17th of Tammuz

On the tenth of Teves, 425 BCE, Nevuchadnezzar began the blockade of Yerushalayim. Thirty months later, on Yud Zayin Tammuz, after a long siege during which hunger and epidemics devastated the city, the city walls were breached.
King Tzidkiah tried to escape through an eighteen-mile long tunnel, but he was captured in the fields of Yericho by enemy soldiers who, while chasing a deer, saw him emerging. He was brought before Nevuchadnezzar in Riblah. There Tzidkiah’s sons and many other Jewish people were massacred before his eyes; then his eyes were put out, and he was led in chains to Bavel.

Today is Yud Zayin Taamuz, commonly known as Sheva Aser B’taamuz. It marks the first day of the "Three Weeks" and it is customary for us to fast and mourn over the above tragedy.

The Talmud lists some more of the terrible events in Jewish history that occurred on this day:

* In 1313 BCE, forty days after Maatan Torah, upon descending Har Sinai and witnessing the Yidden’s worship of the Golden Calf, Moshe smashed the Luchos inscribed with the Ten Commandments which he was carrying down from the mountain.

* Three weeks before the destruction of the first Beis HaMikdosh in 423 BCE, the daily sacrificial offerings (the Korban Tamid) in the Bais HaMikdosh were discontinued. The reason for this is Yerushalayim was now taken under siege and due to the lack of sheep they had to stop these Korbanos. For the Yidden at that the time this was a big part of their daily routine and not being able to continue doing it was devastating.

* This was also the day that the walls of Yerushalyim were broken into by the Romans (69 CE) during the times of the second Beis HaMikdash.

* We are also told that on this day Apostomos burned the holy Torah and an idol was placed in the Beis HaMikdosh (second.)

Refraining from food and drink is the external aspect of a fast day. On a deeper level, a fast day is an auspicious day, a day when Hashem is accessible and waiting for us to do T’shuva. The sages explain: “Every generation, for which the Temple is not rebuilt, it is as though the Temple was destroyed for that generation.”

A fast day is not only a sad day, but an opportune day. It’s a day when we are empowered to fix the cause of that destruction, so that our long Galus will be ended and we will find ourselves living in the times of Moshiach with the Rebbe and the Mikdash HaShlishi!

                          

The Cookie Thief

The Cookie Thief 

A woman was waiting at an airport one night,
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shops.
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see,
That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be.
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between,
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock,
As the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, "If I wasn't so nice, I would blacken his eye."

With each cookie she took, he took one too,
When only one was left, she wondered what he would do.
With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other;
She snatched it from him and thought... oooh, brother.
This guy has some nerve and he's also rude,
Why he didn't even show any gratitude!

She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate,
Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat,
Then she sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise,
There was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she moaned in despair,
The others were his, and he tried to share.
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

How many times in our lives, have we absolutely known that something was a certain way, only to discover later that what we believed to be true ... was not?

Although this famous poem was not written by someone Jewish it has a very profound Jewish lesson in it.

Dan L’kaf Zchus. Being careful to judge others favorably and not jumping to conclusions. This is not something that is easy to do but I did read somewhere a piece of advice offered to make it easier to judge other people favorably.

When it comes to something you are doing that may look wrong to others, it is easy for you to come up with excuses or reasons why it happened. I was tired. I didn’t notice she needed my help. I forgot. I made a mistake. It didn’t happen the way she saw it – there’s another whole side to my story that she doesn’t even know about.

So when someone else does something that looks doubtful, that makes you wonder how she could have said or done that thing, you can literally put yourself in her shoes and imagine what kind of excuse would you have come up with if this happened to you?!

It’s always easy to think of excuses for our own (mis)deeds. So that’s how you can think of excuses for others-simply imagine yourself in that situation.

Then it won’t be so hard to figure out why that perfectly religious looking girl walked into McDonalds. Maybe she needed the bathroom. Maybe she needed change for a bus. Maybe she was thirsty and wanted a bottle of coke. What other reasons might she have walked into an obviously non-kosher store? It may seem a little hard for you but if it you did it, you would surely be able to come up with a few reasons to explain yourself!

You can use this piece of advice anytime you see someone you know doing something a little “off”.

Sheep Without a Sheperd

Rabbi Tuvia Bolton, Rabbi of Yeshiva Ohr Temimim in Kfar Chabad writes weekly thoughts on the Parshah. He usually takes a nice "vort" from the textual part of the Parshah and then adds an appropriate story to go along with it. Today I'd like to share his thoughts on this week's Parsha, Parshas Pinchas:


This week's Torah portion tells us of the changing of leadership from Moses to Yehoshua.
According to Judaism at the beginning of any endeavor we must pray to G-d. So too here, Moses, knowing that he is not to enter Israel, prays to G-d and asks Him to appoint a replacement in order that:
"THE CONGREGATION OF G-D WILL NOT BE LIKE SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD." (27:18)
At first glance this is not a nice comparison for Moses to make. Why liken the Jews to sheep? Why not liken them to a people without a king, travelers without a guide or even a man without sight? Why to animals?
In fact why use a metaphor at all? G-d certainly knew that the Jews cannot exist without a leader, why did Moses add this comparison?
Here is a story that might help us understand. (HaYidion, Kfar Chabad, 30.6.11)
This scene is by the gravesite of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in New York, just five years ago (2006). The story was told by Rabbi Yitzchak Idan, presently the Mayor of Elad but then the head of a Torah academy (Kollel) in Bnei Brak.
He, like hundreds of thousands of other Jews throughout the year visited this holy place to pray and receive spiritual encouragement.
He sat in the large tent (ohel) near the grave and remembered the first time he entered the Rebbe’s room over thirty years earlier, The Rebbe’s gaze left him speechless and all the blessings the Rebbe gave him came to fruition.
But then he noticed something unusual. A boy and girl in their early teens were standing near the door eagerly examining everyone that entered. They were too young to be plain clothed security guards so it wasn’t clear what exactly they were doing but they certainly were up to something.
Rabbi Idan even mentioned it to his friend that accompanied him. Obviously the young couple was looking for someone or something and they seemed quite helpless. So the Rabbi’s friend approached them and asked if he could help.
They seemed shocked that anyone noticed them, shook their heads no, and quickly left the large room to avoid him.
But when they returned just moments later and he again asked them they softened up, realized that he only wanted to help and revealed their secret.
They told him that they were brother and sister. He was fifteen and she two years younger. Twelve years ago their father and mother had a big argument that involved their mother’s entire family and their father left the house never to return.
No one dreamed that it would come to that, they kept hoping that he would show up any day, but the weeks, months, and years passed and not only did he not show up but no one, not even his own family, knew where he was.
Their mother raised them as best as she could but as the years went by their longing to see their father grew and grew until it became unbearable and managed to creep into almost every conversation they had. Then one day one of their friends suggested that they write a letter to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, put it in one of his holy books and wait for an answer.
The girl took the advice, she had never done such a thing before and didn’t really know much about the Rebbe but nevertheless she wrote the letter, went to a nearby Chabad House, put it in a book and waited. And she didn’t have to wait long.
A few days later, which was last night, she had a dream. She was standing in a long line of people waiting to get ‘dollars’ from the Rebbe and when her turn came she burst out in tears. She had seen pictures of him but this time it was in person. The Rebbe then gave her a dollar, told her to stop crying and that if she wanted to see her father she should go to the ‘Ohel’ and there she will meet him.
So that’s why they were here. They came here for the first time in their lives and were waiting with complete faith that the dream would materialize.
They didn’t even have a picture of their father. The only sign they had was that their mother often had said that the face of the boy was similar to that of their father’s and of the girl to the mother.
Rabbi Idan and his friend were overcome with emotion and curiosity. They had a busy schedule planned out before them for the day but they weren’t able to leave. They felt that they were about to witness a miracle. When others who were there noticed the excitement of the Rabbis they too asked the young couple what they said and within a short time there were tens of people waiting at a distance for something to happen.
People constantly trickled into the tent and nothing seemed to be happening. But after a short time a tour bus stopped before the place, tourists began to exit one after the other, entered the large tent and become swallowed up in the crowd while the brother and sister examined the face of each middle aged male that entered.
Then there descended from the bus a distinguished man dressed in an expensive business jacket with a straw hat. When he entered the tent his gaze caught the eyes of the young couple and he stopped for a second and returned their stare.
Rabbi Idan relates, “From where I stood it was possible to see that the man approached the girl and began the conversation. He asked her something and then the brother joined in. It seems to me that what caused him to approach her was her similarity to her mother. After a few minutes they all burst out crying. This was the father they had been seeking! Ten minutes afterwards the three of them left the tent, while constantly wiping tears of joy from their faces, entered a taxi and left”
This answers our question. Moses compared leaderless Jews to a flock with no shepherd because there is no such thing, at least not for very long. Without a Shepherd to unite the sheep they become scattered and lost. As we see in our story.
But Moses was implying something even deeper. The job of a true Jewish leader is to keep the Jews together by reminding them of their ‘Jewish’ soul: Namely their ability and responsibility to reveal the Creator in His creation. This is the true unifying factor in the Jewish people and without this we are not much different from the animals.
That is why Abraham, who founded Judaism, was called the ‘Father of all Nations’ and what is implied in the ‘motto’ of Judaism; “Shema Yisroel” prayer (see Rashi Deut. 6:4); namely to ‘unify’ the Creator and the creation.
Therefore, what Moses was ultimately referring was the ultimate leader of the Jewish people (see Rambam Laws of Kings chapt 11); the Moshiach.
As the Rambam writes; Moshiach will finish the work begun by Abraham and fulfill the ‘Shma Yisroel’ by building the Third Temple, bringing all the Jews back to Israel and ‘filling the earth with the awareness of the Creator.’
But it all depends on us. We must learn the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and bring them into reality.
Then, just one more good deed, word or even thought can turn the world over and bring Moshiach NOW!

The Soul

A couple of years ago someone I knew Mother passed away. A lot of friends, family, and community members were really affected by the death and inspired me to write. I feel it is appropriate to share it now after yesterday’s tragedy. Prior to writing this piece I did a lot of research as well as consulted with a Rabbi on the famous Jewish question site, askmoses.com. Here's what I came up with:

The Soul

It's a typical Monday afternoon.
It's 3 o'clock which means time to go home.
I turn my corner and there I see him.
A man is walking down the street,
Head hung low,
Dragging his feet as if they were shackled to the ground.
I take a closer look at his face,
Hot, fresh tears are streaming down. 
Silent tears,
Yet they pierce through me in such a deafening way.
He walks by almost knocking me over.
So wrapped up in his pain he sees nothing and no one.
"What to do," I think.
"I can just continue with Monday's routine and go home to my warm apartment...
But look at the man's pain; I think again.
How can I just continue with my life as if everything is okay when clearly someone else's world has just been ripped apart?"
I decide to follow him.
See where he's going.
See what's going on.
Who knows, maybe I could be of some help.
So I follow.
Soon my familiar joyful bounce turns into a sluggish shuffle.
Melancholy is contagious I realize.
We continue walking as the sun begins to set and the sky takes on that breathtaking purple-y pink.
I've seen the sun set millions of times,
It never ceases to amaze me though how no two sunsets are the same.
G-d is feeling inspired I think, what else could make him paint the sky like this.
In between the red swirls and purple stripes were streaks of glitter.
I gaze in wonderment.
Little did I know that it wasn't glitter.
Those were the tears of a thousand cries.
Cries that had started up that morning and still had not stopped.
Finally, man stopped.
I looked around me,
We were in the middle of nowhere. 
Or so it seemed.
I had been so absorbed in my thoughts I had not even realized where he had taken me.
We were in what seemed to, in some lifetime or another, been a forest.
Now all that remained were tree stumps and dead branches.
There was no sign of life anywhere.
How appropriate for the conversation that was to follow. 
Man took a seat on a rather uncomfortable stump.
I found myself a small alcove where I sat and observed.
He still had no idea I was there.
Or if he did, he showed no signs of it. 
I watched.
He sat there and cried.
And cried.
And cried.
And then sobbed until his tear ducts were so swollen he could cry no more.
It was then that I saw it;
Something had appeared in front of Man.
Sort of like an apparition, its form of something I had never in my life seen.
It reached out and touched Him,
And Man slowly lifted his eyes.
"Why do you shed those tears young man?"
Silence followed.
"What is it that has caused you such pain?"
More silence.
I'm anxiously watching, waiting to hear.
But all that followed was more silence.
"Come my dear friend, let us take a walk," it says and then I could have sworn the apparition looked at me. 
I took that as a cue that I too should follow.
And so I did.
"Let me introduce myself," the apparition spoke, its words coming out sort of far-off and distant.
"I am a soul."
"What the...?!" I thought.
This whole trip just took a turn from gloomy and dismal to straight up disturbing.
Man looked up, his face distorted from pain, and stared at the apparition.
Man's voice, barely audible, mustered up the strength to ask, "You're a what?"
"It seems that my mission to many is unfortunately unknown.
Not holding you accountable, for the ways of my Employer are unfathomable to the human mind.
I will try, because I sense you want to know, to explain his ways."
Man stared intently, a confound look displayed across his face and waited for the apparition to continue.
"My master, many refer to him by the title, 'Hashem', has designed individual unique missions for every single soul he creates.
Each mission so intricate and precise down to the very last detail.
The beauty of the mission is we, the souls, get to sign up for the undertaking we'd like to perform. 
Take me for example; I've just returned from an extensive, rigid journey.
I have embodied a man for the past 97 years.
97 years where all I tried to do was get him to fully adhere one Shabbos. 
The pain I have suffered down below is incomprehensible.
The pleasure I felt upon returning to my Master, having finally fulfilled the mission he sent me to accomplish is colossal.
I remember like it was yesterday, when us souls were signing up for our missions.
The souls that got the privilege to only remain in this harsh, physical world for just a short while,
How envious I was that they would get to embody a person worthy of such honor.
And the pleasure those souls experienced, who only spent a small amount of time below,  how I yearned to be one of them."
At this point the apparition stopped and I turned to study the look on Man's face.
What a mix of emotions were displayed there.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Doubt.
And I think there might have been a hint of elation there as well.
Man spoke up, his voice more clear than before, 
"If what you say is true, then why the pain?
It's so agonizing.

So controlling.

It literally washes everything away and completely consumes a person.
Why couldn't your master make us down here feel the pleasure the souls feel upon their return?
Why does it have to hurt this bad?"
A hint of a smile splayed across the apparition's face and it responded,
"Why, you ask?" It paused, the smile spreading over its face and then it finished, 
"How else would you experience pleasure?
My friend, these emotions come hand in hand. There is no pleasure, no love, without pain and hate.
The singular purpose of any negativity in your world, my master has solely created for the positive.
There is no other way you humans can experience all the great things in life without the bad."
Man started to reply but before he could even utter a sound the apparition disappeared as suddenly as it had materialized.
I watched Man.
He sat for a bit and then stood up.
I followed making sure to maintain a safe distance.
Before long I realized I was standing before my apartment.
I hesitated before entering. 
Wanted to make sure Man was okay.
I watched him walk;
His pace had definitely picked up, eradicated itself of the lethargic swag and replaced with a significantly happier stride.
His shoulders still hunched over and I knew it would be a long time before Man would heed the words of G-d's messenger.
It would be a long, pain-filled ride.
But Man would pull through.
As Arthur C. Clarke once said, "The only way of finding the limits of the possible, is by going beyond them into the impossible."
I took one last look at Man's fading form and made a silent vow to from that day on value pain as much as pleasure.
To love as passionately as I hate.
Show sympathy as I do apathy.
But most importantly, to appreciate every single day I awake.

Kol Yisroel Aravim Ze'Lazeh

As I’m sure everyone knows Klal Yisroel was unfortunately hit with yet another tragedy. 

Leiby Kletzky, a mere nine year old boy was kidnapped and mercilessly murdered. 

While we‘re all filled with grief and sorrow over this misfortune, there is something positive to look at.

Kol Yisroel Aravim Ze’Lazeh.

The unbelievable unity and Achdus that the Jewish community has showed from the minute Leiby went missing and continuing on right now is astounding. Be it helping with the actual searching, to helping out financially, saying Tehillim, being of emotional support etc. the coming together of the Jewish people was really something admirable. The Ahavas Yisroel that was shown really touched me.

May we be Zoche to the coming of Moshiach speedily where Leiby and all those we have lost will be reunited with us. 

Friends in the Desert

Two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

"Today my best friend slapped me in the face."

They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the marsh and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

"Today my best friend saved my life."

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now you write on a stone, why?"

The friend replied, “When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where the winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

It’s very easy for us to get angry and upset when people say or do things to hurt us. A grudge is one of the hardest things to let go of, but it’s also one of the most important. Like the famous quote goes, “For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” Most people aren’t inherently malicious and a lot of times the hurting wasn’t intended at all. Instead, hold on to and appreciate all the good that’s done to you!

In Memory of Chana

Hi there!

So it's been some time since I posted, not because I've been slacking but because I was lucky and privileged enough to spend the last ten days in CALIFORNIA...woooohooo! To say that I had the most unbelievably incredible time would be an understatement; all those who would like more deets on my trip feel free to give me a ring!

I want to dedicate my post today to Chana Raskin A”H. Today marks the third Yartzheit of her untimely passing. I did not know Chana personally but I have read and heard many beautiful, touching stories about what an exemplary woman she was.

The following was written on COLlive to honor Chana:

 Chana was a Kallah and a newlywed when she faced her life's toughest challenge. Chana will forever be remembered as a Kallah Na'ah Va'Chassuda – a bride of beauty, grace, and modesty. 

What better way to preserve Chana's memory, than by extending her special touch to other Kallahs as they experience this most important moment of their lives?

In Chana's honor, a luxurious new bridal suite is being built and dedicated at the Crown Heights Mikvah. After months of planning, construction has finally begun on the new bridal suite, which will be ready in the near future.

Chana's friends are asking those who wish to honor Chana's memory to become a partner in beautifying the Mitzvah of Taharas HaMishpacha in the Rebbe's neighborhood. By contributing to this endeavor, you will enable us to strengthen this essential foundation of our nation and our community. 

Bezras Hashem we will make every Kallah entering the Chana (Raskin) Wolvovsky Bridal Suite feel like a true princess, as she merits to embark on her new life, amidst elegance, luxury and majesty. We will (bli neder) proudly present every Kallah with a unique Kallah gift with Chana’s Touch. 

Please become a partner in this great endeavor. To contribute, go to www.chanastouch.com with your help, Chana and her special touch will be forever remembered. Moshiach Now!