Food 4 Shabbos Pekudei - Chazak - Israel at war!

B.H.

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Shalom from Safed,

? May Hashem protect all of the inhabitants of the land of Israel within all the Jewish nation all over the world and grant the return of ALL hostages healthy, safely and immediately. Immediate victory in this war, eliminating ALL our enemies without casualties. True and lasting peace with the revelation of the Rebbe Melech Ha’Moshiach immediately NOW! ? ? In this and last week’s Parshas we see an extraordinary concept. We are taught that the is no redundancy in the Torah. Every word, letter and thorns of the letters have a purpose. Surprisingly the last two portions of the book of Shmos – Exodus, seem to be superfluous. In the previous portions of Terumah and Tetzaveh Hashem commands Moshe at Har Sinai about the Building of the Tabernacle it’s Vessels and the Garments of the Cohanim. Would it not be more consistent of this rule, for the Torah to tell us at the end of these portions that the children of Israel did as they were commanded and save ourselves two additional complete portions? Comes the Torah to teach us that when Hashem commands us to do something, this is not only in theory. The commandment comes with the empowerment to carry them out to the tee. Thus, the Torah repeats every single commandment as it was fulfilled and carried out by the Jewish Nation. If you can Dream it, you can Do it – for the good! ?In order to learn and receive instruction of how to fulfill our dreams,?with Joy and Happiness, you are invited to contact me. May we all have a Safe, Victorious, Healthy and Warm Winter Good Shabbos, and Abundant Joy! ?:-)

Marbin Be'Simcha!

Moshiach NOW!

Eliyahu

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M'SHENICHNAS ADAR MARBIM B'SIMCHA

When Adar enters, we increase in simcha?[Taanis 29a]. How and why? Find 20 ways to add joy to your life?at this link?and click?here?to read an article about the details of why we increase in simcha during Adar.

To learn more about Purim?you may go to this website:??https://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/default_cdo/aid/109190/jewish/Purim.htm ?

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B.H. ?

?? ? ??Pekudei - The Jewish attitude towards wealth.

May Hashem protect all of the inhabitants of the land of Israel within all the Jewish nation all over the world and grant the return of all our hostages healthy, safely and immediately. Immediate victory in this war, eliminating ALL our enemies without casualties. True and complete peace with the revelation of the Rebbe Shlita Melech Ha’Moshiach immediately NOW! ? ? ??In light of the situation in the Holy Land and the world at large, everyone is asked to add in Torah study ,Prayer, acts of Goodness and Kindness and especially Charity for the safety and security of the Jewish nation in Israel and all over the world.? From the beginning of Adar, we increase in joy!!! ?:-) ? ? The last five portions of the book of Exodus, culminating this week with?Pekudei, are saturated with great wealth: Moses instructs the people, in G-d's name, to construct a most marvelous Sanctuary, made of the most stunning metals, gold and silver, and most expensive fabrics. The beams, drapings, furniture, vessels, and even the pegs and sockets, were carefully designed to produce astonishing beauty. The garments of the priests were masterfully designed to generate “honor and glory.” But what purpose did all of this stunning richness serve? “To walk humbly and discreetly with your G-d,” seems to be the Jewish ideal. Who exactly needed the glitter and glitz? Is G-d really impressed by such a display of wealth? The Talmud famously states: Take heed of the children of poor people for from them will emerge Torah. Rabbi Meir Shapiro once explained that when children from poor families see the sacrifices their parents make to send them to Yeshiva, they approach learning differently. However, when it came to building the house of G-d, abundant wealth seemed the way to go. Why? We, as a society, still instinctively associate holiness with poverty and wealth with some form of “sin.” Even today, when many of us are financially stable and some of us extremely wealthy, we still harbor that conscious or unconscious emotion that wealth is a subtle form of evil and we must cover it up, to some degree. We have a love-shame relationship with money. It is easier for people to tell their therapists their darkest secrets in matters of relationships, than to share with their therapists how much money they have in all of their bank accounts. This has created somewhat of an unhealthy situation: Everyone needs money. Most people pursue money. Wealthy people are often “worshiped” because of their money, yet we are told to repress these feelings, since the good and high-standing person disregards money. The Jewish attitude towards wealth is actually quite positive. Wealth, peace, or long life are rewards from G-d for obeying His laws. The Talmud explains that Abraham was extremely wealthy and used his riches to help others. The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot - The Ethics of the Fathers reads:?“Anyone who fulfills the Torah in poverty will ultimately fulfill it in wealth.” Fulfilling the Torah in wealth is a great reward. It is clear that Judaism sees nothing wrong with wealth as long as it is obtained honestly and used to help the poor. We all feel that challenging times induce a reevaluation of priorities; they allow us to discover who we really are and what we are ready to fight for. Predicaments draw out the best in man, like a scarlet strap on a white horse. But the objective is not poverty. We have endured every possible test, including extreme poverty, during our history and have passed each with flying colors! We have remained loyal to our faith, heritage and history. Judaism does not want broken, deprived people, struggling for eternity. The ultimate objective is prosperity and wealth. As the Jews were about to construct the first Divine home in history, G-d said: I want you to serve Me in richness, in prosperity, with the greatest affluence and the most beautiful items. This does not take away from your humility. The Rebbe explains that G-d wants us to be successful, powerful, and rich. G-d wants us to maximize all of our potentials, resources, and talents. A Jew should try to do what he or she can to become wealthy! Some years ago, Danny, a rich Israeli businessman, was a multi-millionaire on top of the world. He toured the globe, enjoying the best of everything money could buy. He was a self-made man who loved his creator (i.e. himself). Not long ago, he made some big investment mistakes, and lost every hard-earned penny. He liquidated all his assets and sold his house to pay his debts, but he still owed 17,000 shekels to the Israeli Revenue Service. Danny asked an old friend for a loan and went to pick it up from his friend's office. The office was on the 49th floor of the Azrieli center in Tel Aviv.?He received the 17,000 shekels and walked out. With nothing better to do, he decided to look around, and soon came upon a staircase leading to a large metal door. Walking through, Danny found himself on the roof! Ah, it was beautiful! From up here he could see far into the distance: The Judean hills in one direction, the wide, vast Mediterranean Sea in the other. He stood there and enjoyed the view until he heard a loud thud behind him. A quick glance revealed that the wind had slammed the door shut. He decided it was time to go back inside. Trying the door, Danny found it locked. He peered from different angles to figure out the latch, but could not. He pounded and kicked the door, but no one heard. The wind was getting stronger and colder now, and Danny was getting worried. He looked around for an object to hit the door with, to attract attention, but to no avail. There was still a good hour before the end of the work day, so he pounded, kicked and yelled. No one came. When he took out his Blackberry he discovered that the battery was dead. Totally dead! Of all times for this to happen! Danny didn't lose his composure. He had to work fast. He went to the edge of the building, peered over the small protective fence, and began waving and yelling to the people far below, but soon realized it was futile. There was no way that anyone would notice him so high up. He knew he had to remain calm; it was his only chance. Soon it would be dark, and there was no protection from the wind, which was getting colder by the minute. Suddenly he had an idea. The money! He had 17,000 shekels in his pocket. If he threw a 200-shekel note down, people would look up to see where it was coming from…and see him! He pulled out a stack of bills, removed one, and threw it down. He watched as it floated in the wind and finally, after several minutes, landed on the other side of the street. Someone picked it up and continued walking. The next time he took out five bills, 1,000 altogether, and let them drop…but the same thing happened. No one noticed them until they hit the ground, then they picked them up, looked around for more and kept going. Danny knew what he had to do. It was his only chance! He took all the money from his pocket, tore the band that held it neatly in a pack, and with a yell, threw it below as hard as he could. He stared as it scattered far below him. He removed his shirt and began waving it frantically for someone to notice. But he couldn't believe his eyes: Not only did no one look up or hear his cries for help; they were all arguing down there about who saw which bill first! He looked around the roof, looked up. The sun was setting, it was still light enough to see, but he saw nothing…only the sky. His eyes filled with tears. Suddenly he felt small, like he needed help. He was sure that G-d would help him. The sky said so. A second ago, he wouldn't have believed in a G-d, but now it was obvious that he wasn't alone. He yelled out, "Hashem! Hashem! (G-d) …help! Help me!" Suddenly his eye caught on a little sack of pebbles. Why hadn't he seen it before?! He dragged it to the fence, took a handful, said a prayer, threw the pebbles over the side as he once again waved his arms. This time, his plan worked! People began cursing, looking up, pointing and screaming at him. They likely all called the police because in just moments the door burst open, and police with drawn guns stormed through, handcuffed him, and took him to the station. He was saved! It took some serious explaining. He was lucky that no one was really hurt from his pebbles and, of course, he had lost the 17,000 shekel and still owed the taxes. But after a few days they accepted his story and let him out. That day he discovered a real lesson: the people on the street were just like him. All the time money was raining down, they never looked up…they looked only down, for more money. But as soon as they felt the stinging pain from the pebbles, they looked up to see where they were coming from. How true this is in life. When we have everything we need, we sometimes take it for granted and never look up. We can become insensitive to the plights of others; we feel we don’t need anybody. We are on top of the world. Only when we feel the “pebbles” falling on us do we look up, beyond ourselves, and see that there is something that transcends our egos. There is a higher source to whom we are responsible. So yes, amass the gold. But remember to look up—to appreciate its purpose: to build in your world a home for the Divine. This Shabbat?we will conclude?the second book of Shemot. At the end we will recite together, "Chazak Chazak Venitchazek," "Strength,? strength, and triple strength." May Hashem strengthen each and every one of us in every possibility that comes our way for the good bringing us the ultimate goodness - the revelation of the Rebbe Shlita Melech Ha'Moshiach with the true and complete redemption NOW Mammesh! ?

Purim begins Saturday night the 23rd and the?24th of March and Shushan Purim the 25th of March! With Purim coming up, please think of ways to see that as many Jews as possible can participate in the Mitzvot of hearing the Megillah, giving Mishloach Manot (gifts of food), gifts to the poor, and the Purim feast. Haman referred to the Jewish people as divided. By helping others perform the Mitzvot of Purim, we negate his words and demonstrate our unity. By gathering as many people as possible together to celebrate Purim, we multiply the blessings! ?

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This has been made available by:? Rabbi Y. Geisinsky?Chabad of Great Neck NY