Good evening, friends. I present to you part three of what has been our joint musical journey through these uncharted times. A quick thank you goes out for the kind comments and endless encouragement that I have received throughout this unprecedented period. It means...
Good afternoon, and a gutten Chodesh Kislev to each of you. Over the past month and a half, every single one of us have been tasked to navigate a vast array of feelings, emotions and tests of faith, the likes of which most of us have never experienced before. The task...
In the context of observance of Moshe Rabbeinu’s yahrtzeit, the message is as clear as it is fundamental to our most basic principles: one’s belief in the Supreme Creator is incomplete if it is not complemented by the full belief in His most loyal servant and greatest emissary: Moshe Rabbeinu.
In Parshas Vayishlach, Yaakov Avinu shows us exactly how to deal with challenges: wrestle with it, refuse to let it go until it blesses you – until you emerge stronger, better and wiser than before. Remember, we’re called Bnei Yisroel for a reason.
As we take out the Torah and prepare to read it, we are reminded of what could have and should have been. We remind ourselves that the only way back to that ideal is through a focus on Hashem and His Torah. In the desert, we failed to appreciate the gift that Hashem had bestowed upon us. We must always remember that the journey to Eretz Yisroel is so that Torah may flow from Yerushalayim – the road we intend to travel is spiritual, not physical. We praise Hashem for giving us the Torah, reinforcing our commitment to living by its holy words, lest we again forget to appreciate His gift.
When we look back to see that mountain that we just climbed or that chasm we just leaped across, we see that they were not as large and imposing as we had thought. Our challenges are put there not to get in the way, but so that we can use them to grow – as long as we take that leap.
His eyes glimmered like crystal and were filled with love and kindness. His smiling face was warm and radiant. His voice was pleasant and sweet. Just who was this Tzaddik, about whom so many amazing things have been said? Why exactly did everyone so greatly admire and adore him? Let’s read a few things about one of the greatest figures of Yerushalayim, a man simply called Reb Aryeh, and then maybe we’ll have a better idea.