tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-244903092024-03-08T07:59:07.515+02:00Alleyways To TorahRabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.comBlogger980125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-57473261520805207592010-02-17T00:57:00.002+02:002010-02-17T01:01:18.740+02:00Change Of Venue!!We have moved!! The explanation is at the first post of the new blog - <a href="http://www.mevakeshlev.blogspot.com/">mevakeshlev.blogspot.com</a>. <br />New email - ally.ehrman@gmail.com<br /><br />Love And Blessings!!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-40518253461084277192010-02-15T00:18:00.003+02:002010-02-15T00:23:54.329+02:00Oz Vichedva Bimkomo - Strength And Joy In His PlaceA post from 3 years ago:<br /><br />"Doctor, I have a ringing in my ears". "Don't answer" - Henny Youngman. [If his name had been Henna he could have been my mother.]<br /><br />Get a LAUGH!! [Instead of get a LIFE] <br /><br />It is healthy! "When we laugh, natural killer cells which destroy tumors and viruses increase, along with Gamma-interferon (a disease fighting protein), T-cells(important for our immune system), and B-cells(which makes disease fighting antibodes). As well as lowering blood pressure, laughter increases oxygen in the blood which also increases healing." Science of Laughter , Discovery Health Website.<br /><br />"Laughter lowers blood pressure, decrease stress hormones, is a great workout for your diaphragm, abdominal facial , leg and back muscles. It stimulates both sides of the brain to enhance learning." And much much more! [See www.Helpguide.org]<br /><br />Husband to wife "Close the vindow, it's cold outside." "And if I close the vindow it von't be cold outside?!"<br /><br />Fast, get a Maseches Taánis! [Get it?] On Daf 22a none other than Eliyahu HaNavi points out to Rebbe Broka [no relation to Tom Brokaw] two men who are going to Olam Haba [this means that they are spiritual people, otherwise there is nothing for them to do in Olam Haba]. Rebbe Broka asks them which Mitzvos they perform? [Apparently they weren't such Talmidei Chachamim, otherwise the reason for their eternal reward would be self-evident.] They answered that they are JOVIAL PEOPLE and they make it their business to gladden the hearts of sad people!! [They also make peace between two people who are fighting.] <br /><br />Indeed, Rav Chaim of Volozhin was wont to say that our purpose in this world is to improve the lot of others ["lihoeel liachareenee"]. So here is a great Avodah that I highly recommend. Find a Yid [or a Yiddene - depending on the circumstances] and make them happy. Compliment them, tell them what you admire about them, say something to put a smile on their face. By the time a child reaches nursery school, a study has shown, he or she will laugh about 300 times a day. Adults laugh an average of 17 times a day.<br /><br />There are a lot of people who could use some more simcha - share some of yours. And like all acts of giving - the giver benefits infinitely more than the receiver! <br /><br />With Love and Simchahood<br /><br />Elchanan ben YITZCHAK [get it?] Yonah <br /><br />P.S. And a very happy seventh birthday this week to my son - you guessed it - Simcha!!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-64329673326763505702010-02-14T05:08:00.004+02:002010-02-14T05:22:14.777+02:00Not Enough To Give"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”<br /><br />Lao Tzu<br /><br />In Parshas Mishpatim it says that one should help his enemy unload his donkey. The pasuk says "azaov taazov imo" - in the context of the passuk it means "help him" but literally it means "leave". The Aramaic commentary Rav Yonasan Ben Uziel translates that one should "leave" his hatred. In other words, it is not enought to help someone, one should also have positive feelings for him. [Pointed out by Rav Henach Leibowitz ztz"l - the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Chafetz Chaim, which I believe is the last bastion of mussar yeshivos in our world. A tragedy. True mussar has died on a large scale. Some of the Rosh Yeshiva's students were my Rabbeim in my youth. Lucky me!]<br /><br />The Gemara says that the beis hamikdash was destroyed because of baseless hatred. The Gemara says that the Jews still performed acts of chessed for each other. MIND-BOGGLING! They were involved in chessed while simultaneously hating the beneficiary of the chessed. It is not enough to give. <br /><br />One must love as well.<br /><br /><br />A GUT VOCH AND A GUT CHODESH TYERE YIDDEN!!!!!<br /><br />BI'SIMCHA TOMID!!:)Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-49858145438584059142010-02-13T19:25:00.001+02:002010-02-13T19:26:51.146+02:00Tzvi Moshe On Mishpatim: Holiness In The Nitty-GrittyThis week’s Parsha is a stark contrast to last week’s. Parshas Yisro is dramatically characterized by its divine special effects, God’s mass-revelation and His giving of the Aseres HaDibros. Mishpatim feels like a cold shower next to Yisro. It deals with the nitty-gritty, intricate laws of commerce, custodial responsibilities and judicial procedure. Mishpatim deals with the most mundane aspects of day-to-day life. It begs the question: What does Hashem want already? Why must He push His way into every detail of my life? How are we supposed to handle the huge emotional drop-off from Yisro to Mishpatim? Hopefully, through a better analysis of the Yisro/Mishpatim transition, we will come away with a clearer and more inspiring understanding of the many details that make up a life that is bonded with HaKadosh Baruch Hu.<br /><br />Shemos Rabbah at the beginning of the Parsha connects our Parsha to last week’s through a Passuk from Tehilim (147:19) “Magid D'varav L’Yaakov, Chukav U’Mishpatav L’Yisrael” ‘Hashem relates his statements to Yaakov, His statutes and laws to Yisrael.’ The Midrash explains that the two segments of this Passuk parallel Yisro and Mishpatim. Magid D'varav L’Yaakov - He relates His statements to Yaakov: this is Parshas Yisro (the connection between D'varav and Dibros is blatant). Chukav U’Mishpatav L’Yisrael - His statutes and laws to Yisrael: this is Mishpatim. Let's delve into an explanation of this.<br /><br />The Sfas Emes raises an interesting point about the Passuk that ties the two Parshios together. We know that our forefather goes by two names: Yaakov and Yisrael. Yisrael is considered the more elevated and exclusive of the two. Thus, if Yaakov is attached to Parshas Yisro and Yisrael is correlated with Mishpatim (in the way that we saw it broken down by the Midrash above) then it would seem that Mishpaim is the loftier and higher of the two!<br /><br />On the surface, it would seem that this simply couldn’t be! Yisro is Kolos U’vrakim - thunder and lighting! Mishpatim is Bava Kama - it comes across like a monotonous study in Jewish monetary law; how are they even comparable!?<br /><br />The Mei HaShiloach answers that the greatness of Mishpatim comes specifically from the mundane nature of its laws.(Fasten your seat-belts and crack open a Zohar.) Why is this so? He explains esoterically that Adam HaRishon started off in a different frame of reality then ours, it was more spiritually tangible. Then with Adam HaRishon's sin with the Eitz HaDaas he altered the fabric of his reality, transferring him to a denser, more physical plane, the same framework of existence in which we live today. All of our commandments are designed to bring a Tikun, to do some spiritual landscaping in this world, in order to re-elevate it back to the original state of its existence. It is here where Mishpatim thrives. Because the laws are so down to earth, it affords us the opportunity to infuse God and Godliness back into the very fabric of our degraded physical reality, and from there elevate it back to where it ought to be.<br /><br />In order to put this into context of the Midrash, let's momentarily digress.<br /><br />The Passuk in Mishlei (16:32) states “Tov Erech Apayim Mi’Gibor, U’Moshel B’Rucho Mi’Loched Ir.” He who is slow to anger is better than a strong man, and one who is a master of his passions is greater than a conqueror of a city.’<br /><br />Rav Yisrael Salanter explains as follows: This Passuk has two segments, one greater than the first. The Erech Apayim is slow to anger, meaning he still grapples with his negative attributes. This is a very good level to reach, but at the end of the day, the war still wages on between him and the Yetzer HaRa. He is related to the Gibor,he is strong, but he is not yet defined as victorious. This is not the case with the Moshel B’Rucho - the one who rules over his desires. He has already dominated his Yetzer HaRa and lives an elevated spiritual existence. He is compared to the Loched Ir because he who has really conquered a city dominates its every aspect. A true conqueror comes to know the city’s every convenience store, sewer and back alley. This is true dominance; to have every angle checked.<br /><br />He goes onto explain that this is the progression from Yaakov to Yisrael. Yaakov became Yisrael when he subdued the angel back in Parshas VaYishlach. Grappling with the angel through the night, Yaakov Avinu finally incapacitates him with a devastating headlock. It is at this point that the angel changes Yaakov’s name to Yisrael: Ki Sarisa…VaTuchal, For you have struggled…and have overcome. Only when Yaakov displayed full dominance over the angel did he become Yisrael.<br /><br />The connection is as follows: Tov Erech Apayim Mi’Gibor is Yaakov. He is pushing, but the fight has not yet ended. U’Moshel B’Rucho Mi’Loched Ir is Yisrael. He has already covered every corner that there is. This is full dominance; the fight is won.<br /><br />Perhaps with this idea in mind we can go back to the confusing Midrash. How can we say that Mishpatim is connected to the name Yisrael and is on a higher level than Yisro? Yisro flies in the clouds, and Mishptaim is talking about oxen! <br /><br />Perhaps we can tie it all together as follows: Yisro, like we said before is Magid D'varav L’Yaakov - Yaakov being the connection to the Gibor, the one who is fighting but still caught in the struggle. The Aseres HaDibros are fundamental – true, but they are still up there in the heavens. They are delivered as ten major concepts that come with divine special effects. But this is not the goal of creation…Mishpatim is. Mishpatim is Chukav U’Mishpatav L’Yisrael, Yisrael being the Moshel B’Rucho, the Loched Ir. Mishpatim gets into every nook and cranny of life in order to allow godliness to fully penetrate reality. This is true dominance, and thus Mishpatim is Yisrael.<br /><br />How often do I feel like I’m getting bogged down by one Halacha after another? It seems to be a never-ending matrix of laws and sub-laws that sneak their way into every facet of my life! When does it end already? Does Hashem really care how I get out of bed in the morning? (Or if give that guy/girl a high-five... I mean, it's just a high-five!)<br /><br />Gevalt! What a flawed perspective! It’s mammash just the opposite. Baruch Hashem that He has given me the opportunity to infuse His will into everything… EVERYTHING! It doesn’t matter if it’s a bull, pit or a how I tie my shoes - Hashem has blessed me with the opportunity to elevate the whole universe through that which seems so mundane. Through my actions I perfect the fabric of reality; what a responsibility and an honor that is! Halacha is not a nag, it's an empowerment! I really need to snap out of it and realize that HaKadosh Baruch Hu has given me these opportunities because He loves me and wants me to be part of an elite unit of creation-perfectors.<br /><br />B’Ezras Hashem we should all be Zoche to this realization. We want to really be able to feel our Chibur, our connection to Hashem down to the most minute detail of how we tie our shoes. This is a life that is fully invested in a relationship with HaKadosh Baruch Hu - and that is the best life that there is. If we can do this there is no doubt we will live lives of meaning moving closer to the Creator and ultimately the redemption!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-62356736591144727042010-02-12T02:29:00.003+02:002010-02-14T05:22:34.652+02:00Extremely Thought ProvokingI would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. <br /><br />Barry Goldwater<br /><br />Thoughts on extremism, <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/742170/Rabbi_Ally_Ehrman/Parshas_Shekalim:_Extremism_">here</a>. <br /><br />Good Shabbos Sweetest Most Beloved Friends!!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-69782178535338720832010-02-11T04:09:00.004+02:002010-02-11T04:16:46.851+02:00Burning And BuildingToday I saw something beautiful in the sefer Mishmar Levi on Temurah in the name of the son of the Brisker Rov: It says in the Gemara in Taanis that we fast on the 17th of Tammuz for a number of reasons. One of them is that a certain Greek ruler named Apostomos burned a Sefer Torah. But wait a second! Every word of Torah we learn is a mitzva [Vilna Gaon] so when we read this Gemara we are rewarded for learning Torah!! <br /><br />So Apostomos tried to burn the Torah and in the end he created more Torah!! <br /><br />Vinahafoch Hu!!<br /><br />They tried to destroy and in the end they build!! I often think of this idea as I watch our "cousins" toiling day and night to build the JEWISH STATE for the JEWS!!<br /><br />May all evil be speedily transformed into good!!<br /><br />Love and Blessings!!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-52038547030106787732010-02-10T01:50:00.005+02:002010-02-11T04:20:31.167+02:00Last ChanceSWEETEST FRIENDS - I'm reprinting a old post from a few years ago from the beginning of Adar. So if you are depressed, you must know - this is your last chance. In a few days it is ALL OVER. Happiness will reign as Adar enters next sunday night. As part of my preparations I have been giving a series bs"d on "Ad Di'lo Yada" - <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/742019/Rabbi_Ally_Ehrman/Ad_Di'lo_Yada_-_Part_4">here</a> is # 4. The first three are also on Yutorah. <br /><br />"Wear A Smile And Have Friends, Wear A Scowl And Have Wrinkles. What Do We Live For If Not To Make The World Less Difficult For Each Other" [G. Eliot]<br /><br />That's it. It's over. <br /><br />Anyone who is: dejected, depressed, despondent, disconsolate, melancholy, downcast, sad, forlorn [two lorn + two lorn], low, in the doldrums, gloomy, disheartened, discouraged, grieving, sorrowful etc. etc. etc. No more.<br /><br />IT'S ADAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br /><br />FREILICH, TYERE YIDDEN! [I won't overwhelm you with all of the synonyms for happy, joyful, merry, jovial, elated, cheerful, jocular, buoyant, exhilarated etc. etc.]<br /><br />A sign we put on the wall in the childrens bedroom:<br /><br />THE SMILE<br /><br />It doesn't cost anything, but it's worth a fortune<br />It enriches the receiver, while not impoverishing the giver<br /><br />There is no person so strong<br />who can exist without it<br /><br />There is no person so powerful <br />For whom a smile will not add <br /><br />There are some tired people that in order to enable them to smile at you<br />SMILE AT THEM<br /><br />Because - <br /><br />There is no person who is in need of a smile<br />as much as a person who is unable to smile.Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-6529561884469033912010-02-09T20:18:00.002+02:002010-02-09T20:21:06.873+02:00Blocking The DoorwaySent by C.A.F. [who confirmed the veracity of the story] - thank you!!<br /><br />There was a woman who could not have children for 3 or 4 years. She wanted to go to the arizal's mikvah in Tzfat but it is for men only. So she and her husband went and he blocked the entrance way and made sure no men were in there and she dunked three times.<br /><br />They had triplets!<br /><br /><br />MAZEL TOV MAZEL TOV MAZEL TOV!!!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-27438823091593014652010-02-09T04:37:00.002+02:002010-02-09T04:51:10.916+02:00TatoosAnother mai'seh shehaya: It is Erev Rosh Hashana and the Yerushalayim mikva is PACKED! There is a big 6 foot 5 inch chossid with "gekreizelte payis" [long flowing sideburns] on his way to the mikva. His hand is covering his arm. Suddenly he slips and falls to the ground - revealing a TATOO on his arm. Everybody stops and stares at him in disbelief. Not a common site at the mikva. Suddenly a small, slight, frail old man, about 5 feet tall, approaches him and offers his hand to help him up. <br /><br />He also had a tatoo on his arm. He points to the number engraved by the Nazis and says "Dos is meine gehenom, un dos is deine gehenom. Lameir geyen tzo mikva". This is my hell and that is your hell. Let's go to mikva.<br /><br />Sweetest most beloved friends!! Everyone has their own gehenom. The great ones are able to help others overcome and vanquish their demons. It requires sensitivity and care.<br /><br />May we be equal to the task!!<br /><br />Love and blessings!!!!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-43506555745249212782010-02-09T00:32:00.004+02:002010-02-09T04:37:42.607+02:00Communication Without ConnectionI once heard a good line. We live in a generation where there is communication without connection. Email, facebook, cellphones, text-messaging etc. etc. But there is something that pains me. People aren't really connecting in a deep way. Would you "date" a potential spouse on facebook? OF COURSE NOT! [By the way - great date idea. Bring "dates" and eat them!! But first, talk about bug-checking and guys, if she cares and checks her fruits - MARRY HER!! Well, also make sure you like her. What's worse than finding a worm in your apple? Finding half a worm...] <br /><br />Would you marry a guy you know from g-chatting? [Is that what it is called? I heard someone say that last week.] No way Jose!! Even if his name isn't Jose but Yossi you wouldn't marry him. It is a superficial form of communication!!<br /><br />No, no sweetest friends, I am not saying we should ignore all modern forms of communication, but that we should use it properly. It is definitely convenient and has many advantages including saving time. <br /><br />Some suggestions:<br /><br />1] When you talk to someone [on the computer, phone or otherwise] try to talk about deeper more spiritual matters. Time is a priceless commodity, use it well. Chazal say that one must have friends - "Friends or Death", but true friendship is one based on emotional and spiritual connection - not meaningless discussions about the weather.<br /><br />2] When you are with a friend - TURN OFF YOUR CELLPHONE! It is annoying when it rings and rude when you interrupt a conversation to answer it. Even when the phone isn't ringing the very fact that it is on means that the one holding it is not really with you. Of course there are exceptions to the rule but in my opinion that is the rule. On a persoanl note: When I am talking with someone and they answer their phone [this has happened to me about 10 million times] I wonder "I know that I am not important but why does he have to make me feel that way?!" When the phone rings in my home and I am talking to my wife we don't answer [generally]. Who could be on the phone that is more important than my wife?? I only have one!! Frankly - every person we are with should be made to feel that he is THE MOST IMPORTANT IN THE WORLD. Chazal teach us that one of the questions asked when we meet Hashem is "Did you make your friend feel like a King/Queen?" Would you answer the phone during a meeting with a King? President? Even a Mayor? Why does your friend deserve less respect?<br /><br />3] Some people find it easier to open up on a computer. But if possible, true connection should be achieved face to face. It is important to look a person in the eye and show that you care and are listening with rapt attention. Shlomo Hamelech could have asked for anything and he asked for a "LEV SHOMEA" - A listening heart.<br /><br />4] If you receive a phone message or email try to answer promptly. If someone wants to contact you, getting in touch with them has a Jewish term - "chessed". Rav Noach Weinberg was one of the busiest Jews alive. He once became furious with a student who didn't return someone else's call for 48 hours. He boomed "I ALWAYS return a call within 24 hours!! That is the beginning of Ahavas Yisrael." [As I am typing this I am listening to a eulogy of Reb Noach and heard the story from the Talmid. What Hashgacha!] <br /><br />5] Don't spend too much time communicating with the world. If you are a male - you have a BIBLICAL COMMANDMENT to learn every free minute. And many other mitzvos. If you are female - there is also much Torah to learn, Tanach, Mesilas Yesharim, Pirkei Avos etc. etc. And there is chessed to do. And there is time to spend alone involved in introspection and relaxation. <br /><br />6] Before making a phone call, sending an email etc. you can ask yourself - is this what Hashem wants? Will it bring another person [or you] simcha, or aliyah in Avodas Hashem?<br /><br />When the first man went up to the moon, they interviewed the great Ponovitcher Rosh Yeshiva Rav Kahanaman ztz"l [d. 1969] and asked him what he thought. He answered "A man can reach the moon, but lev el lev lo naga'u - people's hearts are no closer." I fear that today people are further than ever.<br /><br />May we merit to truly connect to other. That is the secret of Jewish survival. When Haman's decree to destroy the Jews was proclaimed, Esther's response was "Lech knos es kol hayehudim" - Gather together all of the Jews.<br /><br />Amen keyn yehi ratzon!!!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-77293458541628110252010-02-08T02:08:00.003+02:002010-02-08T02:20:19.234+02:00Spiritual UltrasoundA great mai'seh I heard from one of the boys in Yeshiva tonight!<br /><br />The year is about 1991. His father was close to the Lubavitcher Rebbe and one Sunday he went with his mother to get a bracha. The Rebbe gave them a dollar. Then called them back and gave two more. She was at the beginning of her pregnancy at the time but unbeknownst to them she was carrying ....... triplets. <br /><br />The boy who told me the story is one of them.<br /><br />Love and blessings!!!!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-38103256700270081412010-02-07T04:39:00.003+02:002010-02-07T04:47:27.642+02:00Charming And SweetWell, I was on the radio on Friday and have but one regret. I forgot to plug my new book "7 Habits Of Highly Ineffective People". But I guess it is apropo because one of them is "missing opportunities" - which I did. :)<br /><br />In this weeks parsha we read that the Jews "encamped" next to the mountain. The Torah uses the word "Vayichan". The Chassidim intepret this to mean "chen" - charm. In order to receive the Torah the Jews had to be "charming" to each other. <br /><br />That reminded me of the saying of Chazal "Kol Yisrael areivim zeh la'zeh", which literally means that we are all responsible for each other. But it can also mean "All Jews must be sweet [areiv is sweet] to each other." That is our job in life. To be charming and sweet.<br /><br />Love, Blessings And Gut Voch to all!!!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-62998667131879621342010-02-05T02:32:00.002+02:002010-02-05T04:30:45.697+02:00Cherry Coke And Nestle CrunchFrom a parsha email from my friend Eytan Menachem Hakohen Austein:<br /><br />I was sitting in seder today, minding my own business, trying to learn with my chavrusah, when all the sudden, one of my shana alef friends walks over to our table and starts singing. He asked me join in...why not? So we start dancing and singing to that song everyone knows; the tune of Adon Olam, with the lyrics of "I don't know why i share my lunch, with cherry coke and nestle crunch..." Fun for the whole family. Right? Wrong! In the middle of our little party, one of my rabbeim from last year sees me and yells across the entire beis medrash, "Austein! Stop singing and start learning!" I immediately smiled, assuming that he was joking. As I waited for his smile, it didn't come. Picture this scene; its embarrassing as anything. And so as everyone in the beis medrash stopped learning and looked right at me, I suddenly began to feel as small as an ant. It's no coincidence that this week's parsha shows the exact mussar that my rebbe was trying to teach me. He wanted to convey the message that learning time is for learning, and it should be done whole-heartedly and with a passion, or if you're yeshivish, with "a bren". Bnei Yisrael accepted the Torah ki'ish ecad, bi'lev echad, together, but they also accepted it under circumstances that are described as loud and noisy: the intense thunder, lightening, Hashem's voice...every time we learn, we are supposed to learn "Ki'nisi'nasam" as it [the torah] was given to us: with noise, excitement, enthusiasm!<br /><br /><br />This weeks <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/741811/Rabbi_Ally_Ehrman/Limmud_Hatorah_Kinisinasa">sicha</a>.Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-35638555901037013542010-02-04T19:03:00.005+02:002010-02-04T19:15:39.839+02:00What On Earth...SWEETEST FRIENDS - THIS IS IT!!<br /><br />Nachum Segal is broadcasting from Netiv Aryeh tomorrow and I, little me, has been chosen to say a three minute dvar Torah at about three o'clock Israel time. Now here is the problem: WHAT ON EARTH SHOULD I SAY? I have never been on the radio before [except maybe for those silly call in sports radio shows as a kid]. I AM NERVOUS! My friend and Rebbe Rav Tzvi Shiloni has been telling me for years that I should have a radio show - so here it is, 3-4 minutes. Or maybe I should just keep going until they force a commercial on me :). <br /><br />You may call with suggestions: 646-461-1628 or email me at allyatika@gmail.com.Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-73259487756392473652010-02-04T11:39:00.000+02:002010-02-04T11:42:05.480+02:00Badly In Need Of YOUR Tefillos!PLEASE DAVEN FOR MEIRA MINDEL BAS CHAVA GOLDA!!!!!!!<br /><br /><br />Thank you!!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-79708781509056944382010-02-02T19:12:00.003+02:002010-02-03T02:22:37.069+02:00Student ForeverI LOVE Judaism! Imagine a Professor of Higher Mathematics from M.I.T. who wrote 25 books with the GREATEST chiddushim in Mathematics. You ask him when you meet him what he does and he says - "I am a student of wise men". NO WAY!! "I am a Professor of Higher-Fancy-Shmancy-Mathematics at the most High-Falutin' University in the world." That is what he would say.<br /><br />What is the greatest Torah Scholar called? A "Talmid Chacham". A student of the wise or wise student. No matter how much you learn you never cease being a student!! I have friends who are Rabbeim and teachers. I am not. I am happy to be a student. Fortunately I am surrounded by students just like me. They are much younger than I but it doesn't bother me. I enjoy their innocence, enthusiasm and excitement.<br /><br />May we always remain eager to learn!!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-65261485974401620152010-02-02T09:14:00.000+02:002010-02-02T09:15:05.285+02:00The Value Of LifeAn interesting article brought to my attention, <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115344932744813318.html">here</a>.Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-72016712524274185042010-02-01T16:46:00.003+02:002010-02-01T16:49:49.666+02:00Buy Reb Shlomo - And Be InspiredSweetest Friends!!<br /><br />The Yu Seforim sale is underway. I am listing two of my favorites [besides the old-fashioned Shas and Poskim]: "Reb Shlomo" - [The Biography of Rav Shlomo Friefeld] and "Holy Brother" [about Rav Shlomo Carlebach]. <br /><br />If you bought one of the seforim and liked a story - email me and tell me which!!!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-7182856119610130962010-01-30T21:53:00.001+02:002010-01-30T21:54:49.396+02:00BEAUTIFUL Torah From Tzvi MosheIn this week’s Parsha, the redemption of the Jewish people comes into full focus with the splitting of the sea and the Shirah. Through analyzing the transition from Galus to Geula, the switch from exile to redemption, we will hopefully see how to bring this down to the personal level, and make that same transition in my day-to-day. <br /><br />The Sfas Emes explains that certain Parshios are uniquely directed at bringing out Galus themes, and there are Parshios that are specifically designed to bring out Geula. Parshas Vayechi is the first, and our Parsha, Beshalach, is the latter. Let’s go deeper into his words.<br /><br />In order to illustrate the transition we need to start at the beginning of the exile, which occurs in Parshas Vayechi. Parshas Vayechi marks the beginning of the Galus for a number of reasons that we will try to spell out. On the most basic level, it is the point that all of Bnei Yisrael descend into Egypt, and from there they become enslaved.<br /><br />There is something very interesting about Vayechi in that it is a Parsha Stumah. Parsha Stumah literally means a Parsha that is sealed. A Parsha Stumah is a Parsha where the breaks that are normally present to separate between Parshios are not there in their normal form, and one Parsha flows into another almost as one Passuk would be placed right next to another, forming a lock-down on either side of the Parsha. What are the breaks normally for for? The Midrash tells us that they are Revach L’Hisbonen time to think, digest and ponder about the last idea before proceeding on to the next one. This means that Vayechi, the Parsha that marks the beginning of exile is defined by being sealed off from the ability to think clearly. The Midrash tells us that the Parsha is sealed because the eyes and hearts of the Jews became sealed - the ability to flourish was squashed.<br /><br />So what went into Galus exactly? The Ohr G’Delyahu explains the words of Chazal that tell us that Mitzrayim was a Galus of the Dibur, of speech. What is speech? The Chovos HaLevavos beautifully tells us that ‘The mouth is the quill of the heart.’ Meaning that which I have inside of me, my thoughts and feelings, are expressed when they come outwardly from my mouth. What Mitzrayim did was take away that ability to express.<br /><br />Perhaps we can explain then, how these ideas are fully solidified in how Vayechi comes to a close. The Parsha ends with “And Yosef was buried in a coffin in Egypt.” This is the ultimate form of being boxed in. The coffin is a sealed box that has contained finality. In is the axiomatic symbol of the end of this ability to flourish, the grave is the mark of the stopping – of closing in, and this is the final image of Vayechi.<br /><br />So now we understand exactly what Galus is. The ability to express myself, to think for myself, the ability to flourish on my own - when these are taken away, I’m in exile.<br /><br />This means that everything that illustrates exile must be present in the total opposite in our Parsha where we get Geulah. We’ll start with the issue of Parsha Stumah. We explained that the Parsha Stumah is the lack of space in the Parsha. And we see how the opposite is obviously present in Beshalach where we have the set-up of the Shirah! The song at the sea is written in such a way that extra space is intentionally put in. Either a wide gap in the middle, or space on both side is present in every line! So if the lack of space is a representation of the lack of free thought, then the Shirah is an expression of free thought on the highest level!<br /><br />Next we need to address the issue of Dibur going into Galus. If Mitzrayim took away speech, which is the ability to bring my inner feelings out, then the obvious flip-side if the Shirah itself! The song that was sung at the Yam Suf was a spontaneous bursting forth of speech and tune and emotional overflowing all woven together! It’s the highest level of expression!<br /><br />And what is the opposite of the coffin of Yosef? Perhaps we can say that the parallel is found in Kriyas Yam Suf. If the coffin is the symbol of being boxed in, then it would make sense to say that the splitting of the sea is a clear image of opening up!<br /><br />Now, in contrast to the crushing experience of Galus, we see that Geula is the ability to open up and truly express myself.<br /><br />There is an interesting interplay where these two opposite Parshios meet. The Passuk in Tehillim (114:3) says that “HaYam Ra’a VaYanas” The sea saw and if ran away. This is a reference to our splitting of the sea in Beshalach. The question is, what did the sea see? It’s brought down in a number of sources that it saw the Coffin that had Yosef, it saw the bones of Yosef, and that caused it to split open.<br /><br />It’s unbelievable that specifically the image of being contained and stifled is exactly what caused the sea to widely open up! What does this mean? That the processes of Vayechi, the situations that are the most crushing, are absolutely necessary to get the abilities of bursting forth and opening up that we find in Parshas Beshalach.<br /><br />We can take this in the direction of a tree. To someone unfamiliar with the processes of planting, describing how a tree comes to be would be very confusing. In order for a tree to grow a seed has to be taken, a hole has to be dug and then the seed has to be buried tightly in that hole. After all that, the seed as to wait and rot underground. Only after all of this does the seed have the ability to sprout above the ground, out from its imprisonment in the soil. If the seed were to remain above ground, it would never be given the opportunity to grow!<br /><br />The Passuk says in Dvarim (20:19) says, “HaAdam Eitz HaSadeh” ‘Man is a tree in the field.’ This is not just a cute metaphor. This is a reality of the human experience. I need to experience what it is like to be bottled up before I can truly appreciate what it means to be free.<br /><br />All forms of redemption work like this, both personal and national. When we ask for the Geula in Shmona Esrei we ask, “Es Tzemach David Avdecha Meheira Tatzmiach” Please Hashem, make the sprout of David HaMelech grow forth to save us. And like we explained above, we now know what it means to grow.<br /><br />When I feel like I’m in a coffin-like situation, I need to know that it is exactly that experience that I’m going to use to split a sea. It is those painful situation, where it seems that I can’t even think for myself anymore, when I feel most bottled up, the most squashed – it is specifically those experience that I need to use as the motivation to flourish. Only after a Vayechi can I get to Beshalach.<br /><br />B’Ezras Hashem we’ll all be Zoche to this. We have within ourselves the ability to see beyond the narrow frame of reference that only lets me see pain. We need to know that in the bigger picture all that exile-like experience is just pushing us to a the point that I’ll be able to express ourselves at the greatest an highest level. If we can do this there is no doubt we live lives of meaning and fulfillment moving closer to the Creator and ultimately the Redemption!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-849704910255126572010-01-29T01:51:00.003+02:002010-01-29T02:06:13.742+02:00Belief - My Favorite TopicAn audio shiur on the Parsha given this week, <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/741581/Rabbi_Ally_Ehrman/Beshalach:_Is_Life_A_Popularity_Contest">here</a>. <br /><br /><br />The unedited version of my Dvar Torah that appears in Netiv Aryeh's newsletter.<br /><br /><br /><br />"Ya gotta believe"<br /> <br />Tug Mcgraw - NY Mets pitcher after winning a big game<br /> <br />Moshe Rabbeinu comes to the enslaved Jews and tells them "Ladies and Gentleman, we are leaving Mitzrayim." Awesome!! And the Jews believed "Vaya'amain ha'am". The Jews believe in G-d and Moshe His faithful servant!! Later in Parshas Beshalach after the Jews see the splitting of the sea it says "Vayaaminu Bashem uviMoshe avdo'' - They believed in Hashem and Moshe. Wait? They already believed prior to this. What changed? <br /> <br />Then at mattan Torah it says "Baavoor yishma haom bidabri imach vigam bicha yaaminu liolam" The Jews had to hear Hashem speaking to Moshe so that they believe in both of them. Hey! They already believed?<br /> <br />Answer: Faith is not like pregnancy. A woman is either expecting or not. Faith in Hashem has infinte levels and is NOT a yes or no proposition. It must constantly grow! That is why the Torah described the various growing levels of faith of the Jews. It is not enought to say "I believe". The question is: Do you believe more today than you did yesterday? Do you learn sefarim that help increase faith? Do you daven to Hashem that he should open your eyes and help you see His light? Or do you engage in acts or have friends that DECREASE faith. Take sin for example. Sin distances one from the Divine light. The more one sins the more he is CONVINCED that Hashem isn't watching. Friends. Are your friends people who live their lives making constant assessments of their spiritual growth or people who live life as if there is no death and no reward and punishment. <br /> <br />Faith in Hashem is HARD work and a lifetime task. One NEVER arrives. There is always more to know, more to believe, more to experience. Indeed the pillar upon which the entire Torah stands is EMUNAH. The Rambam lists it as the first of the 613 mitzvos. "Kol mitzvosecha Emunah" - All of my mitzvos are an expression of faith. ."Tzaddik, said the Navi Chavakuk, Beemunaso yichye." The chiyus, the vitality, of a tzaddik is his faith.<br /> <br />So practically, where do we begin? Sweetest friends - I am glad you asked!! Michtav Meliyahu, Alei Shor, Ohr Yechezkal, Chovos Halevavos, Moreh Nevuchim, Sfas Emes, Likkuttei Torah etc. etc. Then go spend a Shabbos in the presence of a tzaddik. Fast one day to beseech Hashem for Emunah [take it upon yourself the previous day]. Get close to a person who REALLY believes. And don't just have faith! Also, be faithful to the relationship. Your wife [present or future] doesn't want you to have any other romantic interests, so too Hashem doesn't want us to have any other interests in this world besides Him. 'Bichol dirachecha dayahu" . Everything we do is for Hashem. <br /> <br />This will CLEARLY lead us to a life filled with meaning and therefore SIMCHA!!!<br /> <br />2 - 3 - 4 IVDU ES HASHEM ........<br /><br /><br />LOVE, BLESSINGS AND A SWEET SHABBOS!!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-79629742354831587882010-01-26T09:17:00.003+02:002010-01-26T09:23:34.503+02:00Ready To ChangeAhhhhhh - PLEASE OPEN YOU HEARTS to words of Rav Shlomo Ben Rav Naftali:<br /> <br /> The Torah tells us that, after the Jews crossed through the Red Sea, "the Sea returned to its strength." The gemara says, (Rashi brings it on the verse) do not read it as "strength" but as "condition,". The Red Sea returned to its original condition. Hashem, when He created the Red Sea, made a condition with it that, on the seventh night of Pesach, when the Jews will be by the shores of the Red Sea, the Sea should split open and allow them to pass through.<br /> <br /> So, everybody asks, wasn't it when the Sea split open that it went back to its original condition, when it fulfilled the condition Hashem made with it and not when it became water again?<br /> <br /> Hashem makes conditions, not only with the Sea. Hashem makes a condition with every person in the world. Hashem tells each person, "There will be one moment in your life when you can save somebody else's life, there will be a moment when you can do the greatest thing, which I created you for, but - you have to be ready to be something else. To go out of your way. Water, to become dry land, to become anything in the world. The deepest secret of life is that, I always have to be what I am, but there are moments I have to be not what I am also. <br /> <br />But, forget about time schedules. People have soul-schedules also. What's going on today with our establishment? According to their schedule, the way the world is today doesn't fit in. So, they just ignore it. For instance, during the Holocaust, they didn't do anything, right? Because it was not in their schedule. Twenty years later, now, it's part of their schedule to talk about it... In the sixties we lost thousands of kids to drugs. They didn't talk about it because it was not on their agenda. What's going on in Eretz Yisrael now? They all talk about the Arabs. What about inside? We are losing our kids, thousands of kids, but it's not on their agenda.<br /> <br />How about changing? From ocean, become dry land! Be something else.<br /> <br /> <br />When you love somebody very much, what is the acid test? If you really love somebody - are you ready to change for that person, even for just a moment? <br /> <br />The gemara says that finding your soulmate is like crossing the Red Sea. Everybody asks, why does Hashem call out, forty days before a person is born, who his soulmate is? Because, for two people to find each other and live together, everybody living on their schedule all the time, they will never make it, right? I am I, and you are you. Unless they are like the Red Sea. When Hashem created the Red Sea, at that time, He put in the condition that there will come a moment that it will have to stop being a sea and become dry land. But this is a heavenly power. You cannot do it after you have been created. It must come from before. Because change is the hardest thing in the world. That kind of change is not from this world. It's as deep as when Hashem created the world. Therefore, when a person is born, a condition is already made that you will marry this Chanele, but, for this Chanele, I want you to change a thousand times.<br /> <br /> Now I want to go one step deeper. Why does the Torah say that the Red Sea went back to its original condition? Here is the deepest Torah in the world. What happens to you if you refuse to change? You know what happens to you? You might say: "Okay, at least I am what I am." But, really, you are nothing. You know what the Torah says? When was the Red Sea really a sea? After it was ready to change. When are you really what you are? Only if you can be anything for somebody you love. And, when the Sea returned to its original condition, suddenly, it was really a sea, a real sea. Now its water was really water. When Mashiach is coming, "kamayim layam mechasim" (as water covers the sea) - the waters of the Red Sea, such deep waters, waters that are ready to change to save peoples lives.Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-15311980960224682352010-01-24T04:22:00.004+02:002010-01-24T04:47:31.988+02:00GrandmaSWEETEST FRIENDS!! To put a smile on your face to begin the new week, an email I received from a VERY beloved friend: <br /><br />Funny story I thought you would appreciate: The guy who works with me, Mike (I’ve told you about him in the past)… 25 years old, considers himself a Unitarian even though his mother is a Jew, his mother's mother is a Jew etc. etc. He goes to church and the whole deal, but he went on birthright a few months ago and he loved it. Anyhow … he heard about the story of the 20 yr. old guy who put his tefillin on in an airplane today and caused a bomb-scare. So Mike says to me… “Tefillin? What are those??” I explained to him what they were and he responded: “Really, is that something new?” I told him that it’s a pretty fundamental part of Judaism, to which he responded with complete seriousness: “Can’t be! I’ve never seen my Grandma wearing them!”<br /><br />Maybe we can be mekarev a Jew this week. They need it.... The mishna in Pirkei Avos says to "love Jews and bring them close to Torah". Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook used to point out that it doesn't say "love Jews IN ORDER to bring them close to Torah". No! Just love them for who they are and automatically they will return to Torah.<br /><br />Ahhhh yidden - we need more AHAVA!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-9521897769366997622010-01-22T05:15:00.003+02:002010-01-22T05:23:16.418+02:00Tzvi Moshe Kantor On RenewalThis week’s Parsha is very detailed, covering a whirlwind of topics. We will, B’Ezras Hashem focus on the issue of Kidush HaChodesh. The Passuk says, “HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem” ‘This month shall be for you.’ There is a deeper insight brought down in a number of sources: instead of reading the word Chodesh as ‘month’, read it instead as Chidush - “HaChidush HaZeh Lachem”, ‘This renewal shall be for you’. We will try develop a better understanding of what Hischadshus is, and from there walk away with a powerful outlook onto how to always have the ability to Mechazek, to empower ourselves to constantly serve HaKadosh Baruch Hu at the highest level possible.<br /><br />There is a concept in Jewish thought that everything is combined in the head of the matter. The root of any bodily process, or any action is rooted in my head. In terms of more esoteric thought, any minor detail is a segment of the major concept. The name of any Parsha contains all the issues that the Parsha deals with. The word Bereishis, the first word of creation, contains the whole universe in it, and there are many other examples of how this plays out.<br /><br />The first Mitzvah given to the Jewish people as a nation is Kidush HaChodesh. Thus, on some level whatever the essence of Kidush HaChodesh is, has contained within it the essence of every Mitzvah.<br /><br />To understand how this works we need to do two things. First, we need to understand the Tachlis of any Ma’aseh Mitzvah, the end-goal of any action that Hashem commands us to do. Secondly, we need understand the various nekudos, the multiple details that define Kidush HaChodesh. After we understand both sides we will be able to plug them into one another and come out with a clear understanding.<br /><br />First let’s try to analyze what the Tachlis is of any Ma’aseh Mitzvah. There is an interesting Zohar that says that the six-hundred-and-thirteen Mitzvos are really TaRYaG Itin six-hundred-and-thirteen pieces of advice to bring Hashem more into my life. The definition is brought one step further by the Ramchal who explains that Mitzvos accomplish something called Zichuch HaGuf, purification of the body. By doing a Mitzva I bring more Ruchnius, more spirituality into my skin-cells, I bring more Kedusha, more holiness into my bones. I accomplish what many sfarim call Emunas Eivarim, I bring faith into my limbs. In essence, Ma’aseh Mitzvah equips me with a spiritual enhancement; Mizvos bring me to a higher quality of life, a loftier state of being.<br /><br />Now we can move on to the second segment. We need to spell out the essence of Kidush HaChodesh. On the technical level the Mitzva of Kidush HaChodesh empowers the supreme-court to set exactly when the first day of the next month will be based on a recognition of the new moon. This is extremely important because it gives the court the ability to determine when any holiday will fall out. Let’s explain: if there is a holiday scheduled for the fifteenth, like Pesach for example, then determining when the first of the month is, effectively determines when the fifteenth will be. So Kidush HaChodesh is comprised of two parts: The first is the court pointing its finger to the moon and saying, “Hey! It’s new!” The recognition of renewal. The second is how, due to our recognition, how the month will play out.<br /><br />There is powerful idea from Rebbe Nachman that we need to analyze. He says if I ever want to empower myself to serve Hashem better and to be closer to Him all I have to do is put myself in the mindset that I’ve never served HaKadosh Baruch Hu before. ‘I have to get up and do this Mitzva like it’s the first one I’ve ever done in my whole entire life!’ This is the Hischadshus, renewal, that we spoke about in the very beginning. I as a Jew have the constant power to refresh and to innovate to a whole new Avodas Hashem.<br /><br />To tie all these ideas together we will use the parable of a soldier. Let’s take a low-ranking soldier; he peels potatoes. Let’s say after some time he does a meritorious act, gets a badge, and gets promoted to a combat soldier. He is on some level the same guy, but through this action he’s totally evolved as a soldier. Through his deeds he is changed on a number of levels: other people will look at him differently, he is going to look at himself differently, he is going to have bigger and better roles to play, and he is going to have better tools to carry those jobs out. Due to his merit, he is holding by a totally different place now.<br /><br />Let’s tie this in with what we have said about Mitzvos. My Ma’aseh Mitzva, like we said before, changes the quality of my existence. But in context of all of this, I’m not just better, I’m a qualitatively different person before and after my Mitzvah, I’m now equipped with greater potential than I had a moment ago. I’m totally transformed!<br /><br />This explains what we saw from Rebbe Nachman beautifully! Of course this is the first mitzvah I’m ever doing. Since my last Mitzvah, I’m a totally new person, and thus this is the first mitzvah I’ve ever done in this lifetime! It’s a totally new experience - like the soldier, I seem the same, but my spiritual responsibilities and capabilities are totally new! Now, after just one Ma’aseh Mitzva, I’ve moved into a new state of being. I’ve transformed myself, and through this I’ve given myself the ability to be even better. Like the soldier, I get new weapons, new tools, a smarter outlook and most importantly, more is expected of me.<br /><br />Now we can plug it all back to Kiddush HaChodesh! The two parts of Kidush HaChodesh, (noticing the renewal and moving into the outcome) are the same two segments that are in every mitzvah! My ability to renew myself, and through this enter into a new level of holiness with all of its advantages parallel Kidush HaChodesh beautifully!<br /><br />But the question is, how does this affect me? The answer is simple. Any time I’m stuck in a bad place with my Avodas Hashem, I’m literally only one Ma’aseh Mitzva away from a totally new life! I have to know that I can totally turn things around with just one Mitzva, that’s the most empowering things – the ability to totally shift into a new life is only one Mitzva away. I messed up this morning? Yesterday? This year? What if I’ve being messing up my whole life? Who cares? I'm starting again right now.<br /><br />There is so much we can take from this. If we truly undertake this mindset, the cognizance of the fact that I really can always turn thing around, then there is no limits to the amount of growth we can achieve in our Avodas Hashem If we do this, then we will truly be able to live lives of meaning, lives of real happiness, lives of fulfillment, moving closer to the Creator, and ultimately the REDEMPTION!<br /><br /><br />A shiur that fits in well with Tzvi Moshe's beautiful words, <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/741318/Rabbi_Baruch_Simon/Bo_5770_-_Hischadshus_in_our_Shelichus">here</a>.Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-39515734705618609112010-01-22T03:28:00.001+02:002010-01-22T03:31:20.446+02:00Darkness That Is LightThe latest in Thursday night mussar from your <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/741315/Rabbi_Ally_Ehrman/Bo:_Darkness_That_Is_Light">faithful servant</a>.<br /><br />Love, Blessings and a BLISSFUL Shabbos!!!!!!!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24490309.post-79813051321335534242010-01-21T01:25:00.005+02:002010-01-21T01:43:48.369+02:00Make Others Feel Special"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”<br /><br />Ahhh sweetest friends!! <br /><br />Can you remember an experience where someone made you feel reeeeeally rotten? Of course you do!! <br /><br />What about a time when a person made you feel like a MILLION BUCKS? Of course.<br /><br />Well I have some news for you - YOU HAVE THE SAME POWER OVER OTHERS! This is what the pasuk calls "Maves vichaim biyad halashon" - You have the power with your tongue to make or break someone else. How often do we use this power? NOT ENOUGH!!!<br /><br />So we can start today [myself included]. Think of ways to speak and act in such a way as to make others feel GREAT. It is not so hard and it is free!!! But in order to do so one must open his heart. People are CLOSED UP and this prevents people from touching others in a deep way.<br /><br />Live life in such a way that even the undertaker will be sorry to see you go.<br /><br />LOVE AND BLESSINGS!!Rabbi Ally Ehrmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02220324981497295731noreply@blogger.com3