wishing all my GYE friends a wonderful new year

& always remember

Eyes
see deeply & clearly
only
when not dazzled or disturbed
by externals

& with time & effort & of course God's help, there will be tremendous pleasure even in THIS world-by using our eyes the right way-as we close out the externals-the internal true vision become deeper & more beautiful

(Yom Kippur)

Every Jew
On Yom Kippur
Connects with
The essence of his soul

He can be
In the Holy of Holies
Experience Oneness
With his Beloved Father
All Powerful King
Master Therapist
Beloved Friend
Personally!!!!!!

Every Tribe
Within our nation
Shines forth
With a unique individualistic
Contribution
Blending together
As one Symphony
Healing the world

Succos
Jerusalem of old
Filled with multitudes of Jews
Visiting the Holy Temple
How I yearn to see it!!!
How I pine to be with them!!!

All of us together
Rejoicing in each other
Rejoicing with God

Oneness

May we all feel it
Experience it
Speedily in our day!!

Waking up in the morning
Is God telling you
“I need you today.

You are son/daughter of Mine
You have what to accomplish
You can make the world a better place

You have a great value & a great need
To be on this earth

You have the gift of a new opportunity
A new day

Turning inward
Drawing into myself
Search the deep
Chambers of my soul

No one else can be with me
Alone with God
Searching & yearning
To find myself
In a real profound way

It’s a humbling experience
Impossible
To express in words
What is so deep
Beneath the surface

It’s like deep sea diving
Scary at first
But sensing the calm loving source
Beneath it all

I will draw my strength from my depths
Gather the timeless wisdom
Connecting with God
With my soul’s calling

With healing time
I will arise above the surface again
& share with others
What I have discovered
On my journey
In my own unique way

Don’t allow
Yesterday’s confusion
To affect today
For Today
Is
A Whole New World

Sitting
In the lobby
Of a large mall
Learning
As my wife shops
I overhear
A middle aged couple
Communication to one another
With great respect
Wife talking, husband listening
Real empathetic listening

It’s a lesson
& a very deep human need
The desire to be heard
Even for seemingly superficial matters
Is a great gift
That a couple can give
To each other
Day in & day out
For the rest of their lives

Leaves falling
Giving way
To leaves growing
As the flow
Of one generation
Giving to the next
Father giving to his son
Mother to her daughter
Their spark of life
Continuing forever

The Bee
Builds a beautiful hive
An intricate complex design
Of genius
& efficiency & organization

Yet the bee has no free-will
While man can build
Any type of home
That he desires
In any shape or form
From all materials
Showing us the power
Of free-will
Given to Man

The spider spins a wondrous web
Architectural genius
But no free-will
All inborn instinct
While a man can create
Infinite architectural designs

Same is true
With the vision of the eagle
Strength of a lion
Smell of a dog
Work ethic of an ant
All show
The greatness
Of their Creator
But they themselves
Have no free-will
While man can harness
All these aspects
& learn from them
& go beyond them

Man cannot fly
As a bird can
But can fly beyond
In air balloons
Airplanes
Rocket ships

God doesn’t want our arrogance
But to have us appreciate
The gift of free will
& to use it
Wisely

Beasts of the Wild
Can kill & maim
But only man
Can design
The Hell
Of Aushwitz & Treblinka

This is the inverse nightmare
Of man’s free-will
Oh what a world
We would live in
If Man would have used
His free-will
With humility & wisdom & kindness!!!

Truth is
Many individuals
Do make the world
A better & safe place

We are not expected to be perfect
We are flawed
But nevertheless
We have the ability
To make this world
A beautiful place

Based on “Shem M’Shmuel”)

Just as 3 angels visited Avraham
So too
3 angels visits every Yid
Each & every Shabbos
The one angel who healed Avraham
Heals the anguish of a Yid’s soul
From his troubled heart
So that he can experience healing
On Shabbos

The second who told Sarah the good news
About the birth of Yitzchok
Tells the Yid of the delights of Shabbos
& how fortunate he is
To have the joy & gift & elevation of Shabbos

The third angel who destroyed Sodom
Removes the darkness & sins & impurities
So that he can experience his Shabbos
Free from his evil inclination

Is it no wonder
That we greet the angels
With “Sholom Aliechem”
With great joy!!!

“Absence makes the heart fonder”

This is true
When the “Absence” isn’t absolute
Isn’t absolute

The outer manifestation of communication
Can be hidden
For a while
While the inner world
Connects deeper

Such as a teacher
Reviewing in his mind
The subjects & lessons
That he will later convey
To his beloved student

Such as a husband & wife
Abstaining from physical embrace
For a week or two
Not because of distance
But from closeness
To bond
In a deeper way
Mentally & emotionally
So that when they later unite physically again
It’s with a deeper perception & a
More profound connection

Just as sleep
Brings us to a dormant state
Which invigorates & refreshes us
The next morning
So that when we do sleep
& withdraw into ourselves
It’s not to disconnect
But to draw from the deep wellsprings
Eventually bringing forth
Delicious life-giving water
& fresh new life
To the world around you

L-Listening (with empathy)
O-Oneness (humble connectivity)
V-Vulnerable (apologize-emotional warmth-honesty)
E-Expressing (appreciation. Love, kindness)

Abraham
Heals the wounds
Of the World
Manifesting
In his life
True Unity
We
As his children
Strive to do
The same

Loneliness
As deep as it may feel
Is external
For we are all connected
To our Creator

Nevertheless
When the connection
Is in a concealed state
As is often the case
In the darkened veil
Pervading our world
At this time in history
Loneliness is more deeply felt
& can be excruciatingly painful
But needs to be channeled
Towards its own healing
With proper soul-care
With gentleness
& the light
Of God’s commandments
Emulating Him
Being kind
Compassionate
Giving
As well as soothing
The loneliness & pain
Of our fellow brothers & sisters
To help heal
What you know needs healing
Within them