Friday, August 30, 2013

Labor Daze of Awe

Looking for a Rosh Hashana gift? Here are our recommendations (order today to arrive in time).
Looking for a gift for your child's new teacher? Try these. 

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTv8QQx2DKXMiDyNPPDJX34FHFF4kp5eRkyYidn7IH6caIJC_glWell, it's that time of year again....

Back to school....

Cooler weather...

Apple season, wine season...the county fair...

Mmmm.....

Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur...

Doh! Why did you have to bring that up!

Let me keep dozing through Labor Day, then I'll start to wake up!

The first question for your table is: Why are these called the "Days of Awe"???

Now, we've been talking about this for 7+ years.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, here are the eight most popular Rosh Hashana Table Talks, please take your pick:

2007 - Dessert
2008 - Rosh Hashana for the Rest of Us
2008b - Top Ten
2009 - Higher
2009b - You're Late, You're Late, For a Very Important Date
2010 - What Do You Want to Fix?
2011 - Staying Awake on Rosh Hashana
2012 - What Matters Most

2nd question for your table....

The last week of the year can fix the entire past year. Like tonight - make it a "perfect" Friday night and it will correct all of the imperfect Friday nights of the year. Be happy tomorrow and all the sad/grumpy/angry Saturdays of the year will vanish.

So.... if you could undo or redo one decision or one action or one day of this past year, what would it be?

While you're pondering that, I'd like to wish you and yours a sweet, healthy, happy, holy, uplifting, beautiful, interesting, stimulating, amazing 5774. L'shana tova. May you be written and sealed in the Book of Life.

Shabbat Shalom


PS - Want to make your Table Talk rabbi happy? Like it, tweet it, or just forward it to someone who might enjoy it.

PPS - If you are the type who looks for extra ways to give tzedaka at this time of year, please help eleviate hunger or support Jewish education.





Friday, August 23, 2013

Hastier But Tastier

Back to school? Have you seen our top picks for school supplies and gifts for teachers?
Visit BestJewishKidsBooks.com. When you use our links, Amazon donates 5% to JSL.



Shabbat_ChallosAs presented earlier this summer, your Table Talk is in summer L'Chaim mode.

The suggestion is this:

At some point during the Shabbat meal, pour everyone their favorite beverage for a l'chaim.

But ask them not to drink until after you finish the story. Make this a ritual every Friday night, and your family will look forward to it.



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L’Chaim Story
Parshat Ki Tavo

“The Hasty Meal”

Rabbi Yisrael of Salant believed very much that "love your neighbor" is the most essential idea in the Torah.

He was famous for teaching the details of this mitzvah through example.

One of his students once invited him for Shabbat.

Knowing how careful Rabbi Yisroel was in every detail of observance, and how reluctant he was to stay anywhere as a guest, the disciple described the way he ran his household.

"We buy our meat from Shlomo the butcher. Our cook is the widow of so-and-so who observes every stringency. And the meals are conducted properly, with divrei Torah and songs. It's no wonder that the Friday night meal in my home ends at a very late hour of the night!"

He obviously felt proud of his observance.

“I accept your invitation,” Rabbi Yisrael said, “but only on the condition that you shorten the length of the Friday night meal by two hours.”

Eager to host his rabbi, the disciple quickly agreed.

That Friday night, the Shabbat meal was rushed faster than that family had ever experienced it.

The courses followed each other rapidly, without the usual lengthy break in between.

There were divrei Torah, but they were short and sweet, not long drashas.

They sang Shabbat songs, but only a few, not the entire liturgy.

It felt as though hardly any time passed between washing their hands for the meal and passing the finger-bowl after dessert.

After they said the final blessing of "Birchat HaMazone" the disciple turned to Rabbi Yisrael and said quietly, “Forgive me, Rebbe, but I must ask a question. What fault dd Rebbe find in the way I conduct my Shabbos table, that led him to shorten the meal time by two hours?”

He seemed to ignore the question. Instead he said, "Please ask your cook to come in."

When she entered, Rabbi Yisroel said to her, “Would you please forgive me for making you tired this evening, and causing the courses to be served so quickly tonight.”

To the student’s surprise the cook said, “May the Rabbi be blessed with every blessing! If only he was a guest here every Shabbos! The meal always lasts far into the night, after a day I’ve spent working very hard to prepare everything. By the time the meal is over, I can hardly lift my feet from exhaustion. But tonight, because you finished the meal early, I can go home and rest!”

Rabbi Yisrael didn't look surprised at all.

He turned to his disciple and said, “Here is the answer to your question. Indeed, the way you conduct your Shabbos table is wonderful. But when it harms another person, it becomes something not so wonderful at all!”

Listen to the sensitivity! That's what it means to be a great human being, that's what the Torah is all about. Rosh Hashana is in two weeks - may we all seek this kind of greatness.

L’chaim!


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Question for your table... What does it take to become that sensitive to other people's feelings? Is it even possible, or do you have to be born with it?


Shabbat Shalom

PS -



PPS - For this year's updated edition of our "25 Questions to Think About Before Rosh Hashana", send an email.

PPPS - Want to make your Table Talk rabbi happy? Like it, tweet it, or just forward it to someone who might enjoy it.

Excerpted and adapted with permission from Stories My Grandfather Told Me, Vol. 5, © 2001 ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications. All rights reserved. Get the book here.

Friday, August 16, 2013

The Silver Spoon


Ercuis-Rocaille-place-spoon-sterling-silver,25425_1As presented earlier this summer, your Table Talk is in summer L'Chaim mode.

The suggestion is this:

At some point during the Shabbat meal, pour everyone their favorite beverage for a l'chaim.

But ask them not to drink until after you finish the story. Make this a ritual every Friday night, and your family will look forward to it.



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L’Chaim Story
Parshat Ki Teitzei

“The Silver Spoon”

Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl was a Chassidic sage of the 1700s, a student of the Baal Shem Tov.

(His son founded the Chernobyl dynasty.)

One of Rabb Nachmun's priorities was to care for the poor. The poor came to him frequently to request tzedaka.

Once upon a time, a poor man walked out of the Rebbe's room in good spirits. The Rebbe had given him a nice sum of money.

On his way out, he spied a silver spoon, which he took.

[Truncated due to copyright agreement.... the full story is available on the email version of this blog...for the full story, send an email.]

Listen to the sensitivity to another person's feelings! That's what it means to be a great human being, that's what the Torah is all about.

May we all achieve this level of greatness - L’chaim!

+ + Excerpted and adapted with permission from Stories My Grandfather Told Me, Vol. 5, © 2001 ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications. All rights reserved. Get the book here. + +

 
Question for your table... What do you say - did the Rebbe do the right thing?

Shabbat Shalom


PS - For this year's edition of my "25 Questions to Think About Before Rosh Hashana", send an email.

PPS - Want to make your Table Talk rabbi happy? Like it, tweet it, or just forward it to someone who might enjoy it.

Friday, August 09, 2013

The Inner Game of Life

In memory of my father, Dovid ben Eliezer (Dennis Seinfeld)
(To dedicate a future Table Talk, send an email.)

coaching-commons-books-001By now, just about everyone has heard of the Inner Game of Tennis.

It's not only the best-selling tennis book of all time.

It's one of the best-selliing self-help books of all time.

The author, Tim Gallwey, coaches corporate CEOs on the inner game of leadership.

He believes that the same principles apply to all areas of life.

To quote:

“The opponent within your own head is more daunting than the one on the other side of the net.”

(Source: Buzzfeed.)

Although my father's yahrzeit was a few weeks ago, on the secular calendar he is always remembered in August.

As I wrote a few years ago, my dad knew that the way to get someone to battle the oppenent within their own head is to give them a challenge.

His favorite was, "How can you run across seven bridges in downtown Tacoma without repeating?"

His running-mates at the downtown Y created an annual “Denny Seinfeld's Seven Bridges Run” fundraiser, in his memory (this year it's today, August 9).

Thinking about the opponent within my head, and the tools my father gave me to battle him.

Rosh Hashana is one month away. In the next three weeks, I will send ideas on how to prepare for the new year.

For now, a simple question for your table.... To which areas of life outside of sports does Gallwey's wisdom apply?


Shabbat Shalom


PS - Want to make your Table Talk rabbi happy? Like it, tweet it, or just forward it to someone who might enjoy it.

As always, this message can be read online at http://rabbiseinfeld.blogspot.com.

Friday, August 02, 2013

For Whose Benfit?


For Whose Benefit??

Tzedakah on TombstoneAs presented a few weeks ago, your Table Talk is in summer L'Chaim mode.

The suggestion is this:

At some point during the Shabbat meal, pour everyone their favorite beverage for a l'chaim.

But ask them not to drink until after you finish the story. Make this a ritual every Friday night, and your family will look forward to it.





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L’Chaim Story
Parshat Re'eh

“For Whose Benefit?”

Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg was very active in the mitzvah of tzedakah. Not only did he give of his own meager salary, he also took the trouble to collect money from others, urging them to give according to their ability. In every way he could, he gathered a great deal of money for charity.

As Pesach is an expensive holiday, he made an extra effort at that time of year to collect.

He once came to a wealthy man’s house for this purpose. The man welcomed him with honor and offered drinks and cakes. Rabbi Shmelke asked for a large donation for tzedaka, but the man said that his financial situation was not as good as it had once been and he was losing money. Therefore, he said, he was unable to give a large amount and wished to donate a small one instead.

But the Rabbi refused to take this small amount from him. He got up to go!





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For copyright reasons, the rest of the story may not be displayed here, but we'll be happy to send it along, just send an email.
 
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Question for your table... What do you say - Does tzedakah benefit the giver more than the receiver?


Shabbat Shalom


PS - For guidelines on giving tzedakah, including prioritizing, click here.

PPS - Want to make your Table Talk rabbi happy? Like it, tweet it, or just forward it to someone who might enjoy it.

Excerpted and adapted with permission from Stories My Grandfather Told Me, Vol. 5, © 2001 ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications. All rights reserved. Get the book here.