A Soulful Journey

A shepherd once pastured his sheep in a field outside the city of Cordoba.  He did not know how to read or write, nor could he say any prayers; no one had ever taught him.  But that did not stop him from praying.  The shepherd so loved God that he simply made up his own prayers out of whatever thoughts came to mind. This is how he prayed: “God, if You had sheep, I would take care of them as if they were my own.  And I would charge You only half what I charge everybody else for looking after them.  And if You didn't have any money, I would take care of them for free. That's how much I love You.” And at other times he would pray: “God, if You were hungry and I had radishes, I would give You half my radishes. And if You were still hungry, I would give You all of them.  That's how much I love You.” He would go on like that, day or night, shouting out prayers as his heart moved him. One day a famous scholar passed by the field on his way to attend the High Holid...

“[in the camps] …there were always choices to made. Every day, every hour, offered the opportunity to make a decision, a decision which determined whether you would or would not submit to those powers which threatened to rob you of your very self, your inner freedom; which determined whether or not you would become the plaything of circumstance, renouncing freedom and dignity to become molded into the form of the typical inmate.”   - Viktor Frankl Never   give  up.  Never give in.

"The Window” A young couple moved into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they were having breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside. “That laundry is not very clean,” she said, “She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.” Her husband looked on, but remained silent. Every time her neighbor would hang the wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comment.  About a month later the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband, “Look, she has learned how to wash correctly, I wonder who taught her.” The husband said, “I got up this morning and washed our windows.” And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look. Before we give any criticism, it might be a good idea to check our state of mind and ask ourselves if we are ready to see the good rather than to be looking for something in the person we are about ...

It was taught: Aba Binyamin says, "If only the eye were given authority to see, no creature would be able to stand, on account of the damaging demons. Abaye said, "They are more numerous than we, and stand over us like earth around a pit." Rav Huna said, "Every one of us has a thousand [such demons] to their left and a myriad to their right.  - Talmud, Berachot 6a Temptation lurks in every moment at every place.  We have both an urge to do  evil  as well as an urge to be good.  Which will rule  over  us?   The Rabbis of the Talmud understood this and knew that if we name those urges we have  better   chance  of not giving in to our worst impulses.

Rabbi Tarfon and the Elders were once reclining in the upper story of Nitza's house, in Lod, when this question was raised before them: Is study greater, or is deed? Rabbi Tarfon answered, saying: Deed is greater. Rabbi Akiba replied, saying: Study is greater. Then they all answered and said: Study is greater, for it leads to action. Talmud, Kiddushin 40b Every day learn  something  new.   Learn  Torah.

 "As soon as there is life there is danger."  - Ralph Waldo Emerson No one gets through life without trials and the scars that remain from those events.  Still, we can turn those scars into moments of learning and growth or make them larger than they are, and become full of disillusionment and despair.

 " Prayer cannot mend a broken bridge, rebuild a ruined city or bring water to parched fields. Prayer  can mend a broken heart, lift up a discouraged soul and  strengthen a weakened will."    -Ferdinand Isserman The rest is up to us.  Pray for me.  Pray for you.  Pray for us. Pray for those whose names you do not know.

Two environmentalists travelled to Africa.  Suddenly a wild rhinoceros, ready to charge, confronted them.  One began to run. “Don’t worry,” said the other.  “I know that rhinoceroses are vegetarians.” “I know that. You know that.  But does he know that?” -R. Jonathan Romaine