Rabbi Brian

Did you know that the word “talent” is a Greek word which in ancient times was a unit of currency? By ancient standards, it was a real large sum of money. The dictionary defines talent as: any natural ability or power; a superior ability in an art, etc.

So, what to do instead of hate? Take your anger, feel it. But, then find love and put it into action. Let me conclude with words from Dr. Martin Luther King – who is celebrated today in the United States, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

I am a big proponent of gratitude. Acknowledging that I am in favor of gratitude seems silly. Who isn’t in favor of gratitude? In case you were wondering, I also like fresh air, holding sleeping babies in my arms, and freshly-made pie. Of course I am a proponent of gratitude! Gratitude is the basis of every spiritual practice. I have written, made videos, and talked about gratitude for years. Science can demonstrate positive correlations between gratitude and academic performance. And there are studies that show a link between gratitude and higher levels of immunity.

  Question and Answer   Question:   Dear rB, You talk about loving and not being filled with hate. I remember this past

Ironically, the culturally normative, protestant work ethic mandates we ought not let the world see our troubles. Let me advise a more spiritual, human approach. When you are angry, be angry. When you are sad, be sad. When you feel broken, feel broken. I’m not talking about indulging any of these feeling or taking out your feelings on others. I’m talking about being honest.

  Living with gratitude. Living with abundance This is a LONG article. Please consider taking time to print this or carve out five

This book will not give you answers but help you find answers of your own.

Today I am going to introduce you to and implore you to dive in to a religious concept called METANOIA – which means beyond thinking. (Note: this Greek word is translated as repentance, but it only means repentance in as much as when we repent we have experienced a paradigm shift.)Today I am going to introduce you to and implore you to dive in to a religious concept called METANOIA – which means beyond thinking. (Note: this Greek word is translated as repentance, but it only means repentance in as much as when we repent we have experienced a paradigm shift.)

The spiritual-religious notion of acting where one can and accepting where one cannot is transcultural. In the 1st century, Epictetus wrote: Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.

Last week, I sent my friend Alexis a poem. She sent this one back to me. I love it.

You might be scared. In many ways, it is a scary time. The future is uncertain. It feels very uncertain right now. I don’t need to convince you of how turbulent the world seems. You know that. What I want to talk to you about is our need to find joy amidst the fear.

  1) Disappointment hits hard. I am sad that my son and daughter will have a different future than the one I envisioned.

For years, I have taught a gem from the Talmud (Pirkei Avot 4:1a) that addresses worth: Who is rich? Whoever is happy with what they have.

There is one thing in this world you must never forget to do. If you forget everything else and not this, there's nothing to worry about, but if you remember everything else and forget this, then you will have done nothing in your life.

With what do you fill your time? I mean, if you were to look at your life and what you do, what do you spend your time actually doing? I’m not interested in what you say you do, but what you actually do.

I'm sitting in my garage. I'm shaken. Anti-Semitic and racist hate was written on the driveway outside my garage door this morning. It's 3 1/2 hours later. The enormity of what I have seen is catching up to me.

The logic of complaining is like the logic of worrying. Worrying doesn’t change the future; and it makes the present less pleasant. The same is true about complaining. What do you gain by complaining? Is that gain more precious to you than living in a world with fewer complaints?

The first three questions of the Bible are of great significance to me. Before I continue, let me explain my thinking about the Bible, albeit quickly and (perhaps a little) crassly: no one in the airline industry intended for the instructions about putting an oxygen mask on oneself before assisting others with their oxygen masks to be a moral lesson. Nonetheless, it is. Similarly, I do not believe that one needs to believe that the Bible is “The Word of God” to take moral lessons from it.

Physiologically, anxiety and excitement are quite similar (sped-up heartbeat, shallow breathing, sweating), but they are also quite different (the former often features uneasiness in the stomach, while the latter has raised eyebrows and open eyes). Enthusiasm with furrowed brows: This runs a bit counter to the “KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON” signs that were so prevalent just a few years ago. Telling ourselves to “keep calm and carry on” when we are anxious is damaging to our spirits as it denies our experienced reality. We can transform anxiety into excitement using the mental trick of telling ourselves that we are excited and not anxious. Moreover, and this is key, the study reported that instead if you tell yourself that you are excited, new possibilities opened up. It has something to do with arousal congruence. I have long known that physiologically there is no difference between anxiety and excitement. Both can include sweating palms, shortness of breath, and other symptoms with which you might be familiar. I have made a study of my mood. And, what I discovered is that when I am feeling excited my eyebrows are up, when I’m anxious, they are down. Might it be that simple?

How about you and your life? Think about the things you get all “high and mighty” about. Could it be that some of your moral indignation is just a cover for some secret envy?

... when you have power over other people, at some point, you exercise that power. You have to. That’s why you were in the leadership position to begin with. You had to send someone on an errand they didn’t want to do. Or you had to force someone to do something. ... The exercise of power over people feels good – like a drug. And, the abuse of power leads to doing it again and again.

If someone gets angry at us, we have a tendency to think, “What the hell is wrong with that guy? His response is completely unwarranted.” Or, “What’s her problem? Why is she so mad at me? Her anger is completely unprovoked.”

I challenge you to set the goal for yourself. What would happen if you could be the kindest person anyone had ever met? Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Wouldn’t that be great if people said about you, “He/she is the kindest person I know.”

When the crazy thing happens and you fall into the ‘proverbial toilet,’ do you laugh or do you get upset? I find with a lot of us that if it is something of huge magnitude, we’ll laugh. But if it is something small, we’ll get annoyed.