A Soulful Journey

" E verything is exactly as it is for a reason. The crumb on your table is no mystical reminder of this morning’s cookie, it is there because you have chosen not to remove it." Richard Bach This is the way of life.  We array the things and then live with the consequences.   No one else is to blame.

“In the holy Zohar (Vol. II 20a) it is written, R. Yehuda said: “Yelling and crying are the highest forms of prayer. The Hebrew words tsa’akah and za’akah, meaning ‘yelling’ and ‘crying,’ are one and the same thing. They are much closer to the Holy Blessed One than moaned or whispered prayers, as it is written: ‘If he shouts to Me, I will listen to his cry.’ (Exodus 22:22)"   - Sacred Fire,  Kalonymus Kalmish Shapira (the Warsaw Rebbe) To fervently pray is to open the blocked emotional vessels of the soul. Too often we dampen our heart's need to express what is most needful to us - the deep yearning to love and be loved.  Allowing ourselves to feel the raw power of  emotion is the pathway to be touched by God and becoming whole.

  It was taught that when Zusya was young and in the house of his teacher, a man came before Rabbi Baer and begged him to advise and assist him in an enterprise. Zusya saw that this man was full of sin and untouched by any breath of repentance, he grew angry, and spoke to him harshly, saying, “How can a man like yourself, a man who has committed this crime and that, have the boldness to stand before a holy man such as my teacher without shame, and without longing to atone?” The man, as you might imagine, turned and left in silence. But Zusya regretted what he had said almost immediately and did not know what to do about it. Then his teacher pronounced a blessing over him, that from that moment on, he might see only the good in people, even if a person sinned before his very eyes.   -Martin Buber Who has the internal strength to realize a wrong and bring about a life-long change?  Only a person of resolute character.

Soren Kierkegaard used the example of a ship at sea.  When the sea is calm, the sun is shining and the captain is sober and you have faith that the ship will reach its destination, that is not faith. Faith is when the waves are rough, the sea is tumultuous, the ship is floundering and the captain is drunk and you still believe the ship will reach its destination, that is faith. In a famous illustration of Kierkegaard, when the sea is calm, the sun is shining, and the captain sober, and you have faith that the ship will reach its destination, that is not faith. When the seas are raging, the ship floundering, and the captain drunk, however, and you still have faith that the ship will reach its destination, that is really faith. For In a famous illustration of Kierkegaard, when the sea is calm, the sun is shining, and the captain sober, and you have faith that the ship will reach its destination, that is not faith. When the seas are raging, the ship floundering, and the captain drunk,...

Once Rabbi Zushya was in a class taught by the Maggid of Mezeritch. The Maggid began the class with a commonplace verse from the Torah: "And God spoke to Moses..." Just these few words were enough to excite and astonish Rabbi Zusha. He exclaimed "God spoke... GOD spoke... God SPOKE!" over and over until he had to be removed from the classroom due to the disruption he was causing.   M. Buber

Rabbi Zushya once said: "I learned seven things from the thief: 1) What he does, he keeps to himself. 2) He is willing to take risks to attain his goal. 3) He does not distinguish between "major" and "minor" things, but takes equally exacting care of each and every detail. 4) He invests great effort in what he does. 5) He is swift. 6) He is always optimistic. 7) If at first he fails, he is back time and again for another try." We can learn from every one in every instance...if we are attentive.