This past weekend, The Bitachon Blog reached a major milestone: one-thousand page views!
What is even more incredible is that this number includes only actual visits to a page on the blog. It does not include those who subscribe to the blog and read the posts in their email inbox!
In honor of this momentous occasion, I’d like to share a little bit about how this blog came to be.
Part 1: Recruiting Teachers
We had been living in Jerusalem for two years when my husband got the phone call.
“We’re beginning a new cycle in our teacher training program,” began the Rabbi on the other end of the line.
“Here’s how it works: the program pays for your education as well as a monthly stipend. In return, you commit to teaching in a small Jewish community for two years after you complete the program. Would you be interested in applying?”
We went back and forth, forth and back. It was a really tough decision. On the one hand, this was exactly what my husband had always planned - to teach Torah in a classroom setting. But on the other hand … would we be ready to move out of Jerusalem in two years' time?
In the end, we decided not to pass on the opportunity. We were accepted to the program, which included night and Friday classes for my husband, as well as Monday night classes for me. When I found out that I had to show up to mandatory classes every week, I thought that maybe this wasn’t the brightest idea after all. I was working part-time as a computer programmer, and I had two little babies to take care of. I didn’t have time for this!
The first Monday night was an introduction class. The leader asked each woman to introduce herself and tell the group why she was there. The women all had idealistic answers like “My family was always involved in Jewish Outreach, and I want to do the same” or “I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to learn about Judaism, and I want to give back by teaching what I have learned to others”.
What on earth was I going to say? I certainly didn’t have such lofty reasons for being there that night!
Well, there wasn’t much to do but to just say the truth. So when it was my turn, I got up and said:
“My name is Ita Rabinowitz. I am here because my husband is in the education program, and the Monday night class is mandatory for wives.”
The whole place burst out laughing.
I wasn’t trying to be funny; what I said was the truth. I had a million other things to do that Monday night, and I was never planning on running events in a community anyway. I was there only because my husband was in the education program!
Part 2: The Move to Jacksonville
When we graduated the two-year education program, it was time to find a job in a qualifying Jewish community. We knew when we signed up that we were committing to live “out-of-town”, and we figured we could land a position in a nice mid-sized Jewish community. We almost did.
But Hashem had other plans for us. When the new school year rolled around, we found ourselves in the budding little Jewish community of Jacksonville, FL.
Claiming about thirty Sabbath-observant families when we arrived, Jacksonville was quite a bit smaller than what we had hoped for. We soon learned, though, that what she lacked in numbers, Jacksonville made up in warmth and growth. The community was only too happy that we had come to join them, and welcomed us royally. And though I had expected to find a group of “leave us alone, we’re happy the way we are” kind of people, what we actually discovered was a clan of the “wow, thanks for teaching me that!” sort of folks.
I guess you can say we fell in love with Jacksonville; seven years have passed and we’re still here!
Part 3: Me, Giving Classes?
As I have mentioned before, I had no intention whatsoever of running programs or teaching in the community. I felt that my personal involvement would be limited to having some Shabbos guests, talking to members of the community at the kiddush after shul, and maybe inviting my husband’s classes over to our home.
I no longer remember what motivated me to run my first program. It was called “Piano in the Sukkah”, which was basically a kumzits (sing-along). We rolled the piano out into the shul Sukkah, and I played piano and sang with the fifteen attendees. (This was an excellent turnout.)
This was a logical program for me to lead, as I love to play and sing. It wasn’t actually a class at all, so it was not terribly scary to me.
At the conclusion of the singing, many of the women came over to thank me. One woman’s comment stuck in my mind; I can still hear her talking in her lovely Southern accent.
“Thank you so much for that lovely program,” she told me. “This was the first program we’ve had for the women in over a year!”
Whoa! Was this really the first program for women in a year? These women needed and deserved to have classes and programs …
(Though there were two very qualified Rebbetzins in the community, both were already involved in other vital aspects of the community.)
It took a while for the seed to germinate in my mind. Eventually, my husband managed to convince me to be brave and just do it. And so, my first series of classes was born. To this day, I feel so fulfilled when someone relates to me something that she learned in those first classes!
Fast-forward a few years and many classes later …
My class giving history has been somewhat sporadic, depending heavily on the number and ages of the children who are at home with me. Some years I have been very active, others less so.
Two years ago, I gave a ladies' Chumash class at the home of my friend, Emily Rosenbaum. It was well-received, and we all learned a lot and enjoyed. We were also all ready for a break when the year was done!
Just before this summer, Emily called me on the phone. I no longer remember the original purpose of the call. The memorable part was: “So how would you like to give another class in my house this summer?”
Much to Emily’s surprise, I was happy to take her up on the offer. I had only one baby at home now, and I figured I could make it work.
We settled on the topic of Bitachon. I had given a series on Trust in God several years before, so I thought it wouldn’t be too hard to prepare. (I ended up spending hours and hours, but it was worthwhile!) Additionally, I had decided only days before that I was feeling too much stress, and it was time for a personal review of the subject. This class came at just the right time for me.
The Blog
When I spend hours preparing for a class, I am the one who reaps the most benefits.
That is great.
For me.
But I wanted my class have the opportunity to really sink their teeth into Bitachon too. The reality is, that going to a class once a week is enough to inspire you - for a few hours, maybe even for the rest of the day. But it’s not always enough to produce long-term effects.
I was toying with the idea of a blog. I thought it would be a great way to remind us all to practice our Bitachon skills over the course of the week. The more you are exposed to something, the more it will be on your mind. The more you practice, the more automatic the response becomes.
I know how these things go, though. The first time 15 people look at it, the next week only 10 people bother, and by the time the third week comes around, no one is even interested anymore.
I decided I had nothing to lose. If no one read the blog, I would stop writing. If people were indeed interested, then a blog had the potential to help them internalize the Bitachon ideas we were learning. The possibility for decreasing stress and connecting with Hashem made the gamble worthwhile.
And now, here we are, only two months later, with over 1000 page views!
It is an awesome feeling to know that each page view brings someone closer to Hashem, and each email opened helps someone feel less anxious!
Thank You!
I would like to take this opportunity to recognize all of my dear readers from all across the globe. We now have a readership that extends far beyond the original class. I appreciate that you take the time to read this blog and to increase your awareness of trust in Hashem. A special thanks to those who post comments on the blog or email their feedback to me. It contributes to the discussion and helps me to know what questions still need to be answered.
Emily, you are a wonderful hostess! The learning we have all achieved could not have been accomplished without your generous hospitality and arranging!
To my class: thank you for coming to study with me. You have all added and contributed to our combined understanding with your insightful questions, comments, and stories! Even though the class is long over, I am glad you were interested enough to keep reading The Bitachon Blog!
I would also like to thank Andrea Hernandez for helping me set up the “Follow by Email” form (hint, hint everyone: subscribe now if you haven’t already!).
Special gratitude goes to my husband and my children for their support. My husband has patiently helped me find Bitachon resources and listened to my many stories and questions. Thanks to my children, who have served as the subjects of some blog posts. The older kids have read some bits of the blog over my shoulder, and the ideas are rubbing off! Yay!
Lastly, I must acknowledge my appreciation to Hashem for helping me every step along the way. I hope that you noticed, as you read my story, how each bit was carefully orchestrated to produce the desired (if somewhat surprising to me!) result. Nothing happens by accident. God puts us exactly where we need to be and gives us exactly the skills and the tools we need to do our job!
This is certainly a case of “Just do your best and Hasehm will do the rest!”
If you know people who might benefit from the articles on this blog, please send them a link!
The Bitachon Blog: Http://inHashemWeTrust.blogspot.com
Looking forward to the next thousand views!
