A Soulful Journey

Take nothing for granted.  All life is a gift - from we water we drink to the fruits we consume; from the clothes we wear and the fragrant smells of the grasses.... "Any person who takes something from his world without attribution, saying a prayerful blessing for the gift, is as if they have stolen from God, Himself."  - Talmud, Berachot 35b Thank God. Literally.

The story is told of a wealthy Jew who would quietly support Rabbi Zusha. He also received Rabbi Zusha’s blessings, and his business did very well. One time, the man came to Anipoli and discovered that Rabbi Zusha was not in town. “Where is the rabbi?” he asked. “He went to visit his Rebbe,” people told him. The wealthy man was surprised. “My rabbi has a rabbi?” Being a sharp businessman, he made a quick calculation. “If Rabbi Zusha’s blessings have helped me so much, then surely his Rebbe’s blessings must be even more powerful. Why support the student when I can support the teacher?” So that is what he did. He stopped supporting Rabbi Zusha and began sending his donations to Rabbi DovBer, the Maggid of Mezritch, Rabbi Zusha’s own Rebbe. Not long afterward, his business began to decline. When he realized what had happened, he hurried back to Anipoli and poured out his heart to Rabbi Zusha. “I understand that I lost my success because I stopped supporting you,” he said. “But was my logi...

When the stone altar was constructed in Jerusalem for the Holy Temple, we are told that no iron could be used in its construction.  Each stone had to be quarried by hand using no metal implements.  As the Mishnah directs, "... iron is used to shorten lives while the altar extends life."   Middot 3:4 We use metals to destroy.  Our deepest hopes, aspirations, learning and prayers must be used to allay our worst impulses.  We must never confuse to the two. Our task to bring Godliness into the world, not introduce more chaos and  destruction.

" C louds don’t worry about falling into the sea because they can’t (a) fall or (b) drown. But they are free to believe they can, and they may fear if they wish." -Richard Bach We choose our limitations and our expansiveness.

" 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.