Moments of Inspiration February 22 2024

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Rabbi Yehuda (Leonard) Blank MS, BCC
Vice President of Professional Development and External Affairs
Chair of the Chaplaincy Commission
Rabbinical Alliance of America/Igud HaRabbonim
917-446-2126 rablenblank@gmail.com
*Thursday February 22, 2024, Adar 13, 5784*
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There seems to be the calm before the storm.

The time for serious achdus is now.

We all need each other now more than ever.

It seems the more proof the IDF shows the world
the stronger anti-Israel and anti-semitism becomes.

Crime seems to be more rampant all over the world.

The North of Israel is preparing for what appears to be the inevitable.

HOWEVER

We must never forget that we are all ambassadors of H and Klal Yisrael

Kindness and goodness is the important threads of our nation.

We shall overcome adversity and our adversaries with our prayers, our
mitzvos, our benevolence and our righteousness.

We must never forget we are like brothers and sisters.

We must be strong and steadfast in our love for the Ribono shel Olam and
never forget His love for us.

We must continue to have faith and trust in H.

We shall prevail !

Am Yisrael Chai – Chaveirim Kol Yisrael – Shalom Al Yisrael.

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**********NEWS FLASH**********
INSPECTOR RICHIE TAYLOR, THE HIGHEST RANKING YARMULKA-
WEARING OFFICER IN THE NYPD IS BEING PROMOTED BY POLICE
COMMISSIONER EDWARD CABAN AT A SPECIAL CEREMONY TO
DEPUTY CHIEF. MAZEL TOV! MAY HE CONTINUE TO BE A WONDERFUL
AMBASSADOR OF THE NYPD AND KLAL YISRAEL.

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The report about the remarkable conference on February 20th, 2024 at the magnificent Sephardic Lebanese Congregation featuring Rabbi Dr. David Fox and Rabbi Simcha Scholar including a press release, video recording and pictures will be included in next week’s Moments of Inspiration. However, I want to share the following which reminds me the importance of being humble yet the love of the Torah and our own Batei Keneset.

Chacham Eliyahu Elbaz shlita is such a humble Adam Gadol. He speaks with such gentleness and conveys the love of H, the love of the Torah and the love of his congregants and Makom Kadosh the Sephardic Lebanese Congregation with their minhagim so rich in their culture. In many ways, Chacham Elbaz reminds me of Rav Dovid Feinstein zt”l and his way of life, his humbleness and love of his Yeshiva. When I was sitting in the Beit Keneset and Chacham Elbaz stopped to speak to me, he pushed gently on my shoulder not to stand up for him. Of course, whenever I was in his presence, I would stand up. He shared about the various simchot held there such as a brit and chupah. I had arrived early before the program began and was met by one of the older mispallim. He greeted me with such warmth and a big smile addressing me as rabbi with such respect. He took tremendous pride in his Beit Keneset wanting to open the lights of the main sanctuary to see the splendor how majestic it looked. He then took me upstairs to the Beit Medrash used for shiurim, and Tefilot. There were several men each learning Torah. He pointed to all the different seforim and when I gave a kiss to several of them, he thanked me and gave me a big smile. He was so thrilled and so proud showing his beautiful and holy makom Kadosh. He was very please of how I felt about Sephardic Lebanese Congregation and shared with me the importance of everyone, Ashkenazic or Sephardic to have achdut and care for each other and our minhagim. We both said together Am Yisrael Chai, Chaveirim Kol Yisrael and Shalom al Yisrael. Personally, I felt so welcome with such warmth, kindness and sincerity of Chacham Elbaz and his congregants. They made me feel at home and in the presence of the Shechina.

From the Stone Edition English Chumash Artscroll Mesorah Publications Ltd. Parshas Terumah “Omdim Standing erect. The Sages interpret this term homiletically as a guarantee of Jewish survival in the worst of times: “Perhaps you will say that that their hope of return is gone and their expectation is frustrated? But it is written arcaia wood standing erect-they will stand forever!” (Yoma 72a) “Both sections of the Tabernacle (Mishkan) shall become one is an indication that all elements of Creation- Heavenly and Human alike- should work together toward a common goal.”

From Darash Moshe A selection of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein’s choice comments on the Torah: Artscroll Judaica Classics, Mesorah Publications Ltd. Parshas Mishpatim, Pages 128-129 “This is the meaning of the phrase (Shemos 24:7), Naseh Venishma, We shall do and we shall hear. If one’s only desire in life is to do mitzvos, he feels like he is always doing them, even if he spends some of his time just waiting to discover his next step. In this he is like a doorman, who is paid for a full day’s work even though in the course of the day he may have opened the door to only one caller. Similarly, a tzaddik who sees his life as nothing more that the Torah and mitzvos he performs will consider everything he does as simply waiting for the next mitzvah to come his way. This is also the nature of the angels, who are always “doing,” by constantly awaiting their next mission. Viewed in this way, Torah and mitzvos are not a yoke, but rather the only way to true freedom and everlasting life and pleasure, both in this world and in the next.”

From 102 Stories that changed people’s lives. Volume 2 by Rabbi Tzvi Nakar Tfutza Publications. A story I once shared and hope you will enjoy it again. “Every Jew Is Precious” Pages 225-227. Rav Aharon Tolisig, a renowned rav from Benei Brak, relates the following story.

My brother, Reb Yaakov zt”l lived in Be’er Sheva for many years. One year, on our father’s yahrtzeit, he went to shul and wanted to be the chazzan for Mincha for our father’s neshamah. But when he arrived in shul, he found that they had only nine men for the minyan. My brother went outside looking for a tenth man, but the streets were empty.

Suddenly, he noticed a young man who clearly wasn’t religious walking down the street. He had long shaggy hair and was wearing jeans. My brother debated whether he should ask him to join the minyan, and in the end decided to try.

He went up to the young man and asked politely, “Would you be able to join our minyan?”

The young man didn’t understand what my brother even wanted from him.

“We need ten men to be able to pray. We have only nine. If you join us, we’ll have a minyan.”

“Sorry, I’m not interested, “the young man said.

But my brother persisted,” and tried to appeal to his sense of kindness.

“Please, today is the anniversary of my father’s passing, and every tefillah and Kaddish will be an elevation for his neshamah. If you join us, this will be to your merit.”

“But I don’t know how to daven,” the young man said hesitantly.

“That’s okay,” my brother reassured him. “I’ll show you what to say.”

“But I don’t keep mitzvos. Will G even listen to my prayers?”

My brother gazed at him with compassion and said, “You should know that every Jew has a lofty soul that was carved from underneath the throne of glory itself. Hakadosh Boruch Hu desires the prayers of every Jew. Every tefillah is beloved in Heaven. Yours, too.”

The words pierced the young man’s heart, and his eyes glistened with emotion. He slowly followed my brother into the shul, and someone handed him a yarmulke and a siddur. My brother showed him what to say, and the davening began.

The young man davened from the siddur, feeling a little embarrassed, but he remained until the end of the tefillah.

When davening was over, my brother went over to the young man, shook his hand warmly, and thanked him profusely for the huge favor he had done for him.

Fourteen years later, my brother entered the main supermarket in Geulah when he noticed an avreich with long peyos, his children at his side. The avreich looked at him and said, “Do you remember me?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t,” my brother said.

“Do you remember how one time you were looking for a tenth man for a minyan on your father’s yahrtzeit, and you found a young man with long hair and jeans to join your minyan?”

“Yes…”

“That was me. I was that young man!”

My brother almost fainted on the spot. He had never dreamed that the young man who had joined his minyan, who had been so remote from Torah, would one day be standing in front of him as a frum man with children of his own.

“You should know,” the avreich said, “that you played a big part in the changes I made in my life. When I left that shul, I couldn’t get the words you said to me out of my head: Hakadosh Baruch Hu desires the prayers of every Jew. Every tefillah is beloved in Heaven. Yours, too.”

“I knew you weren’t just saying that. If you thought I could be part of a minyan that was a zechus for your father’s neshamah, that proved that my tefillah was beloved too. When I got home, I told my wife what happened. I told her that what you said changed my perspective of chareidim and Judaism. You opened the door. From then onward, I began to take an interest in Judaism.

“A short while later we had started learning concepts in Judaism, started to keep Shabbos, koshered our kitchen and I started attending Torah shiurim. At one point my wife and I decided to transfer our children to chareid schools.

“Fourteen years have passed since I started that journey, and today I spend my days sitting and learning. Our home is infused with Torah, and my children are all sincere ovdei H.”

This is the impact a good word can have on a person distant from Yiddishkeit. The right words can light up a soul and bring it out of the darkness.

By the way, my brother told us this story, humbly keeping it to himself. It was only after he passed away that we found out about the impact he had on this young man.

THE SECRET TO A GOOD LIFE.

Every Jew can be a torch of holiness and faith.