, you know.
He could make the daytime pitch black so we’d see our way no more,
There’s just so much Hashem can do to even up the score!
Men say they want a better deal and so on strike they go,
But what a deal we’ve given Hashem to whom everything we owe?
We don’t care who we hurt or harm to gain the things we like,
But what a mess we’d all be in if Hashem were to go on strike!!
So here we have it-Hashem "pushed a button" and the whole world went crazy. People ran around stocking up on water, canned goods, bread, candles, flashlights...you name it. How could we live for a few days without power?
People are left without access to the internet. Ask yourself this question. Who is part of your social circle? Does it extend past your Facebook friends and those you talk to through email and text? How much face to face contact do you have with the people who are important to you-beyond your immediate family?
In preparation for the hurricane, someone on the radio mentioned that this will give families a chance to reconnect with each other. When the power goes out and the batteries on all the electronic devices start to die, siblings and parents can actually talk to each other. There's no distraction of laptops and computers, iPhones and Tablets and any other electronic devices. Devices that instead of connecting us, disconnect us from those who are important and close to us.
Trees got thrown down just a few inches away from houses and cars. I saw with my own eyes the precision of the fall...how every inch is calculated. Another inch-and that car would have been smashed. Another inch-and that house would have had major damage. This showed me how every little detail is calculated, every inch, every moment of our lives. The same One who made the tree fall directly in front of that house and an inch away from that car, is watching over me every moment. The details of my life are calculated; Hashem works with precision and care.
Many people are still in the dark. They are illuminating their homes with candles instead of electric lights. The effects of the hurricane are far from over. It will still take another few days for power to be restored. The impact and the message of Hurricane Sandy may stay with them for a little longer than it stays with you. The choice is yours.
How long do you want to remember this hurricane for? How long will these messages stay with you?
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Seeing the Good
My last post brought up some discussion and I wanted to share some thoughts of the back and forth with you.
Someone wanted to know how to reach that level of emunah-of knowing with such certainty that everything Hashem does is for the good. It’s something that takes a lot of work…a lifetime of work.
One thing I feel that has helped me get to that point (and I’m still working at it!) is to think back to different things that have happened in my life and that I’ve been through in my life and notice the good that came out of it.
There were things that were obviously good-from the beginning, like the schools I went to and the people I got to know while I was there. There are things like my year in seminary and I can truly say that my experiences there shaped me, molded me, changed me and helped me be the person I am today.
But then there are the less obvious things. Difficult things I would never have chosen to experience. I can look back at those things and know that there is good that came out of it. I am a different person because of those challenging times. There is no way I could be the person I am today if I haven’t gone through those things. I would never have asked for them but I can actually see some element of good that came out as a result of those experiences. They were painful for me, but I am a different me because of them.
Sometimes, I can actually see something intrinsically good that came as a result of the difficult times. Not just the person I am or became. Not just the changes inside me. There are things that happened that may not have happened had I not gone through the pain. There were difficult times that were catalysts for good changes in my life and the life of my family. Thinking about those things reinforces the belief that each thing that happens, every single thing Hashem puts me through, is for the good.
Looking back at the things that happened in my life, the good and the bad, the easy and the difficult, the comfortable and the uncomfortable, I can know with certainty that every single thing Hashem does is for the good. Sometimes I am blessed to see it and other times I cannot see. But recognizing the good that came out of the things I am aware of makes this knowledge enter the very fiber of my being and know it…really know it so deep inside me…that no matter what, whether I see it or I don’t, it is for the good.
But…with all this knowledge, do I think one day I will be able to thank Hashem for the difficult things I had to go through?
I don’t know. I just don’t know. I think it may be a madreiga of tzaddikim to be able to thank Hashem for the tough things they experienced. And that might be because they know with such clarity that every single thing is good, and even if it was hard, there were good things that came from it. Things like growth in their emunah, a deeper connection to Hashem or whatever other things THEY changed as a person. Maybe they have a deeper vision, a better understanding, or a rock solid emunah that I’m working to get.
But for me, whatever knowledge I do have doesn’t take away from the fact that it was a hard thing to go through. If I had a choice, maybe I’d play my life differently-so it’s a good thing I don’t have a choice! I know these things are good for me but am I thankful for the pain?
Yes, I know it’s for the good, and just working on that knowledge and internalizing it will take time…but being able to be thankful for it is another step…a step for greater people than me…and mayyybe one day I’ll reach that level. But for now, I’m allowing myself to be a human being. :-)
I do not ask for pain but when I am thrown into a difficult situation, I will do my best to climb...as slowly as I need to...and never stop climbing.
Someone wanted to know how to reach that level of emunah-of knowing with such certainty that everything Hashem does is for the good. It’s something that takes a lot of work…a lifetime of work.
One thing I feel that has helped me get to that point (and I’m still working at it!) is to think back to different things that have happened in my life and that I’ve been through in my life and notice the good that came out of it.
There were things that were obviously good-from the beginning, like the schools I went to and the people I got to know while I was there. There are things like my year in seminary and I can truly say that my experiences there shaped me, molded me, changed me and helped me be the person I am today.
But then there are the less obvious things. Difficult things I would never have chosen to experience. I can look back at those things and know that there is good that came out of it. I am a different person because of those challenging times. There is no way I could be the person I am today if I haven’t gone through those things. I would never have asked for them but I can actually see some element of good that came out as a result of those experiences. They were painful for me, but I am a different me because of them.
Sometimes, I can actually see something intrinsically good that came as a result of the difficult times. Not just the person I am or became. Not just the changes inside me. There are things that happened that may not have happened had I not gone through the pain. There were difficult times that were catalysts for good changes in my life and the life of my family. Thinking about those things reinforces the belief that each thing that happens, every single thing Hashem puts me through, is for the good.
Looking back at the things that happened in my life, the good and the bad, the easy and the difficult, the comfortable and the uncomfortable, I can know with certainty that every single thing Hashem does is for the good. Sometimes I am blessed to see it and other times I cannot see. But recognizing the good that came out of the things I am aware of makes this knowledge enter the very fiber of my being and know it…really know it so deep inside me…that no matter what, whether I see it or I don’t, it is for the good.
But…with all this knowledge, do I think one day I will be able to thank Hashem for the difficult things I had to go through?
I don’t know. I just don’t know. I think it may be a madreiga of tzaddikim to be able to thank Hashem for the tough things they experienced. And that might be because they know with such clarity that every single thing is good, and even if it was hard, there were good things that came from it. Things like growth in their emunah, a deeper connection to Hashem or whatever other things THEY changed as a person. Maybe they have a deeper vision, a better understanding, or a rock solid emunah that I’m working to get.
But for me, whatever knowledge I do have doesn’t take away from the fact that it was a hard thing to go through. If I had a choice, maybe I’d play my life differently-so it’s a good thing I don’t have a choice! I know these things are good for me but am I thankful for the pain?
Yes, I know it’s for the good, and just working on that knowledge and internalizing it will take time…but being able to be thankful for it is another step…a step for greater people than me…and mayyybe one day I’ll reach that level. But for now, I’m allowing myself to be a human being. :-)
I do not ask for pain but when I am thrown into a difficult situation, I will do my best to climb...as slowly as I need to...and never stop climbing.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
A Broken Heart
There’s a famous quote from the Kotzker Rebbe, “There is nothing more whole than a broken heart”. I’ve been trying to understand this for a while but after all the things I searched and read about, I realized that the answer to my question lies deep inside me, inside my soul. And I wanted to share my thoughts with you.
There are times in our lives when our hearts are broken, shattered into pieces. We don’t know where to turn, how to move on, how we will ever continue.
Can a broken heart truly be whole? Complete? What does this mean?
When someone’s heart is broken, it gives them a chance to reflect, to really think, to really cry, to try to really understand. But in truth, we are not given the brains, we are not given the clarity, the understanding, to be able to know why. Why this happened. Why we had to go through this.
So…we turn towards heaven. Towards Hashem. In our tears, in our pain, in our anguish. Hashem, we say, why?? Why did this have to happen? Why do we have to go through something so intensely painful?
And this is where the process of completion begins.
It’s a process. A process of working on and strengthening our emunah in Hashem. That every single thing that happens is for the good. We may not see it right now. We may not be able to fathom it when we are in such intense pain but it is the ultimate truth.
Hashem is running the world. Hashem is running our world. The teeny little world we live in…surrounded by our friends and family, which includes our many hurts, our aches and our pains. And every thing that happens in our own little world is for the good.
Sometimes we are blessed to get a small glimpse into the good, a small ray of light, an opening for the potential for something better to come out of the pain we are going through. Other times, we only see darkness, we feel so broken, we do not know how we will go on…and we simply do not understand.
But…it is for the good.
It takes work. It takes a lot to internalize that message. That no matter what is going on in our lives, there is a purpose for it. That there is a reason for all the pain we are put through in this world. And not only is there a reason, there is a good reason. The pain is there for something good. Something good will come out of this.
My heart may be broken but I am working on my emunah. On making myself so complete and so whole in my trust and belief in Hashem. On coming out so much stronger. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able say it was worth the pain, worth the hurt, worth the fact that my heart has been shattered into so many pieces but…I wasn’t given a choice.
And once I am where I am, I will work on picking up the pieces of my broken heart and using the pain to make my heart more complete...more complete in my trust in Hashem, that every single thing He does, whether I understand it or not-is for the good.
There is nothing more whole than a broken heart. I am slowly learning that.
There are times in our lives when our hearts are broken, shattered into pieces. We don’t know where to turn, how to move on, how we will ever continue.
Can a broken heart truly be whole? Complete? What does this mean?
When someone’s heart is broken, it gives them a chance to reflect, to really think, to really cry, to try to really understand. But in truth, we are not given the brains, we are not given the clarity, the understanding, to be able to know why. Why this happened. Why we had to go through this.
So…we turn towards heaven. Towards Hashem. In our tears, in our pain, in our anguish. Hashem, we say, why?? Why did this have to happen? Why do we have to go through something so intensely painful?
And this is where the process of completion begins.
It’s a process. A process of working on and strengthening our emunah in Hashem. That every single thing that happens is for the good. We may not see it right now. We may not be able to fathom it when we are in such intense pain but it is the ultimate truth.
Hashem is running the world. Hashem is running our world. The teeny little world we live in…surrounded by our friends and family, which includes our many hurts, our aches and our pains. And every thing that happens in our own little world is for the good.
Sometimes we are blessed to get a small glimpse into the good, a small ray of light, an opening for the potential for something better to come out of the pain we are going through. Other times, we only see darkness, we feel so broken, we do not know how we will go on…and we simply do not understand.
But…it is for the good.
It takes work. It takes a lot to internalize that message. That no matter what is going on in our lives, there is a purpose for it. That there is a reason for all the pain we are put through in this world. And not only is there a reason, there is a good reason. The pain is there for something good. Something good will come out of this.
My heart may be broken but I am working on my emunah. On making myself so complete and so whole in my trust and belief in Hashem. On coming out so much stronger. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able say it was worth the pain, worth the hurt, worth the fact that my heart has been shattered into so many pieces but…I wasn’t given a choice.
And once I am where I am, I will work on picking up the pieces of my broken heart and using the pain to make my heart more complete...more complete in my trust in Hashem, that every single thing He does, whether I understand it or not-is for the good.
There is nothing more whole than a broken heart. I am slowly learning that.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Teshuva-R' Miller
QUESTION:
If a person is still continuing to do aveiros, is there any sense in doing teshuva?
ANSWER:
Absolutely! And he should ask Hakadosh Baruch Hu for help that he should stop. I'll explain that. When a person does an aveiro and he's happy with it, then it's a much greater sin. If a person does an aveiro, but he is ashamed and he's sorry that he's doing it, it's subtracted from his punishment. Yes, even though he still does it.
The Chofetz Chaim, zichrono l'ivrocha, wrote a sefer for Jewish soldiers. In those days when they were drafted into the Russian army they had to eat treifa foods. So he said, “If you must eat treifa food then don't suck the juice out of the bones.” Which means, don't show that you enjoy it. You're only eating it to save your life from starving. And so when a person does a chet, a sin, even a big chet, a mechalel shabbos, but he's sorry he was mechalel shabbos, it's already a madreiga. To be sorry is a madreiga, you have achieved something. Of course it's not teshuva sheleima, very far from it, but it's a very big thing. Haoseh aveiro umisbayeish bo, he's ashamed, it's a very big thing.
And therefore it pays even for sinners to ask Hashem to forgive them. Only they should add, “…and please Hashem help me that I should make a real perfect teshuva.”
To subscribe to weekly emails with questions and answers from R' Avigdor Miller zt"l, click here.
If a person is still continuing to do aveiros, is there any sense in doing teshuva?
ANSWER:
Absolutely! And he should ask Hakadosh Baruch Hu for help that he should stop. I'll explain that. When a person does an aveiro and he's happy with it, then it's a much greater sin. If a person does an aveiro, but he is ashamed and he's sorry that he's doing it, it's subtracted from his punishment. Yes, even though he still does it.
The Chofetz Chaim, zichrono l'ivrocha, wrote a sefer for Jewish soldiers. In those days when they were drafted into the Russian army they had to eat treifa foods. So he said, “If you must eat treifa food then don't suck the juice out of the bones.” Which means, don't show that you enjoy it. You're only eating it to save your life from starving. And so when a person does a chet, a sin, even a big chet, a mechalel shabbos, but he's sorry he was mechalel shabbos, it's already a madreiga. To be sorry is a madreiga, you have achieved something. Of course it's not teshuva sheleima, very far from it, but it's a very big thing. Haoseh aveiro umisbayeish bo, he's ashamed, it's a very big thing.
And therefore it pays even for sinners to ask Hashem to forgive them. Only they should add, “…and please Hashem help me that I should make a real perfect teshuva.”
To subscribe to weekly emails with questions and answers from R' Avigdor Miller zt"l, click here.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Teamwork
I would like to share the following inspiring poem with you since we are now at the start of a new school year.
Unity
By: Ray A. Lingenfelter
I dreamed I stood in a studio
And watched two sculptures there.
The clay they used was a young child's mind
And they fashioned it with care.
One was a teacher-the tools she used
Were book, music and art.
The other, a parent, worked with a guiding hand
And a gentle loving heart.
Day after day, the teacher toiled with touch
That was careful, deft, and sure.
While the parent labored by his side
And polished and smoothed it o'er.
And at last when their work was done
They were proud of what they had wrought.
For the things they molded into the child
Could neither be sold nor bought.
And each agreed they would have failed
If each had worked alone.
For behind the parent stood the school
And behind the teacher, the home.
Labels:
Poem
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Always Watching
I posted this before and wanted to share this with you again.
We are now right at the start of Chodesh Elul. It’s the beginning of a big month, a month that we all hope to fill with change and growth. Change does not happen on it’s own – it’s something that requires work, time, thought and effort.
I learned that the Jewish calendar year can be compared to a spiral staircase – although we have the same yomim tovim every year, we are (hopefully) climbing higher and higher every time we reach that point in the calendar. The year goes in a circle and we come to the same spot again every year but we hope that this year we are at a higher level than we were on last year.
It is a very big challenge to keep climbing and going higher. It can be compared to standing on an escalator that is going downward. If you do not make sure to step up, you will automatically be going downwards. It's a climb! But it is definitely worth it when you reach the top.
One way to make sure you utilize the time during Elul to the fullest is by thinking shivisi Hashem l'negdi samid - (I always have Hashem before me) as many times as you can throughout your day. This pasuk is so powerful and can change the way you act at any moment.
For example, if you think about this pasuk on your way to work/school/camp activity, you can try to come up with ways to bring Hashem into your day more. If you are about to make a bracha, this can help enhance your kavannah. Thinking about it can cause you to refrain from negative speech because if you remember that Hashem is watching you, you will not want to do the wrong thing! When you are faced with a decision and are unsure what to do and this thought comes to mind, it will surely help you gain more clarity.
Give yourself a time during the day when you will think about it - at least once. It can be while you eat breakfast or lunch, before you check your emails or even while you are on the phone with someone. You can let this pasuk go through your mind when you have some quiet time in middle of your day.
There is a famous story about the Chofetz Chaim who had hired a wagon driver to take him somewhere. While they were passing a farm, the driver abruptly stopped the wagon and climbed down in order to steal something from the farmer. He left the Chofetz Chaim in the wagon as a lookout. As the driver embarked on his mission, the Chofetz Chaim called out: "He's looking!" The driver raced back to the wagon, spurred the horses to a vigorous gallop and made his getaway, the Chofetz Chaim in tow.
But how can we make it more real to us?
By thinking about this pasuk, shivisi Hashem l'negdi samid more often during the course of your day, you will be more aware of Hashem's presence in your life. This will help you think twice before you act and help you make the right choices - positive choices.
Hatzlacha!
Inspiration gained from this post should be a zechus for the aliyas neshama of my friend's mother, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bas R' Yechiel whose sixth yartzheit is tonight, Beis Elul.
We are now right at the start of Chodesh Elul. It’s the beginning of a big month, a month that we all hope to fill with change and growth. Change does not happen on it’s own – it’s something that requires work, time, thought and effort.
I learned that the Jewish calendar year can be compared to a spiral staircase – although we have the same yomim tovim every year, we are (hopefully) climbing higher and higher every time we reach that point in the calendar. The year goes in a circle and we come to the same spot again every year but we hope that this year we are at a higher level than we were on last year.
It is a very big challenge to keep climbing and going higher. It can be compared to standing on an escalator that is going downward. If you do not make sure to step up, you will automatically be going downwards. It's a climb! But it is definitely worth it when you reach the top.
One way to make sure you utilize the time during Elul to the fullest is by thinking shivisi Hashem l'negdi samid - (I always have Hashem before me) as many times as you can throughout your day. This pasuk is so powerful and can change the way you act at any moment.
For example, if you think about this pasuk on your way to work/school/camp activity, you can try to come up with ways to bring Hashem into your day more. If you are about to make a bracha, this can help enhance your kavannah. Thinking about it can cause you to refrain from negative speech because if you remember that Hashem is watching you, you will not want to do the wrong thing! When you are faced with a decision and are unsure what to do and this thought comes to mind, it will surely help you gain more clarity.
Give yourself a time during the day when you will think about it - at least once. It can be while you eat breakfast or lunch, before you check your emails or even while you are on the phone with someone. You can let this pasuk go through your mind when you have some quiet time in middle of your day.
There is a famous story about the Chofetz Chaim who had hired a wagon driver to take him somewhere. While they were passing a farm, the driver abruptly stopped the wagon and climbed down in order to steal something from the farmer. He left the Chofetz Chaim in the wagon as a lookout. As the driver embarked on his mission, the Chofetz Chaim called out: "He's looking!" The driver raced back to the wagon, spurred the horses to a vigorous gallop and made his getaway, the Chofetz Chaim in tow.
When
they had gotten a safe distance away, the wagon driver turned to the
Chofetz Chaim and asked, "Who was it that saw me?" The Chofetz Chaim
gestured upwards and said, "He sees everything."
Yes, we all know Hashem is always watching us and sees everything we do.
But how can we make it more real to us?
By thinking about this pasuk, shivisi Hashem l'negdi samid more often during the course of your day, you will be more aware of Hashem's presence in your life. This will help you think twice before you act and help you make the right choices - positive choices.
Hatzlacha!
Inspiration gained from this post should be a zechus for the aliyas neshama of my friend's mother, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bas R' Yechiel whose sixth yartzheit is tonight, Beis Elul.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Missing: One Detail
My family gathered together at my brother's kever as we do every year. We had just started the tefillos when someone's cell phone rang.
Why didn't they put their phone on silent? I thought to myself.
I turned to see whose phone just rang. It was my mother's. She picked up the call.
Why is she picking up the phone?? She knows we are at the kever now. My mother, of all people, should know that now is not the right time or place to be on the phone.
As I listened to her side of the conversation, I understood exactly why she left her ringer on and why she picked up. At my brother's kever. She was expecting this call. Someone had called to give her a name to daven for. I could tell from my mother's response that the person on the other line also mentioned something they would be doing as a zechus for my brother's neshama.
It's so easy to jump to conclusions. We see people doing things that look or seem strange and we guess and wonder. Even when we know it's so not like them to do that.
We need to try, instead of judging favorably, not to judge at all. Think I don't know why she did that. But knowing her, she must have had a good reason. If it's too hard not to judge at all because your brain is already on a little road trip, then try to come up with excuses for why the person may have done what they did.
A great way to work on this is to turn the tables around for a minute. Think to yourself, if this would have been me, what would be my reasons for doing that? It's so much easier to come up with excuses for your own behavior than to figure out why someone else may have done something.
There are so many dan l'kaf zechus stories. So many times, you are just missing one detail and if you had that little piece of information, the whole story comes out differently.
Something came up one morning and I was going to be late for work. I sent my coworker a text message letting her know I'd be late and another one later when I was on my way. There was no response to any of my texts but I assumed things had been busy and she didnt get to respond.
Later that night, she told me that after her battery died and she charged it, she turned her phone back on and a whole bunch of messages popped up on her screen. She had been wondering why I never let her know I'd be late to work that day...and there was her answer. I did let her know but she never got my messages.
She knew it was so not like me to roll in to work so late without letting her know in advance. She didn't jump to conclusions but she just wondered what was up and why I acted in a way that was a little less than responsible. It took a little time...and then she got her answer.
Sometimes you'll guess and you'll be right. Right on the mark for the reason the person acted that way. Other times you'll never know the real reason. But as long as in your head you are seeing things positively and if you are wondering you are judging favorably, you are doing good.
Just remember: there is so much you don't know. There are so many details to the story you may never know. Try to look at people and situations with a positive eye. Come up with excuses for others-the same excuses you'd come up with for yourself if you were in the same place.
You will be doing a world of good for yourself and for the people you come in contact with. You will be more positive when you are not pointing fingers and getting upset with people when you may just be missing one small detail. And those around you will enjoy being in the company of someone who is pleasant and positive.
May you always be able to view things in a positive light and refrain from judging people and situations in the wrong way. May working on this make your own little world a happier place to be.
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