Want to really help our soldiers on the front lines, those who have been wounded and Am Yisrael who are currently under fire?
The most important way to help is to open up your Tehillim and daven to Hashem with your whole heart.
Here are links to a printable list of around 200 of our wounded soldiers’ Hebrew names that you can say after you daven.
Updated 8.8.14
For English list click here.
For Hebrew list click here.
BS’D
From Orit Esther Riter of the Daily Dose of Emuna
Tisha B’av is a day closely linked to negative events. We fast and observe laws of mourning by disconnecting from all physical and even mental pleasure in order to feel the pain of the absence of light in our lives.
The Holy Temple was a special place. The Divine Presence rested there and in spite of human limitations, we were able to connect to God. In fact, the entire world was able to have a close relationship with the Creator of the universe and bond with Him in a tangible way.
When the Holy Temple was destroyed, life in this world was shattered and filled with darkness. This obstruction of light serves as a barrier until today and disables us from directly feeling God’s love. However, even during the lowest point in Jewish history, God wishes to uplift the Jewish People by naming this month Av (Father). Although we may not directly see God, He is ‘implanted’ in the essence of this month.
Yet another fatherly embrace is bestowed onto us this month. We merit ascending from the saddest day of the Jewish calendar to the happiest day – the 15th of Av. This day is described in the Mishnah (Ta’anit) as “There are no happier days for Israel that the 15th of Av and Yom HaKippurim” – the day of finding one’s predestined soul mate.
The Sages teach that there are many connections that bridge Tisha b’Av to Tu b’Av – the 15th of Av:
1. On Tisha b’Av, the Mashiach is born. His soul is taught to comprise of all the souls of Israel. Just as a groom unites with his bride and carries her off to build a new life, so does the Mashiach uplift the Jewish people to unite with the Almighty.
2. Tisha b’Av reminds us of the gloom and destruction of a displaced people. There are three faces to the current exile: the Jewish people scattered among the nations, the Jewish people exiled among their fellow brethren, and the Jew feeling he is exiled with himself.
Tu b’Av is a time of joy and new beginnings. Respectively, it comes as a perfect counterpoint to confront the three fronts of exile: spirited love is the roadway to collective redemption, building a Jewish home is the epitome of forming peace amongst fellow Jews, and finding one’s soul mate brings light into one’s life and lifts him up from exile.
3. Tu b’Av follows Tisha b’Av on the seventh day. Seven symbolizes wholeness as in the days of the week, the celebration of seven brachot (blessings) upon marriage, and by contrast the number of days one sits shiva (in mourning) to name a few. When the above messages are fused into the conscious minds of the Jewish people, namely togetherness and unity through the building of Jewish homes, we will merit a renewed and lasting relationship with God.
The unity that enveloped the single Jewish men and women as they gathered in the fields to find their mate removed all barriers from their midst and amplified brotherly love in the most astounding way. Rich and poor maidens of Jerusalem borrowed white clothing from one another in order not to embarrass each other and blur communal barriers. Such were the feelings of love that enveloped the Jewish people at the time.
Singing and dancing radiated the streets in the hopes of creating new generations that honor Jewish values. Tu b’Av ushers in celebration of the promise of new life and hope after grief and fear. God wants us to celebrate life by uniting with Him and enabling light to shine onto a world of confusion.
Jews have survived throughout history because they know they can always tap into the Jewish spark – the mark of our people. This unity sustains our nation. In our world, the way to uphold unity is by keeping our traditions alive. The mystical teachings write that God, the Torah, and Israel are one – Godliness transcends all limitations.
Tu b’Av is sandwiched in between Tisha b’Av, a time for deep reflection and self-accountability, and the beginning of the month of repentance, Elul. Its message is love that stems from harmonious relationships. Under the wedding canopy, the transgressions of the bride and groom are erased. Through love of one another, we wipe away Heavenly decrees.
Tu b’Av marks the transition from the days of mourning and judgment to the days of joy and compassion. Today, we may not be able to appreciate the full extent of this great holiday, yet it does carry us from tragedy to joyfulness.
May we soon merit seeing the revealed outcome of what baseless love and unity can bring the ultimate redemption soon, Amen.
BS’D
Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to all the wounded soldiers. May they merit a complete healing amongst all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen.
“All of Your commandments are emuna” (Tehillim 119:86). The Zohar HaKadosh teaches that the 613 mitzvot are fundamentally 613 pieces of advice on how to strengthen the bond with HaKadosh Baruch Hu. Each time we do a mitzvah in effect we shrink the gap between Klal Yisrael and Hashem. In order to supercharge our mitzvot we must incorporate our hearts as well as our minds into every mitzvah.
Body and soul are enjoined in this world for the purpose of revealing Hashem’s presence. The body is inclined to physicality; it sees the outer casing. The soul penetrates the surface and digs to uncover purpose. The body needs the soul as much as the soul needs the body to fulfill its mission on earth. The mind needs the heart as much as the heart needs the mind to capture the power rooted in each mitzvah. We experience the powerful benefits of each mitzvah when we pair what we know to what we feel.
During this time many of us want to help our soldiers, the Jewish communities situated in the South of Israel or anyone in harm’s way. What can we do from the four corners of our home that will supercharge the merits of Ahm Yisrael? Pump emuna into our mitzvot. Here’s one way how:
Next time we begin doing a mitzvah let’s envision that we are creating a perfect angel. As we complete the mitzvah let’s picture shipping this angel immediately to a soldier in Gaza to shield and protect him.
Send the angel to move a rocket to hit an open field or into the sea. Maybe send that angel to a friend or family member who is experiencing hardship; pack him up with extra love and hugs. What about sending him to a person that we may be on bad terms with?
Imagine the power Hashem has given us when He appointed us to be co-partners with Him to bring G-dliness into this world. Let’s take advantage of it.
BS’D
Today’s Daily Dose of Emuna is dedicated to the righteous neshamot who have departed from this world al Kiddush Hashem. May Hashem’s love and warmth envelop them and may their families know of no more sorrow, Amen.
Once, in a little pond, in the muddy water under the lily pads, there lived a little water beetle in a community of water beetles. They lived a simple and comfortable life in the pond with few disturbances and interruptions. Once in a while, sadness would come to the community when one of their fellow beetles would climb the stem of a lily pad and would never be seen again. They knew when this happened; their friend was dead, gone forever.
Then, one day, one little water beetle felt an irresistible urge to climb up that stem. However, he was determined that he would not leave forever. He would come back and tell his friends what he had found at the top. When he reached the top and climbed out of the water onto the surface of the lily pad, he was so tired, and the sun felt so warm, that he decided he must take a nap. As he slept, his body changed and when he woke up, he had turned into a beautiful blue-tailed dragonfly with broad wings and a slender body designed for flying.
So, fly he did! And, as he soared he saw the beauty of a whole new world and a far superior way of life to what he had never known existed.
Then he remembered his beetle friends and how they were thinking by now he was dead. He wanted to go back to tell them, and explain to them that he was now more alive than he had ever been before. His life had been fulfilled rather than ended.
But, his new body would not go down into the water. He could not get back to tell his friends the good news. Then he understood that their time would come, when they, too, would know what he now knew.
So, he raised his wings and flew off into his joyous new life!
The lesson: the beautiful neshamot are basking in the warm embrace of Hashem. This is our only consolation.
BS’D
The month of Av is represented by the astrological sign Leo, aryeh (lion). As written in Pirkei Avot (4:1), “Be strong as a lion in fulfilling the will of your Father in Heaven.” The lion is king of the beasts, the symbol of royalty; passionate yet in control.
This month B’H we have the power to conquer our inner impulse and think before we react. The entirety of any given situation should be looked at from all angles and sides before judging it. Hashem responds measure for measure- just as we discipline our animalistic tendencies and show restraint in our response, B’H, so too Hashem will be slow to judge the Jewish people and not ‘instantly respond in anger.’
This month the sense to rectify is hearing. Hashem longs to hear from us and for us to ‘invite’ Him into our lives. The way to build any meaningful relationship is through constant communication. Talking and listening to one another essentially means, “I love you. I care about you.” This message certainly needs to be reinforced in our relationship with Hashem as well.
It is essential to listen to our internal voice as well; the calling within of our soul. There is a continuous calling emanating from our neshama asking that we not forget her needs. Our emotional health is the best indicator on how well our soul is being taken care of. If we are mostly in control of the negative emotions that seemingly ‘pop up’, our soul is strongly bonded to Hashem and is radiating a sense of security.
A lion walks with his head up high expressing full control and confidence. This month in spite of the difficulties we can resonate trust and inner peace knowing that Hashem is our leader. Ahm Yisrael is a kingdom of royalty eternally bonded to the King of Kings, constantly being enveloped by His passionate love and care.
BS’D
Would we do the same?
“Love your fellow as yourself.”
Rabbi Israel of Rizhin illustrated this with the following story:
Once there were two friends whose souls were intertwined with a great love. They lived very far from one other. One of them was falsely accused of a crime, convicted and sentenced to death. A proclamation was made that everyone in the land must attend this criminal’s execution.
When his friend came to the execution, he recognized him. He cried out loudly, “Leave that man alone! It is I who committed the crime.”
The execution was stopped. The matter was brought before the king, who he summoned both men and asked them the truth of the matter. Only one of them could have committed the crime, so why is the other one willing to die in vain?
The friend of the condemned man answered the king, “I know that my friend did not commit any crime. I know his character. He couldn’t have done it. And so this is nothing but a miscarriage of justice. My life depends on my friend’s life. It is better that I die and not see his death. In fact, if I have received such a punishment as having to see my friend’s death, I must myself be deserving of death.”
And the other man replied in a similar fashion.
When the king saw the great love between these two men, he let them both free. And he requested of them, “You are such great friends that I would like you to take me into your circle of friendship, with that same amount of love. And I will be the same kind of friend to you.”
When we reach the level of “you shall love your fellow as yourself,” Hashem desires to rest His presence amongst us, so that we will also love Him, and that He will be our faithful Friend.
Imrei Tzaddikim, by Meir Barenstein, p. 38
Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to Sarah bas Pesha who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. May Hashem send her a complete healing amongst all of those sick and suffering in Klal Yisrael, b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen.
BS’D
Talking positively makes a positive impact in this world as well as in the spiritual realm. Unfortunately negativity is also amplified when someone speaks unfavorably. When it comes to our thoughts, it may appear that they have no effect, after all, who knows what I am thinking about. Yet there is a spiritual effect that occurs as a result of our thoughts as well. When our thoughts and words are optimistic and we envision good in our minds we mobilize positive influence that can actually materialize.
Relating this teaching to emuna, when we display emuna and bitachon in our thoughts, speech and actions it becomes the catalyst for Hashem to shower Divine assistance. Relying on Hashem brings blessing onto our efforts and gives us the strength to face challenges.
In yesterday’s emuna email we learned how everything that happens above is dependent on us. Acting with joy spreads joy up, down, right, left and all around – to ourselves and everyone around us. Joy breaks down barriers in this world since when a person is happy he is able to go beyond his natural tendencies and overcome many of his weaknesses due to his ‘joyful’ mindset which ‘paints’ everything ‘pink and fluffy.’ The same applies to the upper realms.
When we are b’simcha in essence we cause Hashem to be b’simcha. The positive outlook and happy disposition we express here in this lowly world has a remarkable impact on high and generates a shower of great blessings to others.
Let’s take a moment to deeply contemplate the power Hashem has given to each of us. Radiating positivism, simcha and emuna below awakens good fortunate worlds away for others. We truly are areivim zeh la zeh (responsible for one another).
BS’D
Our world is a reflection of the world above. Everything above, all that transpires in the spiritual realm is from us, dependent on our conduct. It is written Pirkei Avos (2:1), “…. dah mah lima’alah mee’mcha… (Know what is above of you…).” There are many angles to learn this Mishnah. We will explore one very relevant to current times.
The Maggid of Mezritch ztk’l, the foremost disciple of the Ba’al Shem Tov HaKadosh teaches: Dah, Know – מה, mah, what, can also be read as מ- ‘ה from Hashem – ממך, mee’mcha, is from you. Our behavior down below is a direct mirror of what goes on in the upper realms.
When we move our bodies we are moving our spiritual counterpart in Shamayim. In Tehillim (121:5) it is written: “Hashem is your shadow,” meaning our actions mirror, so to speak, the nature of the influence that flows from Hashem to the world. Our thoughts, speech and actions bring about direct changes and have a profound ripple affect.
This is a vital insight into our times. Many women ask I don’t know what I am supposed to ‘work on’ and improve to increase the merits for Klal Yisrael… for myself and my family. Hashem responds to us as a shadow; measure for measure. I must assume responsibility whether I live in Israel or not for what is happening in the Jewish land. Whether we live in S’derot or Tel-Aviv Hashem is making sure that we are all affected by the fear of rocket missiles. The welfare of every Jew is and has always been dependent on ‘me’.
There is strife and war with Arabs residing on our own soil; within the borders of Eretz Yisrael. A possible remedy: work on harmony within ‘your land’; within the four walls of your home. We are alarmed upon hearing a ‘red alert’ siren of incoming rockets, c’v. Maybe we’ve been sleeping, not paying attention to the purpose of life. Maybe we weren’t and still aren’t aware that the geula is just about ready to ‘rock’ and ‘hit’ our world and B’H lift us to another place in history…
BS’D
I recently heard a Rav tell over the following incident:
“I was traveling a few years ago in a taxi in Yerushalayim with an Arab driver. Making small talk I asked him what he thought of the current Arab Israeli conflict (at the time there was intense uprising) . His response floored me. He said, “Look, it is all because your G-d left you. Our capacity to harm you Jews lies only in this reason. G-d took you out of Egypt, gave you Mann to eat and you left Him. He created great miracles here in Israel and you left Him.”
Yet, that isn’t 100% true. Look at the current wave of teshuva, in spite of the anti-Semitism and pogroms. Hashem’s name is still bonded in our hearts and spoken in our mouths. Even the Jewish people who do not regularly observe Torah still speak of Hashem’s glory and loving hand.
To give a sense of how G-dly a nation we truly are I take you to an army base. This month on the 11th of Tammuz a Givati Second Commanding Officer by the name of Ofer Vinter spoke to his soldiers and said, “We have completed our preparations and are ready for this moment and the mission ahead. We are ready to give up our lives in order to protect our families, our nation and our country. I lift my eyes up heavenward and recite together with you, Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad. Hashem, G-d of Israel, please bless our coming and going. We are fighting in the name of Ahm Yisrael – against those who dishonor Your name.”
Ahm Yisrael – we are holy. Our essence is compassion and kindness, tzedakah and self-sacrifice. We enjoin our tears together. Our fears are one. Together our tefillot and Tehillim are storming the Heavens. Unity cancels all harsh decrees.
How do we increase the potency of the blessings we give to others? It is more than muttering words, it is about reaching deep within and mustering up all the care and compassion that dwells inside and sharing it with another. It is a prayer. We pray that the other sees and experiences only good.
Blessing someone is an act of genuine chesed since we are ‘sharing’ our kindness with another. In addition, we heighten our level of sensitivity to them and thus are able to practice the mitzvah of ‘ve’ahavta l’rei’acha kamocha (loving thy neighbor as we love ourselves)’ in a more heartfelt way.
In order to uplift the blessings that we give let us take a closer look into the Hebrew word for blessing, bracha. Bracha shares the same letters as the word for pool, breicha. This implies that when we give a blessing we essentially are drawing from this reservoir of Divine abundance and acting as a channel from which it is poured onto another. Essentially we become the pipeline through which Hashem showers His goodness onto others in this world.
Next time you want to shower someone else with Hashem’s love and light, remember that you serve as a ray of G-dliness onto others. You and I carry a spark of holiness that is so powerful that we can change another person’s life by digging deep and accessing that light.
Keep that in mind. Bring down the blessings for others. We all need them!
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