What Makes You Happy?

In the senior citizen program I attend on Thursdays we begin with group discussions. This past week, we were asked what we love and enjoy about children. All of us who attend are parents and grandparents, so we do get to see the younger generations.

One thing many of us mentioned was the fact that children are so accepting and how they are seeing things for the first time. That enthusiasm is lost too quickly once people grow up. We get too jaded and take much too much for granted. We also get disappointed, sometimes more quickly and more deeply than youngsters who have an innate optimism.

A grandchild of someone I know from somewhere else has recently been diagnosed with cancer, and I'm always amazed at the smiles that glow from the pictures they post. It's clear that the sick child doesn't really understand the serious ramifications and lack of grantees, but the parents and grandparents also show large optimistic smiles. I guess they are doing the right thing, since as long as there is life and a chance of a complete recovery, there is no need to allow fear and depression to reign.

That optimism is the secret ingredient that makes every second we live a true blessing and pleasure. May Gd give us the strength to always see the joy in life, to see what's in the cup and not what's missing.

רפואה שלימה

Refuah Shleimah

A Complete Recovery to All Those in Need, Gd Willing

Disillusions, A Book Review

Disillusions: A Spiritual GPS For the Journeyer, The Real New World Order by Yemima Bakol manages to be both a very serious philosophical and theological book mostly about Judaism, but light, fun and easy reading, too. Now, that is a very amazing accomplishment. It certainly helps that it's short, less than two hundred 200 pages, and divided into chapters.

Disillusions: A Spiritual GPS For the Journeyer & The Real New World Order is a fresh, even fun (and quirky!) approach to learning Torah, equally for the ben-Torah as for the ba’al teshuva. While the story’s framework is essentially an answer to two international bestsellers, Richard Bach’s 1977 Illusions and Dr. Stephen Hawking’s 1988 A Brief History of Time, Disillusions: A Spiritual GPS For the Journeyer & The Real New World Order is an easy-flowing, novel-form narrative that brings together most of the central spiritual concepts of Torah. Restaging and recasting Bach’s two characters as Aryeh Lieb and Dan Shimon, though not requiring the reader to have read either addressed books, Disillusions: A Spiritual GPS For the Journeyer & The Real New World Order redefines the concept of illusions, as are other spiritual precepts, but according to Torah. The characters embark on a mind-stretching, mental and spiritual challenge that is uplifting and inspirational, as they explore and define the “navigational” tools Torah gives us to raise our consciousness and direct us toward the upcoming Geula, being Hashem’s New World Order...

Disillusions: A Spiritual GPS For the Journeyer is made up of a series of connected events and conversations about life and faith and Gd. Normally I don't read any philosophy, but this book wasn't hard to get into. All that was missing was a glossary, since many of the words and terms would be incompressible for its potential readership. Even though I have been living a Torah observant life for over half a century, I'm still very sensitive to the differences in everyday language, or I try to be. Sometimes we say things that are perfectly clear to us in the Torah observant World and forget that the word usage makes no sense to others.

On the whole, Disillusions: A Spiritual GPS For the Journeyer, The Real New World Order is a delightful book and can be enjoyed on many levels. Excerpts of Yemima Bakol's book can also be used to stimulate discussion.

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Targum Press, Incorporated; 1 edition (November 13, 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568716435
• ISBN-13: 978-1568716435
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.4 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Poolside Philosophy

It's rather amazing what we can all get used to. A couple of weeks ago the local Shiloh Swimming Pool opened, and I was one of the hardier, more daing women to go swimming on those very first days when the water was freezing cold. Yes, the water was cold, and even we thought we were crazy.

Three of showed up the first night it was open, Women's Hours, when not only weren't there any little kids making noise, but the sun wasn't shining either. It was dark and cold.

The only concession I made to the weather was to climb in by ladder, instead of a big body-shocking jump.

I decided that considering my age, maybe a big jump wouldn't be a very good idea.

And the next morning, we all showed up again.

Even though the sun was shining, I decided to be cautious. It was a good move. As strong as the sun was, it was no match for the cold water.

But the cold water didn't force us out. We kept on moving, and our bodies quickly adjusted.

We really don't know what lies beneath the water, and we certainly can't guess the temperature just by looking.

The water is a lot like people. We tend to judge it by wishful thinking. We frequently read into people what we want them to be. That can cause a lot of trouble.

Water reflects more than images. What happens at the pool is a reflection of the community. Suddenly this year, more than ever before, the other swimmers seem to terribly young. And when I look around I realize that I'm the oldest person in the pool.

It used to be that Women's Hours were more Middle-aged, rather than eighteen plus. But now it seems that even those who have barely finished high school prefer the quiet and peaceful adult swim time. In the past, we'd only see the younger women if they were in training to pass the swimming part of the lifeguard test.

Shiloh and the surrounding communities  are getting younger, thank Gd. There are more preschools opening up. Many young families are attracted to living here for the convenient location, good schools and basic services, such as clinics, stores and of course the pool.

Please DON'T BLAME G-D!!!

One of my pet peeves, long-time gripes is that people blame G-d for the faults, mistakes, sins of man.

Yes, this is a theological, philosophical rant of mine. I really hate when people start off by saying:

• "Why did G-d allow...?"
• "Why did G-d do...?"
• "How did G-d...?"
• "G-d shouldn't have..."
• "I'm angry with G-d, because..."

I'm sure you can give more examples, when so many times the reason people are blaming G-d is for things done by other people, not by G-d Almighty. 

Yes, G-d is almighty and can change nature easily, bring people back from the dead, heal the sick and control timing and more. But G-d gave us a very special gift, and that is the difference between us human beings, Jews and non-Jews alike, for good and for evil, and angels. Angels are more like robots programmed by G-d to do specific tasks. Chazal, our Sages, tell us that each mal'ach angel has one responsibility it is supposed to do for G-d. It doesn't have Free Will; it isn't capable of rebellion or refusal. 

The gift G-d gave just to us humans is the responsibility of Free Will. And yes, it's a responsibility. And that is why we can be punished, whether in This World, עולם הזה Olam HaZeh, or עולם הבא Olam HaBa, The Next World. That's also why G-d is always testing us and challenging us.

There are also many, many things totally out of our control which can sadden and anger us. And our greatest challenge is to keep our faith in G-d no matter how much we may be upset and angry about things in This World.