b"H
If you are a "regular" reader of my rantings, I must apologize wholeheartedly for my lack of writing and my constriction of your ability to actually read "regularly". It isn't for lack of time, necessarily. It is just that I keep getting overwhelmed with all the things I want to say and end up saying nothing. Well, I am going to try, again, to not do that anymore. I will again be trying to write more regularly. For now though, a brief update on the last - wow, just short of two weeks since I last wrote... terrible...
Okay, anyway. I'm going to just put some random experiences out there! If anyone wants to get any more information on anything that I list here, please, feel free to comment or email me (I have to check if my email is available on the main page, but if not, be'ezrat HaShem, I will get it up there soon) and I will answer whatever questions you might have to the best of my ability!
About a week and a half ago - the day after my last post actually, we went to Hebron for the brit milah of one of the Rabbis' son. It was an afternoon brit, and turned into a very powerful day. We spent the morning learning as usual (gemara takes up the whole morning from 9am until about 12:45pm) and then we all (well, most of us. Some people decided not to go.) boarded a bus. It was a full size coach. The route to Hebron drives through a number of Arab towns which are rather hostile to Jews, so the bus was bulletproof, but if you didn't know, you wouldn't know. It was a nice drive, maybe 30 minutes from the yeshiva. We pulled up to Me'arat HaMachpelah (the cave of machpelah / the doubled cave) and if looked as it has looked in every picture I have ever seen, but with one big difference: I was actually there! For those who are not aware of the significance of the place, it is where the forebearers of the Jewish people are buried. That is, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah (Rachel has her own place in Beit Lechem (Bethleham)) are buried there. It was very powerful! Although the external walls of the place were clearly modeled after Herodian period construction - there is a debate if it is actually from the Herodiam period of if it is from the period of the crusaders and modeled after the Herodian manner, or if it is some combination of the two- the internal aspects were very Muslim in appearance which leads one to imagine it as being put together during the Muslim rule of the land. Either way, the construction is at least 1000 years old. I don't have my camera with me right now, so I can't upload any pictures, but I do have them, so feel free to request them. Okay, anyway, the brit took place in a room that was surrounded by the traditional burial sites of Abraham on the South, Sarah on the North, and Isaac and Rivkah on the East. It was very powerful! The whole thing was quite surreal actually. The baby was crying the whole time and what was totally amazing is that the moment that the mohel (who performs the circumcision) made the blessing ("BA"H, EM"H, ahl hamilah") the baby stopped crying! Yes, you read that correctly - the baby STOPPED crying when the circumcision took place! It was totally amazing!
Anyway, the meal was fantastic and there was lots of singing. Before going to the meal though, I stayed behind and went to each of the graves and said a prayer to rectify my nature with that of the Holy souls at whose tomb I was standing. It was actually a VERY powerful moment personally. It took me a few days to notice that with the trip to Hebron I had been to all of the four holy cities - Hebron (Earth), Tzfat (Air), Jerusalem (Fire), and Tiberius (Water). Baruch HaShem that I merited to accomplish something so spiritually powerful!
I had never spent a Shabbat in Tzfat before, so I decided to spend Shabbat there an it was everything I could have hoped for and more. I ended up davening by ChaBaD minyanim a bunch - it just worked out that way even though it certainly wasn't the plan. In fact, on Friday night, I davened at Ascent, the hostel where I was staying (which happens to be a ChaBaD institution) and they actually asked me to be Shaliach Tzibur (the leader of the congregation) for Kabbalat Shabbat! They set me up to spend Shabbat with a family who lived close by, the father of which runs a Carlebach minyan in the area. It was a very nice dinner and the family were very gracious hosts. I slept in in the morning and given that ChaBaD tends to daven later than anyone else, that is where I went in the morning and then in the afternoon, I sat at ascent and learned Torah until a little before Ma'ariv.
(There was mincha at Ascent at some point in the afternoon, after lunch. Oh, yeah. At lunch they asked me to give a dvar Torah on one foot. We had just sung the song "Kol HaOlam Kulo Gesher Tzar Me'od, Veha'ikar Lo Lefached Klal" - The whole world is a very narrow bridge but the main thing is to have no fear at all - by Rebbe Nachman. I related it to an analogy that I heard at The House in Toronto during one of their Saturday night JAMs. The idea was that one a narrow bridge - or the narrow streets of Tzfat - if there are two cars coming in the opposite direction, one person has to stop and possibly even back up to let the other through and that we should all strive to work together in order to perfect the world that there should be nothing to fear. In that morning's parasha (weekly Torah portion) "VaYechi" Jacob blesses his sons and his grandsons Ephraim and Menashe, Joseph's sons. There is a lot of commentary about the nature of that particular blessing. Menashe was the older of the two sons and should therefore have been blessed first, but Jacob put his right hand on Ephraim - thus granting him the first blessing. It is explained that the two boys had different roles in life - Menashe worked for Joseph, in the political realm of Egypt, as an interpreter for his father. He was deeply engaged in worldly affairs. Ephraim, on the other hand, is explained to have spent much of his time learning Torah and connecting with his traditions. This dynamic of two brothers taking these two paths mirrors Jacob's own life - Jacob having learned Torah and his brother Eisav having been a hunter (engaged with the world), and Jacob eventually started to engage with the world himself, but there was MAJOR tension between the brothers (Eisav wanted to MURDER Jacob). Jacob's blessing was showing the brothers that through Torah values, the most spiritual and the most physical endeavors can be achieved in harmony. The uniqueness of Ephraim and Menashe is that they accepted each other for their differences and decided to work together using their respective strengths to support each other. In this way they were able to walk on the "gesher tzar me'od" of this world and "to have no fear at all"! I then wished that we should all merit to be able to work together and live this same dynamic with everyone we each encounter in our own lives! Baruch HaShem, I don't know where that whole shpiel came from, but it seemed to go over well.)
For Ma'ariv and havdallah, a friend and I went to the Carlebach minyan. There was some powerful nigunnim sung there and there was lots of singing and dancing! Baruch HaShem, it was fantastic! It mamash helped the power of Shabbat flow into the rest of the week! It was a great motzei Shabbat, walking all over Tzfat trying to get lost and realizing it is absolutely impossible!
On Sunday I started making my way back to the yeshiva, missed the earlier bus and the next one was 3 hours later, so I hung around Tzfat for a bit, went to some bookstores and found some GREAT deals, so I bought a few books, and eventually went back to the bus station. There were accidents on the road, the trip back took an extra hour and I missed my bus back to the yeshiva from Jerusalem, so I had another hour to get through. I started walking around, got poured on, got on a bus, and eventually got back to the yeshiva! It would've been a miserable day, but I had such a good time in Tzfat, and was able to read/learn lots of good Torah, so Baruch HaShem I got back to the yeshiva with a huge smile on my face!
The last week has been a full one, with lots of learning. Nothing too special has happened, except lots of Torah learning and there is nothing better in the world than learning Torah! Well, actually, something did happen. I went to Jerusalem on Wednesday night with one of the guys from Yeshiva for a shiur by Rabbi Shalom Arush and even though the whole thing was in Hebrew, I was very pleasantly surprised that I understood the majority of what he was saying!
This past Shabbat I had Friday night dinner at one of the kollel students from the yeshiva and his wife's house. It was a great time. He is also from Toronto, and went to many of the same schools as me, so there was a lot of time to reminisce. Also, their daughter - I think they said she is a year and a half - is adorable! For lunch I went to one of the Rabbis' house! It was also a really nice meal. Baruch HaShem, Efrat is an awesome town. Getting to the Rabbi's house was the first time I really took time to walk through Efrat and it turns out the whole town is a really nice, calm, and peaceful place!
Also, this Shabbat, there were a few guys from the Darkeinu yeshiva - which is for students with special needs! It was actually really special to daven with them and to eat Seudat Shelishit with them. After Shabbat I was checking email and about to go to bed when one of the guys got a phone call looking for someone to do Shmira (guard a body before it is buried) over night and I decided that I would do it. I don't know why, but it seemed like the thing to do. So, I spent all night, from around 11pm Saturday night until 8am Sunday (this morning) saying tehillim and learning Torah! Baruch HaShem, the night actually flew by and I didn't even feel at all tired until around 630am. I got back to the yeshiva at around 845am, at something to have some strength, davened Shacharit, and started learning morning seder (gemara) but, totally unable to focus, I went to sleep, missed lunch, made my own something, davened Mincah and continued the day. Now this day is at an end and I am quite tired.
Before I go, I just want to express to everyone reading that, no matter what you might read in the news or see on T.V., Israel is SO great and I am 100% loving the life that I have been blessed to lead while I am here. I will, G-d willing, be starting to find ways to earn a parnassa while I am here, including continuing what I was doing in Toronto, teaching Bar Mitzvah lessons. I have a few other things that I am slowly working on and it all seems promising - even within the parameters of the minimal time available to commit to each thing! May it be HaShem's Will, that by His Loving Grace, all those who need His Support should receive everything that they require, and more so, that He should Grant us ALL everything that He Wants us to have, from financial stability to Peace in our lives!
May we all merit to live in Israel, physically, spiritually, or both! :)
L'Shalom!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Life goes on...
b"H
So, it turns out that a week has gone by and I haven't taken the time to let anyone (except the parentals and other family) know how I have been. Especially given the current situation in Israel, I really should be posting as well. I apologize to all those who have been interested in reading more, and who have, given my lack of total dedication, been left disappointed.
Since my last entry, I have actually started in Yeshiva! It has been just over a week, actually, and what a week it has been. I am really enjoying this whole "learning for 14 hours a day" thing. I think that is partly due to the small nature of the yeshiva, and thus a very close community atmosphere.
It has not only been learning though. Last week, one of the Kollel (ie. Rabbinical) students celebrated his son's brit milah (ritual circumcision) at the yeshiva. He had a lot of family here and there was a very big and delicious breakfast. The best part about it was the coffee. In Israel, you can get a "nescafe" which is simply any kind of instant coffee (they actually charge the equivalent of $2 - $3 for a cup of this in some coffee shops) or you can get a 'cafe hafuch' which is pretty much a latte/cappuccino or you can get a 'cafe shachor' which is a turkish coffee. At this meal, they had "real" percolated north American style coffee. It was fantastic.
Also, one day we played soccer in the evening! It was muchos fun! It turns out I'm a terrible soccer player, but then again, there were some native Britonians there who have been playing their whole lives, and I haven't played soccer in a few years...Oh, also, i think that I am scared of the ball was a bit of an issue.
This past Shabbat was an "in-Shabbat" which means that it is spent at the yeshva. It was really nice. A lot of the married guys came with their families and there are tons of little kids running around the whole time. I was asked last week to prepare some Torah reading, which I did with pleasure, and Shabbat morning, I was asked if I can "daven" (lead part of the service), so I lead Shacharit, and b"H, people seemed to enjoy it. Someone came up to me and said that it was nice to hear a solid traditional davening as opposed to the particular style that seems to have permeated the entire of the Jewish world. This was not meant as anything against that style (for he and I both agreed about its value) but more to say that there is a lot of merit in the traditional way as well. Moving into the future with a strong connection to your heritage and traditions - sounds like a pretty nice way to summarized Jewish practice, to me. I find myself saying "It's all about balance" an awful lot! But, that is because it is! :)
One of the divrei Torah on Shabbat was an insight into the uniqueness of yeshiva lifestyle and how there are things we have the opportunity to do here, that once we return to the "real world" stop being an option, namely, the ability to learn Torah constantly. This total immersion in a learning/praying/learning-some-more life is definitely not the norm and everyone here is very aware of that. It is actually a really great thing! We are totally disconnected from the real world, but are all very aware of that, and are planning on using our experiences in this particular lifestyle to enhance our lives as we embark on whatever paths we take in life. There is really a great balance here between everything. I couldn't be happier with the yeshiva! It is exactly what I was looking for.
Meanwhile, I can't ignore what is going on in another place in Israel. Another interesting thing that took place over Shabbat was the attendance by a group of random soldiers! They were supposed to go to Gaza on Friday, but something changed in the plan and they were here over Shabbat. It was nice to have them here. They joined us for davening and the meals and although they kept mostly to themselves, they were definitely a welcome group and it brought this whole conflict very close to home. On Sunday, one by one, they got picked up by army trucks and taken to their stations. Right now, they are probably all involved in what is going on in Gaza. May HaShem guard them, protect them, fight for them, and bring them home safely! Amen!
Today was a fast day - the 10th of Tevet - which commemorates the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem which lead to the destruction of the first temple! Ultimately the commemoration is to remind us of what we, the Jewish people, did wrong as a collective group that led to our downfall. The message of the day should be to reflect on our past so we don't make the same mistakes in the present, which would, G-d forbid, lead to further destruction in the future. Those who don't learn from the past are the only ones surprised when it repeats itself! The message of the TaNaKh, and the prophets of those days was to return in a complete Teshuva - repentance, to HaShem! If you are not sure what that means, look up to Heaven and cry out "HaShem, I know I am not perfect! I know I have flaws! I know I need to correct myself, both in my physical actions and my spiritual ones. HaShem, I don't know what I have to do to correct myself! I don't know what to do to do what needs to be done! HaShem, help me make teshuva!" Something along these lines anyway. Or, better yet, there is always "HaShem? Are you there? A little help, please?"
If you are thinking that you are perfect just the way you are, I hate to burst your bubble. If you think that you don't have anything the requires changing - wake up call - you are arrogant and wrong! Life is a process of perpetual growth. This means constant self introspection and constant self improvement. One doesn't need a "self help book" or some sort of motivational CD series to grow. One simply needs to take some time out every day to reflect on the days events, and what was done right, and what was done wrong - not just for your own benefit, but how did your actions affect others - and from this analysis make the efforts to grow and change. And don't necessarily do this because it will give you a better life. It may, but it may not. Do it because it is the right thing to do! A tzadik, a totally righteous person, is someone who has spend his or her life doing what is tzodek - the right thing! Jewish law is halacha, from the root "lalechet" which means "to walk". Halacha is the way to go! It is very simple. Halacha isn't there to make anyone a good Jew. It is there to make you the best PERSON you can be! The greatest contributions you can make to the human race will be through the observance of halacha! If you meet someone who espouses to live an halachic life and yet they are a generally rotten person, they are falling far short of the requirements of an halachic lifestyle.
Israel is now in another war. This time it is not against the Babylonians, and it seems like we have the upper hand, but ultimately, we are still under siege. Lebanon to the North, Syria to the North East, Egypt to the South, and Iran lingering just beyond all of them, quietly funneling resources into all of them, building up for the destruction of Israel. No, the Babylonians are nowhere to be found, but their siege is still holding strong! The Babylonians destroyed the temple and exiled the people because the people refused to return to the path of Torah and HaShem. The current situation sees us without a temple and leaving exile. The current enemy doesn't have a temple to destroy, nor does it care to exile the people. The current enemy wants to destroy the people! With HaShem and Torah in our hearts, they have no chance!
Take a moment, look up, thank HaShem for everything good that you have in your life! Then ask for some help in fulfilling His Will!
I have been blessed with a HUGE bracha, that I am currently in a place where I get to spend my days fully immersed in Torah and thoughts of HaShem! Thank G-d I have merited to be here! However, one does not need to be in this kind of environment to live a life committed to HaShem and Torah. It is often MUCH better to do a very little bit with totally proper intentions than to do a lot with no intention at all. Parents, get your kids to say the "Shma" before bed! As I said before, look up to HaShem and thank Him for everything good you have! Take some time to introspect and better yourself! Read one line from the TaNaKh, and reflect on it for the course of the day. Learn one halacha every day. These are very small simple things that can have a HUGE effect on the state of the Collective Soul of the Jewish People, and on the state of the world as a whole! These small actions can protect our brave and Holy soldiers who are risking their lives for the benefit of our lives! Look up to HaShem and ask Him to protect our soldiers as they protect us!
Everyday I look up as I hear the jets flying in the distance and see their smoke trails overhead. Every day I open my ears for a moment during the quiet of the day and sense a siren going off in the distance. Everyday I look up and hear the propeller of surveillances helicopters overhead ensuring my safety! Thank G-d that we have all these things in place to protect us! May it be HaShem's Will that our protective measures should be successful, that the miracles He has shown us in this current battle should continue, that all of our soldiers should be safe, and that there should be minimal, if any at all, casualties on both sides. May it be His will that all this should come to a final conclusion soon, where we can all live our lives in a world of Shalom, Peace! As it is written, U'fros aleinu sukat Shelomeicha! Amen!
Tomorrow there is another brit milah, this time of the son of one of Rabbanim here! We are going to Me'arat Hamachpelah in Hevron, where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rivkah, and Leah are buried. We are going in an armoured bus! May it be HaShem's Will that we go in peace and come back in peace!
I titled this post "life goes on". I was originally alluding to the fact that I haven't written anything in over a week, but now I see a whole new meaning to it.
We have an option. Life can go on, and we go along for the ride doing the best we can to not lose our grip, or we can truly get on life, and use it for the purpose it was given, the return to HaShem! And no matter what else is happening, to serve HaShem takes precedence. Even with everything going on, life also goes on. New life is brought into the world, and the most physical action of the brit-milah, is the essential connection to the ultimate spirituality and a connection with HaShem!
May we all merit to get on life! Etz Chaim Hi, Lamachazikim bah! She (Torah) is a tree of Life to everyone who holds on tight!
Keep smiling! Life is SO good!
So, it turns out that a week has gone by and I haven't taken the time to let anyone (except the parentals and other family) know how I have been. Especially given the current situation in Israel, I really should be posting as well. I apologize to all those who have been interested in reading more, and who have, given my lack of total dedication, been left disappointed.
Since my last entry, I have actually started in Yeshiva! It has been just over a week, actually, and what a week it has been. I am really enjoying this whole "learning for 14 hours a day" thing. I think that is partly due to the small nature of the yeshiva, and thus a very close community atmosphere.
It has not only been learning though. Last week, one of the Kollel (ie. Rabbinical) students celebrated his son's brit milah (ritual circumcision) at the yeshiva. He had a lot of family here and there was a very big and delicious breakfast. The best part about it was the coffee. In Israel, you can get a "nescafe" which is simply any kind of instant coffee (they actually charge the equivalent of $2 - $3 for a cup of this in some coffee shops) or you can get a 'cafe hafuch' which is pretty much a latte/cappuccino or you can get a 'cafe shachor' which is a turkish coffee. At this meal, they had "real" percolated north American style coffee. It was fantastic.
Also, one day we played soccer in the evening! It was muchos fun! It turns out I'm a terrible soccer player, but then again, there were some native Britonians there who have been playing their whole lives, and I haven't played soccer in a few years...Oh, also, i think that I am scared of the ball was a bit of an issue.
This past Shabbat was an "in-Shabbat" which means that it is spent at the yeshva. It was really nice. A lot of the married guys came with their families and there are tons of little kids running around the whole time. I was asked last week to prepare some Torah reading, which I did with pleasure, and Shabbat morning, I was asked if I can "daven" (lead part of the service), so I lead Shacharit, and b"H, people seemed to enjoy it. Someone came up to me and said that it was nice to hear a solid traditional davening as opposed to the particular style that seems to have permeated the entire of the Jewish world. This was not meant as anything against that style (for he and I both agreed about its value) but more to say that there is a lot of merit in the traditional way as well. Moving into the future with a strong connection to your heritage and traditions - sounds like a pretty nice way to summarized Jewish practice, to me. I find myself saying "It's all about balance" an awful lot! But, that is because it is! :)
One of the divrei Torah on Shabbat was an insight into the uniqueness of yeshiva lifestyle and how there are things we have the opportunity to do here, that once we return to the "real world" stop being an option, namely, the ability to learn Torah constantly. This total immersion in a learning/praying/learning-some-more life is definitely not the norm and everyone here is very aware of that. It is actually a really great thing! We are totally disconnected from the real world, but are all very aware of that, and are planning on using our experiences in this particular lifestyle to enhance our lives as we embark on whatever paths we take in life. There is really a great balance here between everything. I couldn't be happier with the yeshiva! It is exactly what I was looking for.
Meanwhile, I can't ignore what is going on in another place in Israel. Another interesting thing that took place over Shabbat was the attendance by a group of random soldiers! They were supposed to go to Gaza on Friday, but something changed in the plan and they were here over Shabbat. It was nice to have them here. They joined us for davening and the meals and although they kept mostly to themselves, they were definitely a welcome group and it brought this whole conflict very close to home. On Sunday, one by one, they got picked up by army trucks and taken to their stations. Right now, they are probably all involved in what is going on in Gaza. May HaShem guard them, protect them, fight for them, and bring them home safely! Amen!
Today was a fast day - the 10th of Tevet - which commemorates the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem which lead to the destruction of the first temple! Ultimately the commemoration is to remind us of what we, the Jewish people, did wrong as a collective group that led to our downfall. The message of the day should be to reflect on our past so we don't make the same mistakes in the present, which would, G-d forbid, lead to further destruction in the future. Those who don't learn from the past are the only ones surprised when it repeats itself! The message of the TaNaKh, and the prophets of those days was to return in a complete Teshuva - repentance, to HaShem! If you are not sure what that means, look up to Heaven and cry out "HaShem, I know I am not perfect! I know I have flaws! I know I need to correct myself, both in my physical actions and my spiritual ones. HaShem, I don't know what I have to do to correct myself! I don't know what to do to do what needs to be done! HaShem, help me make teshuva!" Something along these lines anyway. Or, better yet, there is always "HaShem? Are you there? A little help, please?"
If you are thinking that you are perfect just the way you are, I hate to burst your bubble. If you think that you don't have anything the requires changing - wake up call - you are arrogant and wrong! Life is a process of perpetual growth. This means constant self introspection and constant self improvement. One doesn't need a "self help book" or some sort of motivational CD series to grow. One simply needs to take some time out every day to reflect on the days events, and what was done right, and what was done wrong - not just for your own benefit, but how did your actions affect others - and from this analysis make the efforts to grow and change. And don't necessarily do this because it will give you a better life. It may, but it may not. Do it because it is the right thing to do! A tzadik, a totally righteous person, is someone who has spend his or her life doing what is tzodek - the right thing! Jewish law is halacha, from the root "lalechet" which means "to walk". Halacha is the way to go! It is very simple. Halacha isn't there to make anyone a good Jew. It is there to make you the best PERSON you can be! The greatest contributions you can make to the human race will be through the observance of halacha! If you meet someone who espouses to live an halachic life and yet they are a generally rotten person, they are falling far short of the requirements of an halachic lifestyle.
Israel is now in another war. This time it is not against the Babylonians, and it seems like we have the upper hand, but ultimately, we are still under siege. Lebanon to the North, Syria to the North East, Egypt to the South, and Iran lingering just beyond all of them, quietly funneling resources into all of them, building up for the destruction of Israel. No, the Babylonians are nowhere to be found, but their siege is still holding strong! The Babylonians destroyed the temple and exiled the people because the people refused to return to the path of Torah and HaShem. The current situation sees us without a temple and leaving exile. The current enemy doesn't have a temple to destroy, nor does it care to exile the people. The current enemy wants to destroy the people! With HaShem and Torah in our hearts, they have no chance!
Take a moment, look up, thank HaShem for everything good that you have in your life! Then ask for some help in fulfilling His Will!
I have been blessed with a HUGE bracha, that I am currently in a place where I get to spend my days fully immersed in Torah and thoughts of HaShem! Thank G-d I have merited to be here! However, one does not need to be in this kind of environment to live a life committed to HaShem and Torah. It is often MUCH better to do a very little bit with totally proper intentions than to do a lot with no intention at all. Parents, get your kids to say the "Shma" before bed! As I said before, look up to HaShem and thank Him for everything good you have! Take some time to introspect and better yourself! Read one line from the TaNaKh, and reflect on it for the course of the day. Learn one halacha every day. These are very small simple things that can have a HUGE effect on the state of the Collective Soul of the Jewish People, and on the state of the world as a whole! These small actions can protect our brave and Holy soldiers who are risking their lives for the benefit of our lives! Look up to HaShem and ask Him to protect our soldiers as they protect us!
Everyday I look up as I hear the jets flying in the distance and see their smoke trails overhead. Every day I open my ears for a moment during the quiet of the day and sense a siren going off in the distance. Everyday I look up and hear the propeller of surveillances helicopters overhead ensuring my safety! Thank G-d that we have all these things in place to protect us! May it be HaShem's Will that our protective measures should be successful, that the miracles He has shown us in this current battle should continue, that all of our soldiers should be safe, and that there should be minimal, if any at all, casualties on both sides. May it be His will that all this should come to a final conclusion soon, where we can all live our lives in a world of Shalom, Peace! As it is written, U'fros aleinu sukat Shelomeicha! Amen!
Tomorrow there is another brit milah, this time of the son of one of Rabbanim here! We are going to Me'arat Hamachpelah in Hevron, where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rivkah, and Leah are buried. We are going in an armoured bus! May it be HaShem's Will that we go in peace and come back in peace!
I titled this post "life goes on". I was originally alluding to the fact that I haven't written anything in over a week, but now I see a whole new meaning to it.
We have an option. Life can go on, and we go along for the ride doing the best we can to not lose our grip, or we can truly get on life, and use it for the purpose it was given, the return to HaShem! And no matter what else is happening, to serve HaShem takes precedence. Even with everything going on, life also goes on. New life is brought into the world, and the most physical action of the brit-milah, is the essential connection to the ultimate spirituality and a connection with HaShem!
May we all merit to get on life! Etz Chaim Hi, Lamachazikim bah! She (Torah) is a tree of Life to everyone who holds on tight!
Keep smiling! Life is SO good!
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