BE A MENTCH - A STORY
Dear Family,
BH, both Brian, and Renee continue to improve in their health, and also Mommy is recovering well BH from her small operation that she has had.
Wishing everyone a Healthy New Year BEH
Mazal Tov to Daniel Yitzchok whose birthday is on Rosh Hashanah itself! See below what a special birthday you have Daniel! Wishing you a wonderful year and you should grow up to be a mentch!
Mazal tov for the wonderful successes we have had at our local Girls School and our Dental Office this week, where the government conducted rigorous inspections. Well done for all your hard work Mommy and Shmuly. Michayil el Chayil!
In relation to Rosh Hashanah and the Yohrtzeit tonight of our mother (Chanan, Reuven and I), I heard a powerful story which I would like to share. It was related by a Lubavitch shaliach in Gothenburg Sweden, Rabbi Namdar.
It is also the yohrtzeit of Claude's mother, and we wish him and his Family long life.
The first day of Creation of the world actually took place on the 25th of Elul
It is the Creation of MAN which took place on Rosh Hashanah 6 days later.
Without going into detail it is known that Hashem is recreating the world every day, but on Rosh Hashanah a brand new light comes down to the world which has never been seen before, and this is related therefore, specifically to Man.
Rabbi Namdar took up this theme of the speciality of man (and woman) to discuss what it means to "BE A MENTCH" (a MAN). A mentch is not someone with only a big intellect in Torah, but he is someone who also prays, and is therefore obedient to a higher authority, and whose whole life, including his most insignificant of actions, is permeated with decency and good deeds.
And our dear mother Nechama bas Yisroel Tzvi Hirsh ah, whose yohrtzeit is tonight, wanted her boys to be MENTCHEN. We remain most grateful for her efforts. Her neshamah should have an Aliyah.
Rabbi Namdar told the following amazing story in relation to this theme, which I will try to summarise.
On Shabbos at their Chabad House they invariably have lots of guests, and they have a tradition that each guest should give over a story, or a dvar Torah or a Jewish joke etc.
One guest was a woman from Uruguay. Uruguay supplies a lot of meat to the world and she told the story about a group of 43 Rabbi/shochtim who had convened there, relating to meat and shechitah. They were all staying together at one hotel. One evening, after they had returned to the hotel, the guard at the hotel mentioned that there was someone missing. The group were shocked to hear this but on closer examination they did find that one of the Rabbi's was actually not there, and they had not realized!
On returning to the slaughter house they found the Rabbi locked in one of the fridges and was not at all well. BH he was taken to hospital and recovered.
The obvious question was, how did the guard know that someone was missing?!
When asked, he replied, that mostly people took no notice of him, but this Rabbi went out of his way to greet him and make him feel good with a bit of conversation. When the Rabbis had come back that night he had been looking out for him, and therefore noticed that he was not there!
And what was the story of the Rabbi?
He said that when he was young he lived in Crown Heights, the same neighborhood where the Lubavitch Rebbe lived, and he used to observe the Rebbe walking from his home to Shul (770), which was about 2 blocks away, and he was amazed to see how the Rebbe would greet the black children playing in the street, and give a friendly word to local officers etc, which impressed him very much. The Rebbe who had such a high position, running a huge worldwide organization, and with so much responsibility and time pressures, still had time to go out of his way and recognize and appreciate the neighbours, even little children, who seemingly had no connection to him.
Through these observations this Rabbi decided to emulate what he had learnt from the Rebbe whenever he could get the opportunity, and this actually saved his life!
Part 3 of the story. That night when all the guests left the Chabad House, Rabbi Namdar was reflecting on the evening while looking at the new picture of the Rebbe in his Chabad House, and he decided that this story which he had heard, was not just another story, but was an actual message for himself.
And so he also made a decision to greet and befriend all his non Jewish neighbors and local police etc.
A few years later he was travelling to New York with his 8 year old son and they were carrying 500 small menorahs for free distribution for Chanukah in NY.
He had never been stopped by customs in the past, but this time they did stop him, and of course they did not believe his story. He was now going to be set aside for interrogation and who knows what the outcome would be, maybe even imprisonment.
Suddenly one of the officers said to him 'Are these the same candles that you light every December at your institution in Gothenburg?' Rabbi Namdar was shocked, but on looking closer, he recognized the officer as having been one of his befriended neighbors!
And you are right to conclude that the story ended well!
Gut Shabbos, and wishing everyone a kesivah vechasimah tovah for a god, sweet and healthy New Year!