This is just too excellent.

There was a very moving story this week, about one of the competitors in the Invictus Games. He was a former mine specialist in the Royal Navy, who had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder. He was playing a match of wheelchair doubles tennis when he heard the sound of a helicopter overhead, and, traumatized, he froze. Immediately, his team mate went over to him, held him, spoke to him and got him to sing the song Let It Go, from the movie Frozen. And slowly he unfroze and together they went on to win the match.

It was a poignant reminder of a fundamental truth, that sometimes, alongside medical treatment, we need the touch of another to heal our pain.

Lately I’ve been thinking of how our era will be seen in retrospect. Every age worships something. Often it’s religion, but in the not so distant past it’s also been the nation, or the race, or the political ideology. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve concluded that what we worship today is the self. We seek self-esteem, self-respect, self-expression, and self-help. And it’s hugely liberating. But every form of worship has its downsides: in this case, anxiety, loneliness and depression. And it isn’t lifted by having lots of friends on smartphones and social media. It needs being together face to face.

The Talmud tells the story of a rabbi who was a faith healer. All he had to do was lay his hands on someone and they were cured. Then he fell ill and called for a friend to come and heal him. Why couldn’t he cure himself, asks the Talmud. And answers: because a prisoner cannot release themselves from prison. Sometimes self-help isn’t enough. It needs the touch or the word of an other.

That’s why community is so important. It’s where we meet face to face and give each other strength. It’s where people know who we are, and miss us when we’re not there. Community is society with a human face. It’s the redemption of our solitude.

Which is another reason to salute the Invictus Games and Prince Harry who created them. As the unfrozen tennis player said: the games gave him back his purpose and his pride. “I feel,” he said, “part of a team again, like I belong.”

God says about us in the Bible: “it’s not good to be alone.” A good society is a community of communities. Not just an array of selves.

Shabbat shalom,

@jo-howell @eliyanah-jordan-yarden my sentences.
Hashivu! Ein li sh'klim. Kama sh'klim yesh lecha? Yesh li Tisha sh'klim. Mah ata rotzah lasot. Ani rotzah lechol. Matai? besha'a ahat.

We are all on a journey. Like Noach we entered the Ark of Torah learning. Like Avram many of us had to leave behind family, our identity and begin this journey strictly on faith. There is so much to learn just from the simplicity of obedience . Go into the Ark and go from your father's house and your land.

This journey has a path that the "greats" have already tread for us.

Another interesting find in Jerusalem. It matches up with what Rabbi posted in his secret group except this find names Jeruselam!

At the unveiling, the IAA’s Jerusalem Regional Archaeologist Dr. Yuval Baruch noted that the village was on a main artery leading through the city to the Temple Mount, still used today. Baruch said that Jerusalem at the time was one of the largest cities in the east. Its population of at least 50,000 residents grew to hundreds of thousands during the three main pilgrimage festivals of the year. The artisans’ village would have supplied the city and catered to the needs of pilgrims visiting the Temple during the feasts.

https://patternsofevidence.com/blog/2018/10/11/oldest-known-stone-inscription-of-jerusalem-in-hebrew-discovered/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Thinker129Jerusalem&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=Thinker129Jerusalem&inf_contact_key=2977ca3fa7f63fcc07cabcf0c66cc41c85040d1a2ccd6ded5b210ffb6f3edfa6

New winter classes from Breslov Campus
https://breslovcampus.org

Happy Birthday @dave-howell
Thank you for all you do. May you have a wonderful day. 😀❤❤❤😀

Or maybe this one
יונינה- רגע מכוון (קליפ רשמי) | (Yonina- Rega Mechuvan (Moment

My new theme song!
יונינה | Yonina- "Seriously" Live on I24 News

!!!! HEBREW 1 CHALLENGE !!!!

In our last Hebrew class I made the challenge to our participants to have all the vocabulary words and phrases in the list below memorized by our next class, after Sukkot. Why? I guess, I needed to challenge myself and thought why not see who can memorize the most words.

No rewards except the fact that we can impress our teacher @jo-howell should be good enough.

So from lessons 1 – 10 here is the list. All the words are in English to make it tougher.
(I don’t seem to be connected to Julie. Will someone forward this to her, please.)
@dr-kathleen-oden @william-gavriel-jordan @talia-bat-eliyanah-kaitlyn @timothy-hadar-jordan @caleb-jordan
@bayli-brewer @dave-howell @eliyanah-jordan-yarden

What
Four (as in 4:00)
I know (m)
With you (m)
Lunch
It is
At your place
There
Listen
To buy
Understand (f)
With me
To drink
I know (f)
Absolutely
At what time
What
Something
To eat
Two (as in 2:00)
Later
Excuse me
I want
It is here
See you later
It is 9:00
To do
Also
Me too
When
There
Okay
Understand (m)
A little
Not so well
With whom
It is there
Where is it
Here I am
How are you (f)
The time is
Here is a conversation in Hebrew
What time is it
Please
It is 9:00
It is2:00
It is 5:00
It is 3:00
It is 1:00
Hello
goodbye

I had such a busy day that I couldn't get around to see what folks have posted here or Yammar or the place that will not be named. Just a quick glance but nothing to in depth. I do hope that everyone had an easy fast and now we get to look forward to Sukkot. I still do not have a kosher sukkah but I will make do with my tent and lulav. Last year was awesome and I am expecting this year will be too.

I just gotta share this from Rabbi's secret group.

*A Letter from the Yetzer Hara* (from a WhatsApp group):
"To my star pupil, I am writing this letter to let you know what I think of you. Up here in heaven things are not like they are down on Earth. Over there, people only know what they can see. If they see a person is "successful", they think that he is the greatest guy. When they see somebody struggling, they think he might be one of the weaker elements.

Let me tell you something. Hashem gives every person certain abilities that nobody knows about down where you live. Some people are capable of tremendous things, while others were put there for much smaller purposes. Only Hashem in His infinite wisdom is able to give every person exactly what he needs, to reach his potential.

I am very misunderstood. Most people hate me, and I don't really blame them. Most people think that my job is to make sure that they fail in all aspects ofmitzvos, and that I rejoice every time they sin. This is the furthest thing from the truth. Did you ever watch a boxing coach train his student? It is really a funny sight. The coach will put on gloves, and fight against his student. At first, he won't hit him so hard, or throw his best punches. But, as the student gets better and better, the coach will start to fight him harder and harder. He does this so that the student will improve his skills, and become the best boxer he can be.

This is where it gets strange. Every time the coach knocks down the student, the student gets yelled at!! But finally, when the coach threw everything he has at his student, and not only does he withstand the beating, but he knocks the coach down, there is nobody in the world happier than the coach himself! This is exactly how I feel. If you fail right away, and don't even try to fight back, I see that there is not much talent to work with, and so I take it easy on you. But if you get back up swinging, I realize that I may have a real winner here, and so I start to intensify the beating. With every level that you go up, I increase the intensity of the fight. If you finally deal me a blow that knocks me out, I will get up and embrace you and rejoice with your success.

Sometimes my job is very disappointing I see a person with a lot of potential and I start right in on him. He fights back for a while, but when the fight gets too tough, he quits and just remains on whatever level he was on. (And he usually ends up going down!) I feel like yelling at him, "Get up you fool! Do you have any idea how much more you could be accomplishing?!" But I am not allowed to do so. I just leave him alone, and go try to find another promising candidate. If I have chosen you to be the target of my more fierce battles, it was not for no reason! You have tremendous ability! You were born into a very special family, you have Rebbeim who really care about you, and parents who would help you grow in Torah and mitzvos. You are a very respectful and kind person.

I am writing to you now, because I have a very serious request to ask of you. Please don't stop fighting! Don't give up! I have been beating too many people lately, and I am losing patience. Believe in yourself, because I would not be involved with you as much as I am if I didn't think you could beat me. Know what your strengths are! A great Rabbi once said: "Woe is to he who doesn't know his weaknesses. But, 'oy v’avoy' to him who doesn't know his strengths - for he will not have anything with which to fight."

Always remember one thing: you have a secret weapon at your disposal. I shouldn't really be telling you - but I will anyway. Hashem himself is watching our "training" sessions very closely. I'm pleased to inform you that He's rooting for you! If things should ever get tough, almost too tough to bear, just call out to Him with a prayer, and He will immediately come to your aid. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope that after 120 years when your time is up in that world of falsehood, you will come up here to the world of truth, where I will be waiting for you with open arms, to congratulate you on your victory, and personally escort you to your place next to the kisey hakavod.

Sincerely, and with great admiration I remain,

Your Yetzer Hara"

**This is a great thing to have in mind always, but especially during rough times. Please feel free to copy, paste, write in any language, and get this out to Klal Yisrael.