IMPOSSIBLE?

Dear Family,

Hope everyone is well.

Mazal Tov to Mendel and Freida on their Anniversary tonight. Wishing you many more happy years together in good health. Enjoy your trip in Eretz Yisrael as leaders for Birth-right!

Mazal Tov to Chanan and Naomi who also have an Anniversary in this coming week. You should celebrate many more in good health and making many celebrations with your Family.

And another Anniversary - Mazal Tov to Pesach and Chani on your Anniversary next week. Wishing you both much happiness together.

Mazal Tov to Menachem Mendel on his third birthday next week and upcoming opsher. Wishing Shmuly and Devorah much nachas from him and all the other children.

Talking about all these celebrations, it is now the time of year when college results come out and BEH we will have nice results to announce.

And I am also aware that there are other members of our Family ie Uncles, Aunts, Brothers, Cousins who are also having celebrations which we are not hearing about.

So it would be very nice to hear about these from Renee, Roy, Brian, Sharon, Kerry Lee, all nephews and nieces, extended Families etc.

Let us all hear about all your celebrations.

Wishing the whole Family many simchos and much good news, and soon!

IT IS ALL POSSIBLE!

THIS WEEKS Sedra is Shelach, and one of the themes is that Moshe sends out 12 spies to the Land of Canaan.

Hashem had already promised Bnei Yisrael that they will conquer the Land, but 10 of the spies come back feeling very fearful because of the giants that they saw there, and spread this fear to the Nation. IT LOOKED IMPOSSIBLE!

Only Caleb and Yehoshua (the other 2 spies) stayed strong and insisted that the Land could be conquered as Hashem had commanded.

I find it interesting that it is now the 50th Anniversary of the 6 Day War in Israel, and myself and our generation actually experienced and lived through those times.

Just imagine, the second world war had just finished in 1945, we had just come out of a terrible holocaust, and the State of Israel was established in 1948, a young fledgling Country terribly wounded.

It was now 1967, less than 20 years later, and Egypt, Jordan, Syria plus other Arab countries started massing their armies together, totally surrounding Israel and announcing to the world that their intention was to totally destroy the Jewish State.

In addition Russia was supporting and arming these countries, and America did not want to tangle with Russia, and so withdrew from the arena.

Israel was left totally alone, and a tremendous fear spread across the world. I remember what it felt like, and we were far away from it all in sunny SA.

Jews from all over started volunteering to go and join the army in Israel, and I have vague memories that Roy was one of them!

Even Eshkol the Prime Minister, when he addressed the Nation was shattered and spread the fear even more.

At a Lag Baomer Parade though at the same time, The Rebbe spoke with tremendous optimism and predicted a major victory for Israel with Peace, and he initiated the Tefillin campaign which reached out to thousands of Jews.

And as we all now know, AN OPEN MIRACLE OCCURRED and Israel, who was 'hopelessly' outnumbered, were victorious, with the help of Hashem.

The Rebbe pointed out in a Sicha (vol 23 p112) that we should take care to recognise all the Divine miracles we have witnessed throughout Jewish history, and in our own personal lives. Only then will we be capable of fulfilling our Divine mission of making the world into G-d's home

Yehoshua and Caleb were awarded for holding strong to their allegiance to Hashem, and many people showed their allegiance in wars by putting their lives at risk and joining the army, for which we are so indebted.

But Hashem has also given all of us the opportunity to show our allegiance to him every day, and with even tiny actions.

This could be by putting a coin in a Charity box, lighting Shabbos and Yom Tov candles, putting on tefillin, learning His Laws and Torah etc.

AND THE IMPOSSIBLE CAN BE POSSIBLE.

Gut Shabbos to all.