THE WELLSPRING OF MARRIAGE

Dear Family,

I hope that everyone is well.

Dov Hyman is undergoing treatment for a condition. We wish him a refuah shleimah!

And at the same time we wish you a huge MAZAL TOV Dov, on the marriage of your son Josh. So happy that you were able to attend!! Wishing you many more simchos in good health.

Mazal Tov to Pesach and Chanie on the bris of their new baby boy who has now been named Elisha. What a beautiful name BH. Wishing you lots of nachas and happiness from him, and from all of your Family

Mazal Tov again to Avi and Penina on the birthday of Shira which was today. Mazal Tov Shira!

Mazal Tov to Shmuel and Rivky on the birthday of Dovber which is next week BEH. Wishing you much continued nachas from him, and wishing Dovber much continued growth and development with much happiness!

It is with great pleasure that I welcome a new member to our family Group. I was in touch this week, with my cousin Selma Penn (nee Davidoff from Uncle Meyer ah), who is also excited to reconnect with Family members. Please see everyone's contact details above Selma.

I am also posting Kevin's updated Family Tree, with the new additions of above simchos, and this will also enable you to get to know everyone on the group better. So happy that we are communicating again after all these years BH! Welcome!

This week's Sedra is VaYetzei, and one of it's themes is how Yaakov had to LABOUR FOR 14 YEARS for his MARRIAGE to Rachel which came about through much sweat, toil and hard work!

I saw an interesting article from Rabbi Yosef Y Jacobson on this subject, based on the teachings of the Rebbe, which I would like to share in a summarized form:

The Midrash relates that 3 of the greatest men in our Jewish History, encountered their wives at WELLSPRINGS ie Yitzchak, Yaakov and Mosheh Rabeinu.

Like all the stories in Torah, this one too carries deep lessons, which come to assist us in our lives.

And so what can we learn about MARRIAGE IN CONNECTION TO A WELLSPRING, and how does it affect us practically?

Lakes, rivers and seas etc are exposed bodies of water, and don't take much effort from ourselves to access them.

A wellspring, however, contains 2 opposing components:

• The well is of no value without human toil. We need to dig deep into the earth to uncover the spring of hidden water
• We do not create the source and flow of the water. Our efforts merely expose that which fully exists

The Zohar explains that a "wife and her husband are 2 halves of the same soul"

Just like a well is made in Heaven, so are each of our marriage matches made in Heaven. This soul-flow between wife and husband is already in existence, but it may be completely concealed!

OUR HUMAN JOB IS TO SEARCH, DIG AND EXPOSE THIS INNER SOURCE OF WATER.

And if conflict is experienced, it does not mean that the relationship is over. It is always inherently intact. We just need to be committed to take a shovel in our hands and bring to the surface the inner wellspring of love that bonds us to our partners.

Wishing everyone a beautiful Shabbos!