A Soulful Journey

  The Mishna (Arachin 21a) discusses what to do when individuals do not want to fulfill their obligations. One example is a man who refuses to grant the bill of divorce when he should do so. The Mishna states, “they [the court] shall coerce him until he says, “I wish to do it”.”   Since a divorce must be given voluntarily the question is, how can a husband’s statement, obtained under duress, make the divorce involuntary act? Rambam reasons that the husband actually prefers to do the right thing but his yetzer hara, evil inclination, prevents him from doing the right thing.   Lesson 1: Our yezter ha-ra is ever vigilant and we must therefore strengthen our opposite impulse, the yetzer ha-tov. Lesson 2: The court must measure what is in the best interest of people.  

A Rabbi applied to a particular congregation and ask the incumbent Rabbi what kind of members did the congregation have.   The retiring Rabbi said him/her a question:  Tell about your current congregation.  The interviewee said, “Oh, they are terrible; they are mean; they are unsupportive.  They are critical of everything I do.”  The retiring Rabbi tells him, “You know, that is the same group of people that are in this congregation.  They will make your life just as miserable as the one you are leaving." Another aspiring Rabbi came to the incumbent and asked the same question.  The retiring Rabbi asks him/her, “tell me about your current congregation.”  The applying Rabbi says to him/her, “The balabatim are wonderful  They are supportive and interested in every program I put forth.  It was a pleasure serving them.  The retiring Rabbi then says, “That is the same here.  They...

 Tzaddik avad, l'doro avad.   "When a tzaddik is lost, the generation is lost."  -Talmud, Megillah 15a

Jewbilation  (n.) Pride in finding out that one's favorite celebrity is Jewish or that your offspring is marrying a Jewish person.    Torahfied  (n.) Inability to remember one's lines when called to read from the Torah at one's Bar or BatMitzvah. (OR from the Hagadah at Passover.    Matzilation  (v.) Smashing a piece of matzo to bits while trying to butter it.    Bubbegum  (n.) Candy one's mother gives to her grandchildren that she never gave to her own children.    Chutzpapa  (n.) A father who wakes his wife at 4:00 a.m. so she can change the baby's diaper.    Deja Nu  (n.) Having the feeling you've seen the same exasperated look on your mother's face, but not knowing exactly when.    Disoriyenta   (n.) When Aunt Linda gets lost in a department store and strikes up a conversation with everyone she passes.    Hebort   (v.) To forget all the Hebrew one ever learned imme...

 "Whoever survives a test, whatever it may be, must tell the story.  That is his duty." Elie Wiesel

 "After the first death there is no other."  - Dylan Thomas When confronted with death for the first time there us a sense of utter disbelief, incomprehension.  While there is pain in all other passings it is the first that is most painful.

  A doctor who goes into his patient’s hospital room. The doctor says, “Do you want the bad news or the good news first?” The patient says, “Gimme the good news.” The doctor says, “The good news is that you’re going to die in twenty-four hours.” The patient sits up alarmed and says, “If that’s the good news, then what on Earth is the bad news?” The doctor says, “I forgot to call you yesterday.” Life is always an admixture of good news and bad.  We make the  decision  about how we label what happens to us.

"This world is like a foyer leading to the world-to-come.  Prepare yourself in the foyer so that you may enter into the inner chamber."  -Pirkay Avot 4:21

 "When a family member dies the entire family is distraught." We might think that only the closest relations, or the person who wept the most, requires solace and attention. Not so, says the Talmud. ----------------   ----------------- "When a friend passes away the group of friends is deeply pained." We tend to think that a friend's death is mutually carried by each person close to them and that shared pain is divvied up and diminished.  Again, not so.  The peer group agonizes over the loss of its friendship circle.

  While seated at the bedside of Rabbi Nahman, Rava saw him slipping into death. Said Rabbi Nahman to Rava, "Tell the Angel of Death not to torture me." Rava replied, "You are a man of great honor.  You may speak directly to him." Nahman responded, "Who is honored, who is distinguished, who is singled out before the Angel of Death?" As Nahman lay dying, Rava said to him, "Show yourself to me [after you die]." Nahman showed himself in a dream and Rava asked him, "Did you suffer much pain?" Rabbi Nahman answered, "It was as easy a taking a hair from a pitcher of milk.  But were God to say to me, 'Go back to the world as you were before,' I would not want to go.  For fear of death is so great there." -Mo'ed Katan 28a

"What should young people do with their lives today?  Many things obviously.  But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured." Kurt Vonnegut

  An old Jewish woman on her eightieth birthday decides to prepare her last will and testament.     She goes to a rabbi to ask his advice on certain points.     After all the monetary issues are discussed, she tells the rabbi of her last two requests. The first request is that upon her death she is to be cremated.  The rabbi strenuously tries to change her mind explaining that Judaism does not allow such a practice, but she is determined and insistent. Seeing the futility of his arguments, the rabbi asks, “What is your second request?” “I want my ashes to be scattered over Bloomingdales.” “Bloomingdales?  Why Bloomingdales?” “Then I will be sure that my daughter will visit me at least twice a week!”

  “You shall not render an unfair decision: do not favor the   poor or show deference to the rich; judge your kinsman fairly.” (Leviticus 19:15)    “Judge the people with a just law,” and those judges should “not pervert the law [and] show any partiality.” (Deuteronomy 16:18-19).   “Justice, justice shall you pursue so that you may live” (Deuteronomy 16:20)   “Judges should not show favoritism even to those who appointed  them....judges should judge all the people justly.” ( Kli Yakar on Deut 16:18)   Love those who are like you (Leviticus 19:18) Love those who are different from you (Leviticus 19:34) Love the Eternal your God (Deuteronomy 6:5)   “For I have singled him (Abraham) out, that he may instruct his children and his posterity to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is just and right…”  (Genesis 18:19)  

  Ben Zoma says:   Who is wise?   The one who learns from every person….                         -Pirkay Avot E veryone is a potential teacher.   Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said: Where there is no wisdom there is no fear of God; where there is no fear of God, there is no wisdom.  -Pirkay Avot Fear/Awe of God and wisdom are two sides of the same bill.

  The Talmud  ( Berakhot 35a ) teaches that eating food without saying a  brakhah  (a blessing) beforehand is like stealing. A lot of people know that teaching, and it’s deep. But here’s an even deeper part: the Talmud doesn’t call it “stealing” ( g’neivah ) but “ me’ilah “, which means improperly taking or using  sacred property that belongs to the Temple and the priests .   -Rabbi David Seidenberg Bless first.

              (1) Holy Mackerel=Gefilte Fish served on Shabbat              (2) Heeb-Brew=favorite beer of Jews             (3) Holy Smoke= berakhah  over Sabbath Candles             (4) Jewry Trial=bringing evil Gentiles to court for anti-Semitism                         (5) making a "killing" on the Market=becoming the main  shochet  in a Slaughter House             (6) can't-elope=fruit served to guy who turns down a  shidduch              (7) Olam Ha-Zoo=Animal Farm             (8) Olam Ha-Boo=Halloween Masquerade             (9) Hanuk kat =winter festival for kittens                        ...

  If God did not conceal from each person, the moment of death, no one would build a home: no one would plant vineyard. Each person would say, “Tomorrow I will die. Why should I do all this work for others?” Therefore, God concealed the day of a person’s death so that each person would build and plant.   - Yalkut Shimoni 968   We are free to make our own pathway toward a future that is bright with hope.  God is the Creator but he gave to us control over lives.  That decision to make positive contributions to the world is firmly ours. Live fully.