A fantastic story with a moral as told by Harav Hagaon Moreini Yitzchok Dovid Shlita in Brooklyn Rosh chodesh Iyar 5779.

There was a man who lived in a small town in Europe.  It bothered him no end that everybody around him was corrupt and dishonest.  So he moved to a different town .  But people were the same.  Nobody was honest. He kept moving from one town to the next looking for an ish emes, a truthful person.To no avail.

He finally decided to go onto the forest and maybe find truth there. As he walked through the forest he became lost and just wandered.  Then from afar he saw light.  He came closer and saw a house completely engulfed in light. He came closer and knocked on the door.  No answer. He kept knocking . No answer.  He tried the door knob and the door opened.

He went inside and to his astonishment saw hundreds of candles. Some small, some large.  Some in earthen holders. Some in silver, brass, copper, and gold .  Some oil based, in small bowls, in larger bowls . He went into a second room and saw the same thing. Hundreds and thousands of different candles and lights and holders. All different. In a third room it was the same.

As He wondered around the house he saw an old man.  He went over to the old man and asked him, what are all these lights.  What's the meaning of this?  Answered the old man. The different lights each represent a different person in the world .  Why are they all different?  Each person is different answered the old man.  Some are small because they don't have long to live. Some are meager because they are poor. The golden ones are wealthy.

Oh wow.  Can I see my candle?  Sure, it's in the next room, third shelf, numbered 123. The man went into the next room and saw his candle.  Tiny, hardly any oil. That meant he would die soon.  He noticed the next light had ample oil .  So he decided to pour some of thst oil into his candle.  As his hand reached for the larger candle, he felt a hand grab his arm.  You're about to take oil from that candle.  Very dishonest.  You're running all over the country looking for emes, truth.  Where. By the other guy.  But when it comes to your own concern you don't care about the truth.  You're willing to steal the other guys oil .  Where is your quest for the emes, the truth,. Honesty.

The Education of a Hebrew Slave

There is a well known drasha concept of interpreting parshiyos and pesukim that are juxtaposed near each other. Each parsha and posuk is used to interpret or even establish a halacha. As we read and learn parshas Mishpotim, the question arises; what is the juxtaposition of the laws of Eved Ivri, a Hebrew slave, right after Aseres HaDibros and Matan Torah of Yisro? Why did the Torah start iterating the civil laws of Mishpotim with the laws of Eved Ivri? What can we learn from this?

Harav HaGaon R'M Torah Vodas Harav Shmuel Yakov Traube ztvkl expounded on this topic in his daily chumash shiur to our first year mesifta class over 50 years ago. Let's look at this guy who just was sold into slavery. Real misfit he is. Chazal tell us that he either sold himself because he had no money to feed his family; or that he was sold to pay back the owner of a robbery that he had done. Obviously he didn't have that money to pay back because he too needed the money to feed his family. Not a very educated man either. He somehow forgot or didn't know that Hashem had said "avodai heim", they are My servants and not servants to others.

Chazal tell us that a person who purchases an Eved Ivri is purchasing a Master on himself. If all this slave knew was bookkeeping, the owner could not make him work in the fields or even serve in the kitchen. If the owner had but one pillow, he had to give it to the slave. All this in addition to being required to feed the slave's family. Said Rav Traube so prophetically over 50 years ago: What type of person, tzadik actually, would buy an Eved Ivri? Only someone like Rav Pam (ztvkl). To what purpose? To teach him Torah and Yiddishkeit and midos tovos. To make this dejected person into a normal member of society. 

This is what we can learn from Eved Ivri coming after Matan Torah. The fundamental importance of education as a central part of our communal life. Without education we would all be like humans without souls, empty of ethics and societal cooperation. Torah education must be the first thing on our minds as we take leave of Matan Torah. Without Torah education a Jews life is meaningless.

As One Man With One Heart

This is an article written by my youngest son as a chizuk for all that need it. Read it and be inspired.

In this weeks Parsha theTorah tells us. That when the Yidden arrived at Har Sinai, “Vayichan Shom Yisroel Neged Hahor”. Rashi explains that they were “K’ish Echad B’lev Echad”, as one man with one heart.

As this long Galus lingers on we are all too familiar with this reality. There’s a growing number of young adults amungst us that choose a life different than that which they were raised. Each has their own book of stories with reasons that vary. Unfortunately they fall to a low spiritual level and no longer feel that a Frumlifestyle works for them. Some in their early teens others in their twenties. These individuals could be a close friend from school or Yeshiva. He or she could be a sibling or child. Whatever and whomever it may be the pain and discomfort is so great. The families are ashamed and don’t speak of them. They are missed by theShabbos & Yom Tov table by their families and a void is felt by their close friends.

Depending on the situation some choose to stay in touch others don’t. There are those that last a number of months others years. Time passes, but with the help ofHashem and people that care and know how to take the proper steps to get to the root of what drove them to change their ways, they make their way back to beingFrum. A tremendous amount of joy and Nachas can be seen by their parents and families. An out pour of love and support is given to them as justified. They continue to grow and give their parents lots of Nachas as they make progress. Everyone that knows the families of these precious Neshamos can now hear them so proudly say how amazing he or she is doing and its great to see them come back to Frumkeit. Many do not resemble what they looked like before. They are now Frum Shomer Torah Umitzvos again Baruch Hashem. At this point nobody judges them, “it doesn’t matter how they look and dress as long as they areFrum”. They’re outer appearance is no longer a factor of how they are viewed.

There’s a select group of individuals living among us that are unknown. They may be your son, daughter, brother, sister, or even spouse. They may be from very different backgrounds very different kind of families and upbringings however; they all share one important feeling that lives deep inside their hearts every single day.

These Neshamos are those that struggle day in and day out with staying Frumand serving Hashem proudly. He or she may have grown up in a very Frumfamily. As young teens they felt they didn't belong. They aren't the same as their siblings and classmates. Out of love for Hashem and their parents they chose not to abandon their dress code and Frum way of life.

As these individuals grow up and reach an age of independence some decide to change the way they dress to a way they feel makes them happy or more comfortable as a person. A way that better reflects who he or she is as an individual but that never changes their connection to Hashem. They are still the same person they were while dressed with their original attire. Many get dirty looks from family, friends and the people that are closest to them. They will be ignored and stared at made to feel like an outcast. Eyes rolling can be seen and whispers can be heard behind they’re backs. In some instances they are pushed away and are no longer accepted due to their change of outer appearance.

This is the secret that lives inside these individuals. These words constantly echo in their minds, “just because I never stopped being Frum doesn't mean it isn't hard for me to stay Frum”. Just because I changed my outer appearance doesn't mean I don’t deserve credit for being Frum and keeping strong and not sliding off the path”. “Who are you to judge ones relationship with Hashem and how they feel in their heart of hearts about Yiddishkeit?” There is no shortage of people that do dress with the full garb and aren't truly Frum. They choose to live a double life and are viewed as good enough in society because they never changed they’re outside appearance out of fear of being judged and unaccepted.

You never know who is feeling this way.You never know who may Chas V’shalomdecide to make drastic changes in their lifestyles in order to be noticed. Only then will they be given all that credit they so badly needed.

We all can in some way relate to this. Whether it be a friend, sibling, or possibly a child. Even if he or she isn't a teen doesn't mean they aren't struggling to stayFrum and a true good Yid. Their dress does not define who they are as a person or how strong their Emuna and Bitachon is. We live in a “cookie-cutter society” but the reality is, no two people are created alike.

You may think to yourself, “my home is no place for ones who don’t dress as we do”. You think that by doing that you’re shielding your children. On the contrary, you should teach them that even if someone doesn't look or dress the same as we do they are still accepted and welcome in our home.

Our job is to recognize these Neshamos and try to understand how they feel. “Give them credit for who they are and not put them down for the way they dress”. You never know who’s Neshama and future generations you’re saving and theS’char you’ll receive for doing so. There are Baruch Hashem lots of great Kiruvorganizations that do amazing work bringing back those who slipped away or others who were never taught about Yiddishkeit. But there’s no organization that helps these precious Neshamos. Only Hashem gives them the strength to go on and deal with the pain and embarrassment they constantly have for no valid reason. Just remember “V’ahavta L’reacha Komocha” isn't meant only if your fellow Jew looks like you or dresses in a way you feel they should. We don’t know if all the Yidden looked and dressed the same as they stood at Har Sinai. But one thing we do know is that they stood’ “K’ish Echad B’lev Echad,” as one man with one heart and we should do the same every day.

May Hashem help us all that we should have an easy time raising our children on the right derech. They should always be proud & happy Frum Yidden and only have lots of Yidishe Nachas. Amen.

My Speech at Nussbaum-Goldberg Sheva Brochos

This week we read parshas Ki Siso es Rosh Bnei Yisroel. There are many interpretations of these words. I would like to add my homiletic interpretation. Ki soso, if you want to elevate yourself to a higher spiritual degree; Bnei Yisroel, to the higher level of Yisroel, which the Torah generally uses to connote a higher level Jew. You can elevate yourself by asking and receiving atonement. How, says the Torah. By acting in unity achdus with other Jews. The Torah gives us the mitzva of the Half Shekel donation to the Beis HaMikdosh. Many commentators explain this that each Jew is only a half but if he connects with another Jew in unity then they become a whole. In this fashion one may then be able to elevate oneself to a higher level of spirituality.

In the next section the Torah gives the mitzva of making a Kiyor, water cistern, in the Mikdosh for the cohanim to wash their hands and feet prior to doing any service. The Kiyor is the only Mishkan vessel that had no measurement prescribed by Hashem. Why not? The Kiyor was made of copper from the melted down copper mirrors that the Jewish women donated. At first Moshe Rabeinu was loathe to use this material as the mirrors represented unholy actions. Hashem however, told Moshe that quite the opposite. These mirrors were used by the women in Egypt to bring their tired husbands closer and in this way bring tens of thousands of Jewish children to build a fledgling nation. In Hashem's eyes the mirrors were holy. Says the Pnei Menachem, when Jewish women gave away their material possessions in order to bring about holiness, then the holiness has no limits. The Kiyor has no limited parameters.

At the end of the parsha, the Torah states that Korahn Ohr Pnei Moshe. Moshe's face shown with a holy intense light so that he had to cover his face with a veil. One of the reasons for this reward says the Medrash, was that Moshe put some leftover ink from writing the first Sefer Torah on his face and beard. Chazal compare the Yetzer Hora Satan to a hair. Why? Because often the difference between a good action and a wrong one is a hair thin decision. The Yetzer Hora tries to get a person to make a wrong decision. The extra ink seemed to be worth almost nothing. Yet to Moshe, to whom anything Torah connected was of the utmost value, this ink was important. By wiping it across his beard he wanted to show the Yetzer Hora that even Torah actions which seem unimportant, mitzvos that a person steps on with his heel, are all always important.

To the Nussbaum family, anything that is Torah and yiddishkeit is at the top of their list. They received this lesson from their father R' Yakov Dovid z'l. R' Yakov Dovid was a paradigm of a Torah-true Jew who did anything and everything to enhance the value of Torah in his life. The Medrash says that Dovid HaMelech said, I think of what I want to do this day. I turn my feet to the marketplace but my feet take me to the Beis HaMedrash. The Sfas Emes interprets this that Dovid actually did go to the marketplace to work. But when he arrived he turned his mundane material work into Torah living. This was R'Yankel Dovid Nussbaum. He went to his diamond business every day but his day was filled with thoughts and actions of Torah and yiddishkeit. This way of life he gave to his children.

This is a family which elevates itself to the highest levels of Torah holiness and yiddishkeit by bringing about unity in the community. Whether this be unity in material matters or in spiritual matters. The Nussbaums aren't impressed by material and physical endeavors. To them only Kedusha and Torah are important. And as true Cohanim, their Kiyor has no limitations to its holiness.  And above all, anything that connotes Torah is always at the forefront in their minds and in their actions.

May the new couple build a bayis neemon that will be le'sheim ule'siferes for Klal Yisroel and both families.

5th Day of Chanukah

It is a well known Chanukah concept that the 5^th day of Chanukah can never fall on a Shabbos. All the other days can be on Shabbos but the 5^th day cannot. The Chabad Rebbes all said that therefore it’s imperative on us, Klal Yisroel, each to bring a lechtikeit, a special light of our own, into the 5^th day of Chanukah. We should begin by understanding why the 5^th day can’t fall on Shabbos.

I would like to posit the following seminal concept. The Hebrew letter “heh” often has been noted to connote the concept of Olam Hazeh, while the letter “yud” connotes Olam Haboh.  It would seem appropriate that Shabbos, a day which is noted as being an Olam Haboh day, would not have a 5^th day, a “heh” day fall out on this day.

We can add to this the following. Chazal say that Chanukah was not an accepted holiday to have its own Tanach sefer, lo nitan lichteiv, it wasn’t given to be written. In fact according to Chasidic teachings it’s because Chanukah is not Torah she’biksav but rather Torah she’baal pe, Oral Torah. Written Torah is a constant. It can’t be changed or added to in any way. Chanukah, as an Oral tradition is open to the constant interpretation of our holy sages. Therefore, Chanukah, which has an Olam Hazeh concept, has a day, the 5^th day, through which each individual can bring his own light, his own spiritual Olam Hazeh effort to bring light and kedusha into this 5^th day.

This spiritual effort included in the mitzvah of Chanukah lights completed in a material gashmi world will bring down a spiritual “levush”, clothing for our neshomos. We light up the 5^th day of Chanukah with both the Ner Mitzva, light of the Mitzva being done, and the Eternal Light that we merit through our Mitzvos, which consists of the holy spiritual “clothing” for our neshomos.  In turn, we have corrected the situation of the 5^th day not falling on Shabbos. We have given the 5^th day its own Olam Haboh spiritual clothing, the same type of clothing that Shabbos observance brings to us.

The Coin of Avrohom Avinu

The first Rashi in parshas Lech Lecho says that Hashem told Avram to go out into the world and that Hashem would publicize Avram's character to the world. Rashi uses the word "tivacho", your nature, your character. Chazal tell us that Avrohom minted and circulated a coin which had the image of an old man and old woman on one side and a young man and young woman on the other. This symbolized that he wanted everybody to be part of his quest to teach monotheism to the world.

I would like to posit that Rashi's usage of the word "tivacho" can also mean that Hashem would publicize Avrohom's coin to the world, as in "matbeah", a coin. Avrohom's goal was to unite all the members of a society as one community. Further I think that homiletically we can view the coin as being the strength of youth and its ability to constantly renew itself. Mechadesh b'chol yom maasei bereishis. To renew each day ideals of a new world. Unite this faculty of "hischadshus", the renewal ability of youth, with the wisdom and experience of the maturity of elders and you can really grow intellectually and constantly, every day.

Chazal say that when Eliyahu Hanovi will herald the advent of Moshiach, he will reunite the parents and the children. I think this can connote what Avrohom was trying to do by showing the two images on his coin. The union and conciliation of the concept and faculties of youth with that of the mature members of society. As the Torah states in Haazinu "ask your father and he will relate to you, your grandparents and they will tell you".  And as Shlomo Hamelech says in Mishelei, "al titeish Toras imecho". Do not forsake the teachings of your mother.

Klal Yisroel was given a mitzva of making a lunar calendar that begins with the month of Nissan. The language the Torah uses is "hachodesh hazeh lochem", this month is yours to begin the year. We can express this idea homiletically as the concept of "chodosh" renewal, is being given to you. Nissan always comes out at the onset of spring, an occuring renewal of nature. Just as the corporeal, gashmiyus, world renews itself, so too can the ruchniyos, spiritual world renew itself. And as stated earlier, mechadesh b'chol yom, we can constantly renew ourselves each day. How? By listening to our fathers, mothers and elders and following in their footsteps and Yiddishkeit path. Uniting the renewal ability of youth with the wisdom and experience of the mature.

Birth of Creation and Judgement Day

On Rosh Hashonoh during the Mussaf prayer we blow the Shofer and say a small prayer after the Shofer blowing, "Hayom haras olam, hayom yaamid ba'mishpot" - Today is the birth of the universe and today we all stand for our judgement. We know that when phrases are juxtaposed next to each other that they are connected for a reason. What connection does the creation of the universe have with the concept of its judgement on this day?

Chazal tell us that our corporeal existence was created by Hashem with an opposing and complementary spiritual realm. Whatever we see in Gashmiyus, the material world, we can also find a similar concept in Ruchniyos, the spiritual world. In addition, the verse Yeshayoh chapter 43 verse 7 says, "kol hanikro bishmi ule'chevodi borosiv yetzartiv af asisiv". Everything that is called in My Name, I created, I formed it, and I established it. Everything that G-d created in this universe, He created for the honor and glory of His Being.  That means that if we see a material item or concept, it was created for G-d's glory. Gold was created for the Mishkan and the Beis HaMikdosh. Once gold exists, we can now use it for our materialistic purposes. So too any concept we see was created in order to accomplish some spiritual need.

There is a very important concept and operational area in accounting called "budgeting". A Budget is an operational plan for a future accounting period, normally the coming year. This plan puts forth what management feels they should accomplish for the coming year. Also, the budget is used to compare on a monthly basis the actual operating results to determine how they compare with the budget or plan. This can be used for accountability of operational sections of the business.

A budget can be prepared by using past operational results as a guideline or basis. A budget can also be prepared using another budgetary concept called "zero-based budgeting".  This idea doesn't start with past performance but rather makes management start at zero and requires a rationalization of each item for its existence. In this way management can obviate the reasoning, well that's the way we always did it. Not only will we have the accountability of a budget plan to compare current operational performance but also the rationalization of each item as being necessary.

As I said earlier, every material concept has not only a spiritual partner but also that the spiritual side was created for Hashem's honor.  When Hashem wanted to create the universe He looked at the Torah and its value system and created a universe to match. But He also created a universe that had no past, requiring basically a zero-based concept to rationalize each component of creation, not only as a corporeal part of creation but also a spiritual part.

Hayom haras olam, today the world and universe was created. Just as in accounting budgeting, the company generally starts a budget at the beginning of its operational year, so too will Hashem begin His budget or judgement of the world at the beginning of its operational year, Rosh Hashono. As in a company's budget, management's performance is judged in comparison to the budget for the year, the world too is judged by G-d in accordance to its performance for the past year.

Thus we see that the concept of Hayom haras olam, the idea of judgement as compared to what we, with Free Will, decided would be our plan for the year, is a concept of Hayom yaamid ba'mishpot, today the world stands in judgement. We are judged according to the values in the Torah and our observance and physical actions of doing mitzvos. We are judged by the spiritual budget, the Torah, with accountability for our own personal budget and actual performance.

May we all be judged favorably on Rosh Hashono and written and inscribed in the Boof of Life, and Health, and Happiness.