Can you believe that two months have passed already? The few weeks after camp always seem almost surreal. It's so hard to believe that only a mere two months ago we were together. I hope that each and every one of you has had an absolutely fantastic time so far, and that you are continuing on your upward journey.
I always find the days right after yuntif a bit disconserting as we were on a spiritual high that has suddenly left us. I just wanted to share a thought or two with you in hopes of starting off the rest of the year with some inspiration.
For those of you who came to art this summer [and no hard feelings to those who didn’t ;-)] you will know that the two most common lines are as follows:
"I hate art. I can't do it."
"Cyou do it for me? PLEEEAAASE?!?!?!"
One by one.
1. I hate art… I cant do it. Let's analyze that for a second, bear with me. Do you really hate art? Or do you hate the fact that you might not feel successful in the creative process? And why don’t you feel successful? Is it because you really aren't successful, or is it perhaps because society tells you that to be a good artist you have to paint and draw a certain way? Why can't a stick figure be a beautiful expression of your innermost emotions?
Meaning, its so important to be careful with our words. How often do we come out of a class saying "my teacher HATES me!" ? Do you honestly think she hates you? Probably not. Our words have tremendous power and we would be wise to use them wisely.
2. You hate art and you can't do it. [sigh] how often did we hear that being repeated again and again? And how often did those same girls walk away with beautiful projects. What happened? You hate art…yet you come back. You can't do it…yet you have stunning art to show. Each and every one of you has crazy potential. There will be times in life where you think 'Hashem. I hate this. I can't do it." It's uncomfortable and I don't think I can handle this test that you sent me. And you know what? With a little push, or a big shove, you will be able to accomplish so much. You will come away from a potentially frustrating situation with a beautiful art project to show for yourself.
And perhaps the most important…
3. "Can you do it for me?!" And the answer was always – I can help you, but I can't do it for you. That's life. You can have people to help you, advisors who care, parents who love you, teachers who are incredibly inspiring…but they can't live your life for you! At the end of the day, it is all up to you. You're life is in your own hands. But it's more than that. As Rabbi Shippel says "Your Judaism should never be based on anyone but YOU and HASHEM!" it is a private relationship, and while its fantastic to take advice and ideas from other people… sof kol sof [at the end of everything] only YOU can do it for you!!
And finally… you can find inspiration anywhere. If you can be inspired by the kvetches that came out of the art room, you can be inspired by anything! I challenge you to go out and find inspiration in the most random place – and share it with someone!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Tmobile Tfillos
Shalom Shalom!
Summer is upon us. The sun is shining, the ice cream trucks are out, and everyone’s outside. In this fun filled time of the year when all we can think about is tanning and going biking, it’s a pretty good time for a shot of inspiration.
My phone broke a few weeks ago. Not only was it absolutely not working, it ceased to function during the exact week that I needed it desperately. Not in the “I neeeeeeeeeeed my phone or I cant survive” sense, but I was coordinating a bunch of stuff and I really needed to be in contact with a lot of different people. So I went into the phone store, found the lady behind the counter and begged her “PLEASE!! Fix my phone!!” Being that this is her job, she smiled and asked for the culprit. I handed it over. She opened it. She closed it. She opened it again. “Ma’am, I don’t see any problem with your phone, it is working just fine.” I was shocked! I was ecstatic! I took the phone from her and saw with my own two eyes that it was working. Amazing.
After I had gone outside and walked down the block I realized that I had to make a phone call. I pulled out my now healthy phone, opened it up to make a call….and voila! It’s broken again. No problem. I go back to the store, walk in and hand my phone to the lady. I said, it’s still broken! She opened it, closed it, opened it again and said “Ma’am. I still don’t see a problem. There’s nothing wrong with your phone.” I checked it in the store, and she was right, it was working just fine. So, I make my way out of the store, and am down the block again when I open my phone again. And yes, it was no longer working. As I walked back into the store, I saw the ladies eyes open wide as she probably contemplated calling the cops on the crazy lady whose walking in with a healthy phone. Regardless, I tried to explain that it was working inside their store, but as soon as I left the store, it went beserk. There was no talking to this lady, she didn’t understand. I went outside pretty bummed out that I would have to buy a new phone or something.
As I was walking down that same street I was thinking about the strange occurrence of events. It just didn’t make sense that my phone works in the store and not outside of it. I went through the possibilities of what it could have been. Barring any other worldy creatures with four heads and one eye, I figured there HAS to be a rational reason.
And then of course, it hit me.
I forgot to daven for it!
Silly me.
Clearly, Hashem created my cell phone, Hashem broke my cell phone, and Hashem could FIX my cell phone! Of course! So I sat and I davened, and I davened, and I davened. I left my phone alone for a few minutes, and when I opened it up it was working again!
I was just talking with a good friend about how hashgacha pratis [Divine intervention] play out in our every day lives. She was mostly convinced that Hashem put a plan into the world, and while He is involved, He isn’t involved on an intricate detailed level. There is nature in the world, and the process of nature takes over. She was saying something very smart that is spoken about extensively in the sifrei kedoshim.
BUT. The Chovos Halevavos says that Hashem gives strength to whatever we put our trust into. Meaning that if you work for someone, and you put your trust into your employer then your livelihood will be based upon that person’s moods. But if you put your trust in Hashem then your employer becomes a shaliach for Hashems funds to funnel through. In the same vein, if you put your trust into the natural world, then your ability to move around in the world is dependant on the rules of nature. But if you put your trust in Hashem then nature is just the shaliach to help you serve Him better. So that if you are stuck in traffic but you MUST get somewhere, you can simply say to Hashem “Hi. You’re my Father and my Traffic Director, would you mind getting me there on time?” And if the answer is yes, then you will absolutely get there on time.
So what happened with my phone?
I truly believe that Hashem broke it in order to hear my tefillos. But I forgot to daven. So He created such a bizarre situation where my phone worked in the store, broke a block away continuously. It was just so weird that it forced me to recognize that what was needed at that moment was tefillah. And when a person puts their trust in Hashem, and not the sales people, all it takes is a little prayer for Hashem, our Mechanic, to fix a phone.
Hashem should bless us with the clarity to always see Him, put our trust in Him, and recognize that He only wants good from us.
Have a great day!
Summer is upon us. The sun is shining, the ice cream trucks are out, and everyone’s outside. In this fun filled time of the year when all we can think about is tanning and going biking, it’s a pretty good time for a shot of inspiration.
My phone broke a few weeks ago. Not only was it absolutely not working, it ceased to function during the exact week that I needed it desperately. Not in the “I neeeeeeeeeeed my phone or I cant survive” sense, but I was coordinating a bunch of stuff and I really needed to be in contact with a lot of different people. So I went into the phone store, found the lady behind the counter and begged her “PLEASE!! Fix my phone!!” Being that this is her job, she smiled and asked for the culprit. I handed it over. She opened it. She closed it. She opened it again. “Ma’am, I don’t see any problem with your phone, it is working just fine.” I was shocked! I was ecstatic! I took the phone from her and saw with my own two eyes that it was working. Amazing.
After I had gone outside and walked down the block I realized that I had to make a phone call. I pulled out my now healthy phone, opened it up to make a call….and voila! It’s broken again. No problem. I go back to the store, walk in and hand my phone to the lady. I said, it’s still broken! She opened it, closed it, opened it again and said “Ma’am. I still don’t see a problem. There’s nothing wrong with your phone.” I checked it in the store, and she was right, it was working just fine. So, I make my way out of the store, and am down the block again when I open my phone again. And yes, it was no longer working. As I walked back into the store, I saw the ladies eyes open wide as she probably contemplated calling the cops on the crazy lady whose walking in with a healthy phone. Regardless, I tried to explain that it was working inside their store, but as soon as I left the store, it went beserk. There was no talking to this lady, she didn’t understand. I went outside pretty bummed out that I would have to buy a new phone or something.
As I was walking down that same street I was thinking about the strange occurrence of events. It just didn’t make sense that my phone works in the store and not outside of it. I went through the possibilities of what it could have been. Barring any other worldy creatures with four heads and one eye, I figured there HAS to be a rational reason.
And then of course, it hit me.
I forgot to daven for it!
Silly me.
Clearly, Hashem created my cell phone, Hashem broke my cell phone, and Hashem could FIX my cell phone! Of course! So I sat and I davened, and I davened, and I davened. I left my phone alone for a few minutes, and when I opened it up it was working again!
I was just talking with a good friend about how hashgacha pratis [Divine intervention] play out in our every day lives. She was mostly convinced that Hashem put a plan into the world, and while He is involved, He isn’t involved on an intricate detailed level. There is nature in the world, and the process of nature takes over. She was saying something very smart that is spoken about extensively in the sifrei kedoshim.
BUT. The Chovos Halevavos says that Hashem gives strength to whatever we put our trust into. Meaning that if you work for someone, and you put your trust into your employer then your livelihood will be based upon that person’s moods. But if you put your trust in Hashem then your employer becomes a shaliach for Hashems funds to funnel through. In the same vein, if you put your trust into the natural world, then your ability to move around in the world is dependant on the rules of nature. But if you put your trust in Hashem then nature is just the shaliach to help you serve Him better. So that if you are stuck in traffic but you MUST get somewhere, you can simply say to Hashem “Hi. You’re my Father and my Traffic Director, would you mind getting me there on time?” And if the answer is yes, then you will absolutely get there on time.
So what happened with my phone?
I truly believe that Hashem broke it in order to hear my tefillos. But I forgot to daven. So He created such a bizarre situation where my phone worked in the store, broke a block away continuously. It was just so weird that it forced me to recognize that what was needed at that moment was tefillah. And when a person puts their trust in Hashem, and not the sales people, all it takes is a little prayer for Hashem, our Mechanic, to fix a phone.
Hashem should bless us with the clarity to always see Him, put our trust in Him, and recognize that He only wants good from us.
Have a great day!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Feed the birds…! [tuppins a bag?!]
Shalom to one and all
My guess is that most of you are in the middle of vacation. Hope you’re having a blast and staying out of trouble!
This week is…. Shabbos Shira!
What does that mean? If you go to shul this week you will find that at some point in the middle of Torah reading, everyone stands up and the chazzan recites ‘Az Yashir’ the song which was recited as the Jews crossed the Yam Suf [Red Sea].
Some of you might have also noticed that there are some Jews throwing bread out for the birds today, Friday before Shabbos Shira. What’s up with THAT?!
Great question.
When the Jews were in the desert, Hashem sent them mann, a special holy substance that replaced food for their 40 years of wandering. There were many unique qualities about the mann, one in particular was that it fell double on Friday so that nothing had to fall on Shabbos. There were two instigators among the Jews who wanted to cause trouble, and they took their double portions of mann on that first Friday and spread it out over the field. Shabbos morning they wanted to wake everyone up saying “Come!! Look outside!! Moshe doesn’t know what he is talking about and the mann fell on Shabbos!” But the birds went and ate up all the mann at night so that there would not be a chillul Hashem.
And so, out of appreciation to the birds, we feed the birds on the Friday of Shabbos Shira.
Now. Those birds in the desert are long dead. The birds that are outside my house in New York are probably a different breed altogether and in no way related to the birds of the desert. Not only that, what do the birds of back then have to do with us right now?!
Rabbi Wallerstein gave a beautiful answer.
The bread crumbs that we will throw out today in 2008 are NOT for the birds… it is to teach us hakaras hatov. And if Hashem wants us to show gratitude to a bird that we have no connection to, they don’t know the difference and don’t care if they get food from you or from the garbage can…. HOW MUCH MORE do we have to give thanks to the people who are there for us all the time! How much more so do we have to show appreciation to G-d, who wakes us up every morning, gives us sight, lets us move, we’re healthy, we have family, we have friends, school, food, vacation…we’re alive!
Gratitude is one of the foundations of all other middos. When you thank someone, you put yourself aside and are totally focused on them. We acknowledge that we are not all powerful, and other people have done something for us that we couldn’t have done ourselves. It is a lesson in humility, and learning to be appreciative.
I heard a wonderful quote from Rabbi Heller, “Gratitude is the recognition that live owes me nothing, and all the good that I have is a gift!”
Wow.
So today, go take a piece of bread, break it up into crumbs and throw it out to the birds. Then go and call up someone who did something great for you. Write a letter to your parents. Thank a friend, a teacher. Go daven mincha. Make a beracha and mean it. Have some gratitude and in the merit of all the ‘thank you’s may we be able to bring a Korban Hoda’ah [sacrificial offering of thanks] in the Bais Hamikdash very soon!Shabbat Shalom!
p.s. The title is from Mary Poppins… apologies for the outdated reference
My guess is that most of you are in the middle of vacation. Hope you’re having a blast and staying out of trouble!
This week is…. Shabbos Shira!
What does that mean? If you go to shul this week you will find that at some point in the middle of Torah reading, everyone stands up and the chazzan recites ‘Az Yashir’ the song which was recited as the Jews crossed the Yam Suf [Red Sea].
Some of you might have also noticed that there are some Jews throwing bread out for the birds today, Friday before Shabbos Shira. What’s up with THAT?!
Great question.
When the Jews were in the desert, Hashem sent them mann, a special holy substance that replaced food for their 40 years of wandering. There were many unique qualities about the mann, one in particular was that it fell double on Friday so that nothing had to fall on Shabbos. There were two instigators among the Jews who wanted to cause trouble, and they took their double portions of mann on that first Friday and spread it out over the field. Shabbos morning they wanted to wake everyone up saying “Come!! Look outside!! Moshe doesn’t know what he is talking about and the mann fell on Shabbos!” But the birds went and ate up all the mann at night so that there would not be a chillul Hashem.
And so, out of appreciation to the birds, we feed the birds on the Friday of Shabbos Shira.
Now. Those birds in the desert are long dead. The birds that are outside my house in New York are probably a different breed altogether and in no way related to the birds of the desert. Not only that, what do the birds of back then have to do with us right now?!
Rabbi Wallerstein gave a beautiful answer.
The bread crumbs that we will throw out today in 2008 are NOT for the birds… it is to teach us hakaras hatov. And if Hashem wants us to show gratitude to a bird that we have no connection to, they don’t know the difference and don’t care if they get food from you or from the garbage can…. HOW MUCH MORE do we have to give thanks to the people who are there for us all the time! How much more so do we have to show appreciation to G-d, who wakes us up every morning, gives us sight, lets us move, we’re healthy, we have family, we have friends, school, food, vacation…we’re alive!
Gratitude is one of the foundations of all other middos. When you thank someone, you put yourself aside and are totally focused on them. We acknowledge that we are not all powerful, and other people have done something for us that we couldn’t have done ourselves. It is a lesson in humility, and learning to be appreciative.
I heard a wonderful quote from Rabbi Heller, “Gratitude is the recognition that live owes me nothing, and all the good that I have is a gift!”
Wow.
So today, go take a piece of bread, break it up into crumbs and throw it out to the birds. Then go and call up someone who did something great for you. Write a letter to your parents. Thank a friend, a teacher. Go daven mincha. Make a beracha and mean it. Have some gratitude and in the merit of all the ‘thank you’s may we be able to bring a Korban Hoda’ah [sacrificial offering of thanks] in the Bais Hamikdash very soon!Shabbat Shalom!
p.s. The title is from Mary Poppins… apologies for the outdated reference
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