A Soulful Journey

"In all their troubles (God ) was troubled."  Isaiah 63 "I will be with them in their time of travail."   Psalm 91 "God first appeared to Moses from a bush and not from another larger tree because "I am with them in their suffering." - Rashi on Shmot 3:2

Cecil B. DeMille once said you do not break the Ten Commandments, you break yourself on the Ten Commandments. Being Jewish is an active enterprise.  It means being involved, immersing yourself in Torah.

-"Surely God doesn't mind if we do not observe the laws of kashrut." This line I have heard many times. -"Does keeping kosher mean that I am a good Jew?" We inevitably try to reassure ourselves that God must agree with our opinion.

Antignos of Socho used to say: "Do not be like servants who serve their master because of an expected reward.  Be like those who serve the master without expectation of reward, and let the fear of Heaven be upon you."  --Pirkay Avot 1:2 The greatest form of love of God comes from awe, not fear of punishment or want of reward.

Onkelos was a convert to Judaism.  The Roman authorities were particularly angry, as Onkelos was a member of the royal house.  When troops came to arrest him. Onkelos spoke to them passionately about his devotion to Judaism and of it power and greatness. They were so moved that they too decided to convert.  Group after group was sent to him, each with the same result.  Finally, the emperor indicated that no more soldiers were allowed to speak with Onkelos.  On his way out, Onkelos kissed the mezzuzah attached to his doorpost and said, “Generals protect the king within the palace but God protects us from without." Check your home today.

The emperor sent a beautiful gem. Shmuel, wanting to send something in return, sent a mezuzah. The king was enraged. "I send you a priceless gem and you send me a worthless piece of parchment?!" "You do not understand," said Shmuel. "You sent me something that I must watch over and protect.  I sent you something that will protect you."

Rabbi Alexandri said: “When you leave your things with another human being for safekeeping, even though they may have been new when they were delivered, they often return used and worn out. The Holy One, however, is different. When we leave things in God’s care, all worn out, the Holy One returns them to us new. This is obvious. A worker will work all day and come home tired. As he sleeps the worker is at peace since his soul is in the hands of the Holy One blessed be He. At dawn, the soul returns newly rejuvenated for the worker’s body. Torah teaches us that souls are renewed every morning; great is our dependence on You.    Tehillim Rabbah 23:7

There is a story (which has been attributed to Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel) of a great pianist who was asked by an ardent admirer: ‘How do you handle the notes as well as you do?’ He answered: ‘The notes I handle no better than many pianists, but the pauses between the notes – ah! That is where the art resides.’ ‘In great living, as in great music,’ Heschel says ‘the art may be in the pauses.’ Take time today to pause and breathe.

“A Jew was paying a visit to the metropolis for the first time and every time he saw a fine house he exclaimed, “That’s a house I should like.”  At last he came to Buckingham Palace and was silent.  “Wouldn’t you like to live there?” “No, I should ruin myself with mezzuzahs.”  - Friday Nite Book This is what we do.   As Jews we have continual reminders of God’s Presence entering and exiting our homes.   Acknowledge Him every day.

Woody Allen studied Truth, Beauty and advanced Truth and Beauty in college.  Then he was expelled for cheating; He looked into the soul of the boy sitting next to him. This is what we were created for - to peer into one another's soul.  What will you see there?  A pure reflection of the goodness that dwells in you.

"Immediate suffering....was the welcome penalty to be paid for eventual, universal dominion."  - Jacob Neusner There are many theories abut the arrival of the Messiah.  One of them involves the world devolving into the chaos whereupon God's intervention becomes immediate and necessary before we self-destruct.  The other is when humanity conducts itself righteously under God doing Mitzvot. It is our choice.

All means of healing are acceptable provided that they do not involve idolatry, incest or murder.  –Rabbi Yochanan, Pesachim 25a We have many laws and restrictions in our faith.  Human health is about paramount.

He who takes vengeance or bears a grudge acts like one who, having cut one hand while handling a knife, avenges himself by stabbing the other hand.  - Jerusalem Talmud

Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch:  Near the end of his life when he was in frail health, he vacationed in the Swiss Alps.  His students, thinking it rather strange and impulsive, asked him, "Why the Alps, and why now?"  He replied, "I have this feeling that when I die and I'm summoned before God to account for my behavior, God will ask me, Did you see My  Alps?"

“If you have the power to ruin you have the power to repair,” said Rebbe Nachman.

There can be no real joy (Simcha) without meat."  -P esachim 109a We save and savor our best for holy days. They are special and made more special by the attention we give it.

The Bobover Rebbi was a great Chassidic leader who was able to escape the Holocaust. He was an older person and only part of his family survived. Upon coming to America, he worked very hard to rebuild schools for children and centers for Bobover Chassidim. Seeing how old he was, and how hard he was working, some people told him to relax and take it easy. He told these people, ‘Hashem did not save my life so I should take a vacation!’ Neither should we!

When Brezhnev was elected to the party secretariat he brought his mother to the Kremlin for the big celebration.  There he gave her champagne and caviar.  Waiting to hear her remarks, she said nothing.  So Brezhnev then took her to the party headquarters and there had the best cocktails and caviar surrounded in a bright, modern room.  Still she said nothing.  Then Brezhnev whisked hr off to his hunting lodge with all mahogany paneling, his own private chef and stock of vodka.  Still his mother did not say a word.  Finally Brezhnev exclaimed, “Why don’t you say anything about this?” “Well,” she said, “Just be careful that the communists don’t come back to power.” As days pass and we grow old it becomes more difficult to face change and remain unfearful of the past.  When the past still haunts us we cannot fully live in the present.  This is our challenge in the days ahead, to move past our past.