Shabbat Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld
September 26-27, 2025 • 5 Tishrei 5786 • Vayeitzei (Deut 31).
We've added a new timer ... counting down to Sukkot.
Happy New Year!
As a follow-up to last week's "Jelly Beans" message, here's a starter-question for your table:
Have you ever had an inspired idea like his? Would you like to?
I would personally like to ask him what inspired him to make that great film.
The history of inspiration and invention is a fun topic, with such colorful stories and characters like Archimedes and Buckminster Fuller.
What do such creative people have in common? And how are inventors similar to or different from innovators in science, art, music, or other fields?
Yesterday, I happened to hear a brief story on the radio that may begin to answer this question.
It was about a woman named Bette Graham.
Have you heard of her?
(Probably not, which is too bad, because her story should be told to every child and in every business school.)
In the 1950s she found herself a single mom without income. She had studied art but couldn't make a living in art, so took a job as a secretary.
The problem was that she had learned to type on manual typewriters, and her employer had upgraded to the new electric typewriters. Bette found herself making many errors and was at real risk of losing her job.
The artist in her said that there must be a way to hide her mistakes, with just the right kind of paint.
After many hours of trial-and-error in her kitchen, she settled on a pigment that she could apply to her typos with a tiny paint brush. Her boss never noticed!
But you know who did notice?
The other secretaries. They all wanted some of Bette's paint. So she bought some tiny makeup bottles with little brushes and started selling her "liquid paper" to her friends.
You can guess where this is going. It did take some time and it was a slow expansion, from her kitchen, to a shed in her back yard, and as business grew, eventually to a factory and then a second factory in Canada and a third one in Europe.
"I never set out to make a million dollars nor even to invent anything, I just wanted to keep my job!"
Question for your table: What's your take-away lesson from Betty Graham?
Here's one to consider:
When you set your resolutions for 5786, don't merely speak in generalities. It's great that you want to be a more punctual person. It's great that you want to commit to being on time for every meeting for 30 days. But I would encourage you to add to that a reason why it matters. Such as: "I'm going to try to be on time to every meeting for 30 days so that the people I'm meeting feel more respected."
Having a clear why makes it 9x easier to reach your goals.
Shabbat Shalom
PS - The premiere mitzvah is giving tzedakah, and the premiere tzedakah is in support of Jewish education. At this time of year, it is customary to increase our mitzvahs. If you enjoy this email weekly or even once in a while, please consider showing your appreciation with a tax-deductible donation. There are many ways to give, including recurring credit card donations... please visit https://jsli.org/donate.
Appreciated this Table Talk? Like it, tweet it, forward it....
We've added a new timer ... counting down to Sukkot.
Happy New Year!As a follow-up to last week's "Jelly Beans" message, here's a starter-question for your table:
Have you ever had an inspired idea like his? Would you like to?
I would personally like to ask him what inspired him to make that great film.
The history of inspiration and invention is a fun topic, with such colorful stories and characters like Archimedes and Buckminster Fuller.
What do such creative people have in common? And how are inventors similar to or different from innovators in science, art, music, or other fields?
Yesterday, I happened to hear a brief story on the radio that may begin to answer this question.
It was about a woman named Bette Graham.
Have you heard of her?
(Probably not, which is too bad, because her story should be told to every child and in every business school.)
In the 1950s she found herself a single mom without income. She had studied art but couldn't make a living in art, so took a job as a secretary.
The problem was that she had learned to type on manual typewriters, and her employer had upgraded to the new electric typewriters. Bette found herself making many errors and was at real risk of losing her job.
The artist in her said that there must be a way to hide her mistakes, with just the right kind of paint.
After many hours of trial-and-error in her kitchen, she settled on a pigment that she could apply to her typos with a tiny paint brush. Her boss never noticed!
But you know who did notice?
The other secretaries. They all wanted some of Bette's paint. So she bought some tiny makeup bottles with little brushes and started selling her "liquid paper" to her friends.
You can guess where this is going. It did take some time and it was a slow expansion, from her kitchen, to a shed in her back yard, and as business grew, eventually to a factory and then a second factory in Canada and a third one in Europe.
"I never set out to make a million dollars nor even to invent anything, I just wanted to keep my job!"
Question for your table: What's your take-away lesson from Betty Graham?
Here's one to consider:
When you set your resolutions for 5786, don't merely speak in generalities. It's great that you want to be a more punctual person. It's great that you want to commit to being on time for every meeting for 30 days. But I would encourage you to add to that a reason why it matters. Such as: "I'm going to try to be on time to every meeting for 30 days so that the people I'm meeting feel more respected."
Having a clear why makes it 9x easier to reach your goals.
Shabbat Shalom
PS - The premiere mitzvah is giving tzedakah, and the premiere tzedakah is in support of Jewish education. At this time of year, it is customary to increase our mitzvahs. If you enjoy this email weekly or even once in a while, please consider showing your appreciation with a tax-deductible donation. There are many ways to give, including recurring credit card donations... please visit https://jsli.org/donate.
Appreciated this Table Talk? Like it, tweet it, forward it....
