Mendel Bluming | Blogger

There are several different types of genius. There is genius of the mind, like Einstein. There is musical genius, as in Mozart, and artistic genius, like Rembrandt. Shakespeare would be a genius of the pen. There are sporting geniuses and business geniuses. Each one possesses an uncanny ability to excel in their field, and do what they are good at with a flair and panache that sets them apart from others.   But there is another type of genius, perhaps greater than them all. That is genius of the heart. There are many kind-hearted people. But a genius of the heart is on another level. Such a person acts with love and care that goes beyond normal niceness. They don't just do good. They are brilliant in their benevolence, creative in their kindness. They find their way into everyone's heart, because theirs is so open and loving. This was Abraham. He had a knack for not only being kind to people, but making them feel good about it. He is the host that makes guests feel wanted...

In heaven three angels received an unexpected and very exciting text. They were to descend to the earth to visit Abraham’s tent to bring him the good news about a new child Isaac who would be born to him and Sarah etc. Looking from heaven they imagined that they would meet a great saint and mystic, a spiritual leader and great sage.   Instead they met a caterer... When they come to his tent he provides them with the finest cuisine and he personally prepares it and keeps them company and makes sure that they are comfortable. They must've been perplexed! Is this a spiritual giant or just a nice guy who knows how to cook a good dinner?! Being from heaven you cannot blame the Angels. Here on earth the holiest people are those who transcend themselves to be there for another. That transforms selfish earthliness into divine transcendence. Are you able to put yourself aside to truly wholeheartedly serve the needs of another? That is the mark of Jewish greatness. Mendel (Menachem...

  Amidst this unpredictable, confusing and worrisome Covid crisis, do you ever feel like just saying, “I GIVE UP!” ? Let’s notice the words: the word UP. Where does that term come from in the colloquialism ‘I give UP’? Grab onto the ray of light inherent in the word UP. In Hebrew to give up is called “liharim yadaim”, literally to LIFT UP YOUR HANDS. A further flash of light. Even more uplifting. Giving UP is indeed the BEST way to go! Raising hands reminded me of the battle of the Jewish people against the Amalekites described in the portion of Beshalach just after the Jews were redeemed from Egypt (Exodus, 17:11 see Rashi’s commentary) Joshua did as Moses had told him, to fight against Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and their nephew Hur went up to the top of the hill and stood in prayer… Whenever Moses RAISED HIS HANDS and the people were thereby inspired to submit themselves to G-d, G-d came to their aid and Israel prevailed. But whenever he lowered his hand, and they...

  “Place guards at all of your personal entryways!” Commands the Torah in Deuteronomy. Don’t let anything into your sacred space, mind and heart without questioning it. One of the challenges with the coronavirus is that it is invisible. It is harder for person to be disciplined to protect against something that they do not see. So too the insidious effects of those influences that we take in from another’s breath and words impact us very deeply even though the onslaught seems subtle and innocuous. Before allowing another’s thoughts and words to into your space pause, just pause. Consider if you are being uplifted by something virtuous or infected by something potentially dangerous. Mendel (Menachem) Bluming

There is a Talmudic quote that is traditionally said when looking for a lost object:   Rabbi Binyomin said: Everyone is blind until G-d illuminates their eyes, as it states (Genesis 21:19), "And G-d opened her eyes and she saw a well of water." The tradition is to recite this formula when you can't find something, and there are countless stories of people immediately finding whatever they lost after saying these words. Try it! Rabbi Binyomin was giving an example of someone who couldn't see the obvious until G-d intervened. The Book of Genesis tells of the maidservant Hagar, who was wandering through the desert without water. In fact, there was a well nearby, she simply didn't see it.  This is more than just a magical incantation. It reminds us of a profound truth. We are so often blind to the things around us. What you are looking for may be right in front of you, but you don't have eyes to see it. There are amazing opportunities staring you in the fa...

Someone said to me, "You know Mendel Bluming, you don't need to smile anymore! No one can tell behind that mask if you are smiling or not!" He brought a smile to my face :) In truth of course you can tell if another is smiling, from their eyes! You see, there is that superficial smile that we are all too familiar with and then there is a smile that is an expression of deep clarity and contentment. A genuine feeling of happiness from knowing that you stand for something more permanent than the shifting sands and viruses of our time. We will persevere despite all the vicissitudes we see around us. That smile may be hidden behind a mask but it is very much present! Smile! :) Mendel (Menachem) Bluming

There are two ways of living: You can make mountains out of molehills or you can make miracles out of molecules... You can see life as a series of disasters to overcome or a series of miracles to behold. What is your life like? Are you surrounded by miracles or by melancholy? By fear or promise? Ultimately when the way that you see things around you changes the conditions around you seem to change as well. Sometimes it takes a frightening illness or a great setback or fear of losing a loved one to start noticing the miracles. Sometimes it just takes saying the modeh ani prayer with concentration in the morning. Sometimes we look on with curiosity and slight jealousy at those who instead of making mountains out of mole hills seem to see miracles even in the molecules. What is the truth of your world? Menachem (Mendel) Bluming taken from many sources

Personally, I find it hard enough to remember where I put my car keys five minutes ago, let alone what I did in a previous life. But there have been very holy individuals who were aware of their past lives. One example is Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum of Ujhely, who said that he remembers his past three lives. Previous to his current life as a Rabbi in 18th century Hungary, he said he lived in the times of the first Temple in Jerusalem in 587 BCE. He was the prophet Jeremiah, who foresaw the destruction of the Temple. For that reason Rabbi Moshe was famous for his constant yearning for the redemption and rebuilding of the third Temple. He also recalled an even earlier incarnation, when he was a witness to the debate between Moses and Korach, which took place during the Israelite sojourn in the desert, some three thousand years ago. But Rabbi Teitelbaum remembered further back, all the way to the time of the patriarchs. He said that when our forefather Jacob tended the sheep of h...

What is normal? If we know anything at all, it’s that the definition has radically changed over the last two months. Normal used to be commuting to and from work each day, but Corona has forced us to reconsider whether we need to commute at all or if we can work entirely from home. Normal used to involve eating out multiple times a week, but Corona has necessitated that we learn how to eat primarily from our own kitchens. Normal used to mean entertainment required Broadway shows, movies, and concerts, but we have shattered that notion by entertaining ourselves at home with our families and online Torah classes. Normal Saturday nights used to mean getting dressed up and going out with friends; now we happily stay in with family, play games, and eat popcorn. Normal used to be getting dressed up and driving out to attend celebrations. Corona has shown us that we can celebrate via Zoom. Normal used to be that in order to be happy, we needed to make lots of money, ...

If G-d is calling to get our attention, then it is indeed quite impressive. Within the space of a few weeks, the world has changed drastically. Every single person on the planet has had to pause, stop the way they've been living their life until now, re-evaluate their priorities and what's really important, spend more time caring for their loved ones and less time in usual pursuits. The virus has equally affected those with money, fame and possessions. The only currencies that have any true value are our relationships and our faith. We have learnt that everything we do, even staying home, has a purpose and a meaning, and every individual impacts everyone else. What's even more impressive is that the world has been transformed without any miracles. We have come to these realizations on our own, without being forced, with our free choice intact. That is an amazing act of G-d. Or maybe not. The other option is that there is no G-d, this is just one of those thing...

There is a curious law in the laws of giving tzedakah which requires us to give enough tzedakah to a needy person sufficient for them to be able to give some tzedakah as well. Why does that make sense? Why give them community money for them to give to the community?! Here's a thought to consider: One of the most important gifts that you can give a person, is empowerment. Feeling in need makes you feel dis-empowered and vulnerable. By putting this needy individual in a position of being able to give he can feel again needed and empowered to make a difference and through that transform his trajectory positively. If you are feeling powerless or paralyzed during this COVID-19 time, find someone to whom to give. Go shopping for them. Give them words of encouragement even if you are feeling unsure yourself. Give to tzedakah. Distract yourself from your own worries. By giving you become empowered to make a difference and you are once again reminded how pivotal your role ...

There seems to be an impossible task before us. Countries seek to reopen economies, commerce and travel and yet fear for the welfare of their citizens. Practically the entire world is in this conundrum together trying to grapple with what the elusive best approach might be. The Jews stood at the sea with an Egyptian army behind them and an impenetrable sea before them. What were they to do? If you were there, what would you have suggested? From all of the ideas and suggestions and thoughts no one could have contemplated that the sea would suddenly split and they would just walk through it. So too in our days sometimes we simply do not have the answers and yet G-d opens up new avenues of possibility. May we indeed find a way out that is both safe and prosperous! Wishing you good health and protection. Mendel (Menachem) Bluming

No one seeks bitter times but if I would ask you honestly to look back at your life thus far and to see from what you have grown most, learned most. Would it be from great times or would it be from bitter times? When we go through a bitter time we often just yearn for it to be over and to blotted out of our memory. My name is Menachem Bluming and Menachem means to find comfort. We are comforted by great successful times but we often find the deepest comfort, the deepest meaning and message to the bitter pills that we are forced to swallow. The Jewish Law is: Bilah marror la yatzah (Talmud, Pesachim 115b) if you swallow marror at your Passover seder without tasting it, you have not fulfilled your mitzvah. Internalize the messages of this bitter time. Do you just wait for life to be back to normal? Make sure that your life is never the way that it was before again, allow yourself to be molded and transformed. Don’t allow this to be a meaningless diversion instead how ca...

Has there ever been a time in Jewish history when practically all synagogues were closed?!  These are unprecedented times in so many ways. It is interesting that in the same Torah portion in which the Torah commands us to congregate and create a sanctuary for G-d it also calls upon us to observe the Shabbat. Maybe the coronavirus meaning of that, is that there are times when it is not possible to congregate to build a sanctuary for G-d and at that time G-d finds his sanctuary in your home through Shabbat. Instead of congregating in space, we can congregate in time. If the entire Jewish people are united through the observing of Shabbat each person to whatever extent they are up to, we become united as one. It is not social distancing today, it is health precaution distancing but our social connections are finding deeper roots. We are finding so many ways to connect by being there for each other whether it is through online conferencing, face time looking out for each ...

How do you deal with feeling unsettled and a bit anxious during this virus, our sense of certainly that we so rely on seems gone. Here's a thought: It is not that we have lost our sense of certainty. We have lost our illusion of certainty. We never had it to begin with. This could be majorly unsettling, or amazingly liberating. This tiny virus of 125 nanometres has sent the entire world into chaos. All of our plans are up in the air, markets are going crazy, entire countries shutting down, and we have no clue what the future holds. But that is always the case. We never know what the future holds. We only think we do, and keep getting surprised when things don't pan out the way we expected. Now the mask is off. We have to admit our vulnerability. What will happen next? We don't know. Our experts don't know. Our leaders don't know. Only G-d knows. And that is the point. Only G-d knows. Close your eyes and feel the uncertainty, make peace with...

When you listen to the news it sounds like world is descending into utter chaos rather than marching toward a redemptive state! Remember though, that bad stories keep listeners more captivated! There must be a villain if it is to sell. In every key factor, the world is better today than it has ever been, and it's just getting better. We are healthier, safer, freer, smarter and richer than our forebears. And we don't even know it. Some examples: - In 1950, 75% of the world population was living in extreme poverty. Today it is down to 10%. Food is more accessible and abundant today than ever before. - International conflict is at an all time low. Historically, the chances of dying in battle or as a result of war were extremely high. Today they hover at around 0.04%. - Two hundred years ago, 40% of babies died before the age of five. Today that figure is a tiny fraction. Even in Africa their rate has halved in the last 30 years. - Until very recently,...

The medrash in Leviticus Rabbah 32:5 teaches that the Jewish people were redeemed from Egyptian slavery in the merit of their not changing their names from Jewish names. It is alluring to sound more Egyptian or to sound more secular in order to fit in. Maintaining a Jewish identity inspires a family to maintain Jewish practice. Someone recently asked me my name and when I told him that it is Menachem Mendel Bluming they asked me but what is your real name? Menachem Mendel Bluming I said. They said no I mean the name that the doctor calls you in the office or that they called you in school? I acquiesced. Okay either Menachem Mendel Bluming, Menachem Bluming or Mendel Bluming. They became insistent. Don’t you know Jews who have names like Peter, Paul or Charles? I certainly do I answered, fine Jewish people. But my name is just Menachem Mendel Bluming, that’s it. Do you mind if people call you something different, he asked? I said sure how about Mendel Menachem B...