16 Apr SPEAK YOUR VUES WITH THE VUES MASTER

RABBI LIEFF INTERVIEW
Dear Vues Master
I just want you to know how much I enjoyed the article
Ari Hirsch did on HaRav Moishe Tuvia Lieff shlita. We are
very lucky to have the Rav in Flatbush.
RBS
Vues Master’s Note: Thanks for the feedback. It was our
zechus!

CHAMETZ CLEANING TIPS
Dear Vues Master
1.. Open a new file in your PC.
2.. Name it “Chometz.”
3.. Send it to the RECYCLE BIN.
4.. Empty the RECYCLE BIN.
5.. Your PC will ask you, “Are you sure you want to delete
Chometz permanently?”
6.. Calmly answer, “Yes,” and press the mouse button
firmly……
7.. Feel better?
Works every time!
Vues Master’s Note: If it was only that easy!

MIRACLES TODAY
Dear Vues Master
I often hear, if only Hashem did miracles today, I would
believe in Him and have a relationship with Him. The
answer is, He DOES miracles today! When you see the
headline: “99% of 300-plus projectiles fired by Iran at Israel
were intercepted” and you read the history of the Iron Dome
and Israel’s missile defense program, how much scientists
thought it was impossible to invent something that could
respond to the trajectory and velocity of missiles and blow
them up in the air, when you see 99% effectiveness, know,
it is nothing short of miraculous. Yes, it was invented by
human ingenuity and resourcefulness, but that is because
Hashem always invites us to be His partner in making
miracles. When you sit down for the Seder in a few days
and talk about miracles of Hashem, don’t only refer
to thousands of years ago, talk about the miracles that
happened this week. Thank you Hashem! Thank you to the
brilliant scientists and engineers in Israel! Thank you to the
Israeli people for perseverance, tenacity and faith!
REG
Vues Master’s Note: There are miracles everywhere! Just
open your eyes.

IRAN’S ATTACK ON ISRAEL
Dear Vues Master
We thank the Almighty, working through the IDF, for
protecting the Jewish people from the massive attack from
Iran. Israel is the land where the eyes of God and the world
continue to look throughout the year (Devarim 11:12). For
more than half a year Israel has been at war. Saturday night
something unprecedented took place. Iran, for the first time
in history, directly attacked Israel. The Talmud teaches us
that a person is measured by the actions they take when they
are in a state of anger. Make no mistake, Israel and its people
are angry. This is the second time in six months that Israel
has faced a large-scale attack. It is the second time in six
months that its people have had to take shelter in their safe
rooms and bomb shelters, this time in the middle of the night.
The people of Israel are angry. But how do we respond? It is
well known that Israel has the most moral army in the world
that takes great care to avoid civilian casualties as much as
possible. Israel is not at war with the people of Iran but with
its tyrannical government. In this week’s Haftorah, we read
how Israel treated one of its enemies, a military general
named Na’aman, who even though he was attacking Israel
came to receive medical treatment from the prophet Elisha.
After Elisha gave him instructions on how to heal himself
in a simplistic manner, Na’aman didn’t believe it. He didn’t
believe that the instruction given by the Jewish leader at
the time would heal him, especially after the leprosy that
plagued him baffled his own healers who were powerless to
help. After he was convinced by one of his own advisers to
listen to Elisha, he begrudgingly carried out the instructions
and saw that he indeed was healed. He came back to Elisha
and offered the prophet gifts. Elisha refused the gifts not
wanting to take any credit for the miraculous recovery,
but reserved it only for the hand of God for it was God’s
work and God’s actions that really healed Na’aman. So too
today. The Almighty, working through the IDF, protected
the Jewish people from the massive attack from Iran, as
He made sure 99% of the drones and missiles were shot
down. We are thankful for his intervention in guiding the
hands of the IDF and our allies who worked together to
stop the rockets. Our greatest hope is that the Iranian people
will overthrow this tyrannical regime and grow to live in
peace with Israel. Peace is what every Jewish heart desires.
During this period of redemption when we celebrate
Pesach we beseech the Almighty to grant us a modern-day
redemption. Am Yisrael Chai.
RSB/Aish.com
Vues Master’s Note: We have to thank HKBH for all the
miracles we see on a daily basis.

BITACHON
Dear Vues Master
There is a great story that Rav Chayim
Tzvi Blau wrote about Baron Rothchild.
Baron Rothchild once made an offer to
a few Shadchanim, and he said that the
one that finds a good Shidduch for his
daughter would receive great reward. All
the Shadchanim got to work, and finally a
possible match was found. Rothchild met
with the father of the boy and told him, “I
am offering to buy a nice sized apartment
for the couple, plus an additional
apartment so that they can rent it out for
income, plus a monthly stipend of two
thousand dollars which I will directly
deposit into their account each month.”
He kept adding more and more things that
he would be giving the couple, and just
as he finished, he asked the boy’s father,
“And what will you offer?” The fellow
responded, “I can offer you my son!”
Rothchild replied, “No, you must offer at
least ten thousand dollars.” The father was
frightened by this request and exclaimed,
“Ten thousand dollars?! I have never seen
such money in my life!” Baron Rothchild
said, “This is all I am asking of you. I will
give you a few days to work it out.” The
next day, Baron Rothchild got a knock
on his door, and he was surprised to see
that it was this boy’s father standing there.
Rothchild welcomed him in and asked how
everything was going. The man said that
he wanted to request something of him.
He explained, “I have a son who is a very
fine boy, and I need ten thousand dollars
so that I could marry him off. Would you
be able to please help me with that?” One
would think that this was tremendous
Chutzpah! But Baron Rothchild loved
the sincerity of this man, and he happily
gave him the money with a complete
heart! Rav Blau teaches that this story
can be a Mashal to one’s Bitachon, trust
in Hashem. Hashem gives us everything!
A place to live, money to buy things, and
life itself! Hashem gives much more than
Rothchild was offering, and more than he
could ever possibly offer! Hashem asks,
“Just put your trust in Me. Have Bitachon,
and I will shower you with Brachah,”
as the Pasuk in Tehillim says (32:10),
HaBo’tei’ach BaHashem, the one who
trusts in Hashem, Chesed Yisovivenu, will
be surrounded with Chesed. However, it’s
really much more than that. We can even
turn to Hashem and ask Him to help us
that we should be strong in our Bitachon,
and Hashem, Who gives us everything,
will help us have Bitachon in Him as well!
TUT

Vues Master’s Note: Make sure you say
Ani Maamin every day.

TEFILLIN ON CHOL HAMOED
Dear Vues Master
I have a problem. My father in law keeps
on calling me a goy because I wear tefillin
on Chol Hamoed. I saw in an article that
the mesorah is not to wear tefillin on Chol
Hamoed. I looked at Rashi in Mesechta
Sukkah. It seems that he wore tefillin on
Chol Hamoed. The Rema wore tefillin on
Chol Hamed. I am not sure if they had
a mesorah? Or are they doing a goyishe
Mesora?
Perplexed in Flatbush
Vues Master’s Note: I would like to know
which Goy puts on tefillin period?

A SPECIAL SEDER
Dear Vues Master
I just heard a great story for Erev Pesach
from Rabbi Elimelech Biderman Shlit”a.
He said that Reb Ber’tze was a very
special chassid of Reb Asher of Karlin
zy”a. Before Pesach, he would bake his
own matzos, and he would make his own
wine. Everything was made with many
chumros and great caution. One year, he
set the table with wine and matzos etc., and
then left for beis medrash to daven. When
his wife passed the table, her apron caught
on the tablecloth, and everything on the
table – including the matzos and the wine
– toppled over. When Reb Ber’tze came
home, he found his wife in bed, moping
and angry. She said, “Why weren’t you
more careful with the matzos and with the
wine? Why did you put them in a place
where they can topple over so easily? It is
your fault.” Reb Ber’tze calmly answered,
“It wasn’t my fault, and it wasn’t yours.
Everything is from Hashem,” and he
picked up the matzos from the ground to
make the seder. (Generally, his custom was
not to eat matzos that fell on the ground,
but he made an exception this time,
because he realized that this was the only
way he could restore peace in his home.)
The next morning, Rebbe Asher of Karlin
was repeating what happened in heaven,
because of the sedarim of tzaddikim.
“This tzaddik’s seder shined in the upper
worlds… and this tzaddik’s seder was
extremely special… But the seder of Reb
Ber’tze was greater than all of them. No
one reached the heights that he attained.”
PF
Vues Master’s Note: Controlling one’s
temper is always one of the hardest things
to do.

CHILDREN COMING HOME
FOR PESACH
Dear Vues Master
There’s a well-known Pesach joke about a
man who calls his son that I want to share
with your readers. It’s an oldie that most
people know, but I love it. “Son, I’m sorry
to ruin your day but your mom and I are
getting divorced.” “Divorced? You’ve
been married for 45 years?! What are you
talking about?” “Well son, we just can’t
stand each other anymore. I need to go.
Tell you sister. Bye” And hangs up the
phone. The son calls his sister, tells her
what’s going on, and they immediately
hatch a plan. They call their father back.
“Dad, do not do anything! We are booking
flights and we’ll be over tomorrow to
discuss things. In the meantime, just hang
tight.” The father hangs up the phone,
turns to his wife, and says, “Honey, the
kids are coming for Pesach!”
PKL
Vues Master’s Note: A classic. Never gets
old.

THE BAD NEWS, THE GOOD
NEWS, THE MISSION
Dear Vues Master
The Bad News
This past weekend we were reminded
that Hamas and the Palestinians are not
the only ones who hate us and are bent
on our destruction- Lo Echad Bilvad…
The Good News Though our enemies
sometimes succeed at hurting us, they
will never be victorious- V’hi she’amda
la’avoteinu velanu… The Mission In
addition to fighting our enemies, let’s
make sure to address the true core issue.
Let’s improve ourselves in ways that merit
the completion of our redemption. We
won’t be able to live in true peace with
those in this world until we make peace
with the one above.
RRT
Vues Master’s Note: We must constantly
work on our emunah & bitachon.

SAYING TEHILLIM
Dear Vues Master
One of the most popular Google
searches this past weekend in Israel
was “Tehillim”. We might have
disagreements at times. Those
disagreements might even get heated.
But when we know what we need to
do, we do it. When we need to unify,
we unify. When we need to pray, we
pray. Last night was an unprecedented
historic event. The world’s most
genocidal regime took off its gloves

and attacked. Anyone who was in Israel
this past Shabbat knows how tense it
was. With someone as unpredictable
as Khamenei, we didn’t know what to
expect. Everyone was nervous. I had a
conversation with some friends over the
weekend and I told them that while I
understand their anxiety, let’s not forget
that we have Hashem in our corner. I
told them we know the ending and it’s
a happy one. (For us. Not so much for
our enemies.) I told them that the IDF is
stronger than it’s ever been. I don’t want
to sound too cocky here because I don’t
think Iran is done but I will tell you one
thing with 100% certainty. Iran did not
expect to lose so badly. They knew we
had the iron dome and surely they didn’t
expect all their drones and missiles to
hit but they absolutely did not expect a
0% success rate. What Israel does now
is irrelevant. We have already won.
The man is probably lying in the fetal
position crying that he talked such a big
game and was shut down completely. I
hope Israel will do what it needs to do.
I’m sure we will. But we’ve already
won. Nothing angers radical islamists
more than the zionists putting them to
shame and that’s what we did tonight. So
let’s keep praying to Hashem. Let’s keep
thanking the IDF. Let’s keep unifying.
Last night, as far as I’m concerned, was
a miracle the likes of which we haven’t
seen since biblical times. The splitting
of the sea, the ten plagues, and the Iran
attacks of 2024. Miracles! Thank you,
Hashem.
HF
Vues Master’s Note: Living in America,
the best thing we can do for our brothers
& sisters in Israel is to daven & say
Tehillim. Acheinu
Kol Bais Yisrael.

TESHUVA
Dear Vues Master
Most important thing right now is to do
teshuva. Commit to being a better person.
Commit to being on “Hashem’s team.”
Commit to searching for the Divine
spark within you and fanning those
flames. Commit to taking 1 step forward.
Hashem took us out of Egypt, He’ll get us
out of this as well. And to all the people
standing guard, may Hashem bless you,
with security and the ability to fulfill your
mission perfectly.
בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה
DC
Vues Master’s Note: U’Teshuva U’Teffilah
U’Tzedakah Maverim es Roah Hagezarah.

SPEED CAMERAS
Dear Vues Master
It seems like New York has a war against working
people since they have to bear the brunt of extremely
high taxes and fines, as well as no qualification for
any health insurance or other types of benefits because
obviously they’re working right? But with the insanely
high cost of living here and $65 on your windshield
for sleeping in an extra 5 minutes one day, it looks
like the middle class went the way of the dinosaur.
Besides that they have to also pay school and camp
tuition, is it any wonder why so many families need
these Passover drives? Just a 2 lb box of matzah could
already run $70. But as always it’s not the migrants
that all these speed cameras are for since they ride all
sorts of unmarked electric vehicles. The speed cameras
are literally robbing people that tried so hard to make
a living, qualify for nothing, have no spare time or
luxury, and live to support the entire freeloading class
invited by hochul and adams, and still struggle just as
much as any poor person. I would actually add that
they struggle more than the poor people because the
poor people get just about everything here. So just
a heads up that now that we’re done with Avenues,
the speed cameras are making their way towards the
residential blocks. Now we have one gracing E.16
between n and o, east 17 between Avenues O & P,
East 19th between K and L, East 5th between M and
N, E.16 between King Highway and Avenue R. Why
they even bother with all these cameras when I can
barely seem to drive a block these days even at 5 mph
is a good question. But hey you only have to put it up
once and it pays for itself within a few weeks. Enjoy
the robbery everyone.
RK
Vues Master’s Note: What about safety?

AFIKOMEN
Dear Vues Master
My ten year old daughter really wants me to buy her a
cell phone for her afikomen present. I don’t think she’s
ready for one but everyone in her class already has.
What should I do?
RH
Vues Master’s Note: Don’t spoil her. Do what you feel
is right. You have more experience than her.

ON SERVING & LEARNING
After high school I came to Israel to study Torah in

Yeshiva for a gap year. I was 18, American, and didn’t
know much about the world. I had lived in a Modern
Orthodox bubble my entire life and everyone in that
bubble went on essentially the same path. You studied
in high school, learned Torah for a year or two in Israel,
you went to Yeshiva University in New York and you
got married, started a career, had kids and repeated the
process with your own children. I veered slightly off
the path by staying in Israel and not going to YU after
my two years of study. I got married quickly, started
a family quickly, and continued my Torah studies in
a kollel that provided the opportunity to teach. It was
during these years that a Palestinian blew himself
up at a Pesach Seder in a hotel in Netanya and Israel
launched a massive operation in Jenin. Most of my
colleagues in my Kollel were officers in the IDF (it
was a Zionist Kollel) and they were all called up to
serve. I was the one of the only people not serving
that Pesach. I experienced a sort of wake up call that
Pesach and couldn’t find a reason why I shouldn’t be
serving. I transferred my status from “foriegn student”
to “Israeli immigrant” and waited to be drafted. A few
months later I received my notice and went to take
my tests. I never heard from the IDF again. (Stop
laughing). I wasn’t rejected or accepted. I’ve had
different people look into my status and they’ve come
up with blanks. I tried two more times throughout my
life to join the IDF and neither attempt was successful.
To my great regret, and somewhat embarrassment,
I’ve never served a day as a soldier. I look back at
those years and wonder why I didn’t recognize my
responsibility to serve in the army. Was I selfish? Did I
think because I was born in America I didn’t share the
same responsibility as Israelis my age? I can’t answer
these questions. I have concluded that I was wrong for
not serving. As a Jew I had a responsibility to serve
in the Jewish army and protect the Jewish people. My
birth country, my citizenship, my life plans did not
exempt me from serving my people. I try to repent for
what I consider nothing less than a sin. I have many
opinions on a great deal of topics, but on almost all of
them I keep my opinion to myself. I feel if I haven’t
expertise on the topic I shouldn’t comment. There
are certain topics I limit my comments because I feel
personally deficient in the area. I won’t criticize others
for actions I myself didn’t or wouldn’t take. This is
how I feel about the topic of serving in the army. As a
Rabbi, an Israeli, and a Jew, I have strong opinions on
the topic, but I didn’t serve and therefore I don’t have
the right to comment on other people’s responsibilities
or exemptions from serving. One could argue that
since I’m a Rabbi, an educator, since it wasn’t my
choice not to serve, since I live in Israel, and since my
children serve the country, I have earned the right to
comment. I disagree and maintain that I don’t have the
right to express my opinion out loud.
RUP
Vues Master’s Note: Should someone in America
have the right to disagree with something going on in
Israel? Same question.