If G-d appeared to you and asked you how long you would like to live, what would you say? 100 years? 130 years? Would you make any conditions like: but they need to be healthy years? The Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, chose to bless one of his greatest followers Rabbi Yekusiel Liepler, with long life. The Chassid qualified the blessing and said that he was only willing to accept it if it would be infused with spiritual vitality for without that the years were empty and meaningless to him In Genesis Adam died at age 930, Noah was almost 500 when he started building the ark (not bad!) and Methuselah lived a world record of 969 years! Are you jealous? Would you like to live 900 years? What would you do with that time? We study and marvel at centenarians. We ask them for their secrets and diets, lifestyles and habits. I find it very intriguing that some of the greatest in our history like Amadeus Mozart or Rabbi Isaac Luria, the greatest Kabbalist of all ...
What happens when people need to choose between money and principles? Let's try the following theoretical experiment. Imagine you put Richard Dawkins, an outspoken atheist, in a sealed room all alone, with no one watching, no recording devices or CCTV's, and you offer him a deal: "I will give you ten million dollars if you will make the following statement right here and now: ‘G-d most certainly does exist, He created the universe, and atheism is a delusion.’ I will never tell anyone that you said it. There will be no record of this one off event. Just make the statement, get the cash, and it will all be forgotten." Does anyone have any doubt that Richard Dawkins would go for it and take the money? Can you think of any reason in the world for him to refuse that offer? Would he even hesitate to accept it? I think clearly not. Now imagine you put the rabbi he debated in that same sealed room, all alone, and made this offer: "Rabbi, you will receive te...
The Medrash tells the story of a king who allowed one of his subjects whom he wanted to award, an hour in his treasuries. He was allowed to take whatever he would like. The king also served hors d’oeuvres and expensive drinks were poured and he had beautiful music playing and rare artwork was displayed. The man had plenty of time and so he spent time on the desserts and the drinks and listening to the music and looking at the art until he realized that his time was almost up! He ran to grab a treasure but alas it was almost too late and what he was able to take was minuscule.. We each have limited time on this precious earth with so much to accomplish. Your mission, your Mitzvahs are like treasures, precious beyond measure. G-d also provides ample distractions to challenge you and make your choices meaningful. Your safety is very important still Omicron is not the major story of the week, your mission in life is. COVID is not the big story of the last two years. Don’t allow y...