Free at last...

Al cheit
Al cheit
Al cheit
Again and again
Why the need
To repeat?
How many of us sin between shacharis and mussaf?
And then
Between mussaf and mincha..?


I think there’s something deeper hidden there..
One of the worst aspects of sin..is we lose sight of our greatness..
We sin against our potential...and every time we fall
Our true selves..our self worth and esteem fall
And fall prisoner to this new lower thinking you..

And so..we’re given a day...
That’s not really a day
In that the yetzer hora is told to take the day off
And we put our body on standby...
And grow
And connect
And as the day goes on..and we disconnect from our bodies
From our earthly needs
And become angelic
We slowly regain this
Appreciation
For what we can be..
And this inspires us to go back
And confess all over again
As we gain access to our soul..
Our soul imprisoned in this body..
We gain a greater appreciation
Of the damage we’ve caused
And so we feel the need to atone
For this new you that you’ve kept imprisoned
Al cheit
Al cheit
Once again..
Until we reach the a point..when we’re just exhausted
And hungry..
We have no more strength
To bang out another
Al cheit
The only thing left to do then..is
Dance..with all our strength..
Because there’s no joy like the joy of a prisoner let free

Have an easy and meaningful fast...



.

Double Be(u)rgers, Double Standards

So New York City is considering banning trans-fatty foods in all restaurants. Boy am I glad we have a government that’s looking out for the welfare of her citizens.
There are rumors that Al-Quaidas next attack will be with french fries.
Forget uranium shmuranium a few chocolate donuts donuts and boom they’ll be falling like flies.
And it's true..they've uncovered top secret-custard enrichment facilities in Afghanistan..

Then I thought of something else.. Our society lately is very into extolling the virtues of living and dying dangerously. How many have shed tears at an Imax film heralding the heroes that get swept away by avalanches while climbing cliffs at 25,000 feet, accompanied by the type of music once reserved for the likes of Alexander the Great and Napolean?

Don’t you see the double standard?

Person A.
Goes climbing a Himalayan Mountain for 3 days with no oxygen and falls off the face of a cliff. Dying doing what he loves most...no matter the danger.
He’s a hero...
Person B.
Loves fatty foods like french fries, donuts and p’cha..dies of a heart attack and clogged arteries.
Died because of what he loves most.
He’s a bum...

Person A.
Wrestles crocodiles and kisses poisonous snakes...dies while swimming with dangerous creatures...
He’s a hero...
Person B.
Smokes a pack a day...dies of lung cancer...
The biggest lowlife on earth..

Person A.
Tests the limits of human endurance by being underwater for hours and days...by being suspended upside down..for days..
Cheered on by crowds..
Person B.
Tests the limits of human size and dimensionality by feasting on hot dogs and junk while glued to his couch for days...
Derided and laughed at..

Hmm just some food for though (healthy food..of course)


(try to keep the comments light..this was all in jest..)

Shabbos Rosh Hashana..the secret of Judaism

Second day Rosh Hashana before the Tekios I’m reading in my Machzor the piece of Zohar that talks about the Shofar.

Incredible cosmic effects of our tekios, shevorim and teruos.
How Hashem moves from Judgement to Mercy.
How we tap into this world called Shofar in which it’s extremely easy to do Teshuva.
How certain Malachim are created with each sound who then go up to crown Hashem.

And I’m thinking, here it is Shabbos and the whole universe is holding it’s breath awaiting judgment and awaiting the reprieve and the effects of the shofar. And the Rabbis come along and said we’re afraid that someone will have a question about how to blow on Rosh Hashana and take his Shofar to a Rabbi thereby perhaps crossing 4 amos in a public domain. Sorry, no shofar this year.

Then I thought to myself ...this is the secret of Judaism.

This simplistic fidelity to Gods word.

Sure we have beautiful lessons and stories in Nach (the Bible, excluding the 5 books of Moses) that many religions and movements have used as floats to drift away. We have a whole canon of lore and Aggadah, legends and prophecies. As well as a deep Kabbalistic tradition. So much spirit to the law..

However, the fundamentals of our mission are very clear. The 613 commandments of the Torah as given over through Moses. His Mitzvos are our sacred duty no matter how silly they may seem to a fleshy human brain.
By fulfilling these commandements as written we connect with him in the most profound and fulfilling way.
And while we must strive to understand as much as we can..the truth is whatever Hashem allows us to understand is a privilege and a treat.
There isn't a single Mitzvah or obligation for us in Nach and the Aggadic traditions..certainly not anything which comes into potential conflict with the laws of the Torah.
How many religions and wayward movements have drifted away from Judaism through the generations..due to a lack of this basic understanding?

So we’re willing to say..we don’t care about mercy, even about making it easy on ourselves to do teshuva. Let the angels wait..and we'll stay away from the incredible world of Shofar.
We’re willing to bring the full brunt of judgment down on our heads. As long as we don’t break a single one of his laws.


.

On Rosh Hashana it is written...

On Rosh Hashana it is written...and on Yom Kippur it is sealed....
How many blogs will be born..and how many blogs will close up..
Which blogs will be there at the end of the year..and which will not..
Who by burnout...and who by boredom
Who by computer failure...and who by stress
Who will be hounded and who will be adored..
Who will have fun..and who will have grief..


Looking back on my first year...it has been amazing getting to know you all and having the ability to express myself as I do.

My work might have lagged...but who needs money when you're having fun?

(answer: my wife..lol)

I'd like to wish everyone Health and Happines...if you have those 2...take it and run..

:-)

Ksiva Vchasima Tova

God is One...so is everything else

A few weeks ago I took my kids to the Liberty Science Center.

There was an interesting exhibit there. It was basically a large screen with a short film.

It begins with a wide angle shot of our entire universe then zooms in again and again through the cosmos to the milky way...to our solar system ...to earth...North America...to a park on the shores of Lake Michigan..to a napping sun bather...zooming into his body through his skin..into his organs....cells...further and further through the maze of DNA, chromosomes...until all you see are atoms (and quarks..but we’ll stop at the atom) dancing around. Right there at the closest you can possibly zoom ..just thousands of atoms.
What struck me is that if you were to pan the camera over a little to the grass and zoomed in that much, you’d see the same thing. Everything in this universe can be broken down to it’s common denominator the atom. If the atom would suddenly disappear everything would just cease to exist. What an amazing concept!

Jewish literature is full of the idea that the physical world mirrors the meta-physical/spiritual. Now take this concept and we can appreciate the idea that everything in this world is a manifestation of Godliness. Rabbenu Bechaya says Hashem Echad..God is One... Everything is god and god is hidden in everything. Take the number one and expand it, no matter how large and complex the number will become, in reality it’s just a bunch of ones. If one were to eliminate the number one, every number in the world would cease to exist!
At the moment of creation there was Yesh M’eyin “something from nothing”..pure godliness and the purest act of love.
Everything that was to be formed and created until the end of time was compacted into that first one.. As it unfolded it became more difficult to see the love and godliness with our limited vision and perception, but the number one is there hidden.
Hashem Echad

Rosh Hashana is the anniversary of that first idea..that first thought of creation..which was pure love....the Kesser...the first of the 10 sefirot (R'ma MiPano).

What I have to do is mirror that.
In the world of action it's oftentimes very difficult to be pure and good and I find myself trapped in a web of deeds and misdeeds, rationalization and procrastination.
Rosh Hashana is a time to get in touch with our inner inner core..the world of thought...that so wants to be pure and good. To acknowledge that we are far from perfect and need to get better...to let go of rationalizing and submit to that world..that world of thought..where his desire is also pure good...

That's precisely why it's a Yom haDin a Judgement Day..because what excuse do we have not to want to be good? Sure it might be difficult to implement but where's the desire..?

Dawn of Battle

Dawn
Dawn of an epic battle
Early morning chill
Facing off again
On the battlefield of time
Pre battle tension
Tensing
Sensing
The enormity of this months long struggle

Men rushing purposefully in the dark
Serious shades coloring their faces
Silently taking their places
Polishing
Cleaning
Meager arms
Regretting short supply
Nervous
White energy
Silent moments

Suddenly
Winged flocks take flight
Circling above
As the crack of the opening salvo
Pierces the September sky
Yisgadal
V’Yiskadesh
Shemei Rabboh

His nation thunders into battle one more time
Yehei Shmei Rabboh Mivorach L’Olam...

First night of Selichos

Stuck in Mediocrity

The competitive drive is a very powerful attribute.
For every Coke there’s a Pepsi.
For every Home Depot there’s a Lowe’s.

I wonder though, how it is that some companies have managed to escape the competition.

How is it that no mayonnaise comes close to being as good as Hellmans?
That no cotton swab even attempts to unseat The Q-tip.
Heinz Ketchup?
What about Adwe?..lol

Can you think of another brand that has no competition?

I remember as a kid 2 pizza shops on the same block. Pizza Shop A had superb pizza and was always teeming with people. Pizza Shop B had lousy pizza and was usually empty. I remember wondering even back then, why doesn’t Mr. Pizza Shop B close up shop for one day and play around with recipes until it’s good?
Have 5 Yeshiva guys come in and do the tasting.

Sometimes I feel like that too.

Sometimes I feel like I’m stuck in mediocrity. Happy to be number 2.
Not striving to be the best or better.
But, that's not good enough when it comes to spirituality.
I guess there’s no time like Elul to close down the shop for a bit and play around with the recipes...

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September 11, 2001

So peaceful that morning
No warning
Oh that beautiful morning
Before
Before I saw
What I saw
And before
I felt
And knelt
In fear
Of fear

That day that introduced me
To a fear and uncertainty
Panic, wide eyed
Grief for those that died
Thousands, I saw them
I saw them die, all of them
I felt somehow, I was next in line
Every plane a little too low was mine
Oh those posters,smiling faces
Taking up wall spaces
Heart spaces
Every nightmare ever invented
Every horror wrapped, and presented
To my very sensitive core
Tearing and tugging
Airplanes
Heights
Fire
Titanic
Trapped
Smoke

Everything upside down
What on earth?
My comforters from birth
Instinctively reaching for a voice
Shaky fingers..head dizzy
All I hear is..all circuits are busy..

NOOOOOOOOOOO
..
NOOOOOOOOOOO






How?
Where are they?
My youth
My New York
My world






.

Autumn in the air

Music:Autumn from The Four Seasons. by Antonio Vivaldi

I can feel it in my bones
On my skin
Take it in
Scent, sound
Feel it surround
Penetrate
Exhilarate

Lazy summer
What a bummer
Just slipped away
Slipped
away

A little darker
Chilly breath
Leaves find death
Dreams find death
In rebirth

Shiver of serious
Mood change
Crisper
Clearer
Higher resolution
Bundle..huddle
Together

Puff of white
Smoke, curling
lips
chimneys
Higher


First day of Fall


Autumn

In the dark..

Davening is just about over..the kiddush is making its way out to the hungry crowd..when...flicker...flicker...
The lights...
All morning the latest immigrant..to hit our town, Erensto, has been pounding us relentlessly..until finally our fragile electric grid was about to throw in the white towel.
At that moment..every person in Shul under the age of 18 was praying for it to happen..and everyone over that age praying for it to stay on.

What word has the ability to spark unfettered glee in young people at the same time it causes a profound sense of doom in adults?
You guessed it..

It's Blackout!

Well, as you know Hashem listens the the prayers of children...and we were thrown back to the dark ages.

I do have a confession to make.

Deep deep down I was praying for a blackout as well. Will I ever grow up?

:-)