“He cut down the towering stature of Adam, the creature He had fashioned with His own hands,

He had just stepped into the treasure house of Eden when he was evicted. Thus God demonstrated to him that the couch is too short.”

We cannot think of all the death and destruction of Tisha B’Av without going back to the first sin and the first exile that soon followed; Adam in the Garden.

We cannot think of Adam’s sin, so soon after being fashioned by God, without wondering whose fault was it that Adam sinned? Is it possible for us to live without sin? Were we always destined to live in exile? The first “Eichah,” – “Ayekah,” is a question to one who has lost his place: “Where are you?”

We think of the spectacular failures that led to Israel wandering the desert for forty years, and the destruction of the two Batei Mikdash and Beitar and automatically think back to that first day, so soon after God fashioned Adam, and reread the question and respond to God’s, “Where are You?” with our own question of “Eichah?” – “How could this be?” Or, “Could it be otherwise?”

Tisha B’Av takes us to the core of the human struggle to soar and create, to master ourselves, to “conquer” the world, which inevitably confronts us with the possibility of sin. We begin by remembering the tragic events of Tisha B’Av, but soon go to reflecting on the failures that have haunted humanity since the Garden.

It is easy for one who is mourning to think back on humanity’s slips and weep, “Eichah,” “Alas!” However, we too can reread the “Eichah” to “Ayekah,” a simple question that has more than one answer, “Where are you?” We can respond as Adam did not, “We sinned, but are prepared to repair.”

The true tragedy is when we are stuck in the “Eichah” mode, focusing on failures and the difficulties of a creative life. The solution is a simple rereading of the word as “Ayekah,” to take time to reflect and ask ourselves, “Are we where we want to be?”

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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.

The popular conception of genius is that it is an inborn gift, yet an increasingly large body of research suggests the opposite – that genius is always the product of sustained effort. A case in point – Mozart:

“Standing above all other giftedness legends, of course, [is] that of the mystifying boy genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, alleged to be an instant master performer at age three and a brilliant composer at age five. His breath-taking musical gifts were said to have sprouted from nowhere, and his own father promoted him as the ‘miracle which God let be born in Salzburg.’

“The reality about Mozart turns out to be far more interesting and far less mysterious. His early achievements – while very impressive, to be sure – actually make good sense considering his extraordinary upbringing. And his later undeniable genius turns out to be a wonderful advertisement for the power of process. Mozart was bathed in music from well before his birth, and his childhood was quite unlike any other. His father, Leopold Mozart, was an intensely ambitious Austrian musician, composer, and teacher who had gained wide acclaim with the publication of the instruction book A Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing. For a while, Leopold had dreamed of being a great composer himself. But on becoming a father, he began to shift his ambitions away from his own unsatisfying career and onto his children – perhaps, in part, because his career had already hit a ceiling: he was vice-kapellmeister (assistant music director); the top spot would be unavailable for the foreseeable future.

“Uniquely situated, and desperate to make some sort of lasting mark on music, Leopold began his family musical enterprise even before Wolfgang’s birth, focusing first on his daughter Nannerl. Leopold’s elaborate teaching method derived in part from the Italian instructor Giuseppe Tartini and included highly nuanced techniques …

“Then came Wolfgang. Four and a half years younger than his sister, the tiny boy got everything Nannerl got – only much earlier and even more intensively. Literally from his infancy, he was the classic younger sibling soaking up his big sister’s singular passion. As soon as he was able, he sat beside her at the harpsichord and mimicked notes that she played. Wolfgang’s first pings and plucks were just that. But with a fast-developing ear, deep curiosity and a tidal wave of family know-how, he was able to click into an accelerated process of development.

“As Wolfgang became fascinated with playing music, his father became fascinated with his toddler son’s fascination – and was soon instructing him with an intensity that far eclipsed his efforts with Nannerl. Not only did Leopold openly give preferred attention to Wolfgang over his daughter; he also made a career-altering decision to more or less shrug off his official duties in order to build an even more promising career for his son. This was not a quixotic adventure. Leopold’s calculated decision made reasonable financial sense, … Wolfgang’s youth made him a potentially lucrative attraction. …

From the age of three, then, Wolfgang had an entire family driving him to excel with a powerful blend of instruction, encouragement, and constant practice. He was expected to be the pride and financial engine of the family, and he did not disappoint. In his performances from London to Mannheim between the ages of six and eight, he drew good receipts and high praise from noble patrons. …

“Still, like his sister, the young Mozart was never a truly great adult-level instrumentalist. He was highly advanced for his age, but not compared with skillful adult performers. The tiny Mozart dazzled royalty and was at the time unusual for his early abilities. But today many young children exposed to Suzuki and other rigorous musical programs play as well as the young Mozart did – and some play even better. Inside the world of these intensive, child-centered programs, such achievements are now straightforwardly regarded by parents and teachers for what they are: the combined consequence of early exposure, exceptional instruction, constant practice, family nurturance, and a child’s intense will to learn. Like a brilliant souffle, all of these ingredients must be present in just the right quantity and mixed with just the right timing and flair. Almost anything can go wrong. The process is far from predictable and never in anyone’s complete control.”

David Shenk – The Genius in All of Us

Quick Question: People often speak of the Genius of the Jewish People that allowed us to survive, even thrive in, two thousand years of exile. Is our “Genius” an inborn gift or the result of sustained effort, nurtured through the environment we create?

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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.

A golden bell ornament that archaeologists believed belonged to a priest or important leader from the Second Temple Period was found in an ancient drainage channel in ruins next to the Western Wall on Thursday, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced.

The small bell, which has a loop for attaching to clothing or jewelry, was found underneath what is today known as Robinson’s arch. The area underneath the arch was the central road of Jerusalem, which lead from the Shiloah Pools in the City of David to the Old City and the Temple Mount.

They believed that the bell fell off the official’s clothing while he was walking along the road and rolled into the drainage channel, where it has sat for nearly 2,000 year

The archeologists based their findings on the verse in Exodus: “…And upon the skirts of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the skirts thereof; and bells of gold between them round about” (Ex. 28:34,36)

Read more Jerusalem Post

http://dusiznies.blogspot.com/2011/07/2000-year-old-bell-from-kohanims.html?m=1

In honor of my grandfather’s yahrtzeit, the 14th of Tammuz: I was sharing a memory of my grandfather zt”l (Lessons From a Stained Haggadah) with a friend, and he reminded me of a story I told almost twenty years ago:

My grandfather was giving me a horse-back ride on his back in 1963, when Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l entered the house. My grandfather turned to Rav Moshe and said, “I promised Simcha that I would give him a ride to the next room.” He finished my adventure, rose and went to properly greet the Gadol Hador, the greatest rabbi of the generation.

When I was older, I asked my grandfather why he did that, “Isn’t greeting Rav Moshe more important than giving a grandchild a ride?”

“Yes, but greeting Rav Moshe is not as important as keeping a promise to a child!” He then pointed out numerous examples in the Talmud and Halacha about keeping promises to a young child.

I was in awe of how his mind worked and how, even with a grandchild riding on his back, while he was on his hands and knees, he was making decisions based on Halacha!

And there was more: “I never forgot that story,” he said, “because I’ve always been worried that you would learn to treat Rav Moshe with just a drop less of respect. I carefully observe your interactions with him and how you speak of him to be certain that you were not negatively influenced by the story.”

If I was in awe of him before; I was now at an entirely new level of awe of a great Torah scholar. I believed that it was an insignificant story to him despite being so important to me. Yet, he not only remembered; he thought about it to an unimaginable degree! He understood that I may have been negatively influenced, “just a drop,” by the experience, and that it would affect my development. He saw things and thought about them in a way that was and is far beyond me.

It is not his learning I envy, but how the learning was expressed in everything he did; how it enhanced his awareness and sensitivity.

No wonder our Sages insist that we must spend time serving Torah scholars to truly acquire Torah.

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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.

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. 

He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. 

Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water! . She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. 

He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?” 

You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.”

He said … “Then I thank you from my heart.” 

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit. 

Many year’s later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. 

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. 

Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. 

Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. 

He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case. 

After a long struggle, the battle was won. 

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words … 

“Paid in full with one glass of milk” 

(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly. 

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: “Thank You, God, that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands.” 

There’s a saying which goes something like this:

 

Bread cast on the water comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time.  If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better place – And, after all, isn’t that what life is all about?

Things changed in this week’s Torah reading. Miriam died. Moses was told he would not lead the people into the Promised Land. Everything changed for the Children of Israel.

How do we handle change? Things don’t always remain the same. And that can produce confusion, pain and debilitation. But we must face the change, sometimes quickly.

An example is Vivian, who is a lovely woman with a good mind and heart. After college, she worked in the brokerage industry on Wall Street. Three years later, she got married and had two boys. She was a full time mother, and her husband made a good living. She enjoyed this life for eighteen years.

But then her husband divorced her and married a woman he worked with. Vivian had to face this shocking change to her “natural” order. Now on her own, with a sixteen year old and a twelve year old, she needed to go to work. But how would she manage raising the boys? A new reality was unavoidable.

The first summer Vivian was divorced, she took a full time job. But she saw how chaotic and disrespectful her two sons became because of her absence from the house during her working hours. She also wasn’t fond of the so-called friends her sons had. This forced her to do something neither of her sons could believe. She quit a very good paying job to stay home and police the two of them the rest of the summer. But she wanted to make sure they took the right fork in the road of life.

That fall, she got a job with the Board of Education so her hours would correspond with the time the boys were in school. This allowed her to be a caring and nurturing mother, along with her new role as disciplinarian. Today her sons are strong, independent and successful men, who credit their success to their mother.

This year, Vivian was given the most prestigious award granted by the PTA of her school district, its Lifetime Membership Award. In a public ceremony, she was honored for her contributions to the welfare of children and youth, and her priceless guidance and support through numerous situations.

Her story is a paradigm of the many stories where an intense emotional rupture took place, and of the many people who adapted, grew and thrived.

This post is a recognition and tribute to all those who faced forced change and heroically prevailed.

Based on a few hundred emails, I realize that many people wondered why I have barely written anything for a few weeks. Many guessed that I was ill and extended their prayers and best wishes.

I was ill, frustrated, and frightened. I carry not only the scars of many surgeries, but emotional scars of long and devastating illnesses as well. I choose to not share specifics, however, I can say that the most frustrating aspect of illness is, as my uncle Noach zt”l used to say, “God is articulate. If you haven’t figured out what He’s telling you; either you’re deaf or a fool, and I happen to know you aren’t deaf!” Ouch!

I ceaselessly bother my doctor, and he always makes himself available. Today, he listened in a way I’ve never experienced a doctor listening. His physical exam didn’t help him understand what was the underlying issue. His careful attention to my description of what I was experiencing offered a clue. He diagnosed the issue, prescribed new medication, and within a few hours, I felt like a new man.

Not the examination, but the listening was the answer. That had to be the clue to what I was to learn from my illness. Am I listening as carefully as Dr. Dwyer listened to me? The answer is, “Probably not.” So, I apologize to all those to whom I haven’t been listening carefully. I will try to be a better listener.

It may take a few days for me to begin writing and meeting with people, so meanwhile I’ll begin the listening with Shema. I pray that it will help.

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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.

Last week, Gerald August wrote of Wayne, his ethical advisor. This week, he shares some of Wayne’s daughter’s poetry:

Amy Said

In the end,

We only regret the chances we didn’t take.

The relationships we were scared to have,

And the decisions we waited too long to make.

There comes a time in your life when you realize

Who matters,

Who doesn’t,

Who never did,

And who always will.

And sometimes it takes forever to figure it out.

I was all of 16 years old, and was quite confused. I had serious questions about how people use Judaism to relate to God, and I was asked to meet once a week with public school students and answer their questions.

It was pouring that night in Santa Clara, as I sat in a car with Rabbi Daniel Lapin, an extraordinary man from a truly great family. “I don’t want to be a hypocrite,” I complained.

“Simcha,” Rabbi Lapin said, “One of the most important and practical lessons I can offer is that there is a difference between inconsistency and hypocrisy. A hypocrite will teach something he believes is false. Someone who teaches something he believes even while having difficulty always living according to those beliefs, is inconsistent, and definitely not a hypocrite.”

“Do you believe that it is wrong to speak negatively about others?”

“Absolutely.”

“Are there times when you speak Lishon Harah?”

“Yes.”

“Are you a hypocrite or are you inconsistent?”

Thank you, Rabbi Lapin, for a lesson I use every day of my life.

When the ten spies spoke Lishon Harah about the Land of Israel, were they hypocrites, or, simply inconsistent?

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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.

I need an ethical advisor to help me think through a situation and clearly see the ethical implications of what I decide to do, or not to do. Wayne is my ethical advisor, and this is why.

In 1983, Wayne had been a County police officer for 12 years. He was a rising star in the department, having already managed the police academy as the officer in charge, and was on the prospect list to go to the FBI training center, a prestigious career move. Because of his good standing, he was appointed to be in charge of supply and evidence for the department.

When he took over, he did an audit and discovered there was a $100 bill missing from the evidence safe. When an officer does an undercover drug buy, the bills are copied so the department will have the serial numbers. After the bust, the officer takes the money and puts it in evidence. The $100 was missing from an open envelope in a case that was not prosecuted and subsequently was closed. The person who is not prosecuted gets his money back and signs a receipt. In this case, Wayne could not find a receipt.

Wayne advised the Major, his administrative commander, of the missing money. The Major decided that all 19 people who had access to the evidence at any time must take a polygraph. In this state, no one is required to take a polygraph. The Major said that he and the Captain would take it. The effect of this statement was that everyone agreed to take the test, including the Captain and Wayne. The Major, however, went back on his word and did not take the polygraph.

Wayne went to the Chief of Police. Three of the 19 officers had been depressed and sought counseling before the test because they did not like being accused of theft. Wayne wanted the Chief of Police to put a letter in everyone’s personnel file saying they had cooperated, because he did not want this issue to come up again in the future. He wanted the officers protected.

The Chief of Police said he could not put in the letter because it would make the major look bad. Wayne said,” I don’t care. He is already an acknowledged liar because he went back on his word.” The Chief said there was nothing he could do. Wayne immediately took his gun and badge, put them on the Chief’s desk and said, “I quit.” He did this to protest this abuse.

When he went home, his wife was very upset because he had her and two small children to support. Wayne was a man with a ton of integrity, but he still had to answer her question. What would he do to support his family?

Wayne took his pension money and went into business with his mother-in-law. She opened a sandwich store that is still very successful. This afforded Wayne a base income. He also went into the investment business, but was not successful.

]In 1990, seven years later, someone from the County Executive’s Office called Wayne and asked him to come back and work for the County in the role of ethics teacher. He was sent to the Josephson Institute, a company that trains people to teach government and private industry about ethics. For the next 15 years, until he retired, he was a great teacher of ethics for the County and a stellar model. In an open buyback period, he was able to get back into the pension fund.

Wayne is my ethical advisor, and now you know why. When he told me this story, I asked him if he thought it really made sense to have quit a job with a family to support. He answered, “Being ethical does not mean being pain free.”