Yes its nicer to say portly than fat - and to relate to people in a nice way.

 

So I saw a SHORT CHUNKY chasid at the cemetery yesterday. Huh?

 

And what about the the portion of the week?

 

Father Abraham sees these three lowlifes -

 

But its not nice to say low lifes so -

 

Lets call them street people that Abraham runs to 

 

and says "My Masters come to me to rest up and to eat" - his MASTERS?

 

(It was well known that Abraham invited EVERYONE to eat by him) -

 

And in the end they turned out to be ANGELS direct from the Almighty - with GOOD NEWS for Abraham and Sarah.

 

 

Were there any portly chasidm in the time of Abraham?

 

Are there any street people today?

 

What do you think when you see a chosid dressed like the old days? Nice thoughts? Maybe ...

What do you think when you see street people?

 

A friend of mine used to take me to a restaurant in Boro Park he called "the Portly Chosid" 

because a chunky chasid was the owner and greeted you at the door.  The food was excellent -

like any child of Father Abraham should serve!

 

 

 

Yesterday was the Yahzeit of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach pasing 22 years ago

 

So as usual I went to he grave and as usual there were was a crowd of nearly 2000 there-

 

Hippies college kids Israelis Ameeicans and a few black hat and black coat chasidim

 

But as we sang he Rabbi's tunes and read King David's psalms one guy stood out in the crowd

 

He was dressed in blue and white striped hasidi jerusalem coat

 

He was fiftyish and looked like an extremist in a caftan and a very big round black hat

 

I watched as thecrowd danced hora like - but he did not

 

Until a couple of college kids grabed him and he danced with them!

 

I went over to him after and asked if and how he knew Rabbi Shlomo.

 

He said - "I was not religious but a friend invited me to go see Rabbi Carlebach "the singing Rabbi"

 

After the concert I went over to speak with him - like a hundred others did.

 

When he saw me he said 

 

"Brother you need to spend Shabbos with my Chevra (group)"

 

Then we talked a few minutes - and he knew my soul inside out - you could tell he had a holy approach to everything!

 

and I started studying and eventuallybecame religious.

 

A young girl next to us yelled at him "Stop Talking! You are disturbing the ceremony!"

 

I never saw a chosid walk over to a young girl like he did so sweetly and said gently

 

"You know why I'm here? Do you know why you're here?

 

Because Rabbi Shlomo's soul had a spark of the Moshiach! 

 

He touches your soul today like he touched my soul years ago.

 

You and all these kids here weren't even born  when he passed on - 

but here you are mourning - and celebrating that GREAT SOUL.

 

She then said "I'm sorry for yelling at you. You are right and 

 

we all have a lot of things to FIX in this world-

 

and we learn from the Torah together how to do it. 

 

And she ended with a perfect Yiddish -THANK YOU FOR TALKING TO ME!"

 

And we all left appreciating that it's not what you look like -

 

But it's how we relate to the ANGELS that the Almighty sends to us like he sent to Abraham and were welcomed by Sarah!

 

Shabbat Shalom

 

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz