Thursday, March 20, 2025

"One year, most of Adar went by and it didn't rain. They sent for Choni the Circle Maker. He prayed and the rains didn't come. He drew a circle, stood in it and said: 'Master of The World! Your children have turned to me; I swear in Your great name that I won't move from here until You have pity on Your children.' The rains came down." (Talmud, Taanit 23a)

Link:
Choni the Circle-Maker

Adar 20 is the yahrtzeit (anniversary of the passing) of Rabbi Yoel Sirkes (1560?-1640), Rabbi of Krakow and author of the Bayit Chadash ("Bach") commentary on the great Halachic work, the Arba'ah Turim.

R. Shlomo Zalman Auerbach was a renowned halachic authority who lived in Jerusalem. Many of his rulings pertain to modern technological advances as they apply to Jewish life.

Link: Contemporary Halachah

Each journey the soul travels takes her higher.

Some journeys are painful, but with purpose. The purpose overwhelms the pain and transforms it into joy.

Some journeys are painful, but with no purpose in sight. There is no medicine to wash away the pain.

There is no medicine, other than the faith that every journey the soul travels takes her higher. Some so much higher, she cannot even imagine their meaning. Until she arrives.