BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

An interesting article on good vs. bad, the value of pain and suffering and our constant need for the support and love of Hashem in our lives. Article is a good reminder to make meaning of pain, both emotional & physical, in our lives - B. by Rabbi Yitzchok Kirzner When "bad things happen to good people," by what standard does one define "bad"? J udaism begins with the belief in a Creator of the entire universe. The history of our people commences with Avraham's question, "Who created the world?" (cf. Bereishis Rabbah 39:1). That question led him to the recognition of God as the Creator. God existed prior to Creation, and that Creation remains dependent upon Him. Creation came into being as an expression of His will and is dependent on Him; it continues to exist only by virtue of a continued infusion of His creative energy. This is stated in the first of the Thirteen Principles of Faith based on Maimonides: "The Creator, Blessed is...

An article I posted: Tempered by Fire - got a tremendous amount of hits and links in. I wrote it early in the morning while my kids were getting ready for school, almost as a 'throw away' post. I got a lot of very supportive and fascinating mail from that post as well... and it made me think. I realize in not trying and just letting my thoughts flow organically (my favorite way of writing) I spoke something about myself. Something that has been true of me for as long as I can remember. My adherence towards altruism. Many times on this blog I have said that through helping others I have achieved a lot of healing and transcendence. I am one of those people who has always done whatever I could to make others feel better. I am now working through therapy, to do for myself as much as a I do for others. I would love to end suffering everywhere but since I can't, I do it for the victims I advocate for and for my friends, who reach out to me. Yes, I do feel their pain . ...

By William Polowniak, Ph.D. Fritz Perls a famous Jewish psychotherapist known for his founding of Gestalt therapy once said that refusal to communicate is the most toxic human behavior. I am convinced that he is right. Refusal to communicate really means refusal to listen and to enter into dialogue especially when we disagree. Usually people who refuse to communicate live their lives as “functional sociopaths.” That is, they are self-centered, they do as they please with total disregard for others and they indulge in subterfuge, self-delusion and see themselves as persecuted. Their delusions of self-persecution cause them to become angry manipulators. So why label people in “either or” categories as “toxic” or “nourishing” people? Labels themselves are dangerous and often unfair, but for the wise person they do help us see what to avoid. They help us to invest our energies in more productive ways. When we use labels, however, we must be aware that labeling others without caution is in ...

"It's an awful truth that suffering can deepen us, give a greater luster to 0ur colors, a richer resonance to our words. That is, IF it doesn’t destroy us, IF it doesn't burn away the optimism and the spirit, the capacity for visions, and the respect for simple yet indispensable things." -- Anne Rice PLEASE CLICK HERE TO JBLOG ME

"Be very careful if you make a woman cry, because God counts her tears. The woman came out of a man's rib. Not from his feet to be walked on. Not from his head to be superior, but from the side to be equal. Under the arm to be protected, and next to the heart to be loved." Hebrew Talmud PLEASE CLICK HERE TO JBLOG ME

AUGUST 2008 Chronic pain is pain that goes on longer than six months and does not respond to conventional medical treatment. In other words, chronic pain is pain that does not go away. What’s more, chronic pain often has no concrete explanation and no tangible diagnosis. That does not mean that chronic pain is not real. It simply means that, using the information available today, modern medical specialists cannot define a “cause’ for the pain. Chronic pain is pain that many people have to “learn to live with.” The question then is, how do you do that? Eighty-six million Americans are affected by some sort of chronic pain. Chronic pain presents business and industry with a bill of $90 billion annually, including lost work hours, retraining, and insurance claims. It causes untold stress on families. The pain can become life-threatening to many who suffer with overwhelming all-controlling pain. Chronic pain is an affliction that must be dealt with now. Who is affected by pain? It affects...

This blog has been my platform for a number of things and one of them is my firm belief that PROSTITUTION IS ABUSE. USING PROSTITUTES IS ABUSIVE AND SEX WITH A PROSTITUTE/ ESCORT/ HOOKER or whatever you want to call them - IS PAID RAPE. Have you ever been treated like a "thing?" Or been in what you thought was a relationship that you later found out, you were a "thing" or an "object"? In a situation where your feelings of being used, hurt or lied to didn't count? Six years ago I was coerced and drawn into such a relationship; though calling it a relationship gives it too much credibility. I learned later that the person, whom I'd known for years who did this to me -- had been running ads on casual sex sites since 1999... and seeing escorts since about 2000. When I came along, I was just one more toy for this person; who'd been conditioned by endless evenings of online porn & lunch hours of hookers to see me as just one of them. He fe...

from Rav Berg In ancient times, two great spiritual masters, who were best friends, made a deal with each other. They agreed that whoever passed away first would return to the other in a dream or a vision. He would let his friend know where he was and reveal the mysteries of the afterlife. Many years went by, and then one of the masters died. His friend confidently expected that he would appear, as he had promised, but several weeks passed without any dream or vision. Concerned, the friend decided to visit the deceased master's son. "We had an agreement," he explained to the son. "Your father would never break his word unless something momentous had occurred." The son said, "I was equally concerned because I too expected my father to come to me. However, knowing the secret art of transporting my soul to the supernal worlds, I was able to visit the Heavenly Court last night and ask what had become of my father. The angels replied, 'He was here, but he di...

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The Talibanization of Iraq Under mounting repression, courageous women fight for their rights and their lives. Is this how the U.S. brought “freedom” to the country? by Bay Fang Yanar Mohammed returned to Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime because she thought the veil of tyranny had finally been lifted from her native country. She and two other women started the Organization for Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), with the goal of fighting for women’s rights. But since those days, her OWFI cofounders have fled the country, and Mohammed herself has received numerous death threats for her work. OWFI , one of the few remaining nongovernmental organizations left in Iraq, has been forced to operate in complete secrecy. “Because of the chaos on the streets and in the government, women have been forced to leave work and hide at home,” says Mohammed, 47. “ We live in a state of continuous fear—if our hair shows on the street, if we’re not veiled enough at work,” says Mohammed. “It’s...