HUMILITY AND GREATNESS

Dear Family,

I hope that everyone is well

Refuah shlemah for Yechezkiel ben Ester.

Mazal Tov to Claude Comaroff on his upcoming birthday next week. Wishing you a healthy and happy year Claude!

Mazal Tov to Adam Frankel and Family on the opsherin of their son Shlomo Zalman on Lag Baomer. It is so good to get good news from all members of the Family. I would also like to mention that Adam has created a shul in the area where he lives in Cleveland, which BH is seeing a beautiful growth and development. Kol hakavod Adam, and mazal tov to Jody and Roy, and all the connected Family!

Mazal Tov to Dovber Kehaty on his upcoming birthday. Wishing you a wonderful happy year Dovber. You should continue to give your parents and all of us, much nachas!

This week, I saw a point in the Sedra Behar, and a point in Hayom Yom, plus a story which illustrated both these points, which I would like to share.

*Behar* V 25:38

In this verse Rashi points out that it is forbidden to leave Eretz Yisrael once one lives there in a permanent way.

But the halachah does allow one to leave for 2 main reasons ie If one has the opportunity to learn a higher level of Torah Study. Or for marriage.

*Hayom Yom* 19th Iyar

Chassidus is a G-dly understanding – a perspective that shows a person how small his station is, and, simultaneously, how much greatness he can achieve.

*Story* (Sefer Hamaamorim Kuntreisim Vol 1)

One of the Alter Rebbe’s Chasidim R. Elazar, had left his home in Yerushalayim and had overcome severe obstacles in order to make the arduous journey to Russia so that he could study under the Alter Rebbe in Liadi.

The Chasidim in Liadi once asked him, “In Yerushalayim you spent your entire day in prayer and study, and here too you spend your entire day in prayer and study. Why did you need to uproot yourself and make such a drastic move?”

R. Elazar replied, “The answer to your question revolves around two questions and one answer:

· Before I studied Chassidus, I would ask myself, “How could G-d possibly grant me sufficient reward for all my diligence in prayer and Torah study? And I would answer that G-d is a *Kol Yachol *- he is capable of anything - even giving me the rich reward that I deserve!”

· After I began studying Chassidus and recognised how lowly and materialistic I really was, I would ask myself, “How can G-d possibly allow such a coarse and unrefined person to study his Torah? How can he bear hearing my self-centred prayers?” And I would give myself the same answer, “ G-d is a *Kol Yachol -* he is capable of anything - even listening to my prayers and Torah study.”

· And the transition from asking the first question to asking the second, was worth the long and difficult journey from Yerushalayim to Russia!

Gut Shabbos to all