Shalom! Over the years, my sermon style has been to take the central messages of the Torah portion of the week as I see them. And, use illustrations from Jewish tradition as well as from the news. I see no that newscasters, comedians are using the news to make fun and to give a comedic slant on the news of the day. So, I have a blog called Rabbi Reflex in which, I try and often use those items and make a Jewish play out of it.
I am going to do a series here of just reflections on the news of the day or over the last day. And, some Jewish point, I think you can make from it. So call this series a Rabbi Reflex on the news.
A first item was the story in the New York Times travel section last week, which talked about hotels having a terrible time notifying costumers on time of the proper alarm. For some reason, there are constant mechronic(PH) problems with correct alarm calls. It is all business people and missing meetings and it is causing a huge problem.
In the hotel, it is obviously they are trying to remedy that. Well, reminded me of the season of the year, when the preaminent symbol that we use every morning of the year, the [Foreign Language] That, we call it [Foreign Language] except for [Foreign Language] and then of course on [Foreign Language] a hundred times, we hear that knows the [Foreign Language]. By [Foreign Language], the great medieval Rabbi said, they call the [Foreign Language] is to wake us up from our spiritual slumber.
So, we could hear that sound and be awoken to a new year of reflection and growth and holiness. Second thing was that the Venezuelan dictator has decided to move the clocks back half an hour to add more sunlight to help the economy or something. It struck me that, in keeping with the theme of high holidays and repentance that, we sometimes we wish we can move the clock back half an hour, but we can not.
It is not just a symbol about moving time back and so we have to be more careful when we live our lives because there is no going back, there is only going forward. But, once we make a mistake, then we have a loving God who allows us to repent and return and renew, the Torah says them to become clean, [Foreign Language].
The third story was an interesting story this weekend about a writer, talking about ten things he wants to do before he finishes the column. And, based on the idea that people are now making list of things they want to do before they die. And, it struck me that that is a very positive idea of they way in which we should conduct our repentance for the New Year.
That, we should make a list of things we want to do, and we should make a list of the spiritual growth items of the brain which want to improve our lives before we die. One of my favorite ideas about this is the old joke about, that I told on another video about the Rabbi, the Minister, and the Priest are reflecting the meaning of life. And, they do so, according to the given story, they are supposed to imagine themselves inside a coffin.
And, of course, the Minister and the Priest waxed and lane about the beauty and mystery of life, the Rabbi says “let me get this straight, I am in the bottom of a coffin? What I want people to say about me? Look he is moving!” That, before we get there and reflect on our life, that we should make a list and focus on the things that we want to do to improve our lives spiritually.
The newest story on the in the real estate section about how more, more people are having religious considerations in the purchase of a home. Feng Shui and a minute of talking about Jews and their homes of wanting to have a room big enough for a large Sabbath or festive meal, it did not talk about the backyard, but would you often think where can I put on my [Foreign Language].
The kitchen should be big enough to have coshur food, and of course, it did not talk about this but Jewish home is reflected with the Mezusa on the door. And, also you Jew, as I have to think about how the home can be a holy place, it is all thinking about the religious dimension, not just the physical but the spiritual is very important. There are some notable passing this past week.
First of all, old Dile Crick passed away; she was the wife one of the co-discoverers of DNA, Watson and Crick. And her is significance of the drama was that neither of them could draw and they ask her so she could draw, to draw of what she perceived to be DNA, and so, she made this little drawing which is now the famous drawing of DNA. And of course, there are huge medical and biological invocations into DNA, but the spiritual dimension is, it proves that we are basically all the same.
It goes back to the old time of the principle that no person can say “my father was greater than you”. That is why, the bible begins with one Adam, that teaches we all come from the same genetic stack, and we are basically alike. I love the story recently of a fellow who thought he was a 100% Angle Saxon and Protestant. He had a DNA study and he discovered that he was 17% this ethnic group, and 13% this ethnic group, he had no idea.
And so, as the Crick leaves us from this earth, we can be in debt in to them for helping us discover that spiritual point. The [Foreign Language] tribune had a story about our horrible wet, muggy, hot summer. And they said we are declaring unilateral end of summer? And now it is winter. Very nice, I wish we could declare a unilateral and the hatred, and meanness and intolerance and suicide bombing, and murder.
One final story in this Carter Tribune’s version of Anne Lander’s “Ask Amy”, fellow rodent and said, in cleaning up my house, I discovered all these things I have that I would be embarrassed when someone found after I died, what should I do? So, my answer on number one is, do not have stuff in your house that is embarrassing, trying to live a holy life. Get rid of it, and then you do not have to worry about it, very simple.
So Rabbi Reflex on the news, a few stories, edition one.
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