JamShalom Daydreams

Parsha Chayei Sarah: Three Keys to Dreams

So many people have dreams.  And of course, we all want our dreams to come true.  So why is it that so many times they do not come true?  Why is it that for so many people, dreams are something that they had when they were young, but then, as they grew up they "got more realistic"?

Maybe there are some important keys to making our dreams come true.  Maybe there are a few simple yet profound ideas that can really open the door for us, and make dreaming a powerful and meaningful part of our lives.  Maybe we can change the world, after all…

Let's get young again.  Let's become dreamers again.  Let's find a way to open the door, and make some of those dreams we left on a shelf come true.

Attached please find a Shu-Shine on the Torah portion of 'Chayei Sarah': "Three Keys to Dreams".

May we all be blessed to believe in our power to create transformation in the world, and to find the keys and approaches that open all the right doors before us at all the right times.

With Love and a Smile,

~Shu

Parsha Vayeira: Simple Spirituality

Is anything divorced from God?  Are there places where we are separate from Him, from His light, from His love, from His friendship?

Many people would say "yes".  I would gently disagree.

God is as separate from our lives as we want Him to be.  He is as present as we invite Him to be.

But here is the deepest secret: If we invite Him into our everyday stuff, we can also more comfortably ask Him for help with our everyday stuff.  If my "work" is in 'my department', then when I ask God for help, I am asking for a favor (since it is of no affair of His).  But if I invite HaShem to be a partner in my work, then when I ask Him for help, it is about both of us.  HaShem and me.  So deep.  So incredible.

How do we achieve this?  What does this really mean?

Attached please find a Shu-Shine on the Torah portion of 'Vayeira': "Simple Spirituality".

May we all be blessed to include HaShem in more and more of our everyday lives, and thereby have the most amazing Friend to turn to whenever things get a bit confusing or challenging.

With Love and a Smile,

~Shu

Parshah Lech Lecha: "Know, Know, No".

It is wonderful to know how to give.  But do we know how to draw boundaries?  It is amazing to know how to draw boundaries, but do we know how to do so with love?

People in life tend to rest on extremes.  Some people are overly protective of themselves.  So they are always suspicious of the world.  Their walls are always up.  They are forever afraid and on guard that someone might be out to cheat them.  So sad…  What a terrible way to live.

And others lay themselves out like a carpet.  They yes to everyone.  They give and give, but ultimately sacrifice themselves in the process.  And this self-destructive sacrifice is ultimately a poison to both the giver and the receivers.  For the giver, because it harms him or her.  And for the receivers, because it damages a person if they get used to taking from another person without caring about the fact that the giver is getting hurt in the process.

Yes, we should all be givers!  But we must know when to say "no".  And we must know how to say "no".

Attached please find a Shu-Shine on the Torah portion of 'Lech Lecha': "Know, Know, No".

May we all be blessed to give to those around us with perfect measure, knowing when to say yes and how to say yes, and when to say no and how to say no.

With Love and a Smile,

~Shu

Parshat Noach - All for One, and One for All

How far would you go to save another person?  Would you interrupt your work day?  Would you drive a hundred miles?  Would you fly around the world?

What would you put on the line for another person?  Your time?  Your money?  Your fun?  Your life?

Who matters to you?  Your children?  Your parents? Your siblings?  Your friends?  A stranger?

We sometimes get caught in our own day-to-day to such a great degree, that we forget what matters most.  We sometimes get so caught up in our own world, that we forget that our world is only beautiful because of the other people in it.

Who matters most to us?  How far would we go for them?  How much do we define our own sense of joy and fulfillment in life by our ability to bring those around us along for the ride?

Attached please find a Shu-Shine on the Torah portion of 'Noach': "All for One, and One for All".

May we all be blessed to feel truly connected to everyone around us, and to reach a level where the only pathway of fulfillment we see for ourselves, is the pathway that includes everyone we touch.

With Love and a Smile,

~Shu

Succot - Falling in Love All Over Again

Sending everyone wishes for the most Joyous Succot!!  Have an amazing time camping with HaShem!!

Attached is one of my favorite shu-shines of all times, a rewind to Succot 2011.

Also sending an open invitation to send me your spiritual/life/faith/personal/relationship/God/religion/search-for-meaning questions for possible topics of future shu-shines!

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Love is amazing.  Discovering it.  Becoming delirious over another person.  The Romance.  The adventure.  Feeling like we are walking on clouds.

But then comes the hard part.  The challenges of building a life together.  Understanding each other.  Respecting each other.  Seeing each other.  Making room for each other.  Learning to let go of our defenses, admitting to our flaws, and rising to the challenge of always growing as a matter of devotion to the other person in the relationship.

The greatest wonder, however, is the love that is found on the other side of those struggles -- the love that awaits at the other side of conflict and growth.  It is a seasoned love.  A love built on an accomplished trust.  A love that is found in a closeness that can only be found once all the defenses are gone, and a perfect honesty of seeing the other and being ourselves emerges.

And it is the best thing in the world.

Now imagine, for a minute, that the love we are talking about is the love between you and HaShem.

Attached please find this weeks Shu-Shine for Succot: "Falling in Love All Over Again"

May we all be blessed to experience the joy of taking down all the walls, being at peace with who we are, seeing the beauty of those around us, and celebrating the safety of loving one another without conditions or barriers -- through thick and thin.

With Love and a Smile,

~Shu

Yom Kippur: Going for More Than Headlines

Sending everyone wishes for the most Inspiring and Joyous Yom Kippur!!

Here is a beautiful song/video from my sweetest friend Eli Klatsky, that so perfectly captures the spirit of these special days: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOp4NAq6EHI

Also sending an open invitation to send me your spiritual/life/faith/personal/relationship/God/religion/search-for-meaning questions for possible topics of future shu-shines!

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There's an interesting correlation between how badly we feel about a particular mistake, and our desire to engage in some type of sweeping gesture to show that we are sorry and want to change.  It tends to be that the bigger the mistake, the greater and more grand gesture we want to make as a sign of our "penance".  

If we have really hurt someone whom we love, then we want to do some kind of dramatic gesture, apology, or action to show how badly we feel.  And if we make a little mistake, well then, a little gesture like a simple "I'm sorry" ought to do the trick!

But there is something wrong here.  Something very, very wrong…

You see, when we commit big, BIG mistakes that we are regretful about, they don't just suddenly pop out from nowhere.  Think about it — none of us (hopefully) would ever intentionally hurt someone we love in a major way!  Big mistakes grow from deeper places, deeper dissatisfactions, buried frustration, unacknowledged needs, and profound things like that.  

And while a sweeping gesture surely shows how strongly we feel about the other person, or how important the relationship is to us, chances are the other party didn't really doubt that.  What is really needed, what is ESSENTIAL, is that some learning and 'fixing' take place, so that whatever is under the surface of the mistake can get fixed, and so that the relationship can move to a higher, stronger, and more healthy place.

We need to get away from doing things that make headlines, and instead become deep investigative reporters.  We have to get to the source.

And yes — that is a whole lot harder…           But it is also a whole lot more meaningful…

Attached please find this weeks Shu-Shine for Yom Kippur: "Going for More Than Headlines"

May we all be blessed to dig deep this Yom Kippur, finding the sources of our mistakes, and fixing the finest threads that ultimately form the weave of who we are and how we live.

With Love and a Smile,

~Shu

Anything but God

We stand at the eve of Rosh HaShana, with the future of our own lives and the future of the world in our hands.  What kind of year will it be?  What kind of blessings will it bring?  Blessings filled with joy and peace?  Or blessings of challenge and difficult growth?  The answer is in our hands.

But upon whom do we place our hopes?  Upon our money?  Upon our skills?  Upon our cleverness?  Upon our connections?

In whose fate does the world's future lie?  In Obama's hands?  In Europe's hands?  In terrorist hands, God forbid?  In the hands of those with the most clever PR machines?

Attached please find this weeks Shu-Shine for Rosh HaShana and the Torah portion of 'Ha-Azinu': "Anyone but God?"

May we all be blessed to serve as priests to the world around us -- turning to HaShem for our success, and connecting those around us to the same Source of Goodness.

With Love and a Smile,

~Shu

Parsha Netzavim-Vayelech - Choose Life

May we all be blessed to channel our will towards life and love and caring for others, and create waves of blessing and goodness that change the world and touch all of those who are presently trapped in the dark.

Parsha Ki Tavo: "Whose God is He, Anyways?"

Sending everyone wishes for the most beautiful Shabbat!  Attached is a shu-shine rewind from the Torah portion of Ki Tavo, 2011.

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Why is it that sometimes another person finds harmony on a certain Spiritual path, but when we try the same approach we come out wanting?  Isn't there "one way"?  Isn't there a clear and specific "right path" to God?  Or are there many paths to the Infinite Source, challenging and allowing each of us to find our own unique instrument to play in the symphony of the King?

There is a lot of promise and excitement in the notion that we may each have a pathway and song of our own, but of course, there is also a challenge:  In my search for a personal relationship with HaShem, how do I find my own way?

Attached please find a Shu-Shine on the Torah portion of 'Ki Tavo': "Whose God is He, Anyways?".

May we all be blessed to forge our own individual relationships with HaShem, finding our paths, finding success, and bringing our gifts to the communities and world we are a part of.

With Love and a Smile,

~Shu

Parsha Ki Teitzei - Impulses and Boundaries

We are emotional creatures.  Our behavior is so very guided by our feelings at any given moment.  Sometimes this is a good thing, but sometimes it is not so good.  Of course it is wonderful when we erupt in a burst of laughter or love, but it is usually not so pleasant when it is our anger or depression or frustration that gets the best of us.

So how do we find the balance?  How do we keep things in check?  How do we master the question of when to let our feelings flow, and when to take a deep breath and get centered before sharing how we feel about something?

The greatest journey of life is the journey of personal growth and development, and answering this question is very much a central key to that journey…

Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Ki Teitzei' - "Impulses and Boundaries"

May we all be blessed to master our emotions, and learn to express our feelings and passions in a way that beautifies our life and the lives of those around us.

With Love and a Smile,

~Shu