סיפורה של מליסה בהר שהקדישה את חייה ללמד את ערכי היהדות, תוך שהיא מגדלת את שמונה ילדיה

Shalom, everybody. Welcome back to our show, "Embracing the World". I am Chaya Bisker and I want to thank all of you for accompanying us show after show, to listen to these stories of inspiring women that inspire us to build our lives through their stories, their trajectories, and today is no exception. -Embracing the World Chaya Bisker- Today I am very happy and very pleased to have a charming woman in the studio, an Argentinian teacher whose passion for the Torah has led her to have hundreds of thousands of students in her shuirim, in her classes, learning with her, changing their lives,

transforming their lives. The passion for the Torah this woman we are going to meet today has, here at "Embracing the World", is truly inspiring. And I'm so happy to welcome you, Melisa. Welcome. -Thank you, Chaya. Please, it is an honor for me to be here. Welcome to "Embracing the World". -My pleasure. Being part of this show, of Hidabroot, as I always say, life is a lesson of Torah. Life is a lesson of Torah, and I am passionate about it. I am passionate and flattered to be part of this now, to be with you in this show where we come to share Torah, because our life is Torah. Wow,

spectacular, how beautiful. -Yes. Life is a lesson of Torah. That is the message you carry in your lessons, and you're going to tell us about it. But let's start in Argentina, in Buenos Aires. How did I start giving lessons of Torah? I sometimes wonder about that. How come I get to sit here, teaching Torah? Life brought me here. The truth is that I always felt that God, blessed be he, gave me all the tools I needed and said, "Look, Melisa, this is your place, this is your purpose in the world, this is your role." And how many times do I reconsider and say, "Maybe I should be at home all the

time..." And I am, God bless. And it gives me ecstasy, and it gives me that passion and that love that I always feel, for my home and for everything I do. The truth is that the origin of this moment, when I sit facing the Humash, it is the moment when I stand before him, and I speak with the blessed God. And then, simply, as I say, I don't know if I teach, I just share. I share what makes me feel good. For me, every lesson of Torah of mine is about sharing something that the blessed God revealed to me and that does me so much good. And this, well, even as a child, I always liked it. I was

born into a home, God bless, exceptional, education, great parents, thank God, I am the youngest. And, well, my sister got married young. My brothers are in the Yeshiva, and I am always looking, searching for the truth. I always take on that challenge, and I go for what I want. I think that what characterizes me is that I am very thirsty. I want more, I want more. To this day, whenever I prepare a lesson, I say, "God, I want the most." When I do a prayer I want the maximum in closeness to God, the most out of this lesson of Torah, may I sanctify your name, so much that I feel that, World

Creator, I'm giving my best. And that's how I was at home. And as a little girl, whenever we had to speak, I was always like I am now, do you see the way I talk? I'm not one to be shy. Whenever I had to go to the front, I... "Who wants to read?" Me. Always me. And from there on, in the temple, every Saturdays, I started teaching a course to a small group of girls. I could barely read Hebrew, you had to be there, I would open the book "Lekaj Tob", by "Parashat Shavua" and tried to understand, and so on. You don't know the passion with which I taught what I understood. And well, a little group

was formed, Later a small group of teenage girls also formed. And from there, little by little it grew. God bless, I married my husband. He always balances me, because I am very passionate, so he is always my, thank God, my life partner. -Did you meet him in Argentina? Yes, I met him in Argentina. And I got married young. And well, that's when we had our first daughter. And that's where we started to thinking about making aliyah. Making aliyah, because I, being very thirsty, I wanted to expand my knowledge further. I felt like I was in a super welcoming community, God bless, with a life of

great comfort. But I wanted to zoom in further. Go to Israel and learn about the Torah of Israel. And I remember my prayers. I remember my prayers from that time. If you were to ask me, Melisa, what are you? My essence, as King David says, is Banit Tfila. I'm a piece of a prayer. -Wow. At every moment of my life, at the moment when I come to express all my feelings, my emotions, and I feel... heart getting closer, I feel very close to the blessed God, and it makes me feel so good. If you ask me what's the most fulfilling moment of my day, I would say it's when I do prayer. Really. I have a

relationship with God, hug me, and I always feel like God is hugging me. I always start my prayer like, "I can't handle my life, I can't, I won't be able to, I can't do it." Then I come out of my prayer like, "Well, I can do it." When you ask "who did you come with?" "We came together," I answer. It came naturally to me, "we came together." I am with God. And really, my feeling is that the World creator is my most faithful life partner. The most loyal, the most faithful. And this is what I always try to convey to the girls, because can truly feel it. I tell them, "Girls, this is a gift for

life." Going hand in hand with the World Creator through everything that happens, As we finish the "Amida", we seal, "for your friends to be rescued..." Do it for the camaraderie we have. Wow. Save me with your right hand and answer me. We come to ask, "do it for fellowship." Who can say that? I feel like God held my hand at all times. I start to look back at my whole life, when I was in Argentina, and how I started with the lessons, and how it came about that I came to Israel. And always, the truth is I always searched for God and I always found him. He never abandoned me. What has changed,

Melisa, in these years since you arrived, seeking that expansion and that encounter with the truth, with the Torah? What has changed in that young, newly married Melisa, compared to the Melisa of today? A lot. Look, life is a lesson of anavah, of humility. Life is like a class. And life carries with it its wisdom. The truth is that I went through many things, I crashed a lot with myself, and I realized that I still have a long way to go. And, with God's help, I have thirst and passion, like I always had. And I always felt that God guided me. He said to me, "Melisa, over here. Watch out, over

here, over here." And many things changed. First of all, I became a mother. I became a mother. And being a mother is expanding the self, oneself, much more. And it's a non-stop offering, with no ending. And well, little by little we built our home, thank God, after arriving in Israel. And, in parallel, by having this home, and I cooking on my own, I alone do everything, but at the same time, "I'm not going to miss out on this." I'm here, I'm going to take all the courses, I'm going to study, everything that.. All of it. For me, Israel was love at first sight. I said, "this place..." I mean,

every stone of Jerusalem captivates me to this day. God bless I get to go to the western wall quite often. Every single stone... Sometimes, "Kikar HaShabbat", in Geula, when I see the Hasidim crossing, I say, "Am I in a movie? Hasidim? I can't believe I live here." You still feel like that? -And it doesn't go away. It doesn't go away. -The emotion. It's emotion and it's passion, and that... Really. I really feel that it is an honor to be here. And, well, I learned a lot. The truth is that I took many classes with many Rabbanitot, with many teachers, and I learned a lot. And it's like, imagine

me, who am always thirsty, and always wanting more, imagine me there, watching... -Everything. Rabbanim and teachers with years of experience, and with so much Torah and so much wisdom. And I was like, "I want that, to be like that." And, well... -A delight for the soul. A delight for the soul. How can you possibly explain what it feels like? Every time I do a prayer, every time I prepare a lesson of Torah, it is a delight for my soul. It's exciting. I have no other way to describe this. Well, I have many anecdotes. You'll laugh at... We'll talk about that. Many, many anecdotes, yes. But many

people, of course, we Latinos understand what coming to Israel is like, leaving behind that material life where you have help, a driver, people who serve you, employees. And come to Israel all alone. From that culture where the logistics of life is a little simpler, different. Getting here by putting so much effort, and earning that place in the land of Israel, and not losing your passion. How do you do it? It's just that, I was in Argentina just a little while ago, and they asked me, "Melisa, how do you do it? You're at home, all alone." God bless, I have eight children. Thank God, I have a

home, and I am a mother, God bless, I am always at home. It makes me laugh, because my children are asked, "What does your mom do?" And they say, "My mom is a teacher." I'm at home all day. I only go out to teach a class. One hour at night, and that's it. I mean, I send messages to the chats. But it's like, I have so much love for what I do, that drives me to do everything I do. It means carrying the groceries alone many times. And, well, I don't know, maybe my children help me a lot. But it's about the lack of comfort I was used to. Yes. -But there is so much inspiration. It is so great to

feel that I have a full life. It is a life, truly, God bless, with a lot of meaning, do you know what I mean? Everything I do has a lot of meanings. And that's worth it to me. I'm fine with the lack of comfort, and I'm fine with having the opposite. I came here and became a woman, you know what I mean? Having to be alone. -You took charge. Exactly. Doing the Rosh HaShana seder alone, doing the Pesach Seder alone, doing everything alone. Well, not alone. Living with the World Creator in a much more vivid, alive way. In a way, as you say, so full, so genuine, so real. It is not a concept, it is

a reality. It is an opportunity. -It is reality. For me, being alone gave me the opportunity to discover that with the blessed God, the truth is that is with the help of the skies, I have so much to give and transmit. I can't keep it to myself. At first, I came and, well, I took classes and courses. And then, we did a short course with women who only spoke Spanish. And after that, well, a midrasha was opened and then another one. And I started to teach, and at first it was like revealing something very intimate, very private. Me at home, me with my prayers, me and a world, a very full

internal world. And then, the blessed God tells me, "Melisa, you have to convey it. You have to share it." If I gave it to you, you have to give everything for the help of the skies to be able to inspire another person. And share it, because every Jew has it. I am not the only one who has it. And did you ever have doubts? I often doubt it. I always doubt it. Even now? There are moments when I say, I can't take care of my home. When I have to go to school and drop off my kids, my heart breaks, because today I am such a mother and such a homebody. And I come back and say, I don't regret

anything. On the contrary. I always come back and say, you are getting a renewed mom. They receive another power, another strength, an ecstasy. I come back feeling alive. Like, "Kids, where are you?" And I do everything faster and everything. And I see a the help of the skies, throughout the day that I teach that Torah course. And I notice God guides me and tells me, "You have to do this. And you will see that you will also get to this and also to that." It's not your life and lesson of Torah. It's your life and the lesson of Torah together. My life is the Torah, it is my reality. That's what

I always say when I teach my lessons. It's not that I only come with the explanation, let's say, the perasha. The Torah comes to give us a perush, an interpretation of our lives. It's really like this. Just yesterday a girl asked me, I finished a class last night that I teach in Beit VaGan. She asks me, "When people ask you something about the course, what do you say to them? How do you help them?" I'll tell you the truth, I can't help anyone. I say that, but then, every year I reopen Parashat Koraj, Prashat Jucat, I look up and say, God, please give me a new explanation. Give me something

new, a new interpretation. Give me something current, and relevant to the reality that I and all of my Israel live today. And God never lets me down and always gives it to me, because there are 70 faces for the Torah. And every year the Torah speaks to me more and more. I mean, the same thing happens when people come up to me. I can't solve their lives. She doesn't want me to solve her life. She wants me to help her see her life from another perspective, another interpretation. Give me that spirit you just gave at the lesson of Torah! "Get that spirit in me", like the women were saying to me,

"Give me that spirit! Let me see my life that way!" That way one can say, I can overcome anything if I am with God. And we truly are with God. -How beautiful! How lovely! It is the beauty of the Torah. It's... what can I say? It's shocking to hear you, because it is so true, and you have so much passion for what you do, it's very special. Surely those who are watching us are feeling the same. If I may ask you, for example, which parasha comes to mind first? Which one can you think of? A portion? A specific parasha? I fall in love with all the portions every week. Every week. But do you have a

special one, an anecdote, a memory? Something you think was something new that... Look, every week there are times when, honestly, I say, "Oh, Parasha Korach." "Korach, controversy, and what about me?" And it turns out to be something beautiful. I found a "Kli Yakar", a way of life, cool. And I said, "I don't give up on this Parasha, I didn't know it. Never! I love it!" And it happens to me often. But if there is something I have, it is many anecdotes and a lot... The truth is that I learned so much from women who share with me, when I talk about portion of life, which is called prayer. When

I come to these women I tell them, "Look, listen to me. "You come here to expose your soul. "You come here to express your feelings, your emotions." In front of the psychopedagogue the merciful, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. The pious psychologist, the one who understands you, who loves you, the only one who can heal that soul of yours, these wounds that you sustained through life. I mean, how can you give in at this moment, give up on this life experience? When you speak with the blessed God you are transported into another dimension. And that's when I got, honestly, so many women who shared

with me what happened to them. From me that is like, "see how good is God" They came to taste what it means to draw close to God. Women, I tell you, their call is for you to fulfill Torah Mitzvot. I think every Jewish woman fulfills Torah commandment. Every Jewish woman has a beautiful dialogue with the blessed God, natural. Natural. And, God bless, I had the fortune of meeting women from, thank God, so many places, that if I had stayed there, in Argentina, in my own place, I would not have had this opportunity to meet women from Panama, from Spain, from Mexico, from Venezuela. And every

woman is an otzar, a treasure. And women who, well, I have so many things to tell you. I am very connected to Rachel's grave too. That's what I was going to ask you. What is your relationship with Rachel's grave? Well, it's very close to me. It's very close to my house. And it's mother Rachel. Our mother Rachel is a divine presence here with us. throughout the way. Throughout this journey of our lives. They already know you. -They know us. They all know me. They already know you over there. You are already famous over there. I lead many groups in there. -You lead many groups. Yes, a day from

the skies, the truth is that I lead many groups, and I give a class there, and we talk of the strength of our mother Rachel, and then we do a prayer. And the connection we have with our mother Rachel there, the feeling of it, it makes me laugh, because the Rachel's grave is so small. It's not like the western wall, it's tiny. So sometimes we laugh that we are all mushed together. And I finish doing a prayer and I say, "God, please find a match for the one next to me. And for the one on this side, please." I listen to everyone's prayer. And at the same time it is an unity, it is a union.

Mothers of soldiers who stop me and say, "What do I do? Should I light a candle? What can I do for my son?" And I tell you, come with your mother heart. Come here in front of the hall, in front of our mother Rachel. Mother Rachel knows what it's like to be a mother of this land, and to cry for us. A mother knows how to cry. This is the place that connects me the most. And well, out of all the people that I brought, I learned so much from women, how they connected. I once took a girl who lives in Miami, who works in a bank, and there was a lot of traffic, until we arrived. She tells me, "Look

Melisa, I'm not one to cry while praying." And I tell her, "Look, do whatever you want. "I'm just here to tell you who our mother Rachel is. I'm going to tell you about the power that exists in this place." The Vilna Gaon says that the divine presence is especially present in Rachel's grave. More than anywhere else. And we talked about our mother Rachel, we talked about strength. She said, "If you do a prayer, I do a prayer. I don't get involved." We both did a prayer. I finished, and she was still doing a prayer. And she was crying. What happened with the bank? She was doing a prayer in a

way that, literally, really, she was transported to another dimension. And that's when I tell her, "Well, I think you need to go to the bank." So we left quickly. She says to me, "What should I do? I'm never late." It's no joke, it's a US bank. So I tell her, "Good luck, all the best." She took a taxi in my neighborhood and I left. That night she calls me and tells me, "Look, I'll tell you the truth, Melisa, I logged in late. "And I told my boss, I told her I didn't feel well and that I went to the doctor." Wow. -I say, "Look at that." And she says, "No, Melisa, I didn't lie. I told the

truth." She tells me, "My heart hurt so much. and when I got to Rachel's grave, I did that prayer, I felt like a stone had left me." She tells me, "I felt relief. "And I felt that I'm not alone. "And that together we can make it. I truly felt that God healed my heart." What would you say to all those people who haven't been there yet? Don't miss it. our mother Rachel is in exile for our sake. Mother Rachel is here to accompany us in a personal and particular way, each of his children. "Rachel weeping for her children because their gone". She cries for each of her children, because each one is

special. I really feel like I have a closeness to mother Rachel. It's not a joke. I drive her crazy. I go there every week. -She knows you well. We know each other very well. -God bless. The whole atmosphere, getting there and listening. There is always a Jew who reads the Song of Songs. At six in the morning. There is a Jew who studies there. And I already know the melody. Do you know that melody? And it is such a holly place. And sometimes at home I have so many chores that I say, "Well, I'll go out for a while, do a prayer, and come back stronger." And I always arrive like, "I won't make

it through this day, I don't know how I'm going to do it." And I go out to Raquel's grave. I calm down. -And it is a harmony. It is a harmony of... It is the satisfaction of meeting the blessed God and realizing how much I am a part of him. And that is the greatest desire I have in life, to get as close to him as possible. And after every prayer I get closer to him. It is a closening of hearts, it is such a great closeness, an attachment and a union with the Creator, which is, as you said, a spiritual experience, an elevation, very emotional. It really is quite an experience. And then I come

back home and I have all this strength, I have all this spirit. I see it. I see myself. And what is the secret to maintaining that openness? Realizing this is what feeds one's soul. What is that like? What is that dialogue inside you that tells you, there is and there will always be the answer? I can feel it, I really do. We women are the World of Emotions, we are the world of feelings. We are the emotions. I really feel like I have to be here when I do a prayer. I feel like He is here with me. At the time I study the Torah and teach the Torah, I share the Torah, I feel that it is God's will,

and I see Him in the eyes of the women who look at me. As if telling me, Melisa, this is your place. Many women tell me that too. They say, "Melisa, you have a gift, you have to do this." I have no doubt. -This is your place. This is your place. -Amazing. And the satisfaction of being the one who gives strength to another woman, the satisfaction of being able to inspire another person, helping them have what I have, thank God. And I say, please. I say, "The head of the World, we are a team." I am here to sanctify your name and to get the most out of it. And I feel that I am, in those moments,

in parallel with my family, in those moments when I am, whether connected to a prayer, and with the lesson of Torah, I feel like it's my place, to tell you the truth. Everything flows. -It flows. Well, and all these years, growing as a teacher in the nation of Israel, a super important leadership role, how does it fit in with your motherhood? With all those obligations? Because, of course, you make it sound super nice, and you live it with such joy, but in practice it is a lot of responsibility, it takes a lot of time. What has that been like for you, Melisa? Well, it is, as I told you, it is

not the Torah and my reality, or the Torah and my home. The Torah is my home, it is my reality. And I carry, let's say, this family and this reality of mine as a mother, thank God. One of the greatest achievements I have in life, I'll tell you the truth, it's being a mom. Being a mother is about nullifying yourself and giving everything for these creatures that need me, and I need them. And realizing one can do it, realizing I am the best mom for each of them. Yesterday I went to buy them backpacks for the beginning of the school year, and after buying the backpacks they tell me, "Thank you,

mommy, thank you, mommy, for buying them." I tell them, "May everyone have success, I wish you success, I wish you the best year." I almost started crying in the shop where they sell the... Because I have so much love. So much love and so much longing for them to be happy, and I want to give them everything so that they are happy, and I understand that my Torah is part of that. Look, I'm going to tell you something, when I teach my classes, at that moment that I am there, when I go out to give Torah courses, my daughters help me, they are part of this. My daughters are part of this. Mommy

goes to, with God's help, It really pleases me a lot, when women come up to my kids and say, "Thanks to your mother, thanks to her I do a prayer, Thanks to her, I became stronger, I came closer to the blessed God." I want my children to see the other side of me. And it came true, God bless, when the teacher of my daughter, she asked me to teach a short class on prayers. So I went. And suddenly, I was in front of my daughter's friends. And she realized that mom is a teacher. And I felt like, wow. I was proud. -It was an integration. It was a very good combination. Let her watch her mother with

pride. And to this day, my second daughter too. Last year, I teached her too. And she said to me, "Mommy, my friends, to this day, "they talk about that example of a prayer you gave, "and they loved the way you talked about it. You are a speaker, which they didn't know." Because, of course, they come to my house and they see me with the pot, cooking. I didn't know you were also... Behind the kitchen counter there is a star. And they can see that shine, that light, that I live in constantly thank to the Torah. May they also feel it. And many times it is difficult for me because, well, I have

to prepare the lesson during night, and I try to tidy up the whole house, and get everyone to go to sleep. And I think, are they really sleeping? Because I want to take advantage of a little time to study. And I'm always stealing some time, and I think every mother, who is a mother and also has another role, we all are, as they say, in the same situation. And one night when I sat down to read, my son Ruben, who is two years old, told me, "Mommy, you know what? I love going to sleep with the image of you sitting at the table with your books." When he told me that... Everything was worth it.

-So I have to do this. Because whenever that happens... And well, at the same time, it is about sharing with women who are in the same circumstances that I live in, the same home challenges, whether it's, say, everyday things, or whether they are more complicated challenges. That is what I share in the lessons, and vice versa. Women seem to see an answer, they see a mom, a woman who fights for my home, just like them. How nice. -I fight for my home just like you. I fight for my children's happiness. I fight for the tranquility of my marriage. For being a woman, for not lacking anything. My

husband always tells me, "you want everything, "You want the lesson, you want the food to be ready, You want the house to be clean." And I really want everything. The same thing happens in the spiritual side. I want it all. With the blessed God you can have it all. I can't do anything in my life, but he can do anything, everything that I can't. What's the problem? When one is connected to something so superior, everything is possible. Why not? -Everything is possible. And this is where my whole life lies. I recently taught a class, and a friend of mine came to listen, and she says to me,

"Meli, I saw your life coming together. I saw your whole life in the lesson you teach." That's right. All the things that I go through, I transmit to women. Well, it's a matter of how we, as women, identify. It is realizing that it is not only about attending a lesson of Torah, and have ideas that are not touched, that are not reality. It is realizing that reality is the Torah. And every lesson of the weekly portion talks about exactly what is happening to me that week. It happens to me personally while I prepare it. And thousands of women come up to me and say, "Melisa, you spoke exactly

about what is happening to me. What, do you know my life?" No, I tell them. How can it be that it was exactly what I needed to hear? Well, when we received the Torah, as the Midrash says, let every Jew be: "the talking is with me" With me the talking, the heavenly word, speaks. When God gave us the ten commandments. And it is like that in every lesson. The feeling that the blessed God speaks to me, and women who come up to me and say, "Melisa, I went through such-and-such. And your lesson..." I record my lessons. A woman who is in another country, I don't know her. But it reaches her. -And

she tells me, "I was undergoing a hospitalization, I was in the hospital, hospitalized for such and such thing." She tells me, "You were with me every moment." The lesson spoke about exactly what I needed to hear, those words of faith, that reinforcement, that strength, that prayer, those tears that run when they listen to you. Those women who tell me it is about that emotion, and also that mischief, that joy. We also laugh at what happens to us. And I think every woman needs it. Not exactly my lesson, but the Torah. Connecting human to human. -It's very human. Soul to soul. It is a very

human Torah. -Exactly. But a while ago, a few minutes ago you said, to annul oneself as a mother. What does it mean to annul oneself? When I got married, I was all about my needs, I needed my time. Whether it's to pass my classes, my personal needs, it was all about me. I was always the youngest at home, I always had everything, very spoiled. I always got everything I wanted. I have, thank God, an exceptional husband. And suddenly, when the kids are born, you stop sleeping, little by little. It's like starting to... -You're not sleeping again. You never sleep again... It is to take care of a

creature, of his or her needs, of what is happening to you. And it is not only, as they say, about the role, like every practical mother, when we buy their clothes, and feed them and cook for them, but it is to think about what is happening to you, what are you going through. And from there, every child... - Wow. Empathy. I was erasing myself, but I mean it in a positive way, When I use the word nullify, it is not a word of negative terminology. The best thing that could have happened to me is to eliminate all that egocentrism I had inside of me. And I discovered a mom Melisa, who is a much

superior being. The World Creator created this whole world,, to do good, only to favor us and give to us. Being a mother is giving and giving myself. Sometimes I'm tired, and I come home, and the first thing I do is feed my children. Or those teenagers who are kind of like that, go and approach him, and sit on the bed and talk to him. And then you will come out with a feeling of... World Creator, may they be happy, and give me the right word, and let me always be there for them. Always there for them. It is an erasure that is a gift, that is a gift that God gave me. Having these children made

me a woman and a mother. And well, I fight for my home. Always fight for my home. I'm going to tell you something. One of the classes we give..., with the help of the skies, that's how it was given. One of the most popular classes is the Ninth of Av class. the Ninth of Av class, in which I go to the midrasha and I sit with the girls and we cry. It is a day in which we face the truth face to face. A reality of not having temple, and we are in exile. Although this year I think everything is experienced much more intensely. But anyway, Ninth of Av is a day that has to be a day... It is a day

when we take off our masks and say, "Lord of the world, we miss you so much." We miss that reality so much, living with you in your home, down here. And the truth is that we sit down and there are human tears, tears of longing, of missing something. They are tears that, as a woman told me in the past, she said to me, "Melisa, I heard your Ninth of Av class "and I felt like every tear was purifying my soul," like locking of Yom Kippur." They are tears that purify you and take you to close to God, to that closeness to God. It is a very, very special day. World Creator made me and so, "God

revolves the Torah", God makes the Torah go around the world and reach women. And I think that women know how to cry for the house of God, for this home of the blessed God. Because women know how to fight for our homes too. And we will fight for your home, Lord of the world. We will fight for ours too, in the same way, I am here, and until I see my children happy, until I see a successful husband, and this home, God bless, working, I'm not going to stop. Same thing with your home, the blessed God. We are here, we are going to bring it, we are going to build it. Sometimes when I ask women,

"How are you?" They tell me, "Can Bonim". Can Bonim means "we are building." you know, like when they are building, they put up a sign? This is a construction site. -Wow. And all women build, so we have that infinite connection with the creator and with this home that we miss, with this home that is a home that is a gathering. It is a gathering place, it is a place of encounter. With the blessed God. -How beautiful. And we try to make our home this meeting place, the warmth of a home. This mom who opens the door, this mom who is there. Believe me, my greatest prayer is that I can be a mother,

may I always be there, may I never be missing. May I have the right word, the right advice. May there be that look and that hug, and that kiss from mom, and may it never be missing. And may they all have a good destiny, along with my tefilot. You can imagine that a large part of my prayers I dedicate to my children. When I sometimes come back from a course I tell my daughters that all the credit is theirs. Sometimes, really, I leave and the little one cries, and this happened and that happened, and I was gone. I say that all the merit, if there is a woman who became stronger, a woman who

strengthened her faith and approached the blessed God, then all the credit goes to you, I say to Abigail, To all of you who take care of my children, I say, thank you. I think they feel it because it's real. And during our lives of fighting for our homes, I lived in that time, a time in which, a life experience that made me a great mother. Tell me. -It made me a great servant of God. Precisely by adopting different paths, doing things that I hadn't done until then. And I learned to fight for my home, like never before, like a lioness. My eldest daughter, who, thank God, is the light of our

life, a few years ago, well, we noticed she had drifted away. She distanced from herself, from her friends, from the whole concept, from the whole Haredi frame. From the entire ultra-orthodox society in which we live. And I thought, this girl is not okay. And well, little by little we noticed that she wasn't right. She was very hurt emotionally, a lot of things happened. And as a mother I said, "why? "How could I not notice, it being the job of a mother?" Wherever you are, I'm going to get you out. It was and is the mission of my life, and that was when, well, we slowly started to experience

many things, and many changes at home. My eldest daughter, and, at that time, six more children, God bless, then came our most recent little one. And that was when, with my husband, because I didn't do this alone, Not at all and with the guidance too, with the guidance of a rabbi, who guided us in an exceptional way. And my husband and I decided the love of mom and dad can take any child out of any suffering. And we are going to do it. We gave life and soul, and I don't like to say it myself, but it makes me laugh that my daughter, nowadays, she meets people and tells them, and it embarrasses

me. "Do you know what my mom did for me?" She tells them about it. I never expected to get feedback from her so quickly, in such an explicit way. Well, she is a superior soul. And with my husband we gave life and soul, and we were with her all the time, we waited for her late into the night with food, and my husband was ready to go get her at all times, wherever she was, and bring her life into our home. Never take away her honor, nor the kabod, nor the respect, nor her place at home. It was dressing my children and showing them to Miri. Miri always has the superior word. With respect, and at

the same time with acceptance. Lots of acceptance without judging, not seeing what your child sometimes does, but seeing the pain that drives them to do what they do. And it is painful as a mother. -Of course. Sometimes it's painful, sometimes it's easier to say she is doing bad things, because you don't want your child to suffer, because you can't stand it. And when I had that pain, my daughter told me, she recently told me, "Mommy, I've never seen you cry at home." You never say, "why are you doing this to us?" You know, those things that a mother might say. God bless, also with the evil

eye, but never. At home, I'm on duty. At home, we are going to get ahead. We became closer than ever during that stage of life. My children too, we were all a team. Together. "At this moment we are going to help this sister that we love, and we know who she is. Because she means so much. And now she is suffering." And each of my children wrote something nice to her. All of them, with love, respect, and acceptance. Far beyond, much more... What you are wearing, the clothes you wear, which spheres you are in. And well, when there was pain... Obviously, you can imagine that me, being very

connected, very close to Rachel's grave and the Western Wall, at those moments... They were prayers that... Look, what can I say? I remember them and I cry. They were prayers that I gave to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Also, several times, to Meron. And one of those prayers, which was the prayer, I remember it was... Well, after that prayer, that month I learned that, with God's help, another life is coming to our home, and we called him Rafael Shimon, like Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, we are welcoming him, hopefully, this year, God willing. A gift came to me, joy. I have six girls and I had only one

boy at that time. And another boy is coming. In my dad's name too, God bless. Ah, so there are six girls and one boy. Six girls and two boys. And those prayers, that was my part as a mother. When I was going to do prayer, I remember one of those times, I remember that I left home with a storm of emotions. Like when you feel such a strong storm of emotions, because sometimes it is difficult to sustain. I got in the car and parked it, and I got to the Western Wall and there was just an empty wall. And I said, well, World Creator, even if you hide... And in addition to all this, I take prayer

courses. And I did a prayer, and it was a period in which I couldn't see that the situation was progressing. And even then I said, God, even if you hide yourself, even if you don't love me, I love you and you will always find me here. It was a prayer, how do you say it? An open-hearted prayer. And today more than ever, God, you will see me here. And I love you more than ever. Listen, God, even if you do not answer me, even if things don't go the way I want. The blessed God, what we have is eternal, it is unconditional. The love I have for my daughter is unconditional. This is not a school.

There are rules that are given to me explicitly, I will follow them, because I have to save her. So our love for God is also unconditional. I remember that day I came out of the Western Wall and I had parked in the space for the disabled. And there is a policeman a giving me a ticket. I look up and say, God, such a romantic night, are we going to end it with a fine? We loved each other in that prayer. Don't do this to me. I don't know why, but the policeman looks at me and says, "Ma'am, listen to me, go away, I won't do anything. Take your things and go." -I don't believe you. It was all very

heavenly, and even so everything was like... It was a very difficult challenge. I had heavenly help. Just as God sent me a test, I saw the World Creator face to face. I lived God in an intense and absolute way. What can I tell you? It was a time when God hid Himself the most, because things were not going the way I would have liked. It was an impressive moment which I wouldn't trade, I don't regret anything at all. I learned how to be a mom. Unconditional love. We learned with my husband that the love of mom and dad can get a child out of any situation. One day my daughter asked for

something, I don't remember what, and I said, yes, of course. Without hesitation. Of course. -Of course, I said. Whatever you need. I remember she hugged me in the middle of the night and said, "Mommy, I want to be like you." Wow! I want to be like you. With that acceptance, without judging. She tells me, Mommy, I want... This is what I was looking for. I didn't want to go away, I wanted to get closer, but I couldn't find my place, as if those eyes were telling me something. My daughter has surpassed me today, wow, she surpassed me. God bless, my daughter's change was... I wouldn't call it a

flip-flop because that's how my daughter is. She is a soul united to the blessed God. She's a beauty. She has a kind a union with God, like they say, "where the one with the answer stands." Literally. She is currently at the "Neve" campus in Jerusalem. She wants a home with Torah, God willing. She has a union with the prayer. I don't know who she takes after, with all that passion she has. She has a lot of passion, a lot. A love for the Torah. Harmony. And all the changes she was making were a decision, like an acquisition in her life. And there is something in her and in any lifelong

religious person that makes you jealous, because sometimes we do everything in such a dry way, and in such a monotonous way. And she, every "Asher Yatzar" is a blessing, and every "Birkat Hamazon", and every "Dvar Torah" on the Shabbat table is... That girl's eyes shine. -Wow. And she tells me, "Mommy, I would never say that..." God forbid, I'll tell you the truth, my daughter suffered at that time. A parent does not want their child to suffer. But she tells me, "Mommy, believe me, everything I suffered was worth it to become who I am. I am a constructed woman. "I have built a relationship

with God. I have a place." And I truly admire her deeply. I truly admire her deeply. And I thank World Creator who gave me... He gave me that space, to be that small God, to be that small God, and just as when Our Lord Moses comes down with the stones, God tells him, "Come down, for your people..." They were displaying idolatry. And how does the entire Torah end? Rashi says. Our Lord Moses, he tore up the Torah, And Rashi says, "Good job, I congratulate you for tearing it up." God tells him, "There are times when there are rules that must be broken in order to save our children." Our house is

a home. -Melisa. What a story! But also, you guys must have realized it too, you are much more than a teacher. you are an example of a woman and a human being. You are much more than a teacher You say that you admire your daughter very much, and we admire you, for this story, this beautiful life story, so deep, and so edifying for all of you who are listening to us. And before we finish I have to say, thank you so much for opening your heart and telling us everything you've told us. It's a beautiful story. And I think those words of your daughter when she says, I want to be like you, are more

than music to the ears, It's like a... Like a trophy, like a moment where you can say, "I made it." That day I went to sleep and thought, this is where i want to be. How moving. -I want my children... I want them to want to be in this place. And the truth is that my heart is open. I'm going to tell you something, I asked my daughter, do you want me to tell them about all this? A little bit of what happened in your life, your life experience, And she told me, "Mommy, you have to tell them." Wow. She tells me, "Do you know how many parents sometimes they don't understand their children at

home?" Children suffer, parents suffer. -Wow. She tells me, "Mom, you and daddy..." She says so, but I don't believe it, because she has everything to be who she is. But she tells me, "It's thanks to you two." Wow, how nice. Well, thanks to her for giving us this opportunity. That's why I told you. It's important for you to know she wanted me to tell. Thank you, Miri, for the opportunity you gave us to be here. I imagine that this situation, and this whole story split your life in two. Like a before and after. -Yes. It rebuilt you, it strengthened you. See... wow! It built me up, wow! It

strengthened me, wow! And I thought, how am I going to teach Torah classes out there, if I have something like this going on in my home? And it was exactly the opposite. -The opposite. The opposite. Absolutely. Women tell me, tell us about that, that personal part of you that you are going through. I recently spoke to a woman, and she tells me, "Melisa, I knew you from the classes." I gave courses at her house several times. And I talked about an experience she was having with her daughter. She tells me, "Now that you told me the things that you went through," she tells me, "My admiration is

even greater." The truth is, it's that same love that I have, truly, for the blessed God. And for the Torah. And for my children. And she told me, "Melisa, this is what you have to do." And with the strength of the love of a father and a mother, with those hugs, those kisses, that pure love. Stop caring about what your neighbor thinks. It is about that pure love, because they are who we love most, and we are willing to fight for them. Until the end, for our homes. And there come times in life when we have to do it. What was theory is put into practice. And in practice, the truth is

experienced with, like I told you, lots of heavenly help. Prayers to the heavens. We unite earth and heaven more than ever. More than ever. -Spectacular, Melisa. It was a true lesson of Torah, this interview. Your story is a lesson of Torah. -Really. And finally, because time is short, I would like you to give us a small message for all those women who are there behind their screens, watching us. Well, a little message for you. First of all, you know that, many times in my prayer I felt like God abandoned me and I am alone. Today I can tell you that he never let go of my hand. He always

accompanied me on this path of life. We are life partners, and everything we went through we went through together, and that is how it will continue to be. We are here to fight for our homes. We have everything as women, we have all this love. For our homes, for our children, or, sometimes, a woman who wants to build her home. You have all this love to do everything, to build that home. Never stop looking up and seeking Lord of the Universe, who is with you more than ever at this moment. And I always say that during a prayer I feel like God embraces me. He embraces me with his right hand. And

sometimes I do a prayer in a storm of emotions, feelings, and I don't even know how I'm going to talk, I don't know what I'm going to say or how I'm going to say it to him. And in the end it is... says David Amélech "It is better for me,", "the favor of speaking with you than the life I came to ask for." The favor of those minutes in which I transported myself is better for me, and I lived a heavenly experience, another dimension. And I literally felt like I spoke to you face to face, Lord of the Universe, closening of hearts. We are so close. And at this moment I will take this chance to

reveal to you what is my greatest desire. It's your closeness. It's our union. Closeness to the creator. And I think that after a prayer like that, from such a moment in life, you get the strength to face anything. Because you are not alone. Melisa, I have no words. Thank you, Chaya. -What a pleasure. Thank you so much. -Thank you for all your Torah. Thank you for your life, for being here on this show. Please, I lend my life, I share my life experiences. May it be the first of many. With God's help. -With God's help.. And I hope that you, just like me, have been filled with Torah, with this

wonderful life story. And join us today, and in the next "Embracing the World" episode. Thank you so much.