A Soulful Journey

Raba said: (Length of) life, children and sustenance depend not on merit but (rather on) mazal.  For (take) Rabbah and R. Hisda.  Both were saintly rabbis; one master prayed for rain and it came, the other master prayed for rain and it came.  R. Hisda lived to the age of ninety-two.  Rabbah (only) lived to the age of forty.  In R. Hisda’s house there were held sixty marriage feasts, at Rabbah’s house there were sixty bereavements.  At R. Hisda’s house there was the purest wheaten bread for dogs and it went to waste.  At Rabbah’s house there was barley bread for human beings and that is not to be had.   Moed Katan 28a  

  "Alas, for those who are lost and cannot be replaced."   - Sanhedrin 111a At this time of year when remember those who came before us we mourn our losses as no one can ever take their place.

 "Which would you rather have, ten thousand pounds or ten daughters?" -"What a question!  Ten thousand pounds, of course." "No you wouldn't.  If you had ten thousand pounds, you'd want to have twenty, but if you had ten daughters, you'd have enough." -Friday Nite Book, London Skip the part about daughters and zero in on the want for more.  When is enough enough?

One song can spark a moment,      One flower can wake the dream.     One tree can start a forest,      One bird can herald spring.      One smile begins a friendship,      One handclasp lifts a soul.      One star can guide a ship at sea,      One word can frame the goal.      One vote can change a nation,      One sunbeam lights a room.      One candle wipes out darkness,      One laugh will conquer gloom.      One step must start each journey,      One word must start each prayer.      One hope will raise our spirits,      One touch can show you care.      One voice can speak with wisdom,      One heart can know what's true.      One life can make the difference,      You see it's up to YOU!  As Edward Everett Hale said, "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something I can do."  

W.C. Fields once said, “Remember, a dead fish can float downstream, but it takes a live one to swim upstream.” Those who are spiritually dead, cut off from our timeless and time tested traditions, are floating away. We, the community who are willing to swim upstream, must not only swim harder, but we must be willing to grab on to those around us and share our life preserver (the Torah).

Rebbetzin Neustadt told a story of a town Rabbi who was walking down the street when he was apprehended by the town’s anti-Semitic mayor. “Where are you going, Jew?” he demanded to know. “I don’t know,” was the Rabbi’s reply. “Don’t lie to me. How can you not know where you are going? Tell me now or I’ll have you arrested.” “It is the truth,” repeated the Rabbi, “I have no idea where I’m going.” Within the hour, the Rabbi was sitting in jail awaiting his fate. When news got out, the local Jews came to their Rabbi and asked why the Rabbi didn’t tell the mayor where he was heading. “I answered honestly,” replied the Rabbi, “if he would have asked me where am I planning on going, I would have told him; but to ask me where I  am  going — that, I have no idea. That’s Hashem’s business! As you can see, I thought I was going to  shul , but look, I’m sitting right here in jail.” 

A penny saved is a government oversight.       The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends.       The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.       He who hesitates is probably right.       Did you ever notice: The Roman Numerals for forty (40) are XL.       The sole purpose of a child's middle name is so he can tell when he's really in trouble.  

“Inscribe us in the Book of Life. ”  This must be understood in a spiritual sense.  When a man clings to the love of God, and puts his trust in His infinite mercy, he takes upon himself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven and therewith inscribes himself in the Book of Life.  Whereas the man, a slave of his passions, who so loses his belief in the all-embracing love of God that he fails to repent and return to his Father in heaven, his despair of the love of God is equivalent to his being inscribed—God forbid—in the Book of Death.  -Baal Shem Tov

  "Once the pay has passed, the sacrifice has become null."  - Talmud, Berachot 26a While this passage refers to the sacrifices in the Temple times being done at the specified hour -- and if it was not performed then, there was no further opportunity to do it - - it reminds us of the preciousness of each moment.  If there is a word that needs to be spoken, a need that must be met, do not procrastinate for the moment will be gone.

 "Never let a good crisis got to waste."  - Rahm Emanuel In every instance, even the negative ones, there are sparks that can awaken to a great existence.  Seek them out.

When Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan taught homiletics at the Jewish Theological Seminary, his practice was to explain the portion of the week on a Monday in a sermonic manner. On Wednesday, a senior student would present his version of the same biblical text. Dr. Kaplan was a very demanding and critical instructor, and the students dreaded the ordeal. Once in our class, a student took down verbatim what Dr. Kaplan said on Monday. When it came the student's turn to explain the passage on Wednesday, he repeated Kaplan's Monday interpretation word for word. At the end of the presentation, Dr. Kaplan said, "That's a terrible exposition." 'The student then complained, "But, Prof. Kaplan, that's exactly what you said Monday. And Kaplan replied, "Young man, I have grown since then."   Rabbi Bernard K. Raskas  Heart of Wisdom

The Vilna Gaon explained that the Hebrew word Shachar, morning light, is derived from another Hebrew word, Shachore, or darkness.  If there is a morning for the soul, it is rooted in the night of the body.  Indeed,  the Talmud teaches, "It is only from darkness that can perceive light.  For a candle that burns at noon is worthless."

“Remember the blue sky. It may at times be obscured by clouds, but it is always there.” – Andy Puddicombe

A stranger finds a man on his hands and knees under a street lamp in front of his house. He asks what he's doing there. The man replied he's looking for his keys and the stranger than gets down on his hands and knees to help.  After while the stranger asks, "Where did you drop them?"   "In my house,"he says.   "Then why are you looking out here?"   "Because it is dark in the house."  There are times when, seeking to avoid pain or difficulties, we look for enlightenment where it cannot be found.

In the garden there's a tree Planted by someone who only imagined me. What love! What vision! I marvel at the gift. No fruit could be sweeter than this. I’m standing on the shoulders of the ones who came before me As my people went from land to land, Something passed from hand to hand. And it isn't just the words and stories Of the ancient laws and golden glories. It's the way we study The Book we study. It's the way we study the way. I’m standing on the shoulders of the ones who came before me Today my life is full of choice, Because a young man raised his voice. Because a young girl took a chance, I am freedom's inheritance.  Years ago they crossed the sea, And they made a life that's come to me. I’m standing on the shoulders of the ones who came before me So in the garden I’ll plant a seed, A tree of life for you to read. The fruit will ripen in the sun. The words will sound when I am gone. These are the things I pass along: The fruit, the book, and the song.

 In a biography about Henry Kissinger we find, “He [Kissinger] told Golda Meir that he was an American first, a Nixonite second, and a Jew last. She replied that in Israel, they go from right to left!” How we define ourselves is who we are. Who are you?