A Soulful Journey

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument and one friend slapped the other one in the face.  The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand… “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE."  They kept on walking until they found an oasis where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in die mire and started drowning.  But the friend saved him. After the friend recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone…. “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE."  The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"  The other friend replied… “When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."...

"The best things in life aren't things."  -Art Buchwald

"Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another, "What! You too?  I thought I was the only one."  -C.S. Lewis It is good to have friends. It is better to share.

There were two sitting next to each other on an Egged bus in Jerusalem.  They began to talk.   “Do you know Moshe Goldman?” “Do I know Moshe Goldman?  Of course I know Moishele!” “What kind of person is he?” “Must you ask?  He is as stubborn as a mule.  One who didn’t know him could easily get the idea that he was really somebody.  But it takes someone a lot more clever than Moishele to fool me.” “What do you really know about him?” “Oy! What do I know about him?  What I can tell you!  What would you say if I told you that he borrows money and never repays it?  He trades on the black market.  He beats his wife.  He rides on Shabbat.  He even eats on Yom Kippur!” “But how do you know all these things about him?” “What do you mean, ‘How do I know?’  Moishele is my best friend!” -folktale. A funny but painful tale about how we treat our fellow.

“The Bible tells is to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people,” wrote G.K. Chesterton

"He had made himself really comfortable, had unbuttoned his coat and put his feet up on the seat.  Just then a gentleman in modern dress entered the compartment.  The Jew promptly pulled himself together and took up a proper pose.  The stranger fingered through the pages of a notebook, made some calculations, reflected for a moment, and then suddenly asked the Jew: "Excuse me, when is Yom Kippur?"  "Oho!" said the Jew, and put his feet up on the seat again before answering."  - Charles Silberman How we wish to be viewed by others determines our behavior.  Wouldn't it be better to be consistent?

How  important are friends? When the miracle-worker Honi the Circle-Maker woke from seventy years of sleep, he despaired.  A new generation of scholars neither recognized nor attended to him. Suffering, Honi prayed for death to release him from loneliness, prompting an unnamed sage to utter, “Either friendship or death.” -Talmud Ta’anit 23a

“Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another.” -Proverbs 27

Where we live is not inconsequential.    It is as important as the people we work and socialize with.  Often it is as vital as our family.  We are impacted by our environment as much as impact it.    The Sages taught, "When a righteous person is in his place he is its glory.  When he leaves it, there departs also its glory, splendor, and beauty."   -Rashi on Genesis 28:10 Choose to surround yourself with righteous people.

Motel Kamenetz was a wealthy contractor in Kiev.   Many people benefited from his business acumen.   One day he lost a fortune in real estate and his friends began to avoid him.   Luck was with Motel, however, and once again his business flourished.   As he grew rich friends also came around.   On the next holiday many of the townsfolk came to visit.   When Motel saw them coming he ordered his servant to place a money box on the table. The crowd entered his home and cheerfully wished him a good holiday but when they saw the money box, they asked, “What does this mean?” “Friends,” said Motel, “I am well aware that you have not come to greet me.   The fact is you have come to greet my money.   Here it is.   Rejoice with it.” True friends are present when the sun shines and when it is overcast.