Moses spoke to the heads of the Israelite
tribes, saying: This is what the Eternal has commanded: If a householder makes
a vow to the Eternal or takes an oath imposing an obligation on himself, he
shall not break his pledge; he must carry out all that has crossed his lips. –Numbers
30:2-3 The Torah: A Modern Commentary
Revised Edition
***
He
shall not break his pledge: “he shall not
profane his word,” he shall not treat his word as being unholy. - Sifrei
Mattoth 8
Has crossed his lips: Literally, “has come out of his mouth.” Vows and oaths
made in the name of God are endowed with self-fulfilling powers regardless of
the consequences. Once expressed, words
are binding, even when the expression does not correspond with the
intention. –Etz Hayim (emphasis mine)
***
“What man actually needs is
not a tensionless state But rather the striving and struggling for some goal
worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but
the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.” –Victor Frankl
***
“We all bring to the community our ripened fruit, the
experiences and ideas we have developed in our lives, the patterns and rhythms
that define us. The challenge is to be open to new ideas and experiences
(budding fruit) without rejecting the ripened fruit of our past.” –Elie
Kaunfer. Empowered Judaism
***
“Judaism is a rich, deep tradition – it is a difficult one,
because it is not one that is accessed superficially and easily. It is
demanding of time and effort. It is not just about once a week – Judaism is a
24/7 activity, that requires immersion, study, patience, persistence and
connection to other Jews.
“It can’t be done well in isolation. And frankly, maybe it’s
not for everyone…
“Both edgy indie minyans and shuls have forgotten that
communities are not about finding your age or personality niche and
working it. If you have an age range of only twenty years, you have
failed, because a community must be composed of children, teens,
twenty, thirty, forty, fifty-somethings, Also eighty-somethings. People who are
sweet, people who are annoying as heck; people with money, and those who are
middle class( the few of those left) and people who are poor. People with green
hair or adopted children, or no children, or single people, or gay and
lesbian couples or people who like to camp in the great outdoors and those who
think that Holiday inn is roughing it.
“That is a community.”
–Rabbi Alana Suskin
"Relationships and community are the vehicles through
which we find meaning. It does not make much difference if you are driving that
fancy car or moving into that fantastic new home if you are alone and without a
reason to get out of bed in the morning. It is not theology which binds us.
rather, it is relationships.” –Rabbi Richard Address
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