A Soulful Journey

One of the members of the Rothschild family spent a weekend on a small farm in the country.  When the owner gave him his bill he was startled to see the amount he was charged. "What?" Rothschild exclaimed in surprise.  "Four francs for an egg?  Have you such a scarcity of eggs?" "Not a scarcity of eggs," replied the owner, "but a scarcity of Rothschilds." Funny.  But not right.  The Torah explicitly states that we should not favor the poor over the rich and vive versa.  All must be treated equally.

The famous Slominski, a famous astronomer, lived in great poverty.  One day he sat absorbed in a thought trying to discover a new planet. "What are you trying to do, my husband?  I need money to buy food!" "Be patient.  Soon I will make a discovery that will improve our condition." "Yes,'"said his wife.  "It is much easier to find a star in the than a ruble on the earth." The Mishna clearly teaches us, “Rabban Gamliel, son of Rabbi Yehudah the Prince said: Study   Torah    together with a worldly occupation."

Purchasing a Maine retirement home, my wife and I made small talk with a previous owner. We had paid top dollar for the property and asked her what she intended to do with the money. "Well," came her Down East response, "I certainly intend to spend more wisely than you just did." - Benjamin Langstroth

“The whole goal of our learning is to remove the obstacles from our becoming more loving human beings.” - Rav Kook,  Orot HaKodesh  IV, 389, 39 The task is ongoing.

And the knowledgeable will be radiant like the bright expanse of the sky,  And those who lead the many to righteousness will be like the stars forever and ever.  -Daniel 12:3 Forward.  Always move forward in your learning.

Pursuit of such peace and civility does not mean that we can or ought to avoid all controversies. That is generally impossible, and especially so in the context of such a tense and contentious society as that of Israel. (I remember her story my grandfather told me, of a young man who appeared one weekday morning in a synagogue adjoined services but failed to put on tefillin .  He resisted the requests of a gabbai and the president until the rabbi approached him and asked for an explanation. He told Rabbi that his father had died and left a will that he, the son, should avoid all controversies. Since there is a dispute between Rashi and Rabbenu Tam as to the nature of tefillin , he therefore avoided tefillin  altogether...   Rabbi Norman Lamm It is admirable to avoid negative confrontations that have no resolution.  At the same time, it is disempowering to avoid meaningful conversations and decisions no matter how hard they are.

The ship, St. Louis, left Hamburg, Germany on May 13, 1939.  Eights days prior to the ship leaving port, carrying hundreds of Jewish refugees, Lawrence Berenson gave $125,000 to Cuba for their immigration.  That same day the Cuban president declared that he wanted another $650.00. In the meantime, the ship docked in Havana and the Jews aboard heard that no visas had yet been issued because of the money standoff. Berenson, a man used negotiation, offered $598.00. Forty-eight hours passed in silence before the order came to turn the boat away from the harbor. For $52.00 the Jews died. What do you give to save lives imperiled today?