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Imagine you wake up one morning with $86,400 in your bank account. You can’t invest or save this money, and whatever is left over at the end of the day disappears. What would you do with your $86,400? Would you leave a single penny unspent? Of course not!

Don’t you just love having a fast day on erev Shabbos? Great for the diet! Just smelling the delicious food cooking - but no eating! And Asara b’Teves is our only fast like that. At least it’s a short fast! (In the southern hemisphere, though, it’s quite long!) There must be something unique about it.

I had the great z’chus to be by a gathering my hometown, Beitar Illit, where we had the privilege this week to hear inspiring words of Torah and encouragement from HaRav Dov Lando shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Slobodka in Bnei Brak. He was near our area, and they made arrangements for him to detour and visit our city. (He is bli ayin hara over 90 years old.)

Sammy lived in a strange world. From the moment one entered adulthood, the government placed a special belt on him or her, one that was impossible to remove. This belt served to keep everyone in order. If someone defied a law, or misbehaved, the belt immediately administered an electric shock. The worse the offense, the stronger the shock. Everyone’s private lives were monitored closely, so there was no escaping punishment.

There is a widespread problem that plagues humanity, leaving us lonely and disconnected. Many people live their lives in a state of ego – a state of mind in which one views himself as an isolated being inside his own body: his own mind, his own world, alone and independent.

The day had finally come. For months, I had been trying to meet this famous sage, renowned not only for his wisdom, but for his beautiful, majestic physical appearance. I had heard the stories, but I wanted to experience it for myself. After what seemed like an eternity, I was finally able to get an appointment.