Optimism & Pessimism

Do any of us possess such simplicity and sincerity, such innocence and whole-heartedness, such impeccability in our bitachon as to eliminate any vestige of doubt or fear?

Monday I edited a chapter on World War II, Tuesday I was given a collection of essays on 9/11, and Wednesday the subject was Vietnam... Then it hit me: the miracle isn't that they found the flask of oil. It's that they even searched for it

No, I didn't get the phrase muddled up; it is the cliché itself that's backwards...

Yes, maybe he IS a nice guy, a kind father, or the all-too-familiar attempt at justification “he was abused himself” - but this is not an answer and in no way changes the situation. The facts remain that he is an abuser.

What kind of "free choice" do we have, if we didn't choose to be presented with that choice?

The sages of the Mishnah taught us that "according to the camel is the load."

Just as some businessmen become traumatized by the mistakes of their early career and refuse to ever again venture into uncharted territory or speculative investments, it must have been so tempting for the Jews to play it safe and await further orders.

Our spending or saving habits, our optimism or pessimism, plays a role in determining whether we descend into a recession or catapult back into economic expansion. How does this rule of finances apply to our own lives as a whole?

The Rebbe is the antidote to cynicism. Even the calloused cynic, the one who triple-checks affidavits, can't help but trust the Rebbe...

Even if there is reason to be optimistic about the future, is it socially responsible to focus on a bright future when the present is so bleak?