Damascus Will Fall 5772 - Torah Codes

End of Days - Assad - Syria - Damascus - 5772 - [times of] Moshiach - The End of the Beginning, before the Beginning of the End.

Rebbe Nachman on Punishment

A person is sometimes punished even in the performance of a mitzvah. This is because he previously passed up an opportunity to fulfill just such a positive command.

A person sometimes unknowingly passes judgment on himself (by being asked to select a fitting punishment for someone else).

There are times when a person is killed because he failed to speak out on behalf of someone who is unjustly despised.

A person will sometimes be punished for having engaged in some illegal business practice, or because (he has been included in) a harsh decree passed against his neighbours or nation.

The Holy One hastens to exact punishments from an ungrateful person, punishing him at the hands of another ingrate.

A person bitten by a dog has either accepted malicious gossip or spoken it.

Source:  Sefer HaMiddot (The Book of Attributes) - Rabbi Nachman of Breslov

translated by Moshe Mykoff

Not the Shortest Way

A NYC Taxi driver wrote:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'.

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.

They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

The Secret to Making Miracles

“Lo Yachel Devaroi, K’Chol HaYotzai MiPicha Yaaseh”, do not profane your words; do as your mouth spoke. The Torah tells us that we must keep our word and not violate it. Rav Levi Yitzchok MiBerditchev in the Kedushas Levi makes a play on the words to explain how mortal people can perform miracles.

He reads the words as follows. If “Lo Yachel Devaroi”, you do not profane your words, then they will be holy and meaningful. Therefore, “K’Chol HaYotzai MiPicha Yaaseh” whatever comes out of your mouth will happen. This is the concept of “Tzadik Gozer, VHaKadosh Boruch Hu Mikayem”, a tzaddik decrees and Hashem makes it happen.

He further explains that this why the Parsha is called Matos. Matos also means to turn (Netia). When a person watches his mouth, Hashem turns the Midas HaDin into Midas HaRachamim.

Source: Revach.net

Israel 5773: Torah Codes

Just One Friend

by Rabbi Michoel Gourarie

One of the important relationships that form human existence is friends. In Pirkei Avot [Ethics of the Fathers], our sages teach: "Make for yourself a mentor and acquire for yourself a friend". When analyzing the text of this instruction we notice that sages talk about a 'friend' and not 'friends'. Is one friend sufficient? Wouldn't someone with only one friend be considered anti-social?

The answer to this question lies in the definition of a friend. Friends are not just people that we can socialize with and enjoy their company. A friend is not just someone who we can talk for hours with, or a person whose sense of humor we find entertaining.

A true friend is someone with whom we build an inner connection extending beyond superficialities. True friendship is a relationship built on trust and acceptance. The famous Chassidic Rabbi of Kotzk said that each person should have at least one friend that he can tell all of his secrets to, even the most shameful ones. A true friend is someone who is able to accept us unconditionally and would never let us down.

While we might have many acquaintances or many people that we share good conversation with, one real friend might be hard to find. But one good friend is all we need.

A Dream of the End

Art: Fernando Botero

I woke up from a strange dream this morning.  In the dream it was Friday afternoon, and people were getting ready for Shabbat.  Suddenly, all the houses started falling down, rocks and bricks were being strewn all over the ground. People were desperately trying to get back to their homes before Shabbat, and for some people it was impossible to get anywhere, and they were scared.  Dead bodies and severely injured people were cluttering the streets.  Ambulances were trying to get the wounded out, it was a totally unreal scene.  A few orthodox Jews wearing their Shabbat clothes were calmly walking to shul for Friday night service, while the chaos continued all around them.

I've never had a dream like that before.  Maybe it was total nonsense, or maybe it was a sign that we are on the edge of erev Shabbat [Geula] and the world is being judged.  Those who can't get back to their homes in time for Shabbat will be scared, but those who are prepared will calmly walk through and arrive at their destination.

From the Source

Our sages tell us that citing Torah sources brings redemption to the world [M. Avot 6:6 and parallels]. They add that not citing sources is a cause of bringing a curse on the world. In one place, they go further, suggesting that people who refrain from mentioning sources effectively kill, as they act as if the person from who they received the teaching does not exist. Moreover, the Talmud tells that people who say halachic matters in the name of the original source, should imagine the person who authored the teaching standing before them as they share the teaching [Y. Kiddushin 61a]

Source: Pardes.org