Apr 8
It was a truly awesome event. There were about 1000 people there. It was unbelievable to see the unity in the Jewish community. Everyone gathered together regardless of denomination. Beautiful.
Some quick facts:
- This years Birkas Hachama happens 1 time in 532 years. You saw right. 1/532 yrs. That is because the lunar cycle is 19 years in which there are 7 leap years (containing two months of Adar) and 12 regular years and every 19 years the cycle restarts. This is that year. So 28*19=532.
- This is the 207th cycle of the sun. 207 is the numerical value of Raz, which means secret in Hebrew. Everyone hold on tight, the next 28 years are going to be a revelation of secrets.
Everyone have a lovely Pesach. Release yourself from the shackles which drag you down!
Apr 7
- On Erev Pesach we don't say "Mizmor L'David" in Shacharis.
- Finish eating Chametz before 10:14AM (Times for Johannesburg, SA -- for your local time click here )
- Sell and burn Chametz before 11:12AM (Times for Johannesburg, SA -- for your local time click here )
- Haircuts should be done before midday. If one forgot to take a hair cut before midday, a non-Jew must cut your hair.
- Don't forget to make an Eiruv Tavshilin this year.
- We recite the Seder of the Korban Pesach before Mincha.
- We recite a full Hallel on the first two nights of Pesach.
- In order to start the Seder as quickly as possible, prepare everything beforehand. The entire table should be set before nightfall. This is so the children should stay up throughout the entire seder.
- We should give children nuts in order to stimulate their curiosity and get them in the asking questions mood.
- The Rebbe Rashab said: At the Seder one should think that one should be a Mentch. By the opening of the door, towards the end of the Seder, is an opportune time to ask for ones desires. One should ask for Spiritual wellbeing, not physical wellbeing.
- When you eat the Karpas have in mind the Maror that you will eat later. Also, eat less than a Kezayit of Karpas in order to avoid the need to make an after blessing on the Karpas.
- We pour the Ten Plagues into a broken vessel. (Prepare that beforehand.)
- When we do Mayim Acharonim, we don't put the water to our lips.
- On the first night when reciting the bed time Shma, we only recite Shma and Hamapil. We omit everything else. We return to the regular bed time Shma on the second night.
- We start reciting Morid HaTal during Musaf on the first day. Don't forget to include "V'Ten Bracha" on the first day of Chol Hamoed.
Have a Kosher and Joyous Pesach!
May you shed your old self and emerge a new one this Pesach!
Just as the Jewish nation emerged into a new nation so too shall you emerge into a new person. A person who is cleansed of their Chametz, humbled to leave their addictions, and empowered to carve out new frontiers in their life. A Pesach in which you "pass over" all of the shackles which hold you prisoner to your addictions. And let us say ....
Apr 3
To read the article click on the picture.
How do you like the photography?
[This is part 3 in an on going series of things I learned from my baby, feel free to check out the first two.]
Apr 2
Would love to hear your input!
Mar 30
Two weeks have gone by already. The baby is getting used to breast feeding. Mother and baby are well acquainted. The baby loves to chomp and guzzle down milk.
A sure sign of a mother is the white dribble that stains the back of her shirt.
After eating too quickly the baby throws up some of its food. The reason why the baby throws up the food is because it has eaten too quickly.
"Baby, if you paced yourself you would have kept more of the milk. Baby, had you paced yourself you would have preserved more sustenance."
When lots of milk is coming your way, don't be greedy. Slow down. Take it in slowly. When you take it in slowly it will than be digestible. If you get too greedy you will throw it all up.
Our economic state is a result of chomping down copious amounts of milk. Quantities of milk we couldn't handle, we are now vomiting it out. [A good video explaining that very clearly
http://is.gd/kb3X/the-crisis-of-credit-visualized I recommend you watch it]
Think: The farmer who killed the goose with the golden eggs.
When milk is coming your way, slow down to digest. When money is coming your way, slow down to digest. Otherwise you will find yourself vomiting it out.
Mar 26
Leadership responsibility.
A leader is meant to be responsible. A leader is meant to be accountable.
Where are our leaders? Who are our leaders? Are you a leader?
Was Alan Greenspan responsible when he enabled rampant borrowing and widespread leveraging? Did he take accountability for his mistakes? I think not.
Financial managers. Were they responsible in giving loans at variable interest rates to people who wouldn't be able to afford to pay up? Are they accountable or is it the people that are bearing accountability? I think ... the people.
A father of a family. Was he responsible for taking out loans that he didn't fully understand? I think not. Does he hold himself accountable or does he pass the blame? Pass the blame.
In todays Chumash, "When a leader sins...he shall bring an offering". The term used is אשר, much like אשרי meaning, "fortunate". Fortunate is the generation in which the leader admits to his sin and brings an offering for it.
Fortunate is the generation whose leader takes responsibility for his sins. Fortunate is the generation whose leader admits a mistake and holds himself accountable. Fortunate is the generation where the leadership can take the blame.
You are a leader of your own generation. When you make a mistake, take responsibility.
(Your generation are your actions. The actions you
generate!)
Good Shabbos.
Mar 23
People do business every day. Business is something which consumes our time, energy, and focus.
Inevitably we try to come up with tricks and tactics with which to cut corners, lower costs and increase our profit margins. Sometimes ... at the expense of others.
Make sure you are honest in your business dealings. Brutally honest. In the hubbub of our business dealing we may 'accidentally' commit an act of stealing. Even if it may be a small, seemingly trivial act.
Hashem doesn't accept Tzedoko from that which has a hint of theft.
Animals and birds were both brought to the Altar as a sacrifice. The stomachs of the animals were accepted as part of the offering and were burnt with the rest of the animal. The stomachs of the bird, however, were not accepted as an offering and were discarded to the side. Why the difference?
Birds fly. They are difficult to impose restraints on. Animals don't fly. They are easier to restrain.
As birds journey from place to place they may sometimes feed off of private property, thus containing a trace of theft in their stomachs. Animals are less mobile and thereby less prone to feeding off of private property. The birds stomachs were cast aside, the animals were accepted.
Hashem accepts something 100% clean. 100% legit. Not even a trace of trickery allowed.
Are you being one hundred percent honest in your business dealings?
Mar 20
"I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one." - Mark Twain
Opportunities come and go - quickly. You either capitalize on them or they slip past.
Taking
advantage of opportunities demands alacrity and vigilance. It demands
keeping your eyes open. It demands being alert and perhaps most of all
being prepared to capitalize when they do come your way.
This past Sunday, I went shopping with my wife for diapers. It was
an eye opening experience. I found two rather surprising things.
(1)
There were two of the exact same pair of diapers for the exact same
price. However, One packet had 94 diapers and the other had 98. 94
diapers = 150 R. 98 diapers = 150R. Go figure!
(2) The same exact diapers one of them said "Jumbo pack" and had
coins on it, giving the impression that they were cheaper. The other
one was a regular pack, turns out that the "Jumbo pack" is 15% more
expensive than the regular one.
All of this on the exact same shelf. Vigilant people surely would have taken the opportunity to buy the cheaper ones.
In
this weeks Parsha, the Jewish people took advantage of the desert
fundraising event, they gave money very quickly. They gave the money
so quickly that the leaders who were watching in, didn't have anything
left to give. They didn't take advantage of the opportunity.
When a Mitzva comes your way, don't pass up the opportunity.
Keep your eyes open for the next opportunity to do something good.
Mar 18
PART 1 in a series of "Things my baby taught me"
Livelihood.
The
first few days of breast feeding are the most difficult. Mother and
child are just getting acquainted with each other. Baby is still
trying to figure out how to latch. Mother's breasts are not used to
milk flowing through them. Mother's nipples are sore from baby
latching. Those first few days are demanding. "All beginnings are
difficult." This is one of those beginnings.
In those first few days, I remember Baby getting herself all worked
up because she was hungry and wanted milk. She got herself so worked
up that she wasn't able to latch properly and the milk was unable to
flow. All she had to do was relax and the milk would start to flow and
she would get her grub.
G-d is the mother. We are all little babies. Milk is money. When
our 'milk' is not coming we work ourselves up. We get all tense and
start screaming at everyone in our vicinity. Sometimes all you may
really need to do is relax and the 'milk' will come. G-d wants to give
you milk but if all you do is scream and shout all you do is cut off
the milk from flowing to you.
Just relax. Mommy wants to give you your milk. Just relax. G-d wants to give you your 'milk'.
