בס׳ד

"Where does it say that you have a contract with G-d to have an easy life?"

the Lubavitcher Rebbe



"Failure is not the enemy of success; it is its prerequisite."

Rabbi Nosson Scherman



30 Dec 2013

The sanctification of time

In the video below the speaker discusses the mitzvah of "Hachodesh Hazeh." He states, "There is nothing more aimportant for an individual than the sanctification of time.... We have a limited time to make a difference in the world."

Reading about Nochum Zvi Potash, I realize that he made a difference, even though he was granted but a few years on earth.

Crown Heights info reports on a levaya of a young boy from London.

Nochum Tzvi loved going to Shul. He loved his small community of Heichal Menachem. Each time he came, he always offered his help. Though young, he joined with the other children in cleaning the Shul after davening or setting up the Farbrengen. But there were two “jobs” he loved most. For many Shabbosim he would stand near the Bima and help cover the Sefer Torah in between Aliyos. The other job was helping his treasurer father, Yossi, in keeping record of the donations people pledged after their Aliyos.
...The Potash/Garelick families, together with the Heichal Menachem community, are launching a building campaign for a new Lubavitch Community Center in Golders Green, which will proudly bear the name Beis Nochum Tzvi – to never forget the child that loved his Shul.
Read more: http://crownheights.info/notices/419101/lavaya-of-nochum-tzvi-potash-to-take-place-today/

by Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple
The 12th chapter of Sh’mot starts the history of the Jewish calendar: “This month (Nisan, the month of the Exodus) shall be for you the first of the months” (Ex. 12:2).
We might have thought that this command was merely addressed to Moses and Aaron, since the previous verse says, “HaShem spoke to Moses and Aaron…” But Ramban points out that our verse is linked with what follows, “Speak to all the congregation of Israel”, which indicates that the establishment of the list of months is addressed to the whole of the Jewish people.
The great founder of neo-orthodoxy, Samson Raphael Hirsch, used to say that if you want to know what Jews believe, you have to look at their calendar. On one level this means, “Look at the festivals”. Hence Pesach stands for freedom, Shavu’ot stands for duty, Sukkot affirms God’s protection, Rosh HaShanah represents destiny, Yom Kippur assures us of reconciliation with God.
But it is not only the festivals that tell us what Judaism stands for: the months too have a message about the principles of the Jewish way of life. Every month we see the moon wax and then wane, which symbolises the way in which faith functions.
There are times of gadlut emunah, greater faith, when no-one can have the slightest hesitation about believing in God; there are times of katnut emunah, when our faith is tested and events tempt us to deny the Almighty. That’s the way the human soul works, and our task is to contain the moments of doubt and return to the spiritual equilibrium in which we wholeheartedly affirm our Creator.
With the coming of each new month we overcome our hesitations and once more grow in faith and belief.
http://www.oztorah.com/2013/12/the-message-of-the-calendar-bo/


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