By the Grace of G-d Dear Friend, Prayer. When you think prayer, do you think low tech or high tech? Let me phrase it a bit differently. Who do you think prays more? Old fashioned simpletons or newfangled technological geniuses? I recently bumped into an Israeli technician who specializes in the most cutting-edge technology. The kind that armies install onto aircraft. He mentioned something about the advanced system not working. Nobody could find where the bug was. Till he stopped to pray the Mincha afternoon prayers. After his prayer one of the team had a random idea. To check one of the externally linked systems. It didn’t seem relevant but upon double checking they found that this was the source of the bug. The faulty link was fixed, and the system began to work. To everyone’s relief. The other members of the team, albeit not Jews who religiously pray three times a day, exclaimed their thanks to their colleague and are sure that the problem was solved because of his prayer. I was left an exhilarating feeling after hearing the story. As it reminds us that even those most intricate systems, devised and designed by geniuses, require G-d’s constant intervention. Everyone agrees that the great intellectual prowess that stands behind science’s great advances, is a gift from G-d. But many tend to think that once G-d gave us intelligence, now it’s purely mathematical 1+1=2. If you put the wires together and set up the computer in a certain way, the results are guaranteed. It’s as if one would mistakenly say, ‘thank you G-d for giving us humans the wisdom to create the systems, but no thanks G-d, no need to help me get them up and running’. Its plain science. Joining wires and presto, it works. That is not at all true. G-d’s presence and input is needed at all times and in all circumstances. Even advanced laser systems. I am sure there is no need to convince you of this point. I have no question that you have seen in your life, as I have in mine, that the most dependable ‘predictable’ things are totally dependent on G-d. This weeks parsha gives us uplifting insight into the power and the immediacy of prayer. A classic Torah story set in the pastoral natural setting of the land of Canaan almost four thousand years ago. Eliezer the trusted servant of Avraham has been dispatched to find a wife for Yitschak, his masters son. How in the world is he meant to find the ‘needle in the haystack’ or in this case the ‘rose in the thornbushes?’. There may be scores of girls in Avrahams former homeland. Eliezer prays to G-d. “Allow me to be successful. When I see a girl from the right locale, I will ask her to give me to drink. If she gives me to drink and also offers to water my camels, then I know that this is the girl You have destined for Yitschak’. Before Eliezer has a chance to even finish his prayer, as Eliezer neared his destination, Rivka was coming out. She not only gave Eliezer to drink, she also offered the camels water. She was from the right family tree and had said the exact words that Eliezer had established as a Divine sign. Low tech prayer. No computers. No ‘waze’. No WhatsApp or Facebook. Just good ole fashioned belief in G-d and turning to Him for help. And G-d helped! Fast forward to 2021. Computers. Advanced systems of the highest precision. When the system is stuck what do you do? Pray. And G-d answers. My dear friends, PRAY. No just for wisdom to make the right decisions. But also for the predictable to materialize in a blessed way. And of course to constantly thank Him for His beneficence and kindness. Avraham taught his generation that when you eat food you must thank G-d. G-d is not up there in Heaven relegated to the highest celestial spheres while he lets the world run randomly. That is the kind of belief that was prevalent before Avraham began his ‘wine and dine hospitality outreach center’. When Avraham fed people, he taught them to thank not him the host, but the TRUE provider of all sustenance. The ALMIGHTY. It is critical for us to remember that in every single aspect, every single microbe, every computer, every gene, every everything, is created, directed and supervised in every detail by G-d. Hashem wants us to pray to Him. For the small things as well as for the big. For the mundane as for the holy. Praying to Hashem for our needs highlights this and reminds us Who the true source of life is. Try it! Say after me: Hashem, Please help me……. (fill in the missing dots and insert whatever you need). The results will astound you please G-d. Whether you are a computer scientist and you can’t figure out the intricate electronic web you are working on. Or something ‘low tech’ like looking for the right match for yourself or a child. Oh, and I must admit, I prayed that Thailand would open up without quarantine before the International Conference of Shluchim. Of course, in this prayer I was joined by all of the scores of people whose lives have been painfully affected by the restriction. Whether families that cannot reunite, or incomes that are hinged on tourism and business travel. We pray that Thailand can open, SAFELY and that we can get back to living life the way it is meant to be. IN PERSON and not only virtual. I am very excited to have the merit to be attending this conference of great and dedicated rabbis. Last year it was all virtual. This year its partially in-person, partially virtual. The organizers have made changes and restrictions to make it as safe as possible as per New York rules. It will be much smaller no doubt, as many countries are still not open for travel. How fortunate for me that Thailand is changing its rules on November 1. This means that please G-d I can get back to my post shortly after the conference finishes next week. I pray that the inspiration of visiting the Rebbe’s Ohel and Chabad Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway, with those of my fellow Shluchim who were able to make it, and the networking and comradery of the conference will charge my spiritual batteries to their fullest. And it is you, my dear friends with whom I hope to share and transmit that energy as we embark on the onwards and upwards of Jewish life in Thailand!!!! Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Yosef Kantor PS email me privately at [email protected] if there are specific prayer requests you would like me to make on your behalf as I visit the resting place Ohel of the Rebbe. PPS The Shluchim conference ‘Banquet’ will be streamed live on Sunday 4:30 PM (EST) which is Monday November 1 3:30 AM Thailand time. It is available after that for viewing. Click here for link.
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