Mendel Bluming | Blogger

Well here’s a thought... The Torah speak about when the Israelites made a Mishkan, a moveable Temple in the desert. G-d instructed them to make the outer walls out of the hide of a mysterious animal called a Tachash. Our sages described the Tachash as an animal who lived in the desert with a splendid multi-coloured hide and one horn in the middle of its head. The Tachash appeared only when the Mishkan was being built, then vanished without a trace, never to be seen again. There is a powerful message to be learned from this enchanting little episode. The building of the Temple is a symbol of our life mission, to create a place for G-d in this world, to work our lives into a sanctuary where holiness can dwell. Life is built up of many fleeting moments. The years fly by, the days pass us, and opportunities appear and disappear. Like the Tachash, here today and gone the next. Every moment is multi-coloured, multi-faceted and multi-layered. We are Blessed with good days...

So many people are feeling unwell with the flu. May they recover quickly! How does this work from G-d’s viewpoint? This illness holds us back from doing so many good things and furthering our duties? Who knows… here’s a telling story: There was once a Jew who resided on a farm, at a great distance from any Jewish community. He was a devout and pious man, and united with his wife did their best to create a Jewish home for his children. But he yearned to be near Jews, with the chance to pray in a shul, study Torah with like-minded people and be part of a community. Day in and day out for many years he would learn and pray alone with his prayer book and his volume of Talmud, wishing he could share them with others. After many years, his dream began to come true. Slowly, more Jews moved to his area. It took decades, but slowly he built a community. Forty years after his arrival, that remote country town boasted a shul with services every day, regular Torah classes, a mikva...

There is an ancient Jewish remedy for strengthening faith. It is a pity it’s not well known, because if people knew about it, their lives would be so much richer. And it really isn't so difficult… All you have to do is eat a piece of chocolate. But before eating the chocolate, you should recite the blessing on chocolate. It goes like this: "Blessed are you Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, for everything exists by Your word." If you say this phrase and actually think about the words for a few seconds, you will shift your entire perspective on life. Everything exists in reality through His word. What G-d says goes. Nothing ensues by accident. We didn't make ourselves. We are not without support. We are in good hands. Contemplate those words for just a minute a day, and you will have the strength to face everything life throws at you. Because it's not life throwing it at you, it's G-d. So what are you waiting for? Eat some chocolate :)...