Stemming the Tide
Stemming the Tide I mention the sins of my past in order to provide a lesson for others. I pray that the merit of preventing others from sinning serve as atonement for my sins. A man once did something terrible to me. He blamed me falsely and caused me untold anguish. I was extremely angered […]
Anger
“Expel anger from your heart and remove evil from your flesh” (Kohelet 11:10) Whoever is quick to anger is punished with various forms of Gehinnom, as the pasuk states, “Banish anger from your heart and remove evil…” Evil is a reference to purgatory (Nedarim 22a). One who tears his clothes, breaks a dish, or wastes […]
Brazenness Brings the Redemption
Brazenness Brings the Redemption I was once visited by a man who spent an entire year in the hospital with broken ribs, on account of being struck and kicked by his son. As if that were not enough, this son ordered his father, at gunpoint, to sign over all of his possessions to him. When […]
Paying His Last Respects
Paying His Last Respects I stood beside a man who was at his father’s deathbed. I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to encourage the man to do teshuvah. “See what has become of your father. He never merited observing Torah during his lifetime. He now lies in the throes of death. Would you […]
Repenting out of Respect
Repenting out of Respect I was once asked to deliver a eulogy on behalf of a woman who spent her days doing acts of kindness for others. The woman’s children were there, but, unfortunately, they were not dressed differently from their gentile friends. Even during the tefillah, they did not bother to be properly attired. […]
The Ticket to Reverence
The Ticket to Reverence After my parents emigrated from Morocco to Eretz Yisrael, I was learning in a yeshiva in France. I would come occasionally to visit my parents and family in the Holy Land. Father would always hold on to my passport and ticket for safekeeping. On one visit, I asked my father to […]
A Winning Career
A Winning Career Many decades ago, before I had the merit to be involved in public service, Father once called me in to speak with me. “You must continue our ancestors’ tradition in the study and dissemination of Torah throughout the world. The chain of our family’s holiness must not be severed!” Then he added, […]
Honoring Parents
“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days will be lengthened upon the land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you” (Shemot 20:12) “Honor your father and your mother, as Hashem, your G-d, commanded you, so that your days will be lengthened and so that it will be good for you upon the land […]
Surrendering for Salvation
Surrendering for Salvation On the day of the passing of the Baba Laziz, zy”a, grandson of the tzaddik, Rabbi David Ben Baruch, I was scheduled to travel to Toulouse in France, to deliver a speech before a large audience. The residents of the city heard about my arrival and prepared extensively for it. The Ben-Chamou […]
Returning with Merit
Returning with Merit A seminary teacher in Aix-les-Bains once went missing. No one knew where she had disappeared to. One of the Roshei Yeshiva phoned me and asked what to do. This woman was under his jurisdiction, and he felt a sense of responsibility toward her. I immediately instructed him to light a candle in […]
Divorced from Distress
Divorced from Distress When I was in New York to encourage the community there, a woman came to me, crying that her recalcitrant husband had refused to give her a get for the past twelve years. She was still young and wanted to sever all connections with him so that she could move on with […]
Faith in the Tzaddikim – The Spice of Life
Faith in the Tzaddikim – The Spice of Life A seasoned businessman once acquired hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise from a number of distributors. The products were first grade quality, but the businessman was unaware of the fact that they were all stolen goods. Suddenly, one bright day, without prior warning, his […]
