God awarded the land of Israel to His chosen people, but He didn\’t just give it to us on a silver platter. He expected us to work for it by draining the swamps, working the soil, planting our crops and, yes, driving out the indigenous nations whose crimes against God and humanity no longer allowed them to remain in the Holy Land.
We all instinctively identify and label the heroes and villains in our lives, and Judaism supports the need for iconic heroes.
Of all the regular columns in The Jewish Journal, I enjoy the Singles column the most. You know, the one typically written by a 30-something still out there, searching for
Mr. or Ms. Right.
One of the most daunting and intimidating experiences in life is walking into a new synagogue for the first time. You enter the sanctuary, and it feels like 1,000 eyes
are focused only on you. You\’re not sure what prayer book they\’re using, what page they\’re on, and where you can find a tallit.
Too often, we become discouraged from pursuing our dreams because of the opposition we face. We assess our chances of success based on the strength of our competitors or enemies. If we would only focus more on our own passions and ambitions, on our own strength of conviction, we would get much farther in life. A very successful person once told me, \”I\’ve never worried about the competition; the only person I\’m competing with is myself, to see if I can rise to my potential.\”
We are all a little too dependent on others\’ approval and admiration. This is not only psychologically unhealthy, but it also may show that one doesn\’t feel close with God.
Stories abound of natural tensions between sons-in-law and their fathers-in-law. One is about the man speaking with his future son-in-law, who was studying to be a rabbi.
Parshat Vayetze (Genesis 28:10-32:3)
fear of Isaac
The recent tragic hurricanes in the South have been difficult to watch.
A guy gets a Labrador and he can\’t wait to show him off to his neighbor. So when the neighbor comes over, the guy calls the dog into the house, bragging about how smart the little guy is. The dog quickly comes running and stands looking up at his master, tail wagging furiously, mouth open in classic Lab-smile position, eyes bright with anticipation. The guy points to the newspaper on the couch and commands: \”fetch!\”
Immediately, the dog sits down, the tail wagging stops, the doggie-smile disappears; he hangs his head, looks balefully up at his master and says in a whiny voice, \”Oh! My tail hurts from wagging so much. And that dog food you\’re feeding me tastes absolutely terrible. And it\’s so hot in here. And you\’re not giving me any treats. And I can\’t remember the last time you took me out for a walk….\”
The neighbor\’s jaw drops.
\”Ah,\” the dog owner explains, \”he\’s a little hard of hearing. He thought I said \’kvetch!\’\”
Have you ever read in an advertisement inviting you to buy an overpriced suit or necktie that \”It\’s true, clothes do make the man\”?
Do clothes make the man or woman? On the one hand, we\’d like to think that people aren\’t affected by something as superficial as clothing. But on the other hand, it does make a big difference when people are appropriately dressed. For example, an undertaker must wear conservative clothing in order to achieve the desired effect. Can you imagine Chuckles, the Mortician Clown, bedecked in red nose and floppy shoes officiating at a funeral? He probably wouldn\’t stay in business too long (although, this is California).
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