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Dear Friend ,
It seems like there's a new fashion statement going around: The Daily Mail, one of Britain's most popular daily newspapers, featured an article about Ivanka Trump walking around Manhattan with her husband Jared Kushner. "Wearing a casual black jacket, (he) pushed little Arabella Rose’s pram along the streets on their way to lunch. He also held some flowers in one hand – perhaps a gift for his wife.'" What the Daily Mail failed to realize was that the bouquet of flowers was actually the Lulav and Etrog that Shabbat-observant Ivanka and Jared were carrying on the Festival of Sukkos. For 3329 years, in an unbroken tradition since Moses received the law from Sinai, we have been observing this beautiful mitzvah for the seven days of Sukkos. "And you shall take for yourselves on the first day, the fruit of the beautiful tree, date palm fronds, a branch of a braided tree, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for a seven day period." This verse, in Leviticus 23:40, teaches us that G-d's wishes for us to bind four fruits together on Sukkos and recite a blessing on them. The identity of the lulav (date palm fronds), myrtle (braided branch), and willows are pretty straightforward. But the identity of the "fruit of the beautiful tree" remains cryptic. How do we know this refers to an esrog (citron)? Perhaps it's a papaya, a mango or (my personal favorite) passion fruit? The Talmud clarifies that the word beautiful (hadar) in the verse is not to be read as an adjective but as a verb. Hadar thus means the fruit "that lives on its tree." Indeed, though all other fruits live on their trees for just one season, only one fruit, the esrog (citron) lives on its tree through all the seasons of the year. It is capable of staying on its tree for up to five years! What a profound metaphor for being a mentsch! It's easy to be nice to others in the proverbial summers of your life, when things are going smoothly: you're making money and everyone is healthy. But can you do the same through the winters too? When money is tight, health is failing, and relationships are dissolving? They say that "recessions fill up the Shuls." A shortage in financial resources is inversely proportionate to Shul attendance and surplus of faith. "Winters" are favorable for faith; "Summers", however, are a different kettle of fish. When business is booming, do you recall the source of your success, or are you convinced that it's all the result of your own genius? When the sun starts to set and you feel yourself entering the "autumn" of your life, you have time for others and long for meaningful conversation and mutual interaction. But can the same be said of the "spring" of our lives, when lofty expectations are on the horizon and excitement is in the air?
Blessing the esrog together with the other three species of Sukkos reminds us that the mark of a mentsch isn't just in his quality but in his consistency as well. And just like the esrog doesn't just survive the changing seasons but actually adapts to them and grows through each one, how amazing would it be if we too
could have the wisdom, humility, and courage to actually grow through the challenging circumstances that come our way, not just the pleasant ones? Wishing you a Shabbos of equilibrium, Rabbi Dovid & Chana Vigler
Chabad of Palm Beach Gardens
Next week's Schedule Sunday evening 10/23 at 530PM ~~~
Our answer to UNESCO's anti-semitic resolution this week This week, UNESCO, a major committee representing many countries in the world, voted to declare that Jews have zero historical connection to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. The Jews are thus occupiers of sovereign Arab lands. From henceforth on, all UN references to these places will be in their Arabic names.
Though the Koran makes not even a single mention of Jerusalem, the Torah mentions it 823 times! Jews pray towards Jerusalem thrice daily and make mention of our longing to return to her at every wedding, shiva, bris and more for over three thousand years. In defiance of this blatantly anti semitic motion, almost 70,000 Jews gathered this week at the Kotel, the Western Wall, for the The Birkat Kohanim (Priestly Blessing). Jerusalem was spiritually electrified! Join Chana and myself this summer in Israel for the trip of a lifetime to claim our birthright in the Holy Land before the world tries to take it away from us! If you've always wanted to go to Israel, now is the time! There is no time to waste. Please let us know if you would like to learn more about the Chabad of PBG's mission to Israel in Summer 2017: 561.624.2223 or [email protected] Click here to view the stunning sight:
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It's Good to Laugh Moshe, a new member of the shul, was asked to do hagbah (the honor of being called up to raise the Torah in the air). It was awful, a pitiful sight. He could barely lift the sefer Torah; he almost dropped it and, clutching it shakily, sat down very quickly. He was very embarrassed so he made a resolution to go to the gym and work out. For the next few months, he lifted weights and did push ups, sit ups, and pull ups. He got himself buff and ready. Simchat Torah came and Moshe was all set. He went to shul, all excited and ready to be called. It happened! He heard the gabbai call his name so he rushed up to the bima, grabbed the sefer Torah, lifted it, and, arms wide, opened up at least ten columns. He swung the Torah to the left and then to the right, according to the halakhah, so everyone could see the text. He felt very proud of his perfect hagbah. Turning to the gabbai he asked, "So, how was it?" "Well, Moshe, your hagbah was great, but I called you up for a regular Aliyah."
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