Sometimes a child's insight is better...

When you read this, you will never think of thunderstorms the same way again.

A Child's View of Thunderstorms

A little girl walked to and from school daily. Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to school.  As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with lightning.

The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school.  She also feared the electrical storm might harm her child.

Full of concern, the mother got into her car and quickly drove along the route to her child's school. As she did, she saw her little girl walking along.
 
At each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up, and smile.  More lightning followed quickly and with each, the little girl would look at the streak of light and smile.

When the mother drove up beside the child, she lowered the window and called, "What are you doing?"
 
The child answered, "I am trying to look pretty because G-d keeps taking my picture."

I thought this was so cute; but then realized, wouldn't life be much simpler and less stressful if we could view it as a child?  Instead of being uptight about everything, just have complete faith that Hashem is there, loves us and wants to help us through every situation.

When you have Hashem in your life, you feel His protection and do not fear the world.  Scriptures tells us not to put ourselves in danger -- it is like you are testing Hashem and you will fail.  But, if you find yourself in a dangerous situation, and turn to Hashem for help, you will not come to harm.

I have a friend who accidentally strayed into an Arab village.  The locals sat him down and put a gun to his head.  My friend started to recite Psalms, completely putting his fate in the hands of Hashem.  All of a sudden, there was an incident that occurred nearby which distracted his tormentors.  They ran towards the new incident, leaving my friend alone allowing him to leave quietly and safely.

There are so many stories like this including miraculous stories about 911 where people turned to Hashem and survived.  I know several people who experienced such miracles.

There is one last word about putting oneself in danger that is a little more subtle.  We were put on this physical world to serve Hashem by doing the mitzvot and perfecting ourselves.  Hashem gave us a body to accomplish these physical tasks and told us to take care of this body.  That means that we are obligated by Torah to eat properly, exercise, get proper sleep, etc.  In other words, if we violate our own physical needs, we put ourselves in danger.  The level of obesity in the US of A, as an example, is a great Torah violation.  The overall life expectancy of Americans is down.  It is 79 years of age and ranks 33 in the world.  Israel, where the average Israeli is thin, eats better and more physically active, is ranked number 4 with an average age of 82.  Number 1, 2 and 3 are age 83.  I know it is due mostly to the fast food establishments that are much more interested in profits for their stockholders than the welfare of their customers.  Laziness is also involved.  If you want something at a store one block away, why are you driving there?  Couch potato is a very prevalent way of life.

Hashem watches everything we do.  The protection that He gives us is measure for measure what we deserve.  Subtle or not -- danger is danger, and Hashem notes it all and rewards or punishes it all.  Part of doing Teshuvah is evaluating every aspect of your life, even the subtle events.

Message for the Week of Parshat Pinchas 5773

I urge you, please go to Geula Messages and read the latest vital message from Rav Nir Ben Artzi for this week of Parshat Pinchas:

http://geulamessages.blogspot.co.il/

Daf Yomi

One of my daily programs in studying Torah is called Daf Yomi.   Daf Yomi (Hebrew: דף היומי‎, Daf HaYomi, "page of the day" or "daily folio") is a daily regimen of learning the Oral Torah and its commentaries (also known as the Gemara), in which each of the 2,711 pages (that is a two sided page or 5,422 sides) of the Babylonian Talmud are covered in sequence.  Under this regimen, the entire Talmud is completed, one day at a time, in a cycle of seven and a half years.  This program which was started by a Rabbi Meir Shapiro in 1923 is done worldwide.  The end of the cycle culminates in a worldwide celebration called Siyum HaShas (completion of the 6 orders of the Talmud).  In the last Siyum HaShas, 2 August 2012, an estimated 300,000 participants around the world celebrated.  It has come a long way since 1923.  It is interesting to know that so many worldwide are studying everyday and are all on the same exact page of the Talmud.  Wikipedia has a very good write-up on the Daf Yomi to learn more.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daf_Yomi

Why do I bring this up at this time?  Good question.  The Talmud, like all of Jewish scriptures is replete with prophecy.  More so than the Bible, the prophecy is told outright and is more easily discernible.  The coolest thing about doing Daf Yomi that I have noticed over the years is messages from Hashem.  How so?  Very often the prophecy is being fulfilled on the day that we are studying it.  In other words, there are events happening in the world that day that allude to the topic of that day’s daf (page).  I am always fascinated to find how Hashem talks to us in the most miraculous way.

That still doesn't explain why I bring it up at this time.  I know, be patient, I’m getting there.  On Shabbos, we started a new tractate – Pesachim.  This tractate tells all about the festival of Pesach (Passover).  Does that seem a little out of place since we celebrated Pesach three months ago?  I asked that question myself before doing the first Daf of the new tractate.  Then I read the introductory commentary from the Artscroll Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud and came across a very interesting possibility.  Here is the paragraph that sparked my interest:

The festival of Pesach (Passover) celebrates the central event of Jewish history: the redemption of the Jewish people from Egypt. The significance of the redemption is best evidenced by the fact that the Ten Commandments begin with the declaration: I am Hashem, your G-d, Who delivered you from the land of Egypt (Exodus 20:2). The very fact that G-d introduces Himself as the Redeemer rather than the Creator serves to emphasize his role as the Mover of history, not solely as its Initiator.

Does this hint to the fulfilment of the coming of the redemption – the Geula?  Is this telling us that all the Jews and the lost tribes will leave their present dwelling places to return home soon?  Being the eternal optimist, it sounds good to me.  I am not a prophet and therefore can only see the prophecy fulfilled after the fact.  But, it sure is exiting to speculate since the Daf Yomi has produced some very spooky results in the past.  Tractate Pesachim is 121 dafim (pages) long so perhaps we are talking about all being accomplished in the next 4 months (or sooner).

I do, however, encourage you to consider doing Daf Yomi.  The Talmud is such a good compendium of details on the Torah and the rest of Jewish scriptures.  To go through it one page a day with all the commentaries included, one can get the best overview of everything the world has to offer.  For me to tell you exciting prophecies that I find is interesting.  For you to discover it yourself is far superior and much more meaningful.  Since the goal here is to come closer to Hashem and learn His ways, Daf Yomi is an excellent way to get a general overview of it all.  You will not be a Torah scholar going through Daf Yomi, but it is a start to achieving the happiness and success in life that Torah study brings.  I have said that “Hashem does not judge us by what we know, He judges us by how we grow.”  Daf Yomi is an excellent way to grow and does not take very long (an hour a day is usually more than enough).  The most important thought is that Daf Yomi is very enjoyable and a very productive way to do something great for yourself and family.  It is a win-win situation.  See you at the next Siyum HaShas.

Message for the Week of Parshat Balak 5773

I urge you, please go to Geula Messages and read the latest vital message from Rav Nir Ben Artzi for the Week of Parshat Balak:

http://geulamessages.blogspot.co.il/

Let’s Make a Deal

The following article is from Aish.com

Monty Hall’s best deal changed his life.

by David Suissa

For over 30 years, starting in the early 1960s, Monty Hall hosted Let’s Make a Deal, one of the most popular game shows in television history. He was not only the show’s impresario, he created and produced it, and today, at 91, he is still involved with its creative evolution.

But while Hall has fond memories of the thousands of “deals” he made on his show, when I met him for lunch the other day at the Hillcrest Country Club, he had other deals in mind.

In particular, he told me about a deal he made more than 75 years ago with a Jewish man named Max Freed.

Hall had dropped out of college after his first year because he couldn't afford to continue. He was living with his family in Winnipeg, a city of long winters in western Canada that attracted many Jews from Ukraine. The Hall clan spent many years struggling financially and living in close quarters.

Max Freed, on the other hand, was anything but struggling. He was a 29-year-old playboy with a thriving clothing company who wore fancy suits and had a reputation around town for living the good life.

One fateful day, Freed bumped into Hall’s father, a kosher butcher, and asked him: “Was that your boy I saw yesterday washing the floors of a warehouse?” The father responded that yes, that was his son.

“Well,” Freed said, “tell him to come by my office tomorrow.”

When Hall showed up the next day, Freed made him an offer. If Hall returned to college, Freed would pay for all his schooling expenses, but with three conditions.

One, Hall’s grades had to be B-plus or higher. Two, Freed wanted a monthly report on his progress. And three, Hall had to promise that one day he’d do the same for another kid. (Freed also asked him to keep the deal confidential, a request Hall gladly ignored nearly 75 years later at our lunch.)

Hall, with the support of his family, jumped at the deal, so Freed asked him to get back to him with a budget.

As Freed reviewed the budget, which included tuition and living expenses, he noticed that Hall had put in only 25 cents for lunch. “Don’t you want a drink with your lunch?” he asked. “Go ahead and add 5 cents for a Coke, and throw in something for haircuts, too.”

Once they agreed on the budget, Hall promptly resumed his studies at the University of Manitoba.

For the next three years, Hall thrived. He was the first Jewish student to become president of the student body, a prestigious position. He had excellent grades and reported regularly to Freed, who kept a close eye on his progress.

Hall’s accomplishments, however, were not enough to get him into medical school, so after graduation he moved to Toronto and began a career in radio broadcasting.

Hall had a restless personality and was always on the lookout for new opportunities. He moved to the United States and began working in television, creating and producing shows. His big break came when he sold Let’s Make a Deal to a major network.

Hall went way beyond his promise to help another kid get an education. He helped charities raise more than $1 billion.

As Hall became one of the best-known names in television, Max Freed was becoming very proud of his “investment.” The two always kept in touch, becoming so close that Freed’s son once said to Hall: “I think he loves you more than he loves me!”

But it wasn't just Hall’s fame and success that made Freed proud — it was also his charitable work. Hall went way beyond his original promise to help another kid get an education. In fact, he became one of America’s most celebrated fundraisers, helping charities of all stripes raise more than $1 billion.

In the charity world today, Hall is known as the man who doesn’t say no.

A few years ago, Hall heard from a doctor that Freed, by then 99, was nearing the end. He took the first flight to Winnipeg to be near him.

When Hall got to his bedside, he moved his face “nose to nose” with Freed, who was now “mostly blind and mostly deaf.” They talked and reminisced for about 20 minutes.

Finally, putting his mouth close to his friend’s ear, Hall said to the man who had picked him up 75 years earlier while he was washing floors in Winnipeg: “Max, you gave me a life.”

Max Freed, the former playboy who invested in that little Jewish boy he hardly knew, replied, in a barely audible voice: “No, Monty, you gave me a life.”

This article originally appeared in The Jewish Journal.

Additional note:

I enjoyed this article and wanted to bring it to you since I have been saying how important it is to help others.  It is one of the most important messages from the Torah that helping others is a good way to help yourself.  We are on this Earth to perfect ourselves and reach Tikun -- this article is an example of one of the easiest methods to do so.