The Jewish 911 - Emergency Help Line

Written by the Rebbe, Rav Michel Twerski, shlit"a, for Pesach 1991/5751

From Turning Pages (pg. 92-93)

America's cities have, in recent years, introduced a telephone crisis line "911" whose function it is to summon the appropriate communal agency to respond to any emergency called into its switchboard. A quick "911" call, thus brings out forthwith the fire department, rescue squad, police, CIA. federal agents, one of the above, or all of the above. The logic is obvious. It is designed to simplify matters so that but one short telephone number need be committed to memory, in order to call for help.

Enlisting Hashem

Okay. So, we are deep into Elul. It can be overwhelming -- life-altering changes and stuff. Just trying to decide what particularly we want to change is challenging enough. Then we need to worry about making a plan, carrying it out, sticking to it when we are spent, picking ourselves up when we fall, and on and on. We are all surely familiar with that unwelcome voice inside our heads that won't stop telling us, "You can't".

Chometz-Free Only With Siyata Dishmaya

איתא במשנת חסידים (ניסן ג, ד): הנזהר ממשהו חמץ בפסח מובטח לו שלא יחטא כל השנה

In Mishnas Chassidim it is written: One who is careful [lit. one who is kept] from even the smallest amount of chometz on Pesach is assured that he will not sin the entire year.

The Chernobyler Maggid (quoted in Yalkut Meorei Ohr) pointed out that it should have said הזהיר (ha'zahir), meaning "one who is careful", and not הנזהר (ha'nizhar), "one who was kept", the implication of which is that he was kept from chometz by a third party. So he says that the truth is that since chometz is forbidden even as a ma'shehu (a smallest amount), it is impossible for a person to truly be sure to get rid of ALL of his chometz. Rather, after all the hishtadlus and work that we do to remove the chometz, one must ask from the Ribono shel Olam that He assist him that he should be able to be saved and kept from chometz b'mashehu. The only way to be careful from chometz entirely is by the intervention and assistance of Hashem so it is correct in saying "one who was kept from chometz".