A Soulful Journey

"Money is a wonderful thing, but we often pay too high a price fo it."  - Rabbi Jacob Friedman Know the difference between values and valuables.

The first step in liquidating a people is to erase its memory. Destroy its books, its culture, its history....   Before long the nation will forget what it is, and what it was."   -Thomas Butler It is our duty to study, grow and learn.  Every day. That is why we are the eternal people. Do not forget. Remember. Learn.

When he chose not to play a game in the 1934 pennant race on Yom Kippur, the poet Edgar Guest wrote:  “Came Yom Kippur – holy fast day the world wide over to the Jew,  And Hank Greenberg to his teaching and the old tradition true  Spent the day among his people and he didn’t come to play.   Said Murphy to Mulroney, ‘We shall lose the game today!  We shall miss him on the infield and shall miss him at the bat  But he’s true to his religion – and I honor him for that!”  Be true.  Be proud!

Two   seeds lay side by side in the fertile spring soil.    The first seed said,  "I want to grow!" I want to send my roots deep into the soil beneath me and thrust my sprouts through  the earth's crust above me. I want to unfurl my tender buds like banners to announce the arrival of spring. I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my face and the blessing of the morning dew on my petals!" And so she grew?  The second seed said,   "I am afraid. If I send my roots into the ground below, I don't know what I will encounter in the dark. If I push my way through the hard soil above me, I may damage my delicate sprouts. What if I let my buds open, and a snail tries to eat them? And if I were to open my blossoms, a small child may pull me from the ground. No, it is much better for me to wait until it is safe." And so she waited? A yard hen, scratching around in the early Spring ground for food, found the waiting seed and promptly ate  it. Don't wa...

A former Marine who was studying Aikido.  Despite the fact that Aikido is supposed to be peaceful, this individual was most anxious to test his skills in a combative environment.  He thought he had an opportunity on a Tokyo subway, when a drunk day laborer entered a subway car, hurling insults and curses.  The Marine was about to leap into action, when a little old man called to the laborer from the other side of the car.  “Hey!  Come here and talk to me.”  “Why should I talk to you?” the man replied?  “What have you been drinking?” the elderly man persisted.  “Sake, and it’s none of your goddamn business.” The wise elder persisted, engaging the laborer in conversation.  He shared how much he and his wife loved sitting in their garden at sunset and sharing a little bottle of sake.  “I’m sure you have a lovely wife too,” he said.  The laborer’s eyes teared up- “I don’t got no wife, I don’t got no home, no job, no money, nowhere to...

Reb Moshe Leib Sassover used to tell his chassidim that he learned what it means to love a fellow Jew from two Russian peasants. Once he came to an inn, where two thoroughly drunk Russian peasants were sitting at a table, draining the last drops from a bottle of strong Ukrainian vodka. One of them yelled to his friend, “Do you love me?” The friend, somewhat surprised, answered, “Of course, of course I love you!” “No, no”, insisted the first one, “Do you really love me, really?!” The friend assured him, “Of course I love you. You’re my best friend!” “Tell me, do you know what I need? Do you know why I am in pain?” The friend said, “How could I possibly know what you need or why you are in pain?” The first peasant answered, “How then can you say you love me when you don’t know what I need or why I am in pain.”

Reb Bunim of Pesischa once asked: “Why do we not recite the blessings  of She’asa nisssim l’avoteinu  thanking God for miracles for our ancestors on Passover the way we do on Hanukkah? His answer was that Hanukkah resulted from military victories led by armies and the Jews were saved on Purim because Esther endangered her own life. Lest the salvation be attributed solely to human endeavor and sacrifice, we need to remember that ultimately God’s intervention led to the defeat of the Greeks and Haman. It was entirely the work of God the story as it unfolds in the Passover Haggadah does not refer to any human being. Look at our past and see the hand of God.

Two couples who have played cards every month for years take a break from their game. After their wives go into the kitchen Joe says to Frank, “I usually have to remind you what cards have been played for tonight I didn't have to.  How come?” ”I went to memory school,” said Frank. ”Really?” Asked Joe. “What’s the name of the school?” ”Let me see… what do you call that flower that is red with thorns on the stem? ”A rose,” said Joe. ”Yeah, that’s it, a rose. Hey Rose!” Yelled Frank toward the kitchen. “What was the name of that memory school I went to?”

The Messiah by H. Leivick Tanks and airplanes come, but the Messiah does not come upon them, The Messiah does not come, nor will he come, upon a tank; The Messiah does not come, nor will he come, upon a plane. Brothers, pronounce these words without regret or anger, Pronounce them gravely, not with chance or whim, Pronounce them brothers, verily with joy. Speak with the will of those of us Who are but putty, but redemption clay Within the hands of every uniformed redeemer; And those of us, the weak, lost, and betrayed Who in the last extreme of wretchedness Still seek for comfort, saying to ourselves; “Though he delay, we will not cease to wait him.” From this it surely follows, O my brothers, That the Messiah will not come except in a fashion Foretold by all of our most ancient dreamers: The Messiah will not come save as the lowly come, Riding humbly on a donkey’...

The story is told that one of the heads of the House of Rothschild was once asked what he was worth. He took out the record of all his charitable contributions. His secretary, thinking that he had taken the wrong ledger by mistake, tried to correct him.  Baron Rothschild answered, “Never fear; I know that I own all kinds of mines and properties, business ventures, and securities. But the mines may be flooded and the properties confiscated; war can disrupt my businesses and render all my securities worthless. Only the figures in my tzedakah ledger record what is really mine. This I am worth; this nobody can take away from me.”  -Rabbi Danny Pressman

"It was taught in the Yeshiva of Rabbi Yishmael that blessings are only found in things that are hidden from the eye. "  - Baba Metzia 42a Consider: Do not think that which you guard and carefully watch is the most valuable thing in the world.

A King once passed through a large dense forest on a hunting trip. In the thick depths he became lost and could not find the way home. The monarch saw several villagers and peasants in the forest but when he asked them to guide him they did not know how for they had never traveled the Kings highway and we’re not familiar with it. Then the king met a wise and understanding man and as soon as the monarch asked about the highway the man instantly recognized that this was the king himself. With great honor and respect the man obeyed his king immediately. Being very wise he knew every turn of the main road. He led the king back to his palace and saw to it that the king should take his rightful place on the throne. The King was vey pleased with this wise man, he appointed him to most exalted position, higher than all the other princes and nobles. He had him dressed in the finest robes and commanded that his old clothes be preserved as a memento amongst the royal treasures. Many year...

A student of Theodor Mommsen, the well-known German history and classical scholar, described the first lecture which he heard given by Mommsen at the University of Berlin.  At that lecture, the professor portray ancient then as it was in the time of Socrates in the fifth century BCE. Mommsen was already old, but still blessed with a phenomenal memory.  He walked to the blackboard and, without reference to a single note, he traced the location of the temples of ancient Athens, its public buildings and even its groves and wells. He also marked out the probable location of the houses of famous citizens, the place where Socrates lodged, and the paths walked by the philosopher in his dialogues with eminent disciples. With total conviction, Mommsen sketched in streets and paths of the old greek city. The writer goes on to tell that after the lecture, as he sat completely awe-inspired at the teacher's display of erudition and memory, he saw an elderly valet enter the lecture hall....

A Jew, after settling in Canada, changed his name to Barry LaFontaine.           A friend asks why.           Barry replies, "Oh, I just couldn't keep my name from Europe."           "What was your name in Europe?"           "Berel Pisher."   (ask someone who peaks Yiddish)

When you just can't fall asleep, it's no use trying to force yourself to sleep. The more you try to force yourself, the more sleep will elude you. The same applies to many other things: it is not good to force yourself too much, because the more you try to force yourself, the stronger the opposing forces will become.   At times this applies even to prayer and devotion. You should certainly make every possible effort to sanctify yourself and attain true devotion. When something can be done today, don't leave it for tomorrow - because the world never stops for a moment. Man's world consists only of the present. Whatever you can do to serve God, do immediately and determinedly without delay. Who knows what obstacles you may face from the outside and from within if you leave it until later?  But at times you may see that, despite all your efforts and determination, you simply cannot achieve what you want. Sometimes you must simply wait. Don't be discouraged because y...

The great Hebrew poet Bialik was absent-minded. Once he was invited to address a conference at Kiev.  Mrs. Bialik, knowing how absent-minded her husband was, went to the railroad and bought a ticket for him.  She stuck it in his vest pocket.  On the morning he was to leave for Kiev, he hurriedly dressed and forgot to put on his vest.  The conductor called for tickets and Bialik searched but could not find the ticket. "Do not be upset," said the conductor.  "Pay me the fare and when you get back home and find the ticket you will be refunded the money for the ticket." "That is why I am so concerned," said Bialik, "I do not know where I am going." As Jews, we have to know where we are going.  That is why we study Torah.  It provides direction.

"History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives. " -Abba Eban

"Israel, the US, and other nation groups, never miss an opportunity to present another opportunity for the Palestinians to miss." - Abba Eban Let's pray one day the opportunity to make  shalom will not pass.

In answer to the question on a proposal that would have threatened Israel's existence he reportedly responded.... " It is better to be disliked than to be pitied."

Primo Levi, chemist, novelist, survivor was asked why he did not remove the tattoo from his arm.  He responded so that people would ask him what it was.  Then he would tell them about the Shoah. We must not only not forget but do our utmost to tell the story so that it will not be forgotten.

"Remembrance is the key to redemption." - Baal Shem Tov

White-maned Dr. Solomon Schechter, the seminary's president, took special pains with the shy scholar [Rabbi Louis Finkelstein]. Walking with him on the street one day, Dr. Schechter stopped at a newsstand to read the latest World Series scores. "Can you play baseball?" he asked. "No," admitted Finkelstein. "Remember this," said the old man. "Unless you can play baseball, you'll never get to be a rabbi in America."   “ A Trumpet For All Israel,”   -Time Magazine, October 15, 1951

This sad tale was told to me by one of our patients at the St. Albans VA Medical Center. It happened to a cousin of his.       The guy was of draft age in the middle of WWII. He watched as all of his friends around him got drafted.   But he was still sitting at home, waiting.       Finally, after six months, curiosity got the best of him. He visited his Draft Board to inquire about his status.       A Board clerk told him to wait a while. After 15 minutes, she returned. "Please stay a little longer. We're having some trouble locating your file."       Finally, after two hours, his name was called. This time, the clerk blandly stated, "Your file was accidentally misplaced. We just found it in the Deceased Filing Cabinet. You will be drafted at once. You have two weeks to settle your affairs."       After those two weeks, the cousin, now a private in the Army, underwent four months of intensi...

Visiting a cemetery,  a pastor noticed a pile of urns stacked one upon another.  He asked the attendant if they were his stock of empties.  The attendant replied reluctantly, "They contain the ashes of bodies that have been cremated, but the relatives never thought enough to return and claim them." -James Frasier When a yahrzeit comes we remember.  When certain actions remind us of things they said or did the dead come alive.  Nobody wants to be forgotten and it is up to us to not forget their teachings and passing on the lesson of memory.

This is from the eulogy of Ira Berkow, sports editor of the The New York Times for Cookie Lavagetto, from many years back: “Cookie Lavagetto, who died at age 77 in his sleep Friday morning at his home in Orinda, California, was famous for one thing.  He was the Brooklyn Dodger who struck a celebrated pinch-hit in the 1947 World Series.  Thoughts of Lavagetto the ballplayer led to the notion….that great moments don’t last as long as they used to.” “The reason I decided at first, was me.  The older  I became, the quicker life goes.     More events are stuffed into a shrinking time frame.     In the grade-school years, a summer vacation lasted forever.     Now a summer zips by nearly like a weekend…” “There are still a lot of great achievements going on all over the place these days…but somehow they fail to stick in the brain as they once did.  Who won Wimbledon last year?  Who’d they beat?...The re...