By the Grace of G-d
Dear Friend,
I was greeted in Shul at 7am this morning by someone who had already read my weekly email. He was surprised that it had come in middle of the Bangkok night and perused it before coming to morning prayers. Of course, once he read it, he knew why I had sent it early.
I had needed to ask for help to be able to release a fellow Jew’s body from the hospital and begin the burial proceedings.
When I saw him looking at the ‘shabbat schedule’ hanging on the wall of the Shul I knew something was amiss.
Pointing to the printed schedule on the wall he proclaimed, ‘Shabbat starts at 5:31 PM today not at 5:33’.
I took a quick peek at my emails and saw that not just had I misquoted the starting and ending time of Shabbat, I had also not written the correct Torah portion. Last week’s portion of Noach and last week’s Shabbat times were still listed.
At first, I thought OY VEY.
But then I realized that this was a G-dsend.
Like many other things that initially have a feel of something going awry. And then it turns out that they are actually hidden opportunities.
This weeks Torah portion of Lech Lecha is all about progression. Going ahead. Moving forward.
The thing about moving forward, is that sometimes it looks like the opposite is taking place. It sometimes looks like you are going backwards when really you are poised to move forward.
Very often, challenges look like obstacles. In the absolute reality of G-d’s plans they are often things that elevate and advance us. Looking like obstructions, but actually serving as catalysts, catapulting us to even greater heights.
This week’s Parsha Lech Lecha says it all.
Avraham and Sara are sent to the land of Canaan (Israel) by G-d. Upon arrival they are greeted by a famine. They head off to Egypt. Seems like a real setback. As it turns out, they enter Egypt penniless, yet they leave Egypt fabulously wealthy, famous and honored.
G-d had planned their successful emergence from Egypt all along. Avraham had demonstrated his absolute faith in G-d and never questioned why he was meeting with misfortune.
So it was with the Jewish journey into Egypt. We got enslaved in Egypt were downtrodden and oppressed and many lives were lost.
Yet we emerged from Egypt, to go on to receive the Torah and enter the land of Israel as a liberated nation. We soared to heights that were previously unimaginable.
So it will be in the future. We will emerge from this sojourn in ‘exile’ and enter the glorious Messianic future that awaits us.
Back to our reality. Friday November 8, 2019.
I made a mistake in my email that cannot be ignored. Shabbat candles must be lit at the proper time. To light Shabbat candles after sundown is actually the opposite of honoring the Shabbat. Shabbat candles must be lit when the sun has not yet set and the Shabbat has not yet begun. (If the mistake was in the reverse and I had written an earlier time for Shabbat candles, I could leave it. A few extra minutes of Shabbat is certainly good.
But not in this instance where I had written a later time which could G-d forbid cause a mistake of violating the Shabbat).
I realized that I need to send out a second email. That’s a tad embarrassing.
It dawned on me that this was a golden opportunity.
First of all, it gives me the opportunity to report back to you about our success.
I get the chance to thank all the donors who through their joint effort facilitated and enabled the release of the body of the late Shimon A. from the hospital for burial. The embassy and undertaker are working on the next stages. (bureaucracy… bureaucracy… or as my Bobbe would say in her accented English ‘paipehwoik’).
Thank you to all of you generous Tzedaka enthusiasts!!!
YOU DID IT. Collectively. Am Yisrael once more demonstrated their unshakeable and unbreakable bond with each other. Even to a Jew unknown to them or anyone who contributed!
And now to the sweetness. The simchas, joyous events that I want to share with you.
In our community, this week we have been blessed with joyous life cycle events connected with Bris Milah, circumcision. Just like Avraham our forefather in THIS WEEKS PARSHA…
This morning, we were blessed to have the bris of Ari Ariel born to one of the members of our ‘Chabad Young Professionals’ community led by Rabbi Boruch Hecht. The youthful and joyous event was hosted at JCafe and enjoyed by all.
On an even more personal note, our daughter and son in law, Devorah Leah and Shneor Brod were blessed with a baby boy. Please G-d the bris will be in Rechovot, Israel on Monday 14:30 PM. (For exact address please email me).
Nechama and I are full of thankfulness to G-d for His infinite kindness to us. May Hashem bless you too with happy occasions in your families.
So, I hope you agree with me that a second email is not a mistake, rather an opportunity to share the sweetness of this week with you.
May we enter the Shabbat with feelings of joy and happiness.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Yosef Kantor