_Rosh Hashanah Edition -- 1 Tishrei 5772 / September 29, 2011 -- Vol. 3, Issue 1
_
Birthdays are an exciting time of the year, and
having a birthday get together increases the joy one feels and allows it to be
shared with others. Sometimes, when several
people celebrate their birthdays within a few days of each other they make a
joint birthday party which amplifies the birthday elation even more. It is a common misconception that Rosh Hashanah
is the birthday of the world, when in actuality Hashem began creating the world
on the 25th of Elul. Rather,
it is on Rosh Hashanah that Hashem created Adam and Chava, the first man and woman. Rosh Hashanah is therefore the birth of
mankind.
And It was at that first birthday party that one of the guests of honour took it upon herself to leave the party and set out on the road not taken, a path that would need clearing, trimming, and a great deal of work; the road to Moshiach.
This is the arduous task that has been laid out for us by our parents, grandparents, and all the generations leading up to us. We might assume, “Who are we to think that we are capable of being the ones to bring Moshiach? After all, if the greatest Rabbis and Rebbetzins of yesteryear were not successful, what chance do we really have?” However, though we may be smaller in stature than those before us, we have the benefit of standing on their shoulders. It is with our combined efforts that we gain new perspective and new potential.
In a way, Rosh Hashanah is a celebration of all of our birthdays. There are two ways to celebrate a birthday; waiting in anticipation for everyone around you to give you gifts, or spending your time giving of yourself to other people. On one’s birthday a person is given extra strength to bless other people and reflect on the year gone by and the year to come.
Though it may be our party, let’s choose to follow Chava in her brave charge to change the world by asking not what Hashem can do for us, but what we can do for Hashem! Rosh Hashanah also marks the birthday of A Shtikel Vort and we are excited to be entering our 3rd Volume. We hope to bring you new articles, exciting guest writers, and a great deal of inspiration.
And It was at that first birthday party that one of the guests of honour took it upon herself to leave the party and set out on the road not taken, a path that would need clearing, trimming, and a great deal of work; the road to Moshiach.
This is the arduous task that has been laid out for us by our parents, grandparents, and all the generations leading up to us. We might assume, “Who are we to think that we are capable of being the ones to bring Moshiach? After all, if the greatest Rabbis and Rebbetzins of yesteryear were not successful, what chance do we really have?” However, though we may be smaller in stature than those before us, we have the benefit of standing on their shoulders. It is with our combined efforts that we gain new perspective and new potential.
In a way, Rosh Hashanah is a celebration of all of our birthdays. There are two ways to celebrate a birthday; waiting in anticipation for everyone around you to give you gifts, or spending your time giving of yourself to other people. On one’s birthday a person is given extra strength to bless other people and reflect on the year gone by and the year to come.
Though it may be our party, let’s choose to follow Chava in her brave charge to change the world by asking not what Hashem can do for us, but what we can do for Hashem! Rosh Hashanah also marks the birthday of A Shtikel Vort and we are excited to be entering our 3rd Volume. We hope to bring you new articles, exciting guest writers, and a great deal of inspiration.
Rosh Hashanah Issue -- 1 Tishrei, 5774 / September 5, 2013 -- Vol. 5, Issue 1
Being that I have been dependent on others for rides the last few weeks, I am somewhat at their mercy as to the stops they make on the way to our destination. Quite a few of the people have made a quick detour to pick up either breakfast or lunch along the way. And I have noticed that nearly each and every time the food attendant asked (regardless of what they ordered), “did you want fries with that?”
That may seem like a simple and straight forward question but there was usually a small discussion that ensued. “Oh, does it not come with fries? I should probably get some then.” Or “Hmmm….do you think I will need fries with it in order to be full? Okay yes please.” Or even “I wasn’t planning on it but…well, yeah, why not!” Those six magical words seem to bring a whole lot of happiness to people's lives, and yet I wondered what was so magnificent about sliced potatoes? There had to be an extraordinary lesson hiding beneath the surface of this deep fried finger food.
I started to think about the past year and reflect on those things that I prayed to Hashem for help with. It usually started out as a prayer for something specific but as time went on I would add additional items to the list and tweak my preferences. Then once my prayer was answered I continued to press on for just a little bit more; you know, to sweeten the deal just a little bit. Because G-d can do anything, so I might as well ask for it all. In essence, I had ordered my meal but I was also asking for fries with it.
So often we ask Hashem to help us out, to pull us out of a bind, and to push us along that extra mile. But, when He does, all too often we also insist on a little bit more. What if instead of wanting and hoping for more we focused on appreciating what he have. If instead of focusing on acquiring extra, we were content with what He had given us. Imagine how happy we could choose to be.
The next time you're asked "do you want fries with that?" tell them "No thank you, I'm happy with what I have. But thanks for asking."
That may seem like a simple and straight forward question but there was usually a small discussion that ensued. “Oh, does it not come with fries? I should probably get some then.” Or “Hmmm….do you think I will need fries with it in order to be full? Okay yes please.” Or even “I wasn’t planning on it but…well, yeah, why not!” Those six magical words seem to bring a whole lot of happiness to people's lives, and yet I wondered what was so magnificent about sliced potatoes? There had to be an extraordinary lesson hiding beneath the surface of this deep fried finger food.
I started to think about the past year and reflect on those things that I prayed to Hashem for help with. It usually started out as a prayer for something specific but as time went on I would add additional items to the list and tweak my preferences. Then once my prayer was answered I continued to press on for just a little bit more; you know, to sweeten the deal just a little bit. Because G-d can do anything, so I might as well ask for it all. In essence, I had ordered my meal but I was also asking for fries with it.
So often we ask Hashem to help us out, to pull us out of a bind, and to push us along that extra mile. But, when He does, all too often we also insist on a little bit more. What if instead of wanting and hoping for more we focused on appreciating what he have. If instead of focusing on acquiring extra, we were content with what He had given us. Imagine how happy we could choose to be.
The next time you're asked "do you want fries with that?" tell them "No thank you, I'm happy with what I have. But thanks for asking."
Crowning G-d King
This past Thursday evening I was driving to my
chavrusa’s (learning partner) house for our weekly study session and as I
slowed down to make a right turn, my car lost control and began to skid.
I tried desperately to turn the steering wheel each and every way in a frantic
effort to regain the control that I had just a moment before. Unfortunately,
my attempts were to no avail and my car only slowed when the left wheel bumped
into the divider. Quite shaken and stirred, I made my way back home so I
could assess the damage. The car was drivable, but the steering wheel was
shaky, which let me know that my first stop in the morning would be the
mechanic.
As I told my wife Ettie the story, thoughts began racing through my mind. Was I going too fast? What if I had asked my friend to meet me at my house this time? Had I braked too hard? How much money was this going to cost to fix? Is it time to replace my tires? What if there had been a car behind me? In short to sum it all up, “why did this happen to me!” I have to admit that as I started to voice these questions out loud, slowly but surely I became more and more agitated with myself. I could have prevented this. I should have driven better. I am a better driver than this. How could I let this happen? All of Ettie’s kind words and reassurance were falling on deaf ears; that is until she said those incredible 12 words: “you can’t control what happens, but you can control how you react.” And so I started to realize that it wasn’t all about the “I”, but about my relationship with Him, the Almighty.
A new year brings with it much anticipation as well as trepidation. So many questions fill our minds both personal and communal. What will be this year, will I make enough money, will I graduate with honours, will I finally get that promotion, will America truly back Israel, is Moshiach going to come this year? So many questions, so many possibilities, so many options that it's awe-inspiring and overwhelming all at once. Rosh Hashanah is filled with many wonderful customs. Wishing each other a good and sweet new year, dipping an apple in honey, savouring pomegranate, tashlich, and of course the most important, hearing the shofar and praying.
But what do we pray for? There are all many deep, intricate and complicated kabalistic meanings to the shofar and the prayers we recite and if one is aware of these powerful mystical implications they can reach remarkable levels of holiness in their service to Hashem. But what of the rest of us? Those of us who are unaware of the spiritual dimensions and inner workings? What do we ask Hashem for, what should be our focus when davening, and how do we make the most of this auspicious time?
_
Imagine, a stranger walks up to you and asks you to wash his car for him. Chances are you would excuse yourself and quickly walk away wondering what had possessed a person who doesn’t know you to ask such a favour. What if your best friend asked you to mow his lawn? If you weren’t busy, you’d probably say yes. What if your mother asked you to stop by the store to pick up a dozen eggs? Even if you were busy, you would likely try and squeeze it in to your schedule. What if your wife asked you to go with them to the store to pick out a new pair of shoes? You have many ‘important’ things to do on your to-do and shoe shopping is not exactly at the top, you are not interested in shoes, you don’t know what the big deal is about shoes, and if it was up to you, you’d buy ten pairs of the same comfortable shoe you have now and be done with it! However, you make the time to go. Why? Why were you not inclined to wash the stranger’s car which would have taken 20 minutes but okay with going on a three hour shoe shopping trip with your spouse? One reason; relationship.
An important aspect of Rosh Hashanah is crowning G-d as king over the world, over the Jewish people, over our communities, over our families, over you, over me. G-d isn’t only a communal G-d; but a personal one. It’s true that Hashem is all powerful and that on Rosh Hashanah He decides what our lives will be like in the year to come. So do we need to crown Him king? It doesn’t matter if we agree or not, in the end He is still the creator; so what difference does it make to Him? Yet the more important question is what difference does it make to us? The stronger and more intimate our relationship is with G-d, the more readily we accept what He gives us, even if it is not exactly what we want. Similarly, when there is a mitzvah we are required to do, but lack eagerness, we are able to push ourselves and make the effort and squeeze it in to our busy lives.
For me, the message the fender bender left me with was loud and clear; even when you think you’re driving the car and you have complete control, in reality you’re always a passenger. We can plan, organize, and facilitate to the best of our ability, as we should, but at the end of the day the outcome is out of our domain. What is in our power; is how we react, how we perceive, how we deal, how we cope. And so I believe our focus for this High Holiday is twofold; strengthening our personal relationship with Hashem and asking Him not only that we should have a sweet new year, but more importantly that our outlook of that which unfolds throughout the next 12 months is sweet as well. It is in this fashion, by cultivating our connection to G-d and having the power and control to react to His divine plan with understanding, patience and love, that we truly crown Him our king.
As I told my wife Ettie the story, thoughts began racing through my mind. Was I going too fast? What if I had asked my friend to meet me at my house this time? Had I braked too hard? How much money was this going to cost to fix? Is it time to replace my tires? What if there had been a car behind me? In short to sum it all up, “why did this happen to me!” I have to admit that as I started to voice these questions out loud, slowly but surely I became more and more agitated with myself. I could have prevented this. I should have driven better. I am a better driver than this. How could I let this happen? All of Ettie’s kind words and reassurance were falling on deaf ears; that is until she said those incredible 12 words: “you can’t control what happens, but you can control how you react.” And so I started to realize that it wasn’t all about the “I”, but about my relationship with Him, the Almighty.
A new year brings with it much anticipation as well as trepidation. So many questions fill our minds both personal and communal. What will be this year, will I make enough money, will I graduate with honours, will I finally get that promotion, will America truly back Israel, is Moshiach going to come this year? So many questions, so many possibilities, so many options that it's awe-inspiring and overwhelming all at once. Rosh Hashanah is filled with many wonderful customs. Wishing each other a good and sweet new year, dipping an apple in honey, savouring pomegranate, tashlich, and of course the most important, hearing the shofar and praying.
But what do we pray for? There are all many deep, intricate and complicated kabalistic meanings to the shofar and the prayers we recite and if one is aware of these powerful mystical implications they can reach remarkable levels of holiness in their service to Hashem. But what of the rest of us? Those of us who are unaware of the spiritual dimensions and inner workings? What do we ask Hashem for, what should be our focus when davening, and how do we make the most of this auspicious time?
_
Imagine, a stranger walks up to you and asks you to wash his car for him. Chances are you would excuse yourself and quickly walk away wondering what had possessed a person who doesn’t know you to ask such a favour. What if your best friend asked you to mow his lawn? If you weren’t busy, you’d probably say yes. What if your mother asked you to stop by the store to pick up a dozen eggs? Even if you were busy, you would likely try and squeeze it in to your schedule. What if your wife asked you to go with them to the store to pick out a new pair of shoes? You have many ‘important’ things to do on your to-do and shoe shopping is not exactly at the top, you are not interested in shoes, you don’t know what the big deal is about shoes, and if it was up to you, you’d buy ten pairs of the same comfortable shoe you have now and be done with it! However, you make the time to go. Why? Why were you not inclined to wash the stranger’s car which would have taken 20 minutes but okay with going on a three hour shoe shopping trip with your spouse? One reason; relationship.
An important aspect of Rosh Hashanah is crowning G-d as king over the world, over the Jewish people, over our communities, over our families, over you, over me. G-d isn’t only a communal G-d; but a personal one. It’s true that Hashem is all powerful and that on Rosh Hashanah He decides what our lives will be like in the year to come. So do we need to crown Him king? It doesn’t matter if we agree or not, in the end He is still the creator; so what difference does it make to Him? Yet the more important question is what difference does it make to us? The stronger and more intimate our relationship is with G-d, the more readily we accept what He gives us, even if it is not exactly what we want. Similarly, when there is a mitzvah we are required to do, but lack eagerness, we are able to push ourselves and make the effort and squeeze it in to our busy lives.
For me, the message the fender bender left me with was loud and clear; even when you think you’re driving the car and you have complete control, in reality you’re always a passenger. We can plan, organize, and facilitate to the best of our ability, as we should, but at the end of the day the outcome is out of our domain. What is in our power; is how we react, how we perceive, how we deal, how we cope. And so I believe our focus for this High Holiday is twofold; strengthening our personal relationship with Hashem and asking Him not only that we should have a sweet new year, but more importantly that our outlook of that which unfolds throughout the next 12 months is sweet as well. It is in this fashion, by cultivating our connection to G-d and having the power and control to react to His divine plan with understanding, patience and love, that we truly crown Him our king.
Learning to Choose Life (Rosh Hashanah Issue)
This time last year I was frantically organizing last minute Rosh Hashanah plans, and asking friends and family to help with the finer details. You know, just little things like packing yom tov clothes and essentials for my daughter and me, plus items to bring to Ettie, arranging where we were going to sleep, refreshing the sequence of blowing the shofar, memorizing directions to various shuls and homes that I may eat at, arranging a shalom zachor, and calling Rabbaim with important medical-halachic questions; like I said just a few little things.
Why on Erev Rosh Hashanah was I all of a sudden thrust into a last minute frenzy? After all, usually these things are carefully planned weeks in advance as they take time to prepare and situate. Last year (5772) on the 27th of Tishrei last year, my son came into this world in a most tumultuous manner. Born with a prolapsed cord and an emergency c-section, he was deprived of oxygen (for how long we will never really know), had a very low heart beat, and had an Apgar score of 1. From the very beginning, he had several real challenges set out before him.
We were scared, worried, stressed, nervous, and full of a little bit of every emotion all rolled into one. What was going to happen? Would our son be okay? How long would he be in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)? When could we bring him home? When I met my son for the first time, he was surrounded by an array of machines that never seemed to rest from beeping, chiming, or flashing lights. I tried to remember which ones were for what, so that I didn't have to call the nurse or doctor over each time I heard a beep, worrying if everything was okay.
But this wasn't the way that it was supposed to be. This was supposed to be a joyous occasion filled with the planning of a bris (circumcision), contacting a caterer, and sending out emails with cute pictures to everyone that we knew.
Well, we did send out emails to everyone we knew but it was to mobilize prayers on our son's behalf to beseech Hashem to heal him and give him a complete recovery. For two weeks, our life was turned completely upside down. Bayla and I stayed at the home of good friends who were walking distance to the hospital, while Ettie was still admitted in the hospital by herself due to her complications, and Shmuel Abba was in a place that no baby should ever have to be. Thank G-d, two hours before Yom Kippur, our precious son was deemed healthy and given clearance to leave the hospital. And so Yom Kippur for us actually became more akin to Simchas Torah.
It was only after the ordeal ended could I begin to review everything that had happened. The magnitude of people that had said Tehillim (psalms) for Shmuel Abba. How many people had put on Tefillin, lit Shabbos candles, baked challah, included him in their personal prayers, had given him a refuah shelaima mishaberach by the Torah, and had cried to Hashem to heal him and make him whole; to heal us and make us whole. I realized that though Shmuel Abba had seemingly entered into his life in what seemed like an exile, at the same time he had managed to inspire and propel hundreds of people to do a mitzvah. In fact, in two short weeks he had been responsible for more people doing mitzvahs than many of us can accomplish in a life time. A most impressive and important feat.
Fast forward one year later; to the day. The 27th of Tishrei 5773. We wanted to do something extra special on this day to celebrate Shmuel Abba's first birthday, considering how much we appreciate the miracle that occurred. So there we were, Sunday morning, planning an extra special menu for a birthday dinner, when I felt as though my leg was a little heavy. I had broken a bone in my left foot (the fifth metatarsal) two weeks earlier, yet it wasn't a heavy feeling due to being in an air cast but a different kind of heavy. I rolled up my pant leg to find that my calf had swollen to about one and a half times its usual size. We were trying to decide whether it was a side effect of my wearing the air cast too tight or an issue of significance, when a close friend called to wish Shmuel Abba happy birthday. When Ettie relayed the dilemma to her, she told us that from what she understood it could be very serious. After speaking with a close friend who is a family doctor we were off the Emergency Room for a quick visit to assuage our fears and then hopefully be back home in no time to prepare for the birthday feast.
As I'm sure you are aware, "quick Emergency Room visit" is an oxymoron. Four hours, an x-ray, blood test, several different medications and a shot later, plus a requisition for an ultrasound the following day and we were on our way home. To make a long story short, it was discovered that I had some blot clots in my left leg and I have been put on a blood thinning treatment program through the Anti-Coagulation Management clinic for the next four to six months. This involves medication, daily blood tests at the clinic to monitor the effectiveness of the medication, and for the first two weeks an injection. In speaking with the clinic's head pharmacist and lead doctor, it seems that most likely the blood clots were actually already present before my fall. Although breaking my foot made matters worse, it was this incident that thankfully alerted me to the G-d forbid potentially life threatening situation.
So I started to think that the 27th of Tishrei was a bad day for us. A date where negative things seem to happen for our family. But my wife, being the positive person that she is, took a different approach. She said, "Look at our beautiful son, he is a true miracle and blessing. He inspired hundreds, if not thousands, made us further develop ourselves into stronger people, and is super sweet to boot. As for your leg, if you hadn't broken your foot, and if we hadn't realized that it was swollen, we may not have found the blood clots until G-d forbid a dangerous situation. We need to learn to choose life; to make our outlook one where we see the sun shining."
It makes me realize that life is all about perspective. It isn't about whether the cup is half empty or half full, but being joyous that we have a cup to begin with, and then taking the matter into our own hands and filling it.
As we enter into the new year, let's start a new leaf. Don't forget the past, but rather redefine it in the appropriate way. Choose to see G-d as He really is; not as we sometimes perceive Him to be. Decide to be happy not because something good has happened, but because you want good things to happen. Most of all, make this a year where every step of the way, you choose life!
Why on Erev Rosh Hashanah was I all of a sudden thrust into a last minute frenzy? After all, usually these things are carefully planned weeks in advance as they take time to prepare and situate. Last year (5772) on the 27th of Tishrei last year, my son came into this world in a most tumultuous manner. Born with a prolapsed cord and an emergency c-section, he was deprived of oxygen (for how long we will never really know), had a very low heart beat, and had an Apgar score of 1. From the very beginning, he had several real challenges set out before him.
We were scared, worried, stressed, nervous, and full of a little bit of every emotion all rolled into one. What was going to happen? Would our son be okay? How long would he be in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)? When could we bring him home? When I met my son for the first time, he was surrounded by an array of machines that never seemed to rest from beeping, chiming, or flashing lights. I tried to remember which ones were for what, so that I didn't have to call the nurse or doctor over each time I heard a beep, worrying if everything was okay.
But this wasn't the way that it was supposed to be. This was supposed to be a joyous occasion filled with the planning of a bris (circumcision), contacting a caterer, and sending out emails with cute pictures to everyone that we knew.
Well, we did send out emails to everyone we knew but it was to mobilize prayers on our son's behalf to beseech Hashem to heal him and give him a complete recovery. For two weeks, our life was turned completely upside down. Bayla and I stayed at the home of good friends who were walking distance to the hospital, while Ettie was still admitted in the hospital by herself due to her complications, and Shmuel Abba was in a place that no baby should ever have to be. Thank G-d, two hours before Yom Kippur, our precious son was deemed healthy and given clearance to leave the hospital. And so Yom Kippur for us actually became more akin to Simchas Torah.
It was only after the ordeal ended could I begin to review everything that had happened. The magnitude of people that had said Tehillim (psalms) for Shmuel Abba. How many people had put on Tefillin, lit Shabbos candles, baked challah, included him in their personal prayers, had given him a refuah shelaima mishaberach by the Torah, and had cried to Hashem to heal him and make him whole; to heal us and make us whole. I realized that though Shmuel Abba had seemingly entered into his life in what seemed like an exile, at the same time he had managed to inspire and propel hundreds of people to do a mitzvah. In fact, in two short weeks he had been responsible for more people doing mitzvahs than many of us can accomplish in a life time. A most impressive and important feat.
Fast forward one year later; to the day. The 27th of Tishrei 5773. We wanted to do something extra special on this day to celebrate Shmuel Abba's first birthday, considering how much we appreciate the miracle that occurred. So there we were, Sunday morning, planning an extra special menu for a birthday dinner, when I felt as though my leg was a little heavy. I had broken a bone in my left foot (the fifth metatarsal) two weeks earlier, yet it wasn't a heavy feeling due to being in an air cast but a different kind of heavy. I rolled up my pant leg to find that my calf had swollen to about one and a half times its usual size. We were trying to decide whether it was a side effect of my wearing the air cast too tight or an issue of significance, when a close friend called to wish Shmuel Abba happy birthday. When Ettie relayed the dilemma to her, she told us that from what she understood it could be very serious. After speaking with a close friend who is a family doctor we were off the Emergency Room for a quick visit to assuage our fears and then hopefully be back home in no time to prepare for the birthday feast.
As I'm sure you are aware, "quick Emergency Room visit" is an oxymoron. Four hours, an x-ray, blood test, several different medications and a shot later, plus a requisition for an ultrasound the following day and we were on our way home. To make a long story short, it was discovered that I had some blot clots in my left leg and I have been put on a blood thinning treatment program through the Anti-Coagulation Management clinic for the next four to six months. This involves medication, daily blood tests at the clinic to monitor the effectiveness of the medication, and for the first two weeks an injection. In speaking with the clinic's head pharmacist and lead doctor, it seems that most likely the blood clots were actually already present before my fall. Although breaking my foot made matters worse, it was this incident that thankfully alerted me to the G-d forbid potentially life threatening situation.
So I started to think that the 27th of Tishrei was a bad day for us. A date where negative things seem to happen for our family. But my wife, being the positive person that she is, took a different approach. She said, "Look at our beautiful son, he is a true miracle and blessing. He inspired hundreds, if not thousands, made us further develop ourselves into stronger people, and is super sweet to boot. As for your leg, if you hadn't broken your foot, and if we hadn't realized that it was swollen, we may not have found the blood clots until G-d forbid a dangerous situation. We need to learn to choose life; to make our outlook one where we see the sun shining."
It makes me realize that life is all about perspective. It isn't about whether the cup is half empty or half full, but being joyous that we have a cup to begin with, and then taking the matter into our own hands and filling it.
As we enter into the new year, let's start a new leaf. Don't forget the past, but rather redefine it in the appropriate way. Choose to see G-d as He really is; not as we sometimes perceive Him to be. Decide to be happy not because something good has happened, but because you want good things to happen. Most of all, make this a year where every step of the way, you choose life!
