It’s almost like clockwork: “Rabbi, I’m scared to die. I’m not sure my life has meant enough.” It might sound like I’m talking about holding the hand of a 95-year-old on her deathbed, but I’m not. (Rarely do I meet people late in life who are unprepared for death. Most of the elderly people I know tend to feel “ready.”) Those who express the fear above are usually around 40 years old. As I say, it’s almost like clockwork…indeed, for so many of us. It’s a graduation into a new kind of......
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We’re all familiar with the expression about missing the forest for the trees, and its wisdom about not being distracted by smaller details that undermine our appreciation of the “big picture.” No doubt, that’s often good advice. After all, who among us hasn’t gotten bogged down in the details of a situation or a relationship, to the point that we lose touch with the larger purposes which give meaning to those very details? On the other hand… What about the wisdom that comes from attending to the “trees” even when the “forest”......
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Spirituality & Faith, Wisdom Warehouse |
September 13, 2013
Yom Kippur: The Truth About One’s Truths
Yom Kippur is the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar. Simply put, it is a day-long exercise in Reality Therapy. For 25 hours or so, the practice is to neither eat nor drink, nor make love, nor enjoy the comforts and conveniences of life – be it a shower or a smart phone – but to reflect and contemplate our mortality, to feel deeply there is no guarantee that we (or anyone in our life) will even be here tomorrow, to be on our deathbed but be fully conscious. Have you......
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