Your Face

The Three Weeks are here again. We are fasting, once more, still in this galus...still waiting for the beis hamikdosh to be rebuilt.

As we know, the purpose of a fast day is to bring us to do teshuva. When we refrain from eating, hopefully, our brains are less distracted by the foods we would be eating and we can focus on things that are important-the changes we would like to make, that we save for some other day...and we can actually use this day to accomplish something good, to become a better person in a small way.

Bein adam lachaveiro-these are three little words that include so much.

Throughout the day, we interact with many different people-on the phone, in person and even in writing-text, chat, email, and perhaps some old fashioned pen to paper letter writing.

There are things we can do to improve and to enhance our interactions with those we come in contact with.

I want to focus on one area-an area that may be easy for some people and more of a challenge for others.

I recently told someone about the concept of "your face is public property" and she found that thought so profound. She never heard it expressed that way and she loved it.

Let's face it. Some days are just plain hard. We're not in the mood of smiling. We don't want to "fake it til we make it". 

But...did Hashem create us with a mirror in front of our face so we can see ourselves all day? 

Who sees us when we go outside? 

Should we be walking around with a sour expression on our faces when there's a world out there with people looking at us? 

If you had a garden in front of your house, how would you want it to look? Would you like a nice, manicured front lawn with beautiful flowers for everyone to look at and enjoy (if they weren't so busy with their cell phones texting and browsing all day lol)? Or would you want a garden with overgrown leaves and weeds and some poison ivy just to top it off? :)

What kind of message do you want to give over to people who see you?

When you get dressed in the morning, don't you check to make sure your shirt is not stained, you look neat and put together and that there's no chas v'shalom...gasp...run in your tights? :-)

So...ask yourself each morning...before you leave your house...how well dressed is my face? And I'm not talking about makeup-although that does help sometimes. The expression on your face is just as important...if not more so.

Remember...your face is public property. 

Keep it beautiful...keep it happy...and let that positivity spread to others.

May Hashem give you many reasons to keep that smile pasted on your face...every single day!

Modeh Ani

The sun slowly lights up the black sky
Beautiful colors of red, orange and yellow
Mixed with shades of pink and purple too
Slowly, she yawns, stretches, rubs her eyes
Opening them slowly

Modeh Ani
She whispers
Thank you, Hashem
For giving me
Another chance
Another day
Another beginning

Yesterday...is over
To learn from mistakes

Tomorrow...is uncertain
Full of questions and worries

But today...today is here
To try again
To work hard
To live

Modeh Ani
She says
Thank you, Hashem
For giving me
Another day
Another breath
Of life
Of the greatest gift

Thank you, Hashem
For believing in me
Once more
For waking me up
Once more
And for...
Another day
Another chance
To begin again
Or continue where I left off
With new energy
With new perspective

Thank you, Hashem
For allowing me
To try again
To try to change
To try to work
To try to smile

Thank you, Hashem
For waking me up
Again

Thank you, Hashem
For the life you've given me

It may be tough
Some days
It may be rough
Other days
It may be hard
Sometimes
But...you believe in me
And so...you breathe into me
The greatest gift
The gift of life

Modeh Ani
She sings
Thank you, Hashem
For another morning
Another day
Another chance
To try
And...to live

Change

Change...is a scary word
Change...makes you feel absurd
Change...when you just don't know
Change...you don't want to go

But change...it has to happen soon
Because with change...you can reach the moon
If you don't change...you'll stay right where you are
Without change...you can't get too far

Yes change...it's a terrifying thing
But with change...inner happiness you'll bring
For with change...comes so much more
When you change...you open a new door

So...what are you waiting for?

Change.

It is so frightening
Feels like lightening
Amidst thunder
Crash
Boom
There's a little light
In middle of that night
Not sure where to go
Next
But you have to go
Move
Forward

Emotions...come with change

You're scared
You're not prepared
Don't know what will be
Is this for eternity?
Wish you could have a peek
Into a year, a month, even a week
But no
You must
Just
Go
Move
Foreword
Forge ahead
Instead
Of looking back
Even if it seems black
Soon
The room
Will be light
So bright
No more fright
You'll feel might-y
You did it
You took the plunge
Made that first move
Whether or not
You got
Approve-al
You changed
It's arranged
You're a new
You

Change...it's such a terrifying thing
Change...it's the only way to bring
Anything...new
Toward you
Inside you
Around you

Change...you can do it now
Change...even if you don't know how
Change...start with teeny steps
Change...take a deeeep breath

You can do it.
Go ahead...try it.

Change.

Change
Happens
And
New
Girl
Emerges

How's that for change?
It might feel strange...
At first
Don't burst
Let it happen
Make it happen

Change...it's for your good
Change...means doing what you should
Yes with change...new worlds open for you
After some change...you'll see how much you grew

So
Go
Ahead
Take
That 
First
Step
Make
That
Change.

Yes...it's scary
You...feel weary
But you...can do it
And you should...try.
To change.

Simple Pleasures

The morning sun
A new day, a new beginning
A good nights sleep
The most adorable children
A tasty breakfast
Fresh, clean clothing to wear
The cutest clothes for my little girl
Ears-I can hear my kids converse
They talk to each other like little adults
Energy-I need so much energy to take care of them
And I have it...usually (!!)
We made the school bus...again

Thank you...Hashem.

I can see
I can drive
I can think
I can park
And I do.
I find parking! :)

Thank you...Hashem.

My head works well
I can figure out solutions
Help other people
While I work
Things work out
My work day ends
Time for part two
I make it home in time
In time for my kids and their bus

Thank you...Hashem.

The kids have so much energy
They have so much to say
About their day
Supper-it works
The kids eat their food
Not all of it
But they eat

Thank you...Hashem

They take their baths nicely
Even spill some water out of the tub
But that's all part of the fun
The fun of having little kids
Little kids to take care of
To love
To hug
To kiss
To sing to
To get annoyed with :)
And to discipline
Wrap them in towels
Wrap them in hugs
They get into pajamas nicely
Play a little bit
And then it's bedtime
We say Shema, sing some songs
Give lots of kisses, and sing some more
Close the door...
The kids drift off
Yeah...right!
What a night!
But it's worth it...
Because I have them
And wouldn't trade them
For anything
Anything in the world
The house is quiet...eventually
Time for my night
To begin
I begin to write...
This
Instead of doing
Working
Cleaning
I take some time
To think
To thank
To think about
And to thank
Hashem
For the simple pleasures
For the little things
He has given me
I am...so blessed

Thank you...Hashem.

A Different Connection

There is something I once heard about our relationship with Hashem that I would like to share with you.

Sometimes, when going through the tests that come along with real life, we start to question and challenge things that may have been part of the foundations of our emunah. It's not such a great feeling...to know that we have these doubts. And it makes us feel distant when we have the big WHY in our head.

Why is this happening?
Hashem...why are you doing this to me? This is too hard.

A person can start to feel like they are disconnected from Hashem. Like asking and questioning is sure proof of how far they have gone.

What happened to the good Bais Yaakov girl they once were? What happened to the idealism? What happened to the hashkafos that were so ingrained in them?

They used to accept everything they heard at any speech, class or lecture without challenging any of it. They used to drink in spirituality whenever they read or heard anything inspiring.

Suddenly, it's not so easy anymore. Suddenly, they aren't so sure that things are the way people say they are. Who says anything is so true? How does anyone really know the reasons and the answers? 
 
So they begin to ask...why questions, questions of uncertainty, questions that search for clarity. Sometimes they verbalize them-when there is someone to ask, and other times they keep them inside, because those questions seem like...too much. But they are there-the skepticism, the doubts, the confusion. 

Is this all a clear sign of how far they strayed from Him? 

In truth, all of this shows just how deeply they were hurt by, but at the same time connected to, Hashem. Those questions come from a burning desire for closeness, understanding and clarity. They ask because really, what they want is an end to the difficulties...for things to be somewhat easier...and they want to understand, they want to be close, even while going through such strong and difficult tests.

Many of us think of a relationship with Hashem in positive terms, like noticing Hashem in the good things, appreciating Him and asking Him for things when we need. But there's a different connection, a bond just as real and as close, in the complaining and asking why.

Why is that so?

When a person turns TO Hashem when they're upset...or just plain frustrated...and they don't turn away from Him, it shows they still have that kesher. They KNOW the difficulties they are experiencing are from Him and they're annoyed at Him, almost as if they're saying, How could you do this to me? How could you pile this on-on top of everything else I'm dealing with?? Since the person continues to acknowledge and talk to Him, with the awareness that it all comes from Hashem, it shows that they are still so very close.

This can be compared to someone who comes to their father/mother when they are fuming mad at him/her for doing something to them-knowing that it came directly from their parent. The child does not cut off ties with them because of what was done, no matter how upset he is. The child is still talking to their father or mother. The two of them still have that connection...and it's a very strong one. This bond is so powerful and it will keep them close even when they are angry or hurt.

When a person reaches inside themselves when they are experiencing real challenges, when they start to question everything they hear, they may feel distant. But really, this is an expression of the pain they're in, of the depth of the soul connection they have with the One Above, albeit not a connection one would use to describe closeness. But honestly, it IS a connection of closeness, of yearning, of desire...and yes, of love. Love amidst anger and pain but love nonetheless.

There are different stages of our relationship with Hashem. Sometimes it is positive and easy and other times it is tough-but one must remember that at all points, that connection is never severed. The bond is there, always.

May you be able to always feel close to Hashem...no matter what kind of connection you have.

Traffic

Have you ever sat in bumper to bumper traffic on a highway, watching the cars on the other side breeze past you? They're all driving so fast while you're stuck waiting for the car ahead of you to move up a bit...

You wish you were on the other side too, moving quickly like all those lucky cars. But you know that there is no use in wishing, no point in being jealous. Because if you'd be on the other side, you wouldn't reach your destination. You just took a big trip and you want to get back home. For you, that is the wrong side of the highway; taking it would bring you right back where you came from. And that's not exactly where you want to go.

Life.

Life has been compared to many different thing by many bright and intellectual people.

This time, I'm using the comparison of the highway of life.

Sometimes in life, you wish you could take the easier, faster route. You wish it wouldn't take so long for the changes you want to just...happen.

You're waiting, hoping (and hopefully praying) for your yeshuah to come.

But you feel like you are sitting in traffic...and nothing is moving, nothing is changing.

You don't see any progress.

From time to time, the car ahead of you moves, just a few inches or maybe a few feet.

But then you're stuck again...stuck in the traffic on your highway of life.

You look to the other side of the road and you see so many cars, zooming by...and you eye them with a twinge of jealousy. You wish you could also go for a smooth, quick ride and arrive at your destination. But you know, deep down, that if you were to travel on the other side of the road, you would not reach the place you hope for.

But...that doesn't stop you from looking at those cars, those people, with a wishful eye, a feeling of yearning in your heart.

Eventually, there will be a point where the traffic will clear. You will make it through this challenge, as long as you keep driving, as long as you keep moving...and as long as you never give up hope.

You will get to where you want to. You will reach your destination. Keep your eyes on the goal, even as you continue to be human and glance at the other side of the highway from time to time.

Keep hoping for that clear path, when the obstacles that have been in your way are removed and you could zoom forward...and achieve that which you have been waiting for. Lift your eyes to the heavens and daven. Daven to Hashem to help you make it through your traffic jam intact, and become a better person, a stronger person.

May you be able to go through the highway of your life with the right attitude, knowing that no matter what kind of traffic jam you are stuck in, Hashem will clear the road for you one day...and you will get what you have been waiting for!

Where

I'm playing Badminton with my son on shabbos afternoon. The birdie goes flying and I can't find it.

"Where is it?" I ask my son.

"Right over there," he says, pointing to a spot right near me. I just had to turn my head to look and there it was.

I never even bothered looking, I think to myself.

I am suddenly struck with a powerful thought.

How many times in our lives do we ask, "Hashem...where are you?" without even bothering to look for Him?

How many times, when things are confusing and unclear, do we wonder where Hashem is hiding...when we haven't even made any effort to search for Him?

Is it that hard to find Hashem?

Look out for Him...open your eyes...and you will find Him.

It is not so hard.

He is here. He is right here. All you have to do is look for Him.

Lag Ba'omer-Tefillah With Tears

Lag Ba’omer is a day of great simcha and joy. What is the reason for our happiness on this day?

We all know that it is the day that Rebbe Akiva’s talmidim stopped dying and it is also the day that Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai was niftar. 

We fast on Gimmel Tishrei-Tzom Gedalia, because it was the day that the tzaddik of the generation, Gedalia, was niftar. Why then, on the day that the tzaddik Rebbe Shimon died, are we happy?

Rebbe Shimon revealed the Zohar, the sod-secrets of the Torah, on this day. It says “pekudei Hashem yesharim mesamchei lev”-the laws of Hashem are just and gladden the heart. Since this was the day that a deeper level of Torah was revealed, it is a day of tremendous inner simcha.

*   *   *

R’ Shimon’s parents, Yochai and Sara did not have children for many years. At a certain point, they planned to get divorced after Rosh Hashana of the coming year. On Rosh Hashana, Yochai had a dream. He was sitting near a tree and saw other trees around him being watered while his tree was watered with a special keili, a special pitcher.

He went to his rebbe, R’ Akiva and asked him for the meaning of his dream.

R’ Akiva told him, “There was a malach watering the trees of those who will have children in the coming year. Your wife is an akarah and cannot have children. However, since she davened and cried to Hashem with tears from her heart, the malach used a special pitcher containing all her tears and watered your tree. And this year, you will be blessed with a child!

And that was the year that little Shimon was born…who later became Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai.

We see from here the tremendous power of not just tefillah, but tefillah with tears. When someone davens to Hashem from their heart-whether it is with a siddur or without one-and they cry, those tefillos are extra special. They carry extra weight. 

So as we turn up the sound on the music we can finally listen to and our hearts fill with joy, let us remember the meaning behind this happy time. We are rejoicing because of the special depth of Torah that was revealed on this day. We are preparing ourselves for the giving of the Torah-the source of our inner happiness.

And let us remember that no matter what happens, a Jew can always daven to Hashem. When things are difficult and we cry out to Him, realize how much our He treasures our tears. Our tefillos are precious, Hashem wants to hear us and He does listen to us, at all times.

May you be able to feel true happiness and feel that close connection to Hashem always. Never stop davening for the things you are waiting for-and may you experience yeshuos in your personal life!

Blessings

Do we realize how blessed we are?

I'm packing up to go away for yom tov. There is so much to do, it's kind of overwhelming. I make a list and start going through it one thing at a time. As I pack, I look at the clothing I am taking and my heart fills with gratitude to Hashem.

Look at all these colors! I have so many choices of tops, sweaters, the perfect color shell...it's such a gift!

I start packing up my children. Baruch Hashem, they have plenty of clothing. I am so grateful. Little girls are so much fun to dress. My daughter has way too much to wear; I may not have to do any laundry while we are gone.

Is that normal?

I think back to just a few generations ago. How many dresses did a little girl own? One? If someone was a little more wealthy, maybe they had a second dress? I don't know. But they certainly couldn't compete with my daughter's wardrobe.

Hashem has given us so much good.

Look at our choices of clothing-colors, textures and a perfect, comfortable fit. We can buy a shell that matches to the top with such precision, it is truly amazing.

Do we realize how blessed we are?

I go into the tights store and decide to buy my daughter a pair of cute bobby socks. So many choices! And they make such pretty ones these days. My daughter will be a princess this yom tov. The woman shows me another few choices. I decide to take just one pair. How many socks does a little two-year old need anyway? How much am I spoiling my little girl? She already has so much. Does she need even more?

I think about the bounty our generation has been blessed with while I admire the pretty bows, flowers and headbands in the store.

Yes, we are truly blessed.

We only need to open our eyes and we will see...just how much good Hashem has showered upon us. It's easy to miss it...but sometimes it stares you right in the face.

May you be able to notice the good things you've been blessed with and may Hashem continue to shower you with loads of goodness and extra bracha!

Night of Questions

I am standing in the kitchen having a discussion with my son while I work. We are talking about the makkos, and my ever so curious boy has a lot of questions. He really wants to understand.

We go through the makkos one by one and I try my best to describe each of them to him.

I get up to makkas arov, that of the wild animals.

My son has a lot of questions.

"Why did the animals hurt the mitzriyim?" he wants to know.

I give a simple explanation.

"They were so mean to the yidden. The mitzriyim made them work really hard and they hurt them. So Hashem punished them. Are we allowed to hurt? Nooo. We have to be nice to other kinderlach."

I am feeling proud of myself for sticking that little lesson into our conversation.

But my son has his own take on it.

"Hashem is so mean." he tells me.

I stand there open-mouthed for a minute and I just want to pinch my son's cute cheeks.

I try to explain it to him a little more. I explain how Hashem punishes anyone who hurts the yidden and how hard the mitzriyim made the yidden work. How they hit them and the yidden used to cry.

I describe the different animals and what they did to hurt the mitzriyim. How some animals kicked with their feet and how the elephants hit with their trunks.

My son is so "there"; it seems like he is living the story along with those back in mitzrayim.

And then he says, "Mommy, who punished the animals?"

He realizes that no one gets away scot-free. And if the animals hurt the mitzriyim as a punishment for hurting the yidden, then the next step is that the animals must get punished too.

I am done. My mind is racing. I love the way this little kid thinks.

And I wonder...when do WE stop thinking and asking? When do our minds stop questioning and just accept everything we are told?

And more importantly...why?

Why don't we continue to ask?

In Judaism, not only aren't we afraid of questions, but questions are encouraged. We are supposed to ask, inquire, delve, learn and hopefully come out with a deeper understanding and feel more satisfied inside.

On Pesach night, parents do so many unusual things.

Why?

Kidei sheyishalu...so that the little children should ask.

But it's not only the little ones who should be asking.

All of us, no matter our age, should be encouraged to open our minds and our hearts and ask those questions that have be bothering us for some time. And if the Seder night is not the right time for it, save it for another time, but don't forget about it.

So hold on to this message...and never stop asking.

Because the more we ask, the more chances we have for answers. And answers add so much depth and meaning to our lives.

The Seder night is a night of questions. It's a time to think and a time to ask.

May you be able to achieve clarity amidst confusion, depth when you are searching for meaning and may you always find the right people to ask your questions to. And most of all...may you be able to get answers that satisfy you and make you feel like you can keep asking. There is so much growth you can attain when you ask and you learn!