Dear all,
This past weekend, Ron and I took the kids to the Santa Barbara Zoo. When they saw the pink flamingos, they both tried to mimic the pose, each attempting to stand on one foot.
The image brought to mind a classic midrash (Jewish rabbinic story) in which an individual who enjoyed annoying scholars asked Rabbi Hillel to teach him all of Torah while standing on one foot.
In that moment in time, Rabbi Hillel could have responded with impatience. But instead, the wise rabbi shared:
”What is hateful to you, do not do to anyone else.
That is the entire Torah. All the rest is commentary.
Now go and learn.”
If you had just a moment to think quickly about the essential meaning of life, what would you say? What value would you want to hand down, what message? What core belief do you treasure that makes the world a better place?
And most importantly – how are you living that belief each and every day?
With love and shalom,
Rabbi Zach Shapiro
