The Meaning of Lift

The goal of this blog is to give a helping hand to your Friday night dinner conversation. Please print and share.

Central Pennsylvania.



 



Rural central Pennsylvania. 



Driving with the wife and 3 kids.



Heading home on a Sunday evening after a LONG day.



3 hours of driving ahead of us.



A narrow road, traffic. Not a lot of room to maneuver.



An object on the road. Black.



Looks like part of a truck's engine. 



Can we make it over it?



Hope so, no choice. 



SCRAAAAAAAPE......POP! 



 Guess not..... 



 Plume of oil spurting out the back of the car. 



Seven year old, "I can't breathe!! I can't breathe!!" 



 We made it off of the road safely. There is a happy ending. 



 But I wanted to relate one detail of this story that should be remembered. 



 Not only did Act Towing take care of our minivan, they took us in a 
separate vehicle, first 20 miles to the airport to see if there were any
 rentals available (there were not) and then 15 miles to a hotel. 



 And not only that, but the next morning, the boss's wife picked us up in
 her minivan to take us back to the airport to get our rental car.



She didn't need to. They could have told us, "Sorry buddy, call a cab!" 



 That's hospitality. That's kindness. 



 And here's the best part: She showed no sign of trouble or hurry or bother. 



 2 questions for your table:



 - What's a better feeling, when someone goes out of their way to help you, or when you go out of your way to help someone?

 - Does it matter how you do it, or is the doing it the main thing? 



Shabbat Shalom 

 
PS - Some say the cultivation of compassion starts with this kind of wonderment.

 

Climb Out of That Hole

Life underground seems to be a theme of the week.

And patience.

Just as Switzerland completed a 20-year project to build the world’s longest tunnel... (http://tinyurl.com/swisstunnelcompleted)

Just as the Chilean miners were emerging from their 70-day ultra slim-down retreat….

Two patience-required milestones happened in my life that were causes for personal joy. I just wanted to share these with you before I ask this week’s question.

Event #1 – after 12 years of work – yes, that’s not a typo, 12 years – I have in my hands the Hebrew version of the Art of Amazement. It was published just after Rosh Hashana in Jerusalem and it is exactly how I envisioned it. Small, paperback, beautiful cover.

1,000 extra copies were printed to send to Jewish centers around the world where young Israelis are wandering. (15,000 copies were requested, by the way.)

Event #2 – after 8 years of work, yesterday I submitted my very first iphone app to Apple.

How could it be, you ask, since the iphone hasn’t been around for 8 years?

I’ll leave that question unanswered for now. When the app is approved and I can unveil it to the world, then I will tell all.

Now, here’s the stumper for your table:

We live in a time of instant gratification. Food, information, communication, entertainment and you name it – can be enjoyed with the push of a button.

Some of us (including yours, truly) enjoy the slow, delayed gratification of home-grown vegetables.

But let’s face it. We’re all somewhat addicted to instant results. If a computer becomes sluggish, we get impatient, forgetting what computers were like just a few years ago.

One day I imagine our grandchildren are going to ask, “Tell us again that story about how phones used to drop the call…” or “Tell us that story about how you had to push buttons in order to call someone.”

So here’s the question: How can you get instant “spiritual” gratification?

(Remember the rules, there are no wrong answers, but ask at your table

Of course, there is the long-winded answer that I put into a book:

http://www.jsli.org/discount (that’s cheaper than you can get it anywhere else)

Here’s a short-winded answer:

Give to someone.

The moment that you give to someone, you are getting outside of your own bubble. That’s the most basic spiritual experience.

We all pay lip-service to becoming more spiritually-connected.

Time to put your mullah where your mouth is.

Our friend Captain Shulman is now on assignment on the US base in Korea. He just sent a list of Jewish soldiers currently serving overseas.

Why don’t we – you and I – try to make sure that every one of these soldiers gets something for Hannuka. A card, some chocolate gelt, a box of small candles, a book, a silly toy. You name it.

If you know any kids, get them to MAKE cards. Hand-made cards are the best.

Email me for the names. Let me know how many you want.

(The cost of mailing is the same as a US address, but needs 10-14 days.)

Think about it.

(But not too hard.)


Shabbat Shalom

Menschlekeit

What does it mean when someone says, "S/he's a real mensch"?

Here's a story from the Talmud:

Once, while Rebbe (that's the nickname of R. Yehuda HaNasi) was teaching his daily class in rabbinics, he noticed a particularly strong scent of garlic.

Now if you are a garlic lover, the scent of raw garlic can only be described as an aroma.

But if you are not a garlic lover, or if you happen to be pregnant, any scent of garlic (raw or cooked) can only be described as an odor.

While the Talmud does not mention whether or not Rebbe was pregnant at the time, I think it is safe to assume he was not. Nevertheless, he found the garlic smell so strong it was disturbing his concentration.

"Whoever has been eating garlic, please go out," he said.

R. Chiya stood up and left.

Then all the other students stood up and left.

The next day, Rebbe's son R. Shimon ran into R. Chiya. "Aren't you the one who annoyed my father yesterday?"

"God forbid," he answered.

Question for your table: Why did R. Chiya (and then the other students) leave?

If this story speaks to you, then you get one of the 2 messages of Purim: Doing whatever it takes to help anyone in your community who needs help.

Whatever it takes.

That’s being a mensch. Think about it.

If you don't know someone who needs help, or if you want to give anonymously (recommended), find a rabbi who disburses funds. If you can't find a rabbi, try 1-800-823-CHAI.


Shabbat Shalom and Happy Purim

Here is link to a class I gave this week on Purim.

And as promised, here is the second story, followed by a Purim-ready joke...

(As told by Larry Domnitch)

It was Purim, my destination was the South Bronx to read the Megillah (Scroll of Esther) in one of the last remaining Synagogues in the area. While scurrying around my apartment in an attempt to make a hasty departure, I received a phone call from a friend who had discovered an elderly Jewish man who lives alone in a vast housing project in the Bronx's Soundview section. It would be reasonable to presume that this person lives in virtual seclusion and is also detached from the Jewish community. On that day however, he would be reacquainted with the holiday of Purim.

I phoned Bernie (not his real name) and offered to bring him Mishloach Manot - the traditional package of treats. Pleasantly surprised as well as shocked to receive my call, he accepted the offer. I told Bernie that when I finished reading the Megillah, I would stop by. He responded that he anxiously awaited my arrival.

Years of solitude no doubt affects an individual and my call must have prompted Bernie to recollect the memories of the neighborhood's bygone eras, with its shuls, and schools, and holiday celebrations with relatives and friends. Perhaps he was not quite ready to deal with those memories for he called and left this message, "All the Jews have left, there is no one left here anymore." He said with resignation that perhaps it would be better if I did not visit him. However, I had already left and did not receive that message.

Later that afternoon, when I along with a friend arrived at Bernie's apartment, he greeted us graciously but with a subdued enthusiasm. He seemed uneasy, unsure he wanted us there. But with Mishloach Manot in hand, we were there nonetheless.

For about a half-hour, we sat in Bernie's unkempt, cluttered apartment surrounded by old newspapers and memorabilia. We spoke about Israel, the Bronx, the Jewish Patriarchs, Purim, and about whatever else he chose to discuss. I felt like a traveler from afar bringing Bernie news. We were indeed his connection with the Jewish world for that brief time.

How ironic that we lived only a few miles away. Bernie soon became comfortable with our presence, a sure sign that our mission was a success. When it was time to leave, we gave Bernie a Mishloach Manot package, and wished him a Freilichen (joyous) Purim. A greeting he probably had not heard in years.

When I returned home that evening, I heard Bernie's earlier recorded message telling me not to bother bringing him Mishloach Manot. Yet, an additional message followed. In an
enthusiastic tone that told a thousand words, he profusely thanked me for visiting him and for the Mishloach Manot. In an uplifted spirit, he said, "I want to thank you for the Shaloch Manos and most importantly for your presence here today. It's been a long time since I spoke about Yiddishkeit, you brought back the 'pintele Yid' (Jewish spark) in me." He concluded his message with, "Zei Gezunt," (be well) and added in parting "I'll call you when I get a chance." Indeed I have spoken to him since.

That year, the holiday of Purim was brought to Bernie. On that day, Purim was not merely a forgotten memory celebrated elsewhere but something real, a cause for celebration.
There are times when a seemingly small act can have the most profound effect upon another. It was a Purim I will never forget.

*
Q: Why did Adam and Eve have a perfect marriage?
A: He didn't have to hear about all the men she could have married, and she didn't have to hear about the way his mother cooked.

Have a better joke? Leave a comment below!

PPS - Purim-friendly t-shirt seen in Israel: