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of taryag
Rabbi Sacks, this is a comment to a blank post, but well, even blank posts can be made meaningful. For example, it has today's date and the time. May 7, 2009. 5/7/2009 posted at 1:12. If we add 5+7=12 if we take 2009 and add all numbers, the sum is 11, so the hour is 1:12, 1:1 first two=11 and last 2=12. If it's 1 pm, we can also read it as 13, so we get 11,12,13. if we take 1:12, add all them up we get 4, or we can look it in descending order, 13:12, the difference in between is One. In The Chosen novel, by Chaim Potok, Reb Saunders also does Gematriya in shul. I read The Chosen novel last year around this time and now I'm reading The Promise.
The Duchess: You're thinking about something, my dear, and that makes you forget to talk. I can't tell you just now what the moral of that is, but I shall remember it in a bit. Alice: Perhaps it hasn't one. The Duchess: Tut, tut, child! Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it.
Thank you so much Rabbi Sacks, I love the quote--witty, witty,witty! This...and now I'll be silent a bit figuring out...how the piece fits in the puzzle. Shabbat Shalom!
No, no: I never guess. It is a shocking habit,--destructive to the logical faculty
It is of the highest importance in the art of detection to be able to recognize, out of a number of facts, which are incidental and which vital.
You see, my dear Watson"--he propped his test-tube in the rack, and began to lecture with the air of a professor addressing his class--"it is not really difficult to construct a series of inferences, each dependent upon its predecessor and each simple in itself. If, after doing so, one simply knocks out all the central inferences and presents one's audience with the starting-point and the conclusion, one may produce a startling, though possibly a meretricious, effect.
“America was discovered accidentally by a great seaman who was looking for something else; when discovered it was not wanted; and most of the exploration for the next fifty years was done in the hope of getting through or around it. America was named after a man who discovered no part of the New World. History is like that, very chancy.” - Samuel Eliot Morison (1887-1976)
Note: In a way, Rabbis are a bit like Sherlock Holmes (at least for Kashrut/Kosher-related).
***I'm going to post the story together (again) because it's better now, sort of, but eventually I'm going to write it in a longer story and include it in a book. Thank you.
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms: the kingdom of the wise and the kingdom of the fools. Both kingdoms were situated adjacent to each other, and a road made of yellow bricks separated the two kingdoms. The yellow brick road was the border of the kingdoms, and no one was allowed to pass from one side to the other. In the wise kingdom, as according to its name, there were only wise men. In the kingdom of the fools, there were only fools. Once, a stranger arrived at the border, and he wanted to pass through. He had two options, either pass through the kingdom of the wise or pass through the kingdom of the fools. If he passed through the kingdom of the fools, he would’ve had to conform to the local customs of the land, and behave foolishly. This was a risky undertaking since it was not certain if, while in the kingdom of the fools, he wouldn’t become a fool as well. It wasn’t any easier to pass through the kingdom of the wise, because although in here people were wise, they were heavily protecting themselves from foolishness, and no fool was allowed in the country. As such, the stranger was very puzzled. For a while, he circled around and examined the two kingdoms, until he finally discovered the brick road. At the border, there was a huge rock with the following inscription: “If you are seen walking on this road, and you’re a fool, you’ll be thrown into the kingdom of the fools. If you are wise, you’ll be thrown into the kingdom of the wise.” The stranger pondered for a while, and he decided to wait. He waited until twilight. When twilight came, he started to run as fast as he could on the brick road. The guards of the two kingdoms heard his footsteps, and they realized there was someone on the brick road. The guards of the two kingdoms were puzzled. Since it was twilight, no one could tell if the person belonged to the wise or to the fools. When the people in the foolish country heard this, there was much commotion. In exchange, the kingdom of the wise went silent. The stranger was a bit surprised, but he said nothing and he continued running on the yellow brick road.
From the kingdom of the wise, a rabbi came forth and he said:
"Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise; and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed as a man of understanding." (Proverbs 17:28)
Note: the yellow brick road is an allusion to the Wonferful Wizard of Oz.
A note: Rabbi Sacks, going back to the first post I wrote where I said I'm reading "The Promise"-- I finished reading the book and I loved it. There's a specific dilemma that this book identifies: what should psychotherapists do when they encounter someone (like Michael) who does not want to talk? Not talking is one of the most difficult things to deal with in psychotherapy. Now I understand better what the Duchess and Alice say- the argument goes back to the pros and cons of silence. And it's just lovely.
There's also a Note to Note: I also have another book by Chaim Potok called "Wanderings-Chaim Potok's History of the Jews Told with a Poet's Grace and a Storyteller's Flow"--got this at a Book Sale in Queens College this spring and am about to start reading it--although I get a deja vu I may have this book already, but I'm not sure...that's another story--when I was in high school I found 176 Jewish books on my street put out for recycling by someone other than the owner, so it so happened I was there to find them and a couple of them have autographs as well. In any case, I read Telushkin's Jewish Literacy--very helpful book for Jewish History classes since I got my 2nd A in history thanks to it.
oh by the way the quote I put in here on the website about America is also on the 30 day Metrocard my father just bought me.
“America was discovered accidentally by a great seaman who was looking for something else; when discovered it was not wanted; and most of the exploration for the next fifty years was done in the hope of getting through or around it. America was named after a man who discovered no part of the New World. History is like that, very chancy.” - Samuel Eliot Morison (1887-1976)
If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it. (Abraham Lincoln-House Divided Speech)
“To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the need for thought.” (Poincare)
"Life is full of little pricks" (Subway Advertisement)
"Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made." (Immanuel Kant)
There's one more quote I have to add now because I just began reading the Diary of a Young Girl--Anne Frank:
The quote says, "Paper has more patience than people". That is the reason Anne Frank gives for writing her diary. So well said. That's a good reason for you Rabbi Sacks to keep posting on your blog. ;) And that's why I love writing things too. Verba Volant, Scripta Manent." Spoken words fly away, written words remain."
Rabbi Sacks, you said "keep an eye on the website". If you interpret this phrase literally though, you may think that can't happen because when people look at things they tend to use both of their eyes unless they would keep one eye closed and stare with the other, right? Exception: I'm one of those people who don't have binocular vision, and my right eye is dominant, so I don't have to close an eye to just keep one eye on the website. Technically, I always look with one eye on the website, the right eye, even though both of my eyes are open. That's how I was born. It makes the jest of this quote meaningful, a bit like British humor though. The next question would be-- is it bad to look at things? Eyesight after all seems to be deemed the most important of the senses. Then again, too much is too much, things should be taken with moderation, so...maybe that's why this saying came to be like this. If one would keep two eyes on the website, maybe that'll be a bit too much after all. ;) (wink-wink)
For those interested in checking out if they have binocular vision or not, see the website. They will show you some 3D images and there's a hidden image you will see if you have binocular vision:
19 comments:
Rabbi Sacks, this is a comment to a blank post, but well, even blank posts can be made meaningful. For example, it has today's date and the time. May 7, 2009. 5/7/2009 posted at 1:12. If we add 5+7=12 if we take 2009 and add all numbers, the sum is 11, so the hour is 1:12, 1:1 first two=11 and last 2=12. If it's 1 pm, we can also read it as 13, so we get 11,12,13. if we take 1:12, add all them up we get 4, or we can look it in descending order, 13:12, the difference in between is One. In The Chosen novel, by Chaim Potok, Reb Saunders also does Gematriya in shul. I read The Chosen novel last year around this time and now I'm reading The Promise.
Dear Moonlight
The Duchess: You're thinking about something, my dear, and that makes you forget to talk. I can't tell you just now what the moral of that is, but I shall remember it in a bit.
Alice: Perhaps it hasn't one.
The Duchess: Tut, tut, child! Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it.
Thank you so much Rabbi Sacks, I love the quote--witty, witty,witty! This...and now I'll be silent a bit figuring out...how the piece fits in the puzzle. Shabbat Shalom!
No, no: I never guess. It is a shocking habit,--destructive to the logical faculty
It is of the highest importance in the art of detection to be able to recognize, out of a number of facts, which are incidental and which vital.
You see, my dear Watson"--he propped his test-tube in the rack, and began to lecture with the air of a professor addressing his class--"it is not really difficult to construct a series of inferences, each dependent upon its predecessor and each simple in itself. If, after doing so, one simply knocks out all the central inferences and presents one's audience with the starting-point and the conclusion, one may produce a startling, though possibly a meretricious, effect.
“America was discovered accidentally by a great seaman who was looking for something else; when discovered it was not wanted; and most of the exploration for the next fifty years was done in the hope of getting through or around it. America was named after a man who discovered no part of the New World. History is like that, very chancy.”
- Samuel Eliot Morison (1887-1976)
Note: In a way, Rabbis are a bit like Sherlock Holmes (at least for Kashrut/Kosher-related).
That is what Rabbis do today. What they should do is explore scientifically for morals and wisdom.
***I'm going to post the story together (again) because it's better now, sort of, but eventually I'm going to write it in a longer story and include it in a book. Thank you.
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms: the kingdom of the wise and the kingdom of the fools. Both kingdoms were situated adjacent to each other, and a road made of yellow bricks separated the two kingdoms. The yellow brick road was the border of the kingdoms, and no one was allowed to pass from one side to the other. In the wise kingdom, as according to its name, there were only wise men. In the kingdom of the fools, there were only fools. Once, a stranger arrived at the border, and he wanted to pass through. He had two options, either pass through the kingdom of the wise or pass through the kingdom of the fools. If he passed through the kingdom of the fools, he would’ve had to conform to the local customs of the land, and behave foolishly. This was a risky undertaking since it was not certain if, while in the kingdom of the fools, he wouldn’t become a fool as well. It wasn’t any easier to pass through the kingdom of the wise, because although in here people were wise, they were heavily protecting themselves from foolishness, and no fool was allowed in the country. As such, the stranger was very puzzled. For a while, he circled around and examined the two kingdoms, until he finally discovered the brick road. At the border, there was a huge rock with the following inscription: “If you are seen walking on this road, and you’re a fool, you’ll be thrown into the kingdom of the fools. If you are wise, you’ll be thrown into the kingdom of the wise.” The stranger pondered for a while, and he decided to wait. He waited until twilight. When twilight came, he started to run as fast as he could on the brick road. The guards of the two kingdoms heard his footsteps, and they realized there was someone on the brick road. The guards of the two kingdoms were puzzled. Since it was twilight, no one could tell if the person belonged to the wise or to the fools. When the people in the foolish country heard this, there was much commotion. In exchange, the kingdom of the wise went silent. The stranger was a bit surprised, but he said nothing and he continued running on the yellow brick road.
From the kingdom of the wise, a rabbi came forth and he said:
"Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise; and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed as a man of understanding." (Proverbs 17:28)
Note: the yellow brick road is an allusion to the Wonferful Wizard of Oz.
Here is a picture of the yellow brick road in Israel...as it turns out...it exists not only in the Wizard of Oz...Impressive!
http://www.csua.berkeley.edu/~steve/israel/yellow.html
A note: Rabbi Sacks, going back to the first post I wrote where I said I'm reading "The Promise"-- I finished reading the book and I loved it. There's a specific dilemma that this book identifies: what should psychotherapists do when they encounter someone (like Michael) who does not want to talk? Not talking is one of the most difficult things to deal with in psychotherapy. Now I understand better what the Duchess and Alice say- the argument goes back to the pros and cons of silence. And it's just lovely.
There's also a Note to Note: I also have another book by Chaim Potok called "Wanderings-Chaim Potok's History of the Jews Told with a Poet's Grace and a Storyteller's Flow"--got this at a Book Sale in Queens College this spring and am about to start reading it--although I get a deja vu I may have this book already, but I'm not sure...that's another story--when I was in high school I found 176 Jewish books on my street put out for recycling by someone other than the owner, so it so happened I was there to find them and a couple of them have autographs as well. In any case, I read Telushkin's Jewish Literacy--very helpful book for Jewish History classes since I got my 2nd A in history thanks to it.
I'm "keeping an eye on the website"lol. ;)
I just realized it's been exactly 2 months today since the last post. May 7-July 7! Gematryia...Rabbi Sacks, hope you post soon.
oh by the way the quote I put in here on the website about America is also on the 30 day Metrocard my father just bought me.
“America was discovered accidentally by a great seaman who was looking for something else; when discovered it was not wanted; and most of the exploration for the next fifty years was done in the hope of getting through or around it. America was named after a man who discovered no part of the New World. History is like that, very chancy.”
- Samuel Eliot Morison (1887-1976)
More Subway Quotes I collected:
If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it. (Abraham Lincoln-House Divided Speech)
“To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the need for thought.” (Poincare)
"Life is full of little pricks" (Subway Advertisement)
"Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made." (Immanuel Kant)
There's one more quote I have to add now because I just began reading the Diary of a Young Girl--Anne Frank:
The quote says, "Paper has more patience than people". That is the reason Anne Frank gives for writing her diary. So well said. That's a good reason for you Rabbi Sacks to keep posting on your blog. ;) And that's why I love writing things too. Verba Volant, Scripta Manent." Spoken words fly away, written words remain."
Rabbi Sacks, you said "keep an eye on the website". If you interpret this phrase literally though, you may think that can't happen because when people look at things they tend to use both of their eyes unless they would keep one eye closed and stare with the other, right? Exception: I'm one of those people who don't have binocular vision, and my right eye is dominant, so I don't have to close an eye to just keep one eye on the website. Technically, I always look with one eye on the website, the right eye, even though both of my eyes are open. That's how I was born. It makes the jest of this quote meaningful, a bit like British humor though. The next question would be-- is it bad to look at things? Eyesight after all seems to be deemed the most important of the senses. Then again, too much is too much, things should be taken with moderation, so...maybe that's why this saying came to be like this. If one would keep two eyes on the website, maybe that'll be a bit too much after all. ;) (wink-wink)
For those interested in checking out if they have binocular vision or not, see the website. They will show you some 3D images and there's a hidden image you will see if you have binocular vision:
http://www.magiceye.com/
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