Rabbi Miller's yahrzeit

Rabbi Avigdor Miller's yahrzeit (27 Nissan) Wed. night Q: What should a person do if he feels like he’s going through a lot of difficulties raising his children? A: If a person is bringing up children בדרך התורה, only that it turns out that it’s a difficult job to do, he should know that his reward is tremendous. The Gemara says that if a person has צער גידול בנים, if he has difficulties in raising his children, then אינו רואה פתחה של גהינים – “he won’t even have to walk past the door of Gehenim.” So when you pass out of this world, you will go straight to Olam Habah. The mitzvah of גידול בנים, raising up children, is one of the biggest mitzvos of the Torah! You know what it means to make Jews?! You suffer from them. But the more you suffer, the greater is the reward. Now, if you have a good boy or a good girl, and they caused you no suffering because they themselves chose to do good all the time, you’ll still get reward. But not a reward like that one who suffers. צער גידול בנים makes you a wealthy person. You should know that the reward in Gan Eden is to sit on a golden throne just because you suffered in this great cause of raising up children for the service of Hashem. Because that’s the true success of a Jew in this world, to raise up a family that will serve Hashem and remain after him forever and ever. Tape # E-218 (January 2000) Avigdor ben Yisroel HaCohen Please learn a Mishnah for his neshamah. Here's one: מֵאֵימָתַי קוֹרִין אֶת שְׁמַע בְּעַרְבִית. מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים נִכְנָסִים לֶאֱכֹל בִּתְרוּמָתָן, עַד סוֹף הָאַשְׁמוּרָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, עַד חֲצוֹת. רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשָּׁחַר. מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁבָּאוּ בָנָיו מִבֵּית הַמִּשְׁתֶּה, אָמְרוּ לוֹ, לֹא קָרִינוּ אֶת שְׁמַע. אָמַר לָהֶם, אִם לֹא עָלָה עַמּוּד הַשַּׁחַר, חַיָּבִין אַתֶּם לִקְרוֹת. וְלֹא זוֹ בִּלְבַד, אֶלָּא כָּל מַה שֶּׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים עַד חֲצוֹת, מִצְוָתָן עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשָּׁחַר. הֶקְטֵר חֲלָבִים וְאֵבָרִים, מִצְוָתָן עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשָּׁחַר. וְכָל הַנֶּאֱכָלִים לְיוֹם אֶחָד, מִצְוָתָן עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשָּׁחַר. אִם כֵּן, לָמָּה אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים עַד חֲצוֹת, כְּדֵי לְהַרְחִיק אֶת הָאָדָם מִן הָעֲבֵרָה: (1) From which time are we to recite the shema in the evening? From the time when the priests return home [i.e., priests who have become impure and have immersed themselves in a mikvah, must wait until the stars have appeared in order to be considered, once again, ritually pure, enabling them to return home] to partake of the terumah [i.e., the priestly dues and one may recite the shema] up until the end of the first watch [the night is divided into three shifts, referred to by the Mishnah as “watches;” (during each watch different groups of Angels sing shirah — praise to God, Rashi 3a) thus the conclusion of the first watch would be the end of the first third of the night]. This is the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer, but the Sages say, [One may recite the shema] until midnight. Rabban Gamliel says, Until dawn [since it states “and speak of them ... when you lie down” (Deuteronomy 6:7) the intent being all night]. It once occurred that his sons returned [late] from a feast and said to him, “We have not yet recited the shema.” He told them, “If dawn has not yet broken it is your duty to recite it [even according to the view of the Sages].” And not only in this case, but in all cases [of obligations] where the Sages say, “Until midnight,” the obligation referred to may be carried out until dawn; [for instance,] the burning of fat and limbs may be performed until dawn, and all [the sacrifices] which must be eaten on the same day have their deadlines until dawn. If this is so, why then did the Sages say, “Until midnight?” In order to prevent a person from transgressing [since he may procrastinate in the fulfillment of his obligation, which may cause him to miss its deadline.