In Memory of Shmuel Leib ben Zvi (Lewis Berkin) & Baruch Yitzchak ben Yirmiyahu (Barry Pessin) 5783 Nesavim/Vayelech

In this week's Parsha we read about the mitzvah of Teshuva repentance. We are also approaching Rosh Hashana and the start of the ten days of repentance. Many people our discouraged as they feel they can't "fix everything" they can't change themselves. But the Torah tells us that repentance is easy and close to being accomplished. Hashem doesn't expect us to change over night but we need to take small steps in the right direction.

A young man living in Kiryat Gat got up early one day to go to Yerushalayim to be menachem avel a friend. Immediately after davening he ran to catch a bus to Yerushalayim. He barely said a few words of condolence to his friend when his phone rang. It was his father, asking him to come to Ramat Gan to be with him while he undergoes a medical procedure. He left Yerushalayim immediately but still arrived late for the procedure. He spent half his day on the bus and felt he didn't accomplish much. (Although, he will undoubtedly be rewarded for trying to perform the mitzvos.)

His traveling wasn't over because he now had to catch a bus from Ramat Gan to Bnei Brak and then a bus back home to Kiryat Gat. As he waited at the bus stop, the electronic sign showed that the next bus to Bnei Brak would arrive in half an hour. With some time to spare, he entered a nearby convenience store.
Approaching the non-religious storekeeper, he politely asked if he could use the restroom. When the storekeeper readily agreed, the young man asked, "Can I leave this bag with you until I come out?" Curiosity flickered in the storeowner's eyes as he responded, "Why don't you take it into the bathroom with you? That way, you can watch it yourself."
The young man explained, "I have my talis and tefillin in this bag, and it isn't proper to bring them into the bathroom."

The storeowner's eyes sparked with interest. "Can I put on your tefillin?"

"Of course! It would be my privilege," the young man replied.

When he exited the restroom, the young man found the storeowner wearing the tefillin. A small cap rested on his head, his tattooed arm was wrapped with the tefillin shel yad, while his bald head donned the tefillin shel rosh. Overwhelmed with emotion, the storeowner shared, "Although I'm not religious, I

try to put on tefillin every morning. I didn’t have time to do so today before coming to work. I prayed to Hashem, asking Him to help me get tefillin today. I was sure that Hashem would assist me. And as you can see, I am now wearing tefillin."

The young man now realized that his travels weren't in vain. He had journeyed to help this fellow Jew wear tefillin. This heartwarming encounter serves as a powerful reminder that Hashem cherishes the mitzvos of every individual, regardless of their religious observance or background.

And Hashem desires our teshuvah as well, no matter what level we are on.

Shabbat Shalom - Shana Tova and Chasiva V'Chasima Tova.

May we all be inscribed in the book of life!

Heath