A Soulful Journey

  All love that depends on a something, [when that] thing ceases, [the] love ceases; and [all love] that does not depend on anything, will never cease. What is an example of love that depended on a something? Such was the love of Amnon for Tamar. And what is an example of love that did not depend on anything? Such was the love of David and Jonathan.  -Pirkay  Avot 5:16

About four or five decades ago, Jews in a Brooklyn apartment house got together and built a   sukkah  in their  backyard--with the permission of their Jewish landlord. All went well during the first two days. But on the first day of  Chol Ha-Moed,  two cops appeared. They advised that some tenants--no doubt, anti-Semites--had complained about the noise in the backyard. One cop asked, "Do you have a permit for erecting this structure?" Of course, the Sukkah-dwelling Jews had no such permit. The cops then issued a summons, charging the Jews with erecting an "unlawful" structure, and ordering them to remove it at once. But one of the observant Jews--a lawyer, by trade--declared, "Don't worry. Leave it to me. I'll get this fixed." The next day, he appeared in a city court before a Jewish judge he knew very well. The judge examined the summons and issued his decision. "The summons is properly made out. We must comply. You have ten days to remove th

  A frugal Jew came to his rabbi seeking his blessing.    "Look out the window," said the rabbi, "and tell me what you see." "I see the outside world.  People are walking.  I see trees, grass, sky...." "Good.  Now look at the mirror and tell me what you see." The miser said, "I see only myself." "The difference between a window and a mirror is a coating of silver.  If you do not separate yourself from the silver you will never see anyone but yourself.  Break your mirror and you will receive seven years of blessing." Shalom Ansky

  Rabbi Yochanan said, 'Great is Teshuvah, for it causes a person's verdict to be torn up.' " Rosh HaShanah 17b "Resh Lakish said, 'Great is Teshuvah, for sins done on purpose are converted to accidental sins.'  And elsewhere, Resh Lakish said, 'Great is Teshuvah for sins done on purpose are converted to good deeds!?'   So which of the above comments is correct?  Are sins converted to a lesser crime?  Or is their punishment erased?  Are they converted to good deeds or just lesser sins?   Rabbi Yochanan is speaking about when the sinner repents because they are fearful of Divine punishment.  Resh Lakish is referring to the person who repents out of love for the Almighty. Yoma 86b Repentance comes from different places: it can emerge from fear or love.  And how do we know which one is better?  It is obvious that it is preferable to repent out of love because then God reckons the sin as a mistake, an aberration.  Repentance that comes from fear may er

Master of the universe, grant me the ability to be alone; may it be my custom to go outdoors each day, among the trees and grasses, among all growing things, there to be alone and enter into prayer. There may I express all that is in my heart, talking with G-d to whom I belong. And may all grasses, trees, and plants awake at my coming. Send the power of their life into my prayer, making whole my heart and my speech through the life and spirit of growing things, made whole by their transcendent Source. O that they would enter into my prayer! Then would I fully open my heart in prayer, supplication, and holy speech then, O G-d, would I pour out the words of my heart before Your presence.

A miserable peddler carries his burden of sticks through the forest. He walks alone.  Despondent with the load he carries and cursing his burden, a fierce wind winds blows his sticks off his back and onto the ground.  "Ribbono shel Olam," he cries, "Master of the Universe!  Who needs such life?  Send the malakh hamavet , the angel of death, to let my misery come to an end." With that a flash of light reveals the angel of death menacingly standing in front of the man.  "You called?"  he asks the peddler. "Yes, yes," the startled peddler stammers.  "Could you help me pick up my sticks?" -Harold Shulweis Remember this tale.  Life is often difficult bit it is better than the alternative.

  Almost invariably, there is tension where prioritizing are concerned.  Usually the tension begins with such quandaries as, "Do I pay this bill or wait?"  Or, "Should I answer all my e-mails or should I apply myself to the next work deadline?"  "Can I pick up the kids and then go shopping or should I try to squeeze in the shopping first?"               Faith presents its own set of confusing priorities.  "Should I pray today if I really do not feel like it?"  "When I talk to others about my faith, am I being soulfully true or merely preaching the merits of eating spiritual broccoli?"  And then there are the particular problems of study.  "I feel like learning - and I know this is a good preoccupation - but I do not feel at all spiritual.  How do I solve this dilemma?"              Judaism presents a unique perspective to this problem.  It states that doing enough the right thing for the wrong motivation produces the right res

  Strength is measured in many different ways.  We know that the term strength is usually reserved for the hardy and youthful.  Age often brings with it infirmity, ailment, and a diminution of the virility that marked earlier years.  And yet we know old people who are powerhouses of strength.  They continually move, seek, laugh, learn and teach.  We also are familiar with young people who have no enthusiasm for life.  We would not call them strong.   So, what is strength if not measured by years?        Another definition , posed by the Talmud, asks,  " 'Who is strong?'  One who is able to control their  yetser  (desire)."    Avot 4:1        In the opinion of the Talmud, strength is found in the resilience to resist temptation.  There is great wisdom in this statement.  Perhaps then strength has nothing to do with one's age and everything to do with what goes on inside a person. In psalms is an oft misquoted verse, " They will go from strength to strength.&qu

Ben Zoma was in a vast crowd on the steps of the Temple Mount. He said: "Blessed is the One who discerns secrets, and blessed is the Holy One who has created all these people to serve me." For, he also used to say, "What labors did Adam have to carry out before he obtained bread to eat? He ploughed. He sowed. He reaped. He tied the sheaves. He threshed the grain and winnowed the chaff. He selected the ears, then ground them, sifted the flour, kneaded the dough, and baked it. After all that, he was able to eat.  I, on the other hand, get up and find that all these things have been done for me. And, how much effort did Adam have to carry out before he had clothing to wear?! He had to shear the sheep, wash the shearing, comb, spin, and weave it. Only then did he have a piece of cloth ready to wear. I get up and find these things done for me. Many craftsmen come early to the door of my house. I rise in the morning and find all these before me." – Talmud Berachot 58a.  

Reb Zusya was renowned for his humble piety. He eschewed wealth. Whatever he had, Zusya immediately gave away. There were always poor who needs far outstripped his personal needs. There were times when Zusya did not even have enough to eat. That is why he said, "for those who say I have nothing, they are correct." Yet, at the same time Zusya also acknowledged that if someone were to ask what he needed, Zusya would tell him or her he had everything he required.

A tzaddik, one of the truly righteous, desired to become closer to god.     So he sent himself into galut, exile, from his family and home.     He deliberately chose a life of wandering and meager living.     The tzaddik reasoned that if understood the real poverty and suffering of the unfortunates he would draw closer to the Almighty. One erev Shabbat, the tzaddik in rags came to a small town.  Looking around he found the home of one wealthy Jew.  The tzaddik knocked.  When the door opened the rich man gazed in disdain at the pauper.  Undaunted, the tzaddik asked to spend the holy Shabbos there.  The wealthy man curtly told him there was no room before closing the door. Many years passed and the tzaddik had given up his wanderings and was now a famous rabbi and preacher.  People flocked to see him, hear his words, touch his cloak.  It so happened that on one Shabbat the tzaddik again found himself in the same town as years before.  This time he arrived in a magnificent carried and the

  When Rebbe Yisrael of Rizhin was arrested by the czarist police, they led him away in iron chains, and the rebbe wept copiously. His disciples tried to encourage him, saying, “Rebbe! You always tell us that we have to accept everything that happens to us with joy and a good heart. Why then are you crying?” “It’s true,” replied the rebbe, “one should accept everything that happens with joy. But if heaven is sending blows, one should be troubled by it, and not make light of it, God-forbid, because there’s certainly a reason for the blows.” MiBe’er HaTzaddikim, vol. 2, p. 134 

  Dear Lord G-d. I have been a stranger for too long.  It is time to end the silence because now I need You.  I need Your help.  I need Your strength.  Shine Your radiant light into my heart.  Cover every part of it including those parts of it that have been dark.  It is enough darkness.  The time is now that I need that darkness to be expelled. So fill me.  Fill the dark places.  Fill the empty places.  Flood me with You. If it is too much to ask that You also fill my loved ones with Your Spirit then at least give me the courage and wisdom and energy to accept what is. Thank You,  Av HaRachamim , Father. I light these candles as my invitation for You into my heart and home.  Let me know You are here. Good Yontiff, Good Shabbes, Your child-

  Now If you have hard work to do, Do it now. Today the skies are clear and blue, Tomorrow clouds may come to view, Yesterday is not for you; Do it now.   If you have a song to sing, Sing it now. Let the notes of gladness ring Clear as song of bird in Spring, Let every day some music bring Sing it now.   If you have kind words to say, Say them now. Tomorrow may not come your way. Do a kindness while you may, Loved ones will not always stay; Say them now.   If you have a smile to show, Show it now. Make hearts happy, roses grow, Let the friends around you know The love you have before you go; Show it now!   2. The pine hath a thousand years, The rose but a day But the pine with its thousand years. glories not o'er the rose with its day, If each but serves its purpose Ere it passes away.                      Japanese Proverb   3. IF I KNEW   George Michael Grossman If I knew it would be the last time  That I'd see you fall asleep,  I would tuck you in more tightly  and pray the L

  After My Death   by Chayim Nachman Bialik      (5664--1903/4) Translated from the Hebrew by David P. Stern         After my death, thus shall you mourn me       "There was a man --and see: he is no more!       Before his time did this man depart       And the song of his life in its midst was stilled       And alas! One more tune did he have       And now that tune is forever lost       Forever lost!         And great is the pity! For a harp had he       A living and singing soul       And this poet, whenever he voiced it       The inner secrets of his heart it expressed       All its strings his hand would make sing out.       Yet one hidden chord now is lost with him       Round and round it his fingers would dance       One string in his heart, mute has remained       Mute has remained -- to this very day!         And great, oh great is the pity!       All its life this string would tremble       Silently quivering, silently trembling       To sound the tune that would set it

                                Balance   Everything is delicately balanced.  One life supports another.  Tiny fish at once feed upon smaller fish and are fed upon by larger ones.  Like a perfectly calibrated piece of machinery all that exists thrums with predictability.   Night comes to cool the heated earth.  Daylight brings warmth to the fertile ground.  Death makes room for new life.  Everything that exists is in relation to everything else. Is this why God insists that we be good guardians?  Why we have so many commandments to care for one another?  If we do not care for each other the balance will become upset. The Kelmer Maggid was in the midst of delivering a powerful oration.  He shouted out, “Listen. my rich friends!  You must see to it that tzedaka is done.  You must be meticulous in giving charity.  If not, the poor will starve to death.   “”Now you may be asking, ‘why is this such a big deal?  What does it matter if I give a little or a lot to the poor?’ My dear friends, y

  According to the camel is its burden. -           Talmud   Ever wonder why some people win the lottery?  Or why they are rich and live in a gargantuan sprawling home?  Does the disparity between your Ford and their BMW bother you? Behind the façade of the magnificent home lurks a price-tag.  Size has a correlate in problems.  They need to generate more money just to have the bushes trimmed, rooms cleaned, appears kept up.  Paying bills is a full day’s activity. Travel light.

              Life is a mystery –  unfold it . Life is a struggle –  face it . Life is beauty –  praise it . Life is a puzzle –  solve it . Life is opportunity –  take it . Life is sorrowful –  experience it . Life is a song –  sing it . Life is a goal –  achieve it . Life is a mission –  fulfill it .

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son,  "How was the trip?"   "It was great, Dad."   "Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.  "Oh yeah," said the son.   "So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.   The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool and they have a creek that has no end. We have lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.  We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have wa

Every time you act kindly, the world has more kindness. Every time you are compassionate, the world has more compassion. Every time you smile to someone, the world is a more cheerful place. Every time you give money to charity, the world is a more charitable place. Every time you calm someone who is angry, the world is a more pleasant place. Every time you judge someone favorably, you are making the world a kinder place to live in. Every time you help transform someone's worry into serenity, the world is a more serene place. Every time you encourage someone to do something for others, you create a partner to make a better world. from "Kindness - Changing people's lives for the better" by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

  “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

  “In Praise of Feeling Bad About Yourself” (1976) Wislawa Szymborska: "The buzzard never says it is to blame. The panther would not know what scruples mean. When the piranha strikes, it feels no shame. If snakes had hands, they would claim their hands were clean. A jackal does not understand remorse. Lions and lice don't waver in their course. Why should they, when they know they are right? Though hearts of killer whales weigh a ton, in every other way they are light. On this third planet of the sun among the signs of bestiality, a clean conscience is Number One."

 "Legend has it, however, that many billions of years ago the environment was not quite so horrible - or at least no worse than Pittsburgh." -Woody Allen

  Various nations and/or peoples have historically evolved different kinds of calendars. The Ancient Romans counted time from the establishment of their capital city, which is designated as  1 A. U. (Anno Urbani [the Year of Our City]), correlating with 753 B. C. E. Our Christian brethren, of course, begin their calendar with the supposed year of the birth of Jesus, fixed originally as 1 A. D. (Anno Domini [the Year of Our Lord])--and still the  secular  New Year's Day of the Western World. The Moslem people have a calendar starting with Mohammed's flight (Hegira) to Medina (622  C. E.), which was established by them as 1 A. H. (Anno Hegira). Unlike all these "parochial" calendars, only our Jewish calendar does  not  begin with some nationalist event. It starts with Creation, i. e., the beginning of time, which modern scholars call 1 A. M. (Anno Mundi [the Year of Our World]), as calculated originally by talmudic sages (A. Z. 9a). And that, I would say, makes us--the

  Milton Steinberg:   “ The believer in God has to account for the existence of unjust suffering; the atheist has to account for everything else. ”

  On a very windy day, a rabbi was walking along when a strong gust of wind blew his hat off his head. The rabbi ran after the hat, but the wind was too strong. It kept blowing his hat farther and farther away.  A non-Jewish young man, seeing what had happened, ran after the hat, caught it and gave it back to the rabbi. The rabbi was so grateful that he gave the young man 20 dollars and blessed him.  The young man was so excited that he decided to go the race track and with the rabbi's blessing, he decided to check the program and place the entire 20 dollars on a horse. After the races he went home and recounted his very exciting day to his father.  "I arrived at the fifth race and looked at the program. I saw this horse named 'Top Hat' was running. The odds on this horse were 100 to 1 but since I received the rabbi's blessing I bet the entire 20 dollars on 'Top Hat' and guess what? He won!"  "In the next race, there was a horse named 'Stetson

  “The Bible is not man’s theology but God’s anthropology” -Abraham Joshua Heschel,  Man is Not Alone , p. 129).  

Do you know the Cherokee Indian   youth's rite of passage? His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds   him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night   and not remove the blindfold until the rays   of the morning sun shine through   it.    He cannot cry out for help to   anyone.   Once he    survives the night, he is a MAN.    He cannot tell the other boys of this    experience,   because each lad must come into manhood   on his   own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all    kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be  all around him. Maybe even some human might    do him harm. The wind blew the grass and  trees, and the earth shook his stump, but he sat stoically,    never removing the blindfold.  It would be    the only way he could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire nigh