Neilah 2015

 









Rabbi Wachsman gave a drasha right before Neilah.

His uncle was killed in the war at age 11.  He never knew him.  The story is that his grandmother had 6 children, they were from Slovakia.  Yidela (his uncle) was going to go to a Yeshiva in Hungary.  His grandmother took him there via train.  On the way back there were rumors that the Germans were going to invade Hungary.  And the borders would close and there would be no way to get Yidela out and back home.  The mother started to panic.  Each stop on the train there were more and more people talking about the invasion.  

A Jewish man saw her and asked what was wrong.  She told him the story.  He asked her how many children are in Slovakia and how many in Hungary.  She said 5 in Slovakia and 1 in Hungary.  He said you have to go to the 5.  They are going to need their mother.  

Sure enough as they got close to the border it was being sealed up.  They were able to pass but just barely.  The mother than began sending in a spy who would go into Hungary and try and get Yidela out.  The mother could see there were people passing the gate, going underneath, sneaking this way and that.  There were people on the other side calling for their loved ones.

The spy got in but couldn't get to Yidela before the Germans took him and brought him to Auschwitz.  There's the mother calling from the border gates, 'yidela, where are you, where are you.'.

Hashem is calling to us.   The gates are closing.  Yidela were are you?  Yidela are you coming.  There's the family on the side of the gate they are all calling, where are you?  Neilah, the gates are closing are going to cross? 
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We are filling our hearts with such shtuss.  Hashem made us in such a way we can be so great.   I see a lot of Bachurim in the audience.  They say about Rebbe Yehuda that before he was nifter he lifted his hands and said these fingers have never experience pleasure.  Bochurim, you should be able to lift your fingers and say this.  Keep away from smartphones.  There's nothing there for you.  I promise you.  Keep yourselves pure. Keep  your fingers and your hearts pure.  

We need to fill our hearts and our minds with good things.  There is so much for us to fill our hearts with.  Instead we fill it with such shtoose.