A Soulful Journey

"The famous French writer Romain Rolland describes how restless Beethoven was in his youth. From early childhood, Beethoven used to hear melodies. He would say that there was an orchestra hidden somewhere-under the table, behind the curtain, in the attic, or in the oven.  He always heard beautiful melodies playing, and he thought it was somewhere outside of himself.  The orchestra was indeed an orchestra.  But it was hidden in him, not outside of him.”   - Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik Inside each of us is something truly grand waiting to be released.  It is a gift from God.

A parable : Once there was a king who held daily court for his people.   They would line up for a chance to see the monarch, or better, to have a word with him. One poor man showed up regularly.   In his rags he would present the king with a fruit on each occasion. The king graciously accepted it and then threw it aside, seeing the source it came from. For ten years the beggar showed up at the palace and presented his gift.   One day, a monkey escaped from its cage, grabbed the proffered fruit, and took a bite.   Squealing in pain the monkey threw it aside, revealing a precious gem inside. Mishna: "Do not look at the container but its contents." (Avot 4:20)

  There’s a hero, if you look inside your heart. You don’t have to be afraid of what you are. There’s an answer, if you reach into your soul, and the sorrow that you know will melt away. And then a hero comes along with the strength to carry on, and you cast your fears aside, and you know you can survive. So when you feel like hope is gone, look inside you and be strong and you will finally see the truth that a hero lies in you.   “Hero” sung by Mariah Carey

The Baal Shem Tov , or Besht —  the founder of Chasidism —  met the soul of the Messiah during an ascent to heaven.  The Besht asked him, "When will the Master come?"  The Messiah answered, "When your wellsprings break forth to the outside!"   (from a letter written by the Besht to his brother-in-law about one of his soul ascents) quoted by Rabbi David Seidenberg

"Some of my best friends are fantasies -- my own."  ~ Rabbi David Wolf Silverman Being true with one's self is no easy task.  We face some pretty adamant foes when we attempt to look at ourselves in an objective light. Voices well up from deep inside that object to the harsh self-evaluation.  That is why it is so hard to take criticism: the internal defenses are much too strong...and too vulnerable. Real strength resides in the ability to listen to critics without quickly rejecting them.  At the same time, it takes fierce honesty to acknowledge when we are creating fantasies in our own minds.