PARSHAS PINCHOS 5778

 

“RABBI’S
MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh
Parshas Pinchos –Avos Perek 1
23 Tamuz 5778/July 6,
2018
The last few days have been quite hot in the New York area,
to say the least. With temperatures in the upper 90s, and intense humidity that
drove the heat index over 100 degrees, it felt oppressive. Weather reports all
cautioned against being in the sun for any prolonged period, and to make sure
to constantly drink to protect from dehydration.
And yet, this past Sunday tens of thousands of people did not
drink (or eat) anything!

What’s more, in camp, counselors and junior
counselors don’t have the luxury of staying in an air-conditioned room all day.
They have over a dozen non-fasting children under their care who need to have
activities during the day. Yet, we did not have one incident of dehydration
during the fast. 
The mesiras nefesh we have to maintain halacha is amazing.
The fact that we were all able to make it through the fast without incident is
really unbelievable.
Often, we hear stories of individuals who performed
relatively minor acts, which had incredible repercussions, even lifelong or
life-altering impact. 
There are numerous stories of people who despaired of life or
felt like total failures but regained their vitality because someone displayed
a small act of caring.
Rabbi Aryeh Rodin of Texas famously related that a secular
Jew donated a tremendous amount of money for the construction of his shul
because he was inspired by the davening of a charedi individual when he had
been at the kotel one recent morning. Rabbi Rodin related that when that
charedi Jew comes to the world of truth after his death, he will be shocked to
learn that he has merits of countless prayers from a shul in Texas, where he
has likely never been.
Rav Shimshon Pincus zt’l explained that when hearing such a
story, most people marvel about the impact of one small action, and how the
effect of our words and actions are far more powerful than we could imagine.
While that is certainly true, there is a deeper and more profound point as
well:

If we seek to live our lives based on our own
abilities and means, we are very limited. However, if we live with the
awareness that it’s Hashem’s world, and we are merely trying to play our part
in the divine plan, then we tap in to the infinitude of the divine.
Rav Pinkus related that one Pesach he and his wife hosted a
lot of people. His parents and in laws joined, along with his married children
and grandparents. He spent over a thousand dollars just on matzah! He related:
“As I sat at the Seder I marveled at the miracle Hashem performed that somehow
I was able to afford everything and had plentiful food for Yom Tov. But the
whole time I was thinking to myself – what about next year? Maybe, Hashem won’t
perform the miracle again next year. 
“This is stupidity! It’s an absurd thought! It was clear to
me that Hashem, the Almighty, had provided for me though I couldn’t figure out
how. So why did I lack faith that He would do it for me again?” 
When we live with the knowledge that it’s Hashem world, and
Hashem lacks nothing, we can merit far greater things than we ever imagined.
The lesson of those inspiring stories reinforces to us that
Hashem could do anything. Here a person did something relatively insignificant
and may not have even remembered it or thought much of it. Yet Hashem caused
his innocent action to set off an incredible chain reaction that changed lives.
You can daven one morning at the Kotel and have an impact on the religious life
of an entire community you never heard of. To Hashem there are no limits, and
anything is possible.
I would venture to think that the mesiras nefesh displayed on
Shiva Asar b’Tamuz to maintain the halacha was a great zechus, and was a big
factor that Hashem enabled everyone to fast despite the oppressive heat.
When our enemies breached the walls of Yerushalayim they also
breached the feelings of closeness we have with Hashem. We commemorate that
terrible event in the hope that we will be able to repair that breach by living
our lives connected to the divine, where there are no impossibilities or
absolute limitations.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,
              R’ Dani and Chani Staum     

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