Tragedy in Texas

“You shall not murder.” 

This world is not a free-for-all. “There is an Eye that sees, an Ear that hears and all of your deeds are recorded in the Book.”  

Every night when we go to sleep, we personally sign the page in that book where all of our deeds, good and bad, are written – including every word we uttered and even our thoughts – from that day. At the end of our life, we each stand before the Heavenly Court and the book reads itself, and all of our excuses and defenses fall silent at the moment of truth. We are faced with our true selves – and now, it is too late to fix anything. 

G-d gives us a handbook to help us prepare for that day, here in this world called the Torah. In it, He commands us to be just, to be fair to the poor, the orphan and the widow. To set up courts of law and not cause undue suffering to animals, to the point that we are commanded to feed both human indentured servants and animals before ourselves! He lays out the rules of a just, fair, and free society where people are free not to follow their base desires and thus become slaves to their lusts, but free to fulfill their true purpose on this planet – to grow spiritually and get to know the Creator, and raise healthy families so the next generation can do the same. 

The Torah isn’t just for Jews. G-d gave the 7 Noahide commandments to the non-Jewish nations. The first Noahide commandment is the same as the first of the Ten Commandments – to get to know Hashem, learn the truth, and learn emuna! G-d wants every single human being to know Him, believe in Him, and speak to Him every day in personal prayer. G-d is just waiting for the day when everyone will be close to Him in truth, instead of continuing in the path of Adam who tried to run away and hide from G-d. 

The commandment not to murder also applies to both Jews and non-Jews, and is also included in both the Ten Commandments and the 7 Noahide laws, along with prohibitions against theft and all forms of illicit sexual relationships and inappropriate sexual behavior. 

These commandments are here for our own good. To enable us to live happy and fulfilled lives, on every level. And to prevent the kind of bloodshed that is becoming all too common across America and the world. The kind of senseless bloodshed that just took place in Uvalde, Texas. 

Breslev Israel joins the world in mourning the loss of 19 beautiful children and 2 teachers, and pray for those wounded to have a refuah shleima, a complete and speedy healing. We also pray for the families of those affected to have strength and comfort during these incredibly difficult times. 

These were innocent schoolchildren without protection whose only crime was daring to attend school. They could have grown up to get married and have their own children. They had their whole lives ahead of them. 

Rabbi Arush has been teaching intensively for more than a year about ahavat Yisrael, loving our fellow Jews. This commandment on a broader level includes all the commandments regarding human dignity and respect and the need to raise children who value life itself! With all of our technological advancements, we are still sorely lacking and perhaps especially lacking now in knowing how to treat everyone with respect. To care about others, to speak to people face to face, eye to eye and make sure they know that they are loved and they aren’t alone. 

Emotional health and happiness in based in the nefesh, the lowest part of the soul which is directly tied to emuna. The Garden of Emuna and The Universal Garden of Emuna teach people how to appreciate the beautiful world G-d created for us, and the people around us that He put in it. To use the rainy times in our lives to grow. To pierce through the darkness of this world to find the light of G-d that is hidden in it, and specifically hidden in the suffering that plagues us. To give us the strength to continue when we feel we can’t, and to know that we are truly in the best of Hands. 

That’s why thousands upon thousands of people have come to Rabbi Arush to say thank you – thank you for changing my life! How many stories of people who strengthened their emuna and were able to rise out of depression, anxiety disorders, and fears. Emuna is the key to solving every personal crisis, and every emotional ill. And it is the key to raising emotionally healthy, stable children.  

We can’t bring the children back to life. But we can live better lives in their merit! We can make their memory and their legacy live on not just in gun control laws or whatever else the government chooses to do but in making ourselves and the world truly better – by learning emuna and learning how to treat everyone with love and respect.  

If you haven’t yet read the book, read it! And if you have, read it again and then give it out to your friends, family and co-workers. You can even get a discount by buying the books in bulk. It’s up to us now. 

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Rachel Avrahami grew up in Los Angeles, CA, USA in a far-off valley where she was one of only a handful of Jews in a public high school of thousands. She found Hashem in the urban jungle of university. Rachel was privileged to read one of the first copies of The Garden of Emuna in English, and the rest, as they say, is history. She made Aliyah and immediately began working at Breslev Israel.  

 
Rachel is now the Editor of Breslev Israel’s English website. She welcomes questions, comments, articles, and personal stories to her email: rachel.avrahami@breslev.co.il.