A Soulful Journey

  Lord of Hope (with respect to Adon HaSlichot.)   Son of man, why do you slumber? Arise and see the hope of our lives:   He who brought love to Adam and Eve, so they could build a family - He will bring us love.   He who awakened Yitzchak at the Akedah to find comfort in love - He will awaken us to find comfort in love.    He who illuminated the one who renewed the  luchot  - He will illuminate us.   He who inspired Moshe to sing and lead when he knew he would never see the Land - He will inspire us.   He who gave prophecy of the destruction, along with the hope of comfort - He will comfort us.   He who rekindled our hope when there was oil to last just one day, - He will rekindle our hope.   He who gave our Sages hope through Rabbi Akiva’s laughter - He will yet give us hope and laughter.   He who witnessed our ancestors enduring the hell of the Holocaust and rebuild – He will help us endure.   He who inspired the d...

Antoine De Saint-Exupery wrote: “One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.” Look with your heart.

  When Gerald Ford was president, they were hosting a state dinner for Queen Elizabeth. The upstairs living quarters of the White House were in an uproar as everyone was getting dressed in anticipation of the arrival of the queen. Jack Ford, their son, could not find the cufflinks for his tuxedo. He was running around without his shirt or pants on when the announcement came that the queen was being ushered upstairs to be greeted in the family quarters. Out she came from the elevator and out from another door came Jack Ford in just his underwear. Bette Ford, terribly embarrassed, began to apologize, when the queen cut her off and said, “Please don’t bother…I’ve got one like that too!” Forgive yourself.

  There once was a king who had an exquisite collection of jewels.  Of all his treasures, the King’s most prized gem was a large perfect diamond.  After a long day of seeing to the affairs of state, the king would retreat to his private chambers to meditate on the beauty and perfection of this diamond.  Gazing upon the diamond’s perfectly smooth surface, down its precise facets, to a sharp cut where all the angles and lines converge in a singular point at the bottom, the king concluded that this diamond is proof that something perfect could exist in this world.  Everything else in the world was compromised, flawed. One night a tragic thing happened.  The king was holding his perfect diamond up to the light, admiring its faultless radiance, when the gem slipped from his hands and dropped to the hard stone floor.  With trepidation, the king scooped up the diamond and peered into its interior.  To his horror, the king perceived a long spindly crack r...

Sammy had just moved into a new apartment and was out celebrating with his friend Benny. At 2:00 am, he invited Benny back to his new place where they continued to celebrate. Then Benny said, “Before I go home, why not show me around?” So Sammy proudly showed Benny his apartment and all the high tech it contained. Then he took Benny to show him his home office and Benny couldn’t help but notice a very large shofar on the desk. “Why do you have a shofar in your office?” asked Benny. “Are you the shofar blower at your shul?” “No, that’s my clock,” Sammy replied. “A clock? Are you serious?” said Benny. “Of course,” replied Sammy. “So how does it work?” said Benny. “Watch this,” Sammy said, as he picked up the shofar and blew it at the top of his lungs, first a beautiful and strong tekiah, then a mournful shevarim, a perfectly staccato teruah, followed by a tekiah gedolah that lasted a full 30 seconds. Benny says, “Wow you really are a world class shofar blower! But why did you say your sh...

Jackie Mason used to describe in one of his jokes, where he tells of two Jews walking down the street late at night, and they see a tough guy walking toward them.  And one Jew turns to the other and says, “We better cross the street.  We’re outnumbered.”    Funny.  Self  deprecating.  But this is no longer the case. Since Israel we have refused to be passive. Perhaps the joke will fall to an unresponsive audience today. Stand and be proud.

H ow many psychiatrists it takes to change a light bulb?  Only one, but the light bulb has to want to change. We may like what we see in the mirror and applaud the one looking back at us.  Other times we may feel less sure.  When that happens it is good to ask why we are displeased with ourselves.  That is the beginning of change. It is hard to change because habits and even our closest relations fight to keep us the same. In the final analysis, it is up only to us.