​One morning, I was davening as usual. But between prayers, I would drift off into daydreaming.
 
Wasting that time meant that davening stretched a lot longer than necessary—and for no good reason.
 
Furthermore, I knew that for Shemoneh Esrei (the Standing Silent Prayer), I needed to change into more appropriate clothes.
 
One should daven Shemoneh Esrei dressed as one would to open the door to someone—and not in a nightgown (albeit a very tsnius nightgown).
 
So I consciously realized that I needed to change, but decided to daven Shemoneh Esrei anyway because I didn’t feel like wasting any more time and to just jump into Shemoneh Esrei.
 
I just started Shemoneh Esrei when the phone rang.
 
How frustrating! If only I’d gotten a rein on my daydreaming before, I’d have davened surrounded by quiet and be finished already, able to answer—rather than trying to daven while distracted by the phone.
 
A minute after the phone stopped ringing, I heard a knock on the door—more distraction. Was it connected to the ringing phone?
 
And I still couldn’t answer.
 
Yet because in Eretz Yisrael, most Jews feel like family with each other, my dear beloved brother the postman opened the door a crack and said, “Oops, sorry,” laid a package on the cabinet near the door, then closed the door and left.
 
I admit it caused me a fit of giggles as I stood before my Creator.
 
It also caused me strong feelings of shame as a strange man saw me in my nightgown (although there wasn’t anything to see because it’s very modest, but still; it’s not appropriate).
 
What was Hashem trying to tell me?
 
It wasn’t hard to figure out.
 
Number 1:
Had I focused on davening with zerizut (not davening fast, but commit to davening without getting distracted between sections), I would’ve been able to daven in peace and then able to answer the phone and the door.
 
Hashem gave me the quiet space in which to daven, but I didn’t make good use of His Generosity.
 
Number 2:
​I really need to be dressed appropriately—at least how I would dress to answer the door—when I’m davening Shemoneh Esrei. Had I been dressed appropriately, I never would’ve been embarrassed or ashamed when being seen by my dear beloved brother the postman.
 
So I’ve been trying to apply these newfound lessons to my morning davening...

​...except for the times when I forget. ;-)

We're told by the media reasons for devastating wildfires: global warming, drought conditions, strong winds, President Trump, not clearing away forest debris -- did I miss one?

But the Spiritual Self-Help blog brought up the idea of underground heat as a contributor (or cause) of such wildfires. Furthermore, reports of the Athens fire "chasing us all the way into the water" or "all of the sudden, flames were at the side of the car" sound more like fire from under the ground than fire from spreading above-ground -- though I don't know enough about fire tendencies to say for sure.

Doing further research, I discovered this article:
Southern California Hotspot Hits 812 Degrees, Baffles Experts

How many other hot spots like this are there that HAVEN'T been discovered?

After all, this one was only discovered "after the land got so hot that it started a brush fire and burned three acres."

Could it also be that they don't report every hot spot they discover? (After all, this one was discovered a while ago.)

Because I'm not in touch with the geological surveys of southern California, I can't say for sure. But I'm inclined to think there might be more than 1 undiscovered (or unreported) extreme hot spot in southern California.

What's going on? I'm not sure. It's just food for thought.

Unless of course, it's President Trump secretly heating hydrocarbons deep inside the Earth. Or maybe he's opening those cracks through which they're seeping out!

And even the theory about deep-seated hydrocarbons leaking out is just that: a theory.

There's no proof.

No one knows what's going on.

But perhaps such extreme hot spots should be taken into account.

UPDATE (as of 15/11/18): Here are extra tidbits on the topic:
​
Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi 
Parashat Toldot-includes current events
(from 00:28:15 to 00:32:28)

Rav Avigdor Miller on the Poor Apikores

​As many already know, tinok sheh nishba is a Jew wholly under the influence of non-Jews since the childhood.

​This Jew grows up “captive” (literally or figuratively) in a completely non-Jewish environment with no chance of learning about Judaism or fulfilling mitzvot.

Their lack of mitzvah observance grants them a status of “innocent” in Shamayim.
 
And understandably so.
 
Like many other frum Jews, I was taught that all non-religious Jews (including many formerly religious Jews) fall into the category of tinok sheh nishba.

In other words, they aren’t accountable for their transgressions because it’s not at all their fault. And as to why they don’t come back to the fold—or why they don’t even consider authentic Torah Judaism an option—well, that’s all part of the tinok sheh nishba dynamic.

(And granted, there is also tremendous anti-Torah propaganda in society today.)
 
But I started having experiences that made me question this oh-so comfortable outlook.
 
Tinok sheh nishba has more to do with a person being held accountable in the World of Truth.
 
And that’s where things get dicey.
 
Just because I want to be generous-minded doesn’t mean that my generosity holds any water in the Heavenly Beit Din.
 
Having said that, all my learning has shown me that I’m still more accountable for my sins than they are for theirs.

I’ve committed myself to Torah. I’ve read the mussar books.

Believe me, I have what to answer for!
 
But just like I need to be honest about myself and my own accountability, I always need to be honest about the terms and ideas presented in halacha and Chazal.

Circumstances showed me that the label of tinok sheh nishba isn't so simple as to mindlessly apply to every single non-frum Jew...

​Here’s a modern-day example of a genuine tinok sheh nishba:

My chassidish friend had a coworker who, upon finding out my friend was Jewish, responded, “Oh, you’re Jewish? You know, some of my relatives are also Jewish.”

“Like who?” said my friend.

“Like my mother.”

Oho!

Turns out that this person’s Jewish mother died when he was very young and his non-Jewish father married a non-Jewish woman.

Understandably, this unwitting Jewish child felt his non-Jewish stepmother as a real mother. To compound things, their area hosted very few Jews and certainly no religious Jews.
 
I think we can all agree this person fits the classic definition of a tinok sheh nishba.
 
(And just for knowing, my chassidish friend invited him to her Seder that year, where she and her husband introduced him to Judaism.)
 
But let’s go on to people considered tinok sheh nishba, and yet...

​While on a visit to America, I stopped off in New York where my aunt hosted me. Because she and my uncle don’t keep one whit of halacha, she generously stopped by a fully kosher restaurant to pick up some food for me.
 
All the guys working there were young energetic frum guys. They were bouncing around and having a great time. They related to my aunt and I with good humor and friendliness, making us feel like we were part of their gang.
 
With my aunt standing right there, I explained as inoffensively and nicely as I could that I needed the food wrapped in a way that it could go into a non-kosher oven. My aunt was feeling so comfortable that she intervened to explain that her home wasn’t kosher, but she wanted to be able to warm up food for me.

(I think she was also testing them to see how they'd respond to her open declaration of kefirah.)
 
The guys didn’t break their jolly stride.

They pulled off enormous swathes of tin foil and started wrapping my food with gusto.
 
The frum guys were so good-natured and understanding, I felt truly grateful toward them. My aunt was smiling the whole time. Even after we left, she continued smiling for the next couple of blocks.
 
It was a big kiddush Hashem (and thank you very much to all of you frummies who treat your customers with such grace and understanding wherever you are—kol hakavod on the wonderful kiddush Hashem).
 
This aunt has also met other frum Jews and they have also treated her with graciousness and open arms.

Yet she continues to sporadically attend their Reform congregation and boasts of activities like when they organized a choir to raise money for iffy environmental causes.
 
Seeing as she lived her whole life between Brooklyn and Long Island (not exactly frum-free areas) and seeing as she has encountered very nice frum Jews who even spontaneously invited her and my uncle to their home for Shabbat, does she truly fall into the category of tinok sheh nishba?

​One of my Jewish relatives is a man of great old-fashioned integrity.

His love and passion for Judaism is contagious and his favorite part of the Torah is Sefer Iyov (Book of Job). The son of very assimilated parents, he also grew up in Brooklyn and had a lot of interaction with tepid Orthodoxy.

He never would’ve married a non-Jew, but the Conservative-which-is-actually-radically-Liberal movement of Jews told him that their “conversions” are completely kosher (even though their “converts” needn’t keep the basic 10 Commandments, let alone other vital mitzvot, like taharat mishpacha, etc.).

​So he married his non-Jewish girlfriend who agreed to “convert”—which means he was living with a non-Jewish woman for most of his life and none of his children are actually Jewish.
 
In their later years, both he and his non-Jewish wife repeatedly experienced many positive interactions with fully Orthodox Jews, including Chabad shlichim.
 
During a visit, I once said to him, “I don’t mean this offensively at all and I hope you’ll take this in the spirit I mean it in…but I can’t help thinking that you would have made a really amazing and wonderful Orthodox Jew. And I mean that in the nicest, most respectful way possible.”

He quickly reassured me that he knew I meant that as a compliment and that he definitely took it that way—and that he was even honored that I thought so highly of him.

Then he mulled over his response.

Finally, he said, “I really thank you for that praise. And yeah, I think I could’ve been Orthodox, but…” He sighed and shook his head. “I’m just not knowledgeable enough to really fit in with the other Orthodox guys.”

“You could catch up!” I blurted out. After all, this guy had a degree in engineering from an Ivy League college. And he also knew Hebrew.

He shook his head. “No,” he said. “I’d rather be a knowledgeable Conservative Jew than an ignorant Orthodox Jew.”

​Aack!
 
I couldn’t believe he actually said it outright. (Also, I’d no idea he felt this way.) He was basically saying that becoming frum wouldn’t be comfortable for his ego. He was choosing his religious system based on his ego, of all things.
 
How’s that going to hold any water in Shamayim?
 
And is that tinok sheh nishba?

​I have a friend who definitely looks like tinok sheh nishba.
 
But is she?
 
The product of a completely assimilated Jewish mother and a non-Jewish father, she attended Hebrew school held at the JCC on Wednesday nights throughout her high school years. It featured an eclectic mix of teachers, including some frum teachers. One of her favorite classes was Mishna taught by an Orthodox rabbi. Her other favorite class was taught by a Chabad rabbi. (His classes were always packed—much more than anyone else’s, including any of the non-Orthodox teachers.)
 
When I became frum, I hosted her as a single woman. Once, we even spent Shabbos by a frum family in Far Rockaway. She also spent Shabbos with me and my husband in Eretz Yisrael in a charedi neighborhood with no cars or radios on Shabbat, the whole Shabbat atmosphere, etc.
 
As far as I know, not only has she met frum people, but all of her interactions with frum people have been extremely positive.
 
When I once mentioned how I always thought she was the smart one in our relationship, she looked uncomfortable and said that she always thought I was the smart one.

Flabbergasted, I pointed out that she was scoring straight top marks in honors calculus in 12th grade while I took dumb-people algebra (where they spread the algebra over 2 years rather than one) and even then, I needed to go to summer school to make up for flunking it. (Admittedly, failing beginners Algebra had more to do with lack of effort than lack of intelligence, but still.)
 
“Yeah,” she said, “but that’s not really intelligence. On the other hand, you think about things.”
 
“So do you,” I said, recalling many of our past conversations.
 
She shook her head. “No. Maybe I’ll listen to a discussion of stuff and even participate. But just on my own? I don’t really think about things. I mean, you actually pondered whether God exists and you researched it.”
 
“So did you,” I said. “I mean, you were an atheist at one point, then you decided you kind of believe in God now…”
 
“No," she said. "Atheism was just a stage because I was really into Ayn Rand at the time. But I didn’t really THINK about it.”
 
Then at one point, she said, “If someone would hold a gun to my head and say, ‘Choose any religion in the world—but you MUST choose one’—I’d choose Orthodox Judaism.”
 
“Really?” I said. “Not Reform?”
 
“No,” she said. “The only religion I’d want is specifically Orthodox Judaism.”
 
She’s married to a non-Jew and keeps absolutely nothing of Judaism. Not Yom Kippur, not Chanukah, nothing. (If she’s invited by other assimilated Jews to attend a Seder—however they do it—she’ll go, but she doesn’t do it on her own.)
 
Is she a tinok sheh nishba?
 
And are her reasons for not doing teshuvah going to hold water in the World of Truth?

​I’m not saying all this to condemn people. And I’ve davened for the above people to do teshuvah. (Although the male relative passed away a couple of years ago without ever doing teshuvah, so much for that.) And for about 20 years, I've sent them appealing Aish HaTorah videos for nearly every chag. (This is a modern twist on Rav Avigdor Miller's suggestion to send them a paid subscription to a frum newspaper.)
 
And like I wrote above, Hashem holds me more accountable than He holds them.
 
I’m just asking about as far as the definition goes—in all honesty—are the above people really tinok sheh nishba?
 
And will their excuses (ego, an unwillingness to really think about things, etc.) be accepted in the Heavenly Beit Din when the time comes?
 
And are their reasons being accepted now?
 
No offense intended, just being honest and above-board about the whole issue because people like to throw the term around (as I myself used to) and now I question whether it's correct to do so.

I know a very nice non-Jewish guy married to a woman who thinks she's Jewish, but isn't (her mother underwent a completely treif "conversion" via a Conservative-which-is-actually-Liberal "rabbi").

But the wife's parents always kept kosher.

And the non-Jewish guy, who has known them since eighth grade, developed respect for their way of life.

When he meets other Jews, he's always shocked if he sees they don't keep kosher.

And he has something to say about it.

"Hey, you're really not supposed to be eating that," he'll say to a surprised Jew. Or, "Why are you eating those together? That's not allowed."

He's not rude about it, just genuinely taken aback.

And you know what?

GOOD for him!

That's part of what any good non-Jew should be doing.

When people who aren't Jewish remind Jews of their most basic laws (NOT nitpicking about things they don't understand, but true-blue basic halacha -- like the 10 Commandments), they're actually helping themselves because when Jews do what we're supposed to be doing, everybody wins.

(Also, an errant Jew tends to find non-Jewish reproach less offensive than when it comes from a fellow Jew.)

When I first started keeping Shabbat as a teenager, the only communities available in my area was modern Orthodox (with a smattering of mainstream frummies) or Chabad.

I chose to join the modern Orthodox (which was a mistake on my part, though I didn't realize it at the time; the Chabad community was wholly frum and possessed all the positive aspects of Chabad without the problematic aspects found in some other communities and I would've been much better off had I joined them).

Anyway, I felt that one of my favorite skirts to wear to work was tsnius enough, even though I realized that it was a very lenient form of tsnius. It barely covered my knee (if that) when standing and I wore ankle socks (sporty & cute!) with it, leaving lots of bare calf.

(Note: Despite my youthful cognitive dissonance, that kind of skirt is totally forbidden by Jewish Law.)

The pretty non-Jewish woman training me was old enough to be my mother and she was a refined, soft-spoken woman whom I liked a lot.

She had a lot of respect for core Jewish values. She told me of a Jewish-Catholic couple she knew in high school, whose parents (on both sides) objected to the relationship. She spoke with admiration at how the couple broke up out of respect for their parents' wishes.

She felt it was the right thing to do, focusing more on the honoring of the parents rather than the Jewish prohibition against intermarriage.

And I felt really comfortable with her.

One day, she gently asked me about the difference between Muslim modesty and Jewish modesty. I explained what I knew at that time. Then she pointed to my exposed calves and softly questioned why this was okay and how exactly was this modest?

I was very uncomfortable, but not offended (because deep down, I knew her point was totally valid) and I stammered some kind of explanation, which out of her innate and lovely tact, she didn't argue with.

But back at home, it all got me thinking.

And I felt she had a point.

I don't think I made an immediate change (maybe I started pulling down the skirt to cover more knee or started wearing full stockings? can't remember exactly), but it did influence me to take tsnius more seriously and start getting real about what was really permitted and what wasn't.

Even without immediate change, it was a productive part of the process.

​And her questions were really good, thoughtful questions from a sincere heart.

Despite hearing so much about the dedicated, sincere Jews of Morocco, I realized that there must have been some who weren't so dedicated or sincere.

I tactfully broached the subject with my mother-in-law, who was born, raised, and married in Morocco and had her first 3 children there too.

"Yes, there were Jews who transgressed Shabbat," she said. "Just a couple of people though." Then she held up her palm and said, "But only in the house! Never on the street. Never publicly. They did it quietly."

She emphasized that they themselves had no desire to bring their chilul Shabbat to the street. She also seemed to find it bewildering that they even wanted to transgress Shabbat.

"What would happen if they'd transgress Shabbat where people could see them?" I asked.

Her eyes widened in alarm and she froze for a moment before saying, "No. They would never do that."

"What would happen?"

Her eyes still wide and her mouth making a small "o", she said, "They'd get rocks thrown at them."

Now my eyes widened. "Really?" I said. "The Jews of Morocco threw rocks at Shabbat transgressors?"

Now she looked both alarmed and confused. Then, wagging her finger back and forth, she said, "No. Not the Jews. Why the Jews? The ARABS would throw rocks at them."

I definitely don't think violence is the answer to mitzvah-transgression.

But if non-Jews want to give a friendly heads-up to a Jew who is definitely ignoring or ignorant of a very basic and obvious prohibition (like eating a ham sandwich or driving on Shabbat or dressing like an I-don't-want-to-say-what), that seems to be a beneficial thing.

(And it makes for a cute anecdote.)

Unwanted voices or messages in your head often originate with a person who implanted this voice or message via heartfelt yet misplaced advice.

And this is very individual and fluid.

Someone who is a good influence on one person is an ineffective or even a lousy influence on another person.

Someone who was good for you at one stage of life becomes irrelevant or even detrimental in a different stage of life.
​
We like a lot of people.
 
But there are also people we struggle to like.
 
And it doesn’t mean that the other person is really the problem. Sometimes we see that someone who irritates us within 1 minute of interaction is also the best friend or favorite mentor/teacher/confidant of someone else.
 
And it’s interesting to see how different people and their failings affect us. For example, you can really like a person and maintain closeness despite some glaring flaws. You can also realize that you need to put some healthy distance between you and someone else while still instinctively retaining a certain fondness and appreciation for that person.
 
But other people make you want to run in the opposite direction.
 
And still others plant words or ideas that you struggle to evict from your head. For some reason, a particular person’s voice tunnels into your brain—and it’s not a healthy voice. Their sneering or smirking facial expressions and tone of voice also sometimes pop into your head.
 
Yet another person might also convey nonsense and wrong ideas, but you’re able to shrug that off.
 
Maybe you think it’s because of the person’s role of influence or authority. Is the unhealthy voice coming from an older sibling? A parent or parent-in-law? A rabbi? A rebbetzin? A teacher?
 
That might have something to do with it. But think of how many voices of authority or influence you automatically ignore or dismiss.
 
No, there’s something about THIS person’s voice that’s sticking in your brain.
 
Why is that? What’s going on?

​While I can’t know all the ins and outs of it (I have a feeling it might have to do with some profound and complex soul-root stuff), I sat down with Hashem and followed some advice given by Dr. Miriam Adahan:

Do a Q&A with your dominant writing hand asking the questions and your non-dominant hand writing the answers. (The answer of the non-dominant hand—the left hand if you’re right-handed—will appear in childish scrawl.)
 
And what came up is this:

It’s as if the person whose unhealthy voice sticks in your head has a virus.

​Sometimes, these people also have powerfully positive qualities. They work on themselves & they show a lot of dedication toward Torah and mitzvot.

They also speak from the heart—and their heart isn’t always in the right place.

Sometimes it is. But not always.
 
With their heart in the wrong place, they can impose the wrong values or ideas on you.

Why?

Because words coming from the heart do indeed enter the heart.

To make things worse: When you tentatively try to question their wrongness or defend your own (and in this case, correct) attitude, they stomp you.

They often do so subtlety, like with a smile, a laugh, a good-natured punch-down, an oh-so innocently baffled approach designed to make you feel like your view has no validity whatsoever, “proof” from their own experience (even though we’re not clones and their experience doesn’t nullify yours), a misunderstood source from Chazal or Tanach, etc.

This is because in their heart, they are convinced that you are flawed in THIS particular way.
 
You might even feel like they’re hooking their claws into you and not letting you go.

But in addition to heart-to-heart criticism, there's another reason why some viral messages just won't let you go.

In Words of Faith Vol II pg. 73, Rav Levi Yitzchak Bender states:

​(I assume the original word translated as “coupling” is “l’hizdaveg.” Also, Rav Bender brings proof from Beresheit 3:13 that Chava said that the Snake "hishiani"—tricked/enticed me—which is similar to "hisiani": he married me.)
 
Rav Bender uses this to emphasize the importance of only consulting with tzaddikim (which you can also do through their books and with the Greatest Tzaddik of all: Hakadosh Baruch Hu).
 
Perhaps this is why criticism can be so devastating. It’s a form of advice that, if given improperly (either too harshly or confusing or it’s just plain wrong), harms the other person.

And it's like creating a zivug with that person -- based on criticism and negativity.

It's all wrong.

Finally, it's worth noting that ya'atznu ra or ya'atznu aitzot ra'ot (we advised evil or we have given bad advice) is one of the transgressions listed in Judaism's official Vidui/Confession. Of all the sins that begin with the 10th letter yud, ya'atznu ra/ya'atznu aitzot ra'ot was chosen.

That's pretty significant, eh?
 
But getting back to the virus analogy: How does a viral infection work in the world of microbiology?

​Let’s say, you have a perfectly wonderful person. Ordinarily, there’s no problem spending time with that person. On the contrary, it’s actually GOOD to be with that person.
 
But what if he or she has a virus?
 
And what if you possess a susceptibility to that virus?
 
You’re going to benefit from certain aspects of your relationship with that person—but you’ll also get infected by that person.
 
So you come away from the encounter, maybe even feeling good—but you’re also carrying a new bug (and its accompanying symptoms) that you just can’t shake. So you end up feeling bad too.
 
Interestingly, this doesn’t occur with ALL people.
 
Some people infect you with their wonkiness, and some people don’t.
 
We all have flaws, but we clearly don’t experience everyone else’s flaws as a virus—like a parasite that gets into our brain and doesn’t leave easily.

It's important to realize that the viral voice does not necessarily indicate an awful person. Maybe it does. Or maybe the voice actually belongs to a very good person, but is simply not the right shaliach for you in the place you're holding now.
 
So this is a pretty individual issue.
 
And what can you do?

​Here are some ideas:

Yes, this person has such fabulous qualities!

Avoid demonizing them (unless they really are demonic).

​Tell Hashem what’s good about this person.

​(Noting a person’s good points can secretly bring them to teshuvah.)

But at the same time, recognize that just like a wonderful person infected with a virus, you need to strengthen your own immunity and maintain enough distance so as not to get infected yourself (or not to continue getting infected).
 
Until when?
 
Until you either develop immunity or their "virus" disappears.
 
This includes contact that is only oral or written.

Does the person give shiurim? Call you on the phone or leave messages? Does he or she write articles or poems? Emails? Facebook posts? Tweets?
 
Needless to say, it’s not always possible to do this. Maybe the person lives or works with you. That’s also from Hashem, a nisayon you need to face in order to refine your soul. So you do what you can, knowing that Hashem is in control and guiding you along this particular path.

As you're clearing a healthy space for yourself, you also need to figure out why davka THIS person’s unhealthy voice and THOSE particular words or wrong ideas got so entrenched in your head.
 
Maybe you’ve done/do it to others. (No, this doesn’t mean you’re horrible, For example, maybe you’re really wonderful and generally a great influence on others, but there is one person or maybe a certain type of person that you’ve impacted in a less-than-ideal manner.)
 
Or maybe you secretly think this way about yourself.

​(This is a VERY big reason why the message stays in your head. Rationally, you might know that person’s message for you is all wrong. But subconsciously? What’s really going on? So this should really be explored more deeply.)
 
It’s definitely worth mulling it over with Hashem.
 
You can talk it out, do a freewrite or a mind-map.
 
But there’s a reason why davka this person’s voice and messages are stuck in your brain.
 
And it’s helpful to figure that out.

Tell Hashem you only want HIS Voice and HIS Messages inside you head.

You want His Truth and nothing less.

​This is a beautiful thing to ask for and gives Hashem a lot of nachas.

To sum it all up:

Viral voices develop from:

• Unknowable soul-tikkun issues
• Criticism or condemnation given from the heart
• The effect of zivug that naturally forms upon receiving advice

How to deal with viral voices:

• Treat them like a virus.
• Acknowledge the adviser’s good points.
• Don’t demonize the adviser (unless he or she really is mostly bad—and some people are).
• Maintain your distance (if possible) until the “virus” clears up. (This includes written & oral contact.)
• Via writing and/or talking it out, figure out the deep-seated reason why davka THIS person’s voice has infected your brain.
• Ask Hashem for help.

When I was reading an exceptionally compelling graphic book featuring the story of Noach, the Mabul (Flood), and everything that led up to it based on Midrashim and other legitimate commentaries, I came across a graphic of the people of the Flood Generation exclaiming at how the Sun was suddenly rising in the West instead of the East. It also glowed with an especially strong and pleasant light.

This was one of Hashem's many kindnesses and warnings, giving that generation every opportunity possible to wake up and do teshuvah before it would be too late.

Yet what was their reaction?

"It doesn't mean anything. Apparently, it's just a coincidence."

"I heard that once every few hundred years, the Earth changes its orbit," said another one of the cartoon skeptics. "Come on, let's hurry up so we won't be late to the party." 

We know that any time something unusual happens, we can find natural causes for it.

But it doesn't mean that the occurrence doesn't mean anything.

Even with something as predictable as a solar or lunar eclipse, the eclipse still contains a message for us.

So it's true that the Earth cycles through warmer periods and cooler periods.

It's true that the Sun also undergoes changes and cycles.

But these cycles aren't exact to the day or year.

So the question becomes: Why davka now and with these specific consequences?

The same goes for hurricanes, volcanoes, and everything else.

Chazal informed us millennia ago of the different punishments for different sins. Death by fire, choking on volcanic ash or drowning all mean something.

Scoffers will continue to insist that it's man-made global warming. 

But Rivka Levy repeatedly brought evidence (the most recent discussion now found HERE) that undersea volcanoes are waking up. And indeed, we see that land volcanoes are also waking up.

The question is why?

Not what geological or astrophysical changes are causing it, but what Hashem wants to warn us about via ash, lava, hurricane winds and flooding storm surges, and earthquakes.

He loves us and wants to give us this time for soul-searching and self-improvement.

While we're anyway discussing Noach's Ark, researchers discovered thousands of supposedly prehistoric carvings in India's Konkan region featuring animals native to Africa and NOT to that part of India -- like rhinos and hippos.

Of course, if you understand that the world once consisted of a giant landmass, making all regions accessible to all people and animals, then such carvings make sense. Either hippos and rhinos transversed that way pre-Mabul or else people who'd seen such animals decided to etch their memories into the cave walls.

Either way, it's not PROOF of the Torah's version of pre-Mabul geography. It's not like there's graffiti: "Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to Noah's Ark we go!"

(Those of us who are not "scientists" understand that indications, assumptions, and personal beliefs aren't substitutes for proven evidence.)

But it does fit in to the Torah's narrative.

If you go to the post Mishkoltz Rebbe Shlit"a: Geula This Year - If... and also read the comments, you'll see a clarifying discussion of the Rebbe's valuable directive.

The Mishkoltz Rebbe apparently claimed that we will merit Mashiach this year if we strengthen ourselves in the following 3 ways:

1. Emuna in the Creator of the World
2. Torah
3. Achdut (Unity) within Am Yisrael

I admit that I also automatically interpreted this in mind as doing teshuvah until my extrapolation (an extrapolation which another reader apparently also made & fortunately mentioned) was clarified in the comments.

And I think it's important to note that crucial difference.

The Rebbe apparently said l'hitchazek (to strengthen) ourselves in those 3 areas.

​He didn't say to do teshuvah (even though, yes, strengthening these areas is definitely an aspect of teshuvah).

He didn't say to become perfect.

He didn't say to conquer even one bad middah.

He didn't even say to perfect yourself in "just" those 3 areas (or in even 1 of them).

He said l'hitchazek.

Wherever you are, whatever level you're holding on: l'hitchazek.

Bulk it up.

In other words: Go 1 babystep beyond your current level or comfort zone.

Emuna means more than faith; it means knowing that Hashem Himself really is behind every single thing and He has only your best interests in mind.

L'hitchazek in emuna can mean saying "Gam zu l'tovah" or "Thank you" (even through gritted teeth or tears), or "Hashem, I understand that my suffering is seemingly very bad. I even feel tremendous pain. My tribulations seem unbearable, but I believe they're all for the best despite the fact that I don't see how..."

It can mean talking to Hashem more, going over your day (or even just the past hour) and discussing with Him what happened and what you think  or how you feel about it.

It can mean staying silent in the face of an insult and mentally requesting something you really want from Hashem instead of answering back.

Force yourself to smile (at Hashem), even when things are going wrong and even when the smile feels more like a grimace, all awkward and tight.

It can mean a whole lot of things.

​L'hitchazek means you don't need to be completely victorious, just up your game a bit.

This can mean so much, it's hard to know where to start. 

You can learn more Torah. You can learn your same Torah, but with more enthusiasm or satisfaction. You can work on internalizing what you learned; how can you apply it practically within the next hour?

You can learn more mussar -- even one line a day from a classic sefer like Mesilat Yesharim or Chassidus or Orchot Tzaddikim or Pele Yoetz.

You can learn more halacha, even just 1 a day.

​You can look into the commentaries for a deeper understanding of your favorite Tehillim or a particularly interesting part of Tanach.

What strengthens unity among Jews?

Giving tzedakah. (Chabad has a lovely custom of saying, "Hareini mekabel/mekabelet alei mitzvat asei 'V'ahavta l're'echa k'mocha' -- Behold, I now accept upon myself fulfillment of the positive mitzvah 'And you shall love to your fellow as yourself'.")

Visiting the sick (can include making a meal or even just a salad).

​Babysitting.

Hospitality.

Giving the benefit of the doubt.

Davening for someone.

Finding some positive quality within even a truly repellent person (not to justify or excuse their awfulness, but just to note that the good point exists).

Forgiving someone.

Accepting an apology.

Greeting others (of your own gender).

Doing a favor.

Resisting the urge to speak any kind of lashon hara (even if it's true), imagining that the person is your twin sister or brother, or your child. How would you feel about them then?

Again, the list could go on. A lot depends on your personality, individual situation and resources, including your challenges and your areas of strength.

The above are things that even a relatively secular person could do (or be pleasantly encouraged to do) because it's about strengthening, not achieving an entire spiritual makeover (although if one could manage it, that would be really good too).

May we all merit l'hitchazek in emuna, Torah, and achdut this year.

The time between Yom Kippur and Hoshanah Rabbah presents the opportunity to get in your last bit of teshuvah to sweeten your verdict for the coming year.

I've found that Hashem throws a couple of trials at people during this time, often a watered-down version of trials they've previously failed.

If you're aware (and I wasn't until the past several years), you can identify a trial during this time period as a repeat of a challenge you've failed before.

So if you can identify it, you can also assume that whatever the trial is, it'll likely end with the end of Sukkot (no promises, though).

Therefore, if your usual response to that particular trial is, for example, an outburst of lashon hara or of raging temper, a drink or a sedative (legal or not), sarcasm, secular music or movies, scarfing down fat-laden carbs, or anything else that indulges subpar behavior, then this is your last chance to get it right.

Or to at least get it less wrong.

I've been going through it myself now and it has been up-and-down.

Sometimes, you don't even know what the better behavior is. How EXACTLY are you supposed to handle it?

Saying, "Thanks, Hashem" or "Gam zu l'tovah -- this too is for the best" is always a good fallback position, even when it feels like that's not enough.

So I've lost some, but also won some.

And that's how it goes.

For tzaddikim, it's different. They've done their work & now they're the Holy Winners.

But for the rest of us, it entails falling to the ground with a thud, then struggle to get back on your feet again.

So as long as you're not letting yourself remain sprawled face-down in the dust, then you're probably doing all right -- even if you feel like you aren't.

May we all merit a sweetening of the final verdict!

I just wanted to point out 2 powerfully positive developments (H/T Yeranen Yaakov):
​
Ben Gurion Airport to Shut Down for Yom Kippur

For the First Time, Kinneret Beaches to be Closed for Yom Kippur

These are steps in the right direction.

​Eretz Yisrael is spiritually sensitive and cannot tolerate desecration, which is why she is described as a Land that can vomit out her inhabitants.

Particularly with the shut-down of a major airport, I'd think that the logistics of doing so are quite complex. 

And of course, there are those who rage against these advances (although the beaches were also closed for Memorial Day and that was fine with these same inconsistent protesters). 

But the truth is that observing halacha ultimately saves lives and only brings blessing in the end, especially when mesirut nefesh is involved.

This is a big zechut for Am Yisrael and may it only increase.

Kol hakavod to all those involved.

May everyone have an easy fast and may we all merit to do complete teshuvah & have our teshuvah accepted by Hashem.

I just read a very useful article on talking to God.
 
He explains that by talking through your entire day with Hashem, you can rectify that day.
 
Rav Levi Yitzchak Bender also mentions this in Words of Faith.
 
The idea is that you should sit down and start talking to Hashem as if He is your Most Caring & Intimate Friend, who is Totally Trustworthy and Forever Forgiving.
 
In other words, the Unlimited Infinite Wholly-Omnipotent Master of the Universe is your personal BFF.
 
And then you speak about everything that passed over you during the day and everything you did—like a chatty report of your day.
 
This really chirked me up because as I’ve said before, I was always a dreamy type. Not ADD because I can focus well-enough, but sometimes what’s going on in my head can be more compelling than what’s going on around me, even if it’s something I’m actively doing myself.
 
Because I read Rav Arush's article at late morning, I felt it would be doable to start with the moment I woke up this morning. It seemed I could avoid getting distracted in the middle because we are only talking about a few hours, not 24 hours.
 
So I started with how my husband woke me up nicely and even though I was initially extremely sleepy due to having gone to bed way too late the night before, I still managed to get up at my husband’s first mumble and a minute later, I really felt fine and not sleep-deprived at all.
 
Yet I fully realized that this was nothing for which I could take credit because it is irrational to think that not only can I get up after such little sleep, but also feel perfectly fine a minute after doing so (especially since I haven’t gotten much sleep over the past few weeks AND a child already woke me up for a moment even earlier this morning)—and manage this all on my own koach.
 
Absurd, right?
 
So once again, it was “Thanks, Hashem! Very Nice & Generous of You—especially since it was my own fault that I went to bed so late in the first place!”

See? Very Forgiving is He.
 
And so it continued. I found things I did wrong (even though I’d only been awake for 5 hours so far), got some great insight into something I thought was innocent or neutral but was actually inconsiderate to Hashem, and also saw that anything good I seemed to have accomplished was yet another manifestation of Hashem’s Kindness to me because it involved accomplishments that I’m not capable of on my own (like not overeating, not obsessing over something worrisome, etc.).
 
So it was some nice fault-finding, slate-cleansing…and most importantly, feeling The Love.
 
I think this is a good way to start small if you tend to get distracted, overwhelmed, bored, or bogged down with the whole talking-to-God-in-your-own-words thing.  
 
Please read Rav Arush’s article for more inspiration and a tip for when you’re truly tongue-tied:
A Prayer-Insurance Policy

And also, please read a previous post which is sort of Part I to this post:
The #1 Thing You Can Do to Cancel Negative Decrees

Well, I hope this works for you (if you hadn't been doing it already) and I hope it continues to work for me too because God knows I really need it.