Dear Friends,
In a world of global imaging, conferencing,
and texting we can often feel a
split, a severe or even disconnection.
We check our technology, and sometimes
we even blame the service provider or technician,
for our technology not working properly. If we think about
it for a moment; it is all about “being connected.”
We know that the Hebrew word “Shalom” means
“peace”, but we may not know, that it comes from the root
“Shalem”, meaning whole or united (by the way; one of
G-d’s names is Shalom, Talmud Shabbat 10b). In other
words, we must be united, connected to one another, to
find peace, make peace, or even pursue peace in our
lives. We must reach out to others’ needs and listen more
to their stories, rather than only talking about our own
problems. We must stretch ourselves a little bit more for
the other person in his/her struggle or time of suffering, in
order to help make things right. In our busy world, we
need to connect with others, especially in our family, and
our community, in order to make our surroundings and our
behaviors more “peaceful”. As Rabbi Menachem Mendel
Schneerson zt”l teaches this idea, through a Kabbalistic
lens in his book, ‘Toward a Meaningful Life,’ and I quote,
“And yet this is precisely what G-d wants: that our ‘dark’
and ‘lowly’ world obscure its connection to the divine, so
that man, out of his/her own free will, would choose to peel
back the successive layers of the container to reveal the
light. And to facilitate that process, G-d created different
steps along the way, a ladder by which man can climb ever
upward and unite with his/her Creator. A man visited a
rabbi to complain how difficult his life was, with problems
at home and work. He said that no matter how hard he
tried to work out these problems, he made no progress.
The rabbi suggested that the Biblical verse about
Jacob’s dream would provide an answer. He
explained, ‘Jacob dreamed that a ladder was standing
upon the ground and its top reached up toward heaven.
G-d’s angels were ascending and descending on
it. Suddenly, Jacob saw G-d standing over him… and
G-d said, ‘I am with you.’ (Genesis 28:12, 13, 15). The
rabbi paused and looked at the man. “Why were the
angels first going upward and then downward, when
angels come from heaven? he asked. ‘Because a person
must first build a ladder climbing upward from
his/her material life toward spirituality. Then his/her
actions sanctify his/her entire life, creating ‘angels’
that climb upward. And when they return downward,
G-d will appear with them and respond to your
prayers.” (adapted by Rabbi Simon Jacobson, Chapter
26 on “Unity” page 242, Wm. Morrow & Co. Inc. NY)
May G-d accept our prayers for those who are suffering,
by keeping this idea in our thoughts, minds and actions, as
we too, make a “peaceful” connection with someone
in our lives.
If anyone knows of someone who is ill or has
passed or is in some other need please call or
email me directly so that I can make contact with
them. My number is 305-338-3029 and my email is
Rabbi Schonblum