Twitter

Sunday, May 12, 2013

getting ready to accept the Torah


I was incredibly humbled by 2 comments over the past two days. On Friday I went to Alon Shvut to pay homage to the Gadol Hador – Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein – on the occasion of his 80th birthday. When I approached him he said to me “I am extremely pleased to see how productive you are – producing works rooted in the text and rooted in values”. I cannot overstate the feeling of words of encouragement, from man whom I revere.  I sat by his feet for 4 years, at first struggling to understand his vocabulary – and then the words and concepts he taught us.
The second was on Shabbat, my next door neighbor after tasting my homemade schug said – “it is better than mine…it is better than my mother’s”...she was effusive and asked me for my recipe…
Even if they both exaggerated – the lesson is clear: the power of a positive word is substantial; uplifting, even transformative – we should all be more generous with positive words of encouragement…that is how we become one people with one heart…that is how we get ready to accept the Torah…

No comments: