Friday, November 27, 2015
The Nation of Light
"Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; Though I am fallen, I shall arise; Though I sit in darkness, the LORD is a light unto me."(Micah 7:8)
This prophecy continues to ring more and more true on a daily basis in Israel, especially during the recent horrific wave of terror. Throughout our long history we have been murdered, beaten and exiled but we grieve and then we dust ourselves off, get up and rebuild to make this world a better place.Where there is darkness, the Jewish Nation brings light, for without the darkness, there can be no light.
Last night, I had the honour to attend the most awe-inspiring and moving wedding that I have ever been to. That of Sarah Tchiya Litman and Ariel Beigel, a beautiful young couple who was meant to get married 2 weeks ago, until Sarah's father, Rabbi Yaakov Litman Z"L (may his memory be blessed) and her 18 year old brother Netanel Z"L(may his memory be blessed), were murdered by Arab terrorists on their way to celebrate with Ariel, their future son and brother-in-law. They were on their way to his Shabbat Chattan (the Sabbath before a young man gets married). Sarah Techiya, her mother and their family sat shiva and the young couple decided not to delay the wedding, but rather to make it happen the week she got up from Shiva. The young couple made an announcement to the entire Nation of Israel via social media and invited all of us to join them on their beautiful day. I'm pretty sure I'm not exaggerating when I say there were at least 10 000 people there. Jews of every stripe and color, from all over Israel and all over the world went to great lengths to be able to be there, celebrating this holy union with the young couple. People from Cincinnati, Montreal and communities all over Israel took buses, trains and airplanes in order to do the tremendous mitzvah of "L'Sameach Chattan V'Kallah" (bringing joy to a bride and groom).
There were thousands of people outside the hall, singing and dancing, trying to make their way in to dance with the bride and groom...It was like there were dozens of weddings happening all around the grounds of The Conference Center simultaneosly. Hubby and I didn't manage to get into the hall , as we had a bus to catch and the line going in was enormous, but it didn't even matter. Apparently, at one point during the evening, the manager of the hall just got on the mic and tearfully announced that the hall was way beyond capacity, asking everyone who already danced to leave so that the thousands waiting outside could come in.
Meanwhile, outside, people were singing, dancing and playing musical instruments. The love and the achdut(unity) in the crowd were palpable. At one point, with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes, I looked up to the heavens and thought to myself"Ribono Shel Olam (Master of the Universe)...Look at us!!! Look at how much we love each other!!! Look at how much we love YOU!!! Let us be this way for eternity!!! I don't want this feeling to ever end!".
And this is the Nation of Israel.Our enemies want to destroy us... To send us into the sea. But they don't realize yet, that the more they try destroying us, the more empowered, strong and united we become. Despite the unthinkable tragedies that we've endured throughout the ages, and despite our enemies who try to extinguish the light that lies within us, we are a Nation made of Light and we will live on forever!!!!
May the beautiful new couple, Sarah Techiya and Ariel Beigel continue to shine their strength, resilience, light and deep love onto their Nation.
Am Yisrael Chai!!!
With Love,
Cigal
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Listen up, Outside World!
She's tall, slim and beautiful. Her thick, healthy-looking and gorgeous head of curls bounce as she walks down the street, causing people to turn heads as she smiles at them with her perfect pearly whites. She is the envy of every woman who looks at her and the object of desire of every man whom she shares eye contact with.
He's handsome, slender and muscular. The cool kid. All the guys want to hang out with him and all the girls go all googly eyed when he smiles his charming and beautiful smile at them.
But it's all external. Inside, that tall and beautiful girl hides mountains of junk food in her closet, ravages all of it and then sticks her finger down her throat to purge her body. When she looks at herself in the mirror, she sees a big, fat and scary looking monster...Not the beauty that everyone else sees. She cries herself to sleep at night and wonders how much longer she'll need to endure and when the pain will finally end. From close up, she has a gorgeous smile, but if you look deeper, you see the sadness etched deeply into her eyes and the lines surrounding them.
He is in agony most of the time. He gets these horrible cramps in his abdomen and a sense of urgency to run to the washroom to either throw up or to have a bowel movement(or both). He can't keep down any solids or liquids. There is no time to waste. If he doesn't get to the washroom ASAP, he'll embarrass himself with an accident, wherever he may be (at the mall, in class, at a party). At times, he may run and use the handicapped washroom stall because all the other stalls are taken and he simply can't wait. And then come the dirty looks and accusatory comments from the other people waiting in line. "You're not handicapped. Why would you use a handicapped stall?". The truth is, HE IS handicapped. He simply CANNOT wait. He has Crohn's Disease.
When I was 23 years old, I got diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, an incredibly painful and debilitating inflammatory bowel disease that can be very deceiving to the outside world.
To the outside world, I looked great. I was still my outgoing and friendly self, super creative, adventurous, kind and empathetic. But on the inside, I was falling to pieces. I literally felt like someone was stabbing away at my intestines slowly and sadistically. My world was crashing and I was all alone to try and keep it from shattering...No amount of care and concern from people around could take the agony away. Even the doctors couldn't "get it". I had lost a lot of weight, was wearing super fashionable and form fitting clothing and was trying to maintain as much of the"normal me" as I could, whenever I could. But there were times when I just couldn't. Times when I was keeled over in the fetus position, crying in agony, praying for the unbearable pain to stop. I thank G-d every day of my life for the two angel doctors who figured out the best way to heal me. Thank G-d,I haven't had an episode since before I had kids.
So listen up, Outside World: You need a heck of a lot more awareness and empathy!!! There are millions of people who suffer silently every single day of their lives. Whether they have a mental illness like Depression, Anxiety or Bipolar Disorder, or they have a chronic and debilitating disease like Crohn's/Colitis/Fibromyalgia, DO NOT JUDGE a person by their outer appearance. They may look fine to you. They may even look great. Meanwhile, they may be struggling around the clock to keep their stuff together. If you see a seemingly fine person using a handicapped washroom stall, keep your mouth shut. If someone reacts to something you say or do in a way that seems exaggerated to you, BE KIND, NOT JUDGMENTAL. Offer support, not criticism. Be gentle, not gruff or rude. You never know what other people may be struggling with.
With Love,
Cigal
He's handsome, slender and muscular. The cool kid. All the guys want to hang out with him and all the girls go all googly eyed when he smiles his charming and beautiful smile at them.
But it's all external. Inside, that tall and beautiful girl hides mountains of junk food in her closet, ravages all of it and then sticks her finger down her throat to purge her body. When she looks at herself in the mirror, she sees a big, fat and scary looking monster...Not the beauty that everyone else sees. She cries herself to sleep at night and wonders how much longer she'll need to endure and when the pain will finally end. From close up, she has a gorgeous smile, but if you look deeper, you see the sadness etched deeply into her eyes and the lines surrounding them.
He is in agony most of the time. He gets these horrible cramps in his abdomen and a sense of urgency to run to the washroom to either throw up or to have a bowel movement(or both). He can't keep down any solids or liquids. There is no time to waste. If he doesn't get to the washroom ASAP, he'll embarrass himself with an accident, wherever he may be (at the mall, in class, at a party). At times, he may run and use the handicapped washroom stall because all the other stalls are taken and he simply can't wait. And then come the dirty looks and accusatory comments from the other people waiting in line. "You're not handicapped. Why would you use a handicapped stall?". The truth is, HE IS handicapped. He simply CANNOT wait. He has Crohn's Disease.
When I was 23 years old, I got diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, an incredibly painful and debilitating inflammatory bowel disease that can be very deceiving to the outside world.
To the outside world, I looked great. I was still my outgoing and friendly self, super creative, adventurous, kind and empathetic. But on the inside, I was falling to pieces. I literally felt like someone was stabbing away at my intestines slowly and sadistically. My world was crashing and I was all alone to try and keep it from shattering...No amount of care and concern from people around could take the agony away. Even the doctors couldn't "get it". I had lost a lot of weight, was wearing super fashionable and form fitting clothing and was trying to maintain as much of the"normal me" as I could, whenever I could. But there were times when I just couldn't. Times when I was keeled over in the fetus position, crying in agony, praying for the unbearable pain to stop. I thank G-d every day of my life for the two angel doctors who figured out the best way to heal me. Thank G-d,I haven't had an episode since before I had kids.
So listen up, Outside World: You need a heck of a lot more awareness and empathy!!! There are millions of people who suffer silently every single day of their lives. Whether they have a mental illness like Depression, Anxiety or Bipolar Disorder, or they have a chronic and debilitating disease like Crohn's/Colitis/Fibromyalgia, DO NOT JUDGE a person by their outer appearance. They may look fine to you. They may even look great. Meanwhile, they may be struggling around the clock to keep their stuff together. If you see a seemingly fine person using a handicapped washroom stall, keep your mouth shut. If someone reacts to something you say or do in a way that seems exaggerated to you, BE KIND, NOT JUDGMENTAL. Offer support, not criticism. Be gentle, not gruff or rude. You never know what other people may be struggling with.
With Love,
Cigal
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