Queens Jewish Link
Connecting the Queens Jewish Community 
It’s a classic and beloved story. A 40-year-old shepherd viewed himself as a complete failure. Completely ignorant of Torah knowledge, Akiva didn’t even know how to read the alef-beis and practically despaired of ever being able to learn Torah.
“Mi k’amacha Yisrael!” There might have been more comfortable ways to spend Lag BaOmer which fell on Memorial Sunday, than sweltering in the intense heat of the pounding sun rays of a New Jersey cemetery.
There was an elderly carpenter who was ready to retire. He told his boss of his plans to leave the house-building industry in order to enjoy a more leisurely lifestyle with his wife. He would miss the weekly paycheck, but he was ready to retire, and they could get by on his savings. The contractor was sorry to see his best worker go and asked if the carpenter could build just one more house as a personal favor to him.
If you want to engage in hatzalas nefashos, saving lives, not just the lives of others but your own spiritual life, you should be at the Prudential Arena this Sunday, 3 Sivan/June 9, for Dirshu’s Kinnus Olam HaTorah. It is there that Klal Yisrael will collectively be mekabel Shabbos by undertaking to start learning hilchos Shabbos in Dirshu’s daily Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program.
If I were to ask you, “What is the wealthiest place in the universe?” what would you answer? You might suggest the banks, the diamond mines, or something along these lines. But in a sense, the wealthiest place in the world is the graveyard. Why?
We experience life through the medium of time. Each new moment brings with it new opportunities as we ascend through this journey of time. Amidst these constantly moving waves of time, the chagim are specific and set points that carry with them unique energy. Each holiday presents us with the chance to tap into and experience the theme inherent to that point in time. Before we delve into the specific theme and uniqueness of Shavuos, we must first understand time in general.
