ABCDEF/123

What in the world is that, you ask?

It's a new formula for training horses for Cossacks.

Choose one of the letters and one of the digits that appear in the title. The combination will be your own personal Cossack horse training formula.

Huh?

Let me explain what I am talking about.

The Cossacks were ferocious Ukrainian warriors. They imposed fear in their enemies' hearts. Wherever they traveled, they left total destruction and terror in their wake.

Much of their strength depended on their horses. The strength and courage of the Cossack was practically useless if he could not count on the strength, dependability and loyalty of his horse.

How did the Cossacks go about choosing their legendary horses?

There is a select minority, that in addition to worrying about their own survival, look around and try to do whatever they can to help those weaker than themselves.Legend has it that they would chase a herd of wild horses towards a deep, fast flowing river and force them to swim across it. Many of the horses drowned, with only a small percentage successfully making it across. Surviving that ordeal, however, was not enough to pass the test. Of those that made it across, there were the select few noble souls that, while fighting to make it across, tried to help the weaker horses that were struggling near them. These were the horses that were chosen to be the trusted companions of the fearless Cossack warriors. These were the horses that they could trust with their lives in times of danger.

Getting back to our reality:

Life is a constant challenge. It is not easy to make it to shore. The realities of life are unforgiving. There is no truce; you either swim or sink.

There are those who give up at some point during the struggle. There are others who struggle and make it across with more or less effort. There is a select minority, however, that in addition to worrying about their own survival, look around and try to do whatever they can to help those weaker than themselves make it through the challenges of life.

Making it across is a sign of strength; helping the weaker ones cross is a sign of a noble character.

What does all this have to do with the title of this article?

Very simple.

The letters represent the days of the week from Sunday to Friday (a=Sunday, b=Monday, etc.).

The numbers 1,2 and 3 represent the number of people that you generally have no contact with whom you must call on the day of the week that you selected.

In other words, if you chose 'D3', for example, it means that you must call three people on Wednesdays.

What should you call them for?

Simply to see how they are doing.

It will probably not take you more than a few minutes per call, but it will, without doubt, make a world of a difference to the person on the other end of the line. It will make him or her feel (more) valued and loved and it will give the individual renewed motivation to continue "swimming across the deep and fast flowing currents."

Our sages point out that in contradistinction to the animals that were created in herds, man, Adam, was created single.

Why was this done so?

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 37a) gives several answers, one of which is the following: "Whoever saves one soul is considered as if he'd saved the entire world."

It is enough for only one human being, serving G‑d with his free will, to exist, for the entire world to acquire the meaning for which it was created.

Every human being fulfills a unique function that completes and complements the common enterprise of all of humanity and creation.

So when you make those calls, be aware that with every call you make you are not affecting just one solitary human being (which is also not to be dismissed); you are affecting the entire world.