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Thursday, June 28, 2007

Wheeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


SO, i don't know where all of my viewers went? I feel left out. Where did everyone go? It's the summer, isn't everyone sitting in front of the computer all day? ;-P
Unfortunately, i am, though it's to type up papers and essays.
B"H i just finished half of my 10 page psych report and i feel good. I"m gonna go attack the later half, which of course might be harder then the first.
Otherwise, i wanted to wish a big mazal tov to EVERYONE. those who have just finished school, gotten engaged, had kids, gotten married, graduated, or have any other reason to be happy!
I hope to speak with some of you soon.

(P.S Leah, I'm really sorry that i never called you back.)


Tuesday, June 26, 2007

SLEEPPP!!!

The past two nights i have not been able to fall asleep, it's really annoying and i don't know what to do about it. I'm about to try to fall asleep again.
I've been sleeping, but i don't feel rested when i wake up.And then during the day i feel really tired. B"H i'll be able to sleep properly tonight. Sweet dreams everyone
My mother used to tell me to "dream of fields and butterflies" so i put up this picture

.

He's watching






Hashem is always watching. For the good and for the bad. He loves you, make Him proud

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Walk with a Smile

B'h I"m busy, with good things. It happens often, therefore, that I'm constantly thinking about this or that. Weather it's and essay that I'm working on, a phone call I need to make, or the list of homework that i want to accomplish before i head to work, I'm always deep in thought and concentrating on the inner more then the outer. Therefore, it happens that when I'm transporting from one location to the next, I wont pay proper attention to the people around me or what kind of expression I'm carying on my face.
I know that I've completely missed people's presence, consequently, or just ignored them without saying hello. B'h, this was brought to my attention on Sunday. I've, since then, tried to walk in the street with a smile, or at least smile to those that i see.
I know that there is an inyan of this in the gerama or Torah. I just wanted to remind everyone, as well as myself, that when we're walking down the street we should always great the people we know, weather it's to stop and have a conversation with them or to tell them that you're in a rush and just wanted to say, though you're sorry you don't have time to talk.
I think it's very important. A lot of people can be hurt by abrupt hellos or non at all.
I've been privileged to realize/ be reminded of this. Kol Tov

It's your turn

So, I could keep talking about the random things that come to my mind, and I probably will. But if anyone ever had anything to share, just let me know in a comment and I'll make it a post. As well, if there are topics that people find interesting that they'd like me to bring up and talk about, we could do that too. The whole point of this blog is to keep up focused on the Torah and mitzvout, now that we're no longer in-rolled in a Bais Yaakov school. We, as least I, don't have a structured learning schedule where we/I learn every day, so this is meant to keep us/ me on track as we progress through life and the year. Kol Tov. thanks

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Princess of Light


That's what we are. That's our job in this world, as the daughters of Hashem, we're supposed to bring light into this world. How do we do this? By making things kadosh (ei: doing mitzvout) we elivate the physical things of this world and make them "light" and kadosh.

I just thought i'd give us all chizuck to keep doing what we are doing and making brachout and working on our middout, and being the best princesses we can be!

Friday, June 08, 2007

Parshat Shlach

Shlach (Numbers 13-15)
Of Ants and Grasshoppers
By Rabbi Aba Wagensberg


"Greetings from the holy city of Jerusalem!

In this week's portion, Moses sends spies to scout the Land of Israel, and they return with a negative report about the land. They say, "The people who live in the Land are such giants that we appeared to be like grasshoppers in their eyes!" (Numbers 13:33). Rashi explains that the Spies overheard the giants saying, "There are ants in the vineyard that look like people."

Many commentators grapple with Rashi's inconsistency in quoting the verse. If the Torah explicitly likens the Spies to grasshoppers, then Rashi should have said that the Spies overheard the giants saying, "There are grasshoppers in the vineyard," not ants!

We can offer a novel approach in understanding this apparent inconsistency based on the words of the Tiferet Shmuel (vol. II). In the Book of Proverbs (6:6), King Solomon advises the lazy person to go and observe the ant. The Midrash (Yalkut Shemoni, Proverbs 938) explains that the ant spends the entire summer gathering kernels of wheat, barley, and beans. In one anthill that was once unearthed, 300 kur - a staggering amount - of surplus grain was discovered. Yet the ant only lives for six months, during which time it is only capable of consuming a kernel and a half of wheat! Why does the ant gather vastly more food than it is capable of consuming?

According to the Midrash, the ant says to itself, "Perhaps God will decree long life for me, and I will be prepared." From here we see that the fundamental characteristic of an ant is that of preparation and saving for the future. King Solomon therefore tells the lazy person to observe the ant, so that he too can learn to prepare in this world for the Next World. This teaches us the importance of saving and preparing in this world for our eternity.

The grasshopper, however, is the antithesis of the ant. The grasshopper is related to the locust, which, instead of saving its food for the future, is constantly involved in eating, in the present. Thus, the grasshopper is symbolic of those who think only of the here and now, materialistically. This is why the verse in this week's portion refers to grasshoppers.

The spies called themselves grasshoppers! These spies were the 10 out of 12 whom the Talmud (Sotah 34a) teaches were carrying the physical fruits of the Land of Israel. Like the grasshopper, they were focused on this world - the materialistic qualities of the present.

Based on this understanding, Rashi's comment about ants does not contradict the verse in the Torah; rather, it is referring to the remaining two spies, Joshua and Calev, who the Talmud teaches were not carrying the physical fruits of the Land. Joshua and Calev were interested in how the spiritual properties of the Land of Israel could help facilitate their eternal existence.

May we all be blessed to view the world through the eyes of the ant. This will change the style of our lives into one where every act, word and thought will be performed with a consideration of our spiritual eternity. "

to expound on the message above:
i wanted to mention that as Jews we are always looking to the future, or should be. Seeing how our actions NOW will affect ourselves and others in the FUTURE. this perspective allows us to act properly, the way HaShem wants us to.

Shabbat sholm. Kol tov

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

It isn't always as it seems

Today in psych class, before a skit was preformed, the teacher privately gave six people individual rules that they were to preform infront of the class. Later the class rated these people and tried to pick who they were, out of a list of six disciptions. One of the categories was mentally ill. four out of six of the 'actors' had SOME votes suggesting that they were pretending to be a mentally ill person.
At the end of the skit the teacher explained that there WAS no mentally ill rule. However, when observ other people we assume that they're acting 'strange' becuase we don't know the WHOLE sitauation. We can't see into their heads and understand why there are behaving in certain ways.
This is a point that is constantly mentioned to us, that we should judge a person favourably. I wanted to repeat this fact. I wanted to remind myself and you that there are many things going on in everyone's life, just as many as are occuring during OUR life and day. We need to realize that we DON"T see the big picture and that that's OK. But, it's not a licence for us to mis judge someone negatively and think that they're "off" becuase WE don't understand why he.she. is acting that way.
Have a good night/day.

Sunday, June 03, 2007

It's Raining...




I love the rain.

Tonight i was walking home from my chavursa's house, after learning and davening a nice mincha at her house, and it started a summer sprinkle.

This sprinkle made me want to sing. So i started to hum, quietly to myself, as i walked home.
Unfortunitely my house is only a ten minute walk from my chavrusa's, so the rain was short lived.
Now, as i sit here about to go to bed, i can still her the pitter patter of the rain on the side walk by my window. And i'm thinking about how wonderful rain is, and how much of a gift it is from HaShem. Instead of flooding the world with water HaShem all at the same time, He gives us little showers.
So too, instead of punishing us all at once He gives us little zaps. anyhoo. i'm falling asleep...