Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld
January 19-20, 2024 • 10 Teves 5784 • Bo (Ex 10-13).
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Do you know how many days until Tubishvat, Purim and Pesach?
In memory of Yaakov ben Matis, who passed away this week.
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The mission of Jewish Spiritual Literacy, Inc. (JSLI) is to foster a paradigm shift in spiritual and moral education to enable every human being to access and enjoy the incredible database of 3,000 years of Jewish wisdom.
Do you know how many days until Tubishvat, Purim and Pesach?
In memory of Yaakov ben Matis, who passed away this week.
+ + + + +
Early Tuesday morning, a snowstorm greeted me on my departure to California and this morning a new snowstorm greeted my return.
The occasion was the sudden loss of a wonderful soul named James (the Yaakov mentioned above) whose life story could fill many screens or pages. Here I will share just one nugget for you and your table.
Everyone talked about how James loved to ski. He was a natural athlete and certain childhood experiences seem to have given him a fearlessness bordering on recklessness. Those two traits combined made him one of the best amateur skiiers on any slope.
Anyone who has skied knows the joy, the thrill of speed. It's a playful pastime. There's something raw and visceral about the descent.
But the James that I knew - only for the past couple years - was at a new phase of his life. He was struggling with many challenges, mishaps, misfortunes as well as substance abuse. What we should learn from him, as his sister said so eloquently last night at Shiva, was that he didn't let these challenges define him. Regardless of how low he had fallen on the social-economic ladder, his true nature always shined, which was a baal chesed – a true connoisseur of lovingkindness. He would do anything for anyone without hesitation.
For example, his mother tells of the time when they were speaking on the phone and James was panting. "Are you all right?" she asked. "Yes," he panted, "I just saw someone in an electric wheelchair that had run out of juice and I pushed them up the hill." This was a San Francisco hill, mind you. Total stranger, no hesitation to help.
And in my judgement, his recent daily challenges were mostly rooted in a lack of clear sense of life purpose and direction. So with some guidance, he had started to clarify his life purpose and was finally in his late 50s beginning to see himself as a mountain climber, not a descender.
That's my take on James, in a nutshell - after many years of racing downhill, he left this world going uphill. It doesn't really matter how high you climb. What does matter is what direction you're going.
Let's leave this as usual with a question for your table: What about you? Are you living life for thrills and "experiences," or are you living for climbing higher?
Shabbat Shalom,
The occasion was the sudden loss of a wonderful soul named James (the Yaakov mentioned above) whose life story could fill many screens or pages. Here I will share just one nugget for you and your table.
Everyone talked about how James loved to ski. He was a natural athlete and certain childhood experiences seem to have given him a fearlessness bordering on recklessness. Those two traits combined made him one of the best amateur skiiers on any slope.
Anyone who has skied knows the joy, the thrill of speed. It's a playful pastime. There's something raw and visceral about the descent.
But the James that I knew - only for the past couple years - was at a new phase of his life. He was struggling with many challenges, mishaps, misfortunes as well as substance abuse. What we should learn from him, as his sister said so eloquently last night at Shiva, was that he didn't let these challenges define him. Regardless of how low he had fallen on the social-economic ladder, his true nature always shined, which was a baal chesed – a true connoisseur of lovingkindness. He would do anything for anyone without hesitation.
For example, his mother tells of the time when they were speaking on the phone and James was panting. "Are you all right?" she asked. "Yes," he panted, "I just saw someone in an electric wheelchair that had run out of juice and I pushed them up the hill." This was a San Francisco hill, mind you. Total stranger, no hesitation to help.
And in my judgement, his recent daily challenges were mostly rooted in a lack of clear sense of life purpose and direction. So with some guidance, he had started to clarify his life purpose and was finally in his late 50s beginning to see himself as a mountain climber, not a descender.
That's my take on James, in a nutshell - after many years of racing downhill, he left this world going uphill. It doesn't really matter how high you climb. What does matter is what direction you're going.
Let's leave this as usual with a question for your table: What about you? Are you living life for thrills and "experiences," or are you living for climbing higher?
Shabbat Shalom,
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The mission of Jewish Spiritual Literacy, Inc. (JSLI) is to foster a paradigm shift in spiritual and moral education to enable every human being to access and enjoy the incredible database of 3,000 years of Jewish wisdom.
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