THE FAST OF TAMUZ

What is a Fast? Can we slowly Fast? 
The Fast of Tamuz, why are we crying, respecting our ancestors as they lived through atrocities as they happened, to recreate history as we drink/drank our coffee black no sweetness no sugar, or/and to abstain entirely from all beverages, no water even. 
A dry mouth. No teeth brushing, no leather belts or shoes, no perfumes or lotions, no deodorants.
Why? Moses smashed the Tablets of the Ten Commandments to smithereens! 
Slow? How can we view slowness during a Fast? Carefully watch the grounds so we do not trip. Watch the Hebrews as they dismantled the Golden Calf, one earring by one necklace, all golden jewelry melted down ripped off from the Golden Calf, a Golden Calf that was no more. 
Then the Destruction of our Holy Temple! 
We stood 6 miles away from Mount Sinai. As we slowly cautiously walked foot by one foot to the Mount we felt the heat of a volcano, the passions of fiery flaming hearts, we call it "lovingkindness". 
Moses unveiled the new set of Ten Commandments as the Golden Calf was stomped upon into the ground. 
These Commandments? Yes, there were ten. As time went by, 613 were added to the Ten. 
Can we follow all these 623 Commandments? Are we righteous enough? Can we at least try? 
Start and end with the worship of ONE God ECHAD and end with the worship of ONE God ECHAD, never to worship any alien god!!! 
Our God can see, hear, feel, smell, prophesize, taste. 
Any alien god, we cannot perceive, he is a figment of our imagination only, a god who is incomprehensible, who cannot see, hear, feel, smell, prophesize or taste. 
Our Hebrew Prophet Balaam was tempted to destroy his fellows, but his donkey who perceived an angel who blocked Balaam from deceiving his people. 
All's well that ends well. So we sing as we once sang. Selah!

HOW TO TAKE A COMPLIMENT

Taking compliments. Did you ever tell someone he is out of line to compliment you, that you are not the greatest, not any different than anyone else, not being great, not good, not great, not even fine?

Not Tony the Tiger, not Wonder woman, not Superman, nor Batman, that you are human and make mistakes. Did somewhere along the line someone tell you that you are arrogant because you accepted a compliment and therefore you are not deserving of praise. Did all you do was be happy with yourself, your achievements, and not sure if showing happiness about yourself is having a lack of humility. Does putting yourself down, not to accept praise, is this a state of being that is healthy??

How many ways can we say "thank you"? If someone likes the blouse you are wearing, a simple invigorated "Thanks!" is all that is necessary. Yes, a big smile in addition to this "thanks!" Your sincerity will be in your tone of voice and her in hers.

If someone likes a blog article you have written and says so, of course, do not delete it, publish it. All these positive comments are coming from people's hearts, they care about you, indifference is the worst insult. If someone challenges you on an achievement you have accomplished, meet their words with your words, accept their well-meaning words even if they do not know how to word their opinions. Let them know that their compliments are appreciated.

How good you feel now, how good you both feel. Are you telling your doctor every time you get a pain and need his medical council? Had surgeries and never want another one? 

Is there someone who tries to give you advice and you do not know if their words are advisable?

If they simply say "I like you" is this a compliment to be accepted? If you in return have told someone you liked them and this was not returned, yes, it can happen again and again; but don't give up!!! There will be someone who will meet your kind words with a heart felt "THANK YOU!"    

FATHER IS FARTHER; MOTHER IS HIS OTHER

 

 

Are you a kid in the middle? Or a kid the youngest of all? Or the oldest? Older meaning wiser, younger meaning funner, the middle dizzily with a sibling on top and again one on the bottom? Who are you? What is your identity? Are you the mentor to your younger sibling and a learner of an older sibling? Are you in touch with your family of origin at all? Is there someone in it who you love? Is there a parent still alive? Mom or Dad? Both? Neither!

Did you ever confide in a parent and had your privacy honored or not? Did your Mom ever say, "Don't tell your Dad" she trying desperately to keep the peace and to reduce stress for your Father so he did not become overwhelmed! Did you reserve your secrets for your diary? Was there a lock and key on your diary? Did your Sister listen? Did she try to care? Was she your only friend even in a schoolyard of kids your age. Did you ever thank her? Did your older brother fight off your bullies before they could cause you damage? Did you or will you tell him you appreciate all that he is and ever meant to you when you both were kids.

Do or did you have a parental relationship where you were able to see how strongly was your Dad's love for his Wife, your Mom. Did he tell you that as much as possible, to never dishonor your Mother his Wife. Was she happy to have him as her companion, was this obvious as you saw him smile at her and hold her hand? Could you feel this love between them and therefore be able yourself to love others? His Wife as his significant other. Your Father close to her and she being close to you. To have love going back and forth like trout swimming up and downstream in a fish farm. 

This fish being a tasty morsel. Your Dad's love for his Wife as an example for you to show love to everyone else in your life.

Where is God in all this? He is in this love for your Mom by your Dad and she loving him back and also loving you.

AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE

What is the illness and what is the cure? Preventing an illness before it takes hold and not to need to treat it because it disappears. 

But what about the frequency of stomach ailments. What about psychiatric Depression and its treatment and cures. What is a cure for sadness, sadness that comes without a reason. Sadness that absorbs the brain and emotions, not having anything concrete to mourn, but Depression taking hold of you anyway. How to "cheer up". What is the cure, the ingredient, the way we can chase away the Blues. How to know that it is a sky without clouds that was in the air when Aaron died. A cloudy day being a day of desirableness not negativity. Not a cloud in the sky, not being as good as a sky full of clouds. To drink coffee as it acts as an anti-depressant and chases away feelings of woe, turning them into feelings of greatness. To follow the clouds sipping a cappuccino as Gd takes us on a journey, to follow these clouds for forty years as we travel the desert and then come upon "The Promised Land". The Land of Prevention being the cure.

What is the cure? What is the prevention? The Promised Land being both the cure and prevention? Never to have a sickness, always thinking positively.

An ascent up the Ladder of Jacob being a daily cuisine of three meals per day of Kosher food. A slide down a chute of the Candy Land Game, pure candy licorice propelling your rotor to climb up Mount Sinai. There we study the Ten Commandments and then the Six Hundred and Thirteen Commandments and then Maimonides Thirteen Principles and the Six Chapters of The Pirkei Avot, and much more...  

To know what to do because you read The Chumash as your ounce of prevention to find out what to do. Your pound of cure. The wisdom [knowledge] being an apple yes, keeps the doctor away, Why? It is a Kosher food. To eat a pomegranate, yes, it is another Kosher food. The Tree of Knowledge, take a bite, better to know than not to know. Will keep the doctor away, as well as keeping The Devil away. 

What's the Illness? The Illness is committing the transgression of the oppression of the stranger, Levite, orphan, childless, motherless, fatherless, widow, widower... 

How can we cure this? Eat foods that are holy and prescribed in The Torah as Kosher foods. The Torah tells us if we do not eat a Kosher diet we will suffer the consequences. 

What are the consequences according to The Torah? "You will eat your own body and eat the bodies of your children". [Torah] 

Consequences? I would say so!! Don't experiment to find out, take Gd's Word for it. 

SODA POP CANDY BARS POTATO CHIPS

What snacks do we love the best? Which treats? Can we live without chocolate? Why do we crave chocolate? Sugars and salts. Can we feel ourselves salivating as we think of them? Can we live without them? Should we live without them? Is there a limit and so we can eat them but under the limit?

High triglycerides from too much sugar, diabetes, diabetes type 2, high blood pressure from too much salt, potato chips, corn chips, Cheetos. How can we curb our appetite and not feel addicted to these carbohydrates. Can we eat just half a bag and give the other half away to someone as a gift? They eating less, only half, and you eating less, only half. Curbing one's appetite to eat only foods that are healthy.

Greens? Not just lettuce, but to eat spinach. Spinach the food of Pop Eye The Sailor Man!! See his muscles on his arms grow as he downs a whole can of spinach in one gulp!

To avoid diabetes. The shot of insulin is made from pork. Avoiding pork? Then avoid sugars so you do not get diabetes. Only one insulin medicine is made from non-pork foods. Most medical insurances do not pay for it. Avoiding gout, avoiding pricking your fingers of blood to determine the sugar level. Not to get your legs cut off. Sugar an enemy? If we eat sugars from fruits, is it the same as eating them from candy bars? Yes. When we eat sugars be sure to eat proteins like cheese at the same time. This companion of cheese to sugars lowers the A1C level.

Tired of eating foods that also decay your teeth? Do you floss everyday? Brush everyday? Not to eat hard foods like almonds that break your teeth in half! Keeping all your teeth including your wisdom teeth. Wiser with wisdom teeth? Richer with a gold covered filling.

To eat foods that your mother told you to eat. To believe in the "family recipe". To be the one in your family who has kept the recipes. Not to eat for enjoyment, but to eat Kosher foods to continue to feel holy. Noticed a difference in your souls between eating Kosher and not eating Kosher. The Torah is our source of being a recipe book. Ask Gd what it is that you should eat.

Passover is our next holy day. To eat matzos and bitter herbs. Foods that are Kosher and holy are not necessarily tasty. Feel your tummy filling up no matter which foods you eat. Kosher foods that relieve us of guilt as we pray to Gd for forgiveness of our transgressions.

To remember on Passover that we were once slaves to the Egyptians and to make sure that we will never be slaves again.

WORLD NEWS: SHOULD SCHOOL TEACHERS CARRY GUNS?

Children getting Dad's gun, school shootings, point, aim, fire!!! Schools becoming dangerous places for kid's to learn. Illegal drugs passed out, illegal guns too, security guards not enough, needing police in every classroom. Kid's in art class, passing around airplane glue, sniff, snuff, an incredible "high", aggressive behavior after sniffing.

Are pepper guns enough? Do we need every teacher to carry a gun? Or could this be a pepper gun? Is a pepper gun suitable ammunition against a machine gun brought to school by a kid, a kid who did not eat breakfast, did not eat lunch, and had no food yesterday? No foods provided at the school cafeterias, parents unemployed, no food at home, kids have nothing except this glorification of becoming a school shooter. His name down in History, even if he failed his History class, he knows if he kills someone it will make big news.

What kind of news is this? And where does this news come from? Robin Hood and Friar Tuck, bows and arrows, The Wild Wild West. Cops and robbers. Cowboys on horses, pulling carriages, guns, guns and more guns. Fists slamming on the bad guy, finishing him off with a knife. Wonder Woman using a rope, hanging him over a cliff, rope breaks, he falls to his death!

Will teacher school gun owners make mistakes? Will someone's rope break? Will kids be killed by the guns of teachers who made the wrong decision to shoot him? What will be their excuses? Can we excuse teachers who shoot kids without a good reason?

Just before the Holocaust started in Germany the guns of civilians were banned. All the guns confiscated except those of the Nazi military. How did six million die? No ammunition, no guns to fight back. So, is banning all guns of all people the answer? No, it was tried before and it was a catastrophe!

Teaching kids and teachers the Martial Arts: Karate, American Self-Defense, Judo, simple leg kicks that could break someone's bones. No guns involved, but justice accomplished, murderers stopped, no one gets killed, not needing to use a gun, your body becomes the gun.

Should school teachers carry guns? There are alternatives.

WELCOMING BODY LANGUAGE

How can we show someone body language that is welcoming and not controversial? Want to throw a party and welcome people, and be sincere to let them know you want to invite them and for them to be with you and your other partyers?

What not to do with your body that would turn them off? Specifically, any talking with one's hands and arms, is considered negative. The Zohar, a Jewish Holy book says that we should never talk to someone with the waving of our hands and arms. The Zohar says that Gd will cast upon you one hundred curses for this hand-talking. Especially not to converse with the moving of the left hand. Not to wave or flick or bounce your fingers or your hands. Not to cause others distress as you shake your hands at them. Not to reflect this back, to keep your hands on the hand-rests of your chair, not to battle back and forth with the hands being as weapons.

Positive body language? What can we do? Keep our hands still with palms facing upwards. This causes sincerity and welcomes the other person, shows compassion, and you in this stance can speak with empathy, to be welcoming to him.

Not to cross your legs or arms as you talk to people, to keep your arms and legs still. Not to wave your feet back and forth. To keep your legs still one next to the other, knees forward, feet directed towards your friends' feet.

Not to put your hands and arms on your hips. This looks threatening and scary, as if you want to argue and act controversial. Not to cross your arms across your chest.

Facial countenance? Always try to be truthfully cheerful. Give them a twinkling eye, a mouth with upwards turned lips, a smile, a feeling of laughter in the tone of your voice. Show and sound like you care about them if this is truly the case.

If they want to lead in the ways you both converse, mimic their body movements to show them you are following them and like what they are saying to you, if indeed you do. If not, let them know verbally. Tell them "no" if you mean NO, and also you can say "No Thank You!" which politely implies you do not agree and you do not follow them. How many ways can we say "No"? Try seventy. Look them in the eyes, and keep their gaze, to look into a Tiger's eyes and to stare him down into submission. He then will avert his eyes and you will have won the battle.

To welcome someone, do the opposite. Always keep a warmth in your character. To be gentle and nice, good and fine. To show your friend s/he is always welcome in your house, anytime, every time, your home being his/her home too.