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Date Posted: 23:33:18 06/26/12 Tue
Author: t
Subject: fb130


#498 Cut Worrying Down to Size

Rabbi Leib Dimiles, a wealthy businessman, was also a righteous Torah scholar. Upon receiving news that all his money was lost, he calmly returned to his studies. His wife was shocked: "How can you remain calm in the face of such misfortune?"

Rabbi Leib replied, "Fortunately I have a very quick mind. The amount of worrying that would take someone else a year, I can worry about in a few seconds."

(P'air Vekovod, p.29b; Rabbi Pliskin's Gateway to Happiness, p.168)


See Rabbi Pliskin's new book "Life Is Now"




7 Tammuz

In 1938, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated a conference at Evian, France, where 32 world leaders discussed the problem of Jewish refugees. Unfortunately, little was accomplished, as nation after nation offered excuses for their refusal to accept Jewish refugees. Chaim Weizmann was quoted as saying: "The world seemed to be divided into two parts -- those places where the Jews could not live, and those where they could not enter." The conference failed to pass even a resolution condemning German treatment of Jews. The lack of action further emboldened Hitler, proving to him that no country had the moral fortitude to oppose the Nazi assault on European Jewry.



7 Tammuz

Accept truth from whomever speaks it (Rambam Introduction to Avos 19).

Some extremely choosy people will accept guidance or teaching only from an acknowledged authority, because they consider accepting anything from anyone of lesser stature a demeaning affront to their ego.

Among my physician colleagues, I have observed this phenomenon when a patient requests consultation. Those doctors who have self-esteem and know that they are competent have no problem accepting consultation, but those who are less self-confident may interpret the request for consultation as an insinuation that they are inadequate. They may be insulted by this request, and if they do comply with it, they will accept as a consultant only the chief of the department at a university medical school or some other renowned personage. Any other consultant constitutes a threat to their ego, an admission that "he may know more than I do."

Physicians are not the only guilty party; professionals and artisans of all types can also show a lack of self-confidence by displaying this intellectual snobbery.

The Talmud states that truly wise people can learn from everyone, even from people who may be far beneath them. Limiting ourselves to learning only from outstanding experts is not only vain, but it also severely restricts our education. Humility is essential for learning, and we should accept the truth because it is the truth, regardless of who speaks it.


Today I shall ...
... try to learn from everyone, even from someone whom I may consider inferior to me in knowledge.

See more books by Rabbi Abraham Twerski at Artscroll.com


7 Tammuz

Vegetarianism

For the past few years, I have been eating meat only once a week. God made it possible for us to use animals, and I understand the essential use for leather shoes and vitamin B12 found in meat. But I do not believe we should use other creatures just for our pleasure. What does Judaism say about being a vegetarian, and is there any time that the Torah says we must eat meat?
The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Judaism permits the eating of meat, provided that proper intent and mindfulness are present: to elevate the Divine energy contained in meat to a higher human level; to use energy derived from eating to discharge spiritual and moral responsibilities; and to serve God through the pleasures of His world.

In Jewish consciousness, the highest level an animal can achieve is to be consumed by a human and used in the service of God. A chicken on a Shabbos table is a very lucky chicken! (see "Tanya" ch. 7)

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (purportedly a vegetarian) writes that man was granted dominion over animals in order to underscore our spiritual superiority and heightened moral obligations. Were man to accord animals the same rights as humans, then just as we don't expect high moral standards from animals, we would, tragically, lower our expectations of humans as well.

In the Temple times, it was necessary for the Kohanim (priests) and the owners of an offering to eat from its meat. For example, at the Passover Seder, each would Jew would eat a piece of roasted lamb (Korbon Pesach).

Nowadays, there is no commandment to eat meat. On Shabbat and Yom Tov, one should eat meat ("Code of Jewish Law" O.C. 250:2). However, if a person does not enjoy meat, he does not have to eat it even on Shabbat (O.C. 288:2).

For a thorough treatment of this topic, see www.aish.com/ci/s/48916842.html

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