Last Week’s Geshmake Question:
Text your answer in by Sunday to (347) 222 0320 or by email to [email protected]
This Week’s Geshmake Question:
What did Klal Yisroel answer “we will do and we will hear”? They should have said “I will do and I will hear”?
The Rebbe of Gur, finished davening Mincha on Shabbos afternoon and went for a walk before sharing Torah with his chassidim. The Rebbe was walking across a street when a driver in a car got upset that the Rebbe was walking too slowly and honked at him.
The Rebbe had a few chassidim next to him, and they were going to tell the driver to apologize to the Rebbe for the disrespect. But the Rebbe told them not to say anything, and the Rebbe himself went over to the car. The driver saw that the Rebbe looked holy and was interested in hearing what he had to say.
The Rebbe said, “Today is Shabbos. Every Jew is supposed to rest and not do any forbidden work on Shabbos.” (This story happened in Eretz Yisroel.)
From the back seat, a boy said, “We are not dati/frum like you.”
The Rebbe said, “You should know that you are a Jew just like I am. There is no difference between us. Hashem, the Creator of the world, spoke to you, me, and every Jew at Har Sinai, and we all received the Torah. When you get older, you will learn what this means, and you will know that you are just as Jewish as I am.”
The driver pulled over, and the Rebbe continued talking to them, answering their questions. Then the Rebbe quietly said to himself, “Okay, I think it is dark enough, and they can drive.”
The Rebbe didn’t end up speaking to his chassidim in shul that week, but he did speak to another few souls who needed some love, care, and direction.
What’s the Lesson?
- The Rebbe taught us to love and care for every single Yid.
- We are all special, and the Rebbe reminded them and us that we are holy and should live up to who we are. We were all at Har Sinai, and we all accepted to be holy and good.
This Connects To This Week’s Parshah:
If a Jew was sold as a slave and wanted to stay longer than six years, his ear was drilled. Because his ear heard at Har Sinai that you only have one Master, Hashem. And he wanted to have another master.
One of the biggest challenges is that people are too much into what others think of them. There is so much peer pressure.
This week’s parshah teaches us that we have only one Master: Hashem, no one else. So many people are not living their lives fully because they are in fear of others. Which Yeshiva/school to send, only doing a certain shidduch, etc... We ask our Rav/rabbi what is good for us, our family, our children, and we live our own lives with geshmak and confidence. Don't serve others!
R' Dovid Trenk zt"l sometimes would put his foot in the garbage and squeeze it down so more would fit in the garbage can.
Some bachurim decided to have some fun: they put water in the garbage, put some snack bags on top, and waited for R' Trenk to come into class. R' Trenk saw that the garbage can was overstuffed with snacks, put his foot on top, and squeezed down only to get his foot and pants soaked with water...
The class felt terrible about what they did to their rebbi, and were waiting to see how R' Trenk would react. R' Trenk took out his foot as water was dripping from his pants, and he just smiled and said, “Boys, you got me. Boys, you really got me.” And continued teaching regularly and every now and then kept saying, “Wow, you boys got me.”
What’s the Lesson?
R' Trenk was teaching his students a lesson on how to react when things don't go our way.
- First of all, don't get nervous or upset.
- Also, by R' Trenk continuing to teach, he was also teaching them that one can smile through the ups and downs of life and not get stuck on the downs of life. Keep going.
This Connects To This Week’s Parshah:
Right after receiving the Torah, Hashem tells us in Parshas Mishpatim how careful we need to be with others: no stealing, being careful with your animals so they do not damage others, etc...
Just like one must be careful with the money of others, so too, we must be careful with the emotions of others. Not to get nervous, upset, cause pain or shame, but to uplift others and help them in any way we can.
Mattisyahu Milstein Answers:
- Yisro already tried all other religions, he knew the Jews is the right way.
- Because Moshe Rabbeinu was his son-in-law so he felt he’ll be able to just join the Jewish Nation.
S. Rosenbaum Answers:
Everyone heard about it, but Yisro took it to heart. In Yiddish they say ...
S. Rosenblum Answers:
Yisro heard about what happened for the Yidden, he said “Boruch Hashem asher hitzil eschem.” Recognizing that Hashem is in control, where the rest of the world did not feel that.
How To Deal With Others
You too are holy.
Yisro heard about the splitting of the sea, about the war with Amalek and became a Yid. Why did only Yisro come and become a Yid?
