Here for Hashem

I decided so...

2018-12-31T22:54:00.000-05:00

Recently, I called a company to close my account with them. The phone representative was courteous and professional as he collected my information. Then, he asked me: "May I know your reason for closing the account with us?"

Now, I had already thoroughly thought through the pros and cons of keeping the account open, and concluded that I needed to close it. So, I shared my reasoning with the rep.

Interestingly enough, after hearing me out, the representative found a loophole or two in my reasoning, and explained to me why it would make more sense to keep the account open. I was a bit annoyed to discover that closing the account was going require my wresting my way through a debate of sorts, in order to justify my decision to close it. I agreed to leave the account open and ended the call.
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Love: Fathers and Sons

2018-12-14T01:12:00.007-05:00

In the dramatic showdown of power between Yosef and his brothers, the fate of one of them - Binyomin - became the primary focus. Having personally guaranteed Binyomin's safe return home, Yehuda relentlessly expended every effort and made every argument and plea possible in order to free Binyomin from enslavement.

When appealing his fate, Yehuda pleaded: "If you do not let Binyomin return home, you will send my father's soul to the grave in sorrow..."

It would seem from Yehuda's presentation, that Binyomin was a tender, young boy, who still lived in his father's house. Yet, at the time of this episode, Binyomin was actually a grown man, married, and a father of ten sons. (Rashi, Bereshis, 43:29)

This being the case, Yehuda should have made a more powerful appeal, by invoking the sorrow of the young mother and ten children! Surely, the image of the large family in despair would elicit a more sympathetic judgement from the Second to the King. Why did Yehuda plea for Yosef to consider the father's sorrow instead?

Doing Vs. Accomplishing

2018-10-11T18:12:00.000-04:00

While tending to the animals and birds in the Teiva, Noach noticed a bird off on the side.

"Don't you need something to eat?" Noach asked.

"I saw that you were busy, so I didn't want to bother you," answered the bird.

"May Hashem bless you that you should never die!" exclaimed Noach.

(Sanhedrin, 108b)

Understandably, caring for and feeding the creatures in the Teiva was an enormous and time-consuming task. Certainly, Noach could have used some time to rest. But, of what value was the little bird's gesture? Skipping this bird's feeding would give Noach a break of, perhaps, thirty seconds at the most. What was the purpose of it? This gift was going to accomplish nothing.

The Shofar Firetruck

2018-08-17T09:12:00.001-04:00

When a firetruck's siren is heard, different people react to it differently. Let us examine each of them.

The inner-city resident
This person hears sirens and honks under his kitchen windows at all hours of the day. He has grown used to these sounds being a part of the ambience which he considers "normal-life city sounds". The siren is no more concerning or interesting to him than the chirping of the birds, or clatter of storefront gates opening and closing.
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Mind your own Business

2018-04-28T21:34:00.001-04:00

The clock strikes 5:00.

Fifteen neatly-dressed employees hang their aprons, and punch their cards. With no more than a backward glance at the showroom, the smiling workers file out the front door of the shop, the last one flipping the "Open" sign to "Closed".

The bus ride home is spent thinking about the warm dinner that awaits them. Trees and traffic signals pass quickly in a hazy blur. Some doze peacefully, while others engage in small talk about the upcoming holiday break.

They worked diligently and with integrity, and each looks forward to a good night's rest and tomorrow's payroll.
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It's About Time

2018-01-08T21:53:00.002-05:00

While browsing the freezer section in the local supermarket, an item I have not seen before, tickled my curiosity. It was a small bottle with a spray-top, containing egg-wash. For our less-culinarily-inclined readers, egg-wash is a concoction generally made with eggs, water (and salt), and is used to glaze pastries, Challa, knishes, etc. before baking, giving these delicacies their shiny appearance.

My first thought was: How lazy have we become? Seriously? Egg-wash? I thought we saw the peak of laziness with frozen breaded fish fillets, and pre-sliced kishke. Or when our freezers were graced with frozen pancake mix and pre-formed cookie dough balls, waiting to be popped into the oven for the I-can't-wait-to-make-the-batter-I-need-these-cookies-right-now snack.
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Take Me Home

2017-10-15T21:41:00.001-04:00

A man once came into a beautiful ballroom and inquired about the occasion being celebrated.

"It's a wedding!" exclaimed one of the guests.

"Beautiful!" he said. Then, looking in on the joyous crowd, he continued. "It's obvious who the bride is - she's the one all in white. But, who is the groom?"

"The one with the black tie and long black jacket, dancing over there..." answered the guest, pointing towards the crowd.

The visitor was puzzled, seeing many dancing men with black ties and long black jackets.

"How do I know which is the groom?" he asked.

Cleverly, the guest answered: "Just wait till the end of the wedding. Whichever one takes the bride home with him... He is the groom!"

***

On Simchas Torah, everyone rejoices; many are dancing.

But which one is The Groom?

Which one is the one who is committing to live his life with The Bride, and heed her every beck and call?

Wait till the dancing ends, and see who is the one who takes the bride home with him at the end of the festivities.

Are we just another dancing guest? Or are we taking The Bride - The Torah - home with us?

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Lost Satellite Reception

2017-07-26T22:18:00.001-04:00

For the most part, I enjoy driving and long rides. In fact, as long as there is nothing pressing (read: low gas, imminent Shkiah, etc.), I am even okay with an occasional missed exit or detour.

There is one thing, however, that I have a very hard time with, regardless of how patient I am feeling, or how enjoyable the ride is. I cannot handle losing satellite reception.

It can happen while driving along an open highway, or crowded city street. Somehow I unintentionally drive out of the satellite's range. Without warning, the navigation app bleeps the dreaded tone, and in its gentle, yet unmistakably serious voice, it announces: "Lost satellite reception".

Panic sets in.

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The Elephant in Me - Part 3 - The Washdown

2017-03-14T20:40:00.000-04:00

As the supervisor has done in the story, the Yetzer Hara is out to prove that the outer layer of nature - our Kabolas Ol - is not our true color.

Pressures in life, doubts about our Tafkid, or a in cooling our Bitachon, are all experiences that can potentially weaken our commitment to our Tafkid.

Sadly, there are times when our resolve is weakened, and the layer of Kabolas Ol starts to peel. The Yetzer Hara exploits and exaggerates the impact of these cracks, with the intention of washing away more and more of our layer of Kabolas Ol, R"L.

"Kabolas Ol is just a layer!" The Yetzer Hara argues. "It is not the real you. Wouldn't it be better if it was completely washed away so the true you can shine?"

Yes and no.

The Elephant in Me - Part 2 - The Layers

2017-03-06T21:27:00.000-05:00

והנפש השנית בישראל היא חלק אלו-ה ממעל ממש

(Tanya Ch. 2)

The essence of every Yid is the beautifully pure Neshama, which is literally a part of Hashem.

The Neshama's only desire is to serve Hashem.

While enclothed in the human body, it disregards hardships from within and without, and restlessly yearns to reconnect itself with its source - Hashem - The Source of all Life.

When a person is born, a layer of desires and passions is painted on top of this pure soul. This layer is called: The animal soul.

The animal soul keeps us alive, and its desires and passions form our nature, personality and drive. This soul cares only about its self-promotion, gratification and survival. Having been put in charge of us at birth, the animal soul directs our every action, from the very first moment we enter into this world.

The Elephant in Me - Part 1 - The Evolution

2017-02-16T23:30:00.003-05:00

Back in the day, having a white elephant was a sign of status and royalty. Being a luxury commodity, bred only in one country, the government imposed a heavy tax on the export of these rare white elephants.

One day, a shrewd businessman was seen parading an inconspicuous band of twenty grey elephants toward the customs checkpoint. After a cursory inspection, and finding everything in order, the clerk waived the businessman through the checkpoint. As he walked away, the businessman smirked to himself, and was duly noticed by the checkpoint supervisor. Before he had a chance to pass the border, the businessman was called back.

As calmly as he could, he marched his elephants back to the checkpoint. A huge water cannon was brought, and the operator began hosing down the elephants. Not being satisfied with a single wash-down, the supervisor ordered the cannon operator to do another, slower wash-down, with a higher water pressure.

And then it happened...

Splinters and Peas

2016-11-03T23:25:00.004-04:00

In the days of Noach - before the flood - the world was corrupt with thievery, among other sins. Our Chachomim teach us that thievery was the sin which ultimately sealed the fate of that generation, for which they were punished with the flood.

In describing the thievery, the Medrash relates a typical scenario: A man would come to the market with a basket of peas to sell. The people would then conspire on how to rob him, yet in a cunning way, so that they could not be punished in court for their deeds, as follows:

Each person would take but one pea from the basket, and, before long, there were no peas left for the man to sell. Since a pea cost less than the amount of money which can be litigated in court, the man would be left with nothing, and no legal recourse with which to recoup his loss.

Ready or Not

2016-10-19T22:34:00.000-04:00

Recently, my kids were reading one of their favorite books: a book about children preparing for Shabbos.

As they read, something puzzled me.

"Is it Shabbos yet?"

"No," Mommy answered. "We still need to..."

Wait a second.

Is it Shabbos yet? No, it isn't Shabbos yet, because the sun has not yet set. Shabbos isn't something that waits for us to be ready for it. Shabbos comes at a certain time, whether we are ready for it or not.

Perhaps the question should be: "Are we ready for Shabbos?"
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Fire Desire

2016-10-07T15:07:00.003-04:00

Dedicated in honor of the birth of חנה בת רבקה

When Chana stood before Hashem pleading for a son, Eli, the Kohen Gadol, took her for a drunkard, and criticized her for coming to the Mishkan while inebriated.

While quite understandable on the surface, Eli's criticism of Chana's behavior had a deeper meaning as well.

Firstly, when standing before The King, one must be in a state of complete Bitul-Nullification. How can one think of personal needs at such a time?

Secondly, granted, one is supposed to bring his requests before The King, yet, Eli was disturbed by Chana's incessant Davening. "Ask for your needs, but don't get drunk with you Tefillah for them!"
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A Mother's Prayer

2016-09-29T18:45:00.001-04:00

All she wished was to have a righteous and pious son.

Yet, the odds were neatly and firmly stacked against her.

Nature ruled that she would be barren; the Torah ruled הכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת שמים, a person's righteousness cannot be destined from Above - a pious lifestyle cannot be foretold.

Thus, the odds of Chana's wish coming true were zero - it could not happen. Not by means of nature nor by the rules of the Torah.

This was reality.

Yet, Chana did not settle with this reality.

She fought to create a new one.
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Who's counting?

2016-09-20T18:17:00.002-04:00

I was expecting an important piece of mail for a few weeks, and was anxiously awaiting its arrival.

This Shabbos, I was right behind the front door when the mail fell through the mail-slot. One envelope fell onto another. I could not tell if the piece I was looking for had arrived, but another important looking envelope lay on top of the pile. It was from my mortgage bank...

I am set up for paperless billing, and e-notifications, so my heart raced. My bank only writes to me when there is a problem.

I worried that my last payment did not go through. That would mean the check bounced and there would be a fee from the mortgage bank and my regular bank.

Or was it something else?

I had recently renewed the fire insurance policy, and my broker ensured me that all was in order. Was there a lapse? Did the policy expire?
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Hauling Ice Cream

2016-09-13T08:12:00.001-04:00

While on a trip this summer, we were driving on a long stretch of interstate highway. These stretches usually offer interesting sights and much time to think about them.

During one particularly long stretch, I passed two trucks that carried ice cream.

One was a long 18-wheeler, and was probably on its way to a warehouse or supermarket, hauling pallets and pallets of yummy, frozen treats.

The other, less intimidating one, was a traditional, city-street ice cream truck, probably on its way back to the garage after a long day's work.

As I continued driving, I noted another, far more interesting contrast between the two ice cream haulers.
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Winds of Change

2016-09-04T12:15:00.000-04:00

"Though it is a clear day and the sun shines brightly, one feels a change in the atmosphere; the air is different. The Elul air is palpable; a Teshuva wind begins to blow..."

In this Sicha from 5694, the Frierdiker Rebbe describes what Shabbos Mevorchim Chodesh Elul felt like in the town of Lubavitch.

In another Sicha, the Frierdiker Rebbe describes waking up with a start, upon hearing the Shofar on Rosh Chodesh Elul, from the 6 o'clock Minyan.
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Cruise Control

2016-08-29T12:04:00.000-04:00

When Dovid was escaping the wrath of King Shaul, his friend Yonasan advised him to hide out in the field and await his report on whether and when it would be safe to return home.

Yonasan devised a plan with which to secretly convey this information to Dovid.

Yonasan told Dovid: "My servant and I will go out to the fields where you are hiding. I will shoot arrows and tell my servant to fetch them. Listen closely to what I tell him: If I tell my servant 'the arrows are close to you', then you will know that it is safe to return home...

ואם כה אומר לעלם 'הנה החיצים ממך והלאה' - לך, כי שילחך ה

"But if I tell him 'the arrows are further away', then go, for Hashem has sent you..."
(Shmuel I, 20:22)

Yonasan did not tell Dovid, "Go, because my father is still upset with you." He told him, "Go, for Hashem has sent you."

Gevald or Gevaldik

2016-08-09T21:59:00.001-04:00

Chaim Yankel was beside himself. He phoned the police to report that thieves had been in his beloved car.

"Gevald! They've stolen the dashboard, the steering wheel, the brake pedal, even the accelerator," he moaned.

Five minutes later the phone at the police station rang again. It was Chaim Yankel.

"Gevaldik!" Chaim Yankel exclaimed joyfully. "I just realized I got in the back seat by mistake."

***

The Ba'al Shem Tov teaches that the forty-two journeys that the B'nei Yisroel traveled between Mitzrayim and Eretz Yisroel are a metaphor for the journeys that are traveled by a Yid throughout his lifetime.

The question is asked: some of the journeys involved events that were displeasing to Hashem, and some were outright acts of rebellion against Him. How can we say that also these negative-experience journeys are a part of The Plan?
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Torah: Chip or Drip

2016-08-02T10:58:00.001-04:00

Once, Akiva stood near a well and asked the bystanders, "Who chiseled this rock?"

The people answered, "The water which consistently falls on it every day."

Akiva thought: "Something so soft, has shaped something so tough. The words of Torah, which are strong as iron, can certainly penetrate my heart which is merely flesh and blood."
(אבות דר"נ נוסח א פרק ו)

What is unique about water, and its effect on a hard rock, that has taught Rebbi Akiva about the power of Torah?

***

A stone-cutter patiently chips away at a huge boulder, and can take a break, even for years at a time, and his work will not be undone during the passage of the break-time. The chip in the rock remains, and the work can be resumed at any time.

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One Step

2016-07-26T13:04:00.001-04:00

A group of people were once travelling through the forest. In the darkness, one person veered off the path - only slightly - yet, before long he was deep in the wilderness, far, far away from the path.

Needless to say, the person who got lost didn't just end up in the wilderness with one step. His being in the wilderness was a result of the very first step he took off the path, and his continuing on that trajectory, without correcting his first, tiny misstep.

***

Entering the wilderness of life does not happen with just one step. At a moment of temporary darkness, our focus veers from the light and truth of Torah, and so long as it is dark, we continue taking steps away from the Path of Life, G-d forbid.

When the light of Torah illuminates our lives again, the error is discovered, as does the direction and path of return.

One step at a time.

The Rebbe. The Train. The Smoke.

2016-07-08T14:40:00.000-04:00

This article was originally published in honor of Yud Shevat - 5776

The date, Gimel Tamuz 5687. The place, Leningrad, Russia.

The dusty streets of the city were awhirl with the sounds and sights of the hundreds of Chassidim who thronged to the train station to bid farewell to the Frierdiker Rebbe, who was on his way to Kostroma.

The station platform, packed with Chassidim, was also swarming with KGB agents and spies, their eyes and ears alert to the conversations and expressions of the Chassidim. Along the length of the station stood soldiers, shoulder to shoulder, arms locked, with bayonet tipped rifles, clutched tightly against their chests.

On a far side of the town, a Chossid could be seen, shlepping his young son along with him, as they ran through the narrow streets and alleyways, taking every shortcut possible, in order to come to the station before the Rebbe would depart.

Gathering a Nation

2016-06-27T21:11:00.000-04:00

ובהקהיל את העם תתקעו ואל תריעו

Hashem instructed Moshe: When gathering the Yidden, blow a Tekiah, not a Teruah.
(Bamidbar 10:5)

What is the significance of the Tekia sound, vis-a-vis the Teruah sound? Why is Tekia the sound that gathers the nation?

***

For most immigrants coming to America in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was extremely rare to find a job that did not require one to work on Shabbos. As such, many frum Jews were in constant search of a livelihood, often losing their jobs before or immediately after Shabbos, as a result of their not working on Shabbos.

The story is told of two families who struggled with Parnassa, yet fought valiantly to stay steadfast to a Torah lifestyle. Every week, each father set out to find a job, only to lose it at the end of the week, for their commitment not to work on Shabbos.

Interestingly enough, when the children of one family grew up, they stayed committed to a Torah lifestyle, while the children of the other family did not.

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Setting a Trend

2016-05-19T21:50:00.000-04:00

In previous generations, it was the custom to wear Tefillin throughout the day. Even after Davening, Tefillin was worn when going about one's business, in the street and at home. However, in later generations, Yidden had lost a certain degree of commitment to the Mitzvah of Tefillin (along with other Mitzvos).

Rebbi Shimon Ben Elazar said: Mitzvos for which the Jews gave up their lives - in the time of a government decree - are still upheld with a strong commitment by the Yidden, such as: Bris Milah and not serving idols. And all those Mitzvos for which the Yidden did not give up their lives, still lacks commitment and is "weak" by them... such as Tefillin, which is still "weak" by the Yidden. (Shabbos, 130a)

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