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February 13, 2012
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David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
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Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
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Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
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Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
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Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
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January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
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January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
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Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
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January 11, 2012
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Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
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January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
August 6, 2004
/ 19 Menachem-Av, 5764
You are what you eat or should be
By
Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski
A traditional Jewish Sabbath food teaches a profound lesson about happiness
This shall be the reward when you hearken to these ordinances
and keep and do them, that G-d will safeguard for you the covenant
and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers.
Deut. 7:12
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
T he Midrash states that wherever the Torah (Bible) uses the word vehaya, ''It shall be,'' it refers to simchah, a joyful occurrence. On the other hand, when the
Torah says vayehi beyimay, ''It was in the days,'' it refers to an unhappy
theme.
It is a fact.
Happy people are future-oriented. Sad people are past-oriented.
A tradition in many families is to serve ''farfel'' at the Friday night meal. My
mother referred to this as ''Baal Shem Tov's tzimmes.'' The significance of this
dish is a play on words.
In Yiddish, farfallen means ''bygone'' and ''it is over and
done with, irretrievable.'' When my mother served the farfel, she would say, ''Whatever
occurred until now is farfallen.''
Friday night marks the close of the previous workweek, with all its anguish
and disappointments. Shabbes, the Jewish Sabbath, is a day of meditation and renewal. It is not
merely a day of rest to ''recharge one's batteries'' for the next workweek. Rather,
it is a day where Torah (Bible) study, prayer, family unity and introspection should
elevate one spiritually, so that the week that follows can be one of spiritual
advancement.
Just as it is difficult to walk and take great strides with a heavy burden on one's
back, so it is difficult to advance spiritually carrying a heavy burden of the past.
True, we may have made mistakes. We should learn from these to not repeat them
and to avoid the things that are conducive to errant behavior.
Wherever possible,
we should make amends for any harm we may have caused. These are the
components of teshuvah, and Torah literature states that Shabbes is particularly
propitious for repentance. But once we have properly repented, we should let go
of the past and not allow it to hinder us in the future.
That is why we eat the
symbolic farfel on Friday night. ''Let go of the past. It is farfallen.''
I once saw a cartoon where one character tells the other that one should not
worry about the future but think only of today. The response was, ''No, that would
be giving up. I still want to make yesterday better.'' Inasmuch as one cannot make
yesterday better, why try? Correct the mistakes, resolve not to repeat them, and let
that be the end of it.
''It shall be'' is looking to what we can accomplish in the future. That indeed is
simchah, joy.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes inspiring articles. Sign up for our daily update. It's free. Just click here.
Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D. is a psychiatrist and ordained rabbi. He is the
founder of the Gateway Rehabilitation Center in Pittsburgh, a leading center
for addiction treatment. An Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University
of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, he is a prolific author, with some 30 books to
his credit, including, "Twerski on Chumash" (Bible), from which this was excerpted (Sales of this book help fund JWR).
Comment by clicking here.
© 2004, Mesorah Publications, Ltd.
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