He's Waiting for US

"Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"-Albert Einstein.

As much as I love my nation and as proud I am to be part of Am Yisrael, I truly feel that we are INSANE. The Gemara is a component of the Talmud,the central text of Rabbinic Judaism. It comprises rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah(oral traditions). States the Talmud (Yoma 9b): "Why was the Second Temple destroyed? Because of Sinat Chinam, senseless hatred of one Jew for another." G-d is very forgiving of sins we might commit against Him, but He has much less tolerance for the sins we commit against our fellow Jews. The antidote to this senseless hatred is Ahavat Chinam . The Jews have to learn to love their fellow Jews and there is no hope for us until we all learn how to communicate with each other, and respect each other, regardless of our differences.

For the last month, the amount of Sinat Chinam in my neighborhood has made me want to scream and cry. The mud slinging. The slander. The gossip. Today the municipal elections take place. I have already fulfilled my civic duty and pray that G-d blesses whoever wins with tremendous strength and wisdom to renew and improve the reputation of my city.


To my holy brothers and sisters, let's stop the judgement. Let's stop the hatred. We must stop the slander and the gossip. Let's stop assuming the worst of the woman who doesn't cover her hair or who wears pants. Or the man who doesn't wear a kippa. We don't know what their accounting with G-d is. They may be much higher up on the mitzvah scale than we'll EVER be. We've seen G-d's wrath in every generation since the spies came back and told unfathomable lies about the Land of Israel. Our people cried and cried, as they believed the evil report instead of trusting G-d. Ever since that fateful night, Hashem, our Father in Heaven, kept His word that He would provide us a reason to cry for generations to come. The spies, the Expulsion from Spain, The Destruction of the Temples, The Expulsion from Gush Katif(more recently)....How much more proof do we need that we are insane?


We keep talking about Mashiach...We want him to come and to put an end to all the pain and the troubles that we experience. How can we expect him to redeem us in the state that we're in??? It feels like we haven't learned a single thing from our sins. And yet, there is NO DOUBT in my mind that Hashem is ready and eager to send us Mashiach. We just don't deserve him yet.


Let's change that. Let's make it a point to befriend people who are very different than us. Let's invite more people over to our homes for Shabbat and chagim. Let's be very generous with compliments and very careful and stingy with criticism. Let's bring joy, love and light into our world instead of bringing more darkness. Let's make Abaleh(our Father in Heaven) proud of us and proud of the achdut( unity) that we continue to build on a minute-by- minute, hour-by-hour, day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month and year-to-year basis. I for one, am looking forward to the day that Mashiach comes, because I will know that I did my share in making Abaleh proud of me.

With Love,

Cigal

tInsanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Albert Einstein

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That Little Voice Within

When school started, we placed our oldest child (3 1/2 years old) in a government run preschool, free of charge and with 34 other kids. In that first week, there was a little voice within me, saying" This is not the best choice for your boy...The private gan you checked out last year would be a much better fit". But I ignored that little voice and he started class in the government run school. Within 3 days, something happened that made that Little Voice Within SCREAM at me to switch the boy to the private preschool. So I did. And my child is ECSTATIC to go every single day.

Last night, there was a family wedding that we were meant to attend. The plan was to take the older two and leave the baby with a babysitter. The day before yesterday, the baby had gotten three immunization shots and had had a very rough night. He and I had not slept a wink. My hubby was really counting on all of us attending the wedding so yesterday am, I told him I'd wait and see how the baby was acting until noon and then decide, but that Little Voice Within was again SCREAMING at me that the little man would really need his Ema and would not be happy to be left with a babysitter. He seemed to be in better spirits during the day, so I was actually contemplating to stick with the original program of taking the older two and leaving him home. But then came that Little Voice Within again and I just knew I had to listen to it, even though it would be a disappointment to my Hubby. So of he went to the wedding without us and, lo and behold, the little man's immunizations began to drive him crazy. My poor little baby was sobbing non stop for HOURS and it took me forever to console him to the point where he allowed himself to drift away into a deep and peaceful sleep(that unfortunately he awoke from and was again inconsolable for a couple of hours in the middle of the night). Once again, more proof about the unfailing Little Voice Within.


As mothers, we are constantly second guessing ourselves, wondering what would be best for our children, feeling guilty about our choices, hoping we made the right choice, worrying that we didn't. But Mamas, we DO KNOW what's best for our children. That Little Voice Within will never steer us wrong. It's called the Mommy Intuition to some and in my view, it is my Bina Yetera, that extra bit of wisdom that Hashem(G-d) blessed every woman with. Mommies, let's do ourselves and our children a big favor and listen to that Little Voice Within more often. It knows what's best for us and our families.

With Love,

Cigal