A Soulful Journey

Jiddo Krishnamurti , spiritual teacher, once asked students what they would say to a good friend about to die.   They answered lots of things.   Krishnamurti interrupted them: ‘Tell him that in his death a part of you dies and goes with him.’   - Larry Dosey , Healing Words

“And Abraham awoke in the middle of the night and said to his only son, Isaac, “I have had a dream where the voice of the Lord sayeth that I must sacrifice my only son, so put your pants on.”   And Isaac trembled and said, “So what did you say?   I mean when He brought this whole thing up?” “What am I going to say?” Abraham said.   “I’m standing there at two AM in my underwear with the Creator of the Universe.   Should I argue?”        - Woody Allen, Without Feathers When we cannot laugh we are lost.  Do not be lost.

Dear God, let me feel close to you. Grant me satisfaction with my life. Let me rejoice in that closeness, and let me turn that satisfaction into a sense of self-worth— not one based in arrogance or in feelings of self-importance, but a humble self-esteem rooted in holiness.         -The Gentle Weapon

Visions of the future vary.   Some predict droughts and war while others foretell heaven and or prosperity.   The distinct Jewish vision is markedly different: “In the future all the artisans and craftsmen will turn to till the land.”   -Talmud, yevamot 63a How wonderful it would be to forget about being so smart or smarmy and instead be content to watch a seed become a plant?   That is a beautiful prophecy!

Use every means to build your faith. This includes finding ways to build solid faith in a righteous teacher…and in yourself. - Rebbe Nachman, The Empty Chair

Dear God, as I age— as hours turn to days, days to weeks, weeks to months, and months to years— let none of my time be wasted or lost. Let me use my life to the fullest, to become the person I am meant to be. - The Gentle Weapon

"A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on." - Sam Goldwyn In the final analysis all we have is our words and their integrity.  Think before speaking.

"The agnostic's prayer: "O God, if there is a god, save my soul, if I have a soul."   -Ernest Ronan No one in their hour of need is alone.  And the greatest doubter knows this to be true.

Just ahead of me in line at the movies theater was a woman with a cellular phone glued to her ear, arguing with the ticket vendor.  "That movie can't be sold out!" she shouted.  "I'm talking to my boyfriend who's sitting in the theater, and he says there's two empty seats next to him.  One ticket, please!" She got her ticket.  - Reader's Digest Sometimes you have to speak out for yourself.  Most times, no one else will. Same goes for God.  He wants to hear even our disappointments.

Rebbe Nachman said: "When you pray, hold nothing back from God. Pour out your heart with honest openness, as if you were speaking to your very best friend." - The Empty Chair

"Acting is one of the most minor gifts and not a very high-class way to earn a living.  After all, Shirley Temple could do it at the age of four."   - Katherine Hepburn Is this humility or realism?   If it is humility, should we strive to be as humble? If it is realism, what can we learn?

"But take another Abraham.   One who wanted to perform the sacrifice altogether in the right way and had a correct sense in general of the whole affair, but could not believe that he was the one meant, he, an ugly old man, and the dirty youngster that was his child.   True faith is not lacking in him, he has his faith; he would make the sacrifice in the right spirit if only he could believe he was the one meant.   He is afraid that after starting out as Abraham with his son he would change on the way into Don Quixote. "    – Franz Kafka This is really not about Abraham, it is about us.  it is about our state of mind, our faith, our belief.  That is why God's Voice continues to reverberate throughout the ages: "Where are you?"   Will lack of faith keep us from answering?

“You shall live by them [My laws]” Leviticus 18:15.   We are told by Torah to use every resource at our disposal for the sake of life.   Does this mean that if we do not do our best to ensure the continuity of life that we are guilty of murder? So, for example, in Exodus 21:22 we are told the tale of a woman who miscarries because she is jarred by a fight.   In this instance, is one of the actors a murderer? At great length, this is discussed by our Sages of blessed memory.   They determined that if the child had not yet emerged into the world it is not murder, or even manslaughter.   They go further to tell us that the living take precedence over a potential life.   Thus the mother’s life always takes preference over the embryo. - Ohalot 7:6

"Up to a point a man’s life is shaped by environment, heredity, and movements and changes in the world about him.  Then there comes a time when it lies within his grasp to shape the clay of his life into the sort of thing he wishes to be.  Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, lack of good fortune, or the quirks of fate.  Everyone has it within his power to say, This I am today, that I will be tomorrow . "       – Louis L’Amour We have within us untested power.  Until we test it….

“Do not climb up to My altar by steps.” - Exodus 20:23 Rabbi Isaac Meir of Gur interprets:   Two blind people wishes to reach a rooftop, and tried to figure out how to do it.   One of them got himself a ladder and the other got himself a long plank to serve as an inclined ramp.   Each of them ascended.   But the difference between the two of them was this.   The one who climbed on the ladder [the rungs of which recall the steps proscribe din the verse] knew at each step exactly how much higher he was, and exactly how many steps he still had to ascend.   But the one who ascended by the ramp – as long as he was not at the rooftop, he had no idea where he was situated and just how high he was…   Similarly here: “Do not climb up to My altar by steps” – that is, do not look around, just continue to do good works and to engage in the service of God.”   Quoted by   Rabbi Daniel Greyher

The teakettle puffed out its chest and boasted: "All pots have such pungent odors.  They reek of things that have been cooked in them.  Only we teakettles are odorless, pure." An old pot sent flying a sizzling droplet of the kettle's head and retorted, "See how he tilts his crooked nose.  What else can he do, this hero, but spout empty steam?  Yes, you have no odor because you are tasteless  - you boil nothing but plain water." Moral: To be faultless signifies little.

God, I want to break down every barrier that separates me from You. I want to lay out before You the parts of myself I love, and the parts I despise; the parts of myself that are healthy, and the parts that need healing; the parts I feel secure enough to speak of, and the insecurities I haven't the courage to share. - The Gentle Weapon

Deuteronomy 6:6 states, “You shall place these words on your heart…”   Why does Torah not say, “ in your heart?”   Because, teach our Sages, words of Torah are not supposed to be buried in the heart but acted.

“Conviction is worthless unless it is converted into conduct.”   - Emerson We have many sayings that reiterate the same thought.   Some of them are, “Words are cheap,” and “actions speak louder than words”   In our faith, action is paramount which is why we have 613 commandments, not just ten.

Reb Nosson wrote: The Rebbe told me explicitly, "God is right there with you; He's right next to you. Do not be afraid." 
 -  Healing Leaves

Rebbe Nachman prayer, May I be worthy to fully realize that "the whole world is full of God's Glory." 
 Then I shall live with a constant sense of Your presence and truly know and believe that Your Glory fills the world. 
 For You both permeate all worlds and transcend all worlds, 
 and there is no place from which You are absent.         
-  The Flame of the Heart , p. 33

“If a gentile has a boat he’s out on excursions.  There’s no bigger shnook in the world than a Jew with a boat.  All he wants to do is show it off to you.  I know 5,00 Jews with boats; I never  saw one move yet.   “Mine sleeps 7,” one will say.  “Mine sleeps 12,” says another.  A Jew doesn’t want a boat; he wants a dormitory .”   -Jackie Mason People would hear this and roar.  It was riotously funny.  We had tried to become accepted in society, provide a good foundation for our families and were pretty ignorant about how others lived. Question: Is this still funny or even true?   If not, where are we now?

It is always preferable to listen than speak.   When we listen we are attentive to the needs of others.   When we speak we are usually only attentive to ourselves. “A bore is a person who lights up the room when he leaves.”   -Ann Landers

An author once brought his book, called “The Hands of Moses” to Rabbi Charif for his approval.   After reading it and not finding it worthwhile, the Rabbi wrote: “I would suggest that you change the name of the book.   Instead of calling it “The Hands of Moses,” call it the “Face of Moses”   because it is something one can’t look at.” Humor is often funny.  Even more often it is harmful.  Laughter at another's expense can cause lasting pain.