Going Home Again, Everyday, Everywhere

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

~Albert Einstein

 

After I learned that G-d is everywhere and that I am always in the presence (macom) of Adonai, I realized I am always at home no matter where I am. All I have to do is look for goodness, the concept of kindness, (chesed), and I am at home. A home that is better than the home I grew up in. I was not blessed to grow up with a religious childhood home, but now as an adult, I learned in my Hebrew School how to find Adonai everywhere, and now I am "home," wherever I am, because I am always in the presence of G-d.

 

I have the desire to go back into my childhood years, and re-enact my childhood: to climb the trees again, and ride my bike, put on roller skates, blow bubbles, chew gum, splash in pool water, ride a horse, dig in the ground for treasure, hold my father's hand...

 

Now I am doing everything as G-d has planned for me to do: to do loving acts of kindnesses toward people so I can live knowing that they are feeling good and through these kindnesses have a feeling of being "home" again--(even though they could be without G-d and therefore without a home). If they see me as an example, someone who gives help to people, someone who is interested in people's lives, they can feel a sense of hope. Knowing that they are not alone. I as a Jew, am chosen to bring Adonai into people's lives, and in doing this I am an angel, a messenger from G-d, we as Jews are all just a little lower than the angels. And because I care about people, I hope that through my caring, people can see that they can look for G-d too, and find G-d in their environment and therefore be at home again wherever they are.

 

Going home again happens for me everyday, every minute of the day--and home now is a holy place, holier than my childhood home, a home where G-d is everywhere.

Yom HaZikaron

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

~Albert Einstein

 

Yom HaZikaron: The Jewish Holiday of "Remembering the Fallen Soldiers of Israel" is today. There were some fierce battles that were fought in Israel's history, and many brave young Jewish men and women who fought in these battles lost their lives.

In Israel today, a siren goes off at 8 PM when the day starts at sunset and again the next morning at 11 AM and when the siren goes off, all the people in Israel stop what they are doing, traffic comes to a halt. People stop and spend a moment of silence remembering and respecting the dead soldiers who gave their lives to ensure our freedoms and the survival of the State of Israel.

 

Yes, we won WWII and thank G-d we did not lose this war. But even after winning the war, we lost a great deal--6 million Jews died. But to think that if we had not won this war that Nazis could be controlling the world now. What a scary thought. It took the lives of young men and women to win this war and other wars in Israel and we need to acknowledge this.

 

Tomorrow is Yom HaAtzma'ut; Israel's Independence Day. The reason we have Yom HaZikaron the day before is to show us that without the bravery of these soldiers we would not have Israel at all. We would not have freedom, we would not be here today.

 

There is a poem titled: SILVER PLATTER by Natan Alterman that is traditionally read on this day of Yom HaZikaron. Here it is:

 

And the land grows still, the red eye of the sky  slowly dimming over smoking frontiers
As the nation arises, Torn at heart but breathing, To receive its miracle, the only miracle
As the ceremony draws near,  it will rise, standing erect in the moonlight in terror and joy
When across from it will step out a youth and a lass and slowly march toward the nation
Dressed in battle gear, dirty, Shoes heavy with grime, they ascend the path quietly
To change garb, to wipe their brow
They have not yet found time. Still bone weary from days and from nights in the field
Full of endless fatigue and unrested,
Yet the dew of their youth. Is still seen on their head

Thus they stand at attention, giving no sign of life or death
Then a nation in tears and amazement
will ask: "Who are you?"

And they will answer quietly, "We Are the silver platter on which the Jewish state was given."
Thus they will say and fall back in shadows
And the rest will be told In the chronicles of Israel.

 

This poem is so beautiful--yes, the moments of silence we can spend to respect the soldiers who are indeed the "silver platter on which the Jewish state of Israel was given" are moments heartfelt and well spent.

Sinning Can Lead to Improvement and Improvement Can Lead to Forgiveness and Thus Happiness

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

~Albert Einstein

 

When I say "choose life" I do not mean it as an anti-abortion slogan--I mean it in a spiritual way--to choose the positive, to choose a healthy way to live one's life. When you choose doom, gloom, and disaster, in the way you perceive a happening, you condemn yourself to choosing death or unhappiness over life or happiness. Feeling negatively is like death--feeling happiness is choosing life. To feel so happy every day of the year, like it is one's birthday every day of the year--is in the palm of your hand. It is an option. If you look at every happening, as if it is G-d's Will, then even negative or seemingly negative happenings will have a silver lining. We cannot control what happens to us; but we can control HOW we perceive these happenings, and whether they put us in a bad way or a good way. If we say to ourselves that G-d, who is all goodness, wants this to happen, then we can wait for the outcome which could be a positive not negative outcome. We must be patient. It will inevitably rain and thunderstorm, but after the rains, a sun comes out. April showers bring May flowers. And we wait through the Jewish "Counting of the Omer" till Lag B' Omer when we light the bonfires of passion and we dance around them--and then soon, 25 days later, we celebrate Shavuot, yes, the day when Moses received the 10 Commandments from Adonai. We have goodness, the Commandments, to follow, and this is our happiness and path to redemption. If we study Torah we will know what is right and what is wrong. We go through rain--which are trials and tribulations-- and then the sun comes out--the goodness of The Commandments light our way. The rain can be perceived as sin. We are not perfect people and very few of us can claim to be a tzaddik (a righteous one). But we do sin, or perhaps not quite sin, but do a "wrong-doing" because we are not perfect, and then we are forgiven if we repent, if we perform teshuvah. And we need to show improvement as part of our teshuvah: if we are to continue to be forgiven for our mistakes.

What is teshuvah? "If a person transgresses any of the mitzvot of the Torah, whether a positive command or a negative command - whether willingly or inadvertently - when he repents, and returns from his sin, he must confess before God, blessed be, He as [Numbers 5:6-7] states: "If a man or a woman commit any of the sins of man... they must confess the sin that they committed." This refers to a verbal confession. This confession is a positive command. How does one confess: He states: "I implore You, God, I sinned, I transgressed, I committed iniquity before You by doing the following. Behold, I regret and am embarrassed for my deeds. I promise never to repeat this act again." http://www.oakparkjewish.org/library/article_cdo/aid/911888/jewish/Teshuvah-Chapter-One.htm

G-d hopefully will forgive us; and people hopefully will show mercy and forgive us; if we forgive them when they make a mistake. And this forgiveness is about compassion--and when we receive compassion--we get a feeling of happiness because this is what love is all about. 

 

We are happy when we are loved. Sinning can lead to reform and reform can lead to a feeling of being loved, by G-d and by people, and that is the process of human nature if one uses G-d as a mentor and we let His teachings guide us.