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Showing posts from September, 2013

Learning to Conquer Fear

When the Tzemach Tzedek, the third Chabad Rebbe, was a child, he was playing on a ladder with other children. All the children climbed half way up, and he was the only child who climbed all the way to the top.   Afterwards, his grandfather, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, who was standing by the window watching, asked him, "Why is it that you were not afraid to climb to the top when all your friends gave up?"   He answered, "Simple. I never looked down. I just kept looking up. When I saw how I low I was that motivated me to climb higher."  -Simon Jacobson

Steps

“A person must learn to stand before God. A person must lean how to walk before God. A person must learn to pick himself up after one falls. What do you do if you feel that you cannot pick yourself up?  Then you have to keep on walking and dancing until you dance your way to heaven.”  -Nachman of Bratslav

The Power of Forgiveness

Rabbi Abba (scribe of the Zohar) once sat at the gateway of the Town of Lud, where he saw a traveler sit down on a pile of rocks at the edge of a mountain overlooking a cliff. The man was exhausted for his journey and immediately fell asleep. R. Abba watched this innocuous scene for a bit until to his dismay he watched as a deadly snake slithered out of the rocks making its way towards to the sleeping man (R. Abba, who for some reason was immobilized and transfixed by this unfolding drama), suddenly watched as a new turn of events happened. A giant lizard jumped out between the rocks and killed the serpent. R. Abba continued watching and saw that the man stood up and was perplexed to see a beheaded snake lying in front of him. He quickly gathered his possessions and rose to continue his journey. At that instant the pile of rocks he was sitting on collapsed and fell into the ravine below. The man was about to wander off when R. Abba ran after him and recounted everything he had witnesse

Woman

"Enlighten me as to the mystery of Woman."  And he answered, "Oh human heart, woman is your own reflection, and whatever you are, she is; wherever you live, she lives; she is like religion if not interpreted by the ignorant, and like a moon, if not veiled with clouds, and like a breeze, if not poisoned with impurities."  -Kahlil Gibran Is this not the same for every loving relationship?

Science vs Religion

“ No philosophy today empowers and elevates conscience, while economics, sociology, psychology and particularly psychoanalysis make man distrustful of it.”  - Eugene Borowitz in How Can a Jew Speak of Faith Today

Believe!

"There is nothing that can withstand the power of the will"  - Herzl in  Altneuland אם תרצו אין זו אגדה,  ואם לא תרצו, אגדה היא ואגדה תישאר "If you will it, it is no legend; and if you do not will it,  a legend it is and a legend will it remain."  -Herzl