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With the Widest Lens Ever...

Fri, 10 Jun 2016 3:32:00 PM

In the flurry of preparations for the holiday of Shavuot, I am reminded that this holiday is not just about cheesecake - though it is that, too! - but how utterly blessed we are as a people, as we ready ourselves to renew our covenant with God and with the Torah for the 3,328th time.
The Torah, that, millennia ago, drew us out of slavery into a higher calling; the Torah that made it, not just about me, not just about the now, but about the other, about God, about the future; the Torah, that teaches us to live a little higher, a little bit better, a little bit truer, than we ever thought we could or should; the Torah that instructs us to Choose Life, to celebrate it, heal it, strengthen it and make it purposeful.
Indeed, this has been our sustenance, our people's endurance and the source of its eternity. So, happy Shavuot, Am Yisrael ! Its been 3,328 years since Sinai - and with it, our widest lens ever to appreciate, through this perspective - how precious this gift of God's cosmic wisdom truly is, and fortunate we are as a people to have it guide our lives. Ashrenu!

Simple Truths

Fri, 9 Oct 2015 2:28:00 PM

As this post is being written, Israel continues to be under a spate of terror attacks. This latest round began during the holiday of Sukkot when a young couple was gunned down in cold blood in the presence of their young children.

Unfortunately, there has been little respite since then, with some ten or so related incidents being reported each day as we speak. This surge in terrorism has garnered little media attention, but the death and injuries on innocents are all too real and all too devastating.

So as the world is silent with this recent spate of violence against Jews, who have been attacked because we they are Jews living in Israel, we cannot be silent. We stand with Israel. We are Israel.

We pray for peace and for the language of hate to be replaced by voices of love, for the voices of dishonesty to replaced by the voices of truth. Yet, we know that while everything we hold as holy, our Torah, our ethos, our laws, calls upon us to Choose Life and truth unequivocally, that voice is often drowned out by the shrill calls to Choose Death and deceit. Voices that seek to de-legitimize our people, our land and our history.

This week, as we begin anew the cycle of Torah reading, starting from Breishit, Genesis, one cannot help but be struck by providential timing of the reading. On the very first verse in the Torah, Breishit Bara Elokim...In the beginning G-d created, the commentary by Rashi literally jumps out and begs to be read. Rashi, a.k.a. Rabbenu Shlomo Yitzchaki, is the foremost commentary on the Torah. No Chumash is printed without it, as his teachings are considered indispensable.

Rashi is troubled by the fact that the Torah begins with the account of creation. The Torah is above all, a book of laws, a constitution of sorts for the Jewish people. The word Torah, itself, means teaching. What then, asks Rashi, is the purpose of beginning a book of laws and teaching with tales of the creation of the universe? What lesson can there be for us in this narrative?

Rashi answers his question. Clearly, says Rashi, there is a law to be learned from the creation of the universe, the laws of territory and lands. For by establishing G-d as the creator of the Universe, we establish that the right of territories and lands comes from the Creator. Therefore, says Rashi, if the nations of the world band together and accuse Israel of thievery for having conquered the land of Israel, they will reply that G-d created the universe and gave the land to whom He deemed proper, and that He gave it to the Jewish people.

What is astounding about this commentary is that Rashi lived in Troy, France, almost 1,000 years ago! Almost one thousand years after the exile from Israel, and the destruction of the Temple and Jewish commonwealth, and, almost one thousand years before the Jewish state today. It wasn't a political commentary that Rashi was writing. It was a moral one. A legal one. It had no application at the time, as Zion was but a memory or a dream waiting to come true. For one thousand years, Jews studied this teaching while the land of Israel lay in ruins. That did not diminish its truth, only its application. But in our day and age, is this teaching not as relevant as ever?

In a time where history has been obfuscated by distortion, this simple teaching reminds us that truth brings clarity and blessing and life.

May the voice of truth and peace triumph in a world that finally, collectively, seeks to choose life! Amen.

Refusing to Let God Hide

Fri, 3 Jul 2015 2:44:00 PM

By Devorah Shanowitz

Yesterday, I saw something on facebook that moved me to tears.

It was someone singing a poignant Hasidic song.

But moved to tears? Why?

Let me explain.

Hasidic music often draws from mystical Jewish teachings, and carries messages that are quite deep and esoteric. The song in question, V’afilu Bhastara, is a song that’s been quite popular in the Hasidic genre, because it touches on the existential issue of faith, when God seems absent.

The question of Jewish suffering, or Why Bad Things Happen to Good People, is that something that we as people have been struggling with ever since Moses cried to God: Lamah Hare’osah: Why Have You Done Bad to Your People?

It’s a question not easily answered.

When God seems absent, our Jewish teachings tell us, it is as if He is turned away from us. This phenomenon is referred to as Hester Ponim, Hiding of the Face, so that in exile, in difficulty, in tragedy, it seems to us that God is not there or that He does not exist. We feel unheard, unseen, uncared for. Hastara. The hiding of God, as it were. In our liturgy and our prayers, we request that the reverse be true, that God turn his Face towards us, so that we openly perceive Divine protection and love.

Back to the song, V’afilu B’hastara. Even in the Hiddeness.

Jewish mysticism teaches us that although we experience Hastara, that is not the whole story. Hasidic thought teaches us that even when there is a perception of G-d’s absence, G-d is still there with us, always. Even in our darkest moments, even in our most challenging times; even in our deepest suffering. He is there, with us. Standing with us. This idea is expressed poignantly by this song, V’afilu Bhastara. The translation of the lyrics are as follows:

Even in the Hiddeness
That is within the Hiddeness
Surely, even there
G-d is found

Even
Behind the darkest
And most difficult things
That happen to you
I stand with you
Says G-d
I stand with you
I stand with you
I stand with you

This week in Israel, Malachi Rosenfeld, a 26 year old young man was killed when Arab terrorists shot at his car and fatally wounded him. Malachi was handsome, athletic, bright young man who was driving home from a basketball game with friends, when he was gunned down in cold blood for the crime of being an Israeli and a Jew.

At his funeral this week, his father, Eliezer Rosenfeld, got up to deliver his eulogy. But instead of speaking, he began singing. And the song he sang was V’afilu Bhastra, the song about God standing with us in our darkest hour. He then added his own words: Through tears he said: God, WE are also standing. We are standing with you. We will always stand as a people.

Tomorrow, Shabbat, the 17^th of Tammuz, ushers in the “The Three Weeks”. It marks the period of the destruction of Jerusalem and the holy Temple in Jerusalem, culminating with the saddest of days on the Jewish calendar, Tisha B’av. Although we have Jerusalem, we still mourn, because almost every day we hear of an incident, like Malachi, or an anti-Semitic incident in Europe, or a threat elsewhere.

Yet, Jewish mysticism teaches that even through all of this, God is standing with us.

We try to study this teaching and to internalize it. And it’s not easy. Yet, as I watched the clip on face book of Eliezer Rosenfeld singing at his son’s funeral, I thought: What an incredible faith of a brave Jewish father: In the throes of the rawness of his pain, in his moment of acute loss and who through is bitter tears, he refuses to let God hide.

And I saw eternal Jewish faith personified, an eternal Jewish people personified.

A people who refuses to let God hide.

And I cried.

See video here

Song Track for V'afilu Bhastara

Eternal Truths

Fri, 9 Jan 2015 2:00:00 PM

The Friday, when I heard about the news of a terrorist attack on a Kosher Supermarket in France, I had lots to do. After all, it was Friday. But it was difficult to do anything but pray and worry...

As I intended to make challah for shabbat, I decided to double the mitzvah I was engaged in, and in the merit of the hostages, make two batches instead of my usual one. At a time of crisis, we are enjoined to pray and do good deeds, so this was going to be mine.

Hafrashat Challah, the separation of challah, is the ritual of separating a piece of dough when baking bread, to be set aside and burnt. It is an act that teaches humility: that every creative act needs blessing from G-d; it teaches gratitude, that having the blessing of bounty is not something we can ever take for granted; and it teaches connection: this ancient mitzvah is one we have inherited from our forebearers, all the way to the time of the Temple in Jerusalem. We are part of an eternal heritage, a long chain that will never disappear.

As the challah is separated, a blessing is recited, and it is considered an auspicious time for prayers. As a Jewish woman, this is especially poignant for me, as hafrashat challah is one of hallmark mitzvot attributed to the Jewish woman. So, as many Jewish women were doing that Friday, while kneading the dough, I whispered psalms and prayers and I fought back tears, as I imagined the pre-shabbat shoppers being accosted by the terror and hate in a kosher supermarket, of all places.... And as I did, my computer was tuned into Radio France as I listened for developments in the standoff in Paris. I prayed, listened and watched my dough rise and performed the hafrashat challah. Finally, I shaped the dough into beautiful loaves to grace the shabbat table.

And just as the loaves took shape, came news about the end of the standoff, the news about the dead, the rescued and the injured.

As as I looked at those beautiful challahs which has just taken shape, it hit me, this sharp juxtaposition staring me right in the face:

Here was a mitzvah that thousands of women were doing this morning.. a mitzvah that teachest humility... in face of the the arrogance of those who take life... A mitzvah that reminds us to be grateful, counter to those who show everything BUT gratitude. A mitzvah that connects to an eternal heritage, to a path that seeks a meaningful life, and enjoins us to choose life, in face of those who enthusiastically embrace a path of senseless death.... And, finally, the realization, that here I was, performing a mitzvah that had outlived the brutality of the Bablylonians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Crussaders and the Nazis. Here I was, in grief for the dead, in concern for the injured, knowing that our eternal truth will survive this evil day in Paris.

Knowing that our truth will endure forever, until there will be a time that the world entire will embrace the path to love and peace.

May it be soon, speedily in our days.

A People Like No Other

Mon, 24 Nov 2014 5:20:00 PM

Ironically, it was late Monday night, after our symposium on Israel and the Media, when I got the What's App message from my future son in law, Ariel, about the terrorist attack in Jerusalem. He had lived in Har Nof, and had friends and family there. The reports were ambiguous, but as the details emerged, it became clear that a horrific and barbaric attack had been perpetuated by blood-thirsty terrorists on innocents, this time rabbis and Rosh Yeshivas, in prayer.

This has been a devastating week for the Jewish people. But from this thick fog of darkness, streams of light emerge. Most notably are statements from the families who lost their beloved husbands and fathers. Their rock solid moral strength and Jewish dignity speaks for itself in a statement they released yesterday:

With broken hearts, drenched in tears shed over the spilt blood of holy men - the heads of our families.

We call on our brethren wherever they are - let us come together so that we may merit mercy from Heaven, and let's accept upon ourselves to increase love and comradery, between each individual and each community.

We ask that every person accept upon himself on this Sabbath Eve (Parshat Toldot, November 21-22, 2014), to set aside the day of Shabbat as a day of unconditional love, a day during which we will refrain from words of disagreement and division, from words of gossip and slander.

May this serve to elevate the souls of our husbands and fathers who were slaughtered while sanctifying God's name.

God will look down from the heavens, see our suffering, wipe away our tears and put an end to our tribulations.

May we merit seeing the coming of our Moshiach speedily in our days. Amen.

Signed with a torn heart,

Mrs. Chaya Levin and family

Mrs. Bryna Goldberg and family

Mrs. Yaacova Kupensky and family

Mrs. Bashy Twersky and family

In face of a violence, a call for kindness. In face of evil, a call for goodness. In face of hate, a call for love. In the midst of excruciating pain of the most horrific kind, a moral strength, a Torah derived strength, unmatched by any other people.

In the midst of horrendous darkness, the light of the Jewish people.

"And who is like Your People Israel, a Singular Nation on this earth." (Samuel 1, 7:23)

Der Pintale Yid

Fri, 5 Sep 2014 11:06:00 AM

Have you ever heard of the Yiddish expression "Der Pintele Yid"?

It's one of those things that are not easily described, but when you see it, you just know it.

Last night, I heard the sad news that Joan Rivers had passed away. I thought of her recent epic rant in defense of Israel and I thought of Der Pintale Yid.

And tumbling out of my mind, came these words, which I posted last night on my facebook page:

Joan Rivers will forever be remembered by one of her greatest and final acts: her courageous and inimitable defense of her people and Israel. At a time when Jews around the world felt intimidated and beleaguered, she rose to their defense with spunk and strength. She was a proud Jew and made us proud. This will be her legacy, and most certainly 'the ticket' that will carry her soul to great peace. May her memory be blessed.

When push came to shove, Joan Rivers' Pintele Yidcame out, blazing. Her passionate defense of Israel and the Jewish people welled up from deep inside her. From the least of expected of places, came the most succinct and heartfelt advocacy on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Israel. She was a far cry from a Rebitizin and or a Jewish community leader. But when her people were falsely accused, her Jewishness exploded.

Der Pintale Yid.

Throughout our long and difficult history, through challenges and persecutions, we as a people have faced many trials. But what has never wavered, and what will exist forever, is that spark of unshakable faith and Jewish identity that is hidden deep in the inner recesses of our souls, Der Pintale Yid. It emerges at the most unlikely of times and at the most unlikely of places.

And like the Jewish people, it endures; defiant and eternal.

Mr. Irwin Beutel, of blessed memory

Thu, 21 Aug 2014 10:29:00 PM

Mr. Irwin Beutel, ob'm
Yitzchok Gedaliah ben Binyamin

This week we lost a dear and devoted friend. Irwin Beutel passed away on Tuesday after a brief illness. His passing leaves a void in our hearts and our community.

There exists three crowns of glory, says the Mishna: The crown of Torah, the crown of Royalty and the crown of the Kohen. However, the Mishna informs us, there is a crown that supercedes them all: Keter Shem Tov, The Crown of the Good Name.

Irwin was graced with the Crown of the Good Name.

He was one of few words, but great deeds. His was a generous spirit, and he gave of his time and his resources to many an organization. He was kind, gentle and gracious; a true gentleman, or as we say, a true mentch. He was sensitive, caring and compassionate. He had a wonderful smile a beautiful sense of humor. He cherished life and celebrating it with the people he cared about and loved. Irwin took great joy in thesimchas of others and was always delighted to share in a festive celebration. He was a dear and loyal friend.

Irwin cared passionately about Israel. He visited there every year and was involved with many organizations there, most notably Tel Aviv University. He was dedicated to Jewish education and continuity, and supported a myriad of Jewish schools and outreach projects, including the acclaimed Chabad of Westmount Irwin Beutel Lecture Series.

Walk Modestly with G-d, we are enjoined. Irwin did so with grace and sensitivity. He leaves behind a legacy of kindness and good deeds, and a most a glorious crown of his good name.

May his memory be for a blessing.

Better Days Are Coming

Fri, 8 Aug 2014 1:53:00 PM

Be comforted, be comforted, My people.

So begins this week Haftorah reading, hence this Shabbat is nicknamed, "Shabbat Nachamu", the Shabbat of 'Be comforted'. In the Haftorah (the weekly reading that follows the Torah reading) the prophet Isaiah comforts Israel; he speaks to the city of Jerusalem and reassures it that her suffering will soon be over.

Be comforted, be comforted, My people.

Is there not a reading more timely, more poignant and more needed? As Israel emerges from a battle with yet another enemy who seeks to destroy her, as she faces the specter of world condemnation even as she fights a defensive war against an enemy with no morals, and especially, as she mourns the deaths of more than 60 of her best, brightest and most courageous men, the words of this week’s Haftorah, filled with words of comfort, promise and peace, resonate profoundly.

Be comforted, be comforted, My people.

Throughout our long exile, through the millennia of expulsions, pogroms and persecutions, the words of our prophets, the promise for a better tomorrow has inspired and filled our people with an eternal hope. It is this hope that has sustained us, guided us and inspired us. It is this hope that we have shared with all of humanity, and it is this hope that will bring blessing and peace to the world. It is precisely this hope that we are promised in this week's Haftorah. Better, more life-giving words could not be expressed at this difficult time.

Be comforted, be comforted, My people.

One People, One Torah, One Land

Fri, 18 Jul 2014 11:35:00 PM

"Libi Bamizrach, Vaani Bsof Maarav "

"My heart is in the East, yet I am in the far West."

These evocative words, penned by the great Sefardic poet, Rabbi Yehuda Halevi of Toledo, Spain, undoubtedly express our unspoken thoughts and feelings as Israel faces war; as we witness Israel's brave soldiers, some still in their teens, courageously going forward to protect Israel's population from rockets and terrorists attacks. As Jews living outside of Israel, we can only watch and wait.

Or not.

Tomorrow is Shabbat. As usual, in the millennia-old Jewish tradition, when the Torah is removed from the Aron Hakodesh (the Ark) for reading, we will chant: Kuma Hashem Veyafutzu Ovecha, Veyanusu Sanecha Mipanecha. "Rise up, O G-d, and Your enemies shall disperse and Your enemies will run away from You".

Think about it: We are about to read the Torah, and we invoke Israel's safety. When we pray for Israel's security, we hold up the Torah. The two are bound up with each other.

No matter where we are, there is an inherent connection between every Jew and the Land of Israel and the people of Israel ; between the safety of Israel and our connection to the Torah.

Intuitively, we know this truth. Whose heart is not stirred when we see an Israeli soldier on the battlefield wrapped in a Talis. Who is not moved when we witness a soldier wearing tefillin?

We are connected. One land, one Torah, one people.

So let's not just watch and wait. Let's connect to the Land of Israel and to the people of Israel through the Torah of Israel. Our merit becomes their merit. Our mitzvah becomes their mitzvah, because we are one people, with one land and one Torah. So, women, take a moment to light shabbat candles. Men, put on tefillin. Lets get our children to give some tzedaka and to say a prayer. If you already do these, pick another mitzvah. For some suggestions on mitzvot,read here.

Wishing us and all of us Israel, a true Shabbat Shalom in the full sense of the word: a Shabbat filled with peace. Amen.

Small Miracles

Fri, 11 Jul 2014 11:33:00 PM

Israel is on my mind. Israel is on all our minds.

As I worked this week, whether at home, or in the office, from morning until night, my computer was tuned to a live stream of news reporting from Israel's Arutz 10.

I listened/watched in worry as the rocket attacks from Gaza increased in number, speed and distance, as little children ran to shelters, as homes got destroyed. I watched with awe and pride as Israelis responded with resilience, with the ingenuity of brilliant technology and with supreme humanity as they try to defend their citizens while trying their best to avoid civilian casualties.

Then, as the rockets continued to fall, furiously, without abandon, with out stop, I started to notice a pattern: Incredibly, time after time, barrage of rockets after barrage of rockets, Israelis were emerging unscathed, unhurt: A car takes a direct hit on the road exploding into a ball of fire, but the driver escapes, unharmed. A house is destroyed, while it inhabitants remain safe. A rocket falls, but right in between two homes. Over and over, stories begin to emerge of small miracles, one, and then, another, then another.

Small miracles...that are not small at all. It takes only one injury to realize the catastrophe that these rockets can wreak.

During the First Gulf War, when Iraq threatened Israel with scuds, Jews the world over were overcome by panic and fear. At the time, many visited the Rebbe seeking advice and guidance about travel to Israel or having loved ones leave Israel as the danger approached and intensified. Over and over, the Rebbe repeated that Israel is safe, that the Guardian of Israel neither sleeps nor slumbers, that Israel is a land that is continuously watched by G-d. Miraculously, during that crisis no one was killed by a scud attack.

Below please find a short video clip with words of encouragement from the Rebbe.

Our sages tell us that "the words of the righteous stand for all time".

May G-d continue to bring success to Operation Protective Edge, and safety and security to all our soldiers and to our brothers and sisters in the land of Israel. May the Land of Israel and its people, be blessed with peace.

Israel on Our Minds

Thu, 10 Jul 2014 11:02:00 PM

Israel is on my mind. Israel is on all our minds.

As I worked this week, whether at home, or in the office, from morning until night, my computer was tuned to a live stream of news reporting from Israel's Arutz 10.

Small miracles...that are not small at all. It takes only one injury to realize the catastrophe that these rockets can wreak.

Our sages tell us that "the words of the righteous stand for all time".

Amen!

In the Worst of Times...

Fri, 4 Jul 2014 11:31:00 PM

It was the worst of times.

We were driving to New York to commemorate the 20th Yarzeit of the Rebbe, when the message came in.

"They killed our boys. The **** killed our boys.

Baruch Dayan Emes, (Blessed be the True Judge) I whispered, shocked.

So this was it. After 18 days of hope, prayer, mitzvot and faith.

Then: So this was it? After 18 days of hope, prayer, mitzvot and faith?

It was the worst of times.

But then, I heard the words Rachel Fraenkel, mother of Naftali: G-d does not work for us, she said. Sometimes you simply cannot avert a destined decree.

With tears in my eyes, I watched via video as she eulogized her son at his funeral. She spoke to the question that was burning in the hearts and minds of Jewish people, everywhere: What of all of the prayers and good deeds? What of our unity? Was it all for nothing?

No, she insisted. The outpouring of prayer and good deeds, is in it of itself beautiful. Every prayer is worthy and accomplishes. There is not one drop of love and kindness that is for naught. That every mitzvah and good deed achieves, and stands on its own merit.

This from a bereaved mother at her son's funeral.

So, this was it: 18 days of hope, prayer, mitzvot and faith.

A people united in love, devotion and caring. A people of prayer, a people of good deeds, a people of faith and gratitude.

And from the depths of their grief, a people of strength, kindness, dignity and unshakable faith.

"Mi K'amcho Yisrael, goy echad Baaretz"

"Who is like Your people Israel? A unique nation on earth."- King David.

In the worst of times, it was the best of times.

My Rebbe

Sun, 29 Jun 2014 2:39:00 PM

This upcoming Tuesday marks 20 years since the passing of our beloved Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, may his merit protect us.

As this milestone anniversary nears, books are being filled (including by Jewish literary giants Steinsaltz and Telushkin) conferences are being held, and documentaries are being released, all which attempt to decipher and understand what made the Rebbe the Rebbe.

The Zohar states that a tzadik's influence is greater after his passing than in his own lifetime. Today, twenty years after the Rebbe's passing, this axiomatic statement is borne out as the Rebbe's inspiration continues to bring light to the Jewish people all over the world...be it in Bangkok or Berlin, Helsinki or Houston, Melbourne or Mexico, Vancouver or Vietnam. Like Maimonides, he was once in a millennium scholar and leader whose influence continues to widen and reverberate.

But for me, the Rebbe is simply my Rebbe, my teacher. As I teenager, I could sense keenly his love for humanity, and his concern for every human being. I felt empowered by his deep respect for the Jewish woman and the importance of her vital role in Jewish continuity. I was awed by his selflessness, his courage in challenging the status-quo, and his strength is standing up for Jewish values. As a teenager, I connected to his faith in the youth, his calls for action, and his belief in the destiny of the Jewish people.

But as I write all of this, I recall a video of a person's encounter with the Rebbe that I had seen a while back:

A New York city councilman, visiting the Rebbe, was impressed that the Rebbe recalled in precise detail a conversation that had taken place between the two of them some 19 years earlier, where the Rebbe had asked him to advocate on behalf of Jewish education. "You're amazing!" the councilman exclaimed to the Rebbe. "to remember that; it's nineteen years ago. Nineteen years!" To which the Rebbe responded with a beaming smile: "and what will be the benefit for the community that I am amazing?" The councilman laughed, as he understood the Rebbe's point. He pledged to do more for Jewish education.

So, as the books are written, the seminars held, the memorials celebrated, I hear the Rebbe's words in my mind: What will benefit the Jewish community if I am amazing?

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz says that the Rebbe did not leave a legacy, he left marching orders. Meaning, that in true fashion of what the Rebbe would have wanted, we honour this spiritual giant, not by remembering, but by doing more on behalf of the Jewish people and to benefit all humanity.

To this end, we pledge to re-double our efforts on behalf of unaffiliated youth. We invite you to reach out to your circle of friends and make a difference in their lives. Invite the lonely to your table, share shabbat with a friend who doesn't celebrate, fill your home with Jewish books. Do a Mitzvah that you find hard.

Let's honour the Rebbe with action. Let's honour the Rebbe by making a difference for ourselves and for those around us.

Mothers of Royalty

Fri, 20 Jun 2014 11:39:00 PM

Our hearts and minds are consumed with the welfare of the three teenage students who have been kidnapped in Israel. We witness, yet again, the self-sacrifice of the Israeli soldiers, the determination of the Israeli government and the unity of our people in face of crisis. But above all, what touches me the most, and what has taken Israel by storm, is the sheer faith and strength of the mothers. The mothers of the kidnapped boys.

Confronted as they are with a parent's worst nightmare, they could easily be forgiven if they lash out with anger and despair. Rage and grief is expected under these horrific circumstances. Yet, through their pain and sorrow, these incredible women have come forward with grace, dignity and supreme strength. Their message is one of gratitude (gratitude!) faith and prayer. (see here)

Indeed, they have set the tone for Israel entire and the Jewish people world wide.

The crowning strength of the Jewish people has always been its women: the Aishet Chayil - the Yiddishe Mamma. Our sages' axiomatic statement, that in the merit of the righteous women we were redeemed from Egypt, and that in their merit we will be redeemed again, is true today as ever. From time immemorial, it was she, the Jewish woman who has ensured Jewish continuity and faith. Not with fanfare, but with quiet yet determined strength. Prime Ministers, rabbis and leaders of all stripes have sought to comfort and give guidance in this crisis, but none of the above come even close to the influence and impact of the mothers of Naftali, Gilad and Eyal.

The strength of the Yiddishe Mamma.

Game of Life

Fri, 16 May 2014 9:10:00 AM

One of the axiomatic teachings of the Baal Shem Tov is that every experience in life is there for us to discover an insight into our life journey down here on earth.

With the hockey fever full force in Montreal, what can we learn from hockey?

Those hockey players sure chase that puck, even as they risk injury and failure. They may not even get close to a score, they may fall, but they rise and try again. They just don't give up.

Imagine a world where everyone would chase a mitzvah like hockey players chase the puck. What a world that would be! Our sages say: Pursue a minor mitzvah as much a major one, because you don't know the true value of the Mitzvah. You don't know which shot will score big in G-d's eyes.

So next time, when you see that Mitzvah opportunity, go for it like a Major Leaguer!