The Foundation Stone
Newsletter                   Shabbat Vayigash - 7 Tevet 5769









Candlelight

I am sitting and watching my menorah on the final night of Chanukah. It's a peaceful feeling. The short flickering flames are soothing and calming and I slip into a meditation on all the miracles of and in my life. The stories of the miracles were storms, better represented by a forest fire, definitely not by the soft flames of a candle. I would not have needed miracles for situations as calm as a Chanukah light. The miracles were necessary when hot, burning, threatening flames were reaching deep into my life. Why, I wonder, do we acknowledge a miracle with such a small flame?

I light a 24 hour candle on the anniversary of my father's passing because the "Candle of God is a person's soul." Are our souls only candles? My father was not a small candle; he was a torch of light. His flames burned bright and strong. "Beware of scholars for they burn like hot coals." My father's fires still burn inside of me whenever I study, whenever I have a question, whenever I am searching. Why, I wonder, do we compare a soul to a candle and not something just a little more potent? To God, he may have been a candle. To me, my father was a raging fire of truth.

I realized that the candles of miracles and my father are not supposed to represent them, but their impact on me. My father lit my fire. It is my responsibility to fan the flames into my own torch. Each miracle I have been privileged to experience lit a small light inside of me that I must now nurture and feed into a much larger flame.

The Foundation Stone is intended to serve as just such a candle; it is meant as a challenge to think, explore and search. I thank you for joining our virtual community of firemen and women, people who are committed to understand and relate to every aspect of their spiritual lives. The Music of Halacha lights the entrance to A Meeting With The Mysterious. Ezekiel lights a spark underneath us to search for Unity.

This week's Music of Halacha Music of Halachais dedicated in honor of one of the great lights of the Riverdale community, Dr. Judah Schorr, a living angel. The essay on the Haftarah Wholeness is sponsored by Anonymous in honor of "My children, Sara and Tali, and Michoel and Myriam, whom I adore, respect and admire. No one could have more precious children. They add brilliant light to my life and the world"

In response to an overwhelming number of requests for more content we have scheduled at least one new article each day in the i-Pray, i-Can and other sections for at least two weeks. Please study these posts in the merit of Devorah Batsheva bat Channa: May The Almighty grant her a speedy and complete Recovery and rebuilding.

Anonymous has posted  Responding to Tragedy in the Beit Midrash: General Topics section. Thank You.

This week's Table Talk is dedicated to El Ad who hired people to transcribe numerous lectures, providing us with the material to post.



Rabbi Simcha L. Weinberg
President

Thank you for the unbelievable feedback, the detailed descriptions of passionate "Table Talk" debates, questions for "What is the Reason?", contributions to our Forums and for the contributions to help us maintain and improve www.thefoundationstone.org. Please invite your friends to join our virtual community. Our goal is simple: To make it all meaningful.


Join Our Mailing List
Forward to a Friend




The Foundation Stone
www.thefoundationstone.org