Tag Archives: Av

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The Dragonfly

July 30, 2014
Orit Esther Riter

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BS’D

Today’s Daily Dose of Emuna is dedicated to the righteous neshamot who have departed from this world al Kiddush Hashem.  May Hashem’s love and warmth envelop them and may their families know of no more sorrow, Amen.

The Dragonfly (source unknown)

Once, in a little pond, in the muddy water under the lily pads, there lived a little water beetle in a community of water beetles. They lived a simple and comfortable life in the pond with few disturbances and interruptions. Once in a while, sadness would come to the community when one of their fellow beetles would climb the stem of a lily pad and would never be seen again. They knew when this happened; their friend was dead, gone forever.

Then, one day, one little water beetle felt an irresistible urge to climb up that stem. However, he was determined that he would not leave forever. He would come back and tell his friends what he had found at the top. When he reached the top and climbed out of the water onto the surface of the lily pad, he was so tired, and the sun felt so warm, that he decided he must take a nap. As he slept, his body changed and when he woke up, he had turned into a beautiful blue-tailed dragonfly with broad wings and a slender body designed for flying.

So, fly he did! And, as he soared he saw the beauty of a whole new world and a far superior way of life to what he had never known existed.

Then he remembered his beetle friends and how they were thinking by now he was dead. He wanted to go back to tell them, and explain to them that he was now more alive than he had ever been before. His life had been fulfilled rather than ended.
But, his new body would not go down into the water. He could not get back to tell his friends the good news. Then he understood that their time would come, when they, too, would know what he now knew.

So, he raised his wings and flew off into his joyous new life!

The lesson:  the beautiful neshamot are basking in the warm embrace of Hashem.  This is our only consolation.

Av: The month of the lion

July 28, 2014
Orit Esther Riter

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BS’D

The month of Av is represented by the astrological sign Leo, aryeh (lion). As written in Pirkei Avot (4:1), “Be strong as a lion in fulfilling the will of your Father in Heaven.” The lion is king of the beasts, the symbol of royalty; passionate yet in control.

This month B’H we have the power to conquer our inner impulse and think before we react. The entirety of any given situation should be looked at from all angles and sides before judging it. Hashem responds measure for measure- just as we discipline our animalistic tendencies and show restraint in our response, B’H, so too Hashem will be slow to judge the Jewish people and not ‘instantly respond in anger.’

This month the sense to rectify is hearing. Hashem longs to hear from us and for us to ‘invite’ Him into our lives. The way to build any meaningful relationship is through constant communication. Talking and listening to one another essentially means, “I love you. I care about you.” This message certainly needs to be reinforced in our relationship with Hashem as well.

It is essential to listen to our internal voice as well; the calling within of our soul. There is a continuous calling emanating from our neshama asking that we not forget her needs. Our emotional health is the best indicator on how well our soul is being taken care of. If we are mostly in control of the negative emotions that seemingly ‘pop up’, our soul is strongly bonded to Hashem and is radiating a sense of security.

A lion walks with his head up high expressing full control and confidence. This month in spite of the difficulties we can resonate trust and inner peace knowing that Hashem is our leader.  Ahm Yisrael is a kingdom of royalty eternally bonded to the King of Kings, constantly being enveloped by His passionate love and care.

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