The Dubno Magid wonders in his book, “Ohel Yaakov”, about the implications of the apparent contradiction inherent in the term, “a stranger and a permanent inhabitant”. It seems obvious that if a person is a stranger in a town, he can’t be considered an inhabitant of that town. On the other hand, if a person is a resident it precludes the possibility that he is a stranger. What did our father, Avraham, mean when he said, “I am a stranger and a resident with you”?

The Magid answers that truth and humility were among the attributes that Avraham possessed. Avraham could not make the point outright to B’nay Chays that he was the true inhabitant in the land that was given to him by Hashem. He felt that he might have come off as bragging. Yet, he could not lie either. As such, he came up with an ambiguous phrase: “Ger V’Soshav Anochi Imachem”. Avraham was saying, “You and I are called ‘a stranger and a resident’.” Inevitably, they would glean from that statement whatever they wanted to hear. They would listen and conclude that they were the residents about whom Avraham was speaking and that Avraham was the stranger. Yet, in truth, it was just the opposite.

In a sense, this concept can be understood as well in the verse found in Parshas Behar, “Ki Gerim V’Soshavim Atem Imadi”. Our sages tell us that this world is simply a corridor that leads to the world-to- come, symbolized by a banquet hall. They advise us to prepare ourselves, by performing Torah and Mitzvos, in this world in order to be ready to enter the “real” world, Olam Habbah. We may infer from their words that a person should consider himself a stranger in this world, as if each one of us is merely a temporary guest here. This, then, is the meaning of the verse above, if you view your worldly occupation as the main reason you are here in this world, and Torah study is secondary, Hashem will consider you to be a resident of this world and a stranger in the World-to-Come. If, however, you view your worldly occupation as temporary, as if you are a stranger in the land, and you make the study and performance of Torah your main occupation, then you are considered by Hashem as one who will dwell permanently with Him in the real world.

When building a house, the first step is usually to get an architect to help design it. The architect will proceed to plan the dimensions of every room and hallway precisely, based on the amount of space with which he is given to work. It once happened that a very rich man sought out an expert architect to design a house. The owner had very specific instructions for the architect: “I want you to make the dining room especially large. However, I do not want you to neglect the hallway leading up to the dining room; I want the hallway to be wide and long as well.”

The architect studied the site of the proposed house and returned to the owner with the following report: “I have inspected the area and have concluded that there is not enough room to build both a large dining room and a large hallway. If I take away room from the hallway, I can make the dining room larger. If you were to do the opposite, you will be laughed at. People will say, ‘See what this guy did! The room where guests are entertained he made narrow and small, while the hallway, which people use momentarily just to walk through, he made extra large.’ You cannot have both.”

While we are here, in this world, we are building a banquet hall in Olam Habbah. What do some of us do? We spend so much of our lives trying to fix up the hallway. By doing that, we make the dining room smaller and more narrow.

Avraham knew what was temporary and relatively unimportant, and what had permanent and far-reaching meaning. We should make it our business to follow the example of our father and understand that our actions in this world will have ramifications, not only to all we meet, but also to ourselves in Olam Habbah.

Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Sol Appleman

The talmidim sat attentively in the Beit Midrash for the anticipated assembly delivered my Ms. Penina Taylor, a Jew, turned Christian Missionary, turned Jew again. Founder of Torah Life Strategies, Ms. Taylor retold the fascinating story of her long uphill climb to embracing Orthodox Judaism. She explained that the most important factors in her return to Judaism were her commitment, even as a Christian, to doing what G-D wanted from her, and the Siyata D’Shmaya that accompanied her at every turn.

Starting with her, then, non-Jewish husband’s encouragement to cover her hair, to the discovery of the brachot for lighting Shabbat candles in her grandmother’s candle stick box, Ms. Taylor reminded everyone that Hashem has the ultimate power to guide and help us in the most astounding ways.

An unexpected move to Baltimore and her decision to choose an Orthodox Shul so that her children would be accepted into the community is very likely what ultimately saved the Taylor family. That action led to a private sit down with the Rabbi who delivered the most piercing and clarifying message she had ever heard, “You are a Jew no matter what you chose to believe, so even if you chose to believe something else, you will still be responsible as a Jew”.

Ms. Taylor finished by stating her mission, “I need a tikun and I am devoting my life to bringing those Messianic Jews back but we are all here to help and together we can save our brothers and sisters.” With that the boys all stood up and broke out in applause.

Scoring 5 quick points, the Ravens maintained a double-digit lead throughout an intense game in Westchester this past Sunday, November 8th. The first game of the season, the Ravens played hard, taking the ball to the basket again and again for easy points. Despite some rough spots during the game, the Ravens did not let the lead slip from their grasp. Gabi Guterson played an awesome game, leading the team with 15 points. Gabe DuBow capped off the win with a big 3-pointer giving the Ravens a 14-point victory in their first win of the season.

COME CHEER ON THE RAVENS JV AND VARSITY AT THE HOME OPENING DOUBLEHEADER —THIS SATURDAY NIGHT--- RAVENS VS HANC

Gabe DuBow

Rabbi and Mrs. Peretz Hochbaum on the marriage of their daughter!!

Rabbi and Mrs. Jonathan Muskat on the Bar Mitzvah of their son and Bat Mitzvah of their daughter!!

“People often avoid making decisions out of fear of making a mistake. Actually, the failure to make decisions is one of life’s biggest mistakes.”

Rabbi Noah Weinberg