Fifty Timeless Truths to

Uplift and Inspire

Rabbi Daniel & Susan Lapin

Lifecodex Publishing, LLC.

2008

THOUGHT TOOLS

Copyright © 2008 by Rabbi Daniel and Susan Lapin.

All rights reserved.

Published by Lifecodex Publishing, LLC.,

Mercer Island, Washington.

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Lifecodex Publishing LLC. PO Box 58, Mercer Island, WA 98040.

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ISBN 978-0-9822018-0-0

Printed in the United States of America

Introduction

Some years ago, my wife Susan and I sailed our forty-four foot sailboat, Paragon, from Los Angeles to Hawaii. From the time the California coastline dropped away behind us until we reached Diamond Head, Honolulu, twenty-two days later, we were surrounded by more water than we had ever imagined. We had seen the charts, of course, and knew that the earth was mostly water, but sailing along seeing absolutely nothing but sky and ocean was an

entirely different reality.

In ancient Jewish wisdom, water is seen as a metaphor for knowledge. The source of all wisdom is God’s word, the Bible, or as we call it, the Torah. Susan and I were both privileged to receive a Torah education growing up, and since we found each other an important piece of our partnership in life has been immersing ourselves in the waters of Torah and sharing what we could with others. It is deeper, broader and more enchanting than even the Pacific Ocean.

On that Pacific voyage, in addition to our four friends who came along as crew and our small daughters, we discovered that there was a stowaway as well. Nine months after our voyage, when we were safely back home, we welcomed our son, Ari, to our family.

Last year, after he had graduated college with honors in physics and a large amount of Torah knowledge, we dared to hope that he would suspend his business studies and help us develop our publishing company. He generously responded to our appeal and the weekly Thought Tools, now read regularly by tens of thousands of people, was one idea he formulated brilliantly and turned into a reality.

We were gratified by the enthusiasm for these short

spiritual insights and followed our son’s advice to publish the first fifty Thought Tools as the book you now hold in your hands. Our goal is to provide you with a sourcebook for meaningful discussion and conversation for it is there, in mankind’s unique mode of communication, that individuals distinguish themselves.

People all tend to experience physical stimuli in basically the same way. Those of us who enjoy a barbecued steak all tend to react to it in a similar manner and we all share enjoyment of a drink of cool water on a hot day.

However, we react to emotions in ways a little more reflective of our own uniqueness. How one person reacts to a happy event or a sad scene might be entirely different from how his friend reacted to the very same occurrence.

Still more individual are the thoughts we each bring to life in our souls and minds.  It is those thoughts that we hope to stimulate through this book and thus help bring out your own special uniqueness.

We truly are what we think and what we talk about helps determine our thoughts. Just as exercise can be done correctly or incorrectly, so the time we invest in speaking and thinking can be used more or less effectively.

It is very easy to speak about people. More than that, it is also very enjoyable to speak about other people. There would hardly be so many magazines devoted to celebrity gossip were this not so. Yet there is something unappealing and unfulfilling about trying to seek content in our lives by scurrying around in the detritus of other folks’ lives.

It is a little harder to speak about things though it is certainly more beneficial than speaking about other people.  Some individuals can speak incessantly of places they have visited or food they have enjoyed, others of items they have or hope to buy. This is definitely a step up, but it still leaves our souls thirsting.

Of all conversation, none does so much good and produces such creative thought as conversation about ideas. We hope these Thought Tools spur you to a greater appreciation of God’s word and His world and that in sharing them with your family and friends they serve to help you grow individually and together.

We would be remiss if we didn’t recognize our daughter Ruthie, who missed that boat trip by a few years, but who, with her husband Asher, helped us out this past summer while Ari and his sister, Miriam, another latecomer, mentored teenagers in Australia, sharing Torah knowledge with them. And of course, our valiant original crew, who continue to light up our lives, Rebecca, Rena and Rachelle and their land-lubber husbands Max, Yoni and Zev, noblemen all. Our baby, Tamara, who is about to graduate high school has trouble explaining to her principal that she’d really rather be boating. We love you all.

This book would not have been possible without our friend and partner, David Crocker. David and his wife Jenny entered our lives a few years ago and we are incredibly fortunate that they have joined us in our publishing enterprise.

Do make sure you sign up for a new weekly Thought Tool at www.rabbidaniellapin.com. We look forward to learning and growing together.

Rabbi Daniel and Susan Lapin

December 2008 Kislev 5769

Thought Tool

1

Ancient Solutions For

Modern Problems

That material was taught to the Israelites during

forty years in the desert; history’s longest

graduate school program.

Let’s imagine that you made some incredible discoveries of inestimable value. Recognizing that children are your link to immortality, you desperately wish to be sure that your grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and further, will be able to use the information you have uncovered.

You sit down to write it up. Then, in dismay, you realize that there is no assurance that your descendants will understand English. Maybe your grandchildren will immigrate to another country and their progeny will read another language. It is also possible that in the same way that we barely understand English from 500 years ago, maybe our current form of English will be utterly incomprehensible to future Americans. What can you do?

Aha! Another idea strikes you. You sit down in front of a video camera and you describe your discovery and all the vital data. But wait a moment! Had your grandfather passed down to you valuable information recorded on early twentieth century wax cylinders, how would you go about

listening to it today? Technology marches on and it is possible that your descendants would have no way to view or listen to your meticulously recorded treasures. What is more, this doesn’t solve the language problem should English no longer be used by your offspring.

Then you are struck by a dismaying thought: even if your descendants could read your book or understand your video, how can you be sure that they would be motivated to do so? After all, did you ever read your grandmother’s diaries?

You do see the challenge, don’t you? What are you going to do? Happily, I have an idea for you.

First, forget about doing this project in English which like all languages keeps changing. Well, actually, there is one exception – Hebrew. A Jewish school boy today can read and understand the words of Jeremiah the prophet.

Hebrew, the Lord’s language is unique. It never changes.

The next question is to ensure that your descendants will care. Will they be motivated to explore your ideas? One answer would be to cunningly contrive to write your material with many layers of meaning. In this manner, your grandchildren who read it while young, will grasp the top-most level – the superficial narrative.

Perhaps your book might have a sentence like this one: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Children who read it are introduced to an idea which is captured in a word picture. They can get it. It is really clear – in the beginning God created everything.

As they grow older and mature, they are able to grasp the next level of meaning and those familiar words from their childhood now take on new relevance. In the beginning God created all things tangible and physical, but He also created all things spiritual, heavenly, and intangible. Okay, that’s kind of interesting. So at the root of it all, God is even responsible for things like love and loyalty, not only mountains and oceans.

Time goes by; they reach middle age and become wise. Astonishingly, they discover yet new levels of meaning. Not only did God create spiritual things that are heavenly and intangible but these things impact your life every day. There are spiritual forces and powers in the world. Keep on reading and studying this book and you will gain the ability to integrate them into your plans.

But wait! There’s more. Not only are you going to build in multi-layered meaning (I didn’t say this would be easy) but you are going to include so much encoded information that reading this book will become an exciting voyage of discovery. Every sentence offers limitless possibilities of new discovery as your descendants enthusiastically unearth your secrets.

Letters are going to have numerical equivalents which will point the reader at important connections. Words used in unexpected ways will forge new meanings. Grammatical anomalies, apparent errors, and even the shapes of the letters themselves will lead to treasure. Even reading some words backwards will throw beams of laser-like clarity onto reality.

Sounds like quite a challenge, doesn’t it? In fact, I doubt that this lies within human ability. It might be a task only for God. And who else has such valuable secrets of life as to make this entire arduous exercise so worthwhile?

The final piece of the puzzle is that God didn’t want to leave to chance the likelihood of mankind discovering on its own all the many layers of meaning and all the hidden clues of relevance.

He dictated the Bible to Moses during the daylight hours on Mount Sinai and during the nights he drilled the great teacher of Israel on the hidden meanings and multi-layers found in every letter and word. All that material was taught to the Israelites during the forty years in the desert, history’s longest graduate school program. From them it was handed down, father to son and teacher to disciple, and known until today as the Oral Torah or as I sometimes call it,

ancient Jewish wisdom.

Well, a hundred generations or more have come and gone since this book was presented to humanity, and we still pore lovingly over its pages extracting incredible discoveries from its infinite depths, just as our grandchildren and theirs will also do.

Now it’s your turn. Dig deep and with passion for the immortal treasures that will enhance your life.

Thought Tool

2

Good Intentions

Abraham didn’t press the snooze

bar three times.

Good intentions. Don’t we all have lots of them? We’re going to lose weight, make a serious budget, tackle the garage, stop yelling at the kids, send out 50 resumes, etc., etc., etc. Yet, when tomorrow, next week, or next month arrives, we’re often unable to check much off our list. We continually assure ourselves that we intend to do it, but what we actually do is continue procrastinating.

This gap between our intentions and our accomplishments makes us very miserable. Sometimes our self-loathing reaches such depths that we seek escape by trying to make ourselves feel artificially good. I use the word ‘artificially’ because instead of exulting in the inner joy of achievement, procrastinators usually try to feel good by indulging in alcohol, shopping, sex, or unhealthy foods. Obviously, all that only makes things worse.

What causes this downward spiral? Why do we procrastinate? The answer is simply; gravity! Yes, that is right, gravity. Or, to be more precise – Spiritual Gravity.

Let me explain--

Gravity tries to keep airplanes on the ground. We could talk about how and why this works, but for now, let’s just accept the reality. Similarly, spiritual gravity also tries to keep us down. It tries to prevent us from becoming better, healthier, more accomplished, more spiritual, more learned people. We could discuss how and why spiritual gravity works against us but for now, let’s just accept reality.

By contrast, when we extract the chemical energy in jet fuel, employ an engine to convert it into thrust, and use wings to convert the thrust into lift, an airplane can remain airborne about five miles above the earth’s surface.

In a strikingly similar way when we extract some of the spiritual energy stored in our souls, employ it in the powerhouse of our being and combine it with some ancient Jewish wisdom, we can fly. We can achieve our goals and overcome the poison of procrastination.

No matter how horrible the tasks you’ve been avoiding, nothing could possibly be worse than that confronted by Abraham when God tested him by instructing him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. I’m sure you’d agree that nobody has ever had a better reason to procrastinate. Let’s see what our founding father, Abraham, did.

And Abraham awoke early in the morning,

took his two young men and Isaac his son, and went

to the place of which God had told him.

(Genesis 22:3)

Since there are no superfluous words in the Torah, that underlined phrase must mean something. After all, if I told you about the most important event in my day, I would probably say, “I went to my meeting” rather than “I awoke early in the morning and went to my meeting.”

The Hebrew word used for “and he awoke early” is “vayaSH-KeM”. Since Hebrew words that share the same root also have a shared idea, it is significant that the Hebrew word for “shoulder” is SHeKeM.

םכשיו = And he awoke early

םכש = Shoulder

So, shoulder and waking up early in the morning must be related. Sure enough, don’t we use the phrase to shoulder a burden? Abraham was facing a formidable task; one he was undertaking only because God commanded it, but which went utterly against his very nature. Abraham, however, not only had good intentions to carry out this painful task, he was actually going to do it.

This is why he forced himself to awaken early in preparation to shoulder the burden of his duty. Facing an activity he really didn’t want to do, his response was to defeat spiritual gravity by rushing out to meet the duty. He certainly didn’t wake up after pressing the snooze bar three times. He certainly didn’t put it on his “to do” list after a bunch of more pressing items. He awoke much earlier than he would have if only pleasant activities were on the agenda. We can all learn from Abraham.

If we find ourselves avoiding doing something we know is necessary, we need to wake up extra early, shoulder the job, and make it first on our schedule. As we plow into the job with full enthusiasm and energy, we will discover the joy of defying spiritual gravity and soaring to success.

Thought Tool

3

What Does Love Mean?

If I really loved the turkey,

I wouldn’t eat it.

Who doesn’t find that the sun shines brighter and the world feels friendlier when love is in the air?

But what some guys mean when they say “I love you” is what I mean when I say, “I love turkey.” If I really loved the turkey, I wouldn’t eat it. Obviously I love me. Consuming the turkey makes me feel good. I don’t really care how the turkey feels.

Women need to know what kind of love a guy has in mind when he tells them, “I love you.”

My wife and I have been blessed with six daughters, so knowing how to recognize love is important for us. We need to know that a young man who proclaims his desire to marry and love one of our daughters is using the word in that special way that opens the doors to a lifetime of joy and fulfillment. How do we find out?

Let’s look at the Hebrew word for love. It is made up of three letters, an Aleph, a Heh, and a Vet. Like this:

בה-א = A-HaV = Love

Aleph

This three-letter word breaks down into two parts: A and HaV.

The A represents the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter Aleph.

When placed in front of any verb, it turns the meaning into “I will” do whatever action the verb suggests.

For instance, since RuTZ and SHeV are the verbs “run” and “sit” respectively “A-RuTZ”, or “A-SheV” mean, “I will run” and “I will sit”.

What does the second part of the Hebrew word for love mean? In other words, what am I really doing when I love?

Well, the second part of the Hebrew word for love is HaV. It means GIVE! as we see in these verses.

And Jacob said to Lavan, “HaVa me my wife” (Genesis 29:21)

Rachel said, “HaVa me children” (Genesis 30:1)

The Egyptians said to Joseph “HaVa us bread” (Genesis 47:15)

Thus we see that the true meaning of the phrase “I love” is “I give”. When I say “I love turkey” I am talking of taking. I don’t love the turkey. I love me. I want to consume and absorb the turkey for my benefit. But when I say to my wife “I love you,” I am saying that I am overwhelmed by an irresistible desire to give to you. Flowers, dinner, jewelry, anything. I just want to give to you and I am fulfilled by your acceptance of my giving.

That is how we tell the knights from the knaves with our daughters. It is easy to see if being with our daughter turns the young man into a giver or a taker. We watch for not only how he treats her, but also how he treats her siblings. That tells us so much so quickly.

So far God has blessed us greatly with the four outstanding young men who have won four of our daughters’ hearts. Noblemen, each one of them. Givers with all their souls. They truly love.

And we are blessed.

Thought Tool

4

Stranger In The Bedroom

What is marital intimacy?

Don’t most of us agree that we want a healthy and long life? The problem is that we don’t follow-up with

the next step. Instead of setting a firm policy of diet, exercise, and moderation in everything, we leave it as a vague sentiment: we want to be healthy. In the same way most people want a happy marriage but few specify what

“happy” means exactly or how to achieve it.

Several factors such as money and family can certainly

affect a couple’s happiness but ancient Jewish wisdom

assures us that the paramount requirement for a happy marriage is intimacy. But what is marital intimacy?

First, it is a physical bond powered by pleasure.

Second, it is an emotional bond powered primarily by verbal communication.

Third, it is exclusive. A hedge of roses surrounds

the couple, clasping them in its embrace while

presenting thorns to keep the rest of the world

outside. Something open to all is special to none.

In trying to provide a guide to intimacy, I have described three characteristics of it, but I have yet to share the Biblical secrets of how to attain it. Fascinatingly, those secrets spring not from “How” but from “Where.”

A kitchen is exactly the right place for an accomplished cook to prepare a culinary masterpiece. A really fine chef might be able to make that magical meal in the hallway closet, but the kitchen is better.

A greenhouse is the perfect place in which to grow flowers year-round and bathrooms are best for……well, you get the idea. Now take me for instance; I could probably build a dollhouse for my daughter in the pantry, but my workshop is better. It is a special room where each of my cherished tools has its own place. It is my special place for fixing things and for building things. And because it is special and mine, I do good work there.

It follows then, that there is also an ideal place for marriage maintenance. The ultimate location for creating and maintaining marital intimacy is, of course, the bedroom.

That’s right – the bedroom shared by a man and his wife.

A couple’s bedroom is the crucible of their intimacy.

…and he shall cleave to his wife,

and they shall be one flesh.

(Genesis 2:24)

In their bedroom a couple can connect physically. A couple can also communicate emotionally more easily in their bedroom than anywhere else. But for these two things to happen, you need the third element – exclusivity. The level of physical and emotional connection experienced by a husband and wife together must be many orders of magnitude beyond that experienced with anyone else.

To foster that, it’s important that the room contains no distractions. To wrap them in a cocoon of comfort and relaxation they should never bring work or disagreements into that special place.

And while there are times that babies and children need to be admitted into this inner sanctum, couples do themselves a favor when they constantly monitor that intrusion as well. There is a fine line between being loving parents and using parenthood as an excuse for ceasing to be lovers.

The bedroom must be kept private by keeping random people out of it. John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono were deliberately thumbing their noses at this core marriage principle when they famously conducted a press conference from their bed in 1969.

Who else in their right mind would willingly allow a stranger into their bedroom? The majority of American couples, that’s who.  This stranger is so familiar that you barely notice him, but he is always there and always interfering in your marriage. Rare and precious moments that can be invested in intimacy get squandered on television.

Amazingly enough, many couples fall asleep watching television rather than in one another’s arms. TV ruins closeness. It is hard enough to work at conversation and communication, especially for men. If the choice is television or making conversation with his wife, for most men it isn’t even a decision. Goodbye intimacy.

I earnestly implore you, if you are among those who keep a TV in the marriage bedroom, try this experiment: Banish it for 90 days. It will be the best three months you’ve had for years. And that 42 inch flat-screen will do just fine in your basement. (Or in my workshop)

The twenty-first chapter of Leviticus describes how Israel’s priests are prohibited from marrying divorcees. For most of us this is irrelevant. Marrying a divorcee is perfectly fine and carries no stigma at all. But those few descendants of Aaron who need to cultivate sublime spiritual sensitivity should be haunted by the subtle presence of a divorced woman’s ex-husband hovering in the bedroom.

This information, applicable only to a few is not found in an appendix at the back of the Bible but in the Torah itself because God is conveying a principle that is valuable to us all. So delicate is the exquisite mechanism of marriage, that a stranger in the bedroom can impede full and exclusive marital intimacy.

Thought Tool

5

Some Give And Take

Parents give their children from their time, energy, and money. Children take. Yet who loves whom more?

While discussing the verses which warn judges against bribery (Exodus 23 and Deut. 16), Jewish oral transmission relates a tale of two men who were standing under a hot sun. One invites the other to share the shielding cover of his umbrella. As they begin to chat, the umbrella’s owner asks, “What are you doing here?” His beneficiary replies, “I am a litigant.” To which the first man responds, “And I am a judge. I won’t be able to preside over your case.”

I can understand the judge being concerned at being influenced in his judgment – or it appearing to others that he is – if the litigant does him a favor. But in this case, it was the judge who helped the other. While receiving something might suggest accepting a bribe, what is wrong with a judge giving a gift?

Ancient Jewish wisdom explains that when one person transfers something material to another, paradoxically, the giver tends to gain more affection for the recipient than the other way around.

Without even being aware of his subconscious thoughts, a judge who has given something to a litigant is likely to find that he is more receptive to the arguments made by that party.  In fact he is likely to become rather fond of the fellow and to consider him an all around fine chap.

In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin provides an example of this, describing how disturbed he was by the antagonism he felt radiating towards him from an older member of the Pennsylvania House. He attempted to improve his standing in the other’s eyes:

“... I did not aim at gaining his favor by

paying any servile respect to him but took this

other method.”

Franklin contrived a need to borrow a book owned by his foe. The Member loaned it to him, and he returned it a week later with a letter of appreciation. Having given an article of his to Franklin, the older man soon felt an affinity for him. Franklin continues:

“...he ever after manifested a readiness to serve

me on all occasions, so that we became great friends

until his death.”

In all probability the book owner never knew what accounted for his change of heart. From the Bible’s warning to judges we know the truth. Once we’ve given a gift or done a favor for someone, we experience a subconscious tendency to like that person.

The very structure of the Hebrew word for love shows this. The word, AHaV, is made up of two shorter words. The A, connotes first person singular in Hebrew grammar, or I. The second part, HaV, means “give”. So love equals

“I give”.

בהא = AHaV = love

א = A = I

בה = HaV = give

The first time a word or concept is mentioned in the Bible carries great importance. Let’s seek the first mention of love. It is not Adam and Eve, or Abraham and Sarah, or even Abraham and God. The first mention of love relates to Abraham’s love for his son, Isaac. (Genesis 22:2). There is a real life lesson for all parents here.

Parents give their children from their time, energy, money and certainly for mothers, their very bodies. Children take. Yet who loves whom more? With an infant the exchange is 100% to 0%.

One of the ways to make this ratio less lopsided is to allow your children to give to you as soon as they are able. Does it take twice as long for your daughter to bring you a glass of water than if you would get it yourself? And you are less likely to spill or break the cup?  It doesn’t matter. If you want her to love you, let her serve you. Can you unload the dishwasher faster and better than your 7 year old son? Nevertheless, let him do it. You are building his affection for you as much as his sense of responsibility.

The implications of this message reach out way beyond children. Practicing this principle can affect your love life as well as your work relationships. If you are feeling alienated from someone in your life, reach out and give to them. Like Franklin’s foe, you may find your feelings changing.

Thought Tool

6

Who Cares How Long Adam Lived?

Is the Bible some dusty old volume filled

with irrelevant accounts?

When I was ten-years-old, one of the popular riddles in my social circle went something like this: “I operated on my son” said the surgeon. “But I am not his father.  Who am I?”

After our victim had struggled over this conundrum for a suitable period of time, we would triumphantly chortle, “It was his mother; you see, it was a lady surgeon.”

The victim would often feel it all to have been rather unfair.  Who had ever heard of a lady surgeon? Technically possible, one supposed, but hardly probable. That particular riddle sounds prehistoric today, but there is an important lesson to be learned from it. Sometimes to make sense of riddles or life, you must be able to expand your vision to include concepts that are different than any you have considered previously.

So if I tell you, “10 + 11 = 101,” and your immediate reaction is, “No, its not; its 21,” you are limiting yourself to our generally accepted system of arithmetic – which presumes a base 10 structure.

But, there are other forms of arithmetic that use different numbers as a base. One such arrangement is the base two system, which is the foundation of computer development. In the base two system, when one adds 10 to 11, the sum is 101, which really means five. Hey! Come back! I promise to stop boring you.

Still, isn’t it fair to ask why we regularly use a base ten

arithmetical construction? You could say we have ten

fingers so people naturally evolved a base ten system. However, I think another possibility exists. I think that God may have directed us towards that structure. Listen up…

Genesis 5:3 tells us that Adam fathered Seth at the age of 130. The following verse tells us that after Seth was born, Adam lived another 800 years. Can you figure out how old Adam was when he died? Like me, you can probably add up 130 + 800 to arrive at 930. This seems to make the

following verse redundant:

And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred

and thirty years; and he died.

(Genesis 5:5)

And so it goes for another nine individuals listed from Adam to Noah in Genesis chapter 5. For each we are told his age, when he had his son, how many more years he lived, and then redundantly, the total years of his life.

Now, you might suppose that this is merely the way

of the Bible; wordy and rambling. But can you expand your vision and look for a different solution? You see

Genesis chapter 11 lists ten more generations from Noah to

Abraham, but with a difference. For instance, we are told:

Shelach lived thirty years, and fathered Ever;

And Shelach lived after he fathered Ever four hundred

and three years, and fathered sons and daughters.

(Genesis 11:14)

This time, the total is not given. The assumption is that we can figure it out for ourselves. Why don’t both genealogies use the same format?

Let me offer an answer from ancient Jewish wisdom. The first listing in chapter 5 does the addition in order to teach us the structure of a base ten system. By analyzing all the given calculations in those ten generations you see the institution of the base ten system. Having done so, the Bible no longer needs to perform addition calculations in following genealogies.

You see, one fixed framework of reality which shackles so many people to darkness and ignorance is the presumption that the Bible is some dusty old volume filled with irrelevant accounts of long forgotten people.

Instead, I urge you to remain open to the Bible being God’s eternal message to humanity and a comprehensive guide to the totality of all existence.

Thought Tool

7

The Meaning Of Money

For society, the proverbial “under the mattress” stash is a recipe for financial disaster.

Money. Much of our lives revolves around the acquisition and expenditure of it. The Lord’s language, Hebrew, teaches us two ways to create it. Reading from right to left, the word KeSeF, money, consists of the Hebrew letters Kaf, Samech and Peh.

ף ס כ

Peh Samech Kaf

When we analyze an unknown substance in a laboratory, there are standard tests that help us determine its composition and qualities. So too in Hebrew, there are standard tests that help us determine the deeper meanings of

Hebrew words. One such test involves focusing solely on the first and last letters of the word’s root. In this case,

we focus on the first letter, Kaf, and the last letter Peh. Together these form the Hebrew word Kaf (yes, it’s the same as the name of the letter) which means both the palm of the hand and the sole of the foot.

This concisely conveys the two methods of adding value to an object: work or transport. If one owns a bucket of sand, it is possible to work on it (represented by the palm of the hand) and convert it into silicon microchips, thereby increasing its value exponentially.

Alternatively, if one owns an iceberg in Alaska, and transports it (represented by the sole of the foot) to the middle of the Sahara Desert, one has instantly transformed a worthless object into one of great value.

Many times the steps to enhance value involve both processes, as when a “diamond in the rough” is mined, polished and moved. It is worth asking how many treasures we overlook by not expanding our vision to look beyond the overtly visible – and that is as true for how we view people as well as objects.

Let’s now explore the middle letter, the Samech.

This letter captures a third essential facet of money… how to maximize its value.

Last year, the letter K popped off my wife’s laptop. She became quite inventive at avoiding its usage, replacing “pick” with “choose” and referring to pickles as cucumbers in brine. While she enjoys a challenge, she was pleased to have her K returned. But anyone receiving a lengthy letter from her would have immediately realized that something was off kilter, out of whack, amiss.

Similarly, any avid student of the Torah notices that the letter Samech doesn’t appear until the middle of the second chapter of Genesis, in a discussion of the rivers surrounding the Garden of Eden. In fact it is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet to surface.

This delayed appearance fundamentally links the letter to the first word in which it shows up, a word meaning to encircle, or surround.

The name of the second river is Gichon, HaSoVeV

(which surrounds) all the land of Kush.

(Genesis 2:13)

To further emphasize the connection between the letter Samech and the word “surround” the letter’s shape itself is that of a circle. By using this letter as part of the word for money the Torah is capturing an essential truth.

Circulating money increases its potential value. For a society, the proverbial “under the mattress” stash is a recipe for financial disaster. Money is more valuable when it is invested and loaned – when it is moving around. Either move it, or lose it. Couched in the very letters of the Torah, God has placed hints as to how the world really works.

Thought Tool

8

Who Is Rich?

Someone who cannot rejoice no matter how much he has will never achieve happiness.

“Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy,

wealthy and wise”

“A stitch in time saves nine”

Whether from Poor Richard’s Almanac or from our grandmothers, we all know dozens of adages to help guide our lives.

Part of ancient Jewish wisdom, Pirkei Avot, often mistranslated as Ethics of the Fathers, is filled with wise sayings. However, treating these aphorisms as no more than folk wisdom is a bit like a wild savage using a Cadillac as shelter from his enemies’ arrows. He doesn’t begin to understand the real value of what he uses. Similarly, each saying in

Ethics of the Fathers is really a sort of shorthand merely hinting at vast reservoirs of deeper implications.

One saying asks and answers four questions: Who is wise? Who is powerful? Who is rich? Who is respected?

Let’s look at the question:

“Who is rich?” and the given answer

“He who is happy with his lot.”

What? Just resign yourself to poverty and feel happy?

Bad idea!

Telling me to be happy with whatever my lot may be is a sure recipe for indolence, under-achievement, and poverty. In the short term, some people can talk themselves into

being happy while living in debt and doing nothing to rescue themselves, but it doesn’t work over the long term.

This would also suggest that such people are richer than the thrifty, diligent man working to support his family and contribute to his community. Fortunately for us, this

common translation is a sloppy one. (See why you need a rabbi!) I can assure you that ancient Jewish wisdom does not value living a life of lazy poverty.

Here is the correct Hebrew translation: “Who is rich? He who is happy with his portion.” Someone who is content and happy with whatever he has, no matter how little it is, will never amount to much. But the opposite is equally dangerous. Someone who cannot rejoice no matter how much he has will never achieve happiness.

The key is knowing what your portion is and being happy with that. Balance is achieved by realizing that God grants us a specific portion in life. Yes, it will be less than some have and more than others. Acting arrogantly towards those who have less or resenting those who have more is immoral.

Imagine a storehouse in heaven filled with the maximum amount of treasure and blessing that God wishes to give to you. As you work He rewards you from this storehouse. That’s your portion. Achieve your full physical portion on Earth by putting in your best effort and then letting God reward you. But failing to put out your best effort wipes out any possible channel for your portion to reach you.

This aphorism reminds us that while we can and must work, the reward is distributed by God. We can certainly entreat Him through prayer to increase our portion, but breaking His rules, whether by defrauding and mistreating others or by putting work ahead of religious obligations, is counterproductive. Strive to achieve through honest relationships with both people and God to get your full portion. At the same time recognize that how large or small our individual portions may be is a function of a partnership with God, one in which we are not in complete control.

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9

Why Wasn’t I Born Perfect? (Part One)

God invites us to be His permanent partners in the ongoing act of creation.

In the 1950’s classic The African Queen, Katharine

Hepburn, a missionary’s sister, plays opposite Humphrey Bogart, a hard drinking ship captain. When Bogart excuses his drunkenness by claiming that, “It’s only human nature,” Hepburn responds with what I think may be the most

significant line in movie history.

“Nature, Mr Allnut,” she replies, “is what we are put in this world to rise above.” Ms. Hepburn perfectly sums up the lesson of the number eight, or as we say it in Hebrew, SHeMoNeH.

Each Hebrew number (and every number in the Torah) is closely linked to an important concept. In Judaism, the number eight is most strongly linked to circumcision. Jewish males are circumcised when they are eight days old.

And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your

foreskin; and it shall be a token of a covenant between

Me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be

circumcised among you.

(Genesis 17:11-12)

One might ask: If God is perfect and everything he makes is perfect, why did He ask Abraham to change what He’d created? Or alternatively, if He wanted Abraham to be circumcised why didn’t God create him already circumcised?

The answer is that God was teaching Abraham and all his descendants a powerful lesson. God does not want us to be merely passive, resigned, fatalistic inhabitants of the earth. God invites us to be His permanent partners in the ongoing act of creation.

Adam was placed on earth –

to work it and to keep it

(Genesis 2:15)

– to improve on nature. Adam was not meant to stand back and let things run their course. Without man’s involvement, nature is neither virtuous nor benign; it is malaria, deadly hurricanes, and predatory jungle.

The Zohar, the sourcebook of Kabbala or Jewish mysticism, states that every single day God actively recreates the world. This can be seen when you study pions, subatomic particles which have a lifespan of 26 billionths of a second and help hold atoms together.

Every fraction of every second God is playing an active role in the ongoing existence of the universe. We’re expected to do the same thing, to make our mark on the world. God asked Abraham to make a mark on the most creative organ of a man’s body as an eternal symbol of that covenant of cooperation.

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10

Why Wasn’t I Born Perfect? (Part Two)

Part one of this Thought Tool discussed how the number eight represents the importance of human creativity. We saw that God invites every one of us to involve ourselves in the world and help improve nature. This underlying symbolism of the number eight is also captured in another Hebrew word. If you drop the last letter of the Hebrew word for “eight”, you get the Hebrew word for “oil”.

הנמש = SHeMoNeH = 8

*נמש = SHeMeN = Oil

As I explain in my Genesis Journeys series, Hebrew is the Lord’s language, and so while in English there is no connection between “not” and “note,” in Hebrew, words that are similar are related.

How does oil reflect the lesson of eight? Well, God placed crude oil deposits deep into the earth. For animals, oil is at best a completely useless substance. For the animals that fell into tar pits created by the oil deposits, it was not only useless, but downright harmful. In its natural state crude oil is not very useful for humans either. However with the human participation necessary to purify, refine, and extract the energy God stored in it, oil has made possible lighting, Lear jets, and Lamborghinis.

Since oil is a creation of God’s that requires human effort to bring it to its full potential, it is not surprising that it has the same root as the word for eight.

Once you’ve grasped that the significance of the number eight is man transcending the natural world, you won’t be surprised to see it cropping up in other places. The Tabernacle was dedicated by the Jews over an eight day period, as was the first Temple in Jerusalem. Hanukah, the festival of lights, is a celebration of the victory over the Greeks around 2,200 years ago and the rededication of the Temple, which also took eight days.

Greek culture idolized the human body as can be seen in their statuary. It should come as no surprise that they outlawed the Jewish practice of circumcision which implies imperfection of the human body. The Jewish fighters who rejected and routed the Greek culture were known in Hebrew as the CHaShMoNAim. Since they were fighting for the belief that God wants us to triumph over nature it is not a surprise that their name literally means “double eight” composed as it is by the word for eight preceded by the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Amazingly, whether we treat nature as an instrument of God or as a god itself is still a battle that rages today.

* The standard form of the letter Nun is used, as opposed to the final Nun, so that those without a familiarity with the final letter forms can recognize it.

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111

The Power Of Speech

Have you ever noticed how humans

resist silence?

Anyone who has removed a foot from his mouth or tried to undo words better left unsaid knows that we get ourselves into more trouble by speaking than by staying silent. But without speech, human relationships are

almost impossible.

Casual conversation was seldom heard under communism. It’s no surprise that refugees from communist tyrannies are shocked by the hubbub in the streets of free cities. Slavery and suffering suppress communication. As slaves in Egypt, the Israelites suffered this breakdown of communication, damaging their relationships with one another. Redemption had to train them to communicate again.

For this reason Passover revolves around speech. The Hebrew name for the holyday, Pesach (similar to the Spanish word for Easter – “PaSCua” – usually occurring near Pesach) can be read as two words – “talking mouth.” The formal holyday meal, the Seder, has a script to recite known as the Haggadah, which translates as “the telling,” and

we are encouraged to do a whole lot of talking about the exodus from Egypt. The essential food, matza, is called in the Bible, “the bread of answers.”

Furthermore, the Israelites’ first campsite after fleeing Egypt is called Pi-HaChirot (Exodus 14:2). It should come as no surprise to you that Pi HaChirot means “the mouth of freedom.”

Now where were the children of Israel headed? To the desert of course! In Hebrew, desert is MiDBaR which can also be pronounced as MiDaBeR – the Hebrew word for talking!”

So, a holyday, whose core observance is talking and eating bread of answers, is named the Talking Mouth. The Israelites’ first camp site is Mouth of Freedom, and the place they’re headed to for the next forty years is the Talking.

Isn’t it odd that a desert in Hebrew means talking? After all, when we think about the desert we imagine a deserted place of silence not somewhere that sounds like the NY stock exchange.

Well, have you ever noticed how humans resist silence? How difficult it is not to start speaking whenever a conversation falters? That is why trained negotiators know that remaining silent creates an awkward moment that can lure the unwary opponent into speaking prematurely.

The desert, a place of complete silence, is ideal for drawing people into conversation. Also, surrounded by silence, we hear more. That is why we hear our refrigerators cycling on in the quiet of the night, while we are oblivious to it in the bustle of the day. Freedom means possessing the ability to both speak and to listen; the ability to converse with and relate to another person.

Not surprisingly, the book Awakening Your Child’s

Natural Genius showed that the most universal factor among children with high SAT scores was having family dinners. I.Q., social and economic status all seemed

less important than regular participation in dinner table conversation.

Thus we see how the Seder encourages us to ask questions and spur conversation. But it isn’t a free-for-all; we start with a script. By keeping the official script in mind, we emphasize the need for controlling speech, and using it to elevate, not to degrade. Not a bad message for the entire year.

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12

Afraid? Who Me?

Once you allow fear to grip you, you discover no shortage of things to feel frightened about.

The unexpected email stunned me. It was from one of those guys you’d follow anywhere if you were fortunate enough to serve under him in the military. In fact he had served in the United States Marine Corps, and I had always been pretty sure that he didn’t know the meaning of the word “fear.”

After returning to civilian life, he got married and started a small business which had been doing very well over the past ten years. Yet, after asking my opinion of our country’s economic situation, his email went on to say, “Rabbi, I’m scared!” Frankly, I don’t mind telling you that discovering that he was scared started making me feel afraid. Have you noticed? Fear is like that – it’s contagious.

Well, of course once you allow fear to grip you (which is exactly what it does – hence the figure of speech, “he was gripped by fear”) you discover that there is no shortage of things to feel frightened about. Your health, your finances, your children, earthquakes, spiders – I’d better stop right there! I certainly don’t mean to get you started now. But what is one to do when feeling utterly demoralized by fear?

To find a clue, I high tailed it to the Bible and found this verse:

Be not afraid of sudden fear.

(Proverbs 3:25)

In Hebrew, the word “fear”, PaCHaD, is made up of three letters and looks like this:

ד ח פ

D CH P

In Hebrew, many important words read forwards and backwards with opposite meanings in each direction.

Thus, looking at PaCHaD backwards is important – and we find the word DaCHaF.

No, you haven’t caught me in a mistake. In Hebrew the letters P and F are the same and as languages evolved this left its stamp as you can see by looking at the word “fish”, which derives from the same word as the astrological sign “Pisces.” Just change the P of Pisces into an F, and you’ll see how this works.

Back to DaCHaF – what does it mean? It means propelled or pushed himself. We can see it used in the Bible here:

And Haman was propelled into his house.

(Esther 6:12)

The word used for pushed himself or propelled is DaCHaF. Well, if DaCHaF means propelled, then not surprisingly, its reverse, PaCHaD which we know means fear, also must mean restrain, handicap, keep back.

Isn’t that precisely what fear does to us? Fear paralyzes us. Ever read anything like this? “He stood rooted to the spot with fear” or “paralyzed by panic.” It is therefore obvious, that ancient Jewish wisdom’s advice when gripped by fear is start moving! Overcome the tendency of fear to suppress action. Deliver yourself from the trance of passivity.

Yes, but how? Again, a Biblical clue: In Exodus 14, the Israelites, just out of Egypt are transfixed by terror. The ocean stretches out in front of them and the mighty Egyptian army rapidly approaches from the rear. Trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea, one might say:

…they were utterly terrified and they cried out to God.

(Exodus 14:10)

Their fear completely dominated them.

God’s response was not to split the Red Sea as you might have thought. It was the momentous lesson you and I can learn from verse 15:

And the Lord said to Moses, “What are calling to me for? Direct the Israelites to march forward!

What do you mean? Into the ocean? Yes, sure! And it wasn’t until Israel marched forward into the water that God told Moses to initiate the miracle of splitting the Red Sea. Verse 22 soon confirms the sequence of events. The Israelites went into the midst of the sea, and only thereafter come the words,

on dry land.

They activated their own miracle and contributed to their own deliverance by conquering fear generated inertia. If you want your own Red Sea to split, you’d better “March Forward.” Do not retreat – in that direction lies your personal equivalent of the Egyptian army. But above all, don’t become paralyzed and passive. March Forward.

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13

Who Took All Our Money?

Anyone active in the economy benefits himself

and others by being a person of faith.

As America’s rabbi, I have been asked by countless people for my reaction to national financial crises. I want to shine the light of ancient Jewish wisdom onto this frightening phenomenon.

There are many words in Hebrew for money. This is because money is not tangible but spiritual. It is represented by round metal discs in your pocket, by strips of colored paper in your wallet, and by bits on your bank’s computer.

Your money is a promise by other people to give you the things you want when you need them. Thus we need three things in order to enjoy God’s blessing of money:

1. We need a widely agreed upon moral system in which we all agree on what a promise means and on our obligation to serve others.

2. We need many people in our group so there is always someone ready to exchange our money for the goods or services we require – in other words – a market.  With no other humans in the world, all the money imaginable would be useless to you.

3. We need faith in tomorrow.

Because money depends upon human morality, which often deteriorates when things are too comfortable, we have always had cycles we think of as boom and bust.

The cycle of struggle leading to affluence, leading to decadence, leading to struggle again is so reliable that a late 19th century Russian economist, Nikolai Kondratieff, concluded that the Biblical rule of the fifty-year-cycle did indeed hold up.

This Bible cycle occurs naturally and in Hebrew, is called YoVeL. Frequently, the V sound in Hebrew becomes a B sound in English and the Y becomes a J, so, YoVeL became JoBeL which became jubilee in English, the word for a fifty year celebration of any major event.

Make holy each fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty

throughout the land to all its inhabitants;

it shall be a jubilee (YoVeL)  to you.

(Leviticus 25:10)

Our Liberty Bell in Philadelphia carries that verse partly because the Pennsylvania Assembly made the Bell to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Pennsylvania’s original Constitution.

Although it is far from mathematically precise, there does appear to be some reliable correlation between an economy’s ups and downs and the fifty year Kondratieff Wave.

Those uncomfortable with the idea of God directing the affairs of men find the notion of regular economic cycles to be eerie. Unfortunately, for Nikolai Kondratieff, his boss, Joseph Stalin, did not appreciate the idea that the Bible trumps the glories of communist economic development.  In 1938, he executed Kondratieff, but the Kondratieff Wave continues to entrance many investors.

Ancient Jewish wisdom can help us answer three important questions that emerge during a financial crisis.

Question 1: Where has the money gone?

Answer 1: It hasn’t gone anywhere. There are no evil bankers cackling with malevolent glee as they grab all our money. Money is spiritual and it was never anything we actually held in our hands. It has gone to the same place that love goes when a marriage fails.

Question 2: Is it coming back?

Answer 2: Of course it will. Booms usually lead to busts and busts to booms. Our history, the Bible, and Kondratieff all agree that the economy has up and down cycles.

Question 3: What should we do during a crisis?

Answer 3: Three things: We should have faith, spread faith, and smile at everyone. In Hebrew, one of the words for a business professional is “OMayN” which is closely related to the word for faith – EMuNa. Listen to King Solomon:

Princess, your graceful legs are like jewels,

the work of a craftsman’s hands.

(Song of Songs 7:2)

Throughout ancient Jewish wisdom the word for craftsman, OMayN, is used for anyone active in the economy. In other words, anyone active in the economy benefits himself and others by being a person of faith.

Finally we should smile at others because our money

depends upon them. And smiling helps restore confidence.  What is more, when we smile at others, we make God smile too.

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14

The Opposite Of Wealth

Joseph is intent on teaching them,

“It’s not the money stupid!”

It’s a good thing that more Americans attend weekly church or synagogue services than go to the movies once a week. It turns out that men who attend church frequently have a 40% lower rate of fatal heart disease than those who rarely attend worship services. (Journal of Chronic Diseases, issue #25, 1972 “Church Attendance and Health”)

I believe this is because connecting with others is one of the healthiest activities we can do. Sharing the spiritual experience of Godly interaction creates a bond with the folks next to us. Going shopping with someone simply does not create the same bond. After all, much of the time, those who shop for fun are expressing avarice while church

attendees are at least trying to reach for something higher. Who would you rather befriend?

Yet unhappy people often tell me that if they had more money they’d have more friends. Television advertising routinely suggests that buying a specific soft drink or driving the correct car leads to having a good time with a crowd of laughing, good-looking friends.

For me, ancient Jewish wisdom reveals the truth: Genuine relationships with other people produce wealth. Wealth never produces genuine relationships.

This is revealed by a mystery in Genesis 42. After buying food in Egypt, Joseph’s ten brothers return home, unaware that the Egyptian leader who sold them food is really their long-lost brother. To their dismay they discover that the purchase money was returned to them and they fear being accused of theft. Later they return to Egypt for more food and in chapter 44, once again Joseph returns their money.

What is Joseph trying to teach them? Well, go back to Genesis 37. Remember, the brothers were going to kill Joseph. We read:

And Judah said to his brothers:

What profit is there in killing our brother?

(Genesis 37:26)

So they sell him.

Tragically, the brothers mistakenly believe that profit and wealth are more important than relationships – even relationships with a brother!

Much later, Joseph is intent on teaching them, “It’s not the money stupid!” It is all about the relationships. He could hardly make this lesson plainer than by doing exactly what he did – returning their money twice.

People like doing business with others whom they know, like, and trust. In other words, if you want many customers and clients, or you’d like a promotion, try to know many people and act in a way that encourages them to like and trust you. Build genuine relationships and out of them will grow wealth. Are there loathsome, detestable people who become wealthy? Sure, but it is a tiny minority of the millions of upright, likable folks who do well by being kind, charming, and trustworthy.

For this reason when one reverses the Hebrew word for wealth – ASHiR, we get the Hebrew word RaSHA – a despicable, wicked individual. (One of the mysteries of Hebrew is that reading many words backwards yields an opposite meaning.)

רשע = Wealth

עשר = Wicked

These two ideas are opposites. Wicked is the opposite of the qualities that typically produce wealth.

If you must go to the movies, see Frank Capra’s 1946 film, It’s A Wonderful Life. In this classic, George Bailey learns that real relationships produce wealth, not the other way around.

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15

I Don’t Believe In Gravity

The Bible is filled with guidance that

matches our inborn natures.

Don’t you agree that gravity is a nuisance?

Think of the dropped items that wouldn’t break, and of the tumbles we would never take, if only Sir Isaac Newton, the 17th century British scientist who stated the Law of Gravity, had never been born. Life would be so much better without gravity, right?

Wrong. Does anyone really think that until Newton stated the Law of Gravity, Englishmen were free to float around above the countryside like untethered children’s balloons?  Of course not. Newton described gravity; he didn’t invent it. Gravity was never optional.

There are spiritual laws of reality, as well, that are not optional. Those of us who believe that the good Lord created us regard Him as the expert in human nature. Therefore the instruction book He gave us, the Bible, is filled with guidance that matches our inborn natures.

For instance, when the Good Book labels promiscuity as a sin, believers understand that God is not merely indicating His displeasure at this behavior. Just as importantly, He is assuring us that it runs counter to our human needs. Promiscuity violates the spiritual laws of reality and causes just as much damage as diving out of a 20th floor window. It is irrelevant whether we believe there will be damage or not.

Consider taxation, whose first Biblical mention appears in Genesis 41. Bewildered by his disturbing dreams, Pharaoh unsuccessfully seeks explanations from his courtiers.

Finally his butler remembers the dream interpreting

Joseph, who has been unjustly imprisoned for alleged sexual

harassment.

Joseph interprets the king’s dreams to be God’s forewarning of seven years of plenty to be followed by seven years of famine. He recommends applying a tax upon the

Egyptian economy during the good years.

Let Pharaoh appoint officers over the land and collect

up a fifth part during the seven years of plenty.

(Genesis 41:34)

He very specifically suggests a figure of one fifth – or 20% – as the total tax on the country’s gross domestic product.

Although he was an outsider to Pharaoh’s court, an alien jailbird, his counsel was acceptable not only to Pharaoh, but even more surprisingly:

...the thing was good in the eyes of all his

(Pharaoh’s) servants

(Genesis 41:37).

That a Jewish outsider’s recommendation to tax an entire country should please the monarch stretches credibility.  That his subjects also found the recommendation pleasing can mean only one thing:  Joseph was not imposing a new tax; he was reducing an existing one.

The tax rate they were all paying according to ancient

Jewish wisdom was considerably higher than Joseph’s twenty percent. Being allowed to retain eighty percent of the fruits of their labors threw them into work with renewed energy. This tax reduction invigorated the Egyptians and,

as one would expect, their economy thrived. Verse 47

confirms that:

…the earth brought forth by heaps.

Most everyone accepts the need for some taxation. But when rates exceed certain limits, even law-abiding folks rebel by whatever means they can.  On tax rates, as on so many other issues, the Torah does not proscribe as much as it describes.  It tells us about the immutable laws of human affairs.

Similarly when the Bible insists:

…the children of Israel shall enjoy, each man,

the inheritance of his fathers

(Numbers 36:8)

it is also telling us something of enduring importance: how to link consecutive generations.

Societies build healthy economies over time when citizens continue building upon the foundations constructed by their parents.

People will labor and create tirelessly if they know that in so doing, they are bettering the lives of their children and their grandchildren.  Men and women legitimately seek immortality through their children, which is why the Bible devotes so much space to the complexities of inheritance law.

When deciding whether to walk down a few flights of stairs or whether to take the quick route out the window, it helps to accept gravity as a fact. When deciding rates of taxation, whether to live promiscuously, or whether a deceased parent’s wealth should belong to society or to his children, it is just as helpful to accept the Bible’s laws of human nature as fact.

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16

The Real Life Effect Of The Fifth Commandment

Since it is impossible to repay parents, the most natural childhood sentiment is resentment.

The game of “what if” always intrigues. What if Hitler had invaded England after Dunkirk? What if the Japanese never bombed Pearl Harbor? What if the Civil War was never fought? What if there had been no Fifth Commandment – Honor your father and mother?

Would the conventional family relationships that we take so for granted in western civilization, have come into

existence from some other source?

To put it another way, without the Fifth Commandment in our national subconscious, would a human family be more like June and Ward with Wally and Beaver or more like a lion and a lioness with their cubs?

Maybe respect for parents would have naturally evolved because human biology mandates that our young are dependent upon their parents for longer than any other species? Perhaps this would invoke such gratitude in the young recipients of parental benevolence that a family structure would automatically result?

Don’t count on it! If generosity always generates gratitude in the recipient, then those on Welfare would constitute the single most grateful and patriotic segment of American society. As most people with life experience know, too much giving frequently causes resentment not gratitude. Since it is almost impossible to adequately repay parents, the most natural of childhood sentiments is resentment.

For this reason, many therapists today earn fine livings listening to patients blame their parents for their own failures. Once again, only the Fifth Commandment denies us that indulgence; instead it demands from us a lifelong loyalty to parents.

We can also analyze this question by examining how atheist regimes, most notably communist tyrannies, almost always oppose any special treatment of the parent-child relationship. Soviet Russia specialized in training children to rat

on their parents. The hero of the Russian equivalent of the Boy Scouts, the Young Pioneers, was a youngster called Pavlik Morozov, whose parents Stalin murdered

after young Pavlik betrayed them for not turning in all the family’s food.

Sadly, even during the early days of Israel, when socialism came way ahead of Judaism, the Haganah urged youngsters to turn their parents in for associating with the Palmach, a rival defense organization. African graduates of Moscow’s revolutionary Lumumba University were instructed to kill a parent upon their return to Africa after completion of their indoctrination. This proved that they were “good communists.” Yes, the further to the left the ideologue, the less comfortable is he with the notion that children owe a unique loyalty to their parents as well as the connected idea that a man loves his own children more than he loves anyone else’s.

This is why the inheritance tax is more popular in less religious societies. Without the Fifth Commandment, it can seem immoral that human parents and children should have a special relationship that commands devotion and care and lasts even beyond death.

What if there had been no Fifth Commandment? In all probability no families, no vibrant western civilization, and no America. Perhaps the backward condition suffered by some cultures is partially due to them never having

absorbed into their societal DNA, the words, “Honor thy father and mother.”

Thought Tool

17

A Wedding Without A Bride

In Hebrew, there are no words

for ‘bride’ or ‘groom.’

My wife and I enjoyed the seven-day marriage celebration of our third daughter, Rachelle when she became Mrs. Zev Stern. Yet mysteriously, there was no bride and no groom to be seen.

You see, in the Lord’s language, Hebrew, there are no words for ‘bride’ or ‘groom.’ Which begs the question: “What are the terms for the radiant young woman in the white gown and the handsome man who stood by her side?”

Of course modern-day Israel has had to come up with

Hebrew words for jets, computers, and televisions. It has done so mainly by raiding other languages and creating words like “televizia” (no prize for knowing what that

“Hebrew” word means). However ancient Jewish wisdom suggests that if no Biblical Hebrew word exists for an idea, it is probably a false or bad idea, or perhaps no more than an illusion.

Sure enough, no words exist in Biblical Hebrew for bride and groom. This is because bride and groom suggest two people whose love (or sometimes, infatuation) with one another isolates them from the rest of the world.

It turns out that the Hebrew words used Biblically are CHaTaN and KaLaH for groom and bride respectively.

ןתח = CHaTaN

הלכ = KaLaH

However, a quick glance at context reveals that those words actually mean son-in-law (or occasionally father-in-law) and daughter-in-law, but never bride and groom.

And the men said to Lot, Have you here anyone else?

Sons-in-law, (CHaTaN) and your sons,

and your daughters…

(Genesis 19:12)

Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law:

(KaLaHto) Remain a widow at your father’s house…

(Genesis 38:11)

All of which means that our daughter stood under the marriage canopy as a KaLaH alongside a man who was a ChaTaN – but they were not bride and groom. So what were they? The two of them were daughter-in-law and son-in-law.

The difference is that if a man and woman elope to a Mexican beach and marry one another at sunset with nobody else around it may be a romantic moment but it is missing a vital component of marriage. Biblical wisdom is revealing how a marriage binds families and how very important family is for a marriage. Our Rachelle stood there as

a daughter-in-law to Mr. and Mrs. Stern and their son

stood there as a son-in-law to Mrs. L. and me. Those in-law relationships are vitally important to a successful marriage.

If the person you are planning to marry cannot behave warmly and respectfully to your parents, I’d yell, “Run for the hills.” A happy and durable marriage is unlikely to

result. Through the Godly gift of marriage our daughter became linked not just to her fiancé but to his parents, and in turn, the man she chose to accompany through life became our son-in-law.

This family-bonding ceremony echoed our own weddings a few years earlier and we four parents smiled knowingly at one another. We prayed that this wedding would bring Zev and Rachelle the same joy, creativity, spontaneity, and

romance that ours has brought us.

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18

Seven Special Days

At first, it would seem that these two events,

marriage and death, are polar opposites.

This past year the Lapin household joyfully celebrated the wedding of our lovely daughter, Ruthie. After the ceremony, the young couple did not depart for a secluded honeymoon.

Instead, for seven days the bride and groom were feted by their families and community. This week of celebration is known as “sheva brachot” or “seven blessings” because of the special blessings that are inserted into the grace at special festive meals.

There is another time in Jewish life when family and community gather around individuals for seven days. This is after a death, when for seven days the immediate mourners are comforted with visits from their loved ones. This week is known as the week of “shiva” from the very same root word meaning seven.

At first, it would seem that these two events, marriage and death, are polar opposites. One celebrates the flowering of a new couple’s life together while the other marks the cessation of life.

Yet, both sets of seven reflect the same reality. God created humans to do best when each day is not dramatically different from the day before. On a physical level, that is why you work into an exercise program rather than going from a totally sedentary life to participating in a triathlon. Psychologically, we have the same need.

While change is an integral part of being alive, dramatic change can be jarring and result in feelings of depression and being out of control. Getting married and losing a loved one are two experiences where our lives and realities are instantaneously altered. During these times, we don’t need isolation and privacy. We need to feel the encouragement of many people around us, letting us know that while our reality has shifted, we have a support network rejoicing or mourning with us.

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19

The Ignored Holyday

Keeping it secular keeps

it comfortable.

The holyday of Shavuot, known in English as Pentecost, celebrates the anniversary of God’s giving His message for humanity to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The custom on this festival is to study the Torah through the night.

It is hard to think of a holyday bearing greater religious significance than Shavuot; it is also hard to think of a Jewish holyday that gets less attention. Try asking a Jewish acquaintance about Shavuot – you’re likely to get a puzzled look in return. Why are so many Jews indifferent to Shavuot? One clue is that Shavuot is the only Jewish festival with not even a single symbol.

Passover has its ubiquitous Matzo or unleavened bread. Sukkoth has its palm branch and booth. Chanukah has its menorah and candle lighting ceremony. Shavuot however, can be observed only by direct interaction with the Torah itself.

Another clue explaining the obscurity of Shavuot is that the most popular Jewish observances are those that lend themselves to secularization. For many American Jews Passover has become little more than a family reunion, the dinner table distinguished chiefly by a symbolic box of matzo and a little more wine than usual. Any discussion, if it takes place at all, tends to focus on the universal aspects of freedom rather than on the Almighty’s role in redeeming one specific nation. Chanukah can be (wrongly) celebrated as a kind of “Jewish winter holiday.”

Apparently, keeping it secular keeps it comfortable. Shavuot is awkward because there is no secular rationale for celebrating it. Observing Shavuot is a tacit acknowledgment that one believes in God and that God gave Moses the Torah. There is no other way to see it than as the day that God gave Jews 613 rules to live by. This makes Shavuot rather inconvenient for those who prefer to be Jewish without having to deal with God and His rules.

It should come as no surprise that Shavuot enjoys little popularity. Popular culture idolizes individualists who “do their own thing.” People foolishly believe that doing anything that you don’t really want to do is somehow a betrayal of your true self.

One of the main differences between a nation comfortable in its Judeo-Christian heritage and one rejecting it is

how its citizens accept authority. Do they defiantly display bumper stickers that proclaim “question authority!” or do they train children to obey parents, students to venerate teachers, husbands to revere their wives, and soldiers to follow their commanders?

Of course one needs to be careful whose authority to accept. But with no ability to recognize any authority over us, we lose functionality in almost every area that a healthy civilization needs. Recognizing and being comfortable with God’s authority is paramount. When a society abolishes its religious underpinnings, one of the first casualties is the ability of its people to accept leadership. Not surprisingly, the movement will commence with children rejecting parents and their values.

Shavuot serves as an annual infusion of “authority medicine.” The holyday possesses no symbolism to distract us from our Divine Boss. The reality of the Bible itself teaches us to subjugate our instincts and restrain our appetites. We mark it by banishing sleep for one entire night while poring over the pages of that book, God’s great gift to humanity, and the foundation of lasting civilization.

Thought Tool

20

America’s 3,320th Birthday

The Pilgrims were called “separatists” while

Abraham and his family were called Ivrim,

which means “separatist.”

July, 2008 observed our nation’s 232nd birthday. Two months earlier Israel celebrated its 60th year. I feel that more honest arithmetic would have had the small beleaguered country actually celebrating its 3,320th birthday.

What happened three millennia ago which brought the people of Israel into existence? Ancient Israel became a nation with an eternal destiny when it received its constitution, the Torah, from God on Mount Sinai and formally adopted it.

And (Moses) took the Book of the Covenant,

and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said:

All that the Lord has said, we will do and we will obey.

(Exodus 24:7)

On the day the Declaration of Independence was adopted, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson were appointed as a committee to propose a seal for the brand-new United States. They presented a design that depicted Israel crossing the Red Sea led by a pillar of fire. (Their recommendation can be seen in the papers of the Continental Congress.)

They recognized that just as the nation of Israel was formed after fleeing Egypt but prior to entering the land of Israel, America too was formed after fleeing England but prior to establishing an independent state. In the history of the world, only America and Israel emerged from ideas rather than from real-estate. And only these two nations were founded by people who crossed an ocean in search of the freedom to worship God as they chose.

Unlike some nations, like Switzerland, which you can move to and live in for decades without ever being accepted as Swiss, people can become full Americans or Jews by accepting the ideas of the nation. Both nations have the same notable exception. Someone not born American or Jewish cannot become president of America or king of Israel.

Early Americans, the Pilgrims, were called “separatists” in England while the early Jews, Abraham and his family, were called Ivrim (Hebrews) which translates as – separatist.

Upon arriving in their respective promised lands, both the Children of Israel and the early American settlers found often hostile, native people who knew nothing of the God of the Bible.

Both countries found themselves fighting bloody civil wars early in their respective histories. America’s war between the North and the South and Israel’s war between the north, Israel, and the south, Judah, were over moral issues. Both nations survived their conflicts and emerged stronger.

Ancient Israel and modern America each built their capital cities, Jerusalem and Washington DC, to belong to no single tribe or state.

Both America and ancient Israel knew the verse:

For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver,

the Lord is our king; he will save us.

(Isaiah 33:22)

This was the basis for the separation of powers that distributed the business of government among three separate branches, the judicial, legislative, and executive.

The Lord is our judge – our court system; the Lord is

our lawgiver – our legislative body, the Congress of the United States; and the Lord is our King – our executive, the president.

Jacob, or Israel as he was sometimes known, replaced his son Joseph with Joseph’s two sons. He accepted his two grandsons as sons when he said:

Ephraim and Menashe will be to me

like Reuben and Simon

(Genesis 48:5)

thus giving him thirteen sons instead of the original twelve. Somehow, a great nation had to be founded on thirteen elements rather than upon twelve.

It seems America’s Founders also knew that the number of original colonies required for the founding of any holy and united people needed to be thirteen. They were not only wise, and not only Biblical but they also knew Hebrew – the Lord’s language. They knew that in Hebrew, every letter has a numeric value which is crucial to extracting the full meaning of words.

Our Founders knew that the Hebrew word for ONE is ECHaD,

ד ח א

4 8 1

whose three letters add up to 13. In some deep and mystical way, unity or “oneness” is well served by starting with thirteen components. It has helped to provide timeless

durability for the people of Israel and I pray it will do the same for the United States of America.

Thought Tool

21

Are You Really With Me?

Don’t make the mistake of assuming

God couldn’t make up His mind.

Catching sight of a large family reunion, an outsider might see no connecting link other than matching T- shirts. Similarly, a company picnic might feature a crowd that looks like many disconnected individuals. A nation too, can seem to be composed of millions of separate units. After all, each of these groups often includes people of different genders, races, ages and economic levels.

The truth is that no matter the differences among great-aunts, parents, toddlers and teenagers, they meld together as family members. In a thriving company, people with widely variant lives cooperate in great commercial enterprise.

In any successful country, the same principle applies. For all our individual diversity, we are unified in the giant cooperative enterprise of maintaining a culture in which we can all live, flourish, and prosper peacefully.

What is the difference between a unified family and many people sharing an ancestor? Or between many people working under one roof and a successful corporation? Or between lots of individuals occupying the same slice of real estate and a real nation?

Let’s look to God’s language, Hebrew, for a clue. In English, it’s a waste of time to ponder why a steer is both a type of cattle and also the verb describing what we do to the steering wheel of a car. However, whenever the Bible uses one word for two ideas, you can be sure those two ideas are closely linked.

So, when we look at the word for nation in Hebrew, AM, we have to pay attention that the identical word with a slightly different pronunciation means “with”.

םע = With

םע = Nation

God didn’t run out of combinations of letters; there is a reason these two words look exactly alike.

In addition, Biblical Hebrew doesn’t use synonyms to spice up the writing. No, their purpose is to convey real differences in meaning. This is important when we realize that there is another Hebrew word that is also translated as “with” – the word “ET.”

The difference between the two Hebrew words for “with” becomes clear in the book of Numbers. God tells the prophet Bilaam to go with the men, but when Bilaam does exactly that, astonishingly God becomes angry at him.

That night God came to Bilaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them…”

(Numbers 22:20)

Bilaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey

and went with the princes of Moab.

But God was very angry...

(Numbers 22:21)

Please don’t make the mistake of assuming God just couldn’t make up His mind. In the original Hebrew it all makes perfect sense.

The Hebrew word for with in the first sentence is “ET” while the Hebrew word used for with in the second sentence is “IM”. When a happily married couple takes a stroll, they walk with, IM, each other, their hearts as linked as their hands.

When two strangers happen to stride alongside one another down the crowded sidewalk of a city block, they are walking with or “ET” each other. From an upstairs window, they may appear to be friends walking together, but the togetherness is an illusion.

God tells Bilaam to walk “ET” the men, meaning alongside them but without sharing their mission. However, Bilaam walks “IM” them. He becomes one with them, sharing their goals and values. Of course God is angry with him.

Related individuals don’t automatically create a unified family. Alienated workers at the same enterprise don’t make a successful company. All these groups stand a better chance of unity, fulfillment and success if they recognize the

difference between ET and IM and the need to convert

the former into the latter by embracing shared ideas, goals and values.

And sharing the same real estate does not form a nation. When social scientists, politicians and pollsters slice and dice a country, they are making a mistake. By labeling us as males and females, white and blue collar workers, soccer moms and hockey moms, Hispanics and Asians, rich and poor, they diminish us. What truly matters is a shared vision of all men being created equal, of a land of opportunity where everyone has the freedom to fly or fail, and of being “one nation under God.” Surely, it is worth the effort to build real families, real companies, and a real nation.

Thought Tool

22

Got Any Dough?

Adam quickly recognized that he would

be much the same as an animal.

Have you ever wondered why several languages, including English, use idioms for money such as “got some dough?” and “can you lend me some bread?” Or why we invite people to join us for a meal by saying “let’s break bread together” rather than “let’s snap crackers together” or “let’s split a cucumber.” Or why bread is placed on the table at restaurants rather than being an item you need

to order? Or why bread has a sacramental role in many religions?

Early in the Bible, God punishes Adam for eating the forbidden fruit. Adam is told that the earth is cursed because of his sin. The verse concludes:

…And you will eat from the grass of the field

(Genesis 3:18)

Upon hearing that he would eat from the field, Adam quickly recognized that he would be much the same as an animal. In despair he turned to God, asking what would distinguish human beings. God comforted him by saying:

By the sweat of your face you will eat bread

(Genesis 3:19)

This is not a continuation of the punishment! Ancient Jewish wisdom tells us that this is God’s mercy. (See why you need a rabbi?) Bread is a uniquely human food. Making bread takes two distinctly human traits: the ability to defer gratification and to cooperate. In the 1960s, researchers at Stanford conducted a fascinating experiment. A number of four-year old children were each given a marshmallow. They were then told that if they would wait twenty minutes to eat the treat they would receive another one.

As you can imagine, some of the children immediately devoured their marshmallows; others waited and were rewarded. But the study didn’t end there. The researchers kept track of these children as they grew up, and discovered that those who had waited were better adjusted, more dependable, and scored an average of 210 points higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

Making bread is an exercise in delayed gratification. First you plant the seeds, then after several months you cut down the grain, then you grind it into flour, then you mix it with water and yeast and let it rise, then you stick it in the oven, and only after much time do you get to eat it. Contrast this with a grazing animal. When it is hungry, it eats.

Making bread also requires cooperation. The farmer, the miller, the baker, the truck driver and the storekeeper all work together to achieve the end result of bread on your table. The regular famines suffered by many countries are nearly always due to failure of human cooperation rather than harsh nature. If we recognize and acknowledge our dependency on one another, we are willing to work together and trade talents and effort.

The unhappy alternative is to view one another with envy and resentment which results in starvation. Jews say a special grace after eating a meal that features bread. When three or more men “break bread” together, they precede this prayer by inviting each other to acknowledge God’s greatness together, rather than separately. What a wonderful acknowledgement this is that bread, which is a metaphor for money and financial success, is the result of viewing each other as partners and brothers – all children of God – rather than as animalistic rivals for the same small patch of grass.

Thought Tool

23

Sink Your Teeth Into Wisdom

Opposition is a crucial part of growth and

argument paves the way to wisdom.

Do people learn best surrounded by silence or with music and conversation providing background buzz? Those of us over a certain age associate libraries and study halls with absolute quiet. However, many students today study as they listen to music, email and snack. The Jewish sages of old did a pretty good job of learning, so let’s see what ancient Jewish wisdom teaches on how best to do so.

In any yeshiva (academy for the study of Torah) you can see pairs of students in frenzied confrontation and argument. Their voices are raised as they wildly gesticulate and argue back and forth over a text. From the day that Moses came down from Mt. Sinai 3,320 years ago and taught Joshua all he had heard from God, Jewish learning has always required two people: either a teacher and a student, a father and child, or two students studying together.

Therefore it is no surprise that one Hebrew word for learning – SHoNeH (used in verses such as Deut. 6:7), shares a root with the word for the number two – SHNaYim. A third word, SHeeNaYim or teeth, also has the same root (no pun intended).

The Lord’s language is teaching that just as teeth function best in pairs, so too one cannot learn in isolation. A single set of teeth is useless, and in fact harmful. Someone who only has upper teeth has nothing to grind the food against except for soft lower gums.

Similarly, without having a partner to grind ideas against one cannot attain understanding. Perhaps even the term “wisdom teeth” captures this quality of both teeth and wisdom; both require a partner.

(Is it just coincidence that, though spelled differently, the English word “tooth” and the number “two” sound very similar?)

There was once a sage, Rabbi Yochanan, whose long-time study partner, Reish Lakish, died. Knowing the rule we’re studying today, Rabbi Yochanan immediately paired up with a new colleague. He soon discovered that no matter what he postulated, his new partner eagerly agreed. In fact, his partner found proofs and rationales for everything Rabbi Yochanan said.

After a while Rabbi Yochanan loudly lamented his situation. Rather than rejoicing at a partner who consistently affirmed his every line of reasoning, he missed his old study partner who would immediately raise twenty-four objections to his ideas. Of course this meant that Rabbi Yochanan had to come up with twenty-four defenses for his position. What a way to increase understanding and avoid ego overcoming truth.

Politicians and CEOs are often surrounded by sycophants and people who agree with everything that they say. This is a terrible problem. Without anyone to challenge your way of thinking how can you possibly improve your understanding? Opposition is a crucial part of growth and argument paves the way to wisdom.

Think about working out at a gym. Isn’t the key element of every exercise opposition? The weight or the spring that you’re pulling or pushing against has only one function – providing you opposition.

When you’re trying to build your brain or character the opposition is provided by another person challenging you. This friend probes your weaknesses and forces you to grow and develop your way of thinking. Of course this is

also the role of a good wife and happy is the man married to a woman who understands how to bring out the best

in her man.

Go ahead and review these weekly Thought Tools and my other teachings with a friend – preferably one who will raise questions and points of view that are different, and sometimes even opposite to your own. As long as all is conducted in friendship and mutual respect, the results will amaze you.

Thought Tool

24

Take This With A Pinch Of Salt

For humans, eating is an opportunity

to draw closer to God.

Pass the potassium, please.” “This soup needs some more iron filings.” Do those words sound funny to you? After all, our bodies need many minerals for healthy functioning.

Yet, the one mineral people frequently ask for is salt. Even in today’s health conscious times, we put out a salt shaker rather than other seasonings. There even used to be a popular custom of seating an honored guest near the salt. It seems as if salt occupies some symbolic role that lies

beyond mere habit or taste.

I am convinced that the reason why western civilization places a container of salt on every dining table, goes back to the Bible.

And every offering shall you season with salt;

do not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to

be lacking from your offering; with all your

offerings you shall offer salt

(Leviticus 2:13)

There seems to be a theme here! Ancient Jewish wisdom teaches that repetition in the Bible does not mean an incompetent editor, it means: Pay special attention! The significance of the repetition goes way beyond the context of the verse. In other words, don’t for a moment suppose that this verse is just about adding salt to offerings on the altar. That could have been covered with only one mention.

The Divine message here is that something special and spiritual happens when humans eat. Animals eat for only physical reasons. They need to fuel their metabolisms and maintain their body temperatures. If that is all there was to humans eating, we’d simply gobble up our food straight out of the can, use our fingers, rip the meat with our teeth, and make whatever natural noises that would inevitably accompany such a process.

But that is not how we eat. Our mothers made us use a knife and fork. They admonished us not to eat while standing but only while seated at a table, which was usually set with a table cloth. Someone took trouble over the food, ensuring that it was not only nutritious but also tasted delicious and looked enticing. You were constantly told, or at least I was, not to eat like an animal. Ah, there is the point exactly. No animal cares how food is presented; people do.

For humans, eating is only partially a physical experience. It is also an opportunity to emphasize our unique human qualities. It is even a chance to draw closer to God. Each time we sit at a table instead of gobbling something while standing by the open refrigerator, we are sitting at an altar. Each time we say a blessing before eating, we are sitting at an altar. Each time we put another spoonful of food into our mouths, we can be making an offering to God.

Not surprisingly, this civilizing concept that our dining table is an altar, was enhanced by emulating Leviticus 2:13 and placing salt on our tables. Not iron, potassium, or iodine, only salt, just as God said.

Why specifically salt? Salt, that enhancer of our food, is comprised of sodium and chlorine. Each of these, by themselves, is poisonous. However if you mix them together, they transform into something not only necessary, but also tasty.

This reminds us of another difference between people and animals. Animals are perfectly content to eat alone. When they graze in company, they often push each other aside; their focus is on their own satisfaction. Restaurant managers have told me that people are uncomfortable eating alone. For most people, the dining experience is enhanced when shared with others – even if it means getting a little less.

That is exactly how the good Lord intended. One purpose of the altar was to bond people. That’s what shared meals do too. That is why so many business deals and romances are sealed over a meal. Salt is the sign that this bonding is exactly the point.

Thought Tool

25

The Freedom Of Limits

We are most free when our lives are engraved,

“written in stone.”

A Passover Seder is way more than a family meal with a symbolic box of matzo and a surfeit of sweet wine. It is a systematic, spiritual strategy designed to sculpt our souls. It is a meal wrapped up within a formal, fifteen-step agenda found in any traditional Hagadah; the Seder script. The Seder allows little room for free expression or spontaneous creativity. The Agenda must be followed. How can a service devoted to freedom allow so little freedom?

For fifteen years I served the synagogue I co-founded with Michael Medved in Venice, California. Venice Beach was the home of young and old who craved freedom. Those seekers of life-with-no-obligations slept till noon on park benches, drank beer on the boardwalk and relieved themselves wherever they were. No homes, no jobs. Quite free!

They also had no money, transportation, or medical care – none of the advantages that allow us fully to enjoy the Creator’s world. Basically, they were imprisoned there on Venice Beach. Freedom? Hardly.

תורח = Freedom

תורח = Engraved

Ancient Jewish wisdom reveals that real freedom is only attained by means of self-discipline. As I explain in detail in all my Genesis Journeys programs, any words in Hebrew which share the same root, are by definition, related. The Hebrew word CHaRUT means both “engraved” (as we say “engraved in stone” meaning locked-in) and it also means “freedom.” The word CHaRUT shows up near the Ten Commandments, which the Bible explains were “engraved” or “CHaRUT” on two stone tablets. It seems contradictory that the Hebrew word for freedom is the same as the Hebrew word for engraved, but this principle teaches us that they are one and the same. While sounding strange it is an invaluable idea to understand and incorporate into our lives.

The truth is that we are most free when our lives are engraved, “written in stone.” The Ten Commandments, although “engraved in stone” really have the capacity to liberate us and bestow freedom upon us. Knowing where the boundaries are liberates us to live. Children are much more relaxed when they are with parents who lovingly but clearly delineate the boundaries of acceptable behavior.

Compare those Venice beach drifters, dreamers, and derelicts with one of the husbands or wives who attended my synagogue facing those famous Pacific Ocean sunsets. Who really had freedom? Who had the freedom to travel, learn and grow? Yes, family folks are restrained, one might say, by their families – obliged, engraved, lives cast in concrete. Yet, they are also surrounded by a cocoon of love and support which they receive every day from their spouse and children, bestowing upon them precious gifts.

A wife and mother’s duties are precisely what make her life as rich as it is. A husband and father is inspired by the privilege of providing for his family. He is immune to the desperation and hopelessness that seeps into the life of those Venice vagrants. Real freedom, CHaRUT, only comes through service and self-restraint.

Think of a gun or an engine. A bullet not confined in a gun barrel or a piston not within a cylinder is completely useless. Energy must be confined, directed and focused in order to produce any useful result. This is just how God created us, His children. We can only achieve freedom through the beneficial restrictions imposed upon us by a loving God.

Thought Tool

26

Complain At Your Own Risk

Why did Pharaoh ask “How old are you?”

rather than, “Did you have a nice trip?”

Long before Gilbert and Sullivan immortalized the words, “let the punishment fit the crime,” ancient

Jewish wisdom taught this as a fundamental concept in God’s world. The phrase in Hebrew is “Midah K’Neged Midah,” loosely translated as “measure according to measure.”

We see a stark example in Genesis. Each of the patriarchs was granted 180 years on earth. God took Abraham five years early so that he would avoid the heartbreak of seeing his eldest grandson, Esau, leave the path of the righteous. Isaac lived out his life in full. Jacob, however, passed away at the relatively young age of 147.

The great Jewish transmitters explain that Jacob lost thirty-three years of his allotted span as a punishment for complaining about his difficult life. When Jacob came down to Egypt to be reunited with his son Joseph he was brought before Pharaoh. After blessing Pharaoh, the following exchange takes place:

And Pharaoh said to Jacob: ‘How many are the days of the years of your life?’ And Jacob said unto Pharaoh: ‘… few and evil have been the days of the years of my life…’’

(Genesis 47:8-9)

It is for this complaint we are told that Jacob’s life is shortened, one year for every word of his answer. However, if you look in the Hebrew you will be shocked to discover that Jacob’s response only uses twenty-five words!

So why does he lose thirty-three years? This mystery deepens when we discover that Pharaoh’s question to Jacob in Hebrew happens to be those missing eight words long! Jacob is being punished for Pharaoh’s question!

If you’re reading the Bible with a critical eye, Pharaoh’s question itself should seem rather strange. Finally meeting the father of his royal viceroy Pharaoh asks “How old are you?” rather than saying, “Did you have a nice trip?” or “Some son you’ve got here!” Something must have prompted this rude and abrupt question.

In my book Buried Treasure: Secrets for Living from the Lord’s Language, I relate a story about Abraham Lincoln. One day, a presidential advisor brought a man to the White House whom he thought Lincoln should appoint as a Cabinet Secretary. The president interviewed him, but when the prospective Cabinet member left the White House, Lincoln did not give the expected response. Calling his adviser into the Oval Office, Lincoln said,

“No, this man won’t do for the job.”

“Why?”

“I don’t like his face.”

“But,” stammered the adviser, “That’s unfair. A man can’t help what his face looks like.”

“You’re right, the President replied, “up to age 40, he can’t. After age 40, his face is him.”

Pharaoh asked how old Jacob was because Jacob truly looked far older than his years. And he is punished for having a face that would prompt such a question. As we see by his response, his personality was prone to complaining and that is what caused his face to age prematurely. I’m sure that we can all think of elderly people whose faces radiate youth and a joy for life and whose personalities match that; there are far too many cases where the reverse is true.

The Hebrew word for ‘to complain’, MiTLONeN, captures this fundamental truth. You see, verbs tend to convey meaning with great precision in the Lord’s language. Some verbs are what we call reflexive – the actions are things you do to yourself. These verbs usually start off with the prefix ‘MiT’ in the present tense.

For instance, I dress myself – MiTLaBeiSH. Now why on earth would the verb meaning ‘I complain’ exist in the reflexive form, as if to say that complaining is something I do to myself? I had assumed complaining was something I do to other people.

As we learn from Jacob, you may be complaining to other people, but the one who suffers the most is you. If you have a penchant for whining or the habit of complaining, you are causing yourself serious harm.

Wouldn’t it be better to have a bright, optimistic attitude? It will profit you more than anyone else.

Thought Tool

27

Stop Hating Yourself

All of us face quiet hours of the night

when we sadly review our failures.

Quick! Is the moon waxing or waning? Is it full or a thin crescent? Anyone really attuned to the environment should know.  Anyone familiar with the lunar based Jewish calendar also knows.

Rosh HaShanah, the only Jewish holyday that occurs when the moon is new, ushers in the period known as the Ten Days of Atonement. It is less commonly known that the preceding 30 days constitute the gateway to those ten days. These 40 days reach their climax with Yom Kipur, the Day of Atonement.

In English, the word “at-one-ment” is derived from the idea of becoming “at one” with God. This certainly hints at how valuable a relationship with God can be while we try to reset our moral odometers and wipe our slates clean.

All of us face quiet hours of the night when we sadly review our failures. Maybe we are haunted by awareness that we are not being selfless enough with some family member, or not courageous enough in dealing with some adversity, or not as self-disciplined as we’d like.

What is to be done about our gnawing sense of internal moral inadequacy?

With no treatment the sore festers and grows into an infection.  Self-criticism can grow to self-doubt and then, sadly, even to self-loathing.  From that point, some of us subconsciously sabotage our work and our lives in a subtle attempt to ‘punish’ ourselves for failing to be worthy of our many blessings.

There is no human who can make me feel better about these weaknesses.  In many cases, I have disappointed nobody except myself.  No! That isn’t correct.  I have also disappointed God. Thus trying to become ‘at one’ with Him is a useful avenue towards feeling better.

Oddly enough, whenever Day of Atonement is mentioned in the Five Books of Moses, it is always referred to, not as we usually say in Hebrew, Yom Kipur, but Yom Kipurim.

Do not do any work on this day for it is the

Day of Atonement (Kipurim) to provide you

atonement before the Lord your God.

(Leviticus 23:28)

Now, in Hebrew, the prefix “Ki” means ‘like’ or ‘just as’.  Thus, in Scripture, Yom Ki-Purim doesn’t just mean the Day of Atonement but can also be read as “The Day just like Purim” (the feast of Esther).

What connection is ancient Jewish wisdom revealing between the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Esther?

One of the observances of Purim, or the Feast of Esther, is to dress up in costumes.  This is not merely a childish indulgence; it is to drive home a message to ourselves. How we look on the outside is not necessarily who we are inside.

By linking the Day of Atonement with Purim through the language of the Bible, God reminds us that our moral failings are really a peculiar outside costume rather than a deep flaw in our true beings. The ugly mask and grotesque costume are not the real me. Beneath the veneer of our disappointing exterior, our souls still shine with unfulfilled potential. Having been created in the image of God, we can strip off the unattractive layers on our souls and find the precious creation underneath.

How?  First, we dedicate a full day to this important spiritual task and we avoid distractions by not interrupting the process with food or drink.  Second, we acknowledge privately to God all our shortcomings.  Third, we seriously undertake to repair as many of them as possible.

People are astonished at how buoyantly they emerge from this atonement therapy with a lightened heart, new optimism, and a sense of deserving the many blessings in their lives.

Thought Tool

28

The Positive Side Of Being Stoned

You do not want people to be tempted

to obey God above you.

Whenever I walk along the seashore, my pockets bulge with pebbles when I return home. Since I was a young boy I have found myself entranced by the infinite variety found among the stones.

Why do most of us find pebbles and stones more charming than bricks? Wouldn’t you prefer a fireplace in your living room built of natural river rocks rather than one built of brick? In Arizona I have seen many pretty gardens displaying little more than cacti and rocks. I know I would find a garden of cacti and bricks to be far less attractive and I know I never come home from a walk clutching a handful of bricks.

Would you be surprised to hear that bricks have a pretty bad reputation in God’s world-view? We can see clues to this wherever bricks are mentioned in the Bible.

They are the building blocks of the Tower of Babel,

(Genesis 11); they are the symbol of toil and slavery for the Israelites in Egypt (Exodus 5); and when building altars to worship God, stones must be used, never brick (Isaiah 65).

What could be so bad about bricks?

Important Hebrew words in the Bible express concepts. For instance, when the Bible mentions camels we are being taught a general principle about the idea of transport which lies far deeper than the narrative.

Similarly, when bricks show up, they are not just a building material. We are being granted a Godly glimpse into reality.

There are two main differences between bricks and stones:

1. In successful brick production, each and every brick is identical. They must be interchangeable.

If one breaks, just fit another in its place. However, every stone has its unique shape and color.

2. Bricks are manmade, but God made stones.

The Bible verses about the Tower of Babel and its tyrannical architect, Nimrod, as well as those about Egypt’s oppressor, Pharaoh, reveal these tyrants’ obsession with bricks. These Biblical accounts are not merely stories any more than gourmet recipes are merely memos. When applied in the kitchen by knowledgeable chefs, recipes become mouth watering food that can delight the diner. When applied to life by knowledgeable rabbis, Biblical verses become roadmaps to reality. When the Bible describes dangerous despots like Nimrod and Pharaoh using bricks, the Bible is revealing how this kind of ruler or political movement views people.

These accounts of their activities are not simple historical tales about long-forgotten people. If they were, these verses would be of little use to us.  In reality, we are being taught about one of the ways to organize human society.

These ruthless men are building their power base - their building material is people. When you intend using human beings for your own selfish ends, you need them compliant and docile. To be a successful dictator you must cause your subjects to lose their individuality. You want them to feel personally insignificant and only fulfilled as instruments of your blind ambition.

Make your people feel less unique by housing them in similar housing. Make them all travel the same way, in mass transit. Ensure they all receive identical medical care because quality is secondary to equality. Seize control of education to prepare them for their roles as identical little socio-economic cogs so they will pay your confiscatory rates of taxation uncomplainingly. Don’t allow any to make too much money and teach them to value security more than they value freedom.

Above all, obliterate their relationships with God. You do not want people to be tempted to obey Him above you, their human overlord. In other words, build your society by turning human beings into bricks.

God created us in His image. Just as He is unique, so we must be unique – just like stones. When we build an altar to worship him, we must each bring to Him our own God-given talents and creativity rather than the common, man-made dull collectivism represented by bricks.

Let’s pray that God always blesses the United States with leadership that will bring us peace, prosperity, and tranquility and a society that views its citizens as stones not as bricks.

Thought Tool

29

Clothing Makes The Man

(Or Woman)

People in their forties dress like adolescents and eight year-old children dress like sophisticates.

I really was not the easiest teenager to live with. I still don’t know exactly what my parents thought when

I told them my plans to motorcycle through Africa. But

on that long and wild ride I enjoyed many fascinating

experiences.

One of the most surprising was coming across a campsite in a jungle clearing, with a small but elegantly prepared table set with china and crystal. Convinced that I was hallucinating, I avidly watched an elderly and distinguished-looking gentleman escort his lady to the table; both dressed as if they were dining in a London mansion.

As I approached, dusty and disheveled from my travels, they introduced themselves as British insect collectors, on one of their many African expeditions. Reacting to my evident surprise at their dress and dining arrangements, they gently put me in my place by saying, “Being in the jungle is no reason to forget who we are.”

ד ג ב

The Hebrew word for clothing, BeGeD, is one of the

few Hebrew words made up of 3 consecutive letters in

the Hebrew alphabet. The English equivalent would be

BCD. These rare words all describe actions that lead to a direct consequence.

What message about clothing is the Lord’s language imparting to us? How we dress is closely linked not only to who we are, but to who we will become. In the past, clothing clearly identified our level of expected maturity. When girls put their hair up and boys switched to long pants, they were making a statement to society that they were taking their place as responsible adults. Their dress projected how they intended to behave.

Today, many people in their forties dress like adolescents and many eight year old children dress like sophisticates. Once we discard our diapers, there are few differentiations left in the way people dress throughout their lives. There may be some virtue in more egalitarian dressing, but it does do us a disservice. Let me explain.

One of the best ways to send a strong message to yourself and to those around you that you intend to move up in a company or be successful in some way, is to dress as you want to become rather than as you now are. Jeans and a T-shirt may be comfortable, but most bosses and customers want people working for them who are dedicated and hard working rather than looking to be most at their own ease.

There is another aspect to the Hebrew word for clothing, BeGeD. B-G-D is also the root of the word for traitor, BoGeD.

What do clothing and treachery have in common? In the same way as clothing can help you become what you want to be, by “dressing the part”, it can also betray you.

Certainly, clothing can be used intentionally to deceive; someone dressing like a policeman or as a doctor can do great harm.

But you can also betray yourself by the way you dress. A young woman who wants to be related to for her character, intelligence and talents but dresses in a way that causes young (and older) men to fixate on her physical qualities has betrayed herself with her dress. A teacher who wants to command respect from his students, but dresses in a way that shouts, “I’m one of you” has betrayed himself. You can think of dozens of more examples yourself.

Take a good look at your dress and ask yourself if you are taking advantage of the ways you can direct and upgrade your life by recognizing that indeed “clothes make the man – and woman.”

Wise clothing choices allow us to be in a jungle while

never forgetting who we really are.

Thought Tool

30

Do You Really Want To Know?

Why didn’t Isaac explore why the arms

and voice didn’t match?

Don’t you like to think that you make intelligent, objective decisions? I know I do. But we human beings sometimes trick ourselves into thinking we are doing that, when we really are not.

What we sometimes do instead is to cherry pick data that supports what we want to do or have done in the first place, ignoring anything that suggests we might be wrong. Let me give you an example.

Before buying a new car, most people scrutinize all car ads, seeking out lots of available information on the wide range of choices. But after they have made their purchase they only read advertisements about the brand of car they have bought. The last thing the new owner wants to find out is that he might have bought a better car at a lower price. Once the decision has been made, we tend to avoid information that might suggest we have made a mistake.

We protect our self esteem by welcoming information that supports our actions and avoiding that which makes us uncomfortable. That is why smokers rarely read medical articles about the health risks of smoking.

Because it is so important that we remain alert to this facet of our natures, ancient Jewish wisdom reveals how we learn it from the Bible.

Remember when the aged and blind Isaac is preparing to give a blessing to his eldest son, Esau? Due to some maternal maneuvering, the younger son, Jacob, with goat skins on his arms to simulate the feel of his older brother’s body, comes to receive the blessing. Isaac feels Jacob’s “arms” and declares,

The voice is the voice of Jacob; and the

hands are the hands of Esau.

(Genesis 27:22)

In other words – he smells a rat. Something is amiss. How would you expect the next verse to read? Surely it ought to have been something like this:

And Isaac called Rebecca his wife and asked her

to identify the son standing before him.

or

And Isaac said to his son, “If you’re indeed Esau,

how many goals did you score when we played soccer

on your eleventh birthday?”

Isaac obviously senses that there is mischief afoot, but instead of investigating further, he simply goes ahead and bestows the blessing. Is this not weird?

Why didn’t Isaac pause to explore why the arms and voice of the person in front of him didn’t match? The answer is that deep inside himself, Isaac knew that Jacob should receive the blessing. He avoided looking too closely at information that might stop him from going forward and granting the blessing to Jacob.

Human nature has not changed since the time of Isaac. We all need to watch out for the tendency to spurn information that makes us uncomfortable, and to seek only validation of what we are already doing. We should always be questioning our actions and making sure that we are not adjusting our thoughts to fit wrong behavior, but rather adjusting our behavior to fit correct thoughts.

Furthermore, our devotion to God and to His message should spur us to constantly ask questions about Biblical text. The main reason I say, “Everyone needs a rabbi” is that there are questions and problems that you will only find if someone points them out in the original Hebrew.

As long as the approach is, “What do I not understand?” rather than, “What mistakes have I found,” the search is both a valid and vital part of Bible study.

Thought Tool

31

The Energy Curse

God lays out what will happen to Israel should she stray from the proper path. It’s not pretty

All in a hot and copper sky,

The bloody sun, at noon,

Right up above the mast did stand,

No bigger than the moon.

English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge penned these lines in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. They foreshadow the curse on the ancient mariner after he has killed the albatross. The copper sky as a sign of imminent doom and destruction dates back to the Bible.

There are two sections in the Bible known as the portions of rebuke, one in Leviticus and one in Deuteronomy. In them, God lays out in brutal detail what will happen to the children of Israel should they stray from the proper path. It’s not pretty. A keen student of the Bible will notice that each section employs a similar phrase, but with a crucial difference.

I will also make your sky like iron and

your earth like copper.

(Leviticus 26:19)

The heaven which is over your head shall be copper,

and the earth which is under you, iron.

(Deuteronomy 28:23)

Did you catch it? The descriptions are switched! In the first, the sky is like iron and the earth like copper, and in the second, the sky is like copper and the earth like iron.

From the fact that the descriptions are switched, we can infer that it’s not important whether the sky is identified as copper and the earth as iron or vice versa. What’s important is that the sky is one and the earth is the other. What is going on here?

Ancient Jewish wisdom teaches us that the sky is a metaphor for something far away and out of reach. With this understanding, we see that the curse isn’t that the sky is iron and the ground is copper, or even that the sky is copper and the ground is iron, rather the curse is that copper and iron will be distant from each other.

Why is it a curse for copper and iron to be far away from each other? Do copper and iron close together form a blessing? Well, interestingly enough, due to the relationship between copper and iron, if you were to take a copper nail and an iron nail and stick them into a lemon, you would be able to light a small light bulb with the current that’s generated. Copper and iron together have the capacity to produce electricity. Now, if you put iron in one lemon and copper in another you would produce nothing; they need to be in proximity to one another to create energy.

You see, energy is God’s way of letting us see that there is an escape to drudgery. Animals need to gather or hunt day in and day out to stay alive. There is no day of rest for them. We, on the other hand, created in God’s image, can use

energy that has been stored in creation for us, such as wood, coal, oil, and uranium to not have to constantly work.

Ancient Jewish wisdom teaches us that as the sun set on Adam for the first time he grew afraid of the animals. God presented him with two stones, which he rubbed together, and voila fire was created. Contrast this with the Greek myth of how Prometheus stole fire from the gods, and in return was punished by being chained to a rock and having his regenerating liver eaten daily by a vulture. The

Judeo-Christian tradition teaches that God gave man energy as a gift for his use to elevate himself above the animals, whereas the Greek approach is that man stole fire from the gods and his punishment is to be placed subservient to an animal, the vulture.

The message of the verses in the portions of rebuke is that at a time of declining morality copper will be separated from iron meaning there will be less energy available. Perhaps this means that we will even start subscribing to the Greek view of energy, that we have stolen it from the gods and must feel guilty and ashamed of using it, rather than the Judeo-Christian approach that energy is a gift from God for us to use to benefit mankind.

Thought Tool

32

Who’s Wearing The Pants?

Brainstorming a problem with a clone would be as unsatisfying as telling your clone a joke.

For decades, parts of society have been trying to eradicate the differences between men and women. It

became an asset to advertise clothing as ‘unisex.’ Yet, whenever a dressy affair like a prom or a banquet rolls around, men and women still dress quite differently. Even in high powered offices today, one rarely spots a woman dressed in one of those copies of her masculine peer’s attire.

What reason is there for men and women to enjoy such gender-distinctive tailoring styles?

Let’s examine two verses regarding the fashion sense of Adam and Eve.

Their eyes were opened, and they knew that they

were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together,

and made themselves garments.

(Genesis 3:7)

For Adam and for his wife the Lord God made

coats of skins, and clothed them.

(Genesis 3:21)

After Adam and Eve lost their innocence and acquired erotic awareness, they stitched themselves clothing out of some conveniently large fig leaves. Then God confronted them and issued some awful punishments for eating of the forbidden fruit. Right after that, God began to make them leather outfits.

I can imagine that as He began His Divine tailoring, Adam and Eve might have said, “Hey, Lord, no need for that –we’ve already taken care of it with these neat green fig-leaf outfits!”

To which God might have responded, “You made the two outfits unisex style – I don’t care for that.” Just reread verse 7 and you will notice no separate mention of man and women, merely “they sewed” and “they made.”

In contrast, God fashioned two separate outfits out of

leather. One was special “For Adam” and one was unique “For his wife.” One was appropriate for a man while the other suited a woman.

God seems fairly intent on men and women dressing distinctively by gender because a little later He makes it very clear:

A woman shall not wear that which belongs to a man

neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment.

(Deuteronomy 22:5)

Ancient Jewish wisdom offers one reason for this requirement. God wishes us to express our Godly nature by being creative and all creativity is stimulated by the presence of difference. Let me explain.

Brainstorming a problem with a clone of yourself would be as unsatisfying as telling your clone the latest funny joke you heard. Your clone would yawn and remind you that he already knows the punch line just as you do. The most useful problem solving takes place when two people very unlike one another, collaborate on the challenge.

Difference produces energy. One term for the voltage of electricity that powers our appliances and frees us from drudgery is potential difference. Consider how hydro-

electric power is produced. Water on one side of the dam wall is very high and deep, while on the other side, way down, a river winds along carrying away the water that has spun the plant’s turbines.

It would not be helpful if someone, offended by the

different water heights on either side of the dam wall,

directed that all dam walls should have equal water depths

on either side. That would be the end of power generation and bountiful energy.

Similarly, men and women are capable of bringing out

remarkable creativity in one another, provided that the differences between them are not obliterated. Dressing in unique styles is one way of helping to preserve our distinctiveness which at the same time enhances our creativity, not to mention adding to the spice of life.

Thought Tool

33

God, Family And Nation

Passover is a reminder that a nation can

only be as strong as its families.

Every Sabbath, a different portion of the Bible is read in synagogue. Many chapters revolve around the Exodus from Egypt. Make no mistake; we are not being taught history. These chapters teach us valuable lessons about our families and our society.

The core observance of Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is the Seder, a highly structured and scripted mega-meal.

Menu directions come from this verse:

Every man must take a lamb for the family,

a lamb for each household.

(Exodus 12:3)

To this very day, the Passover Seder is the most commonly practiced religious observance among American Jews. No matter how irreligious some Jews may be, they feel the urge to gather together with their families on Passover. Isn’t it strange that the festival celebrating the birth of a new nation should, both in Egypt and still today, be a time for such a strong focus on family? Wouldn’t it make far more sense for the Passover rituals to reflect the importance of nation and community? After all, the Exodus was a national movement.

Perhaps the Torah should have commanded the entire nation to assemble all together in a huge stadium, clustering people by age, gender or talents. But this is not the case.

It must be eaten in one house; do not bring any of its

(the Paschal lamb’s) meat out of the house

(Exodus 12:46)

What is going on? Well, after hundreds of years of slavery in Egypt, Jewish family life was all but destroyed. That is what slavery does. On the eve of its birth as a new nation, Israel’s first job was to reestablish the family as the fundamental unit of society. Only then could they truly become a nation. God gathered them, not into political, tribal, or labor groupings but into individual families. He reasserted the bond between husband and wife, the parental home and its children; the elemental building blocks of any successful society.

Every year, Passover is a reminder that a nation can only be as strong as its families. It is that core unit that allows all else to prosper.

Thought Tool

34

Names Matter

God seems to go to great lengths to avoid mentioning anyone’s actual name.

People often ask what made me convert a three-week visit to the United States into a life-changing immigration. One of the things that helped me decide to remain in the United States was that folks addressed one another respectfully, using names whenever possible.

I watched strangers putting their hands out and introducing themselves to one another by name. As I spoke at events around the country, I noticed the organizers making every effort to remember and use attendees’ names. Even employers called their employees by name rather than by job description like Cook or Gardener, which was common in the British Empire. The colonial, and slightly condescending, “My good man,” was noticeably absent too.

Why do we feel so flattered when a casual acquaintance or a boss remembers our name correctly and so annoyed when we are mistakenly called by a wrong one? We certainly would feel insulted to hear ourselves addressed as “Hey you!”

Names are so important that an entire book out of the Five Books of Moses is called Names. That is right, the second of the five, known as Exodus in English, is really called the Book of Names in Hebrew – SHeMOT.

תומש

Exactly the same word is used when Adam gave names to the creatures.

And Adam gave names (SHeMOT) to all the cattle

and the birds of the air, and to every beast

(Genesis 1:20)

Considering that this book is really called Names, these verses from the first few chapters of Exodus sound almost comical. No names are mentioned. In fact, God seems to go to great lengths to avoid mentioning anyone’s actual name.

• And a new king arose over Egypt (Exodus 1:8)

• And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, the name of one was Shifrah*, and the name of the other Puah*. (Exodus 1:15)

• And the king of Egypt called for the midwives (Exodus 1:18)

• A man of the house of Levi, went and took for his wife a daughter of Levi. (Exodus 2:1)

• And the woman conceived and bore a son (Exodus 2:2)

• And his sister stood afar, to see what would happen to him (Exodus 2:4)

• And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the river (Exodus 2:5)

• His sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I call for you a nurse? (Exodus 2:7)

• Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the girl went and called the child’s mother (Exodus 2:8)

See what I mean? Though we know the real names of these characters, and they are used in later chapters, those names are hardly used in the beginning of the book. Only from Exodus 2:10 when Pharaoh’s daughter names the baby Moses, and onwards, do names return to normal usage. Why?

The point is that slavery is as dehumanizing as not having a name. Soon after Jacob and his family arrived in Egypt they were enslaved. Pharaoh’s daughter’s adoption of Moses elevates him from slavery and starts the road to redemption. Names become used again.

This Book of Exodus, or really this Book of Names, with its curious absence of names, demonstrates this important equation:

slavery = no names

It is just as true to say that when you deprive people of names, you are creating circumstances of slavery. That is why giving people numbers instead of using their real names is part of a dehumanizing process.

no names = (leads to) slavery

and

using people’s names = (leads to) respect and

social integrity

Though I have been an American citizen for many years, the lesson that people truly appreciate being addressed by name remains an important one. I am sure that you too have found that whether in your work or personal life, learning folks’ names and using them is always valued.

*Ancient Jewish wisdom tells us that these two were actually Yocheved and Miriam, Moses’ mother and sister. The names Shifra and Puah are Hebrew words that describe how they handled the babies, somewhat like calling a cook, Cook or a runner, Swifty.

Thought Tool

35

What’s In A Name?

(Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 scene II)

Low class has nothing to do with income level

and everything to do with values.

In trying to assure her lover that his last name, Montague, is not important, Juliet says: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.

Neither Rose nor Montague made it onto the most popular American baby names lists this year, but about half of the names that did, have their origins in Hebrew. From Jacob, Ethan and Michael, to Abigail, Elizabeth and Hanna, parents are giving their sons and daughters Biblical names or names derived from Hebrew.

Finding the Hebrew origin behind many names is a bit like a detective investigation. Sometimes the name has made a detour through Greek, Latin, or German but the determined detective can discover the truth.

In the case of John, that H in the middle of the name is the clue. The name was first JoHaNN as in JoHaNN or JoHaNNeS Gutenberg who invented printing by printing – guess what! – a Bible in 1455. The double N is another clue that the origin of JoHaNN is YoCHaNaN, a character in Jeremiah, chapter 41.

Needless to say, Jonathan is another name entirely; he was King David’s best friend. How about names like Catherine, Katherine, or Katerina? You see that they are the same name, right? In Hebrew – KeTeR and ReNa together mean Crown of Happiness.

So, while Juliet tried to suggest that there is nothing in a name, the truth is that there is much in a name and often it is Biblical. Even Juliet’s name itself is derived from the Hebrew prophet Yoel or Joel which means the Lord is God. (The tenth Hebrew letter, YUD, sometimes transliterates as Y and sometimes as J) Detouring through Latin, the name is the same whether it is Juliet, Julia, Julius, or Julian.

Last names may also reflect Hebrew origins. Consider the many (originally) aristocratic families that have the syllable “Von” or “Van” in their names – as in the financially successful Vanderbilts, the von Trapp family of Sound of Music fame or Van Wyck, the mayor of New York for whom the New York Expressway is named?

The Hebrew word for son is BeN. In Hebrew, B and V are written with the same letter. Since vowels are unimportant. BeN is the same as VoN which is the same as VaN.

Through the ages, low class people were uncertain of their father’s identities. Through the eyes of ancient Jewish wisdom, of course, low class has nothing to do with income level and everything to do with values. Class and values make the creation of wealth possible – they are not the result of money.

Societies and people that cherish Biblical values revere

fatherhood. This is one reason for the importance of

marriage as a public institution.

Tragically, today, about one third of American babies are born to a single mother rather than into a loving unit of a married mother and father. A shocking number of American babies grow up without even knowing who their father is, let alone having him in their young lives.

A child’s mother is readily identified, but Bible-believing aristocrats make a point of knowing fathers too. One of the principal attributes of genuine upper-class is reproductive caution and selectivity. Low class people just mate impulsively like animals.

Old time German aristocrats wished to proclaim that they did indeed know their fathers’ names, which led to the use of “Von” or “son of”. Many towns shared the name of their chief aristocratic family, for instance, the Von Speyer family lived in the German town of Speyer.

Fatherhood is so vital that in keeping with Biblical guidance, that western civilizations name the family according to the father’s name. This helps explain why colonial American families listed family births and weddings in the Bible as, indeed, do many families today.

Regardless of the name we were given, each of us still has the ability to grant ourselves the inestimable treasure of a good name.

As wise King Solomon said:

A good name is better than precious oil

(Ecclesiastes 7:1)

Thought Tool

36

How To Become Financially Sober

What could drunkenness possibly have to do

with being a hired worker?

A royal flush,” announced the pretty young woman as a flush of excitement spread over the poker player’s cheeks. “My lucky day” he responded, realizing that he was now flush with cash. Suddenly a small child ran up to the man and in a shrill voice said, “Been to the bathroom Daddy, can you come help me flush?” Still smiling, the card player laid down his cards flush with the edge of the table, stood up, and walked away with his daughter.

Not one reader of this little nonsense story would attempt to infer significance from the five usages of the word – FLUSH. It’s nothing but an oddity of the English language which possesses many homonyms. The word FLUSH can mean many things and that is just how it is.

One way that God reveals the realities of the world through the Torah, is by linking what initially seem to us to be two unrelated concepts, by using the same word for both ideas. God is providing us with wisdom, not with random coincidences.

When Noah planted a vineyard, drank of its wine and became drunk, the Hebrew word used in Genesis 9:21 to describe his inebriated condition is SHiCHuR. But when someone hires someone as an hourly employee, as in

Exodus 22:14, the person is a SaCHiR. In Hebrew the words look exactly the same.

רכש = SHiCHuR = Drunk

רכש = SaCHiR = Hired Employee

What could drunkenness possibly have to do with being a hired worker?

Ancient Jewish wisdom’s response to that question is that neither a drunk nor an hourly laborer is able to act according to his own wishes and choices. It is easy for us to see that a drunk has no ability to control his actions. What about a hired worker? After all, almost all of us need to work and what’s more, we are actually obligated to do so since the day that God put Adam in the Garden of Eden, to work it.

But the word SaCHiR is specifically reserved for an hourly or day laborer. That type of hired employee yields much control to his employer. There is even a shorter form of the Grace after Meals for Jewish hourly employees, because they mustn’t take from their employer’s time even for their relationship with God.

This contrasts with someone who works for a pre-negotiated salary or commission, who, while needing to give value for his pay, has the leeway to manage his time more independently. Generally, a SacCHiR earns less and has fewer benefits than a longer term employee. He is usually at the bottom of the totem pole with little job security and often lives paycheck to paycheck. So, while for different reasons than the drunk, the SaCHiR also has limited options and control over his life.

Through this subtle language message, God encourages His children to take greater responsibility for their lives.

Thought Tool

37

Go For The Gold

What about those of us with no musical flair, and lacking bodies of championship swimmers?

Once every four years, it’s almost impossible to open a newspaper or turn on the television without the Olympic broadcasts bombarding your senses. Whether the Olympic Games fascinate or bore you, you’ll surely agree that one thing the media does really well is gauge what will capture the attention of large numbers of people. Clearly, the Games mesmerize many.

My negligible interest in the Olympic media suggests that I am probably part of a tiny minority. Still, I am not completely immune. I am intrigued by any human being doing something of which I am completely incapable.

The image of Philippe Petit tightrope walking between the rooftops of the twin towers of the World Trade Center thirty-four years ago enchants me. The sheer competence of Andre Watts playing the piano with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of Beethoven’s 4th Piano Concerto in front of five-thousand people took my breath away. And yes, Michael Phelps slicing his way through the water towards a gold medal record astounds me. These are all feats that I couldn’t even come close to emulating and I am thrilled by the incredible potential that God built into human beings.

But what about those of us without nerves of steel, with no musical flair, and lacking bodies of championship swimmers? Are there any truly profound achievements to which we can all aspire even if we didn’t win the genetic lottery with respect to physical abilities or natural talent?

Of course! There are many challenges to which any one of us can rise. The Olympic athlete must totally dominate his body. He must train himself to ignore pain and his body’s urgent calls for rest as he drives himself to higher plateaus of achievement.

Similarly, each one of us has the opportunity to overcome our own natures. And we don’t have to wait for one magical week every four years in order to triumph. Each and every day we have the opportunity to be less selfish than we were last week. We can train ourselves to be more loving and more giving. We can recognize our tendency to whine and complain and we can overcome it.

We can beat our record for tardiness and win a private award for punctuality. We can force ourselves to tackle our self-indulgent grumpiness and stop polluting our environment with chronic crabbiness. And make no mistake, all these spiritual Olympic challenges are every bit as demanding as their physical counterparts. Which raises the obvious question: How do we raise our performance in these matters to championship levels?

Let’s take advice from Abraham. We watch as Abraham sets off on a difficult mission. He is obeying what he understands to be God’s directive to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac.

Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes,

and saw the place from afar.

(Genesis 22:4)

Ancient Jewish wisdom poses this question: Why bother telling me how long the journey took? Do I really care?

The answer is that God wants us to ask that very question and probe the oral transmission for the answer. Genesis 22 isn’t a simple narrative about Abraham’s life; it is a guide for our own lives.

According to ancient Jewish wisdom during those three days Abraham faced formidable obstacles. He confronted fires, floods and other compelling reasons to abandon his mission. Nonetheless, Abraham stayed focused. He persevered and on the third day, he saw his destination, Mount Moriah, from afar.

Trying to win physical challenges takes years of private work, buoyed by imagining the cheers of the crowds. Overcoming our spiritual flaws can be just as tough and lonely a road. But the eventual audience is more important than any crowd. We get crowned by God, our families and friends and by the face in the mirror. But remember, don’t get discouraged. As Abraham discovered, the destination only comes into view once you’ve vanquished the obstructions.

The truth is that success at the Olympic Games also depends as much on spiritual powers as it does on physical. After all, every single athlete there is at the outer edge of human physical perfection. From there onwards, championship is determined by determination, grit, and relentless, focused effort.

These are all spiritual qualities that we can each employ in our own battles to improve and beat our personal records. And winning these awards are the most thrilling achievements of all as they bring us closer to our Creator.

Thought Tool

38

Motion Makes Miracles

Though moving can sometimes be scary,

remaining stationary is ominous.

There is an old grade-school science experiment that astounds adults whenever I perform it. I take some thin wire, coil it up and attach the ends to a small light bulb. Then I place the coil of wire near a nice strong magnet conveniently found on the refrigerator door. Nothing happens. But when I rapidly move the coil around within that magnetic field – presto! The light burns brightly for as long as I continue to wave the wire around.

God created a world in which movement is a miraculous source of energy. That is why dancing is such an appealing art form and why Jews enthusiastically dance in circles around the bride and groom at weddings. Conversely, whenever the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, wished to convey a sinister sense of ominous foreboding, his movie scene resembled a snapshot…all still and silent. Even the trees don’t move. (Remember “The Birds?”)

Want to bring miracles into your life? The first step is motion. Do something. Just stop sitting still. If you’re feeling down and miserable, start dancing. Or jump around, or do some strenuous exercises. You’ll immediately feel

energized and better able to tackle your challenges.

Noah didn’t stand with God, he walked with God. (Genesis 6:9)

Abraham and Isaac didn’t stand before God, they walked before God. (Genesis 48:15)

The Hebrew word for Miracle – NeS – also has a second meaning; a banner or flag of the kind that is held aloft before a marching army. Miracles and movement; the two always go together.

To bring the miracles we need in our life, we need to move. That might mean changing a position or changing some fundamental ideas.

Sometimes it means moving jobs, it could mean moving location, but most times, the first thing we need to move is away from bad thinking, bad attitudes, or the bad scripts we play over and over in our minds.

Movement makes light and energy, and movement makes miracles. Though moving can sometimes be scary, remaining stationary is ominous. As long as the movement, like that of Noah, Abraham and Isaac, is with God or before God, we don’t need to fear it:

The Lord is my light and my salvation.

hom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life.

Of whom shall I be afraid?

(Psalm 27:1)

Thought Tool

39

Who’s Counting?

We dismiss discrepancies, redundancies, and number “mistakes” as our eyes glaze over.

Do you shy away from numbers? Do you think of yourself as someone who would rather talk than cipher? According to ancient Jewish Wisdom, numbers actually tell a story.

When you have the cold facts, you can construct the story yourself. As a young man I worked as a salesman, visiting stores to introduce the owners to a line of watches I was supposed to convince them to carry. At the end of the day when I came back to my boss, I started to tell him how this owner was away for the day, while another had just placed an order for a different line of watches, and how the third wouldn’t get off the telephone.

My boss, who was also my uncle, told me to forget the stories. “Just show me the sales figures. They’ll tell me the entire story I need to know,” he said. Ouch!

This truth is captured in the Hebrew language. When

God tells Abraham to count the stars of the Heaven in

Genesis 15:5, the Bible uses the same root word as when Pharaoh relates his disturbing dream about cows and stalks in

Genesis 41:8. In both Genesis cases, the words used for counting (1,2,3…) and telling (Once upon a time) stem from the root S-P-R, which are the root letters of both the word “book” and the word “number.” We can’t seem to get away from this story/arithmetic partnership.

רפסל = liSaPeR = To tell

רפסל = liSPoR = To count

If the words for number and counting are the same as for telling and story, we need to understand the lesson God is teaching us by linking these concepts. This vital connection between the terminology for language and math is even evident in English.

We might say that Pharaoh recounted his dream. We don’t mean that he said, “One, one; two, two; three, three...” We mean that he told it over, don’t we? But while it’s an interesting tidbit as far as English is concerned, in Hebrew shared language means shared meaning.

In our case, what is the number/story relationship? Well, oftentimes in the Bible the numbers don’t add up. In Genesis 15:13 God tells Abraham that his children will be strangers in a foreign land (Egypt) for 400 years and they will be oppressed. But we know how old Abraham was at the time and by computing the years that Isaac lived and at what age Jacob went down to Egypt, we discover that it was only 210 years from when the children of Israel’s subjugation started until their redemption.

What happened to the missing 190 years? For the answer, you need to read the story that the numbers tell. There count starts from when God told Abraham that his descendants would suffer until the Exodus. That reality reveals an entire narrative. When you tell someone that something bad is going to happen in the future, you cause them pain in the present.

At the time Abraham was told of this future, Isaac had not even been born. Yet Abraham’s reaction wasn’t to say, “Well, I’m glad it isn’t me.” He began to experience affliction from that moment on. And the count began from that moment.

There are numerous truths like this one that are hinted at through the numbers in the Bible. Yet, we tend to dismiss discrepancies, redundancies, and number “mistakes” as our eyes glaze over while they skip the arithmetic. We need to go back, stop at each number and consult ancient Jewish wisdom to find out what story lies beneath the surface.

Thought Tool

40

Was Napoleon Right?

God clusters tragedies to remind us that

they are not random.

Once upon a time, the great Napoleon paid a state visit to Russia. Proud of the enlightened way his country, France, treated its Jewish population he asked to see some Russian Jews. His hosts brought him to a St. Petersburg synagogue. Entering the synagogue lit by only a few flickering candles, they found it filled with Jews sitting on the floor weeping in the dark. Napoleon swung around accusingly to his Russian hosts and asked “What did you do to them?”

Just as astonished, the Russians hastily denied complicity in whatever horrible calamity had produced this misery. Napoleon turned to the bereft community and asked what tragedy had befallen them.

The rabbi stepped forward and softly sobbed, “Our Temple has been destroyed.” Turning a reproachful face to his Russian guides, Napoleon asked why the Czar had done such a terrible thing. His hosts insisted that they were baffled by the accusation. Questioning further, Napoleon soon discovered that the Temple in question had stood not in Russia but in Jerusalem, and had been destroyed not recently but over 2,000 years earlier.

Napoleon is said to have proclaimed, “Any nation linked so powerfully to its history that it agonizes over such an ancient loss will ultimately outlive both France and Russia.”

Unbeknown to the government delegation, Napoleon’s visit took place on the Jewish date of Tisha B’Av, the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av. On this saddest day of the Hebrew calendar, Jews grieve and lament, neither eating nor drinking for 25 hours.

The date’s significance traces back to the Israelites wandering in the desert. As the time arrived to enter Israel, Moses sent men to spy out the land. Instead of returning with an encouraging report, they terrified Israel with their cowardly depiction of an unconquerable land. Ignoring God’s promise to take them into the Land the children of Israel wept in despair.

The congregation lifted up their voice, and cried;

the people wept all that night.

(Numbers 14:1)

Ancient Jewish wisdom informs us of God’s response which is both eerily prophetic and a solemn warning for our own lives.

…God said to Israel: You cry for nothing,

by my life I shall give you something to really cry about

on this date in every generation.

This is not a vindictive or petty response. God is recognizing a deep flaw in the people, who are all too quick to lose faith in Him and thus in themselves as well, and a tendency to find it easier to weep than to rejoice. All nations have sad days in their histories, but as you’d expect, they are distributed randomly around the calendar. However, with Jewish history there is nothing random.

In a way that utterly defies rational analysis, for three thousand years Jewish national tragedies have clustered about this date of the Ninth of Av. The destructions of both Jerusalem Temples, massacres, expulsions, pogroms and other disasters for the Jewish people occur disproportionately on or near Tisha B’Av.

We Jews recognize that the Temples were not destroyed because of the overwhelming power of the Babylonian army or the relentless advance of Roman forces. Sadly we know that both Temples were destroyed because of flaws in Jewish behavior.

It is an act of kindness that God clusters the tragedies most mysteriously around the date of the Ninth of Av to remind us that these tragedies are not random. If we only lived as we should, God would offer His protection over us just as surely as He would have brought the Israelites safely into their land.

We still mourn so deeply over the tragedies that God sends to His people century after century, because they remind us of how much in our present lives needs to be examined and improved. In that mourning there is comfort. Just as God brings calamities, He can and will bring salvation and redemption.

To move on the path of redemption, one first small step is to teach ourselves and our children that rather than being petty grumblers who allow our complaints and fears to overwhelm us, we should strive to recognize God’s goodness and blessings, seeking joy and happiness.

Thought Tool

41

Tough Luck – That’s How I Feel

We can control what we do

but can we control what we feel?

Modern culture believes that being true to oneself means expressing all our emotions. Feelings are idolized; almost sacred and beyond our control. The Torah, however, abounds with commandments instructing us to feel certain emotions and not to feel others.

• Do not feel like wanting someone else’s

possessions. (Ex. 20:17)

• Feel happy. (Deut. 28:45-47)

• Feel filled with love for God (Deut. 6:5)

• Do not feel hatred (Lev. 19:17)

But are emotions under our control? We can certainly control what we do but how can we control what we think or what we feel? How can a good and fair God expect from us something which is not in our power?

Clearly, we must have the extraordinary ability to control our very thoughts and emotions; otherwise God wouldn’t ask it from us. The question is how to develop control of our feelings.

Passover commemorates the exodus of ancient Israel from slavery in Egypt. Scripture describes the Passover sacrifice of the Pascal lamb that the Israelites were to barbecue and eat. One interesting rule was that no bone of the animal could be broken.

…neither shall ye break a bone thereof.

(Exodus 12:46)

In the grand scheme of the Exodus, why does it matter if a bone is broken while eating that meal? Ancient Jewish wisdom teaches us a surprisingly counterintuitive answer: Feelings follow actions, not the other way around.

The central theme of Passover is a transition from slavery to freedom. In order to feel free, one must act free. A free man doesn’t eat with haste, devouring his food and breaking the bones to suck every last morsel of nourishment from his meal. Rather he eats in a dignified and leisurely manner. The Torah is letting us know that the way we behave changes the way we feel. Act the way you want to be, and your feelings will change.

This concept is demonstrated by Joseph while being rushed out of prison to advise Pharaoh. He takes the time to shave himself and change his own clothing to shift his mindset away from prisoner. He didn’t want to appear before Pharaoh feeling like a prisoner.

Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his clothing and came in to Pharaoh.

(Genesis 41:14)

One illustration of this principle is that forcing a smile onto your face is an effective way to stop feeling sad. In other words, if you don’t like the way you feel, start acting the way you’d act if you already felt the way you wished you felt. This tool from ancient Jewish wisdom is invaluable for helping you get to where you want to be both personally and in your relationships with others.

Thought Tool

42

Whater, Whater Everywhere…

Have you ever wondered why it is that we use words like thirst and quench to refer to both water and wisdom? Thinking about it, phrases such as, “I thirst for knowledge” or “He’s a real fountain of information,” don’t make a lot of sense. Well, they do if you know that according to ancient Jewish wisdom any references to water in the Bible have a second meaning referring to wisdom.

After all, water is vital for physical life, so it’s no surprise that “water” should refer to a source of spiritual life, which is true wisdom. Just as all humans have a thirst for water, we also have a thirst for “spiritual water”, wisdom.

*מ י מ

Mem Yud Mem

The Hebrew word for water is MaIM. As you can see above, it is made up of two of the letter Mem on either side of the letter Yud. If it weren’t for the fact that there is no word for coincidence in the Lord’s language (teaching us that there is no such thing in reality), I would think it an incredible coincidence that the water molecule consists of two of one kind of atom on either side of another kind of atom.

Not only that, but if you were to draw lines from the center of mass of the middle letter, the Yud, to the centers of mass of the Mems, you would find that the angle formed is approximately the angle formed by the H2O molecule.

O

104.45˚

H H

The Hebrew language also reveals a secret to acquiring wisdom. The general rule for pluralizing a Hebrew word that ends in the letter Heh (ה) is to drop the Heh and add a Yud and a Mem to the end, the same last two letters of MaIM, water. For example, the Hebrew word for year is SHaNaH, (shin, nun heh) while the word for years is SHaNIM (Shin, Nun, Yud, Mem).

הנש *מינש

The Hebrew word for egg is BeIZaH(Bet, Yud, Tzade, Heh), the word for eggs is BeIZIM (Bet, Yud, Tzade, Yud, Mem).

הציב *מיציב

So, if we were to pluralize the Hebrew word for “what” which is MaH (Mem, Heh), what would we end up with?

המ *מימ

Well, we would end up with the word for water MaIM (Mem, Yud, Mem)!

It should come as no surprise to you that many modern languages have retained this characteristic of the word for water being linked to the word for “What.” For instance, in German we’d ask “What?” by saying “Was?” Now, following German grammatical rules for pluralizing, many questions – many “whats?” would read “wasser” which of course, is exactly the German word for water. Similarly, one can easily spot the same pattern in English…What…Water. And in Latin, “aqua” and “que.” The message is simple.

The best means of acquiring knowledge is to ask questions. As ancient Jewish wisdom insists, one must always feel comfortable displaying one’s ignorance. The next time you feel the need to ask a question but don’t know how to or are embarrassed to, try using one of these three formulations:

1) Let me see if I understand you correctly...

2) Are you saying…?

3) I must be missing something, but I don’t

really understand where you’re going...

Grow comfortable asking questions, because without the Mah you will never attain the MaIM, and life without wisdom is as hopeless as life without water.

* The standard form of the letter Mem is used, as opposed to the final Mem, so that those without a familiarity with the final letter forms can recognize it.

Thought Tool

43

Male Or Female?

We like to pretend that women and men in the

21st century live under new and liberating rules.

While I was still a young child, my parents repeatedly asked, “Do you know why God gave you two ears and only one mouth?” And before I could reply, they would remind me to listen twice as much as I spoke.

Later, parents and teachers taught me that before I could be original and creative, I first needed to learn and value the wisdom of those who preceded me. My father also practiced this. He even learned German in order to read in the original one of the great 19th century transmitters of ancient Jewish wisdom, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch.

One of Rabbi Hirsch’s specialties was pointing out what looks like incorrect gender usage in the Bible. Hebrew nouns, pronouns, adjectives and verbs communicate gender. For instance, field – SaDeH – is a masculine noun, whereas city – IR – is a feminine noun. Rabbi Hirsch taught that these categories are not happenstance and how apparent grammatical “mistakes” in the Bible are actually the equivalent of flashing red lights that should cause us to stop, ask questions, and gain wisdom.

When I say, “You need a rabbi” it is often because English translations clean up the “errors” causing the lesson to be lost. In my Genesis Journeys series, my mission is to return these valuable lessons to those who can’t learn the Bible in the original.

What do I mean? Well, after fleeing Egypt as a young man, Moses meets the daughters of Jethro by the well. The problem is that the pronouns used in referring to these women, repeatedly flip gender.

Take a look at this:

And the shepherds came and chased them (masculine); and Moses arose and saved them (feminine);

and he gave their (masculine) sheep water.

(Exodus 2:17)

Obviously Jethro’s daughters were female and deserved feminine pronouns. Moses eventually marries one of them. Needless to say, God did not commit a grammatical error. Therefore we can know that in this passage, God is not teaching us history but providing information that can enhance our lives.

These shepherds were not gentlemen. They chased the girls away because they were stronger, feeling no sense of shame at abusing girls. The masculine pronoun tells us that they treated them exactly as they would have treated men. From our perspective, their bullying would have been wrong against men too, but is even worse because of the victims’ gender.

By contrast, Moses recognized an obligation to protect the women, as the pronoun reflects. However like most interactions between men and women, there was potential psychological impact. Whenever a man rescues a woman from trouble, he gains an emotional window when he can take advantage of her. So when Moses gave water to the girls’ sheep, the masculine pronoun informs us that he was careful to do so with the same attitude that he would have had he been helping a group of guys. He was being genuinely chivalrous, not trying to score points.

We like to pretend that women and men in the 21st century live under new and liberating rules. There would be far fewer tears and much less heartbreak if this was true.

This verse helped me teach my teenage son about his choice of being a knave or a knight. It helped me teach my daughters the necessity of monitoring their emotions carefully and guarding against being manipulated. Knowing when you are emotionally vulnerable makes you less so.

You too can use this information to open a dinner conversation with your son and daughter about male behavior. Maybe it’s even a conversation you or I need to have with ourselves.

Although he died before my father was born, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch saved my father’s life. Trapped as a student in Lithuania as it was overrun by the Nazis, he used the German language skills that he learned studying Rabbi Hirsch’s teachings to convince a Nazi official to grant him an exit visa. He then fled to Switzerland.

But the Biblical lessons that Rabbi Hirsch and other Torah transmitters teach are life saving in many ways. Not least of these is helping us to understand unchanging human nature, particularly our own.

Thought Tool

44

Prayer Power

Calling upon God for rescue is not praying –

that is begging.

All of us recognize that people are not born with the skills needed to dance ballet, perform brain surgery, drive a car, or balance a check book. What is harder to realize is that just as we need to spend time and energy learning, refining and practicing the above talents in order to excel at them, we need to do exactly the same for the life skill of praying.

Let us first agree on what Prayer is NOT. Ignoring God for days, weeks, or even years and then suddenly calling upon Him for rescue when you’re in some sort of trouble is not praying – that is begging. And, yes, while a benevolent God certainly listens to beggars that is not the ideal situation for us to be in. Wouldn’t you rather pray than beg?

Now we are ready to examine what praying IS. The

Hebrew root word for prayer, PaLeiL, shows that it is one of the few double Lamed words. Others are HaLeiL (praise God as in HaLeL-ujah... see the original Hebrew in there?) and KaLeiL meaning to curse or destroy. (See how today’s English word “Kill” retains the double L spelling?)

ל ל פ = PaLeiL = To Pray

ל ל פ = PaLeiL = To Judge

Lamed Lamed Peh

The double Lamed words meaning praising God, cursing (or spiritually killing) someone, and praying are all words of immense spiritual power. This is reflected in the shape of the Hebrew letter Lamed – it reaches skyward.

Now the root meaning of the Hebrew word for praying, PaLeiL, also means to judge. We can see the word here:

Then Pinhas arose and judged and the

plague was stopped.

(Psalms 106:30)

Again:

If one man sins against another,

the judge shall judge him.

(1Samuel 2:25)

In both cases, the Hebrew word for judging is our word PaLeiL.

The final clue we need is that Hebrew verbs reveal much by their form, and the form used for pray is MiTPaLeiL, called the reflexive form – something I do to myself.

Now that is strange, isn’t it? I thought that praying was something I do towards God, and yet the very essence of the Hebrew word indicates that it is something that starts with what I do to myself. What do I do to myself?

Using the clue that the word relates to judgment, we see that the beginning of prayer is self-judgment or looking at ourselves and asking how we are presenting ourselves to God. Only then can we recognize and acknowledge the gap between what God expects us to be and what we really are. The next step is to commit to making ourselves worthy of having our requests granted. Now, we are ready to make our requests.

Praying effectively involves five steps:

1. Candid self-judgment

2. Commitment to change

3. Awareness of God’s love for us

4. Expression of praise and gratitude

5. Requests

No single text book, let alone just a few paragraphs, could produce dancers or surgeons. And this brief Thought Tool cannot embroider the fullness of the entire prayer experience. But perhaps it can provide some incentive, encouraging us all to explore and experiment with the exciting power of prayer.

Thought Tool

45

Eat, Drink And Be Merry – Not

The Bible never asks us to do the easy

and the natural.

In my view, people seeking to become naturalized

Americans should do three things:

1. They should study the role of Biblical

religion in America’s history.

2. They should study the Constitution of the

United States.

3. They should explore Norman Rockwell’s

paintings.

My third recommendation would give new Americans a warm and nostalgic picture of American life and values. These Norman Rockwell paintings are often humorous and frequently touching.

One of Rockwell’s masterpieces, Saying Grace, shows a properly dressed woman stopping at a diner with an equally well dressed young boy. This isn’t an elegant restaurant; they even have to share a table with other diners. The other customers, all unpolished males, slightly rough around the edges, watch intently as our two central characters bow their heads in prayer.

You can make your own judgments about the wonderful expressions on the men’s faces. My question for you is whether the praying pair is about to eat or have they finished their food?

My guess is that most people assume that the grace is preceding the meal. Indeed, happily, it is still a common sight around America to see families and individuals bow their heads before eating.

However, the Bible does not command us to say a blessing before eating, it explicitly only requires a blessing after the meal.

And you shall eat, be satisfied,

and bless the Lord your God.

(Deuteronomy 8:10)

Nowhere do we find an instruction to bless the Lord before we are satisfied, let alone before the first bite. Yet that is exactly what so many of us quite appropriately, do.

You see, the Bible never asks us to do the easy and the natural. In fact the Bible made western Civilization possible by introducing this revolutionary idea: it is not only possible, but vital, to overcome nature, particularly our own.

When we potty train a toddler we make important progress in the quest to teach a young human that doing what is right is better than doing what comes naturally. When a young person makes the holy commitment to remain chaste until marriage, he or she is doing what is right rather than what is natural.

When a man shows up for work every single day – on time – he is doing what is right rather than what is natural.

From soon after we are born, our parents direct us toward doing what is right. For the rest of our lives, our goal should be to elevate ourselves above the natural.

Since hunger induces spiritual awareness, most sensitive humans feel the need to say a blessing before satisfying their hunger. Thus, we can be counted on to do so without instruction. This, in fact, is exactly what both Jews and Christians do.

But it is unnatural for the satiated diner with bulging belly to pause prior to staggering away from the table, in order to express profound gratitude to the Creator. That is precisely why God demands it of us, through His words in Deuteronomy.

It may not be the easiest thing, but we should strive to be good rather than to be natural, and to teach our children to make the same analyses. When faced with a decision between two choices, one of which is something we want to do and one of which is something we know we should do, picturing Norman Rockwell’s mother and son in the diner can serve as true inspiration.

Thought Tool

46

What’s The Big Joke?

Laughter is dependent on a deep awareness of the existence of reality, standards and judgment.

Have you ever heard blood curdling cries coming from the room where your children are playing and raced in, heart pounding, only to find that the kids were actually laughing hysterically?

In the absence of visual clues, it is all but impossible to tell whether one is hearing a human convulsed in frenzied laughter or that same person expressing unendurable grief.

Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year, is a solemn holyday. Far from the frivolity and drunken revelry of New Year’s Eve, the Rosh HaShana holyday is viewed as a Day of Judgment. It is the day on which God determines each of our fates for the coming year. Its main observance is the blowing of the shofar, or ram’s horn. The three distinct sounds one hears when a shofar is blown competently are intended to replicate the range of sounds of a person either laughing or crying.

Why is laughter so significantly linked to such a serious holyday?

Every holyday has Torah portions designated for public reading on that day. These are not randomly chosen sections of Scripture, but instead serve as signposts to the meaning of the day. On Rosh HaShana, we read Chapters 21 and 22 of Genesis which chronicle the birth and early life of Isaac, son of Abraham and Sarah. Even from conception, laughter surrounds his life.  In fact, out of the thirteen Scriptural references to laughter, nine occur in the context of Isaac’s life. His name itself means “he shall laugh” and was chosen by God.

Paradoxically, Isaac is connected not only to laughter, but of the three Patriarchs, he is also most closely associated with the idea of judgment and accountability. His essence, just like the holyday of Rosh HaShana seems to bring

together the unlikely bedmates of judgment and laughter.

Laughter is a uniquely human expression of delight. Despite the fond imaginings of devoted pet-owners, animals are incapable of humor and laughter. What makes humans laugh?

People laugh at almost anything which violates their sense of how things ought to be. A pompous mayor who slips on a banana peel is funny. A tramp who falters and sprawls on the sidewalk is just sad.

We laugh at cartoons of talking animals because of our underlying conviction that only humans were given the gift of speech. And Isaac’s miraculous birth to a 90 year old woman and a 100 year old man is a cause of joyous laughter.  Humor is only funny in the context of a fixed framework which it contradicts.

So laughter is dependent on a deep awareness of the existence of reality, standards and judgment. For this reason, laughter is a holy acknowledgment that there really is a set of inviolable human standards set by God.

Tears too, are a response to a deviation from the norm. During extended catastrophes, such as plague or war, when death becomes commonplace, people react to it with eerie placidity. An abused child quickly becomes stone faced rather than tearing up. Tears of grief and even pain are a luxury reserved for when sadness and agony are not the norm.

On Rosh HaShana, the Day of Judgment, we accept that it is not us but God who is the final arbiter of justice. During this period, we examine our deeds of the past year for instances of failure and straying from God’s path.

Rather than chafing at the restrictions He puts on us, we joyfully confirm the existence of a system of cosmic justice that brings stability and tranquility to our daily lives and allows us both laughter and tears.

Thought Tool

47

Going Up

God isn’t saying He’ll spare anyone who doesn’t know upon what wrist to wear his watch.

My friend Al confessed his unease to me about his son going to Mexico for spring break. His son’s assurance that the airfare was cheap didn’t change anything. I told Al how the Torah discusses many journeys. For instance, we’re told of Lot’s departure from his uncle Abraham:

Isn’t the whole land before you?...if you go left,

I will go to the right…Then Lot chose for himself the

valley of the Jordan; and Lot journeyed from the east.

(Genesis 13:11)

We also hear when Judah departs from his brothers.

And then it came to pass that Judah went down

from his brothers…

(Genesis 38:1)

Samson supplies another example:

Samson went down to Timna and saw a woman

in Timna of the daughters of the Philistines……

he came up and told his father and his mother…….

now get her for me as my wife.

(Judges 14:1-2)

Each example tells more than geography. When we read about right and left we are seeing metaphors for good and evil. Look at the closing words of Jonah:

Should I not spare Nineveh, that great city, more than

one hundred and twenty thousand persons who

cannot discern between right and left….?

(Jonah 4:11)

God is not saying that he will spare anyone who doesn’t know upon what wrist to wear his watch. God is saying He will not wipe out a city whose inhabitants have never learned the difference between good and evil.

Similarly, as Lot leaves Abraham for the depravity of Sodom, the Torah hints at the moral aspects of the journey by telling us about right and left.

In the second example, Judah is not actually traveling to a lower elevation. The words “Judah went down from his brothers” tells us that this journey took him downwards morally. Not surprisingly he soon has a problematic encounter.

We see the same story with Samson. Timna is not at a lower elevation. Scripture is describing the moral aspects of the journey. Not surprisingly Samson soon contracts a disastrous marriage.

פ ע ס נ מ ל כ י

The Hebrew word for travel, NaSaH, underlined here on the left, is one of the few Hebrew words made up of 3 consecutive letters in the Hebrew alphabet, as in D→E→F. These rare words describe actions that lead to a direct consequence. The word underlined to the right, YaChoL, means ‘able to’, as in able to do something. Again, the decision that one is capable of something leads to consequences.

Travel always has consequences – some are physical like cost and discomfort perhaps but more importantly, most journeys also have moral consequences. Upon setting out on any journey, a wise and prudent person always carefully examines all the consequences, both physical and spiritual.

Oh yes, Al discussed all this with his son who decided to come home and spend spring break with his dad. Al took a break from work to enjoy time with his son, but that journey is another story.

Thought Tool

48

The Sun’ll Come Out Tomorrow

What view of tomorrow should we welcome

into our hearts today?

I have been blessed with a daughter named Tamara.

You won’t be surprised to hear that people meeting her regularly break out singing – “The sun will come out tomorrow…” from the musical Annie.

The song reflects Annie’s optimism and eagerness to meet her future, but if she studied ancient Jewish wisdom, she would actually sing, “The sun will come out today.” Such a change would not only save my daughter from well-intentioned but unmusical humorists, it would also more accurately

reflect a Biblical understanding of what a day really is.

In the first chapter of Genesis, during the seven days of creation, the phrase:

And it was evening and it was morning…

repeats seven times. First comes evening, and thereafter, morning. God is teaching us that a complete day begins with the evening.

For this reason, the Jewish Sabbath begins as the sun goes down on Friday evening and ends Saturday night. Early Americans, deriving guidance from the Bible also celebrated their Sabbath from sunset of the day before.

The New England Sabbath always began at sunset on

Saturday night and ended at the next sunset... (George M. Stephenson, The Puritan Heritage [New York: MacMillan Co., 1952], 181-182)

This is not surprising considering that Colonial Americans were avid Bible scholars, often learning the text and the oral transmission in the original Hebrew. My Genesis Journeys series is how I make this Hebraic heritage which was known to early American Christians, completely accessible to their modern day counterparts in (what I hope is) an engaging and useful manner.

Now let’s examine the moral message behind God declaring that the twenty-four hour period we call a day should run, not from midnight to midnight, or from morning to morning but from sunset to sunset?

One message God conveys to us with this information is particularly apt when we find ourselves in challenging economic times and times of international peril.

It is a message of hope. Almost everyone recognizes night and day to be metaphors for harder and easier times. Don’t we all feel more optimistic when the sun is shining? We smile more easily and in general feel more cheerful about life. By contrast, in the dark we often feel a little vulnerable and unsure of ourselves. Disaster seems to loom much more readily.

We all have a choice in how we choose to live our lives. We can assume that regardless of how blessed our today is, we nonetheless ought to fill our hearts with gloom because tomorrow is sure to bring disaster. Alternatively, we can know that whatever we must contend with today, tomorrow will be brighter.

One way of viewing tomorrow suggests that our final destination as the human race is some inevitable catastrophe and utter doom. The alternative is to see ourselves, despite whatever bumps we hit on the way, moving towards a glorious period of Divine redemption, a Messianic age of life and universal goodness.

Nobody knows for sure what tomorrow will bring. The question is what view of tomorrow we should welcome into our hearts today. And few things influence the choices we make and the quality of our lives today, as much as the vision of tomorrow that we keep alive in our hearts.

God’s message to humanity that He embedded in the seven days of creation is that light follows darkness. There may very well be treacherous and scary shoals to navigate, but people of faith can know that the final outcome will be a safe and sunny harbor. I am fortunate in that my daughter Tamara helps me hold on to that thought no matter what else happens. Yes, the sun certainly will come out today!

Thought Tool

49

And You Shall Teach Yourself

Those of us who love the Bible have

quite a responsibility.

1492 was a tragic year for the Jews of Spain as they were expelled from the country where they had lived for centuries. Forced to leave their possessions behind, the Jews fanned out, searching for a new home and the opportunity to build a new life.

Don (the Spanish for Sir) Isaac Abarbanel, one of the greatest rabbis of his generation, served first as treasurer under King Alfonso V of Portugal, and then in the Spanish house of Castile, where he arranged the financing for Columbus’ expedition. In deference to his position at court, King Ferdinand made an exception to the expulsion edict for him. However, this Torah scholar chose to share the fate of his people and headed into exile.

After seven months of wandering, Don Isaac Abarbanel found himself spending Passover alone, isolated from his family and friends, in a small town on the Italian coast near Genoa. He was determined to make the best of his lonely circumstances and to fully observe the holyday, including the obligation to answer questions about the Exodus.

Unlike previous years where he was the wise elder answering the questions of all the participants, this year he had to play both roles; asking himself questions about the Haggadah (the script for the evening) and then seeking to uncover the answers. Delving deeply into the story of the Exodus, he came up with one hundred penetrating questions which he asked himself and then proceeded to answer.

Now, I know many good and decent people who have never been introduced to the Bible. I know others whose introduction was so poorly done that they were alienated from God and His Message for humanity. But in an altogether different way, some universities teach their students that faith and the Bible might be fine for foolish and uneducated folk, but not for those with penetrating minds and advanced degrees. I am always astounded by that type of statement.

What happened to intellectual humility? To dismiss Bible believers like Sir Isaac Newton, scientist Johannes Keppler, and yes Don Isaac Abarbanel as less brilliant than oneself, takes quite some hubris.

Those of us who love the Bible have quite a responsibility. Too many people still learn the Bible at the same level that they did as a child in Sunday school. The reality is that each and every one of us needs to continue learning at ever more mature and complex levels.

There is a passage which observant Jews recite twice each day. It instructs

And you shall teach them to your children,

talking of them [my commandments], when you sit

in your house, and when you walk by the way,

and when you lit down, and when you rise up.

(Deuteronomy 6:7)

םתא םתדמלו = And you shall

teach them

Interestingly, the underlined word “them”, in Hebrew OTaM, is mssing a letter (vav), which allows it to be also read as “yourself,” ATeM.

םתא = Them/Yourself

םתוא = Them

The message is that while it is important to teach your children, it is just as important that “you shall teach yourself…” In fact, Ancient Jewish wisdom explains that if you have only enough money to afford religious education for either yourself or your child, your own spiritual growth takes precedence. You will then pass two invaluable lessons on to your children.

Firstly, you will teach them whatever you learn, and secondly you will be conveying to them the idea that the quest for knowledge never ends, no matter one’s age. Determine to learn something new everyday of your life. Do not be content with your current level of understanding. I hope that I can help you in this quest by providing exhilarating examples of Bible learning in an adult and stimulating manner.

Thought Tool

50

Closing The Circle?

Look forward and see that you have

much more work ahead of you.

When I was nine, I saved up every penny to fulfill my yearning for an electric train. Finally, I ran to the hobby store.

Arriving home, I set up the circular track. My little engine, pulling two coaches and a caboose, circled endlessly, repeatedly passing the same wooden station and plastic trees I had set up beside my track.

I dreamed of laying out one long straight run so that my train could constantly explore new landscapes. But one long track would quickly take the train out of my sight. Neither straight line nor circle was ideal.

What a metaphor for life! Making each year merely a dreary replica of last year is as dissatisfying as constantly seeking the new and novel.

When my birthday comes around again, am I just returning to the same station on the track where I found myself a year ago? That can be depressing.

Conversely, when I sit down with my family for a Thanksgiving Dinner, am I at a station totally unrelated to the happy family dinner I was at last Thanksgiving? That is also rather depressing. So which is life, a circle or a straight line?

Ancient Jewish wisdom offers two powerful principles to help us answer this question.

The first principle advises that the best way to envision our lives is as a spiral. When a birthday, Thanksgiving, or an anniversary comes around, we are indeed in the same station that we visited twelve months ago, however we are one floor up. We annually travel up a spiral and so I am at my birthday again, but as I look at the level below me I can point to achievements during the past twelve months.

The second principle advises us never to view ourselves as actually finishing the circle.

For instance, on the Jewish holyday Simchat Torah, the final portion of the Pentateuch is read. Once the closing words of Deuteronomy “…all the great and awesome deeds which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel” are read, we do not close the scroll and pat ourselves on the back. No, we immediately roll the scroll back to the beginning and continue reading the opening words of Genesis, “In the beginning God created heaven and earth.”

These ideas are neatly revealed when we study the Hebrew word for conclusion. SiYUM.

םויס

Reading from right to left, the word comprises four letters: SaMeCH, YUD, VaV, and MeM.

Remarkably, these are the only four letters in the Hebrew alphabet whose “hidden” name equals the numerical value of their visible names.

What do I mean? Well, if English worked like this, we might find that the letter J’s full name was Jay. The J would be the visible part and the ‘ay” would be the hidden part. In addition, each letter would have a specified numerical value.

This is exactly how Hebrew works. So, the first letter, the round one, SaMeCh, has a visible letter part, the ‘S’ whose numerical value is 60. The hidden components of that letter are M and CH. Their numerical values, respectively, are 40 and 20, which add up to 60, the visible part. The same is true for each of the remaining three letters of the Hebrew word SiYUM – conclusion or ending, but not true for any other letters in the Hebrew alphabet.

When you are sure that you have concluded something, a closer examination will expose a different conclusion.

For instance, I might have a wonderful marriage but that is not the end. This just reminds me that I must constantly work at it. It can never be placed in a “finished” pile. The same holds true for my work, relationships and finances.

Look back and see that you are not in exactly the same place you were a year ago. Now look forward and see that you have much more work ahead of you. You are not done. And, as long as you are alive, you don’t want to be done.

As you finish this book, I will know I fulfilled my goal if instead of saying “Done!” with great satisfaction, the tools provided spur you on to even further growth.

“

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in other words – a rabbi, and Daniel Lapin is my rabbi. His background and scholarship uniquely equip him to help people like me extract the deep meaning of each Biblical verse to improve every aspect of my life. And let me tell you, as someone who has been speaking to large audiences for years this rabbi can really entertain while he educates – you’ll laugh while

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University of Texas

“How is it that this British accented Orthodox Rabbi has gained the attention and respect of so many leaders from all walks of life? It doesn’t take long to know the answer once you have heard Rabbi Lapin speak. He possesses the rare combination of Biblical knowledge, and a compelling intellect coupled with down to earth wisdom and humor that leaves you truly the

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Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church

“For over a decade I have been watching my friend Rabbi

Daniel Lapin’s spell-binding oratory electrify large Christian audiences. His Biblical scholarship, love of America, and command of the English language bring the Bible to life. In a unique way he transforms ancient verses into effective solutions to our modern problems. Rabbi Lapin’s insights and depth of knowledge make this a tremendous resource. This brand new audio program can now make America’s rabbi part of your life just as he is part of mine.

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Teachings

from Rabbi Daniel Lapin

Books

Biblical Blueprint Audio Series

One Audio CD

Thou Shall Prosper

Ten Commandments for Making Money

Thou Shall Prosper explains:

- Why Jews throughout the ages flourish

economically

- How you can benefit from this Jewish wisdom

- What “being in business” means, whether you are a professional, a CEO or flipping burgers

- Why you should never retire

Buried Treasure

Secrets for Living from the Lord’s Language

Buried Treasure gives you a glimpse into God’s

understanding of:

- Love

- Happiness

- Faith

- Wealth

Day for Atonement

Heavenly Gift of Spiritual Serenity

Day for Atonement answers these questions:

- Are you handicapped by yesterday’s mistakes?

- What is the truth behind astrology and horoscopes?

- Why does the Bible mention the Day of Atonement three separate times?

- Do you know Jonah’s lesson for your life?

One Audio CD

One Audio CD

One Audio CD

One Audio CD

Let Me Go

How to Overcome Life’s Challenges and Escape Your Own Egypt

- What three Bible secrets can help everyone escape

difficult times

- Did Moses really say, “Let My People Go”

- How to recognize your angels in disguise

- Why the Jews needed to leave Egypt in broad daylight

Perils of Profanity

You Are What You Speak

- How vulgar speech damages your chances for success in both business and personal relationships

- Why Joseph recounted his dreams to his brothers, knowing that they would be angered

- What damage to the soul comes from using or hearing profanity

- Why everyone, even those who don’t curse, should be concerned about the prevalence of foul language in our culture

The Ten Commandments

How Two Tablets Can Transform Your Life and Direct Our Nation

- Why the Ten Commandments must be displayed in public

- How positive human interaction is based on these vital verses

- Why they had to be on two tablets, not just one

- How crucial differences between America and the old Soviet Union are dictated by each country’s attitude toward these phrases

Boost Your Income

Three Spiritual Steps to Success

- Why have Jews flourished economically?

- Do you treat money like candles or cake?

- What money advice does Joseph and his brothers have for you?

- Do you make money or take money?

- Should you do what you love or love what you do?

Two audio CD set plus

a 16-page study guide

Two audio CD set plus

a 16-page study guide

Two audio CD set plus

a 16-page study guide

Genesis Journeys:

Clash of Destiny

Decoding the Secrets of Israel and Islam

- What Muslims know about prayer that most people, even those who pray regularly, don’t

- The dark side of laughter

- Why recruits in Arab terrorist training camps say

“Heil Hitler”

- How to rise above our cultural and genetic legacy

Genesis Journeys:

Tower of Power

Decoding the Secrets of Babel

- How every Hebrew Biblical name has a meaning that sheds light on the person’s true character

- The seductive lure of socialism and how it affects you

- What both Abraham and Pharaoh have to do with the Tower of Babel

- Why companies often fail after constructing huge buildings

Genesis Journeys:

The Gathering Storm

Decoding the Secrets of Noah

- What parenting technique Noah used that resulted in his children being saved

- Why the dimensions given for the ark are vital for your life

- The hidden meaning of the entire “begat” section of Genesis

- Similarities between our own days and the days

preceding the Flood

Genesis Journeys Audio Series

Table of Contents

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Table of Contents

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