Saturday, March 31, 2012

More 24 hour learning!

Shalom all,



Talia and Chaim very much appreciated the 24 hour learning that was done this past week. They asked if we could do it again this week on Sunday and Monday. Please sign up below if it is possible for you to join in on this great learning opportunity for Yosef Chaim Yissachar ben Chaya Mushkit!

Thank you!


Learning for Chaim-24 hour -


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvC8xx_V1usfdHNxR1hKQ0ZMUnB6TkpPeG9VR0FPQ1E

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

More 24 hour learning for Chaim!!

Thank you to the overwhelming response for the 24 hour learning for Yosef Chaim Yissachar!


We are going to try to do it again for tomorrow- Thursday March 29th again starting at 6am. On the spreadsheet it is the 4th column...

Thank you ! keep up all the learning and tefillos!!!!


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Avoum3UDBAGOdGtsNkJKY2w1V0NOTVR5bnRlRXhYdkE

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Letter from Chaim

This email from Chaim was transcribed by his wife Talia:


Dear friends and family,

I'm sorry I have not been in touch with you sooner, however it has been a wild week for me, a week that which I don't remember most and have been confused by a lot. But there is one thing that has never been shaken and that is the trust and belief that I have in Hashem. To be honest with you I am not really sure all of its details that went down and I am certainly not sure of the future that will be, but there's one thing I do know and that is that Hashem will always be guiding me, loving me, protecting me, watching over me and carrying me.


Hashem you are my love,

you are my joy,

you are my savior

and you are my protector.


Hashem I hope and I pray that you give me the strength to continue growing, to continue to try and spread your great name in this tiny little world.


If you have a spouse, go home and kiss your spouse.

If you have children, go home and kiss them.


If you have been praying for a child, or a spouse please never give up your search because as long as we keep trying, no matter how hard the struggle may seem Hashem will always provide for us. It is a hard search and it is a hard struggle but Hashems love is too great for us to stop trying.


Hashem loves you and Hashem loves every Jew and no matter what happens, that love will never ever disappear.


I love you all very very much and let's just keep going. Hope to speak to you soon.


With much love,

Yosef Chaim Yissachar













--

Refuahforchaim.blogspot.com

Monday, March 26, 2012

TUESDAY NIGHT!

A letter that R' Moshe Tzvi (Matt) Weinberg sent out...

Dear Friends -

As you probably all know, my brother-in-law Yosef Chaim Yissachar Feigenbaum has been battling leukemia for a long time now. He really needs our help to "storm the Heavens" (an expression I have heard many use in recent days) on his behalf. After a long and important chat today with the great Ari Silverman, he felt (correctly so) that we need to do more - and davka to do so in a way that would be meaningful to Chaim.

Therefore, this Tuesday night at 10pm, we will gather in the heights (somewhere in the Glueck building - probably 4th floor) for a special late night event for chaim's refuah. The goal is to serve Hashem with all of our faculties in a way that Chaim would want us to.

1) We will first engage our minds (and souls) with words of torah [in this short chabura we will discuss IY"H the 5th cup at the seder and the coming of mashiach].

2) We will then express ourselves with the koach of dibbur with a special "Stollel" maariv.

3) And we will conclude the evening with niggunim and dancing - to lift our bodies just a bit off the ground and hopefully give Chaim's body the added strength he needs.

[If dancing for someone who is not yet well sounds strange - keep in mind the idea that the soul resides in mind, heart and liver. The lowest dimension is in the liver which corresponds to the physical nature of man. As chaim has had difficulties in recent weeks with his liver, we will try to serve Hashem by singing and dancing with great dveykus and strength using our entire bodies in the process. I take full blame for this idea for those who find it unusual - but it makes sense to me and we have to do everything we can....]


IY"H we will share some good news soon of his improved condition and slowly but surely we hope and pray that he will have a refuah sheleimah.

With much gratitude (and a longing to see you there),

mtw

Shiur this week- R' Aaron Feigenbaum

This week, for the weekly shiur, we have the zechus of hearing words of Torah from Rabbi Aaron Feigenbaum, Rav of the Young Israel of Memphis and Chaim's brother!



He will speak
At the Yager's home 65 Lee Place
This Wednesday night
8:15-9:00


Tehillim will follow


Call in number 1-610-214-0000
Participant access code 450754#
*Please remember to mute your phone when calling in*




May Yosef Chaim Yissachar ben Chaye Mushkit be granted a complete and speedy refuah along with all other Cholei Yisrael

Saturday, March 24, 2012

New tehillim- Nissan

We wanted to thank you for all the tefillos and Tehillim that you have been saying for Chaim - each tefillah is so meaningful. We are once again beginning a new tehillim campaign . We encourage each of you to sign up again to recite certain perakim of Tehillim on Chaim's behalf every day over the next month. We feel that starting fresh each month gives people the opportunity to either recommit to recite the same perakim that they have been saying until now or to sign up for fewer or more perakim, as the case may be.

In the merit of our daily commitment to complete the entire Tehillim as a group each day, may Hashem grant Chaim and all other cholim a speedy and full recovery.

May the month of Nissan, a month of geulah and emunah bring much needed redemption and refuah to Chaim and all of klal yisrael!



Please click on the link to sign up

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvC8xx_V1usfdGJvc2I5V0Y5a1BPLUJWZXgteGZLekE


Additionally, a family friend went to Rav Kanievsky's daughter, Rebbetzin Koldotzki, for a bracha for Chaim. She recommended that people should recite the following perakim of tehillim 1, 13, 20, 102, 121, 130,142 everyday for him.

Thank you!

IMPORTANT UPDATE

Dear friends and family,

Chazal tell us that adding/changing a person's name can impact their mazal. In order to allow Chaim to receive the full benefit of this important statement of our sages, it was decided to add an additional name to his already powerful name. Tonight, Chaim's name has been changed to YOSEF Chaim Yissachar. We hope iy"H that in doing so, Chaim will be blessed with added strength to have a refuah shelaima bkarov! Please use his new name when davening and learning for his zechus.

We thank you for all of your continued efforts in davening and mitzvos performed in Chaims zchus.


Additionally, Chaim has been receiving platelets a few times a day. If anyone can come to donate platelets, it would be most appreciated and a big mitzvah. Blood types do not have to match for platelets. To donate blood, it needs to be O+. If you are available to donate, please reply to Esti at ChaiLifeline ERosenbaum@Chailifeline.org    OR     text or call 646-530-3507



May we hear only besoros tovos!!

--

Refuahforchaim.blogspot.com

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Shmiras Halashon

Dear friends and family,



Thank you for all your tefillos and for all of the tehillim that you have been saying individually or with the tzibbur.

At this time, we would like ask people to commit to learning shmiras halashon and starting a machsom l'fi as a zechus for Chaim. Machsom l'fi groups are arranged as a successful way to grow in the mitzvah of shmiras halashon and to bring merit to someone in need. A person who joins a machsom l'fi is very careful to guard their speech for 2 hours, specifically to avoid all types of negative speech such as lashon hara (gossip), rechilus (slander), demeaning words or anger.Each machsom l'fi group is made up of 9 people who take upon themselves 2 hours a day so that the merit created by the machson l'fi is a force throughout the day.


There have been many great yeshuos that have come about when people learn and practice shmiras halashon. So now at this time we are asking people to commit to refrain from speaking and listening to lashon hara for a 2 hour time slot during the day for 2 weeks. By pushing ourselves to have compassion on others and speak kindly of them, we hope that Hashem will grant heavenly compassion and a refuah shleimah for Chaim.




To join this program, you can either commit to not speak loshon hara for a specific amount of time (as described above) OR you can set aside time daily to review the halachos of shmiras halashon. Ideally, one should do both, but you should only take upon yourself what you know you can commit to,




To commit to joining the machsom l'fi program, below is a spreadsheet to sign up for the machsom l'fi with instructions as to what to do.


To commit to learning shmiras halashon daily, there are different ways to do so either by book, phone or email. Each one divides the halachos into small sections that make it convenient to learn a halacha a day.


By Book:


1) The Chofetz Chaim: A Lesson a Day, by Rav Shimon Finkelman and Rav Yitzchak Berkowitz (ArtScroll); or


2) The Concise Chafetz Chaim: A Page a Day, by R' Asher Wasserman (Feldheim).


By Email:


A daily email sent by the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Center that contains a daily halacha about shmiras halashon. You can send an email to editorial@chofetzchaimusa.org to subscribe.


By Phone:


Call at 11am 212-990-8000 pin 3505# for Rabbi Shapiro's shmiras halashon lesson or call 845-356-6665 pin 3115# at anytime.






We encourage everyone to set aside a fixed time everyday to learn one halachah regarding shmiras halashon, either individually, with a chavrusa or as a larger group, as a zechus for Chaim and all other cholei yisrael.




Machsom L'fi sign up - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aq6y5p_LGxbadGpqZHhtR1QtU1U0Q1VXNGhIR3FQWmc






Below are some important Q & A you may have...


What does the obligation entail?


1. Choose the 2 hour time slot in which you will be careful not to speak or hear any time of negative speech


2. There is a daily kaballah that you may say at the beginning of your 2 hour time slot. Forgetting to say the kaballah does not invalidate your machsom l'fi; the most important thing is that you don't engage in any type of negative speech. You should, however, say the kaballah the first time you start you begin a machsom l'fi.






What should I do if I speak or hear lashon hara during my 2 hours?


One suggestion is to fine yourself in some way, such as giving money to tzedakah or adding more time when your watch your speech.


Will it work to the detriment of the person for whom I am dedicating my hours if I fail to keep my hours properly?


Your mishmeres can only add to the person's zechus. It cannot take away from it. It is still better to do something than nothing at all.






All this information has been taken from the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation website with their permission


--

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Women's Amen group- Sunday!

Attention all WOMEN:


Please join us for our second Amen Group as a zechus for a refuah shleima for Chaim Yissachar ben Chaya Mushkit and all cholim.


It will IYH take place this Sunday, March 25th, at Ohr Hatorah (36 Rector Ct Bergenfield NJ) beginning promptly at 10:00 a.m.



Led by our own Rebbetzin, Efrat Sobolofsky, we will say Birchot Hashachar together, recite Tehillim, and again work on deepening our connection with Hashem. May all the brachos that are said strengthen our connection with Hashem and bring a quick and complete recovery to Chaim Yissachar and all cholei yisrael

Monday, March 19, 2012

Shiur and tehillim!

Dear friends and family,


After a remarkable turnout to the Motzei Shabbos tehillim at Bnai Yeshurun, we hope to continue our strong tefillah efforts this Tuesday night with a community wide tehillim gathering at Cong. Beth Abraham. Please make every effort to attend!

In addition to tehillim, we are honored to have Rabbi Marc Penner, Rav of The Young Israel of Holliswood and Associate Dean of RIETS speak as we continue our weekly chaburah for Chaim's refuah.

Rabbi Penner will speak on the topic:

“Male and Female He Created It: A Deeper Understanding of Shabbos”

Please note that the shiur will take place in Cong. Beth Abraham in Bergenfield to accommodate the tehillim gathering which will be held after the shiur. [Those who cannot attend the shiur are still urged to join us for tehillim]

The Schedule will be:

8:15-9:00 Shiur

9:00-9:15 Ma'ariv

9:15- Tehillim


The call in number will be available again this week for the shiur and tehillim

Call in number 1-610-214-0000

Participant access code 450754#

*Please remember to mute your phone when calling in*


May Chaim Yissachar ben Chaye Mushkit be granted a complete and speedy refuas hanefesh u'refuas haguf b'soch sha'ar cholei yisroel.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Tehillim this Motzei Shabbos!

Please join us for tehillim for Chaim this Motzei Shabbos March 17 at 8:30 pm

at Congregation Bnei Yeshurun 641 West Englewood Teaneck, New Jersey

This gathering is for men and women.



Chaim very much needs our tefilos and we hope that by gathering together, davening as a tzibur, we can help bring him a refuah shelaima b'karov.

Every tefillah counts- please try your hardest to be there.

Thank you

--

Refuahforchaim.blogspot.com

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

update-please read

Purim has an amazing power of tefilah- really can do incredible things.



Unfortunately, Chaim will be spending Purim in the hospital.


If everyone can increase their tefilos, drink a L'chaim for Chaim,and just shout GUT PURIM GUT PURIM...---Hashem will listen.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

L'chaim for Chaim

Hi,
As Purim approaches we wanted to reach out to all of you , Chaim's friends and family, to do one very simple but powerful action. There will be many of you that will be drinking to fulfill the mitzvah of "Ad D'lo Yada". We ask that before you take a drink, to please say "L'chaim" and have in mind our own Chaim, Chaim Yissachar ben Chaya Mushkit. The sources say that just saying those words, bring life and healing to those who need it. There are many miraculous stories recorded in holy works about its remarkable power. So if you are going to drink, please use the opportunity to do one more thoughtful act for Chaim.


"Its a wonderful thing when people dance for joy for the sake of a mitzvah. There are times when it is a mitzvah to drink wine- on shabbos and yom tov, or at a wedding or other religious celebrations. If you drink on such an occasions, your intention should be for the sake of heaven. Drink moderately and not to excess, and with the purpose of experiencing the true joy of Israel, which is to rejoice in God, who chose us from all the nations. As your joy begins to radiate, it will spread to your legs and you will literally start to dance for joy. This will banish the forces of the other side, which grip the legs. The force of severity and harsh judgments will be broken, and then you will be able to receive blessings....but dancing with holy intentions has as much power to sweeten the harsh judgments as a redemption." (Reb Nosson Likutey Etzot- Simcha:12)


So again,this Purim, before we take our first of many special l'chaims, please have in mind it should be a zechus for a refuah shelaima for חיים יששכר בן חיה מושקט and all cholei yisroel.


Feel free to print the attached flyer to share this idea with your community or to bring it to your seudah.


GUT PURIM!!

Monday, March 5, 2012

update

Hey everyone..


I hope all is doing well by all of you. Baruch Hashem it was a good shabbos. Like i say every week,there is nothing better than being home with the family for shabbos. So thank you Hashem so much for that gift. It is so sweet. To be honest, due to some of the meds i am on, i probably wasn't so pleasant to deal with, so a big big big thanks to Talia for dealing with me this shabbos.. she gets the most credit. How she does it, i dont know but thats why she is the best. Anyway we got a full week ahead of us this week. Two chemotherapy treatments as well as some standard other things they like to throw my way, SO. as always, we will take it day by day, step by step and put our trust in Hashem , and just keep on rolling moving forward.

Anyway hope your shabbos went well, and we are almost all set for YOM KI===PURIM

GUT PURIM GUT PURIM



We will let you know whats up ,,but most important lets try and keep up our davening for me and all of klal yisroel.

With much love,.



Please dont forget to try and send in pics of your purim costumes. We would love see what you came up with. Please make sure they are all clean, as i am sure they would be anyway...



GUT PURIM GUT PURIM

Chaim Yissachar

TEAM EMUNHA

Sunday, March 4, 2012

GUT PURIM explained

Hey everyone,


 Rebbe Nachman once remarked: “What most inspired me to devote myself to serving God in truth was hearing stories of tzaddikim.”[1] He explained that many great tzaddikim used to visit his parents’ house, which had once been the home of the Baal Shem Tov (Rebbe Nachman’s maternal great-grandfather). These illustrious Chassidim would frequently visit Mezibuz to pray at the Baal Shem Tov’s grave, and in passing, most of them would visit Rebbe Nachman’s parents. In this way, the Rebbe during his youth came to hear the many stories of tzaddikim that they would tell. These stories awakened in his soul the burning desire to serve God and to strive for the highest spiritual levels. (Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom 138).

  It is customary to teach stories of the Baal Shem Tov and his disciples, and their disciples, etc., on Saturday night after Shabbos.The old Belzer Rebbe taught “Everyone says that it is a segulah for Parnassah to tell stories of the Baal Shem Tov on Saturday night after Shabbos.But I disagree, he said. “It is not only a Segulah for Parnassah, it is a Segulah for all good things. It is not only Saturday night but any time. And it is not only stories of the Baal Shem Tov, but of all of the Tzaddikim (righteous people), even of us".

   With that in mind, and the help of Team Emunah's good friend Reb Zev Rocklin, i would like to share my favorite Reb Shlomo Carlebach purim story, Many have been wondering as to why the past month i have been SCREAMING and signing my name GUT PURIM GUT PURIM.. I hope you enjoy it, as much as i do. And as always GUT PURIM GUT PURIM ...



Once a poor shlepper, Pinchas, came to the Kozhnitzer Maggid on Purim, and said in a weak voice, “Gut Purim”. So the Kozhnitzer said to him, “Pinchasl, you are my best friend in the whole city; how can you come to say Gut Purim to me without bringing me a gift?” Pinchasel didn’t have a single cent; he didn’t have money for his feast at home. So he said, “Rebbe, I’d love more than anything else in the whole world to give you a gift, but how can I possibly do it?” So the first thing the Rebbe did was to teach him how to say Gut Purim. The Rebbe says (loud and strong), “GUT PURIM!” and Pinchasl answers weakly," gut Purim”. Again. “GUT PURIM!” “gut Purim.” "No. I’ll try again. GUT PURIM!” “Gut Purim.” Finally he is roaring out like a lion, “Gut Purim, Gut PURIM, GUT PURIM!” Then the Rebbe said, “Okay now, Pinchasl. Now I’d like you to get me a gift for Purim. Okay. So Pinchasl goes out on the street, and he is yelling at the top of his lungs, “GUT PURIM, GUT PURIM, GUT PURIM!” He went in to a grocery and he yells out, “GUT PURIM” Then he said, “Listen, I know I owe you money from ten years back already, but this time I want you to give me a special bottle of wine and some fruit, because I want to bring a gift to the Rebbe.” There was something about the way he said it that the man had to give it to him. So he brought it to the Rebbe, and the Rebbe said it was the greatest gift he ever had for Purim.


Meanwhile, Pinchasl was walking home, and he thought, “I brought something nice to the Rebbe, and my own wife and children are starving. I better bring them something too.” So he walked back into the grocery store and yelled,”GUT PURIM! Listen, I need gifts for my family too. I can’t just walk home. It’s Purim.” Pinchasl was shining, and the grocery man forgot; he forgot the bill, he forgot about the money. The grocer gave him fruits and wine, and all kinds of things for Purim. So Pinchasl went home. The way things used to be when he was a real shlepper, Pinchasl would walk around the house and his wife would yell at him his children would yell at him, and his house was really a bad scene. But this time Pinchasl walked in like a lion, and yelled, “GUT PURIM!!” His wife looked at her husband, and he seemed like a different man. Pinchas said, “It’s Purim, we have to celebrate!” So they had a great feast and told his children the story of Purim. His house was completely different. His wife and children were looking him in a completely different way. He was teaching his children how to say “GUT PURIM!!!” the way he learned.


In the middle of the Kozhnitzer Maggid’s feast the Rebbe said, “Shhh… be quiet, because everybody in Heaven is quiet, they are listening to Pinchasl teach his children how to say, “GUT PURIM!”


The next morning Pinchasl walked into the rich man’s house and told him, “Listen, last night I decided I want to be a rich man too. I want you to give me a loan of ten thousand Rubles.” Pinchasl said it so strongly that the rich man trusted him. That’s how Pinchasl became the top holy rich man, the top holy beggar of Kozhnitz. Purim gave him the strength.



-- There is a lot that we can learn from this story. We can learn, that we firstly have to put out trust and correct faith in the right places, So many times we doubt what it is we are capable of , because we say, "Hey thats not my style'" or "I could never do that, I dont have the guts"; We forget how many nice people there are out there. We forget how much most people are always looking to help with a hand. be it something big or small. But most importantly, no matter whatever is going on in our lives Hashem just want to hear us scream like Pinchas. He wants to hear us scream from the depths of our hearts.Like the great singer ADI RON says:

" Ki mim'cha ha'refuah.

* Because the healing is from You.

Ki mim'cha ha'parnassah.

* Because the sustenance is from You.

Ki mim'cha ha'ahava.

* Because the love is from You.

Ki mim'cha ha'yeshua.

* Because the salvation is from You.

V'atah tov u'meitiv la'kol.

* And You are good and bestow good on all.

Nachon Hashem l'chol d'varav.

* The Lord is correct in all His words.

L'chol asher hik'rahu be'emet.

* To all who call on You in truth.


Sometimes we just need to scream with truth and sincerity to the ultimate source and all the doors that have been locked will come crashing down.

LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH .

HOPE TO SING AND DANCE TOGETHER SOME DAY SOON

'Let me hear you as u drive by my house GUT GUT PURIM GUT PURIM.

Chaim Yissachar

Saturday, March 3, 2012

They're here...

Hey Everyone.


      Its funny sometimes what we get excited for in life, but this morning was very exciting in the Feigenbaum home (at least for me). We received two packages at our doorstep just in time to keep things rolling. First things first. Thanks to all those who have been so supportive of spreading Emunah and its message through out our magnets. The response has been larger then we could have ever expected, and the need to order more only ignites our mission to keep on going strong. Thanks to all those who contributed in distribution, and more importantly helping us order another batch.

      As I was saying,this morning we were blessed to receive our second shipment of magnets. They look just as good, if not better the the originals and are all ready to picked up ,shipped out, and used to inspire. REMEMBER, the goal is not to have a fancy magnet on our cars, but its to take the message of Emunah and instill it in our hearts, families, and lives. I can honestly say I feel that due to all the positive feedback we have been receiving, we are very much succeeding in this mission. I think that starting Motzai Shabbos Kodesh we will be going back to our normal pickup system for the magnet pickup, outside in a box at 19 Sunrise Terrace in Bergenfield. For anyone that can not make it to pick up, please be in touch and we will figure out how to get it to you. Also our goal is really to spread these magnets out not only around our town but really all over, so if you have any ideas as to how we can spread them out please don't by shy. We are a chevrah, and we try and do things and accomplish things together.

    Also as an added bonus for a limited time only, an anonymous donor has sponsored 100 Rabbi Lazer Brody Torah cds about Emunah and ideas as such free for the taking. For those of you who know me , know that the teachings of Rabbi Brody have really changed my life, and its a real zechus to able to present these to the tzibur free of charge as well . They also will be in the box with the magnets first come first serve on those as well. Again any other ideas people have, as to how we can spread the message and meaning of Emunah in any way ,throughout our lives, homes, family's, and communities is something we eagerly want to hear. Chevrah, lets make a difference, lets make a change, lets grow and continue to grow together as one. We are doing a great job, and lets keep it up.

I THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH, and hope to see these magnets flying all over the place soon

With much love
GUT PURIM GUT PURIM

Team Emunah

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Reminder!

Please join us for a spiritually uplifting event to be a zechus for Chaim!


WHAT:
Amen Event led by Rebbetzin Yaffa Jungreis .


WHO
For women and girls 12 yrs and over


WHEN & WHERE
Sunday March 4th, 10:00a.m., at Ohr Hatorah 36 Rector Court, Teaneck, NJ


WHY
Zechus for a refuah shleima for Chaim Yissachar ben Chaya Mushkit and all other cholim.



Rebbetzin Jungreis will lead us in Birchos Hashachar, Tehillim, and many other brachos in order to give us many opportunities to answer amen.


Hope you can join us.


Yaffa Jungreis is currently a teacher at TAG high school and is well known around Long Island for giving many inspirational shiurim and chaburas.


May all the brachos that are said strengthen our connection with Hashem and bring a quick and complete recovery to Chaim Yissachar and all cholei yisrael.

Dvar torah- Tetzaveh

Hey everyone



I hope everyone is doing well, and feeling good. Baruch Hashem we are all doing well, and as the treatments and chemos, progress so do we. We put our trust in Hashem and follow his path. We keep on moving forward.


In regard to this weeks Parsha i wanted to share a quick idea with all of you. In this weeks Parsha - Parsha's Tetzaveh (28:28) it says ". And they shall fasten the choshen (הַחֹשֶׁן ) by its rings to the rings of the ephod ( הָאֵפֹד) with a blue cord, so that it may be upon the band of the Ephod, and the Choshen will not move off the ephod."

Before we examine what it is this pasuk is trying to teach us, lets just review for a quick second what the Choshen and the Ephod were, and what they represented. The Choshen was a garment also known as the choshen mishpat in Hebrew, which means the "breastplate of judgment" or "decision." Square-shaped and worn over the heart, it was called so because of the unique role which it played in helping to render fateful decisions.According to the Biblical instructions and rabbinical traditions, the breastplate is a patterned brocade like the Ephod. The threads of its fabric are gold, sky-blue, dark red and crimson wool, and twisted linen. The garment itself is set with four rows of small square stones, in settings of knitted or braided gold. Each row contained three stones-totaling twelve stones, one stone representing each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The name of the corresponding tribe was engraved on each stone."Like the two sardonyx shoulder stones, the Bible states that the purpose of the twelve stones is "to be a perpetual remembrance before the L-rd" (Ex. 28:29). When the High Priest bore the breastplate into the holy place, Israel was remembered for peace. The sages taught that the Ephod served to invoke the cause of Israel's sustenance and material welfare, and the breastplate - her salvation, and deliverance from her enemies." (http://www.templeinstitute.org/beged/priestly_garments-7.htm).


Now. that we know a little bIt more about what we are dealing, lets try and look a little deeper into what the torah is teaching us in this Pasuk. Says one of my spiritual guides Rabbi Lazer Brody shlita a beautiful gem. He teaches that the Torah is teaching us about the amazing relationship between us his sons and daughters, and Him being Hashem. The Choshen is a remembrance of Bnai Yisroel before Hashem, becasue it had 12 stones on it. Each stone corresponded to the twelve tribes of Israel before Hashem. Every time Hashem saw the Cohen wearing this garment, it was a reminder, of all of Hashem's precious children before him.


The Ephod on the other hand is a correspondence to the names of Hashem, because in gematria, the full name of Hashem spelled out is = to 91 same as Ephod. This was a reminder to Bnai Yisroel that no matter how far they may seem from Him, He is always right there for them connected to them. This says Rabbi Brody is what the Pasuk is teaching us. " And they shall fasten the choshen (הַחֹשֶׁן ) by its rings to the rings of the ephod ( הָאֵפֹד) with a blue cord, so that it may be upon the band of the ephod, and the choshen will not move off the ephod." .That the bond between the Choshen and Ephod. the bond between Hashem and his children, The bond between us and our father in Heaven, that will never be lost, broken, or disconnected.


There have been many times throughout our national and personal lives, where this bond has been tried to be broken, and we dont have to delve into them all. All we need to know. Is that Hashem is always there, will always be there, and forever be there for us. Our family's, our people, and our children must learn and know, that no matter what happens in life the bond between us and Hashem is eternal. We just have to believe he is always there for us, and open our eyes to see him.


With much love and warmth, hoping to hear from you all soon,


GUT PURIM GUT GUT PURIM


GUT SHABBOS


Chaim Yissachar






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