AM Inspiration

I was on the bus coming home from school today and it struck me again. I cannot believe I live here. Its not that its bad. I'm usually OK with it Sometimes its even fabulous But sometimes it strikes me and  I remember that this is not home I think its the same way with the Galut that we are in Usually its all good Its not horrible Sometimes its down right glorious But then sometimes We get shaken And we remember It strikes us I can't believe I'm here I'm not home Im eshkachech Yerushalayim Tishkach Yimini 

Sometimes we are unsure. Sometimes things are cloudy and unclear. What we know in our minds We don't feel in our hearts. Sometimes we wish we were certain We wish it was easier That we could silence the doubts That we could be happy That we could be content We pray for that ease Day after Day We hope for the light That we know is there But just cant seem to grasp But then... Something happens We catch a glimmer We are given a token And we remember Our hearts smile And we feel loved the connection is recharged

Following in the same vein as the last post.. Tragedy, Crisis, Death, Disaster. These are all things that make us stop and think. They give us clarity. They give us perspective. They can also make us feel guilty. Guilty for the emotions that we are feeling at a time when we think its inappropriate. On the day that the murderer was on the loose, on a day when people were crying for the loss of their children, their father, their husband. On a day, when people feared for their lives..What was i doing? Was it OK that i was smiling a funny story my friend told me? Is it allowed  for me to be upset for no good reason? For me to be crabby and sad about my annoying roommates? One would say that generally, we should experience our emotions. We should talk it out. No one can judge you for feeling the way you do..but on a day when your "disasters" are laughable in the face of real tragedy...does that make your emotions any less significant? Are you allowed be to be upset ab

Tragedy has once again struck the Jewish People, not once but twice within an extremely short period of time. When these horrifying events occur, we hope that we will make a change. Hope that this time will be the last time that we need to be shaken awake from our slumber. We hope that it will give us perspective. Perhaps, this will give us the direction that we need. It reminds us of our own mortality. Every minute we live is a gift. We do not know when that gift will cease. There are no guarantees. I have a chilling memory from when I was in seventh grade. A friend of mine turned to me during lunch, distraught," What if I don't wake up tomorrow?!" I had nothing to say. I could not reassure her that she would. How do I know what tomorrow will bring? Rather, I have no idea what will happen in twenty minutes from now. We live with a sense of calm and complacency. We live our lives as we should, without ever thinking about our own mortality. It is somethi

What makes a person frum? When can you confidently say that you are an orthodox Jew? Religious? Its not when we are perfect..because none of us are perfect. We all make mistakes. We all slip up. Some people care some people don't. When you are in school with a large group of Jews, some more modern some more yeshivish..its difficult to explain to the non-Jews in the class why it is that you don't touch men..but she does..why you cannot study and shabbat but he does..It can be very confusing. When I was first looking for an apartment/roommate when i was moving, i emailed this girl on Luach.com about the apartment. Turned out she was going to be in the same school as me doing the same program. It sounded perfect! My my was i wrong. Perfection was the complete opposite. BH, through our email correspondence I could tell that our personalities would not click and that this would not be a good shidduch. Throughout the original correspondence she kept reassuring me that she w

Quote of the Day - Pietro Aretino -  "I am, indeed, a king, because I know how to rule myself." How many of us can really say the above statement in confidence? Can we truly say that we are in complete control of ourselves? Are we not all servants to the whims of things other than ourselves? As human beings, and especially as Jews we value self-control. Not just when it comes to our actions but as well as our thoughts and emotions. We have all learned about the dangers of anger, jealousy and desire.  One could argue that it is just natural. We cannot help if we get angry; I cannot help if my mind wanders.  But that is not true. We choose how we think and feel. We can choose to be a patient person. It may take a lot of work because old habits die hard. I believe that most things that we say..."i cannot help it, its just who i am.." about refers to habits. Habits that we have cultured and grown over the course of our lives.  Thoughts lead to words,

This wanted Ad was seen hanging in Geula.  this makes me miss Israel, and miss being in an environment that allows for the frivolity of purim shtick.