A Soulful Journey

Prayer:  When Jacob was about to face Esau after many years of estrangement, the midrash ( Tanhuma Buber, Vayishlah  6) tells us that he did three things — and the first was to pray. When our biblical ancestors were faced with a crisis  ויצעקו אל ה ’, they cried out to God. When Jews are faced with a health crisis, they recite Psalms such as chapters 121 and 130 and the  Mee Sheberakh  prayer for those who are ill.  Jewish Unity :  We are told in the Talmud ( Shevuot  39a)  כל ישראל ערבין זה בזה  — “All Jews are responsible for one another”. This has always been the strength of the Jewish people, how much the more so in times of crisis.  We are all in the same boat :  “Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai taught: It can be compared to people who were in a boat and one of them took a drill and began to drill under his seat. His fellow passengers said to him: ‘why are you doing this!’ He said to them: ‘What do you care? Am I not drilling...

In Scotland a tale is told of a little old lady who made her own whiskey.  Coming up with a new batch she placed the hot liquid on her doorstep to cool off.  Meanwhile, a grazing cow approached the house and tasted the hot whiskey.  Gradually, the cow finished it off.  Later, coming out to see if the brew had cooled, she saw an empty bucket and looked around to see if the culprit was nearby.  Now the cow, having drunk so much alcohol, was hardly in a position to go very far so the old woman grabbed a stick and began to beat the animal.  Meanwhile, the farmer saw the proceedings and put and end to the old lady's beating.  Incensed, the woman took the farmer to court.  The judge listened and asked only two questions: 1. "Was the animal standing upright at time the of the crime?"  The lady replied, "yes." 2. "Was the said liquor imbibed at the doorstep?"  Again, she answered, "yes." The judge proclaimed that the case be thrown out of cou...

The commandment “to love,”  v’ahavta  occurs three times in the Humash .  First, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” (Leviticus 19:18).  Then, “You shall the love the stranger as yourself” (Ibid).  Finally, “You shall love the Lord with all your heart,” (Deuteronomy 6:5).  Why is love for God mentioned last? Because, answered one rabbi, if you do not love your neighbor and the stranger, you cannot love God. Love for God is attainable only through loving people.  That is why some siddurim suggest that before praying, one should give charity, tzedaka, and accept the mitzvah of loving one’s neighbors.

A student asked his rebbe: “We are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves. But how can I do that if my neighbor offends me?” The rebbe answered: “You must try to understand what these words really mean. Love your neighbor because your neighbor is like you. For all souls are really one. Each is a spark from the original soul, and all are bound together like the limbs of a single body.  If you punish your neighbor, you only hurt yourself.” –Martin Buber, Tales

May your neighbor’s possession be as dear to you as your own.”   - Pirkay Avot 2:17 This is the authentic Jewish response to that commandment, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”   When we treat with respect and protect what others have, we will have fulfilled this mitzvah.

If someone comes to kill is, we understand that we have the right, and even the responsibility, of self-defense (Berakhot 64b, Sanhedrin 74a).  When others are threatened, we are called to help them as well.  "Do not stand idly by your neighbor's pain." (Leviticus 19:17-19) This is not an option.  It is a mitzvah.

A man was seen standing on a pier and to everyone's amazement he was throwing his valuables into the sea.  A wise man observed and commented, "I do not know why he is doing that but I know that the goods can't be his." When every person will treat one another's possessions as if they were their own, we will fully fulfill the mitzvah of "loving our neighbor as we love ourself."

“When my wife, Diana, and I met a new couple at church one Sunday, we stopped to introduce ourselves and to exchange pleasantries.   We described the friendly neighborhood we lived in, and listened sympathetically as they lamented that theirs was just the opposite. Saying our goodbyes, we got in our cars and roe home.   As we approached our house, we were horrified to see that our new-found friends were pulling into the drive way next to ours.”   -Kent Eikenberry What would you do if your perceptions were so out of sync with someone else?   Dismiss them as irrelevant?   Mindless? Or ask, “What am I missing?” The difference between the two attitudes is immense.

I live in a farming community.   One windy day, after I’d hung my laundry out to dry, I returned to my house just in time to notice the farmer who rents the neighboring field had begun to plow, sending clouds of dust toward the wet clothes hanging on my lie. Quickly shutting the windows, I hurried outside to retrieve the clothes.   But when I got to the line, the roaring plow had disappeared. Several days later I ran into the farmer and asked him about the incident.   With a smile he told me that, yes, he remembered the day.   As soon as he saw my clothes on the line and realized which way the wind was blowing, he had decided to plow elsewhere and return to that field later.  Our town has no theaters or fancy restaurants, but we do have good friends and neighbors who care about each other – as well as their laundry.   –Mary Love in Reader’s Digest This may not qualify as "tzedaka" but it is a righteous way of thinking.  Every moment has ...