The Almighty creates everything anew, every single second. Each moment is like the very beginning of creation.
Viewing the world in this light will preserve its freshness in your eyes.
Sources: Bais HaLevi – Genesis; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s Gateway to Happiness, p.143
© Carla Bicomong
The only way to have a happy life is to keep your eyes focused on what you have and not on what you are lacking.
Sources: Chofetz Chaim; Kuntros Nefutzos Yisroel; Cited in Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Gateway to Happiness,” p.354
Some people become so upset when they are insulted, that they repeat the incident to others who would otherwise not know about it! By giving the matter additional attention, you are causing yourself additional embarrassment!
Sources: Rabainu Yonah to Mishle 12:16; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Gateway to Happiness,” p.298
Interestingly enough, thanks to sharing, retweeting, and reblogging, insults get spread all the time, spreading outrage and indignation to epic proportions, even when the original event might have been relatively minor.
© James Pyles
Yesterday, my son texted me at work and suggested spending Saturday together. He had a very specific agenda.
So this morning, I met him at his house, and we got the kids ready to head into downtown Boise so we could attend the annual Boise Veterans Day Parade (hence the image above). The parade has been held since before my family and I moved here 24 years ago. I can remember when my kids were in marching band in Junior High and High School, they’d perform in the parade each year.
We picked a corner near the start of the parade and met a lot of nice people, including a woman whose 13-year-old daughter was in it this year.
I took a ridiculous number of photos (and fortunately for you, I posted only one). The air was cool and crisp and if you were dressed properly, it was a great day to go to a parade.
Some people mistakenly say, “He hurt my feelings,” or “He made me feel bad.” But in actuality, no one can hurt your feelings or make you feel bad — unless you allow their words to affect you. Your attitude toward an insult causes you pain, not the insult itself.
The emotional pain of an insult comes from what you add to it.
-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Gateway to Happiness,” p.294
These messages appear in a newsletter I receive daily from Aish.com, so I don’t choose the content. That said, the message above is exactly what I’ve been trying to communicate about people and their visceral reaction to the current political climate, and particularly the guy who is now sitting in the Oval Office. No one can “hurt your feelings” unless you let them. Yes, I know, we all let others take control of our emotions at times, including me, but it doesn’t mean we have to, and it never means we have to give our power over to others.
Found at typinglounge.com – No image credit given
So I signed up for a writing class called The Art and Craft of Writing led by L. Jagi Lamplighter Wright. You can find out more about her books at Amazon.
The class will last throughout the month of November, I suppose to coincide with National Novel Writing Month or “NaNoWriMo” (though we won’t be writing a novel).
There’s a private, dedicated Facebook page for the class, as well as a discussion list where students can communicate with each other and Jagi.
We’ve been teamed up in small groups of writers who are attracted to similar genres (in my case, science fiction and fantasy). We receive an assignment each week, and after we respond to the assignment, we share it with our other group members. We make suggestions on each other’s work, edit our own work accordingly, and then turn it in to Jagi.
Oh, one of the group members doesn’t have Word, so we’re collaborating using Google Docs, which is an interesting experience, since it’s totally new to me.
I have no idea what happens after that, because we’re still in the middle of the first assignment.
Every person has unique talents, skills, knowledge, and resources.
Utilize these to help others in ways that are uniquely yours. Learn from the kind deeds of other people, but don’t compare yourself with anyone else. Others will be able to do things that you can’t. And only you will be able to do certain things.
-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s book “Kindness.”
From the Torah viewpoint humans are the goals and the purpose of the entire creation. Without the Torah perspective, there is no essential difference between a human and a donkey.
Someone looking at the world from a completely secular viewpoint has no basis for the value of man. On the philosophical level, man would have no more inherent worth than any other piece of matter.
Sources: Gesher Hachayim, vol.3, p.52, Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s Gateway to Happiness, pp.118-9
What make human beings unique except the intent of the Almighty (and yes, I expect folks to disagree)?
When you have trust in the Almighty, you have peace of mind. Even in very troubled times, a person with this trust will be able to handle life without worry and sadness. He experiences joy regardless of how much he possesses. He does not feel a lack, and he does not worry about what will happen tomorrow. He feels intensely that when he has this trust, he has everything.
Moreover, even if he does lack something today, he does not worry about it. His situation is similar to a growing, successful company. Even if on one particular day no orders come in, they don’t worry. They know they have the right product and eventually will make a large profit.
So, too, with a person who has trust in the Almighty. Even if he is temporarily missing some things he needs, he will not complain. He feels secure that the Almighty will send him all that he truly needs. He maintains an inner serenity because he is certain that his path is the path of life.
Sources: see Rabbi Yosef Hurwitz of Nevardok – Madraigos Haadam – Bitachon; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Consulting the Wise”
Every person in the world waits for signs of recognition and affection.
Students wait for signs of friendliness from their teacher; teachers await signs of respect from students. Children want signs of empathy from their parents; parents hunger for affection from their children. A customer wants his needs to be understood; a salesperson needs to feel that his merchandise is appreciated.
So give people what they want!
Sources: Alai Shur, vol.1, p.191; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s Gateway to Happiness, p.138
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