Tetzaveh: Open Your Eyes

Frankly, I have often wondered what it would take to get most people to ‘open their eyes.’ After all, history is fraught with but few ‘seers’ while the mainstream remains blinded and clueless to the bigger picture.
The miracle I share with you today gives us all hope. Hope that anyone and everyone’s eyes can indeed be opened.
More than the Eye Can See: A Journey from Darkness to Light indeed.

Bamidbar: Whatever

"Whatever" is not just lazy thinking, it is plain mediocrity. Not to say that those using the word are mediocre. Rather, the prevalence of the word symbolizes a deep erosion of inner confidence and value of our instincts. Sort of a collective mediocrity has crept into our lives. A communal resignation is simmering beneath the surface of our battle scarred lives, inundated with images we are asked to buy into.
So begin counting: how many times do you use "whatever" in your conversation?
Perhaps the "whatever" epidemic is a wake-up call that the time has come to begin rebuilding our inner selves. To reclaim our self-confidence, to discover our inalienable sacred self -- and communicate it.
So, whatever you're doing, even if y'know where you're headed, take a moment and transform your "whatever" into substance and "y'know" into focus.
What's my point?
Whatever…

What is the Soul?

Referring to the above interpretation of the metaphor of speech, this means that the soul is a creation which does not “depart” from the all-pervading reality of G-d. A creation that not only senses its total dependence upon its source (as, deep down, every creation does), but one that does not even see itself as an “entity” distinct from its Creator.

Alone in a verbose world, the soul of man is a thing of silence. And its mission in life is to impart this silence to the world about it.

Vayishlach: The Fiasco

Personally I learned something about making plans. Sometimes you think you're looking for one thing, and when you let go, you actually discover something more important.
Fiascos, waves, particles, tension, resolution, rotzo, shuv, quarks, leptons, chaos, order – “sounds like one big fiasco to me,” as someone told me. So, next time things don’t work out as planned, remember: Life is complex. The deeper you dig, the more complex it gets. But deep beneath/beyond it all – if you dig deep enough, or perhaps, if you stop digging at all and just let go – the deepest truth that emerges is the most complex thing of all: simple innocence.

Bo: The Anatomy of Fear

Fear is perhaps our greatest enemy. Not because it is loud and aggressive, but because it is invisible. Is there a person alive that does not suffer from some fear, known or (even worse) unknown? And what effects do our fears have on our lives – what impact does it have on our choices and ambitions, on our behavior, pride, jealousy, anger and so many other emotions? Can it even be measured?

Yitro: On the Nature of Leadership & the Art of Delegation

By contrast, all corporate, government and other institutions with national and international branches and networks all have complex and elaborate quality control systems. There is a hierarchy – beginning with a CEO or executive director, who directs a group of national directors, who oversee local directors, etc. Each director ensures the operation and accountability of his/her respective branch. There are comptrollers and treasurers, bookkeepers and accountants, lawyers, presidents, chairmen and boards, there are timely spot checks, vigilant reviews, elaborate audits and reporting systems – an entire labyrinth with a comprehensive set of checks and balances, to ensure that the objective is being met. And even with all this in place – we see what it has led to in our current corporate meltdown…

Our Rendezvous with History

But the battle then was with Esau – and his different faces, the various faces of the West: Russia, France, and Europe in general (should also mention Greece, as we approach Chanukah). Initially the battle was to secure spiritual integrity. This required a certain measure of insulation from the world of “Esau.” As the years passed and we matured, and the universe continued to become more and more refined in the process, we reached a stage when we can enter the emancipated world of the West and not only would we not be compromised; we would transform, refine and spiritualize material secularism, turning the world into a home for the Divine.

Chaya Sarah: Alive with Pleasure

The Torah tells us that life – true life – can really be recognized after the soul passes on. One could argue that as long as we are biologically alive our appeal and our influence are based on our physical presence and the power we wield. When do you know that someone is truly alive – an eternal life that never dies – when you see the effects and influence that have remained after they are physically no longer there. Paradoxically, we learn more about true life after death than before it.