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Posts Tagged ‘Love’

~Open Thread: Friday, “To Zion” Edition~

by WrathofG-d ( 109 Comments › )
Filed under Abortion, Judaism, Open thread, Religion at April 9th, 2010 - 2:15 pm

Lauryn Hill Featuring Carlos Santana – “To Zion”

Here are the complete lyrics, but here are a chosen few.

Unsure of what the balance held – I touched my belly overwhelmed – By what I had been chosen to perform – But then an angel came one day – Told me to kneel down and pray – For unto me a man child would be born – Woe this crazy circumstance – I knew his life deserved a chance – But everybody told me to be smart – Look at your career they said, Lauryn, baby use your head – But instead I chose to use my heart

Despite what some might say, you are never “stuck” with a child; children are this world’s greatest blessing.   So, don’t forget to love them.

Have a meaningful Shabbat, and a wonderful weekend.

(more…)

Happy Valentines Day! Now, Be A Man!

by WrathofG-d ( 131 Comments › )
Filed under Judaism, Political Correctness, Religion, World at February 14th, 2010 - 4:30 pm

Over the years, the concept of love has been spun, twisted, leaned, and pruned into nothing more than a base emotion.  The shame of this is that it leaves the human as nothing more than an animal responding to our emotions and base instincts, and ignoring our heads.    A bi-product of this multi-year incremental destruction of our beings is the withering away of the man, and as a result the woman, the family, and ultimately society as a whole.

So, boys….grow up, show some love and BE A MAN!

Every few years, the media tells us new ideas about what a man should be.   For a while there was “sensitive new age guy.” Then there was “metrosexual” and advice that men need to develop their feminine side.

I’ve heard married men advise younger men that the key to a happy marriage is:  “Yes, dear.”   [Nearly every television commercial] ridicule men, [and the actual programming are not much better.]

On television, we’ve gone from Father Knows Best, where the father was a wise caring man who could do no wrong, to Homer Simpson, a buffoon who can do nothing right. Does Homer actually influence what people think a man should be? In a recent survey in Canada by the research firm Ipsos-Reid, more than 25 percent of fathers aged 18 to 34 identify with Homer Simpson when they’re talking to their kids about a difficult subject, and almost 20 percent of adult children in the same age range associate their own father with Homer.

With so many confusing ideas, …wisdom on what a man should be in a relationship [has become increasingly necessary].   …  [It is not surprising then that some of the best advice regarding what a man should be comes from Genesis] and Adam — the first man in the world who was in a relationship.  Adam was alone. He wanted a wife. He asked God for a wife and God created Eve to be an “ezer k’negdo” — a helper opposing him or a helper against him (Genesis, 2:18).

A helper against him? What in the world does that mean? Simply, it means that …If a man works on himself and develops himself to be worthy, the woman will be his partner. If he doesn’t, she will be against him.

My search led me to discover a lot of timeless wisdom that for generations fathers taught their sons — wisdom that is so relevant today. Today’s absent father, either from long hours of work or divorce, means many boys grow up without a strong male role model.

Here are five … lessons… on what a man in a relationship should be:

Lesson #1: Take responsibility

… Don’t do things you know are wrong and then blame others. If you make a mistake, take responsibility for your actions.  One of the meanings of the word “husband” is someone who skillfully manages his household. A manager takes responsibility. …A man has to look at himself and see how he can change his own actions to properly handle similar situations.

Lesson #2: Show leadership

If a man wants to be seen as worthy and have a good relationship with a woman, he has to show leadership.  When he sees a situation that needs to be dealt with, he should step forward and handle it. People admire those who step forward to handle difficult situations. We don’t admire those who stand back and wait for others to solve the problem.

Some men avoid taking the lead because they don’t want to be criticized. They think they’re playing it safe. A man should say, “I’ll handle it,” and take the initiative to find solutions. If he’s not sure what the solution is, do what other leaders do — consult the many sources of information available.

Lesson #3: Make decisions

One of the meanings of the word “manly” is being decisive.  A man needs to make decisions and take responsibility for the outcome.  If he’s reluctant to make decisions, she may resent him.  Part of making decisions is understanding the other person’s views and being flexible.  She doesn’t want someone controlling her, but she also doesn’t want someone who leaves every decision to her.  A man who is afraid of making a wrong decision should ask himself: Who should make decisions? — someone who isn’t afraid of making mistakes.

Lesson #4: Be strong

Who is strong?  He who can control his passions (Ethics of the Fathers, 4:1). Someone who can control his anger is better than a physically strong man who can conquer a city. Blowing up in anger can seriously damage a relationship.  If a man thinks he can’t control his anger, he should imagine being angry at someone, the telephone rings and it’s his boss. Would he calm down? Of course, or he’d lose his job.  Not getting angry doesn’t mean he accepts bad treatment; he calmly sets limits on the treatment he accepts from others.

Lesson #5: Be manly

Being manly is not being macho.  Manliness is the positive qualities of decisiveness, strength in one’s convictions, confidence, self-reliance, high moral qualities, self discipline, honesty and integrity. A man who is manly has courage to be able to deal with difficulty, pain or danger without backing away despite his fear…

{The Original Article}

~Open Thread: Friday Afternoon Edition~

by WrathofG-d ( 371 Comments › )
Filed under Judaism, Open thread, Religion, Science at October 16th, 2009 - 1:27 pm

Thank G-d: once again it is Friday, and accordingly for Jews this means the beginning of the Holy Shabbat. Every week, Jews read a portion of the Torah and study it.  Highly pertinent to many on this blog, this week we are reading a highly contentious portion around some parts called Bereishit (“In the beginning”) (Genesis 1:1-6:8).

The Creation of the World, and Adventures of the First Humans

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/134/407666284_e8c271c468.jpg

Dateline: December 1968

From his window he could watch the blue orb of planet earth getting smaller and smaller. Looming in front of him in all its detail was a giant moon.  Astronaut Frank Borman of Apollo 8 was filled with emotion, as he drew closer and closer to the fulfillment of one of man’s greatest dreams of landing on the moon. As the lunar module orbited, the crew could perceive the moon in its pristine state, untouched by human hands, exactly as it left the hands of its Creator. (One could imagine Adam opening his eyes for the first time and viewing a pristine Earth with the same awe.)

Borman wanted to convey this feeling to everyone glued to their TVs and radios, just so they could in some sense share the experience of this milestone in history. What text could express this feeling? What human poet or author could capture in words that awesome feeling of the smallness of man and the vastness of the universe?

To the ears of billions of earthlings, Borman declared, “In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth!” The first chapter of Genesis was read on that historical day to all mankind. (In contrast to the Cosmonauts who orbited the Earth in Sputnik and proclaimed, “We went to Heaven and didn’t find God!”) This is the beginning of the story of man and his world.

{The Rest of The Article}

Despite false claims to the contrary, Creation is deeply rooted in Torah.   The following are a few exceptionally general, and basic statements of Jews regarding Creation.

“IN THE BEGINNING” – INTRODUCTION TO THE TORAH

Judaism believes that the Bible is a Divine book. Just as a human author generally writes about topics that interest him, we can similarly assume that the Divine Author of the Torah writes about things that interest Him. Here’s a bird’s eye view of the opening chapters of the Torah:

(1) “In the beginning God created Heaven and Earth” (Genesis 1:1). What a contrast between the vast endless heaven containing countless stars, and one tiny speck in the universe called Planet Earth! Yet the following verse begins, “And the Earth was…” and the rest of the book focuses on Earth. Conclusion: God is interested in Earth!

(2) The six days of creation are described in detail. The trees and grass, the animals, fish, birds, and insects. Then was created one human. What a contrast between the vast expanse of planet Earth, and one individual person! Yet from this point on, the Torah focuses exclusively on humans (and NOT on the trees or insects). Conclusion: God is interested in humanity!

(3) After expounding upon the first human, the Torah lists 10 generations with no events recorded. These generations evidently did not interest the author and are only included for the purpose of chronology. Finally we find the passage, “and Noah was a righteous man” (Genesis 6:9), followed by an entire section concerning Noah. Conclusion: God is interested in “righteous people”!

(4) This is followed again by a list of names for chronological purposes. Another 10 generations go by, until we come to Abraham our Father. Abraham is 75 years old at the time the Torah speaks of him (more details of his youth are found in the oral tradition). From this point on, the Torah records exclusively the story of Abraham’s life and then that of his descendents – right up until the emergence of the Jewish people. The rest of the Torah recounts God’s relationship with the Jewish people. Conclusion: God is interested in the Jewish people who undertake a unique mission, to be a “light unto the nations,” to teach the world about spirituality and our Creator. (Rabbi Avigdor Miller)

There is a lot covered in the above article (many debated issues) so, if interested, I highly recommend the above link.

An antidote on the subject of Creation from a Jewish source.

“A disbeliever once asked Rabbi Akiva, ‘Who created the world?’ ‘The Almighty,’ replied Rabbi Akiva. ‘Prove it,’ demanded the disbeliever. Rabbi Akiva replied, ‘Come back tomorrow.’

“When the man returned on the following day, Rabbi Akiva asked him, ‘What are you wearing?’ ‘A robe,’ replied the man. ‘Who made it?’ asked Rabbi Akiva. ‘The weaver,’ said the man. ‘I don’t believe you! Prove it,’ demanded Rabbi Akiva.

” ‘That is ridiculous. Can’t you tell from the fabric and design that a weaver made this garment?’ answered the man. Rabbi Akiva then responded, ‘And you – can you not clearly tell that God made the world?’

“After the disbeliever left, Rabbi Akiva explained to his students, ‘Just as a house was obviously built by a builder and a garment obviously sewn by a tailor, so was the world (which follows a natural order) obviously made by a Creator!’ ”

{The source}

Creation from a Christian Source:

(Author Note:  This Thread is not to a space for name-calling, personal attacks, angry vitriol, etc.  I expect those who are small minded, and intellectually constrained on this issue to be discussed, but I encourage you to please do so politely, and factually! In short, this is a Thread about G-d – so act in His image!)

I wish the Jews a blessed Holy Shabbat, and to all else a meaningful weekend and day(s) of worship!

(more…)

~Open Thread: Friday Evening Edition~

by WrathofG-d ( 47 Comments › )
Filed under Judaism, Open thread, Religion at July 24th, 2009 - 4:25 pm

Much of this week’s Torah portion consists of Moses rebuking the people for a variety of mistakes, including the Golden Calf, Korach’s rebellion, the complaints about meat and water, and more.  But, why did Moses choose the final days before his death to deliver 40 years worth of pent-up rebuke?

Leviticus 19:17 states:

“You shall rebuke your neighbor, but not do a sin in the process.”

Rebuke is fine, but not if the effect will be negative. If the other person will get defensive, angry, or not accept the criticism, then it is better left unsaid.

If a person feels you have your own self-interest at heart – and not his – he won’t listen to what you’re saying. Rebuke must clearly be for the benefit of the other person. He has to know that you care about him, are on his side, and want what’s best for him.

That is why Moses specifically delivers the rebuke after defeating Sichon and Og in battle (see Deut. 1:4). He had just reaffirmed his dedication to the people. So they knew that if Moses had criticism, it was only coming from a place of love.

A look at the original Hebrew clarifies this concept. The Torah says: “You should give toch’acha to your neighbor.” Toch’acha is from the same word as hoch’acha, meaning “proof.” The Torah is telling us that the way to get our neighbor to change is not through harsh rebuke, argumentation, or clever persuasion. The only way to convince anyone of anything is by way of a clear and obvious proof. As the Talmud (Brachot 7a) says: “It is better for a person to realize the truth for himself, than to have it beaten into him with 100 lashes.”

Of course, nobody likes to be on the receiving end. But do you think you’re perfect? Of course not! If you want to reach your potential, look for constructive criticism. Go ask for help to get rid of your mistakes. When a person is committed to reaching a goal, he’ll accept incredible doses of nagging, harassment and insults.

No doubt this is what King Solomon meant when he said, “Give toch’acha to a wise person ? and he’ll love you!” (Proverbs 9:8)

If you really love someone, you can’t stand to see him living a misguided life. Who gives you the most criticism? Those who love you the most – your parents. It’s because they love you that they can’t simply ignore you by saying, “He’s wasting time but I don’t care.” Similarly, humanity is one. If one person hurts, we all feel it.

So, what is the best way to correct each other? By being better role models.

Giving toch’acha does not mean criticizing, throwing stones, or shouting louder than the next guy. Real toch’acha is demonstrating through action and deed.  If secular people do not appreciate the warmth and sanctity of G-d, it is because religious people are not modeling G-d in the right way.  If we were truly projecting the beauty of G-d, then the truth would be obvious to all.

____________________

Hopefully this was a bit of food-for-thought.

For those Jews who keep it, have a meaningful Shabbat.  For those who do not, have a wonderful weekend.