Rabbi's Blog - The Shul of Bellaire

Sunday, August 21, 2016 - 4:56 PM

Trouble Reembracing Routine?

This week, Mendel returned home from overnight camp in Michigan. And as of yesterday, all the kids started their new year at school and we are all starting to adjust back to our routine! (Check out Esty's 'back-to-school' video here)

Many other friends have also returned home this week and are getting ready to re-embrace their routines at home.

So, how do we keep it fresh even as the sights, sounds and relaxation experienced at our paradise-like vacations, begin to fade?

Here’s an idea: Try to think of small positive resolutions that can be incorporated into the daily grind and routine. Small consistent outlets to invest ‘vacation energy’ into, to bring it home and make it last! Inserting small doses of volunteerism or spirituality can really help breathe new life into our schedules, commitments and work. Try it.

My Facebook Post

Friday, August 5, 2016 - 3:48 PM

My Facebook Post

A few hours ago I posted this short message on Facebook:

Friends... Bellaire Hebrew School is in need of a new iPad for the upcoming school year, if you are up to this generous Mitzvah please send me a private message. Thank you!

Within the hour, we already had two people who came forward, one of whom already personally dropped off a brand new iPad which will be used to enhance the Jewish education at Bellaire Hebrew School.

Thank you so much to Liora and Jerry Cohen for the gift in loving memory of your dear son, Justin. This act of instinctive kindness is so heartwarming and may all the enhanced high-tech Torah learning be a great merit for Justin's soul. Thank you so much as well to Paul and Donna Silverman.

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Today is the 1st day of the Hebrew month of Av; we're almost at the peak of the " Season of Mourning", when we mark the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem and other national tragedies (see below for Tisha bav program ).

The Talmud says "Anyone who has not seen the reconstruction of the Temple in their time, it is as if they actually witnessed the destruction of the Temple in their time". In simple terms, we're not just mourning a tragedy of the past, we must take responsibility to rectify that tragedy in the present.

The Mitzvah’s that we do, the Tzedakah that we give have a direct impact on the state of the world - society suffers from strife and destruction, and charity has the ability to reverse, repair and rectify that trend.

So, like the Cohen’s, you too can join in the reconstruction of the Temple, by performing an act of goodness or kindness and hopefully very soon we will witness the rebuilding of the Temple in our lifetime!