Parashas Ha'azinu - Cracked Pot

This week's Dvar Torah has been sponsored for:
Yeshua: Gittel Sora Yirtza Bas Rochel Leah
May you have healthy children and imy'H an easy pregnancy!
(If you would like to sponsor a Dvar Torah, feel free to email me: SharingTorah@gmail.com)
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We are currently in the days of Aseres Yemei Teshuva - the period between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. It is the week where Hashem finalizes the outcome of our year based on our actions. The next several days should be taken very seriously, with contemplation of each action. It is a time to do more teshuva, tefilla, and tzedaka than usual.

This Shabbos is Shabbos Shuva, where we will be reading Parashas Ha'azinu. It poetically describes what will happen to Bnei Yisroel until the end of days. In the beginning, Moshe summoned the Heavens and the Earth to witness that he warned Bnei Yisroel to keep the Torah.

Moshe says, "When I pronounce Hashem's Name, give greatness to our G-d. The Almighty's works are flawless, for all His ways are just. A G-d of faithfulness without injustice, He is righteous and upright." Rashi comments: Even though He is strong; when he brings punishment on those who go against His will, He acts justly, for His works are complete (flawless.)

This reminded me of a time when a friend called me from America complaining how 'unfair' Hashem was. How Hashem gave him this extremely hard nisayon which he can not seem to overcome and that Hashem is just 'unfair!'

It sounded like he was saying that Hashem had made a mistake (chas vShalom); that Hashem put him in a situation which He should not have put him in because of his lack of self-control, self-assertiveness, and self-esteem.

He was upset because he was 'placed' into a family that didn't pay much attention to him. His father was never home and he was always getting pushed around by his older brothers. Now, he feels like Hashem isn't helping him out with his struggles and any direction he goes, he feels like he will stumble. "I have every reason to be upset at Him," he said to me.

Hashem does not makes mistakes. Everything happens for a reason. It is very hard to grasp at times (especially when we are dealing with something frustrating,) but we just need to believe that what happens is for our own good and it did not happen by accident. Instead of trying to rationalize the reason you act a certain way, just try to mend your ways. What happened, happened. Now it's time to look to the future and see how you can make things work with your specific situation.

I have a short slide show which is very inspiring. I think everyone should see it. I uploaded it onto my site (which is only used for downloading files; which is why you won't see any web-sites. I am waiting for this domain name to expire so that I can get a new one.)

The site address is: http://www.rabbinisso.com/cracked-pot.pps

Don't get the wrong idea - it's not saying you shouldn't fix your 'cracks', and should just live with them. On the contrary, the first thing someone should do is try to fix their cracks, but sometimes things aren't repairable, in which case we need to concentrate on the positive.

I give us all a beracha: we should realize that the hardships in our lives don't happen by accident and that there is One above running our world to our benefit. We might not recognize these as benefits yet, but after 120 years, it will be crystal clear.

Gmar Chassima Tova,
Nisso

Parashas Nitzavim & Vayelech - Vivid memories...

This week's Dvar Torah has been sponsored for:
Refua Shelema: Leah Ayala Bas Yehudis
May you and your family have health, happiness, peace and success!
(If you would like to sponsor a Dvar Torah, feel free to email me: SharingTorah@gmail.com)
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This week is a double parasha (Nitzavim and Vayelech). Two short parashas, however, combined together makes it long. Actually, (food for thought) a person might feel a little scared/worried to take upon themselves a goal because it might be too big and impossible to complete. That is just our mind playing tricks. For example: Someone can look at a masechta of Gemara and think it's out of his league - too big for him to finish. However, if you break it into smaller parts, something that was once intimidating isn't anymore.

Another example is when someone is stressed out because he/she is so overwhelmed with work, studies, family etc... A lot of people think they have BIG issues, but if they categorize them and list their issues, they will be surprised to see it's not such a big issue after all. It just seems big because it's not organized into different segments. We see the same tactics apply - breaking something into smaller parts. You can look at cleaning the WHOLE house, or cleaning one room after the other.

Now back to this week's parasha - but before I begin, I just want to let you in on a personal story.

My wife and I bought a 'One-Year Pass' to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo (in Bayit Vegan.) We had a lot of fun, sadly though, it just expired a couple weeks ago. Before buying it, we were trying to weigh out the advantages and disadvantages of buying it. The only disadvantage we could think of was that the bus ride was an hour and thirty minute away from our apartment. Going with two kids for an hour and a half each way was no walk in the park. It required a lot of patience and nosh. (Using the tactic above, we looked at it as if we were only taking the kids on one bus at a time. Incidentally, when we approached the second bus stop, we had just missed the bus, and had to wait an hour for the next one. Can you imagine? But we had a great time and the kids were well behaved, baruch Hashem. Always bring animal crackers to the zoo, hehe.)

The biggest advantage we took in account which lead us to buy the pass was: being able to give our kids a fun learning experience. We thought it would be easier for them to learn their animals. As a matter a fact, it worked very nicely. We went a bunch of times throughout the year and with every visit, it was more educational.

In this week's Parasha (if you're still reading, thanks for hanging in there,) there's the mitzvah of Hakhel. It's a national assembly event every seven years, where you hear the king read the Torah. The posuk says, "Assemble the nation - the men, women, children, and the convert of your towns. In order for them to hear and learn to fear Hashem, your G-d, and they will make sure to fulfill all the words of the Torah." Rashi asks, I understand the men would come to learn and the women would come to hear, but why the children? He answers, "To bring merit to those (the parents) who brought them."

Another answer is because a child will gain much more from the experience of traveling up to Yerushalayim, holding his parents' hand, going to hear the king read from the Torah. It's exciting for a child and when you bring them and they see what's going on with their own eyes, as opposed to hearing about it, the child remembers it more. It's more vivid to him/her.

That's the reason why my wife and I bought the yearly passes to the zoo. The experience of being there and seeing as opposed to hearing can have a great impact on our children. My daughter knows her animals very well, bli ayin hara. Now when we show her a book with animals in it, she's able to tell us what type of animal they are.

Make sure to make our kids' learning experiences 'hands on' in order for it to be memorable for them. This also applies to us grown-ups as well. When there's a practical application to something we've learned, it stays with us longer.

Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Nisso

P.S. Thanks for reading!

Parashas Ki Savo - Strengthening the observance of Torah

This week's Dvar Torah has been sponsored for:
Yeshua: Moshe Efraim ben Bracha
May Hashem grant you Yeshua, Bracha, Hatzlacha, Parnassa, and Briut.
(If you would like to sponsor a Dvar Torah, feel free to email me: SharingTorah@gmail.com)
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In Parashas Ki Savo, we read something which we are already familiar with (from past parashiyos) yet, the Torah still felt it necessary to mention again. As a matter of fact, the remaining parashiyos of Sefer Devarim refers to it: strengthening the observance of Torah.

In the third aliya (which only has four pesukim) says, "This day, Hashem commands you to perform these chukim, mitzvos and mishpatim; And you shall observe and perform them wholeheartedly and with your whole being. Hashem has distinguished you today to be for Him - a treasured people - as He said to you, and to guard all His mitzvos..."

Generally, when something is repeated, it's usually something important. You can't tell your kids enough times to "be careful not to get hurt." A famous example is when a parent tells their kid(s), "Please, if you are going to borrow the car, be careful not to get into an accident." I think it's a very funny statement; almost as if the teenager wants to get into an accident? I don't think they need such a reminder. (Then again, I don't have any teenagers yet, nor do I own a car.)

Another example: I was once putting schach on my sukkah, (standing on a ledge on the third floor) when my wife told me, "Be careful not to fall. --I know I don't have to tell you, but I just feel like I need to say it." I thought about her words, and it was pretty funny because everyone has the habit of telling others to be careful. "Do I really want to fall? She seriously didn't have to mention anything about being careful. Falling wasn't on my list of things to do," I thought. But when someone is so special to you, you make sure to 'remind' them even though they totally don't need the reminding.

In this case, Hashem, our Father, loves us very much because we are His treasured children. This constant 'reminder' of 'being careful' is solely for our sake. By performing these mitzvos, we will be zocheh to all the berachos which are stated in the Torah. They are not, however, the ultimate reward for fulfilling the Torah, nor are the curses the ultimate punishment for its violation.

In the seventh aliyah, Moshe re-emphasizes all the miracles Hashem performed for Bnei Yisroel (in Egypt and in the midbar) to motivate them to keep the Torah. He reminded them about the great signs and wonders Hashem did; for forty years their clothing and shoes did not wear out, etc... The Ramban learns this as a warning, "After forty years of teachings, you should be able to understand that your success lies in the keeping the Torah and mitzvos."

What Moshe Rabbeinu did (when re-emphasizing the goodness Hashem performed for us in order to motivate us to keep His Torah) can be used for other things as well, such as Teshuva. I just heard a shuir by Rav Akiva Tatz saying, "Before a person thinks he's going to sin, he should picture a scenario which will frighten him and which will get him to think that maybe it's not such a good idea to do this aveira. Example: Picture a dog in front of you and if you sin, it will bite you." It's basically a mechanism which will 'remind' you not to sin and what could happen if you do.

By keeping Torah and refraining from sin, we should be zocheh to do complete teshuva, so that Hashem will inscribe and seal us in the good books and grant us all the berachos mentioned in the Torah.

Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Nisso