What Can You Learn From Fireflies?

Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld

July 26-27, 2024 • 21 Tamuz 5784 • Pinchus (Num 25-31).

The goal of this blog is glowing Shabbat table conversation ... please share.
Happy birthday shout-out to Aaron in San Rafael!

Did you have fireflies growing up?

When I was growing up, they were something you read about in stories. I never actually saw them until the college summer I spent on the East Coast.

Surprisingly, fireflies are found in every US State of the Lower 48. How come we never saw them on the West Coast?

Apparently, of the 170 firefly species in the US, the ones west of the Rockies flash their lights only on the ground and not while flying, so they're very hard and rare to see.

OK, but... so what? In an AP feature story this week it was mentioned how each species has a unique light pattern, for instance:

The Smoky Mountains have Photinus carolinus fireflies that have become a tourist attraction with their tendency to flash in unison.

Some fireflies — nicknamed femme fatale — mimic another species’ light pattern to attract males, kill and eat them.

No surprise, like many creatures, fireflies are apparently disappearing.

Question to ask at your table: Should that bother us? And if so, why?

It turns out that they do more for us than entertain children. For example, they actually eat mosquitoes, slugs and snails (among other things).

Did you ever hear of a slug-eating fly? 

Well, it turns out that fireflies are not actually flies – they're beetles. And it also turns out that they're very hard to study and we know very little about them.

“It’s kind of like we’ve taken fireflies for granted for many decades. Everybody just assumes that we know all about them and that we know all the species and that everybody loves them. You know, they’re bioluminescent, so that’s really cool. Kids love them. But it’s amazing how little we know about them.”
— Delaware State University environmental sciences professor Christopher Heckscher

Question for your table: Is there a moral to this story?

It seems to me that we like to believe that our leaders and experts "know what they're doing." Sometimes they do and when they do we're lucky. But don't ever put your faith in them.

And the very best experts have no trouble saying the third hardest phrase in the English language to say: "I don't know."


Shabbat Shalom 

This week's Table Talk also appears online at blogs.timesofisrael.com
 and http://rabbiseinfeld.blogspot.com.

Enjoyed this Table Talk? Vote with your fingers! Like it, tweet it,  email it....

The mission of Jewish Spiritual Literacy, Inc. (JSLI.org) is to foster a paradigm shift in spiritual education to enable every human being to access and enjoy the incredible database of 3,000 years of Jewish wisdom.

To Err is a Mistake?

Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld
June 23, 2023 • 3 Tamuz 5783 • Parshas Korach (Num 16-18)
The purpose of this blog is to lead the Shabbat table toward perfection. Please share.
Happy birthday shoutout to Gina!

As you can see in this screenshot, we've got some momentum! Thanks to many of you for helping get us there.

Along this publishing road, here's something funny that happened to me this week....

We've been working on the e-book version of Body and Soul - for Kindle, Apple Books, etc. - for over a month. The conversion has been slow because of the hundreds of footnotes, endnotes and cross-references that all had to be hot-linked.

Two weeks ago, the ebook-conversion people sent us a "completed" file that was full of errors.

This week, they sent us the revised file.

I'm happy to say that, while not perfect, I think it's good enough to publish. (For now; we'll perhaps press them to get it a bit more perfect in the meantime.)

Publishing it for Kindle is pretty straightforward and it didn't take long to receive this warm confirmation.

The funny part didn't occur until a few hours later, when Amazon sent us the following email:
 

During our review, we found that your book contains interior and/or cover content that’s available from a different publisher. We need you to confirm your publishing rights before the book is made available on Amazon.

 

Body & Soul: The Torah Path to Health, Fitness, and a Holy Life by Seinfeld, Alexander (AUTHOR); Grove, Daniel (AUTHOR) (ID: 54985871)

 

To publish the book(s), reply to this email and send documentation and/or verification showing you hold rights to the content. Please submit any documents you have, along with an explanation of any previously published books within 5 days. If we do not receive the appropriate documentation, the book(s) will be unavailable for sale on Amazon.

 

Acceptable documentation may include:

• A letter from the previous publisher reverting rights back to the author

• A signed copy of the agreement between you and the author

• A signed copy of the agreement between the author and the previous publisher

• A signed letter from the previous publisher indicating that they do not object to your edition

• Documentation showing the previous publisher holds nonexclusive rights

 

If you have questions or believe you've received this email in error, reply to this message.

 

Thanks for using Amazon KDP.

The problem with this email is that both books have the same author, publisher and copyright holder! They're asking me to write a letter to myself giving myself permission to publish my book for Kindle!

First thought: "Aha! Amazon made a mistake! Gotcha!"

But then I thought, "Is that plausible? That Amazon made a mistake? Isn't that almost like saying that Moses made a mistake?"

That one reconsideration - that perhaps Amazon did not make a mistake - enabled me to find the true mistake, which was of course mine and not Amazon's. 

On the print book, we have the publisher listed as Jewish Spiritual Literacy Press. On the e-book, we abbreviated it to JSLI. 

It was our mistake, not Amazon's. Amazon does not make mistakes.

Let's repeat that: Amazon does not make mistakes.

But seriously, this is a real question for your table: Is there anyone we can rightfully expect not to make a mistake? Are there some people who ought to feel like they must be perfect?


Shabbat Shalom

PS - The Kindle edition is indeed now live - CLICK HERE.

PPS - The new Torah Health and Fitness landing page is growing and improving daily - please check it out and send me your feedback.

Trumpic Cascade (who's top predator?)

The goal of this blog is to send reverberations through your dinner conversation tonight ...  Continuing to wish a speedy recovery to Tamar Adina bas Kayna Shulamis.

A trophic cascade is an amazing phenomenon of nature.

In a nutshell, a top predator's presence reverberates throughout the entire ecosystem, affecting the behavior of not only all other animals in the complex food web but also the plants and even the abiotic factors.

In other words, who's at the top really matters. (Even if you believe it is Divinely ordained.)

Last summer I mentioned the perils of simple-majority voting.

This week seems like a good time to dust-off and update our leadership quiz.

So today's main question for your table: What are the qualities of a great leader?

On each of these alternatives, choose the one that you think is most important:

1. [A] Wise in all major matters of state v. [B] Relies on wisdom of advisors
2. [A] Upholds the letter of the law v. [B] Upholds the spirit of the law
3. [A] Doesn’t make serious mistakes v. [B] Admits mistakes and apologizes
4. [A] Clean background v. [B] Proverbial skeleton in the closet
5. [A] Commands respect and wields authority v. [B] Walks humbly
6. [A] Multicultural v. [B] Patriotic
7. [A] Quick to respond v. [B] Slow to respond
8. [A] Fully developed skills v. [B] Able to learn on the job.

OK, don’t peek below until you’ve made your choices ...

+ + + + +

Now, I don't claim these are the "right" answers, but it seems to me that the weight of Jewish thought would say:

1. B – When King David faced a social-economic problem, he consulted the wise men (Talmud Ber. 3b).

2. A and B. Tough job. He or she should keep a travel-size copy of the Constitution on hand at all times as a reminder that not even the King (or President) is above the law. (Would the Kindle or iPhone/iPad version count?)

3. B – No question about this – everyone makes mistakes. If we expect perfect leaders we are guaranteed scandals and cover-ups. If our leaders know we can forgive their errors as long as they own up to them, then we will have both more honesty and better role models.

4. The surprising answer here is B. The Talmud considers this a necessary quality for a successful head of government. The idea is to keep your leader from becoming arrogant. See Q. 5.

5. Tough one. Obviously A and B, but how do you balance authority with humility?

6. The Executive should be patriotic but worldly. Legislators should be worldly but patriotic. Judges should be multilingual.

7. I'm going for B - we like decisiveness but we don't want hasty. The three eldest sons of Yaakov (Jacob) lost the leadership because they were impetuous.

8. I'll leave this one unanswered here, but would be pleased to hear the answers from your table.

(Advanced question: What does this whole discussion have to do with this week's parsha?)


Shabbat Shalom

Like this post? How about putting your gelt where your gab is: Like it, tweet it, or just forward it.

It's So Tempting . . .

The goal of this blog is to bring some leadership training to the Shabbat table....


With news so dramatic, the temptation to comment is hard to resist.

But I know that you expect more of this email. You enter this intellectual space every week for a break from the 24-hour news feed, for a little bit of soul food.

May I just point out that the Brexit was no landslide.

If the British People had decided to require a sensible supermajority, it would have failed.

If yesterday's vote were an opinion poll, it would be a statistical tie. (Not unlike the last four POTUS elections.)

Making such a radical national policy based on a simple majority reminds one of the people of Athens voting to go to war with Syracuse, and some of Pericles's best quotes:

 
 

""Your empire is now like a tyranny: it may have been wrong to take it; it is certainly dangerous to let it go.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/pericles.html

Your empire is now like a tyranny: it may have been wrong to take it; it is certainly dangerous to let it go.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/pericles.html

"Wait for that wisest of all counselors, Time.”
"Just because you don't take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you."
“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”
“The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention.”


All of this leads to an interesting question for your table, which is ultimately a spiritual question, and a very Jewish one:

For profound progress to occur, which is more important — grass-roots change or great leadership?


Shabbat Shalom

PS - Which is your favorite Pericles quote?
PPS - There are two hidden links in this post. Can you find them?

Like this email? How about putting your gelt where your gab is: Like it, tweet it, or just forward it.

Fellow the Leader

The goal of this blog is to bring out the great leader in you at your Friday night dinner table. Please print and share
This week's horse race has distracted many of us from horrendous and scary events in Jerusalem.

But wherever you look, there is this common thread: wildly different visions of leadership.

First question for your table: What is great leadership?

How about answering rom a Jewish perspective?

Maybe I should just leave it there.

But I'll make it a little easier for you.

Let's make this a multiple-choice quiz: Which of the following traits would you guess the Torah teaches as vital to great leadership?

1. Honesty.
2. Compassion.
3. Self-discipline.
4. Vision.
5. Communication skills.
6. Decisiveness.
7. Teamwork.
8. Creativity.
9. Piety.
10. Commitment.
11. Intelligence.
12. Wealth.

After you've made your list, put them in order from most to least important.

After that, ask everyone at your table today's 2nd question: Would you rather be a good leader or a great follower?


Shabbat Shalom

PS - I'm happy to report that we're continuing to sign up new subscribers to Amazing Nature for Teachers -  Please let your favorite educator or school know about it. Just highlight this paragraph and click "forward". AmazingNature4Teachers.com. We've even had parents sign up who want to inspire their families with these amazing photos and facts.

(Or better yet, send them a gift subscription.)

Like this email? How about putting your mouse where your mouth is: Like it, tweet it, or just forward it to someone who might enjoy it.

If Not Now, When?

The purpose of this blog is to convert your Friday night dinner table into a Shabbat table. Please print and share. (To dedicate a weekly message in honor or memory of a loved one, send an email.)

Here's a conversation-starter for your table tonight:

"So what do China's smog, the smell of coral, and the US Mail have in common?"

Answer: They all remind us how interconnected we all are (no more privacy and local problems easily become global), and geography matters more than ever before.

By hook or by crook.

Question 2: What's the solution?

I'm interested in your table's answers, please send.

I propose leadership-by-example.

For example, in this remarkable, true tear-jerker about an "ordinary" guy named Gershon who somehow managed to embrace globalization and exemplify selflessness while maintaining privacy.

A 3rd question for your dinner table:

Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.”
“My great concern is not whether you failed but if you are content with your failure.”
“That some achieve great success is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.”

OK, now let's put the two together. Instead of "happy", substitute your own emotional challenge:

"Most folks are as _______ as they make up their minds to be."

And then read the other 3 lines.

Now try out your new mantra every morning and once an hour. Try it for a week.

(Unless you disagree.)

But to quote the great rabbi, Hillel:

If I'm not for myself, why should anyone else be for me?
Yet if I'm only for myself, what value am I?
And what's my excuse not to start (having some self-esteem and start thinking beyond myself) right now?

Shabbat Shalom


PS - If you agree with those four quotes, you are in the company of Abe Lincoln.

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

The Leadership Cliff

The goal of this blog is to facilitate an engaging, Torah-based conversation at your Shabbat table. Don't bother reading it now - just print and share!


"The fiscal cliff: when congressmen who are protected from a pay cut decide what happens to everyone else." - Andy Borowitz
"Al Qaeda Disbands; Says Job of Destroying US Economy Now in Congress' Hands." - Andy Borowitz
"Let's just go over the cliff! Let's just go. Because, you know why? At least for a few seconds, it'll feel like we're flying." - Jon Stewart

OK stop me if you've heard this one:

A rabbi, a priest and a penguin walk into a fiscal cliff bar.
The bartender says to the rabbi, "What'll you have?"
The rabbi points to the priest and says, "Whatever he's having!"
So the bartender turns to the priest, "What'll you have?"
He in turn points to the penguin and says, "Whatever he's having!"
Finally he turns to the penguin and asks, "So what'll it be?"
The penguin shrugs and says, __________________

January contest - finish the joke! Use comments section to send your entry.



Now seriously... let's talk about leadership.

This week's question for your table — What are the qualities of a great leader?

Here's one way of going about it. On each of these alternatives, choose the one that you think is most important:

1. [A] Wise in all major matters of state v. [B] Relies on wisdom of advisors
2. [A] Upholds the letter of the law v. [B] Upholds the spirit of the law
3. [A] Doesn’t make serious mistakes v. [B] Admits mistakes and apologizes
4. [A] Clean background v. [B] Proverbial skeleton in the closet
5. [A] Commands respect and wields authority v. [B] Walks humbly
6. [A] Multicultural v. [B] Patriotic
7. [A] Fully developed skills v. [B] Able to learn on the job

OK, don’t peek below until you’ve made your choices...

Now, I’m not claiming these are the "right" answers, but it seems to me that the weight of Jewish thought would say:

1. B – When King David faced an unemployment problem, he consulted his wise men (who happened to be legislators and judges) on what to do. (He had the advantage of having a few card-carrying prophets around the palace, but they were more vocal about the king's morality than on economics.)

2. A and B. Tough job. He or she should keep a travel-size copy of the Constitution on hand at all times as a reminder that not even the King (or President) is above the law. (I'm not sure the Kindle or iPhone/iPad version would count...perhaps.)

3. B – no question about this – everyone makes mistakes. If we expect perfect leaders we are guaranteed scandals and cover-ups. If we let our leaders know we can forgive their errors as long as they own up to them, then we will have both more honesty and better role models.

4. The surprising answer here is B. The Talmud states this as a necessary quality for a successful head of government. The idea is to keep your leader from becoming arrogant. See Q. 5.

5. Tough one. How do you balance authority with humility?

6. The Executive should be patriotic but worldly. Legislators should be worldly but patriotic. Judges should be multilingual.

7. I'll leave this one unanswered here, but would be pleased to hear the answers from your table.


Shabbat Shalom 

PS - Thanks to everyone who recently launched or renewed a Table Talk partnership.

PPS - Speaking of multiculturalism: one of the most unusual multicultural videos you've ever seen.

As always, this message can be received via email - sign up at jsli.org. If you enjoyed this blog, please link to it, "like" it, tweet it, or merely send the link to others who may enjoy it.

Leadership

A marvelous young man in Jerusalem is fighting for his life against a malicious cancer. His name is Elimelech Dovid ben Chaya Bayla. I would like to dedicate this week’s Table Talk to his speedy convalescence. To dedicate a future Table Talk, send an email.


Last week I promised to write something about Jewish wisdom on choosing a leader.

But first, what do you and those at your dinner table think? On each of these alternatives, choose the one that you think is most important:

1. [A] Wise in all major matters of state v. [B] Relies on wisdom of advisors
2. [A] Upholds the letter of the law v. [B] Upholds the spirit of the law
3. [A] Doesn’t make serious mistakes v. [B] Admits mistakes and apologizes
4. [A] Clean background v. [B] Proverbial skeleton in the closet
5. [A] Commands respect and wields authority v. [B] Walks humbly
6. [A] Multicultural v. [B] Patriotic

OK, don’t peek below until you’ve made your choices...

Now, I’m not claiming there are right or wrong answers, but it seems to me that the weight of Jewish thought would say as follows:

1. B – When King David faced an unemployment problem, he consulted with his advisors on what to do. (He had the advantage of having Nathan, a card-carrying prophet, among them.)
2. A and B. The leader has to be extra diligent in upholding the law in all aspects. Tradition suggests that he or she should possibly keep a copy of the Constitution on hand at all times just as a reminder that not even the King (or President) is above the law.
3. B – no question about this – everyone makes mistakes. If we expect our leaders to be perfect, we are guaranteed to have scandals and cover-ups. If, on the other hand, we let our leaders know that we can live with their errors as long as they own up to them, then we might have both more honesty in government and better role models for us and our children.
4. The surprising answer here is B. now, the Talmud states this specifically about a mayor, but I think it could also apply to a head of state. The idea is that if your leader has something ignoble in his or her background, they are less likely to become haughty.
5. However, the avoidance of pride doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t uphold the great dignity of the office. A head of state, if not lower leaders, must command respect and know how to wield authority. Tradition is highly critical of King Saul for ignoring someone who brashly insulted him.
6. I think this one depends on which leader we’re talking about. On the one hand, the individual Head of State, as the face of the country, must be quite patriotic. On the other hand, he or she must be worldly. The Midrash claims that the pharaohs of ancient Egypt were polyglots as a rule. Other leaders, too, including legislators and judges, serve the people better if they a multilingual.

Multiculturalism is undoubtedly an asset in any time in history. In that spirit, here is one of the most intriguing multi-cultural videos I’ve seen, Fiddler on the Roof in Japanese.


Shabbat Shalom


Travel/speaking schedule:
January 15-17 - California
January 28 - Baltimore
February 18-20 – Chicago and Deerfield
March 18-19 – Miami area

For details, send an email!