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Tu B’Av
Is when we Jews develop self-confidence
Enabling us to feel Hashem’s exclusive love
See the Rambam at the end of Mesechta Taanis
And celebrate!
Good Yom Tov
Avoda Of The Week…
Birchas HaMazon!
Unlike brocho rishona
Bentching is the blessing of gratitude
Someone who isn’t verbally grateful is not a mentch
One who isn’t grateful isn’t a human being
Best to bentch twice a day
Once in the morning
And again in the evening
Each of the four brochos correspond to the letters of Havaya
The five sections corrrespond to the five partzufim and tzaddikim
ps Kavana in bentching is a powerful segula for parnosa
Hashem repays gratitude handsomely
Shabbos Nachamu
Is the opportunity of the year
Designed for us
To be מנחם each other
נחמו נחמו עם יוד
Five chapters of Eicha
Begin with five mentions of מנחם
Moshiach’s first name
Every סתירה is על מנת לבנות
Build your friends and family
Redeem them
With Simcha
באי בשלום עטרת בעלה
גם בשמחה ובצהלה
Shabbos Nachamu Shalom
What Hope Is There For A Jew Stuck In Vegas?
None
Except for the local mikveh
Stay submerged amap until unstuck
So too a Jew’s neshama
Stuck in an oasis of tumah
Surrounded by אין סוף
Hopeless
Without the local mikveh
What’s yours?
As A Young Man
The Chidushei HaRim was asked by a senior tzaddik
R’ Shlomo Leib of Lentcha
“We’re expected to serve Hashem even if he takes our life
ובכל נפשך
But not if he takes our heart
בכל לבבך should teach us that
But it doesn’t
Instead
בכל לבבך teaches we serve Hashem with our both yetzers, hara and hatov
They’re not our heart anyway
Just act upon our heart
The Chiduushei HaRim didn’t answer
He bemoaned that silence for the rest of his life
Why was he silent?
Why did he regret it?
How would you answer the tzaddik’s question?
Chatzos Kollels have become popular in recent years. Only the Zohar emphasizes the importance of this practice. It’s repeated there dozens of times.
With the haskama of Rav Moshe Shapiro zt”l I encourage people to learn this way themselves whenever possible.
When we can’t, next best is to sponsor someone who can. The ideal subject of learning after chatzos is Kabbala.
$1500 will sponsor a talmid chochom learning kabbala in Yeshivas Rashbi for a month.
Twenty years ago a colleague in the Mir discovered a number of talmidei chachomim struggling financially who refused to receive tzedaka. He outsmarted them.
They were invited to join a Shabbos kollel paying them nicely for learning they were doing anyway wherever they want. Donors don’t know the recipients, and the recipients don’t even know they’re receiving tzedaka. This is the Stealth Kollel.
Stealthily supporting thirty world class talmidei chachomim learning in Yerushalayim. The most ideal form of tzedaka, as stipulated in Bava Basra 9a.
There are no expenses and no advertising. 100% tzedaka.
Sponsoring one avrech for a month is $1000. But donations of any size are warmly welcomed.