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April 3rd, 2020
Good Morning Westwood Kehilla Family! In case you missed last night's Shabbat haGadol Drasha, you can access it here. In 2018, One of my rebbeim, Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky published a book called Ben Torah for Life. It is so popular that it has already been reprinted many times. I believe that we must be real with ourselves. We find ourselves in a challenging situation. What perspective should we take that will help us utilize these strange times as an opportunity for growth and health, rather than be dragged down by it? Rav Lopianksy offers up the following thought which I think is both encouraging and inspiring. R’ Yerucham Levovitz and other baalei mussar [ethical masters] coined a phrase [based on Sanhedrin 96a]: כסוסים הרצים לפני בצעי המים. To get some sense of the meaning of this phrase, imagine a racetrack where prize horses are competing. Ordinarily, one tries to make the track as smooth as possible so as to see the horses at their best. But imagine that instead, someone builds the racetrack in a swamp. As the horses begin to gallop, they sink. Into the swamp. With great effort, their riders pull the horses out – only to sink again and again. Instead of being at their best, the horses are their most inelegant and unsightly. Yet Hashem prides Himself, as it were, with the performance of the avos and He compares them to horses running through a swamp. What’s the point? R’ Yerucham explains that when a train is on a smooth track, the effort of the locomotive is only one time, and then the train moves forward on its own. Hashem derives no pleasure from man’s “automatic” activities. Once automatic, an action ceases to be ascribed to man. Hashem’s joy comes only from man’s exercise of free will. The avos faced one difficulty after another. As soon as everything seemed to be on track, something else came up. As Chazal describe the travails of Yaakov, “Yaakov wished to settle in tranquility, but then the difficulty of Yosef jumped upon him.” It was an unending, incessant battle. We as humans perceive no progress and are disheartened. But from Hashem’s vantage point, each step is another act of free will, another step forward. And that is beauty beyond description.
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April 1st, 2020 Good Morning Westwood Kehilla Family! To make up for yesterday's longer post, today's will be short. In fact, I'll just quote the author of the Haggadah: וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ. שֶׁלֹּא אֶחָד בִּלְבָד עָמַד עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ, אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר עוֹמְדִים עָלֵינוּ לְכַלוֹתֵנוּ, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם. And it is this that has stood for our ancestors and for us; since it is not [only] one [person or nation or plague] that has stood [against] us to destroy us, but rather in each generation, they stand [against] us to destroy us, but the Holy One, blessed be He, rescues us from their hand. May we indeed be rescued! Avi Stewart Ok, so being on your own isn’t what you had in mind when you made your Pesach plans a couple of months ago. It is a harsh reality and it is unfortunate. So, what comes next? The way I see it, we don’t really have a choice. Moaning and groaning won’t help change the situation. What’s the alternative? Like every other moment of life, it is an opportunity. “Really?” You’re probably wondering, “What is Rabbi Stewart talking about?” I have an idea. The normal “והגדת לבנך” – “And you shall tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt to your children and grandchildren,” is not going to happen this year. Let’s come up with a different plan. Pesach night is a time of Mesorah. It is a time to hand down our traditions, our history, to our children and grandchildren. It is a time to bridge the gap between my grandparents and my grandchildren. Do we really have to be there to do that? Does it have to happen at a shared Seder? What if we wrote a letter to them? What if we shared the same lessons and stories we would want to share if we were there in person? I know that if my parents and grandparents wrote these sorts of letters, they would be priceless. If our children and grandchildren were here with us, what would we say to them? What messages can we share that will be a lasting legacy of faith, hope and perseverance for them? What messages do we hope for them to treasure? Perhaps we can share our vision and understanding of what it means to have a relationship with G-d; or to share what it means to us be a part of G-d’s chosen nation. My suggestion is simple. Send letters to your children and grandchildren to be read at the Seder. Take advantage of the opportunity to take paper and pen [or a computer] and use some time to formulate your thoughts. This would be the greatest [akifomen] gift you can ever give your progeny. March 30, 2020 Good Morning Westwood Kehilla Family! Let's go back to basics: Deuteronomy [8:17-20] says it best: הַמַּֽאֲכִ֨לְךָ֥ מָן֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יָדְע֖וּן אֲבֹתֶ֑יךָ לְמַ֣עַן עַנֹּֽתְךָ֗ וּלְמַ֙עַן֙ נַסֹּתֶ֔ךָ לְהֵיטִֽבְךָ֖ בְּאַחֲרִיתֶֽךָ׃ who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers had never known, in order to test you by hardships only to benefit you in the end-- וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ בִּלְבָבֶ֑ךָ כֹּחִי֙ וְעֹ֣צֶם יָדִ֔י עָ֥שָׂה לִ֖י אֶת־הַחַ֥יִל הַזֶּֽה׃ and you say to yourselves, “My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me.” וְזָֽכַרְתָּ֙ אֶת־ה׳ אֱלֹקיךָ כִּ֣י ה֗וּא הַנֹּתֵ֥ן לְךָ֛ כֹּ֖חַ לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת חָ֑יִל לְמַ֨עַן הָקִ֧ים אֶת־בְּרִית֛וֹ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥ע לַאֲבֹתֶ֖יךָ כַּיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃ Remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to get wealth, in fulfillment of the covenant that He made on oath with you I share the video below because he does a great job telling it as it is. May we merit sharing a korban Pesach this year! Shavua Tov! Avi Stewart March 29, 2020 I think it is fascinating that people's minds are so powerful that the way they think about situations will determine how they feel. In the 1831 there was a cholera epidemic and Rav Akiva Eiger was asked about taking measures to protect one's self from contracting the disease. HIs recommendations were prescinet. Among other directions, he advised social distancing. In his letter to his student he also impressed upon him the importance of not worrying and not getting depressed. The video attached below is in Yiddish with English subtitles. Rav Elimelech Biderman is the Maggid of Jerusalem. He speaks multiple times every week in both Hebrew and Yiddish, and his words have been translated into many languages. He is arguably the most popular teacher of Torah today. In this short clip he also speaks about maintaining a positive and happy attitude. I wish you a relaxing and happy Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov. Avi Stewart March 26, 2020
Good Morning Westwood Kehilla Family! No one knows what G-d wants from us. We do not have prophets to whom we can turn and ask what it would take to end the plague. Every speech you hear from different rabbis will encourage one thing or another. They are all worthy and worthwhile efforts at turning the tide. Perhaps you were aware, Wednesday, Erev Rosh Chodesh, was declared by many different organizations to be a day of prayer. Many people fasted. People engaged in acts of Chesed. And for many of us it was a day of introspection. One of the Psalms we recited as a group yesterday was Psalm 41. The second verse caught my attention: Praiseworthy is he who looks after the poor; on a day of calamity the Lord will rescue him. Many commentaries offer explanations. Who is the poor person mentioned in the verse? What type of calamity is he suffering? And why will Hashem rescue him? The verse though can be read simply. There will be calamitous or harmful times in history. King David offers advice. Look after the poor. Look after people who need your help. Make sure you are there for the people who need that extra bit of assistance. Some translate the verse as, "Happy is he who is thoughtful of the poor." So, let's make sure we are smart about it. I encourage you to heed King David's advice. Let's look out for people who need our help, and let's be smart about it. I encourage everyone to sign up for a special program we have here at the Kehilla. Go to http://www.kehilla.org/helping-hands.html. Even if you yourself need assistance, perhaps there is some way you can be helpful to others as well. If you think you know someone who needs assistance, please let me know. Have a wonderful day! Chodesh Tov! Rabbi Avi Stewart Yesterday, I asked you what you would do differently today if I told you that Moshiach was coming tomorrow. Rav Yisroel Salanter had a unique perspective on the coming of Moshiach. I have found it more helpful than some other approaches.
He used to say: “Everyone asks, “When will Moshiach come already?” I say, “Lest Moshiach arrive today… Am I ready? Have I prepared myself? Once he comes, I can no longer work on myself. Free choice will be limited and I won’t have the opportunity to do a free-willed Teshuvah.” This is a radically different approach than we are used to hearing. Rav Yisroel is not saying he does not want Moshiach to come. He is saying, I have to prepare myself for his arrival. And so, if you were to ask me, “What would I do differently if I were to know Moshiach were to come tomorrow?” I would simply say, “I am going to try to take advantage of the time I have remaining. I am going to try to improve and better myself in every realm of avodat Hashem [service of G-d]. And so, as I have encouraged myself, I’ll encourage you as well to try to better ourselves in our avodat Hashem. One way or another, whether Moshiach comes tomorrow, or whether he tarries longer, it will position us better to welcome his coming. March 24, 2020
Good Morning Westwood Kehilla Family! Moshiach! Moshiach! Moshiach! [Ay yai yai yai yai yai] Moshiach! Moshiach! Moshiach! [Ay yai yai yai yai yai] We long for Moshiach. We pray for Moshiach. We hope for Moshiach. We sing songs about Moshiach. It’s times like these that we can feel Moshiach coming. We can hear his footsteps. Historically, and thus presently, Adar and Nissan are times of Geulah [redemption]. I can’t tell you how many times in the past few weeks people have asked me about Moshiach. I must have received tens of emails, texts, WhatsApp notes and calls about Moshiach. Moshiach is certainly on everyone’s mind. I’ve got a simple question for you: What would you do today if I told you that I know for a fact that Moshiach is coming on Thursday [Rosh Chodesh Nissan]? [Obviously, this is a hypothetical…] What would you do different? What would you do to prepare yourself? Good Morning Westwood Kehilla Family!
I’ve been thinking about heroes and heroines. We don’t need Marvel or DC Comics to tickle our imaginations. We no longer have superstars performing feats of fantastic athleticism. Yet, life today is replete with heroes. When I think about heroism, one of the first images that come to mind is photos of the first responders headed towers the towers on 9/11 while everyone else was running away from the horror and madness. Covid-19 offers us a different brand of hero. A man or a woman in a white lab coat. A nurse wearing scrubs. A respiratory therapist casually saving lives. The men and women on the front lines of this war. Perhaps you have seen the short clip of people standing on their porches, clapping and cheering for the doctors at what seems to be a shift change at one of the Israeli hospitals. Then there are the patients. A friend sent me a short clip of Eli Beer [head of United Hatzalah] who is in an ICU in Florida and was about to go on a respirator. He pled with people to continue to support his organization and do the chesed they regularly do. This is what was on his mind as he contemplated intubation. There are doctors and community leaders who have spent every waking moment bringing awareness to their communities. Heroes and heroines saving lives. And much closer to home. People who live alone who still greet each day with a smile. People who think about others, people who pick up their phone to call in and check in on others. Teachers and Morahs taking the time to inspire their students. Moms and Dads juggling challenges to ensure the security and safety of their children. Single parents who have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Children and teens whose routine is awry and sense of normalcy need to be rewritten. We don’t need to look past our front doors to identify heroes and heroines. All we really have to do is look in the mirror. When you look in the mirror and you see a self who is optimistic, who is praying for other people, who is caring and sensitive to others’ needs, who is going with the flow; when you see yourself, you see a hero. We are a community of people living beyond ourselves. We are looking hard for ways to pierce the isolation and help each other in any way that we can. We are looking at people in the community with health challenges or who are elderly, who cannot take advantage of even the leniency of essential services. People who cannot go to the grocery store or run errands. And we are here for them. We are their support network so that their isolation is not debilitating. We are a community of heroes. Keep up the good work. |
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