A little while ago, I attended a tea in support of an Israeli institution for young women. I approached the principal of the school who was the guest speaker at the event. I asked her for a blessing for a member of the family who was undergoing some medical tests. She calmed me down with her encouraging words and told me that I should promise to donate to her institution when I hear good news. She showered me with blessings and I felt relieved and more at peace.
Today I found out that the results of the test were very reassuring and there was no need for any medical intervention. I was very excited and remembered to call the prinicpal with the good news.
She told me, "I give blessings to many people but so few people call me to report back to me when there is good news. You are special."
Let's remember to call the person whom we burdened with our worries if our problem gets resolved. We thought enough of them to confess our anxieties to them and listen as we tearfully spoke to them when things weren't going well in our lives. Let's think enough of them to impart good news, as well.
Thursday 26 May 2011
Sunday 15 May 2011
The parrot
This Shabbos I attended a shiur where the rabbi related an interesting anecdote to drive home his point about how even though we might have had past failures, we can ultimately succeed and turn our past failures into successes.
He related an anecdote about a man who boasted that his parrot could say the Shema Yisrael. He would bring it to shul and the parrot would perform for the congregants. No one believed him and the man collected 500$ from those who bet against this seemingly impossible feat. The parrot was brought to shul but would not speak. Disappointed, the man returned the money and left the synagogue in shame.
When he got home, he got angry with the parrot.
"Because of you, I lost money and I suffered terrible embarrassment," he said.
The parrot responded, "You'll see that it will work out for the best and I will have made you even more money when you approach the congregation again in a month's time. This time bet 1000$ and I will perform for you. Now aren't you happy that you will have doubled your money?"
The rabbi concluded, "So too, can we turn our failures into successes. Hashem doesn't want us to fail. But if we do, we are given more channces to use our failures as an opportunity for growth."
He related an anecdote about a man who boasted that his parrot could say the Shema Yisrael. He would bring it to shul and the parrot would perform for the congregants. No one believed him and the man collected 500$ from those who bet against this seemingly impossible feat. The parrot was brought to shul but would not speak. Disappointed, the man returned the money and left the synagogue in shame.
When he got home, he got angry with the parrot.
"Because of you, I lost money and I suffered terrible embarrassment," he said.
The parrot responded, "You'll see that it will work out for the best and I will have made you even more money when you approach the congregation again in a month's time. This time bet 1000$ and I will perform for you. Now aren't you happy that you will have doubled your money?"
The rabbi concluded, "So too, can we turn our failures into successes. Hashem doesn't want us to fail. But if we do, we are given more channces to use our failures as an opportunity for growth."
Sunday 8 May 2011
The wrong man
Debbie Greenblatt writes in Mishpacha about emunah and marriage. She describes a woman who suffered great emotional pain in her marriage. She had confided in Ms. Greenblatt that "she married the wrong man. She insisted that there had been another person in her youth who would have been more suitable, and she should have married him."
Ms. Greenblatt responds that , "while this fantasy may be useful as a coping mechanism in a difficult situation, the underlying premise is untrue and a tremendous obstacle in rectifying the situation. If we believe that we are where Hashem wants us to be, it will help us put our entire being into the effort of building and repairing our shalom bayis."
How many of us also have a person in our past that was more suitable? Let's stop living in the past and uttering if only and let's concentrate on making the most of the marriages we are in. Let's work on the present, whether it is on getting into shape, becoming better people, enrolling in courses etc. We are in the situation where Hashem wants us to be so let's work to be at peace with where we are now.
Ms. Greenblatt responds that , "while this fantasy may be useful as a coping mechanism in a difficult situation, the underlying premise is untrue and a tremendous obstacle in rectifying the situation. If we believe that we are where Hashem wants us to be, it will help us put our entire being into the effort of building and repairing our shalom bayis."
How many of us also have a person in our past that was more suitable? Let's stop living in the past and uttering if only and let's concentrate on making the most of the marriages we are in. Let's work on the present, whether it is on getting into shape, becoming better people, enrolling in courses etc. We are in the situation where Hashem wants us to be so let's work to be at peace with where we are now.
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