Follow Your Heart

Awesome Video Must Watch

http://youtu.be/do7RS2Js61k

What A Story

A young man named Avrumel Greenbaum lost his entire family in the Holocaust. After the war, he came to America and wanted nothing to do with Judaism. He was no longer Avrumel Greenbaum; now he was Aaron Green. He moved to Alabama and happened to marry a Jewish woman there. The day his oldest son Jeffrey turned thirteen, they were not going to celebrate his bar mitzvah. Aaron decided to recognize the day by taking Jeffrey to the mall and buy him anything he wanted there. They went to a big electronics store and while browsing, Jeffrey's eye caught something in an antique shop across the way. He was mesmerized by it. He couldn't take his eyes off of it. 

He told his father, "I don't want anything from the electronics store. I want to go across to the antique shop." When they got there, the boy pointed to an old wooden menorah and said, "That's what I want for my bar-mitzvah." His father couldn't believe it. He was letting his child buy anything he wanted in the whole mall and this is what he was choosing? Nevertheless, he couldn't talk him out of it. 

Aaron asked the shop-owner the price of the menorah, but he replied "Sorry, that's not for sale." The father said, "What do you mean? This is a store." He offered a lot of money for it. The owner said, "I found out the history of this menorah. A man constructed it during the war and it took him months to gather the wood. It survived, but he did not. It's going to be a collector's item. It's not for sale."

Jeffrey kept telling his father, "That's what I want. All I want is the menorah." So Aaron Green kept offering more money until the owner finally agreed to sell. The boy was so excited. He took the menorah up to his room and played with it every day. One day the parents heard a crash from Jeffrey's room. They ran upstairs and saw the menorah shattered to pieces. The father yelled at his son for being so careless, as he paid so much money for it. Afterwards, he felt bad; he told the boy, "Let's try to glue it back together."

While holding one of the pieces, the father noticed a piece of paper wedged inside. He pulled it out and started reading. He had tears welled up in his eyes and then he fainted. His family threw water on him and revived him.  "What happened?", they asked.

He replied, "Let me read you this letter." It was written in Yiddish, and it said, "To whoever finds this menorah, I want you to know, I constructed it not knowing if I would ever have the opportunity to light it. Who knows if I will live to the day to see it being kindled? In all probability, going through this war, I will not. But if Providence brings this menorah to your hands, you who are reading this letter, promise me you will light it for me and for us, my family, and those who gave their lives to serve Hashem."

 Aaron Green then looked up at his family with tears in his eyes and, in a choked-up voice, said, "The letter is signed by my father."

They were all speechless. That family recognized the hashgacha of Hashem and they came back to Torah and mitzvot. The hashgacha was unbelievable, taking a menorah from Europe and bringing it back to the family in a remote mall in Alabama. 

Hashem wants everybody back. Hanukah means to re-dedicate. It's a time to rededicate ourselves and come closer to Hashem.

Appreciation

 Years ago I heard a story of a dad named Paul Halpern who gave his young son a small chalkboard. One evening his son called out from the bedroom, "How do you spell 'best'?" Paul answered and moments later the boy yelled again: "How do you spell 'kid'?" Finally the child asked, "How do you spell 'ever'?"

When the boy came to present his sentence, Paul expected to see a note saying, "I am the best kid ever." Instead, the boy beamed as he gave his dad this message: "You are the best dad a kid can ever have."
As Paul reports it, it was one of the best days of his life. In fact, he had to buy his son another chalkboard because he decided to save this message forever and hang it on his wall. It's still there.
Feeling appreciated is enormously important to adults as well as children. So much so that we often don’t think enough about what we'd most like to be appreciated for.
Being appreciated at work is a big deal. Who doesn't want approval and respect from their bosses and co-workers? Beyond the economic value of raises, promotions and commendations of all sorts are gratifying and motivating. That's why good employers look for opportunities to sincerely acknowledge and thank employees for their contributions.
Yet as meaningful as this sort of recognition at work is, if you could choose between winning your child's "Best Dad a Kid Can Ever Have" award and being named the "Best Employee," which would you choose?
The point is not to belittle the pursuit of approval in your business life, but to remind you how much more meaningful it is to know that you are important to and appreciated by the people who love you and need you the most. And your most important job in life is to be worthy of that appreciation.
Being the "best ever" mom or dad, husband or wife or friend -- it just doesn't get any better.

Loyalty

The Loyal Cousin

Laibel Morgenstern (names and identifying details changed) was a spry octogenarian. 

At 85 years old he still came to Shul every morning. 

When other Mispallelim would query him as to the secret for his longevity, he would reply, “Very simple; I never had a mother-in-law!”

Indeed, Laibel was never married.

Laibel worked at his father’s fat rendering plant in Newark for many years. 

In 2007 he retired.

I never even knew Laibel had a brother; until the day he and his brother came to my office.

I was to learn that Laibel and his brother Mordy were more than just two years apart; they were worlds apart.

 Mordy was high strung, goal oriented, happily married, wealthy, successful and very community minded with many grandchildren.

 Laibel was ‘laid-back’, never married, lived off his social security check and was more of a loner than a people-person. 

They came to speak about their first cousin Sylvia Rubin. 

Like Laibel she never married and at 91 years old she was alone in this world except for Laibel and Mordy. 

Sylvia had been living at an assisted care facility for the last five years; however, this week her condition deteriorated and she had been admitted to Hackensack Hospital.

It was up to the brothers to decide her ‘end of life questions’ and that is why they came to me.

I watched the interaction between them. 

Mordy was the ‘take-charge’ type.

The main issue was who would be with Sylvia during her final days.

Mordy, who at 87 was still very much involved in his business and family affairs, was adamant that he would hire a full time aid to be with Sylvia; however, he himself had neither the time nor the inclination to personally ever come ‘out to Jersey’ to visit her.

Laibel cleared his throat and stated, “Yes, we should get her full time help; however, I will also stay at her bedside so she will not be alone!”

Mordy was somewhat dismissive of his younger brothers’ offer and remarked, “There is no need for that, as I will cover the cost of the aid.”

It was clear that Mordy was not used to be questioned by anyone, and certainly not by his ‘useless’ younger brother.

“Mordy, I just don’t think it’s right not to have a family member with her”.

“Stop being silly”, Mordy thundered; “Just go back to your apartment in Passaic and I will take care of everything.”

Laibel was not to be deterred, “No, I will not let her be alone when she needs me.”

For the next three weeks Laibel ‘lived’ at his cousin’s bedside.

He was there when she needed a drink of water and he was there when she needed the nurse.

He was there when she began to lose her lucidity and he was there to say Shema Yisroel with her when she breathed her last breath.

The day she died Mordy arrived at the hospital and saw firsthand how devoted Laibel was to Sylvia.

“Laibel, I don’t understand you; why have you sacrificed so much to be here. I don’t think you and Sylvia have spoken more than a few words over the last five years. What gives? Why suddenly did you become so dedicated and devoted?”

Laibel looked at his brother and said calmly yet, firmly. “Mordy, when we were little and Mom and Dad would have Sylvia baby sit for us, you would tease me until I ran into my bed crying. Do you know who would come to my room and sit with me until I calmed down and fell asleep? It was our cousin Sylvia!

She was there for me when I needed her and now 80 years later I knew I had to be there for her when she needed me.”

“If Not Now Then When?”- Hillel

Ron Yitzchok Eisenman, Rabbi, Congregation Ahavas Israel, Passaic, NJ 

   

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Hashem. Can I Ask You A Question?

Me: Hashem, can I ask you a question?

God: of course.

Me: promise you won't get upset...

God: I promise you

Me: why did you let so many things happen to me today?

God: what do you mean?

Me: Well, I woke up (E) late.

God: yes.

Me: my car took forever to start.

God: well.

Me: at noon, in the cafeteria, they have made a mistake by giving me a sandwich that I hadn't ordered and in addition I had to wait an eternity for it.

God: Huummm...

Me: on the way home, my phone fell "Dead" just when I'd pick up a call of the utmost importance.

God: very well.

Me: and to top it all, when I'm home (E) in me, I just wanted to soak my feet in my new masseur to feet to relax this stressful day. But this did not work! Everything went wrong today! Why did you let him do that?

God: let me show you what is truly happened. The death was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of my angels fight for your life. I got you so let him sleep throughout this battle.

Me (humbled): Oh!

God: I didn't leave your car boot this morning because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you hard if you had started with your car.

Me: (ashamed (se)).

God: the first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn't want you catch his virus because I know that you can't afford to be absent (E) of your work.

Me (embarrassed (e)) : very well.

God: your phone broke down because the person who called was subsequently twist your words as a result of your exchange and it was going to ask you a lot of problems that's why I didn't want you to take this phone call to That no one can say about you.

Me (softly): I see, Hashem.

God: Oh, and for your new device "foot massage", He was going to create a short circuit that would ruin your circuit breaker so you wouldn't have been common in the whole house. That is why I chose that it does not work because I thought you wouldn't have wanted to be in the dark tonight after this day.

Me: I'm sorry (e), Hashem.

God: don't be sorry (e), Just learn to trust me... In all things, in the good as in the wrong things.

Me: I will trust you.

God: and don't doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your plan.

Me: Yes, Hashem. And allow me to tell you, thank you for everything and for today, Lord.

God: you'll always be the / the welcome, my child. It was a day like another during which I am your God, and then, I like to take care of my children...

Perfection Is For Angels

A Great Segula

The Greatest Segula

Many people look for some type of segula to bring them the yeshua they need. However, there are no quick fixes. לפום צערא אגרא, the more effort put in, the greater is the merit. Mesirut nefesh, doing something that requires tremendous inner strength is the greatest segula.

The Gemara tells us (Rosh HaShana 17) כל המעביר על מידותיו, מוחלין לו על כל פשעיו,whoever forgives and overlooks a wrong done to him, is forgiven for all of his sins. What could possibly be a greater segula than to be totally cleansed from sin? This is a powerful segula because the difficulty involved is enormous. It is not easy for a person to recognize that what was done to him was from Hashem and not bear a grudge; or for a person to lower himself and take the first step to bringing shalom, instead of saying, "Let him come to me."

Rabbi Lag  related a story told to him by a woman from Israel, who we'll call Rachel. She had a friend in high school that was from a wealthy family, while she was from a poor family. The wealthy friend's attitude towards her made her feel so low. Her ga'ava and condescending remarks were like arrows shooting into Rachel's heart. The girl might not have realized the damage she was causing, but Rachel said she was broken. She lost all of her self-esteem and it had an adverse effect on her life. It was hard for her to date and she found herself alone, with no direction, at the age of twenty-eight.

One day, Rachel met one of her old friends, Sarah, on the street, who asked her how she was doing. She replied, "Not so great," and proceeded to tell her about all the negative feelings she had towards that girl. She just could not let it go.

Sarah decided to look up that girl and try to bring peace. She found out that the girl now lived in the United States. She gave her a call and asked how things were. The girl replied, "Baruch Hashem, but I have been married for many years without children and it's so hard. We've been trying doctors and Rabbis, but nothing is working."

Sarah told her about the heartache that she had caused her friend and said that the best segula would be to appease her. The woman was shocked that her comments had done so much damage. Nevertheless, she did not hesitate to admit guilt. She didn't make excuses, saying, "Come on, it wasn't that bad," or, "Please, she's blaming her problems on me." Rather, she immediately decided to fly to Israel to ask for forgiveness in person.

The two women met and Rachel later described how difficult it was for her to totally forgive. They actually had to meet several times until Rachel was מעביר על מידותיה and released all of her negative feelings. Finally, the two hugged and kissed each other. Before they departed, the friend said to Rachel, "I am anticipating that you get married this year. Please send me an invitation. I am going to come back and dance with you."

Later that year, Baruch Hashem, Rachel did get married. However, her friend could not make it; she was in labor with her first baby.

Being מעביר על מידותיו, lowering oneself to give in and forgive is a wondrous segula that can produce the greatest yeshuot.

Mother

BEING A MOTHER 

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me 
to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. 
She said, 'I love you, but I know this other woman 
loves you and would Love to spend 
some time with you.' 

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my Mother, who has 
been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three 
children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally. 

That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner 
and a movie.  'What's wrong, are you well,' she asked? My mother is 
the type of woman who suspects 
that a late night call or a surprise invitation 
is a sign of bad news. 

'I thought that it would be pleasant to spend 
some time with you,' I responded 'just the two of us.' She thought 
about it for a moment, and then said, 
'I would like that very much.' 

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit 
nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed 
to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. 
She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to 
celebrate her last wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face that 
was as radiant as an angel's. 
'I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they 
were impressed,' she said, as she got into the car. 'They can't wait 
to hear 
about our meeting.' 

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, 
was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm 
as if she were the First Lady. 

After we sat down, I had to read the menu. 
Her eyes could only read large print. Half-way through the entrees, I 
lifted my eyes and saw Mother 
sitting there staring at me. 
A nostalgic smile was on her lips. 

'It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,' she 
said. 'Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor,' I 
responded. During the dinner , we had an agreeable conversation 
nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other's 
life. We talked so much that we 
missed the movie. As we arrived at her house later, she said, 'I'll go 
out with you again, but only if 
you let me invite you.'  I agreed. 

'How was your dinner date?' asked my wife when I got home. 'Very nice, 
much more so than I could have imagined,' I answered. 

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It 
happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for 
her. Sometime later, I received an envelope with a copy of a 
restaurant receipt from the same place Mother and I had dined. An 
attached note said: 'I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I 
could be there; but, nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you 
and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant 
for me. 

'I love you, son' 

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: 'I love 
YOU' and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in 
life is more important than your family. Give them the time they 
deserve, because these things cannot be put off till some 'other' 
time. 

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after 
you've had a baby... somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, 
'normal' is history. 

Somebody said you can't love the second child as much as you love the 
first... somebody doesn't have 
two or more children. 

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and 
delivery....somebody never watched her 'baby' get on the bus for the 
first day of kindergarten... or on a plane headed for military 'boot 
camp.' 

Somebody said a Mother can stop worrying after her child gets 
married... somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or 
daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings. 

Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves 
home... somebody never had grandchildren. 

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to 
tell her... somebody isn't a mother. 

Pass this along to all the GREAT 'mothers' in your life and to 
everyone who ever had a mother. 

This isn't just about being a mother; it's about appreciating the 
people in your lives while you have them... no matter who that person 
is! 

Watch your thoughts, they become words. 
Watch your words, they become actions. 
Watch your actions, they become habits. 
Watch your habits, they become character. 
Watch your character, for it becomes... 
your destiny. 

'Be kinder than necessary to everyone you meet, because everyone 
is fighting some kind of battle'. 

-- 

Have a great day!

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."

Love n Hate Exercise