Shiur Wednesday Night

Shiur Wednesday Night

There will be a shiur for women this wed. night [it is a segulah to have a "wed." soon:)] at 9:10pm at 115 Central Park West 72nd street apt. 9b.

Admission: A smile. If you can't pay at the door you will probably pay at some point during the shiur.

Blessings:)!

written by yosef shiminov

YOUR WAY, MY WAY, AND THE HIGHWAY

This Tuesday night we celebrate the holiday of Shavuot, the day Hashem gave us the Torah as a gift. It was a miraculous day, a day when G-d spoke directly to all the Jewish people at once. The day when we Jews proclaimed "WE WILL DO AND WE SHALL LISTEN" to all of G-d's 613 commandments. The day G-d crowned us and called us his chosen people, a light upon the nations.

The Torah was given to us to be our guide in life, to direct us and teach us the proper way in life in order for us to attain a good life in this world and the world to come. As is well known everything that a person does in life no matter how mundane could be considered a Mitzvah if done with the proper intentions. Likewise every person is unique and each person has certain talents that others do not possess, and everyone can use their own special abilities in their service of G-d.

Unfortunately, today many Jews think they must follow one rigid path in order to do what is proper in the eyes of G-d. Rabbi Yaakov Kamentzkey related when talking about how Yeshiva Torah Vodaath was different and greater than most Yeshivas, "most Yeshivas are like a bed in Sodom", they try to make you fit the bed, they try to mold you, they want everyone to be the same, walk the same, talk the same and just do everything the same. But this is not what G-d wants, we see this from the fact that on the first Shavuot G-d spoke to each and every Jew directly and therefore expects each and every Jew to use their special talents when serving G-d. It is as if there are many paths that lead to the same one goal, the goal of becoming a better person, and becoming holier Jew by drawing closer to G-d. This is possibly what King Shlomo meant when he wrote in Mishelay (the Book of Proverbs 3:17) "All its [Torah] ways are pleasant and all its paths are peace". That all the paths that are used to serve G-d are great, as long as it is consistent with Halachah (Jewish Law) and authentic Tradition.

In the first Mishnah of the second chapter of Ethics of our Fathers Rabbe (Rabbi Judah HaNasi, redactor and editor of all the Mishnayot) states "Which is the proper path that a person should choose for himself? Whatever [path] is a credit to himself and earns him esteem of fellow men." Based on this Rabbi Simcha Bunim of P'shis'cha would emphasize that people should maintain their own individuality while defining their way of serving G-d; merely to imitate others is a grave error. G-d invests every individual with a unique set of abilities, talents, and faults, and it is with these that G-d wants him to serve him. Because Rabbe could have simply said "The proper path is to adhere to the Torah and the Mitzvot" but instead Rabbe says to choose a path that "is a credit to himself" a path that is unique to the individual.

But let us also not forget to respect the pathways of others. The Midrash states: Just as one persons facial features are different from another person, so do people's ideas differ (Tanchuma; Pinchas 10). Just as one cannot be upset with another for having a nose that is different than his, so to one must respect the opinions of others. This concept is also reflected in this Mishnah as it says "and earns him esteem of fellow men" since by respecting others he is also gets respected. We must never fault legitimate choices of other just because it is different than what we do. As long as it is consistent with Halachah (Jewish Law) and authentic Tradition, it may and should, reflect the individuality of its practitioner.

It is well known that the second Temple was destroyed because gratuitous hatred was rampant in society. But hopefully this year when we understand and accept other peoples Kosher Paths to G-d, and we can rectify the hatred with love for our fellow Jews, Mashiach will come and establish the Third and final Temple in Jerusalem.

Chizuk for the day. Aish.com

Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the Universe ... (Siddur)

Many times each day, we recite various blessings to remind ourselves that God is King of the Universe.
While a person may be tempted to do things that defy the Divine will, the Baal Shem Tov suggests a simple technique that can help withstand temptation.
He gave the parable of a king who wished to test the loyalty of his subjects. He summoned one of his officers and instructed him to go among the masses and attempt to incite a rebellion. By observing who acceded to this agitator, the king could gauge the loyalty or disloyalty of his subjects. One wise man approached by the instigator reasoned that it was unthinkable that so powerful a monarch would allow such a traitor to move about so freely. Hence, he concluded, the rebel must be acting with the king's consent, and his ultimate purpose was to test the loyalty of the populace. So the wise man immediately rejected the instigator.
Our recognition of God as a monarch, as the Absolute Ruler of the Universe, should make it apparent that any instigation to defy the Divine will is a test of our loyalty. Indeed, the evil inclination [
yetzer hara] is merely carrying out its mission to seduce us to sin, but since the
yetzer hara too is in the Divine service, it really does not wish us to submit to its seduction. Ironically, one who submits to the seduction of the
yetzer hara is not only transgressing the Divine will but even disappointing the
yetzer hara. It is like the diabetic who submits to his desire for sweets. Far from indulging himself, he is harming himself.

Today I shall ...... try to realize that nothing in the world can exist other than by the Divine will, and that anything that appears to be in defiance of the Divine will can only be a test

CHAG SAMEACH

-Divrei Chizuk-

Let's all be mispalel and say to Hashem

"PLEASE HASHEM

This Shavuos; Kabolas HaTorah!

PLEASE

Bring us all HOME

to be together again

AS ONE NATION

Do it for Your sake,

Do it for the sake of Your Holy Torah You gave us

for we are all unworthy,

Remember Avraham Yitzchak & Yakov

Remember all what we have gone through over 3,000 yrs

ALL FOR YOU-

OUR FATHER, OUR CREATOR, OUR FRIEND

We are so lost with out YOU

SAVE US-SAVE US-

LET'S GO HOME''.

HEY GUYS,

Hope you're all enjoying summer vacation so far.

I had the zechus this week to meet with a VERY special guy who started this organization called Am Segula... Am Segula is a non profit organization that will change the world. Using the drive of students and young adults with meaningful aspirations, it is our mission to give back to those who are in need. Because our unique and powerful life experiences we realize the importance of charity and the impact it has on the Jewish community. Only an Am Segula, a treasured nation, can revolutionize the world we live in.

How you can help:

With our multiple branches reaching out, we have the opportunity to impact others in many meaningful ways. Through Chagim for Chayaliim, The lone solder center, our unique connection with American Army bases, and many more programs, we have manifested our impact on the Jewish community.

I thought it would be an AWESOME SUMMER activity for us to get together and play dodgeball, and raise money for an amazing organization like this.

the date were aiming for is wednesday June 15Th!

I Know all these emails get annoying, but PLEASE email me back if youre interested in participating. and please feel free to forward to any other girl you think would be interested!

THANKS =)

Please contact Erin @ erinnweinreich@gmail.com

(Thank you Erin for all the chesed you do for Am Yisroel! and for planning this amazing event for us to take part in!)