Moshe Rabbeinu is telling us that, today – as we find ourselves standing before Hashem, about to experience the ultimate encounter with the Melech Malchei Hamlachim during the Yomim Noraim – we must know there is no Yid beyond redemption – that there is no such thing as being “hopelessly lost.” What incredible chizzuk! No matter how far one may have fallen, no matter how far one may have strayed, Hashem will be there to take him back home.
Accustom yourself to speak gently to all people at all times. This will protect you from anger – a most serious character flaw…” Words no less valid today than they were 750 years ago, are they not?
The words that we say each morning in Yehi Chivod is the promise Hashem gave His people – the Jewish people – to forever protect them in the face of all danger. May this song and the meaning of these words give us tremendous strength in times of need.
Chazal teach us that the power of prayer is not a matter of kavanah as much as it is our emunah in the efficacy of our prayer and in its intrinsic strength.
The Jewish Nation is seen walking to and from shul carrying their precious lulavim and esrogim, and are heard singing their joyous Shabbos and Yom Tov tunes through the thin walls of their magnificent sukkahs. The beauty of Klal Yisroel shining through and on display in a very royal and majestic way, all over the world – wow! Mi K’amcha Yisroel!
While we may have had different tunes that got us to this point, one thing remains universal: we all want nothing more than for our tefilos to reach Hashem’s Heavenly Throne.
When you love someone, there is nothing that you won’t do for them. Seemingly insignificant tasks are no longer tedious but are held in the utmost import and are done with zing and flourish. Think of all the things that we do for our loved ones, spouses, children, etc. What we do for others shows the love we have for them. This is the way we must act towards Hashem, because He is our Loved One – our most Beloved.
There is a story of a young, newly married man who came to complain to Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein zt’l. He said that as much as he admonished his wife, she was never ready on time to light the Shabbos candles, and he asked for advice on how to remedy the problem. Reb Chatzkel bluntly responded, “You pick up a broom.“