A special gathering took place on the steps of Chabad of Mineola to offer prayers for those most affected by Hurricane Irene and to thank Hashem for the many miracles seen on Long Island.
Rabbi Anchelle Perl led with tehillim, blowing the Shofar and words of inspiration.
“Even as we give thanks here on Long Island,” said Rabbi Perl, “we must pause and have empathy for those who really got the brunt of the Hurricane. While we may still have a few inconveniences, so many have lost homes and so many sadly have lost their lives. Our hearts reach out especially to those who have lost someone.”
“One of the lessons is that we are not in control. We all love to be in control. When we get in the car, we like to know exactly how to get to our destination and when we will get there. But if we’ve learned anything this past week, is that we are not in control.
What we can be in control over is how we responded to challenge. Would we be stressed out or show strength? Would we spend the time doing something meaningful? Would we start to appreciate the “little” things like electricity and dry roads?
“Once we gain that control, even Hurricane Irene can’t stop us.”
