Lets try again...

mazal tov! Rochel Orlansky is engaged

to Shmuel Tashman from brooklyn.

Naumi's Wedding!!!

Boruch Dayan Ha'Emes

I am sad to announce the passing of Harav Hagaon Rav Henoch Leibowitz, zecher tzaddick l'vrocha.


I can't think of anything else to say.


Sarah Rut


P.S We've just lost one of our connections to the past.

Mazel Tov!

Sara Kroll is Engaged!!!!

One more to go

Taken from my Back 2 Reality blog:

It is erev shabbat and we are about to enter the second to last shabbat before pessach. Are we ready? Have we prepared? I'm not referring to the many hours spent on cleaning and purchasing kosher l'pessach items.

I'm talking about our neshama.

Pessach is more then just cleaning, it's a chag that demands us to take in inner look at our middot and at the way we serve HaShem. These are not new concepts, but reminders are always helpful. We learn from matzah, for example, that we should not be haughty and 'puffed up'. Additionally, we know that we should have zerizut when preforming mitzvout and not let them 'sit in our hand' of an extended period of time, become 'chametz'.

Again, non of these are new or astounding, but have we thought about them recently? When pessach cleaning have we reflected and checked every crevise of out heart and soul for 'leven' emotions and actions? While doing the physical actions of cleaning for pessach we need to look within and do the spiritual cleaning as well.

As a random thought, I'd like to share with you a recollection that I had yesterday:

The situation was as such: I had purchased two skirts for pessach, but they were too short on me (being tall isn't always so great). But, being in Vancouver and desperate for new skirts, I decided to purchase them and then alter them myself at home, making them longer by adding to the top.

So, I started the altering processes yesterday and thought I could finish one of the skirts in a day. However, I was using my own made up pattern and had no instructions, besides for my wise Ima, so it took longer then expected. A few times, even, I had to take apart what I had just sewn and put on the again, in a different way.

Throughout this whole process I was listening to two shirs from Rabbi Shaifer (theshmuz) and listening to music.

Now, this was a very stressful endeavor. So, anytime I would start the machine I would say, "l'chavod yom tov," and this kept me calm.

To make a long story short: after listening to more then 2 hours of shirim, and 4 hours of music, the skirt wasn't finished. But I had learned a lesson (if not more).

HOUSE WORK CAN BE STRESSFUL.

By the end I turned to my Ima, who has so much more patience with these types of things, and said, "Now I understand why HaShem made women to do house work."

What did I mean? Yes, it was tiring, yes it was tedious, but I had grown through the process. The physical action of making a skirt had caused me to practice patience and bitachon.

How?

While committing the enterprise, I was constantly reminded of my own limitations. Here I was, with high hopes in my own physical capabilities, to alter a skirt in an afternoon, and "presto chango" I was being defied by a machine, and made to realize that I'm can't do it so easily.
(Not to say that I've given up it's just taking more time then expected).

How does this relate to what I was saying before?

Cleaning for pessach is no mundane action. It's an opportunity to get closer to HaShem, to reflect on our middot and to make sure that they're still in check, not high and haughty.

Chag kasher v'samayach.

Pedoute's sister's wedding

Pedoute would like to invite everyone who is in israel to come to her sister's wedding. it ill on april 10th, this thursday, in the great synaguogue at 6.

Mazel Tov!

Tali Shaul is Engaged!

Chodesh Tov

Taken from my Back 2 Realty blog.

It's that time of the month!
Chodesh Tov!
I hope that everyone had a great shabbat! Now that we have entered the chodesh of Nissan, may we be zochei to see geula! B"H, we'll grab the coach of this month to develop our ahavat Yisroel and strengthen our achdut.

I wish you all the best! May out tefilot be answered l'tova.

Kol Tov

~Sarah Rut

Man Plans... G-D Laughs

From my Back 2 Reality blog.

Many times we forget that we're not in control.
It is then that we get frustrated with things 'not working out,'
because they haven't gone according to plane.
We assume that we know best.
We think that we are the directors.
Little do we know,
little do we understand.

For the record,
we are not the master plans of our own life.
Yes, we do hishtadlot,
Yes we make decisions.
But for the most part,
we don't really know what's best.

Patience,
we have to wait it out.
After making the decisions, and doing hishtadlot,
there's nothing else to do but sit tight,
and wait.

But while we are waiting,
we need to stay in touch with the Borei Olam.
He needs to hear our tefilot,
our cry.
For,
that's the whole point of waiting.
We need to show Him that we recognize that we're not in control.
We need to prove to Him that we have bitachon and emunah in His final decision.

On that note,
may HaShem continue to give us the strength we need,
to overcome the difficulties in life,
and the patience to wait
and rely on Him.

Shabbat Shalom

Sarah Rutti