Great Warriors

Great warriors stand their ground; they do not initiate conflict.

Last words of a Hero: General Hermann Henning von Tresckow

These are the last words of German General Hermann Henning von Tresckow, spoken on July 21, 1944, when he learned in Bialystock that the plot to assassinate Hitler had failed. He committed suicide immediately afterward.

“The whole world will vilify us now, but I am still totally convinced that we did the right thing. Hitler is the archenemy not only of Germany but of the world. When, in few hours’ time, I go before God to account for what I have done and left undone, I know I will be able to justify what I did in the struggle against Hitler. God promised Abraham that He would not destroy Sodom if just ten righteous men could be found in the city, and so I hope that for our sake God will not destroy Germany. No one among us can complain about his death, for whoever joined our ranks put on the shirt of Nessus. A man’s moral worth is established only at the point where he is ready to give up his life in defense of his convictions.”

In Greek mythology the Shirt of Nessus refers to a poisonous shirt that killed Hercules.

Jacob Dying

As Jacob drew near to death to join his ancestors, we will prepare to join our ancestors and return home (Gen 47.28-31; & Gen 15.15, 25.8)

We are the Antennae

We are the antennae that transmit the Source’s signals: art, beauty, ideas, knowledge, justice, truth, love.

Counting Blessings

Counting flaws drains; counting blessings fills.

The World’s Happiest Countries

http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/14/world-happiest-countries-lifestyle-realestate-gallup-table.html
Very interesting. Quick observations: 1) The top countries are almost all wealthy; 2) Scandinavians seem really happy (in spite of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo); 3) Costa Rica is not wealthy, but stands at no. 6, probably because of its emphasis on quality of life and tight social networks; 4) In spite of the stresses of violence and war, Israel comes in high at no. 8; 5) in spite of its wealth, the US is only at no. 14; 6) Bulgaria is the unhappiest European country; 7) France, Germany, Italy, and Spain are not high up, and the United Kingdom and Ireland are not so great. 7) Brazil and Panama are relatively highly placed; 8) Africa is very unhappy; 9) the happiest Asian countries are in the Middle East or Central Asia, not in South Asia or the Far East; 10) How is Turkmenistan almost as happy as the US.

When Moses Was Too Humble

When Moses was too humble, the Source reminded him that “I will be with you” through deeds, words, and feelings. And so our energy reaches out to those yet to be born. (Ex 3.12)

Integration

Integration: unifying the One and the Many.

When You’re Down

When you’re down, just get up.

Study Replaces Sacrifice

Lev 6.2 (6.9) literally says “This is the Torah of the burnt offering” (not “this is the ritual of the burnt offering”). Torah is study, learning, and teaching. Therefore, study of the Torah (including study of sacrifice) is much more important than sacrifice itself.

Love and Death

Love and death are dance partners.

Where do We Find You?

Where do we find you? Inside your body running the software? Outside your body plugging you in? No. “You” are not anywhere, because “you” is not an object taking up space, but an energy flowing through space, time, and beyond.

Holy Work

Let your work, whatever it is, always be holy work. (Ex 25.8-9)

The I Disappears

Lost in the moment, I disappear. Time melts into eternity.

The Genuine You

When your I recedes, you make room for your genuine You.

Searching for Answers

Searching for the answers: It’s the search that matters.

Repairing the World

We are here to help repair the world.

Early Israel in Color

http://blogs.jta.org/politics/article/2010/07/10/2739990/fun-was-there-in-color-and-its-still-there
This is a deeply moving video showing for the the first time color video of life in Israel from 1947 on. The videographer, Fred Monosson, was a charismatic man who could pretty much get in anywhere and get anyone to let him photograph them. And to think that the film was almost thrown out!

Breathing

Breathing is three-dimensional: depth, height, width. So is life fully lived.

Compassion

We all have wounds we carry around with us. Awareness of this should make us much more compassionate to one another.

Time Melting

We have millennia between us, you and I. Feel the centuries melt as time recedes.

Calm

Deep inside everyone is a well of calm. Drink from it.

I Will Be What I Will Be

I will be what I will be (ehyeh asher ehyeh): the Source cannot be fully understood (Ex 3.14).

Duck and Cover

http://www.wimp.com/duckcover/
What to do in a nuclear attack according to “experts” in 1951: Hilarious, naive, and sobering (via Nelson French).

Jews Don’t Camp

http://www.youtube.com/user/chickenturkeypenguin

Hilarious.

Our Greatest Accomplishments

Our greatest accomplishments are invisible to the eye, but felt by the heart and mind.

The Horizon

The horizon: where heaven and earth meet.

Web as Random Acts of Kindness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P65XdTlk4vA
The internet as a verb: self-creating, transformative, and spreading kindness (via Nelson French).

Do What You Came Here to Do

In this world, do what you came here to do. That’s all there is to it. (Ex 38.22)

Symbols and Meaning

Symbols do not merely bestow meaning; they are the vehicles through which meaning exists.

The Present

What is, what was, and what will be are not. There is only what is.

Singing Puppies to Sleep

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCnAjel02lM

Ultimate cuteness.

Learning is What Matters

It’s not what you accumulate that matters; it’s what you learn.

Still Waters Run Deep

Almost all that popular culture ranks as important in fact is not. Still waters run deep.

Israeli Internal Religious Conflict

If ever the Palestinians and Israelis get it together, this will become the big issue in Israel:  progressive and secular Jews vs. the Ultra-Orthodox. Israel is only 20% Orthodox, and many of them are not Ultra-Orthodox.  E.g. Shimon Peres is Orthodox, and he’s no fan of the ultra-religious and their parties.  About 15 years ago, everyone predicted that the Ultra-Orthodx would grow substantially in numbers, but that has not happened, as many children of Ultra-Orthodox families are influenced by the broader global culture (as many of the youth are in Iran) and do not stay within the fold.  The Palestinian conflict helps the Ultra-Orthodox, since it divides everybody else.  In the long run, I don’t think that the Ultra-Orthodox can win, because the numbers are not on their side and because this is not the direction of human culture.  Time is on our side.

History in our Cells

Each person contains the history and memory of the species and the planet in his or her cells.

Be Present

Wherever you go, be there (Ex. 24.12).

What Ultimately Matters

The most magnificent buildings and career accomplishments pale in significance before a smile, a hug, kindness, love, learning, wisdom.

Humans are Earth Beings

Humans are earth beings (Gen 2.7), created from millennia of terrestrial DNA. To connect with our bodies is to connect with our primal origins.

Why Fear Death?

Why do we so fear death? How many times have we died before we die?

A Poet

A poet is one who sees into the fire that creates and sustains the universe.

Actors on a Stage

We’re all actors on a stage, each of us with our assigned role. Waking up means taking a place in the audience to see this.

Time and Space

Time and space are symbols, pointers toward something eternal and boundless.

Manna and the Wilderness

As we all wander for a while in the wilderness, we each receive the sustenance, the manna, we need (Ex 16.4ff).

Sparks of Light

Everything and everyone has a spark of light. We are here to learn to see it.

Faith is Trust in the Universe

Faith is trust in the universe, in the Source, Adonai Eloheinu, All-That-Is.

Curiosity

Curiosity from reverence and awe engenders deep learning and knowledge.

The One and the Many

The One and the Many: No Many without the One, no One without the Many.

Parting of the Re(e)d Sea

The parting of the Re(e)d Sea: A little order in the midst of chaos (Ex 14).

Humility and the Self

Humility does not shrink the self, but expands the self until the self erupts into sparks of fire.

11 of the Craziest Things about the Universe

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcus-chown/11-of-the-craziest-things_b_628481.html#s107477

My personal favorite: There are an infinite number of copies of each one of us living out an infinite number of alternate lives. I actually find that comforting.

Torah is a Living Tree

Torah is a living tree (etz chayim), never staying the same, always changing and growing.

Life Grows as a Tree

Life grows as a tree. Slowly the roots extend and descend, while the trunk rises and expands into branches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqc6t711zn8&feature=related
This is excellent (not political). It’s an Israeli advertisement for investment that highlights Jewish commitment to learning, entrepreneurship, high tech, and the collaboration of business and government:

Healing the Pain of Our Ancestors and Parents

Torah teaches us to heal the pain of our ancestors and parents: Abraham for Terah, Jacob for Isaac and Rebecca, Joseph and his brothers for Jacob, Moses for Abraham and Sarah, Joshua for Moses, and we for our own.

Life is a Classroom

Life is a classroom with a never-ending series of pop quizzes. That’s why we’re here.

True Prophet

A true prophet speaks not for him- or herself, but for the Source (Gen 41:15-16).

The Budding Prophet

While others sit, will I stand? While others are silent, will I speak? While others acquiesce, will I challenge? Am I ready to travel a lonely road? Questions for the budding prophet.

Loving Your Neighbor

“Love your neighbor as yourself” and “made in the image of God” means: Loving your neighbor takes you on the path to loving the Source.

Authentic Energy

No matter where we go and with whatever people we are spending time, we carry with us the authentic energy that makes us who we are.

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