A Soulful Journey

Rabbi Tarfon and the Elders were once reclining in the upper story of Nitza's house, in Lod, when this question was raised before them: Is study greater, or is deed? Rabbi Tarfon answered, saying: Deed is greater. Rabbi Akiba replied, saying: Study is greater. Then they all answered and said: Study is greater, for it leads to action. Talmud, Kiddushin 40b Every day learn  something  new.   Learn  Torah.

  "All who expend effort for the sake of the needs of the community, it is as if they have immersed themselves into Torah."  - Talmud Yerushalmi Berakhot Our obligation extends to study, observance the answering the call of those in need.

" Disciples of the wise have no rest, neither in this world or in the World to Come….In the words of the Psalms, “They go from strength to strength.  Every one of them appears before God in Zion.”  - Berakhot 64a   Each of us should be disturbed by the living- the poverty, the impoverishment of spirit, the homeless and the unlearned.  Our task is to leave the world in better shape than we found it.  For the wise, this is a compelling mitzvah.

 "Life itself punishes those who delay." - Mikhail Gorbachev Rabbi Tarfon taught: The day is short, the task is great, the workers are sluggish, the reward is bountiful, and the Master awaits." Do not wait to do a mitzvah for it may be be available to you later.

Rabbi Hanina Ben Dosa watched all the people going up to Jerusalem, taking with them fine gifts and offerings for the Temple. How he longed to go with them and bring something wonderful for God. Alas, Rabbi Hanina was very poor. He had nothing he could offer. He wandered sadly in the desert field. Suddenly he saw an interesting stone on the ground. It was very large and beautiful. What a splendid idea, thought Rabbi Hanina. I will take this stone to the holy Temple as my gift to God. Rabbi Hanina ran home and got his tools. He cut the stone and polished it until its colors shone beautifully. At last, it was fit to create the holy Temple. But how would he ever get it there? He looked for someone to help. He would need five strong men to carry it and they would have to be paid but he knew he barely had five gold coins as his whole life’s savings. Suddenly five men appeared as if out of nowhere. “We will help you carry the stone,” they said. You can give us each one gold coin.” That was e...

"One good deed induces another."  -Avot 4:2 Make it happen.

"A Mitzvah requires kavannah."  - Talmud All things holy require "heart."  Mitzvahs are what God has commanded. Isn't it a wonderful thing to have God actually wants, needs us? That is why the Talmud tells us to be filled with intentional joy with every opportunity we get to do His Will.

There is a midrash on Ruth Rabbah (5:6). Rabbi Yitzhak the son of Merion said: Our text comes to teach us that if a person performs a mitzvah he should perform it with a perfect heart.  If Reuven had known that the Holy One delivered him from their hand he would have carried Joseph on his shoulders to his father.     And if Aaron had known that the Holy One blessed be He was recording of him “Behold he is coming to meet you,” he would have come to meet Moses with drums and with dancing.    If Boaz had known that the Holy One blessed be He  would record of him, “And they reached out to her parched corn and she ate and was satisfied and left thereof,” he would have fed her fatted calves.  In the distant past when a person performed a mitzvah the prophet would record it.   When a person performs a mitzvah nowadays who is there to record it? Elijah records it and the messiah – and the Holy One blessed be He se...

"Which is the most important verse in the Torah?" Rabbi Akiva said, " 'Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself'; This is a fundamental teaching upon which the entire Torah is based'." HIs colleague, Ben Azzai, said, "The greatest teaching in  the Torah is "This is the book of the generations of man, in the likeness of God, He made him." Akiva moves us to treat one another with kindness. Azzai instructs us to first know that we are each crafted in the image of our Maker.

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. 

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.

In Sanskrit there are three terms which represent the brink, the jumping off place into the world of transcendent: Sat - being Chit - consciousness Ananda - rapture     Joseph Campbell In Judaism we add the feature of being commanded, which represents a relationship with the Almighty.

"The righteous are called alive in death; while the wicked are called dead even when alive." - Berachot 18 Live a life that matters.  Take action today.

"Rejoice so much in a mitzvah that you will desire no other reward them the opportunity to perform another mitzvah." - Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav

  “Open the Gates of Righteousness for me... ” (Psalm 118:19)  [At the Time of Judgment] in the Future World, 
everyone will be asked, “What was your occupation?”
If the person answers, “I used to feed hungry people,” they will say to that person, “This is God’s gate, you, who fed hungry people, may enter.”... “I used to give water to thirsty people,” they will say to that person,
“This is God’s gate, you, who gave water to those who were thirsty may enter.”...
 “I used to give clothing to those who needed clothing,” they will say to that person, “This is God’s gate, you, who gave clothing to those who needed clothing, may enter.”...  and, similarly, those who raised orphans, and who performed the mitzvah of tzedakah, and who performed acts of caring, loving kindness.           -Midrash on Psalms, 118:17

"Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said,
If you are walking alone on a journey, you should occupy yourself with Torah.
  If you have a headache, you should occupy yourself with Torah.
  If you have a sore throat, you should occupy yourself with Torah.
  If you bones ache, you should occupy yourself with Torah.
 If your entire body is in pain, you should occupy yourself with Torah." - Eruvin 54a Is this true?  It most certainly is true that when Torah is  elevated   above  all else, real freedom from woes arrives. "It was stated, “Rabbi Elazar said, ‘No harm happens to people on mitzvah missions, neither en route to the mitzvah, nor on the way back.’” - Pesachim 8b Is this so?  Harm  is when you lose control.  People who  act  on God's Will do not make that assumption.

The thief who was caught and being tried complained, “My mistake was not in stealing, it was in not running fast enough.” Perhaps we can all learn from the thief.   Once we learn the lesson of not doing God’s will, we should learn to run fast the next time the opportunity to do a mitzvah comes.

A man came to small town in Russia where there were no etrogim. He received numerous offers for his etrog.   Some more willing to relinquish their entire properties for the mitzvah of owning and blessing the etrog. Finally, the rabbi approached him and asked if he might purchase it and make the proper blessing for the entire town.   Man replied,   “Not for money. Give me a portion of your World to come to Come.” Unwittingly, the rabbi agreed. But before the festival he made sure that the whole town was aware not to invite this man into their Sukkah.   The man, during the holiday, found he could not gain admittance to any Sukkah.   He sat down and cried for several hours. Finally picking himself up he went to the rabbi and poured out his heart.   He said, “I sat down and wept for several hours.” Upon hearing this, the rabbi and let him into his Sukkah for now he had the proper attitude toward religious practice. Holiness is not something that is apparen...

"One mitzvah begets another mitzvah." -Avot 4:2 Isn't the cascade effect of goodness wonderful?  Do something good and more goodness comes more easily!

“Matters of the heart are not matters.” - Talmud, Kiddushin