Berenstain Bears by Stan and Jan Berenstain (he’s Jewish, she isn’t) (most published by Random House)
Bad Dream
A bedtime prayer:
Praised our You, HaShem, our G-d, Ruler of the Universe, who closes my eyes in sleep, my eyelids in slumber. May it be Your will, HaShem, my G-d and the G-d of my ancestors, to lay me down in peace and then to raise me up in peace. Let no disturbing thoughts upset me, no evil dream nor troubling fantasies. May my bed be complete and whole in Your sight . Grant me light so that I do not sleep the sleep of death. It is You who illuminates and enlightens. Praised our You, HaShem our G-d.
Some talmudic quotes about dreams found in A Book of Jewish Concepts by Phillip Birnbaum:
“A dream which is not interpreted is like a letter which is not read . . .
Neither a good dream nor a bad dream is ever wholly fulfilled . . .
Just as wheat cannot be without straw, so there cannot be a dream without some nonsense . . .
While a part of a dream may be fulfilled, the whole of it is never fulfilled . . .
Bar Hedya, an interpreter of dreams, used to give a favorable interpretation to the one who paid him; to one who failed to pay him he gave an unfavorable interpretation . . .
If one has seen a dream and does not remember it, let him offer the following prayer during the priestly benediction:
“Lord of the Universe, I am thine and my dreams are thine. I have dreamt a dream and do not know what it is . . . Whether I have dreamt about myself or my companions have dreamt about me . . . if they are good dreams, confirm them like the dreams of Joseph . . . So turn all my dreams into something good . . .” (Berakhoth 55a-56b)
Bad Habit
From Pike Avot: Keep three things in mind and you will escape the toils of wickedness: Know whence you came, whither you are going, and before Whom you will have to give a strict account.
Maimionides said: We naturally like what we have been accustomed to . . . This is one of the causes which prevent men from finding truth.
Count Their Blessings
Jewish tradition says to say 100 blessings a day. One of the sources for this is in Beresheet where Isaac thanks G-d for increasing his blessings 100fold. Also, the gematria for “tzadik” or righteous person (gematria is the practice of calculating the value of a Hebrew word based on the numerical value of the letters) leads to the following formula: On a daily basis we should say 90 amens (the letter “tzadik” has a value of 90), 4 Kedushahs (the letter “dalet” has a value of 4), 10 Kaddishes (the letter “yud” has value of 4), and 100 blessings as the letter “kof” has the value of 100.
Double Dare
The Talmud says to not put yourself in unnecessary danger.
Forget Their Manners
Rashi said: Never rebuke a man in such a way as to shame him in public.
Hillel said: Among those who stand, do not sit; among those who sit, do not stand. Among those who laugh, do not weep; among those who weep, do not laugh.
Get in a Fight
Rabbi Nachman said: The world stands firm because of those who close their lips during a quarrel.
The Talmud says: Be quick to calm and slow to anger.
Get the Gimmies
From Pirke Avot: Those who increase their flesh only increase food for the worms.
Also from the Pike Avot: He who says “What is mine is yours and what is yours is yours” is a righteous person.
Hide and Seek
God hides and we seek. If we don’t, God comes looking for us anyway. Just like children do when playing hide and seek.
The Genizah is the burial place for sacred writings after they have become too worn to be used. The word means “to hide.” Keep a box in the house next to the recycling and put all the papers in it that have G-d’s name on them. Save it for when your shul has a Genizah burial.
Trick or Treat
Purim is our dress-up night. A wonderful custom is to deliver shaloch manot. These are gifts of food and, traditionally, two pennies for tzedaka. It’s a joy to come home during the week before Purim to find baskets of home-made or store-bought treats on your doorstep. It’s an even greater joy to make up bags or baskets and deliver them to all your friends. The boys love delivering them.
An old saying about Purim is that on Purim, Jews masquerade as non-Jews. On Yom Kippur, Jews masquerade as Jews.
A sobering thought when we think of all the righteousness that we aspire to on Yom Kippur.
Trouble with Friends
Forgiveness
From Maimonides 5 Steps of Returning to our Best Selves:
1. Admit what you did wrong.
2. Say you are sorry.
3. Ask for forgiveness.
4. Promise to not do it again.
5. Don’t do it again.
Blessings
Saying blessings has been a blessing. Using a gift and being grateful for it with a blessing that has been around for centuries has helped me feel joy and humility. I love having so many blessings to use. The last line of the Babylonian Talmud says, "The only proper container for a blessing is peace." Blessings are a way for us to show gratitude for the things we receive. Judaism says that we do not own the earth,that we are sojourners here and must take care of the earth. The opening formula can be translated in several ways, each one having a different meaning to different people or to meaning different things to the same person. It can mean "Praised are You . . ;" or Source of All Being . . .;" or the more common one being "Blessed are You . . ." The grammatical structure of this last one has been puzzling to me until recently.. I thought it odd that we were blessing G-d. But that is exactly what we are doing.
Rabbi Eliezer Wenger in his Brochos Study Guide (B’ruach HaTorah Publications, Cincinnati, OH, 1983) discusses the meaning of the first six words of each blessing (Baruch Atta HaShem . . ) as explained by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
"Baruch means that each one of us no matter how small has the power to bless the uncomparable great Creator of the World." Baruch also means to "extend or to bring down" which means that we can "bring down G-dliness into this world through the Brocho he or she says."
The second word in the formula is Atta which means You, referring to G-d. If we can refer to G-d in such a personal way then G-d must be with us and not distant. Judaism teaches that G-d is a personal G-d. That G-d does care about what we eat, what we wear, even what kind of soap we use on Shabbat (one of the 39 prohibitions on Shabbat is about smoothing hard surfaces which translates at home to not using hard soap on Shabbat; a concept that I find deeply meaningful--G-d so close and personal that even soap is considered when trying to fill the commandment "you shall be holy for I the Lord, your G-d, am Holy".)
Then we say "HaShem" (Havaya) which means "past, present, and future." The blessing teaches us "that
G-d was, is, and will always be." The rebbe continues by saying that "the second meaning of HAVAYA, as in the word ‘M’Haveh’ is "He brings into being. Hashem is the one who creates the existence of everything." Then Elokeinu means "as explained in the Shulchan Oruch, ‘Kochainu--Our strength.’" We are saying that G-d is our strength, that we can find strength within ourselves everytime we bless G-d.
Then the last part of the formula is "Melakh Ha’Olam." G-d is within the world and does not leave it after creating it, but continues to be the "eternal and constant king and controller of the world."
See Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100th Day of Kindergarten entry for a list of blessings.
The Talmud says to say 100 blessings a day. It’s not hard to do if one davens three times a day, but it gets misconstrued as one of those oppressive, number-focused practices of the archaic Jewish religion. One hundred blessings a day is only a way to provide structure to the practice of striving for holiness. Without a guide, we would flounder in the whole mess. The practice of blessings for every action has also been interpreted by some non-Jews to show Judaism as being militaristic and more focused on the ritual rather than the ethical. This may well be true for some Jews, but for most others, trying to say a blessing for everything is simply one way that we can live in this world and attach holiness to each action. We don’t withdraw by exploiting or by escaping from the world.
There is an unfortunate reputation attached to blessings that conveys the image that we act like a drill sergeant, or the bracha police, when we require our children or friends to say blessings. It can seem that way sometimes and requires a tricky balancing act to keep it from becoming a chore. A little levity regarding blessings is always appreciated. According to the website Judaism 101, an orthodox
First, determine what kind of pizza it is.
If eating three or less slices of thin crust pizza, then say mezunot.
More than three slices or if eating thick crust pizza, then say hamotzi.
If it is
Be careful not to mix thin crust with thick crust so you don’t say the wrong blessing.
Some kosher pizza restaurants have signs that say their pizza dough is made in such a way as to not require hamotzi, which means you don’t say the full Grace After Meals.
I remember putting a plate of food in front of my boys when we first started learning to say a blessing before eating or drinking. They said, in a loud voice, "What is this?" I naturally thought they were voicing the standard kid complaint about the food, but they were actually asking what kind of food it was so they would know which blessing to say. Budding taxonomists! Another time, my six year-old looked up from his plate and said he forgot and had been saying a blessing for every bite of food. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing to try at least just once? It’s ironic that the people who think this is getting carried away would probably be very impressed by the story of the Zen Buddist who walked from San Francisco to Seattle by taking two steps forward, one step backward and then bowing after each time. If rabbis called themselves yoga masters Judaism would be hip.
Check out One Hundred Brachos: Counting Your Blessings 100 Times a Day by Rabbi Moshe Goldberger, (The Judaica Press, Inc., 200).
A nice way to start a blessing before your meal at home is to sing the following: “Ha-motzi lachem min ha-aretz (or the ending of whatever food blessing you are going to say). We give thanks to God for bread (or food, depending on the blessing). Our voices rise in song together as our joyful prayer is said.” Then say the regular blessing. This helps get the meal off and also lets everyone know what blessing you’re going to say.
The traditional ending to a blessing that you say is to not say Amen. Some do, but traditional Jews say that saying Amen to a blessing you’ve said is like agreeing to something you’ve already said and is tantamount to taking G-d’s name unnecessarily. It is a blessing to respond “Amen” to someone else who is saying a blessing. There is a tradition to say 100 blessings, 90 Amen’s, 10 Kaddish’s, and 4 Bareku’s per day. This comes from the numerical value for each letter in the word for “tzaddik.”
Try going to a crowded supermarket (one that draws diverse ethnic groups) after work and before you’ve eaten, so you’re tired and hungry. After you’ve filled your cart and are waiting in line, look around. For each person you see, say the following, “Praised is G-d, Who has created such wisdom and beauty in the world.” It will calm you down.
Boy Scouts
Rabbi Israel Lipkin Salanter (of Salant) lived 1810-1883. He was the founder and spiritual father of the Mussar Movement, a moral movement based on the study of traditional ethical literature. He preached 13 middot, character traits for Jews to work on in order to better ourselves. They are remarkably similar to the Boy Scout list.
(Thanks to Rabbi Jonathon Ginsburg of the
1. Truthfulness
2. Quickness: All that you have to do, do without wasting time.
3. Diligence: Do all that you are supposed to do conscientiously.
4. Respect: Be extremely careful with the honor and feelings of others.
5. Tranquility: Do everything quietly, without undue confusion or excitement.
6. Gentleness:The words of the wise are softly and peacefully expressed.
7. Cleanliness and Purity: Keep your body and your clothing clean and pure.
8. Patience: Whatever happens in life, be patient.
9. Order: Do everything in an orderly and disciplined way.
10. Humility: Recognize your own faults and weak points, but do not dwell on the faults and weak points of others.
11. Righteousness: What is harmful to you, do not do unto anyone else.
12. Thrift: Do not waste a single penny unnecessarily.
13. Silence: Judge the value of your words before you speak.
Scout Law:
A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
Salanter Boy Scouts
Truthfulness- trustworthy
Quickness- thrifty
Diligence- helpful, obedient
Respect- loyal
Tranquility- friendly and cheerful
Gentleness- friendly and cheerful
Cleanliness and purity- clean
Patience- help people at all times
Order- mentally awake
Humility- obedient, reverent
Righteousness- kind
Thrift- thrifty
Silence- thrifty,
Brementown Musicians
Well-known story about a cat, a donkey, a dog, and a rooster who team up and find a place to live. An anecdote from the Gemara is fun to share after reading this story:
Rabbi Akiva was accustomed to taking along a candle, a rooster, and a donkey on his travels. On one occasion, he was refused lodging for the night and was forced to sleep over in the forest. That night there was a strong wind which blew out the candle. Then a lion attacked the donkey and a cat consumed the chicken. To all this Rabbi Akiva remarked, "All that Hashem does is only for the good." Later, Rabbi Akiva found out that a group of thieves had attacked the town where he intended to stay. Then it occurred to him that everything that had happened to him had happened for his benefit. He was saved from the thieves because he was refused lodging, He was further saved because the wind blew out the candle which would have alerted the thieves and the cat ate the rooster which meant the rooster didn’t make any noise when the lion attacked the donkey which would have also alerted the thieves. Each time a misfortune fell to Rabbi Akiva he would say, "All that G-d does is only for the good."
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