top of page
Daily Chizuk #1228
Weekly Parasha
Divine Symptoms: Recognizing the Body's Warning Signs
Our Response
There are no words that can adequately describe the agony and pain that Klal Yisrael is suffering at this moment. While our brothers and sisters are being brutally murdered, we are praying hard for the violence to end. May we hear good news very soon.
Everybody wants to do something to help, and fortunately for us, there are many ways that we can.
The Chatam Sofer writes, ‘There is no such thing as tragedy for nothing. We are not like the fish at sea where one fish can just come and swallow another. Everything that happens in every single person's life is done B’Hashgacha Pratit.’ We don't understand the ways of Hashem. We don't know why certain people had to die in such a horrific manner, but we do know that the enemy has no control.
How is it possible that the Israeli intelligence did not know about this?
The pasuk says in Parashat HaAzinu,
רְא֣וּ עַתָּ֗ה כִּ֣י אֲנִ֤י אֲנִי֙ ה֔וּא וְאֵ֥ין אֱלֹקים עִמָּדִ֑י אֲנִ֧י אָמִ֣ית וַאֲחַיֶּ֗ה
Hashem tells us He is the only One in charge of life and death and nobody else has any say.
In the very next pasuk, Hashem took an oath that He will destroy our enemies and our people, and our land will be appeased.
Just the other day we read in Parashat Zot HaBeracha that all Hashem has to do to wipe out our enemies is say the word Hashmed/destroy. We will dwell in security and have the most enjoyable lives, but when that will happen depends on us. The pasuk there calls us Yeshurun, which the Midrash says means when we act the way we are supposed to, then Hashem will ride across the heavens and help us.
Hashem is shaking us up at this moment, and if we want to bring about peace, we have to step up and answer the call. Of course, we need to say Tehilim and pray hard for Hashem to save us, but we must also accept upon ourselves to improve in areas which need improvement. Everybody knows where he needs to improve. The harder it is to do, the greater the zechut will be and the more it will do to end this war.
Our wars are fought by Hashem, and He is the only One that we need to impress.
Before Rosh Hashanah this year, the rabbis were quoting the Aruch LaNer who said that in a year that Rosh Hashanah falls out on Shabbat and the shofar isn't blown, it is Shabbat itself who advocates on behalf of Klal Yisrael. The shofar is what causes Hashem to go from His Kiseh HaDin/Throne of Judgment to His Kiseh Rachamim/Throne of Mercy.
Shabbat has the same power to accomplish that, but, says Aruch LaNer, that it is conditional upon us keeping Shabbat properly. Hashem has infinite calculations for everything that He does, and therefore it is not a coincidence that on the first day after this year's judgments have been finalized, Hoshana Raba, the attack on the Jewish people began on Shabbat itself.
Perhaps if we can guard Shabbat better now, it will cause our Guardian to guard us. Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein said last week, that whoever undertakes to learn two Halachot every Shabbat with his family members, and accepts to follow those Halachot exactly as he reads them, he guarantees the person will have a good year filled with yeshuot in Ruchaniut and Gashmiut and that Hashem will fulfill all the wishes of his heart for good.
May we hear Besorot Tovot B’Karov. Amen!
There are no words that can adequately describe the agony and pain that Klal Yisrael is suffering at this moment. While our brothers and sisters are being brutally murdered, we are praying hard for the violence to end. May we hear good news very soon.
Everybody wants to do something to help, and fortunately for us, there are many ways that we can.
The Chatam Sofer writes, ‘There is no such thing as tragedy for nothing. We are not like the fish at sea where one fish can just come and swallow another. Everything that happens in every single person's life is done B’Hashgacha Pratit.’ We don't understand the ways of Hashem. We don't know why certain people had to die in such a horrific manner, but we do know that the enemy has no control.
How is it possible that the Israeli intelligence did not know about this?
The pasuk says in Parashat HaAzinu,
רְא֣וּ עַתָּ֗ה כִּ֣י אֲנִ֤י אֲנִי֙ ה֔וּא וְאֵ֥ין אֱלֹקים עִמָּדִ֑י אֲנִ֧י אָמִ֣ית וַאֲחַיֶּ֗ה
Hashem tells us He is the only One in charge of life and death and nobody else has any say.
In the very next pasuk, Hashem took an oath that He will destroy our enemies and our people, and our land will be appeased.
Just the other day we read in Parashat Zot HaBeracha that all Hashem has to do to wipe out our enemies is say the word Hashmed/destroy. We will dwell in security and have the most enjoyable lives, but when that will happen depends on us. The pasuk there calls us Yeshurun, which the Midrash says means when we act the way we are supposed to, then Hashem will ride across the heavens and help us.
Hashem is shaking us up at this moment, and if we want to bring about peace, we have to step up and answer the call. Of course, we need to say Tehilim and pray hard for Hashem to save us, but we must also accept upon ourselves to improve in areas which need improvement. Everybody knows where he needs to improve. The harder it is to do, the greater the zechut will be and the more it will do to end this war.
Our wars are fought by Hashem, and He is the only One that we need to impress.
Before Rosh Hashanah this year, the rabbis were quoting the Aruch LaNer who said that in a year that Rosh Hashanah falls out on Shabbat and the shofar isn't blown, it is Shabbat itself who advocates on behalf of Klal Yisrael. The shofar is what causes Hashem to go from His Kiseh HaDin/Throne of Judgment to His Kiseh Rachamim/Throne of Mercy.
Shabbat has the same power to accomplish that, but, says Aruch LaNer, that it is conditional upon us keeping Shabbat properly. Hashem has infinite calculations for everything that He does, and therefore it is not a coincidence that on the first day after this year's judgments have been finalized, Hoshana Raba, the attack on the Jewish people began on Shabbat itself.
Perhaps if we can guard Shabbat better now, it will cause our Guardian to guard us. Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein said last week, that whoever undertakes to learn two Halachot every Shabbat with his family members, and accepts to follow those Halachot exactly as he reads them, he guarantees the person will have a good year filled with yeshuot in Ruchaniut and Gashmiut and that Hashem will fulfill all the wishes of his heart for good.
May we hear Besorot Tovot B’Karov. Amen!
bottom of page