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Morning Blessings

Morning Blessings Blessing #14: Israel’s Glory Every morning, a set of 15 blessings is recited to express our thanks to G-d for all the things that we, as healthy human beings, are capable of doing. Ba’ruch Ah’tah Ah’doh’nai Eh’lo’hay’nu Melech ha’o’lam oh’tayr Yisrael b’tif’arah. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, who crowns Israel with glory. This blessing addresses the unique situation of the Children of Israel. From a religious perspective, the Children of Israel are crowned by the Torah, by our choice to accept the yoke of Heaven and to try and live up to this higher ideal, which brings us glory. From a more down-to-earth perspective, one might note the great achievements of many Jews in the areas of science, literature, art and more, as symbolized by the out-of-proportion numbers of Jewish Nobel Prize winners. --Translation reproduced with permission from The Koren Sacks Siddur, © Koren Publishers Jerusalem Ltd.

Solomon a Biblical Jewish King

Devoting one self

Given how influential the thing to which we devote ourselves ends up being, it's surprising that many people don't even know what it is they've chosen. On the other hand, reasons are like the layers of an onion, one lying inside another, and if we never bother to peel back the outer ones, we'll never be able to catch a glimpse of the innermost one. But if we don't know what it is, that innermost one will pull us around as if it were a finger tugging on a ring in our nose—meaning that we'll do things without thinking in order to satisfy it and retrospectively rationalize our actions. And because we'll mostly do this without thinking, we'll be hard-pressed to stop. Which means that if we want to increase the degree of control we have over ourselves, we should choose our object of devotion wisely. Money remains perhaps the most common object of devotion. And though it's certainly important, if this is the predominant thing around which our lives orbit, a limit will be imposed on the height to which our happiness can rise. The second most common object of devotion is probably other people. And though devoting ourselves to compassionate action seems to place no limit on our ability to become happier, if our object of devotion is a specific person, we'll find it quite difficult to avoid not trying to give them whatever they want, which often isn't at all what they need. Further, as I wrote about in an earlier post, The Good Guy Contract, we'll also put ourselves at risk for needing too much from them: when their wants aren't met, our ability to remain happy will often suffer as well. On the other hand, though pursuing altruistic goals has been shown to increase happiness, we may not want to make other people in general the object of our devotion either. Though the caring for others may be instrumental in securing our own happiness, doing so at the expense of our own happiness is just as clearly problematic. A balance must be struck—a balance that's not so easy to find. Which is why Nichiren Buddhism argues that the object of our devotion should actually be ourselves. Not our selfish, small-minded selves, but rather our wiser, larger selves—the wisdom and compassion inherent in life itself, which Nichiren Buddhism terms the Buddha nature. By devoting ourselves to uncovering this nature and to manifesting it in daily life, Nichiren Buddhism argues, we'll be able to bring all other aspects of our lives into their proper perspective. And, in fact, whenever I've found myself stuck, either unable to achieve a goal or unable to endure a trauma, it's usually because I've made that goal or that trauma my object of devotion. (What else would thinking about something all the time to the exclusion of all other things make it?) But when I've realized this and consciously refocused my attention and interest on manifesting wisdom, barriers seem to fall and forward progress again occurs. Only by manifesting wisdom can we figure out how to balance our concern for ourselves with our concern for others, how much to value money compared to experience, and what we must do to live the happiest life possible. To make the object of our devotion our best selves, then, is to find an object truly worthy of worship.

We are the walking version of...

...the Bible. What has your Bible taught you? Do you just study? Do you believe? Do you live the way Yeshua wants us to?

I am not perfect but I am a work in progress. Obigado Yeshua!

Observe all G-d’s statutes and ordinances, and do them.

G-d instructs Moses to tell the Jewish people: “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your G-d, am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). How does one make oneself holy? The remaining 35 verses of Leviticus 19, however, offer specific mitzvot to help one achieve this goal. Here are those that are applicable even without the Holy Temple: 1. Fear your mother and father and keep Shabbat. 2. No idolatry. 3. Leave the corners of the harvested field and the gleanings of the field and the vineyard, as well as the fallen fruit of the vineyard, for the poor and the stranger. 4. Do not steal, deal falsely or lie to one another. 5. Do not swear falsely in G-d’s name. 6. Do not oppress or steal from your neighbor. 7. Pay your employees on time. 8. Judge your neighbor righteously. Do not disrespect the poor, nor favor the mighty. 9. Do not act as a talebearer, nor stand by idly as the blood of your neighbor is shed. 10. Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your brother and do not bear sin because of him. 11. Do not take vengeance or bear a grudge. Love your neighbor as yourself. 12. Do not let your cattle mix-breed, or sow your field with mixed seed, and do not wear garments of mixed fibers (wool and linen). 13. The fruit of trees planted in Israel is forbidden for the first three years. According to many it applies outside of Israel as well. 14. Do not eat blood, practice divination or soothsaying, round the corners of your heads, mar the corners of your beard or make cuts of mourning in your flesh or imprint marks on your body. 15. Do not make your daughter a harlot. 16. Keep Shabbat and revere God’s sanctuary. 17. Do not try to communicate with the dead. 18. Respect the elderly. 19. Treat the convert as one of your own. 20. Keep honest weights and measures. 21. Observe all G-d’s statutes and ordinances, and do them.

How important do you think compatibility is for a long term relationship?

Rather than partnering with someone you consider to be hot, consider partnering with your best pal with shared world views, interests, life goals, and so forth. I would bet that in the long term you'd be glad you did! So what do you think?