A Soulful Journey

Do mitzvahs and create sparks or points of of light. Every act makes the universe more whole, and brighter. We edge towards the Ultimate Redemption with each mitzvah performed. Light tiny wicks and you will see they do not provide great illumination, but if we light enough of these candles the world will be ablaze. Where do the mitzvahs come from? Torah. Every mitzvah that we perform can be traced to the primary source of all, Torah. A question can be raised, if mitzvahs create light, what does Torah create? It is also light. Rabbi Menachem the son of Rabbi Yossi taught: “ ‘A mitzvah is a candle. The Torah is light.’ The verse used the analogy of a candle for a mitzvah and that of light for the Torah teaching that just as a candle only offers protection for a brief period, so too, a mitzvah offers protection only temporarily. The Torah, on the other hand, is described as light. Just as the light offers protection forever, so too, the Torah offers protection forever.” ~Talmud S...

To be zealous for others is important. Seeing the homeless and feeling disturbed by his plight gives backbone to our humanity. We should be disturbed! Observing an injustice and feeling a sense of outrage is an attribute. When we watch the turn of events in distant lands, learn of human rights violations, and grow angry we are right minded. Insensitivity to the plight of the afflicted is un-Jewish. "People need trouble - a little frustration to sharpen the spirit on, toughen it. Artists do; I don't mean you need to live in a rathole or gutter, but you have to learn fortitude, endurance. Only vegetables are happy." - William Faulkner Our experience with pain should also make us empathic. Each of us has know terrifying and dark nights. That ought to make us sympathetic to the pain of those that suffer. Then God can take joy from His children and say, "Well done."

Brooks become crooked from taking the path of least resistance. So do people. "Ceookedness," Harold E. Kohn

The past is gone. The present is like the the fluttering of an eye. The future is yet-to-be. Why worry?

There is so much to want and need. We want a nicer car. We need food. We want a cushiony bank account. We need to pay our bills. We want people to like us. We need companionship. There are big differences between wants and needs and yet often they become confused. It seems that the more we have, the more we seem to need. The inverse also seems true: the less we have, the less we need.Still, to be more accurate our wants always outnumber our needs. Thank God for that! Baruch HaShem . In the Talmud a great Sage asks, "Who is rich?" He answers, "The one who is happy with what they have." This rabbi understood the need to make sure we understand the difference between wants and needs. If we are content, the difference becomes much more obvious. When I really think about it we need very little. Needs are pretty elemental and basic; food, water, shelter, companionship, clothes and protection.... Some would say that we need pain. Yes, pain. Pain brings us to an awareness ...

A story is told of the dames Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev. When it cam time for the soul of Rabbi Levi to enter into this world as a physical being, the Satan came to the Heavenly Court with a complaint. "This Levi Yitzchak will be so holy, so compassionate and so truthful that all my efforts will be in vain. It is not fair that such a man should be born!" The Tribunal consoled him saying, "Do not worry. Levi Yitzchak will be a rabbi. He will have so many demands on him, there will be so much to worry about, that you will have plenty of chances to do your work."

Imagine a universe of joy. A world of satisfaction where no one covetously eyes their neighbor’s wife or husband, car or she-ass. Imagine a world where no wars or conflicts tear at the fabric of humanity. For millennium, Jews have harbored a vision of such a time and place. We call it the messianic era. Legends are rife about who will usher in that time, what needs to be done before the arrival of the anointed one, who will welcome him and where the seeds of peace will first be planted. At root with the many beliefs of the messiah is his precursor, Elijah, the prophet. Announcing the arrival of the son of David will be this great prophet who never died. Elijah will trumpet the pivotal moment inaugurating the coronation of the messiah. An underlying question still needs answering, though: What will precipitate Elijah coming? What will be the catalyst that forces Elijah from this heavenly chariot back to earth? Here is the answer: Behold, I will send Elijah the prophet before the...