Shallommm sweeetest friends!!!
A huuuuge MAZEL TOV to my beloved friends R' and Mrs. Shlomo Aryeh [Bradley??] Goldstoff on the birth of their ben habechor!! Lot's of nachas and simcha from him and keyn yirbu!! May he live a sweet, long, fruitful life and may all of klal yisrael benefit from him.
A huuuuuuuuge MAAZELLLLL TOOV to my beloved friends HaRav Yitzchak [Jared?] and Rebbetzin Tova Rosenfeld on the birth of their son. May he shine up the world and be a source of great nachas to all - together with his siblings whom Hashem should guard in good health!!
This Torah should be a zchus in memory of Mrs. Fanya Gottesfeld Heller, the grandmother of my beloved friends R' Shmuel and Shira Stein, who survived the holocaust and made it her life's work to ensure both that we never forget and that the Jewish people continue to thrive. There is so much to say about this special woman [whom I was privileged to meet] and her boundless acts of tzdaka and chesed but I will leave that up to those who knew her better. Her legacy and special descendents will live on - as will her pure soul in a sweet place next to Hashem. May her family have a nechama and know no more sorrow.
Also in memory of another great person of chesed and tzdaka - Mr. Sandy Eisenstat, who loved Hashem, Torah and the Jewish people passionately [and of course his very special family] - and he put his money, time and effort where his love was... May his family have a nechama and may his neshama receive the everlasting reward he so deservedly earned.
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This is my bar mitzva parsha. Shout out to Mr. Avery Neumark who patiently taught me the leining. Couldn't have been easy. He was GREAT!
I have never received so much money for one Shabbos. And all I had to do was turn 13. So easy. Since then the cash has been rougher to come by.... Moral of the story? I am not sure:-).
But I DO want to thank my parents for graciously encouraging me to continue my Jewish education well beyond. It has been 33 years since then [making me 57 and really bad at math] and I am still trying to enrich myself in my own little way. Free of charge. טוב לי תורת פיך מאלפי זהב וכסף.
This is my bar mitzva parsha. Shout out to Mr. Avery Neumark who patiently taught me the leining. Couldn't have been easy. He was GREAT!
I have never received so much money for one Shabbos. And all I had to do was turn 13. So easy. Since then the cash has been rougher to come by.... Moral of the story? I am not sure:-).
But I DO want to thank my parents for graciously encouraging me to continue my Jewish education well beyond. It has been 33 years since then [making me 57 and really bad at math] and I am still trying to enrich myself in my own little way. Free of charge. טוב לי תורת פיך מאלפי זהב וכסף.
In this weeks parsha we read about one of the most important events in world history. An event from which we have eternal reward and benefit. We mention it every Rosh Hashana as a key component of our defense and merit. Some say it daily [for that you have to come to shul early]. I refer to Akeidas Yitzchak. There is so much to say. Someone just published three thick volumes JUST ON THE AKEIDA - and he barely touched the iceberg [a cold, Jewish guy I once knew].
Here is but one thought that might shake you.....
IT NEVER HAPPENED!!!
Avraham never sacrificed his son. The angel came a moment before and told him not to do it. So he didn't. And Yitzchak lived on and instead a ram was offered. Go Rams!!!
So whats the big to-do??
The answer is a big lesson in life. You want success? It is not in your hands. That is up to Hashem. All you can do is try your best and for that you receive your just desserts [even if you are on a diet. I am on a sea-food diet. I see-food, I eat it. Ba damm chhhhh!]. Results? Those are not in our hands.
Avraham had a passionate desire to sacrifice his son and tried his best to carry it out. The fact that he didn't do it in the end is of little consequence [from this perspective]. He tried. That is all that matters. The final outcome is determined by Hashem. For his desire and effort alone he gave an eternal merit to the Jewish people.
Rabbi Moshe Sherer was the CEO of Agudas Yisrael of America. He once spent months on a project which ended up falling through. He was crestfallen. Rav Hutner ztz"l [אגרות מרן בעל הפחד יצחק קנ"ב] wrote him a moving letter where he reminded him that the actual slaughter of Yitzchak never happened. And yet - it is an eternal merit for us. All Hashem wants is our effort and desire. The outcome is in His hands and His hands alone.
This is good to remember in every area of life. Child raising, earning a livelihood, marriage, health, learning goals etc. etc. All we can do is our best. The final outcome is in Hashem's hands and there is never reason to get down about things out of our control. All we can do is our best. If we did, regardless of the outcome we were ONE HUNDRED PERCENT SUCCESSFUL. If we internalize this attitude our lives will be so much more pleasant.
With much love and wishes for a good shabbos,
Me 
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