7.The Garden

Every day when I'm at work, watching people walking around, talking to others, talking to themselves, bending over to tie a shoe, behaving erratically or even violently, I'm reminded of a kindergarten classroom. We really are just boys and girls bouncing around from activity to activity and talking all the while as we go.

I imagine to myself as I observe the world-at-large that The One Above made this awesome world for us to enjoy and tend, just like Genesis says... And, yes, beware the snakes and thorns. They exist and they will hurt or even kill you.

Even more beware the snakes and thorns within yourself.

I love reading the Daily Dose and Freeman Files because Rabbi Tzvi's teachings inspire understanding and self-compassion.

How can we enter 'G_d's pleasure garden?

Change receiving pleasure for yourself into receiving pleasure for yourself by giving pleasure to others!

The answer boils down to: Only a change in human nature. Change the program within.

Optimistic is to be very positive with the energy of our spirituality with One G-d. In other words, to do good deeds with optimism is to do with the act of kindness and to to the act of kindness is to do good deeds with Optimism.

Man, as G-d said is good, but not all of his inclinations. If everyone would turn to Torah and obey it, things would be different.
Man may have to peel off many non Torah beliefs in order to see the garden.

To read this on Memorial Day it is hard to believe. We have thousands of young men some even Jewish dying fighting the Islamic hords. We have watched men and women jump from the World Trade Center, and lets not forget Hitler. Maybe in an insular community all you see is a garden but turn on CNN, or go to Yad Vashem and yes this world is a sinister place with death and suffering all around, the roses from the garden are too many times put on the graves of the young.

Sometimes the peel is very thiick and sometimes it is paper thin or non-existant but the garden is there nonetheless.