16 lessons

The time has come to open the archives (blog) and find some of the timeless messages and lessons from our sages. I've chosen 16 of them to share with you.

1. I have learned… to appreciate and cherish different views than my own, and even thank G-d for it. For how boring would it be if we all thought, looked and spoke the same!

2. I have learned… that in everyone lies unlimited positive potential, and our job as parents, educators and friends is to dig and dig. Sometimes it can take years and years, to discover the gold that was always there.

3. I have learned… that our failures are a preparation for the growth that follows, i.e. Failure is a non-existing word; it's but part one of the climb!

4. I have learned… that it's never too late to change! All that is needed is a paradigm shift from "I can't!" to "I can!".

5. I have learned… that G-d is no more in the Himalayas than He is in the Dead Sea. Like the Kotzker Rebbe said: G-d is wherever you let Him in.

6. I have learned… that our soul is a candle and our teachers are the matches, but only we can ignite the flame.

7. I have learned… that when I come to Heaven, they won't ask me why I wasn't as righteous as Moses. Abraham or David; they will ask why I wasn't myself…

8. I have learned… that leadership is not a birthright given to a select few. Each and every one of us is a leader and we must search for circumstances to practice it.

9. I have learned… that we are all role models either for good or the opposite; there is no running away from it.

10. I have learned… that ego equals low self esteem. Whereas humility leads to a healthy self esteem. Ego is about me. Self esteem is about my purpose.

11. I have learned… that when I miss a flight, there is no need for the plane to crash to convince me that it was Divine providence!

12. I have learned… that when talking to family or friend it's not about what is spoken, but the love and warmth that is shared.

13. I have learned… that just as when one begins his journey one must know his destination, so too in life, we must have a clear vision and defined mission as we turn on our ignition.

14. I have learned… that to love the other I must first love myself. He who gossips proves his own self hate.

15. I have learned… that we must never cease learning…

***

16. I have learned… to always smile…

"I'm nervous," the patient tells the doctor. "It's my first surgery!"
"Don't worry," the doctor replies. "It's my first one as well!"

After 100 emails, What's new?

The 'weekly email' will soon follow, but before that we thought you'd want to know what's new at 'Revolution of Goodness'.

Well here is a partial update.

1. Just this week we added 214 new recipients to the weekly email.2. Both blogs have been updated and reformatted! Check them out: revolutionofgoodness.blogspot.com with 100 articles on a big variety of Jewish topics. & freilach.blogspot.com where we cut out the humorous part of the weekly email and created an all joke website! 85 jokes so far!

3. A new email address torahthought@gmail.com was launched, in which anyone can ask any question on any topic and with G-d's help receive an answer.

4. And our biggest news: We are in midst of launching a new website packed with your views, your thoughts and your opinions, where everyone will be given their unique space to share, debate and discuss everything Jewish.

We couldn't find a more befitting name than shabbattable.com. Why? 'Because it all happens around the Shabbat table'.

The Shabbat meal is the favorite time of the week, it's where Torah thoughts are discussed, politics and opinions are debated, relationships are enhanced and tightened, and a wonderful feeling of belonging and attachment to our heritage and religion is nurtured, giving us the strength we need to face the challenges and hardships in the week ahead.

Such a beautiful time – why not live the experience all week long? Let it live on! Join shabbattable.com! And let the Shabbat feeling never leave you!

We are still in the development stage and we would love to get your feedback and ideas. Please help us to set up a global/week-long Shabbat table where every Jew will feel at home.

A wonderful pesach X 100!

Dear friends and family,

I would like to wish you and yours a wonderful Yom Tov, full of inspiration and redemption.

As we sit and break our teeth from the Matzah, turn red in the face from the Marror, while our mind is spinning from all the wine, we should remember the message and divine calling hiding in the 15 steps 'stomach rollercoaster': Redeem yourself! Let the true you go free!

And with our own redemption (G-d willing) taken care of, may we merit the true and final redemption, with the coming of the righteous Moshiach.

This week we sent out email number 99, stay alert for email -

100!

A kosher and happy Pesach.

Levi Avtzon

The three questions…

Pesach is a holiday of questions and answers. It's also a holiday of freedom. Let's ask some freedom questions.

Q: On Pesach everyone recites the Kiddush, and the whole year we rely on the Kiddush of someone else. Why the difference?

A: Kiddush means elevation, and on Pesach we are reminded that when it comes to elevation – freedom of one's little Egypt, we can't rely on someone else. Do it yourself!

Q: On Pesach we drink four cups of wine. I know there are many explanations; tell me an explanation with the same theme as the previous answer?

A: Sure! The Shala (Shnei luchut habrit) says that the 4 cups symbolize the four Matriarchs. Look at this:

On cup 1 we recite the Kiddush, in which we read "Who has chosen us from among all nations", resembles Sarah who together with her husband Abraham brought many people closer to G-d. Abraham and Sarah stood up against the pagan society and changed the world, one person at a time!

Cup 2 comes after reading of Jacobs's hardships and troubles under his father-in-law Lavan. So this cup resembles Rebecca's defiance and courage, that although she grew up in such an immoral environment, she nevertheless defied all odds and became the great woman who she was. Once again: yes you can!

Cup 3, on which we say the grace after meals, corresponds to Joseph, son of Rachel, who fed the whole world during the drought. Joseph defied all odds (brothers hatred and 12 years of slavery) to become the treasurer of the world!

With cup 4 we conclude the Hallel, the prayer of thanks and praise to G-d, reminding us of the attribute of appreciation which we are taught by Lea, who was first to thank G-d by naming her fourth son Judah (thankfulness). Look at the blessings that you have, and say thank you!

Q: I can understand how we, living in the free world can celebrate this holiday of freedom, but how did our grandparents celebrate it throughout our long history of oppression, didn't they see the irony of it?

A: Freedom is not so much about location; it's about a mindset. Just look around and see people who physically live in a free world, but their attitude is that of a prisoner: "Me? I can never do that!" "It's all because of my nose that I'll never make it anywhere!" "I want to. But I can't". These are enslaved people, not by dictators and tyrants, but by themselves.

The great miracle of the exodus was that G-d introduced the mindset of freedom. "Yes! You can get out of here!" "Yes! You can defy the odds!" And that mindset was present at the Seder's celebrated in the gulags, in Auschwitz, in Spain and in Babel.

Your Kiddush cup, your grandmother Rebecca, and your grandfather's Seder in Bergen Belsen, all scream to you:

Dear… Freedom is a choice! This holiday, choose freedom! YES YOU CAN!

Please friends let's do all we can to have This year in Jerusalem!

Moshiach Now!

A happy and kosher Pesach!

Why? Why? WHY?

Letter to Joshua 3300 years ago:

Dear Joshua, My name is Elazar from the tribe of Benjamin.

I was but a child when your predecessor Moses led the Jewish people out of Egypt, along with the rest of us I lived through the experiences of the barren desert for forty years. You know as well as I know that it was hard: most of our parents' passed away in the desert because of the golden calf, and many friends as well.

Truthfully, there were times when I doubted if this dream of hundreds' years about the "promised land" would turn out as a reality, but most of the time I held on to the faith that we would finally come to true peace and tranquility in the end.

And thank G-d it happened. After many years of war and much bloodshed we conquered our land, I thought we would settle quickly, but then we had to wait some years to divide the territory. When would we come home? – I thought.

When the day had arrived and we moved into our new home, I literally broke out in a dance (and I am no youngster by now), thanking G-d for bringing us home. I was sure that my suffering was over…

Until last week when I woke up in the morning, to discover big white marks on the wall of my dining room…

Where did they come from? Frantically I ran to my wife and asked her if she's ever seen anything like this. She said that she remembered from long ago in the desert, hearing about 'Tzarat' leprosy that grows on the wall of a home, but she had forgotten what the law is, all she remembered was that we must to call a Kohen (priest) to tell us what to do.

So I ran around searching for a Kohen, hoping that it would prove itself as a "false alarm" and that all was well. But my dreams were shattered when the Kohen told us that we would have to destroy the wall of the house!

So here is my complaint: after all the suffering my wife and I suffered, I think it's only right that we deserve peace and stability, so why this terrible inconvenience??? WHY? Enough is enough!

Respectfully,

Benjamin

Response:

From the desk of Rabbi Joshua Leader of the Jewish nation

Dear Benjamin

Do to lack of time I will respond in short.

My friend, just break down the wall, and you will discover below the ruins, buried by the former inhabitants of the home, thousands of golden coins.

Yours truly,

Joshua

6 Reasons Why You Should Gossip

1. Why? Who cares why! It makes you feel good. And like the famous 'American dream' slogan goes: "I'm not hurting anybody" – ye sure.

2. Because we're all one big happy family, and there are no secrets in family… And for the learned amongst us; aren't we taught that "what is yours is mine…", and all the other 'we are all one big family…' slogans? Why be selfish? Share it with the world!

3. The media and tabloids have shown the world that it is a moral obligation to bring to light everyone's dirty laundry. No, there is no such a thing as privacy; your life is my life, and your mistake is my appetizer.

Not to mention new inventions like 'Google earth', where all sense of privacy has been thrown back to the dark ages, before the days of newspapers, phones (that's a big one), and the whole media business.

4. Because you are G-d's warrior. And just as G-d cannot tolerate falsehood, so too, you as His fighter, have a moral obligation to search, find and spread the neighbors' secrets so that he should not 'heaven forbid' receive false respect and feel haughty.

It's all in the name of G-d.

5. It is a custom amongst families and communities from way back when, that on many an occasion, especially around the dinner table, we put a human sacrifice on the altar, and slaughter him/her with verbal knifes and daggers. And who is gonna change the family custom?

Ah, don't you remember grandma sitting on the porches sipping homemade 'Borscht' (beet juice), and screaming on top of her lungs, across a six lane avenue, the greasy details of the newest slice of gossip?

6. Because you never heard this story;

Rabbi Shmuel, the fourth Rebbe of Chabad, was once sitting in his office studying, while his two sons, Zalman and Sholom, were playing in the yard. His studies were suddenly disrupted by loud cries and screams coming from outside. He rushed outside, and saw his younger son, Sholom, lying helplessly in a pit.

He quickly pulled the boy out of the pit, then turned to Zalman and asked: "What is the meaning of this?"

Zalman angrily responded: "It's not fair; I am the older brother, so I should be the taller one, but Sholom is taller than me. So I threw him into a pit, so now I'm taller!"

"My son, said the sage, if you want to be higher than your brother, don't put him down in a pit. The solution is: Climb on a ladder! Pick yourself up."

So reason number 6 is: Why feel guilty that you're not the best you should be? Just point out the negative of everyone else and then let the guilt disappear; after all, you're the best.

Thought of more reasons why to gossip? Feel free to post on the blog.