Heaven on Earth

Someone owned a very strong and quick horse, and the proud owner fed it well and took good care of it. But eventually the horse became old and its upkeep was costly. Nevertheless, the owner had hakaras hatov to the horse, so he continued feeding it and caring for it. One day, the horse fell into a very deep pit and couldn't get out. The owner thought it was an opportune time to put the end to his horse and began shoveling dirt into the pit to bury it. The horse looked up with pleading eyes, wondering why his owner was throwing earth over him. But the owner didn't pay attention to his horse's plea and kept tossing in earth. As the pit filled up with earth, the horse climbed on top of that earth, and slowly, slowly it was raised, until it was able to leave the pit. There are circumstances in life that seem negative, and sometimes we feel that someone is trying to bury us alive, but ultimately we grow from all those hardships, as everything is planned only for our benefit. (To...

 A young child was observing a truck on the road. The child was too short to see the person sitting in the driver's seat, and it looked to him like the truck was riding on its own. Afraid that the “driverless” truck might crash into him, he urged his mother to get out of the truck’s way. He also asked his mother how the truck knows, on its own, when to stop and when to slow down or speed up. The mother explained that when he will be taller, he will be able to see the man sitting in the driver's seat. The nimshal is that it sometimes seems to us that the world is running on its own with no one in charge. But when we become greater and taller (in a spiritual sense) we recognize that nothing happens on its own. Everything is led by Hashem's hashgachah pratis. (Torah Wellsprings, Matot, 5782)

I have adopted a new practice when interacting with people in this blessed Land. Interactions often lead to confrontations. You don't have to say or do much for the other person to find something offensive or abrasive in your actions or your words. It's really about the incredible closeness between us in our Land, a closeness that is a precondition for love, but also for friction. But now, before the confrontation can happen, I say, "Did you know that every Jew has a part of God from above --חלק אלוה ממעל -- inside? It's only when we focus on the outside (חיצוניות) that we runinto trouble. When we look at the inside (פנימיות), we see only good." This approach typically elicits a smile. The other day, over a parking matter, I mentioned this to someone who was looking gruff and ready for a fight. After he heard about the outside and how it differs from the inside, he said, "Yes," and then he smiled, "It’s like what they say about not judging a wine by...

  A princess became ill, and the doctors determined that she was suffering from depression. To cure her,  the king hired musicians to play music near her bed, and he hired clowns to make jokes, but she wasn't interested, and remained sad. A wise man advised the king, "The princess will  become happy  when she wears the clothes of a very happy person. Find someone  who is always  happy, someone who has no worries, and borrow his clothing. She will wear them, become happy, and will be cured." The king sent his servants to find a happy person. The servants started their search in the wealthy  part of town because “who is happier  than the wealthy? What worries could they possibly have?” They started at the home of the wealthiest person in the kingdom, but he told them, "I'm sorry, and I know that this might surprise  you, but I'm not always happy. In fact, I’m always worried  that I could lose my wealth due to theft, fire, et...

See far, see through To hear the song, click on blue letters above. רואים רחוק רואים שקוף                                                                                מילים:  יענקל'ה רוטבליט לחן:  שמוליק קראוס קיימים 5 ביצועים לשיר זה צר היה כל כך                      I was so confined הייתי אז מוכרח                   I had to spread my wings and fly לפרוש כנפיים ולעוף             To a place where, like Har Nevo, אל מקום שבו                      You see far, you see through אולי כמו הר נבו רואים רחוק רואים שקוף. בן אדם כעץ שתול על מים    A man is like a tree planted near w...

טַעֲמ֣וּ וּ֭רְאוּ כִּֽי־ט֣וֹב יְהֹוָ֑ה אַֽשְׁרֵ֥י הַ֝גֶּ֗בֶר יֶחֱסֶה־בּֽוֹ׃  "Taste and see that the Lord is good, happy is the man who finds shelter in Him." (Psalms 34:9) The Malbim (1809-1879, Ukraine) interprets this verse by stating that we can derive pleasure from HaShem through our senses no less than we derive it from human beings. The only difference is that we also discover that HaShem is good, a pure spiritual goodness that people, he says, cannot provide. However, the Malbim never had the good fortune to live among the millions of those who dwell in the Land of Israel. After all, every Jew is חלק אלוה ממעל, a part of God from above (Job 31:2). Thus, where you have millions of Jews living together, the awareness of God is palpable. And as Israel's numbers increase, this awareness grows from day to day.

The Or HaChaim's deep love for Hashem and the Torah is expressed in his holy writings. Here is a quote from his commentary on Devarim 26:1. "If people would experience the sweetness and the pleasantness of Torah, they would pursue it madly and passionately. The entire world filled with gold and silver would be nothing to them, because the Torah has in it all the good that exists in the world." (Torah Wellsprings, Balak, 5782)

There was a Yid who moved to China for business. Once, while visiting in Europe, he made a stop at the Chofetz Chaim's zt'l home. "How are our brothers in China faring?" the Chofetz Chaim asked. "There are almost no Yidden there," the merchant replied. "There are millions of goyim, but only a handful of Yidden, and they are all very weak in their Yiddishkeit." The Chofetz Chaim gave him his sefer Nidchei Yisrael and said, "I wrote this sefer specifically for the Yidden who live in such places, distant from Torah centers. When you go back to China, bring this sefer to them. It will be good for them." The Chofetz Chaim continued, "And what else is new in China?" "There was a tsunami," the man replied. "Thousands of people died." "Oy, we must do teshuvah," the Chofetz Chaim exclaimed. "Why must we do teshuvah?" the merchant asked. "As I told you, there are almost no Yidden in China, and ...

People get angry when there is heavy traffic on the road, and the like. But are they acting any different than Bilaam who beat his donkey for delaying? When you know that everything is from HaShem, you will not become angry.   (Torah Wellsprings, Balak, 5782)