Simple Truths

As I get older there are certain things that have become obvious to me.
1. The more you pray for others the more HKBH answers your prayers.
2. The more that you allow HKBH to control your life the more in control you become.
3. The more you go to shul and surround yourself by the inspiration of good people (especially good divrei Torah) the more fulfilled you become.
4. The more you control the little things the more the big things fall into place.
5. The more you focus on the positive the more positive there will be.
6. The more you believe in HKBH first and yourself second the happier you will be.

I heard a DT by a colleague and friend which she heard from Sarah Yocheved Rigler. The root hod (hey, vav, daled)is found right in the name Yehudi! This emphasizes the concept of Jews being a nation of people who understand the importance and intrinsic value of hakarat hatov. I loved this so much that I gave it over to my preschool children. I wrote the word Yehudi on a dry erase board highlighting the three middle letters hod in red and leaving the others black. As I was showing them this and talking two things dawned on me. First and foremost...I didn't want them to think that I was implying that non-Jews couldn't have this wonderful middah as well. Then it hit me as a wow! The two letters left in black the book-end were two yuds. That was my answer! For a yehudi the hakarat hatov is encompassed by a life surrounded by HKBH and all that that entails. In fact, if you allow HKBH to be the book ends of your life then you will be thankful because it is intrinsic to your name, fiber and very being. Shavuah Tov and Gut vuch!

Kol D'Asah HKBH L'tav Hu

My son gave over a d'var torah last night that really resonated for me. So simple, so beautiful, so true. I mentioned that this week was the yahrzeit of Reb Shlomo ZTZ'L. So he told a dt that he had heard last year at our shul's Carlbach Shabbaton. He heard it from Rabbi Twerski. In the Shma HKBH is mentioned by both Ha-Shem and Elo-keinu signifying both Rachmim and Din. It seems strange that in the pasuk that is declaring G-d's oneness that he should be referred to by two different names/attributes. The answer that was given is that rachmim and din ARE indeed one. Even when HKBH deals with us in what we call middat hadin in reality it's not...we just can't see it! There are so many examples of terrible things that happen to us. Years later, we realize that these things were indeed rachamim, we just thought they were din.