Last Shabbos, Parshas Vayetzei, I had the privilege to be in Yerushalayim for Shabbos. When I come to Yerushalayim, I am always drawn to the Kosel. If I am there to sing a wedding, I try to make it to the Kosel before I have to be at the hall. It's always amusing walking down to the Wall, because I am wearing a suit, and the tzedakah collectors usually assume that I am a chosson.
Naturally, staying in the Ramat Eshkol area, it was a no-brainer to make the forty minute trek on Shabbos morning to daven at the Kosel. When I got there, a Chassidishe boy noticed my arrival and led me to a minyan that was just beginning. It is hard to go to the Kosel and not find someone you know. The Jewish world is really a small world. At the minyan was a prominent member of my parents' bungalow colony, who also happens to be the gabbai of the bungalow's shul, so he asked me if I would lead the davening of Shachris. I acquiesced.
From the start I was uncomfortable at the amud. When one is trying to sing in an open area, surrounded by the not-so-quiet hum of many people davening all around, it is difficult. Besides for this, my voice was feeling weak, and I struggled to be heard. But the one thing that struck me was that I realized that there was a minyan to my right, as well as a minyan directly behind me, that were both in the same exact place in the davening! Each one had a separate ba'al tefillah, and a separate bimah, despite the fact that all three minyanim were davening the same nusach!
Ordinarily, this would not have bothered me too much, because I would have convinced myself that I was in some way part of all three minyanim. But as the one leading one of the minyanim, it was hard for me not to notice the separation that I, myself, was creating between these three groups. It was uncomfortable, to say the least.
It brought home to me an idea that I have thought about on a number of occasions. I have noticed that the Kosel is a place that is like a 'minyan factory' - minyanim are constantly beginning and ending. You can find a minyan there at any time. This seems like a wonderful thing, but the truth is that it shows that we have trouble getting ourselves together, to just daven together, as one. There are no set times for the davening, and no sense of unity. Wouldn't it make more sense to have set times, so that more people can daven together - ברב עם הדרת מלך? And of all places, shouldn't we have some unity at the site of the Beis Hamikdash, which is the central point of all of our prayers throughout the world?
The answer is, that it is absolutely true that the Kosel, and more accurately, the Har Habayis, is the point of unity of the Jewish people. We all focus our tefillos to this most Holy place. It is the place that was the central spiritual meeting point of the entire Jewish people as long as the Beis Hamikdash stood. But the deep truth is that despite the fact that we have returned to Eretz Yisrael, and the ingathering of the exiles has begun, we are still in Galus. The exile that we find ourselves in is most apparent at the place that represents our unity. It is not a coincidence that the Kosel is a 'minyan factory.' It is a stark reminder of the fact that despite the fact that we have begun to come back together, begun to coalesce as a nation, we are still in exile, we are still disparate. Because that is truly the definition of Galus, it is a state of separation and distance. As long as the Shechina does not dwell on that mountain, and it is instead inhabited by an עם הדומה לחמור, we remain separate from spirituality, and we remain separate from each other. As the light of Moshiach grows stronger and greater, the Jewish nation will slowly begin to sense the true nature of our unity with each other, of our oneness as a nation. This will be a reflection of the unity we will begin to sense with Hashem, and the greater desire we will have for spirituality, as we begin to identify more and more with our spiritual selves, as our very minds, which are in a state of disparity between our emotional and intellectual selves, become more and more unified as well.
Showing posts with label story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label story. Show all posts
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Sensing Kedusha - part two
In a previous post, I spoke about the idea of sensing the holiness of Eretz Yisrael, and quoted the story I heard about the Rizhiner. In it, the rebbe implied to his chossid that the lack of sensitivity to the holiness of Eretz Yisrael was due to a certain lack of spirituality akin to a person who is dead.
So what do we do if we don't feel it?
And by the way, even if we 'feel it,' do we really? My wife once mentioned to me that when she was in seminary, one of her Rebbeim (who happens to be extremely spiritually in tune) turned to the girls and said to them that if he would blindfold them and plug up their ears, then bring them to rechov Ben Yehuda and the Kotel (lehavdil), they would not be able to tell which place was which.
It's clear that even if we do 'feel it,' it is quite likely that it is completely emotional and/or psychological.
So what is the correct approach?
I would like to share a true story with you, and I have changed the identities of the people involved and some of the minor details. I heard this directly from the people involved, so even if it seems a little 'far out,' I truly believe its veracity.
A family friend, David, was going through a mid-life spiritual renewal. He had experienced a number of different things that took him in his new direction, and although he started late, he felt that it was better late than never. While he had been growing in ruchniyus, his wife Sharon had lagged behind somewhat. She still wore pants and did not cover her hair, and preferred a good movie to a discussion of Rebbe Nachman's stories. Nevertheless, he did not pressure her, and their marriage remained solid.
At a certain point, David had decided to go on a spiritual Shabbaton retreat, and naturally assumed that his wife would not be interested. He booked a room for one.
At the same time, he was involved with spiritual healing, and a couple came to him who had been trying to get pregnant for a long time, and they had finally succeeded. Despite their success, they were nervous about the strength of the pregnancy, and came to him for help.
As David worked with them, the fetus actually began to communicate with him, via the fetus' mother. The fetus told them that it had tried to come into the world a number of times, but each time had been unsuccessful for whatever reason. This time, however, all would be well. The fetus then began to speak to David about his spiritual journey. He was quite surprised when he was questioned as to why he was not including Sharon in his spiritual growth. He responded by saying that he did not think she was interested at all. The fetus recommended that he invite Sharon to join him on the retreat. Still a bit doubtful, David assured the fetus that he would indeed do so.
Apprehensively, David asked Sharon if she would come on the retreat with him. Sharon smiled and said that she would love to join him.
And so began their journey together, each one growing at their own pace, but growing together nonetheless.
Sometimes we look at ourselves and think that we are not capable of sensing spirituality, that our physical side is just not interested, and that we are spiritually inept. Sometimes our physical side seems downright defiant when it comes to anything spiritual. If we look down on that part of ourselves, however, we do ourselves a great disservice. We do not give ourselves the chance to grow.
If we leave ourselves some emotional space, however, allowing it to be okay if there are times where we lack spiritual connection, we release the emotional pressure that would otherwise prevent any potential growth from taking place. Once the pressure is off, we can check in once in a while on ourselves (or the ones we love, for that matter) and offer the opportunity to come along for the spiritual ride. Doing otherwise just creates needless barriers and stunted growth at best.
In fact, if we see others who may not be on our spiritual level as being inferior to ourselves, we just pull ourselves down with a festering pride that is the greatest enemy of spirituality and is just a trick of the yetzer hara. This is especially ironic if our perceived advantage is nothing more than a psychological game we are playing with our own minds.
Looking at ourselves and others in a positive light - acting as a non-judgmental model, without making demands - this is what will ultimately see success.
I believe that this is why the Jewish people do not try to make converts, in fact, we push them away. Judaism is the only religion with such an approach. This shows us that the only path to true spiritual growth is by choice. Coerced growth is false. We act as a 'light unto the nations.' When people are drawn to our light and are sincere in their desire, we accept them.
This is the Torah approach to spiritual growth, both in guiding oneself along that path, as well as helping others. If we apply force to ourselves or others, it will only lead to destruction. If we look down on ourselves and others, even if it is only in our thoughts, it is impossible for us to cover up our true feelings. It is always apparent from how we hold ourselves and interact what is going on inside our minds. At best, this just causes a sense of that same pressure, albeit in a covert way.
The only truly effective path is to change our thoughts and attitudes, and know that if we are sensitive and are proper models, we can begin a healthy spiritual ascent both for ourselves and others.
So what do we do if we don't feel it?
And by the way, even if we 'feel it,' do we really? My wife once mentioned to me that when she was in seminary, one of her Rebbeim (who happens to be extremely spiritually in tune) turned to the girls and said to them that if he would blindfold them and plug up their ears, then bring them to rechov Ben Yehuda and the Kotel (lehavdil), they would not be able to tell which place was which.
It's clear that even if we do 'feel it,' it is quite likely that it is completely emotional and/or psychological.
So what is the correct approach?
I would like to share a true story with you, and I have changed the identities of the people involved and some of the minor details. I heard this directly from the people involved, so even if it seems a little 'far out,' I truly believe its veracity.
A family friend, David, was going through a mid-life spiritual renewal. He had experienced a number of different things that took him in his new direction, and although he started late, he felt that it was better late than never. While he had been growing in ruchniyus, his wife Sharon had lagged behind somewhat. She still wore pants and did not cover her hair, and preferred a good movie to a discussion of Rebbe Nachman's stories. Nevertheless, he did not pressure her, and their marriage remained solid.
At a certain point, David had decided to go on a spiritual Shabbaton retreat, and naturally assumed that his wife would not be interested. He booked a room for one.
At the same time, he was involved with spiritual healing, and a couple came to him who had been trying to get pregnant for a long time, and they had finally succeeded. Despite their success, they were nervous about the strength of the pregnancy, and came to him for help.
As David worked with them, the fetus actually began to communicate with him, via the fetus' mother. The fetus told them that it had tried to come into the world a number of times, but each time had been unsuccessful for whatever reason. This time, however, all would be well. The fetus then began to speak to David about his spiritual journey. He was quite surprised when he was questioned as to why he was not including Sharon in his spiritual growth. He responded by saying that he did not think she was interested at all. The fetus recommended that he invite Sharon to join him on the retreat. Still a bit doubtful, David assured the fetus that he would indeed do so.
Apprehensively, David asked Sharon if she would come on the retreat with him. Sharon smiled and said that she would love to join him.
And so began their journey together, each one growing at their own pace, but growing together nonetheless.
Sometimes we look at ourselves and think that we are not capable of sensing spirituality, that our physical side is just not interested, and that we are spiritually inept. Sometimes our physical side seems downright defiant when it comes to anything spiritual. If we look down on that part of ourselves, however, we do ourselves a great disservice. We do not give ourselves the chance to grow.
If we leave ourselves some emotional space, however, allowing it to be okay if there are times where we lack spiritual connection, we release the emotional pressure that would otherwise prevent any potential growth from taking place. Once the pressure is off, we can check in once in a while on ourselves (or the ones we love, for that matter) and offer the opportunity to come along for the spiritual ride. Doing otherwise just creates needless barriers and stunted growth at best.
In fact, if we see others who may not be on our spiritual level as being inferior to ourselves, we just pull ourselves down with a festering pride that is the greatest enemy of spirituality and is just a trick of the yetzer hara. This is especially ironic if our perceived advantage is nothing more than a psychological game we are playing with our own minds.
Looking at ourselves and others in a positive light - acting as a non-judgmental model, without making demands - this is what will ultimately see success.
I believe that this is why the Jewish people do not try to make converts, in fact, we push them away. Judaism is the only religion with such an approach. This shows us that the only path to true spiritual growth is by choice. Coerced growth is false. We act as a 'light unto the nations.' When people are drawn to our light and are sincere in their desire, we accept them.
This is the Torah approach to spiritual growth, both in guiding oneself along that path, as well as helping others. If we apply force to ourselves or others, it will only lead to destruction. If we look down on ourselves and others, even if it is only in our thoughts, it is impossible for us to cover up our true feelings. It is always apparent from how we hold ourselves and interact what is going on inside our minds. At best, this just causes a sense of that same pressure, albeit in a covert way.
The only truly effective path is to change our thoughts and attitudes, and know that if we are sensitive and are proper models, we can begin a healthy spiritual ascent both for ourselves and others.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Sensing Kedusha
A few days ago, I played at a simcha, and had the chance to rent a car. On my way home, I was driving through Ramat Bet Shemesh Bet, and I picked up a chossid to give him a lift. He noticed I was American, and asked about my feelings toward Eretz Yisrael. He explained that to someone who lives here and has never known anything else, it is hard to sense the extra kedusha.
He proceeded to tell me a story about the Rizhiner rebbe, who evidently lived outside of Israel. One time, one of his chassidim made a pilgrimage to Eretz Yisrael. On his return, he came to the rebbe and told him that although he had been to the Holy land, he had not really sensed anything especially holy about it.
The rebbe responded with the following mashal. He said that a blanket is meant to provide warmth and comfort. The degree of warmth that it can provide, however, is dependant completely on the heat of the person being covered. Thus, if a dead person is covered with a blanket, it will not warm him.
The same thing is true about Eretz Yisrael. If one comes to Eretz Yisrael and does not sense the kedusha, it suggests the fact that there is a spiritual coldness that pervades his life. One who comes here and feels the warmth can be assured that the fire burns within him, and is rekindled in the right surroundings.
He proceeded to tell me a story about the Rizhiner rebbe, who evidently lived outside of Israel. One time, one of his chassidim made a pilgrimage to Eretz Yisrael. On his return, he came to the rebbe and told him that although he had been to the Holy land, he had not really sensed anything especially holy about it.
The rebbe responded with the following mashal. He said that a blanket is meant to provide warmth and comfort. The degree of warmth that it can provide, however, is dependant completely on the heat of the person being covered. Thus, if a dead person is covered with a blanket, it will not warm him.
The same thing is true about Eretz Yisrael. If one comes to Eretz Yisrael and does not sense the kedusha, it suggests the fact that there is a spiritual coldness that pervades his life. One who comes here and feels the warmth can be assured that the fire burns within him, and is rekindled in the right surroundings.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Fall of the US
Yeah, that title got your attention!
It's so funny, because the last place I would have expected to hear that the US is falling is in the misrad haklitah - the office for absorption.
See, my wife and I officially made aliyah a little less than three years ago after living here for over five years, and we basically lost all of our aliyah rights for waiting too long to make Aliyah. But because my parents kind of made aliyah in 1980 (long story), and I was with them, even though we went right back to the US then, I was able to get limited mortgage rights.
Anyway, on my 'teudat oleh' - the document I use to get the rights, it says I made aliyah in 1980. So when I go to transfer my American license to an Israeli one, which can only easily be done within three years of making aliyah, they tell me that it's a no-can-do - I made aliyah in 1980. It's been a lot more than three years. (Anyone following this?)
To make a long story short, I went to the office of absorption yesterday to see if we could get some document to make it clear that I've only been Israeli for less than three years, so I can just transfer my American license to an Israeli one (rather than taking 28 driving lessons). It becomes painfully clear that just about anything that makes sense logically is the opposite of what the law, and as you know, rules are rules.
In any event, talking to the woman there at the misrad haklitah, kind of laughing at our situation, she mentions that everyone is running away from America. I asked her what she meant. She said that the misrad haklitah is subsidizing many El Al flights for American Jews who are coming here in increasing numbers, getting away from the financial situation. She continued to tell me how there is no 'mussar' in the US, just people trying to make money, and now the 'egel hazahav' is falling. It sounded like she was talking straight out of an autistic website!
She asks me if I've seen the translation of the book of Daniel. She continues to tell me about the statue whose head is gold, body is bronze, and feet are dirt. "This is Obama!" she exclaims. "He is Christian, Muslim, and pagan!" I could barely contain my smile.
Either she's reading all the Moshiach sites too, or word is spreading fast.
It's so funny, because the last place I would have expected to hear that the US is falling is in the misrad haklitah - the office for absorption.
See, my wife and I officially made aliyah a little less than three years ago after living here for over five years, and we basically lost all of our aliyah rights for waiting too long to make Aliyah. But because my parents kind of made aliyah in 1980 (long story), and I was with them, even though we went right back to the US then, I was able to get limited mortgage rights.
Anyway, on my 'teudat oleh' - the document I use to get the rights, it says I made aliyah in 1980. So when I go to transfer my American license to an Israeli one, which can only easily be done within three years of making aliyah, they tell me that it's a no-can-do - I made aliyah in 1980. It's been a lot more than three years. (Anyone following this?)
To make a long story short, I went to the office of absorption yesterday to see if we could get some document to make it clear that I've only been Israeli for less than three years, so I can just transfer my American license to an Israeli one (rather than taking 28 driving lessons). It becomes painfully clear that just about anything that makes sense logically is the opposite of what the law, and as you know, rules are rules.
In any event, talking to the woman there at the misrad haklitah, kind of laughing at our situation, she mentions that everyone is running away from America. I asked her what she meant. She said that the misrad haklitah is subsidizing many El Al flights for American Jews who are coming here in increasing numbers, getting away from the financial situation. She continued to tell me how there is no 'mussar' in the US, just people trying to make money, and now the 'egel hazahav' is falling. It sounded like she was talking straight out of an autistic website!
She asks me if I've seen the translation of the book of Daniel. She continues to tell me about the statue whose head is gold, body is bronze, and feet are dirt. "This is Obama!" she exclaims. "He is Christian, Muslim, and pagan!" I could barely contain my smile.
Either she's reading all the Moshiach sites too, or word is spreading fast.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Singing for real
I would like to share the following story that has happened on a number of occasions, with slight variations. There is something deep and human about this experience, as you will soon see.
As you may know, Hashem sends me parnassah through music - I play and sing at weddings and other simchas. Quite often, there will be a guest at the affair who would like to sing, usually a friend of the chosson or a family member. On one such occasion, a young man who was mentally retarded came up to the stage and wanted to sing. He was accompanied by an adult who was encouraging him, and the sound man gave him a 'wireless' microphone. It was not connected to the sound system, but the young man did not realize this.
The young man stood next to me and was singing with me, very excited to be on stage, performing for a large crowd. He danced a little next to me, and made some dramatic movements, perhaps imitating some artist he had seen on video. At a certain point, he became aware of the fact that he could not hear his voice coming out of the speakers. His friend who was there to encourage him pointed to the speaker and made a thumbs up sign to indicate that the young man's voice was indeed audible (which it obviously was not). This interchange repeated itself a number of times.
Along the way, some other people noticed what was going on and offered their encouragement to the young retarded man as well, thus furthering his belief that indeed he was performing to an adoring crowd. At a certain point, he had performed enough (I think it was about 10-15 minutes), and he left the stage, completely proud of his great achievement.
I look at these type of 'performances' and wonder to myself, what is the message?
Many years ago, I spent some time taking voice lessons, and one of the things my voice teacher told me was that, "Your ego should always be one level beneath your talent." In other words, a person needs to be realistic about who he is and what his place in life is.
There are many people who would envision themselves as being an amazingly talented _______ (fill in the blank). And they will find 'yes' men who will encourage them and have them believe that indeed they possess that great ability. It would do us well to sometimes take a step back and ask ourselves why we are doing things. Do we get up to sing because we really want to (or have what to) contribute to someone else's simcha, or are we really just in it for our own ego? Is our opinion really the end all and the absolute truth, or have we surrounded ourselves with people who believe the same fiction we espouse?
Sometimes we may need to swallow the bitter pill of humility and realize that we may not be as great as we think. At that moment, we create the potential for rising to a much greater level in our spiritual growth.
As you may know, Hashem sends me parnassah through music - I play and sing at weddings and other simchas. Quite often, there will be a guest at the affair who would like to sing, usually a friend of the chosson or a family member. On one such occasion, a young man who was mentally retarded came up to the stage and wanted to sing. He was accompanied by an adult who was encouraging him, and the sound man gave him a 'wireless' microphone. It was not connected to the sound system, but the young man did not realize this.
The young man stood next to me and was singing with me, very excited to be on stage, performing for a large crowd. He danced a little next to me, and made some dramatic movements, perhaps imitating some artist he had seen on video. At a certain point, he became aware of the fact that he could not hear his voice coming out of the speakers. His friend who was there to encourage him pointed to the speaker and made a thumbs up sign to indicate that the young man's voice was indeed audible (which it obviously was not). This interchange repeated itself a number of times.
Along the way, some other people noticed what was going on and offered their encouragement to the young retarded man as well, thus furthering his belief that indeed he was performing to an adoring crowd. At a certain point, he had performed enough (I think it was about 10-15 minutes), and he left the stage, completely proud of his great achievement.
I look at these type of 'performances' and wonder to myself, what is the message?
Many years ago, I spent some time taking voice lessons, and one of the things my voice teacher told me was that, "Your ego should always be one level beneath your talent." In other words, a person needs to be realistic about who he is and what his place in life is.
There are many people who would envision themselves as being an amazingly talented _______ (fill in the blank). And they will find 'yes' men who will encourage them and have them believe that indeed they possess that great ability. It would do us well to sometimes take a step back and ask ourselves why we are doing things. Do we get up to sing because we really want to (or have what to) contribute to someone else's simcha, or are we really just in it for our own ego? Is our opinion really the end all and the absolute truth, or have we surrounded ourselves with people who believe the same fiction we espouse?
Sometimes we may need to swallow the bitter pill of humility and realize that we may not be as great as we think. At that moment, we create the potential for rising to a much greater level in our spiritual growth.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Worth fighting for
My sister in New York shared the following about a Rav and his son who very recently spent time here in Israel. They came to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah, and as part of his trip here, they decided to deliver pizza to the troops fighting in Gaza. As the rabbi and his son were giving the soldiers their pizza, one of the soldiers turned to them and said, "It's people like you that make it worth fighting."
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Miracles in Ashdod
My wife attends a weekly shiur in chinuch from a certain Rebbetzin Fried (name changed). Rebbetzin Fried has a son who lives in Ashdod. Her son went to ask Rav Kanievsky if it was wise to remain in Ashdod, and Rav Kanievsky said that it is NOT a danger to remain there.
She then told the following story.
A few days ago, the warning siren malfunctioned and did not give people a chance to get to their bomb shelters. The missile fell and no one was hurt. It later became apparent that the place the missile had fallen was on a major bomb shelter where many people who work together normally gather. If the siren had worked properly, there would have been great casualties!
Clearly Hashem is protecting us. Keep up your tefilos wherever you are. This is our greatest protection.
She then told the following story.
A few days ago, the warning siren malfunctioned and did not give people a chance to get to their bomb shelters. The missile fell and no one was hurt. It later became apparent that the place the missile had fallen was on a major bomb shelter where many people who work together normally gather. If the siren had worked properly, there would have been great casualties!
Clearly Hashem is protecting us. Keep up your tefilos wherever you are. This is our greatest protection.
Friday, January 2, 2009
There's Hashgacha everywhere
Guest post by Daniel
The low number of Jewish casulaties from Hamas rocket fire is a great kindness to klal Yisrael. It is important to recognize such great kindness from Hashem. It is also important to recognize kindness on a personal level.
Here is a kindness that was done for me:
With my tight budget at the moment, I went to a local Judaica store a little weary of making purchases. However, I said to myself, "It's for mitzvah purposes - Hashem will help somehow." With that in mind, I purchased my oil, wicks, menorah, and a very-needed new pair of tzitzis.
The total for my mitzvah items was $34 and some change.
Three days later I received an unexpected "Chanukah" check in the mail from my grandmother for $35. Less than a dollar different from the amount I spent on mitzvah purchases at the Judaica store.
Lest you wave this away as chance, saying, "Oh, well anyone is bound to get some money from a relative this time of year," there is more: the check was dated for 3 days prior, the exact day I made my mitzvah purchases.
The low number of Jewish casulaties from Hamas rocket fire is a great kindness to klal Yisrael. It is important to recognize such great kindness from Hashem. It is also important to recognize kindness on a personal level.
Here is a kindness that was done for me:
With my tight budget at the moment, I went to a local Judaica store a little weary of making purchases. However, I said to myself, "It's for mitzvah purposes - Hashem will help somehow." With that in mind, I purchased my oil, wicks, menorah, and a very-needed new pair of tzitzis.
The total for my mitzvah items was $34 and some change.
Three days later I received an unexpected "Chanukah" check in the mail from my grandmother for $35. Less than a dollar different from the amount I spent on mitzvah purchases at the Judaica store.
Lest you wave this away as chance, saying, "Oh, well anyone is bound to get some money from a relative this time of year," there is more: the check was dated for 3 days prior, the exact day I made my mitzvah purchases.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Getting the message
I just heard the following story from my rav.
A wealthy man came to a certain gadol last week. He told the gadol that he had recently lost thirty million dollars. The wealthy man asked for a bracha for his parnasah.
Asked the gadol, "Do you have bread on your table?"
"Yes, baruch Hashem, we can still feed our family," the man replied with a smile.
"Well, there are avrechim who have trouble putting food on their tables," said the gadol seriously. "I'm not sure who I should have pity for, you or them."
The wealthy man immediately wrote a very substantial check for tzedakah (as my rav told it, for two million dollars!).
To me, the amazing thing about this story is the willingness of the wealthy man to accept the gadol's rebuke! I have no doubt that the merit of that alone will stand him in good stead in shamayim.
A wealthy man came to a certain gadol last week. He told the gadol that he had recently lost thirty million dollars. The wealthy man asked for a bracha for his parnasah.
Asked the gadol, "Do you have bread on your table?"
"Yes, baruch Hashem, we can still feed our family," the man replied with a smile.
"Well, there are avrechim who have trouble putting food on their tables," said the gadol seriously. "I'm not sure who I should have pity for, you or them."
The wealthy man immediately wrote a very substantial check for tzedakah (as my rav told it, for two million dollars!).
To me, the amazing thing about this story is the willingness of the wealthy man to accept the gadol's rebuke! I have no doubt that the merit of that alone will stand him in good stead in shamayim.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Missing the point
I heard the following story in the name of R' Shimshon Pincus z'l.
Rabbi Boruch Adler* was asked to give a shiur to a mixed group of people, comprised of both scholars and unlettered individuals. He was forewarned that he should make sure to explain and translate words or concepts that might be foreign to anyone. Throughout his derasha he made every effort to explain each and every word, at times expounding on concepts that to him were fundamental. He made no assumptions, however, and explained everything to the best of his ability.
After his speech was completed, one of those who attended came up to Rav Adler with a broad smile on his face. As they began to speak it became evident that he was one of the less learned of the group.
"Rabbi," the man said, "I just want you to know that I truly appreciated how you made such a great effort to explain all of those lofty concepts."
Rabbi Adler nodded and smiled.
The man continued and said, "I believe that I really understood the ideas you were conveying in your speech, and I benefitted each time you translated the words from Hebrew in to English. There was just one word that you said a few times which you didn't translate."
"What was that," asked Rav Adler, looking slightly worried.
The man replied, "I didn't know what you meant when you kept saying 'Hakadosh Baruch Hu.'"
If Hakadosh Baruch Hu - God - is missing from the shiur, you've missed the whole point!
We can wake up every day, learn the daf yomi, put on our tallis and tefillin to daven, run to do chesed, be careful about saying Lashon Hara, and make sure to say Amen to the berachos that our friends say out loud. But if the essential ingredient is missing - if we are lacking the connection to Hashem - we've missed the boat!
Rabbi Boruch Adler* was asked to give a shiur to a mixed group of people, comprised of both scholars and unlettered individuals. He was forewarned that he should make sure to explain and translate words or concepts that might be foreign to anyone. Throughout his derasha he made every effort to explain each and every word, at times expounding on concepts that to him were fundamental. He made no assumptions, however, and explained everything to the best of his ability.
After his speech was completed, one of those who attended came up to Rav Adler with a broad smile on his face. As they began to speak it became evident that he was one of the less learned of the group.
"Rabbi," the man said, "I just want you to know that I truly appreciated how you made such a great effort to explain all of those lofty concepts."
Rabbi Adler nodded and smiled.
The man continued and said, "I believe that I really understood the ideas you were conveying in your speech, and I benefitted each time you translated the words from Hebrew in to English. There was just one word that you said a few times which you didn't translate."
"What was that," asked Rav Adler, looking slightly worried.
The man replied, "I didn't know what you meant when you kept saying 'Hakadosh Baruch Hu.'"
If Hakadosh Baruch Hu - God - is missing from the shiur, you've missed the whole point!
We can wake up every day, learn the daf yomi, put on our tallis and tefillin to daven, run to do chesed, be careful about saying Lashon Hara, and make sure to say Amen to the berachos that our friends say out loud. But if the essential ingredient is missing - if we are lacking the connection to Hashem - we've missed the boat!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Help your brother
Guest post by Daniel
A few nights ago I had the privilege to hear the following story from Rav Shemtov. Rav Shemtov is a paragon of Ahavas Yisrael. At our table sat a young man who is beginning to wrap tefillin. Rav Shemtov grasped the young baal teshuva's hand, kissed it, and beamed at the young man "This hand will put on tefillin every day!"
Rav Shemtov learned this mida from his father, whom I will simply call "Shemtov" since I don't know his first name. The following is one of many stories from his life.
Shemtov was living in Russia at a time when Jews were being drafted into the army. It was either army or prison. His father took a rope and manually broke his own toe so that he would be "unfit" for the Russian army and would be able to stay with his family.
As Shemtov was walking down the street he saw a Russian police officer escorting his friend, a fellow Jew, off to prison. What could he do? Fight the cop? He would be clobbered, not to mention taken to prison.
Out of nowhere Shemtov jumped at the Russian officer and began hugging him and kissing him, like a long lost friend. At the same time, Shemtov kicked his friend repeatedly until the friend got the idea and ran for his life.
After Shemtov's friend escaped, he pulled back from the Russian officer. "Hey there old friend!" exclaimed Shemtov. The officer was dazed, "Do I know you?" "Sure you do! Last time we met was in Moscow, don't you remember! Come on pal!" The officer didn't buy it. "I know what you just did, you sneaky Jew. That guy was going to prison, but you, you're in for the worst."
Shemtov looked the officer in the eyes and said, "Now you don't want to do that. What's going to happen? You'll take me into your headquarters, sit me in front of your superior officer and tell him how this puny little Jew outsmarted you so that you failed your mission? You'll look like a complete idiot."
Shemtov pulled out some cash from his pocket, put it in the officers hand and said, "Better you take this money and go enjoy it for yourself." The officer took the cash and left Shemtov alive.
When Rav Shemtov finished telling us the story he said, "This was my father. He lived the lesson that when another Jew is in need, you don't think about yourself."
A few nights ago I had the privilege to hear the following story from Rav Shemtov. Rav Shemtov is a paragon of Ahavas Yisrael. At our table sat a young man who is beginning to wrap tefillin. Rav Shemtov grasped the young baal teshuva's hand, kissed it, and beamed at the young man "This hand will put on tefillin every day!"
Rav Shemtov learned this mida from his father, whom I will simply call "Shemtov" since I don't know his first name. The following is one of many stories from his life.
Shemtov was living in Russia at a time when Jews were being drafted into the army. It was either army or prison. His father took a rope and manually broke his own toe so that he would be "unfit" for the Russian army and would be able to stay with his family.
As Shemtov was walking down the street he saw a Russian police officer escorting his friend, a fellow Jew, off to prison. What could he do? Fight the cop? He would be clobbered, not to mention taken to prison.
Out of nowhere Shemtov jumped at the Russian officer and began hugging him and kissing him, like a long lost friend. At the same time, Shemtov kicked his friend repeatedly until the friend got the idea and ran for his life.
After Shemtov's friend escaped, he pulled back from the Russian officer. "Hey there old friend!" exclaimed Shemtov. The officer was dazed, "Do I know you?" "Sure you do! Last time we met was in Moscow, don't you remember! Come on pal!" The officer didn't buy it. "I know what you just did, you sneaky Jew. That guy was going to prison, but you, you're in for the worst."
Shemtov looked the officer in the eyes and said, "Now you don't want to do that. What's going to happen? You'll take me into your headquarters, sit me in front of your superior officer and tell him how this puny little Jew outsmarted you so that you failed your mission? You'll look like a complete idiot."
Shemtov pulled out some cash from his pocket, put it in the officers hand and said, "Better you take this money and go enjoy it for yourself." The officer took the cash and left Shemtov alive.
When Rav Shemtov finished telling us the story he said, "This was my father. He lived the lesson that when another Jew is in need, you don't think about yourself."
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Pride Kills
Twenty five people were killed yesterday in a road accident here in Israel. The news reports that the two drivers were 'racing' right before the fatal nightmare. The driver had a record of driving incidents.
This tragedy holds a profound lesson for us.
On occasion I have a simcha that I will sing in Jerusalem and it will require renting a car to bring my keyboard and other equipment. A few times I have called to reserve a car too late, and ended up taking a taxi to and from the job.
It was on one such evening that I met Eli. He is a driver who startled me with his simple smooth attitude about everything. Nothing would perturb him, and he told me that the right question to ask is never, 'Why did you go that way,' but rather, 'Why don't we go that way.' Questions about the past, he told me, are not constructive. Questions about the future are.
There was another bit of wisdom that he said that I would like to focus on. He told me that if he was the minister of transportation, he would remove all of the horns from the cars. Why is that? He said that the horn makes a person feel invincible. So what if you're coming? HONK HONK! I'm here! The horn causes more traffic accidents then it prevents.
The depth behind this statement is that when a person is full of himself at every point as he is driving, there will be no respect on the road. Whaddaya mean? I'm drivin' here! Watch out! When the attitude is pride, destruction is close by one's side.
Another taxi driver (who Eli sent me to) was Yehuda, who told me that at a certain point he realized the pointlessness of getting upset at others' foolishness on the road. When he came to that realization, he had an encounter on the road where he cut someone off, and the other person was enraged. Yehuda was in turn cut off by the guy, and the car slowed down in front of him until they both came to a stop.
A big burly guy got out of the car and came over with a look of death in his eyes and curses on his lips. Instead of getting upset, Yehuda turned to the guy and said to him, "You are right. I deserve whatever you have in mind for me. Give me your best shot."
The big guy didn't know what to do with Yehuda's statement. He grunted something under his breath, got back into his car, slammed the door and drove off.
Pride kills. Humility saves lives.
This tragedy holds a profound lesson for us.
On occasion I have a simcha that I will sing in Jerusalem and it will require renting a car to bring my keyboard and other equipment. A few times I have called to reserve a car too late, and ended up taking a taxi to and from the job.
It was on one such evening that I met Eli. He is a driver who startled me with his simple smooth attitude about everything. Nothing would perturb him, and he told me that the right question to ask is never, 'Why did you go that way,' but rather, 'Why don't we go that way.' Questions about the past, he told me, are not constructive. Questions about the future are.
There was another bit of wisdom that he said that I would like to focus on. He told me that if he was the minister of transportation, he would remove all of the horns from the cars. Why is that? He said that the horn makes a person feel invincible. So what if you're coming? HONK HONK! I'm here! The horn causes more traffic accidents then it prevents.
The depth behind this statement is that when a person is full of himself at every point as he is driving, there will be no respect on the road. Whaddaya mean? I'm drivin' here! Watch out! When the attitude is pride, destruction is close by one's side.
Another taxi driver (who Eli sent me to) was Yehuda, who told me that at a certain point he realized the pointlessness of getting upset at others' foolishness on the road. When he came to that realization, he had an encounter on the road where he cut someone off, and the other person was enraged. Yehuda was in turn cut off by the guy, and the car slowed down in front of him until they both came to a stop.
A big burly guy got out of the car and came over with a look of death in his eyes and curses on his lips. Instead of getting upset, Yehuda turned to the guy and said to him, "You are right. I deserve whatever you have in mind for me. Give me your best shot."
The big guy didn't know what to do with Yehuda's statement. He grunted something under his breath, got back into his car, slammed the door and drove off.
Pride kills. Humility saves lives.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Thinking ahead
This story starts off rather normal. But a discerning ear will hear greatness here.
Last night, the wife of an old friend of mine called. Her in-laws will be in town and staying in my area and she heard that I may be out for Shabbos Chanukah for a simcha.
I confirmed that I would be in Jerusalem for that Shabbos, and my apartment would be available. It would be great to have them stay in my home.
Then she somewhat abashedly asked where I light Chanukah candles.
Not comprehending at first, I stumbled and said, "In the bedroom, in the window that faces the street."
It dawned on me that her husband (or perhaps she?) had thought ahead. Not only did they need an apartment for Shabbos, but they would need a proper place to light Chanukah candles!
I told her that my apartment is a second floor apartment and the window is not so visible from all angles. As far as 'pirsumei nisa' goes, they might be able to find a better suited apartment.
I realized that many times we make plans for the future that may or may not include the most important factor of our lives. Our avodas Hashem.
It's not such a big deal to think about our davening schedule when making our flight plan. It does limit our options, but wouldn't we limit them for something 'really' important like a big executive multi-million dollar business meeting? Tefillah is our chance to have that meeting with Hashem. Its power is enhanced manifold by joining with a minyan. Perhaps it could merit a second thought.
The plans that we make and the details that we notice can display where our true devotion lies.
Last night, the wife of an old friend of mine called. Her in-laws will be in town and staying in my area and she heard that I may be out for Shabbos Chanukah for a simcha.
I confirmed that I would be in Jerusalem for that Shabbos, and my apartment would be available. It would be great to have them stay in my home.
Then she somewhat abashedly asked where I light Chanukah candles.
Not comprehending at first, I stumbled and said, "In the bedroom, in the window that faces the street."
It dawned on me that her husband (or perhaps she?) had thought ahead. Not only did they need an apartment for Shabbos, but they would need a proper place to light Chanukah candles!
I told her that my apartment is a second floor apartment and the window is not so visible from all angles. As far as 'pirsumei nisa' goes, they might be able to find a better suited apartment.
I realized that many times we make plans for the future that may or may not include the most important factor of our lives. Our avodas Hashem.
It's not such a big deal to think about our davening schedule when making our flight plan. It does limit our options, but wouldn't we limit them for something 'really' important like a big executive multi-million dollar business meeting? Tefillah is our chance to have that meeting with Hashem. Its power is enhanced manifold by joining with a minyan. Perhaps it could merit a second thought.
The plans that we make and the details that we notice can display where our true devotion lies.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Winning the game
We affect every person we meet. We can have a positive impact on others, sometimes so great that it will affect their lives. This is certainly true of the children Hashem has given into our care. There is power in that, but as Peter Parker learned early on, 'with great power comes great responsibility.'
The positive affect one can have on another, and specifically one's child, was brought home to me last night as I put my five and a half year old son to sleep.
After saying Shema and going through our nightly thankyou's to Hashem, I was talking to him, and I told him that I am very proud of him. I just had this general feeling from the day that made me say that, it was nothing in particular. He gave me a look that I couldn't read, and I wondered to myself if I had perhaps said something that was wrong. So I asked him if he liked it when I said I was proud of him.
He answered, "It feels like I won the game."
It made me realize how essential my role is as a parent. My child's self esteem and personal value is currently being built. We don't realize how powerful the simple words "I am proud of you" are. But they can make or break our child's confidence in his ability to 'win the game' of life.
This idea struck me even deeper as I realized that this doesn't just hold true for our children but rather for every person we encounter. We can walk away from literally every interaction with a human being, leaving them with a feeling that they can win the game. We also have the free choice do the opposite if we raise the banner of our own pride too high.
Here again, when we act with humility our world is no longer limited to our small selfish reality, but it is expanded and continues to expand ever outward, lifting those around us along with the entire world.
The positive affect one can have on another, and specifically one's child, was brought home to me last night as I put my five and a half year old son to sleep.
After saying Shema and going through our nightly thankyou's to Hashem, I was talking to him, and I told him that I am very proud of him. I just had this general feeling from the day that made me say that, it was nothing in particular. He gave me a look that I couldn't read, and I wondered to myself if I had perhaps said something that was wrong. So I asked him if he liked it when I said I was proud of him.
He answered, "It feels like I won the game."
It made me realize how essential my role is as a parent. My child's self esteem and personal value is currently being built. We don't realize how powerful the simple words "I am proud of you" are. But they can make or break our child's confidence in his ability to 'win the game' of life.
This idea struck me even deeper as I realized that this doesn't just hold true for our children but rather for every person we encounter. We can walk away from literally every interaction with a human being, leaving them with a feeling that they can win the game. We also have the free choice do the opposite if we raise the banner of our own pride too high.
Here again, when we act with humility our world is no longer limited to our small selfish reality, but it is expanded and continues to expand ever outward, lifting those around us along with the entire world.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Give it or lose it
In my Daily Dvar, today's reading in Ahavas Chesed brought a very poignant Gemara in Bava Basra (10a).
There it says that just like one's income is determined on Rosh Hashana, similarly the expenditures (or losses) one will encounter are determined on Rosh Hashana. If the person merits, they can be 'lost' by being given to the poor. If not, the money will be taken forcibly.
Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai had a dream where he saw that his sister's children were to lose seven hundred dinars (an ancient currency) that year. Without telling them about the dream, he convinced them to give him a total of six hundred and eighty three dinars over the year. He wasn't successful in getting the last seventeen from them.
It came Erev Yom Kippur, and the Caesar sent his henchman to grab money from them. On that day they took seventeen dinars. Rabban Yochanan reassured them that they need not worry that more would be taken. When his nephews asked how he knew that no more would be taken, he told them about his dream.
They proceeded to ask him why he hadn't told them of the dream, so they could have given the full amount to charity instead of losing it to the Caesar! To this he responded and told them that he wanted them to be able to have the reward of giving the charity altruistically, without an ulterior motive.
For a deeper understanding of this, please listen there to episode 200.
There it says that just like one's income is determined on Rosh Hashana, similarly the expenditures (or losses) one will encounter are determined on Rosh Hashana. If the person merits, they can be 'lost' by being given to the poor. If not, the money will be taken forcibly.
Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai had a dream where he saw that his sister's children were to lose seven hundred dinars (an ancient currency) that year. Without telling them about the dream, he convinced them to give him a total of six hundred and eighty three dinars over the year. He wasn't successful in getting the last seventeen from them.
It came Erev Yom Kippur, and the Caesar sent his henchman to grab money from them. On that day they took seventeen dinars. Rabban Yochanan reassured them that they need not worry that more would be taken. When his nephews asked how he knew that no more would be taken, he told them about his dream.
They proceeded to ask him why he hadn't told them of the dream, so they could have given the full amount to charity instead of losing it to the Caesar! To this he responded and told them that he wanted them to be able to have the reward of giving the charity altruistically, without an ulterior motive.
For a deeper understanding of this, please listen there to episode 200.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Who is wise...
Sometimes you learn a lesson from the place you least expect it.
I spent this past Shabbos with my family in Jerusalem. We took a bus from Ramat Beit Shemesh until the entrance of the city. From there we took a cab until our destination. As soon as we got in the cab I knew he was Arab. There are certain clues that give it away. I am always interested to know what they think of us, and I asked him what the feelings are generally in East Jerusalem. He seemed a little bit perturbed that I was asking him this. He said to me, "If you want to know about politics, ask Olmert!"
At some point in our conversation, it seems like he felt he needed to prove himself and he pulled out a document attesting to the fact that he had served Israel faithfully in one of its wars. He also told me that he was sixty years old and the proud grandfather of eighteen grandchildren.
What impressed me was a comment he made. He said that the problem with politics is selfishness. We need to be concerned about honoring our parents and our elders. He told me that Teddy Kolek, who served as mayor of Jerusalem for over thirty years, is sitting and rotting away in a nursing home. Is this how we show our appreciation for a person who served the public for so long? This is how we treat our elders - as soon as they aren't useful to us anymore we throw them out in the trash heap?
I told him that I was impressed with his attitude, and if there were more people thinking this way, the world would be a much lovelier place.
He left us off at our destination and said, "Shabbat Shalom."
Seems you can learn something from any man.
I spent this past Shabbos with my family in Jerusalem. We took a bus from Ramat Beit Shemesh until the entrance of the city. From there we took a cab until our destination. As soon as we got in the cab I knew he was Arab. There are certain clues that give it away. I am always interested to know what they think of us, and I asked him what the feelings are generally in East Jerusalem. He seemed a little bit perturbed that I was asking him this. He said to me, "If you want to know about politics, ask Olmert!"
At some point in our conversation, it seems like he felt he needed to prove himself and he pulled out a document attesting to the fact that he had served Israel faithfully in one of its wars. He also told me that he was sixty years old and the proud grandfather of eighteen grandchildren.
What impressed me was a comment he made. He said that the problem with politics is selfishness. We need to be concerned about honoring our parents and our elders. He told me that Teddy Kolek, who served as mayor of Jerusalem for over thirty years, is sitting and rotting away in a nursing home. Is this how we show our appreciation for a person who served the public for so long? This is how we treat our elders - as soon as they aren't useful to us anymore we throw them out in the trash heap?
I told him that I was impressed with his attitude, and if there were more people thinking this way, the world would be a much lovelier place.
He left us off at our destination and said, "Shabbat Shalom."
Seems you can learn something from any man.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Investment Advice
People everywhere are desperately searching for the right place to put their money. Nothing seems safe. I would like to share with you the secret investment that is one hundred percent guaranteed.
A good friend of mine is involved in collecting for the Kollels of Rav Ahron Leib Shteinman, one of the great gedolei hador. He shared the following story with me that he witnessed recently.
One of the other people involved in collecting for the kollel had been promised by a certain wealthy individual that he would receive a sum ranging around $100,000 the following week. When it came time for him to come through on his commitment, he told him that he had just lost $3 million and would not be able to give that money.
My friend was there when the news was broken to Rav Shteinman.
Reb Ahron Leib's straightforward response was, "If he would donate the $100,000, he would not lose the $3 million."
Living in a world of Western values, we naturally think that the one who makes the money gives the tzedakah. Our Torah teaches us the opposite. The one who gives Tzedakah makes the money.
This is the idea of עשר בשביל שתתעשר - give off a tenth to become rich. We think this is a quaint saying our Chazal are telling us. Nothing could be farther from the truth. This statement is actually a rule that is hardwired into reality. Those who are givers (or more accurately sharers) will find that Hashem pours out his beracha upon them, because the truth is that Hashem is always waiting to give His blessings to His people, and those who use their money correctly and truly give to the best of their ability become conduits for Hashem's Shefa into the world, and they themselves benefit as well.
In my neighborhood, as may be the case in yours, when someone is blessed with a child, the gears go into motion and the chessed pours out from every side. People are there to help in any way they can, from helping prepare for a simcha to cooking meals nightly.
Chessed and tzedakah go hand in hand and are the things that bring Hashem's blessings into our lives because we are bringing the blessings into others' lives. If we know someone who is suffering financially, we can help. We can offer to watch their kids or we can surprise them with a meal, or even create a schedule with others to help them on a regular basis. The brotherhood that can be advanced in difficult times can be the zechus to get us out of the difficult times.
A wonderful way to become more aware in this area is to learn the Chofetz Chaim's sefer Ahavas Chessed. If audio works better for you, you can find a number of five minute audio shiurim that I have recorded based on Ahavas Chessed on my website in the section entitled the Daily Dvar.
Now is the time to strengthen our resolve in this area, to dedicate ourselves to raise our level of giving. If we have not been careful until now with our maaser, let us take off our maaser as soon as we make the money. If we have given less than ten percent until now, let us make sure to give ten percent. It may be possible to look inside oneself and see that the bar could be raised and even twenty percent could be given. הבא לטהר מסייעין אותו - one who comes to purify himself is aided from Heaven.
I once asked Rav Sheinberg about how much one should give to tzedakah, and he emphatically said that every penny given to tzedakah comes right back. The more you give the more you get!
איש את רעהו יעזורו ולאחיו יאמר חזק - each man will strengthen his fellow, and say to him, "Be strong!"
A good friend of mine is involved in collecting for the Kollels of Rav Ahron Leib Shteinman, one of the great gedolei hador. He shared the following story with me that he witnessed recently.
One of the other people involved in collecting for the kollel had been promised by a certain wealthy individual that he would receive a sum ranging around $100,000 the following week. When it came time for him to come through on his commitment, he told him that he had just lost $3 million and would not be able to give that money.
My friend was there when the news was broken to Rav Shteinman.
Reb Ahron Leib's straightforward response was, "If he would donate the $100,000, he would not lose the $3 million."
Living in a world of Western values, we naturally think that the one who makes the money gives the tzedakah. Our Torah teaches us the opposite. The one who gives Tzedakah makes the money.
This is the idea of עשר בשביל שתתעשר - give off a tenth to become rich. We think this is a quaint saying our Chazal are telling us. Nothing could be farther from the truth. This statement is actually a rule that is hardwired into reality. Those who are givers (or more accurately sharers) will find that Hashem pours out his beracha upon them, because the truth is that Hashem is always waiting to give His blessings to His people, and those who use their money correctly and truly give to the best of their ability become conduits for Hashem's Shefa into the world, and they themselves benefit as well.
In my neighborhood, as may be the case in yours, when someone is blessed with a child, the gears go into motion and the chessed pours out from every side. People are there to help in any way they can, from helping prepare for a simcha to cooking meals nightly.
Chessed and tzedakah go hand in hand and are the things that bring Hashem's blessings into our lives because we are bringing the blessings into others' lives. If we know someone who is suffering financially, we can help. We can offer to watch their kids or we can surprise them with a meal, or even create a schedule with others to help them on a regular basis. The brotherhood that can be advanced in difficult times can be the zechus to get us out of the difficult times.
A wonderful way to become more aware in this area is to learn the Chofetz Chaim's sefer Ahavas Chessed. If audio works better for you, you can find a number of five minute audio shiurim that I have recorded based on Ahavas Chessed on my website in the section entitled the Daily Dvar.
Now is the time to strengthen our resolve in this area, to dedicate ourselves to raise our level of giving. If we have not been careful until now with our maaser, let us take off our maaser as soon as we make the money. If we have given less than ten percent until now, let us make sure to give ten percent. It may be possible to look inside oneself and see that the bar could be raised and even twenty percent could be given. הבא לטהר מסייעין אותו - one who comes to purify himself is aided from Heaven.
I once asked Rav Sheinberg about how much one should give to tzedakah, and he emphatically said that every penny given to tzedakah comes right back. The more you give the more you get!
איש את רעהו יעזורו ולאחיו יאמר חזק - each man will strengthen his fellow, and say to him, "Be strong!"
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Rav Kanievsky's psak - part two
I have not had peace of mind this entire week. One of the things I hold dear in my life is the midah of Emes. I try to be true to that midah in my business dealings, in my family life and in any area where it applies. It was partly for this reason that I was so excited about the story of Rav Kanievsky's psak. Here was a story that for all intents and purposes was completely verified and strikingly pertinent in a quite immediate sense. Or so I thought.
I wrote the email and and posted the story on my blog (http://geulahperspectives.blogspot.com) on last Sunday evening after first hearing Rav Levy's story directly from his mouth. The story was striking enough that through Monday over a thousand individual hits were registered on my blog. This did not include the numerous people that saw it via forwarded emails.
When I came home Monday from my morning seder my wife had already received two phone calls from friends about the email/post, and she also happened to be on the phone with Rav Levy's daughter for an unrelated reason. This was Rav Levy's daughter who is married to 'Dovid' - the son-in-law who is working on the project that involves constant consultation with Rav Kanievsky.
My wife tells me that she said that the story with the bomb shelters was not confirmed. I was surprised at this, to say the least. I had understood from Rav Levy that he had verified the story himself.
It became clear that in my excitement about the story, I had misunderstood what Rav Levy had said. As it turned out, Rav Levy had heard the story from his son-in-law Dovid who had in turn heard it from another rav in the neighborhood, 'Rav Stein.' When I subsequently spoke to Dovid directly, he said that Rav Stein had heard both the story about the bomb shelters (his wording was 'bunkers') and the story about buying property from two different sources. Rav Stein could not remember from whom he had heard the story about the bomb shelters, and thus could not verify it. In the original version of the story as Rav Stein had heard it, someone came to Rav Kanievsky asking if he should make his chasunah on a certain date in Kislev of this year. Rav Kanievsky responded and said that he should not make the wedding on that date as we would be in bunkers. Again, this story could not be verified.
In regards to the second part of the story involving the property purchase, I spoke directly to Rav Stein and he told me that he heard it from a reliable source.
I was understandably perplexed by this information, and my wife advised me to immediately remove the post from my blog. As far as the emails were concerned, I wasn't at first aware as to how far they had spread, and I also did not want to send out another email until I had more information. I thought that perhaps it would be possible to actually confirm the first part of the story as well. If that would indeed be possible, sending out multiple emails would only make the story into a more confusing mess.
What made matters more complicated was the following story that happened to Dovid's chevrusa.
Dovid's chevrusa came to Reb Chaim Kanievsky with a question. He had heard from one source that R' Chaim had said that if you donate to a certain organization you will merit that your children will stay on the path of Torah. A different source quoted R' Chaim as saying that it is impossible to guarantee that all of your children will stay on the path.
Rav Kanievsky resonded and said, "כל מה שאומרים בשמי הוא שקר" - anything said in my name is false.
Basically, it seems Reb Chaim was saying that until you hear it from his mouth as it applies to your situation, you can not be sure it applies to you. People have a way of hearing what they want to hear, and interpreting things as they wish to interpret them, not per se maliciously, but naturally a person understands what he hears through the lens of his own experience.
I subsequently spoke to Dovid a number of times, and at first we thought that perhaps we could confirm the story by asking Reb Chaim directly whether he had indeed said these things. Dovid went first on Tuesday night and then on Wednesday night to Reb Chaim, but the first time he was too late to speak to him. The second time he was one of the last people in and was unable to get to this question, as he had another important and pressing question to ask.
I realized that even if we would ask the question, in all likelihood his response would just be, "כל מה שאומרים בשמי הוא שקר" - anything said in my name is false.
The bottom line of this whole story is that I have come to the realization that until one hears a story directly from the mouth of the one who experienced it, it should be taken with a grain of salt. It can be taken seriously, especially if it is coming from a reliable source, however even the most reliable source, and even the people themselves who experienced the story will only have understood what has happened from their own vantage point. That being the case, it would be wise to take heed, but at the same time be guardedly cautious.
As a final note, when trying to make heads or tails of this story, people have expressed the need to understand why Rav Kanievsky would make a statement that indicates there is danger here in Israel, but then say that a chasuna should be held here despite that. So I think it is important to note something that I clarified later with Rav Levy about the letter he wrote presenting the question to Rav Kanievsky. He specifically told me that he included a line in his letter saying, "We have heard that the Rav [meaning Reb Chaim Kanievsky] has said that some serious things are going to be happening in the near future," and Reb Chaim read the entire letter very carefully and did not make any comment to the contrary of this statement. Dovid also told me that he personally asked Reb Chaim three questions involving the issue of people being encouraged to move to Israel and whether people considering leaving Israel should indeed leave. His response to these questions was that if possible, people should indeed come here, and whether people should leave Israel, he said simply עדיף פה - better here. Would he say this for you? I don't know. If you want to know how to get your shaila to him, I would be happy to help. In any event, it doesn't take a great chacham to look at what's going on in the world and see that there is danger here. Nevertheless, Reb Chaim is telling people generally to come here and stay here. Clearly he feels that not only is it safe here, it is better to be here than anywhere else in the world.
May Hashem guide us all to do His will and may we all merit to see and hear only בשורות טובות.
I wrote the email and and posted the story on my blog (http://geulahperspectives.blogspot.com) on last Sunday evening after first hearing Rav Levy's story directly from his mouth. The story was striking enough that through Monday over a thousand individual hits were registered on my blog. This did not include the numerous people that saw it via forwarded emails.
When I came home Monday from my morning seder my wife had already received two phone calls from friends about the email/post, and she also happened to be on the phone with Rav Levy's daughter for an unrelated reason. This was Rav Levy's daughter who is married to 'Dovid' - the son-in-law who is working on the project that involves constant consultation with Rav Kanievsky.
My wife tells me that she said that the story with the bomb shelters was not confirmed. I was surprised at this, to say the least. I had understood from Rav Levy that he had verified the story himself.
It became clear that in my excitement about the story, I had misunderstood what Rav Levy had said. As it turned out, Rav Levy had heard the story from his son-in-law Dovid who had in turn heard it from another rav in the neighborhood, 'Rav Stein.' When I subsequently spoke to Dovid directly, he said that Rav Stein had heard both the story about the bomb shelters (his wording was 'bunkers') and the story about buying property from two different sources. Rav Stein could not remember from whom he had heard the story about the bomb shelters, and thus could not verify it. In the original version of the story as Rav Stein had heard it, someone came to Rav Kanievsky asking if he should make his chasunah on a certain date in Kislev of this year. Rav Kanievsky responded and said that he should not make the wedding on that date as we would be in bunkers. Again, this story could not be verified.
In regards to the second part of the story involving the property purchase, I spoke directly to Rav Stein and he told me that he heard it from a reliable source.
I was understandably perplexed by this information, and my wife advised me to immediately remove the post from my blog. As far as the emails were concerned, I wasn't at first aware as to how far they had spread, and I also did not want to send out another email until I had more information. I thought that perhaps it would be possible to actually confirm the first part of the story as well. If that would indeed be possible, sending out multiple emails would only make the story into a more confusing mess.
What made matters more complicated was the following story that happened to Dovid's chevrusa.
Dovid's chevrusa came to Reb Chaim Kanievsky with a question. He had heard from one source that R' Chaim had said that if you donate to a certain organization you will merit that your children will stay on the path of Torah. A different source quoted R' Chaim as saying that it is impossible to guarantee that all of your children will stay on the path.
Rav Kanievsky resonded and said, "כל מה שאומרים בשמי הוא שקר" - anything said in my name is false.
Basically, it seems Reb Chaim was saying that until you hear it from his mouth as it applies to your situation, you can not be sure it applies to you. People have a way of hearing what they want to hear, and interpreting things as they wish to interpret them, not per se maliciously, but naturally a person understands what he hears through the lens of his own experience.
I subsequently spoke to Dovid a number of times, and at first we thought that perhaps we could confirm the story by asking Reb Chaim directly whether he had indeed said these things. Dovid went first on Tuesday night and then on Wednesday night to Reb Chaim, but the first time he was too late to speak to him. The second time he was one of the last people in and was unable to get to this question, as he had another important and pressing question to ask.
I realized that even if we would ask the question, in all likelihood his response would just be, "כל מה שאומרים בשמי הוא שקר" - anything said in my name is false.
The bottom line of this whole story is that I have come to the realization that until one hears a story directly from the mouth of the one who experienced it, it should be taken with a grain of salt. It can be taken seriously, especially if it is coming from a reliable source, however even the most reliable source, and even the people themselves who experienced the story will only have understood what has happened from their own vantage point. That being the case, it would be wise to take heed, but at the same time be guardedly cautious.
As a final note, when trying to make heads or tails of this story, people have expressed the need to understand why Rav Kanievsky would make a statement that indicates there is danger here in Israel, but then say that a chasuna should be held here despite that. So I think it is important to note something that I clarified later with Rav Levy about the letter he wrote presenting the question to Rav Kanievsky. He specifically told me that he included a line in his letter saying, "We have heard that the Rav [meaning Reb Chaim Kanievsky] has said that some serious things are going to be happening in the near future," and Reb Chaim read the entire letter very carefully and did not make any comment to the contrary of this statement. Dovid also told me that he personally asked Reb Chaim three questions involving the issue of people being encouraged to move to Israel and whether people considering leaving Israel should indeed leave. His response to these questions was that if possible, people should indeed come here, and whether people should leave Israel, he said simply עדיף פה - better here. Would he say this for you? I don't know. If you want to know how to get your shaila to him, I would be happy to help. In any event, it doesn't take a great chacham to look at what's going on in the world and see that there is danger here. Nevertheless, Reb Chaim is telling people generally to come here and stay here. Clearly he feels that not only is it safe here, it is better to be here than anywhere else in the world.
May Hashem guide us all to do His will and may we all merit to see and hear only בשורות טובות.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Rav Kanievsky's Psak
I am putting the original post back up as I originally wrote it. Please refer to the second part of the story before drawing any conclusions, as I was mistaken in some of the major details.
Rav Levy is a very distinguished member of the community. He is someone well versed in both nigleh and nistar (the revealed and hidden parts of the Torah). I have spoken to him numerous times discussing topics ranging from the mundane to the esoteric and I have found him to be someone with a lot of intuitive wisdom and a keen observer of life.
A neighbor of mine was hosting a certain young man for Shabbos, and this young man ate the Friday night meal at Rav Levy's house. He came back and told my neighbor the story that follows, which I excitedly and quickly confirmed by hearing it directly from Rav Levy himself.
Rav Levy has a daughter who moved to the states a few years ago because her specialty pays 40 shekels an hour here in Israel, and in the US she would make $65 an hour. She recently became engaged to a young man who also lives in the US. Being that all of her friends and all of his family are there, both the chosson and kallah wanted to have their wedding in the states. Rav Levy was presented with a dilemma. Bli ayin hara he has a large family, and bringing the entire family to the states would be a tremendous expense. Besides for that, Rav Levy is careful not to leave Israel except for his livelihood or to visit his elderly father.
Rav Levy is very close to Rabban Gamliel Rabonovich, the rosh yeshiva of yeshivat Sha'ar Hashamayim (A school for mekubalim in Jerusalem), so he posed the question to him. R' Rabonovich told him that it would be best if he asked this question to someone else, as he has very strong feelings for Eretz Yisrael - he's never left since he was born here, and never plans to. He ssuggested that Rav Levy should ask a posek.
Rav Levy wasn't sure who to ask.
Then his fourteen year old daughter came home and mentioned that when she was at her friend's house, it came up that someone had asked Rav Kanievsky last week about making his wedding during Chanukah. Rav Kanievsky said that it wasn't such a good idea, as during Chanukah we will all be in bomb shelters.
Rav Levy was somewhat surprised at this information, especially since they were talking about a wedding only two weeks after Chanukah. He was able to get in contact with and speak directly to the young man (we will call him Reuven) who was told this by Rav Kanievsky, and it was confirmed that indeed Rav Kanievsky had told him this. Reuven also told him that he had another friend (we will call him Shimon) who recently went to Rav Kanievsky to ask for a bracha as he was planning to buy an apartment. Rav Kanievsky told Shimon that he should not buy any apartments, as the value of all apartments will be next to nothing within six months as people scramble to get out of Israel. Rav Levy was able to speak directly to Shimon as well, and confirmed that indeed this was what he had been told by Rav Kanievsky.
Rav Levy told me that he had previously posed questions to Rav Kanievsky on a number of occasions, and felt that this would be the correct address to pose this one as well. He went to Rav Kanievsky with a two page letter detailing all of his concerns, the chosson and kallah's concerns, as well as what he heard from Reuven and Shimon. Rav Levy was accompanied by his son-in-law who frequently visits Rav Kanievsky as he is working on a major project involving the Zohar that requires the guidance of the Gadol.
Rav Kanievsky read the letter slowly and carefully. He finished it and read it again. (Rav Levy's son-in-law said that it was very unusual for the Rav to read a letter twice.) When he finished, Rav Kanievsky said, "יותר טוב שיהיה פה" - it's better that it should be here. Rav Levy's son-in-law reiterated that the chosson and kallah both are in America and very much want it to be there. Rav Kanievsky again repeated, "יותר טוב שיהיה פה" - it's better that it should be here. Rav Levy asked how he should convince them, and Rav Kanievsky responded and said, "תגיד את זה בשמי והם יסכימו"- say it in my name and they will agree.
Rav Levy told his family and they all agreed to follow Rav Kanievsky's psak.
I was personally curious as to how Rav Kanievsky knows this information, perhaps through Ruach Hakodesh, or perhaps he's had conversations with Moshiach, or maybe from learning Kabbalah or the sifrei HaGra? Rav Levy gave me a sheepish look and said that of course he can't answer that, but he affirmed that on a number of occasions in the past when they have asked Rav Kanievsky shailos, he clearly had Ruach Hakodesh.
I thought it was appropriate to mention to Rav Levy that I had heard a rumor that R' Dovid Abuchatzeira was only standing for his visitors now because of a dream where his grandfather told him that Moshiach had come and he had not shown him the proper respect. Rav Levy told me that indeed he has been to R' Abuchatzeira a number of times in the past, and he was always seated, but when he went right before Rosh Hashana, the Chacham was standing the whole time.
After reading this, please see the second part of the story.
Rav Levy is a very distinguished member of the community. He is someone well versed in both nigleh and nistar (the revealed and hidden parts of the Torah). I have spoken to him numerous times discussing topics ranging from the mundane to the esoteric and I have found him to be someone with a lot of intuitive wisdom and a keen observer of life.
A neighbor of mine was hosting a certain young man for Shabbos, and this young man ate the Friday night meal at Rav Levy's house. He came back and told my neighbor the story that follows, which I excitedly and quickly confirmed by hearing it directly from Rav Levy himself.
Rav Levy has a daughter who moved to the states a few years ago because her specialty pays 40 shekels an hour here in Israel, and in the US she would make $65 an hour. She recently became engaged to a young man who also lives in the US. Being that all of her friends and all of his family are there, both the chosson and kallah wanted to have their wedding in the states. Rav Levy was presented with a dilemma. Bli ayin hara he has a large family, and bringing the entire family to the states would be a tremendous expense. Besides for that, Rav Levy is careful not to leave Israel except for his livelihood or to visit his elderly father.
Rav Levy is very close to Rabban Gamliel Rabonovich, the rosh yeshiva of yeshivat Sha'ar Hashamayim (A school for mekubalim in Jerusalem), so he posed the question to him. R' Rabonovich told him that it would be best if he asked this question to someone else, as he has very strong feelings for Eretz Yisrael - he's never left since he was born here, and never plans to. He ssuggested that Rav Levy should ask a posek.
Rav Levy wasn't sure who to ask.
Then his fourteen year old daughter came home and mentioned that when she was at her friend's house, it came up that someone had asked Rav Kanievsky last week about making his wedding during Chanukah. Rav Kanievsky said that it wasn't such a good idea, as during Chanukah we will all be in bomb shelters.
Rav Levy was somewhat surprised at this information, especially since they were talking about a wedding only two weeks after Chanukah. He was able to get in contact with and speak directly to the young man (we will call him Reuven) who was told this by Rav Kanievsky, and it was confirmed that indeed Rav Kanievsky had told him this. Reuven also told him that he had another friend (we will call him Shimon) who recently went to Rav Kanievsky to ask for a bracha as he was planning to buy an apartment. Rav Kanievsky told Shimon that he should not buy any apartments, as the value of all apartments will be next to nothing within six months as people scramble to get out of Israel. Rav Levy was able to speak directly to Shimon as well, and confirmed that indeed this was what he had been told by Rav Kanievsky.
Rav Levy told me that he had previously posed questions to Rav Kanievsky on a number of occasions, and felt that this would be the correct address to pose this one as well. He went to Rav Kanievsky with a two page letter detailing all of his concerns, the chosson and kallah's concerns, as well as what he heard from Reuven and Shimon. Rav Levy was accompanied by his son-in-law who frequently visits Rav Kanievsky as he is working on a major project involving the Zohar that requires the guidance of the Gadol.
Rav Kanievsky read the letter slowly and carefully. He finished it and read it again. (Rav Levy's son-in-law said that it was very unusual for the Rav to read a letter twice.) When he finished, Rav Kanievsky said, "יותר טוב שיהיה פה" - it's better that it should be here. Rav Levy's son-in-law reiterated that the chosson and kallah both are in America and very much want it to be there. Rav Kanievsky again repeated, "יותר טוב שיהיה פה" - it's better that it should be here. Rav Levy asked how he should convince them, and Rav Kanievsky responded and said, "תגיד את זה בשמי והם יסכימו"- say it in my name and they will agree.
Rav Levy told his family and they all agreed to follow Rav Kanievsky's psak.
I was personally curious as to how Rav Kanievsky knows this information, perhaps through Ruach Hakodesh, or perhaps he's had conversations with Moshiach, or maybe from learning Kabbalah or the sifrei HaGra? Rav Levy gave me a sheepish look and said that of course he can't answer that, but he affirmed that on a number of occasions in the past when they have asked Rav Kanievsky shailos, he clearly had Ruach Hakodesh.
I thought it was appropriate to mention to Rav Levy that I had heard a rumor that R' Dovid Abuchatzeira was only standing for his visitors now because of a dream where his grandfather told him that Moshiach had come and he had not shown him the proper respect. Rav Levy told me that indeed he has been to R' Abuchatzeira a number of times in the past, and he was always seated, but when he went right before Rosh Hashana, the Chacham was standing the whole time.
After reading this, please see the second part of the story.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
More Moshiach dreams?
Dear Rabbi Goldwag,
Have you heard anything about Rav Kanievsky having a dream in which Rav Schach zt"l told him that Moshiach is coming soon?
Have a good week,
Mrs. Goldstein
I have not. I am wary of these types of stories until I hear them from a close source.
I did recently hear from someone who heard from Rav Uri Zohar's mouth that Rav Zohar went to visit Rav Elya Svei recently, and he is still repeating that which Rav Elchanan Wasserman said in 1939 that Moshiach would come in 70 years.
Rav Uri Zohar also had come to one of the gedolim here (I forget if it was Rav Sheinberg or Rav Kanievsky... talk about accuracy!) because he knows a family outside of Israel who all the children are having difficulty with shidduchim. The gadol responded and said that the oldest one should come to Eretz Yisrael, and he would find his shidduch. The gadol then amended that and said that it would be a good idea for the whole family to come as Moshiach is coming soon.
all the best,
Ari Goldwag
Have you heard anything about Rav Kanievsky having a dream in which Rav Schach zt"l told him that Moshiach is coming soon?
Have a good week,
Mrs. Goldstein
I have not. I am wary of these types of stories until I hear them from a close source.
I did recently hear from someone who heard from Rav Uri Zohar's mouth that Rav Zohar went to visit Rav Elya Svei recently, and he is still repeating that which Rav Elchanan Wasserman said in 1939 that Moshiach would come in 70 years.
Rav Uri Zohar also had come to one of the gedolim here (I forget if it was Rav Sheinberg or Rav Kanievsky... talk about accuracy!) because he knows a family outside of Israel who all the children are having difficulty with shidduchim. The gadol responded and said that the oldest one should come to Eretz Yisrael, and he would find his shidduch. The gadol then amended that and said that it would be a good idea for the whole family to come as Moshiach is coming soon.
all the best,
Ari Goldwag
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