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Friday Mar 15, 2013
Friday Mar 15, 2013
This shu-shine is dedicated to my stunning wife, Yael. The most awesome friend I ever dreamed of running through the fields of life with.
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Why is it so hard to let go of our mistakes? There are so many beautiful people out there, who have locked the front door of their own hearts and souls, giving up on their own ability to grow and improve and reach higher heights.
And then there are those people who have simply resigned. "I am what I am. And that's all I'll ever be." The fight became to hard for these people, the defeats one too many. So they convince themselves that they are happy to stop reaching higher. But deep inside, their hearts are breaking.
We have to break through these boundaries!! We have to wake ourselves up, and gently wake up those around us. Because it is OK TO FAIL. In fact, failure has always been part of the plan; part of the story; an integral part of the song of life.
We are not 'wrong' in any way when we fail. We are only wrong when we don't forgive ourselves, and allow ourselves (and others) to be human.
It is taught that God created repentance before He even created the world. Because the world was created as a place where Souls go to grow. And inherent to growth is making mistakes and trying again. It is the very essence of repentance – the concept of being able to make mistakes, learn from them, and try again – for which the world was created.
Life is not about getting things perfect. Life is about growing and discovering. Life is not about arriving. It is about the journey.
We need to open up our hearts —open them all the way all the way all the way up —and stop being afraid to grow. And stop being so hard on ourselves or stopping to believe in ourselves just because we didn't get it right the first time and the fiftieth time.
Dare to shine and run after HaShem and dreams and your own heart. Find the courage to apologize to those you felt you wronged and thought you didn't deserve forgiveness from, and to forgive those who stepped (or even stomped) on your toes.
Because the doorway to everything you are is the doorway of forgiveness. And forgiveness is the key to any lasting relationship — with others, with HaShem, and even with ourselves.
Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Vayikra': "Sacrificing Shame".
May we all be blessed to let go of the mistakes of yesterday and to open the door to the infinite possibility of right now. Right now.
With Love and a Smile,
~Shu
Thursday Mar 07, 2013
Thursday Mar 07, 2013
This shu-shine is dedicated to an inspiring lifelong friend I made this week, Patrick De Silva, who has created a vessel of loving light both in the way he conducts business, and in the kind and giving person that he is.
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In the competitive world we live in, it is easy to get caught up in the competition to 'leave our mark on the world'. So many people wish to see their name on a skyscraper, become a rockstar, or in some other way become immortal.
Driven by ego, we run to create businesses or to grab some kind of status in our synagogue or church. We seek board positions at schools and in our townships, compete hard at the local sports club, work our bodies into perfect sculpted form, and pretty much do anything we can to feel like a god on some kind of level.
But we get lost.
Because in our effort to feel like an immortal god, we forget that true immortality comes by behaving in a Godly manner.
In other words, it is not our money that defines us, but rather what our money enables (charity…). It is not the size of our house that matters, but rather the laughter and love and familial devotion that is found within in. It is not my influence in the world that matters, but rather the way I touch lives on a casual level as I interact with dozens of people every day (saying 'hello' with genuine warmth; making time to do someone a favor; greeting everyone with a true smile).
But if we have lost our way, how do we find our way back to alignment with these deeper inner values? What is the way to build a vessel that creates light in the world, rather than simply putting ourselves in the spotlight? Where can we look in order to find the beacon that can lead us past the rocks of falsity, and into the port of alignment, charity, and serenity?
Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Vayakhel-Pikudei': "Creating the Vessel for Life".
May we all be blessed to create True vessels in life, and become True vessels as individuals – receiving the light from Above and shining it to those around us through everything we do.
With Love and a Smile,
~Shu
Friday Feb 22, 2013
Friday Feb 22, 2013
This shu-shine is dedicated in honor of the birth of Zindell (Zeana) Lirit Greenberg, the most beautiful light you can possibly imagine!
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The last few weeks have been crazy, so I (unfortunately) do not have time to write an email-intro this week. But the good news is that you are getting a double-whammy, as I am sending out a 'shu-shine afterglow' from last weeks Torah portion of Terumah (thanks to the peer-pressure of some of my holiest Golden Chevre), as well as a killer shu-shine for Purim and the Torah reading of 'Zachor'.
So here they are! And I wish all of you and bless all of us to reveal the inner-most beautiful aspects of our Selves, and thereby to bring the world to the most stunning level of perfections it has ever realized!
Friday Feb 22, 2013
Friday Feb 22, 2013
This shu-shine is dedicated in honor of the birth of Zindell (Zeana) Lirit Greenberg, the most beautiful light you can possibly imagine!
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The last few weeks have been crazy, so I (unfortunately) do not have time to write an email-intro this week. But the good news is that you are getting a double-whammy, as I am sending out a 'shu-shine afterglow' from last weeks Torah portion of Terumah (thanks to the peer-pressure of some of my holiest Golden Chevre), as well as a killer shu-shine for Purim and the Torah reading of 'Zachor'.
So here they are! And I wish all of you and bless all of us to reveal the inner-most beautiful aspects of our Selves, and thereby to bring the world to the most stunning level of perfections it has ever realized!
Friday Feb 08, 2013
Friday Feb 08, 2013
This shu-shine is dedicated in the merit of a complete and speedy recovery to Yishai Shmuel ben Devorah Itah, a young man who embodies the values of the message herein. Please listen to this weeks shu-shine mp3 in his merit. He needs your personal prayer and blessing right now.
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Some people will argue that integrity is subjective. That there are no absolutes between right and wrong, and that we all draw the line as best we can. And while it is true that many people be do draw that line at the most noble place they understand, the Torah challenges us to always reach deeper.
I have a 'shu-ism', that "You can't part your hair without looking in the mirror". And what it means is that while you can make your hair look pretty good by just running your hands through it, you can only get a perfectly straight part by looking at your reflections; in other words, to really reach higher levels of perfection, we have to be willing to look ourselves in the eye.
We are blessed to live in a time and era where we are able to observe and call out corruption wherever it may hide, from the highest levels of government to the remotest villages in the jungle. The information age has created transparency into the most secret and hidden parts of both governments and societies, and at times we may feel overwhelmed by all the 'evil' and corruption that we feel our world is drowning in.
But we are at a good place in history. Truly.
Because most generations of history were to busy fighting for survival to have the luxury of examining good and evil, and righteousness and corruption, on such fine and detailed levels.
We must never forget that it is only in an environment of peace and security that the opportunity for the highest levels of social refinement to take place.
And so those of us who notice what is wrong must not rest. We must not rely on the excuse of subjectivity when it comes to right and wrong. We must pit our caring and loving and honorable Spirits against all that causes us pain, and iron out the last wrinkles that are glaring like black spots on an already whitening sheet.
Because we are at a good place in history. And it is our personal integrity that will make it a great one.
Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Mishpatim': "Creating a Truer World".
May we all be blessed to find the strength and bravery to demand honesty in all that we do, and to inspire integrity in all whom we encounter.
Thursday Jan 31, 2013
Thursday Jan 31, 2013
People tend to trust what they can see with their eyes. And of course, why shouldn't they? After all, if you have ever seen those guys on the streets moving the cups around with the ball underneath, or doing a round of 3-card monty, you KNOW that it is important not to let your eyes get fooled, and to keep your eye on the prize at all times.
And isn't that a great lesson for life? Well, maybe…
But like Exupery says in The Little Prince, "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye".
And this is where Faith comes in. Faith in love. Faith in humanity. Faith in the future. Faith in tomorrow. Faith in God. And of course, Faith in ourselves (sometimes the hardest thing of all).
Faith is an idea that many people have lost. And it is an idea that even more of us do not understand. Because people think that Faith is a form of blindness — as in, "Blind Faith". But True Faith is just the opposite. It is not blind at all. Rather, it is the key to opening our eyes to the very deepest aspects of life. We just need to understand how to practice it.
Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Yitro': "Believing is Seeing".
May we all be blessed to experience and practice True Faith in our lives, opening higher and higher doors to love, joy, connectedness, and HaShem.
This shu-shine is dedicated to our holy friends Netzach and Hannah, who just got engaged! If ever there was a beautiful example of a Love born of Faith, they are it!
With Love and a Smile,
~Shu
Friday Jan 25, 2013
Friday Jan 25, 2013
Have you ever sat by a river and closed your eyes? It is amazing. The sound of the water lapping over the rocks, slipping over and under fallen branches that have entered it's path, cascading over sudden drops… The song of the water is so peaceful, so very, very serene and comforting to our Soul.
So why are we not the same? Why do we get so flustered when a situation, like a rock, blocks our path? Why do we get upset and alarmed when unpredictable events, like fallen branches, descend upon us? Why do we lose hope and faith when life suddenly takes a dive or the floor falls out from under us, like sudden drops in the river?
If only we would stop trying so hard, and forcing so hard, and holding on so hard, we would discover that the events of our lives that we spend so much time resisting and worrying over, are actually the notes that make up the very song of life, with all of its sublime beauty.
Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Beshalach': "The Tao of Israel".
May we all be blessed to become like a river, flowing with enthusiastic vigor, embracing and flowing with all that presents itself on our path, thereby forever adding notes to the beautiful song of our life.
With Love and a Smile,
~Shu
Friday Jan 18, 2013
Friday Jan 18, 2013
It is easy to get angry at someone for doing something wrong to us. And sadly, it is all too easy to hate or dislike a culture or race that we don't understand or relate to. Some of us might have weird neighbors. And sometimes, whether at college or work or high-school or our synagogue or house-of-worship, there might be another person who handles things in a way that we just don't approve of or care for.
And so we write them off. I mean, we are SO done with them! After all, life is too short to put up with other people's garbage! Right??
Well, maybe not.
It is so important to look past another person's behavior or differences, and to seek that other person's heart. Do you really believe that the other person has a mean heart? Do you really believe that his or her motivations are cruel and uncaring?
The Truth is, most people have hearts full of love. And when we lower our defenses and realize that the actions that have upset us were not driven by malevolence… well… we find the Doorway of Forgiveness. And on the other side of that door is a world of beauty and lightness-of-the-heart that is a gift to both the other person, and especially to our own Spirit.
Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Bo': "The Doorway of Forgiveness".
May we all be blessed to see the hearts of those around us, to recognize the beauty of all people, and to find the doorway to forgive others their offenses — and to find the joy of an Open Heart that being a forgiving person brings.
With Love and a Smile,
~Shu
Friday Jan 11, 2013
Friday Jan 11, 2013
You know how sometimes things just seem to come together? Did you ever find that you slowed down on the highway for some reason, only to then see a police-cruiser appear on the horizon, thus sparing you a serious ticket? Don't you love when you go to the store to buy something, and find that there is just one left? At moments like these, we feel like maybe it is our day to play the lottery! After all, all these little things are clicking! Those little things are what can best be called "kisses from HaShem" - "kisses from God". It is the feeling of warmth that we experience when we know that things are going well simply because 'Someone Up There' love us. And we are absolutely right. Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Va'Eira': "The Power of Love". May we all be blessed to always connect to the purest place in our heart, and to always see God's loving hand we when call out in our times of need.
Friday Dec 28, 2012
Friday Dec 28, 2012
Each and every one of us is filled with so many powerful feelings. And of course, there is not a single human being alive who does not have hundreds of emotions running through his or her heart throughout the day. But yet, despite all of those feelings and emotions, all too many times we keep our deepest selves hidden away from the world. Sometimes, we even keep that part of ourselves hidden away from our own selves. In today's world, so many people have a hard time praying. Maybe we think it's outdated. Maybe we think it's too routine. Or maybe -- just maybe -- the real problem is that we have simply forgotten how to open up and share that deepest and most hidden part of ourselves. Because it is really not that complicated. (Even if it is very hard!) We just need to find a quiet place to be by ourselves. A place where we are not distracted by any of our routine obligations. And a place where we can laugh or cry or yell or shout or dance without worrying that anyone will see us. And then, in that window of time and space that we have created for ourselves, we let our heart pour out through the words that flow. And suddenly, we are praying. We don't have to carry the world on our shoulders. And when we share all that is on our mind with HaShem (God), that lead balloon becomes a helium balloon, and our steps become so much lighter. Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'VaYechi': "There's Someone You Should Talk To". May we all be blessed to rediscover the power of prayer, and to find the simple words on the tip of our heart, and let them flow without guard or defensiveness from our lips -- to the attentive ears of God. This shu-shine is dedicated to all of our awesome PHISHalom Chevre! Looking forward to having the highest conversations with each other and HaShem this weekend, and dancing in the light of all things pure! With Love and a Smile, ~Shu