לע”נ צפורה רחל בת אברהם נתן א”ה
JMN extends a hartzige MAZAL TOV to a dear friend and member Yitzy L. upon the recent marriage of his son! We pray that the new couple be zocheh להקים בית נאמן בישראל – Amein!
Happy Anniversary wishes are in order for a most loyal subscriber, the extraordinary Osniel R. May you and your rebbetzin’s future be filled with continued good health, happiness and success!
As we get closer to the Yom Tov of Shavuos, I thought that we could highlight a few songs that will help us get into the right frame of mind for Kabbolas HaTorah.
We have written extensively on the topic of Achdus – not only is it an integral part of our continued subsistence, but it was because of our perfect harmony that we merited receiving the Torah at the foot of Har Sinai. Notably, we were, “כאיש אחד בלב אחד” – “like one man, with one unified heart,” and it is this level of oneness that we eternally aspire to attain once again.
Sefer Vayikra concludes with a description of the covenant between Am Yisrael and Hashem. The covenant involves the blessings that we receive when we follow the paths of Torah, and the curses that will chas v’shalom befall us if we were to stray from its holy ways.
Amongst the chilling klalos we find the words, “V’kashlu ish b’achiv” (26:37), “they will stumble over one another.” In the Gemara’s dissection of this pasuk (Shavuos 39a), we are taught that this means that we will stumble, “b’avon achiv,” because of the aveiros of our fellow Jew. This is because, says the Gemara, שכל ישראל ערבים זה בזה – that simply by virtue of being a Yid, we are responsible for the spiritual (and physical) well-being of our fellow Yidden.
While this is certainly one of our accepted interpretations of “areivus,” there is another, equally absolute implication to be gleaned from this oft quoted Talmudic tagline – the fact that we are all part of one whole.
We live in a world steeped in intense individualism; so much so, that from time to time, one might forget that he is a part of a larger community. And like what I have never been known to say: “You can’t spell community without UNITY.”
Both the brachos and the klalos are addressed in the plural form – the words of the parsha imploring us to internalize the actuality of our united soul, to understand that we actually NEED each other in order thrive, and thus strive to exhibit genuine kindness and compassion towards our fellow Jew – no matter what.
So, as we get ever closer to Kabbolas HaTorah, it is increasingly necessary to incorporate this important lesson into our daily lives. Know that it is only when one truly cares for and takes care of his fellow Jew, can one properly be mekabel Hashem’s precious Torah – the very Torah that is rooted in oneness and thus was accepted at Sinai in a state of absolute achdus.
Now, let’s get to the music, shall we?
Today’s choice came down to a toss-up between two tracks bearing the same name on the same album. In the end we went with the one attached below as it better fit our intended message. Kol Yisroel is an upbeat song composed by Yerachmiel Begun and sung by his Miami Boys Choir on Miami & Dedi back in 2003. It features the vibrant vocal accompaniment of the simply sensational Dedi Graucher, as well as the sweet sound of a, then, 14-year-old soloist by the name of Mordechai Shapiro.
As the title track would suggest, the theme of the album was very much the notion that one Yid is not at all a single entity. We must know in our hearts that the core principle of who we are as individuals is that we are members of a collective Klal – an exalted, priestly community called Am Yisroel.
Enjoy!
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