Perfection

The two great Torah commentaries, Rashi and Nachmanides, debate the arrangement of the bells and "pomegranates" on the edge of the High Priest's robe. The Rebbe sees this as a discussion on the nature of noise, imperfection and superficiality

I think I know why the Rebbe liked this story so much. The child's question and the grandfather's explanation express two extremes, whose contrast and synthesis are a hallmark of the Rebbe's approach to life

Adam was so perfect that he went looking for imperfection. Noah went by the book, Abraham by love, Isaac honed himself to nothingness, Jacob was a whole of infinite parts and Joseph found perfection in challenge

A life sentence for jaywalking? Twenty years for chewing gum in public? Singapore notwithstanding, surely that's over the top! Well, was it so different for Moses, who is punished and denied entrance to the Promised Land for the seemingly minor ...

I find Yom Kippur depressing. Why spend a day focusing on our sins and failures? Do we need to be reminded how far we are from being perfect?

Should he leave as logic dictated? Or should he stay, as his heart was inexplicably urging him? But, he'd left his Jewish learning behind so many years ago. He was afraid to even pick up a prayer book, concerned that he would look foolish to the others...

Take it step by step

If the point of our work is in its completion, if the beautiful end result is our sought-after goal, why, then, at its completion, isn't our satisfaction enduring? Chana Weisberg muses on the role of creativity in our life, and our world.

If a mom can have the flu, can she also have a broken heart, a quick temper, or an absent-minded nature? Can we raise our children to be a little more whole than we are ourselves?

Dear self, You are only human. You are not perfect, and really if you were, how absolutely dreadful that would be.