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)

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.

'Till 120!

Today's Hebrew date -- the 7th of Adar -- is Moshe's birthday and yahrtzeit (death date). Moshe, arguably the greatest leader of all time, lived 120 years and is the paradigm for the traditional Jewish birthday wish to live 'till 120! ("ad meah v'esrim!"). The Torah itself states that not only did Moshe live a long life, but his "eyes didn't dim, and his vigor did not diminish" (Devarim 34:7) and in Breishit 6:3 G-d Himself says that man won't be immortal, but that his years will be 120 -- the sign of a full, complete life.

Interestingly, people have always had an obsession with youth. From claiming to be 21 years old forever, to plastic surgeries, to anti-aging creams, to the legendary search for the fountain of youth, people have a fascination with the mystery of how to break nature's prescribed path of growing old.

But its rare to really appreciate the beauty that growing old entails.

In fact, the phrase itself speaks worlds: to grow old.

To live a static life is not much of a life. But to GROW old? Now that's pretty awesome.

A few weeks ago on Shabbos, I had the privelege of witnessing and being inspired by a man who knows the meaning of "growing old." Rabbi Sidney Keiman, the rabbi emeritus of Congregation Adereth El in Manhattan, turned 100 years old on January 27, 2013. The Shabbos before his birthday (parshat Beshalach) was understandably an incredible one for the entire community.  Rabbi Kleiman was called to the Torah for the aliyah that included Az Yashir -- the song of gratitude that the Jews sang when passing through the red sea on their way out of Egypt. Two congregants lifted R' Kleiman from his wheelchair and supported him on either side as he stood with an unnatural strength before the Torah for the entire aliyah. In respectful awe, the entire congregation stood right along with him.

 

I wish I could take a peek through the window of what Rabbi Kleiman has seen over the past century, but suffice it to say I doubt he could have ever predicted the iPhone 5. When he first arrived in his shul, there were still individuals there who were alive during the Civil War! He was there during the Great Depression when congregants would donate coal and clothing instead of money. Can you imagine someone who was not just alive during the Holocaust, but was a full fledged rabbi of an American shul in 1939, leading a congregation through those years of tragedy? And then to witness the complete turn around with the celebration that followed the establishment of the state of Israel!

100 years down the line, though wheelchair bound, R' Kleiman is still the first one in shul every single day. In fact, that's how he spent his 100th birthday -- going to shul like he does every other day. Perhaps the most beautiful part of his birthday shabbos was seeing R' Kleiman, still fully with it, give a brachah in a strong powerful voice to the crowd of children presenting him with his birthday card.

In his own words in an article about him:

( http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/interviews-and-profiles/rabbi-kleiman-still-the-first-one-in-shul/2012/01/19/ ):

"I'm not that big a man. My name is Kleiman, which means 'small man,' kleiner mann. I'm just happy to do what I do, and if people want to follow my example, so much better."

When we think about growing old, we tend to wonder: What's the secret? I want to share with you a short clip from the Ellen Degeneres show, featuring a 105 year old woman Edythe Kirchmaier. When asked the secret to living a long life, her focus was on positivity. In her words, "If something happens, I can't do anything about it. So I don't let it bother me."

Wishing us all a long meaningful life! Till 120!

How to Make Lemonade

You all know the famous saying: "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade." 

I know that this quote is very cliche and overused, but it's actually so true!
Life isn't easy. We all have challenges that we go through. Like lemons, these challenges can make our lives really sour.
But I don't want to have a sour life!How can I make my life sweet??
Here's the (not so) secret answer: Make lemonade! Pour in tons of water and sugar (and red food coloring if you're going for pink lemonade). 
The secret is that you can't get rid of the lemons, but you can sweeten it.

Matthew Jeffers is a Beth Tfiloh graduate in Baltimore. Matthew teaches us that the only disability in life is a bad attitude. Basically meaning, pass the sugar :)

Courtesy of Aish.com

An Embroidered Life

"When I was a little boy, my mother used to embroider a great deal. I would sit at her knee and look up from the floor and ask what she was doing. She informed me that she was embroidering. From the underside, as I watched her work within the boundaries of the little round hoop that she held in her hand, I complained to her that it sure looked messy from where I sat. She would smile at me, look down and gently say, “My son you go about playing for a while and, when I am finished, I will put you on my knee and let you see it from my side.”

I would wonder why she was using some dark threads along with the bright ones and why they seemed so jumbled from my view. A few minutes would pass and then I would hear mother’s voice say, “Son come and sit on my knee.” This I would do, only to be surprised and thrilled to see a beautiful flower or sunset. I could not believe it, because from underneath it looked so messy.

Then mother would say to me, “My son, from underneath it did look messy ad jumbled, but you did not realize that there was a pre-dawn plan on the top. It was a design. I was only following it. Now look at it from my side and you will see what I was doing.”

Many times through the years I have looked up to Hashem and said, “Father, what are You doing?” He answers, “I am embroidering your life.” I say, “But it looks like a mess to me. It seems so jumbled. The threads seem so dark. Why can’t they all be bright?”

Hashem then tells me, “My child, you continue to live your life of fulfilling My mitzvot, and one day I will bring you to Heaven and put you on My knee and you will see the beautiful picture of your life from My side.”"

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.

Challenges Make Us Taller

Hashem created me and put me into a life. That life was carefully planned to allow me to reach my potential. All the props on the stage of my life have been set. I didn't choose my level of intelligence. I wasn't asked to pick the family I would be born into, nor the generation in which I would live. These were all hand-picked by my Creator to give me the perfect challenge to allow me to reach the greatness that I am able to achieve. (Rabbi Ben Zion Shafier-The Shmuz)

Post by, Shelley Israel

Your Grades Don't Define You

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

Time

As 2012 comes to a close, I've been thinking a lot about my own perception of time. We often find ourselves saying "there should be more than 24 hours in a day" or "that seems like forever" or "where did the time go?" We often question how quickly or slowly time passes.

2012 has been a year of public highs and lows, which have been mirrored by personal highs and lows for many. In particular, in the last few days of 2012, I often find myself thinking about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and other tragic events that have happened.

In only seconds, one person, one young adult, changed the lives of millions. He directly affected every person in the school and every person in Newtown. He indirectly affected every school administrator, every teacher, every policeman, every parent, every child, nearly everyone who heard the news of the shooting. In only seconds, so much damage was done.

Can you think of the last time that that much GOOD was infused into the world?

Tragedies are blatantly tangible and breathtakingly terrifying; goodness is harder to see: it is women into the fabric of every day interactions, of subtle smiles shared between people, of seemingly minute conversations, of family functions, of outbursts of laughter, of simple moments.
Although I sometimes find myself overwhelmed with how scary with this world can be, I am then overwhelmed by just how beautiful this world can be; each and every one of us can help tip the balance far more to the "good" side.



How much good will you add to the balance today, this hour, this minute? How can you make the most of the time Gd gave us?

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.

Never Say Never

Post by, Sarina Miller

Nature

                                   
I am endlessly amazed by the breathtaking nature in and of this world.
                               

Bringing Light into the Darkness

Chanukah is about bringing light into the darkness.

This idea of bringing light has always fascinated me. Partially because I happen to love fire, particularly how one spark of light can make an entire room brighter. Taking that physical phenomenon into an intellectual concept, though, we can infer that even one ounce of "goodness" will light up a room, a school, an entire world. I guess it's no coincidence that NCSY's logo is a flame. It's such a beautiful symbol of passion, intensity, and illumination.



Story time:
I am a freshman at WashU, a secular university in St. Louis (Washington University in St. Louis is its full name, but it's a bit long to use all the time). In my dorm, I am the only Jewish girl who considers herself "religious." In the beginning, it was daunting; in the beginning, sometimes it's hard to be different, to stick to what you believe. As time went on though, I became more comfortable with my floormates, and they with me. We started to have open and stimulating conversations about religion; they were absolutely fascinated with ideas about keeping kosher, keeping shabbos, and being shomer nigea.
After plenty of conversations, and also just hanging out, a few of my new friends even said to me, "Sarah, you're the first Jew that we can really ask questions to!" I was speechless. Although I often see myself as small, as one of billions of people, for my floormates, I have become the one Jew they feel comfortable asking questions to. It's a pretty unbelievable honor, in my opinion.

Sometimes, we are presented with daunting yet awesome opportunities of bringing light into the darkness. Every night, we add a candle, we add more light; with more time, we can spread more light, we can bring more light into the darkness.

Jacob and the Guitar Man

Recently, a friend of mine sent me a link to this YouTube video. The video shows the interaction between a street performer and Jacob, a blind eight-year old with autism. The street performer, Tyler Gregory, treats Jacob with utmost respect and even lets him touch his guitar. It's a truly magical performance.

From Tyler Gregory's website: 
"It was an ordinary day, walking to my regular spot to busk when I don't have a gig that night, and play music on the corner for a rotating crowd. When Jacob came over I felt excited about having another kid listen to the music. (Makes my day when kids dance to the music on the street... I already had a couple come over that day so it was already nice). However, unlike most kids that come up to me with curiosity, I felt so much energy coming off of him and I was completely overwhelmed. His hand on my leg was very powerful and about brought me to tears while playing. Not because he is blind or autistic.. but because of a connection I have never felt and one that is impossible to explain. Honestly, a feeling that came from my toes all the way up my body and surrounded me. I can't begin to explain it. I want to try to put it into words, but there is no way to tell how powerful his energy felt."

I never cease to be amazed by the amount of goodness in this world. While headlines might screen of corruption and terror, there are so many moments of breathtaking, pure, and genuine kindness and compassion. To me, these moments are undeniable proofs of Gd's will, Gd's existence, and Gd's intended purpose for us. 

An Unstoppable Spirit

We all have expectations for our lives -- of the life paths and opportunities that should come our way, and where they should lead. But what happens when those expectations come crashing down? Janine Shepherd, an aspiring olympic medalist, tells her moving story of what it means to not let your life circumstances take control of you, but for you take the reigns and take control of your life.

"It wasn't until I let go of the life I thought I should have, that I was able to embrace life that was waiting for me." 

Janine's inspiring and empowering story proves that though our bodies are limited, our spirit is unstoppable.

Post by, Sarina Miller

What Would You Attempt To Do If You Knew You Could Not Fail?

Many times when people speak about courage they describe scenarios of heroic bravery, like the selfless Israeli soldiers who at a very young age put their lives at risk to protect our people and our country. Sometimes we may become disheartened, thinking that if we can never achieve that kind of courage then we can never call ourselves heroic.

But in fact there is a kind of courage that we experience every day of our lives. These are the moments when we are faced with the question: Do I want to live a life of mediocrity or do I want my life to be extraordinary? These are the day to day decisions that impact our very being and the challenges that we face as individuals to improve our very lives.

Morrie Schwartz says in “Tuesdays with Morrie”: "So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning." 

Choosing to live a meaningful life, that is courage.

Pray for Your Haters

I am part of a student group at college called Beat Therapy, which focuses on music therapy and music education. With a few other members, I went a few days ago to a local public school and played rhythm games with the students there. We had a blast, the music they created was incredible, the discussions were enlightening, but something above all else left a lasting impression on me. One of the students was wearing a sweatshirt with words on it. The words were: Pray for your Haters. I was really taken aback by this; what does that even mean? Then I started pondering it and realized how unbelievable it was that those words were on a sweatshirt.

The message just floored me: instead of doing harm or even wishing harm on your "enemies," pray for them.  Instead of increasing the negative emotions in this world, bring positivity to everything you do. I've thought about it for days. In every situation, we have more opportunities to bring good into this world than we can count. We have endless chances every day to bring good into this world- to bring Gd into this world in a very real way.

So, pray for your haters. Don't wish for something bad to happen; pray that something good will happen, pray that Gd will help them.