Rabbi's Blog

As a Rabbi, I hardly ever get "the lie". That means it takes a long time for me to walk to The Kitchen Table to buy flowers for Shabbos. I make the mistake and ask people how they are doing and they actually have the Chutzpah to tell me the truth, instead of "the lie". I get home two minutes before Shabbos and the best thing I can do is turn my depressed cut flowers into potpourri. However, these interactions do give me an added insight into people, and as Confucius says, “Life is simple but we insist on making it complicated”. I meet many people who have difficult lives but nonetheless their lives are simple. They choose not to change their moral compass when temptation or challenges arise. There are those whose standards of behavior fluctuate based on the smallest temptation or challenge. This week I met a family that I’ve known for a while. They have a difficult life, and yet, because of their attitude and their unwavering commitment to their Jewish values, life is simple for them. Albeit, a shtickel difficult. Seeing them, I can make the claim that when we choose not to over complicate things, and live life simply with consistency in our Jewish values, there is a happiness, a simcha, a feeling of purpose, that makes even the most difficult journey special. Good Shabbos, Stay Jewish, Live Jewish, Almost Summer...