Stories

Someone I'm close to had an important medical appointment so I sponsored a Torah class as a zechus, but despite my reminders, they used my sponsorship on the wrong day. I was really mad, but I thought about the Shalom challenge and stayed silent.

I just found out she is joining our family Purim Seudah. Then I thought of these incredible videos and it helped me to look past the past and try view her positively

During our family purim pic each kid does as they please and it's a race against the clock - basically, overwhelming. This year when I felt myself getting frustrated, I kept my cool and stayed silent.

My in law family and I haven’t gotten along for over 20 years. I’ve tried multiple times to make amends and the feelings were never reciprocated. Then finally I decided to try again. this purim, תשפא, will be the first purim that we are all celebrating together. Never in my 31 years of marriage has this happened.

I was really mad at someone - very justifiably- and started composing the scathing text I would send them. As I saw myself typing, I simultaneously "saw" your initial video - of the typing and deleting and the typing and deleting. I then totally "deleted" my message, and never sent it!!

I'm a pretty easygoing person, BH, but I have a family member who is extremely hard to get along with. The first day of the shalom challenge taught me to relabel this person in my head before interacting with them. Now I try to think of the words "this person is really struggling!" before I want to say something I'll regret.

A small moment where I was able to put the Shalom Challenge messages to the test: someone said something to me that was very hurtful. I couldn't stop thinking about it until I decided to categorize it under "tragedy or nuisance". When I decided that it was merely a nuisance, we ended up making up.

I was all ready to take sides and give my sister in law a taste of her own medicine and stop talking to her - but I was already three days into the shalom challenge! I spoke to a rebbetzin who encouraged me to not get involved. The next day my brother in law called to apologize to the people they had hurt. I sure was happy that I kept the shalom in the family.

Someone in my shul "hogs" the Amud and davens at a speed I can't even attempt to keep up with. Often when he davens I'm spending much of davening resenting him. After the message on this subject, I consciously tried to think about the positive attributes that his WIFE sees in him. It helped settle my mind down and daven better.

My seventeen-year-old son did something wrong recently. I was planning on not speaking to him until he apologized sincerely and admitted his careless mistake. Then I remembered the Shalom Challenge and that he must have been feeling very embarrassed so I forgave him. On Friday he bought me a gorgeous bunch of roses for Shabbos!

I’m a regular high school teenager that signed up and all the sudden BAM everyday I keep running into instances to work on my shalom. I couldn’t understand it, but then I realized that when I signed up the the shalom challenge I also literally signed up in shamayim for the shalom challenge! Throughout the week I listened to the videos to help work on the tests I was getting every day - so thank you for the opportunity!

I was having a very hard time getting myself to make peace with a neighbor that hurt me - its been 2 years! The video you sent gave me the push to make the call!

My sister and I have had a contentious relationship for many years but it has been much worse due to the current political climate. Since starting the Shalom Challenge, I have tried to see things in a different light and to be more tolerant of her. Even though I am still horrified by so many of the beliefs that she now holds, I have tried tot feel more compassion and less anger toward her. Thank you for your help in my journey to becoming a better person.

I was on a business call earlier today and this customer was taking a lot of my time and dragging out the call. I was getting extremely frustrated. I put the phone on mute and was ready to scream, but then I thought tragedy or nuisance? I then unmuted the phone and calmly continued the conversation.

My mother told me she wanted to talk to me about something, and I knew we weren’t on the same page about it. I was battling, do I argue for what’s right or listen calmly? I heard a little voice say, 'You just signed up to the Shalom Challenge, do it the calm way!' I found out that in fact, my mother had changed her mind and now we both were on the same page.