Lets discuss the idea of stepping outside of our comfort zone to grow and become great!

Stop. Think. Thank.

This morning was the morning that CNN has be advertising for the past month and a half. Hundreds of thousands of eyes glued to the TV and all channels sporting the simple but engraving words, Inauguration. 

The screen followed the black stretched Limo with the American flag proudly resign on the hood of the  car carefully from the white house along the streets of washington straight through the vintage gates of the great Arlington cemetery. 

It has become American tradition over the years that before a President and Vice President are sworn in they lay a wreath at the 'Tomb Of The Unknowns'. This sounded rather strange to me, the most important man in the world at this moment is approaching one of the most momentous days in his career and he goes to lay a wreath, not at the grave of previous presidents or great american politicians but of those who fought for the country hundreds of years ago...without names or faces.

A seventh grader asked me a couple days ago what the whole deal with Tu b'shvat is,  her exact words were "why do trees even need a new year?" I found myself exploring lessons of the past dating back to elementary school. It was after the glorified feeling of receiving a 'thank you call' from a parent that I fully understood this question. Having a day to stop and think about how trees and wildlife is an incredible concept, but more importantly it is what we take away from the having to stop and think.

Tress are the ultimate source of life. They provide the very oxygen that sustains us, supply us with food and clothes shade us and provide comforting  protection.

An extremely important concept in Judaism is "Hakaras HaTov" [The recognition of a debt of gratitude]. 

(Bereshis 32:4-36:43) Jacob/ Yaakov Avinu returned get his 'small jugs'. We know that Yaakov was a very wealthy man, why on earth would he return to  collect a few dollar store quality jugs? 

 (Shemos 7:19), HaShem tells Moshe to instruct Aharon to take his stick and stretch it over the Nile, which would then turn to blood. Rashi explains that Aharon had to do this instead of Moshe as the Nile saved Moshe many years beforehand, when he was a little child.

Being Makir Tov is the ultimate goal. Half the time we don't even realize what we have, why would we go back to get a few cheap jugs we don't need, or even think that we should respect the nile that god used to saved us. Yakov actually risked his life to return for a couple jugs that have served him well in the past. Our Rabbis tell us that someone who cherishes and respects things that they are given is a righteous person, a tzadik. The torah is full of examples of Great men attaining levels of being Makir tov (grateful men/women) and it is little things like having gratefulness that have made them into the people they were.

A man who comes to my house for Shabbos dinner every week would sometimes get food stains on his clothing, when he would realized his clothes were discoloured he would mutter under his breath each time "I don't deserve good things."  When we view ourselves as entitled and deserving of things we receive in life, we can never feel grateful because we feel like it is owed to us.

Some of the greatest men in history Yakov, Moshe and Obama each take a minute to stop and think and thank before they proceed to the milestones in their life and career. Before America moves on with the next 4 years there is a required moment of homage paid to those in the past "the unknowns" who fought so the president could stand there on that very day. As great people we are supposed to look at the impact trees and wildlife have on our lives and learn to be grateful. Tu b'shvat is that day that we can stop, think, thank and attain greatness.

Shout out to Alyssa Karmia, I have such Hakaras Hatov to have someone like her in my life.

Master of The House, Keeper of The Inn.

My friends, this week my life was changed. I figured out exactly what kind of person I want to be when I grow up, The kind of work I want to do, where I want to be. 

To sum it all up, this week I saw Les Miserables.

In this weeks Parsha, Not only did the Jews book Egypt with bread baking on their backs,  but they left in the middle of the day showing no signs of worry as they paraded right through the middle of  town. 

 We are told that only one of five Jews left Egypt, whereas the rest died during the plague of darkness. 

The Rabbanim (Rabbaim is the grown up word for a lot of rabbis) tells us that jews died only in the plague of darkness so it wouldn't be a chillul hashem (a desicration of gods name.) 

according to this, In a certain sense, if that many Jews actually died in the plague of darkness it would be even more severe than the plague of the first born of the Egyptians, millions and millions of Jews we are talking about here.

Here is a mind blowing question...

Would the Egyptians not realize that millions of Jews died when the darkness went away? What is the point of them dying in the plague of darkness?

Watching JON V'JON's life completely change from the impact of the priests kindness was a throw back for me, here you have a slave who has every excuse in the world who became a great man that impacted and saved thousands of lives. A theme that I derived from the movie was the empowerment of kindness, how one good deed leads to the next). JOV V'JON ended up breaking free from the 'enslavement' of the past, saving thousands of lives.

There is a fascinating explanation my Rabbi from high school once told me. When you make a decision for either right or wrong you think you are not only affecting yourself or the people around you at that time, you are affecting your future generations. In fact millions if Jews did not die in Egypt at all, it was only a handful... but out of that handful millions would have came.

We are so powerful, JON V'JON changed the lives of thousands who were living, Imagine the tally of their children and children's children.

 You have the choice, we all have free will... What will your family look like in 70 years from now?


Dedicated to Devorah Miram Fishman. Good shabbos Chloe i love you!

Why so Serious...

Why SO Serious...

One of my all time favourite movies would definitely be the Dark night. The moral battles that people in the movie are constantly forced to choose between are simply genius! 
of course the centre peice, the driving force behind the movie is non other than the Joker... Heath Ledger.

So the Joker is creepy, Something that is even creepier but at the same time absolutely intriguing is the role that an actor assumes while playing a certain role. Playing the evil, schizophrenic Joker that lacked empathy and killed had turned the world famous actor Heath Leadger into a different man. He couldn't sleep without drugging himself, he had a hard time eating and he found himself making a diary of things the joker would find funny to get into the characters mindset. 

My Rabbi in a speech today mentioned that not one Jew escaped Egypt when they were enslaved. This seems very strange, its not like the security was much stronger back then and these people's lives were miserable! The Egyptians had us building entire cities and then tear them down right after- WHY ON EARTH DID THEY NOT TRY TO RUN AWAY?

Like Heath Ledger getting trapped in the facade he was playing,  the jewish people were so entrapped in their role as slaves, and in the life that they were living that they didn't even try to escape. 

Sometimes in life we get so caught up in everything that we are scared of trying something new, or breaking free from our day to day lives. change is never comfortable, but don't limit yourself because you are scared of stepping out of the boundaries! There is a great country song out there that says "The good lord gave us mountains so we can learn how to climb."

Life is short and growth is uncomfortable.. Who cares if your life now is all you ave ever known, your parents aren't supporting your growth or even you are scared of standing out and being different.
Escape.

yLoo MAN POWER

MAN POWER

Have you ever noticed while watching Sunday morning cartoons that that every singe character has run straight off of a cliff and remain suspended in mid air until they look down? Of course. everyone knows that once they realize they are no longer on land they fall straight down. Interestingly enough the Urban dictionary understands a cartoon to be "a fake animal with human character traits" mind=blown.

Anyhow, In this week's Parsha/ Torah portion God comes to Moses and says "Hey, I am God and I appeared to Abraham, Issaac and Jacob."
Something very cool you should know about the Torah is that it never wastes a single word, not even a single letter. 
So I have a question... Why does Hashem have to list the names of the forefathers, why not just say I spoke to your ancestors?

So I am never one for sports analogies but who does not love a little basketball? So I played basketball back in the day and (while spending ost of the time on the bench) something I have observed Is that a good coach challenges a team and helps them play the game but a great coach works with each person on the team and challenges them on an individual level, showing them where exactly in the game their strengths are needed.
  God is the ultimate great coach, pulling moses by the collar of his uniform trying to show him that Each one of the Forefathers (Abraham, Issaac and Jacob) became great in their own individual ways, and he too has the potential of becoming a great, unique leader.
So God doesnt speak directly to us, but he does send us friends, advisors and role models who help us realize our potential and maximize our strengths.

We are all pretty funky people, and know deep down that we have the potential of becoming great. The problem is that somewhat like the Road runner, we have a tendency to second guess ourselves and look down. 
We make excuses for ourselves because we are terrified of becoming great (oh which movie is it that says "with greatness comes great responsibility." this one is going to bother me).

God believes in you, in your own ability to achieve greatness which is exactly why you were woken up this morning. If you don't believe me take 2 minutes to sit down and write your strengths, now go on to explore times where you have utilized these strengths and have used them for good things. 
It is beyond important to set positive goals for yourself, challenge yourself daily on an individual level.

See, I already knew that you have the power to change the world... Did you?