|
Friday August 5th, 2011
If you would like to see your Ad/Announcement on This Newsletter: Please Send an Email to:
thefivetowns@aol.com
Reserve online
Easy Cedarhurst pickup
or have it mailed to you.
Visiting Day- Need I Say More By Rivki Rosenwald "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." Familiar quote from "A Tale of Two Cities"? Here's a tale called "A Tale of Leaving the City". It, too, is about the best of times and the worst of times- or simply put: Visiting Day at summer camp. Here's how it goes: You cannot wait to see your child at camp. Then you do not know what you were thinking showing up to visit your child at camp. First you embrace the visit. Then you dread the visit. You anticipate the traffic. Then you agonize over the traffic. You provide your kid with junkfood. Then you discourage eating junkfood. You hear complaints about the counselors. You overtip the counselors. Your child loves the camp. Your child wants to leave camp. You kick yourself for coming. You kick yourself for leaving. Whatever were you thinking sending your child to camp?! Whatever possessed you to visit your child at camp?! Such is the endless dilemma! And then of course there are the best of letters, and the worst of letters. Most of the time boys just don't write home. Unless...they discover they need something. Then suddenly they find you. So...do you want to hear from them at all?! Ok then, girls are different. They need to use their "pretty" stationary so they do write. But mostly they write to tell you who upset them. So...you wind up agonizing and they have already gotten past it because, of course, they sent the letter three days ago. Thankfully, you do get some good letters. For instance when they win color war, get a part in a play, or meet someone they like. But somehow these letters are few and far between. Oh and here's a perfect example of the best of letters and the worst of letters colliding directly into one another. My daughter sent 2 letters dated exactly the same day, July 10, 2011. One was written to me, her mom. It was filled with a litany of complaints and ended off, "take me home I hate it here." Obviously, having relieved herself of what bothered her she was able to compose a beautiful letter to my husband. It told of Hawaiian night, and her almost winning limbo, and ended with, "camp is fun." Tell me, do we women have a sign across our foreheads, "complaint department"? I guess everyone needs an outlet. The question is- is reading a sad letter enough punishment or do we need to trek to the mountains for a dose of trauma on visiting day. My friend says: "Abolish visiting day!" What do you think? Rivki Rosenwald Coaching to enhance the U in sUccess 19177052004 Rivki@rosenwalds.com
Outstanding Silver
Outstanding Customer Service
Nesivos Shalom
Parshas Devarim
Hard Shells
Sichon and Og loom as large today as they must have to the generation of Bnei Yisrael that encountered them. Thousands of years later, the attention lavished upon them by the Torah tells us that they represent something well beyond two much-feared leaders of antiquity.
This attention is confusing. Assume for the sake of argument that Sichon and Og are somehow symbols or representatives of a larger class of objects, and that this class includes members in all times an places. These assumptions would keep references to Sichon and Og fresh and vital, as pointers to people or things that are part of our immediate world as well.
They would not, however, explain Tehilim 136. "To Him Who smote great kings, for His kindness is forever. And slew mighty kings, for His kindness is forever."Here, the psukim first speak of the larger, more inclusive class, and only then revert to the familiar exemplars: "Sichon, king of the Emori...and Og, king of Bashan." Symbols help take us from the specific to the general; here we move from the general back to the specific. Somehow, Sichon and Og must represent something in excess of great and ominous powers.
The mystery spills over to our parshah as well." After he had smitten Sichon, king of the Emori, who dwelled in Cheshbon, and Og...Moshe began explaining the Torah." It was wise and prudent for Moshe to wait until his popularity crested before rebuking the community. If the sole or chief function of Devarim were rebuke, it is perfectly reasonable to link Moshe's valedictory address with his recent victory over Sichon and Og that extended the borders of the future Israel. Why, however, present Sichon and Og as precursors to a different function of Devarim - Moshe's fuller explanation of the Torah to the generation from which he was taking leave?
We have long come to associate kelipos with kedushah. Where kedushah might be found, kelipos block us, frustrate us, shrivel the hand that reaches out to touch it. In regard to the latent holiness of Eretz Yisrael, Sichon and Og represent the most formidable and compelling kelipos, the final barriers that would try to keep us from achieving our goal. (This is what Chazal meant in describing them as the two guardians positioned on the threshold of Israel, safeguarding the evil seven nations who dwelled within.) Being as strong as they were, these kelipos could not be surmounted by anyone other than Moshe. For this reason, it was Moshe himself who had to tame and subdue them. The Torah mentions them so often because of this special role; the gates to understanding Moshe's explanation of the Torah were sealed by these kelipos, and therefore needed to be removed before he began.
The larger role of these kelipos is familiar to anyone who travels on a path towards greatness. So often we find ourselves poised to take the spiritual trophy, only to be blocked by a last, unexpected obstacle. (Our earliest national history parallels this. Shortly after we began to take the first steps in our spiritual journey, we rose to the level of singing shirah - but only after "Yisrael saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore." Mitzrayim is also frequently seen as a powerful kelipah, preventing the connection of Klal Yisrael with its Maker. The kelipah had to be utterly destroyed before the spiritual forces with Bnei Yisrael could emerge unfettered and express themselves in the Song of the Sea.)
Just what is this kelipah of Sichon and Og? The Besht's explanation of a related concept may help us understand it. "You shall cut away the orlah of your heart," Moshe instructs his people. Rashi renders this orlah as "that which stops up your heart and covers it." The Besht observe that a stopper and a cover are far from synonymous. Rather, the orlah created by sin manifests itself in two ways. First, it introduces a kind of spiritual sludge, which stops up the heart. Every transgression causes a spiritual failing and fault which reduces the efficiency of our inner spiritual machinery.
The aftermath of sin also covers up the heart. It encases it with a shell that makes it impervious to the words of Torah and mussarthat ordinarily penetrate deeply. These words would ordinarily be the greater part of the solution to the first problem. If the words cannot enter the heart, they are not there to unclog it. Not coincidentally do three signs of the elevation of the Jewish people appear in a single moment. The beginning of Devarim marks the point that, first and foremost, they have grown sufficiently to be able to utilize the holiness of Eretz Yisrael. At exactly the same time, they have also achieved sufficient stature to absorb two varieties of Torah content that were unknown to them earlier. One of them is rebuke. Moshe's long monologue of leave-taking contains long passages of sustained tongue-lashing, something to which not all people are capable of listening. A second new element of Devarim is the emphasis on certain mitzvos of overarching importance. Recurring in this Chumash are two incredibly important mitzvos: love of Hashem, and reverence for Him. All of these developments are linked to the conquest of Sichon and Og. Once the obstacles that they represent were removed, Bnei Yisrael become the beneficiaries of a variety of spiritual rewards.
The territory of Sichon and Og turned out to be the threshold of Israel, the staging ground from which Bnei Yisrael would enter into a land of kedushah. It is analogous to the function of the courtyard in the Temple, through which a person could enter the Temple building, and from it - the Kodesh - he could enter the Kodesh Kodoshim, the Holy of Holies.
The Azarah courtyard distinguished itself through the large altar, host to a constant flame. This flame, then, can be taken as a prerequisite to further growth and elevation. It was a flame-that-consumed-flame. The different regions of the Temple correspond to the parts of a human being: his outer limbs, his heart, and his brain. The latter parts cannot be elevated without addressing the foibles of the former. The outer courtyard, corresponding to Man's outer limbs, features the eternal fire on the altar. It suggests that our fiery passions serve as obstacles and barriers to our elevation, and that fire can only be opposed by fire. The only long-term antidote to the fire of our passions and desires is the reciprocal fire of kedushah. In our personal journey to greater spiritual significance, the first step is to get past the fire of our physical temptations. We remain stopped up, covered and blinded to the truth until this happens.
"Sichon, King of Cheshbon, was not willing to let us pass through, for Hashem...hardened his spirit and made his heart stubborn, in order to given him into your hand." We sometimes prevail over the forces that oppose or constrain us. We free ourselves from their influence for the moment, but they live on for another day. This approach therefore fails in the long- term. We could have handed Sichon a terrible - but not necessarily fatal - blow. Hashem saw this as insufficient. He therefore hardened his heart, so that we could utterly destroy his kelipah, that it might never plague us again.
Such is the nature of the avodah He requires of us. It is good to prevail over the yetzer hora, but not good enough. We are to persist until we break our personal kelipos entirely.
The story of Rav Amram Chasidanicely illustrates this. Caught in the vise-grip of an upswelling of yetzer hora, Rav Amram found himself incapable of fleeing, yet unwilling to submit. Glued to a position in between, he could not one way or another without calling for help. Disregarding the embarrassment this would cause him, he shouted, "There is a fire in the house of Amram!" The townspeople extricated him from the temptation that presented itself.
This incident certainly speaks well of the saintliness of Rav Amram. Yet, it is not the end of the story. Rav Amram was not satisfied, despite the success of its outcome so far. He pushed further. He adjured the yetzer hora to exit. It complied, taking the form of a giant pillar of fire. Rav Amram recognized that our avodah demands a take-no-prisoners stance against our personal weaknesses and faults. We are charged to eradicate them, to destroy the kelipah.
Where should we look for our personal kelipah? Sichon and Og situated themselves like fortresses, blocking entry into the land of Israel. Each of us has our own fortresses, marking the path to greater elevation. The brain and heart are the gatekeepers to the performance of all mitzvos. Any kelipos surrounding them must not only be penetrated, but neutralized and carted away. These fortresses must be secured entirely for the service of Hashem. This is the essential avodah
of every Jew.
Mitzvah Opportunity
The Bresler family has a daughter, Meira, who is very sick. They decided to put together a lesson-a-day style learning in her zechus by email. They just sent the email below, asking to try to add recipients to the list so they can reach 1000. Recently they said that some tests Meira had did not have favorable results, so perhaps they are trying to accrue extra zechusim at this hard time.
In any case, if you are interested in receiving the daily emails, send an email asking to be added to the list to:
ahavaschesedformeira@gmail.com
Sefer Ahavas Chesed Part 2: Chapter 8- Day 2
L'Zechus Refuah Sheleimah L'Chaya Meira Mindel Bas Chava Golda B'Soch Sha'ar Cholei Yisroel
Thank you so much and Tizku L'Mitzvos,
The Bresler Family
Central Air Conditioning installation and repair
Where really nice "real", live people
answer the phone to help 24/7. The Three Weeks In the Eye of the Beholder By Rabbi Yehudah Prero In the Megillah of Eichah (1:12), read on Tisha B'Av, we find the following statement: "Is it nothing to you, all you that pass by? Behold, and see if there is any pain like my pain, which was brought upon me, with which Hashem has afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger." On first blush, the statement seems difficult to comprehend. The prophet Yirmiya is discussing the destruction of the Bais HaMikdosh, the Holy Temple. Clearly, this loss was one felt by the entire nation of Israel. How then could Yirmiya say that, in essence to "those that pass by, it is nothing..?" Why was the destruction of the Bais HaMikdosh personalized in this passage, to the extent that Yirmiya writes "see if there is pain like my pain, which was brought upon me." Wasn't this an affliction that affected every member of the nation of Israel? The poor man and his wife were counting down the days. His wealthy cousin was marrying off his child this week, and the wedding was to be an occasion not to be missed. The celebratory meal, sure to be composed of the finest delicacies in bountiful supply, would be a welcome change from the meager rations to which he was accustomed. In order to ensure that he would be able to appreciate the vast repast at the wedding, the poor man decided that he would not eat for two days prior to the wedding. In this way, he would be able to savor every morsel and appreciate the unique assortment of sumptuous cuisine he was sure awaited him. Finally, the day arrived. He was awaiting his personal invitation and accompaniment to the wedding as was customary with an affair such as this wedding. The man and his wife took out their finest clothes and prepared themselves for this long-anticipated event. As the day progressed, the man became increasingly agitated, for two reasons: he was famished, as he had not eaten for two days; and his personal invitation had not yet arrived. The hour-hand on the clock moved forward and closer to the appointed hour, yet the invitation had not yet arrived. The man, now totally despondent, realized that it was increasingly looking like his dream may not come to fruition. He was too hungry to wait any more, and he begged his wife to please feed him something so that he would not succumb to his hunger. After searching through the cupboards and scraping up whatever she could, she put before him some dried bread, a clove of garlic, slices of onion and one lonely radish. The man devoured all that was before him in a matter of moments. As he was wiping the crumbs from his lap, he heard a knock on the door: his personal escort to the wedding had arrived. He and his wife went to the wedding, yet the man went with heavy heart. His great plan had failed all because he was too impatient. Yet, he was hopeful that he could make the best of the situation. After the ceremony, the guests were seated in a resplendent banquet hall, at tables adorned with the finest embroidered linen and set with the most elegant china, crystal and silver one could imagine. Waiters, attired in clothing suitable for royalty, attended to the needs of all the assembled. An orchestra, composed of the most renowned philharmonic musicians, entertained. And with great fanfare, the first course was served. Fresh fish, plucked that very morning from the ocean, prepared by celebrated chefs, was served on platters of gold, adorned with an exotic array of vegetables. It looked absolutely delicious. Once served, everyone immediately began sampling this delicacy. There was complete consensus at the table: they never tasted fish like this in their lives, it was simply the best they ever had. Only the poor man refrained from commenting. All he could taste was that radish he devoured right before the wedding. No matter how much he drank or ate, the radish taste just would not go away. The taste of the fish, for him, was overpowered by that of the radish, and he therefore did not share in the delight expressed by the others. This scene repeated itself over and over as the night progressed. The soup, with a heavenly scent and superb texture, tasted like onions to the poor man. The main course, with select cuts of the finest meats and succulent fowl, tasted like garlic. This unique and sure to be unrivaled gastronomic experience was one totally lost on the poor man. After the meal ended and people were making their way out of the hall, the poor man heard a group of his relatives discussing how amazingly tasty the food was. Each person in this group related his favorite part of the feast. When the time arrived for the poor man to offer his opinion, he simply stated his perception of the food: nothing tasted particularly amazing or out of the ordinary. Of course, everyone recoiled upon hearing this. They could not imagine how anyone could be of such opinion. The servant of the evening's host who had accompanied the poor man to the wedding heard that opinion as well, and he offered the group his insight on the matter. "What can one expect," he opined, "when right before partaking in this meal, the man ate garlic, radishes and onions? How is possible, right after eating such things, to possibly enjoy the tastes of a meal fit for kings?" Rav Gedalya Schorr explains that it's true that the entire nation of Israel felt the loss of the Bais HaMikdosh. Yet, the loss was not the same for all. For some, for "those that passed by," they saw that an edifice was missing. The building that had been central to religious life was no longer there. But to Yirmiya, much more was missing. The revelation of G-d that occurred on a daily basis, the spiritual vibrations that emanated from its hallowed halls, the epitome of spirituality that influenced the entire nation was gone. Hence, for Yirmiya, the loss was much greater, the pain was much greater, and the tragedy was personal. Two different people tasted the same item of food, yet only one was able to appreciate its true quality. Our experiences and focus in life clearly impacts our value system. Yirmiya and other in the nation of Israel suffered the same tragic loss. Yet only Yirmiya and those like him truly appreciated how terrible a fate they were forced to suffer. When the time comes for us to recall that we are still in exile, we have to make sure that we truly appreciate why we are mourning. We have to understand why we are in exile. The Talmud Yerushalmi (Yoma 5:1) writes that every generation in which the Temple is not built is considered as if it was destroyed in that generation. Clearly, we have the ability to understand the enormity of the loss. We can prevent prior experiences, prior tastes, from interfering with this ability. And we have the ability to be the generation that sees a rebuilt Bais HaMikdosh, with all its splendor and glory.
Wonderful nutritionists to work with.
Call Lisa or Ann.
********** The Nassau County Office of Emergency Management is requesting that the film at www.youtube.com/nassaucountyoem be viewed by as many people as possible. The 5 minute video dicusses the risks of a hurricane hitting us, and what should be done NOW to prepare for the possibility. This film is designed to save lives. - Marc J. Sicklick M.D.
Warm and knowledgeable Rebbe available for the month of August. Experienced in gemara reading and all limudei kodesh. Warm, competent, and energetic.
516-596-8712 (please call morning hours)
************ Woodmere Lanes
SHOP LOCAL, CLICK ON THE PIC
FOR CIRCULARS
 
Five Towns Weather: Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 81. Southeast wind between 5 and 13 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind between 6 and 10 mph.
Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. South wind between 6 and 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind between 8 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday Night: A chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Chance of precipitation is 30%. |
