Rosh Chodesh Adar 5775, February 19, 2015 at Kever Rachel

Rosh Chodesh Adar 5775, February 19, 2015 at Kever Rachel

By Evelyn Haies,

founder and president of Rachel’s Children Reclamation Foundation and Bnei Rachel, Inc

Rosh Chodesh Adar at Kever Rachel brought out the dedicated to be with Rachel Imeinu on this day of simcha despite the impending snowstorm.  Just like nothing can stand in the way of a mother protecting her children, the forecasts did not stop those who battle for  Rachel’s Tomb, a most protected holy site. The 8am Egged #163 bus to Rachel’s Tomb was pretty empty for a Rosh Chodesh morning . Just a few were on the bus that reached Rachel’s Tomb from Efrat at 9am. The Sefer Torah reading was a sweet comforting echo through the well heated  ohel. The harsh wind that came through the door carelessly  left open over and over again was stopped by the kind efforts of Nechama who works for RCRF no matter in The House of Rachel’s Children purchased initially in March 2001 with all RCRF 501c3  money  or at Rachel Tomb itself where it all began. The women patiently await their return to their borders.

                    Nina Devere who has been sponsoring the buses and running the programs needs a better response and so does RCRF which is dealing with lock outs, slander and chillul Hashem. Considering all the major accomplishments, Evelyn accepts the word of her dear friend Hana, a’h “You already won.” Still RCRF was formed to save Kever Rachel and present the “good ideology”. So sad, the good had to deal with inconceivable  bad. Speaking on the parasha Terumah, building the Tabernacle, Evelyn sees it’s all about IF and If NOT. We need more time to correct the IF NOT. Letting evil get away with IF NOT the bad becomes a raging plague.  IF means, “Not by Rachel’s tears alone, but working together with midos and wisdom” creates the geulah. When we act with derech eretz, do teshuva, HASHEM produces miracles.

                    Nina introduced Sarah Baumol who spoke on the month of Adar. She taught that Adar brings in joy. Good Happens. Bad turns to good. She says, “We can change mazal by deeds, not dice.” She showed how the Haman/Mordechai predicament  was turned into an Esther HaMalchah reality where the victory hidden became what we see. We need to do it again and make the miracles last. The program ended with Esther Cameron, editor  of Deronda Review reading her poem. 

                                                                              THE GIVER

                                                            By Esther Cameron, Editor of the Deronda Review

for Evelyn Hayes

Amid the harvest of his deeds a man

Lies sleeping, with his merits round him piled

And senses in his sleep a shape that stands

Opposite him -- the face is not revealed.

A muffled voice addresses him: "My son,

Why do you cheat me?"  Now he is awake

And starts to ask the shape, "What have I done?"

But no one's there.  Now he begins to take

Thought, but goes back to sleep.  And on the screen

Of inner sight appears a woman's face,

Not young. She asks, "The house that was my dream

And our mother's praise -- why do you transgress

By taking it?"  "And what are dreams of hers,"

He answers, "in comparison to my

Sustaining works?  A migratory bird --

What weight have her complaints against such as I?"

But after that he sees:  the window gapes

And on the sill the birds are all assembling,

Dragging the sky down with them.  It is gray

And like a stone tablet that is crumbling.

And shuddering, he senses that the first

Shape again stands beside him.  In his hand

She places just one crumb and tells him, "Cast

This to them, and let accusation end!"

He tosses it.  The largest in the flock

Is quick to gather in its beak the prize.

Then with the sky, which has its color back,

All of the flock with single motion rise

And fly until at last they dip their wings

Over that crossroads where Rachel lies hid

And let the crumb fall on the ground, whence springs

A stalk that quickly puts forth leaf and bud.

And the bud opens to a house, wherein

Matrons and maidens sing and speak their thought

And young men, too, see deeper as they learn

And good, wise counsels are received and taught.

Until a signal's given, and a throng

Collects, and a procession sets forth, drawn

Toward Jerusalem, to build the house for which they long,

Where earth and heaven are forever one.