A Soulful Journey

  Shammai, the wise teacher of old, antagonist of Hillel said, "Be sure to greet every person with a joyful face."   Avot 1:16 Why? Why bother putting on a happy face for people? Two reasons. The first is that they deserve as much cheer as you do. What we want when we go to the bank is not have a sour, unforgiving person snarling at us. Or a person madly leaning on their horn from behind at the intersection. We want a world where people treat us with dignity, equanimity. Others want what we want. Even more, they deserve what we deserve. Another part of this equation is that we are God’s flock. We are a covenanted people bound to God first through the ancient Patriarchs of the Torah and then again at Mt. Sinai. That means we have a special relationship to our Master and must therefore represent Him in a way that befits our connection. When we "act out" we betray the trust in that relationship. The world will always know us as "Jews" and that is why we have ...

“Sometimes people are terribly distressed but have no one to whom they unburden themselves.  If you come along with a happy face, you cheer them and give them new life…Wear a smile.  The gift of life will be yours to give.”   - Rebbe Nachman

When he was asked if he had seen Doctor Zhivago, Yogi Berra answered, “No, I feel fine. ” Every time you smile, you light up.

"I remember that about forty years ago, a vice-president made himself famous by announcing that what this country needed was a good five cent cigar. What this country really needs is a good five cent nickel. And barring that, a a good five cent income tax." Groucho Marx in Memoirs Many things will happen today to make you worry. Make sure to take a moment from your precious life to smile. It is worth the time spent to do so. Anyway, it sure beats worrying.