BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

The Talmudic text we study here grapples with the meaning of the following three verses. The first verse appears in the Mishnah and the other two verses appear the Gemara. Before you start to read the Mishnah, take a look at these three verses and ponder what new idea each one gives you. Exodus 22:20 You shall not aggrieve a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt Leviticus 25:14 When you sell property to your neighbor, or buy any from your neighbor, you shall not aggrieve one another Leviticus 25:17 Do not aggrieve one another, but fear your God; for I am the Lord your God Now witness how the Talmud through its close reading learns different things from each of these verses. Babylonian Talmud Bava Metziya 58b-59a Mishnah: Just as [it is illicit] to aggrieve someone in business, it is also [illicit to] aggrieve someone with words. One should not say, "How much does this item cost" if he does not mean to purchase it. If a person had once led a sinf...

For years I would say to people, "I can't sit/ be near you. You're giving me a headache." They'd get mad - then later I'd find out they had some horrible illness. They'd make me think I was crazy... but I'm not! If you've ever thought that you literally feel other people's pain, you may be right. A brain-imaging study suggests that some people have true physical reactions to others' injuries. Using an imaging technique called functional MRI, UK researchers found evidence that people who say they feel vicarious pain do, in fact, have heightened activity in pain-sensing brain regions upon witnessing another person being hurt. The findings, published in the journal Pain, could have implications for understanding, and possibly treating, cases of unexplained "functional" pain. "Patients with functional pain experience pain in the absence of an obvious disease or injury to explain their pain," explained Dr. Stuart W. G. Derb...

Those rejected by romantic partners are more likely to tolerate abuse from a new partner... now we know why women put up with pathological men (and vice versa). Ugh! Naomi Eisenberger & Shelley E. Taylor Science Daily UCLA psychologists have determined for the first time that a gene linked with physical pain sensitivity is associated with social pain sensitivity as well. Their study indicates that variation in the mu-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1), often associated with physical pain, is related to how much social pain a person feels in response to social rejection. People with a rare form of the gene are more sensitive to rejection and experience more brain evidence of distress in response to rejection than those with the more common form. The research was published Aug. 14 in the early online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and will appear in the print version in the coming weeks. The findings give weight to the common notion that rejection "hurts...

How do you cool your lips After a summers kiss How do you rid the sweat After the body bliss How do you turn your eyes From the romantic glare How do you block the sound of a voice You'd know anywhere Study may explain roots of empathy By Julie Steenhuysen When people say "I feel your pain," they do not mean it literally, but certain people really do feel something that appears to be an extreme form of empathy, British researchers said on Sunday. They said watching someone being touched triggers the same part of the brain as actual touch, and this connection helps explain how we understand what other people are feeling. People who experience a tactile sense of touch when they see another person being touched -- something called mirror-touch synesthesia -- was first studied in 2005 in one person. But researchers at University College London have now studied 10 people with the same condition. "It suggests there is a link between certain aspects of the tactile system an...

The Only Thing I Have to Give - Is Myself “Our deepest need is for the joy that comes with knowing we are of genuine use to others.” -- Eknath Easwaran Holding an intention to be in service shapes our overall attitude towards life in many ways. For example, it brings a greater sensitivity and awareness of others, a commitment to harmlessness, a willingness to put others’ needs before our own and a desire to be in harmony with all. An attitude of service also involves a willingness to be served when we truly need support. "… there is no such thing as just existing. Everything is in service to everything else. Existence is giving and receiving. A stone gives and receives no less than a saint." -- Jacob Needleman PLEASE CLICK HERE TO JBLOG ME

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