Compromising

Hi,

"R' Eliezer, son of R' Yosi haGlili, said: Compromise [by a court] is prohibited, and one who compromises is a sinner… R' Yehoshua ben Karchah said: It is a mitzvah to compromise… R' Shimon ben Menasya said: When two come before you for judgment, then before you hear their words, or after hearing but before you know where the verdict leans, you may tell them, 'Go compromise.'"

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 6b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Why did Daniel write in Aramaic?

Hi,
"The words of the Chaldeans and their kings, which were stated in Aramaic, and the words Daniel spoke to them in their tongue as well, he saw fit to record as they were stated. This is because errors and many forms of mistakes fall into translation from one tongue to another."

(Don Isaac Abarbanel, Introduction to Maayanei haYeshuah on Daniel)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Our obligation to create

Hi,

"If the Torah then chose to relate to man the tale of creation, we may clearly derive one law from this manner of procedure - viz., that man is obliged to engage in creation and the renewal of the cosmos."

(Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, Halakhic Man [Kaplan translation] pg. 100-101)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

It will come true

Hi,

"For just as the snow and rain descend from the Heavens, and will not return there without having quenched the thirst of the earth, and caused it to give birth and helped it to grow, giving seed to the seeder and bread to those who eat,

"So shall be My words which shall emanate from My mouth, they shall not return to Me empty, without having done that which I willed and having succeeded in their mission."

(Isaiah 55:10-11)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Everything you do is meaningful

Hi,

"Not even the smallest of your activities, your deed, your word, even your thought, is without effect."

(R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, Chapter 22)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Intent is king

Hi,

"Whether one does a little or one does a lot, the essence is that his intent should be for the sake of Heaven."

(Talmud, Menachot 110a)

Note: Taken in context, this is not a statement that a person may choose the most appealing segments of Judaism and make up his own religion so long as his intent is for Heaven. Rather, it is a statement that a person should not feel bad if he is not capable of  doing 'everything,' so long as his intent is to do as much as he can.

Have a great day,

Mordechai

In memory of a beloved friend

In memory of a beloved friend, Jay Scherline, who passed away yesterday:

"When your brother becomes needy, and sells his estate, then his redeemer who is close to him shall come and redeem what his brother has sold."

(Vayikra 25:25)

If there has ever been a man who lived by this verse, it was Jay. Whether with sweat, money, or a listening ear, a smile and a joke, Jay lived to redeem those who were needy in any way, quite often anonymously. He would cut off his right arm to help you, and he would beg you to take his left as well. The world will never know what it has lost.

יהי זכרו ברוך.

Mordechai