Over the last 30 hours I have received 100’s of emails, whatsapps, texts, etc, from Jews all around the Globe expressing their gratitude for writing about the experiences last Shabbos and how it moved them.
There is an underlying Yisod in our Torah that when a person feels such a Hargasha, that it is imperative that there also be an accompanying action so that the emotional surge, which is ephemeral in its very nature, takes root and grows into something bigger. Without an action, it was just a feeling, we had it today, and it is gone tomorrow.
The Ramban explains on a posuk in Shir Hashirim: Hishbati Eschem.. Im Ta’iru Ve’im Te’oreru Es HaAhava Ad Shetechpotz”.
If you are going to have a Hisorerus of Ahava, you should make into a Chafetz, a Maaseh.
I heard from my Rebbeim that there are at least two places we see this principle brought into play by our Avos. The first is by Akeidas Yitzchak. After Hashem told Avraham “אַל־תִּשְׁלַ֤ח יָֽדְךָ֙ אֶל־הַנַּ֔עַר “the pasuk then tells us that Avraham sacrificed an “אַ֔יִל אַחַ֕ר” in place of Yitzchak. The meforshim explain that it was necessary for the Torah to tell us this because if Avraham had not done a “Peula”, an actual action, we would not have the Ma’aseh Aikeda today. We see this Yisod also in Parshas Vayigash. When Yaakov came to Mitzrayim and Yosef went out to meet Yaakov Avinu, Rashi tells us that as Yosef cried on Yaakov’s neck, Yaakov Avinu was saying Shema. Why did Yaakov of all times choose to say Shema at the moment? Because he had such a tremendous Hargasha of love and hakaras hatov to Hashem that he knew that he had to do a Peula in order to make it materialize into something.
This brings us full circle back to why I am writing this. The response from world Jewry has been amazing. We all were inspired by how a group of disparate Jews from all walks of life had a Shabbos of pure achdus, and it moves us, it makes us want to be part of that. But, now we need an action to be Mikayim this Hargasha that Klal Yisroel is currently feeling.
There is a Jewish community in Athens, Greece, and they need a Mikveh. I spoke with Rabbi Mendel Hendel, the Chabad Shliach, and it will cost $280,000 to build the mikvah and they currently have $175,000. Let us take action on our feelings of achdus, and all of us together as one people make this Mikva happen. Whether you give eighteen dollars, eighteen cents or eighteen hundred dollars, it doesn’t matter; what matters is making a peula, an action, so that our feelings of achdus will take root and manifest into something greater.
Please click here to make a donation to Rabbi Hendel for the Mikveh in their campaign to raise $100,000 to complete the new Mikvah.
Checks can be mailed to: Friends of Chabad of Athens Greece, 1 Sunderland Dr. Morristown NJ, 07960
Donations are tax deductible in the USA.
In the zchus of each us taking an action and giving something to complete this binyan together, we should be zoche to also work together to build the Beis Hamikdash Bakarov.
With much love
Ben Chafetz
Yidden, are you flying?
When you Arriving?
Contact the local chabad,
Or we’ll just find you
When you want us, when you need us
We are there for you always!
Look, the new mikvah is really at a stand still,
They don’t have all the recourses, and they’re runnin’ out of options
The financial pressure is so much and they don’t know when it’s stoppin’
when times get tough, they be davenin’ and learnin’
So let’s give them a donation, I think they’ve really earned it,
all the yidden that they help they definitely deserve it.
this is a great cause, let’s all donate generously!
I just donated $18.
Common if we get everyone we can make this happen.
Let’s spread the achdus experienced by our fellow Yidden in Greece (right before Chanukah… Yovon…)
Let’s show the world this is a international feeling of Unity!
This will definitely bring Moshiach!