Once you start being spontaneous you realize how EASY it is. I was never the adventurous type but I took the other “crazy” route and it’s been so worth it. So yes…don’t take the easy way out! LIZ

It takes skill, time and commitment to be successful in anything you do, if it doesn’t then what’s the point in doing it?

People always say when something is wrong that they cannot do anything about it, that they are only one person. Well clearly one person makes a difference. SHANEE

I don’t love change (does anyone really) but I understand its importance in life and to move you to the next stage of your life. ADINA

I think in today’s society, people find themselves being pulled in with the current, and become exact replicas of everybody else. By taking the path less followed, you accomplish more and the results are often what you had hoped for. LINDSAY

Obstacles are there to give us a reminder not to take certain things for granted, because when you accomplish something after you fought for it you will most likely appreciate it much more than if it was handed to you. AVIV

There is a yearning in all of us to do something better and experience the part of us that wants to make a change. Making a change, however large or small, can come from a brief resignation from “autopilot”. AVNER

On the surface, this week’s seminar focused on decisions, but at its core, it was really about the the fulfillment of expectations and the role that free will has in our lives (when we apply it to the moments of choice that we are confronted with on a daily basis.) Indeed, how many of us can really say we see ourselves donating a kidney when we are older? I know this is cliche, but life is full of unexpected twists and turns. The best one can do is not to be passive, and in an idealized sense, I would even go far as to recommend that one should also be proactive instead of reactive. However, I find that living in the moment, from day-to-day, from situation-to-situation, come what may, is a tough-love way to live, and it works. It keeps you on your toes, always in anticipation, dealing directly with the cards you’re dealt, and always forcing you to make the tough choices with only what you have.

Despite all that I have said, it is important that people make goals. I know so many people, mainly students, who simply don’t have plans and this screws them over after four years of, excuse me, “putzing around,” so to speak. It has been often stated that those who make goals and work towards said goals will ultimately achieve them. I know that simply drifting through life, as if you were the reincarnation of Bob Dylan, Jack Kerouac or some Bohemian of the 60s, is the hip thing to do nowadays, but those who focus on themselves and their plans, rather than be preoccupied with silly distractions, will inevitably succeed. I can’t help but laugh at many political science students because many have failed to accept the grim reality that they most likely will not get accepted into law school and yet majority of students put law school and medical school up on this pedestal as the only way to a good life, and a good life, by today’s definition, seems to be a salary over 100 k. Neither law school, nor med school, nor the life that follows is an easy road. It will cost you time, money, your sanity, your commitment to family, etc. Don’t take the hard route because you think it will be easy afterwards and don’t take the easy route for a temporary solution because it just gets harder. Think about this (for those who didn’t take a year off): We start our education at the age of 5 in kindergarten and go straight till we’re (about) 60. The world we live in does not cater to those who desire a year(s) off filled with a blissful lack of activity. I don’t know, but society ought to have more down time. I don’t want to work till I’m dead or too old and unhealthy to enjoy my retirement. Life is for the living, cemeteries are for the dead, and most places of professional occupation are for zombies. We ought to do what we love, and that is all.

I agree wholeheartedly with Chana’s closing statement – “Don’t be a statistic.” Indeed, spontaneity keeps life interesting and keeps other people from assuming what your next action will be. However, we are statistics as soon as we leave the womb. This is a sorry but true fact. We are statistics by virtue of the gender we are born as, the date we are born on, whether our birth was a c-section or natural, etc. As we grow, the statistics pile on. I only say that one ought not to be a statistic to maintain his or her dignity as a human being, with a name and a personality to identify them, not a number or a percentage.

Kathy’s generosity shone through her beaming smile and kind personality. There are very few people like her left on this Earth; she is truly a rare breed of person, nay a mensch. I’m sure she never aspired to donate a kidney I doubt she ever gave any thought to the fact that such a heroic action would valorize her. I know she did so simply because she cared, because she and the person who needed the donation were faced with an unlikely situation that demanded a prompt answer. Moreover, the fact that she donates all her time to people who are less fortunate than she is a very conscious decision that defies the self-centered interests of this generation. She is a true leader because she acts according to her gut, which is, in turn, aligned with a view towards what will benefit the other person. I would never have the courage to donate an organ unless I was dead, but Kathy made this choice in the daylight of her waking life, for the benefit of someone who would ultimately fade into the twilight of their unblinking death. Kathy is not merely a leader, but a hero, and I will never know the pride of having done some of things she has done but I have the pride in knowing I met her. In my work with the disabled, I have learned that living with someone who has a disability is never an easy road or an easy life. But if you decide to devote yourself and your time to that person and that cause, and you make do with what you have in the situation you are in, then I can’t think of another definition for bravery.

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I rarely put a specific face on role models, but from our brief acquaintance I perceived him [Dr. Kirzner] as an incredibly caring doctor who can accomplish so much for other people’s lives. It’s pleasing to think that the source of his morals come from a heritage that we all share. People like him make me very proud of how Judaism can help shape such characters and it’s great to see him reppin’ for us Jews. ALEX

I think Shabbat is more necessary now than ever, mostly because of how technology literally runs our lives. LIZ

If I knew that such an inspirational speaker was coming to Maimonides last Tuesday, I would’ve started studying for my midterm a little earlier. DANIEL AVNER

à sorry… such a great quote, I had to (Amanda)

I like the nice parallel Rabbi Mitch drew between the precise “laws” that specify ceasing work on the Sabbath and the implicit “laws” in a baseball game. This really helped me gather a new perspective on how easy it is to look at the surface level and say, “I can’t do this… I can’t do that… that kind of sucks!!!” whereas, I would never think for a second of trying to change the rules of baseball, because I am simply so used to it and that’s just the way it is. And that drives home a good point. MIKE

Whenever I am at somebody’s house for shabbat I ALWAYS learn something new, so it is a nice way to expand my horizons and learn!  LINDSAY

I definitely don’t think that shabbat is outdated, if anything its so essential right now. Everyone is so occupied with technology and there’s always something new coming out on the market and people have forgotten the most important things in life. VICTORIA

This week’s seminar was not only superior to the week that preceded it, but it was also a valuable learning experience that transcends classification and comparison with other seminars of its kind.

Firstly, Dr. Kirzner comes across as an incredible kind and friendly gentleman, which renders the delivery of his presentation all the more enjoyable and accessible. But more than how he said it, it was what he said that truly stuck with me. One truly senses the incredible amount of knowledge this man has in regards to the sciences and the way the body functions. Some of the facts he stated are, unlike many other life lessons given by intellectuals, applicable to daily life, such as the importance of lying on one’s side, rather than on his stomach, and the very UNknown fact that oranges and many fruits are carbohydrates. Most of all, I think he clearly illustrated two facts that one can take from his discussion of Maimonides. An implicit fact that one can deduce is that Maimonides was a man who believed in moderation. The second fact, explicitly stated and bizarrely questioned by one student, was that Maimonides offered lessons with sentiments that are still relevant today. Maimonides gave medical knowledge based on common practice and widely held beliefs. It is no strange coincidence that only today can medicine prove these lessons with actual science. Whether it was 800 years ago or contemporary society, there is nothing strange about people having better digestion when they lie on their left side or people sleeping better when they have 8 hours of sleep. Instead, we ought to question social practices from 800 years ago like religion as critically as medical practices. The effects on the mind and body are the same.

The presentation on Shabbat was interesting. I’ll admit, it was not a huge part of my life growing up. However, we ought to live life in moderation, as Maimonides said. We ought to have a day of rest. And regardless of saying prayers or lighting candles, we ought to have some event once a week where we spend time with our family, whether it be a dinner or going out to bowling. Work ought to remain at and in the office. A vacation is no vacation if you take your cell phone with you, even if you take it for the excuse of calling in case of emergency. I envy those who can shrug off their responsibility and enjoy a beach in peace without a cell phone because it signifies a return to a state of relaxation, a pre-technological state with no worries. Put simply, we carry too much baggage, particularly social baggage. It must be nice to break off from the (social) world and just drift away into your own thoughts and embrace nature on a beach with the sun beaming at you and the ocean at your feet. That’s a true Shabbat to me.

If the essence of Judaism is more about philosophizing about life rather than ‘scrupulous conformity’, then with this regard, it’s great that Judaism promotes liberal thinking. In contrast, modern day understanding of the word “religion” is often tainted with connotations of mindlessness, primitive ethics and outdated customs. This probably stems from centuries of oppressive churches dominating almost every aspect of culture. Today, it could be said that thinkers of the Enlightenment won their battle and now the people can freely look down on religion as an archaic artifact.
Because of this, religion is killing many different religions, not just Judaism, as described in class. I believe that religions of the ‘modernized’ world realize this, and are starting to reach out to the public with a “look we can be liberal and open-minded too”-type PR message. One could say that these religious communities are simply reforming their beliefs, but it’s also clearly in their interests to do whatever they can to maintain a populace considering the large fall-offs of ‘faith’. Though we discussed many reasons of how Judaism in its essence does not fall prey to the modern connotations about religion, it’s tough to ignore that many orthodox communities do require mindless observations of many traditions. There are many things that are expected of me as a Jew, even if I don’t understand them. So although our ‘religion’ might be built on liberalism (at least of thought), there’s many layers of culture and history thrown on top of it that make it harder to view Judiasm solely as a philosophy. After all, we do have a history of excommunications, both recent and late. It’s understandable that a certain amount of conservatism is required to define what Judaism is and is not, so I believe it may be a stretch to say that Judaism is nothing but a philosophy. Such a statement would just be part of a larger trend (publically approved adjustments) that all “dieing” religions are now tending to.

   I remember reading an except from a Jewish, European (in Yiddish, I think) newspaper discussing the problem of so-called “secular” Jews in North America. I don’t remember much, but the jist of it was that non-religious Jews were a threat to the continuation of the line. I grew up with the children of these secular Jews (and, by many accounts am one myself). They eat at the neighborhood delicatessen. They mourn the loss of the pickle barrels in theLower East Side. They scream Yiddish expletives when the time is right. And believe me, they will pass on their mother’s brisket recipe to their children. These people are undeniably Jewish. So what if so many don’t observe the sabbath or fast on Yom Kippur? Is that what makes a Jew?   DOUG

In this society where everyone is so concerned with self-image and what everyone thinks about them and generaly are motivated by extrinsic factors and temptations; religions gets over looked as it is not deemed to be ‘cool’.. And who doesn’t want to be cool right? Well it offers us a set of core values to live by and act on intrinsic motivations which is shown in studies to make people more happy long term.   AVIV

…media bias has turned religion into something very negative and how the negative focus on extremism in monotheism has turned people away from something that could instill so many concrete values and morals into people.  VICTORIA

Our generation today is not the most open to religion, even those who were raised on it. It could be laziness, but it could also be because they don’t like being told that they do this because that’s how its always been done.  SHANEE

We live in a Christian society. This is just a fact that Jews in the Diaspora have to accept as there is only one Jewish state. But knowing that doesn’t make me any less Jewish.   ADINA

All humans are one but unfortunately through generations of fighting each other, we’ve failed to notice that.  DANIEL AVNER

Religion is not killing Judaism. It’s skepticism and criticism of religion that is in turn producing a lack of interest in religion. With more distractions in our modern world, we have less time for faith. Of course, modern society’s increasing cynicism, doubt, and ultimately, its atheism, is no great contributor to the sustenance of any religion.  DANIEL

…if Jewish learning could be made more relevant to our lives and taught in a way that makes sense in this day and age, more people could be interested in Judaism. 14 years of Jewish education told me what everything means and how to go about practicing certain rituals but it never told me WHY those customs and rituals were important or showed me how those things made sense in my life. It was never relatable so I never cared.  LIZ

As I was in the shower, pondering posts by others and thinking what to write for my own, I couldn’t help but wonder how I could apply this notion of “control in love” to all of life. I realized that giving control to others is easier than “grabbing hold of the reins” so to speak, which is why many people do it. In relationships for example, it is easier to be a passive character and going with the flow of things, waiting for gratification from your partner, which may or may not come, than to dictate the relationship for what you want. That way, if the relationship happened to collapse, you can say that the fault lies on the individual whom you gave control to. You wouldn’t say it in these exact words, of course. You couldn’t possibly know that you made the mistake of giving the other individual control unless you became conscious of it. Yet, just because you don’t perceive it, does not mean it isn’t true. When we wait for the feeling of love to happen to us, we are blinded by the illusion that it isn’t there for us to give in the first place. Love is in us to give, not to wait for.
There are other ways that we don’t act in a loving matter in other aspects of our lives. Many people don’t act through love to themselves when they go into careers that are not of their own choosing but the persuasion of others. Parents often tell their kids what area of study they should go into and if they choose otherwise, they will be looked down upon. Of course, it is easier to conform to public opinion which is why most of us choose to do so. Therefore, we end up settling for a diploma we don’t want, a job we despise and a paycheck that reminds us of how meaningless our income is because we earned it without passion. We end up in loathing and despise people around us; those that chose through love for others, and most-importantly, for themselves.
People even act passively on the biggest, in my opinion, life-decision of all decisions – what to believe in. How many people do you know out there that are die-hard hardcore religionists who say that the world is so because they read it in a book called The Bible? Many of them never even stop to question why they believe in it or what makes it so. They accept it because it is easier not to have to question things but just let them be. I mean, why think for yourself when someone can tell you how to think, right? It eliminates your ability to judge situations and scenarios on your own. Rather, you take the word of G-d or the prophets who promise you great things and life after death if you obey their rules. As long as you follow the guidelines, St. Peter will let you into heaven. Now I’m not picking on Christianity, or religion for that matter, I am just saying that many of us believe in things for possibly the wrong reason.
So when we choose out of love, we act for ourselves. It may sound selfish and inconsiderate, however, the more love we give ourselves, the more love we have to give to others. It cannot work otherwise because it is not possible to have any compassion to give to others if you lack compassion for your own being. To be more loving, we each need to love ourselves first. Do what is right for you and what you love and the rest should come as well.
I’m not sure if what I’m saying makes sense… but I hope it resonates with someone. Honestly, I’m really tired. Shouldn’t be up right now :s
Also, I would like to say that I am an absolute genius for slicing my finger with the knife while cutting open my hot dog bun. I bled all through Hannah’s lesson. In my defense though, you have to use some weird cutting technique with that knife because it’s so serrated. Or maybe I’m just stupid. Derrrr.

There definitely IS a practical way to look at love. A couple needs to think realistically about their goals, values, and views on marriage, family and life in general…. But at the same time, the emotional aspect is something that definitely shouldn’t be ignored either. While being compatible on paper is extremely important, it doesn’t always mean that you’ll feel that emotional connection as well. It’s important in a relationship to have both.   LIZ

The crux of any and all relationships is the experience of sensations, bodily and emotional alike. Put simply, we need to feel things and it needs to be because of that other person.   DANIEL

“I love how they make me feel” somewhat gives the impression that the person sits around passively hoping for their partner to make them feel good, which is going to be unhealthy for both parties. Whereas “I love them” is almost like a leadership role where you decide to do something about it and show them with communication/actions.   AVIV

I think that the beginning stages of love is loving how the other person makes you feel but in order to grow and progress into a real relationship then one needs to understand that love can’t only be based on feelings and needs something more concrete.   VICTORIA

I think it is very simple to love the way somebody makes you feel, but to love somebody is immensely deeper and involves more obstacles. LINDSAY

Love, just like any other thing, is an action used to satisfy one’s own needs. For some it might be pleasure, for others, company, in the end if both persons are satisfied or see a potential for satisfaction, they stick to it.  ELI

Week two saw us deal with love and leadership, play The Dating Game and meet a screen writer who discussed balancing your own personal values and what jobs you are offered. Upload your journals here. You can also find the Powerpoint from Love and Leadership there.

If you remember, last night, I made a bit of a joke about falling asleep immediately after getting home. I was being serious; but unfortunately I had to celebrate a friend’s birthday. So we had a few people at our apartment when my roommate decided to take out the trash (for the first time, I must note). Leaving a lot out – my roommates started arguing and the one with the garbage bag threw it at my other roommate (a girl with nice clothing; she didn’t take to it very well). She threw it back. They then started yelling at each other for not cleaning, never buying food, being nasty in the bathroom, and some other stuff I didn’t listen to.

Needless to say, I took the garbage out. You’re welcome, roommates.

So, they are still fighting – not talking to each other. But I’ve had quite a few funny moments where I start to clean, and suddenly one of them will run up to help me and show me what a great roommate he or she is; they’re not great roommates.

Anyway, this was an appropriate night for this to happen, being just after our discussion of leadership. In my morning shower recollection, I began to think of how I could become the midway point between these two strong personalities while teaching them to do their fair share around the apartment without having to mother them. I was thinking to myself that maybe if we had actually spoke last night (instead of sitting awkwardly, as we were) then maybe my thought process would have been more fruitful, as I have yet to come up with any sort of solution. I guess that’s partly my fault. But I certainly did take the time I had in the shower to appreciate what we had discussed and try to incorporate it into my battle strategy.

In the shower I came up with a quality of a leader that I don’t think we touched on last night. A leader is willing to do what needs to be done. Like the dishes.

I see we talked about why leadership is important (did we?). This is why: a strong leader makes good roommates. Or, to say it nicely, being an effective leader will create a sense of teamwork and cohesion among roommates.

If I must talk about the Aish core values: I am a better roommate then them because I am responsible! (I’m not, but I can do dishes when they pile up. I think that counts for something.)

So now I must apologize for ranting, but I’ve been locked in a computer lab all day, so this is the only chance I’ve gotten. And now I say this more seriously: it was nice to have our discussion last night since it got me thinking about how I should act, rather than what I should do (if that makes sense).

Doug