The Lowell Sun
Lowell Sun
By RABBI ASHER BRONSTEIN
and RABBI ZALMAN GURKOW
A wedding day is often remembered more than any other milestone in a person's life. The atmosphere is packed with unbridled joy and extreme festivity. Dance and celebration occupy every fiber of being for everyone and everything in the room. Toward the end, as the festivities come to a close and the crowd begins to disperse, both bride and groom come to the sudden realization: This is not the end, it's only the beginning!
In that single instant, they are transported from the apex of elation to the earnestness and gravity of responsibility.
The power of a single moment! Every day we experience rapid transformations. Sometimes these are psychological, sometimes emotional, and at times spiritual in nature. Perhaps they occur on a lesser or greater scale than in the above example, but we are transformed nonetheless.
Every moment in life is charged with endless energy. The potential that is stored in a single instant is capable of propelling a rocket deep into space. The question we must always ask ourselves is how to harness this immense energy? How can we channel this force in a way that will make us and the world around us better?
We sometimes need to remind ourselves that as long as we are alive, we must make every effort to focus on making the most of life itself! A moment of life is not mere happenstance resulting from a series of "coincidences." Rather, every moment is charged with mission and meaningfulness. No person lives on earth for even one "extra" moment. Every breath that is given to us has goals and responsibilities written all over it. Instead of losing our focus to distractions, we should constantly seek to utilize this miraculous energy at our disposal -- to point ourselves in the direction of personal betterment, and to make this entire world a better place. A great "today" must always be succeeded by a "better" tomorrow.
Maimonides (1135-1204), one of the greatest thinkers in Jewish history, offered what is perhaps the most valuable piece of guidance ever given: "One must always see oneself and the world around you as situated on a perfectly level balance scale. Your very next action, speech, or even thought, is capable of tipping the scale -- bringing virtue and salvation to the entire universe."
The Great Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson (1902-1994) -- one of the most dynamic and influential spiritual leaders of our time -- once had an audience with a group of disabled veterans of the Israeli army, known as the "Handicapped of Israel." He said to them that notwithstanding their physical handicaps, every human being is awarded the capacity to overcome every obstacle and to have their own positive impact upon society. "Considering your personal challenges", he told them, "you should always be aware that you contain deep strengths far beyond those of an ordinary healthy person." Thus, he suggested that their group be renamed -- as the "Exceptional of Israel" -- in recognition of the explosive potential that they possess.
As we approach the end of 2005 and are poised to get swept away in its final paean of celebration, let us not forget the enormity of the future looming ahead. The end of a period of time is certainly an occasion to celebrate the past -- but it is more importantly a golden opportunity to resolve to help create an even better future. The past year may have been fraught with its share of tragedy -- perhaps enough to last a lifetime, but the potential that stands before us is yet capable of making the upcoming year the greatest year ever, if we but seize all the precious moments!
Remember: this is not the end -- it's only the beginning...
Rabbi Asher Bronstein and Rabbi Zalman Gurkow are directors, respectively, of Chabad of the Merrimack and Nashoba Valleys.
Lowell Sun
By RABBI ASHER BRONSTEIN
and RABBI ZALMAN GURKOW
A wedding day is often remembered more than any other milestone in a person's life. The atmosphere is packed with unbridled joy and extreme festivity. Dance and celebration occupy every fiber of being for everyone and everything in the room. Toward the end, as the festivities come to a close and the crowd begins to disperse, both bride and groom come to the sudden realization: This is not the end, it's only the beginning!
In that single instant, they are transported from the apex of elation to the earnestness and gravity of responsibility.
The power of a single moment! Every day we experience rapid transformations. Sometimes these are psychological, sometimes emotional, and at times spiritual in nature. Perhaps they occur on a lesser or greater scale than in the above example, but we are transformed nonetheless.
Every moment in life is charged with endless energy. The potential that is stored in a single instant is capable of propelling a rocket deep into space. The question we must always ask ourselves is how to harness this immense energy? How can we channel this force in a way that will make us and the world around us better?
We sometimes need to remind ourselves that as long as we are alive, we must make every effort to focus on making the most of life itself! A moment of life is not mere happenstance resulting from a series of "coincidences." Rather, every moment is charged with mission and meaningfulness. No person lives on earth for even one "extra" moment. Every breath that is given to us has goals and responsibilities written all over it. Instead of losing our focus to distractions, we should constantly seek to utilize this miraculous energy at our disposal -- to point ourselves in the direction of personal betterment, and to make this entire world a better place. A great "today" must always be succeeded by a "better" tomorrow.
Maimonides (1135-1204), one of the greatest thinkers in Jewish history, offered what is perhaps the most valuable piece of guidance ever given: "One must always see oneself and the world around you as situated on a perfectly level balance scale. Your very next action, speech, or even thought, is capable of tipping the scale -- bringing virtue and salvation to the entire universe."
The Great Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson (1902-1994) -- one of the most dynamic and influential spiritual leaders of our time -- once had an audience with a group of disabled veterans of the Israeli army, known as the "Handicapped of Israel." He said to them that notwithstanding their physical handicaps, every human being is awarded the capacity to overcome every obstacle and to have their own positive impact upon society. "Considering your personal challenges", he told them, "you should always be aware that you contain deep strengths far beyond those of an ordinary healthy person." Thus, he suggested that their group be renamed -- as the "Exceptional of Israel" -- in recognition of the explosive potential that they possess.
As we approach the end of 2005 and are poised to get swept away in its final paean of celebration, let us not forget the enormity of the future looming ahead. The end of a period of time is certainly an occasion to celebrate the past -- but it is more importantly a golden opportunity to resolve to help create an even better future. The past year may have been fraught with its share of tragedy -- perhaps enough to last a lifetime, but the potential that stands before us is yet capable of making the upcoming year the greatest year ever, if we but seize all the precious moments!
Remember: this is not the end -- it's only the beginning...
Rabbi Asher Bronstein and Rabbi Zalman Gurkow are directors, respectively, of Chabad of the Merrimack and Nashoba Valleys.
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