Articles tagged with: optimsm
Bamidbar: Positive Thought
Is Optimism Naive?
Are you confident about the future? There are those who are frustratingly optimistic. No matter what the present, their faith in mankind, destiny and G-d’s basic commitment to goodness is unshakable. Others are more jaded. They look at the current state of affairs and take a dismal view …
Canukah: Despite the Odds
The Source of Light
In the course of life there are times of joy and of melancholy. When we are surrounded by friends and a constructive support network, when we are successful at home and at work, when we are satisfied with personal progress and development it is easy to coast …
Noach: Seeds of Light
Oy – A Tzoro
Have you ever been “oif tzoros?” It’s a prominent Yiddish aphorism that means “in trouble.” If your mother gave you shopping money and you lost it in a bad bet then you are “oif tzoros.” If your wife caught you drinking with friends while you claimed to …
Shemot: There is Always an Option
Only in America
High over the skies of Ohio I engaged my seat mate in discussion. His father is Protestant, his mother is Anglican and he, an earnest family man, wants to join the Anglican church. However, the only young congregation in his neighborhood with facilities for children is that of …
Simchat Torah: Circular Logic
Two Types
There are two types of people; the first sees tragedy, the other sees opportunity.
If their homes go up in flames, the first would reflect on the beautiful home that was, the second would contemplate the even more beautiful home that can soon be.
Days of Mourning
A Kind Suffering
The Hebrew word Chessed, kindness, has a numeric value of seventy-two. Kabbalah teaches that the last seventy-two days of the Hebrew calendar year are permeated with Chessed, divine benevolence. This period begins on the seventeenth day of the Hebrew month, Tamuz.
Tishah B’av:The Silver Lining
Asaf’s Perspective
On the ninth day of the Hebrew month Av, we fast and mourn as we mark the destruction of the Bet Hamikdash in the year 69 CE. A story is told of Asaf, a Levite and the choirmaster at the holy temple. He was renowned for his music and …
