JamShalom Daydreams

See if You Can Hear Me

We all want to be heard.  We want others to see us; to listen to us; to value us; to understand us.  It is a special thing when another person gives us the floor, and lets us speak with limitless patience, interested and attentive to every word we have to say until our last word is spoken. But are we able to do this for others?  Do we really know how to listen? Do we really know how to see those around us? What is it that leads us to take others for granted, and to think that we somehow don't need to see them, to listen to them, to receive and respect the things the other person has to say? Attached please find this weeks Shu-Shine on the Torah portion of 'Re'eh': "See if you can hear me". May we all be blessed to come to appreciate that the relationships that we have in our lives is a gift from the other party, be that other party a friend, a spouse, a relative, a stranger, and even God; and in appreciating that the relationship is a gift, find the respect to listen and to hear and to truly see the other party. With Love and a Smile, ~Shu

Keep Your Head in the Game

No-one likes to be brought down.  It would be great if we could get good vibes all the time from those we love.  But the journey of life, of course, is not a straight-line path.  And sometimes the only way up the mountain is via the pathways that go down through the valley. Marriage, friendship, community -- these are all things that take a lot of time and investment.  And while receiving compliments from friends and loved ones is wonderful, and receiving praise from our community makes us feel super-proud, the real gift of growth comes from being able to listen to the constructive suggestions and reflections of those who are closest to us and who we can trust to see our flaws and wisely point them out to us. Without a doubt, we all need the strong wind in our sails of feeling proud of all the good that we do.  But we also must always remember that life, in its purest and most fundamental sense, is a journey of growth.  And it is essential that we remain open to discovering where we still have opportunities and need for growth -- that we remain humble to the fact that with every new day the journey still lies ahead of us -- and that we embrace our place as a crucial link in the lives of all those we know, and in the chain of parents and grandparents and children that unfolds throughout time. Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Ekev'  - "Keep Your Head in the Game" May we each be blessed to humbly believe in ourselves every day, and to always seek out new opportunities to grow and to further beautify the world around us, and the lives of all those we love. With Love and a Smile, ~Shu

It' All Love

Sometimes we get very caught up in the the physical day to day world we live in.  We lose touch with the deepest aspects of life - the aspect of life that makes it all meaningful and beautiful and so very, very worthwhile. It is important to remember to let go of the physical, to look beyond the surface of everything around us, and to connect to the deeper beauty that infuses and informs all that is around us.  Especially, it is important to stay in touch with the depth of love that connects each and every human being to each other, and that bonds us and binds us to our closest family and friends, and which also ultimately connects us with God. Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Vetchanan'  - "It's All Love" May we each be blessed to never be blinded by the physical, and to always remain connected to and fulfilled by the love that runs like a current through the world and our lives. With Love and a Smile, ~Shu

It's Time to Cross the River!

Each of us has so much potential.  But as we sometimes struggle and sometimes seek comfort in life, we might forget that we are in this world for a reason.  Life is not random.  There is meaning in our choices, both as individuals, and also as individuals who make up great and important nations of the world. We might sometimes feel that life is made up of random events.  After all, sometimes your up -- sometimes your down!  Isn't that just the 'way things go'? But what if even during those ups and downs God was right there with you.  And not just right there 'with you', but actually scouting two steps ahead, making sure that even in your toughest moments, and even in your spaciest moments, that you still had the potential to reach all of your goals!  Wouldn't that make you really, really, really want to achieve those goals?? So why is it that sometimes we choke at the moment of truth?  What is it that holds us back and makes us feel embarrassed, rather than being as beautiful as each and every one of us really is?? Maybe it is time we all lifted up the veils of shyness that we are hiding behind, and let the world see all that we have been dreaming of sharing! Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Devarim' and the Holiday of Tisha B'Av - "It's Time to Cross the River!" May we each be blessed to realize the potential of each and every moment, and to have the courage to be all that we are at the times that life invites us to shine. With Love and a Smile, ~Shu

What are YOU doing here?!

This week my family and I am blessed to have 15 amazing friends visiting us for Shabbat, some of whom are university students on vacation from the USA, some of whom are American-Israeli soldiers on leave, some of whom are students in Israel, and some of whom are new friends we are meeting for the first time.  But regretfully, the prep-demands have precluded my being able to record this week's shu-shine in time, although I do hope to send it out as a "shu-shine: afterglow" early next week.  There is so much to share regarding this weeks Torah portion! In the meantime, I am resending last years shu-shine, along with all my blessings to all for a beautiful and restful Shabbat. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sometimes, in those quietest of moments, we each wonder what we are doing here.  Does my life matter?  Do I have a mission here?  Am I truly unique and essential to the world? And sometimes, when we look back at the choices we have made, we wonder if we haven't somehow "messed up too badly".  Maybe I have really screwed up, and now whatever I was here for is lost to me?  Maybe I am 'beyond salvation'?  Maybe I am simply too stained, or too far gone, to still have the chance to brining my gifts to the world? But as you are sitting here reading these words before you, you are indeed still here.  And the reason that you are still here, is because the reason that you are here -- what you were born to do -- still lies ahead of you! Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Matot' - "What are YOU doing here?!" May we each be blessed to spend each moment of every day wide Awake, celebrating the special gifts and the unique role that we alone bring to the world. With Love and a Smile, ~Shu

Parshat Pinchas - Intuitive Love

Sometimes it is tricky, within the moment, to know exactly what to do.  Sometimes we feel pulled in several directions at once, and we are not sure what the right choice is. And sometimes we see something happening, something that is perhaps 'not so right', and we hesitate -- we are not sure if we have the courage to stand up and defend what is right. But when we are able to live in the moment -- to really know exactly what to do and the right choice to make -- at the exact second we need to make that choice -- WOW!!  It feels great. The best choice is not always the easiest choice.  But when we make it, we can feel it vibrate within our very being.  Because the best choices in life don't require the asking of a question; they are intuitive.  We simply know within our very being what is right and what is best to do.  And we do it. These choices can be a literal fork-in-the-road of life, one that will affect your destiny one way or another for the rest of your life.  Or they can be simple choices about how to respond to a loved one over a passing matter.  But they are choices that matter to us.  They are choices that define us.  They are choices that ultimately manifest our innermost character, and all that we stand for. So how do we make the best choices?  Where does this voice come from, and how do we hear it and stay attuned to it? Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Pinchas' - "Intuitive Love" May we each be blessed to live in the moment, feeling the opportunity that is present at this very day and very hour of our lives; and to make the best choices in each moment, living fully and meaningfully each and every day. This shu-shine is dedicated to my buddy, Danny Bernstein -- a guy who live by the voice. With Love and a Smile, ~Shu

Silent in the Morning

The world is so full of beauty.  Overwhelming, gentle, subtle, colorful, understated beauty.  It is in the sound of the wind in the trees, which varies from season to season -- from the young green leaves of spring to the dry leaves of fall.  It is in the songs of the birds at dawn, and once again at dusk.  It is in the powerful calling voice of the ocean waves, as they crash in again and again upon the shore.  It is in a friend's laughter.  It is in a loved-one's smile.  It is in our tears.  It is in the color of our eyes. Our Torah celebrates seven shepherds - seven leaders who were veritable 'Dr. Doolittles', walking and talking with their animals on such a profound level that God was willing to trust these individuals to also hear the songs of His nation’s heart.  Because anyone who can hear the song of nature can also hear the song of another person's Soul. Our Torah celebrates Shabbat, a day when even our animals and fields are to be given rest, because they are part of the conversation, too.  And it is a day when we are invited to quiet our lives and to open our hearts and ears, and to hear the perfect song of the world around us. This week, I was blessed once again to meet many old friends and to make many new ones at our tent on Phish-lot  --  all of us coming together around our shared joy of being able to stop and hear the song of life.  This shu-shine is dedicated to everyone who stopped by the PHISHalom tent -- I can't wait to see y'all again -- hopefully at our home in Israel!! Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Balak' - "Silent in the Morning" May we each be blessed to keep our hearts open to the song of life around us, to let it carry us, and to sing along with it in our own unique and beautiful harmony. With Love and a Smile, ~Shu

Speak to the Rock, I have Water to Share

Every person's Soul has a song.  Every person, deep, deep insider himself or herself, knows exactly who he or she is.  We know what we are here to do.  We know how beautiful we are, and how much we just want to walk with God, and play in His garden, and simply shine, love, and be loved. But then other peoples ideas get in the way.  For some reason -- perhaps out of insecurity, perhaps out of overconfidence -- there is no shortage of people out there who are ready to tell you what to be.  There seems to be no shortage of people out there who are ready to appoint themselves as God's spokespeople -- always at hand to tell you "what they would do if they were you". But of course, the problem is that they are not you.  And they never will be. But the good news is, you ARE you.  And you ALWAYS will be.  You just have to believe in yourself as much as God has always believed in you.  You just have to sing your song. Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Chukat' - "Speak to the Rock, I have Water to Share" May we each be blessed to recognize in our own selves the power to be God's partner in making this world a Perfect Garden, the courage to always sing our own song, and the love to help others do the same. With Love and a Smile, ~Shu

Yo'! Where's My Promised Land?!

I am sending out last year's Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Korach', as my wife has just returned home from a two-week trip to the USA and I am preparing Shabbat for our family and four guests so that she can rest! Peace in the Home is the highest value and pursuit, and I see that if I continue to prepare a new Shu-Shine for this week, it will come at the expense of creating a beautiful and peaceful Shabbat this week.  So I am setting down my Chumash (printed edition of the Torah) and picking up a spatula! With Love and a Smile and a little canola oil, ~Shu * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sometimes it seems like other people have all the luck, and we don't.  I mean, I look at myself and I say: "Man, I deserve the best!  I deserve more!  So who's the guy that messed it all up for me....?  There must be someone to blame..." We all want to make it to our "Promised Land".  We all want to achieve the things we most dream about, be those things professional, artistic, Spiritual, family-related, personal, academic, changing-the-world, or whatever it might be that we wish to impact or accomplish in our lives.  But how do we get there?  What is the kind of thinking that creates success, and what is the kind of thinking that gets us stuck in the reeds, keeping our dreams perpetually out of our reach? Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Korach' - "Yo'! Where's My Promised Land?!" May we each be blessed to learn to recognize the many choices we make each day, OWN those choices, and through owning our choices, earn and celebrate the positive results that will one day be ours as well. This week's Shu-Shine is dedicated to my Dad & Mom -- because they taught me so very, very much.  And also, because I love them. With Love and a Smile, ~Shu

Be Still My Beating Heart

Everyone always tells us to follow our heart.  And it sounds really good, and even poetic and dreamlike, to think about living that way.  But is it really the best way? The Truth is, we all DO have a voice inside us that we should always listen to, and never, EVER ignore.  But I tend to call that our Soul-Voice, rather than our heart-voice.  We all know the Soul-Voice, although some of us -- especially grown-ups -- have gotten out of the habit of listening to it. But we all know that voice. It is the voice that tells us, even when everyone is telling us to go one way, that our path lies in another direction.  It's the voice you hear when you maybe said a cruel thing at someone else's expense; and while everyone is laughing and clapping you on the back, inside your Soul you know that you have violated the very essence of who you are.  And it is that voice that allows us to be brave, and to stand up for an underdog, or to pursue our dreams even when it makes no logical sense (freefalling into the future) -- to honor our Inner Self, even if no-one else agrees with us or supports what we are doing. Yet it is so very, very, very important not to get confused.  Because the Soul-Voice is not at all the same as the heart-voice.  And it is a little sad and ironic, because society will encourage us to follow our heart's desires, but rarely encourages us to listen to the voice of our Soul. The heart is different than the Soul.  She is passionate.  She is impulsive.  She does not think; she reacts.  She does not know; she desires.  And while the heart is the Holiest of Holy gifts from HaShem, we have to know how to speak with her.  We have to know how to listen to her cries and callings, and not get led astray by her impulsiveness. Attached please find the shu-shine for the the Torah Portion of Shlach: "Be Still My Beating Heart". May we all be blessed to be still enough to always hear the Voice of our Soul, and to process the passions of our heart through the wise filter of our intellect and the values of life we hold most dear. With Love and a Smile, ~Shu