Rav Moshe's greatness

For a long time Rav Moshe Feinstein was learning out of the same gemara. Finally after many, many years he was given a gift of a brand new set of shas with large margins so that he could write his many chidushei torah in. One time when Rav Moshe stepped away from his gemara one of the yeshiva students decided to look into his rosh yeshiva’s gemara to see what the Gadol Hador writes and thinks about when he is learning. As the boy leaned over to get a glimpse of the gemara he knocked over the ink well and blue ink ran all over the page of gemara. So ashamed and embarrassed over what he had done he had no idea how he was going to tell Rav Moshe that he had just ruined his brand new set of shas. While the boy was thinking about this Rav Moshe returned to his seat to find the boy and the ink on his gemara. He put his hand on the boys shoulder and said. “You know I think the gemara looks better in blue anyway.”

Praying with the Pope

My plan this summer was to finally take my very own euro trip! On my way to Israel I would stop somewhere I hadn't been before. So with my bags packed I flew on my own to Italy.
What's so incredible about being Jewish and being connected to all jews, is that you know people or at least people who know people everywhere. Jewish geography is incredible!
I arrived in Rome all alone and was lucky enough to have a friend of a friend meet me at the airport and show me around before dropping me at the train for my trip to Florence.
Florence and Rome; two magnificent cities. One can easily be overwhelmed by the sites and the beautiful details. Florence's Duomo or Cathedral, The Fountains of Rome, The 2000 year old Pantheon, and Vatican City. It was a treat to visit the Great Synagogue of Florence. In 1872 David Levi, donated enough money to build a synagogue "worthy of Florence".The design of the synagogue recalls the Muslim art of Moorish Spain. All the internal walls were decorated between 1882 and 1890 by a local painter: Giovanni Panti, who made use of gold-plating to highlight the Moorish designs. And in Rome it was exciting to attend a wedding at the Great Synagogue built from 1901 to 1904 on the banks of the Tiber, overlooking the former ghetto. It is said that the eclectic style of the building makes it stand out even in a city known for notable buildings and structures. This attention-grabbing design was a deliberate choice made by the community at the time who wanted the building to be a visible celebration of their freedom and to be seen from many vantage points in the city. Within the walls of both of these structures, I immediately felt at home. But beyond the few Jewish sites, it seems that everywhere one turns in these cities, one is staring at a church. Although I would have loved to see the interior of Brunelleschi's Dome in Florence and the interior of the Sistine Chapel in Rome with the famous ceiling painted by Michelangelo, I tended to limit my views to the exteriors avoiding the inside of the churches. Sitting outside the Vatican at the end of St Peter’s square and watching the throngs of people who flocked to visit the chapels, seeing the countless priests and nuns moving in every direction I was struck by a thought. I was speaking about my visit with my father who recalled that when he walked through Rome he would recount the Midrash Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi was visited by the Prophet Eliyahu. "When will the Mashiach come?" Ask him, replied the Prophet. The Mashiach is at the gates of Rome, sitting among the poor, the sick and wretched. Then Rebi Yehoshua went to Rome and met the Mashiach and asked "When will you be coming?" and was told "Today!" Yehoshua went back to Eliyahu and said that the Messiah had not told him the truth, because he had promised to come today but had not. Eliyahu explained "This is what he said to you, To-day, if you will hear his voice", a reference to Tehilim 95:7, making his coming conditional, yet the condition has not been fulfilled. As the three weeks begin and we mourn the loss of the Bet HaMikdash, sitting here by the Vatican of all places gives me an inkling of what we are missing. Why don't we have a home base? Where is our own magnificent Bet Hamikdash? Hashem promised us that when we built the Mishkan, Hashem’s Glory would dwell within us. When the Bet HaMikdash stood, Hashem’s presence was palpable. We had no doubts. Every one was religious – even though many wished to throw off the responsibility of being observant – no one could deny the truth in his heart of hearts Where is our Bet Hamidash today? It s not right! The Vatican – which cannot even compare - is there standing tall for all to see. We need our center, our place!!! In my mind’s eye I see what we could be if; if only we had our own holy house. Tomorrow I will be in Jerusalem. Tomorrow I will be by the Kotel. Tomorrow I will join our brothers and sister who pour their hearts out in front of this ancient wall; in front of this last vestige of our Temple. Now imagine if we had more then a wall! More then the outside wall!! Imagine how grand it would be. Imagine the pilgrimages we would make.This year I can mourn a little more our loss. Before I leave, I’ll walk the streets here in Rome. I’ll be searching for the Mashiach. I’ll apologize for his wounds. I’ll apologize for the delay. I know he can come today, but its all up to us and us starts with each of us. Us always begins with me! My shemonah esreh this week will have a bit more kavanah, especially the parts from Hashibenu through Boneh Yerushaayim. I’ve glimpsed the Mashiach. I’ve glimpsed at a fraction of what can be. Please Hashem, allow us to be deserving of seeing your splendor with our own eyes! Please release the Mashiach from his chains. May this Tisha BeAv be one where we go from sadness to joy. My we be zocheh to see the Mashiach on his throne and may the Temple be speedily built, Bimhera beyamenu, amen!

The 3 weeks....

If you had any qs about the three weeks here is where to look...

Its a shiur- all clearly typed out

click here!!!!

A big thank you Rav Ehrman for showing this to me!

anachnu maaminim ben maaminim!!!

This story was taken from aish.com, rabbi kalman packouz

We are "ma'aminim, b'nei ma'aminim" – believers, the children of believers. When Moses doubted if the Jewish people would believe that God had sent him to lead them out of Egypt, the Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah (Naso 7:5) tells us that God responded, "They are believers, the sons of believers ...". No matter how far a Jew sees himself from his heritage or belief in God, but when "push comes to shove" – underneath it all, the Jew believes in the Almighty.

Rabbi Noah Weinberg loved to illustrate this point with the following story: Many years ago, a 15 year old yeshiva boy sits in an Israeli hospital waiting room while his mother is having an operation. As is customary amongst Jews throughout history, he recites Tehillim (Psalms) as a source of merit for his mother and to give calm to his own worried soul.

In walks an old kibbutznik (a member of pioneering, largely anti-religious, collectives which helped settle and conquer the Land of Israel) – wearing his kova tembel (kibbutz hat), blue shirt, work shorts, sandals – and a sun wrinkled face adorned by a big bushy handlebar mustache.

The kibbutznik walks straight to the yeshiva boy and asks accusingly, "What are you doing?" The yeshiva boy is shocked and scared … and answers, "I am saying Tehillim – my mother is having an operation."

The kibbutznik then berates the boy, "Tehillim? Is that why we fought for this country? So that a young fellow like you could continue these medieval practices? You need to get rid of your superstitions! Live in the real world. Take that book and throw it out the window!"

The boy is stunned. Finally, he decides to change the focus of the conversation and asks, "What are you doing here?"

The kibbutznik replies, "I've come to take home the body of my son. The doctors are operating, but they have no hope. He's going to die!"

The boy is incredulous, "Are you crazy? Take this Tehillim! Pray!" And the kibbutznik responds, "Keep that superstitious, medieval book away from me!" and then went to the far end of the room to sit by himself.

An hour later, the doctor comes out of the operating room and says to the kibbutznik, "The operation was a success. Your son will live!"

What does the old kibbutznik do? He stands up, reaches his hands towards heaven and cries out, "Shema Yisroel, A-donoy E-loheinu, A-donoy Echad!" – "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One!"

What possibly possessed the kibbutznik to cry out the watchword of the Jewish people, the proclamation of the Jewish people's belief in God from the time of our patriarchs? We know the answer – "ma'aminim, b'nei ma'aminim" – believers, the children of believers.

You can take the Jew out of the Torah ... but you can't take the belief in God out of the Jew!

The story of the Moth

A Special needs child wanted to talk to Rabbi Wallerstein.

A Butterfly is a caterpillar that goes through metamorphosis. It suffers a lot in its cocoon to result as a beautiful butterfly. Sometimes we need to suffer in this world, but the end result is beautiful.

This special needs child came to Rabbi Wallerstein and said, "Rabbi, I want to tell you the story of the moth. There was once a grandmother sitting on the porch with her grand daughter. There were a lot of butterflies all around them, and then suddenly a moth landed on the balcony. The granddaughter took off her shoe to kill it and the grandmother said “don’t kill the moth, until I tell you the story of the moth. When Hashem created the world, He created thousands of butterflies, and He didn’t create a moth. And Hashem decided right before Shabbat he was going to create a rainbow. The world was going to be destroyed so he had to make a colorful rainbow to show that from then on the world will never be destroyed again. But Hashem had no more colors left, so he came to the butterflies and said ‘please give me your colors so that I could make a rainbow’. The butterflies answered, “We’re not giving it to You. Hashem you gave us these colors we’re not giving them back." But a large group of butterflies came to Hashem and said “Hashem you are the creator of the world! If you want to make a sign of peace for the world, we will give up our colors for the rainbow.” The grandmother turns to her granddaughter on the porch and tells her, “you see that moth? That’s a Butterfly, that gave up its colors. That’s more beautiful than the butterfly that has its colors.”
This special needs girl told Rabbi Wallerstein this story and he didn’t know for what, where, how, who, why? But anytime he hears a story he knows it’s from shamayim. He looked at this girl and said “I got it. I know why you're telling me this story. You gave up who you really are to somebody else in this world. You are more beautiful than a regular person walking on the earth, because you gave up your colors.

98% of moths comes from the same species as the butterly. Google search it! A moth becomes a moth the same way a butterfly becomes a butterfly. Starts off as a caterpillar, goes through metamorphisis, goes through a cocoon and all the suffering, to come out as a simple moth.

Everyone in this world has beauty. Some can teach, some have money, some are good at art... The point of this world is not to show off your beauty to the world and flaunt your colors. The greatest beauty is to give someone else your beauty. To help out others in need.

May we all be zoche to spread our qualities for good use to those around us and help those that we can that are in need.

This dvar torah was given by Rabbi Wallerstein from www.torahanytime.com

Rav Ehrman- applying karbanos to our lives!!

- i know he has his own blog but i found this on yutorah-

I think that the good and the great are only separated by the willingness to sacrifice.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar


We are now entering the nine days when we mourn the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. Mourning?? Well, when was the last time you ran into someone and asked how things are. "Lousy" , he answers. "I was at the zoo today and I saw a sheep and I got sooooo depressed because all I wanted to do was bring it as a sacrifice in the Beis Hamikdash." Or how about this line:" I am so excited that we are starting to read Sefer Vayikra so that once again we can learn hilchos korbanos. Which innards go on the mizbeach and which don't. How to separate the head of a bird from the rest of its body. How many times to sprinkle the blood on the mizbeach for the various korbanos. EXCITING!!" How many people say korbanos in the morning before davening? How many people who DO say it are actually excited about it?

So sweetest friends, the problem is, how can we get excited about the prospect of once again bringing korbanos.

If one sees a korban as some animal going on an altar and being burned – well then, that is not so meaningful for me [unless I am an animal rights activist…]. But let's say one puts on the glasses of the Ramban. That every person has an animalistic part to them [called in Kabbalah the "Nefesh HaBehemis"] and the animal going on the mizbeach represents ME. I am sacrificing myself to Hashem. Now we are talking!! Ribbono Shel Olam, you have given me everything. You are the Source Of All Being and I would GLADLY give myself completely over to you. But you are a merciful G-d and do not desire human sacrifice, so all you require is that I sacrifice this animal as a mere representation of myself. This will atone for my sins and bring me closer to the Source Of All Good. That is why a korban is composed of "karev nun" – it brings us close to the fiftieth gate of wisdom which according to the gemara in Rosh Hashana, eluded even Moshe Rabbeinu.

The idolators also used to bring sacrifices in their temples but we know that their religions were also the source of moral corruption. Rav Kook explains that we sacrifice specifically in the Beis Hamikdash, which represents the INTELLECT, as that is where the Sanhedrin sat. We are not only giving our flesh over to G-d but our intellect as well. We elevate our entire beings to Hashem resulting in an increased level of Kedusha. That is why it is called the Beis HAMIKDASH – The House Of Holiness. One must be pure in order to enter and when one leaves he has risen many rungs on the spiritual ladder to Heaven. Indeed the Zohar says that the Beis Hamikdash is the place where heaven and earth kiss.

May we merit speedily in our days to feel the closeness and intimacy with Hashem that is only possible in His home – Habayis Hashlishi habanui litiferes biyerushaliyim masos kol ha'aretz.

AMEN!!!!!!!

Holy Woman!

This shabbos I started reading Holy Woman by Sara Yocheved Rigler, the biography of Rebbetzin Chaya Sara Kramer a huge tzadekkes and her husband, a huge tzaddik. I don't know if it's for everyone but if you're interested in that sort of thing I highly recommend it- it's really inspiring!

Have a great summer!!

"Bittersweet" Galus

There once lived a king in an extraordinary palace with his twelve sons whom he adored. As they grew it became apparent each son possessed unique qualities making them special in the king's eyes. But the sons viewed their brothers' qualities as less respectable than their own and began to fight with one another. With a heavy heart, the king banished them from his palace, sending them away each in their own direction, while he went into hiding until he saw there was peace among them and they could get along. The years passed and although tragedy after tragedy befell the brothers briefly uniting them, they still fought bitterly. Painfully the king watched, as many of his sons were lost and killed. He longed to welcome them back under his wings and protect his sweet sons from the horrors they experienced but knew he must stay true to his word. The king watched sadly from afar waiting for the day when he could once again welcome the children he loved so dearly into his palace to live together. Till this day the king still waits for his children to get along with each other so they can enjoy all he has to offer them.

It is quite obvious who the characters in this mashal are; we are the sons and the king is Hashem. This erev shabbos I watched as a cluster of jewish children played together on my block. The scene was quite bittersweet. On the one hand, jewish children playing together is always a heart warming scene. But when you listen closely and hear them speaking in perfect english, or any other language besides lashon hakodesh to some extent it should break your heart. This is by no means mussar to say that we should not learn English or anything secular or mussar to make aliyah but simply an attempt to recognize that as wonderful as we may have it wherever we live Baruch Hashem bli ayen harah, if it's not in Eretz Yisrael, it's not home. Because in many places we are able to live freely and practice as we please Baruch Hashem (!!) it is very easy to forget THIS IS STILL GALUS! Even in Israel, we have no Beis Hamikdash and Hashem still remains hidden from view. Do not get me wrong, it is incredible we have so many opportunities at our feet and even have the ability to walk about freely in the land Hashem gave to us! Those who live in New York or other large jewish communities know how it is not very challenging to be a frum yid- kosher food, hundreds of shuls, schools... It is so easy to fall into the trap of thinking- forget all the opportunities we have and all the material things we have- it is so easy to be a good Jew, what more do we need?! I say this because I myself find I sometimes slip into the habit of getting too comfortable where I am. This is the challenge of our galus- no matter how amazing it may seem to be and we must never get too cozy here and forget what it really is.

We should focus our efforts on the geulah and how only we have the ability to bring it closer. Our familial battles are plastered over all the headlines even though we need to present a united front now more than ever. Instead of adding to the fire by choosing a side and speaking lashon hara about the other, have extra kavannah during Sim Shalom. On a much more minor scale we are each faced with daily opportunities to create shalom or continue the fight whether it be with parents, friends, or any other person you find yourself arguing with. Instead of yelling back, or throwing back a quick insult focus your efforts on creating shalom and have in mind that this should be in zchus of our redemption. Let's show Hashem we're ready for the geulah!

Bentzi

I'm guessing 99% of you saw this short video about a little boy Bentzi....if not its a must see...very inspiring...under 7 min

Click here!

parshat balak

This is from the netivot shalom
In this weeks parsha, we have the famous passuk that we say every day "ma tovu ohalecha yaakov" The gemara in sanhedrin says that from the bracha of a rasha, you know whats really in his heart and so from this we derive that reallly bilam meant to curse bnai yisrael that there wouldnt be any beit midrashot or beit kinesiot amoung klal yisrael. Rashi says that Hashem switched bilam's klala to a bracha. Further in the gemara it says that really this rashi is in singular becuase it is specifically talking about this one klala!! its not by accident that the lashon of rashi is in singular and not in plural. SO really this gemara is saying that this is the only klala of bilam that was changed to a bracha and remained that way. the rest of the brachot that bilam said were reversed back to klalot and didnt stay brachot permanently. This raises a huge question! We always learned that all the klalot were changed to brachot! It says in rashi that the reason Hashem changed this klalah to a bracha was to show His love for bnai yisrael - how does it show His love by changing only one! and reversing the others back! and why this bracha specifically about the beit kineset and beit midrash? How could it really be about one bracha?
To understand this we need to understand the essence of a bracha and a klala. A bracha is dviekus to Hashem. When a person is sticking to Hashem and serivng Hashem, he is subject to only brachot and good things. And a klala is the opposite, according to the netivot shalom. When a person severs his connection with Hashem and is seperated and doesnt have deveikus, the he is subjected to klalot and bad can happen to him. We see this from this as well from the words of the rambam that any bad incident that happened to a navi or a tzadik was during a time, even a split second, when that navi or tzadik was removed from his deveikus to Hashem. At a time when a person is busy being davuk to Hashem, no klala can fall upon them!
Bilams goal was to sever the deveikus that bnai yisrael had to Hashem. He wanted to try and detach that connection becuase he knew that no klala could fall upon bnei yisrael when they were involved in any act of dveikus! If he succeeded, then he could curse them and they would be subjected to the klalot. This is why the sins of ba'al pe'or and bnot mo'av were key for bilams plan! they are sins of the mind and the heart, the two key sources of dveikus for a jew! (this is exemplified clearly in the mitzvah of tefilin. that one corresponds to the mind and one to the heart becuase tefilin is a sign of dveikus ) So bilam was trying to make the mind and the heart impure by these two chata'im thereby severing the dveikus and subjecting bnai yisrael to the curses that he would go on to say.
The powers that we have against avodah zarah and arayot which make the mind and heart impure are Torah and tefiliah --> aka beit kineset and beit midrash the makom torah and makom tefilah!!! How do we combat these impurities? By learning Torah, which is metaher the mind and da'at and by davening, avodah shebalev. These are the two methods by which we achieve dveikus to Hashem and are thereby untouchable by any klala.
So "ma tovu ohalecha yaakov" is talking about the batei kineset and midrash the place of torah and tefilah and keep a Jew connected and purify the mind and heart.
Bilam tried to be metameih them with this by cursing bnei yisrael not to have any beit midrash or kineset and rid them of the ko'ach that would be blocking his klalot (torah and tefillah that are metaher klal yisrael) soHashem changed this one klala to a bracha that bnei yisrael always have the koach of tefilah and torah to be davuk b'Hashem and not be subjected to klalot! It is a tikun for all klalot that fall upon us. This one bracha prevented the other klalot from affecting bnei yisreal. Of course this shows Hashems tremendous ahava from bnai yisrael! an it was therefore only neccessary to switch this one klala becuase this koach protects bnai yisreal from the other klalot!
Additionally, the netivot shalom goes on to say that torah and tefilla ARE the moach (mind) and lev (heart) of klal yisrael. The batei kineset and midrash are the place where the shechinah rest and are a tikun for us in all bad or low situations that we find ourselves. They are a place for us to connect to Hashem and over come anything. In all the darkness that klal yisreal experiances, we have our tzibur and beit kineset and beit midrash to turn to and pour out our hearts directly to the shechinah. As long as we have that, our ruchniyut will thrive and continue to grow and not be able to be destroyed by any klalot.
This is yet another message for the koach and tefila and talmud torah. And a witness to the things that our enemies target and we must protect. As long as we continue davening and learning torah we cannot be harmed by the klalot of our enemies.

Aish.com's chizuk for the day! =)

11 Tammuz

I will teach the defiant Your ways, and the sinful will return to You (Psalms 51:15).

Every human being craves happiness. People are more than willing to spend great sums of money in the hope of achieving happiness. Unfortunately, their efforts are usually in vain, because happiness cannot be bought. Luxurious homes, sumptuous feasts, and lavish occasions may provide transitory pleasures, but never true happiness.

Living with faith and trust in God can deliver the sought-for happiness. The reason more people do not achieve happiness is because they fall short of the requisite degree of faith and trust in God. We may worry about our financial future and the ability to provide for our families the way we would like, especially during economic downturns. When adversities occur, we are likely to become deeply dejected. A profound and unquestioning faith and trust in Divine benevolence will provide the serenity, security, and convictions that could eliminate these worries and sadness.

People have varying degrees of faith and trust. The higher their level, the lesser are their worries and sadness. If we were able to achieve complete faith and trust, our dispositions would be such that happiness would radiate from us.

Today I shall ...
... seek to strengthen my faith and trust in God so that I may achieve true happiness and be an example for others.

Tefillah

This is just a nice idea I read about tefillah that helps me in my own tefillah. I saw it in praying with fire but I'd like to expand on it.
Why is it so hard for people to daven? One of the reasons, besides for not understanding the words, not being able to focus, or just simply feeling a detachment, which goes a little deeper is that people think who am I to be able to have a conversation with G-d and ask G-d for things that I need or want? People think that they are not on a high enough level to daven and feel that Hashem won't answer or listen to their tefillot because they are not spiritually great enough. Clearly we know that Tefillah is for everyone, and you can ask Hashem for anything at any time. Just look at the words of davening to prove this! It encompasses any request we can possibly have of Hashem. Even the smallest things can be found in tefillah.
I saw a nice idea to answer this q. There is a well known gemara that when a fetus is in the mothers womb, a malach teaches the baby the entire torah and all its secrets and when the baby is born the malach kisses the baby on the upper lip and the baby forgets everything and comes into this world with no knowledge of torah. The question is obviously whats the point? Why teach the baby all of torah, only to make him/her forget it?
When a person is learning, whether its in school, how to ride a bike, how to use a computer program, or any type of learning, it is easier to relearn something that they learned in the past and forgot, than to leran something completely new from scratch. The reason is that the skill is already embedded in them, they just have to reapply it. So to with Torah. When we come into this world, we have the task to re-learn torah and thus become close to Hashem. If we had never learned Torah before, this would be almost impossible becuase of the spiritual magnitude that would be impossible for us to reach in this world! Therefore, we are taught all of torah in the womb, creating a tremendous potential for each and every Jew. When we are born, we have the potential to learn the entire Torah on the exact level that it was taught to us before! If every person realized this, they would know their true potential and that they have the ability to reach such a high level of spirituality!
I think this in essence disproves the misconception that to daven to Hashem you have to be spiritualy great. Every person has the potential to reach that and therefore can reach out to become closer to Hashem and ask Hashem for anything. We just have to realize our potential and that every Jew has the ability to be spiritually as great as he/she was in the womb when the baby learned the entire torah directly from a malach.

Summer Vacation!

HI everybody! I know many girls are going away for the summer so the blog will probably be a bit slower. If your away and you ever have a chance to add something...go for it! Especially if your in a learning program...share your ideas! If you are home or do have internet access where you are... please try to add any torah you find or learn anywhere! Have a great safe fun summer!

the learning and tehilim tonight in the 5 towns will be canceled for girls....

It was a mistake and everyone feels really bad....

who are the real champions

Rabbi Wallerstein said a story at least twice and I was trying to find the video he was talking about. He said a story about a girl who was running in her olympics race, the race she practiced for, for years. She fell, and the olympic committee quickly pulled her, so she wouldn’t be in the way of the other racers (g-d forbid she should mess them up). Did one racer stop to help her up? Nope. Then the video fades away and switches to a scene of special needs kids running. One fell and one child stopped and helped him up and they all finished the race together. It then says “who are the real champions?” This video is a taste of the real video...I wish I could find the real one...

click here

@ Yahoo! Video

Tehillim and Learning- Tuesday Night June 22

There will be a tehillim and learning gathering on this Tuesday night June 22 at 9:45 at the shteibel on West Broadway. Afterwards, there will be late night learning. Please email this to anyone you know, we are trying to make this really big. The Tefilah and learning will be in zechus refuah shelamah Zack and and Binyamim Zwickler [ another choleh in the community]. Bsoros tovos and please spread this around to anyone you know!!!!!!!! Men and Women are invited to participate. Bsoros Tovos.

You Can Never Please Everyone

The world always has complaints. Some people criticize no matter what you do. Rav Nata Fraind in Chayei Olam Nata tells a mashal about those who want to please everyone.

There was a father and son traveling on there way riding on a donkey. People saw then and commented how cruel they were to make the donkey carry the double load of two passengers. So the son jumped off and the people said, "Look at that mean father who rides while his son walks." The father then jumped down and the son went up to ride. "Look at that disrespectful son who rides like a king while his poor father walks beside him on foot."

So the son immediately climbed down and they both walked alongside the donkey. "Look at those idiots" the people said. "They have a donkey, and walk beside it instead of riding." But they couldn't ride because everything they tried was met with criticism. So what did they do? They lifted the donkey and let it ride on their shoulders...

The moral of the story is, do what is right and don't bother trying to please everyone.

True Greatness

Rav Aharon Yosef Luria, zt”l, authored “Avodas Hapanim,” a very deep work filled with deep chassidus and concepts in avodas Hashem. It is not surprising that the Beis Avraham of Slonim, zt”l, praised him highly. “Rav Aharon Yosef was of the rare few who toiled to an unusual degree in their Divine service.” Despite his great accomplishments, Rav Aharon Yosef was also filled with humility. When a certain young man addressed him in Yiddish using the plural form as a sign of respect, he demanded to know why he addressed him so. The young man replied, “It is a sign of my esteem of an older Jew who is always learning Torah.” The rav immediately demanded that the young man cease speaking to him in this manner. When the young man asked why, Rav Aharon Yosef replied, “Speaking to me in the third person creates distance between us and could damage our friendship.” When people would come to him to learn chassidus, he would groan out of his innate recoil from receiving honor. On more than one occasion he said, “I feel like a person who has the reputation of being a very wealthy entrepreneur and is always being solicited for donations. In truth, he can not afford to give a penny since his entire wealth is nothing more than a front and he himself must collect in secret to maintain his own household. “The same is true about people who come to me to learn chassidus. They figure that I am a respected elder who is filed with chassidus. Although they think I am very wealthy, I am actually quite poor and am nothing more than a beggar myself!”

Ipod Shuffle and Bechira Chafshis

http://www.aish.com/sp/pg/96545289.html

by sara yocheved rigler

What really happened on the flotilla

Growth is based on honesty, and to be honest it is really hard for me to daven. Eveyday I wake up dreading that half an hour shacharit where it is just me reciting words that don't really have much meaning to me. This year suddenly things began changing. I got back from Israel on this high but slowly I was reminded of my reality. I thought I would never be able to make davening an enjoyable part of my life. Then I started learning with this wonderful woman. I was teaching her how to read and understand the shemonah esrei, but in doing so, I was the one learning. I learned that every letter, word, and sentence in shacharit is truly applicable to our lives and what is going on in the world today. It is not about shuckling, or trying to get everyones attention that we are frum, and devoted. It is about looking at the words and seeing that they are everlasting and always illuminating to ones life. I noticed this yesterday morning when I woke up to daven shacharit. It was one of those days, a shabbat morning when I simply was not in the mood. Then I began to read berachot and suddenly something hit me. The brachot were composed hundreds of years ago but they pertain to my life, our lives just the same. When we recite the brachot we are asking Hashem to fulfill things he is capable of. For example, one of the berachot discusses making the blind see. Now more than ever we need the " blind" to see. The whole world stands by, ready to attack the state of Israel. They call Israel a human rights violator, an aggressor, a cruel, vicious state. The facts are so clear but the world continues to distort truth. They are blind to the lies that surround them. We need G-D to open their eyes make them see. When we bless Hashem the one who makes the blind see, today we can ask Hashem to take the mask off the ignorant people who criticize Israel. Another Beracha that refers to events taking place now, is blessed be he who releases the imprisoned. 5 years ago I used this beracha to pray that Jonathon Pollard be released, but today sadly another name has been added to the list. Gilad Shalit, an innocent precious brother of ours has been held captive for four years. When we praise Hashem for releasing those who are prisoners, we must pray that he use his capabilities to release Pollard and Shalit. Finally the last bracha we say is blessed be he who gives the tired strength. Sometimes in the morning it is hard to daven, and this bracha wakes me up and reminds me that I am a strong individual who is capable of connecting with Hashem through tefila as hard as it is. On a national level, I pray that Hashem gives the Jewish people and the state of Israel the boost of moral, resources, and emunah, to defeat those who pray for our demise everyday.

PARASHAT CHUKAT

Parshat Chukat deals with a whole array of issues and conflicts that befell our nation. Bnei Yisroel suffered from Miriam’s death, lack of water and ultimately the pronouncement of chukim such as the Parah adumah. There is much to be said concerning Bnei Yisroel’s desperation for water and the vocalization of their need. In (21: 18-20), we are told of Hashem’s gift of the well to Bnei Yisroel. In the Pasuk, it says that “the princes dug and the nobles of the people (Rashi: Moshe and Aharon) excavated, through a lawgiver (Rashi: namely Moshe)… a gift from the wilderness (Rashi: Hashem’s gift was that a wellspring was found in the dry dessert) that went to Nachliel and from Nachliel to Bamot and from Bamot to Hagai…” Rav Scheinbaum, in his Peninim on the Torah gives lends deeper meaning to the places of the wells travelings. True definitions of Nachliel, Bamot and Hagai are inheritance, greatness, and a valley, respectively. Chazal in Talmud Nedarim 55A explains two different ways of receiving the Torah. We can either view the Torah as a gift or as an inheritance. Chazal then states that true elevation in Kabbalat Hatorah is the leap from gift to inheritance. When one views something as an inheritance, all of their heart and soul goes into protecting that thing and honoring it. We see this recognition of mesorah many times in Tanach, with Bnot Tzelafchad, Moshe to Yehoshua, and even in Pirkei Avot when mesora is listed before many mishna teachings. Rav Scheinbaum offers that perhaps there is a deeper meaning in the Pasuk. Ever since middle school, we have been taught “Torat Mayim Chaim,” and it has been explained that Torah equals water which equals life. We have a job inherent in us as Jews. We need to acquire the Torah in a selfless manor (with no ulterior motives of gaining reward- as we learn in the first perek of Pirkei Avot) as a gift and then, and only then, come to the extreme height and level of viewing and perceiving the Torah as an inheritance. Rav Scheinbaum explains that through this elevation, we reach the level of Bamot (greatness), and if not, we revert to the level of Hagai (low level of a valley).

A thought from what I'm learning in Neve

Dovid hamelech was a misunderstood shepherd, many people did not understand him, he was an unusual character. His brothers, on the other hand were the ones learning all day. He went through a lot of pain in life and was very lonely because he was in the fields all day with the sheep. Instead of being depressed and hating his life, he used his pain and connected to hashem by writing tihilim. He ended up becoming the king even though nobody believe in him. When we say tihillim we elevate our pain and transform it to connect to Hashem. May we all come to a level like Dovid’s were instead of being depressed and negative, to always be positive and to try our best to connect to Hashem!

Emergency Tehillim Needed!

PLS SAY TEHILLIM FOR KALLAH THAT IS GOING NOW THRU EMERGENCY SURGERY SINCE FOUND TUMOR NEXT TO BRAIN & IS JUST 6 WKS B4 HER WEDDING! CHANA TOBA BAS RIVKA BLIMA.

Rabbi M. Eliyahu's Prayer- Found

by Hillel Fendel


Rabbi Shmuel Zaafrani, Rabbi Eliyahu’s longtime assistant, found an important, 53-year-old note in the rabbi’s wallet, just two hours before the late Chief Rabbi was buried last night in one of the largest funerals ever held in Jerusalem. Estimates of 100,000 people on Monday night were reported by Israel TV on Tuesday as having been revised to over 200,000..

Rabbi Zaafrani told Israel National News that Rabbi Eliyahu was the youngest dayan (rabbinical court judge) ever elected, at the age of 28. "He therefore felt very strongly," Rabbi Zaafrani said, "the heavy responsibility that weighed upon him, and so he composed a prayer that he would recite every day before entering the courtroom. The thing is, we never knew the wording of the prayer – until just two hours before the burial, when I found a note in his wallet with the prayer.” See below to read the prayer.

Rabbi Zaafrani then told the story of an amazing “rescue” performed by Rabbi Eliyahu – which the latter attributed to the power of prayer, both his own and that of others. This is the story:

When Rabbi Eliyahu first became a dayan in Be’er Sheva, in 1957, his was the only rabbinical court in the entire south, between Eilat and Be’er Sheva. On his first day on the job, he saw a woman standing outside, praying from a small Book of Psalms. She remained outside all day. The next day, the rabbi saw the same thing, and the next day again, and so on. Finally, he asked the court secretary to ask her to come in. He asked her why she stood outside and prayed all day, and she related in all innocence: ‘I came on Aliyah [immigration to Israel] from Morocco by myself, and they sent me to Be’er Sheva. I asked where the closest rabbinical court was, I was told it was here, and so here I am.’

He asked her, “What are you praying for?” and the woman said, “My husband in Morocco was a taxi driver, and a week after we were married, at the end of the Sheva Brachot [the seven days of wedding festivities], he crashed - and his body was never found... After a while, I went to the rabbis to be declared a widow so that I could remarry, but they said that without a body, they could not be certain that he was dead – and so I remained a ‘chained woman’ [aguna, unable to marry]. But when I came to Israel, I had faith that what the rabbinical courts in Morocco could not accomplish [in permitting me to remarry], the courts in Israel would be able to do.”

Rabbi Eliyahu asked, “So why did you remain outside the court? Why didn’t you come in to the dayanim?”

The woman said, “Who are you? I pray to G-d, not to you!”

Rabbi Eliyahu immediately took up her case. He took all her papers and went to the Baba Sali, who told him of his brother, the Baba Haki, a leading rabbi in the Israeli city of Ramle who was familiar with all those engaged in Jewish burials in Morocco. Rabbi Eliyahu traveled to Ramle, where the Baba Haki told him, “There were only two Jewish kavranim [people engaged in burials] in Morocco, and both have since come to Israel. One lives in Dimona and one lives in Kiryat Ata [near Haifa].”

Rabbi Eliyahu said, “I live in the south, so I might as well try Dimona.” He went to the exact address supplied to him by the Baba Haki – only to find that the man’s family was sitting shiva for him; he had died just a few days earlier.

Quite disappointed, Rabbi Eliyahu went in anyway, shared some words of Torah and solace with the mourning family and friends, and explained why he was there. Immediately, a man jumped up and said, “I am the other kavran, and I know that story! I was the one who buried the taxi driver!”

Rabbi Eliyahu asked him to accompany come him to other rabbis, who questioned him and determined that his testimony was acceptable. Rabbi Eliyahu convened the rabbinical court, and the woman was declared “unchained” and permitted to remarry.

“This is the power of prayer,” Rabbi Eliyahu later said, “both hers and mine.”

“There are 1.5 million people living in Gaza and only one of them really needs humanitarian aid,” Defense Minister Ehud Barak said to the Knesset on Monday.“Only one of them is locked in a tiny room and never sees the light of day, only one of them is not allowed visits and is in uncertain health - his name is Gilad Shalit, and this month four years will have passed since he was kidnapped."

SPENCER! - AMAZING ARTIST/EM BAYIT OF TIFERET'S HUSBAND.... WORTH A LISTEN!

The Lesson in Red Rover

We all know Hashem created this world down to the very last detail. It is only logical then, that there is a reason for every detail and a lesson to be learned from the design of his every creation. I often think about what the lesson is in these small, seemingly meaningless things, usually when I'm doing something that can be considered wasting time, so that it's not completely a waste.

I noticed today that each strand of my hair on their own looked scraggly and insignificant but when I pulled the strands together the bends that seemed random at first, formed a perfect curl. This is similar to an idea that boggled my mind for years- one paper towel will rip through and drip, if water is poured on it yet a whole bunch of them together can withstand this. Everyone can figure it out- this is because each layer of paper towels absorbs the leftover water from the previous layer. These examples seem somewhat silly but the lesson to be learned is much greater.

One strand, one paper towel, and one kid on the playground can't do it alone. While alone they may be able to absorb some of the water, at the end of the day they cannot get the job done. Take it from the kids on the playground- you don't win red rover by yourself. You win by holding hands and coming together with everyone around you so that all of your strengths collectively can stop any kids from the opposite team from breaking your chain!

Am Yisrael is meant to be an am, not each man for himself. We can't expect to win the battle alone but need to come together as a nation to prevent any of our enemies from breaking us! Now if anyone got up and started trying to rally every Jew around to hold hands to protect us from our enemies they'd probably end up in an asylum. Start small. Make peace with your friends, your family, your neighbor. Apologize first. Let go of your anger quickly. Don't hold a grudge. Bring shalom and achdus so we can be zoche to see the geula- B'mhayra B'yamainu!

Get a Life

I was in the bookstore one day when I came across this book. It was titled- A Short Guide to a Happy Life. I picked it up and started reading- it looked small enough to get through in 5 minutes, but I ended up buying it and I have read it almost every day since. I just want to share some of the ideas the author Anna Quindlen shares. The ideas are simple enough, but I think that sometimes we overlook them. She writes-

"You are the only person alive who has sole custody of your life. Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at a desk, or your life on the bus, or in the car, or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your heart. Not just your bank account, but your soul.

People don't talk about the soul very much anymore. It’s so much easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit...

I suppose the best piece of advice I could give anyone is pretty simple: get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion... Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze over the dunes... Get a life in which you pay attention to the baby as she scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a Cheerio with her thumb and first finger.

Turn off your cell phone. Turn off your regular phone, for that matter. Keep still. Be present.

Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not a leisure, it is work. Each day I look at my diploma, I remember that I am still a student, still learning every day how to be human…”

This idea “Get a life” screamed at me from the page. I think that so many of us run through life just trying to get to the next stage, to finish college, get a job, get married, have kids. These are all super important things- they are all part of life- but personally I always need to tell myself to stop running!

“Learn to love the journey not just the destination”- We need to give ourselves time to think, to figure out who we are, to enjoy the beautiful and complex world that G-d made for us to thrive in. I think its so important to figure out how to honestly appreciate this world because this world really is a gift for all of us to realize and actualize our potentials.

Walk Don’t Stand

In Jewish thought, angels are referred to as “those who stand.” People, on the other hand, are called “walkers.” This is a fascinating image that presents us with an ongoing challenge.

The implication of being a walker is that life is never a stagnant experience, even if at times it feels like it is. The nature of life is that we are simply not capable of standing still. We may be walking in a productive, healthy, spiritual direction, or we may be headed in a counter-productive direction, but we are always headed somewhere.

The question is: What direction am I headed in. At any moment, on any and every day, this is a question that Jewish life insists we must always be conscious of.

The context and circumstances of our lives may be vastly different, but what we share in common is that we have the ability to choose and pursue a direction, regardless of our starting point. Every human being is responsible for the direction of his or her life.

In Judaism, the goal of life is not to be an angel, but rather to be authentically human. To do so, we must refuse the urge to stand still and engage in the ongoing struggle to keep walking. Walking towards meaning, towards kindness and compassion, towards God and spirituality and in a direction that that makes the very best use of whatever gifts and abilities we have.

Shimon Apisdorf

“Think of something you would be wiling to die for, and then live for that very same thing”
- Rabbi Noah Weinberg A'H

Get Ready!

http://www.nbn.org.il/preview2010

How to Deal With Insults

Dani's (attempt to be) Daily Pirkei Avot

א,ג אנטיגנוס איש סוכו קיבל משמעון הצדיק. הוא היה אומר, אל תהיו כעבדים המשמשין את הרב, על מנת לקבל פרס, אלא הוו כעבדים המשמשין את הרב, על מנת שלא לקבל פרס; ויהי מורא שמיים עליכם.
The sefer , "Who Haya Omer" brings down a mashal from Rav Chaim M'Velozin in order to understand the beginning of this mishna:
He says : Imagine you are living in a certain country and the king pays a visit to your town . It is known throughout the country that the people's lives are in the king's hands and with this is mind how would you honor him when he pays this visit? Would you think that you should receive reward or a prize for honoring him? Of course not.. honoring and attending to the needs of the king is a given when being part of a kingdom and it is your way of showing appreciation for all the king does for you.
With that being said, we are merited to have the chance to serve Melech Malchei Hamelachim 24/7 but do we feel as though we deserve a prize for serving Him? Every time we daven or perform a mitzvah or act of chessed we need to ask ourselves what it is that is driving us to do so. Are we secretly hoping for reward or are we doing these acts l'shma?

Secondly, Rav Chaim M'Velozin explains that there are two types of "avadim ha'meshamshim" . The first type is the servant whose only goal is to receive reward for serving his master. The second type is the one who one who does not specifically serve his master in order to get a reward, but he wants to learn a specific trade through serving his master; he wants to learn from his master's ways.
We represent the second servant .The specific trade that we want to acquire is how to emulate Hashem and through serving Him, we are able to accomplish this and that is the ultimate prize.

Kiddush Hashem

The Holocaust produced many heroic deeds of Jews standing loyal to God, in the face of the most impossible conditions.
A beautiful story illustrates this idea (from "Stories of the Holocaust," by Yaffa Eliach):
One of the forced laborers in the camps relates that one day he heard frightening cries of anguish the likes of which he had never heard before. Later he learned that on that very day a selection had been made - of infants to be sent to the ovens. We continued working, tears rolling down our faces, and suddenly I hear the voice of a Jewish woman: "Give me a knife."
I thought she wanted to take her own life. I said to her, "Why are you hurrying so quickly to the world of truth..." All of a sudden the German soldier called out, "Dog, what did you say to the woman?"
"She requested a pocketknife and I explained to her that it was prohibited to commit suicide."
The woman looked at the German with inflamed eyes, and stared spellbound at his coat pocket where she saw the shape of his pocketknife. "Give it to me," she requested. She bent down and picked up a package of old rags. Hidden among them, on a pillow as white as snow, lay a tender infant. The woman took the pocketknife, pronounced the blessing - and circumcised the child. "Master of the Universe," she cried, "You gave me a healthy child, I return him to You a worthy Jew."

* * *

Every aspect of our behavior can foster a Kiddush Hashem. I asked a woman who recently became observant what led her to make such a commitment. She said that when her 10-year-old niece became observant, the girl transformed from being a spoiled brat, into a model of kindness and compassion. The woman said, "If this is the effect that Torah has on a person, then I want it, too!"
On the converse, a Jew acting in a despicable manner is a desecration of God's Name. Which is why we are so bothered when a Jew cheats in business. Besides violating the Torah prohibition of stealing, the additional tragedy is that people will say, "If this is the effect that Torah has, then I don't want any part of it." It distances people from connecting to God.
Even further, such behavior demoralizes society, because there is a feeling that if Jews - the "guardians of morality" - are corrupt, then what hope is there for the rest of us?

another awesome kiruv movie...really life changing

click here for the movie!

The Litmus Test

The Litmus Test- How we will be judged iy"Hashem at 120 depends on who we truly are underneath it all when our guard is down...

Sweetening the harsh judgments

Dear Reb Lazer,

Please help me. I feel like Hashem is slowly crushing me. I finish a lousy day at work with a heartless boss, then come home to a wife who never seems to be pleased and get a migraine from three yelling kids. My learning sucks, and as far as davenning goes, I'm just going through the motions. I feel like I'm sinking in quicksand, and soon I'll go under. What can I do? Please give me high priority - you might be saving a life. Waiting for your response, Yossi from a frum neighborhood in the USA

Dear Yossi,

Baruch Hashem, despite all your problems, you have a job, a wife, and children. Those are three good reasons to dance from morning until night. Please don't take such magnificent blessings for granted, because when you do, you invoke harsh judgments on yourself. That's exactly what you're experiencing now - a pile of harsh judgments heavily weighing you down.

Don't be distressed, because Rebbe Nachman of Breslev teaches us an easy way to rid ourselves of harsh judgments, as follows: Music sweetens harsh judgments. If you begin singing the words of your prayers with feeling and in a clear voice, you'll be actually robing the Holy Shechina (Divine Presence) in radiant garments. I do this all the time; almost every morning, I sing (after Baruch She'omar) Psalm 100 - Mizmor Le'Toda or "A Song of Thanks" to the tune of "Fame", the old Irene Cara hit from the early 1980's. That puts the rest of my morning prayers in an upbeat groove.

Listen Yossi, if you'll work with me, we can pull you out of the dumps in less than an hour. Learn Rebbe Nachman's Lecho Dodi niggun (below). Now, if you go out to a park or for a walk along the river, and apply the words of Tefilla le'oni (Psalm 102) to the above niggun, within 2 minutes the tears will be streaming down your face, you'll be praying from the heart, and you'll be breaking the back of all the harsh judgments against you. Watch how your entire life takes a turn for the better from a few minutes of meaningful prayer with a niggun. Go for it, and I'm sure you'll be a success. Keep me posted. With blessings always, Lazer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fejk0AED0S8&feature=player_embedded

Questions From G-d

This is a must watch!! It really puts life into perspective...enjoy!

http://www.aish.com/jl/sp/pg/49682632.html

Naaleh.com sent this to me so i thought id share it with the blog =)- have a great shobbos !

Parshat Korach: The Source of Korach's Rebellion
Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rabbi Hershel Reichman

The parsha starts with the words, "Korach took." The verse does not specify what he took. Rashi and Unkelos clarify that he took himself and went away. Korach separated himself from the Jewish people by rebelling against the laws of the Torah, which ultimately bind us as one. He created a terrible split within Klal Yisrael.

Korach's rebellion was really a rebellion against the Oral Torah as interpreted by Moshe. Korach attacked the analytical methodology of Torah Sheb'al Peh and tried to replace it with common sense thinking.

The Shem MiShmuel cites the Ari, who says that Korach had a spark of the soul of Kayin. Kayin killed his brother Hevel and is infamous in Tanach as the first murderer. In Hebrew, murder is called shefichat damim, spilling blood, because blood connects the body to the soul. Although it is a physical entity, blood contains the source of life. When a person dies, blood ceases to circulate in the body and the soul goes back to heaven. The bond between body and soul is torn apart. This explains why murder is described as spilling blood.

We live in a world of systems. Hashem created the universe as a combination of many different inter-related factors. There is no such thing as a separate entity that does not affect another entity. This world and the upper world are systematically integrated. Whatever happens in one world affects both worlds.
When Kayin killed Hevel, he not only split Hevel's soul and body, but he created a split between heaven and earth. He caused Hashem anger, which led to His separation from this world.

Chassidut teaches that a name defines an individual. Hashem put man into this world to accomplish; if a person feels worthless he will not accomplish anything. This was the weakness of Hevel and the reason why he was murdered. The word hevel means nothingness. Hevel was overwhelmed with a sense of worthlessness and failed to complete his purpose on earth. Therefore, Hashem did not save him.

Korach possessed the soul of Kayin. He was egotistical, selfish, and ungrateful to Moshe, who took the Jews out of Egypt, brought the miracles at Yam Suf and led them through the desert for forty years. These evil middot led him to rebel against Hashem. Aharon embodied shleimut, and therefore was Korach's target. Aharon was completely selfless in a healthy way. He knew his talents and focused on others to create wholesome unity within Klal Yisrael. Hashem selected him to integrate heaven and earth and to bring peace between Hashem and the Jewish nation through the avoda in the Mishkan. Aharon signified what Korach resented.

When Korach and his people offered the mincha sacrifice, Moshe asked Hashem not to accept it. The mincha is only an adjunct to the tamid sacrifice. Why did Moshe only mention the mincha? The Shem MiShmuel explains that the mincha is a communal, and not an individual sacrifice. It is made of flour, which comes from the ground. The earth creates a unity of diverse things because it is the basis of so many integrated systems. Therefore, it serves as an atonement for the klal. That is why Moshe prayed that Korach, who had caused such a terrible rift in Klal Yisrael, would not have any part in this sacrifice.

Ketoret also represents the idea of integration into the klal because it consists of eleven spices. The eleventh spice, chelbana, has a terrible smell, but when it is mixed with the other ten, it takes on a wonderful aroma. This teaches us the power of the klal, which can transform a rasha into a tzaddik. Chassidic communities are founded on the principle that the group gives strength to its weak members. This was the secret of the ketoret and this is why Moshe used ketoret as the test to see who the true Kohen Gadol would be.

The story of Korach teaches us many lessons. Appreciating the people around us, running away from machloket, focusing on the klal as opposed to one's own selfish ego, and living in an integrated world of systems rather than a world of separateness.

Short Vort

Besides for Korach & all his followers being swallowed up, HASHEM destroyed all of Korach's possessions. Question is why? Plus Korach's children did Teshuva so why couldn't they keep his money? Answer is - Chazal tell us that whatever "tools" we use in life to help us, that is what will make us become who we are. "Kosher" tools make us better & vise versa. The Gemora tells us that Reb Chiya HIMSELF wrote up Sifrei Torahs to teach children in order that the Torah should stay with these children, because Torah/Seforim that somebody learns from, that was created from unpure people/resources will NOT stay with that person. Korach's money was IMPURE, because he went against Hashem & Moshe.So Hashem punished him by not allowing any of his money to be used for anything holy & pure, like Torah/Seforim. How careful must we be, to make sure we don't get "punished" by HASHEM & the money/possessions we have, Hashem SHOULD ALLOW to be used to build Torah & Kedusha. Because if we make our money "unpure" Hashem will swallow it away from us.

KORACH

Rashi Pasuk 7 - "Ayno Hitato"- his eye caused him to err.

Rav Meir Shapiro asks a question in regard to this phrase- why does it say "Ayno"- shouldn't it be plural? Why does Rashi write it this way, Bdvaka in the singular?

He explains that every person should have two eyes: one eye should be focused on the Gadlut Ha'adam, and on the potential greatness we can attain. The first eye can be classified by "Bishvili Nivrah Haolam." In contrast to this, the second eye should focus on the Shiflut Ha'adam, on the lowliness of man. This eye is generally classified by "Anochi Afar Va'efer".

Rav Meir writes that Korach was lacking majorly when it came to his Shiflut Ha'adam. Korach didn't have the Middah of Anivus, and the only eye that seemed to be "working" was his eye of Gadlut Ha'adam. Therefore, his ego stood in the way of allowing any sort of compromise, and thus we see that his eye did indeed cause him to sin.

We know that tommorow is Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, the first of the two official summer vacation months. The Mekubalim say that that these two months represent our two eyes- and they allude to the idea that we should really be focused on our Shmirat Ha'aynayim during this time. We can all learn from Korach that we must be cautious when it comes to understanding what our two eyes really mean. We should all strive to find the proper balance between our Ga'ava and our Aniva, and in doing so - rectify the sin of Korach.

When we correct Korach's ways, we will steal back these two "Esav" months of Tammuz and Av. I have no doubts that we will be Matzliach this summer and I am confident that together we will bring Moshiach!!!

Kol Hayeshuos and Gutten Shabbos Kodesh!

GREAT NEW SEFER OUT!

i don't know if i am a late bloomer with sefarim and all but the sefer "Getting To Know Your Self" is incredible! it comes both in Hebrew and in English and it truly shows us how to remove ourselves from our guf and to be true Torah and Hashem serving Jews!!!!!
click the link for the amazzingggg sefer!!!!
http://www.nehora.com/index.cfm/product/7374/getting-to-know-yourself.cfm

HAVE A GREAT SHABBASSSS

Korach

Just a quick thing on the parsha...I don’t remember where I learned it, or when or from who so I’m sorry that I cannot give credit where credit is due....

In this weeks parsha we read about how Korach was swallowed up along with all his belongings. Why did this happen to him? Did it really matter if his stuff was swallowed up along with him once he was dead?

If you drop money and a poor person benefits from it you get schar. Even though you had no intention of helping someone, you still get schar. Part of Korach’s punishment was that even once he was dead, he could not get schar from his belongings that he left behind unintentionally. Nothing that he left could benefit anyone. Seems like a pretty harsh punishment. If we can get schar for benefitting someone without realizing just imagine what we could get for doing mitzvot with great intentions!

Good Shabbos!

p.s. thank you to everyone who posted this week they were unbelievable!!!!

http://www.yutorah.org/yuconnects/ems1.cfm

I really liked this video because it gave a little perspective on how we should conduct ourselves while in the parsha of dating. We need to make sure we stay grounded and are really thinking about what is truly important.

Please daven for the refuah of:

Malah bas chana

penina sarah bas chaya chana

Thanks!

Life Is Now

Life Is Now

by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

Nine principles for mastering happiness and joy.

I have found nine principles to be the cornerstone of the emotional base of people who have mastered happiness. At the top of the list is gratitude and kindness.

“Every day in the life of a poor person [that is, someone who keeps thinking about what is wrong and missing] is bad, but a person with a tov lev, a cheerful heart [that is, someone who is constantly grateful for the good in his life], will live life with the joy of a party” (Proverbs, 15:5).

At every moment, we choose whether to live with the distress of the first half of the verse, or whether we will joyfully experience life as expressed in the second half of the verse.

Every time you think about happiness and joy in a positive way, you improve yourself in ways that are consistent with happiness and joy. Individuals who regularly read these nine principles find that their minds automatically create more moments of happiness.

Test it out for yourself. For the next 30 days read this list at least three times a day.

1.I think appreciatively and gratefully.


What five things am I grateful for now?

2. I speak and act joyfully and kindly.


(When you speak and act joyfully and kindly, your brain produces the biochemicals that create joyful feelings.)

3. I assume there is a benefit.


What is good about this?
(Develop the skill of reframing. Find positive ways of viewing events, situations, and circumstances.)

4. I strive for meaningful goals.


What is my goal for now?
(Being clear about your priorities is the first step to accomplishing and achieving goals. Take a step forward.)

5. I see myself being the way I wish to be.


How do I want to be?
(As you picture yourself speaking and acting in ways consistent with your highest and wisest self, you create your ideal self.)

6. I focus on solutions.


What outcome am I looking for?
(If a problem arises, first clarify the problem. Then ask, “What can I do now to solve it?”)

7. I let challenges develop my character. 


“This too will develop my character.”
(Look at difficulties as divinely sent opportunities to upgrade who you are. What quality can you develop now with a challenge that you faced or are facing now?)

8. I consistently access positive states.

My awesome brain stores my best states. What state do I want for right now?
(When you give names to your favorite and best moments, you will find them easier to access. Just tell your brain to access the specific state you want to experience now.)

9. I smile and wave to mirrors.


They always smile and wave back to me.
(Research has shown that smiling to yourself in a mirror creates positive chemicals in your body. This works even if you smile without a mirror.)

Read these principles a number of times a day. The more frequently and enthusiastically you review these ideas, the greater the imprint on your brain.

The positive effect is even stronger when you read this list with a friend or group of friends. In a group, having discussions about these ideas will benefit all those who attend. Each individual will have a unique way of thinking and reacting.

This list has been taken from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin's new book: Life is Now: Creating moments of joy, courage, kindness, and serenity (Artscroll publications)

inspire the movie....in 12 min

http://www.kiruv.com/forYourInspiration/movies/inspire12Min.asp

i know its long but its extremely worthwhile!!!!

Connecting the Dots

Featured article written by Chananya Bleich in the magazine Sha’ah Tovah – Issue 42,

21 Iyar 5770 – 5 May 2010

Here you have all the ingredients of a perfectly orchestrated drama - and every one of the details is true. All believing Jews, and even many who hesitate to place themselves in that category, have their own tales to tell of hashgachah pratis, of when events conspire to reveal Hashem's Hand beneath — but the following story will surely leave you in awe at the intricacies of the Divine plan.

The story begins in a yeshivah in Bnei Brak, Yeshivas Nachalas Shlomo, located in the Kiryat Herzog neighbourhood. The rebbeim there are noted for their uncom­mon devotion to their talmidim, and perhaps this had to be so, in order for events to unfold as they did.

Harav Chaim Zaid is one of the roshei mesivta there, a man with a creative mind bubbling with ideas to en­courage the progress of the bachurim. Ordinarily his role as caring mentor does not extend far beyond the yeshivah walls - but then, last year, R' Chaim learned that one of his talmidim had been stricken with cancer R"l. Now, beyond the spiritual support he was accus­tomed to extending to the bachurim, R Chaim offered his whole-hearted assistance in every aspect, assuming all responsibility for the necessary medical treatments and procedures.

"I accompanied him through everything," he told us last week in a special interview, that for the first time revealed the many amazing facets of what transpired. "Several askanim in B’nei Brak were also involved, but I was determined to be at his side all along."

CHAPTER ONE: THE MISSING MONEY

"It all began last winter," R' Chaim begins, "when one of our talmidim, whom we will call Uriel for the sake of his privacy, aged twen­ty-two, was discovered to have a cancerous brain tumour - and the disease had already spread to other parts of his body. Uriel was sent to France for treatment but the doctors there were unable to control the disease. I remember clearly the last phone call I received from him from France, when he wept in sheer despair."

The doctors had told the family that there was nothing more they could for him and that they could begin counting the days... But the group of dedicated askanim following Uriel's progress refused to despair. We have doctors in order to heal, they declared, not to pro­nounce a death sentence. Accordingly, they set out determinedly to find help from another source.

First they turned to the famous medical askan, Benny Fisher, and then to others as well. While they were still weighing all their op­tions, one of the Israeli askanim suddenly recalled that his sister ran a Bikur Cholim society in a major city in the United States. Perhaps she had some useful contacts.

He got in touch, and she immediately mentioned a name, one Pro­fessor Rich, unknown as yet in Eretz Yisrael but in the U.S. he was swiftly gaining acclaim for the unique method he had developed himself, that offered the hope of a cure for cancer patients who had already received a 'death sentence' from others in the medical pro­fession. His treatment involved operating on the patient - obviously in return for a substantial fee. In fact, his going rate was a staggering $130,000.

With their hopes raised again, Uriel's family was caught in a dilem­ma. There was no doubt in their minds that they had to find a way to procure the services of the only person who held out some hope for Uriel - but the amount the doctor was asking was simply beyond their means. They saw absolutely no way forward.

Actually, the $130,000 was not a true estimate for all the costs in­volved. Professor Rich would also have to be brought to Eretz Yis­rael, housed in suitable accommodations, provided with a rented operating theatre in a private hospital... and all this added on ap­proximately $30,000 to the bill.

Why couldn't Uriel be sent to the United States for the operation?

"We did consider that, but in the end, we realized it would only cost more money, and in addition, it would have added to the strain on Uriel."

And so, the various people involved began to look for ways to raise the sum. They turned to several charity funds, but none of them could commit to such a large expense.

"We then went to several Gedolim, asking for advice, and they all told us that the public could not be expected to produce such a huge sum of money. At this point, we felt stymied - there was no sign of help from any angle."

It was an agonizing situation - the sense of helplessness, as they watched Uriel suffer, his condition only deteriorating, waiting for what now seemed the inevitable.

Just one day passed in this way, and then, R' Chaim Zaid received a phone call. The lady on the other end introduced herself as Mrs. Abutbul, Uriel's sister - and then, to his complete shock, she in­formed him joyfully that they could proceed with all their plans and book Professor Rich. R' Chaim was overjoyed - but confused - what had happened? Mrs. Abutbul didn't keep him in suspense. "I decided to sell my apartment," she told him simply. R' Chaim was taken aback. "I urged her to think it over carefully and to consult with daas Torah, asking if she was permitted to do such a thing. After all, she had a husband and six children to con­sider. But she was adamant. She had already called Uriel to inform him of her decision, even before speaking to me. She also told him that she was certain the surgery would be successful and that he would recover in order to dedicate his life to Torah. For the sake of Torah, she was fully prepared to make this sacrifice. Hashem would help. Afraid of what they might answer, she did not even want to ask rabbanim, so determined was she and so certain that Hashem would not let them down."

CHAPTER TWO: THE CAB DRIVER

Uriel's sister lived in Ramat Beit Shemesh and after speaking to R' Zaid, she immedi­ately put her apartment up for sale, asking for $130,000, with the full sum to be paid in cash. Her home was actually worth more, but since time was of the essence, her pri­ority was to make a quick sale. A potential buyer quickly materialized, eager to snap up a bargain, and the contract was signed. Meanwhile, R' Chaim had swung into ac­tion in order to raise the remaining sum, another $30,000. He now turned to his former talmidim, the yeshivah's alumni, and begged them to help. "We asked each one to pledge 1000 shekels," he tells us. The young men set out with great enthusiasm, hiring taxis to take them on their collection rounds.

"Professor Rich was scheduled to arrive on a Wednesday, but on that day, I had a prior commitment in the north of the country, to give a talk in a girls' school. I was on my way there when I received a call from one of my talmidim, Yehudah, who was then out col­lecting. He had a question for me: The cab driver who was ferrying them from one place to the next had asked him and his friend to deliver a suitcase to a certain address. Should they do him the favor?

"I told him in no uncertain terms to refuse. My talmidim were not going to get involved in any shady business! But a few minutes later, Yehudah called back. The driver was begging and pleading, he said. But I was adamant - under no circumstances should he agree, I insisted, adding that if the driver wanted, he could speak with me directly, after I had given my talk.

"By then we had arrived, I delivered my address - and then, as I walked out of the building to return home, there was Yehudah, together with the cab driver, waiting for me! I couldn't understand what could be so important, that the driver had made such a huge detour to find me - why couldn't he deliver the case himself. Still I was stubborn - I went over to him and told him again that there was no way I could let my talmidim transfer suspicious pack­ages - surely he could understand?

"The driver didn't reply straight away, but instead took out the case in question and opened it in front of me. It was a small, expen­sive-looking valise - but most interesting was the contents - small instruments, knives, strange little flashlights. Then the driver tried to explain:

" 'Today, before I picked up your talmidim, I was at the airport, where I picked up a passenger who had just arrived from abroad. A very dis­tinguished sort of man, wealthy-look­ing too. I drove him to where he told me to go, but after I had let him out, I realized that he'd left this suitcase behind.

" 'Actually, by the time I noticed the case, a few hours had already passed, and I didn't know what to do. First I thought I'd open it, to see what was in­side. I was kind of hoping it would be full of dollars - but instead, all I found were these strange instruments. Now what? So much time had passed that I was embarrassed to go back and look for the man, so I asked your students if they would do me the favour. The name of the person is inside, and I can tell you where he's staying.'"

R' Chaim was intrigued. He took the valise and looked for the name tag - and his face turned white. The case belonged to none other than Professor Rich, who was sup­posed to be arriving that day to operate on Uriel.

"Straight away I asked the cab driver to give me the address of the hotel, and we got there as quickly as we could. From the recep­tion desk we called his room, introducing ourselves and asking if he could come down to meet us, which he did. His mouth dropped when he saw the case - he must have despaired of ever seeing it again.

" 'This case contains all my surgical equipment, for an operation I came here to perform,' he told us emotionally. 'The contents are worth maybe as much as $40,000 - but it's not just the money -these items are irreplaceable! I designed many of the instruments myself, after months and months of research and effort.'" For a few moments, all were silent, digesting the incredible turn of events. Then R' Chaim pulled himself together - for the benefit of his beloved talmid:

"I wanted him to realize that something amazing had happened, and to fill him in on the whole picture. 'Just imagine,' I told him. 'You arrived here to operate on my dear student - and then, where did you forget your valise? In the very cab that was busy transport­ing people making the rounds to collect money for that student! Surely you can see the Hand of Divine Providence here? And another thing - you proba­bly don't know, but the operation was only made possible because of Uriel's sister - she sold her apartment to pay for it, and now she and her husband and six children have no roof over their heads!'"

The professor was stunned. He'd clearly never come into contact with such mesirus nefesh - he wasn't a Jew, and was very touched at Mrs. Abutbul's selfless action. He was also totally unaccustomed to viewing 'mundane' events through the prism of Divine intervention, and wasn't sure how to respond. Then, after having sunk deep into thought for a while, the Professor sud­denly announced that he was going to forego the entire payment of $130,000! It was like a dream," R' Chaim tells us. That very week, Uriel's operation took place in a private medical centre in Herzliya, with dozens of his friends and family davening that the operation be successful.

CHAPTER THREE: A FIVE ROOM APARTMENT IN YERUSHALAYIM

And, baruch Hashem, it was. Uriel began recuperating. His sister was immensely relieved and grateful, but now, she was faced with a dilemma. Although she had her money back, it was too late to re- claim her apartment - she had signed a contract, and soon she would have to move out.

She and her husband sat down to think things out. "If we're going to move, we might as well consider Yerushalayim," she began hopefully. Her husband immediately pointed out how unrealistic such an idea was. "The money we have available is enough

for a converted store-room, not an apartment!" he told her, trying
to stop her from getting her hopes up. But Mrs. Abutbul wasn't to
be put off so easily, and decided to visit a friend in Yerushalayim to ask for her advice.

"Why not at least see what's available, now that you're here?" the friend suggested, and so they walked to a nearby real estate agent, But when he heard the sum Mrs. Abutbul had at her disposal, he just laughed. Disappointed, they left the office and started to wander around the nearby streets, aimlessly enough - when suddenly, they noticed a For Sale sign on a building. The two friends exchanged glances.

"Nu, why not?" the friend said, and so they knocked on the door. A
lady opened for them and ushered them inside. It was a five-room apartment, in excellent condition. But the price? "I'll have to ask my husband," the lady told them. "I'll call him now, and he'll be here soon. Please sit down while you wait."

Sure enough, within a few minutes the owner arrived, and immediately began to list the advantages of his apartment, the dimensions, the directions it faced... Mrs. Abutbul needed no convincing - she already loved the apartment - but the real question was, what was the asking price?

"Three hundred and ten thousand dollars," was the reply.

Mrs. Abutbul just sighed. Of course she had known that it was impossible - but even so... Regretfully she admitted that she had less than half the amount the apartment was worth.

The owner was clearly displeased - turning to his wife, he asked
her in annoyance why she had bothered to call him home for a couple of jokers. Upset that the wife was now being blamed for her own actions, Mrs. Abutbul tried to explain - and in the process, the whole story came out: how she had come to sell her home in Beit Shemesh, how she didn't need the money in the end...

The owner didn't let her finish, but interrupted in mid-stream:
"You sold your apartment to pay for your brother's operation? Are you Mrs. Abutbul, by any chance?" he demanded to know.

"Yes," she said quietly.

"And do you know who I am? I am the cab driver who found Pro­fessor Rich's precious suitcase. I just can't believe this turn of events - that you should have come to my house, wanting to buy it!"

They all stood in shock, and then the owner continued: "And why am I selling such a good apartment? My mother passed away re­cently, and she left me a private villa in a quiet settlement. So we are moving there. I just have to call R' Chaim Zaid, to tell him all of this!"

He dialled the number, and as soon as R Chaim answered, the words burst out of his mouth: "You won't believe this, Kavod Har-av Uriel's sister is right now in my apartment, wanting to buy it! Of course, she doesn't have the necessary amount - but maybe I should give it to her anyway? What does the Rav say?"

"I told him not to be in such a rush to decide," R Chaim continues his narrative. "I suggested that we go together to a big rav, to ask for advice and a blessing. And since I often consult with the Admor R David Abuchatzeira shlit"a, the very next day we travelled together to Nahariya. There we recounted the whole story, from beginning to end, and then R' David told the driver to sell for that price, prom­ising him and his wife arichas yamim, that they would live long, healthy lives.

"And that is the end of the story, I guess," R Chaim concludes. "When R' David heard it, he was very moved, and said that it was one of the most incredible examples of hashgachah pratis that he had encountered in years. And of course I shouldn't forget to add that Uriel is, b'chasdei Hashem, doing very well, and recently made a seudas hodayah."

How often do we merit to see Hashem's Hand, orchestrating events so perfectly? The truth is, of course, that even events that we regard as purely mundane and routine are also micro-managed by the Borei Olam, but every so often, we need a jolt to remind us that every single detail of our lives is part of something larger than we can possibly conceive.

May we all merit, bekarov beyameinu, to see the culmination of the myriad events in our lives, and to await that moment with emu-nah and bitachon, Amen.