Category Archives: Historic Voices

The Enemy is Fear

21 Thursday Apr 2016

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“The enemy is fear. We think it is hate, but it is fear.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

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The purpose of fear is awareness. And when we are fully aware, our fear becomes our friend. Fear wakes us up, tells us to look alive, because we need to pay attention to what is coming, right now. The word “Beware!” is actually a contraction of “Be Aware!”

When Gandhi says that fear is our enemy, he means we must not be driven by fear: fear of others, fear of failure, fear of success. We must have our fear, rather than letting our fear have us.

If we are unafraid, hatred fades as a force, either expressed by us toward others, or others toward us. It’s not worth the effort hating what we don’t fear!

With fear at our side, keeping us alert, it becomes an ally rather than an obstacle. We don’t have to fear our fear!

What fear can you transform into an ally today? What do you need to be aware of?

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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the preeminent leader of the Indian independence movement in British-ruled India. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahatma (Sanskrit: “high-souled”, “venerable”) —applied to him first in 1914 in South Africa,—is now used worldwide. He is also called Bapu (“papa”) in India. In common parlance in India he is often called Gandhiji. He is unofficially called the Father of the Nation.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. Send him your favorite teaching quote for commentary. He can be reached at joe.laur@joelaur.com.

Turning Teaching Into Idols

09 Saturday Apr 2016

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“The Torah warns us not to turn G!D’s commandments into idols.”

–Menahem Mendel of Kotsk

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Torah means teaching. This quote from Menahem Mendel warns us not to mistake the teaching for the Divinity it points toward. If we make a religious or spiritual maxim into a rigid unyielding principle; if we worship the teaching itself over our fellow humans; if we sacrifice ourselves or others on the altar of doctrine we are committing a form of idolatry.

Extreme fundamentalists of every faith give us tragic examples of this. A Jewish gunman who murders 29 Muslims at prayer based on a twisted reading of a piece of text, or a prime minister based on a tortured rabbinic interpretation. A Muslim who translates jihad from an inner struggle to one that allow the slaughter of innocents, or a Christian member of the Army of God gunning down a pro-choice women’s health provider and his bodyguard, Hindu extremist groups murdering Gandhi, or even Buddhist terrorist groups in Myanmar. Anytime a religious teaching is used to justify violating basic human principles, it is an act of idolatry- putting a principle ahead of a person.

But we all, at some time, put a principle ahead of a person, whether it’s turning a blind eye to someone with a cardboard sign on the street corner because we don’t want to reward sloth, or misguided notions of “spare the rod, spoil the child” based on a misreading of a single line of text, or holding one group as holier or more deserving than another because they share our beliefs (can you say Democrat and Republican?); all examples of idolatry.

If we are made in the Divine Image, as most of our theological stories teach, then aren’t we better served seeing the Divine in one another rather than in religious words or artifacts?As Rumi says while cradling a dog who reminds him of the Divine Love, “Just look at this face!”

What teaching do you need to put in service to others today, rather than the other way around?

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Menachem Mendel Morgensztern of Kotzk, better known as the Kotzker Rebbe (1787–1859) was a Hasidic rabbi and leader.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. Send him your favorite teaching quote for commentary. He can be reached at joe.laur@godsdog.net.

Teach Your Children Well

07 Thursday Apr 2016

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“Who is ignorant? He who does not educate his children”

-Rabbi Jonathan ben Joseph

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Just as the concept of sustainability is meaningless without a next generation, so too is education. If learning is not passed on and built upon, it declines, rather than grows and progresses.

The Crosby, Stills, and Nash song, “Teach Your Children Well”, captures both the need for older generations to pass on their experience AND to learn from the vision of their children, who will live into worlds we can scarcely imagine.

We can never give the next generation everything they need to know to live into the world they will inherit. But we can equip them to think for themselves, to learn the lessons of the past and to envision the kind of future they want to create. That’s as close as it gets to an antidote for ignorance.

What can you teach a young person in your life today? What can they teach you?

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Jonathan ben Joseph was a Lithuanian rabbi and astronomer who lived in Risenoi, Grodno in the late 17th century and early 18th century. Jonathan studied astronomy and mathematics.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. Send him your favorite teaching quote for commentary. He can be reached at joe.laur@godsdog.net.

Sweeten the Lemonade

06 Wednesday Apr 2016

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“Therefore, the pure righteous do not complain of the dark, but increase the light; they do not complain of evil, but increase justice; they do not complain of heresy, but increase faith; they do not complain of ignorance, but increase wisdom.”

-Rav Kook

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A friend of mine teaches a life metaphor about lemonade. If the lemonade is too sweet, he says, we don’t try to take some of the sugar out; we add more lemon. If it’s too sour, we don’t try to draw out some of the lemon, we add more sugar. We bring what is needed for improvement to the mix, rather than fighting with what’s already present.

This is Rav Kook’s lesson; rather than resisting or bemoaning some ill, we work to increase something healthy to contract it. As the saying goes, what you resist, persists. By focusing on evil, darkness, heresy, ignorance, we only give them power. Hitting the nail drives it deeper into the wood.

So rather than resisting what we don’t want, we and the world are better served by assisting what we do want, and bringing more of that into life’s “lemonade.”

What’s needed that can you bring more of into the world today?

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Abraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935) was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandatory Palestine, the founder of Yeshiva Mercaz HaRav Kook (The Central Universal Yeshiva), Jewish thinker, Halakhist, Kabbalist and a renowned Torah scholar. He is known in Hebrew as HaRav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, or simply as “HaRav.” He was one of the most celebrated and influential rabbis of the 20th century.[1]

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. Send him your favorite teaching quote for commentary. He can be reached at joe.laur@godsdog.net.

Light Trumps Darkness

04 Monday Apr 2016

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“A little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness.”

-Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi

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In Bereshit, commonly known as the book of Genesis, the first action taken and the first words spoken by Elohim (literally “gods”, not God as usually translated), are “Let there be light! “And, of course,  there was light.

Now it follows that if we are indeed created in the Divine Image, then we can create light too- both the internal kind, by brightening ours or another spirits, and the external kind, by simply lighting a lamp. And as external light sources can affect our inward reality, so too can our inward light impact those around us.

As Reb Schneur Zalman says, it doesn’t take much light to dispel a lot of darkness. A little shining on our part, just a choice to “Let there be light”, can illuminate whole worlds. Because Light trumps Darkness. But only every time.

Where can you bring more light into the world today?

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Shneur Zalman of Liady (September 4, 1745 – December 15, 1812), was an Orthodox Rabbi, and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism, then based in Liadi, Imperial Russia.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. Send him your favorite teaching quote for commentary. He can be reached at joe.laur@godsdog.net.

One Water, Many Wells

02 Saturday Apr 2016

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“Divided as we may be by religion, we are united by charity.”

-Rashi
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Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, of blessed memory, was at an ecumenical gathering where someone commented that all faiths are headed to the same place, just by different roads. He begged to differ. “We are all on the same road,” he said, “we are just wearing different shoes!”
The word charity traces its origins back to the Latin word caritas, originally  meaning preciousness, dearness, high price. From this, in Christian theology, caritas became the standard Latin translation for the Greek word Αγάπη, meaning an unconditional love for others. It is this latter sense that Rashi would have understood the word, in French,  charité.
Rashi is saying something very simple here- that we may be divided by custom, belief or theology, but when we get to the core of every religion or spiritual path, we find a common theme- unconditional love for others. This is the “water of life” that flows in every religious well. The wells may differ in size, shape, depth or location, but they all tap into the same groundwater. No matter your faith of origin or adoption, you can jump right in – the water’s fine!
How can you “share the water” with someone of a different “well” today?
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Shlomo Yitzchaki( 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), generally known by the acronym Rashi (RAbbi SHlomo Itzhaki), was a medieval French rabbi and author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud and commentary on the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). Acclaimed for his ability to present the basic meaning of the text in a concise and lucid fashion, Rashi appeals to both learned scholars and beginning students, and his works remain a centerpiece of contemporary Jewish study. His commentary on the Talmud has been included in every edition of the Talmud since its first printing by Daniel Bomberg in the 1520s. His commentary on Tanach—especially on the Chumash (“Five Books of Moses”)—is an indispensable aid to students of all levels. The latter commentary alone serves as the basis for more than 300 “supercommentaries” which analyze Rashi’s choice of language and citations, penned by some of the greatest names in rabbinic literature.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. Send him your favorite teaching quote for commentary. He can be reached at joe.laur@godsdog.net.

Goldilocks Spirituality

01 Friday Apr 2016

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“Spirituality is like a bird: If you hold it too closely, it chokes, And if you hold it too loosely, it escapes.”

-Rabbi Israel Salanter
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Goldilocks, besides a penchant for home invasion, had another enduring quality- being able to find the sweet spot between too hard and too soft, too hot and too cold, too high and too low. She found that which was “just right”. The Goldilocks Principle.
Nowhere is this principle more important to apply than in our spiritual life. As Reb Salanter says, held too close, our spirituality can choke us. Not held tightly enough, we may lose it. Many spiritual texts, like the Torah, can be likened to a fire. Taken too literally or held too tightly, it can burn and consume us. But take it away and we freeze in the dark. So we build a container around the fire- a stove or fireplace, where we can enjoy the fire and benefit from the heat and light it gives without burning down the house. We can tend it, wonder at it, share the warmth and atmosphere, cook nourishing meals over it.
Salanter suggests we approach our spirituality like Goldilocks: Not too hot, not too cold, not too hard, not too soft, just right. Don’t let ourselves off the hook, but don’t hang ourselves on the hook either.
How are you holding your spiritual life today, Goldilocks?

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Rabbi Yisroel ben Ze’ev Wolf Lipkin, also known as “Yisroel Salanter” or “Israel Salanter” (November 3, 1810, Zhagory – February 2, 1883, Königsberg), was the father of the Musar (ethical living) movement in  Judaism and a famed Rosh yeshiva and Talmudist.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, artist, builder, naturalist, consultant, and EcoKosher mashgiach. He lives with his wife Sara in western Massachusetts, where he serves as head groundskeeper and resident singer songwriter. Send him your favorite teaching quote for commentary. He can be reached at joe.laur@joelaur.com.

Seek The Truth, Avoid Those Who Find It

28 Monday Mar 2016

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“People are only wise when they are searching for wisdom; when they feel they have achieved it completely, they are fools.”

-Solomon ibn Gabirol

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One of my friends and mentors used to warn me, “Joe, stay close to those seeking the Truth and far away from those who’ve found it.” His implication was that truth is too vast to be fixed to one thing, one place, one time. Therefore it’s always possible to seek it, but if we’ve found The One And Only Truth, we are probably missing something. Like sunlight, our paths can be illuminated by it, but we cannot hold it in our grasp.

People often criticize spiritual texts, especially the Bible, for their inconsistencies. Others hold every jot and tittle to be literally true. Both, in my opinion, miss the point. Like the Zen koan about the finger pointing at the moon, once the moon is seen the finger is no longer needed. So it is with sacred texts, rituals, customs, even wisdom. They point toward that which  can never be fully grasped, fully understood, fully grasped in our hands or our minds. It can only be experienced in this moment, and the next moment and the next. And they are only true for the moments in which they are true.

Nothing in the universe is fixed or constant- not the celestial orbs, not sunlight or moonlight, not the winds, tides, seasons, or the continents. Love waxes and wanes even in the most constant relationships, feelings shift; on some days grace fills us to overflowing and on others it is unconsolably absent. The only constancy is flux. So too with Wisdom and Truth.

So to try to grasp Truth or Wisdom as a singular thing is a fool’s mistake. Rather it is a journey,  a river flowing through our lives, a sunbeam illuminating our way. It can not be held in our hand anymore than Love can. Like G!D, Truth is a essentially a verb, not a noun. Wisdom is a path. We can walk in it, but never really possess it. And that’s the Truth! 🙂

What Truth or Wisdom are you seeking today? What Truth or Wisdom is seeking you?

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Solomon ibn Gabirol (alt. Solomon ben Judah), was an 11th-century Andalusian poet and Jewish philosopher with a Neo-Platonic bent. He published over a hundred poems, as well as works of biblical exegesis, philosophy, ethics, and satire.

In the 19th century it was discovered that medieval translators had Latinised Gabirol’s name to Avicebron and had translated his work on Jewish Neo-Platonic philosophy into a Latin form that had in the intervening centuries been highly regarded as a work of Islamic or Christian scholarship. As such, Ibn Gabirol is well known in the history of philosophy for the doctrine that all things, including soul and intellect, are composed of matter and form, and for his emphasis on Divine Will.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. Send him your favorite teaching quote for commentary. He can be reached at joe.laur@godsdog.net.

Taking An Interest In Politics

23 Wednesday Mar 2016

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“Just because you don’t take an interest in politics, does not mean that politics will not take an interest in you.”

-Pericles

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Over 40% of  eligible American voters didn’t bother to vote in the last presidential election. Only 42% bothered to vote in the 2014 congressional elections! A third of eligible US citizens aren’t even registered.  And the older, whiter and more affluent one is, the more likely they are to vote. This means that our state and national policies are actually being decided by a minority of the population who are aging out of the long term impacts of their choices, and better protected financially from them.

As Pericles points out, just because we are not interested in something, doesn’t mean it’s not interested in us. Ask the nearest rabbit. They don’t have the luxury of being unaware of what the foxes and hawks are doing. Those that are oblivious are not oblivious for long. They are lunch.

Now I’m in that demographic that tends to vote. But I don’t think that people who look like me should be making the decisions for the rest! So this election cycle, I’m not just gong to support my candidates- I’m going to support people in registering and actually voting. If we don’t vote, we don’t count- literally. If we don’t vote, we are saying “whatever” to our future. If we don’t vote, we are actually voting “I’ll have what they’re having” without having seen the food. I personally think that voting should be mandatory,  like paying taxes. But until it is, I have just one thing to say: “Vote as if your life depends on it- or it just may.”

How can you engage and get others to engage in our common civics today?

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Pericles (c. 495 – 429 BCE) was arguably the most prominent and influential Greek statesman, orator and general of Athens during the Golden Age— specifically the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars.  Thucydides, a contemporary historian, acclaimed him as “the first citizen of Athens”. Pericles promoted the arts and literature; it is principally through his efforts that Athens holds the reputation of being the educational and cultural center of the ancient Greek world. Pericles also fostered Athenian democracy to such an extent that critics call him a populist.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. Send him your favorite teaching quote for commentary. He can be reached at joe.laur@godsdog.net.

G!D Working Behind the Scenes

14 Monday Mar 2016

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“Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”

-Albert Einstein

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The old saw goes that G!D works in mysterious ways. Which is simply a way of saying that we really don’t know how G!D works in the world. It’s an article of faith that she even does.  But we do know that wonderful coincidences do happen, and it does seem often that there is Divine Purpose behind them.

Well, why not? We can walk around with the sense that life is meaningless, random and unaware. Or we can have a story that there is some ultimate reason, grand energy,  or resilient system underpinning everything, and even if we can’t see the whole, there is a dynamic cohesion that we are part of. I know which scenario floats my boat. Since we can’t prove it one way or the other, why not choose the richest story?

Where do you see the Divine Energy working your life today?

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Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist. He developed the general theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics. Einstein’s work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science.Einstein is best known in popular culture for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2 (which has been dubbed “the world’s most famous equation”). He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his “services to theoretical physics”, in particular his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect, a pivotal step in the evolution of quantum theory.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. He can be reached at joe.laur@godsdog.net.