Myrtle Rising

Links to Help You Make the Best of the Hebrew Month of Tammuz

10/6/2021

Here's a link to the list of articles for the Hebrew month of Tammuz by Rav Itamar Schwartz & published by Bilvavi:
https://bilvavi.net/sugya/chodesh.tamuz

Tammuz corresponds to the power of sight (this includes imagination).

It also corresponds to the Tribe of Reuven (or, according to the Vilna Gaon, the Tribe of Naftali).

The astrological mazal of Tammuz is Crab/Sartan/Cancer.

For other posts on Tammuz, please see:
links-to-help-deal-with-the-mazalastrological-influence-of-tammuz-av.html

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Rav Avigdor Miller on Parshat Korach: How to Cultivate an Orchard in Your Mind

10/6/2021

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In Rav Avigdor Miller's dvar Torah for Parshas Korach 4 - Garden of Positive Thought, we learn how the cultivation of land parallels the cultivation of the mind.

First, Rav Miller takes us through verse 30 in chapter 24 of Mishlei/Proverbs.

It tells the story of a field of thorns & thistles—a field clearly under the ownership of a lazy man.

He sought to rest & relax more than he sought to tend his field—with obvious results.

And so, notes Shlomo Hamelech, your poverty will come upon you like a mithalech—a vagabond.

Rav Miller discusses the ominous mithalech, both the actual vagabond & its metaphor for poverty (page 4):

You know, when you meet a vagabond on the road, it's not such a happy experience. You're afraid of him; he might do something to you.

And so, a man who doesn't attend to his business, he doesn't manage his affairs, he'll encounter unhappy surprises in life.

“You’ll encounter poverty,” Shlomo said, “like you encounter a bum on the street.”

That’s the first peirush; the possuk is telling you that if you have a field or a shoe store or even if you’re a rebbi in the yeshiva, whatever it is you’re doing you have to be a hustler.

That alone offers sound advice for life.

But Rav Miller peels off another layer to reveal its metaphor for our mind.

The Perils of Environmentalist Extremism (AKA Nature-Worshipping)

Despite what environmentalist extremists will have us believe, allowing nature to follow its own inclinations only leads to a great big mess, which intensifies mass wildfires, plus destroys habitat for native wildlife, and chokes out the growth of other vital native vegetation.

(For more about that, please see here: the-torah-view-of-our-planet-earth-use-it-or-lose-it.html.)

The earth actually NEEDS us to cultivate it.

Not strip it dry of all its resources.

But to utilize it, to cultivate it.

Hashem created it for the purpose of human habitation & cultivation.

To leave nature to its own devices is actually unnatural.

However, arriving at the right conclusion of what's truly natural is only possible with the acknowledgement of One Creator.

Those who view the Universe as a captain-less ship (or as a ship with many random, vying captains—like a mutinous crew of gods), and therefore see nature as random or as with a mind of its own, cannot properly appreciate how much nature needs human input.

So their entire concept of natural vs. unnatural is completely upside-down.

Perhaps this is why even the most advanced & educated minds today are so confused & tangled?

Their ways of thinking often reflect the nature-worshipping attitudes that lead to choking jungles & fiery destruction.

As Rav Miller explains (page 5):

Now you have to know something right away.

If you'll just wait, if you’ll just let your mind remain, don’t think it will lay dormant, an empty field waiting for you to begin planting. Oh no!

It will produce the things that grow naturally.

And naturally means you'll have thorns and weeds.

Even on a city street if you leave things alone, if traffic would stop for ten years, the whole street would begin to change.

The weeds and grass would begin to sprout and trees would drop seeds into the cracks and new trees would begin to grow. It would lift up the sidewalk.

In fifty years, it would be a jungle.

How does this connect to the mind exactly?

Here's Rav Miller again (page 5):

But you must know that if a man is poor in his mind, that's the worst of all tragedies.

To not have parnasah, that’s terrible; it’s a big sin to be lazy and not fulfill your obligations in the kesubah.

But after all there’s always welfare; maybe you have a rich uncle who will bail you out – something you’ll find.

But if you have a poor mind, nobody is going to save you.

And we have seen that so many times.

No one can save the person with a poor mind.

As far as our minds go, it's every man (or woman!) for himself (or herself!).

"If I am not for myself, who will be for me?"

Cultivating a Nice Variety of Orchards

Rav Miller describes the different kinds of orchards you need to cultivate in your mind:

a Gemara orchard
a Chumash orchard
an emunah orchard
a bitachon orchard
a chessed orchard
an ahavat Hashem orchard
a yirat Hashem orchard

And that's not all!

There are many different Torah orchards to choose from—some like to cultivate an orchard of Chassidus, or even an orchard of a specific Chassidus—and all truly Torah-based orchards purify & clean out the mind, making the mind beautiful & well-developed.

According to Rav Miller, one of the most important orchards to cultivate is looking favorably at your fellow Jew.

Rav Miller warns that without cultivating this orchard, weeds will sprout amok, spreading poisonous seeds.

As he describes (page 6):

And once your mind is filled with weeds, uva mishalech, a vagabond might come along and grab you unexpectedly.

You'd be surprised – the wrong seeds that grow wild in your mind might someday confront you with a nisayon; suddenly a test will come up and you’re vulnerable – who knows what can happen chas veshalom because you’re not prepared.

Sometimes a person is ruined entirely in his ruchniyus – his entire life is ruined because of the poisonous seeds that slowly grew in his head.

After telling the story of a bright yeshivah student who turned out much more disappointingly than anyone expected, Rav Miller emphasizes (page 7):

He wore a nice black velour hat but you can't rely on that — what matters most is what’s under the hat.

Unless you put something here in your garden and you cultivate it all the time you won’t be ready for a yom tzarah, for the tests of life, and who knows what could happen?

Rav Miller notes that sitting with & listening to speech of lashon hara & negativity sprouts weeds, not orchards.

And this brings us to Korach.

How It All Started

First, Rav Miller reminds us that Korach was a great man.

Only the best of Am Yisrael left Mitzrayim. The Pesach Haggadah clearly states a rasha would not have been redeemed.

Korach passed through the Yam Suf (Reed Sea) and sang Az Yashir in his beautiful Levite voice along with the rest of the Nation.

He stood at the foot of Har Sinai as one with the rest of the Am & accepted the Torah.

So what on earth happened? And how?

Rav Miller declares that Korach "allowed brambles to grow in his mind."

How did it start?

One of the most joyful days in history occurred when Am Yisrael erected the Mishkan in the Midbar.

Imagine millions of Jews shouting "in great ecstasy" at the sight of the Holy Shechinah.

And then a fire burst forth to consume the 2 sons of Aharon Hakohen.

Realizing Hashem had a reason for this shocking tragedy, Korach began to suspect the worthiness of the Aharon's sons—Moshe Rabbeinu's nephews.

Perhaps, he mused, it's not a coincidence that Moshe appointed his own brother as a Kohen? After all, Korach was also a Levite. Maybe he & his sons should've won the Priesthood.

According to Rav Miller, he thought something along the lines of: "Hakodosh Boruch Hu showed his displeasure – they weren’t really fit for it. It was Moshe Rabeinu who gave the kehuna to his brother’s family, not Hashem."

In other words, maybe the sons of Aharon died of nepotism.

And that was the beginning of the end for Korach.

The Truth about Korach

It sounds like petty envy, but in truth, Korach really was a very special person.

And so were his sons, who merited to compose Tehillim exquisite enough to be included in Sefer Tehillim.

Korach was a knowledgeable, studious Yid. Rav Miller describes him as a tzaddik.

Yet Korach suspected Moshe Rabbeinu of requesting from Hashem the Priesthood for his older brother (along the lines of tzaddik gozer v'Hashem mekayem—Hashem upholds the decrees of a tzaddik).

Yet that's not what happened. Not even close.

It was all Hashem's idea.

Rav Miller notes that truly great Torah leaders possess the ability to nullify their personality to prevent the influence of personal interests.

In the Kelm yeshivah, the elderly Rosh Yeshivah gave his lecture from the back seat.

That's right.

He sat behind everyone so no one was looking at him. He did not stand out at all, even as he lectured.

In this way, the Rosh Yeshivah also could not see anyone—no approval, no smiles, no lit-up faces—none of the things on which speakers & performers rely, whether they mean to or not.

Yet Korach could not conceive of such impartiality.

He thought Moshe Rabbeinu was stuck in the same state of denial common to many people: catering to one's own personal interests while claiming a supposedly objective reason for this.

It all happened because Korach allowed these brambles to grow in his head.

He missed cultivating that particular orchard.

And so the Torah warns us not to be like Korach, which means (page 11):

You shouldn't make machloket (controversy).
You need to avoid the basic seeds of machloket: judging unfavorably.

Proper Cultivation Starts at Home

As usual, Rav Miller emphasizes (based on Chazal's definitions) being dan l'kaf zechut applies to Jews who are mitzvah-observant.

Like most everything else, good middot start at home.

How many people feel impatient with their spouse, yet behave with such graciousness & forbearance with strangers?

One of the primary behavioral contradictions today occurs when frum people bend over backwards to judge favorably & even defend Sabbath-transgressors & atheists & same-gender relationships while nitpicking at other perfectly frum groups.

Such people (with the intention of displaying their honesty & objectivity) indulge in derisive scoffing of people who may be flawed, but are at least trying—and at the very least, are bumbling down the right path.

Not to mention, that some of the people scoffed at are exceptionally fine people—maybe even much better than the derisive scoffer!

Rav Miller states (page 12):

That’s an extremely important function among Jews.

We have to be misgaber on this Yetzer Hara of trying to find faults in our neighbors and in our mechutanim, in our daughters-in-law and sons-in-law, and everyone else we come in contact with.

It's very, very challenging to do this right.

Rav Miller on page 13:

We're not talking about ma’asim now – we're talking about correcting the mental attitudes, to learn how to think good thoughts about your fellow man.

It’s a big job and I’m far away from that myself.

I'm saying this not for you; I’m listening to it myself as I’m saying it.

But let’s listen and maybe a little bit of it will stick to us.

The Ultimate 2 Ways to Cultivate the Anti-Korach Orchard

Rav Miller quotes his rav who noted that a person isn't just one middah, but a bundle of middot.

There are 2 ways of judging favorably, and Rav Miller mentions both of them throughout this dvar Torah:

Find a compassionate reason why someone exhibits unwanted behavior.
Look for a good middah among the person's bad middot.

You can definitely combine the two.

Giving the benefit of the doubt does not mean labelling a forbidden behavior or bad middah as "permitted" or "good."

Labelling the forbidden as permissible falls under the category of chanifah—a very serious Torah prohibition.

It basically means assuming, for example, an impatient person may be in pain, received terrible news that morning, or suffered a tongue-lashing from a boss or family member before they answered your phone call.

Another example:

Sometimes, a pregnant woman on a bus is trying not to throw up.

And for the first few months, a woman often doesn't even look pregnant. So if a female passenger seems unfriendly or immobile, it could be that she is simply trying not to barf.

I've literally seen this as the problem, including when a woman did not even look pregnant—but she was.

Sometimes, the person rudely hurrying past you is desperate to reach the facilities or is shlepping a not-fully-potty-trained child in need of the facilities.

Or maybe the unfriendly bus passenger or the rude shoulder-bumping passerby really IS a rude, inconsiderate person—but maybe they do good things too, like giving tzedakah, honoring their parents, and much more.

The big yetzer hara against this is nitpicking at the person's motivations—as if all the rest of us are doing all our mitzvot totally l'Shem Shamayim—I WISH!

Sure, we needn't pour our adoration on actors.

(Some of the starry-eyed gushing that goes on over people who, though impressive, are not the real deal—is weird.)

But at the same time, we should give credit where credit is due.

If the person gave a lot of money to feed frum families for Shabbat—then they did.

Even if they make sure everyone knows about it (which is certainly not the right way to do it)...

Tachlis?

The recipients enjoyed an abundance of good food for Shabbos. Jewish children ate & enjoyed Shabbos.

Yes, he did it for his own kavod. But a certain good still came out of it.

Let's end with Rav Miller's words from Gemara Shabbos 127b:

Ifּ you make the effort to judge somebody in a positive light; you overcome the natural laziness of the mind and you look for the good...then middah k'neged middah, HaKadosh Baruch Hu will always judge you favorably too.

And when He does that, you can be certain He does it with a full Hand, a heaping Hand of reward in this world and also in the world to come.

An orchard in Eretz Yisrael (Image by avner nagar )

Credit for all quotes & material goes to Toras Avigdor, which offers us so many wonderful tools & seeds with which to cultivate our orchards.

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Emergency Name for Immediate Tefillah: CHAVA TZEREL BAT ROCHEL

9/6/2021

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UPDATE: Here is a Tehillim link to join in saying Tehillm for her: https://new.tehilimyahad.com/mr.jsp?r=ZwFUteJE62FD

Just received this message:

PLEASE, PLEASE DAVEN AND SAY TEHILLIM FOR CHAVA TZEREL BAS ROCHEL (IN LIFE-THREATENING, CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER OPEN HEART SURGERY).

THE FAMILY HAS ASKED THAT YOU PLEASE SEND THE NAME TO AS MANY LISTS/PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.

B'ezrat Hashem, may CHAVA TZEREL BAT ROCHEL please merit a complete refuah of the nefesh & body along with all the other cholei Yisrael!

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Update on Cholim

9/6/2021

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YOSEF EZRIEL BEN CHAYA MICHAL needs more tefillot, kabbalot, maasim tovim—whatever we can give. He was recently put back on a ventilator.

ELAD BEN JULIA has been released from the hospital! He has gone into a center for rehabilitative treatment, but it's amazing after coming so close to death after a merciless beating by Yishmaelim, he has made such miraculous progress. Clearly, much of that must be in the merit of everyone's tefillot. Please continue to daven for his continued recovery.

P.S. Thank You, Hashem, that the shocking sinkhole in the parking lot of Shaarei Tzedek hospital did not cause any bodily injury or loss of life. And yeah, isn't that intriguing how it happened davka in the week of Parshat Korach, which recalls the massive sinkhole that swallowed up the rebellious Korach and his followers?

THE GOLAN IN ERETZ YISRAEL — Image by uric69

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How to Participate in This Short Yet Powerful Shemirat Halashon Campaign L'Refuat BINYAMIN YISROEL CHAIM BEN CHANITA

8/6/2021

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Here's a message received via a very caring person regarding the shemirat halashon campaign for Binyamin Yisroel Chaim ben Chanita:

The response to joining this campaign has been overwhelming bechasdei Hashem.

May you all be blessed!!

Here is the information needed to join.

At 6:00pm daily (from now until 15th of Av (including)), please stop what you are doing and say the following 2 tefillos:

1) "Hashem, please help me to not hurt anyone with my mouth for the next 15 minutes."

2) "Hashem, in this zechus, bring a refuah sheleima to Binyamin Yisroel Chaim ben Chanita b' toch shaar cholei Yisroel [along with the all the rest of the ill Jews]."

3) At 6:15, please repeat the tefilla for a refua sheleima.

PLEASE SHAKE THE HEAVENS ON HIS BEHALF!!!

He is a young teen with a malignant brain tumor that has been getting worse, chas veshalom.

YOU AND YOUR MOUTH CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you very much to the caring person who keeps us updated on his situation & spreads the opportunity to daven for him.

Previous posts regarding Binyamin Yisroel Chaim ben Chanita:
shemirat-halashon-campaign-for-binyamin-yisroel-chaim-ben-chanita.html (June 7)

name-change-for-davening-binyamin-yisroel-chaim-ben-chanita.html (May 10)

please-binyamin-yisroel-ben-chanita-needs-your-increased-prayers.html (May 7, 2021)

please-daven-for-binyamin-yisroel-ben-chanita.html (December 28, 2020)

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Shemirat Halashon Campaign for Binyamin Yisroel Chaim ben Chanita

7/6/2021

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They're doing a shemirat halashon campaign for Binyamin Yisroel Chaim ben Chanita (the young teenager with a brain tumor). His situation has worsened.

They're looking for individuals or families willing to accept upon themselves to watch their mouths from hurtful speech from 6-6:15pm daily as a zechus for his refuah.

If you can join, please e-mail pehtahor@gmail.com.

Guarding one's tongue is a very powerful act.

May Binyamin Yisroel Chaim ben Chanita please merit a complete refuah!

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Understanding the Roles of Husband & Wife via Examples of Pilots & Co-Pilots

6/6/2021

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In Rabbi Shimon Gruen's newsletter for Parshat Emor, he compared the husband-wife relationship to that of pilot & co-pilot.

While this may not be a new depiction of the husband-wife relationship, it struck me as exceptionally apt.

The traditional set-up with the husband as head of the home and the wife in the supporting role has become increasingly harder to explain to the firmly egalitarian minds of modern times.

The wife's role has always been a crucial one in every society, whether the society respected that role or not.

Judaism takes this even further with statements from Yevamot 62b, declaring that a man without a wife lacks:

blessing
happiness
peace
Torah
protection

The Gemara also states a wife & a home are one & the same (implying that even if a man lives in a luxury house, it's not actually a "home" unless he's married).

The Bava Metzia's command to bend down & whisper to one's (generally) shorter wife is interpreted (by the Pele Yoetz among others) as a directive to take counsel with one's wife.

Yevamot 62a even goes to the extreme of declaring: "A man without a wife is not a man."

Furthermore, our classic Torah sources insist that the man's role as head of the home confers weight obligations & responsibilities upon him—far from archetype of benevolent dictator or self-serving lord that some people assume.

And while the Gemara & other Torah sources express strongly pro-marriage views for women, they don't go to the extreme of their views regarding marriage for men.

Furthermore, while Judaism expects women to get married, it's not an uncompromising commandment as it is for men.

Finally, the Hebrew word for "wife" or "woman" (ishah) contains the letter hei, which introduces Hashem's Name into the equation.

The Hebrew word for husband or man is ish (baal is specifically a husband)—both lack the letter that completes Hashem's Name.

All the above proves that the wife's role is not as an appendage or a glorified domestic, but absolutely essential for a man's very personhood & success in life.

Because a wife is the source of a man's essential vitality in life, Judaism expects a husband to relate to his wife with the appropriate love & appreciation.

How Does the Pilot/Co-Pilot Analogy Fit?

Going back to the pilot/co-pilot analogy:

Pilots & co-pilots can both fly & land planes.

Technically, the difference is in rank. Usually, the pilot is more experienced than the co-pilot (U.S. airlines generally require 10 years of a co-pilot before becoming a pilot).

But not always.

Yet this varies from airline to airline.

For example, a co-pilot in one airline may have more flying hours than the pilot of another airline.

And even within the same airline, experience varies from plane to plane.

For example, a pilot flying an Airbus 320 may have less hours in that specific type than his co-pilot. (Meaning, the pilot accumulated more total hours in planes altogether, but most of those were spent in a Boeing 737, not an Airbus. Whereas perhaps the co-pilot accumulated fewer total hours, but has more experience than the pilot with an Airbus.)

Yes, the pilot is the captain of the plane & holds the most responsibility.

But the pilot & co-pilot work together, though technically the pilot outranks the co-pilot.

Their relationship operates similarly to how a marriage operates.

And just as in marriage, varied examples abound—both positive & negative.

3 Examples of Pilot/Co-Pilot Dysfunction

Officially, the pilot outranks the co-pilot & the co-pilot should defer to the pilot.

However, this doesn't always work. At the end of the day, a pilot is still a person (as is the co-pilot)—both imperfect by definition.

Analysis of cockpit voice recorders show that when either the pilot or the co-pilot fail to fulfill their role as necessary, this failure can result in fatal consequences.

For example, in the crashes of both Korean Air Flight 801 in 1997 and the Columbian Avianca Flight 52 in 1990, the co-pilot's reticence played a role in the fatal disasters.

In Korean Air, the co-pilot was unable to assert himself to correct the pilot, leading to a preventable plane crash.

The co-pilot kept hinting to the tired pilot about the poor weather & other factors that made landing a bad idea. Yet the co-pilot never went beyond hinting.

With Avianca, the pilot increasingly leaned on the co-pilot as their plane ran out of fuel, asking the co-pilot to confirm information ("Are we cleared to land, no?" "Confirm the wind." "Where is the runway?" "Advise him we are emergency!" "Did you already advise that we don't have fuel?")

The truth is, the pilot needed to fly the plane & seek to land it as it ran out of fuel.

He instructed the co-pilot to declare an emergency. But the co-pilot, despite reassuring the pilot he declared an emergency, never actually did so.

After the pilot commanded the co-pilot to declare they no longer have fuel, the co-pilot instead announces their position to air traffic control and almost as an afterthought adds: "...and, ah, we're running out of fuel, sir."

Later, when the air traffic control tower asks if their given heading is okay for Avianca's fuel supply, the co-pilot merely replies, "I guess so. Thank you very much."

When air traffic control asks them about their altitude, the co-pilot replies, "Ah, negative sir. We just running out of fuel. We okay three thousand. Now okay."

But they're NOT okay. Not at all.

The pilot keeps asking the co-pilot if the co-pilot declared an emergency and if he told them that the Avianca is running out of fuel.

The co-pilot keeps reassuring the pilot he has done so, but never actually does!

Even after they literally run out of fuel & lose 2 engines, the co-pilot radios in: "...we just, ah, lost two engines and, ah, we need priority, please."

Until the fatal end, the co-pilot never manages to act on the pilot's explicit instructions.

He never manages to work with the pilot's needs. The pilot needed to fly a plane running out of fuel.

Yes, the pilot could have & should have declared an emergency when the co-pilot did not. But the pilot delegated that task to co-pilot so the pilot could work the plane.

We see the pilot was so involved with his own tasks that he needed to ask the co-pilot several times if he carried out the pilot's command—even though the pilot was sitting right next to the co-pilot and technically, could hear everything he said.

That is an example of failure of the flight crew, but also of the co-pilot to adjust his role to the situation.

One of the most disturbing pilot-behavior-caused crashes occurred with an Iranian airline.

I cannot find the exact details now, but from what I remember, it occurred between a much older pilot with many thousands of hours under his belt and his younger less-experienced (albeit competent) co-pilot.

For some reason, the pilot behaved belligerently with the co-pilot, berating him & putting him down for no apparent reason.

In fact, he berated & verbally abused the co-pilot for a full hour.

The co-pilot seems to sink into a depressed silence.

When the pilot arrogantly decided to control the plane using his own visuals rather than the instruments & instructions of air traffic control, the co-pilot seemed to lack the heart to stand up to him.

While it's impossible to know exactly what the co-pilot was thinking & feeling at that point, the transcript paints the picture of a deflated person verbally beaten into submission.

He feels like a big zero & no longer cares about anything.

As the pilot continued to make bad decision after bad decision, the co-pilot remained silent—all the way until the plane rammed straight into a mountainside, killing everyone on board.

And it's hard to see how the co-pilot could have done what he should have without the pilot completely losing it. I can't see how the pilot would've allowed the co-pilot to take control of the plane or even allow the co-pilot to verbally side with traffic control and recommend flying into the airport via the normal way, relying on the instruments.

Had the co-pilot actively tried to save the plane by physically taking over, one could imagine the pilot responding with physical violence, based on the pilot's extremely aggressive & belligerent behavior throughout the flight.

All the above demonstrates different dysfunctional pilot/co-pilot dynamics (sometimes more on the part of the pilot, sometimes more on the part of the co-pilot, or equal).

It all fits in well with the fluid duties within the roles of husband & wife.

So we see that even if the pilot is technically the head of flight crew, the co-pilot's role is equally important with regard to the success of the flight.

We see that whether the pilot allows the co-pilot to perform his role as needed—or whether the co-pilot is able to perform his role as needed—either way, both the pilot & the co-pilot share responsibility for the success of the flight & preventing disaster.

Sometimes the co-pilot needs to adjust his role, whether that means being more assertive with the pilot or going beyond his role at the pilot's request & need.

And sometimes the co-pilot robotically goes through the motions, helpless & hopeless as the pilot destroys everything with his arrogance & abuse.

Miracle on the Hudson: The Pilot & Co-Pilot Work Together in Ideal Synchronicity

In 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 made history when its captain landed the plane in the Hudson River with no loss of life.

Technically the co-pilot possessed more total flight hours (20,727) than the pilot (19,663 hours).

But the pilot was the captain and therefore the guy in charge.

(In addition, the captain possessed more hours flying that specific type of plane—the Airbus 320: 4765 hours versus the co-pilot's 37 hours in an Airbus 320.)

When they realized a bird-strike took out all the engines, the pilot immediately said, "My aircraft."

Acknowledging the pilot's assertion, the co-pilot echoed, "Your aircraft."

And the co-pilot worked with him.

With the pilot at the flight controls & in command, both the co-pilot & the pilot worked together in ideal synchronicity.

Though credit for the skilled landing goes to the pilot, the pilot needed the co-pilot to manage everything else to enable the pilot to concentrate on gliding & landing the plane in an extremely dangerous situation.

It's doubtful whether the pilot could have accomplished what he did without the skilled assistance of the co-pilot.

Yes, they experienced tremendous siyata d'Shmaya with a clear path in fair weather on smooth waters.

The captain silently asked God for help.

But they also needed to work together according to rank.

If both men had decided to pilot the plane equally, the situation would not have worked out.

One man needed to take command to ensure the best outcome: the pilot.

By <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/22608787@N00">Greg L</a> - originally posted to <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Flickr" class="mw-redirect" title="Flickr">Flickr</a> as <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/22608787@N00/3200086900">Plane crash into Hudson River</a>, CC BY 2.0, Link

Miracle on the Hudson

The Co-Pilot Kept Things Running as Well as Possible in an Emergency

In 1990, British Airways Flight 5390 made headlines when its pilot went partway out a lost window after takeoff.

The co-pilot handled the takeoff, then handed control over to the pilot.

Around 15 minutes later, the incorrectly installed window on the pilot's side popped out, the resulting decompression sucking out the pilot & disengaging the autopilot as his knees caught against the flight controls.

Baruch Hashem, a male flight attendant was entering just then and managed to catch the pilot before he flew out completely.

The decompression also sucked in the cockpit door, blocking the throttle control (which made the plane zoom downward) and sucking in debris & papers from the passenger section.

The co-pilot managed to take control of the plane while 2 other male flight attendants rushed in to help hold on to the hapless pilot.

The co-pilot conducted all the right strategies to save the plane & its passengers, including communicating with the air control tower about an emergency landing when he could not hear well due to the rushing wind in the cockpit.

The co-pilot also inadvertently saved the pilot's life when he commanded the flight attendants not to release the pilot.

Frostbite & exhaustion struck the first flight attendant pretty quickly, and the next two thought to release the pilot because, with the pilot's head continuously banging against the plane, they felt sure he was dead (and also, the pilot's ankles interfered with the flight controls, endangering everyone's lives).

However, the co-pilot feared the release might cause the pilot to hit the wing, engine, or stabilizer, endangering the aircraft & passengers, so the co-pilot insisted they hold on.

While holding on, the flight attendants managed to disengage the pilot's ankles from the flight controls & the co-pilot managed to land the plane with no injuries.

The saga ends happily, with everyone alive and without irreversible injuries.

The first flight attendant recovered from his frostbite, dislocated shoulder, and injured eye. The pilot, miraculously alive after all, also recovered from his frostbite & other injuries (fractures, bruising, shock, etc).

This shows excellent management & skill on the part of the co-pilot.

Clearly, the role of co-pilot is neither superfluous nor menial.

Though of lower rank, the co-pilot's role can be heroic & even the starring role.

It all depends on the situation.

All in all, the above examples show why the comparison to a pilot & co-pilot can help those of us who struggle with appreciating the hierarchy innate to a healthy marriage.

For more elucidation regarding the concept of a man's incompletion without marriage:
https://www.sie.org/templates/sie/article_cdo/aid/2313893/jewish/Part-I-Between-Husband-and-Wife.htm

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The Dunce Duckling Who became a Sun-Stopping Swan

4/6/2021

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Just read an amazing chiddush about Yehoshua bin Nun from Yalkut Mishlei on Mishlei/Proverbs 21:20:

"...but a fool [kasil] of a man will swallow him up" — This is Yehoshua who was not a ben Torah.

And his fellow Jews would call him a kasil — a fool.

And because he was serving Moshe, he merited to inherit him. For [Yehoshua] would honor [Moshe Rabbeinu] and spread the sheet over the bench and sit beneath his feet.

Therefore, HaKadosh Baruch Hu said, "I will not withhold your reward—as is written: 'He who guards a fig tree shall eat its fruit'..."

The full verse from Mishlei 27:18 quoted at the end is: "He who guards a fig tree shall eat its fruits; and he who guards his master shall be honored."

Rashi notes the one who guards his master shall eat the fruits of his deeds—as Hashem caused to happen for Yehoshua.

It's mind-boggling to realize that such a historic tzaddik like Yehoshua bin Nun—the man who stopped the sun!—was initially stuck on such a low level that everyone around him considered him a fool.

Once again, we see that the person who actually had to build himself ended up greater than the people born with it all.

This repeats itself throughout Tanach.

We also see this with David Hamelech, who built himself up with everything against him in contrast to Shaul Hamelech, who seemed to have it all naturally.

But Shaul lost the kingdom while David Hamelech merited eternal royalty as the progenitor of Mashiach.

This theme reverberates throughout Tanach...

It's not what you have, but what you do with whatever you have.

A fig tree

This chiddush came from the Bitachon Weekly for Parshat Shelach on page 17.
thenewbitachonweekly@gmail.com

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Miraculous Update on RAFAEL MELECH BEN ESTHER

4/6/2021

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RAFAEL MELECH BEN ESTHER went home—unbelievable! He even went to shul with his father!

Baruch Hashem!

However, he still VERY much needs our prayers.

Initially, he only went home for a visit (which is a miracle in & of itself). But because he did so well at home (his mother is extraordinary), the treatment center agreed he could stay, but he needs to return to the center several times each week for treatment.

Your tefillot are INCREDIBLE. In just a few (admittedly angst-filled) weeks, this sweet 4-year-old went from unresponsive because of an initially undiagnosed cause to being able to function at home & go to shul.

Yashar koach!

Ein k'Amcha Yisrael—connected Jews care about each other wherever we are & without needing to know each other personally.

Let's please keep davening toward Rafael Melech ben Esther meriting a complete refuah!

Previous posts:
http://www.myrtlerising.com/blog/update-on-rachel-naomi-bat-esther-chana-plus-urgent-prayers-requested-for-the-sweet-4-year-old-rafael-melech-ben-esther (April 13)

http://www.myrtlerising.com/blog/encouraging-update-on-rafael-melech-ben-esther (May 25)

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Rav Avigdor Miller on Parshat Shelach: Don't Wander into Battle Armed with Only Bagels & Lox

3/6/2021

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In Rav Avigdor Miller's dvar Torah for Parshas Shelach 4 – Weapons of the Torah, Rav Miller reminds us of a fundamental truth stated in Mesilat Yesharim:

The true good that a person can achieve in This World occurs when a person is joined to Hashem.

Rav Miller continues to explain on page 3:

...to remain joined always in his thoughts to Hakodosh Boruch Hu.

It means that whatever you’re accomplishing in life, your true success will be measured by how much you train yourself to think about Hakodosh Boruch Hu.

At the same time, Rav Miller acknowledges how challenging this is to carry out practically.

The reason is: This is a war.

"This is the most difficult of all battles," Rav Miller declares.

Bagel & Lox, Plus Donations to UJA, Will Lose the Battle Every Time. It's Like Arming a Soldier with Cheetos Instead of Bullets.

The tests & trials in This World keep coming at us like whizzing bullets from all sides.

It's a STRONG battle, states Rav Miller in the name of Mesilat Yesharim.

Fortunately, Hashem equipped us with the best weapons: mitzvot.

This is why it can never be enough to merely feel like a good Jew "at heart" or, as the Mendelsohn-influenced Jews of pre-WWII Germany believed "a German on the street & a Jew at home."

As Rav Miller explains:

...it's a pity on them because without mitzvos they are completely lost.

They are like soldiers who go out to battle without any weapons.

The ‘I am a Jew in my heart' Jew who expresses his Judaism by eating knishes or giving money to the UJA is a rachmanus – he has no chance on the battlefield.

Nobody is capable of fighting off the enemy with bagels and lox!

So true!

And that's how the Movement for Conservative (which is actually radically liberal) "Judaism" caused so much idealistic & smiley destruction.

The Reform did the same.

The difference is that many Jews in the Movement for Conservative (which is actually radically liberal) "Judaism" actually felt devoted to Judaism (whatever they understand it to be).

Reform was too compromised (and often too foreign) for them.

So many of them, particularly the older generation of men, display genuine enthusiasm for Judaism, especially for their favorite customs & observances.

Yet at the same time, so many of them intermarried!

And their children (of those who are actually Jewish, anyway) do even less & intermarry even more.

As the wife of one cantor in this movement told me, "None of the boys in our congregation married a Jewish girl. It's like the boys don't even WANT to marry a Jewish girl!" She said they davka seek to marry a non-Jewish wife.

And the "rabbis" of this movement created this mess by granting fake conversions.

Sure, they sincerely believed their conversions to be kosher.

But even the most superficial glance at the actual laws discussing conversion to Judaism prove these conversions could never be valid.

Quite a few (even the vast majority, perhaps) Jews in the previous generation would never have married their non-Jewish partner had not their "rabbis" created the opening to do so.

In fact, had not this treif opening existed, many would not have even bothered dating (or dating seriously) a non-Jew in the first place.

This why the past couple of generations created the phenomenon of a Jew dating a non-Jewish girl in the hope that she'll "convert" for him to marry.

They do this solely because the option of insincere "conversion" exists. (And that's only the ones who actually care. Many do not.)

It also needs to be said that some Orthodox rabbis leading modern & somewhat assimilated communities commit this same travesty. And just as described above with the Movement for Conservative (which is actually radically liberal) "Judaism," their young male congregants know they can bring home a non-Jewish girl for conversion for marriage (which is not valid according to halacha).

This has led to the widespread destruction of American Jewry outside the devotedly Orthodox communities.

This enabled a tsunami of intermarriage & assimilation on the heels of the Holocaust.

It also led to the odd phenomenon of someone with a Jewish-looking face & a name like "David Sorotzkin"—who enjoys the yearly Seder at Bubby's house—revealed as not Jewish at all. (And Bubby may not be Jewish either, although she may think she is because she "converted" to marry Zeidy.)

One person experienced with kiruv on campus said that in some areas nowadays, the Jewish-looking girl named Sarah Goldberg is actually an indication that she is NOT Jewish!

For the past couple of decades, Jewish Biblical names like Sarah, Leah, Abigail, Naomi, David, Jonathan, Joshua, Jacob, etc., appear within the 100 most popular names in America—among the general non-Jewish population. Combined with the Jewish surname of an intermarried father, the child appears Jewish, but is actually 100% gentile.

This all occurs when we drop our weapons in the midst of battle. (Or when we equip ourselves with only bagels & lox.)

One needs to keep Hashem in mind and commit oneself to the mitzvot.

Both the above-mentioned "rabbis" and their hapless congregants would never have committed the travesty of unacceptable conversions & intermarriage had they been truly devoted to mitzvot and kept Hashem in mind.

What Does It Mean to be Faithful to Hashem's Testimonies?

Rav Miller notes that our best mitzvah weapons come under the category of eidut—testimony.

David Hamelech constantly mentions this category throughout Tehillim, emphasizing the importance of being faithful to Hashem's eidut (or eiduyot in the plural form).

On pages 7-8, Rav Miller offers wonderful suggestions for making your mezuzah your prized weapon against the yetzer hara.

On pages 8-9, Rav Miller tells you how you can effectively "weaponize" the following:

Shabbat
Tefillin
Sukkot
Pesach
the hidden Torah

On pages 9-10, Rav Miller explains how a destructive idea crept in—the idea of embracing the meaning of the mitzvah while discarding the actual mitzvah (being Jewish "in your heart" without properly keeping the actual mitzvah; focusing only on the spirit of the law—however you understand it—while disregarding the letter of the law).

On pages 12-14, Rav Miller delves into the meaning of tzitzit, how we can utilize them for personal greatness—including how women can too.

On pages 10-11, Rav Miller makes this interesting observation to help us understand what we're missing out of habit:

I was walking on King's Highway once and they were doing construction work.

As I passed by, the Italian foreman pointed to my tzitzis and asked, “What's that for?”

So I said, “It’s to remind us,” and I pointed to the sky.

“Oooh,” he said. He understood that.

An Italian foreman understands that we're wearing tzitzis to remind us of the One in the sky.

It’s a pity that what the gentile understands is ignored by us.

You know, if I were talking to a group of college boys and girls, way out let's say in Tulsa, Oklahoma and they would be hearing about tzitzis for the first time, I'd take out tzitzis and show it to them and they'd be amazed.

It would be an interesting thing to them – they never saw it before – and it would have an effect on them.

But when you talk to people who are all wearing tzitzis it's very difficult for them to learn what it really means because they think they know all about it – they know in the wrong way; they know it mitzvas anashim melumadah, as habit, but they think they know it all already.

That's the reality. It's only natural.

And that's the reality we need to fight.

Hashem imbued the Jew with the ability to rise above nature—including his or her own nature.

It's not easy at all.

But just the act of TRYING (even if you don't succeed!) is considered tremendous in Shamayim.

A Weaponized Jew Takes a Lickin' & Keeps on Tickin'

At the same time, Rav Miller acknowledges that nobody comes out of battle without a scratch.

Especially in such a long, strong battle, a soldier must expect to get hit every once in a while.

But he mustn't say, "Oh, I got hit! Well, that's it. I guess I'll just lay down and die now."

No!

We need to get up and keep fighting the good fight!

And we need to really know that it really is a GOOD fight.

It's what we're here to accomplish.

Our truly valiant soldiers of war

Credit for all quotes & material goes to one of our best weapons in this harsh battle: Toras Avigdor.

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Shemirat Halashon Campaign for Binyamin Yisroel Chaim ben Chanita

Understanding the Roles of Husband & Wife via Examples of Pilots & Co-Pilots

How Does the Pilot/Co-Pilot Analogy Fit?

3 Examples of Pilot/Co-Pilot Dysfunction

Miracle on the Hudson: The Pilot & Co-Pilot Work Together in Ideal Synchronicity

The Co-Pilot Kept Things Running as Well as Possible in an Emergency

The Dunce Duckling Who became a Sun-Stopping Swan

Miraculous Update on RAFAEL MELECH BEN ESTHER

Rav Avigdor Miller on Parshat Shelach: Don't Wander into Battle Armed with Only Bagels & Lox

Bagel & Lox, Plus Donations to UJA, Will Lose the Battle Every Time. It's Like Arming a Soldier with Cheetos Instead of Bullets.

What Does It Mean to be Faithful to Hashem's Testimonies?

A Weaponized Jew Takes a Lickin' & Keeps on Tickin'

Myrtle Rising

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