Raymond Beyda Online

Divrei Torah Archives

Click Here For Printer-Friendly Format

Minute 902 // Just Enough



		TODAY'S MESSAGE IS DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF ABRAHAM ben ROSA A'H BY EDDIE AND HELEN SHAMAH & FAMILY WED THURSDAY AND SHABBAT MESSAGES STILL AVAILABLE FOR YOUR DEDICATION CLIK ON LINK WWW.RAYMONDBEYDA.COM AND THEN CLICK ON DONATIONS DO IT NOW!! “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The teachings of our Sages have infiltrated many cultures other than our own, to the extent that most people can quote well-known Torah sayings without realizing that the source is our Holy Book. One aphorism that always rings true regards the perception of personal wealth. “Who is rich? He who is happy with his portion.” (Avot 4:1). The simplicity of the statement belies the difficulty of achieving this state of bliss. Most denizens of this material world get caught up in the unsatisfying pursuit of physical pleasure. This senseless race with no finish line only yields dissatisfaction. It is like chasing the horizon. One perceives the horizon as being a mile away, and starts running towards it. Minutes later, the mile has been run—but the horizon still stands exactly one mile away. It is a moving finish line that can never be reached. In the world of business, it is always the “next deal” that will bring happiness. Yet as soon as that transaction is concluded, it’s on to the next one, then the next. “He who loves money will never be satisfied with his money.” That is another, not-as-well-known piece of rabbinical wisdom. In life, you will be faced with situations which require decision making. What you might like to do at a particular time may conflict with what you must do to earn more money. When you stand at that crossroads, consider which of the two paths before you will yield more happiness. If you start to collect happy moments rather than dollars, you will find years later how truly rich you have become. DID YOU KNOW THAT One who is feeding another does not have to wash netillat yadayim, however, the one who is being fed must wash even though another is placing the food in his or her mouth and he or she is not touching the food. Similarly, one who eats bread with a fork or other utensil must wash netillat yadayim. [Source Yalkut Yosef, Volume 3, Siman163:2] CONSIDER THIS FOR A MINUTE The Zohar explains a law of spiritual physics. The verse (Beresheet 6:12) says: “G-d saw the earth and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” The Zohar explains: “Why was the earth corrupt? Because the human being had corrupted his way.” The principle works as follows: So long as the people behave in a good way, the Shechinah (G-d’s presence) protects the earth. However, should the human beings corrupt their behavior, the result is that the presence of G-d, so to speak, is driven away and replaced by destructive forces. This rule of spiritual physics applies in all generations, even our own. We should realize that our behavior affects not only ourselves, but also impacts on the general climate—whether for good or bad—in the entire Creation. (Zohar, Noach 61a) WOULD YOU LIKE TO DEDICATE A MESSAGE IN HONOR OR IN MEMORY OF A LOVED ONE? REFUAH SHELEMA? Click Here to go to the 'Donations' area, or E-mail your dedication to RBEYDA2000@AOL.COM . You can Mail your check for: $101 - Shabbat And Holidays $52 - Weekdays Mail To: Raymond Beyda 408 Avenue O Brooklyn, NY 11230