GOOD INFLUENCE

Dear Family,

BH Brian is feeling better, but we should continue to say Tehillim for Renee - Rivkah bas Sarah Zlata , who is having difficult treatments!

Mazal Tov to Chaya Mussia whose birthday is today. Wishing you to keep advancing and becoming even more sweet than you already are. You should give your parents lots of nachas BEH!

Mazal Tov to Joy, whose birthday is at the end of next week. Wishing you a healthy year with much joy!

And last but not least, also at the end of the week, is the Barmitzvah birthday of Mendel Levy BEH. Mazal Tov Mendel! Looking forward to spend your special Barmitzvah with you in EY BEH. And wishing you to keep going michayil el chayil in your own special way!

There were a few interesting connected items that came up this week.

Chumash (based on a sicha of the Rebbe in 5751)

This week's Sedra is Ki Teitzei - When you go out to war upon your enemies..

Although the ideal of peace is so prominent in Torah, Hashem has designed and created the world in such a way that it leaves man in an almost constant inner battle with our evil inclinations.

The Zohar (III 188b) points out that the Hebrew word for bread is lechem, and it has the same root as the word for war - milchamah. This symbolizes the continuous struggle between the base, and sublime natures of man ie does he eat gluttonously, or on a higher level to keep his body healthy to serve Hashem...

And the message of our Sedra is therefore, "When you go out to war.", - when the soul "goes out" of its heavenly setting, into a body, to fight a war between the material and the spiritual, it never loses sight of the fact that every obstacle is surmountable.

By meditating on this point, we will always be "upon our enemies" ie transcending every material adversary, and sanctifying the world with goodness and spirituality.

Pirkei Avot (Chap 1:15) for this week

"Shamai said...And receive every person with a cheerful countenance"

Even although our primary pursuit must be Torah study, an introverted activity, do not become like a hermit, or confined to an elite circle of scholars.

Receive every person with a friendly face, even one that can bring you no benefit (The Rebbe in Biurim)

Speak to people congenially, with sweet and pleasing words (Rambam)

Current news

And connected to the above, an event from this week where we got a new Prime Minister in the UK, Liz Truss. I saw an interesting article about how she has been influenced by Jews. One aspect was as follows:

At Shell, an oil company where Truss began her career as an accountant, she worked under an Orthodox Jew, she told the Chronicle. "He was the best boss I ever had and a very big influence on me," she added.

"I remember, that at work during winter, he would leave early for Shabbat every Friday. In the summer he was there until much later," Truss went on. "That was one of my first experiences of seeing how Jewish life could be incorporated into corporate life and it really impressed me how proud he was of his religion."

Later in life, she said, she realized she had seen her boss modelling values held by her Conservative political party. "So many Jewish values are Conservative values and British values too. For example seeing the importance of family and always taking steps to protect the family unit. And the value of hard work, and self-starting and setting up your own business," ..

Wishing everyone a Gut Shabbos, and a kesivah vechasimah tovah for a sweet and happy New Year