JOY (#1)

Simcha Poretz Geder - Simcha/happiness breaks thru all barriers.

We all encounter obstacles in life that appear to block our path to growth and success. Some are external, challenges presented by the world at large, and others are internal, personal problems which hold us back. We often react to these challenges with feelings of anger, hate, depression or despair.
How unproductive that is! Not only are these feelings painful themselves but they also intensify and magnify the problems we face, making the obstacles more difficult to overcome.
Joy, on the other hand, is in itself a pleasant feeling. And more so, it is the key to the inner power of the soul, unlocking personal strength we didn't know we had.

Rabbi Simchah Bunim of Pshische related the following example.

He once saw a man drowning.

There was no way anyone could save him; the person himself had to summon up his inner energy to fight the waves.
At first, the man was struggling vigorously. But he was quickly losing his strenght. Reb Simcha saw a look of despair on the man's face and that he was prepared to give up. With a slight smile, Reb Simcha shouted to the man: "give regards to the Livyoson" (the great whale)

A light smile then broke out on the drowning man's face, and with fresh vitality, he renewed his struggle and persevered until he was able to save himself.

Mitvah -In the time of Moshiach

Hashem wanted to make us righteous therefore he gave us an abundance of torah and mitzvos, to keep us busy from morning to night. Righteousness is a by-product of the mitzvos we do because we have freedom of choice. When we chose to do the right thing we are able to be righteous.
Freedom of choice is a necessary requisite for the concept of a mitzva being fulfilled.
Will we have the ability to make a choice when moshiach comes?
When moshiach comes there will be no challenges, there will be no difficulties, and we will not have the opportunity to make a choice. We will not have the ability or the challenge to decide to do the mitzvah or not to.
We will all be doing exactly what we are supposed to do, we will all be in perfect sync with Hashem's Will, doing the mitzvos, almost robotic. But with that of course comes the loss of thrill when we DO overcome a challenge.
That thrill and accomplishment can only be achieved NOW, in galus.
Not only is it a physical thrill and joy, but a spiritual reward as well, which we will merit to collect when Moshiach comes. The more difficult it is to do the Mitzva now the greater the reward will be then. More of G-dliness will be revealed.
That is why we need to utilize every moment NOW - till moshiach comes - to gather and to collect as many mitzvohs as possible -
For once Moshiach comes the opportunities of galus will be gone.

Mitzvah/Story/King, silverware

There is a story of a king that went hunting and got trapped in the forest. He was lost and badly hurt. As night set in, he pathetically kept crying out for help and miraculously a peasant living in the forest heard his desperate cries.
The peasant lifted the now unrecognizable king and gently brought him back to his hut and tended to his wounds till he regained enough of his own strength to continue on his way. The peasant had no idea that it was the king that he had revived.

The peasant then received a gift of beautiful silverware with a note from the king who was thanking him for his hospitality in the forest and for nursing him back to his health.

The simple man was shocked. The king?? He had hosted the king in his dilapidated hut?? And the gift, looking totally out of place in his poor home was put on a corner shelf and forgotten about.

One day, the King sent a message to his rescuer that he would like to visit him in his home and thank him personally.

When the simple man heard that the king was coming, he was overcome with anxiety. How can he welcome His Majesty into his impoverished shack?? This was no place for a royal king!! He looked around for something that would be presentable for someone of such stature. He then remembered the gift that he had received from the king earlier. Realizing that this grand gift was something the king can surely appreciate, he happily placed it on the table and awaited the king's arrival.

This time, when the king came, he was royally dressed as is fit for a king. Feeling ashamed at the sorry welcome he was offering the king. "My deepest apologies, Your Highness" He said. " My home is but the simplest of homes. My food? Your dogs surely have tasted better. With what can I serve the king? I have nothing that can impress His Majesty. The ONLY thing I thought appropriately honorable was something that His Majesty himself sent to me."

And the king smiled.

With what can we honor G-d? ONLY with what HE Himself gave to us - His Mitzvos.

very funny

Moishy texts me: "The economy's so rough, people are standing behind President Bush just to get the free shoes."

Mitzvah/ Perek daled tanya (end of)

"Torah is one and the same with G-d" And both are incomprehensible.

Torah descended through levels, till this world, and it clothed itself in material matters which includes almost all the Torah's commandments and its laws.
Nearly all of the mitzvos involve material objects: Tzitizit are made of wool, tefillin of leather, and so on.
Meaning, that G-d's Will and wisdom, which is basically His essence, are clothed in His Torah and Mitzvos.
So although G-d and His wisdom are beyond man's reach, they are now made accessible to us because they are enclothed in physical objects.

So we may think that when we are doing a Mitzva we are only connected to the lowly material level of G-d and not G-d's essence. Yet it is not so. It is like one who embraces a king. There is no difference in the degree of his closeness and attachment to the king whether he embraces him when the king is wearing one robe or many robes, since the king's body is in them.

The reward in the world to come consists of the soul enjoying the radiance of the Divine Presence, the pleasure in comprehending G-dliness. But it is ONLY a glimmer, a ray of the Divine light. In this world though, through our performing Torah and Mitzvos, we are united with G-d Himself.

Mitzvah(theme)/ Pshat

A Mitzvah, is a Hebrew word which means "commandment" and "connection."
The Mitzvahs are, 613 of, G-d's commandments to the Jewish people.
Mitzvohs are the ultimate expression of our relationship with G-d. There's no set place and time that's just for G-d, every place and time can shout out "G-d!" And that's the idea of the Mitzvah. For "Mitzvah" doesn't just mean "commandment": it also means "connection". You are connected to G-d.
When you do a Mitzvah, you're expressing that connection.

There are 248 positive mitzvohs and 365 negative mitzvohs.
They can also be divided into Ethical and Ritual categories: Ethical Mitzvahs tells us how to interact with fellow humans, such as not taking revenge or hurting orphans, and Ritual Mitzvahs teach us how to interact with G-d, such as keeping Shabbat or building a Sukkah.
The Torah decides what is ethical, not our conscience. So ethical Mitzvahs are often difficult to observe, because violating them is easy to rationalize. But observe them we must, for they carry just as much weight as any other Mitzvah. And to observe them of course, (solely) because G-d commanded us to - and we want to be connected to Him.

Have a blessed day.

Vayigash Yehuda...

Yehuda approached Yosef and said,

".......for you are equal to Pharoh"

Rashi: "If you will provoke me -
I will kill you - AND your master"

Gotta love the guy.

Chanuka/Looking for Moshiach in Chanuka

Everything is connected to Moshiach and the Redemption. In fact, the Rebbe stated clearly that it is natural for a person who is involved every day in yearning for the coming of Moshiach to look for a connection to Moshiach's coming in every event he encounters.

This also applies to Chanuka. And since we are in the days of Chanuka it is appropriate to look at the Festival of Lights with "Moshiach eyes."

Since the Chanuka miracle took place in the Holy Temple, its celebration arouses an even greater yearning for the time when the menora will be kindled again in the Third Holy Temple.

Similarly, there is a connection between the above and this week's portion, Mikeitz.

When we hear the name Mikeitz, because we are constantly yearning for Moshiach's coming, we immediately associate it with the word "keitz" which refers to the time for Moshiach's coming.

Also on Shabbat, when the Haftorah will be read and we will hear the vision for the Menora mentioned, we once again immediately associate it with the menora of the Holy Temple.

Let us all join together on Chanuka this year in the lighting of the Chanuka menoras, large and small, public and private. And as we light the menora let us envision ourselves watching the lighting of the rededicated menora in the Third and Eternal Holy Temple.

The Baal Shem Tov taught, "In the place where a person wants to be, that is where he will be found." May we all be found together in the Holy Temple this Chanuka!

Chanuka/The fire in the flint

Chanukah expresses the power of Judaism to survive the forces of assimilation. At the time of the Maccabees many Jews had adopted the Greek way of life. They abandoned Judaism completely and worshipped idols together with the Greeks. However, the Maccabees succeeded in reminding people that they were Jews.

According to Chassidic teaching, within each Jew is a spark of the Divine which cannot be extinguished. It is compared to the 'fire in the flint'. A glowing coal contains fire, but if it is put into water the fire is extinguished. A flintstone has the power to produce fire, and this power is not effected by the way the stone is treated. It can be immersed in water for a long time, and when it is removed it still has the power to produce a spark. The 'fire in the flint' is always present as a potential force.

In the same way, Judaism is always present as a potentially powerful force in the life of any Jew, however remote he or she may have become from Jewish life. The single flask of pure oil which was found in the Temple, and the Chanukah lights which it fuels, represent the eternal Jewish flame which might be hidden but cannot be put out. It is simply waiting for the opportunity to express its beautiful radiance.

This past week....

a klutz kasheh question & answer @ theme

@ stands for 'at'

I didn't have a brochure @ how to light the menorah.....

I told you before, "@" stands for "at", not "about"

Unprecedented compliments @ today's shiur

fyi, in yiddish @ means about -btw

LOLL!!! (literally)



Chanuka.....
The baal Shem tov taught, " In the place......
And btw I, Moshe, taught that @ means "about" in the Yiddish language.

I hope it's previewed....otherwise, oh my.

stay tuned...

Reporting Live :

Police helicopter.
Tens of Police cars.
Policemen running to and fro.
Suspects face down on the ground.
Police guns' drawn.
Suspects in custody.
Spectators.
Questions.
Tourist snapping pictures.
Helicopter checking, maybe one more suspect.
Street blocked off.
Suspects being identified, by potential witnesses.

Woah!

Update:
One hour later:
Still searching for 4th suspect.
Brought the canines in to sniff.
Had them check out garage.
Officer asks to use restroom.
Neighbours cant go home.

Darkness has set in.
With no 4th suspect found, as of yet.

(And we gave them sufganiot.
The Police. Not the suspects.)

On describing Chassidus...

"...the levels, the attributes, the angels - all fly way over my head."

"I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me."

Chanukah/Based on the Rebbe's Letter

The eternal lights of Chanuka have eternal messages for us:
The candles are kindled when the sun sets. When darkness falls outside it is then time to light up our homes with the holy Chanuka lights, symbolizing the eternal lights of Torah and Mitzvos.
The location - that they be visible also outside - further indicates that the Torah and Mitzvos not be confined within the walls of the home, but must shine forth also outside.
Another important lesson is that however satisfactory the observance of Torah and Mitzvos may be on one day, a Jew is expected to do better the next day, and still better the day after. There is always room for improvement in the matters of goodness and holiness, which are infinite, being derived from The Infinite.
This too is emphasized by the Chanuka lights. For to fulfill the Mitzva of candle-lighting on the first night of Chanuka is to light one candle, yet the next night of Chanuka it is required to light two candles, and when another day passes even the higher standard of the previous day is no longer adequate, and an additional light is called for, and so on, to increase the light from day to day.

Chanukah/The significance of eight

Seven symbolizes the Natural order, for G-d created the world in six days and rested on the seventh; Shabbos. Eight, symbolizes the Super-natural. The Human intelligence is limited to the Natural order; anything which is above and beyond Nature is also above and beyond human understanding. G-d, is obviously over and above Nature. We therefore cannot understand G-d, or his ways.

The Torah and Mitzvoth, which contain G-d's wisdom and will, are also beyond our understanding, but the more Torah we learn and the more Mitzvoth we observe, the more we become attached to G-d.. By being attached to G-d, we are no longer limited to our OWN human resources, but are now able to draw from the unlimited of G-d's wisdom.

At the time of Chanukah, the Jewish people were challenged to this view and way of life. The Greek philosophers believed that there was nothing higher than the human intelligence. They did not believe in the true G-d, the Creator, because they did not understand G-d, and according to them, anything that could not be understood was not to be believed.

King Antiochus wanted to force the Jews to give up the Mitzvoth which seemed "unreasonable" to him. Like the Mitzvah of the Bris which is done on the eighth day. Antiochus had vast armies, ready to put to death any Jew who disobeyed his orders, which now put the whole future of the Jewish people in great danger. Fortunately, a handful of Jews, led by Mattisyohu and his sons, openly resisted Antiochus. They kindled the flame of true faith in G-d, and with G-d's help they were victorious for they would not compromise with the enemy.

The miraculous victory of the Jews against the Greeks was not only in the battlefield, but a great spiritual victory, the victory of light over darkness. And the one little cruse of pure olive oil, miraculously lasted for eight days, instead of one.

The eight Chanukah lights, reminds us that the true approach to Torah and Mitzvoth is not through the limited human intelligence, but rather through the actual fulfillment of the Mitzvoth first and foremost.

GUT YOM TOV

MAY YOU BE INSCRIBED AND SEALED FOR A GOOD YEAR IN THE STUDY OF CHASSIDUS AND THE WAYS OF CHASSIDUS!

Random Texts, random order..

Can't keep'm all - no room. Very random, very few...

I ALMOST ALWAYS LISTEN TO U

There was just a bomb. Im ok i was in middle of learning chassidis

If you think breaking down 5 times is not enough then it was 6 times!

On the way to oslo stop will kill arafat stop or henchmen stop good shabbos stop this is my version of tel

eh ignoring my text messages will get you NOWHERE

: I stand corrected. It WILL get u somewhere. Into big trouble. Ubber BIG!

I told her how much i used to enjoy reading her emails

T..W.. tefillin bag is right in front of me. Im so tempted to take a pic but im too worried ill be caught red

Call me if ur bored and interested in reading to me from the english siddur....

You won't believe this but i'm holding a baby now

As long as it says alav hasholom - kinahoog bihespeidim

Wow! Great article! - no-none of the galachim will be there- so noone can come

Safe trip! Its free so y not(uh! Maybe not free, oh well!) hee! Hee!

Hows my dvar malchus doing

"Beside You I wish for nothing,"

"I want nothing at all!
I don't want Your Gan Eden, I don't want Your Olam Haba...
I want nothing but You alone."


The Alter Rebbe

"I am an artist. I paint with words."

OMG!

Holy guacamole! (That's from the Texan Rabbi)

The Israeli CIA is back, looking for Av...


(What about you?)

Not to do it davka because you know the joy it will cause!?!


(Doesn't sound very nice, to me.)

The answer Yeduha Avner is...

So the answer is:

Shir shel yom!!
One must stop and think what day it is!

Hey, Yehuda Avner, did you hear that?


CIA - Shpy.

The Sabra said not to be scared.

Forget sand house, we're gonna have SMELLY house.

Venice Blvd.

Moshe'le's place - Venice Beach.

Cool.

Highest of all is CHASSID,

..... and here there are three levels:

(a) Worldly affairs do not disturb or distract him. Every individual can, and every individual must, attain this level.

(b) All his affairs "are G-dliness." Though this level "is not distant from you etc.," it is still not within everyone's reach.

(c) The level described in Tikunei Zohar, "Who is a chassid? He who conducts himself with benevolence towards his Creator -towards His nest" - which means that he seeks to unite the Holy One blessed be He, and His Shechina within those who dwell in the lower worlds - not merely to quench the thirst of his own soul; as explained in Tanya.

Which Tefilla is impossible to say without thinking?

Yehuda Avner

Israel - beware!
Norway - you too watch out!


Oy, I'm a bit scared.
No one can do anything to me, right?

Too Old To Be Young

:(

SOOO Happy With This Email Today!

Mrs.......
Every issue, we usually end up having to pull a few articles at the last minute because there was not enough space. So your article will not be in the Kislev issue, but it will IY"H be used for....


Yay! B"H.
Now I can totally pull out!


And -
The End. Bli neder.
(This time for real.)

THE END OF SHIVA.

A gutten geburtztog....

To the Judge and Moshe'le.
Whatta farbrengen haya lanu.
Whatta Mentch and a half!
He came with his sweet demeanor,
a Shehechiyonu,
a vort,
a mayse,
a lesson and more.


B"H.

An idea lost to fanatics

For The Beginning....

....The hallmark of Chabad's approach is an openness to -- indeed, an embrace of -- the modern world, while insisting that it make a place for their deeply traditional religious devotion. Around the world, including in Los Angeles, Lubavitcher Hasidim are living precisely the sort of lives the jihadi ideology insists are impossible. Culturally, they participate fully in the pluralist democracies, while privately, they profess fully a deeply traditional spirituality. Faithful to their own long history, they are valued and good neighbors to others.

Zalman taught his followers that their G-d desires the development of their minds as well as their hearts. The fully realized human intellect, he argued, was built on da'at (knowledge), bina (understanding) and chochma (wisdom).

It's hard to imagine a more stinging defeat for the Mumbai killers than the fact that a movement of faith founded on such an idea has endured in fidelity to its traditions for more than two centuries, and will continue to thrive when, as the old Yiddish expression goes, the names and memories of the murderers have been erased.

(LA Times, Tim Rutten)


Thank you Kandice

To Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg, (Rifkie Holtzberg's father)

You stood before the entire nation;

In pain -
yet proud.

Suffering -
yet whole.

Broken -
yet maintaining your faith.


In your merit I became a Jew.
Hagar-kibutznik

Mumbai

It's -
"mom-bay" (rhyming with Bombay)

Or -
"moom-buye" (the Israeli way).

But NOT -
"mom-buye" (that's just wrong!).

A Postcard from Manchester, England.

Och.
Regretting that I "gave in".
Especially now.
Shucks.

Just before they left the building, the Zaka volunteers had the presence of mind to take a suitcase full of toys belonging to Moisheh Holtzberg. Let him at least have his toys....

Ein Milim...

Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky:

Ma nomar uma nedaber
Ein ma l'hagid

This is not the time to ask questions, this is not the time to think.

The Rebbe taught us;
A little candle in a room lights up the whole room.
But such brutal darkness must be combated with torches!
Torches of goodness and kindness. And light!

We will get together on Chanuka, around the world,
for a night when we will celebrate the lights of the Holtzbergs.


* * *

Gavriel Noach & Rivka Holtzberg (Ner H')
BREEEENT

LICHT'ALACH BRENT

OY BRENT VI VAYT IR KENT

VAYEL AYER FAYER

IZ HEILIK UN TAYER

IBER DE'GANTZER VELT

OY....

An Email Today...

Sends me a link to some blah blah blah article....
then writes:
helpful but still doesn't answer the question how this could happen to shluchim of the rebbe. it's like mored b'malchus and shouldn't be allowed to happen. it's so demoralizing. how far does the Eyerbershter think He can push us before we lose it? Ch, V'sh.

My response:
Waiting for G-d Himself to enlighten me....

a.'s reply:
please share with the class when He does.

A MILLION (and more) TEARS.

Oh No. Oh Noooo...

NEW: Rabbi and his wife among five hostages reported killed at Jewish center.

Today's Sefer Hamitzvos - Korbonos, Ktores...

A Neshomo...

.... comes down, wears and tears for 70 80 years -
JUST to do a favour for another!!!

Favor - something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice.

Is there a time to give up?

Israeli Diplomat Yehuda Avner....

('Eating Kosher' experience)

They were all chomping on succulent roast pheasant, roast potatoes, and garnished beans.
I, alone, was not indulging. My vegetarian dish tarried, perhaps because the engraved place card that bore my name had been misspelled. It read "Yeduha...?"
Gen. George S. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was sitting two chairs to my right and Barbara Walters to my left. He caught sight of my still empty plate and craning his neck to mark my place card, boomed, "Yeduha, not eating with us tonight?" With that, a butler stepped forward and placed before me a fiesta of color consisting of:
A base of lettuce as thick as the Tanach,
Topped by a mountain of diced fruits,
Capped by a blob of cottage cheese,
And crowned by a scoop of whipped cream.
The whole thingamajig stood about a foot high.
In contrast to everybody else's drab roast pheasant, it glittered and sparkled like a firework!
"Wow!" chimed Barbara Walters at the top of her voice, drawing everybody's attention to my extravaganza. President Ford half-rose to note it. He whispered something into Yitzhak Rabin's ear, and Rabin whispered something back into his. Instantly, the president rose to his full height, held his glass high, and exuberantly called out to me, "Happy
birthday, young fella." Whereupon, the entire Lincoln Room stood up and began chorusing in fullthroated gusto, "Happy birthday dear Yeduha." And as they sang, their glasses aloft, I slunk sheepishly into my chair, mortified.
Back at Blair House where we were lodging, I asked Rabin why on earth he had told the president it was my birthday. He shot back, part in jest, part in earnest: "What else should I have told him — the truth? And tomorrow there would be a headline that you ate kosher and I didn't. And then the religious parties would bolt the coalition.
Am I crazy?"

An Epic.

Our Rebbe.


Yehuda Avner

Friends & Partners complement our completeness.

A Green Shirt. Like Yours

Reformed (Pun intended, for real) version.

And she read his Mitzva Notes.....

......@ his levaya.



The mitzvos were written on diamond shaped paper.
"Because each mitzvah is like a diamond." She said.
They have a treasure box at school.


And 5 year old Adam's Mitzvos.....
....accompanied him....

And Adam left us treasures.

Later, Chassidim said:
"True. But to appreciate the value of Tefillin as Rabbi Yaakov Mordechai did, one must first sleep on a bench for thirty years…"

The Shema

S'u Marom Eineichem

"Raise your eyes on high."

Making G-d's Will, your will.

To accept.
And to be happy.
To FULLY accept and do be TOTALLY happy with what the Aibershter choses for you.
HE, in is Infinite Wisdom decided so.
It is good.
Be at peace with it.



Chalom Chalamti....
We lost her.
Totally lost her. Gone.
I accepted it, as HIS Will.

Then she was found.


I woke up. But the lesson remained.



(Akaidas Yitzchok-
Avrohom fully accepted G-d's Will and made it his own!
Only then he was told, he didn't have to sacrifice his son.)

Kabolos OL

Every level needs to be elevated.

How does a 'medaber' (the highest level) get elevated?
KABOLOS OL.
When a PERSON puts his OWN INTELLECT (which defines him as a person) aside, and does what Hashem wants ONLY because HE said so - THAT is Kabolos Ol.
That is the way he elevates himself.


Kabolos ol - is the foundation.
A person is compared to a tree.
The roots of a tree is the foundation of the tree.

(Un) Important stams

Crime does not pay!

County jails are less classy then Federal ones.

Breakfast is served @ 4 a.m. !!!??

Ai-mize

Malach asked Hogor - ai-mize bo's, v'ono sai'lai'chi?

Whence are you coming and where are you going..?


(Lech l'cho)

Stam.

Radatz - Chayim Dovid Tzvi Chein

....one of them took out an apple and started saying the brocho... when the Radatz heard hashem's name, he shouted out Boruch hu uboruch shmoi with such intense emotion and enthusiasm that the ones gathered there, trembled from fear, and the poor Jew....
... almost dropped his apple...

A: You want come with us to vote?

Snyusha: To a boat? What do we do there?

A: To vote. To vote for a president.

Snyusha: We get presents?

I've Lost It!

Baby Ella.

Bored @ men's dept. waiting....

Ehhh, I don't think that tie goes with that shirt.

It sure does. I'm a stylist.....


(You think I let up? I didn't...hehe)

Yes, I made a brucha over the luluv and it's partner.

Anne

Blppfffff!!!!

to -
Chai Lifeline parties.

A Succeleh a Kleina

(For old times sake)

Ah succelah, ah kleina,
Fun breitelach gemeina,
Hub ich mich a succelah gimacht.

Tzukedekt dem dach,
mit a bisele s'chach,
zitz ich mich en succelah bainacht.

Ah vind, ah kalten,
Blast durch dih shpalten,
Un de lichtelach zey leshen zich vild.

Es is mir ah chidush,
Vi Ich mach mir kiddush,
Un de lechtelech zey brenen gan shtil.

Tzum Ershten gericht,
Mit a blasen gezicht
Brengt mir mein tochter'l arein.

Zee shtelt zich aveck,
Un zakt mit schreck
"Tatenui de succah falt bald ein!"

Zei nisht kein nar,
Hob nisht kein tzar,
Zal dir de succah nisht tohn bang.

Es iz shoyn gor,
Bald tzvei toisend yor,
Un de succelah zi shteit noch gantz long.

Gorgeousity

Fraide/Dovid

FOURTEEN

Wa-alla

Erev Yom Kippur the Avoda is remorse for the past; on Yom Kippur - resolve for the future.

"An individual friend can give you much more solid and eternal satisfaction and pride then any other "gifts" you may have."

Two Groschen. R' Levi Yitzchok Berditchov

With trembling fingers the woman took her kvitel and crossed out her own name.
"Pray for my Shloimehleh, Rebbe," she said, her eyes brimming with tears, "that he should have a year of life, health and happiness."

Upon hearing these words, the Rebbe's eyes came alive with a fiery light.
Grasping the widow's two groschen in one fist, and her kvitel in the other, he raised them triumphantly to heaven and cried:
"Father in Heaven! Look! Look what a mortal mother is prepared to do for her child! And You---shall it be said, G-d forbid, that You are less a parent to Your children?! Can You look this woman in the eye and refuse to grant Your own children a year of life, health and happiness?!"

"Come," said Rabbi Levi Yitzchak to his gabbai and to the widow, "let us go to Kol Nidrei."

Kaporos...

"Dear Father, today is the eve of Yom Kippur, when everyone forgives and is forgiven. Let us put the past behind us. I'll accept my troubles as atonement for my sins, and You, in Your great mercy, shall do the same."

Moshe took the two notebooks in his hands, raised them aloft, circled them three times above his head,and said: "This is my exchange, this is in my stead, this is my atonement." He then threw them into the fireplace, where the smoldering coals soon turned the tear-stained pages to ashes.

Ovinu Malkeinu Ein Lonu Melech

Ein Lonu Melech e e e e elo oto.....

What are you cooking now?

Fish for Rosh Hashono.
Is it going to be a head?
Yes.
Big or little?
Little.
Does it have an eye?
Yes.
Will it talk?
No.
It's going to be quiet the whole time?
Yes.
Does it have a mouth?
Yes.
Is it smiling?
Yes.
It's happy?
Yes.
Do we also eat pomegranate?
Yes.

Dee: How am I going to do Tashlich here?

Me: You can do it by the sink. Not in the bathroom.
Dee and Cee: We don't have any other water here.
Me: Well, wherever you would get a drink of water, water fountain?
Dee: We don't have water, we're in jail!!

Sheesh!

Enter elevator.

Goyims: How are you, Imam?
Imam: Very good.

Quiet.

Me: I too am fine, thank G-d.
Thank you for asking.

Chuckle chuckle...

Imam Introduces us.

Goyims wants to shake hands.

Me doesn't.

Goyims excitingly remembers watching a program all about these things... wants to talk more to me...

Elevator doors open.... me exits.

Goyims catches me later in Lobby.

Interrupts me and imam talking.

Again with excitement...."is it true you need to cover your hair?...."

Me: "Yep, this is a wig I am wearing".

Goyim: "This is the first time meeting someone...

Me: "You want my autograph?"

Laughs, chuckles....

Apple n' Honey. Duh.

There is a difference between the sweetness of an apple and the sweetness of honey. An apple is a sweet fruit which grows on a tree. Honey comes from a bee--an insect that is not only inedible, it actually stings. Nevertheless the honey that it produces is sweet. In fact, honey is sweeter than an apple!

Similarly, there are two types of sweetness in our lives: we have times of family celebration, personal triumphs and harmonious relationships. These are sweet times like the apple is sweet. But then there is a sweetness that comes from times of challenge. When things don't go the way that we would like them to, when tragedy strikes, when we fail to reach the goals we expected of ourselves, when our relationships are being strained and tested, when we feel alone.

At the time when we are facing these challenges, they seem bitter and insurmountable, like the sting of a bee. But if we are strong and withstand the difficult times, and overcome the obstacles to our own happiness, we reveal layers of our personality that we would never have tapped into if we weren't challenged. Something deeper is brought out when we are tested. Tension in a relationship is painful, but there's nothing better than reconciling after that tension. Loneliness can eat us up, but it can open us to higher levels of self-knowledge too.

In the year to come the apples should bring sweetness, and what the "bee stings" bring should be even sweeter!

Pencils have erasers for a reason

If we do the wrong things we have a second chance to correct them.

"You appreciate faith when you have nothing else besides faith."

Apple Mango Tango ?!?!?!

Ichy Pichy

Stam...

Today I witnessed "dead" people, all wearing green shirts and pants, moving.

D. sprung to life when she saw me enter.
"Shalom." she told me. "I am so happy you came."

Her eyes lit up...
cautiously....
excitingly....
she fingered the 6 oz. carton of orange juice....
quietly remarked...
"I haven't had orange juice in 3 months."
Fafambled the brocha...
and drank.

We repeated the Brocha properly.
She drank some more.

Pulling up to the front of the Federal Detention Center...

Me: "Where can I park?"
Guard #1: "Down the street, make a right on Temple St...."
Guard #2: "Or, you can turn around and park in the lot across the street."
Me: "Oh great thank you. Can I turn around right here?"
Guard #1 : "Um it's illegal, but hey I'm not telling you what to do". And laughs.
Me: Laughs.
Guard #2 : "I wouldn't do it, too many ("cops", I think he said I couldn't hear well) around here."
Me: As I'm about to make the U-turn, "What better place to do something illegal than right here in front of this building."
And we all laugh.

I make my turn.
Park.
Walk back.
Wave to the guards and enter the building.

An hour later.
I'm walking out the building.
Waving to the guards across the plaza.
Yelling, "Never make any illegal turns!!"

Hehe.

Federal Detention Center

Are you ready??

If they were wrongly accused or there b'shogeg then this might be okay to say.....

Ki sovoi...
"You shall go to the place the Eternal your G-d will choose" - a Jew must know that when he goes from one place to another, he is not going on his own, but is being directed from Above. And the intention and purpose in this is... "...to cause His Name to dwell there" that is, to make G-d known in the place to which he was Divinely led.

You are to utterly dedicate yourself to making G-d known there. How does one "make G-d known"? With a B'racha and a posuk of Tehillim."


I will bezrat hashem provide snacks and a Tehillim.

When they asked the Mitteler Rebbe - "Don't you hear this Parsha every year?" he replied,

"When father reads, one hears no curses."

Da Full Moon.

"The moon of my night"

Stam news...

The white top "our Sarah Palin" wore on Shabbos had cashmere in it. Her laundress didn't realize that till it came out of the wash....

Lesson for the day - Don't wash cashmere in warm water with bleach.


I said it was stam.

Mitga'agim....

There is a lump under the covers.

The shelves are empty.

The place is quiet.

Too quiet.

No laughter.

Still.


"Don't cry" you said. But that was yesterday.
What about today?

In Preparation for Chai Elul...

Alter Rebbe, Shneur Z.

"Do you know what ohr means?"
"Yes, light"
"Good, do you know what shnei means?
(as I'm lifting two fingers)
"Snow?"

M'ha'sunshine sheli....

"I have so much to do."

(I'm thinking probably dishes, laundry etc...)

"It's already a week into Elul and I haven't done anything."

Don't judge me till you are in my place....

and since you will never get to "my place", meaning - have my strengths, my weaknesses, my challenges etc..., then you are NEVER going to get that chance to judge me.

True Story

Knock knock.
"Hi, we're missionaries from the blah blah blah church."
"Oh, no thank you, good-bye."
"Is there anything we can do for your family today?"
"Um, do you do windows?"
"Oh sure, we would love to do that, really."
"It's okay, I was just joking."

"In that case how about cleaning my toilets?" Is what I should have said and made them do!

And they politely left.

The bounce in the step...

The twinkle in the eye...

The smile in the heart....






.......gone.



Time does not heal -

Perhaps it dulls.

The Rebbe writes....

The idea of bitachon is to feel reassured and convinced that Hashem will help overcome all difficulties in life, both material and spiritual, since 'G-d is my light and my help'. (L'dovid Hashem oiri v'yishi, which is said throughout the month of elul, the month of preparation for the new year..)

It is especially certain that everyone, man or woman, is able to carry out his or her mission in life, and do so with joy, reflection on the extraordinary privilege of having been chosen by G-d to he His emissary on earth for the purpose of dira b'tachtonim and with the assurance of having G-d's light, help and fortitude to carry out this mission.

Why allow yourself to know the truth???

Suddenly my Russian host turns to me, looks me in the eye, and says, "I think you are a spy!"
"Why do you think that?" I ask in wonderment , at the same time thinking, What on earth?!
"Look at your teeth," he replies, pointing at the rows of metal lining my pearly whites.
"Those are called braces, dude!"
"That's what you say. But I know that they really hold a radio inside them that allows you to transmit anything that you want to wherever you want. It's a very sophisticated system, " he said, as if impressed, "but nobody pulls something like that over Boris. You are a spy, is what I'm thinking."
What a nutcase, is what I'm thinking.

What are you going to say to someone like that?
He knew the details, had the entire plot figured out, and the fact that he was totally off base made no difference to him at all. Why allow yourself to be ruled by reality if you can just as easily live in a world of fantasy?

Do you regret not...?

Even if I do -
that is something I will have to live with.




rex racer

A Special Tribute

Lots and lots of....

....holiness ....unholiness

....children k"eh ....litter

...israelies k"eh ....meshugoyim





guess where

Different memories. Yet memories nonetheless.

What will become of all the memories, are they to scatter with the dust in the breeze?

The nimshal is clear

The king is going to test the devotion of his people, his nation.

King will drop a feather from his palace window.
On whomever the feather lands, he will be zoche to be the king's korbon. (Yes, he will die, for the king's sake).

All gather below the window.
Shouts of, "Long live the king" can be heard.
The king gently drops the feather out of the window.
The people, the nation, are huddled together shouting with great devotion - "Long live the king!,
Long live the King!"
And the feather is slowly making it's way down towards the enthusiastic crowd.
As the feather reaches the heads of the shouting citizens -
you see them raising their heads -
blowing
the feather
away
from them,
between shouts of: "Long live the King".

Is it the message or the messenger?

Why do we see the messenger and not hear the message?

Then we hear the message from a different messenger.


Oh well.

C'est la vie.

Time to give up.

Disturbed.

The month of Elul is the month of reckoning.

I Thought.

But I thought wrong.



As is usual.

What will become of me?

5000 ft. elevation.

Mountains.

Massive rocks.

Trees.

Broken logs.

Lakes.

Weeds n'sand.

Hammock.

Swinging bench.

View.

Country air.

Hot days.

Cool nights.

Plum picking.

The village.

The lake.

The mountains...

Ow

If you think that an injured toe (the smallest one) doesn't hurt.....




.....think again.

..... But the (Alter) Rebbe demands the trait of truth.

My Rebbe

Who more than the Rebbe feels the pain of Golus to the point of literal tears???

And the Rebbe is reminding us that im kol zeh we need to serve Him with joy!!

Music is Playing

Eicha yoshvo bodod...

...v'hoir shushan novoicho.


I had to.

What good is Chassidus and piety if the main quality is lacking - Ahavat Yisrael, love of another even to the extent of causing (G-d forbid) anguish to another!

Hayom...

Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

RAAAAAHHH !!!!!

Re The Last Lecture -

Sorry A. not really sure....

- oy ...
- :`( ...
- okay :) ...
- No one said, "We will miss you" ... nice.
- Duh, he's a Computer Scientist ... therefore.
- He's got a sense of humour....great.
- The Randy Pausch footbridge.... Very very nice.

He said if you wait long enough you will see that one is not evil.
I say....

Sometimes I wonder.

Do you?

Do YOU ever wonder?

Do you EVER wonder?

Do you ever WONDER?

I DO.


Now the word 'wonder' looks funny.

An apology...

is made by the one who accepts responsibility for his wrong action and offers the one wronged the opportunity to let the wrong be forgotten.

Holy, heavenly versus mundane, earthly.

Hayom Yom...

In learning Torah the Yid feels like a pupil with his master;
in Davening - like a child with his father.

Warm, family versus cold, strangers.

Costume versus genuine.

Rabbi Akiva laughed because the Chachomim cried....

Had they not cried for the bais hamikdosh, had they been satisfied with the golus THEN he would not laugh, he would cry...but since he saw that they are not happy, they are yearning for the geulah... ah, then he was able to laugh, the good times will come...

Shalom l'yisrael

Hayom Yom

In the early period of his leadership the Alter Rebbe taught:

"The footsteps of man are directed by G-d."

When a Jew comes to a particular place it is for an (inner
Divine) intent and purpose - to perform a mitzva, whether
a Mitzva between man and G-d or a Mitzva between man and his
fellow-man.

A Jew is G-d's messenger.

Wherever a Shaliach may be, he represents the power
of the Mshalei'ach, the one who sent him.

Birthday piece.

Pass the Cake please.

PUTTING.

ONE.

FOOT.

IN FRONT.

OF.

THE OTHER.

When 'metal meets metal' it makes an awful sound.

My car is metal.

not so stam...

Samuel David calls and I'm all animated, happy to talk to him, asking him questions...
(He answers something like this, too bad I don't remember exact words)
"I wasn't trying to call you I was trying to call Aharon".

O-kayyyyy :)

Stam....

A) I still don't wanna go.

B) I asked the big black guy, who was totally bald, (like Paul bald, shiny bald, but now Paul has hair, curly) who was standing in front of the barber shop -
"Did you just get a haircut?"
"No, I'm the barber"
hehee.

Perhaps should've reminded him to put sunscreen on his head, to prevent burning it...

C) What a pleasure - the neighbours are gone!! Whoo hoo.

D) Splashing "chunky half frozen mixed smoothie chocolate whatever" in your face once is, okay. But twice! That was funny.

E) "How are you?" asks Dr. I.
"I'm fine, till I get here".
"And then you're fine after you leave, right? It's just the time here, huh?"
He knows me.

F) Kandice is camera/phone happy. She keeps sending me pictures. About seventy-nine a day.

G) I still don't wanna go, but I will go. Bezrat Hashem.
I asked the Rebbe to bentch me.

Worshiping G-d - Prayer

As subjects of our King, we express our dedication and loyalty
by offering our praise and making our requests through prayer.

Been thinking about this...epes don't really get it...

Jean de la...
Life is tragedy for those who feel, and comedy for those who think.

So does that mean that -
For those who think and feel, life is meshugah - a comic tragedy?
isaac bashevis singer

I don't know why I wrote that.

She beats to her own drum.

You do what you must, and G-d will do what He must.

Rebbe!

It is upon each and everyone of us to know, d'haynu, think deeply about it, that he - he is the leader the head, from him and through him are the hashpo'os in gashmius and ruchnius and through connecting to him - are we connected to the source and the source of sources which is higher than high....

"When a man dies in a tent" (Bamidbor) Hayom Yom....

Mesiras Nefesh for a Talmid Chochom... he gives his very life to be in the "tent of Torah,"- renouncing (putting to death) all wordly pleasures.

The Shechina is in Golus with us.

When we suffer so does He.

Sea shells

If I had a collection I would have collected a lot of them. Today. Pretty ones.

Chatan dinan

Hu ha'choson.
Hu ha'shadchan.

Rov was not happy with the 'shpitzel', and didnot allow him to keep the money Or to tell them the truth - for sholom bayis reasons.

"Is it all about memories?".

I feel so alone -

Take me on your wing.
Teach me how to "sing".
Thanks for coming out of your hiding place.
But I need your embrace.
Show me your face.

Hayom....

You only need the main thing -
to help another wholeheartedly, with sensitivity, to take pleasure in doing a kindness to another.

I DON'T WANNA GO!!!!

whaaa...wha...aaa....

Impressive.

Aim - 500.
Ha.
Changed it to 1,000.
Gold goal - 10,000.

5,000 - WOW!!

10,000 no longer relevant -
New goal - 50,000.
HA!
Way past 70,000!!!!!
And climbing.

Fascinating to watch it grow by the minute...

70, 750 (as of this very second) people joined together --

WAITING FOR GILAD SHALIT (and the other captured soldiers) TO COME HOME!!

"Sometimes Anonymous is not anonymous"

Gilad. Two Years.

Whatta week... # 1

The music is blasting-
The walls are vibrating-
The kids are dancing.

He walks in, looks at them -
"Why are they dancing?" he asks me.

He is deaf.

:'(

I AM SSSOOOOO INFURIATINGLY ANGRY!!!! at You G-d.

And there is NOTHING i can do about it now. Like once the milk is spilled, what now??? IT'S TOO LATE!!!!! No crying will help, no pulling my hair out will help, no smashing all the windows in the house will help, not even if I break all of someones bones will it help!!!

AIBERSHTER!!!???!!!

Stam...

...country'ish...was a bird perched too

This past year....

5 plus 3 plus 1 = 9

Pending - 2

Missed deadline- 1

Unwanted - 2


And I think I'm done. For real.


In the lead - Sheina's B-day.
Runner up - Challah.

Peace piece

Peace! For G-d's Sake (Editorial & Commentary)

re politics

.....young people getting excited as a result of their unique combination of naivete, lack of wisdom, romantic idealism and narcissism.

Dennis Prager.

Is self-restraint always a virtue?

Word of the Day - defenestrate: to throw out of a window.

Fenster, hehe.

Mayn Stalker...

... Stealthily tracks me.

Apathy.

.... Follows me.

Despondency.

.... Chases me.

Irritability.

.... Overtakes me.

Weepy.

.... Moves in with me.






Mayn Stalker?

Melancholy.


G-d help me.

Ridiculous or Ridiculous??

He didn't answer 'omayn'.

He was upset with the Chazzan.




Ridiculous.

Hi

What?

Some things I want to share...

A. The blueberries were not cleaned up.

B. The Swedes left.

C. Two weeks later - and the day to do something nothing did not happen.

D. Oliver.

Shavuos...

...is an auspicious time Above.
On that day Hashem confuses the "supernal accuser" of Israel, a.k.a the satan, similar to His confounding the accuser during Shofar - sounding on Rosh Hashana and on the holy day of Yom Kippur.
So Shavuos is an opportune time to achieve everything in improving Torah-study and Avoda marked by fear (awe) of G-d, and also to strive in Teshuva concerning Torah-study, without interference by the accusing Satan.

Yohrtzeit.

Hayom Yom

This, then, is the Avoda of whoever desires life -
to remove these coverings, to establish for himself periods for the study of Chassidus, and to conduct himself in the manner of the Chassidic community.

Tefillat Hashalo, for erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan

You are G-d our G-d before You created the world, and you are our G-d after You created the world; forever and ever You are G-d.

You created the world so that your G-dliness would become known through Your Holy Torah, as our Rabbis of blessed memory have stated:

"Bereishit – Beit Reishit"

Because of two (Beit) things called beginning (Reishit) G-d created the world - because of Torah and because of Israel.

For they are Your people and Your inheritance that You have chosen from all nations; You have given them your Holy Torah; and You have drawn them close to Your Holy Name.

To ensure the existence of the world and the existence of the Torah, we have received from You, G-d our G-d, two commandments:

You have written in Your Torah: Be Fruitful and Multiply and You have written in Your Torah: And you shall teach it (Torah) your children.

The intent of these two commandments is the same: For the world was not created without purpose but as an abode (for G-d). You created, formed and made it for Your Glory, so that we and the descendents of all Your People the House of Israel will know Your Name and learn Your Torah.

I therefore come before You, G-d, King, King of Kings. I place my petition before You, my eyes hang upon You until You favour me and hear my supplication:

Grant me sons and daughters, and may they too be fruitful and multiply, they and their children until the end of all generations, with the objective that they, and I and all of us, occupy ourselves in Your Holy Torah, to learn, to teach, to observe to do and to fulfill the words of Your Torah with love. Cause our eyes to shine with Your Torah, cause our hearts to cling to Your commandments, to love and to fear Your Name.

Our Father, merciful Father, grant all of us a long and blessed life. Who can be compared to You, Merciful Father, Who remembers His creatures for life with mercy! Remember us for eternal life!

Our father Abraham prayed: "Would he only live before You", which our sages have explained to mean Would he only live in awe of You".

I have therefore come to beseech and to petition before You, that my seed, and my seed's seed will forever be fit and proper seed, and may there never be found in me or in my seed or in my seed's seed anything to disqualify them or to make them unfit.

Rather Peace and Truth, and goodness and uprightness in the eyes of G-d and man. May they be masters of Torah, masters of the Bible, masters of the Mishna, masters of the Talmud, masters of the Secrets, masters of Mitzvah, masters of loving kindness, masters of great character. And may they serve You with love, and with inner awe, not superficial awe.

You G-d know all secrets, and before You are revealed all the mysteries of my heart. My intentions in all this are for the sake of Your Great and Holy Name, and for the sake of Your Holy Torah. Therefore, answer me G-d, answer me, for the sake of our Holy Fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Because of them grant salvation to the children, that they may be branches similar to their roots.

And for the sake of David Your servant, “the fourth leg” of your Divine Chariot, who sang inspired by Your Holy Spirit:

A Song of Ascents: Happy are those that fear G-d, who go in His ways. The toil of your hands you shall eat – Happy are you, and may it be Good for you. Your wife is a like a fruitful vine in the walls of your home. Your children are like shoots of olives around your table. Behold, so shall be blessed a man who fears G-d. May G-d bless you from Zion, and see in the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. May you see children to your children; may there be Peace on Israel.

Please G-d – Who hears prayers – may it be fulfilled concerning me the verse:

“As for me this is my treaty with them, say G-d: The spirit which is upon you, and my words that I have placed in your mouth. May they not be removed from your mouth, and from the mouth of your seed, and from your seed’s seed, says G-d, from now and forever!”

May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart, be acceptable before You, G-d my Rock and My Redeemer.

G-d is in charge...

However, one has free choice.


Would one turn down a match, because they do not like the matchmaker???


G-d, I hope not.

$4.25 and 9/10

A gallon.

Positive Mitzvah 179: Verifying the Evidence Brought to Court

-Deuteronomy 13:15 "Then you shall inquire, search, and ask diligently"



We are commanded to investigate and verify testimony with extreme care in order to ensure a proper verdict.

There is a dream... a vision... deep within the heart.

48 = Moiach

Moiach sholit al halev.

Don't think about the past - think about the future.
Tracht gut vet zayn gut - If all is good, then you could/should be happy. :)

My Torah

http://www.industrymailout.com/Industry/LandingPage.aspx?id=239876&lm=13828699&q=74900691&qz=37389

I now know how to clean up a dozen eggs that has splattered on the kitchen floor.

"One can be a thinking person yet be thoughtless."

Hayom yom...... ehh... ahh...

Mitzvah of the day:
Judge properly....
Even the most terrible criminal is entitled to a fair trial.

Can one change their - day?


Abundance of brochos.
Abundance = Rav
Rav is more than one deserves, bli cheshbon.


And Pancakes.

Which reminds me...

As she explains, to the yiddishist neighbour, that Tu-b'shvat was "Di naya yohr far di boimer"..
He wonders, "Iz voos is lag boimer?"

"One of the most important influences on happiness is social relationships"

Face reality -

Reason must guide the emotions, like a parent with a potentially unruly child. It is not that the child is bad, but when he becomes overactive, his behaviour can be destructive.
Reason encourages emotions to slow down when they begin to become overbearing.
Reason talks realistically to you about the trade-off of long-term happiness for feel-good now.
Reason points out that life never has been fair, so what?


Obsession. Depression.
The need for affirmation.
Bitter. Anger.
Can happen.

Handling frazzled Emotions

As long as the eyes leak, the head won't swell.

A Stam azoi... :)

Day after day a young lady would go to the library to check out books. She would return the books the next day and take out more. The librarian began to wonder if she read every one of the books, and one day decided to include a telephone book in her pile of books. And, as usual, she returned the next day.
"How did you like this book?" the librarian asked, pointing to the yellow pages.

"Not much of a plot," The young lady retorted. "But what a cast of characters."

What to do...

When one shames you.

Accept this pain with love -
For it was the will of the One Above.
T'is a cleansing for your soul -
Which is the ultimate goal.
Take the opportunity-
And be happy.
Seek out a chance to be extra kind -
Even when, "it's too difficult", says your mind.

Pray to the L-rd that it will never be you -
That insults another Jew.

For then what would you do?

Hayom Yom....

In the days of the Alter Rebbe the Chassidim had a familiar saying:

"The piece of bread that I have is yours just as it is mine."

And they would say the word "yours" first, "...yours just as it
is mine."

Which reminds me-
A Chossid came to 770.
The Rebbe came to Daven Mincha. Our Chossid didn't have a gartel with him. His friend burned (cigarette?) his own gartel in half.
Now they each had one, albeit his gartel was ruined.
It didn't matter.
It's not about 'ME'.

"If you fell down yesterday, stand up today."

The theme of Pesach Sheini is that it is never too late.

It is always possible to put things right. Even if one was Tamei, or one was far away, and even in a case of Lachem, when this (impurity etc.) was deliberate - nonetheless he
can correct it.


C.M.'s comment:
It's not too late to realize you ain't a benoini.

A Cosmopolitan

"I've seen....
Kentuckians who hated whiskey,
Virginians who weren't descended from Pocahontas,
Mexicans who didn't wear velvet trousers with silver dollars sewed along the seams,
Funny Englishmen,
Spendthrift Yankees,
Cold-blooded Southerners,
Narrow- minded Westerners and
New Yorkers who were too busy to stop for an hour on the street to watch a one-armed grocer's clerk do up cranberries in paper bags."


I invoke your consideration of the scene -

If we only knew how far our "little" kindness really reached.
If we only knew how great this "simple" act really was - we would never stop giving.

And if we only knew how deep our "little" insult dug.
If we only knew how greatly this innocent act has affected - we would stop.

But we obviously don't know.

The saddest part

The police officer asked C.E. if he wants to prosecute.

"Well what does that mean?" he asked.

James then looked at C.E. and forlornly said,

"That means I go to jail".
:(

Reminds me of when Robert Hanssen went down....

Da Ma'lmaale Mimach

"Know, that what is Above is from you."

It all depends on man's service.
G-d reacts to Man, "reflects" Man's actions.

# B1367

I would do it.

I would inscrabe it into my arm.
I would like for all to see.
I would want for it to be remembered.

He did it to identify himself with his father.

I would choose Chatzhe Feigin, an uncle. To remember him.
To connect with him.

If I would -
then I should.
I should connect with him.
I should have him remembered.
The real way.
The Jewish way.
The Torah way.
I should keep him alive.
I should continue in his ways.
I should make him proud.

Lysergic Acid Diet....

Let's Start Davening.

The discoverer, Dr. Albert Hoffman, passed on.
While working with it in the lab, some of it dripped on his finger. He didn't have a tissue so he licked it off. His mind was distorted, and the rest as they say is history.
(Okay not sure about the tissue.)

Then we had nice slogans..

"Sometimes it is your task to find out how much "music" you can still make with what you have left."

stam..

And chocolate peanut butter ice-cream was a good choice.

"Living past yesterday, albeit under the covers, shows me there is hope".

Hopefully.

Producer's Update

Okay, so it wasn't at the liquor store -
it was in the alley.
It wasn't a canoe - it was Kanu,
and he was not hunted, meaning - not found.
And it wasn't voices only...
Nu nu...
But what an experience it was -
to hold the pole, to be part of the crew.

Stay tuned....

Today's Tanya

When tzaddikim perform a mitzvah they actually feel how it unifies their soul with G-d.
This, in turn, awakens within their soul a feeling of fear and awe of G-d, followed by a feeling of intense love of Him.
This, of course, is not the case with these who "feel not." - i.e. you and I.

Whether we feel it or not -
The soul DOES unify with hashem - When doing a mitzvah.

Even one who performs mitzvot on the level of a "fool" or "beast", (i.e. us) neither comprehending nor sensing the unity and holiness achieved and drawn down through his actions, even such a person, attains a union with the level of "beast" that transcends even that most lofty of levels (Daat of Atzilut).

The illiterate person's soul is illumined, e.g. on Shabbos, to the same degree as the tzaddik's. Their (our) punishment is therefore the same.

If Only...

Sitting in the liquor store...

...a Saint and a Prickly fruit.
"Very GOOD", said the Magazine.
"Let's haunt the canoe down".
"Voices only man, oops madam."

A king with flaws...

There was a king.
He had one eye shut.
Was hunch-backed and one leg was shorter than the other.
He asked an artist to draw him, exactly the way he looked.
When the king saw the painting he sent him off to the gallows.
The artist had him with one eye shut, hunch-backed and legs uneven.
It was not a pretty king.
The king called for a second artist and asked him to paint a portrait of him.
"But be smart" he told the 2cd artist, "You see what happened to the 1st guy".
The 2cd artist shows his masterpiece to the king.
The king sends him off to the gallows.
He had drawn the king as perfect, without flaws. This is not what the king looked like.
Artist #3.
"Be very smart", warns the king. "You see what happened to the other two".
And smart he takke was.
AH! Beautiful. Truly a masterpiece.
And he rewards him well.

What did the portrait look like?
Don't bother guessing.

He painted the king on a horse - hunting.
One eye shut and back hunched - aiming.
Legs uneven - balancing on the horse.

Don't dwell on your flaws.
Don't ignore them either.
Make them work FOR you.
Use them to your advantage.

Malchus she'b'Tiferes

"And the woman (Chava) saw that the tree was good to eat".

The Zohar identifies Eitz Hachayim with the attribute of Tiferes and the Eitz Hadaas with the attribute of Malchus.

(For more depth - Kuntres Eitz HaChayim, Rashab)

Sefira - increase in A.Yisroel.

Lo Sa'amod Al Dam Rei-echa....

Rashi says -Lirois b'misosoi, v'ato yochoil l'hatziloi.

If you see someone drowning, you could save him.
You may think that you can't, you may think that perhaps you will yourself get hurt etc...But no, it says, if you are the one that SEES him drowning, then YOU ARE THE ONE THAT IS ABLE to save him!
Jump in!