Mendel Bluming | Blogger

What a fantastic perspective: “This week G-d granted Shevy and I the greatest blessing any parent could wish for—healthy infant triplets!!! When we first thought that maybe Shevy was pregnant, we went to the OBGYN for a routine confirmation appointment. We've done this before. Not a second thought. We were elated when the doctor established the pregnancy and told Shevy to return the week after for another routine check. We had five beautiful kids at home, which together with a newborn would make that six. How exciting! But at the appointment the week after, the doctor told her we were actually expecting twins. That meant we'd be skipping from five kids straight to seven! Wow. We felt truly blessed.  She told Shevy to return again for another check up the following week. When Shevy returned the next week, the doctor detected a third little baby and told her we would be having triplets and that she should come back again the following week. To say we were in ...

I sure don’t know… but let’s read a story from the Talmud tractate Bava Basra page 10: The Talmud relates that the Roman governor Turnus Rufus confronted Rabbi Akiva with the following question: "If G-d professes to loves the poor, why doesn't He supply them with their necessities?" Rabbi Akiva's reply was: "To give people the opportunity to help…” No human being is complete alone. Each one of us has a lack in some elements, and extra powers in others. A blind person may have profound emotional strength, and a deaf person an extra keen intellect. No one has it all. The result is that we need each other. If you can see, you can help someone who is blind. If you are healthy, you can help someone who is in the hospital. If you have money, you can share it with the poor And if you have emotional depth, you can support those with emotional challenges. That's why G-d created us all with a part missing. He is not punishing us for actions that were incor...

In our world of overturned values, a man said to be successful because he has made a lot of money. He may have left his third wife, be estranged from his children, have no friends. But he's made a lot of money, and society says, "I wish I had his good luck." We obtain true success when we succeed in our relationships. If you are a selfless friend in times of need, if you act towards your parents correctly, if you are a supportive and understanding spouse, a devoted and caring parent, then you are a success. Those who give of themselves to the community, not just money but time and effort, those who have developed happy relationships with G-d and man, there lies real success. In as long as we identify our worth with our profession - I am an actor, a sales person, an IT technician - then we are restricting our success as a person on our career success. But it's not true. We are not restricted to our job description. What we do to make a living is different to w...

The Jewish faith has a basic tenant: you are meant to be where you are right now. In Proverbs 20:24 we are taught “A man’s steps are decided by the L-rd”. G-d has put you in your position for a reason. Though one thinks they made a choice being there, in fact every person was directed there from above. A Hebrew name of G-d is Hamakom, which literally means The Place. There is divine guidance that leads us to the place we are in. What this means is, is that you are in that place because you should be there with reasons that may never be revealed to you. There is a chance that you may never be completely happy with any stage you are in. But you will be able to settle, as soon as you decide to let go, this is home, this is where G-d wants us to be. We are not trapped, we are sent. The acceptance that you are in the perfect place will in and of itself help you to see that you belong there. Now we know, sometimes we do need to move on. But only once a very clear message from Above...

So, please have patience with me while I am faithful to Jewish tradition and try to answer one question with yet another question. Remarkably, the Torah never actually states that Jacob died. It merely says that "he expired and was gathered unto his people." This prompted one of the Talmudic sages to explain that "our father Jacob never died." Whereupon his colleagues questioned him and asked, "Did they then bury Jacob for no reason? Did they eulogize him for nothing?" To which the Talmudic sage answers: "As his descendants live, so does he live." A person’s existence does not end with the grave. Their soul never dies and the honourable work men and women do on earth continues to live on long after their body is in a grave. Above all, when there is regeneration, if children emulate the example of their forbears, then their parents and teachers live on through them. Menachem Mendel Bluming, RY”G and Chabad.org