Big Ni$ayon

From this weeks parsha email with a response from a beloved friend...


Two people robbed a bank. One robber said to his friend "Let's count
the money". His friend answered "We don't have to. We can read about
in tomorrows newspaper".

A beggar knocks on a rich man's door and asks for a pair of pants. The
rich man fulfilled his request and gave him the pants. He continued
standing there. The rich man said "What are you waiting for?"
"I am waiting for you to buy the pants."

In this weeks parsha we read of the sin of the spies. OOYYYYY
VEEEYYY!! So much to talk about and if I start I fear that I won't
end... So instead we skip to the end of the parsha and talk about the
mitzva of wearing tzitzis. Someone told me about a Jewish kid named
Yoel who would take off his tzitizis when he played basketball in the
park. One of the black gentlemen who played with him said "Yo, Yo.
Where is your Jew Strings?" Yoel explained that it bothers him to play
with them on him. The man answered. "Yo man, if God said you gotta
wear dose Jew Strings you betta darn well be wearing 'em even if dey
aint so comftibal."

Mussar from a worthy source. The meraglim didn't take mussar and
failed to learn from the lashon hara of Miriam that speaking evil is
NOT A GOOD IDEA. They also didn't appreciate the uniqueness of Israel
just as Miriam didn't appreciate the unique level of prophecy of Moshe
Rabbeinu. I am so inspired I am considering living in Israel next year
for at least a year. They also didn't realize that yes, Israel might
not be so "comftibal" but if G-d gave it then it must be the place to
live. Wait! I thought I said I'd talk about tzitzis and not the
meraglim.

It says in the pasuk ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם - don't follow
your eyes and hearts. Two great leaders, The Chasam Sofer and Rav
Simcha Bunim of Pshischa both note that the pasuk is alluding to a
deeper lesson. אחרי after, the letters עין are the letters pey, kuf
and samech, spelling kesef -  MONEY. After the letters לב are the
letters mem and gimmel spelling gam. GAM KESEF - ALSO MONEY. Not only
should we not follow our eyes and our hearts in the realm of
male-female relationships and improper beliefs [as the gemara says at
the end of the first perek of brachos] but also in financial matters.

Money is a good thing to have. It can buy sfarim! And FOOD!!! I bless
you all with lots and lots!! Poverty is positively yichee!!:) But it
shouldn't be blown out of proportion. As Dovid Hamelech said in
tehillim "הצילני מדמים אלקים" - save me from making money my god. I
should run not after the almighty dollar but the Almighty. The Beis
Hamikdash was destroyed according to the Talmud Yerushalmi, because
they loved money too much. How many families have been broken up over
money fights? How many shidduchim have been soured? How often do we
read of otherwise pious Jews who sell their souls for money? Yeshivos,
shuls, Jewish organizations - we see corruption all over the place. I
yiiiiii yiiiiiii!!!

So my bracha [again!]. You should all have more money than you will
ever need for yourselves and families. But it should only be a source
of goodness to the world and bring more Light, Joy and ruchniyus to
all:):)

Love, blessings and a Shabbat shalom!!!

This is the response...

I take issue with one part - we live in an area of TREMENDOUS wealth. The ads in the dinner journal for the local yeshiva start at 100,000 dollars and there are DOZENS of them.

 Many frum families moved into new building where the apartments start at 10 million! And then have them gut renovated.

I literally would not be able to sleep at night if I were them.

Can you imagine after 120 Hashem is going to say 'I gave you all that money and THIS is what you did with it?!'
 
For sure they give generously to yeshivos etc. but its an awesome responsibility in the true sense of awesome.

 Money is a brocha but it can also be a curse.

End of letter.

I try to fundraise for good causes and find the going rough. I spend a lot of time in this person's neighborhood and often hear of how tough things are...... I often ponder this as I attend lavish six figure weddings or watch people drop 30k [more?] for a one week vacation in Israel. [When I was teaching in a certain yeshiva it took me about THREE YEARS to make that:):)]. I mamesh mamesh have an ayin tova and wish them more of the same. But,  I THANK HASHEM that I don't have the nisayon these people have. After 120 Hashem will NOT ask me how come I spent so much money on a house or a car when so many other people didn't have. [I also hope that I can get hold of the names and addresses of people in this dinner journal and help them build me a kollel of 500 guys shteigin'!]

On the other hand He might ask me why I didn't learn enough or have kavana when I daven so I REALLY have to reapply myself:).

Love and blessings!