In Memory of Shmuel Leib ben Zvi (Lewis Berkin) & Baruch Yitzchak ben Yirmiyahu (Barry Pessin) Vayahhel 5784

In this week's parsha Vayekhel the Torah tells us that "on six days, work may be done, but the seventh day shall be holy for you, a day of complete rest for Hashem". The Torah doesn't use the words that "you may do work" but that "work may be done" . This can be understood that we don't do the work but that the work is done. Of course a person must put in their effort to work but the work isn't accomplished "done" by us it is only Hashem who makes our efforts successful.

The Gemara in Brachos says (how wonderful it would be) if a person could spend the whole day in prayer. The commentators ask obviously a person couldn't spend the entire day in prayer as nothing would ever get done. The Ben Ish Chai explains that it doesn't mean that he would leave all of his physical needs and just pray but it means that if a person would always be in prayer even when fulfilling his physical needs then that would be wonderful. We tend to forget about Hashem when we are conducting our business or tending to our physical needs. We don't think we need G-d's Help when we do the things we are used to doing without difficulty. When we leave the house to drive to the store to buy food, we don't think twice, but we should turn to Hashem in our hearts and pray that we should make it to the store safely, that the store should have what we need, that the price should be acceptable. We need to understand that even the "simple things" in life only happen because Hashem wants them to.

May these divre Torah be a refuah shelaima for Miriam bas Gittel

Shabbat Shalom,

Heath