Page 3 - The Jewish Voice - December '20

The Jewish Voice, Page 3

From the rabbis

Four Things I Learned whilst single person was notified so they could take the necessary A person’s soul is compared to the candle of God. The Bible
I had to carefully trace back my steps to be sure every
is compared to light, as is wisdom.
having Coronavirus precautions. Thankfully, not even one person I had met with Rabbi Shneur Zalman was a major supporter of the Czar
has developed symptoms. But it was a powerful lesson in the against Napoleon. One of Rabbi Shneur Zalman’s followers,
By Rabbi Dovid Vigler impact of our seemingly random actions — there is no such Moshe, who was fluent in Russian and French, was able to
Though I tested positive thing as a random encounter. Each breath (literally!) counts. learn many important military secrets from the French and
for COVID-19, we are Indeed, the Torah tells us that even a leaf blowing in was able to transmit important information to the Russian
grateful to G-d Almighty the wind is doing so by Divine Design. The Hebrew word generals on the battlefront.
for having allowed us to for “coincidence” is mikreh, which also spells Hashem Once, when Moshe happened to be in the French General
experience only mild Rakam — G-d has woven. Life is a tapestry: From the one Headquarters, the generals were planning their next attack.
symptoms, including side it looks like a mess, but on the other side it’s really a Moshe pretended not to hear or see what was going on, and
temporary loss of taste stunning piece of art. It all depends on which side of the the generals paid no attention to him.
and smell, and headaches, tapestry you’re looking at. Suddenly, the door burst open and in came Napoleon.
through the week. Chana and 4. Gratitude for friends “What is this stranger doing here?” he demanded, pointing
I are now free of symptoms, Though I was unable to respond to all the messages, to Moshe. Napoleon rushed up to him, exclaiming, “You are
and we are all feeling great! emails, phone calls, and voicemails expressing friendship a spy!”
While we finished the last days of quarantine per doctor’s and support, not a single one went unnoticed. Each one was Moshe’s heart was not pounding fast and his face did not
orders, we thought we’d share some of the thoughts and appreciated and really made a difference; a friend in need is pale, as he calmly replied in perfect French:
reflections that we experienced during the intense week a friend indeed. “Your Majesty, your generals appointed me to be their
dealing with the infection. And we realized that it wasn’t what was said that mattered interpreter, and I await their orders.”
1. We really aren’t in control of anything as much as that it was said. When someone you know is in His cool manner and calm voice completely disarmed
It took just a tiny, invisible virus to change absolutely need, don’t worry so much about what to say as much as that Napoleon. Moshe was saved from certain death.
everything for us. From the moment I heard that I tested you say something. Goes the old saying often attributed to When Moshe would relate this episode of his encounter
positive, every plan we had made came to a grinding halt. Woody Allen: “90 percent of life is simply showing up.” We with Napoleon, he declared that it was the deeper dimensions
As sophisticated as we thought our lives were, as advanced tend not to realize how helpful it is just to send a message. of Torah, Chassidus, that saved his life. He explained: “Rabbi
as we think our society is, we are powerless over the tiniest Maybe that’s why the mitzvah of visiting the sick is just the Shneur Zalman taught us that a person should use his natural
agent of G-d. actual visit. It’s not what you do while there as much as the powers for the service of God. One of these natural powers
After the Roman General Titus had destroyed our Temple act of reaching out. is that the brain rules the heart. In other words, a person has
1,951 years ago, he sailed across the Mediterranean with the Rabbi Dovid Vigler is spiritual leader at Chabad of Palm the power to control his emotions. However, it is not enough
spoils of the Holy Temple. When he arrogantly proclaimed Beach Gardens and host of the Jewish Schmooze Radio Show. for a man to know this; he must persistently train himself
that he had murdered the G-d of the Jews, G-d sent him a Email him at rabbi@jewishgardens.com. to exercise this power in his daily life and conduct until it
tiny flea that flew up his nostrils and gave him no rest until becomes a natural habit within him. In actual practice, this
he died a miserable death a short while later. The Power of the Mind simply means that whenever one feels a strong desire for
What a lesson in humility. Truly, a mensch tracht un G-d something, one should say to oneself, ‘I can do without
lacht — man plans and G-d laughs. Over the Emotions it.’ The exercise of such self-control is the first step toward
2. Our bodies are amazing pieces of machinery spiritual improvement and, having mastered it, one can
My aunt often says that the “miracle of a healthy child By Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui steadily advance further.
never gets old.” When our bodies are working as they should, The holiday of Hanukkah “Thus, I have schooled myself to achieve absolute self-
they are the most beautiful piece of machinery ever produced. represents the victory of light control, so that in everything I think, say, and do, I let my
But when you start feeling things that you’ve never felt over darkness. mind rule my heart. And where it is important for the heart
before, now you know you’re in trouble. We simply can’t The philosophy of the to express its feelings, the mind, too, must have its say, to
appreciate what we have until we’ve faced the risk of losing Hellenists at that time (things make sure that the feelings do not get out of control.
it. What an education! have not changed much) was “And so, I trained myself to control my feelings, not to get
We learned a powerful lesson in gratitude to Hashem for to dilute the purity of faith in excited under any circumstances, and not to be overwhelmed
allowing us to experience another day, free of pain and with God, and the pure message of by anyone or anybody. And this saved my life.”
health. Indeed, there’s a majestic blessing that we are supposed the Bible, with contemporary Hanukkah is an opportune time for good resolutions and
to recite each time we leave the bathroom, that expresses our thinking. A small group of an auspicious time to use the light of our souls, the light of
immense gratitude to Hashem for giving us our body that people stood up to a large the Torah, and the light of our wisdom to triumph over both
functions so perfectly. We encourage you to print out the blessing and fierce army and proved a most powerful point: Miracles the internal and external darkness, which confounds our
below in Hebrew and English and recite it at least once a day. happen. Life is not always logical and rational. Darkness can mission and purpose in this life.
3. Tracing our steps be conquered by a focused, even if small, quantity of light. Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui is spiritual leader of Chabad
As my positive result dawned on us, it became imperative This is the reason why we must light the menorah at night, House Lubavitch of Palm Beach. Contact him at
to notify each and every person I had met with in the week. toward the outside. To take the ever-increasing, small-but- Rabbi@chabadpalmbeach.org, 624-7004, or www.
Every. Single. Person. No encounter was insignificant. powerful flames, and illuminate those who live in darkness. chabadpalmbeach.org.
We Want a King!

With Your Legacy, the Future is Bright. By Rabbi Paul Arberman

There is something
attractive about having a
benevolent monarch as a
ruler. A king or queen can
see a need in society, and
How Will You they are able to act for the
defense, benefit, and good of
Assure Jewish the people without having to
deal with bureaucracy. The
ancient Israelites had that
Tomorrows? same idea in mind when they
turned to their leader Samuel and said: “We want a king over
us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to
lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Samuel
8:19-20). Samuel warns the Israelite people to be careful of
what they wish for. If they truly want a king to rule over them,
then they will also get whatever comes with rulership by a
monarch: conscription of their sons, confiscation of their crops
and vineyards, the requisitioning of the labor of their daughters,
and a high level of taxation (10 percent!).
Despite years of living under judges who ruled on behalf
COMMUNITY PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
of the Lord, the people of Israel looked around at neighboring
nations and began to desire a king, a strong leader for their
nation, just like “all the other nations.” Samuel was upset and
prayed to God concerning the matter. God answered, “Listen
to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have
rejected, but they have rejected me as their king (1 Samuel
8:7–8). This nation that was supposed to be “set apart” and
Find out more by visiting whose God was to rule alone was envious of the nations that
jcf.jewishpalmbeach.org/life-and-legacy, followed false gods. Interestingly, God had already predicted
or by contacting us at
life.legacy@jewishpalmbeach.org that the Israelites would one day ask for a king: “When you
or 561.242.6661.
From the Rabbis on page 4

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