Thoughts on being Jewish

There is only one thing that can put you further ahead than success, and that is failure. When you are successful, you are whole and complete. That is wonderful, but with wholeness you cannot break out beyond your own universe. When you fail, you are broken. You look at the pieces of yourself lying on the ground and say, "This is worthless, I must go beyond this." Failure is wasted if you return only to the place from where you fell. If your plans fail, think bigger,aim higher. - Rabbi M.... Sign in to see full entry.

If God had made a perfect world, what need would there be for wisdom? So, He left shattered vessels for us to repair. And in so doing, we engage a wisdom deeper than that which fashioned the earth, the sun and the stars. Sign in to see full entry.

Meditate on a single pool left by the tide and all the life it holds. On a single leaf and all the genius within it. On all the forests of the world, all its seas, and all the life of the skies. Then meditate that all this He has entrusted in our hands. And each person must say to him or herself; "All this He has place in my hands alone." Sign in to see full entry.

Tu Bishvat, commonly known as the Jewish Arbor Day - and now "Earth Day" - falls during the coldest part of the year - hardly the season to plant saplings or give your favorite Oak a big hug – when limbs are bare and at their most vulnerable. During this time of year, our trees seem as if they need our protection more than ever, and so I decided to join up with the Friends of a local city park for the first time on this frozen, snow-covered winter’s day to see what it was all about. I greeted... Sign in to see full entry.

Daniel Pearl and the Normalization of Evil When will our luminaries stop making excuses for terror? By JUDEA PEARL This week marks the seventh anniversary of the murder of our son, former Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. My wife Ruth and I wonder: Would Danny have believed that today's world emerged after his tragedy. The answer does not come easily. Danny was an optimist, a true believer in the goodness of mankind. Yet he was also a realist, and would not let idealism bend the... Sign in to see full entry.