It's been a darn good week for me personally. It started off kind of rough after the immediate shock of everything that was going on in Israel and after the death of my fish, but this week was pretty good.
I turned 19, my friend from high school came to visit, there's been lots of cake and good food and good people, so I'm still happy.
- Make Your Celebration a Cause for Everyone to Celebrate: I hadn't even thought about this section after reading it until this exact moment. Yesterday, my friend (who lives way downtown) made me a delicious cake. My friend from high school and I, on our way back to my dorm, walked down the main street where there were many homeless people sitting on the side of the street and sidewalk. One of them saw the covered plate and said to me "we take leftovers" with a grin on his face. I smiled apologetically and said "sorry" as I'm so used to doing. He said "have a nice day", I said "you too", and he said "God bless." And that's where it ended. It would have been so easy to find something with which to cut the cake. I missed it! I can't even believe I missed that opportunity.
- On Not Embarrassing the Recipient: N/A
- Is There Someone You're Ignoring Whom You Should Ask for Forgiveness?: N/A
- Don't Forgive on Other People's Behalf: I'm reading Viktor's Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning as a suggestion from my roommate and I read a quote yesterday that really reminded me of this section. And I just spent a few minutes looking for this and I can't find it anymore. Well, at least it's an interesting book if you're looking to learn something new.
- The Punishment of One Who Humiliates Another: N/A
- When You Can't Give Money: See Make Your Celebration a Cause for Everyone to Celebrate
Day 281: How to Avoid Giving In to Temptation
This weekend, I took my friend to the farmer's market downtown. Among beautiful beans, gigantic gourds, tantalizing tomatoes, and festal flowers, we found the softest alpaca yarn I've ever touched in very vibrant colors. Immediately, I asked the woman selling them if she took credit cards. When she responded that, unfortunately, she didn't, I checked the amount of cash I had on hand. Had my friend not nudged me and said "hey let's walk around some more and maybe you can find an ATM later for the yarn", I probably would've bought a couple skeins.
That story might make me sound like I have a knitting addiction, but when you cut to the chase, it's really just a yarn addiction.
A verse from the Torah offers advice to people who have taken the Nazirite vow (they avoid eating grapes, drinking wine, cutting their hair, or having contact with a corpse): "Take a circuitous route, O Nazirite, but do not approach the vineyard." Meaning, don't lead yourself into a situation in which you would give in to temptation knowingly.
Take a circuitous route, O yarn lover, but do not approach the alpaca yarn stand at the farmer's market.
Day 282: When You're Tempted to Do Something Wrong
"Know what is above you: an eye that sees, an ear that hears, and all your deeds are recorded in a book." -Ethics of the Fathers 2:1
Day 283: When There Is No Shalom Bayit in Your Bayit
If it wasn't obvious by now, there are certain sections I don't feel comfortable writing about for various reasons. This is one of them, so I'll gladly sum up some points in list form:
- Shalom Bayit (a peaceful home) is very important in Judaism
- "No one [woman or man] should be expected to dwell in the same den with a serpent." -Yevamot 112b
- Judaism sees divorce as a very sad thing
- "When there is no reason to suffer, one shouldn't" (398).
- "After a bad marriage, there is still the hope for a good one" (398).
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