I would first like to thank all those who contributed in making this Kiddush possible.

When I asked Lilach why we're making a Kiddush, she responded, "Aba - because we want to thank Hashem for Maayan". As if to say - Aba - it's obvious -don't you know?!

But that is the truth. We are here simply out of Hakarat Hatov to Hashem for the al nisecha sheb'chol yom imanu. We do not take for granted Your miracles, Hakadosh Baruch Hun and we recognize and appreciate - V'chol Hachayim yoducha sela - for each life and each beautiful baby.

We decided that we very much wanted to name our child after Halana's Grandfather Manny. Although I did not have the honor of knowing Grandpa personally, I have heard through Halana and through Mom and Dad. Grandpa was a caterer by profession and always loved making parties. He enjoyed what he did and he did it with gusto. Grandpa was a jolly, jovial man, who was also a musician and very artistic, with his bellowing laugh brightening up the room.

We hope that our Maayan will follow in Grandpa's footsteps in being a Maayan, a spring of life, joy and bracha for the entire mishpocha.

As you all know, we have gone through a challenging couple of years. For us, Maayan's birth signified a real transition from our personal tragedy to the rebuilding and joy that we felt. As the days led up to Halana's due date, and passed the due date, we continued to look into the Parsha and the times to give us direction and meaning. We found ourselves towards the end of Adar Bet and in the Parshiot of Shemini and Tazria. Ultimately Maayan held off through the two months of Adar, and she was born on Bet Nissan. The Rashei teivot of Adar read Ani Hashem Rofecha. Maayan held off past the "Ani hashem Rofercha" to be born in the geula of Nissan. "B'nissan nig'alu, u'vinissan Atidin Lihigael". Maayan G-d willing will grow to be one who will act in a way that will bring the geula closer - "Ushaavtem mayim b'sason mimaynei hayeshua".

When I thought of the significance of Maayan davka being born in Nissan, I too overanalyzed it. To me Nissan could potentially remind someone of 2 words: Nisayon and Neis. On a simplistic level, we underwent the Nisayon stage and have reached the Neis, the wondrous miracle of the birth of a new child into the world. But when I thought further on a deaper level, I think that these are not necessarily 2 different distinct stages. For example, if one opens their door in the moring and it is pouring rain outside. One person will curse under his breath as he oes to search for his umbrella and think of how his day is ruined by the weather. Another person who opens the same door, may respond by appreciating the teva haolam and thanking Hashem for the rain and bracha He has provided us with. Sometimes the Nisayon and Nes are the same event, what makes it a nisayon or neis is how one responds to it and see it.

This concept of nisayon and neis is also a common link between birth and geula. A women in labor, although I cannot personally fully attest, has tremendous labor pains and contractions. She is really only able to overcome those pains and challenges because she knows that at the end of the difficult and painful stage, a beautiful happy ending awaits. Following the nisayon, we witness the incredible neis. So too, by the geula. This week is Yom Yerushalayem. Sometimes in the world we live in, and in the Eretz Yisrael we live in, we endure many challenges and sometimes painful times. The nisyonot of terrorists and shootings, etc. sometimes seem endless. But we must remember and stay focused that these nisyonot are chevlei leidah and our outlook is that they will lead to the geula and the nissim.

Our challenge is to see the world around us as et nisecha shebechol yom itanu - as we do by the tremendous neis of the brith of a baby.

There is only one time in the Torah that the word Maayan is found. In Parashat Shemini it states, "

"אך מעין ובור מקוה מים יהיה טהור"

In sea of tum'ah of the Parashiyot of Tazria and Metzorah, the Maayan serves as an island of purity and tahara. So too our Maayan should learn to look around her at the world we live in and be able to decipher and pick out the good and the pure. And our Maayan will G-d willing be a Be'er MAyim chayim, and as we know -

אין מים אלא תורה

But how will she know what is the way to leading a life of Toran and goodness?

I think that she will find her answer in Pirkei Avot. In Perek Sheini it discusses the 5 great Talmidim of Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai, and lists off the main attributes each was associated with. The fifth Talmid, Rabbi Elazar ben Arach was attributed the title of Maayan Hamitgaber. This obviously caught my eye. The mishna goes on to ask - what is the way one should go through life? How should one lead a life that is Yashar and good? Each of the 5 Rabbis offer their bottom line secret recipe or advice:

(ח)

רבן יוחנן בן זכאי קיבל מהלל ומשמאי.
הוא היה אומר:
אם למדת תורה הרבה, אל תחזיק טובה לעצמך, כי לכך נוצרת.

חמשה תלמידים היו לו לרבן יוחנן בן זכאי, ואלו הן:
רבי אליעזר בן הרקנוס,
ורבי יהושע בן חנניה,
ורבי יוסי הכהן,
ורבי שמעון בן נתנאל,
ורבי אלעזר בן ערך.

הוא היה מונה שבחן.
(רבי אליעזר בן הרקנוס, בור סוד שאינו מאבד טיפה.
רבי יהושע בן חנניה, אשרי יולדתו.
רבי יוסי הכהן, חסיד.
רבי שמעון בן נתנאל, ירא חטא.)
ורבי אלעזר בן ערך, מעין המתגבר.

הוא היה אומר:
אם יהיו כל חכמי ישראל בכף מאזנים,
ואליעזר בן הרקנוס בכף שניה;
מכריע את כולם.

אבא שאול אומר משמו:
אם יהיו כל חכמי ישראל בכף מאזנים
ורבי אליעזר בן הרקנוס אף עמהם,
ורבי אלעזר בן ערך בכף שניה,
מכריע את כולם.

(ט)

אמר להם: צאו וראו איזוהי דרך ישרה שידבק בה האדם.
רבי אליעזר אומר:
עין טובה.
רבי יהושע אומר:
חבר טוב.
רבי יוסי אומר:
שכן טוב.
רבי שמעון אומר:
הרואה את הנולד.
רבי אלעזר אומר:
לב טוב.
אמר להם:
רואה אני את דברי אלעזר בן ערך מדבריכם, שבכלל דבריו דבריכם.

We can definitely appreciate these words of advice of Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Yossi, of "chaver tov" and "shachen tov". I don't think that there is anyone who has felt more love and care than we have over the last Tekufa. We are forever grateful and indebted to all of you, our friends and shecheinim. You have lived the words of the mishna and have taught us be your dugma ishit, how one is to live and lead one's life and how to look out and care for another fellow person and friend. We are so thrilled to be sharing our simcha with you and hope to share in each other's smachot in ramat Bet Shemesh for many years to come.

Ultimately, we bless our Maayan that she should always strive towards the advice of Rabbi Elazar ben Arach, to have a Leiv tov, and to follow in the jolly path that her great grandfather set for her, in order to always strive to be a better person each day and to bring goodness to those around her, as a Maayan - a spring of joy, life, simcha and leiv tov.