Toda
A Poem, Also a Deeper Look at a Powerful Passage
By Eva Gabay

I would like to start out with a passage that basically epitomizes the value of life to me. It has also inspired a poem I have written to appreciate the many gifts of Hashem, whether big or small.

Sometimes we take for granted the beauty and wonder of life. In the poem above, we must learn that to truly appreciate life, we need to sometimes take in the sadness to appreciate the beauty and the gifts of Hashem. We also see that it's easy to overlook the simple gifts, such as eating some bread or the energy to daven. When we don't have our bread, or energy to daven, we realize their importance and can then appreciate those gifts more. Although they seem minute, try to imagine if you did not have them anymore. What would life be like without our bread, without energy to daven? There is a wide spectrum of gifts that we overlook each day.

One of our greatest gifts is Shabbat. Simply saying "Shabbat Shalom" or "Good Shabbos" is a mitzvah which transcends not only the utmost appreciation to Hashem for giving us this beautiful day, but it also shows our neighbors we wish them all the gifts of Shabbat. To me saying this to someone is such a great mitzvah and just so easy. This is in a sense a good deed.

There are so many ways to fulfill mitzvahs and appreciate all that Hashem has to offer us. Each mitzvah has what I compare it to as a "ripple effect." Most things in life do. We never know where how many ripples a mitzvah may have or where it will end up but the most important thing to remember is that any mitzvah is special. The Torah shows us in numerous ways how all things have an effect on each other. We learn that by doing good we are rewarded and by showing compassion and forgiveness for our neighbors when they have wronged us, Hashem may have a more merciful ear for our own cries.

This week take time to do something special for someone else.
No matter how big or small it may be. It may even be just saying "Shabbat Shalom" to a fellow Jew who isn't currently keeping Shabbos. By saying something so simple, you might just spark something in them to keep Shabbat. They in turn may find a stronger connection to Hashem and the Jewish People as a whole, they might just invite you over for Shabbos dinner one night a few years from now and introduce you to your future Basherte. Or maybe by saying it you will have just fulfilled your biggest of mitzvahs. Who knows. It all comes back to the passage stated above which again is:

Yafeh sha'ah achas b'teshuvah umaasim tovim b'olam hazeh mikol chayei olam haba. One hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is more precious than the entire world to come. That is how the value of life is measured according to our holy Torah.

"Shabbat Shalom"
Eva.

About the Author
Eva Gabay, is 29 and is from Brooklyn New York. Eva practices Judaism in the Sephardic form. And Eva loves writing, although keeping up with writing a novel and additional articles keeps Eva very busy, she says it's definitely worth it.