A TOUCHING STORY ABOUT RAMBAM

Dear Family,

I hope that everyone is well.

I want to wish Avi long life on the upcoming yohrtzeit of his father next week. I was very fond of Reb Yisrael Meir ah and we wish his neshamah to have an Aliyah. Only many simchos in the future for your whole Family Avi!

I came across a famous and interesting teaching in this week's Sedra Bo, to do with an acronym in V11:9.

The verse says that Pharoah will not listen to you, in order that my wonders will be multiplied in the Land of Egypt (Revot Mofsay Be'eretz Mitzrayim).

The first letters of these 4 words spells out the name RaMBaM, ie Moses Maimonides.

And part of this teaching is that:

• Sedra Bo always falls in close proximity to the yohrtzeit of Rambam
• Rambam lived a large part of his life in Egypt
• Isn't it also interesting, that straight after the above verse , comes the first Law in Torah about calculating the New Moon. And Rambam is famous for his Mishneh Torah, which is a book crystalising the whole of Torah into its Law form, and deriving the 613 Mitzvot.

So I thought that I would share a summarised story from Rambam's life, which appeared in a recent Lechaim Publication, which demonstrates how much potential each human being has, and how careful we have to be in dealing with children and their education:

Rambam would dream a lot while sitting in class as a young child, or while praying.

His father was the Chief Rabbi of Cordova, and he would put aside hours of his time to teach his son Torah. In response to Moshe's inattention, he would keep prodding his son, with a stern gaze full of disappointment and sadness, and at the end of the lesson he would sigh and shake his head.

Young Moshe would often be sent away from the class. Of course Moshe was upset to see that his father upset, and when he came to the part in shmoneh esrei prayer where we ask Hashem to 'Grant us wisdom, understanding and knowledge..', these words seemed to spring out of the page towards him. He hoped that Hashem would grant this to him, so that his father would be proud of him!

Moshe resolved to try as hard as he could , but the sun, trees and fountain outside the window, kept drawing away his attention.

Suddenly his father's voice cracked like a whip, "If you don't understand, at least look in at the Holy Letters....!!

"I cant" replied Moshe

His father replied, "You cant because you don't try! Enough! Get out of my sight!"

For a moment Moshe could not move. His father's words pierced his heart like a spear. Then he ran to the very outskirts of the town. He threw himself into the cold river where he swam to the other side, and dropped down exhausted, and fell asleep. When he awoke it was night. Where should he go now?

Moshe found himself wandering to the Synagogue, where he entered and opened the Ark.

In the shadowy depths of the Ark, the Torah Scrolls glistened in their silver mantels.

Suddenly the cold hard knot inside his chest loosened, and his eyes filled with tears. "Please G-d, give me wisdom! Open my mind and let me understand Your Holy Torah, so that my father can be proud of me! Please teach me your Torah", he whispered.

One by one he kissed the glowing scrolls, and carefully closed the doors of the Ark.

Then, as a feeling of peace flowed over him, he recited the Shma, curled up on a bench, and went to sleep.

Without going into detail, Maimonides then went on, to reach the yeshiva of his father's teacher Rabbi Yosef Ibn Migash. When this Tzadik accepted Rambam and kissed him on his forehead, Maimonides was known to have declared, that at that moment the wells of Torah wisdom were revealed within him.

From there, Rambam became one of the greatest Sages that the Jewish People have ever known, mastering Torah, Philosophy, Astronomy, Medicine and much more!!

Gut Chodesh and Gut Shabbos to all!