REPAIRING BREACHES

Dear Family,

I hope everyone is well

Mazal Tov Hirshy on your birthday next week. Wishing you a year of ongoing development in all areas, especially the new ones that you are currently involved with BH

And in the same home, Mazal Tov also to Sophia on her birthday next week. Have a wonderful year Sophia!

We are now in the 3 week period between the historical BREACH of the walls of the Second Bet HaMikdash (Temple) - 17th of Tammuz, and it's destruction, in Yerushalayim - Tisha BeAv, 3 weeks later.

It was built by Herod in 19 BCE and destroyed by the Romans in 69 CE.

The date of destruction of both the First and Second Temple was Tisha BeAv.

It is said that the main cause of the destruction of the Second Temple was baseless hatred between Jews, and the Rebbe has said that the way to address the destruction of our Temple in these 3 weeks is to give baseless love.

And then what arises is ' How is my little action going to help?!'

• The Rambam in Hilchot Teshuvah Chap 3, states:

The balance in an individual, of sins and virtues, relates also to the balance of sin and merit in World.

This balance is not only quantity. Some sins carry more weight than others and similarly with good deeds.

Hashem assesses this balance within the individual every Rosh Hashanah and at the time of death. On Rosh Hashanah, the sounding of the shofar is to wake us from our slumber (our involvement with the vanities of the world) and remind us to awake and remember our Creator and do teshuvah.

Doing good deeds and mitzvot can tip one's own balance towards good, and at the same time tips the balance of the whole world towards good.

• Another aspect, and related to the above, was a talk I heard this week from Rabbi Simon Jacobson, in relation to the tragedies we have been seeing lately.

He quotes another source in Rambam (Hilchot Taaniot Chap 1) showing that these, and other such events are not accidental or co-incidental, disconnected from ourselves.

Rather it is a call for every one of us to take action and try and HEAL THE BREACHES causing these events.

He said that it is not enough to just say Tehillim (as powerful as it is). Rather we need to take action, to heal breaches within ourselves, in our relations with our families, our relationships with friends, business associates, professional lives, community activities, National, and International activities, with acts of goodness and kindness, especially in this 3-week period

Each action has the power to tip the balance for ourselves and the whole world.

We should all see the building of the Third and Final Temple this year before Tisha BeAv

Gut Shabbos to all