Diary Entry From My Journey #13

Manhattan is not exactly a spiritual metropolis. It is more of a place where people go to earn money and enjoy what it buys. "A place to earn and not to learn."

Unfortunately, much of my stay I have been focused on the "green" in order to build a Torah empire. The "ends" are praiseworthy but the "means" are quite contrary to my nature. I am NOT a businessman. My father shlita is a born businessman as were my grandfather's [liheebadel bein chaim li'chaim] but genetics play some funny tricks and it skipped over me.

So tonight I found some respite from my labors and did something more endemic to my nature [is that correct english? If it is then by golly may I take a bow for a well written sentence. If it's not - then it's all my teachers fault:)] and studied Torah with a number of tzidkoniyos who traveled far and wide to let me share the pearls. They were SOOO polite and laughed at ALL of my jokes. And more importantly they tried to soak up and internalize the lessons that emerged from our discussion of Parshas Korach.

I can't summarize the whole shiur but one point that was mentioned was that we really have to be happy with who we are. A Kohen is not better or worse than a Levi. Just different. A man is no better or worse than a woman. Just different. If you need someone to give birth a woman would be better. If you need a construction worker I'd go for a guy. Everyone has his or her own purpose on earth and Korach didn't understand that. He wanted to be Kohen Gadol but that wasn't his task. The result was a swift and brutal punishment. We all punish ourselves when we exhibit bad middos like jealousy. We also quoted the Zohar so it was sort of like a "Manhattan Kabbala Center." All we need are a bunch of goyishe singers and actors and we are set.

AHHHHH TORAAAHHHHHHHHH "Kimayim karim al nefesh ayaifa" - Like cold water on a tired soul. Nothing better than Torah and Jews who can appreciate it.

Blessed are the young ladies who came and I thank them.

Blessed are my parents who open up their home to me even though they thought that I was out when I got married. A bird always returns to its nest.

And blessed is Hashem who made me Jewish which is the most awesome thing to be.


:)