TIMES OF TURMOIL?

Dear Family,

I hope everyone is well.

Mazal Tov to Esther Miriam on her 9th birthday this week. Wishing you a wonderful year Esther Miriam with lots of music and new explorations BEH.

We wish Mommy long life for Meme whose Yohrtzeit was this week. We have fond memories of Meme! Her neshama should have an Aliyah.

Mazal Tov to Hirshy and Mariasha on their Anniversary next week. Wishing you an exciting year with lots of new developments BEH.

Mazal tov to Avi on the engagement of his brother Eli. Wishing you many simchos!

We are living in times of much turmoil - wars, hatreds, confusions, low morality, right and left clashing, power struggles, poverty and the very wealthy, epidemics etc.

The Zohar predicts:

'So will the Redemption for klal Yisrael occur, when the sun of the Redemption is about to shine upon them.

They will be burdened with crisis after crisis, and darkness after darkness.

And while they are in that state, the light of Hashem will shine upon them.' - Bereishis Vov:Alef

The Maharal adds, that in order for the new state to be born, the old state needs to first dissolve.

Before Mosheh Rabeinu passed away, he was shown all the future generations in a vision.

He was utterly over-awed when he saw our spiritually impoverished generation whose understanding of G-dliness was close to nothing.

Why?

Because even in this state, AND WITH ALL THE DIFFICULTIES, we continue keeping Torah and Mitzvos, and davening with joy, all with a simple EMUNA and BITACHON.

This weeks Sedra Naso, gives us a good understanding of the value of these actions.

In the posuk (5:9) the Torah tells us to give Tzedakah to the Kohen, and ends by saying 'and it shall be his.'

And the next verse says 'all his holy things shall be his.'

The simple meaning of 'shall be his' is that the Priest will have the tithes and Holy things. But Rashi explains this very differently as follows:

What we give (and the Mitzvos we do) belong to us, and are forever. 'Shall be his' is referring to us. They are permanent and eternal. The rest can be lost and destroyed.

And through this giving we actually will become rich.

How much more so when we are living in difficult times, there is much hidden opportunity for our actions.

With all our current turmoil, does it not look like we are getting very close to Mashiach?

Gut Shabbos to all.