Rosh Hashanah just a month away, soon to be here, clocks ticking, dates on calendars changing everyday, Monday to Tuesday, and Tuesday to Wednesday...
Skimming through fashion magazines and getting the perfect style, one's haircut and fingernails painted, beauticians to beseech you. Fur coat dry cleaners, a higher heel than the year before, tiptoe through the tulips. To wear a full skirt like an Alice In Wonderland or a tight short skirt that exposes the knees? Curly hair or braided hair, dyed hair black or blonde? New eyeglasses that are of a golden metallic rim with the vision of a great artist to see your Cantor singing on the Bemah from your seat in the back of the Sanctuary, as if she is standing next to you, with you, all her words memorized singing with her. Time to sing at the services, singing along with the beat of the Cantor as she sings with you and with God.
Excitement! "Will you be at Temple on Selichot?" she asks you.
Sweet Kosher Red Wine and delicious finger desserts, a Nile River colored red, red wine from clear river water, a beautiful baby boy Moses rescued from the Nile, an infant, a new Prophet, the greatest of all Prophets!
God used Moses as His mouthpiece. Moses speaking God's Words from his soft stuttering young tongue, Words inscribed on stone tablets from Mount Sinai, 10 Commandments becoming 613 Commandments, soon to be Maimonides's 13 Commandments. Rambam, Talmud.
Our instructions: simply to love and fear God.
Skipping into the Sanctuary in keen cowboy boots humming to a Rosh Hashanah holy service, to welcome a new day, and a new month and a new year. Rosh Hashanah being 1 Tishrei the beginning of the new year 5778. A New Year's Eve to welcome the future!
A new you, an improved you, as a graduation reunion, friends from Hebrew School, a get together, "What's new? Did you receive my Rosh Hashanah Greetings card?"
Using a yad pointer to follow the Hebrew text Words, Hebrew language as your first language from your two souls reincarnated. Biblical Hebrew, "goo goo ga ga" Moses spoke to his Mother, and then he spoke to God.
If he can do it, we all can do it! Moses as a mentor, our leader, a great orator, a gentle smooth confident speaker, a prayer, a song, singing to God and praying to God for a good new sweet new year L' Shanah Tova!
A miracle. Do you want and pray for a miracle in your life? Something to happen that would cause you a burst of excitement, a happy happening, a wild wishful thinking desire that comes true?
Do you want to change someone? Do you wish for someone to alter their behavior towards you, but you try and try again but forever getting naught, not knowing how we can change someone, so instead must to change ourselves, our attitude toward the situation, to forgive someone of bad behavior, even when s/he does not solicit our forgiveness.
Needing to forgive so we do not hate. Fighting hatred, and fighting to not hold grudges.
Needing to forgive before we go to bed at night, forgive someone's dishonoring you or/and dishonoring your property.
We must call out to God, beckon Him, pray to Him, be serious-minded about our praise and our thankfulness to Him, it is not a fairyland, religion is real, it is non-fiction, it exists whether we believe in it or not, and we have our choices as to which religion to make our own.
We need to take our choices serious-mindedly even though they may not be respected as our chosen choices by others. It is also our choice to forgive someone of transgressions towards us whether they want the forgiveness from us or not.
A moon is a cheese, a polka-dotted cheese, Swiss cheese, a target of bullet holes into the cheese, into the moon, which is it a full or new moon? Is the moon a feminine entity and the sun male? Every one hundred years a solar eclipse, a sun that is sin and the moon hides it. Not to look directly at the sun but okay to look at the moon. She will not hurt you, her rays will not blind you.
Hansel and Gretel found their way home watching moonlight reflecting on bread crumbs turned into a pathway for them to follow. A wicked witch who baked cake to feed them and they pushed her into her oven head first. A moon's light instead that saved them, a pathway in a different direction away from the witch. The pathway home.
A cow's cheese moon, a cow that jumped over the moon. Walking on the moon, no gravity, a Neil Armstrong, a strong-armed man no guns allowed, just a Shofar ram's horn aloud, a sword that is wooden a sword not sharp, a sword of a Halloween costume, a pirate's sword, a kid's toy.
A blue moon, a once in a blue moon, not once a month, every 100 years an eclipse, a reflection of your goodness as the moon is new without blemish, a new moon, a Jewish Rosh Chodesh moon.
A fight between King David and Jonathan, a fight that turns them into best friends. The truest form of friendship, not of Tamar and her brother Amnon, but of David and Jonathan. Brothers in a brotherhood, a unity of enemies becoming pals, companions, blood brothers, landsmen shaking hands as jumping on or over the moon.
A full moon not worshiped by witches or warlocks, a moon as a satellite around and around your head, a halo, a wish upon the moon, a blessing to you on Rosh Chodesh from a land of friendship, a herd of kosher milking cows that put an end to thirsting, water from a rock, a rock n' roll, Atlas pushing a boulder to the top of Mount Sinai as slow as a snail, with only one blue thread, wandering, wondering, wonderfully winning the race.
Is it a "Sin" or is it a "Shin"?
What are you looking for? A Guide, a Good Relationship, a Friend, a Doctor, a Sovereign, a Leader, a Mentor, a Motherly Person, a Fatherly Person, a Warrior Who fights all your battles without a war, instead with peace.
Someone to quietly whisper to, to think a thought and to have Someone Who knows your thoughts, and Who could give you good advice. Do you have physical pain, somewhere in your foot, or torso, digestive problems? Is there Someone you know Who can cure all your ills?
Want Someone to love? Want Someone to take your hand and to show you affection, compassion, understanding, to share His wisdom with you?
Time to leave reality and imagine! Imagine you are with God, that God can fill in all your deficits, that you are both whole and holy, that you have no hole in your head.
That what you imagine, to have a God, is real, God is real, and what you imagine is real, reality can be as wonderful as you imagine it can be.
Questions? He has the answers. Talk to God.
What is lovingkindness? In Hebrew it is referred to as the Hebrew word Chesed, and understanding is said as Binah. How to give someone chesed and binah? Is it in the words we say, or deeds we do, mitzvoth that we perform, gifts we provide, our facial countenance being amiable as we speak to them? How we treat someone, actions we do and to obey actions not to do?
Where does our incitement originate to do actions of lovingkindness? The incitement comes from solely once place, from our One God. We want someone to feel good, to obtain a reward, and so we, as God would do, we provide a nicety to someone: a goodness, helping him, giving to him, providing for him, telling him a truth, providing advice we have to make his life easier, to simply show someone you care and that you are there for him.
Lovingkindness and understanding materialize when we are able to walk in someone else's shoes, to be able to understand his hardships and feel his emotional reactions. When we can use "binah" meaning "understanding" so we become enriched with an increase of our knowledge, our wisdom, to then, being in the know, being able to be there for another, whether in physical presence or spiritual presence, as we are there with and for our God.
As you thank and praise God, thank and praise humans. Obtain a love and fear of God and also a love and fear of humans.
A mezuzah or not, this is a choice, but what kind of choice is it, if this mezuzah is protection, and you not having it decreases this protection and your room is not protected. Putting a mezuzah on one's doorpost makes it a Jewish room and a Jewish residence, a Jewish home. If a home has even just one Jew who lives there, the home is considered a Jewish home.
This room and house, what kind of protection is it? A spiritual protection, a soulful protection, a kind word on your lips every time you pass it and enter the room, to thank the Lord for providing you with this room and house. To feel His presence as you enter or leave this space. To honor the place as a place that includes God, a space of justice, mercy and lovingkindness. A place for the study of wisdom, a place that is there again and again, not a destruction of this space, instead to know it will be there as long as you with the help of the One God wants it to be there. To find new places, but always to erect the mezuzah on the new rooms.
This mezuzah is a ritual object that we can pass as we enter the protected room, but to use our hands to touch it, to transfer a kiss onto our fingers and apply this kiss to the mezuzah as we pass it. To no matter how much property is in this room, it is still a good room, upheld in its glory by this mezuzah.
Want love in your life? Love your space, your room, your house, your fellows, and yes, God too. But use your love wisely, love the mezuzah on your doorpost to remind you of the Torah, as inside this mezuzah is the blessing of The Shema blessing. Each time you pass the doorpost you can sing The Shema. Beauty on your lips with kindness and song in your step.
This Shema will remind you of the specialness, the one-of-a-kindness, the mysticism, the meditation, the honorableness of God, as we are instructed to know S/He is One and to never forget it.
This wisdom is our Ko-achmah, our Gevurah, our Strength.
Do you have a sore throat? Ever had one? Are allergies of pollen in the air upsetting your upper respiratory system?
Don't want to put yourself out with meds full of heavy alcohol that interrupts your sleeping schedule, dosing yourself into a deep sleep so you don't feel the pain in your throat but are not awake to appreciate the sunshine?
Tired of tea remedies, this tea or that tea, supposed to be the right tea to cure you? Teas with medicinal value, but which to who or what? How to keep your throat from catching on fire, and choosing teas that may or may not be the cure. A suggestion of a warm cup of tea for two, a tea time with your friend having teas be the bonding drink to show you she cares as she stirs in lemons with her gentle hand.
Temperature changes on the throat, sometimes work and sometimes don't. Drink a few cups of coffee in the morning, warmth like love, even heat, on the back of the throat, swallowing sweetness adding dairy white cream to your drinks. Like a warm soothing loving touch to heal the rawness of your throat, swallowing without pain. Coolness after warmth, a deep chugalug of a cool drink, iced tea, iced coffee.
Did someone cook you some chicken soup? Wow! Chicken soup for the soul! Swallowing now to test the pain in your throat, is it gone yet?
Having someone who cares whether or not you are in pain, and when, and how severe. When swallowing to think of their good will and get well wishes and to feel relief as you smile at each other and thank them. The blessings of humans in your life who are guided by God.
Having the sameness day after day, a stock in the stock market that rises and rises again, a workplace that is bringing forth profit getting a raise after raise and it goes into your purse. Like an old horse stomping step after step in cleats, in horse shoes, a game of horse shoes and winning but not every round. Hooking it on the stick, hearing the clanking as it scratches the surface of the pole.
Knowing ahead of time that there will be a breeze, getting fuller and windier as the breeze picks up and cools you down. A predictability of breezes but not in your ears.
A delicious chocolate kiss or two wrapped in colored foil from Hersheys, a kiss or two from you on the palm of your hand to the mezuzah of your home doorposts, knowing what you are kissing, you are kissing a symbol of the ONE God, the Only God. Identifying yourself as Jewish to all who look upon you entering a room.
"Are you Jewish?" "Yes, I am Jewish." "Well! So am I!" Landsmen everywhere, never without a fellow neighbor to love. Kisses everywhere, love everywhere.
To be truthful and out, coming out (like Esther did) with who you are and that you will never change. God will always accept you back if indeed you stumble on your way. Get back up and be sturdy and be sure of yourself.
Is pork a potential problem? Stay away from all places that serve pork, keep turning it down. Have a piece of candy in your pocket to be there always to eat instead of pork.
Is your problem an attraction to idols, a need for "love" in a physical form with God and thinking false gods might be real Gods? Don't kid yourself. The only sculptural item you need is a Menorah and/or Star of David.
You do not have to hate Jesus. Make friends with Jesus, he sure went through Hell, and God the Father Who was his Father too thus warned us never to leave Him as the One true God or else, Hell is what you get and where you go. Skip over this supposed "loving Christian faith" and know that as long as you love the true One God only, no other gods, the atrocities that Jesus experienced will never happen to you.
How to fight someone without fighting, but using the love for your neighbor that is recommended in the holy literature of most religions. Is there an offense that someone repeats day after day and week after week. An offense you could change your attitude towards, and thus dissolve its hatred and bother you no more.
Two are entangled, whose the better one? A person who is so enmeshed within hatred towards another who has not the same reasons to fight. A twin from your mother's womb who cannot understand your language. How to have a relationship with someone so close to you in DNA but who nevertheless thinks of a struggle with you instead of love. What is love? Is it love for a god but not for humans. What is love? Love is sex, and that should not be mixed up with a love you have for a god. What is the difference between sex and love?
Having a relationship with a God Who is/was not human excludes any mix up as to whether it is love or sex. God loves you whether or not you love Him back or not. That is the power of a God Who is real, His love is unconditional and not dependent on sexual activity mixed with love. His love is unconditional and has nothing to do with sex.
The purity of this love for the Hebrew God is a good purity, a prayer for all to thrive and to strive and to become successful.
Love God in a healthy way, an unconditional forgiving love. True love, truth, history, abounding with loving-kindness. Fear? Okay. Love and fear?
Fear of punishment if you do wrong. Fear of the incredible awesomeness of a God Who can be yours.
To love and fear God, or to not love and fear God, love that is real, and fear that is real. A humungous whirlwind of emotions led by the intellect.
Don't understand? Never been there? Then be tolerant of that which does not belong to you, that which you just cannot comprehend.
I will pray for your good health and good will.
The land of licorice candy! Black sweet, coated with a sugar coating of a shell, created in the form of a pill, a capsule, a bit of sweetness called Good & Plenty, each morsel better than the last, not an addiction, instead a desire come true!
Black are the insides, chewy, melts in one's mouth, not in the hand, to shake it to the rhythm of a train locomotive back and forth and to say "Good & Plenty, Good & Plenty, Good & Plenty...Chew Chew!"
The flavor lasts a long time in one's mouth, sticks to the roof of your mouth to lick your lips again and again, pop another, just one at a single time, an apple a day keeps the physician away, but Good & Plenty does a better job.
If it can be called "Good" it is a synonym for the word Great, God is good God is great, let us thank Him for our food. Let us thank Him for our daily dosage of licorice pills, not a medicine, a delicious licorice candy, but that soothes like a flu medicine, heals all your ails. Gives one "get up and go."
Have somewhere to go? Need get up and go? Get up with Good & Plenty and come and go again and again and again.
Waking up day after day with a sore throat, susceptible to infections, getting more than your share, a throat when swallowing could use a salt water gargle to ease pain. Wishing the pain will go away, a caring mother in my family who asks me everyday "How is your throat?"
Having the largest most formidable neck and throat being a Taurus the bull in my zodiac sign. "Strong as bull?" they would ask me. A throat that is larger than all other body parts. A long esophagus extending from the chin to the torso.
Feeling today like a Red Hiefer, a bull of one color, a red colored bull with no black or white hairs. A perfect bull, as perfect as a bull can be. "A Bull in a China shop," broken glass everywhere, a November 9th as I see it, the Night of Shattered Glass. My Grandfather Hyman Ginsburg died on November 9th, years after the Shattered Glass Crimes but on the same date. My Grandmother Celia died just before Rosh Ha' Shannah. These are the deaths I mourn. Also my Mother's family, many are in my prayers of The Kaddish.
A Jewish Valentine's Day today. Knowing love is important but not all there is. A brain not to follow a heart, but a heart to follow a brain. Use your brain to tell your heart what to do, not to use your heart to dictate and mislead your brain.
The pleasure to keep a serious mood of the intellect, and not wasteful useless frivolity.
