Aish.com Daily - 12-13 Tishrei

Daily Email Form   Torah Reading: Yom Kippur 12-13 Tishrei 5776 / September 25-26, 2015     DAILY LIFT TODAY IN JEWISH HISTORY GROWING EACH DAY ASK THE RABBI QUOTE PHOTO Print options... Print Sep 25 2015 Print Sep 26 2015 #479   The Kindness of Patience Print Version » People hate to be rushed. Some people are so nervous when others rush them, that they can't think clearly when they need to ask a question or make a request. Tell such a person, "Please take your time. Go at a speed you feel comfortable with." Observe the person and you will notice that there is an immediate reduction in tension. (from Rabbi Pliskin's book "Patience," published by ArtScroll - www.artscroll.com) #480   Choose Patience Print Version » What is the underlying message when someone says, "You cause me to become impatient," or, "This makes me impatient?" The assumption here is that another person or a specific situation is the cause of your impatience. Actually, impatience is a choice. It is one reaction out of many that can be chosen. If you blame your impatience on an external factor, you are to some degree giving up on your own power to create your reaction. Your reaction in any situation always depends on how you personally and subjectively evaluate and perceive that situation. (from Rabbi Pliskin's book "Patience," published by ArtScroll - www.artscroll.com) See Rabbi Pliskin's new book "Self-Confidence" Tishrei 12 Print Version » In 1963, the Fair Sabbath Law went into effect, permitting Shabbat-observant Jews in New York City to do business on Sunday. Throughout much of the 20th century, one of the biggest barriers to Shabbat observance in America was a work week that included Saturday, yet precluded Sunday. New York, with the largest concentration of Jews outside of Israel, has innovated numerous laws designed to accommodate religious expression for all faiths. Tishrei 13 Print Version » In 2000, at the start of the Palestinian intifada, two Israeli reserve soldiers were brutally lynched at a Palestinian police station in Ramallah. The two had taken a wrong turn and ended up in the West Bank town where they were set upon by a crowd. Palestinian police officers stood by -- and some participated -- as the crowd beat, mutilated, burned and disemboweled the Israelis. The image of one young man, waving to the crowd with bloodied hands, came to symbolize the vicious wave of terror that would claim over 1,000 Israeli lives. Tishrei 12 Print Version » Pursue the performance of even a "minor" mitzvah (Ethics of the Fathers 4:2). How does one pursue a mitzvah? Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov used to occupy himself with redeeming Jews from debtors' prisons. Usually, these people had been thrown into dungeons because they could not pay the rent demanded by the poritz (feudal lord). On one visit to such a prison, Rabbi Moshe Leib was unable to gain the release of a debtor, and gave up trying. He then saw another prisoner being flogged mercilessly, and he was able to get him released. Subsequently, he discovered that this latter person was not a debtor but one who was imprisoned for stealing. "Well," said the Rabbi, "now you have been taught your lesson. After that flogging you will certainly never steal again." "Why not?" the thief responded. "Just because I was caught this time does not mean that I will not succeed next time." Rabbi Moshe Leib felt that these words were directed at him. Just because he had failed once to ransom a debtor, he did not have the right to resign himself to failure. He retraced his steps and renewed his efforts to redeem the debtor. Next time he might succeed. That is what is meant by pursuit of a mitzvah. If a specific mitzvah eludes you, do not resign yourself, but pursue it until you overtake and fulfill it. Today I shall ... renew my efforts to achieve things of which I had previously despaired. Tishrei 13 Print Version » ... in order that his (the king's) should not be lifted above his brethren, and that he should not deviate from the commandment to the right or to the left (Deuteronomy 17:20). The Torah requires that even one who is in a position of leadership and prominence must retain his humility. Moses and David are outstanding examples of leaders who were extremely humble. How can one remain humble when one exercises great authority and is the recipient of homage and adulation? "Simple," said Rabbi Moshe of Kobrin. "If a king hangs his crown on a peg in the wall, would the peg boast that its extreme beauty drew the king's attention to it?" While an organized society needs leaders, and in Judaism there is a need for Kohanim and Levites who have special functions, an intelligent person should never allow a particular status to turn his head and make him think that he is better than others. Nor should men consider themselves superior to women because they have certain mitzvos from which women are exempt, and women should not think that they must attain equality by rejecting these exemptions and performing these mitzvos. There is no need to attain something that one already has. Men and women, Kohanim and Levites, leaders and kings - we are all "pegs in the wall" which the King uses for His purposes as He sees fit. True, we should always strive for that which is above us, but this means striving for greater wisdom and spirituality, and not for positions of superiority. The latter are not at all "above" us; one peg may be higher on the wall than another, but that does not make it a better peg. Today I shall ... try to realize that I, like all other people in the world, am but an instrument of God, wherewith He wishes to achieve the Divine will.See more books by Rabbi Abraham Twerski at Artscroll.com   Tishrei 12 Print Version » Absolute Truth I'm struggling with the sense on one hand that I want to instill Jewish beliefs in my children, but on the other hand I feel that would be diminishing the value and equal importance of the beliefs of other faiths. I feel that love, harmony and happiness are the most important values, and that we need to be accepting of everyone's beliefs. People are different, so isn't truth relative for each individual? The Aish Rabbi Replies: If you think about it, you'll realize that "truth" cannot simply be everything that everyone wants. What about the father of Protestantism, Martin Luther, who said, "The Jews are our misfortune," and fomented a hatred that later helped the Nazis generate anti-Semitism among the masses. Are you unwilling to diminish the value of this "father of a major religion" in the eyes of your children? What about the jihadists who blow up planes, trains and buildings – all in the name of religion? Hitler wrote in "Mein Kampf:" "I believe today that my conduct is in accordance of the will of the Almighty creator. In standing guard against the Jew I am defending the handiwork of the Lord." ("The Holocaust" by Martin Gilbert, p. 28) Do you agree with Hitler or not? Can you say unequivocally that he was wrong? Reality is what is. You have to decide if you want to teach your children truth, or if you want to immobilize them with cushy phrases that have no connection to reality. This does not mean that Judaism does not respect other people. It does mean that we are firm on our perception of reality which we have received from generations all the way back to the that momentous event at Mount Sinai, which changed the face of human history forever. While we do teach that all human beings are inestimably valuable and deserve to be loved and respected, we do not teach that all beliefs have equal value. For more on this, read: http://ift.tt/1jidy8b Tishrei 13 Print Version » PVC Sukkah I am redesigning my old sukkah and wonder if it is okay to use PVC for the structure, specifically the uprights. The Aish Rabbi Replies: The walls of a sukkah may be made from any material, as explained in the Code of Jewish Law (O.C. 630:1). This includes using existing walls of a building, or even a hedge of bushes. When building with PVC, be aware that it is more flexible than it looks, and could bend under the weight of the "sechach" (foliage covering the sukkah roof). One year I built a beautiful sukkah using PVC, and about two hours before the start of the holiday (with a group of guests expected) the entire structure began swaying back and forth - and then came crashing down. Needless to say I had a frantic next two hours scavenging for sturdier metal parts! So if building with PVC, I advise you to take precautions to make sure the PVC is properly reinforced, or attached to a building. Tishrei 12 Tishrei 13 Tishrei 12 Noam Chen’s glorious photo of the Temple Mount, the site of the Holy of Holies from where God gathered the dust to create Adam and where both Temples were built. Tishrei 13 A beautiful sight at sunset: a date palm tree by Ilan Rosen. This majestic tree was a symbol of victory in ancient Israel and was depicted on coins minted by the Maccabees.   Featured at Aish.com       Sukkot: Transforming Trash into Love   Johnny Depp on Whitey Bulger   A Sukkah Grows in Brooklyn     Follow us on Facebook What do you think of this email? Help us make these personalized newsletters — and our site — better. Send us your questions and comments to tellus@aish.com. Forward this email to a friend. 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