Happy Friday! I'll be honest this week was a hard one to be motivated to get stuff done. Maybe I was finally feeling the vibes of summer, but I mostly pushed through. I got to meet with some great alumni (from before I was even born) caught up with some friends, and got some good family time (minus Hadassah who is at sleep away camp and we miss her). Amidst my lack of motivation I've still found some inspiration in a few cool places.
Earlier this week I visited my friend who sells Jewish books and he had a book there that caught my eye called Homeward Bound. It is a book of short stories of folks getting in touch with their Jewish heritage and identities. As luck would have it, the compiler of the stories is from my home town in Atlanta, so many of the stories are about people that I know, makes it a little extra special and gave me a taste of home. So far its been a good read, quick stories with little bites of inspiration.
I'm also listening to some more new podcasts, being in NY and riding the train is prime time for listening. So I stumbled into this Podcast called Jewish People and Ideas. I heard this episode with Yossi Klein Halevi speaking about growing up in Boro Park in Brooklyn and living on the border of the Jewish neighborhood, and then moved to Israel and lives butted up next to his Palestinians neighbor. Yossi once embraced an extreme political position and found himself migrating toward the center over time. I found myself not agreeing with everything Klein Halevi said but was fascinated how he articulated his beliefs.
A quote I've been thinking about related to Tikkun Olam
"If you see what needs to be repaired and how to repair it, then you have found a piece of the world that God has left for you to complete. But if you only see what is wrong and what is ugly in the world, then it is you, yourself that needs repair." -- Rabbi MM Schneerson
Have a great Shabbos
Shlomo
p.s. You might with to listen to our summer Podcast series. This episode was with my good friend Didy Waks who is the Chabad rabbi at Hamilton College, we give out some good secrets :) Listen here. Or search for Soul Searchers on your favorite Podcast app.