A Soulful Journey

A 19 th century Jew from Warsaw told his friend that he was moving to America.  The friend exclaimed, “But that’s so far away!” To which the rootless Jew replies, “From what?”  -Alan Dershowitz Home is where you rest.  It is the place of calm you find in the maelstrom we call life.  But home is not always a place.  At times, it is a state of being.

It is important to realize the value of a good argument.  A legitimate argument is one that argues for the sake of finding the right solution.  A misdirected argument is one that argues for the sake of being heard above the din.  In the first instance, people listen to one another's side. In the second instance, they simply bellow to be heard. We often get the two confused. “…the old inner-city synagogue that had just moved to the suburbs acquired both a modern building and a modern rabbi. At the first Sabbath service, when the congregation recited the Shema Yisrael prayer (“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One…”) half the congregation stood up while half remained seated.  The standing half yelled. “Stand up!” to the seated half, while the seated half yelled, “Sit down!” to the standing half. The new rabbi was upset at the boisterous commotion, and after the service he asked representatives of both groups to meet with him and the old rabbi to ascertain...

Anti- Semitism is not rational, as is evident by this story: Ida Nudel tells about the time trainload of fresh oranges was coming to Moscow from the Ukraine. Anyone interested should come to the train station. Thousands came and waited all night. At dawn, the commissar announced only a truckload, not a trainload. Jews had to leave. Others waited at the truck depot. At dusk another bulletin: Only a carload, not a truckload. Only communist party members could remain. Then they announced that just a single crate of oranges and only Communist Central Committee members could get one. Finally,after another wait they announced it was a mistake. No oranges at all were coming. A frustrated member of the Central Committee turned to others and said, "See, the Jews always get the advantages; they were the first to be sent home." from Chutzpah, Alan Dershowitz