A Soulful Journey

A young farmer buys a plot of land that is undeveloped, filled with rocks, in terrible shape. He spends a great deal of time clearing the field, removing the rocks, cultivating the soil. Finally, he is able to plant vegetables and is very proud of the viable farm that he has fashioned out of desolation. In church on Sunday, he invites his minister to come and visit, so proud is he of what he has achieved. The minister drops by later in the afternoon, and is quite impressed. The pastor says: These are the biggest tomatoes I have ever seen! Praise the Lord! And these carrots! The Lord is great! And this corn! The Lord has worked wonders! The farmer comments: Reverend, I wish you had seen this field when the Lord was doing it by himself! Moral: We are shutafim la-Kadosh Barukh Hu bma-aseh Bereishit, God’s partners in creation. But we don’t rely upon miracles  - Rabbi Phil Scheim

“…authentic meaning something my existence lacks totally, although it does possess a minimal relevance to the Internal Revenue Department.”   - Woody Allen , Side Effects

"Reality is work without a wedding, while imagination us a wedding without work.”   -Agnon Life is not easy.   It   takes work.   One who expects to get something for nothing will get nothing.

A little girl is sitting with her grandfather.  She touches her grandfather’s wrinkled skin and innocently asks, “Grandpa, who made you?”  The grandpa answers, “God made me long ago.”  Then she walks over to the mirror, looks at her smooth skin, and asks, “Grandpa, who made me?”  The grandpa answers, “God made you very recently.”  The little girl ponders this a moment, and then says, “God is getting better, isn’t He?” – Rabbi Michael Gold

"An elderly widow and widower meet in a nursing home, fall in love, and decide to marry.  Extremely happy as they plan their wedding, they make their way across the street to the local Walgreen’s Drug Store.  They ask the pharmacist, do you have every kind of medication here? Yes says the pharmacist.  Do you have Depends?  Yes says the pharmacist.  Do you have walkers and canes?  Yes says the pharmacist.  Do you have Viagra?  Of course says the pharmacist.  Wonderful says the couple.  We are getting married.  We want to register here."   -Rabbi Michael Gold Laugh, if you will, but love is always possible.  Always needed too.

Commenting on Psalm 121:5, the Baal Shem Tov taught, “The Eternal is your shadow ( tzel )” is explained, “Just as a shadow (tzel) does everything that a person does, so the Creator, blessed be, does, so to speak, everything that a person does.” (cited in Kedushat ha-Levi, Naso).  – Rabbi Michael Bernstein Every act we do, every word we utter becomes part of our permanent legacy, a shadow of our selves.