tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21965408695350914142024-02-19T15:40:44.495-08:00Jewish IdeasAn assortment of Jewish thought, philosophy and learning by an American Yeshiva student.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196540869535091414.post-82114041164053297012011-01-01T09:31:00.000-08:002010-12-28T17:34:29.980-08:00Introspection<div align="justify"><img alt="" border="0" height="212" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234182696607908082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRiU6Kp4wnCVpleu_tf9-upWi225UpA8uVUEDUFB1uVthakG_btrPICb2SsFB6CKhTXJCtvm7-bi8MpIqhM54X9KVmRKE0FMbzZqtH1s8eLAB_SpiDpUmOrn26sJdowbZltbPNqRf-T_v/s320/WinterNightByWindow2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 219px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 237px;" width="257" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black; font-size: large;">It was cool in the darkened room. The mid-November wind came in comforting blasts through the partially opened window. I was sitting wrapped within the warmth and protection of my blanket, allowing my face alone to be exposed.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">I had always enjoyed the excitement of learning, exploring ideas, and working with creative thought, and I had been living in Yeshiva for a year and some months now, attempting to draw closer to G-d and actualize my purpose in creation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The initial focus of direction with which I had set out had gradually been all but lost in the monotonous tedium of each seceding day, and the joy which had once fueled my passion had disappeared.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There was an emptiness inside of me, a desire for something more. So I was sitting there that winter night examining my place in life, and thinking of where I thought I ought to be.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196540869535091414.post-73528527598349630922006-12-14T19:28:00.000-08:002008-08-24T06:47:09.321-07:00The Talmud and I<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDrUtgmf2Yk1B8vdQkvBkK5WcGo-9lxkfaoVmPqydhfr8tU8i4aSowbPTRShP0qvynMdQzRT0kvDrY7rJUU9ClKArZPz14aJi_Z66foDnds9neGqaJX01rYvr69qtwX-7oTaqvaVyfGsL/s1600-h/children+being+taught+torah.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233023459663227298" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDrUtgmf2Yk1B8vdQkvBkK5WcGo-9lxkfaoVmPqydhfr8tU8i4aSowbPTRShP0qvynMdQzRT0kvDrY7rJUU9ClKArZPz14aJi_Z66foDnds9neGqaJX01rYvr69qtwX-7oTaqvaVyfGsL/s320/children+being+taught+torah.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">I have been involved in the study of law all of my life. As a third generation Orthodox Rabbi every-day actions are always viewed using the lens of Jewish law. The boundaries of acceptable human behavior, laws of monetary adjudication, dietary restrictions, and personal responsibilities represent just a few of the all-encompassing areas of Orthodoxy. The analysis and application of these laws to daily life is a continuous and unrelenting challenge.<br /><br />I was born in a home where full walls were lined with scholarly texts, Talmudic exposés, and works dedicated to the case law that forms the bedrock of the Orthodox tradition. In grade school the regular curriculum was supplemented with the study of Biblical and Talmudic law, ethics, and history. My father, a once practicing Rabbi, would (and still does) introduce abstract legal cases during meal times for family debate and discussion. This early familiarity with the workings of Talmudic law and the enjoyable way that it was presented instilled within me a passion that I still retain today.<br /><br />In addition to a strong analytical background and love of creative learning I have always had an affinity for language and literature. I am an avid reader of almost anything that I deem to be well written. I am transported inside the story I am reading and become intoxicated by the magical beauty of well-placed wording. It is somewhat jolting when I pause from reading and very rarely can I hold back from finishing a good book once I’ve started.<br /><br />Talmud study is rigorous and demanding. It requires the intense scrutiny of multiple cases and the assessment of their similar yet unique circumstances and decisions. The researching of comparable cases, and the myriad of comments made upon them can often take weeks of preparation. Good writing and a strong ability in critical reading are additionally of great value.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196540869535091414.post-86872802781754045202006-10-16T11:02:00.000-07:002008-08-24T06:42:32.933-07:00Reality of Life (Emes HaChaim)<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjukfWeFGZR9Nk1vH9SIBWzhjWzKhVCj49k8rQ84mthXl6BHBryzGpW1UDhL2vaRDJ1ErMEAOFZD2xmqyBlDmKDhiOiyJ1HsiAOJuVFwj7NKulwf9tvroYwumZ1TIwEW3HLSpvinQPFdj/s1600-h/shininglightonpath.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233830467219618354" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 254px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 194px" height="219" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjukfWeFGZR9Nk1vH9SIBWzhjWzKhVCj49k8rQ84mthXl6BHBryzGpW1UDhL2vaRDJ1ErMEAOFZD2xmqyBlDmKDhiOiyJ1HsiAOJuVFwj7NKulwf9tvroYwumZ1TIwEW3HLSpvinQPFdj/s320/shininglightonpath.jpg" width="289" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;">The way in which <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Hashem</span> created the world was to set up dense smoke screens to pervade the human senses and establish a distorted reality. This reality allowed for man to have freedom of choice and the ability to conquer and prevail over the world's challenges, thereby allowing him to attain otherwise unattainable spiritual heights.<br /><br />There are on occasion various plateaus and mountain tops whose jagged edges jut above the endless sea of misleading fog. These visible pinpoints of reality are formed by basic, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">inescapable</span> facts, which lie however deep or dormant inside of every person's soul. These facts if fanned and brought to life give us footholds and allow us to descend beneath and penetrate the veil cloaking existence. These visible snippets of land, if not for the confusion caused by the contradicting indications constantly being thrust upon ones senses, would be always present in ones thoughts and it would be impossible to doubt their validity.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">If a person would allow himself to reach out and think rationally and emotionally, he would realize without any question that there is a G-d who created the concept of existence. There are many irrefutable reasons, if approached with pure logic and rationale, such as why and how would you exist if you weren't created with a purpose, and if you weren't created and didn't have a purpose what's the point of life, you might as well be dead, since anyway eventually you'll fade away into nothingness.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">There is no logical basis or rationale as to why a person desires certain physical aspects of this world while he disdains others, just G-d imbued within him certain innate and unexplainable desires and dislikes to pose as a mask over what is truly desirable and undesirable. When a person passes on into the world of truth, this mask of falsehood is peeled away and the true set of values are revealed. At that point a person realizes how much he gave up, every instant in which he ran after the eluding mirage of false desires, instead of directing his focus and energy toward worthwhile and fulfilling pursuits.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">An important realism for a person to keep in focus, is that the scale of ranking and success which is superficially observed in this world, is totally unaligned and oblivious toward the set of rankings in which G-d views his creations. This is due to the fact that we judge people by the level which they are presently on, while the true tale of a person's success is told by the progress he has made in lieu of the hardships and impediments which have been placed in his path. However even if we do take into account the strides and accomplishments that a person has made, it is not feasible for us to know whether it was easier for him than his fellow man.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Based on the idea that people were created with different tests and challenges, and established in different environments facing different scenario's, it is impossible for you to determine whether or not a person will be held responsible for an action which he is doing. Therefore it is futile and purposeless to have any negative feelings against other people, since you should realize that they are just trying their best to cope with the world in which G-d placed them.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The concept of time as we assume it to be, is limited to our view of the physical world. In the spiritual world however, there is no set time factor. It is true that there are concepts of one thing preceding the next, but all spiritual actions remain eternal.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Part of the reason why <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)">Hashem</span> introduced the concept of time into the physical world is since the physical world, unlike the spiritual world, is not everlasting. Therefore, in order for man to have the ability to accomplish and progress, the world must develop in stages as opposed to just being. This is because the world to come lasts forever and does not change its spiritual heights and it's as if no time passes, while the whole purpose of this world's creation, is to achieve and progress, and the only way to change from what you once were, is to cut off and separate your old spiritual self from your new one.</span></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Knowing that this world in which we are presently in is in an entirely different realm in comparison to the world to come, and that our life in this world takes up an infinitesimal minuscule percentage of our life in the world to come, a person should make a concrete decision to use all his resources and work his whole life, sparing nothing, to serve his creator and thereby reap utopia forever.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196540869535091414.post-23000882547956527192006-10-16T10:58:00.000-07:002008-08-12T05:45:16.349-07:00Every Fiber<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Oh5JTLMndj7mZAmdMQv7sawJUV0GKqLq7mFLRjm1oXLezDpyWnsfo-_4KGwlkNNatlu5zjbry98jcaiiARHFs0TyqmLD7mnWfT6tFCGRhE3c9R0DQvRgHsjsWFpjv7pNoBZxlFUX_w7-/s1600-h/sunset+and+bird4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233608294386175890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="156" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Oh5JTLMndj7mZAmdMQv7sawJUV0GKqLq7mFLRjm1oXLezDpyWnsfo-_4KGwlkNNatlu5zjbry98jcaiiARHFs0TyqmLD7mnWfT6tFCGRhE3c9R0DQvRgHsjsWFpjv7pNoBZxlFUX_w7-/s320/sunset+and+bird4.jpg" width="251" border="0" /></a> <div align="center"><br />Every Fiber Of My Being,<br />Every Essence Of My Plight,<br />Presents the Un-eroding Question,<br />As To Life.<br />Whenever Someone Out There Motions,<br />Or An Object Is In Flight,<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="http://docs.google.com/RawDocContents?docID=ddc3b779_5f8wpvw&justBody=false&revision=_latest&timestamp=1161021468093&editMode=true#sdfootnote1sym" name="sdfootnote1anc"></a><br />Somewhere Deep Down Inside Of Me,<br />Darkness Turns To Light.<br />By The Countenance Of Innocence,<br />And As Sun Rays Fold From Sight,<br />My Heartbeat Sometimes Falters,<br />Bringing Me To Untold Heights.<br /><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="http://docs.google.com/RawDocContents?docID=ddc3b779_5f8wpvw&justBody=false&revision=_latest&timestamp=1161021468093&editMode=true#sdfootnote1anc" name="sdfootnote1sym"></a><br />וכשתבין סוד התנועה ותשכיל ענין אמתתה ורוחניותה ותדע כי היא מפלאי החכמה הא'להית</div><br /><div align="center">חובות הלבבות שער הבחינה פרק ה</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196540869535091414.post-67269058475083941412006-10-16T10:57:00.000-07:002008-08-13T18:21:12.235-07:00The Individual<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52wHF8Yl9-dNaCrA1MRyKLxHmjNih6MDNXrKlW0J3N5zaEnJDXFHalh4UHjTZuLthdpZT_jHd6Kdow07giFwZHdSEUootqfEIHrGAcCvxMvZ_Ug3xWnmyIICPwsGYKOPucJVXYQ8nac_L/s1600-h/Scary+Place.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234176818751728642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 411px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 334px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="367" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52wHF8Yl9-dNaCrA1MRyKLxHmjNih6MDNXrKlW0J3N5zaEnJDXFHalh4UHjTZuLthdpZT_jHd6Kdow07giFwZHdSEUootqfEIHrGAcCvxMvZ_Ug3xWnmyIICPwsGYKOPucJVXYQ8nac_L/s400/Scary+Place.png" width="446" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRE7sn5oMv0U5YxqsJ3qAMYjsbKdjpZuYk5-qCS3zJrh3XNOqbOka4d6iVaRGC137EJkW-0b0g-ccYJ8j1SHOa6_-iXP3m3dq_pW-sMG5wDX0fkVct3Ql7Txp2ejGUVOsJS7Synh_HWrc/s1600-h/Scary+Place.png"></a><span style="font-size:130%;">I am full of magniloquence, and I'm a paragon of virtue. I've devoured libraries, experienced earthquakes, fought depression, and confronted cancer. A paladin of altruism, I've solidified my beliefs into a state of resolute entrenchment.<br /></div></span><br /><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:130%;">I've read the classics of my time, worked through the arts, and met with poetry. I have studied karate, wrestled with computers, and stooped to science fiction. I have ridden the tide called human emotion, and dabbled in meditation. I've defied the law of gravity, and beaten the probability of sixteen years of untried destiny.</span></div><br /><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:130%;">I've marveled at the world, and at the colorful mosaic of life. I have ambled through the Talmud, and been dazzled by the breathtaking palette of a sunset. I've browsed through tomes on anthropology, and taken courses on theology. I have survived the whims of four siblings, and discovered G-d and established man's paucity.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196540869535091414.post-47221346521098286462006-10-16T10:56:00.000-07:002008-08-13T18:30:59.583-07:00Searching<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmUrq0K-30_jWqFF4eJ6hrdOqPAdM8vtcZv4gDQtULLcxqdQJwNv01S1NKbC4gpDX4pDaccq79Z2WYPWl0gdD9u5q2UtmX9Dv65zhYRvwfiP8lCkqhKu5dW6RZFUZ7HK0elsJpgNXllfo/s1600-h/unsurety-boy+wading.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234179366708328850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 227px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 147px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="188" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmUrq0K-30_jWqFF4eJ6hrdOqPAdM8vtcZv4gDQtULLcxqdQJwNv01S1NKbC4gpDX4pDaccq79Z2WYPWl0gdD9u5q2UtmX9Dv65zhYRvwfiP8lCkqhKu5dW6RZFUZ7HK0elsJpgNXllfo/s320/unsurety-boy+wading.jpg" width="287" border="0" /></a><br />I don't know how to express myself,<br />I don't know just where to start<br />The ink is sticking, my papers gone,<br />and I can't control my thoughts<br /><br />I've found what I am looking for,<br />the answer to my wants<br />Yet I'm still set in unsurety,<br />swinging back and forth<br /><br />I wish I knew just whom to be,<br />and what I'm striving for<br />Which choice to make, which path to take,<br />what it is G-d wants for me.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0