One day Solomon decided to humble Benaiah ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister. He said to him, "Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it."
"If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty," replied Benaiah, "I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?"
"It has magic powers," answered the king. "If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy." Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility.
Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of he poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day's wares on a shabby carpet. "Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?" asked Benaiah.
He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and engrave something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile.
That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity. "Well, my friend," said Solomon, "have you found what I sent you after?" All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled.
To everyone's surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, "Here it is, your majesty!" As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band: _gimel, zayin, yud_, which began the words "_Gam zeh ya'avor_" -- "This too shall pass."
At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous wealth and tremendous power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Not all who wander
I’ve been trying to find a new use this space which I’ve grown so comfortable over the last few years, why you may ask? Good Question.
Many reasons: For a long time this blog was an attempt to make sense of an idea and it has served that purpose and then some. It became my emotional and intellectual sounding board during ten intense months in Israel the transition back to America. I’ve developed, through my writing, a perspective on the question I originally sought to ask, namely: What does it mean, too me to be a Jew.
Put differently, it’s found its place in my life and learned to just shut up and not bother me so much.
Another reason: My life is changing.
I started graduate school and am now working towards my masters in Urban and Regional Affairs. It’s a big investment of time and creativity. I figure that after a few solid years of hard work (which I have no doubt I will complain about the whole way through) I will inshallah have had enough time to sort through the next set of questions that I must find answers to. And there’s no reason this blog can’t be a part of it.
With the whys out of the way, we move to our next question: what’s next?
Basically the same thing I’ve been doing for the last month or two. I spent the last few months, resisting the idea of going in this direction. An idea which I had to this point refused to give in to, but now have decided to embrace. It’s the natural choice given what I’ve been learning and bisrat hashem it will lead me to as much clarity as writing what I affectionately think of as the ‘Manic Mitzvah Chronicles' did.
Lastly J.RR Tolken said not all who wander are lost, after much wandered and feeling like I was, in fact, lost. I now understand what he was talking about.
Thanks for walking along the way with me.
Many reasons: For a long time this blog was an attempt to make sense of an idea and it has served that purpose and then some. It became my emotional and intellectual sounding board during ten intense months in Israel the transition back to America. I’ve developed, through my writing, a perspective on the question I originally sought to ask, namely: What does it mean, too me to be a Jew.
Put differently, it’s found its place in my life and learned to just shut up and not bother me so much.
Another reason: My life is changing.
I started graduate school and am now working towards my masters in Urban and Regional Affairs. It’s a big investment of time and creativity. I figure that after a few solid years of hard work (which I have no doubt I will complain about the whole way through) I will inshallah have had enough time to sort through the next set of questions that I must find answers to. And there’s no reason this blog can’t be a part of it.
With the whys out of the way, we move to our next question: what’s next?
Basically the same thing I’ve been doing for the last month or two. I spent the last few months, resisting the idea of going in this direction. An idea which I had to this point refused to give in to, but now have decided to embrace. It’s the natural choice given what I’ve been learning and bisrat hashem it will lead me to as much clarity as writing what I affectionately think of as the ‘Manic Mitzvah Chronicles' did.
Lastly J.RR Tolken said not all who wander are lost, after much wandered and feeling like I was, in fact, lost. I now understand what he was talking about.
Thanks for walking along the way with me.
The Show Needn't Go On
From: Commentary written by Michael J. Totten
If you've never had a chance to read Michael before you really should checkout him out at Michael Totten.com his reporting is insightfull and copelling espcially his unsights on the Iraq and Afghani wars.
A few quotes from the article:
Peace talks, if they ever actually start, aren't going anywhere, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows it...Syria's Bashar Assad knows it too...Because supposedly right-thinking Westerners are appalled, Israel and Syria will pretend to hold talks while the more seasoned Western diplomats will pretend the talks stand a chance. It's like the old Russian joke about Communism: "We pretend to work, and they pretend to pay us."
This is a show for us in the West, but it's for a dwindling number of us in the West...Michael Oren -- now the Israeli ambassador -- said, "Remove 'solution' from your vocabulary and everything will be fine."... The Middle East will stop performing its "peace process" theater as soon as we stop demanding it. And as soon as we stop demanding it, time, resources, and energy can be spent on something that might be slightly productive. The conflict isn't resolvable now, but it's manageable. Even in the Middle East, there is such a thing as damage control...We can't solve this problem right now, but we can try to make it less deadly by isolating and even blockading the combatants instead of cajoling their paymasters into talks they don't take seriously.
If you've never had a chance to read Michael before you really should checkout him out at Michael Totten.com his reporting is insightfull and copelling espcially his unsights on the Iraq and Afghani wars.
A few quotes from the article:
Peace talks, if they ever actually start, aren't going anywhere, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows it...Syria's Bashar Assad knows it too...Because supposedly right-thinking Westerners are appalled, Israel and Syria will pretend to hold talks while the more seasoned Western diplomats will pretend the talks stand a chance. It's like the old Russian joke about Communism: "We pretend to work, and they pretend to pay us."
This is a show for us in the West, but it's for a dwindling number of us in the West...Michael Oren -- now the Israeli ambassador -- said, "Remove 'solution' from your vocabulary and everything will be fine."... The Middle East will stop performing its "peace process" theater as soon as we stop demanding it. And as soon as we stop demanding it, time, resources, and energy can be spent on something that might be slightly productive. The conflict isn't resolvable now, but it's manageable. Even in the Middle East, there is such a thing as damage control...We can't solve this problem right now, but we can try to make it less deadly by isolating and even blockading the combatants instead of cajoling their paymasters into talks they don't take seriously.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Part of Life
I wanted to sit down and write today but unfortunately it wasn't in the cards. It was an eventful week full of wonder and excitement.
Shabbat Shalom.
Part of life is a quest to find that one essential person who will understand our story. But we choose wrongly so often. Over the ensuing years that person we thought understood us best ends up regarding us with pity, indifference or active dislike. Those who truly care can be divided into two categories: those who understand us, and those who forgive our worst sins. Rarely do we find someone capable of both.
Our ability to live in peace with each other depends first and foremost on our ability to accept all that is different between us. I want to get closer to you, but let me be who I am. I welcome you coming closer to me, while respecting who you are. On our own individual paths we are all looking for the bread, the water, the wind and a dignified life. And yes, we all cling to love. - Idan Raichel
Shabbat Shalom.
Part of life is a quest to find that one essential person who will understand our story. But we choose wrongly so often. Over the ensuing years that person we thought understood us best ends up regarding us with pity, indifference or active dislike. Those who truly care can be divided into two categories: those who understand us, and those who forgive our worst sins. Rarely do we find someone capable of both.
Our ability to live in peace with each other depends first and foremost on our ability to accept all that is different between us. I want to get closer to you, but let me be who I am. I welcome you coming closer to me, while respecting who you are. On our own individual paths we are all looking for the bread, the water, the wind and a dignified life. And yes, we all cling to love. - Idan Raichel
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Between men and women
I’ve been thinking recently about relationships, not necessarily romantic ones but relationships between men and women. I’ve always been the type of guy who’s primarily had close female friends. I’m not going to try to psychoanalyze what this means; I’m just stating it for a fact. My best friend from middle school Sara is still one of my closest friends, in college many of my friends were women but for the first time my closest friends were guys. I’m not talking about general friends; I’ve always made friends with lots of guys and girls in general. I’m talking about close friends, confidants.
As I’ve gotten older I’ve noticed that my friendships with women don’t last like they used to and the people I’ve come to rely on are my guy friends. Two from college and two from Israel have made it into my inner circle. In that time no women, who I still talk with regularly have made the same leap for me. It was I suppose inevitable. I only have so much time to talk with people and to keep up with them and the women I meet I tend to talk to for some time and then inevitably drift away from or they just remain friends but not confidants. I attribute this mainly to my libido, these days if I meet a girl and like her I either: chase after her and try to date her and succeed or not. It’s mostly because when I do find a girl I like and start to date her I no longer need the same kind of emotional support from my friends that women are generally better at providing. Not to mention the other woman in my life generally don’t appreciate that there are other women who I share so much with. I don’t blame them I’d imagine it’s hard enough for women to share their men with their mothers and sisters much less other women.
It’s kind of sad in one respect on the other hand it’s an inevitable reality I don’t have the time or the inclination to spend the necessary time to foster that sort of closeness and if I do there are other motivations behind it. I guess its just part of growing up, maybe it’s just me. I’m not sure but it’s what I was thinking about this morning.
As I’ve gotten older I’ve noticed that my friendships with women don’t last like they used to and the people I’ve come to rely on are my guy friends. Two from college and two from Israel have made it into my inner circle. In that time no women, who I still talk with regularly have made the same leap for me. It was I suppose inevitable. I only have so much time to talk with people and to keep up with them and the women I meet I tend to talk to for some time and then inevitably drift away from or they just remain friends but not confidants. I attribute this mainly to my libido, these days if I meet a girl and like her I either: chase after her and try to date her and succeed or not. It’s mostly because when I do find a girl I like and start to date her I no longer need the same kind of emotional support from my friends that women are generally better at providing. Not to mention the other woman in my life generally don’t appreciate that there are other women who I share so much with. I don’t blame them I’d imagine it’s hard enough for women to share their men with their mothers and sisters much less other women.
It’s kind of sad in one respect on the other hand it’s an inevitable reality I don’t have the time or the inclination to spend the necessary time to foster that sort of closeness and if I do there are other motivations behind it. I guess its just part of growing up, maybe it’s just me. I’m not sure but it’s what I was thinking about this morning.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Yemenite Jews
From the JPost
History will record that 2,500 years of Jewish life in Yemen is now over.
The Rescue illuminates an often overlooked aspect of the 60-year-plus Arab-Israel conflict. Whereas the Arab world has purposefully maintained the 700,000 or so Palestinian Arabs made homeless in the course of the 1948 war and their descendants as permanent refugees and political pawns, the State of Israel and world Jewry have worked hard to resettle a roughly equal number of Jewish refugees forced to flee Arab lands.
The behavior of Arab leaders toward their Jewish subjects after the creation of Israel was (with notable exceptions) characterized by scapegoating and marginalization culminating in mass exodus. In 1947, Arab rioters in Aden killed dozens of Jews to protest a two-state solution in Palestine. In 1949 and 1950 the bulk of Yemen's Jews, some 49,000 souls, were airlifted here in "Operation Magic Carpet." The broad Arab refusal to accept the legitimacy of Israel as a sovereign Jewish state is partly attributable to Arab attitudes toward their Jewish minorities.
Coexistence was possible - so long as Jews knew their place.
History will record that 2,500 years of Jewish life in Yemen is now over.
The Rescue illuminates an often overlooked aspect of the 60-year-plus Arab-Israel conflict. Whereas the Arab world has purposefully maintained the 700,000 or so Palestinian Arabs made homeless in the course of the 1948 war and their descendants as permanent refugees and political pawns, the State of Israel and world Jewry have worked hard to resettle a roughly equal number of Jewish refugees forced to flee Arab lands.
The behavior of Arab leaders toward their Jewish subjects after the creation of Israel was (with notable exceptions) characterized by scapegoating and marginalization culminating in mass exodus. In 1947, Arab rioters in Aden killed dozens of Jews to protest a two-state solution in Palestine. In 1949 and 1950 the bulk of Yemen's Jews, some 49,000 souls, were airlifted here in "Operation Magic Carpet." The broad Arab refusal to accept the legitimacy of Israel as a sovereign Jewish state is partly attributable to Arab attitudes toward their Jewish minorities.
Coexistence was possible - so long as Jews knew their place.
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