Sing… Shabbat Shira!

January 9, 2014

Shabbat Shira

BS’D

Visit the Tu B’ Shvat page to learn more on the seder and segulas. Listen to last year’s insightful shiur.

There is a parnassa segula for this coming Shabbat Shira! Share and comment on it! We would love to hear from you.

Let’s sing. After all, this Shabbat is the ‘Shabbat of Song’. It is so easy to get caught up with the humdrum tone of this world where day follows day, night after night, bill after bill, difficulty following once again difficulty. Angels sing. Just as seen in fairy tale movies, their wings flap to the tune. The soul yearns to sing, yet our bodies constantly shout, “I need”, “I want”, “…NOW” which oftentimes stops us from experiencing more than a moment’s worth of this spiritual ‘high’.

The word ‘Az’, the first word in the Song of the Sea,אז=numerical value 8, portrays a state above nature. This implies the notion that this song, and singing any holy song, will carry a Jewish person to a place beyond this world. This transcendence can be achieved on an individual basis. We see this by the singular tense of the words ‘Az yashir… (Then he shall sing…)” meaning that each and every one of us can connect to Hashem even when we sing alone in the four corners of our own home.

The Sfat Emet ztk’l teaches that the act of singing lifts our neshama towards Shamayim, allowing it to freely express it’s yearning to attach to Borei Olam. It craves for the time when Hashem’s glory will be openly revealed. The song sung at the opening of the sea causes all of creation to sing until today as written beautifully in Perek Shira. All of creation is renewed daily as a result of ‘Az Yashir…’

By singing shira (a song), we broadcast that everything comes from Hashem drawn down in a line and row from Shamayim as a shura (word for ‘line’ in the Hebrew language). We learn emuna through song! In the zechut of seeing clearly that Hashem did, does and will always be the ‘Doer’, in the merit of our emuna, we can similarly walk through the sea and sing shira and be embraced by Hashem always!

There is a special custom associated with this Shabbat which involves the birds. Before sunset on Friday, we put out food for the wild birds. “Nefesh Kol Chai” cites Halachic sources which state that the reason for this custom is because the birds also sung a special song when we were delivered at the sea! We therefore express our appreciation to the birds for singing their song by giving them food just before the arrival of the ‘Shabbat of Song’. Moreover, this custom reminds us of the great joy of the song at the sea (AruchHaShulchan).

May we all be renewed with Emuna and Song on this Shabbat Shira, Amen!

Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Esther Necha bat Chana Chaya, mayshe merit a complete healing b’riut hanefesh v’b’riut haguf amongst all those in KlalYisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen!

Hishtadlut…push the train?

January 8, 2014

Orit Esther Riter

Hishtadlut, Parnassa

No Comments

BS’D

Visit the Tu B’ Shvat page to learn more on the seder and segulas. Listen to last year’s insightful shiur.

There is a parnassa segula for this coming Shabbat Shira! Share and comment on it! We would love to hear from you. Thank you Zahava for creating such an artistic page for all to enjoy!

Let us see through a parable what it means when Chazal teach us that our hishtadlut, exerted effort in this world does not affect the outcome of the activity which we engage in.

Per example; a person wakes up late one morning and rushes to the train station to see the train waiting on the platform. He is in such a hurry to get to work on time that he decides to help the train move faster by pushing it. The effort required of him to arrive to work on time lies solely in him reaching the train station and waiting for his train to come. Pushing the train would not serve to help nor was asked from him. This is an example of exerting too much unnecessary effort in earning one’s parnassa.

When we involve ourselves in the everyday world; work and invest the universally ‘accepted’ amount of time at work, we rectify Adam HaRishon’s sin, elevate ourselves spiritually and implant holy sparks and Divine blessing in all of our material endeavors.

Remember: we must take part in a certain degree of effort, since this is decreed by Hashem for us to do. Our hishtadlut opens the pipeline for the bracha to pour forth. However, it is crucial to recall the idea that no matter how much time, strength, intelligence or talent we put into our work or any activity for that matter, it is all in Hashem’s hands…. Always!

Please daven for Calev Avraham ben Elisheva Rut- MISSING BOY ALERT!

Caleb Jacoby, Calev Avraham ben Elisheva Rut, 16, an 11th grader at the Maimonides School, has not been heard from since around 12:30 p.m. yesterday.

Caleb Jacoby left his home yesterday at about 12:30pm. No one has heard or received electronic communication from him since that time.

He is the son of Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby.

Detectives from the Brookline, MA PD are actively engaged in searching for him. Police urge anybody with information about his whereabouts to contact them at 617-730-2222.

(YWN Headquarters – NYC)

– See more at: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/209346/family-friends-search-for-missing-jewish-teen-caleb-jacoby.html#sthash.r8ohxGYD.dpuf

Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Yaakov Yohonatan Levi ben Chaya, may he merit a complete recovery amongst all those in Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen!

Tu B’Shvat Seder and Insights

January 7, 2014

Daily Dose Of Emuna

Tu B'shvat, tu b'shvat seder, tu bishevat, tu bishvat, tu bishvat seder, Tubishvat

No Comments

Tu B’Shvat Seder

(Listen to the lecture from 1:03:50 for more detail)

The idea is to focus on a large variety of fruits and nuts, not necessarily on quantity of each. Ideally strive for 30 selections.

Prepare 4 cups of wine or grape juice for each person. You will need both white and dark grape juice and/or wine.

1st cup: represents Winter; when nature sleeps, snow, blankness of the trees, talk about the changes outdoors, how the animals behave in the winter time. Use white wine or white grape juice only to symbolize the white of winter.

2nd cup: represents Spring; mix small amount of red grape juice or wine to color the white. Symbolizes melting snow, flowers that bloom, watch the colors change, talk about the changes that take place to the trees and animals.

3rd cup: represents Summer; mostly red grape juice or wine with a little white. Nature is in full bloom, talk about the changes that take place in the summer time.

4th cup: represents Autumn; full red cup of wine or juice. Rich deep colors.

Fruits: divided into tree worlds

Olam Ha’Asiya (World of action, this world) – Hard, inedible peel or shell, fully edible soft on the inside.
Bananas, Coconuts, Pineapple, Melon, Kiwi, Almonds, Walnuts, Peanuts, Pistachios, Pomegranate.
Furthest from perfection, requires the most protection. Peel away the shells that hold us back, the materialism, the yetzer hara that holds us in his grips.

Olam Ha’Yitzirah (World of formation) – Soft, outer edible peel, inedible inner pit.
Peaches, Plums, Apricots, Avocado, Dates, Cherries, Plums, Mango, Olives with pits
Less level of purity: soft on the outside yet strong inner heart. Pit represents regrowth, although we generally discard it and don’t pay attention to it.

Olam Ha’Briya (World of creation) – Edible inside and out.
Grapes/Raisins, Apples, Kumquats, Grapefruits, Oranges, Lemons, Figs, Pears, Berries, Cranberries
This is the most holy: represent people who are good through and through, inner and outer. This symbolizes Hashem’s presence in the world and our unbreakable connection to Him. No barriers – the Divine spark flows freely.

Olam Ha’Atzilut (World of emanation) – Fragrant flowers or spices
Pure G-dliness, wholesome spirituality, nothing physical; we use our sense of smell.

Seven species from Eretz Yisrael:
1) Wheat signifies chesed/kindness/work of the soul; Hashem provides for our basic needs such as bread. Rectifies our emotional realm.

2) Barley signifies gevurah/might/work of the animal soul; Used as animal grain. Elevates our physical drives to the spiritual plane.

3) Grapes signify tiferet/beauty/work on simcha; The idea of humility. Just as the larger, heavier clusters hang lower than the smaller, lighter ones so should those in Klal Yisrael who are greater in Torah act humbled even in front of those with less wisdom.

4) Figs signify netzach/victory/work on thoughts/speech/action; Be quick to perform deeds, seek to do good, to do mitzvot.

5) Pomegranates signify hod/splendor/work on mitzvot; The idea of collectivity and unity. We must rely on one another to perform the entirety of the 613 mitzvot.

6) Olives signify yesod/foundation/work on transforming the bitter into something good; Needs to be crushed in order to be used for light. The roots of the olive tree go deep into the soil holding it down and preventing erosion; so too Klal Yisrael.

7) Dates signify malchut/kingship/work on spiritual growth; The entire date tree can be utilized. The date tree grows tall and straight, so too the righteous. The tree is resistant to changing winds, so too the Jewish people.

** Use beer for barley.
** Use bread, crackers or cakes for wheat.
** Use honey as part of the seder.
** Put fragrant flowers and plants on the table as part of the seder and to smell.

(Listen to the lecture from 51:06 for more detail)

Shabbat Shira:

13th of Shevat 5779 / Friday,

Jan. 18, 2018

Shabbat Shira there is a special segula, good luck omen, to bake challah in a certain shape. It is a segula for parnassa. The diagram shows the shape of three circles. The segula is to bake 4 challahs in these shapes (3 challah rolls clumped together).

Place these challah forms on the table Erev Shabbat (should have a total of 4 of these challah shapes), 2 on each side of the person reciting the bracha of the motzei (2 on his left side and 2 on his right side) – one on top of the other. This according to the AriZal is a segula for receiving shefa, an abundance of parnassa.

Wishing Klal Yisrael emuna shleimah that each one of us should always feel ‘full’ and ‘satiated’ by what we have and recite words of appreciation and gratitude to Hashem for all of the goodness that He continuously bestows upon us, Amen!

The shape of challah. (Listen to the lecture from 47:04 for more detail)

To invite Orit to your community click here

Powerful Self Healing Program – Emuna Energy Medicine Training

To register click here

Parnassa: I have what I need today

January 7, 2014

Orit Esther Riter

Parnassa, Parshat Hamann

No Comments

BS’D

Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Shimon ben Miriam Hendyl, may he merit a complete recovery amongst all those in Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen!

It is written in Masechet Beitza (16:1) that all of one’s parnassa is allotted to him from Rosh Hashanah to Yom HaKippurim. It is further taught that any efforts invested on our part to increase our livelihood will not serve to increase this amount.

If so, why is it written in the Torah in Sefer Bereishis (3:19), “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread”? Why do we need to extend any effort if it is already decreed in advance? The RamChal ztk’l expounds in his book Mesillat Yesharim that although one will not lack parnassah from that which was decreed upon him, and he may even lay back and not lift a finger to earn that which was already declared that he would earn that year, however there is a fine that must be paid; the curse of Adam HaRishon, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread.”

Another words, the curse enforced the act that we must exert some effort in order to bring about our livelihood, since this was the decree given to us by the Master of the Universe. It is an inevitable ‘tax’ if you may call it that must be waged in order to ‘earn’ one’s livelihood.

Nevertheless, this effort, the deeds that we invest to earn our livelihood make absolutely no difference in the amount that we earn at the end of the day. We are not to believe in our hishtadlut, invested effort, when interacting with this world to earn a living. It is a part of the ‘natural makeup’ to live in this material world. One must ‘work’ in order to earn his share, however not to the point where there is no end and his mind and body works endlessly thinking that it will have an impact on how much he receives.

With that in mind, there is a well- known segula to recite Parshat HaMann (link below) today, Tuesday of parshat BeShalach, ideally in Aramaic (shnayim mikrah v’echad targum). The idea behind reading it is not to look at it as a ‘good luck omen’ rather to pay close attention to the telling of the giving of the Mann in the desert. Mann was given every day as needed, not more and not less than the day’s needs.

Thus it is with Klal Yisrael today, we should strive to reach the level of trusting in Hashem that if we have what we need today, we should not worry about tomorrow. Thank you Hashem for what I have today, every moment! Just as You have taken care of me today, I trust that You shall do so tomorrow!

The Torah reading of this coming Shabbos — Parashas Beshalach — includes the chapter telling how the Jewish People in the Wilderness received manna. Many people recite the chapter daily, as a special prayer for parnassah. There is also a widespread custom to recite this chapter on the Tuesday of the week of Beshalach, which this year is January 7th.

As a public service from Artscroll, we offer the text and interlinear translation of the chapter, from the Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Siddur. Please feel free to download it.

Click on this link to download: The Chapter of Manna.pdf (PDF: 206K)
This file is in PDF format which requires a PDF viewer such as Adobe® Acrobat® Reader.

The balance of fear and love

January 6, 2014

Orit Esther Riter

No Comments

BS’D

Today, 5th of Shevat, is the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter ztk’l (1847-1905), leader of the Ger chassidic dynasty. Rabbi Alter is better known as the “Sfas Emes,” the title of his book of insights into the Bible, Jewish thought and holidays. He built up Ger as the largest chassidic group in Poland prior to the Holocaust, numbering 250,000. The son of Sfas Emes escaped the Nazis, and came to Israel, where he oversaw the rebuilding of the Ger community, which remains vibrant till today (Aish.com) May his zechut protect us, Amen!

Please share your thoughts and comments after reading. We would love to hear from you!

By observing the wondrous creation and admiring the infinite wisdom in every aspect of this world, one can reach a level of love, praise and appreciation towards Hashem. At the same time, this leads a person to feel a sense of smallness as Dovid HaMelech ztk’l writes in tehillim (144:3), “Hashem, what is man that You should know him, the son of man, that You should consider him?” Within the vast greatness of Hashem’s being, He still ‘knows’ us on a very intimate level through careful observation and closeness. The idea that I am so important to Hashem and merit His personal attention certainly causes an influx of love.

The Rambam ztk’l teaches us that we cannot love an object if we are unaware of it. Meaning, that one’s love for someone is in direct proportion to how much knowledge he has of him. In order to increase our love of Hashem, much of our time should be invested in learning the purpose of our soul’s existence and our mission in the scheme of creation. This too creates immense love for Hashem when we realize what an important task we hold.

Fear of Hashem comes as a result of learning practical wisdom. After we beseech Hashem’s help and are enveloped in His love and care, we feel immense gratitude as we realize how much we are dependent on Him. A wise man values his yirah since he recognizes that trusting in Hashem is vital to his existence. Without a trembling awareness that life has consequences and benefits beyond this world, we cannot embrace the entire picture of Hashem’s awesomeness.

Ahavah is created through the study and recognition of all of the good that Hashem does for us. Yet yirah stems from a place of understanding that there is an accounting of every move, down to the minute detail, and all will be taken into consideration in the realm of the World to Come.

We need both. Hashem is our loving Father who wants only for our best but is nonetheless just and exact in His intervention and guidance.

Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Yaakov Akiva ben Feiga. He is a young father of three boys in the hospital. Please daven for Yaakov Akiva ben Feiga that he merit a complete recovery amongst all those in Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen!

Shabbat: A gift just for Ahm Yisrael

January 2, 2014

Orit Esther Riter

No Comments

BS’D

Please share your comments after reading. You can post them directly on the website by logging in through your google, facebook or aol account. It is wonderful to read your thoughts as they serve to strengthen the meaning of each lesson. Thank you for sharing and liking our page.

On Shabbat we sing songs of tehillot v’tishbachot (praises) to Hashem for all the goodness He showers onto Klal Yisrael. Perek 124 in Tehillim is such a song of praise to Hashem regarding the future redemption. We thank Hashem glorifying Him; for had He not come to our aide the nations around us, “Then they would have swallowed us raw when their anger was kindled against us” (124:3).

These perakim of Tehillim are songs that depict the future, since Shabbat symbolizes the future, ‘a world that is entirely Shabbat’, when all will be crystal clear. At that time we will readily see all of the dangers that Hashem saved us from, “Blessed is Hashem, Who did not give us as prey for their teeth” (124:6).

On Shabbat we are likened to caring angels whose only concern is to exalt Hashem’s name for we realize the great gift of Shabbat that was gifted solely to us. Hashem chose to bestow His prized possession hidden in His special treasure box to us! This gift is a foretaste of the World to Come which awaits us, B’H. Shabbat is an intimate relationship “between Me and the Children of Israel.”

When we complete the Torah reading of the weekly parsha in shul the words ascend and are taken by the merkava (the holy chariot) before Hashem Yitborach. The words form a crown as we proclaim Hashem to be King and the Shechinah, the bride, rises to ‘join’ Him in complete unity. Happy is Ahm Yisrael who sings the words of tehillim, tefillot and the reciting of the parsha thus bringing harmony up above.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Shabbat!

Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Daniel Reuven ben Rivka Kayla. He is young boy, in 6^th grade, who is in the 4^th and final stage of treatment for cancer. He then moves into a two year maintenance program. The doctors are optimistic for a full recovery, B’H. Please daven for Daniel Reuven ben Rivka Kayla that he merit a complete recovery amongst all those in Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen!

How blessed we are…

January 1, 2014

Orit Esther Riter

No Comments

BS’D

Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the safe, easy and healthy birth and delivery of Elisheva Ruth bat Sarah Imeinu. May we soon celebrate a new neshama in this world b’simcha!

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of the people in the world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and small change in your pocket, you are amongst the 8% of people who are the richest in the world.

If you awoke this morning with more health than sickness, you are blessed more than those who will not feel this way.

If you have never experienced what it is like to live through war, be isolated in a prison cell, suffer through famine, you are blessed to not be amongst the 700 million people in the world who have.

If you can go anywhere without feeling a fear of threat and death, being scared of imprisonment or other distress than you are envied by 3 billion people who aren’t blessed to feel such tranquility.

If you can lift your head and smile, you are luckier than the many that cannot right now.

I am the first to send my ‘return receipt’ to the confirmation room; a huge note of thanks to Hashem for the many riches I was gifted with… many of which go unnoticed in the daily rat race of life.

Yearly Archives: 2014

Sing… Shabbat Shira!

Hishtadlut…push the train?

Tu B’Shvat Seder and Insights

To invite Orit to your community click here

Powerful Self Healing Program – Emuna Energy Medicine Training

To register click here

Parnassa: I have what I need today

The balance of fear and love

Shabbat: A gift just for Ahm Yisrael

How blessed we are…

Stay Connected

Categories

Tags

This month’s daily doses