A Soulful Journey

  "There is no person that doesn't have their "moment"; and there is thing does does not have a purpose."   -Avot 4:3 Give everyone the opportunity to rise to become what God intended  and treat every thing in the world as a gift.  This is our responsibility.

Rabbi Menachem Mendl of Vibetsk said, “My mission on earth is to recognize the void – inside and outside of me – and fill it.” What a beautiful way to live life! The world is like a puzzle.  We see lacunae, empty spaces, all the time.  These are opportunities to make the world whole.  They are gifts waiting to be redeemed by us. 

In the 1960s, President Eisenhower received the gift of a rare, white tiger named Mohini. For years, Mohini lived in the Washington Zoo and spent her days pacing back and forth in a 12-by-12 foot cage. Finally the zoo decided to build her a larger cage so Mohini could run, climb and explore. But when Mohini arrived at her new home, she didn’t rush out, eagerly adapting to her new habitat. Rather, she marked off a 12-by-12 foot square for herself, and paced there until her death, never enjoying the new opportunities in front of her.  - Rabbi Sara Gurwitz

Alsatians complained to Napoleon that local Jews were ruining them through usury.   Napoleon answered their complaints on April 30, 1806 when he told the Imperial Council it was “dangerous to allow so large a preponderance of the Jews, who constitute a state within a state, in a part of the French empire bordering on the territories of its enemies.” His solution?   Instead of further segregating or persecuting the Jews Napoleon advocated a novel idea: equality and opportunity.

Three men were sitting in a hospital waiting room. Anxiously they waited for news of an impending delivery. A nurse came in and announced to the first, “Congratulations! You are the father of twins!”“Wow!” he shouted. “And I play for the Minnesota Twins!” A while later, a second nurse enters and says to the next man, “You are the proud father of triplets!” “Amazing!” he cried. “I work for 3M!” The third man then excitedly jumped out of his seat. “I am in trouble. I work for 7 Up.” Challenges in life are many. With every challenge comes an opportunity, though. The challenge is like a pod. Peel away the outer layer, which may take some effort, and inside you will find a new growth. Just for you.