Yehuda Lave, Spiritual Advisor and Counselor | | | State your Goal when Impatient Develop the habit of repeating, "This, too, will increase my patience." How often will you say this? The more impatient you are when you start this process, the more frequently you will find this beneficial. The problem itself will be the source of the solution. Love Yehuda Lave | | Watch: Gaza Terrorists Vow to Drive the Jews Out of Israel Gaza's Hamas terrorists are once again vowing to drive the Jews out of Israel, this time as they light Molotov terror kites and send the flaming explosives flying over the border security fence towards Israeli farmland. A clip of the terrorists proudly announced recent pledges is included on a video by the IDF as they prepare more improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to attach to their "arson kites" — as the IDF calls them — while planning for the day the rioters succeed in breaking through the security fence at the border with Israel. "Allah willing the Jews' hearts will burn. We will not stop until the Jews leave our land, and Allah willing we return to it," a Hamas official declares, standing with fellow terrorists holding a kerosene-filled bottle for use in preparing another IED. There is no difference between the message conveyed by today's Hamas operatives, and the vows of yesteryear's fedayeen. Both demand that the Jews leave what they claim is "their" land, and both pretend they will "return" to a place that most have never been, nor intend to settle. All are vicious anti-Semites filled with blood lust and hate, and none are capable of the mammoth effort required to build a lasting, true peace. | | Watch the dedication of the new U.S. Embassy Jerusalem, in the capital of the State of Israel. Join us for this historic moment, LIVE from the dedication ceremony, Monday, May 14 at 15:30. https://www.janglo.net/index.php?option=com_adsmanager&page=display&catid=99&tid=444389&Itemid=157&utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Janglo+News+Updates&utm_campaign=20180511_m145360042_Janglo+Daily+News+Updates&utm_term=NEWS_3AWatch+the+US+Embassy+Ceremony+in+Jerusalem+LIVE+at+3_3A30+Monday+Afternoon | | US Ambassador Friedman to Preside Over American Embassy Dedication in Jerusalem U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman – a descendant of the kohanim, the priests of Israel – has been officially designated to preside over the dedication of the U.S. Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem on Monday, May 14. Donald J. Trump✔@realDonaldTrump Big week next week when the American Embassy in Israel will be moved to Jerusalem. Congratulations to all! In addition to being the secular date of Israel's 70th anniversary, this year it follows by one day the observed day of Israel's national holiday, Yom Yerushalayim, which commemorates the reunification of the holy city of Jerusalem. (The actual Hebrew date, 28 Iyar, fell on the Sabbath, and so observance was pushed off by one day.) Deputy Secretary John J. Sullivan will lead the Presidential Delegation to the historic opening along with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senior Presidential Advisor Jared Kushner, Advisor Ivanka Trump, and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt. "As the President stated on December 6, 2017, the historic opening of our embassy recognizes the reality that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and the seat of its government," read a statement from the U.S. State Department released on Saturday. "Seventy years ago, the United States, under President Harry S Truman, became the first nation to recognize the State of Israel. Moving our Embassy is not a departure from our strong commitment to facilitate a lasting peace deal; rather it is a necessary condition for it. We are not taking a position on final status issues, including the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, nor on the resolution of contested borders. "Consulate General Jerusalem will continue to operate as an independent mission with an unchanged mandate responsible for U.S. relations with the Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority. "The United States continues to support the status quo with regard to the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. The Administration is firmly committed to pursuing a lasting and comprehensive peace between Israel and the Palestinians that promises a brighter future for both." During his stay in Jerusalem, Sullivan is slated to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director-General Yuval Rotem. | | U.S. Embassy Move to Jerusalem: Everything You Need to Know When is it happening? The event is scheduled to take place on Monday, May 14th, at 4 P.M., Jerusalem time (9 A.M. Washington time). Official invitations to it have already been sent by the American embassy in Israel, from its current location in Tel Aviv. What is the event all about? Officially, the event is held in honor of the U.S. embassy's relocation from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. However, it should be noted that the entire embassy isn't being moved to Jerusalem over one day. The Trump administration decided last December to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and begin the process of moving the embassy to it. This process could take years, since the construction of a new embassy will be a lengthy and expensive project. Next week, only a limited number of offices will be moved from the embassy in Tel Aviv to the new location in Jerusalem. These offices will include the office of the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, who will begin working from Jerusalem on a regular basis. However, many other functions of the embassy will remain in Tel Aviv, at the building housing the current embassy on Hayarkon Street. For the Israeli government, even this preliminary move, is considered a major diplomatic achievement, mainly for its symbolic significance. Where will the embassy be located? While there is still an open question on where the permanent American embassy in Jerusalem will be built, the event next week will happen at the American consulate in Arnona, a neighborhood in the southern part of the city. The existing consulate building, which has been serving Israeli citizens since 2010, will host the ambassador's office and the other offices which will be moved to Jerusalem starting from next week. It is partially located within the "No Man's Land" which constituted the border between Israel and Jordan before 1967. Who will attend the event? From the Israeli side, the highest-ranking officials expected to attend the event will be President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Other government ministers, and leaders of political parties from both the opposition and the coalition, will also probably take part in the celebration. From the Trump administration, the highest-ranking official currently expected to attend is Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin. The White House said that Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter, and her husband, Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to the president, will also attend. It's unclear if Trump will fly to Israel for the event. Trump has said a number of times that he "might" make the trip, but on Monday, when the White House released a statement detailing the delegation it plans to send - Trump was not on the list. A large delegation of members of Congress from both parties is also expected to attend. | | Just a few days before the historic opening of the beautiful United States Embassy in Jerusalem, Israel. So excited for the ceremony and proud of all the Embassy staff who worked so hard to make this event happen. Eternally grateful to President Trump for his courage and vision watch the video by going to this site https://twitter.com/USAmbIsrael/status/994947241180844032?t=1&cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjc18y&refsrc=email&iid=0567c061c0274813ab6968a93668ec01&uid=510254818&nid=244+281088000 | | | BS"D
SURROUNDED BY TORAH
"Does a non-Jew really understand the pleasures of this world? Did he ever wake up a few hours before sunrise, drink a hot coffee, and then, with a clear mind, study Torah without interruption for two hours, followed by immersion in a hot mikveh as preparation for an inspired, fiery davening? Does he have any idea of the true pleasures of this world?" (Ksav Sofer, as quoted in the book, Rav Pam on the Haftaros, Page 161)
I identify with these words. To me, early morning is the best time. It is still dark; the world is quiet; one's mind is clear. At what other time can one study Torah "without interruption?" I identify with everything in this beautiful description, including the hot coffee!
A clear mind is precious! In this frenetic world, the Satan presents countless distractions. Technology was supposed to serve us, but it has confused us. One needs a lifetime just to understand the instruction manuals!
In the darkness before dawn, the Torah shines a light before us which illuminates the entire day. "Uri kvodi … Awake my soul, awake oh lyre and harp. I shall awaken the dawn!" (Psalm 57:9) This is when King David's soul reached the heights. "In the evening one lies down weeping, but – with the dawn – a cry of joy!" (Psalm 30)
One of the beauties of early morning is the mikveh. This week we learn, "Aharon shall come to the Tent of Meeting…. He shall immerse himself in the water in a sacred place and don his vestments …." (Leviticus 16:23-24) Furthermore, "No person may enter the [Temple] Courtyard for service, even if he is pure, until he immerses [himself in a mikveh]. The High Priest performs five immersions and ten sanctifications on the day [of Yom Kippur] …." (Yoma 30a)
The other day, when I was actually in the mikveh, its unique quality suddenly became so clear to me. It is not an innovation to say this, but sometimes the obvious is so powerful. When you are in the mikveh, you are totally surrounded. You are not aware of anything but water. All is quiet, because water blocks sound. There is no sight; my eyes, anyway, are closed in the mikveh. As in the womb, one is submerged in warmth and security, protection and comfort. As the Ksav Sofer put it, this is one of the "true pleasures of this world."
Because of the mikveh, we can understand the concept of being surrounded by the Ocean of Torah. "Water can be [interpreted as signifying] nothing other than Torah, as it is said, 'Ho! Everyone that is thirsty go to the water.'" (Bava Kamma 17a) In the mikveh one can feel vividly the sensation of being surrounded by Torah. That is why it makes so much sense to immerse in the mikveh before that "inspired, fiery davening."
Incidentally, the most beautiful mikveh I ever saw was in the Syrian Sephardic community in Mexico City. The water was pure like a coral reef. You felt you could drink it. The attendant hands you a warm towel and slippers as you enter. This would be indulgence if it weren't "preparation for an inspired, fiery davening" and a day filled with Torah.
Today we have no Temple and no Altar. "Both Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Elazar said: The entire time that the Temple was standing, the Altar would atone for Israel. But now [that the Temple has been destroyed], a man's table atones for him." (Berachos 55a) Thus it is that the utensils upon our tables also must pass through the waters of the mikveh.
If we are to try to come close to Hashem, we have to be surrounded by Torah. We say "Shema, Yisroel, Hashem Elokainu, Hashem Echad …G-d is One." What does "echad" mean? Hashem is Everything, Hashem is All There Is! There is nothing else! Everything in the cosmos is created by and is part of Hashem. That is why it is so absurd to rebel against Him, because … who are we anyhow? We are part of Hashem! How can one rebel against Him?
Someone asked me, after a lecture, how I feel about trying to become closer to G-d through a strictly intellectual approach. I personally was never persuaded by an intellectual approach, because Hashem is completely beyond our intellect. Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis a"h used to tell us, "You have to get a Jew to do a mitzvah before you can reach him." A mitzvah expands the soul and then the questions go away by themselves.
I will never forget the (Jewish!) missionary who tried to get Rebbetzin Jungreis to convert to his "religion" some forty years ago. It was just before Shabbos, and she was at the Pineview Hotel in the Catskills. She said to him, "Just stay for Shabbos and then we'll talk." He stayed. When Shabbos was over, there was nothing to talk about.
Shabbos is a mikveh. You are surrounded by Torah. "Shema Yisroel, Hashem Elokainu, Hashem Echad." Hashem is One. Hashem is everything. "Ain od milvado … there is nothing else beside Him." In this world of falsehood, we all need to know there is no safety except to surround ourselves with the living waters of Torah.
"Moshe said to the people, 'Do not fear! Stand fast and see the salvation of Hashem that He will perform for you today' …. And the Children of Israel shall come into the midst of the sea …." (Exodus 14:13ff) In these shrill and tense moments, as we near the culmination of world history, let us be comforted by the thought that, soon, "the knowledge of G-d (will fill) the world as the sea fills the ocean bed." (Isaiah 11:9) | | Yom Yerushalyim was yesterday but a particular Midrash quoted by Rashi in Parshas Emor brought to mind a powerful message, one that I illustrate by a true story below. First, though, the Rashi (22:32). The Torah declares that one must not defile Gd's Name and then adds, "… and I shall be sanctified among the Children of Israel." If one is exhorted not to profane Gd's Name, can one not infer the opposite, that Gd's sanctification will necessarily follow? The answer of the Midrash is quite intense. The latter phrase comes to command, "surrender yourself and sanctify my Name." In other words, it is not sufficient to remain passive and simply refrain from doing anything wrong. Rather, one must proactively pursue that virtuous behavior and perform that worthy deed whose act will proclaim that a Kiddush HaShem has taken place. It is for this reason that Rav Soloveitchik maintains that Rambam (Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah 5) conflates sanctifying Gd's Name not only with martyrdom but with the more mundane, commonplace ethical challenges that when met remind us that one may sanctify Gd's Name through noble and dignified living as well as when called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice of one's life. Hopefully, most of us have the necessary moral spine to refrain from committing a crime. We are careful not to desecrate Gd's Name with delinquency. However, to volunteer to inconvenience ourselves, to put ourselves out for another's welfare, such acts of chesed and charity may not come so naturally. To sacrifice our time and effort, to willingly share our financial resources to help someone else requires an exercise of will to do the right thing no matter the cost. Could this be what the Psalmist had in mind when he said (Tehilim 34:15), "Turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it." Indeed, spurn and shun all evil, but that's just not enough. We are enjoined to marshal our abilities to do good. And when we feel reluctant to exert ourselves or encounter obstacles along the way, remember, we must not waver but instead, doggedly "seek" and "pursue" that goodness. And when we do, we will become a walking "Kiddush HaShem!" Our behavior will bear witness to Gd's presence in the world. We will elevate ourselves to "a bit lower than the angels and we will be crowned with glory and splendor" (Tehillim 8:6). We will have acquitted well our reason for being and will have earned the reward of the righteous. Here then is the true story of one such individual. Nissim Gini was born in Jerusalem in 1938. When Nissim was in the 4th grade, and 9 years old, hostilities culminating in Israel's War of Independence began. The Old City was blocked and the Jews who lived there were totally isolated, with only 200 young soldiers left, with very little ammunition, to defend the population. The soldiers resisted as much as they could, but many died or were captured. The siege intensified and there were fewer and fewer Jewish fighters left. The civilians, then, joined the efforts to defend the city. The situation of the Gini family was not easy. The father, who had a bakery in Mahane Yehuda, had been caught outside the Old City before the blockade began, and was not able to enter the Jewish quarter. Nissim's mother, blind in both eyes by a terrible illness, was in charge of her four children. Haya, the older sister, who was 14 years old, volunteered in Bate Mahase, an improvised infirmary where a few nurses and volunteers treated the wounded. Many children, such as Nathan, Nissim's older brother, who was 12 years old, also volunteered. The children brought coffee or food to the soldiers and helped as much as they could. Nissim, 9, also volunteered. Probably due to his skills in the game of "hide and seek", Nissim knew perfectly well all the corners, the shortcuts and the secret passages of the Old City. Nissim, was very mature, awake and especially brave. Nissim helped the soldiers carrying weapons and ammunition from one to the other. But the most important thing that Nissim was doing was to slip away at night, avoiding the enemy sight, to identify and inform the Jewish soldiers of the movements of the Jordanian troops. Eyewitnesses tell that Nissim often ran under a rain of Jordanian bullets to fulfill his mission, risking his life to find the Jordanian snipers. The intelligence brought by little Nissim was absolutely critical to the brave Jewish soldiers, and his actions saved lives. On May 27, 1948, Nissim went home to eat a hot meal, but before he could taste his mom's food, a young man came looking for him: "Your replacement did not arrive", he told him, "we need you at the observation post." When Nissim was about to leave, his mother, frightened by the sounds of the bullets that were increasingly closer, said: "Leave him here, outside is getting very dangerous." Several witnesses remember what Nissim said to his mother at the time: "מה את רוצה אמא, שאני אשב בבית ואחרים ימותו" "What do you want, mom, that I stay at home while the others die?" And Nissim left. Nissim arrived at the observation post, near where Yeshivat Porat Yosef stands today, next to the Kotel. In a tragic moment, Nissim raised his head and a Jordanian sniper shot him and mortally wounded him. Nissim was taken to the infirmary of Bate Mahase. There, he was treated by his own sister, Haya, who desperately tried to stop the blood. But she did not have the appropriate medical equipment to help Nissim, and the next day Nissim Gini died of his wounds. That day, after having resisted heroically for 14 days, the Rabbi of the Old City of Yerushalayim, Rabbi Benzion Hazan, raised the white flag and the city surrendered. The Jordanians took about 500 Jews prisoners, and the rest of the Jews were taken out of the city. The body of Nissim, along with the other seven deceased soldiers, remained in the infirmary of Bate Mahase. In June 1967, with the help of HaShem and His multiple and incredible miracles, the Israeli Army conquered Yerushalayim. An elderly Arab citizen asked to speak with the highest-ranking officer. The elder took the officer to a corner of the city and said, "The bodies of a few Jews are buried here. I buried them myself in 1948. The Jordanians wanted to burn the bodies, but I did not allow them. " The army unearthed the bodies, but the fighters could not be identified. Except for one: Nissim Gini, because he still had his baby teeth ... The remains of Nissim were taken by order of Rabbi Shlomo Goren to the cemetery on Har HaZetim. After a few years, the Israeli Army recognized Nissim Gini as the youngest fallen soldier to have served in the Israel Defense Forces, and a plaque was erected in his memory in the Har Hertzl military cemetery. We may not be called upon to display the heroism of a Nissim Gini, but we can and must be no less heroic in pursuing a life of proactive goodness and righteousness as human beings created in Gd's image. | | . David Kilimnick Stand-up: Animals & Aliyah to Israel David talks about his love for animals and moving to Israel (Aliyah), while MCing 'The Israel Comedy Experience' for a crowd full of Olim (immigrants to Israel) and some tourists at the weekly show in Jerusalem...
Performing every week at Jerusalem's Off The Wall Comedy Theater, David is also available to bring the 'Israel Comedy Experience' performances to your communities on his comedy tours around the world, and to your families and tour groups in Israel.
www.israelcomedy.com www.davidkilimnick.com | | Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: In The Diary (Emor 5778) Time management is more than management and larger than time. It is about life itself. God gives us one thing above all: life itself. And He gives it to us all on equal terms. However rich we are, there are still only 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, and a span of years that, however long, is still all too short. Whoever we are, whatever we do, whatever gifts we have, the single most important fact about our life, on which all else depends, is how we spend our time.[1] "The span of our life is seventy years, or if we are strong, eighty years," says Psalm 90, and despite the massive reduction of premature deaths in the past century, the average life expectancy around the world, according to the most recent United Nations figures (2010-2015) is 71.5 years.[2] So, concludes the Psalm, "Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom," reminding us that time management is not simply a productivity tool. It is, in fact, a spiritual exercise. Hence the following life-changing idea, which sounds simple, but isn't. Do not rely exclusively on To Do lists. Use a diary. The most successful people schedule their most important tasks in their diary.[3] They know that if it isn't in there, it won't get done. To Do lists are useful, but not sufficient. They remind us of what we have to do but not when. They fail to distinguish between what is important and what is merely urgent. They clutter the mind with trivia and distract us when we ought to be focusing on the things that matter most in the long run. Only a diary connects what with when. And what applies to individuals applies to communities and cultures as a whole. That is what the Jewish calendar is about. It is why chapter 23, in this week's parsha, is so fundamental to the continued vitality of the Jewish people. It sets out a weekly, monthly and yearly schedule of sacred times. This is continued and extended in Parshat Behar to seven- and fifty-year schedules. The Torah forces us to remember what contemporary culture regularly forgets: that our lives must have dedicated times when we focus on the things that give life a meaning. And because we are social animals, the most important times are the ones we share. The Jewish calendar is precisely that: a structure of shared time. We all need an identity, and every identity comes with a story. So we need a time when we remind ourselves of the story of where we came from and why we are who we are. That happens on Pesach, when we re-enact the founding moment of our people as they began their long walk to freedom. We need a moral code, an internalised satellite navigation system to guide us through the wilderness of time. That is what we celebrate on Shavuot when we relive the moment when our ancestors stood at Sinai, made their covenant with God, and heard Heaven declare the Ten Commandments. We need a regular reminder of the brevity of life itself, and hence the need to use time wisely. That is what we do on Rosh Hashanah as we stand before God in judgment and pray to be written in the Book of Life. We need a time when we confront our faults, apologise for the wrong we have done, make amends, resolve to change, and ask for forgiveness. That is the work of Yom Kippur. We need to remind ourselves that we are on a journey, that we are "strangers and sojourners" on earth, and that where we live is only a temporary dwelling. That is what we experience on Succot. And we need, from time to time, to step back from the ceaseless pressures of work and find the rest in which we can celebrate our blessings, renew our relationships, and recover the full vigour of body and mind. That is Shabbat. Doubtless, most people – at least, most reflective people – know that these things are important. But knowing is not enough. These are elements of a life that become real when we live them, not just when we know them. That is why they have to be in the diary, not just on a To Do list. As Alain de Botton points out in his Religion for Atheists, we all know that it is important to mend broken relationships. But without Yom Kippur, there are psychological pressures that can make us endlessly delay such mending.[4] If we are the offended party, we may not want to show other people our hurt. It makes us look fragile, vulnerable. And if we are the offending party, it can be hard to admit our guilt, not least because we feel so guilty. As he puts it: "We can be so sorry that we find ourselves incapable of saying sorry." The fact that Yom Kippur exists means that there is a day in the diary on which we have to do the mending – and this is made easier by the knowledge that everyone else is doing so likewise. In his words: It is the day itself that is making us sit here and talk about the peculiar incident six months ago when you lied and I blustered and you accused me of insincerity and I made you cry, an incident that neither of us can quite forget but that we can't quite mention either and which has been slowly corroding the trust and love we once had for one another. It is the day that has given us the opportunity, indeed the responsibility, to stop talking of our usual business and to reopen a case we pretended to have put out of our minds. We are not satisfying ourselves, we are obeying the rules.[5] Exactly so: we are obeying the rules. We are following the Jewish calendar, which takes many of the most important truths about our lives and, instead of putting them on a To Do list, writes them in the diary. What happens when you do not have that kind of diary? Contemporary Western secular society is a case-study in the consequences. People no longer tell the story of the nation. Hence national identities, especially in Europe, are almost a thing of the past –one reason for the return of the Far Right in countries like Austria, Holland and France. People no longer share a moral code, which is why students in universities seek to ban speakers with whose views they disagree. When there is no shared code, there can be no reasoned argument, only the use of force. As for remembering the brevity of life, Roman Krznaric reminds us that modern society is "geared to distract us from death. Advertising creates a world where everyone is forever young. We shunt the elderly away in care homes, out of sight and mind." Death has become "a topic as taboo as sex was during the Victorian era."[6] Atonement and forgiveness have been driven out of public life, to be replaced by public shaming, courtesy of the social media. As for Shabbat, almost everywhere in the West the day of rest has been replaced by the sacred day of shopping, and rest itself replaced by the relentless tyranny of smartphones. Fifty years ago, the most widespread prediction was that by now almost everything would have been automated. The work week would be down to 20 hours and our biggest problem would be what to do with all our leisure. Instead, most people today find themselves working harder than ever with less and less time to pursue the things that make life meaningful. As Leon Kass recently put it, people "still hope to find meaning in their lives," but they are increasingly confused about "what a worthy life might look like, and about how they might be able to live one."[7] Hence the life-changing magic of the Jewish calendar. Philosophy seeks timeless truths. Judaism, by contrast, takes truths and translates them into time in the form of sacred, shared moments when we experience the great truths by living them. So: whatever you want to achieve, write it in the diary or it will not happen. Andlive by the Jewish calendar if you want to experience, not just occasionally think about, the things that give life a meaning. Shabbat Shalom. [1] For an excellent recent book about the way our behaviour is governed by time, see Daniel Pink, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, Riverhead Books, 2018. [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy. [3] See Kevin Kruse, 15 Secrets Successful People Know about Time Management, 2017. [4] Of course, Yom Kippur atones only for sins between us and God, not for those between us and our fellows. But it is a day when, traditionally, we seek to make amends for the latter also. Indeed most of the sins we confess in the long list, Al Cheit, are sins between humans and other humans. [5] Alain De Botton, Religion for Atheists, Hamish Hamilton, 2012, 55 – 56. [6] Roman Krznaric, Carpe Diem Regained, Unbound, 2017, 22. [7] Leon Kass, Leading a Worthy Life: Finding Meaning in Modern Times, Encounter Books, 2018, 9. ————————————————————————————————————————— LIFE-CHANGING IDEA #28 - Do not rely exclusively on To Do lists. Use a diary.
- And live by the Jewish calendar to experience the things that give life a meaning.
| | One whose anger and wrath are intense is not too far removed from insanity (Orchos Tzaddikim, Chapter 12). It is not unusual to observe a person explode at what appears to be a minor provocation. When the response is so disproportionate to the stimulus, most likely the anger is not at all directed toward this provocation, but it has been displaced from some other target. For example, someone becomes angry at his employer, but knows that to express this anger would jeopardize his job. His suppressed anger continues to churn within him and intensify precisely because it is being suppressed, because the frustration of not being able to discharge it adds to its fury. Upon coming home, someone in the household says or does something trivial, and our employee erupts with a violent outburst of rage. Irrationality borders on insanity, since both essentially deny reality. In the above case, reality did not warrant so extreme a reaction; hence, the inappropriate reaction can be considered akin to insanity. Granted that one cannot safely discharge his anger at his boss, but suppressing the anger is not the only alternative. A few moments of rational thought might help him get a handle on his anger. He might ask himself, "Why did the boss's comment affect me so deeply? Is it because I resent the superior-inferior relationship we have? Is it because I am insecure and I am interpreting his remark as a threat to my livelihood? Is it because his comment aroused self-doubts which I have been harboring?" Analysis of an emotion can help dissipate it and prevent us from developing a short fuse which will result in an explosive reaction.
Today I shall ...
try to analyze my anger and avoid developing an inappropriate response.
| | See you tomorrow Love Yehuda Lave | | | |
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