http://69.89.31.155/~ahavasis/index.php en shelomo@gmail.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-02T22:29:25-05:00 http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_mcd_2_2_12/ http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_mcd_2_2_12/#When:21:29:25Z The Short Vort Good Morning!   Today is Friday the 10th of Shevat 5772 and February 3, 2012   MCD   Moshe Chaim Danzig or as everyone called him MCD, is a special person. He is always picking up the used tissues from the tables. He cleans up the half drunken coffee cups left in the lobby and tapes up the pages of ripped siddurim. MCD is always the first to say Shalom Aleichem and when someone needs a shoulder to cry on- it’s MCD who is there to provide comfort and encouragement. When we are kibitzing together I call him Moishele (the) Chesed Doer! Once, I casually remarked to MCD that he must have had wonderful parents. He responded quietly, “Rabbi, actually I grew up in a home which today would be termed ‘dysfunctional’. My parents were not nurturing and Chesed- was no where to be found.”  “How then did you become an Ish Chesed, a man who embodies kindness?” “I had a good Rebbe who had a great Rebbe; I decided to make my Rebbe’s Rebbe- my Rebbe!” I was confused and asked MCD to explain. “Being that I grew up in a challenging home- I decided to become close to my teachers. In particular, my sixth grade Rebbe- Rabbi Stern. He was a true ‘star’ (in Yiddish- a Shtern is a ‘star’). His English was more Yiddish than English and his knowledge of baseball was almost non-existent; however, he was the kindest man I have ever met in my life.  I remember the first week of school; there was an Indian summer and we all sweated away in the classroom. As Rabbi Stern took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, the numbers on his forearm were visible and that tattoo became a tangible connection between the American boys of Brooklyn and the destroyed world of Vilna. Rabbi Stern was kind to everyone. He always said ‘Tenk You’ to the African-American custodian who changed the bulbs in our classroom. He always cleaned up before Mrs. Specter, the English teacher arrived. If any boy ever forgot his lunch; Rebbe gave us his lunch. One day Rebbe came in without his overcoat. He looked frozen. When I asked him what happened, he told me that he saw a homeless person sleeping at the Avenue J subway station so he took off his coat and covered the sleeping homeless man. I was shocked at this display of Chesed and asked my Rebbe, “Rebbe, you went through Auschwitz. You told us that your entire family including your six year old sister was killed before your eyes. You and your wife have no children. How did you become a kind person?” Rebbe- looked at me and said, I had the best Rebbe in the world.” “But Rebbe, you told us that you were taken to the camps when you were in 5th grade and that you never had a Rebbe?” “True Moishele I never had a human Rebbe however; I had the best Rebbe of all. Pain is the best Rebbe of all. Through my affliction I realized how capable man is of hurting his fellow man.  In the midst of Auschwitz I made a promise to Hashem that if He will ever free me I will dedicate my life to spread kindness and comfort. My revenge against the Nazis is by being the opposite of what they became. My pain taught me how much joy and kindness a man can spread. Pain was my Rebbe and it taught me well.” “From that day on”, said MCD- “I decided to make my Rebbe’s Rebbe my Rebbe. Notwithstanding the pain I experienced at home- I decided to use it as a catalyst for Chesed and kindness. That is how I became a Chesed person.” I looked into the eyes of Moishele Chaim Danzig and saw G-dliness.   short Vort 2012-02-02T21:29:25-05:00 http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_collecting_the_collectors_1_31_12/ http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_collecting_the_collectors_1_31_12/#When:17:00:33Z The Short Vort Good Morning!   Today is Tuesday the 7th of Shevat 5772 and January 31, 2012   Collecting the Collectors   Much has been written and discussed with regard to collectors and Shul. In short, all of us are obligated to help out our fellow Jew and non-Jew. However, we are equally obligated to engage in serious, heartfelt and intense communication with our creator on a daily basis. Recently, many of you have reached out to me in desperation. The problem? The frequency and the brazenness of those who are collecting in the Shul on a daily basis. You feel that your Tefillos are being constantly interrupted and disturbed. You feel that the distribution of literature on the tables is becoming a daily occurrence. You have related to me how you have to come feel ‘held captive’ in Shul as before Aleinu someone interrupts the davening to make an impromptu appeal. You have reached out to me and have requested of me to respond to you. This is the purpose of this letter.   The needs of our people are great indeed. Our hearts feel the pain of those need and our hands respond compassionately. However, there is a ‘rule’ that “one who is involved in a mitzvah is exempt from performing a different mitzvah”.   Therefore, in order to be compassionate to those in need while simultaneously attempting to insure a proper decorum for davening; I am instituting the following guidelines:   No collector shall be denied access to the Shul, its lobby, free coffee, a warm place to sit and relax, and the use of the rest rooms  irrespective of his clothing and or physical appearance or race, creed or color. However, NO ONE has the right to collect in ANY OF THE SHULS (i.e. upstairs Beis Medrash; Main Shul; Downstairs Blatt Beis Medrash; and ballroom (when a Minyan meets there) DURING THE DAVENING. No one (and I mean NO ONE) has permission to speak at any time DURING davening.  This includes even before Aleinu. Those who do speak AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE ENTIRE davening are doing so without my (Rabbi Eisenman’s) endorsement or from anyone else in the Shul; even if they claim they have spoken to me. Therefore,  in order to show compassion and care, and as long as there is not a shiur immediately after davening- I am not going to attempt to stop anyone from communicating their needs to the people as long as davening has ended. With regard to all those who collect in Shul- (including but not limited to those who stand by the door or who enter the Shul at the conclusion of davening) unless they produce a WRITTEN. DATED AND SIGNED ENDORSEMENT from me- I do not vouch for the credibility of the individual nor am I endorsing the authenticity of the cause. I do not vouch for anyone’s needs and neither can I attest to their religious affiliation or lack of affiliation. Recognizing the fact that we do not have a full time Gabbai (or security personnel) I urge all of those who daven in the Shul to POLIETLEY inform the collectors of our policies. I also urge those who daven here NOT TO contribute to those collectors who do not abide by these guidelines. Please realize that the Shul itself is ALWAYS in desperate need of funds in order to pay its bills and we ask all of you to remember the Shul (and its needs) when you come here to daven. May Hashem continue to help all of those who need His help.   Ron Yitzchok Eisenman Author of the book: "The Elephant in the Room" Available at the address below and at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Elephant-Room-Ron-Yitzchok-Eisenman/dp/1937887006/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top Rabbi; Congregation Ahavas Israel 181 Van Houten Ave Passaic, New Jersey 07055 973.777.5929 Ext. # 1      short Vort 2012-01-31T17:00:33-05:00 http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_sols_the_man_1_30_12/ http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_sols_the_man_1_30_12/#When:15:16:38Z The Short Vort Good Morning!   Today is Monday the 6th of Shevat 5772 and January 30, 2012   Sol’s the Man   (Editors Note: Many of our Passaic/Clifton readers will relate first hand to this piece. However, its’ message is universal)    Ever wonder who has the opportunity to greet and help the most people in the neighborhood in one day? Maybe you are thinking of one the many Torah leaders who grace our community with their presence (present company excluded). Perhaps it’s the principals of our fine schools? Could be. However, if I had to vote for one of the major Baalei Chesed (do gooders) in our town my vote would be cast for a very unlikely and perhaps not-yet-discovered great man. I would vote for Sol Silberman! For those of you from Passaic (both of you) who do not know who Sol is- allow me to make the introduction. Sol is one of those fine and dedicated cashiers who man the registers at the only Kosher Grocery in town. From early in the morning to late in the day; from Sunday through Friday, when one needs food (and who doesn’t need food?) it’s Sol Silberman (or one of the other fine cashiers) who is there to help out. However, it’s not just that Sol is there to facilitate a smooth and seamless check out; Sol is ALWAYS there to offer a smile and say an encouraging word. Today I stopped in buy a few things. It was off-peak-hours and as I was about to take my packages and leave, I decided to chat for a few minutes with the man who is always at task in helping hundreds of families to have food and nourishment. I asked Sol, “Do sometimes people chatter on their cell phones and fail to say hello to you when they are on the checkout line?” Sol gave me his signature beautiful smile and in that quiet and unassuming humility which is his trademark remarked, “Sometimes people just keep on talking and walking and never even acknowledge my presence. At the beginning it bothered me; however, now I just figure they don’t mean anything bad by it; it’s just the way things are nowadays. So I don’t let it bother me” I thought of just impolite and insensitive this must be to Sol. After all, people don’t even feel you rate a ‘hello’ or a ‘thank you’. “What happens if your cell phone rings Sol?” I asked, figuring that maybe he would say since he talks on his cell phone it’s a ‘wash’. I have always been impressed by the humbleness and reserved nature of Sol; however, the answer he supplied to this question just ‘blew me away’. Sol looked up and said, “I don’t have a cell phone!” I looked at Sol and said in disbelief- “Sol, are you serious?” However, from his coyness I knew he was totally truthful.   As usual I thought I was doing him a ‘Chesed’ (good deed) by spending a few minutes with Sol; however, it soon became quite apparent that I was the beneficiary of this encounter and not the benefactor!   I said a warm good bye to Sol and the entire way home I just kept thinking… “The man who is probably the most affected and insulted by the impoliteness of the cell phone – is the same man who never returns the favor to others!”   If anyone out there in virtual land happens to see Sol soon; do me favor, tell him he’s got my vote for our neighborhood hero.   short Vort 2012-01-30T15:16:38-05:00 http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_the_dropped_call_1_27_12/ http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_the_dropped_call_1_27_12/#When:10:16:42Z The Short Vort Good Morning!   Today is Wednesday the 1st of Shevat 5772 and January 25, 2012   The Call for Help   I had just exited the Shiva home where we had just completed Shacharis. Although I knew there were rides back to the Shul, I initially opted to walk. As I walked toward home, I looked at all the men scattering in different directions to begin their days. What would their day be like? Would anything dramatic and memorable occur? Would they meet anyone special and interesting today? What about me? What would my day be like? The answer was not long in coming. Notwithstanding the fact that I initially demurred on the offered ride, as another car slowed down and asked me to hop aboard I acquiesced and climbed in. Why did I agree to become a passenger? Not sure, however, I was soon to find out. As we rounded the corner on Main Ave toward Van Houten Ave a car barreled out of parking lot of A-1 Health Food Store. The woman driving the car was going quite fast and was obviously not focusing on anything except for the cherished and captivating cell phone lovingly cradled in her palm and held tenderly to her ear. Her car bounded out of the parking lot with great speed. With the help of He who helps all, she spotted the small car containing me and two other men and stopped in the nick of time. As all of our eyes met, it was clear from her expression that she realized she was wrong. She realized she was not paying close enough attention to her controlling the 6000 pound elephantine object which she was entrusted with. As she looked out somewhat sheepishly in our direction, she motioned for us to continue with our legally granted right of way and we passed her. As we drove on I took one last look at the woman; she had resumed her conversation. Nothing had changed, nothing was different. Everyone thanked G-d that no calamity occurred. Everyone went home and assumed that G-d will continue to watch over us and protect us. Everyone will continue to merrily sing their song of trust in He who protects all and no one will be better off for the ‘close call’. Rabbi Eisenman will write another Short Vort advocating for vigilance in observing simple safety habits such as driving without talking on the cell phone. Mrs. A-1 will go home, armed with her purchases and giving more thought to her conversation than to her lack of attentiveness to her driving. I and probably the others in the car will smugly and complacently go home fooling ourselves with the false promise of: “I would never do that”; until of course I have to make ‘just one call’ and rationalize to myself why my call is ‘different’. In short, all of us will leave scene of the near miss with the same naïve and infantine assessment of the ‘almost tragedy’; no one will have changed at all. Mrs. A-1 went back to her phone call. The driver of the vehicle went to work. I wrote a Short Vort. And no one and nothing changed. And that is so sad.  short Vort 2012-01-27T10:16:42-05:00 http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_is_this_your_talis_1_23_12/ http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_is_this_your_talis_1_23_12/#When:21:05:31Z The Short Vort Good Morning!   Today is Tuesday the 29th of Teves 5772 and January 24th 2012   Is This Your Talis?   I don’t make these stories up! They really happen to me! Listen to this one! Last week as I was walking to shul in the morning what do I see lying in gutter? A talis bag! I open up the bag and inside is a nice new Talis; alas, there was no name anywhere to be found in or on the bag. I lovingly picked up the Talis from the gutter, wiped off the bag and brought it back to the office.   (Lesson Number One: write your name on your talis and tefillin bag)   That same morning I noticed one of the boys who live in the house right where I found the Talis and asked him if anyone had lost a Talis. He looked at me, and shook his head. I bided my time and waited until I would see the father of the home.   (Lesson Number Two: Never give up!)   Fast forward to Sunday morning; there is snow on the ground and a brisk chill in the air. As I move toward the Shul to teach the daily daf, a fellow who has already completed his davening approached me and shows me a cell phone. “I just found this phone in the snow in front of the Shul.” After we attempt to identify and locate the owner through the ‘contacts’ – we jointly decide that I will take the phone from the finder as the Shul office is probably a more centralized place to return the phone from.   (Lesson Number Three: have an ‘ICE” contact’ so people can contact you or at least a good friend or family member to give back your phone if they find it)   No sooner does Daf Yomi end and the phone starts ringing off the hook! I answer and sure enough a fellow shul goes is calling to get back his lost phone. I tell him to come to my office and that I will wait for him there. As the fellow is coming into the shul area near my office, another fellow is about to exit. Fellow number two is the owner of the home in front of which I found the talis. I return the lost phone to fellow number one, wish him well and turn toward fellow number two. “Did anyone in your household lose a talis?” “I don’t think so; however, maybe a relative who was here lost one.” I told him to take the Talis ‘just in case’ it was his relative’s and if not he should bring the Talis back to me. About one hour later fellow number two calls to inform me that indeed it was his relative’s Talis and he has returned it to his owner!   If I would not have accepted the lost phone from the fellow in the street I would not have returned the phone which led to my returning the Talis.   Big Lesson: Never give up in doing a Mitzvah!   Pirkei Avos: 4:2. Ben Azzai would say: Run to pursue a minor mitzvah, and flee from a transgression. For a mitzvah brings another mitzvah, and a transgression brings another transgression. For the reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah, and the reward of transgression is transgression.    Ron Yitzchok Eisenman Author of the book: "The Elephant in the Room" Available at the address below and at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Elephant-Room-Ron-Yitzchok-Eisenman/dp/1937887006/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top Rabbi; Congregation Ahavas Israel 181 Van Houten Ave Passaic, New Jersey 07055 973.777.5929 Ext. # 1 short Vort 2012-01-23T21:05:31-05:00 http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_the_tale_of_two_checks_1_22_12/ http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_the_tale_of_two_checks_1_22_12/#When:20:52:40Z The Short Vort Good Morning!   Today is Monday the 28th of Teves 5772 and January 23, 2012   Tale of Two Checks   “Rabbi, do you know who these checks are from?”  The secretary often asks me to decipher illegible signatures. I looked at them and replied, “Can’t say I do, however, let’s look at the return address on the envelope.”  Strangely enough the checks were from Miriam Haberman. Miriam lived across the street from the shul and was (unfortunately) was one of the ‘older singles’ who populate all of our neighborhoods in regretfully larger numbers than we would like.  Miriam was a quiet woman with modest financial means and therefore when I saw the two checks I was intrigued. In the memo line of one of the checks it said ‘membership’. On the second check was written ‘”Rabbi’s Fund”; both checks were for eighteen dollars. I could not understand the reason for Miriam suddenly sending the Shul these two checks. I called Miriam and after inquiring how she was doing, I asked, “Miriam, what’s with the two checks?” The phone line fell silent and after what seemed like an eternity to me, Miriam spoke, however, this time her voice was quieter and apologetic. “I know rabbi, that membership is more than $18, however, that is all I can afford right now. And the other check is for your ‘fund’.”  “Miriam, I understand what the checks are for; however, I was asking ‘why’ did you send the checks just now?” At the point, Miriam’s voice became stronger as she said, “Rabbi, after what you did for me this week I realized this was the Shul I wanted to join and I wanted to do something tangible to express my gratitude specifically to you.” I must admit that I had no idea whatsoever what I had done for Miriam; indeed, I could not even recall seeing Miriam this past week- let alone speaking to her! This was becoming a tough one. If I tell her I cannot recall what I had done, that is certainly not going to make me her favorite rabbi. However, on the other hand I certainly cannot acknowledge that which I do not know if I even did! Thank Hashem; Miriam was my salvation as she continued to speak.  “Rabbi, I cannot thank you enough. This past Wednesday was quickly becoming ‘one of those days’.  I awoke late- and then my mother called. I know she means well, however, I cannot bear it when she asks if there is ‘anything doing’ in my social life. Then the coffee machine broke and I am just ‘aus-mensch’ (not myself) when I don’t have my coffee. And then I go out to leave for work and I see there is a ticket on my windshield. That was it!  I turned to go back into my apartment and back to bed.  However, as I turned around I noticed you Rabbi as you were walking home from Shul. Although we were across the street you suddenly waved to me and flashed me a smile. I said to myself, “Wow, the Rabbi just waived and smiled to me. Maybe the day won’t be so bad after all.” I went back to my car; I saw that the ‘ticket’ was just an advertisement to a Chinese take-out place.  I left for work and Thank Hashem there was minimal traffic so I was not even late.  When I returned home I said: “This is the Shul I want to be part of and that is why I wrote you the two checks!” It took a huge amount of mental recall on my part to remember the incident; however, to Miriam it had changed her entire day. “Rabbi, are you there? Rabbi why are you quiet?” I just replied, “Miriam, all is fine, all is fine.”   short Vort 2012-01-22T20:52:40-05:00 http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_chanis_gift_1_19_12/ http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_chanis_gift_1_19_12/#When:22:09:52Z The Short Vort Good Morning!   Today is Friday the 25th of Teves 5772 and January 20, 2012   Chani’s Gift   Chani (name changed to protect privacy) is a vivacious and gifted young woman. She is in Eretz Yisroel and is attempting to experience the eternal and the immortal. Chani never misses an opportunity to say her brochos out loud in order to allow others to say Omein to her brocha. She is an individual who is careful about people’s property and refuses to partake of anything which may have even the slightest tinge of dishonesty.   However, even Chani as meticulous and as careful as she is was shocked and amazed at the local homegrown piety at the Lederman Shul in Bnei Brak.   Chani was davening at the Shul recently and was about to recite a brocha. She recalled learning how much more effective a Brocha is when heard by another person who is able to answer Omein. Suddenly she spotted an older woman in the corner of the women’s section. Chani went over and asked her if she could please answer Omein to her brocha. The woman obliged and Chani was about to take her leave. However, the old woman asked her to escort her to a side room. And it was here in this side room of the Lederman Shul where the woman revealed to her the secrets of Omein. She told her how Hashem focuses on and appreciates the Omein of His children. She told Chani how a properly intended Omein can bring deliverance and succor to those who suffer in this world and in the next. However, most of all she gave Chani the gift of sincerity and of total and adulterated passion and love for Hashem and for His Mitzvohs. This feeling and enthusiasm which this woman revealed to Chani is often just read about in books and rarely observed first hand. Chani felt this woman’s love and connection to Hashem in a real and meaningful fashion. In short the woman gave over to Chani a part of herself which was nothing less than Godly. Who was this woman? Was it a world famous Rebbitzen or a hidden unknown Tzaddekes? It really does not matter for what she gave to Chani in those too brief moments in the side room of the Lederman Shul was ethereal and enduring; indeed, it is the stuff from which memories are fashioned forever. Chani saw greatness and that is eternal.   short Vort 2012-01-19T22:09:52-05:00 http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_the_wreck_of_the_costa_concordia_1_19_12/ http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_the_wreck_of_the_costa_concordia_1_19_12/#When:11:31:29Z The Short Vort Good Morning!   Today is Thursday the 24th of Teves 5772 and January 19, 2012   The Wreck of the Costa Concordia   The entire world watched in horror as the Italian cruise ship The Costa Concordia partially sank off the western coast of Italy. Out of the 4,200 people who were on this floating city, at least eleven people were killed. The boat which cost 570 million dollars was almost 1000 feet in length and had a crew of over one thousand with 17 decks. According to Wikipedia: Costa Concordia has 1,500 cabins; 505 have private balconies and 55 have direct access to Samsara Spa; 58 suites have private balconies and 12 have direct access to the spa.  Costa Concordia has one of the world’s largest exercise facility areas at sea, the Samsara Spa, a two-level-65,000 sq ft, fitness center, with gym, a pool, sauna, Turkish bath and a solarium. The ship has four swimming pools, two with retractable covers, five Jacuzzis, five spas, and a poolside screen on the pool deck. There are five onboard restaurants, with Club Concordia and Samsara taking reservations-only dining. There are thirteen bars, including a cigar and cognac bar and a coffee and chocolate bar. Entertainment options include a three-level theatre, casino, and a discotheque. There is a children’s area equipped with PlayStation products. The ship has a Grand Prix motor racing simulator and an Internet café   This was a floating hotel; a hedonistic hostel, a splendid spa with all of the amnesties of our material world.   However, it also had one man whose human input and whose mortal and moral determinations would impact on the lives of those 5,000 human beings. According to the preliminary investigation, the Captain, Mr. Schettino is accused of steering the cruise ship too close to the island of Giglio so that his head waiter could see his family home.   The Captain is also accused of abandoning the vessel and is being charged with manslaughter.   Imagine how this gargantuan vessel equipped with all of the most modern state of the art high tech computer systems; with a crew of over 1000 -was brought to its ‘knees’ by the simple irresponsibility and  negligence of one human being. Consider the fact that this one human being was being paid a generous salary and was charged with one primary task to guarantee the safety of these five thousand people. Notwithstanding all of the above, the man discarded his most primary responsibility to allow his head waiter to get a glimpse of his family home on the island of Giglio.   We are all appalled and shocked by the recklessness of Captain Schettino. We shake our heads in disbelief at his cavalier attitude toward human life. We can never imagine ourselves being so indifferent and flippant to the lives of those who entrust their safety into our hands.   Think about Captain Schettino the next time you reach for your cell phone as you are driving.   short Vort 2012-01-19T11:31:29-05:00 http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_so_you_are_also_a_victim_1_16_12/ http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_so_you_are_also_a_victim_1_16_12/#When:10:09:07Z The Short Vort Good Morning!   Today is Monday the 21st of Teves 5772 and January 16, 2012   So You Are Also A Victim   I have known Dominic for about two years now. He is the substitute mailperson in the neighborhood around the Shul.  He is an Italian man about 50 years old. He is a little rough around the edges; however, he is good hard working man who raises his children to be good and moral citizens. Often, when I see him delivering the mail we exchange a few words of conversation. I recall one Friday afternoon as he was handing me the letters, he commented, “Rabbi, you are here in the office late today, don’t you have to get ready for Shabbos?” I looked at him with surprise and amazement and before I could say another word, Dominic added, “I grew up in Boro Park, I was the Shabbos-Goy for a number of Orthodox families. I had to turn on their lights, turn off their lights and sometimes I even opened their mail for them; so I know all about getting ready for Shabbos.” From that day on, Dominic and I would always kid around with each other on Fridays about my getting home in time for Shabbos as he would deliver the mail. This past Friday, as I walked into the Shul office, Dominic was placing the mail in the box. I happily said, “Hey Dominic, what’s doing?” Dominic stopped sorting the mail and looked up with a sense of seriousness and said, “So I see you are a victim too?” For a moment I thought that Dominic was confusing me with someone else; I looked at him and asked, “What did you say?” However, Dominic knew exactly who he was speaking to and what he was saying. “You are a victim too!” He stated in a matter of fact tone. I struggled to make sense out of what Dominic was saying and asked again, “Me, a victim? A victim of what?” Dominic then reached into that famous deep blue satchel that all mailmen carry and pulled out a copy of newspaper. As soon as the paper emerged from the bag I saw the screaming headlines: “Molotov Cocktail Thrown Into the Home of a Rabbi”. Dominic was referring to the attack at a Shul about a mile from my own home and my Shul (which was the also forth attack against a Shul in less then a month in Northern New Jersey). As I glanced at the paper I nodded indicating my knowledge of the attack. Dominic looked up and said simply, “Rabbi, they attacked a Synagogue and a Rabbi just like you, no? Aren’t you folks all connected and related? When they threw the Molotov cocktail at his house and his Synagogue isn’t that the same as throwing it at you and your Synagogue? You guys are all sort of interconnected, aren’t you? So Rabbi, that makes you a victim as well!” I looked up at this simple non-Jewish mail carrier and realized that precisely in his simplicity he understood the secret of Jewish unity and oneness. He had captured the true sense of Jewish wholeness as he knew that when one part of our collective body is in pain, the entire body aches. He understood that an attack on any Shul wherever it may be in the world is an attack on every Rabbi and shul in the world. And he realized that if one Jew is targeted and is hurting than all of us have been targeted and we are all hurting. I looked up at Dominic and just said softly, “Yes, Dominic you are correct, I am also a victim.”        short Vort 2012-01-16T10:09:07-05:00 http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_you_never_know_1_12_12/ http://ahavasisrael.org/site/the_short_vort_you_never_know_1_12_12/#When:06:02:19Z The Short Vort Good Morning!   Today is Thursday the 17th of Teves 5772 and January 12, 2012   You Never Know   His brothers also went and fell before him, and they said, "Behold, we are your slaves." But Joseph said to them, "Don’t be afraid, for am I instead of God?  Indeed, you intended evil against me, [but] God designed it for good, in order to bring about what is at present to keep a great populace alive. (Bereishis 50: 18, 19, 20)   At the end of last week’s Sedra, the brothers come before their brother Yosef- the ‘Prime Minister’ of Egypt; the ‘ruler’ of the land; they bow and declare "Behold, we are your slaves."   This is understood. After all, the brothers were concerned that now with the demise of their father; perhaps Yosef would change his previous show of good will towards them.   However, Yosef’s reaction is strange. He states: But Joseph said to them, "Don’t be afraid, for am I instead of God?  Indeed, you intended evil against me, [but] God designed it for good, in order to bring about what is at present to keep a great populace alive. We understand what Yosef means when he says, “Indeed, you intended evil against me, [but] God designed it for good”; and we can understand when Yosef says that all that has transpired is “to keep a great populace alive”. After all, the ‘good’ which Hashem planned by allowing Yosef to become the ruler of Egypt through his sale to the Egyptians by the brothers is the major facilitating factor in his being able to sustain his family now.   However, what does Yosef mean when he states: [but] God designed it for good, in order to bring about what is at present? What extra point is Yosef making when he says that all that has transpired occurred “to bring about what is happening at the ‘present’? What momentous event is happening in the ‘here and now’ which shows G-d’s design in the world and which is separate and distinct from the claim to keep a great populace alive?   Enter the Vilna Gaon   Remember when everything began way back when? Remember those first encounters of Yosef and his brothers when he related to them his strange dreams? And he said to them, "Listen now to this dream, which I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright, and behold, your sheaves encircled [it] and prostrated themselves to my sheaf." So his brothers said to him, "Will you reign over us, or will you govern us?" And they continued further to hate him on account of his dreams and on account of his words. (Bereishis 37: 6, 7, 8)   The brothers are clearly upset by what they deem is the absurdity of their brother’s dreams. They dismiss the meaningfulness of the dreams by stating: "Will you reign over us, or will you govern us?" The Vilna Gaon explains the subtle inner meanings of their dismissal.   The fist word ‘reign’ (Hebrew: HaMaloch) signifies a ruler who has been accepted by the people through their agreement and their choosing. However, the second word, ‘govern’ (Hebrew: Mashol) implies a ruler who forces his dominion over his people against their will.   (See Tehillim 22:29- “For the kingship is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations.”And the comments of the Vilna Gaon there [Kol Eliyahu] as he explains that Hashem’s rule over His people is b’Ratzon (with their agreement) while with regard to the nations of the world it is against their will (‘U’moshel’)   The brothers are stating to Yosef that just as it is absurd to assume that you will ever be ‘Maloch’ over us- meaning: that we will choose for you to rule over us; so too, you will never ‘rule’ over us against our will (‘Mashol’). Therefore your dreams are certainly absurd. The brothers could never imagine Yosef ruling over them; not by force and certainly not with their consent!   The Truth is Stranger than Fiction!   Yosef, as many of the commentators inform us- knew that the dreams were prophetic and even attempted to facilitate- the culmination and the fulfillment of the dreams.   The brothers have in Chapter 44 already bowed and prostrated themselves before Yosef. Indeed, when they return to his presence after they are brought back to his palace the Torah states: And Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there, and they fell before him upon the ground. (Bereishis 44: 14)   Perhaps this is finally the fulfillment of dream number one which only involved Yosef and his brothers and not his father. After all the dream states: “Behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright, and behold, your sheaves encircled [it] and prostrated themselves to my sheaf." (Bereishis 37; 7) Are not the brothers prostrating themselves before their brother?   Yes, this is true; however, at this point they still do not know that the person standing before them is their lost brother Yosef! At this point, their ‘acceptance’ of the ‘kingship’ of Yosef is against their will; it is still in the realm of ‘moshel’. However, at the very end of Sefer Bereishis- when the brothers come before their now known to them- brother Yosef- and they fall before him and the Torah states “His brothers also went and fell before him, and they said, "Behold, we are your slaves."- This is the true finale of the dreams! Only now have all aspects of the dream been fulfilled!   This final act of ‘falling’ before Yosef and their acceptance of their brother as a ruler without coercion and with their full agreement is the final fulfillment of the dream number one which took place almost forty years before hand!!!   That which was unbelievable to brothers almost forty years before hand when they declared with confidence: "Will you reign over us, or will you govern us?" has now been fulfilled as they state: "Behold, we are your slaves."   Not only has Yosef been the ‘moshel’ over them; he is now the true ‘melech’ (accepted ruler) over them.   This therefore is what Yosef undoubtedly means when he says: [but] God designed it for good, in order to bring about what is at present.   What event is occurring at the ‘present’ which causes Yosef to declare [but] God designed it?It is the culmination of that lonely dream he dreamt many years before. That which for so many years was a pipe dream has now come full circle as Yosef declares [but] God designed it for good, in order to bring about what is at present. .   Perhaps this is the reason Sefer Bereishis ends with this incident. Although Yaakov and his sons are in Mitzrayim (Egypt) and although a great bondage looms menacingly on the horizon, the previously ‘unthinkable’ fulfillment of the dreams of Yosef stands out as signpost; constantly reminding us that dreams do come true; dreams are indeed fulfilled. It may take many decades and many twists and turns; however, dreams do come true.  short Vort 2012-01-12T06:02:19-05:00