Returning Things to Their Proper Place, at the Proper Time

Good pre-Shabbos, fellow Jews. I've been meaning to write this blog entry for the entire week, but somehow the time got away from me. It has a way of doing that, ya know??

Anyway, if you are a faithful reader (ahem) and recall, a little while back I posted a blog entry about my saga of getting to a shiur given by Rav Arush, and how I was successful only through the help of what I recognized as divine intervention. I concluded that it proved what I had learned, that if you really want to do a mitzvah, G-d will make sure that you get the opportunity to do so.

Lo and behold, it was proven to me again this past week. I was getting off the bus and saw that someone had left their תיק (knapsack)  at the stop. Ah, the perfect opportunity to do the mitzvah of השבת אבדה (returning lost items to their rightful owners)!

Alas, it was not to be. As I unzipped the knapsack to find some sort of identification, the bus driver screamed at me to get away from it. Bus driver screaming?? Big surprise there! Actually, he was within his rights, since I had completely forgotten that it might be a חפץ חשוד - a bomb risk. (Such is the reality of living in the Middle East with your enemies surrounding you). Naturally I backed off, and the kid who actually owned the knapsack came running back a minute later.

Okay, I thought, at least I tried to do the mitzvah. Well, the next day I was sitting all by my lonesome at another random bus stop, when this Russian lady came by and started talking to me about a bank card she had found on the sidewalk right near the King David Hotel. She told me she didn't speak Hebrew very well, so would I mind handling the returning of the card to its rightful owner?

Heck yes, I would be happy to! And I did, and got to do the mitzvah of having the bank inform Yuri Mikalov (or some similar name) that his bank card was found.

Never once did the thought to go on a spending spree in at all the most fabulous shops in Dubai cross my mind. Not once! Okay, maybe once. Har har.

In any case, I got to do my mitzvah. Which was really nice. Then I went home and rewarded myself with a rugelach. Which was also really nice (although not entirely unexpected).

Shabbat shalom everyone!

7 Years of Bad Luck????

So here I was, waltzing around all delighted that my apartment had finally come together. In the past few days, I bought a microwave and washing machine, and today I had a really nice picture put up on the long expanse of empty wall in my entry hallway.

All that's left to do is groom the garden, and that will be taken care of post-Pesach.

I was finally relaxing. The long and bitter odyssey of decorating the huge, empty expanse of my apartment appeared to be over - I had this actual thought ten minutes ago.

That all came literally CRASHING down. As I sat here typing up a blog entry for your enjoyment (about the fascinating topic of nuking a sweet potatoe in my new microwave - more on that to come in the next entry), suddenly I heard a great noise. I wondered if one of the light fixtures had fallen off and broken??

I rushed out to the hall and guess what?? My brand new picture (not a Van Gogh but I tagged this entry as such for sh*ts and giggles), that had been put up just hours ago, had fallen off the wall, taking the nails with it, and all the glass had broken into huge shards on the floor.

And there it currently sits. I just don't have the coy-ach (strength, as we say in Yiddish) to deal with the mess now.

And honestly, I'm upset. It's like the Heavens sent me a message: Don't get too comfortable.

To which I answer: Why not?? What is so wrong about wanting to have a sanctuary in the middle of a new, foreign, busy as heck city??

And does this mean that I am being punished for something?? I hate to go that route but I can't help but think that way. When dramatic things like this happen it's important to sit up and listen.

I need to go back and review my conduct over the past while - perhaps this is atoning for something. At least I wasn't under the picture when this happened.

Oy, all I can say is whatever. The gallery owner is coming to get the painting in order to fix it, since he was the one that put it up in the first place. I guess I'll have to sweep up the fricking glass. I just don't feel like doing it right now. Let my 7 years of bad luck sit on the floor for a while and think about what it did.

Got to Get Myself Back to the Garden

Brace yourselves, people, I'm writing a fairly serious entry...

So! I've been going on and on about the garden in my new apartment, when G-d had an entirely different garden in mind for me.

About a year ago I obtained a copy of "The Garden of Emunah" by Rabbi Shalom Arush, and my life has never been the same. We've all heard the conventional Jewish wisdom that 'everything is meant to be' and 'we must have faith' but it's really hard to internalize at times. I, particularly, am very high energy and my mind is constantly whirring around, exploring a million different possibilities for every action that I and those around me take. Having been "Me" (or as I call myself at times, "Moi") for so long, I know it's very important that I stop myself often and focus on my intention to be relaxed and believe that everything will work out for the best.

I do stop myself whenever I remember to, but it's not enough. I know that life would be alot easier if I could just r-e-l-a-x, especially now that I've made aliyah.

Which is where "The Garden of Emunah" comes in. The book says alot of the things that I have heard before, but is written in such a plain and true way that it really speaks to me. Some of its main lessons include:

• Wherever you are at every minute is exactly where you are meant to be (so there is no use wishing you had taken another course). Don't beat yourself up for your actions (unless you, G-d forbid, murdered someone or stole their salami sandwich).
• Everything happens for a reason. It might become clear to us one day, or it might not, but every single thing in our lives, from the biggest events (bar mitzvah shmorg) to the minutiae (the menu saying 'spork' instead of 'fork' - stuff like this happens often in Israel) is predetermined and helps put the world in balance.
• We must thank G-d for everything that happens to us, whether good or bad, and try to listen to the message each event is passing on to us, which will help us fulfill our mission in this world.

I know this is heavy stuff and not for everyone, but it really spoke to me. I first read it when I was in Miami, taking a break from everyday life and trying to figure out my next step. What I learned really gave me license to stop worrying that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time - since G-d is pulling the strings behind the stage. I truly believe that these lessons are part of the reason I was finally able to make aliyah (having wanted it for so long).

Imagine my delight when I passed a poster on a random wall near my sublet (there are many of these, all advertising weddings/funerals/various religious gatherings), which screamed out in fluorescent green that the author of the book himself, Rabbi Arush, was going to be speaking in Jerusalem this week.

!!!!!!!

Of course I made it my business to go. Even though I wavered a little bit on the actual night, since I was so tired, I pushed myself out the door. I really had no idea of the location of the Yeshiva in which he was speaking, but I thought I'd figure it out.

Having dilly-dallied getting ready, I was pressed for time. I hopped on a bus and the nice (!) bus driver and another passenger helped me figure out where the random street was. It seemed to be a long ways off. 

I was determined though - so I started walking. I noticed that it was getting late and the thought that I would miss hearing the Rabbi speak really upset me, but I figured I still might catch part of the speech.

I also thought about something I had learned - that if you have a pure intention to do something truly good,  G-d will make it happen.

And it did!! As I was hoofing it down the road, wondering when I would ever get there, a random cab driver called out to me and asked where I was going. I told him I didn't want to pay him but he responded that he would take me for free.

Turns out, he had a passenger to pick up on the exact same street as my destination. In fact, the little old lady waiting outside for the driver (who seemed rather surprised to see me sitting in the back seat, I might add) lived three houses down from exactly where I needed to go.

I felt like G-d had arranged a free ride for me. 

And I had not missed the Rabbi after all! I enjoyed his speech but the main thing was actually seeing him in person. I had to keep pinching myself that I actually was in Israel, in Jerusalem, listening to the man behind a body of work that had so inspired me.

After the speech was over, I went outside to see if I could procure a hasty brocha (blessing) from the Rabbi. Despite his being surrounded by anxious hordes of people, I managed to ask him for a blessing and told him that I had just made aliyah. He shouted joyfully - that's the only way to describe it - and gave me a beautiful brocha indeed.

So last night was a pretty momentous night for me.

Despite worry and anxiety, it's clear to me that there is a plan and I'm being guided down a specific path. 

And I'm not telling you this to brag about my luck (nyah nyah nyah), but rather to tell you that I think there is a plan for all of us. Even if you're not a particularly spiritual person or don't believe at all, it's comforting to know that events like this do happen and there is (or maybe for you, might seem to be) a power in the universe that cares about each and every one of us.

In any case, it gave me a good feeling about my future. (I don't know if this future will involve continuous free taxi rides. That would be such a plus.)

I wish all of you inner peace and happiness.

And now - having said my lengthy piece - it's back to everyday priorities. Off to forage in the kitchen.