My conversation with G-d

Dear friend I would like to wish a year that all your dreams become realities. And for those of us who have yet to dream… let the dreams begin!

May you begin to believe in yourself as much as your Father in heaven believes in you…

May you have endless reasons to smile and laugh, and no reasons for agony and pain.

May there be peace within ourselves and in the world in general …

And the most important blessing of all:

Moshiach Now!

*

With G-d so close by in honor of the New Year, I thought that I might as well use the opportunity and ask G-d a few questions and hear His point of view. Here are the highlights of the conversation.

Jew: great to see you again. As You know this world recently has being going haywire, so it's quite a relief to feel Your presence.

G-d: You know, I am so impressed with the human race how they handle the crises with so much optimism and great faith in Me. The angels up in heaven have a lot to envy.

Jew: Sorry for the Chutzpah dear G-d, but did I hear a bit of pleasure in Your voice when you mentioned our struggles?

G-d: I must admit that although I am pained by the plight of my children; I derive deep joy and satisfaction, when a child of mine uses his or her pain as a stepping stool to growth.

Jew: Back to the subject matter. There's a lot on the plate these days, as both Israel and the USA's government are in transition. Plus we have the economic meltdown and a moral collapse in society. Hmm… is there an end in sight? Is this part of a Master plan with a good outcome?

G-d: Why of course! This is all part of a process that was in plan long ago. Truth to be told, this whole balagan should be of no surprise to you, for the Talmud clearly writes that in the last moments before the redemption all of these events will unfold!

Jew: Let me just clarify for the readers. Are you saying that everything going on is a sign that the redemption is near?

G-d: Yes I did. And please quote me on that.

Jew: I am sorry dear G-d for cutting this conversation short but I must run and tell everyone I know what you just told me.

G-d: So is this conversation over?

Jew: Just for a short moment, for if you say that redemption is near, that means that you fill finally reveal Yourself to us once and for all! And then we will continue this conversation for ever and ever! Right?

G-d: You have my word! I will never hang up the phone again!

And for the split second until that unlimited phone call starts I would like to wish you and all of my dear children 'A good year! A Ksiva Vachasima tova!'.

See you soon…

Oy Vey! No Way!

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Bs"d

 Oy Vey! No Way!

It was the custom of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi to officiate as the "reader" (baal korei) of the weekly Torah reading in his synagogue. One year, the Rebbe was away from home on the Shabbat on which that the section of Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26-29) is read. In the Rebbe's absence, someone else did the reading.

Ki Tavo contains the "Rebuke", a harsh description of the calamities or "curses" (kellalot) destined to befall the Jewish people should they forsake the commandments of the Torah. That week, Rabbi Schneur Zalman's son, DovBer, who was about twelve years old at the time, was so affected by the "curses" of the Rebuke that he developed a heart ailment. Three weeks later, when Yom Kippur came round, he was still so weak that his father was hesitant to allow him to fast.

When the young DovBer was asked, "But don't you hear the Rebuke every year?", he replied: "When father reads, one does not hear curses."

***

Hmm… that story is really on target for what's been going on in recent weeks. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were taken over by the government, Lehman brothers, AIG… the financial market is not doing too great to put it mildly.

Oh and China is thinking of buying out half of Morgan Stanley… and "Der spiegel" says that American capitalism has died…Welcome back Mr.'s dark and gloom…

I was on the train today and some 'optimistic' preacher was telling us that this is the beginning of the end, "you're all gonna die, three people in a casket… communist China will take over the world…" ouch.

Ok 2.8 trillion dollars lost is no joke, granted. But gloom and doom is no joke either. It's at these times that you look back and think to yourself, 'wasn't it just a few decades ago when our grandparents worked eighteen hours a day just to earn enough money to put a rusty loaf of bread on the table'?

It's 2008, how many of us had only plain bread for breakfast and supper (who was able to afford lunch those days)? Aren't we all reading/hearing/watching the news about this meltdown by such media that just a short time ago couldn't have even been dreamt of?

I think the lesson we should learn from the above story; at least for people like us who are neither at the level of the "reader" nor of the "listener", is to look at what's happening with a different perspective. Same facts, same story, just with a different color lenses.  

'Think good and it will be good', said the fifth Chabad Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek.

Let's take it to heart; it works in medicine (fact!) it works in psychology, it works in school… and it works in money as well.     

Oh, and by the way a new year is upon us… an opportunity for a fresh new start.

 

Moshiach Now!

Shabbat Shalom!

(Rabbi) Levi Avtzon

 

You’re not bad at all

A Project of
www.shabbattable.com

And of Beit Chabad F. Bronzetti 18, Milan Italy

Bs"d

You're not bad at all

We stood at the foot of the mountain; a rush of adrenalin ran through our bodies as we started our trek. We had set a goal – to reach the top, and we would not turn back until we reached there.

Up and up we climbed the steep path. Finally after climbing over a big rock we found ourselves on a rather smooth trail. 'Phew', I thought I needed a break. But then the trail started going downhill!

"Hey! We're lost!" I cried out.

"No we're not", said my friend who had trekked up this mountain many times. "This is just a small dip; it only goes for a minute. Believe me we're on the right path, just look up ahead and see the steep hill… ye we're going to climb it."

After many more steep climbs and just a few dips we reached the top.

Before long we had to head back down, so down we went, slipping and sliding to the bottom. Our easy trek down was interrupted a few times, by some rocks that we had to climb over to be able to continue on our south-bound trek. Thank G-d we made it safely to the bottom.   

Dear friend, the month of Elul is upon us. In Judaism this is referred to as "reflection" month, where one looks back at the year that passed, looking for the holes and the wholes in his service of the Creator.

And we can be pretty sure that when we reflect we will find a year that looks like a heart thermometer, ups and downs. And we must ask ourselves: Does this mean that the whole year is a failure, just because of a few falls?

So many of us tend to look back at the year and whine about: "what if…" and "next year will be…", and we just wipe off a year as a failure due to a few minor/major dives.

We must remember to take the helicopter view, to be able to look at the good that we've done and see how much we have climbed higher over the year and then make the math. At the end of day we are not so bad after all…

Of course we must repent, but that does not mean that we are evil. All it means is that we are mountain climbers with beating hearts.

Moshiach Now!

Shabbat Shalom!

(Rabbi) Levi Avtzon