Libi BaMizrach

Vayetze Vayishlach Topic :   Why is it so hard to be a Yaakov ? Theme:   Good things are difficult to achieve, Hashem afflicts those who are close to Him to challenge them. (Could use the Charlie Harrary Yom Kippur video about Partner track) Quotes: משלי פרק ג, יא-יב   מוּסַר יְקֹוָק בְּנִי אַל תִּמְאָס וְאַל תָּקֹץ בְּתוֹכַחְתּוֹ:  כִּי אֶת אֲשֶׁר יֶאֱהַב יְקֹוָק יוֹכִיחַ וּכְאָב אֶת בֵּן יִרְצֶה "God knows our situation; He will not judge us as if we had no difficulties to overcome. What matters is the sincerity and perseverance of our will to overcome them."   Lewis, C.S.   "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles that one has overcome while trying to succeed."    -- Booker T. Washington Opener ‘tis the season when politicians come calling.   We have to pay obeisance to them, and them to us, to some extent.  This is the accepted practice of the...

This is something I should have been doing for some time, writing down my brilliant insights that I shared with my congregants, so that all the billions who read this blog can benefit as well. Or perhaps so that I can have some sketchy record of what I talked about. So here goes. I began with some of the usual Jewish mother type lines, as in ~ “Mother's day, Shmother's Day - you just go to the beach and enjoy yourselves.” ~ “You don't have to call me every week - I know how busy you are.” ~ “Your father is a saint - you should only be just like him.” ~ “You are so lucky to have your in-laws.” ~ “Your wife knows best - forget about the advice I gave you.” How about Rivka in The children agitated within her, and she said, ‘If so, why am I thus?’ point is made about what she could not live with was inconsistency - person being pulled in two directions. In her case it ended up being two kids pulling two ways. For most of us, within ourselves, there are fo...

I wrote this a few hours after I heard of R' Nosson Zvi's passing . . . ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Someone sent me these pictures today , a truly sad day as a very special man passed from our midst.   The pictures capture his life and its greatness, from student council President at Ida Crown in Chicago to the Rosh Yeshiva of the world's largest Yeshiva.   Different pictures but the same person; with growing aspirations who never stopped trying to accomplish as much as he possibly could with his limited time here. There is much that was written, and more that will be written, about him.  One nice write-up is saw is here  , which captures much of his uniqueness, (although there are a few small factual errors.) I would just like to add my small words of eulogy, of the Rebbi I knew thirty years ago, when he was much younger and less famous, (though even then he was not in the best of hea...

So, here goes, my official blog.    I am not quite sure why I am doing this, other than to give myself a publisher who will publish my material no matter what.   (Trying to get published is no fun).  So for the world to see, I can add my thoughts from time to time. Will anyone ever read this?  Who knows.   I guess time will tell.  But it is a first step, anyway.