AM Inspiration

Nobility,Sovereignty, Leadership. Week  7 is the culmination of Sefira."Malchut is a sense of belongung; knowing that you matter and that you make a difference." "I am wanted and needed in this world. I have a comfortable place where I will always be loved. I have nothing to fear. I feel like royalty in my heart." This is malchut, kingship.  Do you agree with this definition? What allows you to be royal in this sense? When do you feel royal? When not? **Quotes from Rabbi Simon Jacobson's Spiritual Guide to Counting the Omer. 

Those closest to you hurt you the most. It is a simple well known fact. Their words hurt more than anyone else's because they mean more to you. You value what your friend opinion of you. Her approval matters to you. It hurt because you let her words go where no one else's can even begin to dream of penetrating. They say "keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer" right? The yetzer hara used to be outside of us. It was a separate entity. There was Adam, the trees, the animal and the snake. It was something physical and easily labeled. Then came the chet. Adam ate from the Eitz Hadaat and with it brought the yetzer hara into himself. No longer could we easily turn away from our temptations. We cannot simply lock it away in a closet and throw away the key. It is with us from the moment we are born till the day we die. It is a part of us. Like anything we get used to this intruder living with us. We no longer are so hesitant to share our space with hi...

Sitting on the plane yet again is making me think. In the past three flights in the last week I have yet to have the privilege of sitting in the aisle. The window seat yes, the middle seat (ugh) yes..aisle ..no.  So what is the big deal you may ask? It is only a two hour flight.  True, but the Starbucks run right before boarding does make it necessary to have access to certain facilities. Sitting in the window seat means that if I want to get up, I have to bother my seatmates. If there is one thing that I really don’t like is inconveniencing people. I try to avoid sitting on the plane for as long as possible, so the two other people sharing my row had to get up so I could get to my seat (never mind the time I tried to climb over a sleeping neighbor only to have him wake up mid climb..moving on) I was thinking how interesting the concept of flying is. You are in a chair in the sky! Think about for a moment. You and about a hundred other strangers are sitting together in a met...

Something I got in my email today. I think its important to share, especially now during sefira; a time when we mourn the loss of Torah in this world due to a lack of simple bein adam lechavaro  Please Say/Whisper the Words out Loud This learning is dedicated liiluy the neshama of Blanche Lassoff Pichel.   (I know this is a little bit long. sorry. But Its a really important article/personal story with lessons that need to make us all think about the comments we make) I "I sometimes wonder if people realize that a slight comment can cause so much pain. Why is it that just because your plight is well-known, people assume they can ask you anything about it, in public? Couples who are childless, people who are sick or disfigured, someone who is having business trouble or going through a divorce; the list goes on. Being single in a marriage-minded world is my public experience of pain. I cringe at the thought of so many people being aware of my challenge (in the community I live...

"you should never settle for who you are" true or false?

Its day three and I’m living solid. No, I have not joined Suntrust. I am on day three without my Ipod Touch. Those who know me know this is a big deal. I spend many a hour on that fabulous piece of machinery. I use it to stay updated on my email, stay in touch with friends, IM, Skype, text.  You name it, I use it.  So the natural question is why .Why have I separated myself from my beloved Touch? Over the course of the past week both my friend’s grandfather and one of the biggest leaders in Persian Jewry (R’ Avigdor Asher Ben Gohar A’H) passed away. To say that we were devastated is an understatement. When two people like that are niftar so close to each other it really makes you stop and think about the life you are living and what it that we are living for. What is the purpose of this life? If I died tomorrow would I be able to answer the Heavenly Tribunal? The Shabbat after my friend's grandfather passed away, her father (my rav) was away for the Levaya so her h...

There is Black. There is white. Black and white are simple and clear cut. It is right or wrong. Clean or dirty. There is nothing complicated in that. The decisions are easy to make. The execution may be difficult but the decision, the decision is easy. It is the grey areas that are complicated. Its the things that we don't know for sure that confuse us, surprise us and tear us apart inside. Not everything in life has rules written out, some things we have to figure out on our own. There are rules. There is mutar and assur. But the in between areas leave us asking questions. Some things we have heard from those that we respect that its not suggested. But what about the things that are not out there? The things that are not scripted for us? How do we know if its right or wrong? How do we know what to do if thee are no rules?  The people we look up to say a lot about us. The people we hang out with are very telling about the people we are and the people we want...