Our family, Bruk/Gordon/Goldman family, were dear friends with the Wolff family in Israel, including the incredible Berke. He was a Chossid par excellence, an ambassador if light, a close confidant of the Rebbe, but above all he loved helping another Jew and being happy for them in their time of joy. It’s a beautiful attribute to be able to celebrate a Simcha and be genuinely happy for a friend, a relative, or an acquaintance. It’s not always easy, as we each carry our own hardships in our heart which can paralyze our emotions, but when mastering the ability to show up in the joy of another, it tends to lift a bit of our burden off our heart, even if just temporarily.

In this week’s double Torah portion, Chukas-Balak, we read about one Jew-hater, Balak king of Moab, hiring another Jew-hater, Balaam Prophet of Midian, to come and curse the Jews. Like today’s love fest between the far-right and far-left, these two dudes hated each other, but to go after the Jew they joined forces. When one must attack others, put others down, push for their demise, instead of being happy for their successes and joyous moments, it’s a sign of inner rot that leads us to be nasty and internally miserable. In Hebrew there is a word called “Firgun” or the act of “Lefargen”, which means to experience a genuine, selfless celebration of another person's success without comparisons or jealousy.

While in New York for thirty-six hours I managed to visit my friend Chesky to say Mazal Tov for his daughter’s recent engagement and to attend the Vurt, engagement party, of Adina Rothman to Avrumi Bodner. Adina is the daughter of our very dear friends Ari and Yaffa, and it was so special to be there with them in their Simcha. Seeing the love, the joy, the warmth that exuded across the ballroom on Ocean Parkway, as friends and family came together to celebrate, was uplifting. I once read that “when someone else’s happiness is your happiness, that is love” and I think that it’s so true. We can choose to bemoan or to sulk in our struggles, and at times those feelings are hard to shake off, but when we can find joy in other people’s moments of success and happiness, it makes us just a bit less sad ourselves.

Firgun!

May G-d guard our brethren in Israel and the world over from harm and send us Mashiach speedily. May G-d protect the armed forces of Israel and the United States wherever they may be!

This week, in which we commemorated the Rebbe’s 32nd Yahrzeit, I was called by a Bozeman Health chaplain to visit a Jewish woman in the Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Unit. She was struggling emotionally/mentally but due to drug addiction, family discord and homelessness, she’s also struggling with physical health challenges. This week we also had the honor of sponsoring dinner for a group of IDF soldiers (first group of two) who are spending time in Montana’s wilderness recovering from the trauma of war. Great Falls’ Shluchim, Rabbi Mendel and Devorah Leah Spiero, welcomed them to Big Sky Country and in addition to feeding their bodies, Reb Mendel also helped many of them lay Tefillin before heading into the backwoods.

The Rebbe role modeled love for us.

In this week’s Torah portion, Korach, Gd tells Moses to take a staff from each of the twelve tribes, with the name of each tribe's prince/leader written on their staff. Another staff was taken to represent the tribe of Levi with Aaron's name written on it. The thirteen staves were placed overnight in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle. Next morning they were removed, and miraculously Aaron's staff had budded with almond blossoms and almonds, providing further proof that Aaron was Gd's choice for High Priest. What’s interesting is that in the morning when it was time to wrap up the test, the verse says “Moses took out all the staffs from before God to all the Israelites. They saw, and each man took his staff”. Why do we need to know that they each price took their staff back? My friend Reb Avrum Kaufmann shared with me that perhaps the Torah is teaching us that it’s not enough to celebrate the High Priesthood of Aaron, we must also take our staff, our own unique personality and talents, and utilize them to share Hashem with the world.

I remember the Rebbe’s illness, I remember his passing, I remember his funeral and the Shiva that followed; for many years Gimmel Tammuz was, for me, a day of mourning, waiting for the twenty-four painful hours to pass. Yet, this isn’t the case anymore. With each passing year I miss the Rebbe a little less, and yet I feel him more and more. I can live in the past, it’s warm and safe, but thirty-two years later I am not there anymore. I celebrate my memories, I cherish my twelve years that spent with the Rebbe, but mostly, I spend my time focused on bringing his invaluable teachings to all who will listen and to shine the light that he entrusted me with to everyone in my circle. It’s not enough to be impressed by Aaron, the moment demands that we grab our staff and lead the way for those seeking Hashem’s light.

Nafshi Chomdah Betzeil Yodecha!

May G-d guard our brethren in Israel and the world over from harm and send us Mashiach speedily. May G-d protect the armed forces of Israel and the United States wherever they may be!