Saturday, November 24, 2018

Gift wrapping and Martin Luther King

It's that time of year when people are going nuts buying gifts and trying to find innovative ways to wrap them. If you spend exact 3 seconds on google searching "gift wrapping ideas", you will come back thousands if not millions of ideas. There are some creative people in this world who have taken gift wrapping to a whole new level, making the wrapping itself a work of art.

And yet, the truth is, the wrapping is just that ... completely worthless it and of itself. Think about this for a second ... look at these gorgeously wrapped presents:


Imagine how excited you would feel to get such gorgeous presents on your birthday or a holiday or whatever. These are truly a work of art. A lot of time and effort went into the presentation. Now imagine that when you opened all your gorgeous presents, they were just empty boxes. Would you be happy?  Of course not. It doesn't matter how much time or effort goes into the presentation, the truth is that what really matters is what is INSIDE the present.

Then you have some people who are like me. Yes, I would love to spend the time and effort to make my gifts look as lovely as these do. The truth is, I just don't have the patience, or the supplies to do it. Recently, I had a friend who was under a lot of stress. I had made her a gift. I knew she "needed" a pick me up, and even though it wasn't the right time to give it to her, I wanted her to have it. However, I didn't have any of the necessary supplies to wrap it nicely. I wrapped it up in some nice tissue paper, and put inside a cute plastic bag. Nothing fancy. Just a regular shopping bag that I got in Israel that looked nice.  While the package didn't look like much, the wrapping really didn't matter in the least, because the gift inside is what really mattered.  (Yes, she loved it despite the crummy wrapping job.)

What am I getting at? Humans are the same way. The color of our skin, hair, eyes, if we have scars or look gorgeous ... these are all external things. They are the wrapping paper we wear. It doesn't matter if we have curly hair or straight hair, gorgeous perfect skin or are scarred with acne.  It doesn't matter if our physical body is considered perfect, or if we are disfigured or if we are over (or under) weight. What matters the most if the character we possess.  Are we kind? Are we friendly and happy? Do we think of others or are we selfish? Do we care about others feelings, or do we only care of what affects us? Character determines if you are pretty on inside. A person can be "ugly" on the outside, but if they have a lovely personality, people learn to look past the physical looks, because the beauty shines from the inside out. Queen Esther was chosen from all the girls to be the wife of King Achasvariosh, and yet, she had a green complexion. The commentaries say that her chein, her inner beauty, shined out, making her gorgeous on both the inside and the outside.

Dr. Martin Luther King said it the best in his famous speech, I have a Dream. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today."  

Sadly, we are so far away from this. But not from the Right. It comes from the Left. It's the people who look at the Rockettes and complain that there are too many white women in the picture. https://www.weaselzippers.us/403578-the-rockettes-are-slammed-online-over-the-lack-of-diversity-in-dancers/ 


I could link to a million articles, but time after time after time it's the same thing ... Leftists look at things through a black and white lens, rather than just looking at through a clear lens. You need to have more female CEOs and you need more diversity, even if it means not bringing in the best person for the job or school position. I don't know about you, but I for one, do NOT want my pilot (if I were to fly which I won't) or a doctor to be the one who got picked for their skin or body parts. I want the BEST person, whether that person is white, black, green, purple, male, or female. 

To sum things up, this story says it all:
In 1986, the Rebbe began conducting a weekly "receiving line." Each Sunday, the Rebbe would stand in a small room near his office as thousands of men, women and children filed past to see him and receive his blessing. Many used the opportunity to pose a question and receive a word of advice. And to each of them the Rebbe gave a dollar bill, appointing them as his personal agent (shaliach) to give it to the charity of their choice.
Why the dollar? The Rebbe explained his custom by quoting his father-in-law, Rabbi YosefYitzchak of Lubavitch, who would often say: "When two Jews meet, something good should result for a third." The Rebbe wished to elevate each of the thousands of encounters of the day to something more than a meeting of two individuals; he wanted that each should involve the performance of a mitzvah, particularly a mitzvah that also benefits another individual.
Again, a most amazing phenomenon was reported by all who came for "Sunday Dollars." The Rebbe, well into his ninth decade at the time, would stand for as long as eight hours without interruption. Yet in the few seconds that he or she was with the Rebbe, each visitor felt that the Rebbe was there only for them. It was as though he or she were the only visitor of the day.
Once, an elderly woman could not contain herself and burst out: "Rebbe, How do you do it? How is it that you do not tire?"
The Rebbe smiled and replied: "Every soul is a diamond. Can one grow tired of counting diamonds?"
Every single person is a diamond. If the Leftists will stop looking at the wrapping, and start looking inside, they may find that sparkle. But of course, they won't listen to me, because I'm a racists, Islamophobic, transphobic, homophobic, hating Conservative. Oh yeah, and I'm misogynistic and antisemitic too. 

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Thank You Hashem / Thanksgiving 2018



There is an inyan (idea) of saying Thank You Hashem for everything. The good, the not so good, and everything in between. (Is there really anything in between?)  A few months ago I got this book called The Garden of Miracles by Rabbi Shalom Arush. I have a few of his other books, and thought that this would make a lovely addition to the Yossi Chaim a'h Memorial Library.  However, after I read one story, I thought it was "stupid". Basically, the premise of the book is to say Thank You to Hashem and you will see miracles happen.  The first story was a childless couple who decided to accept they were never going to have kids and they thanked Hashem for their childlessness. I never finished the story, thinking it was pure drivel. (OK, I admit ... sometimes I can be very cynical.)  Then I saw a really cute video on my bereavement group. It was forwarded from the Thank You Hashem group. I ended up joining one of the groups (they have 11 or 12 of them now to accommodate all the people who want to be part of it).  AND .... I thought it was stupid. Thank you Hashem for giving me a parking spot ... Thank you Hashem for me not getting a ticket .... Thank you Hashem for blah blah blah ... such mundane, everyday little annoyances of life. Big time cynical, so I decided I had enough and I was going to leave the group.

Before I left though, I felt that maybe I needed to give it a shot. I had just bought 3 or 4 bags of jewelry, so I said, Thank you Hashem for giving me jewelry bags (which are getting harder and harder to get lately).  As I am going through the bags, they seem to be very blah bags. Until I pulled out a 14K gold bracelet. I got real excited and said, THANK YOU HASHEM! Then I remembered the group. I said to Hashem, if I pull out another piece of gold, I will post to the group. Lo and behold! Next I pulled out a 14K gold necklace.  All in all, I had several pieces of gold, some silver, and some lovely vintage pieces. I did publicly post to the group, and since then I've been a "reformed" person.

Fast forward to Nov 1, a week before Rosh Chodesh Kislev.  A cyber-friend posted to the bereavement group a message from her Thank You Hashem group that it is a custom to say shir hashirim for 40 days, ending on the 8th day of Chanukah, called Zos Chanukah.  I have very bitter feelings towards Zos Chanukah, as that is the day that we found out Yossi's treatment wasn't working. I found out later that Zos Chanukah is also the final day of judgement back from Tishrei ... which is why I feel a little bitter towards it. So I decided to transform Zos Chanukah into a positive experience. I decided that for me, I would take these forty days and use them to thank Hashem. Each day I am trying to come up with 10 things in my life that I am thankful for.  Today is Day 22 of my personal "Thank Hashem" mission. Since today is also Thanksgiving, I'll share a few of my things I am thankful for. Maybe it will inspire someone else to be thankful for the small things in their lives.

This is not the full list, just 40 of them, not in any particular order:


  • My wonderful husband
  • President Trump
  • Shabbos
  • Smart phones
  • reading glasses
  • umbrellas
  • warm blankets
  • Bill of Rights
  • the US Constitution
  • autumn leaves
  • perfume
  • milk chocolate
  • teshuva
  • hazelnut flavored coffee
  • Binah magazine
  • Savvy Sheitels
  • sleeping in
  • thrift stores
  • yummy peppers in pretty colors
  • hugs & kisses from grand kids
  • What's App
  • fantastic friends
  • Jewish music
  • my pink Sig Sauer p238
  • Dansko shoes
  • my family -- My mom; brother, in-laws, kids (and kids-in-law), grand kids
  • pareve chocolate chips
  • shells to wear under clothes in so many gorgeous colors
  • awesome neighbors
  • shabbos naps
  • razors (and shaving cream!)
  • Cooks Illustrated
  • Our Tapestry
  • sweet juicy oranges
  • almonds
  • jewelry!
  • Drop Box
  • the Torah & mitzvos (to connect w/ Hashem)
  • lipstick
  • pre-made pizza crusts
Gee ... what does it say about me that so many of my things revolve around food? LOL ... I guess today is a perfect day to be thankful for all the wonderful things Hashem has given us, especially the delish food!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Try and make every day a day to Thank Hashem for all the good He has bestowed on you, and you will see how much you really have to be thankful for. ~ Leah

Friday, November 2, 2018

#nohumanisillegal

Serious discussion here, with some food for thought.

Scenario 1:
You are sleeping late at late with your spouse. Your children are in their rooms. You hear a noise, and jump out bed. You run around trying to locate the source of the noise. You discover a woman standing in your living room. She has broken the lock on the back door and entered your house. She is a homeless woman, who left her previous city looking for a better place to live. She asks you, Can you please hire me to be a nanny for your children? Or can she be your cleaning woman?  It's 2am.

>Do you call the cops because this woman broke into your house?
>Do you give her a room to sleep in, a change of clothes, some food to eat, and immediately hire her to watch your children?

Scenario 2:
You own a business and are looking for a new employee. A husky man walks in and says, I WANT THE JOB.  He has no resume, no id, no nothing.

>Do you politely tell him that you can't hire someone with no resume or any information.
>Do you hire him because he he needs a job and he is willing work?

Scenario 3:
You are driving along a deserted highway. Suddenly, you notice a family, a father, a son, and and probably an uncle or something. It's 3 guys. They are hoping you will give them a ride to the next town, which is at least 50 miles away with nothing on the road.

>You don't even stop because you don't pick up hitchhikers.
>You stopped, got their story, and offer them a ride. Actually, they want you turn around and go back the way you were going because they aren't going to THAT city, they are going to the one you just came from. Sure, no problem.

I see these signs all the time -- No Human is Illegal.  Yeah, right. I would love to show up in their house one night, except I really don't want to get arrested. I have a feeling that even those people won't be too happy with a stranger showing up in the middle of night.

Do you lock your doors at night, or when you go away? If you believe in "no borders" and "no human is illegal", then you should NOT be locking your doors. You should be willing to let anyone who wants to walk into your house come in.

And if anyone knows of a decent job where you can be hired just on your desire to work, let me know.  (I'm not talking about picking strawberries or cleaning hotel rooms; I'm talking about a real job, like one in a bank or a supermarket cashier or an accounting firm, etc)  I seriously doubt anyone would hire someone with no resume and no references, especially in one involving children, like a care-giver, nanny, or nursery assistant.

In my opinion, if we aren't comfortable with strangers walking into our homes and making themselves part of the family (think squatters!), then why in the world should we let people into our country who want to do the same thing? America is our HOME. It should have the same rules we put up on our own personal houses.

So if you believe in no borders and no one is illegal, yet you lock your car or home, you, my dear, are a hypocrite!  If you vet the person you hire to watch your children, but think we should let anyone into the country w/o any vetting, again, you are fooling yourself.