Saturday, March 28, 2020

Nourishing Yourself with Faith During Difficult Times

Dear Friends,

These are difficult times and we are all struggling, each in our own way.

Nourishing Yourself with Faith during Difficult Times: Part I

Nourishing Yourself with Faith during Difficult Times: Part II

May God strengthen us and redeem us, individually from our challenges and collectively as a nation, during this month of redemption.

Take care,

Yaakov

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Discover Your Inner Peace

Dear Friends,

Now is a stressful time for all of us. 
You might find this breathing exercise helpful:
Think while slowly breathing in, “God is with me” and while slowly breathing out, "I am at peace" or "I can handle this."

Rosh Chodesh Nissan begins Wednesday night, the 25th of March and lasts for one day.

Article:
Discover Your Inner Peace

Take care,

Yaakov

Saturday, March 14, 2020

Staying Calm and Not Panicking

Dear Friends,

As we struggle with this worldwide plague, it's very easy to fall into the trap of panicking.

In last week's Torah portion, we read about how the Jews panicked when Moses did not return from Mount Sinai when they expected him to.

Panic led to them worshiping the golden calf.

During this stressful time, let's try to stay calm and act rationally. There are rational steps we can take, such as making sure we have adequate supplies of essentials, frequent hand washing etc.

Some of us may be staying home for Pesach for the first time in a long time. Making Pesach at home is very doable, especially if you start early, write out a plan, buy what you need early and have a Rabbi you can call with any questions. The following article may be helpful in cleaning for Pesach:
https://outoftheorthobox.com/how-to-clean-for-pesach-passover-in-one/?v=7516fd43adaa

While we deal with this challenge, let us also include spiritual methods, such as reciting Psalms with intention, doing acts of kindness (such as calling and offering help and emotional support to the sick, elderly, single parents and those who live alone), increasing our charity, and picking one area of observance to strengthen as a merit for all of us.

Here's a relevant article:
Who Caused This Crisis?

May God soon remove this plague from our midst and bring a speedy recovery to the sick.

Take care,

Yaakov

Saturday, March 7, 2020

The 2 Forms of Divine Providence: Purim and Passover

Dear Friends,

During this difficult time, we pray for those who have been infected by the Coronavirus and that its spreading should come to an end.

It is times like these where it is hard to see the Divine providence with which God runs the world.

During this time period, many years ago in Persia, the Jews also struggled to see Divine providence, when a decree of annihilation was issued against our people...

The 2 Forms of Divine Providence: Purim and Passover

Have a Purim Sameach,

Yaakov