Shaaallooommmmm swweeeeetest friends!!!!!!!!!!
This dvar Torah should be a zchus for the refuah of Yitzchak ben Bracha and Naomi bas Tova.
Also, for Rav Yehoshua Weinberg, his holy wife, parents, brothers and child. They should ALL have only bracha and chesed all the days of their lives.
And a special zchus for R' Avromi Sommers and family for אך טוב וחסד כל ימי חייהם!
And to Rav Zevi Reinitz and his mishpocho for simcha and brocho ba-kol!
Also, li-ilui nishmas R' Shmuel Pinchas ben R' Yaakov Tzvi whose yahrtzeit is the 24th of Nissan. He was my grandfather and I hope that the little good I have done in my life is a constant source of merits for him. I am certain that the amazing amount of good his very large amount of descendents are constantly doing is elevating him to higher and higher places in the world of truth. In this world he sold diamonds but where he is all that remains are the diamonds of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren that he produced who are following derech Hashem. May we all leave such a mark on the world as he has.
I certainly hope that you are enjoying yourselves wherever you may be this Pesach. This is no time to think of all of your problems. Just to bask in the glorious light [thank G-d the sun shines so brightly on the beach] of our holy-days and feel unmitigated simcha.
Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!
We are on the cusp of the seventh day of Pesach, the day that is supposed to bring us to a higher level of Emunah, one of ויאמינו בה' ובמשה עבדו - belief in Hashem and in His tzadikim and leaders. It is important to look deeply into the story of kriyas yam suf in order to get the most out of the day and out of our lives.
In our daily davening we say about the miracle of the splitting of the sea וידידים העברת - you passed your "friends" [through the sea]. Interesting that we are called "friends". The simple meaning is that we are friends with Hashem. It can also mean that we became friendly with EACH OTHER. After a harrowing experience [such as being pursued by a few million bloodthirsty Arabs as happened before the splitting of the sea] and salvation, the survivors feel a sense of camaraderie and closeness. וידידים העברת.
Chazal tell us that the sea split into 12 sections, one for each tribe. This shows that each tribe must maintain their own distinct path. On the other hand, another medrash teaches that each tribe could clearly see the other tribes and they were talking to each other as they passed through [see Yalkut Makiri, Tehillim 136/19 and Torah Shleima 144].
This teaches that even though one must maintain his own unique path in life, that doesn't mean that he negates the path and life choices of others. We must respect and embrace others who choose to serve Hashem in ways that are at times not identical to our own path.
The Sfas Emes [in his very last piece on Pesach] says that not only was every tribe worthy of having the sea split for themselves but every INDIVIDUAL was worthy of having the sea split on his or her behalf. That is the meaning of the pasuk אתה פוררת בעזך ים - You made the sea into "crumbs" with your strength. These "crumbs" symbolize that EVERY JEW is worthy of having his own kriyas yam suf.
Jews are compared to the "sand of the sea" and also to stars in the sky. The earth [sand], sea, and heavens [stars] are all created for US. So that we can testify to the existence of Hashem and spread his light on earth. Every Jew has a portion in this revelation. That is why it is so important to value and love every Jew.
This means that this שביעי של פסח is the PERFECT time to stop being critical of others. Your husband - he is NOT perfect and will never be. But cut him some slack, he has many good qualities as well. The same applies to your wife [although the odds of you having a husband and wife are quite slim] and children. Let people be people - fallible by nature and their very definition. Love them, embrace them and give them the feeling that they are "yedidim" - good friends. You need them and they need you.
From a book " “On the road to success there is absolutely no room for criticism of self or others. Insecurity and fear masquerade as jealousy and judgment. Finding faults in others wastes time as we attempt to remove the bricks from other people’s foundations – time that could be better spent building our own."
Sound advice.
BELOVED YEDIDIM!! I wish you all a very sweet yuntiv and Shabbos filled with limitless bracha and spiritual elevation!!!
Bi-ahava rabba
,Me
[Based on the words of the Tolna Rebbe Shlita]
