A COMMON PREDICAMENT

Dear Family,

I hope everyone is well

Mazal Tov to Shlomo Levy who was chosen to be the valedictorian of his graduating class at Yeshivah. We are so proud of you Shlomo, and the speech that you made BH. Michayil el chayil

This week, and actually, today, Gimmel Tammuz, we have 2 yohrtzeits.

Ie our Rebbe, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and our father ah, Pesach ben Zalman.

I would therefore like to share some thoughts linking these 2 yohrtzeits, and also to connect this to an article I saw from this coming week's Pirkei Avot.

A COMMON PREDICAMENT that we find ourselves in with life, when we fall behind in certain areas, is to feel despondent.

This despondency makes us feel that any efforts that we could put in, would be inadequate, and have no effect. And we therefore refrain from taking any action at all.

However there is a solution.

The Rebbe and his wife moved from France, when Germany invaded in June 1940, and travelled to Niece, then Marseille, then to Lisbon where they got onto the SS Serpa Pinto ship with other refugees , to reach New York in 1941.

At this time America was a melting pot that had consumed hordes of European Jews with the lure of secularism. And this was not made easier by the challenges of earning a livelihood in a new country.

Much opportunity was available, and Jews moved away from their Traditional Jewish life. This was also due to a lack of Jewish infrastructure.

The Rebbe recognized these problems, and, undeterred, he set to work straight away, at first under the leadership of the Previous Rebbe, and after 1950, as the leader.

There are thousands of stories of miracles performed by the Rebbe, and yet when we read or watch or listen to the Rebbe giving instructions to people, there is no aura of a miracle worker - MOSLY JUST CLEAR INSTRUCTION TO PERFORM A SIMPLE MITZVAH, AND TO REKINDLE JUDAISM.

70 or so years down the line his achievements are astounding! And still growing with the impetus he set up! Judaism is alive and well and flourishing BH

In Chap 4 of Pirkei Avot (4:2) it says "Ben Azzai said: Run to do even a simple Mitzvah, and flee from a transgression. For one Mitzvah brings about another, and one transgression brings about another ...."

This 'running' is referring to enthusiasm, but the Rebbe explained in Biurim (Chinuch 15), that even if a person is in a state of limited understanding, they should still 'run' to do the Mitzvah, since the act of 'running' will bring him closer to 'running naturally.'

Each act, even a minor Mitzvah, connects us with the Infinite One!

I had the privilege to be with my father a few weeks before he passed away.

He also had come out of war torn Europe to a secular South Africa, and had to fight for survival at a very young age and without a father.

He was not noticeably observant, and I would say that he had never put on tefillin. He certainly didn't have his own pair.

I suggested to him to put on tefillin.

He could easily have said no with the following excuses, 'I haven't done this my whole life, I am not well, what is such an act going to help anyway, after I take them off I will be the same as I was before..etc.

BUT HE HAD THE COURAGE AND STRENGTH TO SAY YES. I bought him a pair and he cried when he put them on.

He spent 10 minutes of his day, every weekday, putting on tefillin for the last few weeks of his life.

Gut Shabbos to all