Rabbi Glazerson is well-known because he has written several provocative books on topics in Jewish spirituality. Very connected man. One time he was driving from Sefat to Haifa at night and suddenly found himself re-entering Sefat. Must have taken a wrong turn.
So he turned around back to Sefat, along a road that he knew well, and after five minutes or so once again found himself back in Sefat - wrong turn again!
For the third time he set out for Haifa, this time paying closer attention than before to the road. After ten minutes can you guess what happened? He found himself back in Sefat.
"I guess I'm not meant to go to Haifa tonight," he said, and returned home.
Did this ever happen to you?
Something is not working, but you keep trying the same thing over and over again hoping you'll eventually succeed...
- in your job or business
- in a relationship
- in your attempt to lose weight
- in using some technology
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
According to Einstein's definition, if you are like me, you are sometimes insane! How do you fix that?
Here's a rule of thumb that you can try that has worked for me and evidently for Rabbi Glazerson: three-strikes. If I try something two times and fail, I say, "OK, one last time" and if it doesn't work the third time, I either change the tactics or give up.
But if you decide to abandon that path, don't do so in frustration - say: I guess it isn't meant to be.
Speaking of three strikes, our friend Adam Pollock alerted us to this marvelous Jewish baseball video:
Shabbat Shalom.
PS – here is a bonus humorous video that is particularly timely today.
Yiddish of the week:
Lechayim! — Cheers!
Yiddish review - how many do you know?
anee — poor person
koptsen — panhandler
ballaboss — homeowner; layman
nu — various meanings (see archives)
mishpocha — family
mameh — mother
tateh — father
mazal – (MAH-z’l) luck or fortune, as in, “It was good mazal that....”
beshert – (b’shairt) - meant to be, as in “It was beshert that...”
mine eltern – my parents
mine lair-er – my teacher
hamantashen – Haman-pockets
zeigezunt – all the best (said upon parting)
kesher - connection
Ikh volt veln a kave, zayt azoy gut. - I'd like a coffee, please.
...kave mit shmant. – ...a coffee with cream.
...kave mit milkh. – ...a coffee with milk.
...kave mit tsuker. - ...a coffee with sugar.
Di Fir Kashes - The Four Questions
Oy vey! - Good grief!
mensch — a decent person
rachmanos — mercy
neshoma (neh-SHOH-ma) — soul
minig — custom, as in, "Why do you do that?" "It's my minig!"
Gavaltig — wonderful
Oy gavalt — how wonderful (sarcastic)
Azoy gait es! — That’s how it goes!
Shabbos — Cessation; stopping; day of stopping; weekly sabbatical experience
"Gut Shabbos" — "Enjoy your weekly sabbatical experience"
Neshoma — Soul
meshugass — insanity
meshuganeh — insane
kyna hara — no evil eye
shvitz — sweat
shanda — shame
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