Dear Friends,
This week was very trying for me, because I wasn't feeling well, to the point where I couldn't write an article for Shabbos. I prepared for it, but Hashem had other plans. I still hope to write it, but it won't be ready for Shabbos.
This week was a hard week for the Jewish people. My heart is with the Jews of Pittsburgh, whose loved ones died sanctifying Hashem's name, for being Jewish. Hashem should avenge their blood, or better yet, send Moshiach, and bring an end to this exile once and for all.
This week's parsha is called Chayei Sarah, the life of Sarah. However the parsha doesn't tell us at all about Sarah's life. It speaks about Yitzchak and Rivka, the successors of Sarah.
This teaches us that the life of a person is measured by his or her legacy. Even after she passed away, she remained alive in Yitzchak and Rivka. And she remains alive in every single one of us.
Whenever a tragedy like the one in Pittsburgh happens, we have to strengthen our Judaism. They were only murdered for being Jewish, and for no other reason. We can make them alive, by making their deaths matter. If we strengthen our Judaism, doing more mitzvahs, and more Torah study, we will bring life to their deaths, and they will be remembered as the ones who strengthen Judaism, and they will be alive through us.
May we strengthen our Judaism to the point where we tip the scale, and bring Moshiach once and for all.
My heart is also with my brothers, the emissaries of the Rebbe, who are on the front lines, strengthening Judaism all over the globe, who are in New York, at the International Conference of Shluchim. I wish I could be there with you, and in a way, I feel like I am with you.
Good Shabbos,
Yitzi
Refua Shleima
ReplyDeleteVery touching, Rabbi. Very touching. There are others here and there from different Jewish worlds who still hold onto the differences through all of this. "They weren't Orthodox Jews...yada yada yada" or "Those Orthodox yada yada yada." I don't know what's worse; the loss of fellow Jews or the baseless hatred from both sides. I look for the lamplighters. And you sir, dear Rabbi are a lamplighter! Todah rabbah. I just learned about you and decided to look for your blog. I look forward to coming back to see what you have to say every week! May you have Refuah Shlema. ~ Geulah bat Avraham Avienu v' Sarah Imenu aka Grethel J. Rickman
ReplyDeleteSo deep, so beautiful on so many levels. You embody the spiritual light of Chanukka breaking through the darkness, giving strength to you and all those your life touches.
ReplyDeleteMay Hashem grant you a Refuah Sheleima B'Karov.
Bracha V'Hatzlacha
thank you,
Meir