By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times

Many people know what an AED is.

An AED, an automated external defibrillator, delivers 3000 volts of electricity to the heart in less than .001 of a second. It is a portable electronic device that uses a computer chip and paddles to automatically diagnose life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia in patients.

Through defibrillation, the application of electrical therapy, the tachycardia or arrhythmia is stopped. The heart can now reestablish an effective rhythm.
AEDs save lives.

The Vilna Gaon once said, “B’lo timun hamidos – lama li chaim? – Without the constant ever improvement of our midos, of ourselves, of what purpose is life?”
In other words, we are missing out on the essence of life – if we are stagnant in our avodas Hashem. If we are not growing, if we are not coming closer to Hashem in the ever improvement of our self – we are virtual maisim – like the dead.

How can we jolt ourselves back into the essence of life? How can we drop the malaise? How can we perform upon ourselves a spiritual t’chiyas Hameisim putting 3000 volts of ruchniyus into our Neshamos bringing back the normal rhythm of the yiddisha neshama connecting us to Avinu sh’bashamayim?

Here is a remarkable secret – a spiritual AED – wherein we can send those 3000 volts of spiritual electricity in .001 of a second to our neshamos:

If we do an act of “rachamim rabim” – an act that in one fell swoop demonstrates remarkable compassion to acheinu bnei yisroel.

This is another reading of the shmoneh esreh tefillah. Hashem provided us with the ability to do spiritual t’chias hameisim to ourselves! How so? With an act of rachamim rabim – emulating the midos of Hashem. “Mechaye maisim b’rachamim rabim.”

How does it work? Like an AED – wherein this one act gives us an automatic dveikus bashem – because we have emulated Him in that area.
It is a powerful tool in reconnecting – in restarting the rhythm of our neshamos.

It is an idea that can be used just before Shavuos – where we can reaffirm our own personal kabalas haTorah.

What can that act be? Anything. Anything at all that demonstrates rachamim rabim – great compassion. Paying for someone’s wedding – who cannot afford it. Solving someone else’s problem in one fell swoop.

May we all use this shavuos to reconnect fully to Avinu sh’bashamayim and reaffirm kabalas haTorah for all of us, our children, our Talmidim, and all who are dear to us.

The author can be reached at [email protected]