English Blog

I fell on the Ice!

Thursday, January 27, 2022 - 10:44 AM

It feels like minus a million degrees in NYC lately, and even though I’ve lived in this beautiful city for 25 winters, I still miss the incredibly mild South African ones. I just can’t get used to the cold. And along with the freezing temperatures comes ice on the ground, which as we all know is extremely slippery and dangerous, and often virtually impossible to see.

This week I was walking with my boys, when I slipped and fell on the ice. I’d been walking slowly and carefully, but alas, I felt myself go down, as if in slow motion, trying desperately to catch myself. I landed on my side, hitting my head on the ground.

My boys, who were walking ahead, were oblivious.

I lay there in shock for a few seconds, trying to evaluate how serious of a fall it had been. Could I move? Was I injured? How badly? I know so many people who have broken bones and required extensive surgery after slipping on the snow and ice. Would I be one of them?

I slowly tested my legs and realized that aside from some scratches and bruising, I was actually 100 percent OK. I was in pain for a few hours, but thank G-d, that was the extent of it. Thank G-d, because I know it could’ve been so much worse!

I eventually caught up to my boys and asked, “Did you notice I wasn’t following you?” They said no, they had assumed I was right behind them the entire time. They hadn’t noticed my fall at all!

And then I was struck by an important lesson: In life we ALL fall. We fail, mess up, sin. And when that happens, we often think to ourselves, “That’s it. I’ve done the very worst. There’s nobody as bad as me. If people knew what I’d done, they wouldn’t talk to me.” But that’s the evil inclination trying to keep us down. After all, if we’re so bad, what chance do we have of getting back on track?

But G-d gave us a tremendous gift—the ability to get back up and right ourselves.

Every morning when the sun rises, that is G-d saying, “I don’t care what happened yesterday or how badly you messed up. Today is a new day. See the sun shining? Leave whatever happened yesterday in the past. Today, you get up! Try to repent, but leave the past in the past. Don’t let it bog you down. Today you have a fresh start. Make the most of it.”

We all fall, but the falls don’t matter. What matters is getting back up.

You went on a bad date and you feel miserable because it didn’t work out? Tomorrow you start over and try again.

You messed up by letting out your stress on those you love? Tomorrow, get up, apologize, and start fresh.

You slipped up by eating non-kosher? Tomorrow, you’ll recommit.

Didn’t give enough charity in 2021? Ok, it’s a new year, you can do better this time around.

Haven’t been to shul in a while? Don’t let that keep you away. Get up today and go.

When you do that, nobody will remember the initial fall. All they’ll see is your perseverance and commitment to starting over and getting things right.

And with the massive blizzard we may be getting this weekend, stay safe out there!

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Uriel Vigler

A Miracle of Biblical Proportions!

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 - 11:08 AM

There are rare times in our lives that G-d performs miracles of Biblical proportions, and all we need to do is open our eyes and witness the incredible unfolding before us.

This past weekend was one such time.

As Shabbat ended, I turned on my phone and saw that a group of Jews had been taken hostage at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. Like everyone else, I was glued to the news, latching onto every new snippet of information as it was released.

“Please G-d, let them be safe!” was all I could think, as I prayed, and encouraged everyone else to pray and do good deeds for their wellbeing and safe release.

Although this terrorist, may his name be erased, chose Jews in Colleyville, this was a personal attack against all Jews the world over. Which is why we are all shaken. This isn’t some distant happening; this happened to us!

We live in a dark world; one which conceals the face of G-d. Of course, we know He orchestrates everything that transpires, but He hides Himself. We don’t see Him at work.

But on Saturday night, we did. G-d revealed Himself to us in an incredible and unprecedented way! The fact that the standoff ended without a single Jew being harmed is a miracle of Biblical proportions—one of those rare moments when G-d reveals Himself directly to us.

Think of the all the recent terrorist attacks and hostage situations. Unfortunately, there have been all too many: The Mumbai attacks, Toulouse massacre, Burgas, Sandy Hook, Charlie Hebdo, Orlando Shooting, Pittsburgh, Jersey City, Poway and so many more vicious attacks against us. Not one of them ended without blood being spilled.

And here, not even a scratch! It is nothing but a sheer, open miracle. Let’s take a moment to simply say “Thank you, Hashem!” for this incredible feat that unfolded in front of our very eyes.

And after that, how should we respond?

This terrorist just happened to take his hostages in Texas, but we were all his targets. So we all need to respond. Let’s commit to dramatically increasing our observance of mitzvot. Commit to putting on tefillin daily, lighting Shabbat candles every week, giving regular tzedakah, and making Torah study a steady part of our lives.

Most importantly, we cannot allow fear to cower us. This Shabbat, make it a point to go to shul. Show up. Be out and open and proudly Jewish. Let’s gather in thanks for the miracle we witnessed last weekend, and demand from G-d that this one-off revelation become the norm, with the coming of Moshiach, when we will see His hand at work openly at all times.

Thank you Hashem

Rabbi Uriel Vigler

Should I Sell the Ticket for 500 Percent More Than its Value?

Thursday, January 13, 2022 - 11:59 AM

We recently held a beautiful Shabbat dinner, geared towards young professionals. We had wounded IDF soldiers coming, as well as some celebrities.

Planning an event during covid involves a lot of guesswork and a lot of maybes and plan Bs. It’s hard to know when people will show up en masse and when people will stay home.

But we started advertising two weeks before, and the reservations came in swiftly. With a week to go, we were fully sold out; hundreds of tickets bought.

We even oversold a few tickets, assuming that some would cancel at the last minute, which they did.

And then the calls came pouring in.

“Do you have room for one more?”

“It looks like the website is down; why can’t I buy a ticket?”

“Are you absolutely sold out? You must have room for just one!”

“I tried reserving last week but there was a problem with the computer and now when I try, it’s sold out. Please help me. I really want to come!”

Then we received a one-of-a-kind call from Yankel. “I must come to the Shabbat dinner,” he said. “I am determined to buy a ticket and am willing to offer 500% more than the ticket price as a donation. Charge my card for $500 instead of $95.”

What an offer!

Should I have taken him up on it?

The more I thought about it, the clearer a lesson began to form in my mind.

We all have things we cherish, things we would be willing to pay a 500% markup to obtain or experience.

How about an airline ticket to your favorite destination in peak season?

What if there were a shortage of your dream car; how much extra would you pay?

How much would you offer for the latest iPhone this second? A new watch? Dinner at your sold-out favorite restaurant for a special occasion.

The fact that Yankel was willing to pay 500% more for a Shabbat dinner is actually incredible! That’s what he values—celebrating Shabbat with friends and community, and honoring our IDF soldiers. Far more important than vacations, cars, or iPhones.

We should all be willing to pay extra for spiritual matters! They are critical for our souls.

8 Lessons From Omicron!

Thursday, January 6, 2022 - 10:41 AM

Look around! Your friends are all either in quarantine, just exiting quarantine, or afraid of being exposed and having to quarantine. This new variant is spreading so quickly, there aren’t even enough tests! Got a cold? Feeling under the weather? Assume its Omicron.

The Baal Shem Tov, founder of Chassidus, taught that we should look for meaning in everything we observe. Here are a few lessons I’m taking from Omicron.

1. You can change the world
Omicron’s growth has been explosive! It spreads 70 times faster than the original strain, and has rapidly infected more people than at any time previously in the pandemic. The US is currently recording a million new cases per day!
But if Omicron can spread so quickly, just imagine how quickly our good deeds can spread. When you do a mitzvah, it literally reverberates across the entire world and has a ripple effect, spreading goodness and kindness, inspiring others to do good deeds as well.

2. You don’t need to do BIG mitzvot to have a ripple effect
Omicron, thank G-d, is quite mild. Most people who have it describe it as a minor inconvenience, much like a cold. But it's still wreaking havoc on our travel plans, our children’s schools, our vacations and our lives.
Likewise, even a small mitzvah can have a massive impact. You don’t need to do big things to change the world.

3. Love all Jews equally
Omicron does not differentiate. Religious, secular, orthodox, conservative, reform, unaffiliated … it doesn’t matter. We’re all in it together and we all have the same chance of catching it. Likewise, all Jews are equally Jewish. Let’s reach out with love to every Jew, regardless of how different our lifestyles and viewpoints may be.

4. Humility
We’re two years into the pandemic, and as much as we think we know about Omicron, we actually know very little. We don’t know when it will end, when we can start planning life again. In the meantime, we just have to take a deep breath and realize there is nothing we can do—humility!

5. Hashem is everywhere
A popular Jewish children’s song declares, “Hashem is here, Hashem is there, Hashem is truly everywhere … right, left, and all around … here, there, and everywhere … ” What greater parallel than Omicron! It’s literally there, wherever you turn: school, work, shul, friends, vacation—there’s no avoiding it.

6. G-d is in control!
We’ve tried lockdowns, we tried closing our borders and airports, we tried everything in our power to control this thing, but still it rages. Ultimately, we are powerless; He is in control.

7. Our greatest weapon is prayer
Even if you are vaccinated, have had the booster shot, wear masks, social distance, and stay at home a lot, you are not immune to Omicron. Everyone can get it at any time and in any place.
Our greatest weapon is still prayer and good deeds. Wake up every morning and pray to G-d from the depths of your heart – this is still your best chance of warding it off.

8. G-d loves us
Nothing bad comes from G-d. He loves each and every one of us more than anything in the entire world. We have no idea why He brought us covid, but maybe, just maybe, by bringing us Omicron He has done us the greatest favor. Since so many are getting it, it may actually be the best chance we have at natural herd immunity that will finally end all this madness.