The Brick What A Life Lesson

THE BRICK 

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighbourhood street, 

Going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was 

Watching for kids darting out from between parked 

Cars and slowed down when he thought he saw 

Something. 

As his car passed, no children appeared. 

Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! 

He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to

The spot where the brick had been thrown. 

The angry driver then jumped out of the 

Car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up 

Against a parked car shouting,

'What was that all about and who are you? Just what 

The heck are you doing? That's a new car and that 

Brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why 

Did you do it?' The young boy was apologetic. 

'Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't 

Know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the 

Brick because no one else would stop....' With tears 

Dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth 

Pointed to a spot just around a parked car.. 

'It's my Brother, 'he said 'He rolled off the curb and fell 

Out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him 

Up.' 

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, 'Would you please help 

Me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and 

he's too heavy for me.'

Moved beyond words, 

The driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling 

Lump in his throat... He hurriedly lifted the 

Handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took 

Out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh 

Scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything 

Was going to be okay. 'Thank you and may God bless

You,' the grateful child told the stranger. Too 

Shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy!

Push his wheelchair-bound

brother down the sidewalk

Toward their home..

It was a long, slow 

Walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very 

Noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair 

The dented side door. He kept the dent there to 

Remind him of this message: ' Don't go through life 

So fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to 

Get your attention!' God whispers in our souls and 

Speaks to our hearts Sometimes when we don't have

Time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's 

Our choice to listen or not.

The Tablecloth Heartwarming tearjerker story!

The Tablecloth 

The brand new Rabbi and his wife were newly assigned to their first congregation to reopen a Shul in suburban Brooklyn. They arrived in early February excited about their opportunities. When they saw their Shul, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Erev Purim. They worked hard, repairing aged pews, plastering walls, painting, etc., and on 8th of the Adar (February 17th) they were ahead of schedule and just about finished. 

On February 19 a terrible snowstorm hit the area and lasted for two days. On the 21st, the Rabbi went over to the Shul. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the e front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. The Rabbi cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Erev Purim service, headed home. On the way home, he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity, so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory coloured, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colours and a Magen David embroidered right in the centre. It was just the right size to cover the hole in the front wall. 

He bought it and headed back to the Shul. By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The Rabbi invited her to wait in the warm Shul for the next bus 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the Rabbi while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The Rabbi could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area. 

Then the Rabbi noticed the woman walking down the centre aisle. Her face was like a sheet.

"Rabbi, "she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The Rabbi explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Poland. The woman could hardly believe it as the Rabbi told how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". 

The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Poland. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. He was captured, sent to a camp and she never saw her husband or her home again.

The Rabbi wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the Rabbi keep it for the Shul. The Rabbi insisted on driving her home. That was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job. 

What a wonderful service they had on Erev Purim. 

The Shul was almost full. The Service was great. At the end of the service, the Rabbi and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the Rabbi recognised from the neighbourhood continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the Rabbi wondered why he wasn't leaving. 

The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Poland before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike? He told the Rabbi how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a camp. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years between.

The Rabbi asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the Rabbi had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Erev Purim reunion he could ever imagine. 



The above is a true story. “God” does work in mysterious ways! 

Take 60 seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply say the following small prayer for the person who sent this to you: 

"Hashem, bless all my friends and family in whatever it is that You know they may be needing this day! May their lives be full of Your peace, prosperity and power as they seek to have a closer relationship with You. Amen." 

A trip to Miami

The bus stop schmooze

You Never Know By Toby Lieder

You Never Know,                                                   By Toby Lieder

You never know, when you are making history.

You never know, when the one kind word you said today made a huge difference to a person in pain.

You never know, when someone calls you Thursday night, It may be because they want to get invited for Shabbos.

You never know, when you are making history.

You never know, when a repairperson does work for you, what that cup of water meant to him!

You never know, when your spouse comes home, what your big smile of welcome can do for them!

You never know, when you do a random act of kindness what ripple affect it can have.

You never know what happens when you hand out a random Shabbos t-light, how that story will end (or begin!)

You never know, what your visit to a sick person in hospital can make a huge difference to them.

You never know, The guest that ate at your home one Shabbos will perhaps host your kids in the future, one day!

You never know the impact you have on your kids’ childhood until they have kids of their own

You never know, how much your kids are learning from ‘watching’ you, rather then listening to you.

You never know, how much more effective you are when you whisper instead of shout.

You never know, when you invest just 10 minutes of private time with each child, daily, how it may actually save their life

You never know, If you try to talk to your kids with respect as an adult, you may receive the same respect back.

You never know, if you buy your wife flowers every week, she may surprise you with something special.

You never know, if you give 2 compliments for every criticism said you may have a very happy peaceful home

You never know, If you date your spouse once a week criticism free, you may have invested in the most important deposit ever!

Got Love? Rabbi Manis Friedman

http://www.chabad.org/1334057

Next Survivor Husbands

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES 

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 

3 kids each

THIS WILL BE FOR 6 WEEKS

There WILL NOT BE ANY fast food

Each kid will play two sports and either take 

music or dance classes.

Each man must take care of his 3 kids,

keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework and

complete science projects.

Cook, do laundry and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough

Money.

In addition, each man will budget money for groceries each week

Each man must remember all the birthdays of their kids, friends ,

& relatives and send cards out on time, no emailing!

Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a

dentist appointment, and a haircut appointment.

He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per

child ATLEAST ONCE to the EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

He must also bake cookies or cupcakes for a social function

They must mend all clothes that rip and help shop for new clothes.

Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house

planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times

The men will only have access to television

when the kids are asleep and all chores are done

The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn themselves

with jewellery, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep fingernails

polished and eyebrows groomed

During one of the six weeks the men will have to endure severe

abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained

mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties

They must attend weekly school meetings, PREPARE lavish

shabbos/yomtov meals,

Attend atleast 2 P.T.A. meetings (parents teacher's night) &

take notes.

They will need to read a book to the kids each night, and in

the morning,

By 7 a.m.*feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb

their hair by

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will

be required to know all of the following information

each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe size, clothes size,

& doctor's name!

Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of

labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack

favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and

what they

want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island based

on performance

When the last man does win, he can play the game over and over

and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the

right To be called Mother