PRACTICAL FREEDOM

Dear Family,

I would like to wish Brian a refuah shleimah. This should be very soon Brian!

Mazal Tov to Alisa on her birthday on Shabbos. Wishing you a happy and healthy year Alisa!

Pesach is visiting London, and he brought me a very nice book, which I have been reading, about the legendary Reb Mendel Futerfas, entitled 'My Gulag Life'.

I met Reb Mendel when he used to pass through London visiting his Family in Stamford Hill.

He was imprisoned in the Gulag for 8 years, and was separated from his Family for 17 years, as punishment for spreading and teaching Judaism!

He was eventually FREED and released from the Soviet Union in 1963.

As this week's Parsha is Yisro, and speaks about our FREEDOM from Egypt, and the receiving of our Torah, I thought it would be nice to share a few items from the book which caught my attention.

Without going into details, Reb Mendel went through a life of difficulties beyond what we could imagine, the Gulag period being only an aspect of his life.

But even here, he prefaces the book as follows:

'The truth is, that I cannot repeat most of the things I saw in the Gulag, because you wouldn't believe me. And if you did believe me, you wouldn't be able to sleep at night.'

AND YET REB MENDEL WAS ALWAYS HAPPY.

And therefore he was never really in prison!

He was famous for his 'farbrenging' (Chassidic get-togethers) where he would enthrall his listeners with his experiences, deep lessons of life, and beautiful song, all in a spirit of joy and love of his fellows.

A story:

"Once a few inmates asked me why I was always so happy. I turned the tables and asked why they were so unhappy. Each told a sombre story - one had been a famous engineer, another a respected lawyer, and a third, a former general in the Red Army. All had been reduced to worthless prisoners.

They asked again, 'now tell us why you are happy.'

I explained to them that their lives had centered on their professions and status. So their self worth disappeared as soon as their careers were taken from them.

My life is about much more than that, I said. It is true that I was a successful businessman, but that was not the purpose of my life.

I was a Chasid, and here too I am still a Chasid."

Another story:

"Throughout all my years of imprisonment, I felt spiritually uplifted, and mostly in good spirits. How, you might ask, was it possible to feel any happiness while separated from my beloved Family?

It may be hard to understand, but when you know that a certain course of action will not be helpful, you just do not dwell on those painful thoughts. You use the power to forget, and you stop thinking about what could be, what should be, or what you want to be."

And there are so many more, and not only in this little book!

Gut Shabbos to all.