Wednesday, June 30

הכובס והאפיקורס

בגמרא (סנהדרין לט ע"ב) מובא סיפור דבא אפיקורס לפני ר' ישמעאל בר"י ובפניו שאלה לועגת ולא ענהו. היה שם כובס אחד וידע להשיב לאפיקורס וכך אמר לו: שהיה הולך לשיעורו של רבי מאיר תמידין כסדרן, והיה רבי מאיר דורש שלוש מאות דרשות בהלכה, שלוש מאות דרשות בדרוש, ושלוש מאות משלים, ומזה ידע מה לענות לאפיקורס.

לומדים מענין זה דבר מופלא, דבזמן התנאים, אפילו יהודי פשוט כמו כובס משום שהיה מתדבק בעפר רגליהם של קדושי עליון, היתה לו אפשרות ללמוד מהם ולזכור מה שלמד מרבותיו, אף על פי שזה היה הרבה זמן קודם עובדה זו.

ואולי הכובס הזה האריך ימים והיה אותו כובס שהיה הולך אצל רבינו הקדוש בכל יום ומתדבק אליו וכשנצחו אראלים את המצוקים ונשבה ארון אלוקים באשכבתא דרבי, שכולם שהיו שם היו מזומנים לעולם הבא (כמובא בגמרא מסכת כתובות) והוא לא היה אז שם. אז עלה לאיגרא רמא ונפל ומת. יצתה בת קול: "אותו כובס מזומן לעולם הבא".

רואים מזה גודל המעלה של התדבקות בקדושי עליון:

א. שכולם שהיו שם מזומנים לעולם הבא.

ב. שהכובס הזה שכנראה היה אדם פשוט, אמנם משום שהתדבק בכל יום לרבינו הקודש - אף שלא היה באשכבתיה מוכן לעה"ב. וענין זה יותר מופלא.

ג. גם רואים כאן לכאורה שלכן האריך ימם כל כך, דההתדבקות בצדיקי אמת והלמוד ממעשיהם מאריכים ימים, דיראת השם תוסיף חיים.  דהרי רבינו הקדוש שהיה תלמידו של ר' ישמעאל בר"י (כדאיתא בגמ' סנהדרין), אף שהיה רבו של רבינו הקדוש היה כפוף לו בהיותו נשיא.

Monday, June 28

Paper Weight

Paper Weight

Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store.

She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries.

She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food.

John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store at once.

Visualizing the family needs, she said: 'Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can.' John told her he could not give her credit, since she did not have a charge account at his store.

Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two.

The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family.

The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, 'Do you have a grocery list?'

Louise replied, 'Yes sir.' 

'O.K' he said, 'put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries.' 

Louise hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it.

She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down..

The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, 'I can't believe it.' The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales.

The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.

The grocer stood there in utter disgust.

Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement.

It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer, which said: 'Dear HaShem, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands.' The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence.

Louise thanked him and left the store.

The other customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said:

'It was worth every penny of it. Only G-d knows how much a prayer weighs.'

THE POWER: When you receive this, say a prayer.

That's all you have to do: Just stop right now, and say a prayer of thanks for your own good fortune...

Then please send this to all your friends and relatives

I believe if you will send this testimony out with prayer in faith, you will receive what you need HaShem to do in your and your families' life.

So dear heart, trust HaShem to heal the sick, provide food for the hungry, clothes and shelter for those that don't have as we do.

Don't break this, please! Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive.

There is no cost but lots of reward.

I AM CLAIMING THIS FOR YOU

Three things will happen to you this coming week: Beli-Neder!

(1) You will find favor with someone you don't expect

(2) You will be too relevant to be ignored

(3) You will encounter G-d and you will never remain the same

May you never be 'wanting' Amen.

My prayer for you today: The eyes beholding this message shall not behold evil, the hands that will send this message to others shall not labor in vain, the mouth saying Amen to this prayer shall laugh forever.

(Beholding the ingathering of the Diaspora to her Homeland, Israel).

Have a lovely journey of life! Trust in HaShem with all your heart and He will never fail you because He is Awesome!

TAKE 60 SECONDS and send this on quickly and within hours, you will have caused a multitude of people to prayer to HaShem for each other.

Question: Who is Louise Redden?

Question: When did this happen?

Also to be found here:

http://dailyheadline.com/a-desperate-mother-was-turned-away-at-the-grocery-store/

https://steemit.com/story/@seyiodus/the-groceries-list

Thursday, June 10

Camp Ruach Chaim

By Bassi Gruen

Right off exit 96, deep in the Catskill Mountains, you will find Camp Ruach Chaim.

Play baseball, hockey, tennis, handball, and basketball, go swimming daily – all in an atmosphere of fun.

Enjoy terrific learning programs, exciting trips and cool arts and crafts.

Camp Ruach Chaim is for kids who have Down's syndrome and other disabilities, Loy Oleynu

This amazing camp began when Rabbi Simcha Scharf, Belgium-born and currently living in Williamsburg, had a dream of establishing a camp for high-functioning special-needs kids.

Rabbi Simcha Scharf had already opened a Yeshivah, Banim LaMakom, for such children before.

His Yeshivah is on the top floor of yeshivas Torah VeDa’as.

The students of Banim LaMakom eat and play with the students of Torah VeDa’as and both groups gain from the arrangement.

Summer, though, was a real problem.

Two months out of school often caused the boys to lose a great deal of what they had learnt over the year.

There had to be a solution.

A Soaring Summer Success

Rabbi Simcha Scharf is a man of action.

He spotted an advertisement from Camp Kochavim offering space on their grounds.

He immediately contacted the director, who gave him a "yes" that very same day.

That first year, there were over a dozen kids, and enrolment grows each year.

This summer, CRC will be enjoyed by thirty five boys, ages 9-27, coming from England, France, Holland, Belgium, Eretz Yisrael, and all over the United States.

"Life for a special kid is so full of failures," says Shani Plotzker, the mother of a CRC camper - "We hear them say “I can't read well, I can't do math, I can't write clearly” – yet they don’t feel inadequate.  Camp gives the kids a summer of non-stop success. They do absolutely everything their brothers and sisters are doing in camp.  Sports, trips, color war, crafts – they can do it all.

It gives them an incredible feeling.  My son couldn't hold a ball before he went to camp. He came home dunking baskets!"

Dovid Plotzker is not the only one to learn new skills in camp.  One mother was pleasantly surprised to find her eighteen year old son biking when she came on visiting day.  He had never been able to cycle before.

Another mother was amazed at how much her son had learnt with his Rebbe.

The kids learn to make their beds, clean up the bunk and care for themselves.

"Aside from all the many things camp teaches," says Shlomo, a counsellor in CRC, "learning to be independent, to manage on one's own away from home, is probably the biggest benefit."

A Packed Program

The camp day is packed: Wake up is at 7:15 a.m., although early birds get to join the Cocoa Club.  For the uninitiated, the Cocoa Club is a pre-davening learning session, accompanied by hot cocoa, a real treat in the cool mountain air. Then comes a learning session with the campers divided according to their abilities, into small groups of five or six.  They learn Chumash, Halachah and Parshah, taught by teachers who have received special training for the job.  They then move on to first activity, usually sports, followed by second activity.

"A lot of the kids would be happy just to relax on the grass," admits Rabbi Simcha Scharf, "but I don't let them. My goal is to keep them busy and active all summer long."

Lunch, canteen and rest period start the afternoon, and then the action resumes.  A dip in the pool is followed by sports together with CY.

Minchah is followed by another learning group, this time focusing on skills like reading, writing and math.

Then it's off to bed, so they can be refreshed for a new day of fun.

The parents of the campers have the joy of knowing that their son is part of a regular camp, and don't have to face the pain of seeing their son isolated from mainstream society.

Caring Counsellors

Who are the people who make all this possible? The counsellors are hand-picked for their golden hearts and skills with children.

A number of them have a sibling with Down's syndrome, so they know how to deal with these special neshamos.

There is one counsellor for every two campers, to make sure the kids have all the help and supervision they need.

If a camper is sick, his counsellor accompanies him to the infirmary.

The counsellors also stay right near their campers in the pool and on trips, to make sure they're safe and happy.

It was a fantastic experience for our son. The relief that your summer program provides to our family is immeasurable. Knowing how much Ephraim gets out of camping experience socially, spiritually and academically” E. Zussman, Denver, Colorado

Sometimes there are problems.

A child who refuses to eat, or one who eats too much.

A child who is afraid of the water, or scared of the dark.

Then the counsellors work their hardest at helping find a solution.

A chart, a prize, or a story – they keep trying, until they find the key to help this camper overcome his difficulty.

They are led in their efforts by the head counsellor, the dynamic, devoted R' Avrumi Rosenthal and Rabbi Simcha Scharf, the director, are available around the clock to help the campers and counsellors.

"Sometimes, at one o'clock in the morning I get this feeling that something isn't right," relates Rabbi Simcha Scharf. I go to the bunks and find a kid outside with his counsellor because the kid refuses to go to sleep. I'm able to persuade him to go to bed and can then sleep myself.  Sometimes it's just a blanket that fell off the kid.  I cover him and leave."

Rabbi Simcha Scharf personally dispenses all medication, a complicated and time-consuming job in a camp like this.

"The kids love him," Mrs Plotzker tells me. "He's like a magnet for them. He knows just what to say and how to say it. Once, when he heard about a family that had just given birth to a baby with Down's syndrome, he immediately went over to the hospital to give them encouragement."

A Time to Relax

During the year, special kids must labor mightily to master the basics most kids learn easily.

Understanding the words on a page may take tremendous effort.

Holding a pencil in the correct position for writing can be a true challenge.

Camp is a time to relax.


The learning sessions ensure that what they have already mastered isn't lost, but the rest of the day is pure fun.

"You can do it." is the message.  And with the help of the counsellors, they do.  They climb up walls fifty feet high, they play hockey, they water slide into the pool.   Things they never would have normally tried, they successfully accomplish.

Right off Route 96, deep in the Catskill Mountains, is a very special camp.

I suppose we can say about Camp Ruach Chaim, the same thing a grandfather said about his special-needs grandchild's classroom. "You can feel the Malochim in the air."

Rabbi Scharf can be contacted at 718-963-0090, or (cell phone) 917-754-0011.

Camp Ruach Hachaim is a registered 501(c) 20-1610041 non-profit organization.