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That Spark Tisha B'Av 2014
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Transcript
Auto-generated transcript. Not time-synced to the video.
project Inspire would like to thank our
generous partners and sponsors for their
ongoing support and for making this
year's Tish presentation
possible Gourmet glat of curst and
Brooklyn worth the trip from
anywhere funding resources mortgage
Corporation we put the truth in
lending May the and inspiration of this
year's film
presentation beo
nishas Ben urel yov Ben and Gad m
benem
y this year's presentation
is
for
[Music]
it's Tish yes another Tish
abov
1,944 Tish
ABS since is
sheny nearly 2,000 years of
mourning but what is m
warning is it just
tears is it just
resolve we believe that it's more than
that we try to use Tish as a vehicle as
a medium to inspire us to be better
people that's probably why you're
watching this
today thear Yuma tells us na that b was
because of baseless hatred we all know
that and we hear it year after year
after year and the question is is there
something that we can do about it that's
why we come to you this year with that
message and the message is yes this year
clausell finds itself in a particularly
difficult
time it was just weeks ago that clol was
United Ina in hope that we would find
our missing three
teenagers naali AAL gillad we were
looking for them and hoping hoping
together that they would be found alive
and
well but the Midas hadin said
no and then came operation protective
Edge and we davened and davened davened
for our fallen soldiers and Dav for all
of our soldiers and Davin that this
terrible period should be over never
again to be repeated so perhaps this
year in
tesab we have even more reason we have
even more interest in doing something
different something that will unite all
of us something that will make a
difference in previous years we showed
you segments vignettes of people who did
wonderful things things that clearly
increased AAS Isel
and so many of you watched and so many
of you were inspired as a matter of fact
some of the people who were inspired
actually appeared on subsequent films on
Tish because of the amazing things that
they did just as an inspiration and a
result of seeing a Tish shabab
film but
today I think we have something very
special something a little different a
little
unique a story that when I saw it and
when I experienced it I said this is
something that everyone should see and
today we proudly are able to show you
that
film we always have a rabbi of great
prominence RV in the community RV known
and clly iSell introduced the film and
today it's a great privilege to have RAB
mha the M asra of a Bas y who's going to
introduce our film but in a little bit
of a different way because this year the
RV RAB Lea himself has a story to tell a
personal
story that one that everyone here can
relate to one that I think in and of
itself will inspire each of
you that the personification of
a is someone who doesn't just pursue
peace but increases shom in the
world
scan of the previous generation
asks does that mean that an individual
knocks on his neighbor's door and says
I'm heard you fighting last night and
I'm
Bona let's work it out let's create a
counseling session for you and your wife
or for your children is that what it
means
sh
explains an individual has capus he's
upset he's nervous he's
angry because he doesn't really feel a
sense of fulfillment in life with all
the money and Acquisitions that he has
butal has such a sense of wealth B
is
BL worth more than a billion dollars to
the extent that he overflows with a
sense of contentment he has purpose in
life and the through his
BL infuses his
wife with Shalom his family his
neighbors his friends his community his
kahila his City the
world literally means that there's an
overflow of shom that permeates the
world and affects the world because of
that the v
z compares the consummate
pedagogue to a large Cas surrounded by
smaller
cases and they are filled by the
Overflow the enthusiasm the Charisma the
excitement that
generates at the end of the day affects
the
world and we as Ben Ty B Al those who
have come to watch this video of
inspiration to be moved to be inspired
to grow on Tish to inspire
others are the of
the the b t that are charged with this
mandate uniquely in our generation not
to run around pedaling peace not to
broker any kind of counseling amongst
Waring parties but just to create create
a genre sense of excitement contentment
that spreads to
others about two years ago my Ritson and
I
moraba left our home shabas morning to
go to
sh as we walked out the door we sensed
that it was
raining and right in front of our house
was a sleek black
mercedesbenz the driver was was
valiantly trying to start the car and he
wasn't
successful I looked inside and I saw he
was nice atalian boy handsome fellow
personable so I made a comment to him I
said I hope the rest of your day is
better off than the way it
started and as we're walking away he
tells me shabbat shalom look at my wife
incredulously we start walking away
shabbat shalom this was not a non-jew
this was
a member of our faith we woke about two
blocks and I turn to my wife and she
turns to me and at the same time we said
the same thing
simultaneously I'm going to be late for
sure I pride myself from being there on
time Bly NE but I will be late for
sure but what is the
chance that a Jewish fellow on chambas
get stuck with his Mercedes Benz right
in front of my house blocking the
driveway so so we walk by and we walk
back and we turn to this fellow and I
say to him as follows I know it sounds
absurd I started talking to him in
Hebrew because he was a Jew or an
Israeli so I turned to him and I said
something that to him was probably
ludicrous why don't you leave your
things in my home your keys your phone
and come to
sh we'll show you a good time we'll give
you they could spend the day with us he
says it's impossible I've got to open my
store on flat B you in a couple of
minutes my wife is going to go crazy not
knowing where I am how can I just fall
off the face of the planet for the next
four or five hours I said I know it's
absurd but look at the right in front of
the rabbi's house that's where your car
breaks down come with us to the bedet
and he does that he leaves his phone and
his keys in the closet and as we're
walking to sh he starts telling me his
life story he was born in Syria and
miraculously in the 80s they got out to
Israel he served in the
IDF the Israeli Defense Force ended up
in America married a girl from Boston
now he lives on Avenue y near Ocean
Parkway in a non-religious
neighborhood and he's excited to come
with us to show we walk in the door I'm
several minutes late I sit him down
front row right in front of the beer my
good friend Raba gross was there with an
art sco sitter showing him the
place I get up to speak before
before and I tell the I want to
apologize for being late but the reason
why I was late this morning was because
I met a fellow his name isim and he's
coming to sh for the first time and I
tell him a bit of the story and the
conviction of a man who's real and
decides this is the opportunity of a
lifetime and and he came to David so I
welcome and I asked to stand over 300
men and I'm sure the women in theim
stood
up they gave him a standing
ovation for five
minutes he opened up the
Ares he told me afterwards he felt like
the red carpet was rolled out for him
and that he was a superstar and
everybody came over to him after daving
to congratulate him he came back to us
for shabas lunch I took a nap when I got
up to go to sh he was gone I thought
that was the end of the
story that week Morella my wife by
rabbitson gets a phone call from his
wife thank you so much for having my
husband I've been looking for an
occasion to connect that sukus they came
and they spent with us a suda together
in the they brought a bottle of wine and
I've got to tell you that 2 years later
Kim lives in the Terra community of
Flatbush he mitv his wife goes to
sh and he sends his children to Tera
schools you
know
often you hear people saying if it
starts to rain as the bearing the
nifta the heavens are crying shm is
crying for this
nefta I look back and I say sham was
crying it was raining but it was not
tears of Sorrow it was tears of
joy
because right in front of my house this
Mercedes Benz
gets stuck he can't restart the car he's
calling Triple A they're not
responding I was told by a good friend
of mine that when I came back to him he
thought that I was going to tell him get
your car out of my driveway this is
Brooklyn but to be invited for
shabas this was not an opportunity of a
lifetime for him but for me I'm no guru
when it comes to kir I lived in
Minneapolis for 19 years we grew a Terra
Community I Liv in fush for 5 years
we're continuing to grow a community
of but every single individual has those
opportunities in the course of his
lifetime to go back and to say I'll be
late it might not be the easiest thing
in the world but there's some reason why
I met this fellow there's some spark and
theam in him that could be turned on
could you imagine if I kept on going
could you imagine if we said well I'm
going to be late for and you can't make
a of being late for at the end of the
day this family would have been lost
buten the lives were turned around
the had an incredible MEA many people
say who am I to be marar I'm not an
expert I don't know K how can I respond
to questions of
hash the Z spoke in Vienna a few years
before he was Nifty he was very feeble
and Ill he got up and he said to a group
of 2,000 Yeshiva who were aged 16 and 17
and 18 and he
said there's a fire burning of hasola of
so-called enlightenment and you've got
to quench that fire by learning T and by
bringing people closer to you have this
responsibility and as he was being
escorted and literally carried out
another got up and
said of course doesn't mean you he means
when you're 20 and 30 and 40 you're
accomplished then you go out be heard
these words and asked to be taken back
and he spoke again and he says no I'm
speaking directly to you and he told the
story
of a parit who came to visit his
villagers Y and he comes to the
supervisor of that particular
derful and he gives him a glass of tea
and he starts drinking the tea and he
says his nose wrinkled in this taste
this water is swampy silty how do you
offer people this water to drink so the
parts has this response from the
supervisor what should we do what should
you do you got to purify the water
imagine pasteurized
perfected supervisor makes a vow he says
I promise that from now on no glass of
water will be touched until it's been
purified a few months later the pets
here is that a fire broke out in that
little village and because the homes
were of wood and the roofs were made of
thatch straw The Blaze caught on from
building to building and the entire
Village R was raised to the ground the
pets came rushing to inspect
his property and he asked the supervisor
don't you have a volunteer fire brigade
he said of course we do and the water
was ready to be thrown onto the fire and
then they said wait wait the Pates told
us that we have to purify the water I
made a NE that we would not touch one
glass of water until it's purified so
until we could purify the water the
entire billage Village burnt down said
the purits you're a foolish man I was
talking about bettering yourself
living high quality of life but when a
fire is Raging any water will do said to
these 2,000 Yeshiva B age 16 17 and 18 A
fire is Raging we're losing konis any
water will
do we have no idea having children that
grew up in Minneapolis Minnesota St
Louis Park of the of our kids to bring
people closer to and you will benefit
more than anyone else they become
experts onab experts in experts inim
they 12 13 14 15 years old vast tracks
of knowledge they've absorbed living in
your home going to Yeshiva going to
bakov and they become energized they're
fighting for a cause it'll turn your
lives around Tish is a time to mourn but
to celebrate the future because Tish is
a day that's called already a
in the present tense you see
the to use these moments of TI wisely to
commit ourselves to Bringing others
closer
to and that will be to the
greatest when we will all rejoice when
the whole world will be
filled with the idea that there's
a the coming of
M
how many of us have been in the same
position as Rabbi Leaf somebody says
something it sounds a little Jewish and
we just pay no attention but RAB Leaf
didn't do
that he thought about
it rang in his head and he said I'm
going back and that's what he did and
the rest of the story unfolds it happens
every day and it happens to me and it
happens to you the question is do we let
it go by or do we do something about it
just beautiful project Inspire is not a
kir of
organization it's actually the
brainchild of r no Weinberg
Z who taught us that the assimilation
and the intermarriage rates throughout
the world are so
staggering that it takes an army a full
Army of everyone in clausel to try to do
something about it and so so was born
project Inspire to try to help people
reach out give you the tools give you
the
inspiration to help you reach out to
everyone you know to bring back a
is and on that note we now bring you our
feature
presentation and what you're about to
watch is a ky of story it's a story that
spans over a period of many years and it
requires a certain amount of concent
ation on your part I know it's this
maybe not so easy to focus but when you
do and you see what's really
unfolding it's something that will
change your
perception of the power that each one of
us
has take a
look I had the opportunity to fly to Los
Angeles and meet with a very special
family and that's really where our Story
begins today my CLE his son Ley
beautiful family I learned about their
road to yides kite but this is not some
typical CB story I learned that very
quickly watch um in my home there's
always a strong Jewish identity but the
actual practice that was left to occur
more at the at the temple was there a
Sader at home yeah we would do we would
yeah we would do a we would do a Sader
um I mean now that I become acquainted
with it's not none of these things were
right uh any any shabas at all at home
or no never nothing at all and I mean I
I I mean I wasn't a particularly
ignorant person I mean i' graduated law
school I'd traveled around the world to
Israel even um uh I had you know I'd
been to 30 countries or so I'd studied
world religions and philosophy I just I
think that my experience with reformed
Judaism had Blinded Me I it gave me the
false impression that I actually knew
what Judaism was about so I just never
opened that door questioned it so
religious Jews were basically relegated
to Amish country that type
of I thought they were some small
obscure dying sect out there somewhere I
mean that's that's what I that's what
I've been led to believe and that's
that's where I'd left the question wow
um at 35 years old I was uh a trial
lawyer living in West Hollywood um I
have the kind of practice where I like
to be in front of juries in court so
other lawyers would bring cases that
they thought needed they wouldn't s or
they had potential real value um and
they would bring them to me to do trials
so at that point um I think doing trials
was a big part of my identity and
self-esteem I hadn't lost and I was on a
four-year winning streak I took all
comers and between that and working out
in Recreation traveling around the world
that was pretty much what I was focused
on when I got to my fourth year and my
36th year I was closing on four years of
winds um and I was looking for more
business and my little brother who had
become a balua about five five years
earlier um told me that he knew an
attorney it was an employment lawyer
named Michael Eisenberg and he needed a
new trial lawyer and so I said that's
great you know I'm I'm doing really well
and I want to meet him Josh Copple was
uh one of our favorite guests to have he
was uh at a local college and he would
tell me oh you got to meet my brother
Mike Cel he's like this hardcore
philosopher philosophy major very
intense trial lawyer you got to talk to
my brother he's like tough as Nails on
this stuff and uh he could he could
really use it my little brother calls me
back and said well actually his son is
having a bris um he's having a new baby
boy y mayor he's having a bris and you
should let's go meet him there okay it
almost blew apart from the get-go
because um it was at Bas Yehuda and
there's all this and he comes walking up
with this robe and a big furry hat and I
don't know what the look of my face was
but I see my little brother he gets his
panic attack I said I slap him on the
chest what's the deal with this guy cuz
nobody who dresses like that can have a
successful law practice and as as I'm
like what's going on Josh you you told
me he says no no no he's very successful
he only dresses like this because it's
Simka it's a what's that mean a happy
occasion Hi how are you doing we shake
hands and uh and he says how you doing
it's nice to meet you and he says yeah
well we'll talk soon but you were blown
away you were turned off completely I
mean I assume yeah I was turned off
because there must have been some point
in my life I've seen a picture of aidic
Jew but I I'd never seen one within 50
yards and to be around 100 and him
walking up to me I didn't understand
what that was that did not make any
sense to me as a person I could have a
conversation with well I followed up
with him probably about a day or so
later we had lunch and I tell him you
know I've been lost in three or four
years and he says his trial lawyer just
inherited tons of money and he's gone so
he's not he's not working anymore so he
needs a guy who can do that perfect good
Che yeah yeah and but within three or
four minutes he goes you know what when
what are you doing for dinner Friday
night and I said that's that's the
Shabbat thing I said nah I he just come
on for a meal I said nah like I'm really
and he had this look on his face that um
like I was a mark like he was he like
grinning at me and I was what are you I
can see the way you're looking at me
what do you but he was he was so
unrepentant about it was kind of funny
really yeah he was like like a fox you
know like almost daring me to I say at
one point I'm thinking about it and
again I'm like look we'll build a
friendship that's a great basis for a
business
relationship and um plus I thought it
was kind of funny how Brazen he was
being how open right and first meeting
it's the first time you met him I know
him I know him now and he's he's always
looking for kff his Law Firm is a front
for kff no I'm not kidding there's
another guy in our Law Firm who moved in
there he just became religious three
months ago so I I made one opening I
said is your wife a good cook and then
he knew how it was done he smiles
relaxes cracks his knuckles says the
best that's it he wasn't lying by the
way she's amazing cook
um so I came for a Shabbat dinner the
meal at their house that Friday night
changed my life that meal change my life
wow yeah how does a a meal change a life
you understand what you're saying okay
let's put it this way I went there for
the meal figuring I'll know his family
I'll build a relationship business will
be
smooth there is I walked out of that
meal not caring about the business
but caring about the fact that um I got
my first taste of what a Torah observant
Jew lives
like and that was a form of wealth that
was better than anything I could win in
a case and what did he do Mike he just
kept coming yeah Mike kept coming he was
uh he was he didn't ask me any questions
about none of that philosophy stuff we
just we just cut to the Chase and had
you know some good food and some laughs
and you know he really loved my kids my
kids loved him and uh he was a regular
at our sh table for a long time every
Friday nights when when he wouldn't show
up the kids would be very disappointed
he's not coming and uh I just he just uh
he he he really he really connected with
with the with the lifestyle it was just
better than it wasn't just better than
the life I was leading it was better
than any plan I could construct uh so
Michael CPP was doing some trials for us
and we had a lot of fun working together
and I don't recall whether it was I
think I may have suggested to him that
he'd take some time off and go to Asia
Torah in Jerusalem because he seemed so
interested and I think we had a lot we
had a lot of conversations about this
and I told him that he'd really have to
if he wanted to take his Judaism to the
next level he'd probably have to go to
Yeshiva for a little while and you know
he was a soul practitioner so I knew the
folding up his practice could be very
detrimental to his business I told him
even just you know couple few weeks you
know people you know people take time
off all the time to do Vacations so just
make this into a vacation he wanted me
to go in December and I remember
thinking yeah probably January and
that's when we went and he came came
with me I did actually actually went
with him and uh kind of introduced him
to some people that I uh knew over there
and uh would visit him every day he
closed up his practice he left his wife
and kids just to make sure he was
watching me as me my Sher I had my own
learning schedule that I was doing in
Israel and but I go to as I'd go just
check up on him and you know he'd tell
me but oh he got to come see Rabbi
Burger he's terrific or you got to
listen this so I'd come with him to
these lectures to the sh him and uh it
was great it was it was a nice
experience mty berer one of his classes
was on the Messiah to show how the
Prophecies of Isaiah are happening in
front of us over the last 100 years or
you can see it now I'm hearing about the
vitality and the the the presentness of
Jewish life and what's about to happen
right now and and the Vitality of it and
and I didn't really need much of a of an
excuse because I already knew I wanted
this life and at that point I said
that's it I'm going to do it class ends
I get up and I walk up to him woman I
say I'm becoming a balua so he gives me
a big clap on the back goes great kiddo
and he walks out the door now I wasn't
expecting to get a parade but he was so
non chalot that's kind of his thing
great yeah no kidish no no Ching just he
walks out the door swing shut and I'm
sitting there alone nobody left it
didn't matter it was the it was probably
it was it was not
probably with the exception of um
choosing my wife uh or proposing to my
wife it was the best decision I've ever
made in my life and I can't really
compare them because they're
interrelated best decision all I can
tell you is I was a almost a zero
percenter and and now now I've got 50
years to pay that back and I will do it
and I will do whatever I can do to help
CLA Israel to help my family and to help
help in the aot of Hashem it's
everything I would have wanted and uh it
just even when I made the decision to
become B chba I didn't I didn't I didn't
think within six years I'll be married
with three kids I mean that I've been
very very blessed tell me about Ley he
he's been building his own shabas sets
he doin he's he he he lives this all out
now I it means to me everything this is
what I wanted what I could never find in
the secular world was a way to develop
strong moral values and then give them
to your kids and he has them and he'll
have them even better than I do so that
to me is everything you have a look at
him and think of Michael Eisenberg and
say wow yeah oh yeah no I mean I look at
my wife and I think I look at Levy I
look at leor I look at Tamar none of it
happens without Michael Eisenberg no
question it's not even there's nothing
to talk about he introduced me to her he
introduced me to Torah
Judaism of course not and without him
they wouldn't exist I feel like when I
go upstairs when I'm
120 and uh when they ask me what I've
done I think that that
um to say that I had this very this one
relationship with Michael Coppel where
it was such a profound impact on his
life and my life uh I think Hashem will
be very very happy with what
happened I think you're
right
incredible Michael Eisenberg extends an
invitation Mike Cel says yes and the
rest his history but the story doesn't
end there you see Michael Eisenberg was
not born with a stral on his head so I
asked him what was your upbringing like
I mean I I grew up in a conservative
synagogue and you know my impression of
growing up in a conservative synagogue
is the Judaism is defined by the
Holocaust stories and Israel bonds you
became a you became a lawyer right right
where did you go to school I went to I
went to University San Diego law school
it's private school down in San Diego
right not observant not uh not at all
not at all nothing nothing to do with
that and then uh you found yourself back
in Israel somehow on the University of
Tel Aviv right so uh I went on a summer
abroad program at Tel Aviv
University and um my grandfather used
should rest in peace my grandpa Lou he
was uh fighting cancer for a couple
years and when I left that summer for
that summer semester I knew that that
was going to be the last time I saw him
and uh when I was there I got the news
that my grandpa passed
away and you know my my grandfather only
had two daughters my mom and my aunt and
it troubled me because I know that
you're supposed to say cotti for for a
person to pass away and I knew I had to
do something about this I couldn't
because my my who's going to say cotage
for my grandpa so I was on campus that
next day that when I I heard that night
next day it's a Friday I'm on campus I
see a a guy walking with the Amica this
guy came up to me looked approximately
my age and he came up to me and he said
said do you speak English I said yes I
do he said uh are you Orthodox I said
yes I am I said can I help you he said
that his grandfather had just passed
away and he wanted to know if he could
say Kadesh and where he could say Kadesh
and the reason he wanted to know if he
could say Kadesh was he said that his
parents are still barem alive can he say
Kadesh I said you know I don't know the
answer to that question it's Friday
today why don't you come to to my sh
this evening and we can ask the rabbi
that question and you know what why
didn't you come eat dinner with my
parents tonight and uh I was very happy
to be invited so I so I went and he I
met his lovely family his siblings and
his parents and uh he became like my
first religious friend when I was back
in Los Angeles I get a phone call out of
the blue the last part of my MBA
entailed a program in Silicon Valley and
I thought after this period of time in
Silicon Valley I'd never been to
California previously why didn't I go
down to Los Angeles the problem was I
didn't know anybody in Los Angeles
except for one individual Michael
Eisenberg so I called him I said Michael
do you remember me he said yes of course
I remember you I I said to Michael I'm
in um I'm in I'm in P Alto I would like
to come down to La for a few days can I
stay with you he said sure I'm happy to
host him I was very upfront with him I
said look you know I know you're o you
know I don't keep kosher I I don't keep
shabas you're here for a week week and a
half I said uh just you know that going
into it but I'm going to make it work so
don't worry about it I'll make sure
everything's fine just we we'll get
through this thing together so Michael
called an organization I think it's
called the Jewish learning experience
something like that that's what it's
called and asked them or told them he
said I've I've got a I've got a friend
from Israel he's Orthodox we uh we would
like to know if you could host host the
two of us for meals on Friday night and
and and Shabbat
lunch and they did they put us in touch
with two different families uh during
the during the lunch the lunch meal when
we were walking home we met Rabbi zarat
who is a cir Rabbi for from ashru he met
me in the street and asked me 20
questions and uh found out where I
worked what I did all the basics very
short period of time and we kind of hit
it off it was the first shabus that
Michael had kept
in his life and it it it was a powerful
experience for
him I finally just sat down with Rabbi I
listen one day and I said you've got it
all you've got this amazing wife
beautiful kids you know you have such a
happiness in life how do how do I get
that he laid it out he and I had a very
you know he's a very upfront kind of a
guy which I appreciated and he told me
he says you want it you got to you got
to be that yourself you want to you want
to be a nice Jewish girl you got to be a
nice Jewish boy
and you started to study and you started
to keep shabas sure you know the first
thing I did was uh keeping kosher not
eating non- Kosher meat and just you
know from there a regular daily learning
just reading everything I could any kind
of book on Judaism just you know AR
Kaplan books getting the basics basic
foundations of Judaism down you
developed a relationship and I Rabbi I I
I I I didn't open up a safer to to to Le
with Michael it's not like I said let's
learn mishna or let's learn gor let me
teach you I didn't do that at all with
him I think
he he observed we we we spend time
together but it was more about
friendship it might be fair to say that
had he not been there that day had you
not thought about Kadesh and saw a
friendly face walking by I don't
know who knows who knows you ever think
about that yeah I'm I'm very uh I'm very
thankful to him that he uh
he took an in he took me under his wing
and uh like I said really made like my
problem his problem and tried to get to
the bottom of it so I I really don't
think I did very much so here I was I
had met with Mike Coppel I met Michael
Eisenberg you heard the story like I did
unbelievable and then Clive libshitz and
he's trying to tell me that what he did
was really
nothing but what I was about to show him
would change his perception of what
happened
forever so I'm just going to show you
this I'm going to show you this picture
here and ask you do you know this
man
no could
you could you look again real closely
and tell me if you know
him don't
know
do you
know do you know the child sitting next
to him no looks like a from kid but I I
don't know that family
mhm have you ever heard the name Mike
coupple never you've never heard of Mike
coupple never I don't know who my couple
is you don't know who Mye couple I don't
know my couple I don't exactly know how
to describe him let me ask you this very
thankful you know this man that's
Michael he took an in he took me under
his wing and uh like I said really made
like my problem his problem and tried to
get to the bottom of it so him you know
sure
well Mike Coppel yeah and Michael
Eisenberg
right are very very close friends okay
very
nice if not for Michael Eisenberg
my CLE who you see in that picture would
not be
there and if not for Michael Eisenberg
that little boy sitting next to mik Cel
would not be there okay because Michael
Eisenberg right was the Clive lipshits
to Mike Cel
wow this passes on
that's
unbelievable that really is
incredible are you getting a chill I am
right now you
too
wow take another look at that of Mike
CLE nice beautiful
wonderful look at that kid from kid
Ley
but my couple was just like Michael
Eisenberg before you came
along
wow that's
incredible I think so that is really
incredible
so
Ley and Mike they're your kids
too that's an incredible story
R
yeah I think so how does it Howes it
make you
feel it's powerful it's powerful because
you can see it's almost like you can
feel a tiny little act here leads to
another act leads to another act leads
to another act that's almost how this
continues that is incredibly powerful
and I guess what this tells you is Mike
coupple May himself influence somebody
else the bll rolls on you said it
snowball you said it better than I could
right that's that is incredible I never
thought of it that way
before and it really started off with
such a minor chance and there's no
chance in life but it started off with
such a minor
act I feel that in my and Mike as well
for
sure there was this spark that just
needed to get lit and released right so
it doesn't take that much no no it
doesn't every single viewer whether
there's 50,000 or 100,000 people
watching this and is thinking you know
will I really make a difference and
you're telling them live from your
experience as you just said it in a way
that that I could never have done said I
never opened a safer with him right
there are some people who would want to
do it that way and that's wonderful
right you just shared your life this was
just honestly this was just friendship
do you know that Michael
Eisenberg is is a kir of
machine I have I've subsequently learned
this he he lives for for helping others
he lives for showing everyone the beauty
of yish K some people have said that his
law office is a
front for the kir of movement that he
heads I'm sure he's a successful lawyer
there may be some truth to this too
right right right do you know what the
license plates are in his car I love
yiden is the one and I love Hashem is
the
other I I I realiz realized this was a
different
Michael and it it all started from you
didn't shrug him off you just said let's
meet the rabbi and ask and then you said
I just want to be your
friend this is incredible I I I I never
thought about it this way but this is an
incredible
story I think so yeah you can't help but
think
so
incredible I sat with Clive as you saw
and I
understood and I was moved by the fact
that he did something that he thought
was very small but he seiz the
opportunity and look what it became
leus and he had absolutely no
idea Michael
Eisenberg he sees the opportunity too
clyve lipitz he sees the opportunity as
a matter of fact Rabbi Leaf he also
seized the opportunity and none of them
had any idea about how great the things
we do can actually
become that is today's
message rer says
in that a person is not allowed to say
who am I what can I do I'm but a small
person an
individual we're not allowed to do that
we have to see ourselves as great we
have to see our actions as great we have
to see the potential of every single
thing that we do as being as enormous as
changing the entire world because that's
the truth that's what Tish abov is
really all
about Tish abov is not about
intensifying our despair over the
past it's about inspiring us for the
future we can take Tish abov a a day of
mourning for nearly 2,000 years and turn
it into a colossal KES
hasem that's our job that's what we need
to take away from this story today we
need to understand that we are great we
are great
people we have greatness within each one
of
us and those small things by taking
those little chances the little
opportunities
can make all the difference in the world
where do I fit in what can I do I'm
inspired I understand I see that little
things can become big things but what
can I actually do so let's talk Tas
shall
we first of all you must realize that
the opportunities all around you are
endless every day you and I we're
meeting people but we ignore the the
opportunities we let them go by without
realizing that a small hello a simple
handshake saying hello to somebody can
begin a
relationship sharing a website with them
teaching them a little bit Torah giving
them an experience of chabas or aasa
Kaneka whatever it may be any little
small tidbit of
yite can create
generations of people who are sh
Mitzvah the truth is you could be the
next Clive
lipitz you could be the next Michael
Eisenberg doesn't take much you know
that you just need to
try and in addition you may have heard
about the shabas project it began last
year in South Africa thousands of people
who never had any Shas no connection to
toyra or Mitzvah got together and
experienced a shabas
together well this year it's starting
again the shabas project is in pares
October
25th
worldwide people will try to get people
involved who have never been involved
before and you can be a big part of that
project Inspire has partnered with
chabas around the world to be able to
create this shabas
experience find somebody who's never
experienced in chabas and bring them
into the fold it's really not that
difficult and if you ask but I don't
know anybody I really don't have the
opportunity I don't know the people who
am I going to
invite well October
25th is a few months
away but how about rashash
Shana contact project Inspire to give an
easy Outreach gift for rashash Shana
it's a few
dollars it can change someone's life it
can change change your own life sukus
comes we have the project Inspire sukus
initiative just bringing somebody into a
Suka for the first time truth is they
love it they have a wonderful time it's
a great experience and by the time pasas
no rolls around you'll have a whole host
of people who will want to be a part of
that very special chabas
experience there's a lot you can
do this Tish above make the resolve
challenge
yourself say to yourself right now I
want to be a part of this I can do a
lot in the Merit in the of all the
things that we take upon ourselves today
onsh
Mayes
bring in all of our lives and and bring
the Bon
Basi
Yu project Inspire would like to thank
our generous partners and sponsors for
their ongoing support and for making
this year's Tish above presentation
possible Gourmet glat of cedur and
Brooklyn worth the trip from
anywhere funding resources mortgage
Corporation we put the truth in
lending May theuk and inspiration of
this year's film presentation beo
nishmas Ben urel Yakov naali Ben A and
gilad M Ben hasem
Yin
this year's presentation
is
for