Wisdom From a 109 Year Old Holocaust Survivor

109 year old Holocaust survivor, Alice Herz-Sommer, shares very powerful wisdom.

 

 Attitude is everything!

(Video from Shelley Israel)

Appreciating People

In Pirkei Avos (1:15) it says, "vehevai mikabel es kol haadom bisaiver panim yafos" -
"you should greet every person with a pleasant demeanor."
Why does the mishnah say haadom, instead of adom.
The same question could also be asked for the statement in Pirkei Avos (1:6) that says, "vehevai dan es kol haadom likaf zchus" - "and give every person the benefit of the doubt."
Why the extra letter "hey" before adom?? There must be a message here..

The Sfas Emes tells us that this little extra letter actually gives us the secret to having successful relationships. "Kol haadom" literally means all of the person. We learn from here that in order to be pleasant to every person and in order to judge them favorably we need to respect and appreciate all aspects of their being. Once we are able to recognize all of the great qualities in people it will be natural for us to greet them pleasantly and judge them favorably!

Let's take this even deeper. Rabbeinu Yonah asks a really interesting question: One of the fundamental concepts of Judaism is "veahavta l'raiacha kamocha" - "love you friend as yourself." Why is it that the word "raicha" is used here instead of a different word, like "chavercha?"
Rabbeinu Yonah says the most amazing idea which, if we really take to heart, can make our relationships much more meaningful.
He says that in the word "raicha" is the word "ra" meaning bad. What this means is that everyone has some bad in them, some type of flaw. We shouldn't even expect to meet perfect people, because people like that don't exist. Sometimes we see faults in people and from then on it's hard to think of them without thinking of their faults.
"Veahavta l'raiacha kamocha" is teaching us that in order to love people we need to look past their flaws and appreciate the greatness that's inside them.

(Step By Step, article by Rabbi Shalom Rosner)

The Dash by Linda Ellis

The Dash

By Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak


At the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone


From the beginning to the end.


He noted that first came the date of her birth


And spoke of the following date with tears,


But he said what mattered most of all


Was the dash between those years.


For that dash represents all the time


That she spent alive on earth


And now only those who loved her


Know what that little line is worth.


For it matters not, how much we own,


The cars, the house, the cash,


What matters is how we live and love


And how we spend our dash.


So think about this long and hard;


Are there things you’d like to change?


For you never know how much time is left


That can still be rearranged.


If we could just slow down enough


To consider what’s true and real


And always try to understand


The way other people feel.


And be less quick to anger


And show appreciation more


And love the people in our lives


Like we’ve never loved before.


If we treat each other with respect


And more often wear a smile,


Remembering that this special dash


Might only last a little while.


So when your eulogy is being read


With your life’s actions to rehash


Would you be proud of the things they say


About how you spent your dash?

Perspective

Life is a funny thing. You never know when you're going to have a profound effect on someone, whether from a conversation or just being yourself in their proximity. This is something to always keep in mind - because you never know what affect it is going to have on people, one should always do their best to make a positive impression and impact. When speaking, choose words carefully and make sure to get your point across. Speak thoughtfully. Live thoughtfully.

Hello! My Name is G-d

Welcome to Parshat Yitro! One of the two places in the Torah where we're told about the Jewish people receiving the 10 Commandments.

People don't always question the 10 commandments considering that they're pretty fundamental principles of faith. But if there's anything to learn about Judaism, it's that we're a religion of questioning. So here's a Question...

Statement #1 of the Big Ten is: I am Hashem your G-d who took you out of Egypt. 

Now, t's really nice that G-d is introducing Himself to us from the get-go, but why is "the G-d who took you out of Egypt" the phrase He uses to describe Himself?  It seems to me that He's forgetting something from the top of His resume! How about: "I am Hashem your G-d, the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE!"  I would say that bringing the world into existence is a teensy bit more significant than saving a measly little nation from the bondage of slavery. G-d chooses instead to refer to Himself as the one who took us out of Egypt?! Really?! It's like your mom introducing herself as the one who drove carpool today instead of saying I'm the one who carried you for 9 months, gave birth to you, and have been dealing with the consequences of raising you ever since. So why isn't G-d going all out to sell Himself here?

Answer is.... drumroll please....that actually, G-d IS going all out -- and is doing so in a way that's far far better than calling Himself the Creator of the Universe.

Here's why:

The problem with referring to Himself as the Creator of the Universe is that G-d's goal in giving us the Torah is to build a relationship with us. (You should feel pretty awesome about that -- you basically got a marriage proposal from G-d).  Just like you build a strong relationship off of what you have in common, the problem with G-d introducing Himself as the Creator of the Universe is that when it comes to the creation of the world, WE WEREN'T THERE!

G-d wants us to know how much He cares about us, that He went through unbelievable measures to save us, and so "G-d who took you out of Egypt" is much more personal and is more important to our relationship than anything else -- even the creation of the world. (In case you were wondering why we seem to talk about leaving Egypt all the time, even in kiddush and on holidays, this may be part of the reason why).

But you know what's REALLY cool? G-d taking us out of Egypt ALSO shows His power as G-d, and that makes it an even better introduction.

1. It proves He created the world. (Only the One who created nature would be capable of  breaking all its laws through the 10 plagues and then would be successfully able to put the laws of nature back together again afterwards).

2. It proves that G-d is involved in the world, and didn't just abandon us after creation. (There's a lot of divine involvement in the story of the Exodus. Only a G-d who is actually involved in the world could specifically cast a plague on Egyptians and not the Jews when they were all so closely intermingled).

3. It proves that G-d is fair. (When the Egyptians drowned in the sea, they didn't all die the same way -- they died according to how evil they were. The ones who were not as bad had a quick death where they drowned in the water like heavy lead, whereas the really evil ones drowned like straw that takes a torturously long time to sink). 

At second glance, G-d's introduction is deep stuff. It confirms His power as an involved and just Creator of the world, who is choosing to build a relationship with us... His Jewish people.

Now that's pretty awesome. 

Nice to meet you, G-d. I'm glad to be on Your team.

Your Life the Movie

Earlier today, I was pondering what it is exactly that makes a movie intriguing. A few of the options that came to mind: an exciting plot, an interesting and dynamic character, unexpected twists and turns, unrealistic situations. Although I am not much of a movie person, I think that we can glean a message from our own desire to watch a story of a person or people who experience development across time. 

We as human beings are meant to grow and improve. If we simply remain static and fail to make progress in achieving our goals and furthering our plot, how fulfilling will that life be? Sure, we might not all be as interesting as movie characters, but our lives will be far more stimulating if we attempt to infuse the excitement of movies into our own lives by focusing on our own character development.

...See you at the Oscars!

The Jewish World

I got an e-mail from one of the elders in my family today explaining why, in the upcoming Super Bowl, if we (my siblings and cousins and I) didn't go for the Ravens we were going against the family. Apparently, my Great-Aunt's nephew is a defensive coach for the Ravens (I was going for them anyway)!
I think we can take a few things when thinking about this a bit deeper. First, that you never know when a little digging will turn up some really cool relatives. Second, we should realize and be thankful for the openness of America and how this country allows us to live and prosper in a way that no other country ever has. Finally, that even though the Super Bowl is a huge deal to many, it is just a game (and many people at your party are really just there for the commercials)... So enjoy the game! GO RAVENS!

Beshalach: Bitachon

By Devorah Goldson       

        In this week’s parsha, Beshalach, we read about how the
Jews left Egypt, crossed the Yam Suf, sang Az Yashir, and everything
that happened. The very first pasuk of the Parsha, tells us: “Now when
Paraoh had let the people go, G-d did not lead them by way of the land
of the Plishtim, because it was near- and G-d said: The people might
reconsider when they see war before them, and turn back to Mitzrayim.”
Hashem was so scared that the Jews would turn back; He took them on
the route which led them through the Yam Suf, a route that was much
longer than the normal way. The Torah also tells us that Bnei Yisroel
was fully armed when they left Egypt, yet they were still afraid. Both
of these psukim cause many commentators to question the phrases.

            Rashi gives an explanation, for why Hashem took them on
the longer way. He says that the Jews would leave Egypt, and become
afraid in the desert. They would want to turn back to Egypt, and if
Hashem had taken them on the straight path, it would’ve allowed for a
much easier return to Mitzrayim. That is one reason why Hashem took
them out on a longer path. By taking us out on the longer path, Hashem
made sure that the Jews wouldn’t turn around and go backwards, and
that way they would be able to get the Torah at Har Sinai, and then
enter the land of Israel.

            But there is still the question, of why would they be
afraid of war? If they had trust in G-d, who had literally just taken
them out of Egypt, and more importantly, if they were armed with
weapons- than what reason did they have for being afraid? Rav Hirsch
says that Bnei Yisroel weren’t lacking in courage physically, but they
were lacking in courage in their hearts. Most importantly, they lacked
trust in Hashem. The quality which gives a person the ability and
courage, no matter what task he is faced with, comes from having
bitachon in Hashem. That is what the Jews lacked when they left Egypt,
and that is why they were afraid. If they had had Bitachon, they
would’ve seen that Hashem was really taking care of them, and they had
no real need to be scared.

            Sometimes we don’t see what Hashem is doing, or why He
might be doing something. We might think that we know better than Him,
but really we don’t. Hashem takes us through life, sometimes in ways
that may seem unnecessary. We might not see the reason we have to go
through something, but in the end we realize that it was all for the
best. We have to have trust in Hashem, have bitachon, that Hashem will
take care of us, and faith that he will help us through the rough
times. When Hashem took the Jews out of Egypt, He took them on a path
that would make it harder for them to go back to a horrible place.
When we are faced with a challenge, and might want to turn back- we
should try and remember that really, there ultimately is a plan for
us. We might not see it at the time, but that’s the whole point of
life! G-d gives us people to help us through those challenges, and to
prevent us from going backwards, but we must do our part as well, and
have bitachon, and have the strength to keep moving on, to a place
that ultimately will be the best for us.

Down at Half Time

"'I am a rabid football fan, and my team is the New York Jets. I will never skip watching a game. One time I had to leave town for the weekend, and I asked a friend of mine to record the football game on her video.
'When I returned, my friend gave me the video cassette, and said, 'Oh, by the way, the Jets won.'
'I began watching the game, and the Jets were falling far behind. By half time, they were trailing by 20 points. At other times, I would have been pacing the floor, wringing my hands, and possibly raiding the refrigerator. However, I was perfectly calm, because I knew that my team was going to win, hence there was no need for me to worry.
'Ever since I turned my life over to Gd, I know that it is going to turn out good. There may be some hitches on the way, but I know that Gd will not fail me.
'Sometimes I feel like I am trailing by 20 points at half time, but since I know that the end will be good and that I will overcome and succeed, nothing ever upsets me as it did before.'
If our faith is strong enough, we can be winners, and even if we might be trailing at some point, we should approach the future with confidence."
-It's Not As Tough As You Think: How to Smooth Out Life's Bumps, by Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, MD

Each and every one of us has Gd on our personal (or communal, depending on how you want to look at it) team. Regardless of how hard our situation is, how much sweat is rolling down our faces, or how much we may want to call it quits on whatever the task may be, we can be sure of one thing: at the end of the day, we will win the game. Gd will always be on our team.

Your Grades Don't Define You

At the end of a semester, it's important to remember:

Reflections from Conclave

When it comes to the NCSY family, and don’t get me wrong, we really are a family, I am relatively new. As an advisor, our job is to inspire you guys and play an active role in your growth as individuals.

Inspire. What an interesting word. I knew it would play a large role in this past weekend when I got to Conclave and it was written across the front of the sweatshirt. As an advisor, I wanted to be able to inspire you, the NCSYers, through my actions. My initial impression of who the “inspire” was directed to could not have been more wrong.

Based on my initial impressions from Fall convention, I thought that I knew what to expect at Conclave; then I arrived. From the first moment of “bingo” until the closing program, I was thoroughly engaged, and that was largely because of you, the NCSYers.

The moment that really stands out in my mind though was the kumzitz Sunday night. It was at this point that I really understood what the “inspire” was referring to. Listening to each of you talk and share yourselves with those sitting in the circle as Conclave “ebbed” away was inspiring to every single person sitting there. I realized that as much as I came to inspire each and every one of you, I think that all of YOU inspire ME to be a better person and push myself all that much more.

When things are easily attainable to someone, that person doesn’t necessarily appreciate them until they no longer have them or at least hear about situations and people that do not have the same circumstances and blessings. Listening to each of you share your struggles really gives perspective and inspiration to each and every person that may not have originally appreciated what they had, or people that are struggling with their own issues and just needed that little push. For this, I want to thank everyone that came to Conclave.

I can only hope that as an advisor I can inspire you in much the same way. I, and I believe I speak for all the advisors, am always willing to talk and listen to anything you might say. Thank you all for all your inspiration.

Sincerely,

Nachum Matten, Advisor

PostSecret

Recently, I was browsing the Facebook page of "PostSecret" of a specific college. PostSecret is an online community in which anyone can anonymously submit secrets which will then be displayed to the public. I came across this post and it really made me think.


I am culturally Jewish, but not religious at all. I grew up in an area with many “Jews,” but very few that actually practiced Judaism—or at least to a serious extent. Before coming to [college], I have to admit that I had some preconceived prejudices—not about different religions or minorities—but about religious Jews. For whatever reason, I thought they might be weird, and that believing in God or seriously adhering to a religion in this day and age was stupid—and that people who did so might be boring or not fun. However, since I got here, I have met many religious/orthodox Jews, and they are some of the coolest people I have ever met. Contrary to what I had thought, many of them are very similar to me and have become close friends. While being religious might not be right for me, I have gained a totally newfound respect for those who are.



We never know what impact we can have on people by simply being ourselves.