Rough Week
Monday night, we davened. Tuesday night we were up late davening more. Wednesday night we were all up late crying. When Leiby went missing, thousands of people searched for him, the Jewish communities in New Jersey and upstate sent busloads to join the search. Those of us not searching davened and said Tehillim. Moo and I recited Perek 20 together, he said every word with kavana and we gave tzedaka. Together we searched and prayed for Leiby, and together we cried for him. We lost one of our own and now we will pull close the ones we have left. We put everything into preventing this from happening again.
All week we've been quizzing Moo, "What do you do if a stranger asks you to get into a car with him? Even if he is a Jew? What do you do if he tries to make you?" No matter how many times he responds, "Keep walking, run away, yell for help, go to a police officer," we just won't be satisfied. Monday and Tuesday we satisfed our urge to act with prayer, now we do so with education.
And once our children are in bed and we havbe done all we can to protect them today, our hearts turn to questions we ask of G-d. "How could You let this happen?" And no matter how many times we ask, His answer is hidden from us.
That, in itself is an answer. We are living in a time of concealed G-dliness. We live in a world of brutality and visible evil. It is a world far from G-d's Hand. Even as G-d's Chosen People, we are far from Him.
Most of the time, though, it's a fine place to be. A world that meets our needs, sustains us and even inspires us. But it is not the world G-d wants for us.
The murder of Leiby Kletzky has shaken us awake to the harsh reality that G-d does not dwell in this world. But He could.
Leiby's disappearance inspired amazing Jewish unity, uncountable mitzvos - all steps to bring closer the world G-d wants for us - Geula. This cruel reminder of G-d's distance could be the darkness just before the dawn of his ultimate closeness to us, when we finally create a dwelling place for Him on Earth with the coming of Moshiach. In Leiby's Zchus, we have elevated so many sparks, bringing glimmers of redemption to this world. Our momentum could permeate the world with Divine Light.
The day after the Kletzky family gets up from Shiva is Adelle Shayna's third birthday. The next night would have been the first time she lit Shabbos candles and brought Light down into this world in a very real way. Instead, she is sending Heaven's Light down to Earth in ways we cannot see. We must use our power to do Mitzvos to reach up to her and bring down that Light. Now that she has company in Gan Eden, we have yet another reason to turn our faces up and ask another question, "What do You want from me?" It is one question to which we know the answer.
Moshiach Now. It's in our hands. Do one more Mitzvah so that we can all be reunited. Only with Geula will Am Yisroel truly be whole again.
All week we've been quizzing Moo, "What do you do if a stranger asks you to get into a car with him? Even if he is a Jew? What do you do if he tries to make you?" No matter how many times he responds, "Keep walking, run away, yell for help, go to a police officer," we just won't be satisfied. Monday and Tuesday we satisfed our urge to act with prayer, now we do so with education.
And once our children are in bed and we havbe done all we can to protect them today, our hearts turn to questions we ask of G-d. "How could You let this happen?" And no matter how many times we ask, His answer is hidden from us.
That, in itself is an answer. We are living in a time of concealed G-dliness. We live in a world of brutality and visible evil. It is a world far from G-d's Hand. Even as G-d's Chosen People, we are far from Him.
Most of the time, though, it's a fine place to be. A world that meets our needs, sustains us and even inspires us. But it is not the world G-d wants for us.
The murder of Leiby Kletzky has shaken us awake to the harsh reality that G-d does not dwell in this world. But He could.
Leiby's disappearance inspired amazing Jewish unity, uncountable mitzvos - all steps to bring closer the world G-d wants for us - Geula. This cruel reminder of G-d's distance could be the darkness just before the dawn of his ultimate closeness to us, when we finally create a dwelling place for Him on Earth with the coming of Moshiach. In Leiby's Zchus, we have elevated so many sparks, bringing glimmers of redemption to this world. Our momentum could permeate the world with Divine Light.
The day after the Kletzky family gets up from Shiva is Adelle Shayna's third birthday. The next night would have been the first time she lit Shabbos candles and brought Light down into this world in a very real way. Instead, she is sending Heaven's Light down to Earth in ways we cannot see. We must use our power to do Mitzvos to reach up to her and bring down that Light. Now that she has company in Gan Eden, we have yet another reason to turn our faces up and ask another question, "What do You want from me?" It is one question to which we know the answer.
Moshiach Now. It's in our hands. Do one more Mitzvah so that we can all be reunited. Only with Geula will Am Yisroel truly be whole again.