movie. It was fantastic! Now I know you may be wondering why I would start a post with this, but what I saw last night was just a story that Shalom Aleichem wrote in the 1800 in Russia, and what I saw was not only a play, what I saw was our past and our present merging in one on the stage. I was watching our present state as Jews come to life, and I was overwhelmed by the end.
Where have our traditions gone? How many Yehudim do we know who grew up with no traditions, or who grew up "traditional"? How many think that our "traditions" are a joke? That Judaism is a 3,000 year old religion and that there is no reason to be Jewish today? And how many people to we know who try to modernize Judaism, those who try to mold Judaism to fit into their modern lives instead of molding their modern lives to fit Judaism. Have things changed much since Fiddler on the Roof was written?
As I was watching, the sad truth was "no".
No, we have not learned from the past. We are still trying to deny our traditions, to deny our religion, and the non-Jews are still after us and hate us. We are losing so many children to assimilation, the numbers are disturbing. And each year we continue to observe Tisha B'Av, meaning that we are not listening to the messages.
TishaB'Av 5769 will hopefully be our last, but it is truly in our hands. I know that it is a hard concept to internalize, but well, if we want to see the rebuilding if the third Beis Hamikdash, bimherya b'yameinu, it is up to us, it is in the hand of Klal Yisrael.
A scene from the movie has been etched in my eyes. It is a scene towards the end, when Golda, Tevya and their family are packing their belongings to leave Anatevka. As they are packing, their third daughter, who ran away with a Russian soldier comes to say goodbye to her family. She is crying out to her father to hear her, to look are her, to acknowledge her, but he can not, he us too distraught, but in the end he sends her off with his blessing. He is broken, his child has gone so far away, so far away...and I was going over that secene in my head I was struck with the thought, this is a picture of our relationship with Hashem Yisborach!!! He asked us and begged us to listen to Him, but we did not, we could not. He went away from us crying and broken, asking and begging us to hear Him. We are all in pain. Abba is waiting for us, HE is crying with us.
A powerful thing I heard on Tisha B'Av, that it is not only us who have been exiled from our home, but it is Hashem as well. When we went into exile, Hashem went with us. Our obligation to rebuild the Beis Hamikdash is not only so that we can do korbanos, have Kohanim, have one temple for all of Klal Yisroel, but it is so that Hashem has a home!! He is waiting to come home as much as we are. And yet, how many of us are truly yearning and working to rebuild the Beis Hamikdash? It is not enough for us to daven for its rebuilding, we must do something.
Two great videos were shown around the world last week, and I recommend everyone to watch them, you can see the flyer at: http://www.chofetzchaimusa.org/. If you would like to purchase them you may do so by calling Esther at 845-352-3505 #116 or emailing her at esthercchf@gmail.com. These two videos not only explain our problem, but the give solutions on how to solve it. One of those solutions is Machsom L'fi, one hour each day when we refrain from speaking Lashon Hara, the same hour for all Jews all around the world, from 9a.m. to 10a.m., and dont worry if you are davening at that time, how much better to speak words of kedusha, but keep in mind that that is an hour in which you are refraining from bad speach. Is Sinat Chinam is what destroyed our home, then Ahavat Chinam is what will rebuild it, bimheyra, b'yameinu! Another great video to watch can be seen at: http://www.kiruv.com/toolsForSharing/projectInspire/9av-Movie-OneSoul.asp. It is very powerful and very important.
One of the many things that I learned on Tisha B'Av, something that is very powerful "One person can make a big difference"!! Me, Sheyna Gerbakher, can make a difference. I can have an impact on Klal Yisroel. And I must. I must make every effort to make a difference. It is time to start carrying my own weight. Time to start examing my actions and changing them. I have a responsibility to my family and to My Father, My King.
Another powerful scene from the play is when the Jews are told that they must leave their "homes" in three days. Everything they had, everything they have seen, would soon be only a memory. At that point I began to cry. It is strikingly close to the World War II. Can it happen again? Will it? Is Obama going to kick us out like that? Or are the Arabs/ the Israeli government going to kick us out like that? America, and any other country besides Israel is not our home, it is not where we belong. And Israel will survive, but only if we act B'zelem Elokim, and throwing rocks at your brother or sister is not the way. I remember when Obama was elected as President, Rebbetzin Silber from Neve Yerushalayim told us that how Obama acts towards the Jews depends on the Jewish people. What happens in Israel depends on the Jewish people. We are all responsible one for the other. We must teach with love, not with hate. Hashem loves each and every one of us, it absolutely not G-d like then to act with hatred towards our family. Frum or now, we are family. I am related to the Prime minister of Israel just as I am related to the Rav Elyashiv shlita. We have a big job in front of us, many tikkunim, but we can do it. Hashem has faith in us, now it is time to have faith in ourselves.
Dear Abba,
You made a promise Abbas Avraham, Yitzhcak and Yaakov that you would never forsake us. That you would never leave us and that you would save us in our time of need. Your children also made a promis, that we would never forget you or your Torah. Thank you for waking me up, and for sending me constant reminders of who I am and where I belong.
My Father, My King,
If I have sinner before you, please forgive me.
If I have eaten non-kosher please cleanse me.
If I have spoken ill, please cleanse me so that my tefillot will be accapted.
If I have acted harshly, please dont act harshly towards me.
If I have lowered my level of observance, please send me a reminder to stregthen that area.
If I have ignored any message, please open my eyes.
If I have cried or complained for nothing, please let me know.
But if I have cried sincere tears, please keep them safe, allow them to act as an offering for my avayros.
If I have sinned in any way while I have been here, please open your heart to my teshuva and allow me to return to Eretz Yisroel.
If I have to stay here because I have not finished my job, please give me the clarity to see so.
If Klal Yisroel has sinned before you, please give us the chance to do Teshuva Shleyma.
if we have wronged you in any way, please make it known to us so that we can make tikkun.
Please bring Moshiach now.
"Nachamu, Nachamu Ami", can be read as Nachamu, Nachamu Imi, Imi meaning with me. Hashem is exiled with us and therefore also needs Nechama from the Churban. -Rabbi Avraham Czapnik, Shabbos Chazon Drasha.
"If all the Jews keep one Shabbos properly, Moshiach would come immediately"-Chazal.
Two more amazing videos that brought me to tears:
http://www.aish.com/49080361.html
http://www.aish.com/49379597.html
If you need inspiration/practicle halachos about Lashon Hara, the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation sends out daily emails. An example of one:
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Lessons in Truth
18 Av, 5769 / August 8, 2009
Day 77 - Service of the Heart?
SEFER SHEM OLAM — Chapter Eleven: Avoiding Contradictions in One’s Life (cont.)
It is unfortunate that we do not fully appreciate the great privilege of being a part of the Chosen Nation, of serving the awesome and all-powerful King, Whose glory and sanctity are beyond our comprehension. This lack of recognition is the underlying cause of our warped sense of priorities, for our tendency to engage in frivolous pursuits even after having devoted time to Torah study, tefillah and other spiritual accomplishments. If we would have proper recognition of who we are and Who we serve, we would not hurl ourselves “from a high roof to a deep pit,” as we fluctuate between spiritual striving and earthly materialism.
What is the cause of this lack of recognition? How is it that thrice daily we declare in our tefillos that our service of Hashem on earth parallels that of the angels Above, and yet we give little or no thought to what we ourselves say? Undoubtedly, this is because we are too preoccupied with our mundane affairs, to the point that our prayers are mere lip service and we forget completely about our true purpose in life. We pray out of habit, in the same way that we have done since our youth, with little or no thought as to what we are saying and to Whom we are saying it.
But this is wrong. The proper way is as stated in Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 93:1), to pause for at least a bit before beginning to pray, in order to rid our minds of mundane thoughts and focus on what we are about to do — to stand before our Creator and plead for ourselves and for our people.
Chovos HaLevavos (Shaar Cheshbon HaNefesh 3:9) gives detailed instructions on how to prepare for prayer:
One must disengage himself from this world and free his mind of any thought which will distract his attention from prayer. One should take to heart seriously that he stands before his Maker, and carefully choose both the words and the themes he intends to contemplate.
Understand full well that the words of prayer enunciated by the mouth are merely the shell. The heart’s meditation upon these words is the inner kernel. Words of prayer are like a body, while meditation of the heart, is its soul. One who prays only with his tongue while his mind wanders, resembles an empty body, a husk devoid of a kernel. Such a person is compared to the servant whose master had just returned home from a journey. The servant sent his children to greet the master, while he himself ignored the master’s presence. The master was infuriated by this wanton disrespect. Similarly, if the heart sends the body and the mouth to greet the Almighty in prayer, but the heart turns its attention elsewhere, G-d will surely be displeased.
19 Av, 5769 / August 9, 2009
Day 78 - An Audience with the King
SEFER SHEM OLAM — Chapter Eleven: Avoiding Contradictions in One’s Life (cont.)
We have become so preoccupied with our earthly existence that we have lost touch with our spiritual emotions.
Imagine the excitement of a person who has been granted an audience with a mighty king. The king is impressed by the man’s wise insight and summons his scribe to record his visitor’s every word. The man goes home in a state of euphoria. All his problems are forgotten. Wherever he goes he tells people, “Did you hear? I was granted an audience with the king — and he cherished my every word! He had his personal scribe record everything I said.” Twenty years later, when meeting old friends at get-togethers, the man proudly tells of that memorable meeting with the king.
What does one gain from having found favor in the king’s eyes? The king cannot extend his visitor’s life by even a second. At most, he may offer him a prestigious position. In all probability, his reward will be nothing more than the honor derived from having his words recorded by the king’s scribe.
Tell me, my brother, does this thought enter your mind once a week, or once a month, or at least once a year?
Now, consider: When a Jew performs a mitzvah and prefaces it with a blessing in which he speaks directly to Hashem [“Blessed are You, Hashem...”] in the way that one addresses his friend; or when he speaks words of Torah learning, surely Hashem’s Presence is manifest there, as it is written, “...wherever I permit My Name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you” (Shemos 20:21). And surely such efforts find favor in Hashem’s eyes and are recorded above, as it is written, “...and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear Hashem and give thought to His Name” (Malachi 3:16). His efforts are announced before myriads of Heavenly angels, for as Zohar states, the angel Gavriel announces man’s deeds each night. His efforts in serving the King of kings will earn him eternal praise and splendor, and may extend his life on this world or save him from suffering.
One should be filled with boundless joy when performing a mitzvah and after completing it successfully. That a mere mortal can communicate with G-d like one of the Heavenly beings is sufficient reason to shed tears of joy and to humble oneself before Him in accepting to uphold His Torah with all one’s soul and resources.
Rabbi Yehudah Zev Segal would often note that the blessings which precede most mitzvos begin with, “Blessed are You, Hashem,... Who sanctified us...” Aside from the reward for performing a mitzvah, there is a degree of kedushah (sanctity) which manifests itself upon a Jew each time that he carries out Hashem’s will. Of course, the power of a mitzvah is dependent upon a number of factors, especially the kavanah (intent) with which one performs a mitzvah. Those who were close to Rabbi Segal bear witness that he strove to perform every mitzvah with one hundred percent concentration and effort, and purely for the sake of Heaven.
He would preface every mitzvah, even those Rabbinically ordained, with a verbal declaration expressing his intent to perform that mitzvah. Even when performing a simple, mundane chore like tying his shoes, Rabbi Segal would bear in mind that he was fulfilling a halachah (to tie the left shoe before the right).
Upon learning that one of his students had overslept past the deadline for reciting the morning Shema, Rabbi Segal told him, “You must have a strong heart, for you have missed fulfilling a Scriptural mitzvah, yet you have not collapsed from distress!”
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My Father, My King,
I would like to perfect my Avodah. I would like to return to Eretz Yisroel and learn. I would like to build my home there. I am glad that I came back here, but I can not stay here. This is not an environment that is condusive to growth in my avoda. I would love to do kiruv, but I right now I can only lead by example, but my example here is not good enough if I am not strong. Thank you for making me stronger than I was last year, but please don't make me endure for much longer. In Israel I was part of something. I was enveloped by Kedusha. I was enveloped by your presence. I am making a promise and a deal with you, that if You allow me to return to Israel and learn for another year, I will give myself to your will. I will do my utmost best to live a true Torah life no matter where you send me. I will go the ends of the earth if you wish, but I beg you Abba, allow me to come home. Allow me to be part of a community again. Allow me to be in a Kosher environment. I beg of you Abba, I am yours, I want to be strong for you. I am trying to be strong for you. Please let me know that you are on my side, that I have not been diminished in your eyes, that I have not defiled my mouth to the point where my tefillot are not accepted, chas v'shalom. Please Abba, I beg of you, bring us home. I am yours, all yours, whatever your desire, I will fulfill it to the utmost. I will make sure to create a home where your Shechina will want to rest. It will be a home of Achdut, Shalom, Torah and Mitzvot. If I have done anything right while I have been here, please use that schar to bring me back home.
Women's Corner
by Rabbanith Ruth Menashe
Hakham Yoseph Hayyim 'a"h, says that all three have the power to shoot. They can all hit. We can easily understand the arrow and the bullet shooting at a distance and hitting, but what about the tongue?
The tongue, he says, can reach from one end of the world to the other end of the world. A person who speaks evil of another, might be in New York, but his words can reach as far as China. Moreover, the speed at which speech travels is unimaginable. The Ben Ish Hai compares it to a galloping horse, only much faster. Even the analogy of the fastest aircraft is too slow. In fact, in today’s world we are all aware of the speed and impact of just one email.
The Ben Ish Hai relates a story about a wise man, who asked his servant to get for him something tasty. The servant returned home with a tongue. The next time the man asked the servant to buy for him some food which is not considered to be good. What do you think the servant brought back with him? A tongue!
When the man requested an explanation, he wisely said: "My master, when the tongue is good, nothing is compared to its goodness. However , when it is bad, it is the worst of all!"
My dear friends, Hashem gave us a precious gift, the ability to express ourselves through speech. We must be aware of its strength and take charge of our tongue and the words which come out of our mouths. Next time when we use our mouth, let us find those comforting, pleasing and complimenting words and make a difference in the lives of those who are around us.
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These are a few things that I believe will help strengthen me and I"H help bring Moshiach just a bit closer...
From 9a.m.-10a.m.-Machsom L'fi, one hour of refraining from speaking Lashona Hara.Daven Shachris before/by zman Krias Shema.
Learn Praying with Fire after Brochos but before Psukei D'zimra.
Learn one section of tefilla from Rav Schwab on Prayer.
Say daily Tehillim.
Read my daily emails, not just scan them, try to internalize them.
Stop wasting my time infront of the TV ( which for me means to stop watching tv).
Learn the Parsha Hashuvuah before Shabbos.
Light Shabbos candles 5 minutes early, so that I am not rushing through my tefilla.
Not wait until Shgia to daven Mincha, so that I do not rush through.
Make sure to have Kavana during Shmone Esrei, especially the first bocha.
Have kavana when I say any brochos.
I know that this is alot, but it is worth it. This will make a stronger bat Torah, and that is what I am here for. Even if I am not sitting and learning in Seminary, that does not mean that I have the right to abandon my learning. I will learn and uphold Torah and Mitzvos no matter what corner I am in.
Thank you for everything Abba. "Baruch ata Hashem, she lo asani goya."
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