Rabbi's Blog

Dear Friends,

Remember the radio commercial from the Men’s Warehouse, where founder George Zimmer would end off with “You’ll like the way you look. I guarantee it”? Well how about if we could co-opt that to talk about our soul and liking the way we feel internally, with a guarantee no less?

Today is the official holiday of Lag BaOmer! In case you need a refresher: Lag B’omer is the day of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a.k.a. by his acronym “Rashbi,” who was a great Talmudic sage in the 2nd century CE. He showed how the “body” of Torah and its “soul”, (the inner, mystical, spiritual dimension) go hand in hand. He was the first person to teach the Kabbalah (spiritual aspect of Torah) to a group of disciples, which they wrote in the ‘Zohar’. He proclaimed the day of Lag BaOmer (his passing) as a time of rejoicing and an auspicious day for all. 

Some of the customs of this holiday include making a bonfire (representing the soul teachings of the Torah) and Jewish children play a central role in Lag BaOmer celebrations. They are taken to fields to play with bows and arrows. How is that connected with Lag Baomer?

 Rashbi taught love and connection between all aspects of Torah and all types of people. He brought about forgiveness and protection for all the world. In his day no rainbow was seen (Rashi on Sedra Noach 9:12), because it was not needed (if you remember, the Torah tells how the rainbow became G-d’s sign that even when society is morally declining, that G-d will never bring another Flood).

The bow of the bow and arrow reminds us of the rainbow which was replaced by Rashbi.  The Lubavitcher Rebbe teaches a deeper and more positive lesson about the connection to the bow and arrow. In ancient times there were other weapons that were suited to close combat (like the sword). The bow and arrow was invented to reach more distant targets, including more distant enemies who are hard to see.   Spiritually, we all have faults in our character that are more visible and therefore easier to eradicate, if we work on ourselves. We also have deeper spiritual weaknesses that are not immediately evident, and need a different kind of weapon to overcome. That weapon is the spiritual bow and arrow.  The further back one pulls the string of the bow , the farther the arrow will fly. This weapon represents the spiritual teachings of Torah, which are nowadays accessible in the teachings of Chassidus (Tanya, Sichas etc.) Pulling the string further back means focusing more on our inner self, and this enables connecting to our core (Neshama) and to a paradigm shift in Avodas Hashem.   Thus the spiritual teachings of Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai are compared to the bow and arrow. They give us access to our inner core, and the power to deal with even the most distant enemy.   I would like to speak from personal recent experience. While as a student I studied some of these teachings in Chabad Yeshiva and even on my own , I was too young to really appreciate them. 

Recently, I have joined a virtual learning community of Chassidus and have focused on really understanding these inner teachings. It has made me so much more aware of our inner power.

Setting up a regular time for studying Chassidus enhances one’s whole life inner journey. 

I would love to help any of you find a workable medium (podcast or online or in-person) to make these teachings part of your week. Please email me [email protected] or text 585-286-6147 (don’t be shy – I am excited to share some ideas to help anyone interested)! Rishi is also available [email protected] and it is our honor and joy to help others find these teachings in a relevant way.

You’ll like the way you feel inside. I guarantee it.

Shabbat Shalom! Good Shabbos! 

Rabbi Yitzi Hein

Dear Friends,

Is it possible to lead a life where your soul is a real defining force that guides your day-to-day? Is it possible to view yourself and others as souls on a journey? 

The holy books in Judaism say it is, but can you think of someone who you met who actually lives like that?

One such person was Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar, a rare leader that the Jewish world lost this past week with his untimely passing at 78.

His accomplishments are long but two of the big ones are: Founder and Rabbi of the famous Shul of Bal Harbour and Founder of the Aleph Institute that helps Jewish incarcerated men and women and their families be supported in their time of need.

I had the privilege of meeting him once when we brought him as a speaker for our Jewish Legal Symposium on the topic of prison reform (see pic above - he is the Rabbi on right).

But I think his real accomplishment was being a walking example of the most basic principle of the Torah(from this week's Parsha Kedoshim): "Love your fellow as you love yourself  ואהבת לרעך כמוך".

There is the famous story of the Talmudic sage Hillel who was asked by a potential convert to Judaism to encapsulate the whole Torah while he stands on one foot. Hillel replied that this 1 mitzvah of "Love your fellow as you love yourself - This is the entire Torah. Everything else is commentary. Now go learn the rest."

A heartwarming story but it seems problematic. How can that be the summation of the *entire* Torah? In the Torah there are two types of commandment: those concerning our relationship with G-d Almighty, and those that govern our relationship with others. Loving your neighbour as yourself can indeed sum up the Mitzvot of interpersonal relationships.

But how does love of one’s neighbour enhance the Mitzvot between a person and G-d Almighty, for example Kashrut, Mezuzah, Praying, Shabbat and all the others?

Also: The Mitzvah to love another as yourself is itself difficult to understand. Is it *natural* to feel for another person like one feels for oneself? Is it humanly *possible*? Like yourself?

In Tanya (Chapter 32 - “Lev”) the Alter Rebbe (first Chabad Rebbe) explains that there is a way that enables us to perform this Mitzvah literally. To love another unconditionally, just as one loves oneself. It is through training ourselves to see the Neshama, the spiritual essence of everything as the true reality.

All the Neshamos (souls) come from the same spiritual Source. There, they are all one. Loving the other *is* loving oneself. When the right hand helps the left hand it is not helping another; it is helping itself.

See the other person not for any externalities or actions or thoughts, but for what they really are in essence: a Neshama which is part of my own Neshama.

How can we cultivate such a spiritual perspective on viewing others? 

I think the life of Rabbi Lipskar was an example of that. He loved the Torah, G-d and his teacher the Rebbe so much, that he could sense the souls of others, be they world-leaders or incarcerated individuals. And together he and they would bring goodness and healing to the world.

In simple words: we should learn Torah and do mitzvos with the teachings of the Rebbe, because that literally gives us glasses of how to relate to the deeper reality of people's souls and make our destiny a redemptive one!

May his memory be a blessing and inspiration to bring that approach into our lives here in Rochester, and may his example guide us all in relating to others and bringing Redemption to the world.

Good Shabbos/Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Yitzi Hein

 
Dear Friends,
 

Someone ever tell you “Make it a great day!”?

If we were to Jewish-ify that, we would say “Make it a shining day”! (Always a little different, those Jews :))

How do you make your day a shining one? By making each day count or count each day.

Let’s explain: In Hebrew the word to count is Lisph(f)or. Notice the root of the word sphor which also means sapphire. In Hebrew the two words (to count and sapphire) share almost all of the letters. They are also related to the word for shining just as a sapphire shines.

It is very evident that if you make each day count and meaningful then your days will shine.

How does one do this?

For that we have yet another word in Hebrew with the same root -Sipur, which means a story or to tell a story.

Picture yourself at the end of the day taking a few moments to recount your story - the events of the day. The things you did and didn't do. The things you wished you had done and the things you wished you hadn't. 

Now picture yourself telling tomorrow's story, how do you want it to be? What are the things you want to be proud of in tomorrow's accomplishments?  What are the things you hope to avoid tomorrow? Who are the people you want to be with tomorrow? What are the personal struggles you hope to be victorious over tomorrow?

Why I am telling you this now? It has to do with where we find ourselves in the Jewish calendar now.

From the second day of Pesach (Passover) until the holiday of Shavout, we count the Omer, a total of 49 days.  In Hebrew Sefirat Ha'Omer - counting of the Omer (notice the root word here Sefira). This counting is a personal journey from Passover to Shavout, a journey of counting and rewriting or writing our story.

Try this for the next 31 days until Shavout - each evening count the number of days that have passed. Count the number and then recount the events of the day. Then take another moment and write your story for tomorrow. 

See what a difference it will make in your life. Click  here to learn more. (Thank you to my friend Rabbi Eliyahu Shusterman for sharing this with me)

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Yitzi Hein

Dear Friends,

What’s the difference between a Jew and a Frenchman at a party?

A Frenchman leaves and doesn't say goodbye; a Jew says goodbye and doesn't leave. (Old Jewish Joke)

Passover feels like it was forever ago, right?

It ended just a few days back. But now that we have packed the Passover dishes and the shelves at the Kosher store are once again stocked with fresh bagels, it does feel like the season has passed.

So, let's say it together: Goodbye Passover!

But wait. It will be a Jewish goodbye.

Which means it's going to take a while. Because we don't want to say goodbye, we want Passover's lessons to stay with us for a bit longer.

The truth is, the season is not truly over. Look at the Jewish calendar: we are still in the Hebrew month of Nissan (not the car company), "the month of miracles."

And while we might not need to eat Matzah anymore, there is something we just keep and cherish: the Nissan energy.

The Nissan energy is about a G-d who didn't forget his children.

It's about a nation of slaves with no path to freedom, no power, and no plan. Yet they walked out of Egypt, not as fugitives, but as a free people. Not because it made sense but because G-d Himself took them out.

And it's about a people who, more than 3,000 years later, still stand tall. Not because the odds were ever in our favor but because they never bound us to begin with. We don't live by the rules of nature. We live with the truth of something higher.

Take Shabbat, for example. Does it make sense to disengage from the word for an entire day completely? What if there is a good business deal that we might miss? According to the rules of nature, we might be missing a lot of money. But we don't care because the rules do not apply to us.

So, as we say goodbye to Passover and the month of Nissan, let's take another few moments to appreciate this month's gifts. And next time we encounter any challenge, we will never say "we can't" or "it's not going to work."

Because Nissan energy is here to stay. (Thank you to Rabbi Mendy Kaminker for sharing the above idea with me).

Wishing you a good Shabbos!

Rabbi Yitzi Hein  

Dear Friends,

When we look at our strengths and talents, we are more comfortable accepting that these are by design.  But the negative qualities are more difficult to accept.  However, to quote Rabbi Taub; "these are features not bugs".  

In this week's Torah portion, in a subtle yet powerful manner, this point is expressed.  

This week we begin to read the 3rd book of the Torah, the book of Vayikra - Leviticus.  In this book, we read about the various offerings that were brought into the portable Mishkan (Tabernacle) and later in the Beit Hamikdash (Temple) in Jerusalem.

As I have the privilege to teach daily Chumash with Rashi 9am on zoom (if you ever want to join this special zoom, just reply to the email with your phone number to receive the daily text invite) we went through a lot of different offerings, both for the communal and for the individual. In the individual, it talks about the rich person's offering (a sheep) , the middle class person's offering (a bird) and the poor man's offering (some flour).

In telling us about the offering of the poor man, the Torah uses the unique expression, "If a soul brings an offering". It doesn't use this expression when talking about the rich or middle class person's offering.

Rashi (11th Century famous biblical commentator) quotes the Talmud that says that since the offering is of the poor person, who may feel down that all he can bring is a poor offering, the Torah wants to lift his spirits and as such tells us that G-d considers it as if he offered his very soul to G-d.

I think the Torah is validating the struggle of the poor person whose poverty consists of poor qualities as well.  Being poor generally is not something someone chooses.  Additionally, the poor person is likely doing everything they can to no longer be poor.  Nonetheless, the Torah and G-d validate the circumstances and the feelings that come with it.  How true is it then, in regard to poverty of better qualities that G-d validates us and our struggle.

Being that all of us can relate to being a 'poor person' in some area of life, we ought to continue working to liberate ourselves from our negative qualities.  But, as the poor person too, until such time that these qualities are transformed, it is part of G-d's masterplan.  Bringing ourselves with our shortcomings to the table in service of Hashem, is considered an offering of our very souls (Thank you to my friend Eliyahu Schusterman for sharing that idea).

I was thinking about this and want to add another bonus:there is something special when we give our 'poor person offering' that doesn't exist in the 'rich/middle class offering.' 

You see, when you do a good deed and everything works out and you "knock it out of the park" you also feel really, really good about yourself. While self-esteem is important (and we are wired to feel good about doing good) that sentiment of self-satisfaction takes away from the selflessness of the act (again this is not good vs. bad just a subtle nuance). 

But when Providence presents you with failure or modest success in your attempts to do good, only you and G-d are left with knowing you did your best. 
​​​​​​​
And that my friends is the truest offering to the Almighty and the world. Lchaim!

Have a good Shabbos!  
Rabbi Yitzi Hein

Hi Friends,

Today is my father's Yahrzeit and I want to share a personal Passover memory. 

Growing up in New Jersey, my parents raised us in a warm Jewish home inspired by Chabad's ethos of sharing. My dad (may his memory be a blessing) and my mom worked full-time as an engineer and a caterer respectively. But as proud Jews, they always found ways to share Jewish life and traditions with other families in our community.

One example that stands out is Passover—they would order extra matzah to give to neighbors in Mountain Lakes and Morristown, NJ. They didn’t run a Chabad center—just a Jewish home that embraced the mitzvah of “Loving your fellow as yourself.” I still remember delivering matzah in my dad's 1989 Nissan Maxima and having guests over every Passover and the impression it made.

Tonight and tomorrow mark the yahrzeit of my father, Chaim Yehuda ben Nosson. As we launch our Matzah Ambassadors project next week, I want to dedicate this effort in his memory and merit.

I’d love for you to join us in this project as a volunteer or supporter. Together, we can share the beauty of Passover. You can learn more and get involved here

To connect a Jewish home with this week's Torah portion - I would like to share with you a thought from the great Yanki Tauber.

Nations go to war over it, families sign away a sizeable chunk of their income for the next thirty years to acquire one. The sages of the Talmud go so far as to say that “a man without a homestead is not a man.”

A home is more than a roof to keep out the rain, walls to keep out unwanted visitors, a kitchen in which to prepare food and a bed in which to sleep. Forts, office buildings, hotels and restaurants can perform those functions as well, or better, than any residence. But only at home is a person at home. Home is where you can make faces at the mirror, wear an old green sweater with a hole under the armpit, and eat pickles with peanut butter—because you feel like it.

G d, too, desires a home—a place where He can be fully and uninhibitedly Himself. The chassidic masters ask: Why did G d create the physical world? What can our coarse, finite, strife-ridden existence give Him that the spiritual dimensions of creation cannot? And they answer: G d created the physical world because He wanted a home—a place where He can do things because He feels like it.

G d’s first home was a two-room, 45-by-15-foot building. According to Exodus 25, it was made of the following materials: gold, silver, copper, blue-, purple- and red-dyed wool, flax, goat hair, animal hides and wood. It was made to order, from detailed specifications given to Moses at Mount Sinai. It sat in the very center of the Israelite camp in the desert, and was designed so that it could be dismantled and reassembled as they wandered from place to place for the forty years between their exodus from Egypt and their entry into the Holy Land. Later, a larger and more permanent version was constructed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Said G d to man: I created wisdom, knowledge and understanding, and in these creations My mind dwells. I created love, justice and compassion, and in these my character resides. I created beauty, splendor and majesty, and in these I invest My personality. But none of these are My home, any more than the office at which you work or the theater at which you are entertained is yours. So I created physical matter—the most undivine thing I could conceive of—so that I should have a place in which there are no roles for Me to play and no characteristics for Me to project. Only My will to fulfill.

When you take your gold (your material excesses), your silver (your stolid middle-class wealth) and your copper (your pauper’s subsistence pennies) and use them to fashion a reality that conforms to My will, you have made Me at home in My world.  

Rabbi Yitzi and Rishi Hein 

Dear Friend, 

When the Jewish people built the Mishkan (Tabernacle), they were asked to donate materials—gold, silver, and copper. On the surface, this seems simple. Some people could afford gold, others silver, and those with less gave copper.

But the Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that these metals represent something much deeper. Gold symbolizes the tzaddik, the perfectly righteous person. Silver represents the baal teshuvah, the one who has made mistakes but longs to return to G‑d—sometimes even more passionately than the tzaddik. And copper, the simplest metal, represents the person who is still struggling but is doing good deeds, even if they are not perfect.

And yet, the Mishkan—the place where G‑d’s presence rested—needed all three. Because G‑d’s home isn’t just for the righteous, or for those who feel spiritually strong. It’s for everyone.

This is such a powerful message. Sometimes we think, I’m not “gold.” I don’t always get it right. Maybe I don’t belong. But G‑d says otherwise. The Mishkan wasn’t made of just gold. It was made of gold, silver, and copper. The yearning of someone trying to return, and even the simple good deeds of someone still struggling, are just as essential in making a place for G‑d in this world.

So, wherever you are in your journey, know that you matter. Your connection to G‑d, no matter what form it takes, is real. And just by being who you are, you are helping build something holy.

Thank you for all that you do, for every mitzvah, every act of kindness, and every moment of connection. It all adds up to something incredible.

Wishing you a Shabbat filled with warmth, belonging, and the knowledge that you are part of something great!

Rabbi Yitzi and Rishi Hein

Dear Friend,

There’s something unusual about this week’s parsha, Tetzaveh—Moses’ name is nowhere to be found. From the moment he was born, his name appears in every single parsha… except this one. Why?

The Baal HaTurim (a.k.a. Rabbi Jacob ben Asher (c. 1270–1340) explains that this is connected to an event that happens later in the Torah. When the Jewish people sinned with the Golden Calf, Moses pleaded with G‑d to forgive them, saying, “If You do not [forgive them], erase me from the book that You have written.” Even though G‑d did forgive the people, Moses’ words had an effect. As a result, his name is missing from one parsha—this one.

But here’s the thing: even though his name is absent, Moses himself is very much present. The entire parsha consists of G‑d speaking directly to him! And instead of his name, we see something even more personal—G‑d refers to him as ve’atah, “and you.”

A name is just a label, a way for others to identify us. But YOU! (yeah - I'm talking to you!) —that speaks to the essence of a person. By stepping aside, by being willing to give up his name for the sake of the Jewish people, Moses didn’t disappear. He became even more deeply connected to the Torah, in a way that goes beyond words.

There’s a powerful lesson here. Real impact isn’t about recognition. It’s about showing up. It’s about being there for others, even when no one sees it. 

I want to take a moment to appreciate—because you do that, too. You show up for your family, your friends, your community. You give, you care, you make a difference, often in ways that go unnoticed. And that matters.

So as we enter this Shabbat, know that your presence—your you—is felt and appreciated, more than words can express. Thank you for being part of this Chabad Pittsford community, for showing up, and for making the world just a little bit brighter.

Shabbat Shalom! 

Rabbi Yitzi Hein

Dear Friend,

The Jewish people are in shock from the monstrous events yesterday: the tragic death and return of the Bibas children’s bodies.

There are two messages here: a short actionable message about the Bibas family (inspired by my colleague Chanoch Kaplan) and an incredibly upbeat social media post by Hillel Fuld with some amazing perspective, even as the tears don’t stop.  

Yarden and Shiri Bibas chose 2 names for their 2 children – Kfir and Ariel, but they are really the same name: lion.

The Torah mentions lions by 6 different names over 150 times, more so than any other animal! The Jewish people are compared to a crouching lion who springs to action to tackle the mitzvot each day. G-d himself is referred to as a lion who roars three times each night, sharing the pain of the Jewish people in exile.

We are a nation of lions. A nation who lives with the attitude and perspective of royalty, knowing the truth about the mission we represent to the world – to be “a light unto the nations.” And even when it seems we are down and out - when we are in a crouching position - you can be certain that it precipitates a giant leap upwards. In the blink of an eye, we will be back to roar our message of truth again, reminding ourselves and the entire world that we carry a holy and noble mission which cannot be held back or silenced.

Friends, the Bibas lions were taken from us, but they live on in OUR roar today!

Here's how you can roar right now to concretize the memory of these beautiful lions who were so brutally taken from us:

Light Shabbat candles today by 5:31 PM
Add a Mezuzah scroll to another doorway in your home
Do a random act of kindness
Attend a Torah class this coming week 
Pray at Shabbat morning services and hear the holy Torah this Shabbat
Give tzedakah to our community or causes in Israel
May the roar of your mitzvah bring some measure of comfort to the Bibas family and bring the long-awaited coming of Moshiach now!

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Yitzi and Rishi Hein

An open Miracle! By Hillel Fuld (@hillelfuld)

Since day one, I’ve been telling anyone who will listen that since 10/7, we’ve witnessed so many miracles, it’s hard to count.

Some of these miracles are easy to recognize, like how well the beeper operation went down or how successful we were at intercepting or detonating those hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles fired at us from Iran. Twice.

Other miracles were harder to recognize.

And then we have last night.

Last night was a miracle the caliber of the splitting of the sea.

I am talking an open miracle that could and should have ended very differently.

Do not ask me for my source and if that means you don’t believe what I’m about to say, so be it. You can keep scrolling. But if you know my work, you know I’m very careful with what I share so if I’m sharing this, trust me, it’s based on a reliable source.

Last night, a young lady noticed a suspicious object on a bus in the center of Israel. She reported it to the driver who pulled into a station, got everyone off the bus, at which point, the bus blew up and was completely destroyed.

But that wasn’t the end of it. Not even close.

Over the hours that followed, an additional four bombs were discovered on buses, some of them exploded, others were taken apart before exploding. Some malfunctioned.

According to my source, and this was news to me, a whopping 15 buses were supposed to explode this morning. According to reports, the terrorist set the timer for 9 PM instead of 9 AM.

So is that the worst of it? Not even close.

In addition to the 15 buses, 5 suicide bombers were set to detonate bombs on the lightrail at the same time, all in the center of Israel.

So is that the worst? Nope. That’s the good part.

Where did this attack originate? Gaza? Nope. Judea and Samaria. In other words, these terrorists came from within Israel. 

And here’s the kicker, and again, I am not telling you where I heard this, all of the above was intended to be nothing more than the distraction, much like the incoming rockets on 10/7. Just a distraction for the real invasion. 

My source says that as those buses and terrorists blew up, massive security and emergency forces were supposed to rush to the scene at which point, there would be a massive breach of the security fence and many terrorists from Judea and Samaria would invade Israel and carry out a 10/7 2.0. Only this time it wouldn’t be from Gaza so it would be an invasion into basically every major city in Israel.

For the third time, this is not information that is publicly available. I can’t share a link and I won’t share a source. Believe me or don’t. Up to you.

It is worth pointing out that for decades, we did not have any bus explosions in Israel. We do this deal and release terrorists, some of whom were the architects behind the bus bombings during the intifada, and all of a sudden, we’re back to buses blowing up.

I can’t imagine anyone believing that that’s a coincidence. 

All of this was supposed to go down during rush hour and would have caused hundreds, maybe thousands of Israelis deaths.

Even if the rest isn’t true, multiple buses blowing up like this bus during rush hour? Can’t even imagine.

Yesterday morning was one of the hardest days in Israel’s history. Perhaps the hardest. We all felt hopeless, every last one of us.

When we are in pain, God is in pain with us.

I don’t know about you, but yesterday morning, as I saw the coffins of the Bibas angels, I looked up to Hashem and asked why. Why would he cause us so much pain or allow Hamas to do this to us??

I told myself that we’ll be ok but wasn’t sure if that was true. Was God even watching over us any more? Has He abandoned us? Did He turn His back on us?

Then, as the hostages were being delivered, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the Israeli skies, a sign from the times of Noah, that God won’t ever destroy the world or let it be destroyed. A rainbow, according to Jewish scripture, is God’s way of telling us, “Don’t worry. I got your back.”

Still, though, I was just so sad and so angry.

And then the news started to hit my feeds.

A bus exploded. No injuries.

Hmm, “How does that happen?” I asked myself.

Then another bus exploded. No injuries. And a third. No injuries.

I already felt God’s presence again. I could breathe again. 

And the news kept coming in. More bombs discovered. More intel. This was supposed to be the biggest attack since 10/7, maybe even bigger.

Totally thwarted.

By who? The IDF? Nope.

Shabak? Nope.

Mossad? Nope.

This was a massive attack prevented 100% by God Himself. And a very vigilant young lady who noticed the suspicious object.

Whatever Hamas planned or didn’t plan for this morning, I would not be writing these words if their plan had come to fruition. But God had other plans and after all the pain God’s children endured yesterday, He felt we needed to be reminded of His presence. He felt we needed to be reminded that He has our back, now and always. He was right. We did need it.

This event might go down in history as one of the biggest miracles the Jewish people experienced since biblical times.

“There are two ways to live life. One is that nothing is a miracle. The other is that everything is a miracle.”

Some will explain how the Iron Dome works and therefore conclude that it’s not a miracle. The same for David’s Sling and the Arrow system.

Some will explain how all of those rockets and drones not intercepted by Israel fell in empty spaces. They might not believe that that too was a miracle.

The beepers? The walkie talkies? Getting Nasrallah? Haniyeh? Deif? They’ll attribute all of that to Israel’s intelligence.

But this? What happened last night? Israel had nothing to do with it. If you don’t see this event as a miracle, there is only one explanation. You don’t want to see it as a miracle.

Open your eyes. Clean your lenses. Hashem is here with us in our pain and each day that passes, we are one day closer to Him finally revealing Himself to us, explaining why any of this had to happen, and ultimately bringing mashiach.

For now, I just wanted to recognize Hashem’s greatness and on behalf of the hundreds, maybe thousands of Israelis who should be dead right now, just say thank you.

‎‏הודו לה השם כי טוב כי לעולם חסדו

Give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

‎בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַגּוֹמֵל לְחַיָּבִים טוֹבוֹת, שֶׁגְּמָלַנִי כָּל טוּב

Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who rewards good deeds, who rewards me for every good thing

We say that blessing when we are saved from tragedy. Today, the Jewish nation was saved from tragedy.

Thank you, Hashem.