Archives: Shayas Stickles

Always ‘On the Clock’
[Editor’s note: As a memory of my beloved brother Shaya, I would like to continue sending out his pearls of wisdom that he has shared with all of you in the past. For some of you this may ring a bell and for others it may appear to be totally new. May the learning of Shaya’s Divrei Torah inspire us to change our ways and thereby give an Aliya to the neshama of our dear beloved Shaya whom we miss so much.]

Parshas Tetzaveh describes the special garments that Ahron Hakohen and his sons would wear while serving Hashem in the Mishkan and Beis Hamikdash. On the hem of the Kohein Gadol’s turquoise robe were golden bells that jingled as he walked. The Ramban explains that the reason the Kohen Gadol’s bells rang was to announce his presence to Hashem. Rav Michael Bernstein adds that it would also impress upon the Kohein Gadol to act with the proper respect and holiness in Hashem’s presence.

We can understand why the Kohein Gadol must wear this robe while he is in the sanctuary, but the Torah adds that he must wear it outside the sanctuary as well. Why?

Perhaps we can infer from here a fundamental lesson that we can apply to our daily lives. Yes, it’s very important to treat a Shul and Beis Medrash with holiness by davening and learning there, but when we leave it, we are still “on the clock.” Judaism does not merely emphasize the performance of mitzvos; rather, it is about keeping Hashem in mind at all times, and trying to elevate EVERYTHING we do. Whether it be our eating, exercising, sleeping, or reading, the underlying purpose of our actions must be for Hashem’s sake. If we have these proper intentions, Hashem will have much nachas, and will reward us.

We can now understand the need for the Kohein Gadol to wear the robe outside of the sanctuary. The Torah is stressing the point that regardless of the Kohein Gadol’s location, Hashem’s presence should be felt everywhere.

May we all always keep this fundamental principle in mind, that we are always “on the clock,” and that even our “mundane” actions can be elevated and incorporated into Avodas Hashem.

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An Illuminating Light

[Editor’s note: As a memory of my beloved brother Shaya, I would like to continue sending out his pearls of wisdom that he has shared with all of you in the past. For some of you this may ring a bell and for others it may appear to be totally new. May the learning of Shaya’s Divrei Torah inspire us to change our ways and thereby give an Aliya to the neshama of our dear beloved Shaya whom we miss so much.]

This week’s Parsha, Parshas Mishpatim, discusses many laws pertaining to the “day in the life of a Jew.” What is the connection between this Parsha and last week’s Parsha in which the Jewish People attained a spiritual high when Hashem revealed Himself to them on Har Sinai?
Rav Shraga Simmons answers that the 2 Parshiyos are two sides of the same coin. Spirituality is not achieved by meditating alone on a mountaintop or by learning in an out-of-the-way monastery. Jewish spirituality can only be reached by grappling with the mundane world in a way that elevates it. Hence, we must learn and practice the laws of everyday life in order to truly elevate everything we do as we interact in the ‘real’ world.
What then was the purpose of the super high revelation at Mount Sinai?

The answer is that we all need a powerful spiritual experience to get ourselves going. It gives us the knowledge and conviction that we are on the right path, doing what Hashem wants us to do. The Rambam likens it to one who is lost trudging along in a dark and rainy storm unsure of where to go and what to do. Then there is a flash of lightning; it doesn’t last long, but it illuminates the path on which he is traveling, revealing to him which direction he should go in.

That was the purpose of the revelation at Mount Sinai. Once we have witnessed that ‘illuminating light,’ we must channel its inspiration into our daily lives trying to elevate all the ‘mundane’ things we do.
I think this also explains why the last week of Shovavim [an acronym for the six Shabbosim during the winter from Parshas Shmos through Mishpatim, which are a special time for Teshuva] ends with our Parsha, Parshas Mishpatim. By now we hopefully have taken advantage of the spirituality of these past 6 weeks which will then enable us to continue elevating the mundane throughout the rest of the year.

{Editor’s Note: I read a beautiful story from the book Living Emunah that I would like to share with you. A teenage boy knocked on the door of the home of Rav Shlomo Farhi, who is involved in outreach in England. The boy said, “I know that Hashem loves me.”
Rabbi Farhi asked the boy, “How do you know Hashem loves you?”
“There is no question about that at all,” the boy responded.
He then proceeded to tell the Rabbi how during the summer of 2005 he would travel by train to choir practice in London, every Thursday morning. It was a long trip from his home, and he needed to be there at 9:00 AM. One morning, as the train was just a couple of stops away from his destination, he looked at his watch and saw that the time was 8:30. There was a coffee shop across the street from the station stop and he figured he had plenty of time to get off, get himself a coffee, and relax for a few minutes, before getting back on the train and going to practice.
Shortly after exiting the train, he heard a deafening explosion. He turned around and saw that the train had just blown up! With tears running down his face, he tried calling home to inform his family that he was alive, but the cell phone network had crashed. The boy started walking home, and two hours later, he walked through the front door.
He found his parents crying and sobbing. As soon as they saw him, they rejoiced. “You’re alive!!” they exclaimed. “We can’t believe it! You were on that train!” They told him that there was a synchronized terror attack on the London transit system and multiple explosions took place at 8:50 AM.
“No,” the boy said. “It didn’t happen at 8:50, it happened at 8:30!”
“That’s wrong,” his parents replied. “All the news stations reported that the attack took place at 8:50.” The boy looked at his watch and his mouth dropped. It still read 8:30.
Hashem had made his watch stop so he would think he had enough time to go get a cup of coffee and that is how his life was saved.
“That is how I know Hashem loves me,” the boy concluded to Rabbi Farhi.
I think that to some extent we all get that illuminating light in our lives. If we look back at our lives and see the twists and turns that the school of life has taken us, we will see that Hashem is constantly guiding our footsteps and shining His light on us. It is our job to then take that light, and as Shaya wrote, to continue along the illuminated path and channel that inspiration into our daily lives tring to elevate all the mundane things we do.
HAVE A GREAT SHABBOS!}

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Custom-made for YOU
[Editor’s note: As a memory of my beloved brother Shaya, I would like to continue sending out his pearls of wisdom that he has shared with all of you in the past. For some of you this may ring a bell and for others it may appear to be totally new. May the learning of Shaya’s Divrei Torah inspire us to change our ways and thereby give an Aliya to the neshama of our dear beloved Shaya whom we miss so much.]

The Pasuk in Parshas Yisro tells us ‘You shall not covet your friend’s wife, maidservant, ox, donkey, and ALL that belongs to him.’ The commentators explain that the emphasis on ‘ALL that belongs to him’ teaches us a strategy to train ourselves not to become jealous of others.

For example: your friend may have a nicer car than you but he has health issues. Or your friend may be healthy, but he’s divorced. Or your friend is happily married, but he doesn’t have nachas from his kids. No one has a perfect life. We all have ‘packages’ to deal with. That is what our Pasuk is teaching us; don’t be jealous of ALL that he has. Although he may have things that you would like to have, together with that ‘package’ come other things that you wouldn’t want to have.

In fact, I once read that if people would see the complete packages of their friends and have the choice to choose the package that they desire most, they would all pick their own package back! This is very understandable, being that every package is custom made from Hashem for each individual. He knows what is easy for us to handle, what is hard for us to handle, and what is impossible for us to handle. Hence, He carefully designed the package we can handle which will enable us to grow closest to him.

Let us all try to be grateful for the things that we are blessed with, and accept with love the issues we have and the areas that we struggle with. In that way, we will rid ourselves of the terrible character trait of jealousy, and become closer to Hashem and to the special way of life that He wants us all to live.

To be added to the weekly Dvar Torah list please email zichronshaya@gmail.com

That’s MY Team!
[Editor’s note: As a memory of my beloved brother Shaya, I would like to continue sending out his pearls of wisdom that he has shared with all of you in the past. For some of you this may ring a bell and for others it may appear to be totally new. May the learning of Shaya’s Divrei Torah inspire us to change our ways and thereby give an Aliya to the neshama of our dear beloved Shaya whom we miss so much.]

In the beginning of this week’s parshah, Parshas Beshalach, the Pasuk says that when Bnei Yisroel left Egypt they were ‘vichamushim.’ There are a number of explanations for what ‘vichamushim’ means.

According to one opinion, it means that only one fifth of Klal Yisroel left Egypt. Four fifths of Klal Yisroel were killed during the plague of darkness because they weren’t worthy of redemption.

A second explanation for ‘vichamushim’ is that the Jews were armed with Mitzvos. However, the Pasuk tells us that on the day they left Mitzraim, they were empty of Mitzvos. So what Mitzva did they have now when they left?

The Targum Yonasan interprets ‘vichamushim’ to mean that each family had ‘5 tafla.’ Tafla means children, so the simple understanding of the Targum is that each family had five kids. However, we then have an obvious question on this explanation: we know that from EACH pregnancy, the women had [at least] SIX kids. So what does the Targum mean that they only had FIVE TAFLA?

The Baeir Yosef provides us with a beautiful approach that answers all of these questions: He explains that the four fifths of Klal Yisroel who died were only those who were twenty or older and therefore able to be punished in the Heavenly Court. Their kids were certainly not deserving of punishment and were therefore not killed. Thus, there were many orphans who had no parents. The remaining one fifth of Klal Yisroel adopted all the orphaned kids! That is what the Targum means when he says 5 ‘Tafla’, i.e. five FAMILIES of kids. That besides their own kids, each family adopted four other families, so that all the children of the 4/5 of Klal Yisroel who died would have surrogate parents! That was the big Mitzva that they were armed with when they left Egypt!

We all know that throughout the recent generations, there have been many Jews who have chosen different paths and have not remained committed to Yiddishkeit. They have produced many ‘orphans,’ kids, and even grownups who don’t know anything about the beauty and depth of Yiddishkeit and what our mission in life is. There are a number of organizations and special people who help fix this sad trend. All of the Gedolei Yisroel laud their work and encourage all of us to do our share in this holy Mitzva. We can all support these organizations [each person according to his/her financial situation] AND do our share in bringing these ‘orphans’ close to Yiddishkeit; by inviting them to our Shabbos meals, talking & acting respectably in the work place and the street, etc.

I would like to connect this idea to current events. Why is it that people are so into watching and rooting for sports teams when they are not even the ones playing?

I think the answer is that Hashem put into the world the ability to associate oneself with others. ‘That’s my team’! Like every mida, character trait, and force in the world there is the ability to channel this force for the better. Just like one is proud when the team in his city wins the World Series or the Super Bowl, one should try to be proud of the spirituality of one’s city. We should take pride in the talmidie chachamim and chashuva Rabbonim of our city. We should take pride in the great Yeshivos, schools, and Shuls of our city. We should take pride in the unity and harmony of our city. And just like people care so much for strangers on a team that doesn’t know them at all [and probably doesn’t care one bit about them] let us all try to use that force to care for Jewish strangers who are distant from Judaism. They’re also on our team!

In the merit of this crucial Mitzva which parallels the Mitzva we had when we left the exile of Egypt, may we merit soon the final redemption speedily in our days.

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A Fresh New Start

[Editor’s note: As a memory of my beloved brother Shaya, I would like to continue sending out his pearls of wisdom that he has shared with all of you in the past. For some of you this may ring a bell and for others it may appear to be totally new. May the learning of Shaya’s Divrei Torah inspire us to change our ways and thereby give an Aliya to the neshama of our dear beloved Shaya whom we miss so much.]

The Pasuk in Parshas Bo tells us that the very first Mitzva that Hashem gave Klal Yisroel was the Mitzva of Kiddush Hachodesh-sanctifying the new moon. What is the symbolic meaning of this Mitzva, and why did Hashem particularly choose this Mitzva to be the very first Mitzva to give Klal Yisroel while they were still in Egypt?

As we all know, the moon waxes and wanes. It grows larger during the first half of the month, and shrinks during the second half of the month, until it totally disappears from view, and appears to be gone. Yet the moon always reappears at the beginning of the next month.

Klal Yisroel is compared to the moon. Although we may have our moments of waning and distance from Hashem, that does not define who we are. We can always do Teshuva. While Klal Yisroel was steeped in the impurity of the Egypt, they could have become depressed thinking about how low they had sunk and that it was too late to make a change for the better. Hence, the very first Mitzva that Hashem gave them was the Mitzva of Kiddush Hachodesh, to demonstrate to them that there is always time to repent and turn over a new leaf in service of Hashem.

This is the lesson of every Rosh Chodesh. The word “Chodesh” comes from the same root word as “Chiddush” which mean renewal. After every 29 or 30 days, Hashem gives us a precious gift, a new month, to enable us to get off to a fresh new start in serving Him.

Having just celebrated the beginning of a new month, let us take this lesson from the Parsha to heart. That although we may have slipped in our Avodas Hashem in the past, let us not allow that to get us down; rather let us refresh and rejuvenate our service of Hashem.

To be added to the weekly Dvar Torah list please email zichronshaya@gmail.com

An Optical Illusion
[Editor’s note: As a memory of my beloved brother Shaya, I would like to continue sending out his pearls of wisdom that he has shared with all of you in the past. For some of you this may ring a bell and for others it may appear to be totally new. May the learning of Shaya’s Divrei Torah inspire us to change our ways and thereby give an Aliya to the neshama of our dear beloved Shaya whom we miss so much.]

Parshas Shemos ends with a seemingly dark ‘end note’ by Moshe failing in his mission to end the servitude of Bnei Yisroel under Pharaoh. In fact, the servitude intensifies, Moshe is bewildered, and G-d reassures Moshe that He will free the Yidden, but the Parsha ends there, with Moshe not understanding how and when that will occur.

This week’s Parsha begins with the verse ‘And Elokim spoke to Moshe and said I am Hashem.’ What does this Pasuk mean? Why does G-d’s name change from “Elokim to Hashem?”
I think the explanation is as follows: We are taught that ‘Elokim’ is associated with the Mida of Din-[strict judgment], whereas ‘Hashem’ is associated with the Mida of Rachamim-[mercy]. Hence, G-d is saying to Moshe ‘now I will show you that what you thought was strict judgment is really absolute Rachamim and will be for your benefit.’

Parshas V’aera then discusses the first seven Makos, which are the prelude to the amazing exodus from Egypt, where we left slavery, loaded with the riches of Egypt, on our way to Matan Torah, the greatest moment in all of history.

We all go through difficult times where things don’t seem to make sense. At times, our efforts to grow and work on issues seem to make things worse, just as it seemed to Moshe at the end of last week’s Parsha.
Perhaps the Torah specifically ended last week’s Parsha at that point to teach us this lesson about life.
No matter how difficult the situation that we are dealing with is, there will always be a new ‘parsha’ where everything will make perfect sense. Sometimes we merit to see it ourselves in our lifetime and sometimes we have to wait for Yemos Hamoshiach to understand it, but there is always another chapter which will reveal to us that everything was Rachamim and for our benefit.

May we all merit to see that clear ’20/20 vision’ of our mission and purpose in life very soon.

To be added to the weekly Dvar Torah list please email zichronshaya@gmail.com

When Things Look Bleak…

[Editor’s note: As a memory of my beloved brother Shaya, I would like to continue sending out his pearls of wisdom that he has shared with all of you in the past. For some of you this may ring a bell and for others it may appear to be totally new. May the learning of Shaya’s Divrei Torah inspire us to change our ways and thereby give an Aliya to the neshama of our dear beloved Shaya whom we miss so much.]

There is an enigmatic Gemara in Sotah which discusses a Pasuk in this week’s Parsha, Parshas Shemos. In the Torah’s description of Miriam placing Moshe Rabbeinu in the basket in the Nile River, the Pasuk says “ותתצב אחתו מרחק לדעה מה יעשה לו -and his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him.”

Rav Yitzchak comments that this whole Pasuk is a reference to Hashem’s Shechina. And for every word in the Pasuk, Rav Yitzchak brings another Pasuk that uses that same word in reference to Hashem.

When I first learned this Gemara a number of years ago, I thought to myself “Cute Gemara. Each word in the Pasuk is the same word used in reference to Hashem elsewhere in Tanach.” And I thought nothing more of it. However, after my mind was opened up to the depth and beauty of Torah and I came back to this Gemara, I pondered why specifically on this Pasuk is Rav Yitzchak telling us that all the words are related to Hashem? And what is Rav Yitzchak teaching us?

Let us backtrack for a moment to understand the story taking place leading up to this Pasuk. Miriam had a prophesy that her mother would give birth to the leader and savior of the Jewish People. When Moshe was born, the entire house lit up with a special ethereal light and Miriam’s father, Amram, told her that her prophesy had been fulfilled. Everything looked wonderful. But then ‘trouble’ struck.

After three month of concealing Moshe from the Egyptian authorities, Amram and Yocheved were no longer able to hide Moshe, as the Egyptians were searching for all babies. Moshe was placed in the river. A three month old baby, in the Nile River amongst crocodiles!

According to some commentators, Moshe’s mother had despaired of his life. His father, Amram, gave Miriam a clap on the cheek and said ‘what happened to your prophesy?’ It seemed that even Amram, the Gadol Hador, was bewildered and confused! Everything looked so dark and dismal.

This is precisely where Rav Yitzchak’s explanation comes into the context of our Pasuk. Rav Yitzchak explains that this whole story is about the Shechina. “Shechina” refers to Hashem’s divine providence and supervision of this world. Rav Yitzchak is telling us that although it may look dark and frightful as though G-d isn’t there, in reality, not only is he there, but everything that you think is so bad is really just the opposite.

This is similar to the Purim story, where everything looked dark and bleak. Haman built the gallows to hang Mordechai. But then there was a total reversal, and Haman was hung on the very gallows that he himself constructed!

I believe that the same dynamic is taking place in our story. It looked so dark and bleak that Moshe was going to drown in the river, but in reality just the opposite was taking place. This act of being put in the river saved Moshe’s life and allowed him to be the leader and savior of the Jewish people! How so? The Gemara tells us after Moshe was thrown into the water, the astrologers of Pharaoh-who had predicted that there was going to be a Jewish boy that would redeem the Jewish people-told Pharaoh that they no longer see any threat from the Jewish leader. [They had foreseen Moshe would have some issue with water, which is why they wanted to drown him, and once he was put in the water they thought he was neutralized.] Pharaoh then abolished the decree of killing all the babies. Hence, Moshe being put into the river not only did not kill or injure him but in fact saved his life and many others as well!

This is what Rav Yitzchak is telling us about the story. It may look so dark and bleak, but in reality just the opposite is taking place. Hashem’s divine providence is orchestrating the entire story!

In life, we all emdure troubling times where it is very difficult to see Hashem’s Hashgacha. Let us all take this lesson to heart, to firmly believe and acknowledge that although it feels so painful and doesn’t seem to make any sense, Hashem is there always and everything that is happening is for our benefit.

May the day come soon when we will be able to look back at every incident and challenge in our lives and make the Bracha of ‘Hatov Vihameitiv’, with the profound recognition that everything that Hashem did was truly for our benefit.

To be added to the weekly Dvar Torah list please email zichronshaya@gmail.com

Playing the Blame Game

[Editor’s note: As a memory of my beloved brother Shaya, I would like to continue sending out his pearls of wisdom that he has shared with all of you in the past. For some of you this may ring a bell and for others it may appear to be totally new. May the learning of Shaya’s Divrei Torah inspire us to change our ways and thereby give an Aliya to the neshama of our dear beloved Shaya whom we miss so much.]

In this week’s Parshah, Parshas Vayigash, the Pasuk tells us that when Yosef couldn’t keep up his facade, he ordered “everyone” to leave the room, so he could be left alone with his brothers. The Pasuk continues to say that “there was no EESH [man] present when Yosef revealed himself to his brothers.” If Yosef, the viceroy of Mitzrayim, commanded everyone to leave the room, it goes without saying that everyone would leave the room. The Pasuk doesn’t need to tell us that EVERYONE left. Who then is the Pasuk referring to when it says there was no ‘Eesh’ in the room?

Rav Shmuel Brazil suggests a novel answer with an important message: When bad things happen, it is common for people to blame the bad event on someone or something. “Had we only gotten a better doctor grandpa wouldn’t have died” or “Had we only been driving on a different street/lane he wouldn’t have been hit by the car.” Such an attitude displays a lack of faith in Hashem. Yes, we are supposed to do our hishtadlus to be as careful as we can, but ultimately, when bad things happen to us, R”L, we must realize it is from Hashem. That is what the Torah is teaching us about Yosef.

What caused Yosef to be sold and descend to Mitzrayim? His father sent him to Shechem to visit his brothers. He arrived in Shechem and his brothers were nowhere to be found. He met an ‘EESH’ [the angel Gavriel] who told him where his brothers were…. Had Yosef not met that “EESH,” Yosef wouldn’t have known where his brothers were, he could have returned to his father, and then seemingly everything would have been fine and dandy. Hence now, when Yosef is revealing himself to his brothers and explaining his story, he could have easily partly blamed that ‘EESH’ and/or them for the immense suffering he went through.

That, suggests Rav Brazil, is what the Pasuk is referring to when it says ‘There was no EESH there when Yosef revealed himself to his brothers’. I.e. Yosef DIDN’T mention the EESH at all and didn’t blame him [or anyone else] at all for any of his suffering. He recognized that it was all part of Hashem’s master plan for him to come down to Mitzrayim!

This is the very meaning of what we say every day at the end of davening “ani maamin b’emunah shileimah that Hashem is boreh umanhig.- I believe with complete faith that Hashem is the one who creates and runs the world.” We are acknowledging that whatever happened the day before and whatever will happen today is all part of Hashem’s plan.

May we all take this lesson to heart to never blame other factors for our suffering and pain. Rather, let us recognize that it is all part of Hashem’s master plan for us to fulfill our mission in life and grow closer to Him.

To be added to the weekly Dvar Torah list please email zichronshaya@gmail.com

Chanukah 5779

[Editor’s note: As a memory of my beloved brother Shaya, I would like to continue sending out his pearls of wisdom that he has shared with all of you in the past. For some of you this may ring a bell and for others it may appear to be totally new. May the learning of Shaya’s Divrei Torah inspire us to change our ways and thereby give an Aliya to the neshama of our dear beloved Shaya whom we miss so much.]

The number thirty-six seems to play a significant role, both in the creation and continuance of the world, as well as during this time of year.

On Chanuka we light a total of 36 candles. For the first thirty-six hours of the creation of the world, there was an extremely powerful spiritual light that shone forth. However, Hashem foresaw that it would be unfitting for the wicked people to benefit from this special light, and He therefore hid the light for the Tzadikim in the world to come.

The Seforim tell us that there are a few places where this special light is hidden in THIS world, enabling us to tap into this extra special holiness. It is hidden in the 36 candles that we light on Chanuka. It is hidden in the 36 tractates of Shas. And it is hidden in the 36 Tzadikim that exist in every generation.

The Seforim teach us that Yosef Hatzadik was the epitome of a hidden Tzadik; in fact, he was the ‘head’ of all hidden Tzadikim. Hence, we see a deep connection between the Parshiyos we lain Chanuka time concerning Yosef and the holiday of Chanuka. Yosef’s mida is the sixth Sefira/ Mida, the Mida of Yesod, hence ‘Yesod Shebiyisod’ which epitomizes Yosef takes place on the thirty sixth day of Sefira! Also the daf [folio] of the Gemara in Sota which discusses the story of Yosef with the wife of Potiphar, and how Yosef overcame the test and earned the title Yosef HATZADIK is on DAF…, you guessed it: lamed vav [thirty six]!

I would like to suggest that although there are more than thirty-six people receiving this email and therefore it’s not possible that we are all members of the ‘Thirty-Six Tzadikim club,’ we can still tap into their strength and holiness when we perform Mitzvos in private, and where there is no fanfare and honor.

Hence on Chanuka, which the Seforim tell us corresponds to Yosef Hatzadik, we have an enormous amount of potential to tap into all three places where the special light is hidden: Torah, the Chanuka candles, and doing mitzvos in private.

We can now appreciate on a deeper level the Halacha that one should learn Torah right before lighting the Chanuka candles; as then one will be tapping into two places where the special light was hidden!

In fact I recently learned that the word כסלו is made up of two words, ‘כס’ which means hidden and ‘,לו’ i.e. that the very name of the month that Chanuka begins in, signifies to us that in this month there is hidden the holiness of the ‘thirty six’s!

Specifically now, during the darkness of the winter, at the time when the Greeks tried to spiritually contaminate us and get us sullied in sin, we have the potential to tap into this incredible abundance of holiness. Let us all try, each according to his or her level, to access some of this special holiness that is ‘in the air’ of Chanuka.

May we then merit soon the day when this beautiful light and holiness will shine forth once again in its true glory and grandeur, with the coming of Moshiach speedily in our days.

To be added to the weekly Dvar Torah list please email zichronshaya@gmail.com

The Power of a Word
[Editor’s note: As a memory of my beloved brother Shaya, I would like to continue sending out his pearls of wisdom that he has shared with all of you in the past. For some of you this may ring a bell and for others it may appear to be totally new. May the learning of Shaya’s Divrei Torah inspire us to change our ways and thereby give an Aliya to the neshama of our dear beloved Shaya whom we miss so much.]

{Editor’s note: Shaya did not have a dvar torah for this week so I am sharing with you a thought from this week’s Parsha.
In this week’s Parsha, Parshas Vayeishev, the Torah recounts how Yosef is thrown into jail and despite this, manages to make his way to the top of “warden hierarchy” in the prison. One day he meets Pharoh’s Butler and Baker and sees that they each have a sad face. Yosef asks them, “Why do your faces look so sad today?” These words uttered by Yosef changed history. It was only due to this that the Butler eventually mentioned Yosef’s name to Pharoh and Yosef became the viceroy. Mitzrayim changes as a result and Klal Yisroel is changed as a result. All because of a couple of words. You see the power of a word.

This past Wednesday we saw another example of how words can make such a difference in one’s life. Federal reserve chairman, Jerome Powell, made one statement which sparked a huge turnaround in the stock market. It had been going down over the last couple of months, and it shot up more than 600 points which is above 2.5 percent. All from one statement.

Words are so powerful; if they are used in the right way they can be used to express affection and love for a spouse or child. Complimenting someone can change his entire day, week and possibly even his life. However, it can simultaneously be used for the negative. Inappropriately criticizing a child or student can shatter a child or student forever.
We all remember fleeting comments, both good or bad, that were made to us. So fleeting that the person who said it probably didn’t remember from the next moment. But those words have stayed with us for a lifetime.

This was something that Shaya lived by. He always made sure to greet people with his trademark smile and compliment them on something. It could be the way they were dressed or something that they may have said. Shaya knew just the right words to say to raise people’s spirits. Those compliments people will remember for a lifetime!

May we all take a lesson from Yosef to open our eyes and really see what a spouse/child/neighbor/friend is going through and be there for them. Sometimes all they may need is a few words of encouragement and love to help them get out of their sorrow. With that, we should merit to bring the Third Temple speedily in our days!}

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