Before Rosh Hashanah

I was deciding not to write on YWN coffee room anymore, but I felt I needed to say one last thing.

So many people have been talking about the achdus we gained during the war this past summer and after the horrible murder of our deal precious Eyal, Gilad and Naftali.

I walked around my hometown feeling closer than ever to everyone around me. Walked around my secular university campus and never felt prouder to be a frum, tznious Jewish person.

I was on a high, I was on a high in my mitvos, I fought less with people, I was more productive. I had the backing of all my brothers and sisters, we were all on the same page. But it almost seems like a tease.

I come back on the coffee room, or on YWN to read articles and some of the comments and article titles I see. I dont think many people understand, because I definitly didn’t until 2 years ago, but there are other people in the world other than ourselves. Other Jews who serve the same God, who learn the same Torah, who keep Shabbos and Kosher and Mitzvos. Whether it is to the same calibure and understanding as you is completly irrelevant.

If they saw the comments so many people write here, they would probably be even more turned off from you and your halachic and hashkafic standards. Just like if you saw or heard the way they talk about you you would be like look at the loshon hara coming from these people who in the first place don’t do X, Y and Z right.

Really? I am speaking to myself too. I recently made a horrible comment to a friend and she Baruch Hashem put me into the right mindset again, but it really reminded me that now, more than ever, we must put aside our differences and try to embrace one another. On tisha Baav I saw the geula coming, as I’m sure many of you also did.

Let’s do our best this year to step up our game. Learn more about someone else. There is a way to be completly frum and hear anothers perspective at the same time. Sometimes its not about trying to get someone to be more like you, it’s simply about saying “you are my brother, no matter your kippa, no matter your skirt length, no matter your hat on shabbos and no matter the way you keep kosher”

We must stick together. We must show Hashem we are worthy of the geula Sheleima. Because we tasted the feeling of true togetherness. Coming together for boys we never knew and never will know. but we treated them as though they were our brother, they shaped our tefilos and daily lives. Lets allow ourselves to be inspired by the fact that Jewish people make a kiddush Hashem daily just by wearing their kippas to work on wall street, or in hospitals. Or to the ladies and gentleman that run organizations like chai lifeline and bikur cholim who go into secular hospitals and make a huge kiddush Hashem there. Let’s not forget to wonderful kollel yungerleit who learn day and night for the sake of lishma and those men who are kovea itim and dedicate as much time and thought into learning as their busy lives allow. These people and their families are keeping the world up.

Let’s not forget each of you, who have helped that lady across the street, who have paid for someones groceries, who gave a ride to a person who was waiting in the rain for a bus. Your smiles, your Jewish neshamos are lighting up the world. Don’t allow that light to flicker by getting ourselves in the news as people who are not united. As people who don’t love each other and try to help lift each other up.

It starts with me, it starts with you.