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There are two pathways up the mountain of life: the path of focused strength, and the path of resilience. The former is the path of Yosef and the latter is the path of Yehuda and his descendant King David. Yosef was a tzadik; the paradigm of moral strength, he always managed to turn dust to gold. As a young slave, recently torn from his family, he does well enough to become head of household for an important court official. Handsome, uber successful, and lonesome at the age of seventeen, he ...
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Humility = Strength. Ego is the enemy, and getting ourselves out of our own way is the David/Yehuda way to incredible success/Kingship. When we uphold the image of our successful self, we can take the high road of Yosef, but sometimes the best and most powerful path forward is to admit that we are in fact powerless (this expression of powerlessness…
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Yosef is being led by the hand to his destiny. His descent to Egypt is the catalyst for the Jewish nation being exiled there, surviving spiritually, and ultimately emerging as a nation, and it all begins with Yosef’s descent. This story is so much bigger than him! And Yosef knows this, else, he wouldn’t survive the loneliness and suffering. He know…
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YOU Write the Script of Your Life. We discuss how staying above your circumstances, by being rooted above your circumstances. That way you can *choose* to define your reality, and not let reality dictate to you what your life is. We return to the life of biblical Joseph. The great commentator, Malbim, writes that Yosef acted based on the needs of t…
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I may Be Dreaming, But I'm NOT Sleeping--The Lion and the Ox: Two Modes of Jewish Leadership #3
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In episode #2 we discussed how to balance ambition and acceptance. Accept the reality of today, including the things you don’t love, and by accepting them, you keep them from overwhelming your entire worldview, which in turn allows you to move forward. Acceptant mindfulness has two components: One, the embrace of what there is to love in life, and …
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Who was Joseph? Paradigm of discipline and focus? Starry eyed dreamer? Brilliant visionary? Joseph’s personality develops from day one, and can be derived from his very name. “And she (Rachel) called his name Joseph (yosef, to add) for G-d has gathered (asaf) my shame.” Joseph, it turns out, relates both to adding and to gathering. He defines, gath…
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The gift of life is the gift of opportunity. The choice is ours. Should we aim for greatness, or satisfy ourselves with mediocrity? Choosing to pursue greatness is only the beginning. From the start, distractions and frustration litter the road before us. How we deal with these impediments will define the type of life we build. How we respond to th…
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A Tale of Two Kings由Shmuel Halpern
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Death and The True Meaning of Life. After 12 chapters of describing the futility of life, Kohelet closes with a discussion of death. But once again, the lesson is about the greatness of purposeful living. Life is eternal. It is the empty pursuit of pleasure and power that is empty.由Shmuel Halpern
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Impactful Living By Giving由Shmuel Halpern
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The Reactive Cynic. Solomon's begs us to consider the following two extremes: The successful person who knows they have something unique to contribute and they go ahead and work it, until at last, success --Proactivity at its best. The other fellow says, why work if I can just talk. But eventually, feeling the emptiness of a life of idle chatter, t…
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The Evil House Fly:由Shmuel Halpern
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Why does the promised youth fail to live up to their potential? It's not for lack of talent, but for lack of understanding. Talents, like everything else, need to be managed, otherwise they can be as more liability than asset. ---Ecclesiastes/Kohelet 9:11-18 I have further observed under the sun that The race is not won by the swift, Nor the battle…
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Death happens once on the macro level, but many times on the micro level. Disappointment, failure, setbacks are all forms of micro death. Many have lost all ambition because they've been burned once too many. Life is eternal; life is ever fresh and novel, it just awaits actualization. It's time to reengage with life, and live each moment as a compl…
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The rules of success are universal. The marshmallow test, which displays one's ability to delay gratification, may predict a future doctor who can endure med school, who saves lives for a living, or the drug lord, who patiently ascends to power, and who may kill to earn his bread. There seem to be many paths to success. The key is simply to choose …
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Happiness is a choice由Shmuel Halpern
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There’s incredible power within. The million dollar question is how to unleash it? Solomon’s answer: Good habits, even one obsessively good habit. Good deeds center us, allowing the whisper of our inner voice to be heard. Develop an OCD like relationship with ONE good habit, it’ll change the entire trajectory of life for the better.…
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John Keats spoke of ‘Negative Capability’ — as explained by Robert Greene in Mastery. Our ego loves to explain and define. This leads to complacency, to a complete lack of sustained growth. Humility is the key. We can humbly recognize our complete insignificance before the Infinite. We know nothing. Now, we can rethink, redefine, everything. The sk…
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Life's the greatest teacher. Trial and error; seeing the good and the bad; comparing and contrasting; matching the the puzzle piece with it's true place; all create and build wisdom. Just start; you'll make mistakes, but you'll learn, and that's the whole point. Focus consistent effort in the right place, and you'll see success. Potential is a puzz…
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What's the key to living a balanced life? It's staying above your circumstances. That way, the choice remains yours. You decide when to be soft, when to be strong, when to let go, and when to hold on fast. You are above definition, because human greatness cannot be pinned down to any one definition. Don't make the mistake of defining yourself, or o…
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Since we all have our own perception of things, how can we truly empathize with others? The wisdom of humility teaches us that reality is much deeper and goes much further than we can ever truly grasp. The other person's perspective, though very different than yours, is just as valid. Take a look around the room and realize that each person has the…
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Seeing the big picture will change your life for the better. It will: 1) Improve your relationships as you realize the eternity of human interactions. 2) Allow you to see the inevitable frustrations of life as opportunities for humility and greatness. 3) Focus more on recreation and less on mindless entertainment, and so much more! Photo by Simon M…
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If you find yourself focusing too much on structuring your life, you might just miss the real you. You are really thoughtful and compassionate. The real you has a deep desire to contribute and serve. Too much noise and superficiality will hide the true you from sight. Over focusing on structure will lead you to think that you're in control. Let go …
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Ambition and drive can lead to greatness or ruin; what’s the key to proper ambition? Man is all about potential; not for some ‘out there’ achievements, but to express one’s true inner greatness. Learn to differentiate between pure ambition and its false counterpart, and you will change the world for the better.…
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Ecclesiastes/Koheles 5:7-19. If you see in a province oppression of the poor and suppression of right and justice, don’t wonder at the fact; for one high official is protected by a higher one, and both of them by still higher ones. Thus the greatest advantage in all the land is his: he controls a field that is cultivated. A lover of money never has…
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Thought, speech, action. That is the magic formula of human effectiveness. Speech is the most powerful human faculty, and Solomon's enjoins us to use it well. Keep your mouth from being rash, and let not your throat be quick to bring forth speech before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth; that is why your words should be few. Just as dr…
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What is so terrible about old age? Why does Solomon use age to differentiate between the good and evil inclinations? Youth relates to development, where a person looks to bring forth their potential, to give to the world around them. Old age analogizes the person who sees themselves as fully developed, who now looks to the world to serve them.You a…
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There are three ways to live life. 1) Open to exploring anything and everything. 2) Closed and rigid. 3) The middle road, expanding frontiers, but connecting it all back to one's core identity. Solomon leads us from tragedy to jealousy, in an effort to teach us the secret of the middle road. A short life lived with integrity is more valuable than a…
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Is Life worth living? Are there unique moments that make life more meaningful? What about the rest of life? Shammai and Hillel debated for three years and concluded that "it would be better for man had he not been created." (Eruvin 13b) Ben Ish Chai explains: Hillel focused on the view from our world, where a majority of life is spent on mundane an…
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Each and every person is an entire world. Find your voice, find your soul. Every soul is uniquely suited for a particular mission. To shine it's light in a very specific corner of reality. Find your light, the world is waiting.由Shmuel Halpern
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Why does opportunity chase some and flee others? Do entrepreneurial legends roam the streets looking for opportunity? The secret ingredient is time. It can be your best friend or your worst enemy. It is up to you. Chapter three of Ecclesiastes provides new insight into timing, and how to use it for your benefit.…
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The Mule's Foal: a tale of The Caesar, the Rabbi and the Philosopher. Ecclesiastes/Koheles # 6
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Human beings have a transcendent soul. The Greek's believed that the soul/intellect was a 'child' of the human being. Learn the Torah view on this fascinating subject, from the great Rabbi Yehoshua of the Talmud. Tractate Bechoros 8a-b, relates the incredible story of Rabbi Yehoshua and the sages of Athens. 16th century Maharal of Prague gives us i…
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King Solomon worries about his successor. Would he build on the foundation he'd inherited, or would he destroy it? The anxiety of the mega wealthy and mega successful: what will be with their life's work after they're gone? The lessons Solomon teaches go beyond the challenge of wealth. They teach all, the wealthy and the poor, how to live a focused…
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Life is the greatest teacher. King Solomon, who lived life to the fullest, shows us how to live and how to learn. His encounter with Ashmedai, recorded in the Talmud (gittin 68a), is a fascinating lesson in the value of knowing your limits.由Shmuel Halpern
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Creativity as the purpose of existence and the meaning of suffering. Ecclesiastes Kohelet #3.
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Why is there suffering in this world?! Solomon's answer: the Divine nature of creativity. We can either mirror the creative energy of our Source, or stubbornly crown our ego as king. The former path brings blessings to the world; the latter brings suffering.由Shmuel Halpern
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A brief summary of this episode由Shmuel Halpern
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Behind every physical phenomena is a deep spiritual reality. This is true about everything, and especially true of the human being. Discover the three levels of human soul: survival, motivation/movement, and the intellect.由Shmuel Halpern
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