This Shabbos is Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av the first day of the new Jewish calendar month.  It also marks the beginning of the period known as the 9 Days, culminating on the 9th day known as Tisha B'Av, commemorating the destruction of Jerusalem and the two Temples.

Talk is cheap, although it seems to come at a big price these days. But really, anyone with an opinion articulates it without fear. That is in part because today everyone feels that speaking your mind is ok no matter the context, language or opinion.

In this week's Torah portion, hired by Balaak the king of Moab, the prophet Bilaam attempts to curse the Jews.  In a series of shaming and even comedic (talking donkey - think Shrek) Balaam is forced to bless the Jews with a series of blessings that are of the greatest the Jewish People have ever received.

It’s a box that I moved into long before I had basic self-awareness. The box is the lenses through which I look at the world.  It’s how I show up for good or for ugly. It’s how I perceive others and judge (sometimes even being judgmental – shocker) what I experience. 

I'm getting it, more and more.  And as I get it, I develop much more compassion towards others, more accepting of their limitations and how that bumps up against me and my jagged edges but also inner strength. 

Let me begin at the end. I have always admired Chabad. Their passion and commitment to every Jew, no matter their level of observance, is one of the most beautiful aspects of this unique and outstanding movement. I have had so many great experiences interacting with different leaders of Chabad that perhaps naively, I thought I knew everything there was to know about Chabad… That was until this past Shabbat.

There is much discussed in the good books about the role we play in our own destiny. Are some people doomed to remain farkvetched (squeezed) while others fortunate to live in abundance? And do we have the ability to change that? I'm going to leave the theological question for others.  

Have you ever gone through a challenging time in your life (who hasn’t!?) I have. A common refrain I hear—whether in my own head or in someone else's voice—is that someone else has it a lot worse than you.

It reminded me of the saying in Hayom Yom: in material matters, look toward those who have less than you; and in spiritual matters, look toward those who are on a higher spiritual plane.

In contrast to their image of the downtrodden Eastern European Jew, the Zionist fathers wanted to train the young in good posture to demonstrate the Zionistic Pride. 

Today, this rejection of the Old Jew and embrace of the New Jew takes on a different form. It revolves around pride in the ingenuity of Israeli's, their role in High Tech, their dedication to helping in crises around the world, being the most moral army, and of course pride in the IDF.

Are you bemoaning your circumstances?  Are you finding the good in it?

What are your discussions about these days?  Israel. Anti Semitism. Are you finding other things to talk about? Are you finding the silver lining?

Non-Jews respect Jews who respect Judaism, and they are embarrassed by Jews who are embarrassed by Judaism.“ — Rabbi Sacks.

Dan Senor in his State of Jewry addressed what Jews ought to be doing in the wake of the rise of antisemitism that we've experienced since October 7, 2023.  And it is...

 LIVE JEWISH!

Why do they hate us so? Many reasons have been given, but after all the discussions, it boils down to the fact that we are G-d's People and they just have a hard time with that.  Own it friend!

Q. How do you make your day a shining one? A. Make each day count or count each day.

A theme that's been revolving this week is the notion that we are essentially good.  

The Torah speaks of four children, the wise one, the wicked one, the simple one and the one who doesn't know how to ask.

Each of us are designed exactly as we need to be for our life's journey.  That is a fundamental belief of Chabad philosophy, although a much more difficult one to digest and accept authentically.

Happiness is what you arrive at when you accept yourself and your spouse. When you stop trying to change the other, when you accept the complexities of you and then work on aligning them. Not perfection, but excellence.

A mirror is a powerful tool.  Is my face dirty?  Is it time for a trim (of my head hair of course)? Does my beard look brushed and dignified?  Are my Tefillin centered on my head? Maybe my escape from the mirror to the selfie is a major misunderstanding of my own self worth?

The imagery is the stuff movies are made of. Jacob is preparing to encounter his brother with prayer, gift and war – hope, diplomacy and strength.