It has been a little over a year since I met Rabbi Daniel Garfinkle and discovered his work on the little-known and little-done halacha of מצוות צריכות כוונה--stating or thinking the simple intention before doing any mitzvah: "I am fulfilling the mitzvah of ____, as Hashem commanded." If we don't do this, he explained, we get at most b'd'eved schar (credit), if that.
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BS"D
It never ceases to amaze me how many ways Hashem "shows" us that he is happy with what we do. The story of how Kavanah Kards came about and continues to spread all over the world is just one example of this in my life. Just today, I was updating this Kavanah Kards website and noticed that a LOT of people (B"H) visited on March 8. That was because we had an ad in this week's edition, sponsored so generously by one of my dear children. When I finished the update, I popped into my professional website (SuccessfulPerception.com) to see how things were going. That website is about my professional practice, being certified both as a Body Code practitioner and as an Irlen Syndrome screener. (Irlen Syndrome is a perceptual processing disorder that causes the Visual cortex of the brain to overwork and overstress with certain kinds and intensity of light or white and black patterns. It can cause reading difficulties and discomfort, and even nausea and migraine headaches, along with depth perception issues that affect driving, sports performance and daily life activities like organizing, using an escalator, steadiness on one's feet or bumping into things.) When I saw the visitor statistics of my professional site, something grabbed my attention...There was a big spike in the number of visitors. Curious, I went back to the Kavanah Kards website and saw that on the exact same day both websites hit a huge spike in visitors! Amazing! Even though the websites are devoted to totally different things, they both had a big jump in visitors on the exact same day! Coincidence? I don't think so...Hashem just used this seemingly "unrelated" occurrence to teach me something. Because of the Kavanah Kards advertisement to get more people to come closer to Him, my unrelated professional site also got more traffic. If we are only open to seeing Hashem in our lives and make Him our "partner", he does more for us than any flesh and blood partner ever could do, and he shows this to each of us in a way that has unique meaning to us....We only have to look! Why not make Hashem your "partner" even more by using and sharing Kavanah Kards. Watch all the ways he blesses you! BS”D
What if…? What if Haman had a “normal” mind? What if Achashveros wasn’t so unkind? What if Esther had a chance to shine Without having to make two parties of wine? Would we have the unforgettable, amazing tale Of the Jews being saved, even though they did fail? Would Jews the world-over still celebrate How we were all saved from a terrible fate? Would we feast and dress up and give gifts to our friends? What might have been, then, how the story ends? But they overcame, triumphed and righted mistakes And got the yeshua true teshuva makes. The great lessons Hashem brings us year after year, Though we don’t often think when Megillah we hear How EXACTLY the trials we all do go through Are PRECISELY Hashem’s chesed and, yes, His love too Just to give us the chance to become who we are When we’re challenged and stressed—and to wind up the STAR In the “play” of our life, cause that’s why we're born, Just to see how we’ll rise with stress, danger or scorn. Hashem, in perfection, creates highs and lows-- Just to make us the lead in our very own “shows”. So for you dear ones here is a loving bracha Every second of Purim enjoy great HATZLACHA! Celebrate with great simcha and think as you do That Hashem created it all just for you. Do each mitzvah of Purim with joy and with care And know Hashem’s truly with you everywhere. Please consider including Kavanah Kards in your Shelach Monos To help others come closer to Hashem Simchas Purim – Sara Many people think, "What difference can I make? I'm just _____ (average, a mother, not learned, one person, a teenager, etc),
In truth, each one of us can make a WORLD of difference in our own way! Here's part of an email I got today from a woman who, although on partial bedrest, wanted to grow and also to help others. "Sorry havent had a chance to be in touch, my kids have different vacations and trying to juggle that and my dr apts. I am really enjoing the cards. I slowly am giving out to friends as I see them. I will keep you posted. thanks again for doing this amazing mitzvah of having us really connect to Hashem each time we pray. I taped the card to the asher yatzer, al Hamechia and borei nefashos prayer posters so I bli neder can do more often with kavana. i leave the healing card in my kitchen by computer so each time I do something for my health I try to remember to say prayer. tysm again. tizku l mitzvot" On partial bedrest, children and juggling doctor's appointments, but in between, she's bringing herself and others closer to Hashem one Kavanah Kard at a time! Remember, you don't have to complete a project, just get it started and ask Hashem to help you....He always does. There are so many ways that I have had Hashem's encouragement in doing Kavanah Kards that I can't keep track of them all. Also, my own life has improved in every aspect as a result of doing it. Take the opportunity to let Hashem show YOU how much he loves you to bring people closer to Him--use and share Kavanah Kards! It's fascinating to watch how Hashem moves our lives in the direction He wants.
Mishpacha had covered Kavanah Kards several times, and told me that they had given "enough" coverage to them. No problem, since whatever Hashem wants will happen no matter how much hishtadlus we do (although we do have to do it), so my focus was in another direction. About three weeks later, I got an email from Mishpacha Junior, asking if I would like to contribute something to a coming article for children about davening on Yom Kippur. Of course I said yes, then puzzled (for a minute) over what to write. Suddenly, the memory of how beautifully my grandchildren had set the table for Shabbos when I came "popped" into my mind (what a "coincidence :), leading me to use that example to illustrate how welcome guests feel when you do special things to enhance their time with you. Then I segued into mentioning Kavanah Kards, and how they show Hashem how important your time with Him is. I told the editor that I would be glad to do a Kavanah Kard for children, but there was no response. Two weeks later, I got a request to send Mishpacha a kid's card--uh oh! I didn't have one. In a mad rush I threw together some ideas and sent them to the graphic designer who did all the Kavanah Kards. After a hundred emails of ideas back and forth, we came up with 2 ideas: one was an interactive 4 x 8 bookmark which children could decorate, with places to write in what they want to ask Hashem to help them with and what they want to thank Hashem for. The other one was a happy, colorful 3 x 6" bookmark . (see KAVANAH KARDS FOR KIDS) The end of the story was a cute insert in the article (see ARTICLES to download it), with a picture of the interactive Kids' Kavanah Kard bookmark. Amazing! Told no, then asked to be in an article just three weeks later! As a result of the article, a radio show host in Eretz Yisroel contacted me about an interview in mid-November BE"H, and have already had a request for personalized Kid's Kards. Love the way Hashem shows how much he wants and supports Kavanah Kards! BS"D
Baruch Hashem Kavanah Kards continue to inspire people to be closer to Hashem! Despite the relentless summer heat, a beautiful article in the July 29 2016 edition of the Jewish Press is creating a wave of enthusiasm among Klal Yisroel. Every publication reaches a different readership, and with our first feature article in the Jewish Press, a new group of people learns about Kavanah Kards. As with everything else with this project, Hashem is a loving partner. I was contacted to advertise my Irlen Syndrome Screening practice (see more about Irlen) , and brought up the Kavanah Kard Project. The representative told her Editor about it, and they decided to do a feature article on Kavanah Kards without any advertising cost! Even with Hashem at the helm, it's very gratifying that publications recognize the value and importance of Kavanah Kards to help people and also Klal Yisroel. As we anticipate the return to school, we are looking foward to Kavanah Kards being part of the program in many Yeshivos to help students establish healthy habits for a lifetime "career" of davening with kavanah. It would be wonderful to have you be part of this--tell administrators and mechanchim that they can get Kavanah Kards free for their Yeshiva so we can BE"H have more merit as we go into Elul. Followers of this blog know that I am a huge fan of Rabbi Zacharia Wallerstein, founder of Ohr Naava and Ohr Yitzchok, and a tireless worker to help young people who are challenged in their Yiddishkeit or off the derech altogether. He is in the forefront of this effort, looked to by many for leadership. Rabbi Wallerstein's lectures are available on TorahAnyTime.com, and I make sure to listen to them every week. They never disappoint!
Last week's lecture rocked me to my core: Rabbi Wallerstein spoke about the fact that since Pesach SIXTY young people have died because of drug overdose or suicide (as of yesterday, that number is 75!!!). (Listen to the lecture ) If a sniper, terrorist or even an illness took the lives of SEVENTY-FIVE young people in two months, we would be up in arms, yet they quietly exit and where are the headlines? Where are the outcries? More importantly, what is Hashem trying to tell us by taking back so MANY precious neshamas? Along with the horror comes a feeling of frustration and futility. What can I do? How can I make a difference? On Shabbos I spoke about this at my Tehillim group, and the women all were enthusiastic about my suggestion that we take on something to make a difference. What I suggested is that we do a simple but not well known mitzvah: stating or thinking before we do a mitzvah that we are "fulfilling the mitzvah of _____ as Hashem commanded." This simple statement is so important because it conveys to us the zechar/merit for the mitzvohs we do. Without saying or thinking it, at most we get credit b'd'eved. (For more on this sefer please see the write-up on the LINKS page.) The women responded enthusiastically to do this as a zechus to help stop this tragedy with our children! One said she would do it when she puts on stockings or long-sleeve shirts in this warm weather to fulfill the mitzvah of tznius. (An amazing post script to this: just a week after she started doing this, an out of control car hit two yeshiva boys in Monsey, killing one. This woman's son was standing right next to them, but didn't get a scratch!) What can you do? Anything you like, just do it with the intention that it is to help bring rachamim for our precious children. And if you remember to think or say "I am doing ____ to fulfill the mitzvah of __________ as Hashem commanded" it's even better! You can even think it to fulfill the mitzvah of kavanah (iyun tefillah) when you are using your Kavanah Kard and to bring others closer to Hashem when you share Kavanah Kards with others. :) The author of the sefer has created a handy magnetic chart to help people remember the intention phrase. I am BE"H getting a supply to distribute to the ladies in my Tehillim group. The PDF's of the chart and Overview and more about his sefer are on the LINKS page. If you need assistance, please email or call me. (My contact info is on GET THEM ) May our united efforts be blessed and help bring rachamim for Klal Yisroel! BS"D
Recently I watched a wonderful presentation about Shavuous by Rabbi Zacharia Wallerstein, who I greatly admire and respect for who he has become and what he did. In it he said that the completion of our struggles and challenges in life is "what we do with them". (enjoy his talk here) This surely applies to you as it does to me. In my case, the positive outcome of my struggle for Kavanah is that people all over the world are being helped with their challenge to have kavanah with the beautiful Kavanah Kards that Hashem brought about. This is such an important point! We are supposed to believe "b'shvili nivra ha'olam"--for my sake the world was created. How is that possible? How does Hakodosh BaruchHu "create" a world for each one of us? Through our personal experiences in life. No one has the same experiences, with different parents (or the same parents in different circumstances), different locations, friends, interests, stimuli--even foods. It is our unique combination that results in our "world" that Hashem created just for us. You have surely had experiences which made you who YOU are, and I want to acknowledge you today with this heartfelt, moving piece sent to me by one of my sons, who validated my struggles as I validate yours. Enjoy! BS"D
Baruch Hashem returned yesterday from a fabulous 3 week visit to Eretz Yisroel. Almost missed my plane, going, but they let me on, Baruch Hashem. Must have been my precious cargo--a suitcase and carry on entirely packed with Kavanah Kards--around 16,000 of them! Besides the great time I spent visiting with my wonderful son, incredible daughter-in-law and my fabulous grandson, Kavanah Kards were the other focus of my visit. The first Kavanah Kard highlight was meeting with the godol Rav Gamliel Rabinowitz. We took snacks, tehillim and things to read, prepared to wait for hours. Amazingly, there was no one else there when we arrived, and the Rav himself welcomed us in! We presented the Hebrew and Yiddish cards to him, and he took the time to carefully read both sides of the cards. Rav Gamliel said the cards are "very nice" (meaning they are beautiful to look at), gave a bracha for hatzlacha and said they "should be spread all over the world." What a great experience. The scond Kavanah Kard highlight of my trip was a talk on Kavanah Kards sponsored by the Nshei of Betar, thanks to Leah, the Betar Ambassador. The head of the N'shei, Chaya Hinda Allen, took great interest and spent the time to make sure everything happened right, even though she was away on vacation! It was wonderful to be able to speak directly to people about how Kavanah Kards "happened" and why they are such a powerful force for change. The women and young women who attended were very enthusiastic, taking many hundreds of cards to use and share. The head of a seminary took for her seminary girls and the head of a high school left with a box FULL of them! Another really memorable part of that evening was the greeting I got from one of the first women to come, who looked at me and said, "I remember you--you brought cards to the Kosel." That was one 30 second meeting almost a YEAR before, when she was manning the booth at the entrance to the Kosel women's area! Amazing! The other thing of note during my visit was meeting Rabbi Doniel Garfinkle, a young man who had contacted me several months before about cards he was giving out to help people do certain mitzvohs better. What I didn't know at the time was that he was working on a sefer about the vitally important inyan of stating or at least thinking before doing a mitzvah that you are doing it because Hashem commanded it. If we don't do that we only get schar b'd'eved, if at all! He came to meet me and brought a copy of the just-released sefer. I took him right over to meet my son and show it to him. It turned out that my son knew him and that his father had given that son and my older son Bar Mitzvah lessons! What a SMALL world! This sefer is SO important that I brought my empty Kavanah Kard suitcase back to NY FILLED with them. It should be learned and taught to everyone--especially to children, so they establish the right approach to get complete schar when they do mitzvohs. This is so vital that I am BE"H working with Rabbi Garfinkle to create a new Kavanah Kard with the wording so everyone will have it easily available! For more information on the sefer and how to get it, go to LINKS. Pick and choosing--what will I bring to Israel when I go next week? What do I need to accomplish?
Am I sorting through clothes? accessories? gifts? None of those. They aren't the focus yet--maybe after next Shabbos (flight isn't until Monday, after all :) . First priority, of course, is how many Kavanah Kards to bring and which kinds? It was the topic of conversation with my daughter-in-law today. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Wednesday was a whizzing trip to the printer to pick up the last of the new Hebrew and Yiddish Kavanah Kards before rushing off to NJ to sleep over to attend an early grandparents event at one of my grand-childrens' yeshiva. Then rushing home for Shabbos. This morning (Sunday) started out with an 8:30 am "customer" who B"H came to get Kavanah Kards for her monthly brachos party tonight. Next on the agenda was Kavanah Kard "business" to be achieved this week: shipping out the brand new Hebrew and Yiddish cards to people who have been waiting for them. That means phone calls, preparing packages and trips to the post office. At a time when the Yiddish world is steeped in preparing for Pesach, Hashem has given me the tremendous bracha to be able to devote my time to the beautiful mitzvah of helping people come closer to Hashem. Because of the generous welcoming of my dear son and daughter-in-law in Israel, I am able to ship out "mitzvohs", then to enjoy a beautiful Yom Tov with them. The even greater joy is knowing how many people will gather zechusim by participating in this--by using, sharing and supporting this simple, simple way to grow closer to the Ribono Shel Olam. May we all be privileged to enjoy this together b'simcha and in good health! Chag kosher v'sameach! |
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