Parashat Vayekhel

Ok so when you look at this Parasha, let's be honest- it appears to be boring. 

Let's look into this. 

So when building the משכן , בני ישראל is given like tons of details. We hear them twice; Hashem's instructions and human carrying it out. In both cases we also get the command of keeping Shabbat. Shabbat overrides building the משכן. The 39 מלכות that we can't do on Shabbat come from the activity done to build the משכן. 

The difference between Hashem's instructions and Moshe telling the people can be seen from פרשת כי תשא and this weeks. Last time- the commandment of Shabbat is at the end - after the detailed instructions. This week however we see Shabbat first. Why??

There's a מחלוקת in the Gemara . One guy says if someone is traveling in the wilderness and gets lost and he doesn't know when Shabbat is he has to count six days since he forgot and observe one. The other guy says: no, he has to keep one and then count 6 days. What's the difference? One holds that it's like the worlds creation and one is like the case of Adam.

This blows my mind- from Hashem's point of view Shabbat is the seventh day. From a human beings, it's the first day. So which perspective do we adopt? 

Ok so clearly Shabbat comes last when Hashem gives instructions and first when Moshe ( a human being) gives it. 

But listen- when it comes to Hashem there no gap between intention and execution. ברוך שאמר והיה העולם. ברוך. הוא ברוך אומר ועושה. Hashem knows how things will turn out In advance. Humans don't. A novelist doesn't know how a story will turn out until it's done, nor a composer a symphony or an artist with a painting. You can't plan human behavior. You can let things happen as they will ( don't do this) or you could reveal the end at the beginning. Shabbat isn't just a day of rest. It's anticipation of how the works will be when yes, Mashiach comes. We don't strive to do, we are content to be. We don't manipulate the world, we celebrate it as Hashem's work of art. 

The ultimate utopia is עולם הבא and we do a dress rehearsal of it every week, one day in seven. We try to act like a social that hasn't come Into being yet but we know what were aiming for because we've experienced it at the beginning. 

The symbolism of the משכן is a miniature universe. It's a prototype of a society. It's a home on Earth for Hashem. 

He wants us to know what were aiming for when we lose our way in the wilderness. That's why when it came to the actual building of the משכן by humans - Shabbat came first. For Hashem it came last. He made the end known at the beginning so could catch a glimpse of the destination before beginning. Only those who know where they are traveling will get there, however how fast or slow they go.

Shabbat shalom

Props to rabbi j sacks 

Rav Lerner

Sorry this is so late!

Last weekend I stayed in Beitar with some friends at my (charedi) Rabbis house. It was so great. Everyone in the area wears a streimel lol. We had no idea what was going on at shul. The Kalaver Rebbe was there. He's like this huge Chassidish rabbi that everyone's obsessed with. He actually came to school last week and we had classes cancelled so he could individually give us all blessings. So fun! Amen

So anyways the Lerner family is so chill. We stayed up with his wife Michelle until 12:30 after dinner. 

We bonded with the kids also. They're adorable.

I love going to teachers houses for Shabbat. Probably my favorite weekends were by teachers 

Neve Michael with the Bargads!

Amazing Shabbat. 

Our highschool teachers Mr. and Mrs. Bargad are on their sabbatical. They're here in Israel for the year so they decided to have all Flatbush graduates for Shabbat. They live in Pardes Chana, 2 hours away from Jerusalem. They were super organized and had a coach bus pick us all up from the Inbal. That bus was ligit a Flatbush seminar bus. 

Jamie Baum (hey, shoutout!) ((CLASSIC-ly)) organized tons of the details. It seriously wouldn't of happened without her

So Neve Michael serves 250 children ages 4-18 years old  from all over Israel who were brought to their doorstep at a tender age and under traumatic circumstances. Many have suffered mental/physical/sexual abuse . In many cases, these unfortunate children’s natural parents are afflicted with mental illness or drug and alcohol addictions.

We spent Shabbat with these Gorgous kids. I couldnt wrap my head around how they seemed like that led normal lives. The girls I looked after had come from really rough homes. I can't even imagine what life is like for them. Not even close. (ברוךה׳) 

Sitting in shul Friday night I looked around and just got so sad for these kids. Their emotional state seemed okay from where I was but a whole world of thoughts were flowing through each and every kids head. They all have a story.

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was chilling with my grade. If you asked me to go to a grade gathering  6 months ago you would of had to pay me. I was sick and tired of obnoxious highschool kids. It's incredible what 5-6 months in a wholesome environment can do to a person.  The level of conversations that were going on was amazing. Looking around the room, I heard that everyone was discussing what they learned that week or having a debate over a philosophical issue. That's the way 18-19 year olds SHOULD be interacting. I was thrilled to see us actually becoming adults who use our brains for the first time in our lives. 

Another thing is like to acknowledge is the people who work at Neve Michael. The volunteers are mostly Bnot Sherut doing their national service. These girls are going straight to Olam Habah בעזרת-ה׳ I'm telling you they are some of the hardest workers and most patient people I have ever met in my life. You don't know what looking after crazy Israeli kids is like. Now....you don't know what RAISING them is like. These volunteers start from my age. They literally bring up these girls from the moment they get put into the home until they turn 17 and go to the army. It's really crazy. 

Neve Michael is really an organized institution and it caters to each kids needs. If it were a boarding school, I'd send my kids. It's comforting to see how these kids from various horrifying backgrounds are in really loving, committed and dedicated hands. 

By the way they didn't speak a word of English. Not even "yes" or "no". I got a lottttt of practice 

Save a Child's Heart in memory of Grandma

Hey

Since I'm in Israel for the year I have decided to run the Jerusalem Half Marathon (naturally). Training is going well ברוךה׳ and I'm really excited. This year, my father and I are running in memory of my Grandmother Millie Marcus A"H. I was very close to Grandma Millie and her passing was sudden. It involved a heart complication. Fitting- In her memory and honor, I am raising money for Save A Child's Heart. 

Save a Child’s Heart's  (SACH) mission is to improve the quality of pediatric cardiac care for children from developing countries who suffer from heart disease and to create centers of competence in these countries. SACH is totally dedicated to the idea that every child deserves the best medical treatment available, regardless of the child's nationality, religion, gender or financial situation.

This is the epitome of Tikun Olam!! (Repairing the World)

I actually visited the facility they have in Israel and I was able to witness the unbelievable work that goes into taking care of the kids. 

Please donate to help with this beautiful cause and to help eternalize my Grandma Millie who was truly an amazing woman, an אשת חיל

Tizku Lemitzvot

Donation link--

http://www.give2gether.com/projects/team-tzvi-for-save-a-childs-heart.MillieMarcus/

Nachal Og נחל עג

On Monday we went on a hike. Duh. It was pretty chill. The whole thing was downhill except we had to climb down ladders that were as long as 3 story buildings. Good times. 

It was a gem of a hike. It winds through a number of white chalk canyons. It's in the Judean Desert, just 30 min away from Jeru. However, when you're there you feel like you're miles from civilization.

Usually I get a huge feeling of accomplishment when I see the mountain I just climbed. But here.... I looked down at the valley I came from. Nachal Og is one of the lowest points below sea level that isn't covered by water. So yeah, I went there

Shabbat by the Tellers

Oh this Shabbat...

It was quite an interesting one.  

A few of us wanted to go to our teacher Rav Hanoch Teller for Shabbat. He's famous! He wrote like 27 books. I own 3 lol. Also side point he has 18 children.

Yeah. So we stayed by my friend Ariella's cousins in Ramat Eshkol. They were so inviting especially since they were having tons of people over for meals. 

Friday night dinner was so different there than I've ever seen. There were all random guests there that were connected to the Teller family in random ways. The kids were SO well behaved it was nuts. Everyone was like really quiet.... I felt like I was in shiur. Rav Teller was giving over some of his stories from class for the people that haven't heard him yet. After dinner we went to go chill by our Rakezets homes, Rina and Lauren. 

After Lunch on Saturday we went to the kotel with Rav Tellers wife. Then we went to a shiur in a home in the Old City. It was gorgoussssss! And I liked the speaker. He spoke about this past weeks Parasha, תרומה, the instructions to build the Mishkan. He explained how it's a microcosm of the universe. I really enjoyed it. Afterword we went to a hospus. I know right? Rav Tellers wife took us to visit her friend, Marci Whoes paralyzed in bed. She barely gets any visitors which is really sad. She's mentally all there so she points to letters on a board to get out what she wants to say. We really have to be thankful for our health each and every day. 

Anyways at seudah shelishit Rav Tellers daughter and I realized that we met once in the summer. I went to Camp Simcha for Deal day and she was a counselor there. After Shabbat she showed me pics on her computer and I was in them!!! So funny. Small world wow. 

So it was an interesting Shabbat. Call me for details 😉