Happy birthday shout-out to our dear daughter Emuna.
Countdown to ɯᴉɹnԀ !!!
Do Some People Have All the Luck?
Apologeez-louise to anyone offended by last week's image.
Either you love the man, and don't like to see him made fun of, or you hate the man and just don't like to see him.
(Either way, I hope that the message got you to smile!)
I often say sincerely that I have the best job in the world.
I get to speak (sometimes "speak", i.e., in writing) every day with highly intelligent people about things that I think are interesting and important (namely Jewish wisdom). I feel lucky.
On that note, I would like to raise an old topic that never fails to amaze me.
Try asking at your table: Did you ever fantasize about winning a big jackpot? What would do with that windfall?
I'm guessing that most people have a private list of wants that they imagine filling.
Then ask: Did you ever hear stories about someone who won the big jackpot and later regretted it?
It's true, it has happened many times. Millions of people play various gambling games every day, very much hoping to win. We play because we imagine ourselves with all that dough. We picture the luxury car that we'll be able to afford, or the [fill in the blank]. And hearing about someone else winning only fuels the fire of that imagination: somebody (else) got lucky!
But the truth is that some jackpot winners discover that the reality of winning is the exact opposite of what they'd imagined it to be.
Before they won a $2.76 million lottery jackpot in 2005, Lara and Roger Griffiths, of England, reportedly never argued.
Then they won and bought a million-dollar barn-converted house and a Porsche, not to mention luxurious trips to Dubai, Monaco, and New York City.
Media stories say their fortune ended in 2010 when a freak fire gutted their house, which was underinsured, forcing them to shell out for repairs and seven months of temporary accommodations.
Shortly after, there were claims that Roger drove away in the Porsche after Lara confronted him over emails suggesting that he was interested in another woman. That ended their 14-year marriage
Here's another one:
William "Bud" Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988, but he was $1 million in debt within a year.
"I wish it never happened," Post said. "It was totally a nightmare."
A former girlfriend successfully sued him for a third of his winnings, and his brother was arrested for allegedly hiring a hit man to kill him in the hopes he'd inherit a share of the winnings.
After sinking money into family businesses, Post sank into debt and spent time in jail for firing a gun over the head of a bill collector.
"I was much happier when I was broke," he said, The Washington Post reported.
Bud lived quietly on $450 a month and food stamps until his death in 2006.
There are many stories like this.
(Source of the above: Business Insider.)
I know what you're thinking — "I'm different! If I won the jackpot I wouldn't squander the money or let it ruin me!"
Perhaps you are different... but...
Final question for the table: How do you know?
Shabbat Shalom
PS - Click the image for something that will truly transform your Purim....
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