Who packed my parachute?

 Captain Charles Plumb, a Vietnam-era Navy pilot was shot down and spent 2,103 days as a prisoner of war.

Years later, he was sitting in a restaurant when a man approached him and said, “You’re Plumb. You flew jet fighters in Vietnam. You were shot down.”

Stunned, Plumb asked, “How do you know that?”

The man replied, “I packed your parachute.”

That night, Plumb couldn’t sleep. He later reflected, “How many times did I pass that man and never even say good morning because I was a fighter pilot, and he was just a sailor?”

Fighter pilots receive the recognition. The glory. The medals.

But it’s the quiet, unseen individuals the ones packing the parachutes who make survival possible.

And ever since, his message has been simple and profound:

Know who packed your parachute and say thank you.

As I read this story and felt its impact, I found myself asking that same question:

Who packed my parachute? And did I ever truly say thank you?

And the answer became clear.

My parents packed my parachute.

From the time I was a child, they gave me everything I have. An education, values, strength, and direction. They nurtured me, guided me, sacrificed for me. They sent me to yeshiva, stood by me at every stage, and shaped me into the person I am today.

And I had to ask myself honestly: Did I ever properly say thank you. 

As we stand here and say Yizkor, and I'm saying Yizkor for my father A"h this question becomes even more powerful.

Because Yizkor is not only about remembering, it’s a call to action. It’s about recognizing what was given to us, and asking: what will we now do with it?

But how do we say thank you to someone who is no longer physically here with us?

The Rebbe teaches that we thank them by doing a mitzvah in their memory. By giving tzedakah, by performing acts of goodness and kindness, by living a meaningful life and doing it in their memory. 

Quote: gave up atheist

I once wanted to become an atheist but I gave up . . . they have no holidays.
-Henny Youngman

Story: Flowers for mom

A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother
who lived two hundred miles away.
As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing.
He asked her what was wrong and she replied, "I wanted to buy a red rose for my
mother.
But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars."
The man smiled and said, "Come on in with me. I'll buy you a rose."
He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother's flowers.

As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home.
She said, "Yes, please! You can take me to my mother."
She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.
The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet
and drove the two hundred miles to his mother's house.

Treasure under bridge.

A man was once digging under a bridge and was stopped by a guard. When asked to explain his bizarre digging he explained that he had dreamt of a treasure hidden under this bridge. The guard laughed and said do you always travel long distances when you have a dream? Why, if I were a fool like you, I would have traveled this morning to the following village because I dreamt of a treasure under the floorboards of the following home.

The man quickly realized that the guard was describing his own home and understood that the treasure he was meant to find under the bridge were the directions to his treasure back home. Indeed he returned home, dug up his floorboards and found the treasure.

Rabbi Cleans Streets

On the Tel Aviv street next to the Sadigerer Shul, an elderly Yemenite Jew
worked diligently, sweeping the street. He worked quickly and methodically,
sweeping first one side of the street and then the other. When he approached
the entrance to the shul, however, he stopped sweeping and passed by the
building with his broom aloft. Then he continued sweeping the road.



My grandfather, Rabbi Chaskel Besser, who resided in Tel Aviv at the time
and frequented the shul, noticed this odd behavior and wondered about it. He
approached the street cleaner and asked him how come he had not swept in
front of the shul.



The gentleman looked at my grandfather. "The rabbi doesn't allow me to."



My grandfather's curiosity was aroused, and he approached the Sadigerer
Rebbe and asked for an explanation, but the rabbi only smiled. My
grandfather asked again, and then again, until finally, the rabbi told his
story.



The rabbi had been visiting Vienna in 1938 when the Nazis entered Vienna.
They immediately sought out the prominent Jews and arrested them, among them
the Sadigerer Rebbe.



In a chilling hint of the humiliation and degradation which they intended to
visit upon the Jews, they took these Jewish leaders and found different ways
to publicly disgrace them.



The Sadigerer Rebbe, a man of regal bearing and conduct, was given a little
brush and stood in front of the great Vienna Opera House. They placed a
small street cleaner's hat on his head, and ordered him to sweep the stairs
of the building with this ridiculously ineffective brush.



As this holy rabbi stooped on those ornate steps, tears streaming down his
cheeks, he whispered a prayer, and a vow, to God:



"Almighty, save me from these beasts. Lead me out of this country and to
your home, the land of Israel. And I promise that there I will sweep the
streets with delight and gratification."



The rabbi smiled at my grandfather. "Thus, I insist that the street cleaner
leave those precious few yards of sidewalk, the entrance to God's house, for
me to sweep."

Parable - Throwing 17,000 shekels off the roof

. Lesson from the Economic Crisis

“From a narrow place I call out to you, oh G-d; answer me from an expansive place.” – The first of seven verses resided before the blowing of the shofar.

We are experiencing an economic crisis. Some of us have endured difficult times. We all hope and pray that this year brings all of us much success and abundant prosperity. Yet we ought not to allow the financial challenges of these past years to slip away without teaching us one important lesson about life.

I will illustrate it with a story:

About ten years ago a rich Israeli businessman who we will call Jerry was on the top of the world. He was a multi-millionaire, toured the globe enjoying the best hotels, restaurants, cars and anything that money could buy. He was a self-made-man who loved his creator (i.e. himself). He was arrogant, cold, tough, and boatful. But a number of years ago, like many others, he made some big investment mistakes, and began to lose his fortune. In just months every penny he had saved and slaved for was gone and he was a pauper. And after he liquidated all his assets and even sold his house to pay his debts he still owed 17,000 shekels to the Israeli Revenue Service.

He asked an old friend for a loan. He went up to his friend’s office at the 49th floor of the Azrieli center in Tel Aviv.  His friend gave him 17,000 shekel and the man left the office.

With nothing better to do he decided to walk around and have a look. After a few minutes of strolling he noticed a set of stairs leading up to a large metal door, which he ascended and opened the door. A cold autumn wind blew into his face. It was the door leading to the roof, 'why not', he thought to himself as he went out.

Ah it was beautiful! From here he could see far into the distance; the Judean hills in one direction, the wide, vast Mediterranean sea on the other. He just stood there, thinking and trying to enjoy the weather when suddenly a loud thud behind him broke his thoughts; a quick glance revealed that the wind slammed the door shut. He decided it was time to go back.

He went to the door and tried to open it but it seemed to be locked. He tried peering from all sorts of angles to figure out the latch but he couldn't. So he began to pound on the door and when that didn't work, to kick at it. For sure someone would hear.

But no one did. The wind was getting stronger and colder now and he wasn't really dressed for this. He looked around for some object to hit the door with, to attract attention and get out but there was none. He still had a good hour before dark; people were probably still in their offices so he pounded, kicked and yelled but there was no response.

When he took out his black berry he discovered that the battery was dead. Totally dead! Of all times for this to happen!

But he didn't lose his composure. He had to work fast. He went to the edge of the building, peered over the small protective fence and began waiving his arms and yelling to the people far below which, after just five minutes, he realized was totally futile. There was no way that anyone would notice him from 49 floors below. But he had to remain calm. It was his only chance. Soon it would be dark and really cold. And there was nowhere to get protection from the wind, which was getting colder by the minute.

Suddenly he had an idea. The money! He had 17,000 shekels in his pocket. For sure if he threw a 200 shekel note down people would look up to see where it was coming from… and see him.

He pulled out a stack of bills, removed one, looked over the fence and threw it. He watched as it floated crazily in the wind and finally, after several minutes, landed on the other side of the street, someone stopped, bent down, picked it up and continued walking.

This time he took out five bills, 1,000 altogether and let them drop… but it was the same thing. No one noticed them until they hit the ground, then they picked them up, looked around for more and kept going.

He knew what he had to do! It was his only chance! He took all the money from his pocket, tore the band that held it neatly in a pack and with a yell, threw it below as hard as he could. With his last optimism he gazed as it scattered far below him. He removed his shirt and began waving it frantically for someone to notice. But he couldn't believe his eyes; not only did no one look up or hear his cries for help; they were all arguing down there about who saw which bill first!

He looked around on the roof, the sun was setting, it was still light enough to see, but he saw nothing……. only the sky.

His eyes filled with tears, suddenly he felt small, he needed help; he was sure that G-d would help him. The sky said so. A second ago he didn't even believe there was such a thing but now it was obvious… he wasn't alone. He yelled out, "HaShem! HaShem! (G-d)…. help! Help me!"

Suddenly his eye caught a medium sized sack of small pebbles. Why didn't he see it before? But there it was! He dragged it to the fence, took a handful, said a prayer, threw it over the side and began waving his arms and looking down again.

Sure enough, this time it worked! People began cursing; looking up pointing and screaming at him. Probably all of them called the police because in just moments the door burst open, police with guns drawn stormed through, put handcuffs on him and took him to the station. He was saved!

It took some serious explaining. He was lucky that no one was really hurt from his pebbles and, of course, he lost the 17,000 shekel and still owed the taxes. But after a few days they accepted his story and let him out.

At that moment he discovered a deep lesson: the people on the street, were just like him. All the time money was raining down the people never looked up… they looked only down, for more money. But as soon as they started feeling the pebbles hurting them they looked up to see where they were coming from.

How true of life. When we have everything we need, we sometimes take it for granted and we never look up. We can become insensitive to the plight of others; we feel we don’t need anybody. We are on top of the world. Only when we feel the “pebbles” falling on us, does it make us look up… look up beyond ourselves… see that there is something that transcends our egos, there is a higher source, to whom we are responsible.

This is the meaning of the above verse: We tend to call out to G-d “min hamatzar,” from a narrow place. Yet we ask of Him to answer us with expansiveness, with prosperity. Once we have learnt the lesson, let us all be blessed with tremendous wealth, so we can utilize the Divine gift to help people.

blind girl who hated herself - Story

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always
there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, will marry you.'
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.
He asked her,'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The
sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that; the thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him
-ler boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying:
!Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'
This is how the human brain often works when our status changes.
Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life Is a Gift

Life Is a Gift
Today, before you say an unkind word, think of someone who can't speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food, think of someone who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your spouse, think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
Today before you complain about life, think of someone who went to heaven too early.
Before whining about the distance you drive, think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
And when you are tired and complain about your job, think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down, put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.

“How Much Land Does a Man Need?”

It is a story about a greedy man named Pakhom, who becomes obsessed with owning land. Finally he is introduced to a family owning enormous quantities of land who give him an unusual offer: for a sum of one thousand rubles Pakhom can walk around as large an area as he wants, starting at daybreak, marking his route with a spade along the way. He has all day to cover by foot as much territory as he would like. If he reaches his starting point by sunset that day, the entire area of land his route encloses will be his!
The man is delighted, as he believes that he can cover a great distance and has chanced upon the bargain of a lifetime. At the end of this day he will finally achieve richness.
The man is excited beyond words. These idiots, he thinks, don’t even know how much land they will be forfeiting today. His journey begins. He tries to cover as much land as possible, not content with what he already has. He goes on, more and more and more and more. He begins to run, and run faster and faster, another mile, another mile. In his glittering imagination he sees all this land belonging to him.
As the sun nearly sets, he realizes his error… He covered so much ground from the starting point, but he has to get back to the starting point. Oy vey, only a few minutes left. He runs back as fast as he can to the waiting family. He never ran so swiftly in his life. He finally arrives at the starting point just as the sun sets. He made it. The family cheers his good fortune, but exhausted from the run, he falls and drops dead. They bury him in an ordinary grave only five feet long… and that is the land he ends up with: 5X2.

The Fisherman

They tell a story of a man who docked his fishing boat at eight in the
morning with the hold half empty. Why did you come in so early, asked a
bystander.
Because I have caught enough to sustain me for the day, replied the
fisherman.
How will you spend the rest of the day?
I will smoke my pipe, relax with my family and enjoy some quiet time.
Why don’t you stay out a little longer and make a little more money?
What would I do with more money?
You could buy another boat, hire someone to run it and make even more money.

And what would I do with that money?
I suppose you could buy more boats and have a fleet; this way you could make
real money.
And what would I do with real money?
Well you could diversify into other lucrative opportunities and really
strike it rich.
And what would I do if I were rich?
I suppose if you really wanted to you could retire early.
And what would I do with an early retirement?
Well, replied the stranger, somewhat flummoxed, you would do whatever you
wanted to do. You could do a little fishing, you could smoke a cigar, enjoy
your family and maybe have some quiet time…..
That, the fisherman replied pointedly, Is what I do already. . .

Give me, Give Me

A member of our community has lots of challenges in his personal andbusiness life. On the top his list of Tzoris is that he is a teenagedaughter (Sheva) who is mentally challenged. She is a functioning girl andcan communicate but challenged none the less.
The family recently went on vacation to Israel for a few weeks. On the lastday of the trip they went back to the Kosel for a last visit. The father(Abba) told the family that this is their last visit to the Kosel for thistrip and so they should go and put a note in the wall for the last time.Abba told me that he put a note in the wall with a long list of all hisrequests to Hashem. Give me this, send me that, help me with this, fix that,etc.
When they came out and the family gathered he asked his daughter Sheva whatshe asked for and she said: "Ask? I didn't ask for anything I wrote toHashem: Thank you for this, and this, and this, etc."
He told me this was the most humbling moment of his life. Here he was at thewall and all he could think of was to ask and ask. And his daughter who isthe one with the actual challenges all she thinks of is to say thank you forwhat she has.

A Life for a Life - Story

A Life for a Life
Yoni, an Israeli Defense Force soldier stationed in Hebron, was shot by an Arab terrorist. It happened very early in the morning, and no one else was awake to hear it. Yoni passed out and was bleeding steadily, his life heading toward a silent end.
But another soldier stationed nearby heard the shot and went to investigate. He found a fellow Israeli soldier bleeding to death. He tried the best he could to stop the bleeding and called for help. Waiting for help to arrive, he kept applying pressure to the wound--literally holding Yoni's life in his hands.
Yoni was taken to a hospital in Be'er Sheva where he underwent surgery. Yoni's parents were notified and they rushed to the hospital. Imagine the fear of the parents who were only told "your son has been injured and is in the hospital." When they arrived the doctor told them that Yoni was shot but will be alright. However, had it not been for the immediate actions of the other soldier, their son Yoni would have bled to death.
It was a miracle that the other soldier heard what no one else heard, and managed to locate Yoni as quickly as he did. The parents wanted to thank that soldier, but he had just left the hospital after hearing that the soldier he helped would survive.
While recuperating at home, Yoni and his parents called the army to find out the name of the other soldier so they could thank him personally. Unfortunately, that soldier's name was not recorded and although they tried to ask around they simply couldn't track down who that other soldier was.
Yoni's mother knew that the important thing of course is that Yoni is well, yet she could not help feeling that as long as she couldn't meet and thank the solider who bravely saved her son's life--the entire frightening episode would not be fully over. Not being able to thank the soldier continued to give her an empty feeling…but then she had an idea.
The couple owned a grocery store in Kiryat Malachi (a town near Ashdod), so they decided to put up a sign in the store, describing what happened, figuring that Israel is a small country and eventually they might found out who the mystery soldier was.
Months passed with no response. Finally, one morning about a year later, a woman customer noticed the sign hanging by the door of the store. She recalled how happy her son Yair was when he came home one Friday night and told them how he heard a shot and was able to save another soldier's life in Hebron. She went back and told the owner of the store. The story matched. The two women now decided to try to reach their sons on cell phones and see if they could meet at the store. Fortunately it turned out that both the young men and even the fathers were able to all meet that afternoon at the store.
The families soon gathered for an emotional "rendezvous". The soldiers recounted army experiences and finally after all this time Yoni's mother could stand up and thank Yair for saving her son's life or as she put it, "You saved my world". She looked forward to feeling "completion" after all this time by thanking the soldier, but little did she know that the story was hardly complete.
After the tearful thank you, Yair's mother quietly pulled her aside and asked to speak with her outside. The two women went out alone. And she asked Yoni's mother: "Look at me-- don't you remember me?"
"No, I'm sorry did we meet before?"
"Yes," Yair's mother replied. "You see there is a particular reason I came into your store today. I used to live here, and this time although I was just passing by, I wanted to give you my business, even though I was only buying a few things."
"What are you talking about?" Yoni's mother asked.
The other woman answered, "Twenty years ago I used to live around here and came all the time to buy milk and bread. One day you noticed that I looked really down and you were very nice and asked me why I seemed so down and I confided in you. I told you that I was going through a very difficult time and on top of that I was pregnant and planning on having an abortion. As soon as I said "abortion" you called your husband over and the two of you seemed to forget about your own store and business, and just sat down and patiently listened to me. I still remember clearly what you said.
"You told me that it is true that I was going through a hard time but sometimes the good things in life come through difficulty, and the best things come through the biggest difficulties. You spoke of the joy of being a mother and that the most beautiful word to hear in the Hebrew language is "Ima" (mother) when spoken by one's child. You both spoke and spoke until I was convinced that I actually should have this baby--so you see G-d paid you back!"
"What do you mean?" asked Yoni's mother. The answer astounded and thrilled her.
"I had a boy twenty years ago that you saved by telling me to think twice before doing the abortion." With happy tears she declared, "My beloved Yair wouldn't have been alive if not for you. He was the one you were looking for. He was the one who grew up to save your son Yoni's life!"
Note: This incredible story is true. The actual names are on file.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from friendsofefrat.org, the website of a wonderful organization, EFRAT, that dedicatedly (and non-violently!) works to prevent abortions by Jewish mothers in Israel, through counseling and financial incentives.
Connection: Seasonal (Memorial/Independence Days)

Are You Poor? Do we appreciate everything we have?

Are You Poor? Do we appreciate everything we have?

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the purpose of showing his son how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yes," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a
river that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go
beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.