Lessons from a Thief

'Ben Zoma says: Who is wise? He who learns from every person..Who is strong? He who subdues his personal inclination.. Who is rich? He who is happy with his lot.' (Pirkei Avot, 4:1)

This has always been one of my favorite lessons from 'The Ethics of our fathers', sayings of the Sages that resonate today as strongly as they did when they were written 2,000 yrs. ago. The first thing that pops out from Ben Zoma's words, is that they are counter intuitive to what many people would think to answer to these Q's. Wealth? Having lots of money & assets. Strength? Being muscular and in shape. Wisdom? Being a PH.D. And yet we learn that one can be monetarily poor, and yet rich because of his contentment with what he has. "What I need to succeed in my personal mission in this lifetime, I have. What I wasn't given is for a reason, and I therefore don't need it." One can be physically powerful, even exerting one's passion & strength on someone who gets in the way. But holding back and controlling one's inner emotions often times takes more inner strength: "A master of his passions is better than a conqueror of a city." One can be a great philosopher and thinker. But does he really understand the world around him? Is he utilizing his life's opportunities to understand life better? One who learns a lesson from every person & opportunity is constantly growing in wisdom.

One of the examples of learning from everybody that stuck in my mind, was a story with Rabbi Zusia of Anipoli. He taught that one can learn 3 things from babies, and 7 things from robbers! 1) A baby is always busy & is not unoccupied even for a minute. 2) When he lacks something, he isn't embarrassed to cry out for his needs (Like we should do in prayer/requests to G-d). 3) Whenever his basic needs are satisfied, he is happily content. A robber? 1)Does his work under the cover of night, away from the eyes of people (we should perform good deeds without throwing it in people's faces). 2) Even if he fails one day, he will attempt again & again. 3) He is loyal to his comrades.

The list goes on, and maybe you can figure out the rest? May we continually learn good lessons from our surroundings & the people we meet, as well as work to control our anger & impatience. Let's be truly rich, by realizing that everything we have is what we need, given to us by G-d for a reason.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom!

Jewish Revolution

This Tuesday night begins the special holiday of Shavuot, when Jewish people the world over will commemorate the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai more than 3,300 years ago. An interesting question is raised in the Talmud: "Which is greater — Study or Action?” Rabbi Akiva said, and the sages agreed: “Study, if it leads to Action.” (Kiddushin 40b) But is this really the case? Religious, spiritual life - the world over - is usually connected with study, prayer, and personal development. Where does Judaism's consummate focus on action & changing the world come from?

'Now G-d appeared to [Abraham]. And [Abraham] lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing near him...And he said, "My L-rd..please do not leave.." And Abraham hastened..to the cattle, and he took a calf, tender and good...' (Genesis 18:1-8) At first glance, this seems to be just another example of the great love that the 1st Jew, Abraham our forefather, had for every person. But if we think about it for a second, this story is crazy! Here we have the holiest, most spiritual person on the planet, and G-d has chosen to reward him by visiting him and communicating. Instead of reveling in this unbelievable experience, Abraham sees 3 travelers and sends G-d an away message, and runs after them to invite them for lunch! But that's what Abraham, and the Torah, is teaching us: All of our spiritual efforts, our learning of Torah & prayer, should sensitize & instruct us how to help others in need.

Every Jew's spiritual DNA -your soul - contains a spark of Abraham's soul. And Abraham personified the Jewish spirit of desiring to revolutionize, to change the world. It's not an accident that even though we make up 0.2% of the world's population, Jews have won 21% of Nobel prizes (32% in the 21st century); or that the creators of Google, Facebook, cell phones & voicemail, as well as Einstein, Freud, Marx and Frankl, are Jewish. The Jewish spirit mirrors Abraham, yearning to revolutionize the world and make an impact.

On Shavuot night, we try to stay up later (some of us all night!), learning various topics of Jewish wisdom, all culled from the most trans formative book in history: The Torah. Of primary importance is the hearing of the reading of the 10 commandments on Wednesday morning, the 10 calls to action. The Jewish soul may desire to affect the world, but how can one channel that spirit and energy in the proper direction? Through the wisdom, directives, and lessons of the Torah. Wishing you a very happy and healthy receiving of the Torah on this Shavuot!