Mendel Bluming | Blogger

This is one of the biggest secrets of life. Good doesn't always taste good. But not-good often looks and tastes good.  It has to be this way. Imagine it was the other way around. If good always felt good, and bad just felt bad, who would do bad? Our challenge is to make the right choices in life. But for that we need a choice.    There are two paths to choose from: the path of good and the path of no good. One path leads to true happiness, the other is a dead-end leading nowhere. And it isn’t so easy to tell which is which.     G-d wanted to make it fair, so He let bad look good. The bad path has nothing to offer, so G-d gave it good PR. The wrong path is so much more tempting. Unhealthy food is the yummiest. And doing the wrong thing seems so much fun.   But that’s just looks. The good path is where real enjoyment lies. The choice is between superficial good or real good. As our sages wisely said: “Don’t look at the packaging, look at what's ...

In the Jerusalem Talmud when the word mitzvah is mentioned it refers to tzedakah. The Talmud in Bava Basra page 9a teaches that tzedakah is equal to all the other mitzvot combined. The power of tzedakah is self transcendence. To give away that which can be used for your own food and shelter and basic needs for another is to put yourself aside. Even if this money is not needed for your basic needs the money means so much to a person to the point that in the United States we ask how much a person is worth and we refer to dollars! Every mitzvah connects us to Hashem and through tzedakah we are connected to G-d holistically. Mendel (Menachem) Bluming based on Tanya

The days pass rather quickly and when you look back a week and then a month has flown by in the blink of an eye. In fact as you get older time seems to pass by more quickly. One theory offered for why it seems so is because a smaller percentage of your life goes by each day and therefore when taken in contrast the passage of time seems shorter and shorter.   If we did not go to sleep there would be no complete unit of time, life would just continue on and on. So here's an exercise. Every evening, don't just go to sleep, actually complete your day. Make sure that what you planned to accomplish that day was accomplished and make a plan for the next day. Assess honestly your performance in your mission of life. Rethink your relationships with G-d and people and recalibrate your priorities. Clear from your heart anger and reprisal. When possible forgive and cleanse your heart. Anger and revenge are ultimately drinking poison and allowing destructive forces rent free space in yo...

What do you think, should you thank Siri for her assistance?   Some would suggest that it’s just good manners. We say thank you to be polite. Life is more civil when our interactions with others are sprinkled with expressions of etiquette and courteous pleasantries. It’s just nicer that way. If this is the reason to say thank you, then we should thank our software too. By doing so, we create a sense of decorum and civility. It doesn't matter that the technology has no feelings. Our thank you doesn't have feelings either. It’s just protocol. But there is another way of looking at thank you. It is an acknowledgement of choice. When someone does me a favor, they could have chosen not to. Yet they chose to give me their time, energy, attention or resources. So they deserve my gratitude. I appreciate that they chose to share themselves with me, so I say thank you. This only applies to a free agent who can choose. An inanimate object does not deserve thanks, because it did no...

Can you guess what is the most often repeated two word phrase in the entire Torah/ Tanach/ Bible? “Al Tira” do not fear is mentioned 44 times! Add to that another 26 times in which it is said in the plural (al tirau), or as many as 110 times when you include other slight variations of the tense. On one occasion or another G-d said do not fear to each of our forefathers! Why is not being afraid so important? What do you think? Here are some thoughts: Fear shuts you down. It causes you to hide and to run away. You have so much to accomplish in life through the mission tailored specifically to you. Fear is the antithesis of living life broadly and proudly and tenaciously. Fear makes you feel that you are all alone. Faith means that G-d has your back and cares about you, you are never alone even in your most difficult times. Do not fear! Mendel Bluming, Maryland

There are multiple biblical obligations to actively save the life of another and not stand by your brother’s blood (Vayikra 19:16). The Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin (73,a) teaches that one is obligated to be willing to endanger himself to some extent in order to save another's life, by doing such acts as jumping into a river to save someone who is drowning, or warding off wild predators or bandits, even though all of these acts involve some level of danger. A person is not obligated, however, to save his fellow if it puts him in great danger. The exact parameters of a great danger are discussed in Jewish Law but they are clearly greater than fighting off bandits or a wild animal. We would not want another to be overly cautious when considering whether or not to save our life and we must be willing to do the same for another, as long as the danger is not considered a great danger. To give a meal to a starving person is an obligation. To give a lobe of one's liver is permissi...

The utopian Garden of Eden came crashing down because Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. What was it about this fruit that they could not withstand?   This is how the Torah describes it in chapter 4 of Genesis: “The tree was good for food and it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise.” Very interesting description for a fruit! So here is my 2021 perspective, after all the Torah is eternal and its message is as pertinent in our time as it was back then. Our very risky fruit is the iPhone... I certainly don’t mean to offend the iPhone whom I love and depend on... I mean all smart phones. They are a delight for our eyes. Our eyes light up when we get a new text, a new email, a new like on a Facebook post etc. They are desirable to us they are exciting and they make us wise, it can be so enjoyable. Yet it can also be dangerous.... G-d turns to Adam and says where are you and he says I was hiding... Yup, his smart phone has started to take o...

The keys to being a Jew are in your hand, when you hold your Lulav.   The Lulav (palm branch) reminds us to stand proudly as a lulav does. Do not cower. Keeping our Judaism quiet has never healed anti-Semitism and never built our next generation. Stand proud of your rich heritage and people. Your Etrog is similar to the shape of a heart. Have a heart for another. Reach out with kindness and goodness to each other. The Hadasim (myrtle leaves) are shaped like eyes. Watch what you allow your eyes to gaze at. The movies, websites and TV shows and even news casts that you allow yourself to watch. Have a good eye for another. Not everything that knocks needs to be allowed in. The Arravot, willows, represent your lips. Speak carefully. Speak positively, kindly and wisely. Right after the High Holidays G-d provides us with a visual aid to guide our path forward as Jews. Mendel (Menachem) Bluming

The American army was never meant to stay in Afghanistan long term. They were always there to train the local Afghan army and eventually withdraw. Our US army, likely the most powerful in the world, poured trillions of dollars; blood, sweat and tears into the effort. Twenty years, countless resources, sophisticated weaponry and strategies, so that when it counted, they would be able to defend themselves. And after 20 years, America finally pulled out. Would all the effort pay off? Would the training work? The world watched in horror as the Taliban overpowered the Afghan army in no time. All that effort, all that training, gone. The current Jewish month of Elul is one of reflection... When the new generation that we have trained will be left to stand up and take on the fight; for our traditions, morality and values, will they? Have we made sure that they are ready? Mendel (Menachem) Bluming