Rabbi Fishel's weekly message - Conquered challenges take time and perseverance!
Dear Friends,
My mother just shared this powerful line with me: " You can't limit your challenges, but you can challenge your limits." We all need to challenge our limits. In the Torah reading this week, we see how Moses the leader of the Jewish people demands that they challenge themselves and rise above the limits. But at the same time, there's a very powerful message that as they are trying to make their way to the promised land from the dark place in Egypt, G‑d says to the Jews, "Listen, be patient, you will not get there overnight. It may take a while, but keep at it and you will get there."
Whenever there is a delay in any project, usually the reply is: "Hey, Rome wasn't built in a day!" The truth is that overnight sensations seldom last. Persistence, consistency, the grind, patience, and determination will eventually lead us all to our own personal Jerusalem, a version of our own personal promised land — whatever that may be. Sometimes the daunting tasks we accept seem too long and too difficult, but we shouldn't give up too easily. Our inspiration should come from the Torah this week, that with patience and determination we will persevere. A wise man always said, "Not yet" whenever he was asked about something he hadn't quite achieved —not "No", but "Not yet".
Here we are with a history of nine years of Chabad in Naples. Nine years of establishing the dream and employing all the persistence, patience, and determination that has led to the incredible Chabad Naples. So now it's time to celebrate those miracles, as we look forward to what we can achieve. Let's all be reminded of the part of the serenity prayer where we ask G‑d to grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference.
Wishing you a special and beautiful Shabbat,
Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos
