Use prayer to help overcome sadness. Talk to the Almighty in your own language. Tell Him how awful you feel. Ask Him for the strength to cope with your present difficulties, and to grow from them.
-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Gateway to Happiness,” p.180
Found at “The Flagon” twitter account
“One for sorrow, two for mirth.” Tom raised his flagon of ale at the bar, smiling at his brother.
“Aye, brother. Here’s to mirth.” Chris raised his as well and clumsily pressed the two together. Then they both drained their drinks by half and slammed them down on the counter before them.
Tom leaned over and hugged his elder sibling. I’ve missed you, Chris. You don’t know how boring things are when you’re not around.”
Chris broke from the clinch and patted Tom on both shoulders. “I must admit the same. Life just isn’t as much fun when you’re not with me. Whoa.” The large blond had to grab the edge of the bar to keep from teetering off his stool.
“Had one ale too many, eh, brother?” Tom took another drink, but just a sip.
“Not at all, Tom. The stool must be faulty. Here. Another toast. To family.” He again lifted his flagon.
“Yes, dear brother. Family.” Tapping their containers together, they both took another long swallow. Then setting his drink down, Tom said, “Of course, there isn’t much family left. Our father…”
“Yes, the dear departed. I miss him a great deal.”
“In spite of the lies he told?”
The mitzvah to develop our character is the mitzvah to “walk in the ways of our Creator.” Viewing events and situations in this light will elevate the mundane, for in the ultimate view of life nothing is mundane. Every moment presents its unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
By acting and reacting in ways that are kind, compassionate, understanding, and sensitive, you emulate the Creator and bring the Shechinah (Divine presence) into your home. No accomplishment could be greater.
-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin”s book entitled “Marriage” – ArtScroll Publications, 1998, Introduction, p.11
© Sue Vincent
Ed slowed his stock horse as he approached the bleached cow’s skull. “Easy there, Chester. Let’s have a look.” The aging rancher stiffly swung a leg over his mount, planted it on the grassy field, and then slipped the other booted foot out of the stirrup. He squared himself on the ground, hitched up his gun belt, then looked into the cloudy autumn sky. “Looks like rain, don’t you think?” The horse was impassive.
He slowly walked toward the vacant stare on the ground. “How long have you been here, old girl?” He pulled his hat down tighter on his gray head. “Bet you’ve seen a lot in your time.” Ed looked over his shoulder. “The way of the world, Chester. It’s the way of the world.”
A cold wind blew across the plain, but Ed didn’t take any notice. For a reason he couldn’t explain, he was captivated by the worn remains at his feet. Then the first drops of rain began to fall, lightly kissing the brim of his hat, his boots, even the skull. He turned back toward Chester and froze. His companion was standing stoically, patiently next to the body on the ground, Ed’s body.
“What in…?”
I remember walking with my father to his synagogue in East Baltimore on Shabbat. The neighborhood was a tough one. There weren’t very many individuals with yarmulkes, and I would feel a bit uncomfortable. But my father kept telling me not to be self-conscious. He radiated self-confidence and friendliness.
People of all races would ask him for his blessings and prayers. His good nature enabled him to view everyone as a friend — and people reciprocated.
-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s book, “Courage”
© Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
This house was my prison for seven centuries, ever since Lord Jaime Caruthers incarcerated me here. Then, the will of the Caruthers clan was invincible.
But long centuries passed, and the Caruthers descendants became weak, while the stone and mortar slowly crumbled.
The last Caruthers died last month, and with him, the fading spell that bound me.
Now, on this final day of October, as the moon rises, the would-be bride of Jaime’s son Ian will walk free. I renounced my heritage for my beloved, but Jaime wouldn’t have it. Now let all men feel the wrath of the succubus.
I wrote this for the Rochelle Wisoff-Fields photo challenge. The idea is to use the image above as the inspiration for crafting a piece of flash fiction no more than 100 words long. My word count is 100.
In the spirit of Halloween, I thought I’d write a wee horror tale, though I imagine it’s not particularly scary. Of course, the short definition of a succubus is:
A succubus is a demon in female form, or supernatural entity in folklore, that appears in dreams and takes the form of a woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual activity.
I guess she can capture the souls of men in revenge for what Jaime Caruthers did to her one conquest at a time.
To read other tales based on the prompt, visit InLinkz.com.
While it is theoretically possible to develop an attitude to totally prevent sadness, the Jewish view is there are times when such feelings are appropriate.
For example, we have an obligation to cry over the death of another person. Also, we should care enough about potential suffering to pray that it will not come. And we utilize these situations as reminders to improve ourselves.
-Sources: from Chochmah Umussar, vol.2, p.203; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s Gateway to Happiness, p.172
Photo credit: Kaia Pieters
“Hey, Sam.”
“Hey, Death. How’s it hanging?”
“Same old, same old. You know how it goes.”
“Not me. What do I know about being Death?”
“Yeah. Guess you’ve got a point. Want a smoke?”
“Nah. I got what I want right here.” The twenty-two year old lifted a gallon jug of Jack Daniels to his lips and gulped down a couple of swallows.
“Mind if I?” The spectral figure in black held out his left hand while his cigarette still smoldered in his right.
“Go ahead.” A lot of people thought Sam was goth because of his clothes and make up, but it was all to honor his BFF.
Choose to focus on the progress you are making. You have infinitely more courage now than you did when you were born. Since each courageous act makes you a more courageous person, by focusing on progress, you will almost always feel that you are increasing your level of courage.
This perspective will give you the encouragement to continue developing this quality. Even if you feel that you are backsliding, you still have made progress from the place where you were when you started your journey in life.
-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s book, “Courage”
When you connect with the Creator, you will expand your consciousness of infinity and eternity. You will plug into the source of all serenity. Each time you make a blessing, or pray, or perform a good deed, you will be connecting with your love for your Father, your King, Creator and Sustainer of the universe. You will be able to connect with the love that your Creator has for you. Gaining this awareness will add a spiritual dimension to all aspects of a person’s life. Those who have integrated this live an elevated life and make wiser choices.
-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s book, Serenity, p.93
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