A Soulful Journey

Things were getting progressively worse in Chelm.  There was high unemployment and a lack of food. The elders of Chelm decided to meet to solve their dilemma.  The best hope for them was to sell beer.  After a while they produced their first batch and sent it to Prague with the following letter: O worthy brewmeisters: Seeking to alleviate our plight, we have produced beer.  But we are unknown.  If such a famous brewer as you praised our drink, it would be a great help. The Elders of Chelm One week later came the reply from Prague: "Your horse has diabetes."

"Never measure the height of of a mountain until you have reached the top.  Then you will see how low it was."  - Dag Hammarskjold Do not be intimidated by what you have not tried.  You have more in you than you know.

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out is to risk involvement. To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self. To place your ideas and dreams before the crowd is to risk their love. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To love is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair. To try is to risk failure. But the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The one who risks nothing  and has nothing  finally is nothing.   - unknown

French poet Apollinaire wrote: Come to the edge No, we will fall, Come to the edge. No, we will fall. They came to the edge. He pushed them and they flew.

One of the great moments in sports history came on Sunday afternoon when the New Orleans Saints and the Detroit Lions were playing.  The Lions were leading 17-16, with the time running out.  The Saints had the ball in mid-field.  They called time out with two seconds left on the clock.  The coach then sent Tom Dempsey, an uncertain place-kicker born with a deformed right arm and hand and with half a right foot, to try a field goal. It was a 63-yard attempt. The longest field goal ever kicked in the N.F.L. to date had been 57 yards.  But the athlete with the deformed foot kicked the ball through the uprights and the Saints won. When asked after the game how he did it, Dempsey attributed his success to high school and college coaches and the pros who “spent so much time encouraging me that they simply forgot to tell me that I couldn’t do.” Believe in yourself.  Believe that you can.

“Sometimes they say we can’t do it but sometimes that don’t work.”   -Casey Stengel What matters most is that you do not give up.

In the midst of the story of the story when Pharaoh’s handmaid stretches out her hands ( vayishlach et amah ) to grasp the floating basket that contains baby Moses, Rabbi Judah commented that her arm miraculously lengthened so that she could reach the basket without endangering herself in the treacherous Nile. Generations later the Kotzker Rebbe asked, “How did she know that her hands would be lengthened to grasp the child?”   He answered, “It is our responsibility to reach out, even if we think we cannot touch the victim.   God will do the rest.” Miracles happen when we put forth effort.

When, at last, the musicians died, their sons sought to take their places. But, alas, they had neither mastered the art of their fathers nor had they kept their instruments in proper condition. Worse still, the sons no longer loved the king as did their fathers, but set their eyes only upon the reward, blindly following their fathers' custom of arriving early each morning at the palace to perform. But the harsh sounds that emerged were so offensive to the ear, that after a time the king no longer listened to their music. Intent upon the reward, however, the sons closed their eyes to this reality because of their greed and continued to come each day to play as usual. Still, there were among the sons of the old musicians, some who recognized that they were not worthy to play before the king. And they were determined to correct the situation. They set about the difficult task of relearning the forgotten art. Before coming to the king, they would now first try to t...

A fictional story is told of a bird during the days of creation. This particular bird was created without wings and when it looked around at other birds soaring in the heavens it implored the Creator to allow it to fly. That night, whilst the bird was asleep, G–d affixedwings to its body. When the bird awoke and saw two new appendages to its body it said to G–d, “G–d, I asked you to make me fly, not to make me heavier.” G–d replied, “little bird, just flap them and you will see that you will fly.” The restrictions often seem like extra baggage but once we utilize them, they allow us to fly and soar into new heights. - Nissan Dubov

“A man’s reach should exceed his grasp or what’s heaven for?” – Robert Browning