Shaking Awake

I too experienced the earthquake here in Napa. It was a wake up call to all of us in the corporeal world that we are not in charge. To me it was also a wake up call to my spiritual progress that wanting the fulfillment of my desires to be my way when in reality they are all God's way. It takes some doing to accept that this earthquake too was God's will, but only in doing so can we move on. I too felt blessed that it happened at 3:25 in the morning and not 3:25 in the afternoon when my back yard was filled with 41 widowed persons celebrating our annual backyard BBQ, there would have been injuries. Only one of our members was hurt at the time it happened and she was out of bed and suffered a broken hip. Reply

Thanks a million for this beautiful email My Dearest Friends in Chabad org,

I wait with thirst to receive the beautiful email, full of inspirations, meditations and life changing documentaries, such valuable articles highly inspiring to acquire wisdom, I read it with joy and happiness as it is great nourishment to my life's journey.

I am a Christian based in Dubai, and I have a high regard, values to all your writings. I love you all.for this great work of yours

Kind regards, and all my love Reply

God is very clear in His word that we His people are to be humble, not proud. Many Christians today say that they are proud of each other and of themselves. God will not tolerate this. If we humble ourselves before Him, we will be blessed. If we claim that we are proud, His wrath is coming. Review the word concerning King Hezekiah in II Chronicles. God was going to have wrath on Judah and on Jerusalem, until King Hezekiah humbled himself from the pride of his heart. When he humbled himself for the pride of his heart, blessing came. Enoch spoke of this generation as a generation of pride, worthy of the wrath of God. Malachi wrote of the pride of this generation, and of the wrath to follow. Elijah Reply

If only everybody could understand were all of one seed grain and when the earth. Quakes were. Not to be scared but to put trust in G-D for did he not create us out of dust in which the earth quakes /rejoice not be afraid Reply

Need a Jewish prospective on the question below Yahweh has commanded the Jews in the Old Testament "to love your neighbor as yourself." Do the Jews think that they are only supposed to love other Jews, primarily and /or exclusively? Or do they believe, as Catholics do, that this Commandment is universal for all people? Reply

"Everything is for the Best" Sorry folks, it just isn't so. To place every tragedy at Hashem's "door-step" is akin to driving your car with a blind fold and ear stoppers. The basics of Jewish philosophy is that we, the community, will attempt to make the world whole. The word pray, is to beg, we don't beg Hashem. we confess where we went wrong, and we try with others help to rectify where we have erred. Think of your home on fire. Rain miraculous does not start, and if if it does, we say it was coincidental. As for my opening statement, 1.5 million of our children were murdered in the Shoa. To blindly say "all was for the best" lacks human compassion, and a refusal to look at life objectively, and rationally. It took man thousands of years to evolve, we are still learning to get along in a peaceful manner. Our Torah is replete with murder within the first family, and wars and battles between tribes. Our advancement is presently how well accomplished we are in the numbers of people we can murder. Reply

G-d isn't waiting for us to "crown him King of the Universe." G-d is - with or without our dim-witted, imperfect recognition, and certainly without our gestures. Reply

That is good that Hashem is looking after everyone thank Hashem that everyone was asleep or their would of been mass panic Reply

Gil. I thank you for taking the time to write. I appreciate your efforts to reach out to a stranger. I only wish I felt better:) Lisa , Katonah. NY Reply

To Anonymous, N.Y. G-ds hand and Guidance? The world was not created perfectly. Our Sages told us that Hashem gave man the right to choose between Good and Evil. For one child crossing the street not to be hit by the errant motorist, a million, billion combination/permutations would have to occur for that child not to be struck. The green light should have been red, the Chevy should have been blocking the Ford, etc,etc. God to intervene, would have to perform countless miracles for just to avoid one tragic incident, in a world of over six billion. Or a giant hand in the sky would have to move people around the earth as chess pieces to avoid countless tragedies. The universe does not act in this manner. As an adult you realize that you are fantasizing that which does not exist. In the world of the child, it's called Make Believe. Hashem, "speaks" through Torah, Prophets, Sages, Talmud, Tanya, etc. Man has been blessed with G-d given intellect. We are still learning to act as a "mensch." I fantasize G-d saying :"Genug ist genug." Reply

To Anon in NYC I can relate to your comments. Yes, we are deeply pained and left forever wondering by the atrocities that Humans (and nature) perpetrate in G-d's world. Yet, at the same time we know that He is close to us and that all is for the best. How that all can work is beyond me, but then perhaps if we would know the answer, we would be G-d...

Keep on challenging G-d. He may yet relent... Reply

Thank you! A question. Always good to be told of the upcoming High Holy days, if only to remind us that we need to think about being better persons.

Those earthquakes are quite frightening, but generally not problems for all but 0.00001% of those affected, & then only in the most severe cases.

The question: In the bible is there mention of an earthquake somewhere? Not an opening of the ground for Moses' opponents, but a shaking of the ground? Reply

Thank You ! Thank you for raising our awareness to this crucial time of the year ! Reply

Hashem is in the Courtyard Yes, now is the time to make an accounting of the whole year and see what we did that wasn't good and what was good, and try to find a way to change ourselves, so that we become more spiritual more positive more what Hashem expects us to be.
We also have to acknowledge the good we do and thank Hashem for giving us a good heart to make the right choices. Reply

The fear of the L-rd our G-d has gripped my heart and as for me and my household we will serve the L-rd. That is the call of our lives regardless of the tradition, feasts, or observances. Reply

Shaking Awake Surely, G-d' s Hand Will Be There , just beside us ! ; lighting us , opening up to us and , hoping , still more : shaping , framing ... renewing , better , us ... as HE Shall . Reply

Where id G d's hand and guidance? I"m a congregant of Chabad and fairly active in my Shul. I'm struggling immensely with G d's hand in the world and his guidance. The events going on in Israel, the latest wave and profound anti-Semitism throughout the world, the surge of violence against Jews world wide, the lunacy of the U.N wanting to investigate Israel's supposes war crimes while the world views of Islam and their terrorist seem to go unnoticed. How about G d's protection of the people in Norther Iraq - women and children beheaded or buried alive and men being lined up and shot in mass graves, and oh, this is because they are of the Christian faith or others that are non-muslim. All the while, human watch groups watch and we do nothing. Please someone tell me where HIS hand is and HIS guidance?
How are we to be grateful of our own blessings and view our personal good fortune as G d' loving kindness when his other children face unspeakable circumstances? Reply

He not only meets us in the field! He meets us where we are. But where are we, might be the question to ask? What pride separates us from His love for us. Malachi 3:1 Reply

Even in the challenging times, G‑d’s hand is always there, guiding, steering, and supporting. Blessed be the name of our L-rd, His ways endures forever shielding his people. Reply

Thank you, Rabbi! Reply