To be a Jew!

I find that with each passing day and each passing moment I fall in love with Hashem and his people. As I learn the Parsha every week, I am amazed by the very details that are written in the Torah; Hashem has outlined everything with which to guide our lives by, which is the very same way He wrote down every measurement and every fiber that would be used to construct the mishkon.

Everybody has those 'lazy' days, where you don't want to learn, daven etc... But I believe that if we would just stop and think for one moment about the reason we are in this world, we would see so clearly that we are only here because of Hashem. The same way he taught us every detail for how to build His mishkon, is the same way that Hashem has created each of us. Every detail was accounted for to make us who we are.

With that, I stop and think about how people should act toward one another. I truly believe that each person is deserving of complete and total respect from each and every individual. I truly wonder sometimes how people can hurt others so carelessly. I wonder, that if they knew that they were hurting others, would they still continue to do so? If each of us was made in the image of G-d, how could you so carelessly turn around and insult Hashem to His face (Chas Vishalom)?

I had an incident with my boss this week. He's a 'frum' guy. But the way he treated me this past week and numerous other incidents prior to this, I really wonder what's going on in that head of his. I can't imagine hurting another Jew the way he has hurt me and this is a man so concerned and so worried about giving his non-Jewish co-worker an x-mas gift for fear that he might be over on some tiny halacha. He was sure to ask his Rav whether he was permitted to give the gift or not. Yet, when it came to hurting me, he did not even look back.

As I was learning the parsha from this past week (I know, I didn't finish....tisk tisk) and I was looking over the pesukim from the machzit ha'shekel and how Hashem takes the time to have the Jewish people counted. Each and every single one; the sinners and the non-sinners, the old and the young, the rich and the poor, all I could do was sit back and see...that if Hashem cherishes each and every single one of us, how much more so we must cherish our fellow man.

I know that often times when we see faults in others; it generally mirrors a fault of our own. Maybe I'm not always so nice and maybe I don't always treat every person I meet with the dignity that they deserve. One thing I do know, I hope I'll correct that and be a better Jew tomorrow than I am today.

Today is also the yahrzeit of a friend of mine, Dovid Yifrach ben Tuvia. He was a special person with a special heart who touched every person he met with dignity, kindness and respect.

As an aliyah to his Neshoma I hope to be a better person, a better Jew this year!