Imagine you're lost in the forest
on a bitter cold winter night.
Miraculously, a blazing campfire
appears to provide you
with warmth and light. Surely,
you wouldn't pour water on it.
The neshamah (soul) that gives
us the warmth and light to
find our way in this world is
a miraculous gift, taken by
the Creator from beneath his
Divine throne and invested in
each of us. But it's not made
of fire; Rabbeinu Yonah teaches
that it is made of truth,
since G-d's seal is truth.
Because truth is the basic element
of the soul,
speaking falsehood — truth's
antithesis — diminishes the
soul as surely as
dousing the flames
diminishes the campfire.
In business, community
affairs, family relations
and friendships, truth
is the essential element,
and any profit
that appears to
come of falsehood
is simply an illusion.
The Midrash
relates that Falsehood
came to Noah and
asked for a place on
the ark. Noah
replied that only
pairs were allowed on
board. So, Falsehood
searched until he found
the one willing partner —
Destruction. After thousands
of years of
working as Destruction's
partner, Falsehood suggested
suggested
that they make an
accounting of their profits.
"Profit?" asked Destruction.
"I'm Destruction. Everything I
touch is destroyed. There is
no profit."
We are required to teach
our children everything they
need to survive, from swimming
to earning a living.
Teaching them to be truthful —
through our words and
our example — is the most
essential skill of all. Not only
does it keep them from making
a partner of Destruction;
it nourishes, word by word,
day by day, the warmth and
light of their souls.
—
Adapted from "Listen to Your Messages" by Rabbi Yissocher
Frand, with permission from
Mesorah Publications
Better Relationships
LETTING IT GO
The Torah (Bible) warns of
the yetzer hara's (Evil Inclination) great
success in clothing
itself as the yetzer
tov (Good Inclination). We see the results
of this every time
righteous indignation
throws fuel on some
tiny spark that
would otherwise
die quietly. But
the Bible promotes
peace
as the single
greatest good.
The small annoyances
and infractions
that irritate us
in our daily lives
simply don't outweigh the
imperative to seek peace.
Someone offers an opinion
that you find ill
informed or just
plain wrong. You
offer your point
of view. The
other person
persists. The
normal
impulse is
to argue
your
point.
But to what end? What
would be
lost if you simply
went on to another subject?
Someone behaves toward you in
an irresponsible manner. You
reprimand him. He doesn't
seem particularly repentant.
Now it seems necessary to
uphold your principle and
force the issue. But what would
be lost if you let it slide? If it's
important, you could wait for a
time when the person is more
receptive.
The need to have the last
word, to have one's rightness
confirmed in every situation,
can make life a discordant misery.
When we let go of the issue,
we often find that, within minutes
or hours, it simply doesn't matter any more
Inner Excellence
THE BEST DAY EVER
You learn something new
every day. That clicheŽ is actually
the key to an attitude that can
make every day a great day.
Because each day we are a little
more experienced,
a little
wiser than we
were the day
before, we have
the potential to
reach higher goals.
A person does not
need to wait for
the big raise, the
fabulous present,
the exciting journey
to turn today
into something
special.
Maimonides
told the story of a
distinguished
person who was asked, "What
has been the most joyous day of
your life?"
"It was a day that I was on a
ship," he replied. "There were
people on the ship who mocked
me, and even threw garbage at
me. But I was able to transcend
this and create my own inner
joy."
This person experienced a
distressing situation
as his own
private liberation
day. He
proved to himself
that his inner
landscape was
under his own
control, and couldn't
be invaded by
even the most
unpleasant
occurrences.
That made the
day a great one.
If you want to
lend today the
distinction of
being the greatest day in your
life, focus on what you are better
able to do today. Maybe your
learning comes a little easier;
maybe you handle a difficult
situation with more maturity;
maybe you find that you've gotten
into some positive new
habit that was a struggle for you
before. When you build today
upon everything you've
learned and done before, each
day stands above the ones that
preceded it. Each day can be
the greatest day. So far.
To do:
Start today on something —
a new attitude or action — that
will boost you to a new level of
growth.
—
Adapted from " Happiness," from by
Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, with permission
from Shaar Press
