Archive for April, 2009

Saying Thank You for our Personal Pesach Miracles

In my preparation for the Pesach Seder (remember we who live in Israel only celebrate 1, that’s right 1 Passover Seder!) I have been researching the words of the great mystic, Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin. He reveals that on Chanukah for instance, we recite a blessing on the amazing miracle that occurred. However, on Pesach we omit this blessing. At the surface this appears rather perplexing given that the Exodus was a miracle “heard around the world!”

Accordingly, he analyzes the differences of the miracles that took place on these two distinct holidays and by extension, explains why if one would recite this blessing on Passover, Hashem would view it as being verbally brazen. As such, the custom is to not recognize the miracle of Pesach with a blessing but rather through the Pesach Seder. All in all, whether we make a blessing or not, we all know that the Almighty has certainly performed many a miracle for us on the national level as well as on the individual level.

Sometimes a miracle is obvious.

Sometimes we just need to open our eyes and see the kindness of God. But it’s the searching for the kindness that can be difficult.

Truth be told, there’s soo many more layers to this world, that even our generation that is higly advanced in the fields of science and medicine, has yet to discover. Case in point, if I were to tell you the facts in the following article just several years ago, you would have thought I was joking. And yet, Hashem has decided that now is the time that scientist will begin to regrow limbs and help reclaim what some people may have thought they eternally lost! Read here for all the details. If you need additional inspiration see here.

In general, I’ve heard on several occasions that the Pesach Seder is referred to as the Jewish version of a Thanksgiving meal, in that for many families it may be the only time that everyone comes home and sits at the table together. And so, I call upon every Jewish person to utilize the Pesach Seder (be it if you are making 1 or 2 Passover Seder’s) to say “thank you” to the Almighty not just for the miracles that took place thousands of years ago and that may be hard for us to relate to, but also to the miracles that Hashem gives us on a daily basis. In fact, you may find that when you express your appreciation for the small little things that God provides us with, it will only amplify the great miracle of our Exodus from Egypt and put it in a proper perspective.

Indeed, this year, among many other things, I know that my wife and I will be thanking Hashem for the miracle that is our daughter Ora!

I’m certain that it’s without coincidence that merely two days after Ora Rachel was born, Rabbi Zelig Pliskin wrote in his Daily Life Email:
Even if a doctor says there is no chance of recovery, one should not despair. There are an extremely large amount of cases when doctors have given up hope and nevertheless the patient recovered. While it is irresponsible to disregard reliable medical advice when something practical can be done, doctors are only human and are fallible. It is important for doctors themselves to realize this and even when the situation appears bleak, they should realize that while we cannot rely on miracles, medical miracles do occur. Whenever Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin was told that a doctor had given up hope on a patient, Rabbi Diskin would comment, “A doctor has a right to heal, but who gave him the authority to despair?” (Amud Aish, p.158; Gateway to Happiness, p.377)

All in all, this Pesach we must remember that the ‘P’ in the word Pesach stands for Perspective. With a little bit of perspective we could experience a Passover like never before!

Chag Sameach

April 3, 2009 | Tags: , , , , | Leave a Comment 

Purim, Pesach and Dr. Seuss

Our Sages reveal the following principle:

“Who is wise?”

“He who learns from every (‘Adam’ in Hebrew) man!”

We are not meant to only learn from the socially bright.

We are not meant to simply learn from a Rabbi.

Rather, Judaism believes that we can and should learn a lesson from every person we meet. Indeed, if there’s anything that I learned from Theodor Seuss Geisel, the author of the famed Dr. Seuss series, it was the power and ability to captivate and impart a critical message upon a diverse and broad audience using dizzying rhymes and colorful pictures for many years. By conveying his message and morals subtly, in the form of a book for children, his points were heard by millions!

In light of the above, I was rather impressed with a particular Mishloach Manot package we received this year. In fact, this particular family performed the mitzvah by ensuring that their costumes, the packaging, food and poem where all in the spirit of Dr. Seuss. And so, I present to you the following poem written by Rabbi Abbish Rand:

THE CAT IN THE HAT
PURIM 5769

The sun did so shine
It was a great day to play
So we ran out of the house
On that fun Purim day

A lesson we had learned
From that Cat in the Hat
Was get up and do
עשה טוב ‘s where it’s at

If all you could do here is
Sit!
Sit!
Sit!
Sit!
הקב”ה doesn’t not like that
Not one little bit

Life is a ladder
You’ve got to keep climbing
Else THINGS come along
And send you tumbling and sliding

Better keep yourself busy
Doing what Hashem wants from you
Clean up your act
Before trouble finds you

משיח is on his way home!
Do you hear?
Oh, How will he react?
What will he say?
Oh he would not like it
To find you this way

“So go fast!” Says the
FISH IN THE POT
“Do you hear?
We see him. משיח!
משיח is near!
So, as fast you can,
Think of something to do!
עשה טוב , סור מרע
Do what you’ve gotta do!”

When משיח comes in
And says to us all
Did you fix up yourselves?
Tell me. Did you help the כלל?

Do we have what to tell him?
Now, what SHOULD we say?
Well…
What would you answer,
If משיח asked YOU today?

Finally, just in time for Passover, here is a great article entitled: Green Eggs and Matzo Brei that also pays tribute to Dr. Seuss. You never know, with all of the messages and morals that Dr. Seuss seemed to espouse, maybe the reason why he always covered his head with his trademark hat, was an allusion to his Jewish roots!

April 1, 2009 | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment 

« Previous Page


Want to schedule Rabbi Green for a talk, or Shabbaton? Got a question? Need an answer? Click here to contact Rabbi Green.

Listen to Rabbi Green's most recent podcast here.
Subscribe or View Archives.