כִּי֩ אָנֹכִ֨י יָדַ֜עְתִּי אֶת־הַמַּחֲשָׁבֹ֗ת אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י חֹשֵׁ֥ב עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם נְאֻם־ה׳ מַחְשְׁב֤וֹת שָׁלוֹם֙ וְלֹ֣א לְרָעָ֔ה לָתֵ֥ת לָכֶ֖ם אַחֲרִ֥ית וְתִקְוָֽה׃ וּקְרָאתֶ֤ם אֹתִי֙ וַֽהֲלַכְתֶּ֔ם וְהִתְפַּלַּלְתֶּ֖ם אֵלָ֑י וְשָׁמַעְתִּ֖י אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃ וּבִקַּשְׁתֶּ֥ם אֹתִ֖י וּמְצָאתֶ֑ם כִּ֥י תִדְרְשֻׁ֖נִי בְּכׇל־לְבַבְכֶֽם׃
For I know of the plans I have made concerning you—declares GOD—plans for your welfare [shalom], not for disaster [ra'ah], to give you a hopeful end.
When you call Me, and go and pray to Me, I will hear you.
You will search for Me and find Me, if you seek Me wholeheartedly.
When you call Me, and go and pray to Me, I will hear you.
You will search for Me and find Me, if you seek Me wholeheartedly.
כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֛ר ה׳ צְבָא֖וֹת אֱלֹקֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לְכׇ֨ל־הַגּוֹלָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־הִגְלֵ֥יתִי מִירוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם בָּבֶֽלָה׃ בְּנ֥וּ בָתִּ֖ים וְשֵׁ֑בוּ וְנִטְע֣וּ גַנּ֔וֹת וְאִכְל֖וּ אֶת־פִּרְיָֽן׃ קְח֣וּ נָשִׁ֗ים וְהוֹלִ֘ידוּ֮ בָּנִ֣ים וּבָנוֹת֒ וּקְח֨וּ לִבְנֵיכֶ֜ם נָשִׁ֗ים וְאֶת־בְּנֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙ תְּנ֣וּ לַאֲנָשִׁ֔ים וְתֵלַ֖דְנָה בָּנִ֣ים וּבָנ֑וֹת וּרְבוּ־שָׁ֖ם וְאַל־תִּמְעָֽטוּ׃ וְדִרְשׁ֞וּ אֶת־שְׁל֣וֹם הָעִ֗יר אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִגְלֵ֤יתִי אֶתְכֶם֙ שָׁ֔מָּה וְהִתְפַּֽלְל֥וּ בַעֲדָ֖הּ אֶל־ה׳ כִּ֣י בִשְׁלוֹמָ֔הּ יִהְיֶ֥ה לָכֶ֖ם שָׁלֽוֹם׃ כִּי֩ כֹ֨ה אָמַ֜ר ה׳ צְבָאוֹת֙ אֱלֹקֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אַל־יַשִּׁ֧יאוּ לָכֶ֛ם נְבִיאֵיכֶ֥ם אֲשֶׁר־בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֖ם וְקֹסְמֵיכֶ֑ם וְאַֽל־תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ אֶל־חֲלֹמֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתֶּ֖ם מַחְלְמִֽים׃ כִּ֣י בְשֶׁ֔קֶר הֵ֛ם נִבְּאִ֥ים לָכֶ֖ם בִּשְׁמִ֑י לֹ֥א שְׁלַחְתִּ֖ים נְאֻם־ה׳׃ {ס}
Thus said GOD of Hosts, the God of Israel, to the whole community that I exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them, plant gardens and eat their fruit. You should take wives and beget sons and daughters; and you should take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there, do not decrease. And seek the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you and pray to GOD in its behalf; for in its prosperity you shall prosper.
For thus said GOD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Let not the prophets and diviners in your midst deceive you, and pay no heed to the dreams they dream. For they prophesy to you in My name falsely; I did not send them—declares GOD.
For thus said GOD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Let not the prophets and diviners in your midst deceive you, and pay no heed to the dreams they dream. For they prophesy to you in My name falsely; I did not send them—declares GOD.
וקראתם אותי והלכתם והתפללתם (ירמיהו כט יב) איזו תפלה שהיא בהליכה. כגון הרוכב או כשאדם צריך ללכת בדרך יתפלל תפלה להושיע מכל אויב ואורב בדרך. ד"א כשאדם נכנס בעיר שאינו יכול להתפלל בכוונה מפני בני אדם מוטב שיתפלל בדרך או כשיודע שבבית אינו מקום שהוא טהור או שאינו נכון להתפלל שם. אז ילך למקום טהור וזהו צדק לפניו יהלך וישם לדרך פעמיו. יהודי ששלח גוי למרחקים יכול לבקש עליו שישוב לשלום שאם לא ישוב חי שמא יעלילו על היהודים:
When you call Me, and go and pray to Me, I will hear you. (Jeremiah 29:12). This is prayer when one is on the way. Like riding [on a horse or wagon] or when someone needs to travel, and needs to pray a prayer for deliverance from enemies and ambushers on the path. Alternatively, when a person enters a city and is unable to prayer with intention because the people prefer to pray on the go or when a person knows that the house is not a place that is pure or right to pray. Thus, one goes to a pure place and this is right...
דִּרְשׁ֥וּ ה׳ בְּהִמָּֽצְא֑וֹ קְרָאֻ֖הוּ בִּֽהְיוֹת֥וֹ קָרֽוֹב׃
Seek GOD while you can, Call out while [God] is near.
וְהָכְתִיב: ״דִּרְשׁוּ ה׳ בְּהִמָּצְאוֹ״! הָתָם בְּיָחִיד, הָכָא בְּצִבּוּר.
The Gemara asks: But isn’t it written: “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him when He is near” (Isaiah 55:6), which implies that there are times when He is not near and does not answer. The Gemara answers: There the verse is referring to an individual, to whom God is near only at certain times; here the verse is referring to a community, to which God is close whenever the people call out to Him.
אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַתְּשׁוּבָה וְהַצְּעָקָה יָפָה לָעוֹלָם. בַּעֲשָׂרָה הַיָּמִים שֶׁבֵּין רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה וְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים הִיא יָפָה בְּיוֹתֵר וּמִתְקַבֶּלֶת הִיא מִיָּד שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה נה ו) "דִּרְשׁוּ ה׳ בְּהִמָּצְאוֹ". בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים בְּיָחִיד אֲבָל צִבּוּר כָּל זְמַן שֶׁעוֹשִׂים תְּשׁוּבָה וְצוֹעֲקִין בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם הֵם נַעֲנִין שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ד ז) "כַּה׳ אֱלֹקֵינוּ בְּכָל קָרְאֵנוּ אֵלָיו":
Even though repentance and calling out [to God] are desirable at all times, during the ten days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, they are even more desirable and will be accepted immediately as [Isaiah 55:6] states: "Seek God when He is to be found."When does the above apply? To an individual. However, in regard to a community, whenever they repent and cry out wholeheartedly, they are answered immediately as [Deuteronomy 4:7] states: "[What nation is so great that they have God close to them,] as God, our Lord, is whenever we call Him."
Rabbi Jeremy Markiz - A Better World is Possible
When we're powerless to impact the outside world, we can spend time working on our internal world.
Don't let despair about the world stop you from improving yourself.
The Future You might be exactly what the outside world needs.
Don't let despair about the world stop you from improving yourself.
The Future You might be exactly what the outside world needs.
(יג) וּבִקַּשְׁתֶּ֥ם אֹתִ֖י וּמְצָאתֶ֑ם כִּ֥י תִדְרְשֻׁ֖נִי בְּכׇל־לְבַבְכֶֽם׃
(13) You will search for Me and find Me, if only you seek Me wholeheartedly.
קָר֣וֹב ה׳ לְכׇל־קֹרְאָ֑יו לְכֹ֤ל אֲשֶׁ֖ר יִקְרָאֻ֣הוּ בֶֽאֱמֶֽת׃
GOD is near to all who call, to all who call with truth [emet].
On Uncertainty - Parshat Vayakhel-Pekudei by Rabba Sara Hurwitz
B’nei Yisrael depart Har Sinai, with the trauma of the chayt ha’egel still fresh in their minds. As they begin their journey, they are uncertain about their relationship with God, their leader, and are heading to a land that is strange and unknown.
It is in this state of uncertainty that B’nei Yisrael begins the process of building the mishkan (tabernacle)—a vessel, I believe that is a physical embodiment of the people’s emotional and psychological state of uncertainty.
At first glance, this is surprising. The mishkan is built to make God’s presence known in this world. It is meant as an antidote to the uncertainty that the people felt after they erected the egel-- to give us a sense of security and certainty. And yet, the tabernacle is an impermanent structure, its very essence conveys uncertainty. It was built and taken apart as the Jewish people moved. As they encamped in one place, it would be assembled. When they were ready to move on, the mishkan would be disassembled.
It is in this state of uncertainty that B’nei Yisrael begins the process of building the mishkan (tabernacle)—a vessel, I believe that is a physical embodiment of the people’s emotional and psychological state of uncertainty.
At first glance, this is surprising. The mishkan is built to make God’s presence known in this world. It is meant as an antidote to the uncertainty that the people felt after they erected the egel-- to give us a sense of security and certainty. And yet, the tabernacle is an impermanent structure, its very essence conveys uncertainty. It was built and taken apart as the Jewish people moved. As they encamped in one place, it would be assembled. When they were ready to move on, the mishkan would be disassembled.
מִֽן־הַ֭מֵּצַר קָרָ֣אתִי יָּ֑הּ עָנָ֖נִי בַמֶּרְחָ֣ב יָֽהּ׃
“From the narrow place, I called to Yah/God, who answered me in the wideness.”