A Soulful Journey

"The chief problem with death, incidentally, is the fear that there may be no afterlife - a depressing thought, particularly to those who have bothered to shave."  -Woody Allen   We work throughout or life to life days of integrity and making contributions to a world that leaves it better than we found it.  There is rightly a fear of death if we have not worked to those ends.  

"A sage once said that he longed for he day when Jews who are great will become great Jews."  -Rabbi Michael Rosen

A man of great goodness was granted one wish by God.  The man said he would like to do good things, without ever knowing the outcome.  God decided that it was such a laudable idea that He would grant it to all human beings.  And so it is .   -Robert Fulgham

There was once a house about to collapse in Babylonia.   Rav sent one of his disciples to clear everything out of the house.   as soon as he finished the house collapsed. The sages asked, “What good deeds did you do to merit that?” He said to them, “In my entire life I went to the synagogue early and got there before anyone else.   When I went out I never walked more than four cubits without speaking words of Torah.   I also never mentioned the teachings of Torah in an inappropriate setting.   I never overslept.   I never tried to advance myself over my colleagues.   I never called a colleague by a nickname.   I showed them respect.   I never cursed my fellow.   I never walked to the marketplace to collect money from someone who owed me.   I also never lost my temper with my family. This is what is meant in Psalms, "I will walk with integrity of heart within Your house.”   - from the Jerusalem Talmud, ...

Heedfulness leads to cleanliness.  Cleanliness leads to purity.  Purity leads to abstinence.  Abstinence leads to holiness. Holiness leads to humility.  Humility leads to fear of sin.  Fear of sin leads to piety (hasidic).  Piety leads to the holy spirit,  The holy spirit leads to the resurrection of the day.  And the resurrection of the dead comes through Elijah, of blessed memory.  - Pinchas ben Yair, Tanna of second century

One stormy night, many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia.  Trying to get out of the rain, the couple approached the front desk hoping to find some shelter for the night.  ‘Could you possibly give us a room here?’ the husband asked.  The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town.  ‘All of our rooms are taken,’ the clerk said.  ‘But I can’t send a nice couple like you out in the rain at one o’clock in the morning.  Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room?  It’s not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night.’  When the couple declined, the young man pressed on.  ‘Don’t worry about me; I’ll make out just fine,’ the clerk told them. So the couple agreed.  As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk, ‘You are the kind of manag...

“The dimmest lights seemed to have been drained from the air.   Was this the realm of the other side?   Yet there were truths in those words.   How could truths emanate from such darkness?” – Chaim Potok , The Book of Lights All is ultimately from God.   Isn’t this what the Tanach teaches when it praises God as author of all, good and evil?

“The universe is done.   The great masterpiece still undone, still in the process of being created, is history.   For accomplishing His grand design, God needs the help of man.   Life is clay, and righteousness the mold in which God wants history to be shaped.   But human beings, instead of fashioning the clay, deform the shape.”   -Abraham Joshua Heschel

The famous English author, Sir Walter Scott, met a beggar.  Scott reached into his pocket for a gold piece, which he handed to the bagger, saying, "Here is five pounds, but remember to return it to me some day." "May the good Lord bless you with long years," the beggar fervently invoked, "because it will take long, long years before I remember to return this money." For the receiver: Never give up hope that you can turn your life around.  You are worthy of greater. For the giver: Do not expect any favor to be returned.  Acts of goodness do not expect recompense.  Such thinking deflates the act.

Merciful One, may I always trust in Your endless and infinite kindness and mercy… 
 Help me to hold fast in my faith in Your holy Name, 
 that You will always see me through to the good and never abandon me.   
 - Likutei Tefillot I:137

There is a tale of a rabbi who had a funeral oration to deliver.   The rabbi went to all the relatives inquiring about the deceased’s reputation.   No one had a good word to say about him.   Finally, the rabbi approached a friend for advice.   “What should I say about him?” “Well, all I can tell you is that his brother was worse.”             - Louis Jacobs Moral? There is always someone worse than the one you hate. Moral? There is inevitably some morsel of goodness in everyone.   But you may have to search to find it.

“If you’re going to weave a fabric you don’t put in all your black threads first or you’ll have no room for the white threads later.” –Marc Chagall Isn’t this a great truism for life?   Focus on the negative and it will soon outshine any bright spots.   The opposite is also true: Put disproportionate emphasis on good and soon all will radiate light.