Conformity and Community

Conformity means a bunch of individuals forming a collective ego, an I. Community means a bunch of individuals building a whole that transcends the individual “I”s (egos) and creates a collective higher self.

Not Only Humans Are Persons

A “person” may be human, but a “person” may also be another life form, including other animals and plants. The world is filled with persons we don’t even realize are there.

Breath, Words, Creation

Breath + words = creation (Gen 1)

Dreams

Inspiration = Dreamtime

The Highest Paid Athlete in History

http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/roundtable/greatest-of-all-time.php
A Roman charioteer was actually the most well-paid athlete in history.

Life and Death in Every Breath

There is life and death in every breath.

Feelings as Pointers

Feelings are there to point us in the right direction.

Rest

We all need to rest, and so does the earth. That’s why we have shabbat and why the earth has a sabbatical year.

“God is in the Details”

Someone once said, “God is in the details.” That’s why observation, research and scholarship, and study are fundamental.

Experience and Wisdom

Learning from experience leads to wisdom.

Search Your Core

Search your core. There you will find genuine stories.

The Unique You

There are lots of I’s that are the same, but there is no You other than You.

Concealing Yourself

You are what the I conceals.

Each Person Under a Banner

Num 1.52, “Each person under his or her banner”: Each person is uniquely himself and herself.

Love Your Neighbor

Lev 19:18: “Love your neighbor as yourself” actually reads in Hebrew: “You shall show love to your neighbor as you would (show it to) yourself.” In other words, love is not simply a feeling state, but also an act of doing.

Jacob’s Ladder

Gen 28:12: Why do the angels first go up the ladder and then down it in Jacob’s dream? Because some of us are the angels.

Thought

Thinking is a part of feeling.

Time Does Not Sleep

We will never ultimately win a race against time, because time does not sleep.

Body and the Self

The more you are aware of your body, the more you feel the energy that shapes your greater self.

Shabbat

Spend some time doing nothing. That’s what allows you to do something worthwhile. Shabbat.

Anxiety

Anxiety and daily dramas cover and surpress the longings of our spirit for sustenance.

The I and the Source

Meditation, study, dreaming, praying: moments when time and the I depart and the Source enters.

Letting Go of Your I

Ironically, when we let go of our I, we feel a deep connection to others and understand Lev 19.18: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

New York City Mosque

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ed-koch/citizens-recall-and-be-gu_b_683853.html
Ed Koch defends Obama on the NYC mosque (comparing Obama’s comments to George Washington’s letter on behalf of Jews) and condemns attempts to amend the fourteenth amendment.

Pardoning Billy the Kidd

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/17/us/17billy.html?hp

“Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico is considering whether to grant a pardon to Billy the Kid. Among opponents are descendants of the sheriff who killed him.”

Our Accomplishments

Our accomplishments belong as much to others as they do to us.

So Small

So small in the vastness of the universe am i, yet complete and whole.

Connecting to Our Ancestors

After Jacob and Joseph died, Jews became slaves in Egypt. Why? Because they lost track of their ancestors, their home, their Source. Roots let us grow and thrive. They are the ties that both bind and liberate. We cannot help but be products of generations past to the beginning of time. The question is: Do we sever ourselves from the past, simply reuse the past by forgetting that we are each born anew, or integrate the past into a new creation?

Stepping Outside of Your I

Stepping outside of your I gives the Source room to enter.

Full Breath

Full breath means full life.

Guardian Angel

When something painful happens to you, remember that a guardian angel is by your side every moment.

Repair the World

We Jews are haunted by the cries of Abel’s heirs from the earth. The specter of annhilation has a way of improving your hearing. Hence tikkun olam, repair of the world.

Use of Tools Much Older than Thought

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/12/science/12tools.html?_r=1&hp&pagewanted=all
And this is 3.4 million years ago: Puts the use of tools at a much earlier date than formerly thought.

Wisdom

Wisdom arises from the inside.

Noah did not argue with the Source for the impending human genocide. Abraham argued with the Source for Sodom, but not for Isaac. Moses argued incessantly with the Source. So did the great Hasidic rebbe, Isaac of Berditchev. We are supposed to act like Moses and Isaac of Berditchev.

Relaxation

True relaxation: not a vacation, but a way of life.

Adam’s Breath

The Source breathed life into Adam (Gen 2.7). Every time we exhale, we also bring life into others.

Cells in the Universe

Each of our cells contains a universe. We are each a cell in another universe.

Humility

Humility is the beginning of wisdom.

Body and Mitzvah

Jewish tradition says that every part of our body corresponds to a mitzvah (a commandment). So, when our body is in proper attunement, we will then feel the presence of the Source and act accordingly.

« Previous Entries