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Showing posts with the label community

Not I.

“I am not here to worry about your needs and I don’t expect you to worry about mine.  It’s every man for himself.”  - Narcissist’s creed     It is not about you.  It is about us.

Customs

  Rabbi Chanan bar Chanila'i said, "A person must never deviate from the local custom."  - Baba Metsia 86b Even though traditions may differ we must always respect differing customs. This means respect for synagogues, homes and communities.

God's in Shul

Ravin bar Rav Adda said that Rabbi Yitzḥak said: From where [in the Torah] is it derived  that the Holy One, Blessed be God, is located in a synagogue? As it is stated:  God  stands in the divine assembly; among the divine beings God pronounces judgment .  (Psalms 82:1)   -Talmud, Berachot 6

Us

Once there was a theater manager who was interviewing a teenager for an ushering job. "What would you do if a fire broke out in the theater?" he asked. "Don't worry about me," the young man replied.  "I'd get out alright."  - Rabbi Neil Scheindlen It is about the community, not you.  Remember God told us to take care of one another.

It's My Boat

A rabbinic story tells about a group of people traveling in a boat. One passenger takes out a drill and begins drilling a hole under his seat. The other passengers, quite understandably, complain that this action may cause the boat to sink. “Why should this bother you?” this man responds, I am only drilling under my own seat.” The others retort, “But the water will rise up and flood the ship for all of us!” - Vayikra Rabbah 4:6

Solitude

"Solitude is very hard to come by in this world. Only the very rich can afford it - and paupers like me. Everyone else dreams of splendid isolation, but they can only dream. Daily life must be lived with others.” -Father Ron who lived on top of Mt. McKinley

Help

Two monks were crossing a bridge.   As they cross they hear a man calling for help in the narrow ravine below.   They want to stop but they must reach the monastery before sunset or they will freeze to death.   The first monk chooses to risk the danger fo the cold in order to help another to safety.   He  climbs down into the ravine, gathers the wounded man up into his arms and makes his way back slowly to the monastery. The second monk goes on ahead, determined to get back safely before sunset. Night comes, and with it, bitter cold. As the first monk nears the monastery, he stumbles over something in the middle of the   road.   To his sorrow, it is his brother who had gone ahead alone and had frozen to death.   In order to save his life he lost it. The compassionate monk, willing to lose his life, was kept warm by the heat exchanged from carrying the stranger in the road.  –Jack Pantelo Life must be lived to...

Traveling with Companions

Fruits gathered to hold a discussion among themselves.   They wanted to discover the reason why no fruit but the grape contains the juice from which the finest wines are made. “Her drink is famous throughout the world and exquisitely pleasing to man’s taste,” they declared.   “Why is she so more worthy than we to be blessed with this gift from God?” A cluster of grapes hanging nearby heard the complaint and replied, “All of you grow individually and produce you fruits independently, but we grapes grow together in bunches and are faithful to each other.   For that reason our substance is rich and capable of imparting such distinctive taste and fragrance to our wines.” Moral: In union there is strength. Travel the world with other passengers. Besides, it makes the journey much more interesting.

United We Ascend

Once the Baal Shem Tov stood in a House of Prayer and remained motionless for a very long time.   All his disciples had finished praying but he continued on.   They waited for him a good while, and then finally left for home.   After several hours, when they had attended to their various duties, the returned to the house of Prayer and found the Master still immersed in deep prayer.   Later, he said to them, “By going away and leaving me alone, you dealt me a painful separation.   I shall tell you a parable: “You know that there are birds of passage who fly to warm countries in the autumn.   Well, the people in one of those lands once saw a glorious bird in the midst of a flock which was journeying through the sky.   The eyes of man had never seen a bird so beautiful.   He alighted on the top of the tallest tree and nested in the leaves.   When the king of the country heard of it, he bade them to fetch down the bird with his nest.   He...

How to Study

"Torah is only acquired with companions." -Berachot 63b It is easy to misinterpret anything in accord with our preconceptions.  That is why "truth" (i.e., Torah) is apprehended when we study it with people who challenge our beliefs.

Searching for

At the Kotel, two young men were searching the cracks between the stones of the Western Wall.   After a while, they placed a note in the selected place apparently satisfied it is the “right” place.    What is the “right” place for each of our “kvitlech” at the Wall?   What is the “right place” for each of us?   When we stand with the Jewish People, searching for our place in the building blocks of Jewish history, then we have found the “right place.” – Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner