Tisha B'Av

If Not Now, When?

Thunder calling on this day
Horns are blowing, come this way
From tears to laughter
Why must we wait
Give us now what we are after
An end of suffering and hate
Now is good for all and one
Please we beg, Your will be done.

Some Art

Ant

Sitting outside earlier, there was an ant wondering around with one antenna. Poor thing couldn't quite find it's way, though it knew where it wanted to be. It ended up going around in circles, though slowly making it closer to it's destination. Eventually it did get there, but it took time, and considerable effort.

As I watched this, I could not help but think how like this ant we are, trying always to reach the goal, striving to be close to Hashem and do what is right. Yet, we have but one antenna, limited senses and we get side tracked. Eventually though, we do make it, we keep trying and we do.

Nom

Mitzvot are like potato chips. You can't have just one.

A Complicated Game We Play

Everything is made up of rules, and can be broken down to those rules. Most things have concrete rules and it is clear when they are broken. Other things do not. One such thing is the rules which govern social interaction. They are, by far the most complex and convoluted rules in existence. So much so that it is nearly impossible, at times, to know if one has been bent, broken, or in fact followed as it should be. More often than not major consequences, either positive or negative, will result.

The power of Shema

Have you ever woken from a dream so real, so terrifying that you could not believe such a thing could exist in your psyche? It's rare. And yet, such a thing has happened to me. Such is the power of saying kriyas shema. To forget is deadly.