Page 3 - The Jewish Voice - May '23

The Jewish Voice, Page 3

From the rabbi

Dreams Do Come True, doesn’t wish for their dreams to come true? Yet the dream so lengthy repetition of this chapter teaches us how to turn
Wouldn’t it be lovely to be able to fulfill our dreams? Who
our dreams into reality. In a beautiful way, the Torah is
but it Depends on You often stays a dream. It’s the Torah that tells us how. showing us that, once G-d commands us to do something,
The world is well aware of Moses’ revolutionary call it becomes entirely possible for us to achieve. All we
By Rabbi Dovid Vigler — speaking truth to power — to “Let my people go...” need to do is make the effort and then G-d will bless our
It was called the Ship What’s less famous is the second half of his demand — actions with the success that leads to completion. But the
of Dreams. The Titanic was “so that they may serve (G-d).” After their exodus from critical detail is for us to believe we can. When G-d asks
the poster child of modern Egyptian slavery, the Jews immediately began to prepare us to do something, we are automatically endowed with
innovation and technology. for the impossible — building a home for G-d Almighty the capabilities to make it happen. Unlike a mortal, who
With its 46,000 tons of on this earth. Over the course of 197 verses in the Book doesn’t truly know the capacity of his subject, G-d, the
steel and 16 watertight of Exodus, the Torah tells of G-d’s precise instructions Creator of the Universe, knows our essence — He created
compartments, the ship was as to how to build this Temple — the Tabernacle. But the us! Obstacles, problems, and other people can’t stop you.
deemed “unsinkable.” Yet, Torah spends an entire portion that seems to tell us nothing Only you can stop you!
a mere four days after its new, other than the fact that the Jews actually built it! In Rabbi Eliyahu Friedman of Safed visited an Antwerp,
departure from Southampton, 212 additional verses, we’re told of every detail of this Belgium, philanthropist named Asher Nusbaum to raise
it struck an iceberg and, construction. funds for the yeshivah. When Reb Asher heard that Rabbi
tragically, within four hours 1,500 lives had been lost. The In a letter dated March 5, 1951, the Rebbe points out Friedman represented a Chabad institution, he promised
dream had sunk and the world was stunned. that, though the Torah is usually terse in its language, the to make a donation but asked to share a story first:
“I once learned of an auction for merchandise taking
place in Switzerland. Unsure if I should buy, I decided
to ask the Rebbe for advice. The Rebbe advised me to
estimate the amount I expected to earn from the transaction
and set aside 20 percent of that amount for tzedakah
(charity). Then, the Rebbe said, I should go ahead and
buy the merchandise, and with G-d’s help I would realize
the profit.
“That’s what I did. I set aside a very large sum for
hatred has tzedakah, went to the auction, and bought the lot. My plan
no place I took a vacation with my family, but when I returned the
was to wait for the value to rise and then sell; meanwhile,

price still had not risen. Time passed, and to my great
disappointment the market price steadily plummeted. By
in our this time, I wasn’t thinking about a profit anymore; I just
community development to the Rebbe, complaining that his promise
wanted to cut my losses. I’m a businessman, a practical
person by nature, and wrote another letter describing this
hadn’t panned out.
“A few days later I received a response: ‘The Torah

promises: Tithe, so that you become wealthy. Surely this
guarantee will be fulfilled. Don’t worry about the price
drop; be patient.’ So, I held onto the goods, and eventually
the price rose far higher than I had ever expected, bringing
a massive profit.”
Asher concluded: “The fact that the price of goods went
While hatred towards Jews is sadly up is no miracle; markets rise and fall. The miracle is the
Rebbe’s absolute certainty that one doesn’t lose by giving
nothing new, the recent wave of attacks charity, and the firmness of declaration that the Torah’s
against our community is startling and dangerous. words must come true.”
With this amazing attitude, nothing can stand in the way

Antisemitic activity, left unchecked, will escalate of our success. Echoing this same sentiment, a member
of our shul told me that, though most charitable people
and spread rapidly. pledge their tithe when they sell, he calculates and pledges
his tithe when he buys. Doing so assures him of G-d’s
empowering blessing for success from the minute the deal
Driven by your generosity, we advocate sets sail. And he consistently sees the most extraordinary
success in business each and every time he does so.
Rabbi Avraham Alter Heber, a businessman from Kiryat
to legislators, educate on how to identify and call Malachi, Israel, asked the Rebbe how it’s possible to
out antisemitism, and strengthen security manage his many pressing responsibilities — to G-d, his
family, his job, and to his fellow Jew. The Rebbe explained
so people can safely take part in Jewish life. that the key is to decide that you can do it.
For your dreams to come true, you need to believe in
yourself and in the powers vested in you by G-d Almighty
Learn more and get involved at — that you can do it. Your marriage can be wholesome
and loving. Your relationship with your children could
jewishpb.org/standup be nurturing and authentic. You can be successful in your
work. You can live a life filled with Jewish ritual and
observance. You can be well-versed in Torah. You can live
a life of dignity and honor. Because G-d has commanded
you to do all these things, they are within your reach. Don’t
#n #StandUpToJewishHate give up on your dreams just yet.
As our ancestors built a home for G-d in a recent Torah
portion, our community too completed a holy Torah for
G-d as well. In both cases, the Divine Presence has rested
upon our efforts. You too are more powerful than you ever
realized. It’s time to make miracles happen.
May we all succeed in stopping ourselves from stopping
ourselves!
Rabbi Dovid Vigler is spiritual leader at Chabad of
Palm Beach Gardens and host of the Jewish Schmooze
Radio Show. Email him at rabbi@jewishgardens.com.

561.478.0700 | jewishpb.org | @jewishpalmbeach

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