English Blog

It was a rainy day; wet and cloudy, and I was on my way to give my weekly Torah class at 8am. Before I knew what had happened, I found myself flat on my back on the floor of the subway platform. Ouch! But as I took a deep breath, registering my fall, a tricky little thought niggled at the back of my mind: thousands of people dream about this: Fall, act hurt, and sue the city. My thoughts even progressed to buying a building for our Chabad center, but I shook my head and reminded myself that if G-d wanted to give me money, I would have to work a lot harder than this to get it!

I recently met Laura* who told me she was deeply hurt by her grandmother’s will. Her grandmother had been an extremely wealthy, philanthropic woman, but had left the vast majority of her money to charity, designating only a small yearly sum to each of her children. Laura herself received nothing and was devastated. “Why would she cut me out of her will? I could be living in luxury, not having to go to college or work. I would be able to do whatever I wanted, why did she do that to me?” she wanted to know—and this was 15 years after her grandmother’s passing!

“I never met your grandmother,” I told Laura, “and I don’t know for certain why she did this, but perhaps she gave you the ultimate gift.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well,” I continued, “Had your grandmother written you generously into her will, it’s likely you would not be the ambitious, motivated person you have become. What would have driven you to attend college, graduate and work hard to make a decent living? But here you are, a strong, ambitious woman driven to get up and put in 110% every morning.”

In this week’s Torah portion the Jews finally leave Egypt, and with a vast amount of money. G-d granted them great wealth as they moved towards freedom, but with these riches came significant danger. Here is a nation accustomed to being slaves, downtrodden and persecuted, and suddenly they are not only free but fabulously wealthy. Perhaps they would abuse their newfound wealth?

But G-d planned ahead. He made sure that for 40 years in the desert they would have virtually no use for their wealth. They couldn’t buy mansions—they lived in tents. Even their food and water were provided by Heaven. All their basic needs were taken care of equally, and there was no way to buy better “coverage.”

G-d created an ideal transition period for the Jewish nation. In those 40 years they learned to think, “What do I need money for?” Having money but no use for it gave them the time and opportunity to develop a healthy relationship with it, to think of positive ways to spend it, and to consider its true value.  

Then, when they finally entered the Land of Israel, the money was no longer “new”. It was old money, and they’d thought out very clearly how to spend it wisely. Those 40 years taught them how to utilize wealth in the best possible manner, how to earn it honestly and appreciate it. More than 2,000 years later, we benefit from their knowledge.

*Names and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy. 

Seventy-four years ago, the Nazis tried to destroy our nation. Horrifically, they succeeded in killing six million of us. 

Seventy-two years ago, a little girl, Jacqueline Levy, was born in Paris, France. A beautiful Jewish princess. An infant whose life was in peril simply because she was born Jewish, in Europe, in 1940. 

The Nazis searched for her. They wouldn’t allow even one little baby to live. She was forced to live in hiding with a Christian family until the end of the war. She was forced to conceal her Jewish identity, required to live a double life, but ultimately she survived. Her entire extended family was massacred. But although Jacqueline lived, moved away and raised her own family, she was never able to fully re-embrace her Jewish identity. 

Until now. 

Fast-forward to December 25, 2012. Jacqueline’s grandson, Sam, only 13 years old, found his own way back to Judaism. He has been coming to our Chabad Israel Center on the Upper East Side together with his mother Julia. So strongly did he want to commit to it, he underwent a brit milah (circumcision), despite his age and the pain he knew it would involve. He reclaimed his Jewish heritage—seventy two years after his grandmother lost hers. He embraced the covenant of Abraham, forging an eternal bond with G-d and His commandments.

In this week’s Torah portion, the Jewish people are finally allowed to leave Egypt. After 210 long years of slavery and hardship, they are finally about to be freed. Oh, the excitement and relief! But there was one small problem. As a nation, the Jewish people were considered “naked”—ie., bereft of mitzvot. In order to leave Egypt, they needed at least something in their “mitzvah pocket.” So G-d gave them two mitzvoth – the Korban Pesach (Pascal Lamb) and the mitzvah of circumcision. In the merit of these mitzvoth, they were redeemed from Egypt, and from two centuries of slavery. 

We often think we’re in charge of our lives, but it’s important to remember that G-d has the final say. And sometimes He reminds us of that. The evil Nazis sought to kill this baby girl, and while she was fortunate to live through those hellish years, they did manage to snuff out her connection to Judaism. Nevertheless, the same way G-d redeemed the Jews from Egypt and made them His nation, He led Jacqueline’s grandson back as well. 

May Sam’s courage and commitment serve as a lesson for us: A reminder that it’s never too late, and that G-d has a way of bringing His children back, even decades later. 

And when Sam became Shmuel, and a full-fledged member of the Jewish nation, that was a true victory over the Nazis, seventy-two years later. 

“Can I buy you coffee?” read the text message I received last Sunday morning. Objectively, not a strange text, but considering it was from the CEO of a major company—someone who had never texted me before—my curiosity was certainly piqued. 

So I responded, “Sure. I’m out of town until Monday, so let’s do it then.” He wrote back immediately and we set up a time for Monday night, December 31st. He made it clear that we needed to talk before the end of the tax year, which just made me more curious. In the back of my mind I wondered if he’d read one of my emails about our building campaign, and due to the new tax laws in Congress, decided to donate a couple of million dollars before the end of the tax year. 

Come Monday evening, my flight landed and I went straight home to change. I texted this gentleman to confirm our appointment. “Should I meet you at Starbucks?” I wrote. But no, he wanted me to come to his house. I headed out, my mind racing. After all, what could he want to discuss that couldn’t be done on the phone or via email? 

I rang the doorbell at 8:00 p.m. as planned, and when he opened the door the gentleman looked surprised. “Rabbi Vigler!” he said, “So nice to see you. What a surprise! What can I do for you?”

“What can you do for me?” I sputtered, “I’m here for the coffee…” 

It turns out he actually meant to text someone else who he desperately needed to see, but the names got mixed up in his phone. He hadn’t realized it was me until I showed up at his door! 

Later that night he phoned me to apologize for the misunderstanding. I suggested that perhaps there was a lesson for us to consider, since we know that everything happens for a purpose. 

Here you are, I said, spending the last day of the financial year running around, desperately trying to set up a last minute meeting with a business acquaintance, and in the middle of all that G-d sends you a rabbi! Maybe He’s trying to tell you that you need a boost of spirituality in your life. More Torah. More mitzvot. 

In this week’s Torah portion we read about the plagues which wreaked havoc upon Egypt. It’s natural to think of the plagues as a punishment for Pharaoh’s treatment of the Jewish people, but that’s actually not the case. G-d sent the plagues so that, "Egypt will know that I am G-d." 

The purpose of the plagues was to change our perceptions of the world we live in. They were brought so we would recognize G-d and the significance of His teachings. For Pharaoh, that meant he eventually obeyed G-d and let the Jewish nation go free. For us, it means recognizing G-d in our lives, and taking the right steps to bring peace and healing to the world. 

It seems G-d used me as a little reminder for my friend the CEO this week, sending me to his doorstep as a messenger, a wakeup call. Let’s all take the opportunity to bring more G-dliness into our lives—we can even discuss it over coffee!