Shalom Aleichem!
Tzipah and I extend condolences to Dr. Richard Gertler on the passing of his father Sidney. May the Omnipresent comfort you amongst the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
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I am humbled and inspired by the generous outpouring of support from alumni, parents and community members at the end of 2013, and I am pleased to announce that we finished in the black! Thank you!
The morning of January 1st, I spotted a Brooklyn billboard and snapped a picture (above – don’t worry, I wasn’t driving) to serve as a reminder for myself that inspiration is only the start.
So what now? How do I channel the inspiration? What next?
Allow me to share something that I read a couple days ago.
The Code of Jewish Law states that one should partake of three meals on Shabbat: Friday night dinner, Shabbat lunch, and a third meal, Se’udat Shlishit, which takes place after the afternoon prayer and just before the conclusion of Shabbat.
There are those who opine that in lieu of eating an actual meal, one can fulfill the obligation of the third meal by sharing words of Torah.
The problem would be, the Rebbe remarked humorously at a Farbrengen 60 years ago, if someone came along after Shabbat and refuted your Torah teaching — for then you would be left without having fulfilled the Se’udat Shlishit!
So what’s the solution?
Eat something for Se’udat Shlishit (or recite irrefutable words of Torah)!
Then, no matter what may happen later, you can be sure that you did the mitzvah and fulfilled your obligation!
What’s the take-away? Perhaps it’s that everything needs to come down to something practical. If we don’t channel our inspiration into something tangible — give charity, study Torah, help another person etc. — then what will we have accomplished?
Shabbat Shalom & l’chaim!
Shaul
