DAYS OF INTROSPECTION

As we begin to recite Slichot this Sunday , my mind turns towards our preparations for the Yom Tov of Rosh Hashana.
Socrates, the Greek philosopher, was also celebrated as a teacher.  One day an arrogant young man came to him and said, "Great teacher, I wish to acquire learning."  The philosopher appraised the young man critically and said, "Follow me."
Together, they left the house and walked through the city until they came to a small river.  Socrates beckoned the would-be student to follow him into the water.  When they were in the middle of the river, the philosopher pushed the youth's head under water and held it down for some time.
When he released him Socrates asked, "When you were struggling in the water what did you desire most?"
"Learning, oh master," replied  the student.  Again Socrates pushed the young man's head under the water for a long time and again asked what his greatest desire was.
"Learning," panted the young man.  Again Socrates pushed him under the water and held him there until he ceased to struggle.  Then pulling him from the water, he asked,  "and now what was your greatest desire?"  The young man gasped, "air."

Socrates smiled and said, " when you desire learning as much as you desire air you shall have it."

As we experience this High Holy Day period, the holiest time of the year, we find ourselves in another spiritual climate as we stand in reverence before G-D.  Instead of feeling that religious observance as an afterthought, or that religion is an accessory of life, we desire, as did the drowning man, faith as the breath of life.

During this time of year, our blurred vision is properly focused and the main distractions and prejudices of the year disappear.  We see a new light of understanding and a light of the spirit.

Penitently, we pray to the Almighty, asking His help and guidance in transforming ourselves so that religion will become as important to us as it had ever been to our parents and our grandparents.

There is a spirituality electrifying mood in the synagogue on Rosh Hashanah . If, during the year our heads are under the water of business and material gain, on Rosh Hashana we come up for spiritual air.

The call goes out from the Almighty to each one, "Oh, you  Jewish men and women, remember your responsibilities to your G-D, to your children and to your community.  Remember that you have an obligation to help build and to maintain the sanctuary that is your Jewish Home.

It is during these turbulent times that greater introspection into our personal lives is required and understandably greater D'Vekut Ba'shem.

As we approach these  days of awe, let us be mindful of this great opportunity that is presented to us , an opportunity to bring changes into our spiritual lives that will usher in a new era of peace and tranquility for ourselves and for  Klall Yisrael.
                                             לשנה טובה


Sent from my iPad

שמחת לב

 As we approach the Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah my mantra is “Do what you love and love what you do."

 

Isaac Asimov, the prolific writer, during an interview with Barbara Walters was asked, “How many books did you write?”

He replied, “I don't remember the total, but it was some astronomic figure, but I am sure they were outdated within a short time.”

She was very impressed and asked him "Don't you ever want to do anything but write?" His answer was, "No."

She pressed him again, “Don't you ever want to go fishing, or hunting, or dancing, or hiking?

Again, his answer was, “No.”

Ms. Walters continued, “But what would you do if the doctor told you that you have only six months to live?"

Asimov replied, "Type faster".

That was a man who was happy doing what he was doing, and that is the secret of life.

 

The question I pose, “Are we happy in what we are doing?”

Remember well, Destiny is not a matter of chance, it's a matter of choice.

 

Our Torah portion this week is Ki Tavo, wherein we read 

״ושמחת בכל הטוב אשר נתן לך הי אלוקיך ולביתך ....״

"You shall rejoice in all the good that The Lord your G-D has granted you and your family"

 

Rav Kook defines Simcha as “Something that comes from the perception that someunexpected gift has befallen us. We feel joy in serving Hashem when we are aware of the tremendous privilege in being able to connect to G-D - a gift far beyond our true level. Awareness of this amazing gift, while at the same time feeling that our service is appropriate and suitable, allows us to feel both Simcha and Tov Lev.

This connection is a result of recognizing the divine source of our soul and it's inherent holiness, even though it may have become somewhat mundane through contact with the material world.

 

However, there are times when In the midst of Great Joy the world comes crumbling down upon us as a result of an evil that lurks in the dark that has resided in our midst. 

This was evident on September 11, 2001.  It is a day etched in our memory of horrors.

Who can ever forget that day of infamy when  our twin towers were taken down by ruthless murdering terrorists, who took innocent lives, only because they were Americans who lived by the sacred belief in the holiness and preservation of mankind.

 

In the midst of this mourning experience we continue to search for the true meaning of life. We search for happiness. We search for Simcha.

 

In our search we begin to realize that life is in the living. Life is in the tissue of every day and hour of our existence. With these thoughts in mind we begin to prioritize our goals and aspirations for ourselves and for our families.

 

Dovid Hamelech said it well, "Blessed be Hashem for everyday".

 

This idea is brought home in Thornton Wilders’ most poignant drama, Our Town. He relates how the main character of the book, Emily, is permitted to relive a day of her childhood, even after her death. When she does, she begins to realize how she failed to appreciate how beautiful her life was and then cries out, “Life goes so fast that we do not appreciate every moment.  We don't have time to look at one another, to see the beauty around us, to appreciate our Mama and Papa, our new ironed dresses and the delicious food that Mama prepared for us. Do any human beings even realize life while they live it? Every minute, every minute?."

 

 Indeed, at these times we begin to think of how to invest our time? We are encouraged that every dawn that ushers in a new day is an opportunity to live life in such a positive way that as we look back we have no regrets of what we didn't do - but rather feel great Simcha in what we did do, to make life more meaningful and more productive.

 

Simcha to me is what we bring to life that counts, not just what life throws at us.

Happiness is a state of mind and it lies within each one of us and sometimes we need to dig deeper into ourselves to find it, the result is truly, worthwhile.

 

Permit me to conclude with a story that emphasis this idea; A man once stood on a hill overlooking a valley and In the distance he saw a golden mountain. Overawed by what he saw he hiked to that impressive mountain. After climbing the mountain he discovered that the mountain from which he descended was now gleaming and that it was really the sun rays which made it glow.

 

Too often we see Simcha on the other mountain while all along it was within ourselves. 

 

We are all Blessed, for we possess the source of our Happiness. Blessed is the one who can find that Simcha.

LOVERS AND FRIENDS

Permit me at this time to become more personal in my remarks as I prepare for the wedding of our beloved and charming granddaughter Deena to a wonderful young man with outstanding medot Lipa Liebhard.  
Our Torah reading this week, Parshas Ki Tetseh, encourages us to find a suitable mate and to get married as it is written כי יקח איש אשה.
Marriage was the blessing of G-D when he said to Adam, in the Garden of Eden,  לא טוב היות אדם לבדו, "It is not good for a person to be alone", and so Hashem created Eve to be Adam's Partner in life. Working, harmoniously together they achieved much more than they would individually.
Marriage is not two solo acts, but more so, it is a duet that operates with great love for one another. The beauty of marriage is the readiness on the part of husband and wife to help each other to achieve their hopes and dreams and together in life they become one with each other in a life of happiness and contentment.
It is true, marriages are made in heaven, but successful marriages are made on earth. 

The ultimate goal in marriage is to create a life wherein husband and wife rejoice together.
In order to build marital harmony, a couple must set aside and invest quality time  in their relationship.
The Torah encourages that time, which is one's most precious commodity, be reserved for their respective mates. Marriage encourages the fulfillment of becoming רעים אהובים, not only lovers but to create a strong and everlasting bond of friendship. Marital love requires time to ripen and to blossom and it often needs understanding and patience.
Only with time and effort does emotional and spiritual interdependence flourish in a blessed way.
Chazal were quick to point out that the Hebrew word for man and woman איש and אשה  have almost the identical letters except for the letters, י and ה, which are letters used for the name of G-D, suggesting that איש ואשה שכינה שרויה בינהם "When man and woman dwell in peace and harmony, Hashem dwells with them and bestows His Brachot upon them."
I sense more and more that our society needs more  שלום בית - more love and giving and forgiving,

merging two lives into one without submerging either's individuality or personality, but rather uniting all respective traits into one glorious unit.
To achieve a beautiful life, together, husband and wife need to orient themselves to unconditional love and commitment .
I read recently about a young husband dreaming of his future career,and turned to his wife and said,"My dear, I'm going to work hard so that someday we will be wealthy".
The wife quickly responded "We are wealthy, we have each other with great love and understanding. Someday, maybe we will have money and be rich".

My blessings of Mazal and Brachot go to our children, Miriam and Avraham and hope and pray that they will continue to have Nachas from the newly married couple and may Mazal and Brachot reign in our family for many years to come.


Sent from my iPad