Nightmares

Aug 3rd, 2011 by Rabbi Simcha Weinberg in Holidays, Spiritual Growth

3 Comments

My first nightmare was of being attacked by the monsters described by my brother in a bedtime story. My father came running when he heard me scream and took care of the nightmare (and my brother). The monsters metamorphosed over the years into tests, my experiences as a prison chaplain, certain congregants, and then into some doctors. Tisha B’Av is when all of us relive the terrifying nightmares of our long exilic history.

Preparations helped me realize that my even my Tisha B’Av nightmares have changed.

My Tisha B’Av nightmare is that we stop dreaming of the impossible: Even as Isaiah and Jeremiah continued to dream no matter how dark their situation, Pindar, the greatest of the Greek lyricists, wrote: “O my soul, do not aspire to immortal life, but exhaust the limits of the possible.” That, is my Tisha B’Av nightmare! The only way we will overcome the destruction of Tisha B’Av is by aspiring to “the immortal life”. The Jewish people have survived, even thrived under the most terrible circumstances only because they held fast to their aspirations to the immortal existence of our nation.

Jonas Salk had it right when he said, “I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams.”

Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

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3 Comments

• moshe stepansky Jul 6, 2010 at 8:39 pm

  R’ Shlomo on the Nachmu Nachmu Ami album says “Can you imagine, 2000 years ago, a Jew is being exiled from Jerusalem – he turns to the Roman soldier and says we’ll be back. The Roman soldier looks at him like he’s crazy. But where’s the Roman soldier and where are we?”
• moshe stepansky Jul 6, 2010 at 9:04 pm

  Why is the Khannuka holiday so potent?

  If you think about it, it’s the only festival that came about historically because of events in the Holy Land.

  But, do you know how much you can be in exile when you are at home?

  If we are home , but the people are so fragmented, are we really home? If our Holy Torah, the blueprint of existence, which should be bringing people together, is being used to push people away-are we really home?

  R’Shlomo taught us in myriad ways to open our hearts to people of all walks of life, even walking down the streets of the world.

  Aspiring to the immortal life begins one day at a time. “Khadashim la’b'karim rabah emunatecha”colloquially,Each day is a new day.

  Never give up! Tomorrow is another day and so is the day after tomorrow.Thank G-d for all the opportunities granted to us!!

  R’Shlomo said “We all have to be Holy little flashlights to light up the world for each other”. The word ‘Ahm’,People, is spelled the same as ‘Im’,Together(‘Ayim Mem’).The way to bring Ahm Yisroel together is by each one of us reaching out to our brothers and sisters and to see the holiness in each one of us, irrespective of personal Torah observance.