A Soulful Journey

  “Everything has been thought of before but the problem is to think of it again .”   - Goethe We know from Ecclesiastes that there “is nothing new under the sun,” but we are left with rediscovering for ourselves the truth that the masters of old lay before us.   In other words, just because it has been said or done before makes it no less novel when we own it.

“In two words – im possible.” – Sam Goldwyn This movie mogul was known for his witticisms.   One of things we can learn from him is to disarm negativity by smiling and using humor.

If someone comes to kill is, we understand that we have the right, and even the responsibility, of self-defense (Berakhot 64b, Sanhedrin 74a).  When others are threatened, we are called to help them as well.  "Do not stand idly by your neighbor's pain." (Leviticus 19:17-19) This is not an option.  It is a mitzvah.

In  our sacred text , we are confronted with one of the most compelling obligations in all Torah.  “You too must befriend the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Deut. 10:19)  This command actually appears thirty-six times, which is not only emphatic but it is a very meaningful number in our tradition as it stands for “LIFE” times 2!  It is as if the Text whispers to us that we have a double obligation to never forget the pain of pour past and to use that knowledge to unlock the chains of those whom we consider as different, strangers.   That was us!   They are our past and they are our future. We hear the command to love the stranger so often and that we can lose sight of its power.  We do so at our peril and diminishment. A fugitive is one who is running from home, A vagabond is one who has no home; A stranger is one away from home, And a pilgrim is on his way home. All roads in life lead ...

"He who sheds human blood, humans will his blood be shed" (Genesis 9:6).  "He who would shed human blood" is not only about punishment but prevention as the sacred text means only if there is no other way to stop the potential murder. - Sanhedrin 72b Our task is ultimately about justice, not revenge.  While we may be angry to the point of fury, we must never lose sight of the sacred call to justice.

A woman begged the Maggid of Kozhenitz for a blessing to have a child.  He said, “My mother was as unhappy as you are, and fore the same reason.  That was the case until one day she met the Baal Shem Tov.  She presented the Baal Shem Tov with a cape.  I was then conceived and born the following year.” “Thank you,” said the woman, beaming.   “I will do as you suggest.   I will get the most beautiful cape I can find.” The Maggid smiled.   “No, that will not help you.   You see, my mother did not know this story.” Alternate telling:  A woman who came to see the Maggid of Koznitz, Rabbi Israel told of her sorrow: “I have been married twelve years and am still childless.” “What do you think you will do?” asked the rabbi. And since she did not know what to say, she began to tell him as follows: “Listen, my mother was quite old and without children.   One day she heard that the holy Baal Shem Tov would stop in Apt, her villag...

The Roptchitzer Rebbe stated, "By our service to God we build Jerusalem each day.  One of us adds a row, another only a single brick.  When Jerusalem is completed the redemption will come."

"A person cannot be religious and indifferent to the human being's plight and suffering."  -Abraham Joshua Heschel

"When you bow to one person, your showing your tuchus to someone else! " - Rabbi Yaakov Rosenberg We must always be cognizant that when we laud one person we may be offending another.