As long as I'm the mode both for posting and for being in the "holiday spirit", I'd like to share something that my mother sent me last week.
All too often, we get so caught up in our own little reality, that we lose sight of the bigger picture around us and of what others might be going through.
We never know how much of a difference we can make in somebody else's life, but sometimes making that difference involves a sacrifice on our part. Hopefully in the end, what we give up is more than made up for by what we are able to give.
This piece has touched me more than I can really express in mere words, so rather than tryong to do so, I'll simply let you read it it, and hope that it moves you as much as it has me.
WET PANTS
Come with me to a third grade classroom.......
There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives...
The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.'
He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.
As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.
The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!'
Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful .. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.
She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. You've done enough, you klutz!'
Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too...'
May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good...
Remember.......Just going to the synagogue (or to church or to a mosque) doesn't make you holy any more than standing in your garage makes you a car..
Each and everyone one of us has gone through tough times at one point or another. Always keep the faith. Faith will brighten your days, no matter what your religion.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Hitting the home stretch of the holidays
It has been a long time since I wrote in here. I started the blog several months ago, with high hopes that I would use it on a regular basis to share and express whatever is on my mind.
But it didn't quite work out that way.
It's not that I haven't had a lot on my mind, or a lot going on my life, or even a lot that I would love to share. It's just that I haven't taken the time to sit down and share it.
What makes the lapse even worse is that many of my friends have told me that I really need to get back to this. I have received a tremendous amount of positive reinforcement about my writing, and a great deal of encouragement to continue doing it and sharing it.
So, I won't make excuses. Instead, I will thank those who have given me so much encouragement, and apologize to anybody who thought when I started blogging so far way back when that I would not wait so long in between posts. I hope to do better in the future.
That hope actually provides me with a perfect segue into some of the thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head as we approach the end of the nearly month-long High Holy Day season. It seems to me that an underlying "theme" for Jews around the world this month could be labeled "Looking back while also looking ahead".
We started the holiday season with the Jewish New Year – Rosh HaShana (actually, we started getting "into the mood" a month before that at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Elul). Our focus was on this past year – what did we do right, and where did we fall short. We start thinking about the Big Book which our tradition holds that God has open on this day – hoping to have been good enough this past year to be inscribed in the Book of Life.
For the week after Rosh HaShana we are concentrating on asking forgiveness from one another for all of the wrongs that did. Our sages teach us that we can only hope for and expect forgiveness from God if we have first asked forgiveness of those whom we have hurt. The week culminates with Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement – when we take a full day (a little bit more, actually – 25 hours) and we go without any food or drink, as well as many other physical earthly comforts, in order to center our entire focus on asking God for His forgiveness. We have now stopped looking so much at the past year, and are looking at the New Year which just began, hoping that we can find a way to make ourselves better people in the coming year – both to God and to mankind.
A few short days after Yom Kippur, we begin celebrating the week-long holiday of Sukkot – the festival of Booths/Tabernacle, when we remember the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness that our ancestors endured before being worthy of entering the Promised Land of Israel. All of our meals are eaten in make-shift booths, and many sleep in them as well. These booths are symbolic of the temporary structures which served as homes for the generation of nomads that left behind a life of slavery and looked ahead to life in Israel. On the surface this would appear to be a hardship, but in fact it is a celebration – of life, of the new beginning after slavery in Egypt and after the tension and power of Yom Kippur today.
The holiday season ends with Simchat Torah – the perfect culmination of the whole "Looking back and ahead" motif. This is the day when we complete the annual cycle of reading the Torah – the Five Books of Moses, which are divided into weekly portions from the beginning of Breishit (Genesis) until the end of Devarim (Deuteronomy). We finish – then we immediately start again. This is a fresh beginning of reading and learning the Torah, matching the fresh beginning of our New Year, and our renewed commitment to be better people in the future than we have been to date.
For those who throw themselves into the deep spiritual meaning of this holiday period, it is both a time of intense introspection, and a time of rejuvenation. The holidays themselves are physically exhausting, but somehow most of us look forward to them all the same. They serve to remind us that life goes on; that there is no such thing as being so "far gone" that we cannot find it in ourselves to come back and to be the kind of people that God wants us to be, and equally important, that we ourselves should be striving to be within ourselves.
But it didn't quite work out that way.
It's not that I haven't had a lot on my mind, or a lot going on my life, or even a lot that I would love to share. It's just that I haven't taken the time to sit down and share it.
What makes the lapse even worse is that many of my friends have told me that I really need to get back to this. I have received a tremendous amount of positive reinforcement about my writing, and a great deal of encouragement to continue doing it and sharing it.
So, I won't make excuses. Instead, I will thank those who have given me so much encouragement, and apologize to anybody who thought when I started blogging so far way back when that I would not wait so long in between posts. I hope to do better in the future.
That hope actually provides me with a perfect segue into some of the thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head as we approach the end of the nearly month-long High Holy Day season. It seems to me that an underlying "theme" for Jews around the world this month could be labeled "Looking back while also looking ahead".
We started the holiday season with the Jewish New Year – Rosh HaShana (actually, we started getting "into the mood" a month before that at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Elul). Our focus was on this past year – what did we do right, and where did we fall short. We start thinking about the Big Book which our tradition holds that God has open on this day – hoping to have been good enough this past year to be inscribed in the Book of Life.
For the week after Rosh HaShana we are concentrating on asking forgiveness from one another for all of the wrongs that did. Our sages teach us that we can only hope for and expect forgiveness from God if we have first asked forgiveness of those whom we have hurt. The week culminates with Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement – when we take a full day (a little bit more, actually – 25 hours) and we go without any food or drink, as well as many other physical earthly comforts, in order to center our entire focus on asking God for His forgiveness. We have now stopped looking so much at the past year, and are looking at the New Year which just began, hoping that we can find a way to make ourselves better people in the coming year – both to God and to mankind.
A few short days after Yom Kippur, we begin celebrating the week-long holiday of Sukkot – the festival of Booths/Tabernacle, when we remember the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness that our ancestors endured before being worthy of entering the Promised Land of Israel. All of our meals are eaten in make-shift booths, and many sleep in them as well. These booths are symbolic of the temporary structures which served as homes for the generation of nomads that left behind a life of slavery and looked ahead to life in Israel. On the surface this would appear to be a hardship, but in fact it is a celebration – of life, of the new beginning after slavery in Egypt and after the tension and power of Yom Kippur today.
The holiday season ends with Simchat Torah – the perfect culmination of the whole "Looking back and ahead" motif. This is the day when we complete the annual cycle of reading the Torah – the Five Books of Moses, which are divided into weekly portions from the beginning of Breishit (Genesis) until the end of Devarim (Deuteronomy). We finish – then we immediately start again. This is a fresh beginning of reading and learning the Torah, matching the fresh beginning of our New Year, and our renewed commitment to be better people in the future than we have been to date.
For those who throw themselves into the deep spiritual meaning of this holiday period, it is both a time of intense introspection, and a time of rejuvenation. The holidays themselves are physically exhausting, but somehow most of us look forward to them all the same. They serve to remind us that life goes on; that there is no such thing as being so "far gone" that we cannot find it in ourselves to come back and to be the kind of people that God wants us to be, and equally important, that we ourselves should be striving to be within ourselves.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Taking a stand
So - I work in Tel Aviv, in an area where there aren't so many restaurants that I like, and that I can afford, so I have been splitting my lunches between two places. The first place makes grilled meat sandwiches (cold cuts on a whole wheat roll, "toasted" and quite yummy). The second place is a small Italian place, where I can get a personal pizza (and whole wheat IS an option). What I like about both of these is that they food is good, whole wheat is a very important option for me, and both places are much less expensive than standard Tel Aviv lunch options.
This week, I was in the Italian place on Monday, and I saw a guy sitting in the kitchen (not preparing food, but in the kitchen anyway) smoking a cigarette. Right after I saw that, the manager came to the table with my food. I said to the manager "Please tell me that I didn't just see somebody smoking in the kitchen". His response was (in Hebrew) "Ein Matzav" - which translates to "Not a chance!". I asked him to please go check, just to make sure. Nothing else was said, nor (so I thought), needed.
I was back on Thursday. This time, while I was eating, I looked towards the kitchen again. The other guy that had been smoking on Monday wasn't there, but the manager (remember him? He's the one whose automatic response whas that there was No Way someone had been smoking in the kitchen!) - that same manager was in the doorway to kitchen - facing in - and smoking a cigarette!
When I finished the pizza and went to the counter, I said to the manager "A couple of days ago, when I asked if it was possible that I saw somebody smoking in the kitchen, you told me that it was not possible at all. Now I see that it is more than possible". He at least had the sense to look embarrassed and not argue with me. I then told him that maybe when I can be sure that people don't smoke in the kitchen where the food is being made then I can come back and eat there again. He said "I promise - it will never happen again!", but unfortunately, I can only believe that it won't happen when he sees that I'm there.
It's very possible that if he had answered differently the first time I saw someone smoking there, that I wouldn't have been so upset and turned off by the place. If he had said on Monday - "You're right - I'll tell him to stop", I could have accepted his a bit more on face value. But when his automatic response was "Ein Matzav!" - as if the concept was completely unthinkable - it made his own doing all the more hypocritical.
Oh well, I'll miss the pizza but not the bullshit...
This week, I was in the Italian place on Monday, and I saw a guy sitting in the kitchen (not preparing food, but in the kitchen anyway) smoking a cigarette. Right after I saw that, the manager came to the table with my food. I said to the manager "Please tell me that I didn't just see somebody smoking in the kitchen". His response was (in Hebrew) "Ein Matzav" - which translates to "Not a chance!". I asked him to please go check, just to make sure. Nothing else was said, nor (so I thought), needed.
I was back on Thursday. This time, while I was eating, I looked towards the kitchen again. The other guy that had been smoking on Monday wasn't there, but the manager (remember him? He's the one whose automatic response whas that there was No Way someone had been smoking in the kitchen!) - that same manager was in the doorway to kitchen - facing in - and smoking a cigarette!
When I finished the pizza and went to the counter, I said to the manager "A couple of days ago, when I asked if it was possible that I saw somebody smoking in the kitchen, you told me that it was not possible at all. Now I see that it is more than possible". He at least had the sense to look embarrassed and not argue with me. I then told him that maybe when I can be sure that people don't smoke in the kitchen where the food is being made then I can come back and eat there again. He said "I promise - it will never happen again!", but unfortunately, I can only believe that it won't happen when he sees that I'm there.
It's very possible that if he had answered differently the first time I saw someone smoking there, that I wouldn't have been so upset and turned off by the place. If he had said on Monday - "You're right - I'll tell him to stop", I could have accepted his a bit more on face value. But when his automatic response was "Ein Matzav!" - as if the concept was completely unthinkable - it made his own doing all the more hypocritical.
Oh well, I'll miss the pizza but not the bullshit...
Welcome to my blog - Enter at your own risk
So, I have toyed with the idea of doing this for a very long time, but for some reason never got around to it. There is probably a very good reason why I never got around to it before (aside from my ADD), but I'd just as soon not start exploring that.
Rather, I'd like to try figuring out why I am finally starting it now.
I've often been told that I'm a good writer, and that it's a pity that I don't do it more often. But I don't think that's what has pushed me into starting to blog.
I know some people with a lot going on in their lives to share - for example a very close friend who has been battling an illness for a while - and they find blogging the easiest way to keep their friends and loved ones posted on everything. Thank God, for me that's not an issue, therefore also not what has inspired me to start blogging.
I also know that there are many folks who blog because they are pushing a particular agenda - for example their political views, and they find that this is an excellent tool for them to do so without anybody interrupting them to tell them how wrong they are. Alas - that's also not my driving force. I will probably discuss political issues sometimes in here, as well as various and sundry social issues, but without any intention (or interest) in "swaying the masses".
My reasons are much less lofty, and much more selfish.
I often get the feeling that people think that I talk too much. The worst part is that I can't really disagree with them - I know that it's true. I am constantly telling myself that I wish I were quieter, more "in the background", less feeling the need to share every thought, joke, anecdote and idea that pops into my over-active brain. But it is not to be. I can't seem to find a way to simply STFU!
So this is my attempt at an "out". If I can express and share all of gets stuck in my skull here, maybe I won't feel the need to share it with anyone and everyone who happens to be stuck with me at any given time.
I hope.
We'll see.
One of the things that it means is the I want to start blogging for and foremost for me. The thoughts and ideas are in my mind and I'm looking for a venue to set them free. It doesn't matter if anybody reads them (although you are welcome to do so). It doesn't matter (most of the time) what people think of these Ramblings (although I am always open to discussion about them - whether or not we agree). I have no intention or interest in "converting" anybody to my way of thinking, I just want to express what I feel the need to express.
Often, having the opportunity to express freely, as in a blog, is exactly what a person needs in order to understand the thoughts and ideas for themselves. I have a feeling that this will often be the case for me.
This will not be a political blog, although living in Israel, it would not be possible or realistic (or healthy, for that matter) to never discuss politics. Nor will it be a "causes" blog, although there will inevitably be some causes that I mention - either for or against.
One disclaimer that I should write here - and I have no doubt that I will repeat this very many times throughout the blog - I am not and make no claims to be an "expert" on anything. My views on politics, social issues, child-rearing, history, and whatever else - are simply that - MY views. I haven't studied these things in the university, or written major research papers on them, or conducted in-depth surveys gathering comprehensive information. I am an every day John Q. Public, who keeps up with the news on a fairly regular basis, who reads some opinion pieces to get varying perspectives, and whose ideas have been shaped by his own experiences. No more and no less.
This blog will be exactly what the title implies - Ramblings. Plain and simple. Any interesting, amusing, enjoyable or thought-provoking discussions that may come out of it are the icing on the proverbial cake, but even without the icing, I hope to enjoy the cake in and of itself.
If you enjoy it as well, that's wonderful. If not, and you choose to not read my Ramblings, that's fine too.
Asher
Rather, I'd like to try figuring out why I am finally starting it now.
I've often been told that I'm a good writer, and that it's a pity that I don't do it more often. But I don't think that's what has pushed me into starting to blog.
I know some people with a lot going on in their lives to share - for example a very close friend who has been battling an illness for a while - and they find blogging the easiest way to keep their friends and loved ones posted on everything. Thank God, for me that's not an issue, therefore also not what has inspired me to start blogging.
I also know that there are many folks who blog because they are pushing a particular agenda - for example their political views, and they find that this is an excellent tool for them to do so without anybody interrupting them to tell them how wrong they are. Alas - that's also not my driving force. I will probably discuss political issues sometimes in here, as well as various and sundry social issues, but without any intention (or interest) in "swaying the masses".
My reasons are much less lofty, and much more selfish.
I often get the feeling that people think that I talk too much. The worst part is that I can't really disagree with them - I know that it's true. I am constantly telling myself that I wish I were quieter, more "in the background", less feeling the need to share every thought, joke, anecdote and idea that pops into my over-active brain. But it is not to be. I can't seem to find a way to simply STFU!
So this is my attempt at an "out". If I can express and share all of gets stuck in my skull here, maybe I won't feel the need to share it with anyone and everyone who happens to be stuck with me at any given time.
I hope.
We'll see.
One of the things that it means is the I want to start blogging for and foremost for me. The thoughts and ideas are in my mind and I'm looking for a venue to set them free. It doesn't matter if anybody reads them (although you are welcome to do so). It doesn't matter (most of the time) what people think of these Ramblings (although I am always open to discussion about them - whether or not we agree). I have no intention or interest in "converting" anybody to my way of thinking, I just want to express what I feel the need to express.
Often, having the opportunity to express freely, as in a blog, is exactly what a person needs in order to understand the thoughts and ideas for themselves. I have a feeling that this will often be the case for me.
This will not be a political blog, although living in Israel, it would not be possible or realistic (or healthy, for that matter) to never discuss politics. Nor will it be a "causes" blog, although there will inevitably be some causes that I mention - either for or against.
One disclaimer that I should write here - and I have no doubt that I will repeat this very many times throughout the blog - I am not and make no claims to be an "expert" on anything. My views on politics, social issues, child-rearing, history, and whatever else - are simply that - MY views. I haven't studied these things in the university, or written major research papers on them, or conducted in-depth surveys gathering comprehensive information. I am an every day John Q. Public, who keeps up with the news on a fairly regular basis, who reads some opinion pieces to get varying perspectives, and whose ideas have been shaped by his own experiences. No more and no less.
This blog will be exactly what the title implies - Ramblings. Plain and simple. Any interesting, amusing, enjoyable or thought-provoking discussions that may come out of it are the icing on the proverbial cake, but even without the icing, I hope to enjoy the cake in and of itself.
If you enjoy it as well, that's wonderful. If not, and you choose to not read my Ramblings, that's fine too.
Asher
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