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KOL
NIDREI 5769
ANGELS
One day G-d was looking down at the Earth and was a bit disappointed with what
he saw. So he decided to send an angel
down to check things out. When the angel returned, he told G-d that it really
was not a great situation. He said, “It looks like 95% of the people are not
quite where they should be; and maybe only 5% are really good.” G-d thought
about this for a moment and decided hehad better send down another angel to get
a second opinion. The second angel returned and confirmedwhat the other one
said only worse: the Earth was definitely in decline, 99% needed a lot of
improvement and only 1% were right where they should
be. In thinking about what to do about the situation, G-d decided to send an
emailmessage to the 1% that were really doing well – with a little pep-talk, you
know, to thank them – to give them some praise, some encouragement, to keep them
going. Do you know what that e-mail said? Does anyone know what it said? guess
you didn’t get one either!
Yom Kippur is a day of prayer, a day of atonement, a day
of holiness. During these 25 hours, we abstain from our most basic physical
pleasures and needs so as to be less in touch with our physical bodies and more
in touch with our spiritual souls. While it
is true that all year round, whenever we stand before G-d in prayer, we are said
to be “imitating the angels” in their service before G-d,
this is all the more true of our service on the day of Yom Kippur. Today, as we
are without food and drink,we are a little less like human beings… and a little
more like the heavenly envoys of G-d’s Will. There is a strange episode
recounted in the book of Daniel where the prophet Daniel has this very intense
vision of an awesome being with a fearsome presence and a powerful voice.
Daniel says, “I saw this vision, but the people who were with me did not see it
- yet still they were overcome with tremendous fear and trepidation. In fact,
they were in such fear that they ran into hiding.”Who were these people
that were with him? The Talmud tells us that it was the prophets Hagai,
Zechariah and Malachi. So the obvious question is, if those three did not see
the vision, why were they frightened? Why did they “run for the hills”?
The Talmud answers that even though they did not see it, their representative
angels did see it. Rashi explains that every person has an angel that
represents him in heaven (his spiritual counterpart, if you will). We each have
our very own special and exclusive representative angel up there and thatis why
if you ever have a certain inexplicable fear or a certain intuition and it turns
out to be well-founded, it may well be that your representative angel saw
something that you could not
see, and whispered it into your soul. To take this a step further, we are taught
in the Ethics of Our Fathers: “One
who fulfils one mitzvah acquires for himself an advocate” - that for every
single mitzvah, every torah precept and good deed we perform, we create “an
angel” on our behalf. Those angels, once created, are always there for us, to
protect us and to advocate for us, to plead our case before G-d during our
physical lifetime as well as when our soul returns to its Maker. So folks - do
you believe in angels? Do you think theyare really out there? What is your
concept of an angel? Other than on TV, have you ever seen an angel?
If you did, did he or she have fluffy white wings? TheTalmud tells us that on
Friday night two angels accompany each person as he
returns home from Shul, and that when these angels enter the home, and
find a table set for Shabbos with Shabbos candles and challah, they bless the
home and all of its inhabitants. It is in the glow of this blessing that we
gather around and sing a song of
gratitude back to the angels we sing: “Shalom Aleichem…peace upon you,
ministering angels.”
Do you see the angels at your Shabbos table? We know, of course, that our Torah
is replete with stories where angels played major roles in biblical events. Adam
and Eve encountered an angel who blocked the gate to the Garden of Eden. Hagar
and Ishmael met an
angel in the desert who saved their lives. Abraham met three angels when he was
sitting outside his tent in the heat of the day. Jacob wrestled with an angel
and prevailed – thus earning the name Israel, the name by which our nation would
be known for all time to come. Joshua, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel each sawangels.
So “angels” are a very real and central phenomenon in Judaism. How do
they appear? What do they look like? Well, sometimes they are completely
invisible. They are there doing their thing, even though we cannot see them.
Sometimes they show up in physical human forms - they look like you and me, but
they are really angels - in
disguise. For example, there is an episode in the Torah where Joseph goes out to
look for his brothers. Apparently, they are not where they are supposed
to be, and Joseph is about to give up and go home when he meets a
mysterious stranger who tells him where his brothers are. When you read
about this encounter withthe stranger, it seems rather insignificant, almost
pointless. But looking more closely - if that mysterious stranger had not
pointed Joseph in the right direction, he would not have found his
brothers and they would not have sold him into slavery! Had they not sold
him into slavery, he would not have risen to become the Viceroy of
Egypt! Had he not risen to become the Viceroy of Egypt, he would never have
been reunited with his brothers! If he had not been reunited with his brothers,
they would never have gone down to Egypt! And if they had not gone to Egypt,
there would have been no exile, no Moses,no Exodus, no Mount Sinai – no Jewish
Nation. All ofJewish History and Jewish Destiny as we know it would have been
totally different were it not for Joseph’s encounter with a mysterious stranger.
So - who was that stranger? What was his name? We don’t know. Was he a human
being or was he an angel? We don’t know, we are never told. In fact, perhaps
the purpose
of this scene in the Torah is to teach us something about the “random
occurrences” or “chance encounters” in our lives, that sometimes we meet angels
in disguise - angels who are there to help us, to guide us, to transform us or
to bless us. We don’t necessarily realize or appreciate who they are at the
time…
In April 1944, the Nazis entered the once-vibrant city of
Munkatch to round up all of the Jews and place them into ghettos. The Jews were
forced into the boxcars en route to Auschwitz and amongst those on board for
that ill-fated journey was a 17 year old boy named Shlomo Zalman. It was the
middle of the night when the train arrived at that horrible place. The hundreds
of men, women and children were herded off the train and told to stand on that
infamous line. Shlomo Zalman had no clue as to where he was and why he was
there - and what the actions of the man standing at the head of the line
pointing left andright signified. He was too shell-shocked from the
harrowing and suffocating journey to know or to care. The smell, the smoke, the
shouts; it was all too unreal. Suddenly from out of the darkness a skeleton of a
man – dressed in a striped uniform - emerged and came toward him. The man
grabbed him by his arms and whispered to him in Yiddish with a heavy Polish
accent, “in what year were you born?” “I was born in 1927,” the boy replied. “No
you were not!” the stranger said. “You were born in 1925, remember that. Now
tell me, in what year were you born?”
“I was born in 1925.” “Good”. And with that, the man disappeared back into the
shadows of hell. When the boy came to the front of the line, he was asked, “In
what year were you born?” “1925” was his reply. He was motioned to the right
and it was only much later
that he would discover that 18 was the cut-off point that night between labour
and the gas chambers…This boy, Shlomo Zalman,
would survive Auschwitz and two other camps. He lives today in LosAngeles. His
name is Sol Teichman – businessman, philanthropist, father and grandfather.
Today there are many educational centres and shuls that bear his name. There is
even a
Jewish Day Schoolwith close to 1,000 students called the Teichman Family Torah
Centre…Hardly a day goes by that Sol Teichman doesn’t think about that
5-second encounter with the man at the selection line. The man who stepped out
from behind his own sorrow and misery to save him from certain death. He
hadnever seen him before and has not seen him since. Who was he? Was he
an angel disguised as a human being? Or maybe he was something else? Maybe he
was simply a human being - disguised as an angel? A humanbeing of flesh and
blood playing the role of a divine agent of goodness - to save another life?
My friends, this is what I want to talk to you about
today: the human beings who transcend their own selves and come to us as angels.
Elie Wiesel, the famous author, once finished giving a lecture in a certain city
when he was approached by one of the members of the audience. “I’m sure
you are asked this question all the time,” the woman said, “and I know it’s a
long-shot, but being that you were in Buchenwald during the time period you
mentioned in your talk, I was wondering if you might have known my father who
happened to have been there at the same time?” When the woman mentioned her
father’s name, tears came to the author’s eyes
and hegot all choked up. “Did I know your father? Do I remember your father?
Not only were we in the same camp at the same time, we were in the same
barracks. Now let me tell you about your father… “When I was in Buchenwald I
was at the end. I just wanted it over already - what could there possibly be
left to live for? Like many, I contemplated suicide. The difference between
the others and me, however, was that I got a hold of some poison. I had in my
hands the power to bring the suffering to an end. I still remember the day when
came into the bunk to lie down and ingest my ‘magic potion’ that would finally
bring me peace. “When I came into the bunk, your father was there. He was doing
what he always did, he was singing. He had such a sweet voice and he loved to
sing. On this day, he was singing a song I remembered from back home—a
different place, a different world. Even in those putrid barracks, his voice was
so piercing, so moving, so alive. I challenged him, ‘how can you sing in a
place like this?’ “Your father turned to me and said, ‘Eli, all I have is my
song… and this they cannot take away from me unless we let them.’ He then
resumed his singing, and in his beautiful voice, I heard the music of the
angels. His song was his resistance, and I made it my own. I
am alive today because of your father’s resistance…” My friends, the human
beings who come to us as angels are there for us when we need them most.
On this holy day of Yom Kippur, I would like for all of us
to take a few moments to think about the angels in our lives and in the
lives of those we love, for we all have them. Who are the angels in your life?
Think about it… perhaps there is someone who stepped out from behind the shadows
of his own world to rescue you, to heal you, to comfort you, to touch your
soul? Perhaps a friend who would not allow you to sink to that lowest point of
despair? There he or she was – with love and empathy - providing that shoulder
you so desperately needed to lean on? Do you ever wonder whether he or she was
an angel disguised as a human being… or a
human being disguised as an angel?
So who are the angels in your life? Perhaps your mother - whose unconditional
love made you feel significant and secure; that no
challenge would seem insurmountable? Your father - whose patience, warmth, and
wisdom would help you make the right choices at every one of those agonizing
crossroads? A caring sister? A supportive brother? Think about them. Think
about those angels…A wise rabbi once told me that the truth is that those
magical “Shabbos angels” are not only with us on a Friday night, they are
actually with us all week long. However, Friday night is when we are finally
able to see them – to really see them. He said, “do you know who the Shabbos
angels are? They are your children, your wife, your husband - after a whole week
of running and harrying you’re finally able to open your eyes and see the angels
in your life, radiant and relaxed, and very much present. “And when you sing
‘Shalom
Aleichem’, you are not only blessing those heavenly angels whom you cannot see;
you are blessing the angels around your table that you can see. You sit together
with your family, you talk, you smile, and your heart is filled with gratitude
for the angels in your
life.” And so, on this day of Yom Kippur, when the celestial angels are said to
sing louder than any other, let us think about the angels in our lives.
Not only to nod in their direction, but to let them into our hearts and souls
during these moments and be so very thankful
for the priceless gifts they’ve given to us. At the same time, we must ask
ourselves another question: For whom do we serve as angels? When a
friend, a neighbour, a family member or even a complete stranger desperately
needs a lifeline, are we ready to step out from behind our own shadows, from
under the weight of our own burdens and anxieties, to be the angel in their
lives? How
much of ourselves are we willing to give up to change the course of somebody
else’s life for the better? Sometimes it’s the big things; sometimes it’s the
little things. That 5-minute phone call you place to a friend who needs it; the
commitment you make to volunteer for a worthy cause; that cheque you write for
an extra £100 or £1,000 or £10,000 to provide a Jewish education for a child…
You
never know. I have been involved in the “people business” long enough to know
that you never really, truly know just what a difference you can make when you
take that extra step to be an angel to others. King Solomon writes, “shlach
lachmecho al pnei hamoyim” - cast your bread upon the waters, for after many
days, you will find it.
Good deeds have a way of coming back to you, at one time or another, in one form
or another.The good you have done for somebody else will always be there for
you, for your children, and grandchildren, that is the nature of goodness.
My friends, five minutes - five minutes of warmth, of genuine concern – some
words of encouragement, some heartfelt advice. What
does it take to create an angel? Sometimes only five minutes and an open
heart. And if you can do so much with five minutes,
imagine what you could do with five years or five decades? Every Mitzvah creates
an angel. When we give and share, we create angels of compassion. When we impart
faith, we create angels of strength. When we laugh, we produce angels of
laughter. And
those angels will always be there – to help, to guide, to protect, to advocate
on our behalf. You know what the story of Joseph
meeting that stranger tells us? It tells us that there really is no such a
thing as “chance meetings”. “Whenever two Jews get together, something
good has to come of it for a third.” Events in our lives that appear to be
random may indeed turn out to be nothing but random, but I suggest to you today
that if we utilize our encounters as opportunities, opportunities to create
angels – we can change our own lives. Did you ever wonder why it is that at the
Pesach Seder, we actually get up and open the door to “let Eliyahu Hanavi,
Elijah the Prophet into the house”? Do you mean to tell me that if I didn’t
open the door, he wouldn’t be able to find his way in? Can he not come in
through the keyhole? Or down the chimney? (well, actually not that – somebody
else has the rights to that one) but seriously, if the soul of Elijah can
somehow visit every Seder throughout the whole world in one night, surely it can
find a way to enter the house without an open door! Why this charade of
“opening the door” for Elijah?
I think the answer is that if you want to bring Elijah’s message of G-d’s love
into your home, you have to get up and open the door – to
let him in. If you really want to see the angels, you have to know how to open
your eyes and look for them. We are about to recite the Yizkor prayer
duringwhich we will be welcoming the souls of parents and grandparents into this
room. You may not be able to see them, but they will be here - they will be
among us. Open the door and let them in; open the door to your heart and
listen. Listen
closely and perhaps you can hear them whispering to your soul - these are our
loved ones who lived their lives and left their footprints upon this world, and
now they are with the angels. What is it that they want? They want nachas from
us. Their neshomos, their souls, can guide us forward in our lives, they can
inspire us, they can pray for us - they can even influence us. But what they
cannot do is live for us. They cannot do our mitzvos for us. We have to make
those footprints ourselves. May we be inspired to give them the right kind of
nachas; to make them proud with that which truly lives on, the mitzvos
that we do and the goodness we perpetuate among our fellow human beings. I would
like to conclude with one final story. There was once a wealthy man who was a
follower of the Baal Shem Tov. This man had a fascination with Eliyahu Hanavi
(the Prophet Elijah). He had heard that there were certain spiritual exercises
one could do through which one could actually get to see Eliyahu Hanavi
with one’s physical eyes,so he came to his Rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov, and asked
for the program. "Rebbe, want to see Elijah the Prophet - please help me do it.”
The Baal Shem Tov put him off, but the man persisted - he wouldn’t give up. For
months he begged the tzaddik to let him see Eliyahu
Hanavi. He even offered enormous sums of money, but still the Baal Shem Tov
rebuffed him. Finally, a few days before Pesach, the Baal Shem Tov told this man
that he would give him the program – to allow him to see Eliyahu Hanavi – on one
condition: he would
have to carry out his instructions exactly as conveyed, without deviating one
iota. The man readily agreed, sure Rebbe, I’ll do exactly as you say.”
“Alright,” said the Baal Shem Tov, “this is what you must do. Take two boxes
and fill one with enough food, wine and refreshments for many people. The other
box you are to fill with children's clothing. Then, on Erev Pesach, travel to
the city of Minsk. On the outskirts of town, right before where the forest
begins, there is a dilapidated house. Find that house, and shortly before
candle-lighting time at sunset, knock on the door and ask if they would
mind putting you up for the holiday." The man heard the instructions and
informed his family that being that he was about to see his life’s dream
fulfilled, he would have to be away for the first days of Yom Tov. He then went
and did exactly as the Baal Shem Tov said. He filled parcels with food and
clothing and went to Minsk, where he found the broken-down house at the edge of
town. He knocked on the door. When the woman opened it, he asked if he could
stay with them for the holiday. "How can I welcome you when I don't have any
food in the house?" she exclaimed. "Well
I happen to have some boxes here with me," he said, "I have enough food for all
of us.” He came in, opened the box and gave the children food to eat. Then he
opened the other box and the children all took clothes for themselves –
this one a shirt, that one a jacket, the other one a hat. He was there for two
days, celebrating Pesach with this family, all the while waiting to see Eliyahu
Hanavi. He did not even sleep - how could he sleep? How often do you have a
chance to see Elijah the Prophet? But he saw no one Eliyahu did not appear to
him. He returned to the Baal Shem Tov and said, "Rebbe, I was in that house for
two days and did not see Eliyahu Hanavi as promised!” "Did you do everything I
told you?" asked the Baal Shem Tov. "I did!" "And you didn't see him?”"No,
Rebbe." "Are you sure?" "Yes, Rebbe! I didn't see him!" "In that case”, said
the Baal Shem Tov, “you'll have to return for the second days of the holiday. Go
back there with a box of food. Again, be sure to arrive just before sunset, but
this time don't knock
immediately. Wait for a while and just stand in front of the door, listening."
Theman once again told his family that he would have to be away for the second
days as well. It was tough, but they all agreed that it was worth his being away
this one holiday if he could finally get to see Eliyahu Hanavi. He went
back to that house in Minsk. He stood in front of the door, listening. Inside
he heard the children crying, "Mummy, we're hungry! We haven't eaten the whole
day!” To which he heard the mother respond, "Children! Do you remember when
you were crying before Pesach that you had no food or clothes? And I told you
that G-d would send Eliyahu Hanavi who'll bring you food and clothing and
everything else you need! Wasn't right? Didn't Eliyahu come and bring you food
and clothing? He even stayed with us for two days! Well, I assure you that
Eliyahu will come now, too, and bring you food!” The Chassid
then understood what his Rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov had meant. He knocked on the
door...
Ladiesand Gentlemen: If you want to see angels in your own
life, be an angel for somebody else.
Yom Kippur eve
5769, as the sun sets, we stand on the threshold of the holiest day of the year,
we are clothed in white as we are likened to the purest of angels who have never
sinned. This very day cleanses us of all wrongdoing.
Flanked by the
holy Torahs, the Chazzan begins with the ancient, haunting melody and we are all
transported to an ethereal setting, one where our grandparents,
great-grandparents and all prior generations reside.
The Chazzan
intones ‘Kol Nidrei’ all vows ‘Vesorei’ and prohibitions ‘Ushvuei’ and
oaths….which we may commit ourselves to during this upcoming year the Chazzan
continues….’Lo Sheririn Vlo Kayamin’ shall hereby be considered null and void.
Wait a moment,
what are we saying? At this most holiest of times instead of singing ‘Kadosh,
Kadosh, Kadsoh, holy, holy, holy as is befitting an angel, we are intoning this
seemingly mundane prayer?
Judaism places
a premium on speech. Our sages teach us that when we take the time to use
speech to reveal our true selves, to express appreciation, to exchange ideas
toward shared wisdom, then we are b'tzelem elokim, in G-d's image,
creating a good world through speech.
How strange,
then, that the prayer by which this evening is known, the Kol Nidrei, is about
the nullification of speech. What do we pray tonight? Kol Nidrei - all of our
vows, will be regarded as null and void.
Throughout the
Middle Ages, the Europeans would point to this prayer as a sure indication that
all Jews were untrustworthy, that they deserved discrimination and multiple
economic and social disabilities.
There was even
a time when Jewish leaders were so uncomfortable with this prayer that they
purposefully mistranslated it. They changed it from the future tense to the past
tense - all of our wrongheaded vows of the past year are void - that time I
pledged to the dentist I would floss every single day... or when I vowed that
I'd quit speeding... those vows, the ones which I didn’t live up to last year...
those are nullified.
But that's not
what the prayer says, Kol Nidrei asks for the vows of the coming year to be
undone. Judaism which places such gravity on words, on good speech, how can we
make such a supplication of the Divine? How can we be asking for remission from
all our future vows?
One of the
most dramatic and powerful moments in the Yom Kippur service is when we together
chant the Ashamnu…we sing ashamnu, bagadnu, gazalnu…an alphabetic recitation of
regret for the communal shortcomings and wrongdoings of the past year. It is an
ancient custom to raise a fist against one’s chest and slowly pound in time to
the rhythm of the prayer.
The Rebbe of
Kotsk once asked his disciples why we do that - "to punish ourselves for sin,"
said one; "to show that we are sorry and regret our actions," said another; "to
cause ourselves the pain that we have caused others through our bad behavior,"
replied a third. "What do you think rebbe?" they chorused. The rebbe responded:
"There is only one real wrongdoing - the hardening of one's heart. All the rest
stem from that. We beat our chests to soften our hearts."
What does that
mean - a hardened heart? A heart without compassion. Compassion - that quality
of looking at another with caring and good faith. And not just others - the
Torah teaches v'ahavta rayecha kamocha - you shall love your neighbor as
yourself. That doesn't do much good unless you love yourself. Compassion begins
at home. If we don't love ourselves we cannot love others. If we do not regard
ourselves kindly with a forgiving interior ear, a soft heart deep within, then
how can we hope to provide these to our neighbors?
We are taught
that man is inherently good. We are created as perfect creatures. When we sin,
when we act in an evil fashion, it is merely a hardening of the heart, not our
true selves. The Hebrew word for repentance is Teshuvah, return not change.
G-d does not want us to change, to turn over a new leaf; G-d wants us to return
to our good old selves, like the very day he created us.
My friends,
tonight as we stand here before G-d, on the loftiest spiritual level a human can
possible attain, we do not ask for remission from vows at all….what we are
asking is for the nullification of vows made as a result of the hardening of the
heart. We are reaffirming our commitment to be decent and good human beings, to
be ourselves, and thereby are nullifying any and all vows, utterances or hurtful
words we may in the future say as a result of not being ourselves….due to
circumstances which may arise.
Kol Nidrei
emphasizes the gravity of speech. Our words are so weighty, so important, that
Judaism does not take a single word uttered for granted. Tonight, we re-affirm
our commitment to the seriousness of our words, thereby nullifying any words
which will be uttered otherwise.
With our
rejection of words uttered because of the insensitivity of a hardened heart, our
day to day speech is elevated to the sacred. Now that's a little scary. Because
even the best efforts at communication are fraught with the possibility of
error. We all gossip at times, or speak hastily, or get confused, or speak from
our wishes rather than reality, not to mention the levels of miscommunication in
terms of differing cultures, assumptions, political and social perspectives and
normative standards. Why we even lie to ourselves!
Tonight, as we
embark upon the spiritual odyssey known as Yom Kippur, let us focus on being our
true selves on realizing our true potential. We should focus on the importance
of our words. As we pound our hearts during the Ashamnu, let us focus on
softening our hearts towards another.
As far as
softening of hearts, I would ask you now to consider our Appeal…
The story is
told of the Rabbi who came home from Shul. “What did you speak about in your
sermon?” asked his Rebbetzen. “I spoke about the rich giving more to the poor”
“Were you successful?”
“Only half”
“What do you mean, only half”
“Well I had the poor people convinced”
There is a marvelous story
of a man who once stood in front of G-d - his heart breaking from the pain and
injustice in the world. "Dear G-d" he cried out, "Look at all the suffering, the
anguish and distress in the world why don't you send help?" G-d’s reply? "I
did send help - I sent you!!"
Ladies & Gentleman, we can
make a real difference to the Kids in Israel who cannot even afford basic
necessities. I don’t have glossy brochures to give out, because Food for Kids
is a no-frills operation where every single penny goes to those in need. The
staff are entirely voluntary and they devote their time to helping the needy.
If there is one criticism it is that they are so sincere and devoted to their
task that they don’t have time for the photo-opportunities or PR campaigns of
other larger charities. However we know – particularly give the involvement of
Gerald and Mimi Rapport – that we are getting maximum value for our donations,
with every penny getting used.
We are living
in hard times economically. You may well be thinking of giving less than last
year. Just consider this – however hard things might be for people in this
country, think how much harder they are for charities. Many charities are
suffering reduced income as their donations dry up due to the credit crunch.
With CUS as the main UK supporter of Food for Kids, any reduction by us will
have a devastating affect. Add to that the reduced income from local donations
as Israelis are also hit by financial hardship, and you get the picture.
Many come with
preconceived amounts – if you have an amount in mind, please increase it! I
promise you G-d will pay you back for your generosity.
The Reichman
family is one of the wealthiest families in the world. They are renowned for
their piety and devotion to Torah and mitzvos. One of the Reichman brothers
passed away, leaving one billion dollars. He left two wills, directing that one
be opened immediately and the second be opened at the Shloshim (after 30 days).
Among the
instructions left in the first will was a request the he be buried with a
certain pair of socks that he owned. The Reichman children immediately brought
the socks to the Chevra Kadisha, the burial society in charge of cleaning the
body and preparing the burial shrouds for the deceased, requesting that their
father be buried in them.
Of course, the
Chevra Kadisha refused, reminding the family that it's against the Halacha
(Jewish Law), They pleaded, explaining that their father was a devoutly
religious and learned man, and he obviously had a very good reason to make this
request. The Chevra Kadisha remained firm in their refusal.
The family
frantically summoned the Chevra Kadisha to Beis Din, where the Rov gently
explained to them, "Although your father left that request when he was on this
world, now that he's in the world of truth, he surely understands that it is in
his best interests to be buried without the socks.
Mr. Reichman
was buried without his socks.
30 days later,
the second will was opened, and it read something like this; "My dear children.
By now you must have buried me without my socks. I wanted you to truly
understand that a man can have a billion dollars, but in the end, he can't even
take along one pair of socks!"
You can’t take
your material wealth with you, so please use it now and use it to help others.
These kids are relying on us– don’t let them down. There is no upper limit –
the more we give, the more kids they can help.
We all need to
be thankful and remember where our successes come from and to repay G-d who gave
us our wealth by using it to help others.
I cannot tell
you how much to give. I can tell you that rather than giving the minimum, you
should be asking yourself absolute maximum. I am sure many of us can afford
more than we might normally give if we really stretched ourselves – so please,
do just that.
I will
conclude with one more story:
A man was once
asked by his friend how much he earns? He replied six gold coins.
“What do you do with them?” He asked.
“Well, two I use to pay off a debt, two I invest and two I put away for safe
keeping.”
His friend said, “So what do you live off.”
“Ah, he said let me explain to you. When I said two I pay off a debt, I feed and
look after my parents just as they looked after me when I was a child.
Two coins I invest, I feed my own children and look after them, because then
when I am old they will feed and look after me.
And two coins I put away for safe keeping, I give those to tzedoko - charity,
because that safe keeping, the money we give to charity can never be taken away
because it is a mitzvah – a good deed that endures forever.”
Tzedoko is one thing
nobody can take away; even if a person loses all their money they still have the
tzedoko to their name.
I trust all of
us will keep these thoughts in mind and give generously to this year’s appeal
for the children of Netanya.
This is the best investment
you can ever make.
In the merit
of looking after our relatives, our young ones and further acts of kindness may
we merit that “teshuvah, tephillah and tzedakah maavirim et roah ha’gezeirah”
– “repentance, prayer and acts of charity will remove the evil decree” and may
we all be sealed for a Happy Healthy and Successful Year.
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