A Soulful Journey

On one occasion President Harry Truman was asked to speak at a fundraising project to help the children of the White House guard who was slain in the line of duty. With great feeling he said, “You can't imagine just how a man feels when someone else dies for him!” King David must have had a similar feeling for the three mighty men who were so loyal to him. When he expressed a longing for a drink from the well of Bethlehem, three soldiers voluntarily broke through the Philistine lines and secured it for him. David was so moved by their courage that he wouldn’t drink even one drop of that precious liquid. Instead, he poured it out as a libation to God saying: “Can I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” To him their act was as noble as if they had died for him.  - Rabbi Gary Greene   The men and women who defend us at the risk of their lives every day- whether soldiers, police, medical personnel or the person who stops at the roadside to ask if you are...

"Only a fool is interested in other peoples guilt, since he cannot alter it. The wise man learns only from his own guilt. He will ask himself: Who am I that all the should happen to me? To find the answer to this fateful question he will look into his own heart."  C.G. Jung

How many Jewish mothers are needed to change an electric lightbulb? Only one. "I will sit in the dark and cry." Guilt is good.  If it get us to do to the right thing.  Hopefully our conscious mind will speak before we need to be told.

"We carry our nemesis within us.  Yesterday's self-admiration is the legitimate father of today's feeling of guilt." -Dag Hammarskjold

Once a very wicked man came to the rebbe seeking atonement. The rebbe consented to help him, but only on the condition first, that the man would liquidate all his assets – jewelry, real estate, everything- and second, that he put in writing every sin he had ever committed. After months, the man returned with a suitcase full of cash and a sheaf of papers filled with sins. As the rebbe read the list he was horrified. The rebbe moaned; the man fainted. The rebbe revived him and went on with the reading. Again, seven times, the rebbe would cry out in sadness and the man would pass out. When Rabbi Elimelech had completed reading the list, the man was white as a sheet. The rebbe sighed: “only death could atone for such a life!” “I will do whatever you say,” said the man. Now the rebbe turned white, for he realized that he had inadvertently pronounced an irrevocable death sentence. “Very well,” said the rebbe. “In such cases, the death sentence is to be carried out by pou...

Two monks were casually walking through the woods, chatting.   As they approached a river they saw a scantily clad woman trying to cross it.   The older monk decided he would go over and help her.   The younger one warned against going to her. Nevertheless the older monk picked the woman up despite the urgings of his younger comrade and carried her across. Some time later the younger monk complained, “You should not have picked that lady up.” Retorted the elder, “I put her down a long time ago.” Moral? Put down what you have been carrying. It is way to heavy to continually bear.   Then move on.

A Hasid once went to a country fair.   He put down his streimel for a moment to wipe his brow.   An instant later when he reached for the hat it was gone.   Looking this way and that way he saw a sea of streimels like his own.   What to do?   With a stroke of insight he cried out, “Look, look!   The streimels on the thief’s head is on fire.”   At once as man swept off his hat and betrayed his guilt.”   - Rabbi Jonathan Gerard Thank God all people are endowed with a sense of guilt and remorse.   It keeps our yester ha-ra in check.

"Guilt is pain felt for something done.  Shame is pain felt for what you are.  Shame is never constructive." - -Rabbi Abraham Twerski

Guilt: Jews invented it. Catholics perfected it.

"After delivering a guilty man to the Roman authorities Elijah the prophet stopped visiting Rabbi Joshua ben Levi. Much later prophet came to see the Rabbi. The rabbi asked why the prophet had stopped coming. The rabbi continued and said, the man he turned over to the Romans was guilty. What did I do that was wrong? Elijah answered and said, the man was guilty but it wasn't the job of a rabbi to turn him over to the authorities."   - Aaron Kriegel    There are some words and actions a leader should not say or do.