Subject: In Memory of Baruch Yitzchak ben Yirmiyahu (Barry Pessin)
From: Heath Berkin <heath.berkin@gmail.com>
Date: 1/26/2018, 3:58 AM
To: Heath Berkin <heath.berkin@gmail.com>
BCC: menachem@alonsystems.com

This week we read from the Torah the story of the splitting of the sea and the start of Bnei Yisroel's journey in the desert. The splitting of the sea was a tremendous test of faith for the Jewish People. Although they had experienced amazing miracles while they were in Egypt as they left they were eventually pursued by the Egyptians who managed to trap them between their advancing army and the sea. Moshe told Bnei Yisroel to proceed into the water and to trust in G-d. Eventually the gemara tells us that Nachshon Ben Amindav jumped into the raging sea and as he was about to be totally submerged the miraculous splitting of the sea occurred.

R'Elimelech Biderman tells over a story which illustrates the faith and trust we need to have. There was a great Rabbi who was imprisoned by the Russians and sent to Siberia to a work camp. They later asked him how did he manage to survive the great difficulties of forced labor in Siberia? He answered that it was his faith and trust in G-d that allowed him to continue and to survive. But where did he draw this strong faith from? He explained that when he was in Siberia there was a villager there who went up to one mountain top and stuck a peg in the ground and then went to an adjacent mountain top and did the same thing. He then strung a rope between both pegs and asked all of the people there who would like to see him walk across the rope from one mountain to the next. Everyone thought he was crazy and told him not to do it, but he insisted and he walked from one end to the other without any difficulty. He then ask the people, you want to see me do it again? Everyone said no, we don't want to see you fall, but he insisted and he proceeded to cross the mountains a second time without fault. He came back down and asked "who wants to see me do it a third time?" Everyone said if you were able to do it twice obviously you know how to do this and there is no need to do it again. He then asked, "do you believe me that I can cross it a third time?" Everyone answered in the affirmative. He then asked if you believe me, then who is willing to sit in a cart while I push it across the rope. Nobody was willing to take the guy up on his offer. There was one little girl who stepped forward and said she was willing to sit in the cart. The man proceeded across the rope while pushing the cart with the young girl inside. He once again successfully crossed over the mountains. When the young girl came down everyone was shocked at her courage. This Rabbi went over to the girl and asked her weren't you afraid? How did you have the courage to go up? She looked at the Rabbi and answered that the man who was pushing the cart is her father, and she knows her father wouldn't do anything that would hurt her.

This lesson we can all take to heart, we must realize that we are in a world with challenges and tests. We are faced with scary situations at times but if we remember that Our Father is pushing the cart and He would never do something that isn't in our best interest then we can live a tranquil life filled with trust and security.

Shabbat Shalom,

Heath   

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