A Soulful Journey

  “Public fasts should never be declared on Thursdays in order in not cause a sudden rise in market prices.”     ~ Taanit 10a   We are attentive to our life’s movements. This means that when nature seems to declare war on humanity or when a spate of bad things happen to us we can become superstitious.  Even if we disparage such thoughts at other times in our life it is hard to avoid wondering if something we did is bringing all this ill will upon us.   Remember the lucky rabbit’s foot?   Throwing salt over the shoulder?  Saying  kana hara  to ward off the “evil eye”?  There must be hundreds of thousands of other superstitious action people take to keep them from powers of destruction. The Rabbis of old recognized this human propensity.  So they enacted laws to assist people with their impulse to “keep the demons at bay.”  One of the ideas they brought out was that if a person feels a...

"R emember: Joy is not merely incidental to your spiritual quest. It is vital. "   ~  Rebbe Nachman

  "Cry from the heart and you will find true guidance. You must cry out to God from the very depths of your heart. The darkness will crack and deep counsel will be revealed. Through this yo ur faith will be strengthened. "   ~  Rebbe Nachman

  Teshuva "It is much easier to repent of sins that we have committed than to repent of those we intend to commit." humorist Josh Billings. Rabbi Bunam of Pzsyha once asked his disciples: "How can you tell when a sin you have committed has been pardoned? His disciples gave various answers but none of them pleased the rabbi. "We can tell," he said, "by the fact that we no longer commit that sin."  When to Repent Rabbi Eliezer said: "Repent one day before your death."  His disciples asked him, "Does then one know on what day he will die?"  "All the more reason he should repent today, lest he die tomorrow" ( Shabbat 153a ). To Tell the Truth "It is told that once there was a wicked man who committed all kinds of sins. One day he asked a wise man to teach him an easy way to repent, and the latter said to him: 'Refrain from telling lies.' He went forth happily, thinking that he could follow the wise man's advi...

  Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich starker ("That which does not kill me, makes me stronger")  Nietzsche Most Jewish people and others of all faiths would find this difficult, even while being true.  It is a truism because suffering often has the capacity to build within us  a resilience and determination.  We learn from falling down and skinning our knee a valuable lesson. And yet, the reason why it is so problematic for Jews, particularly now, is that there are times when pain does nothing to enrich our character.  It deprives us of joy and often compassion for the suffering of others,  It can make us calloused an hard and perhaps suffer a worse fate than death, indifference. Maybe the most valuable commodity/trait we will ever possess is our pathos.  When we lose that, there is only death.

“What happiness is there is not purchased with more or less of pain?”   Margaret Oliphant   It is not easy to maintain a positive outlook.  Frankly, listening to the nightly news can be an exercise in functional living.  The news is depressing.   With all the objects that seem to fall in the way of our lives it also no simple task to remain on our intended life’s path.   Despite all the hindrances we find our way towards the ephemeral light of happiness through struggle, loss, and triumph.  It is like love – no one wants to lose it and yet we know death and disease are life’s constants.  Sooner or later we will be bereft of our love.  With this knowledge, who would not surrender to the bliss of being in love today?  

  “To say the right thing at the right time, keep still most of the time.”     John W. Roper Those who get in trouble most often are those cannot seem to keep still, remain silent.  Life teaches many lessons.  Among the best lessons of life is one my father taught me at an early age was, “If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing.” The contributions we make to life via our mouth are many and varied.  Most of the time, I reckon, they are not contributions at all, but things that diminish the richness of life.    

Once a devout Jew felt an intense desire to give a gift to God.  How can such a thing be done? How it is possible to give something to the Almighty?  Swaying over his prayer book he said, " Ribbono shel Olam, what can I give You?  What can I even wish for You?  Riches?  More possesions?  You have everything.  In fact, psalms says, "The earth belongs to the Lord and everything that is in it."  There is nothing you do not possess." "I cannot wish You wisdom or power.  You are the definition of these things.  After all, don't we say "There is nothing like the Lord (ayn Kelohaynu)"? Let me then wish you what I want for myself: I wish for You, Lord and Master,  naches , joy, from Your children." At each stage in a person's life new aspects of Torah are revealed.  We cannot achieve them all at once.  We receive them only when we are ready.  With an open mind we will find each discovery at the appropriate time...