Great Throughts Treasury

"Killing time is suicide on the installment plan."

"Acknowledge your gifts and be grateful to the source. Because if you know from whom you’re receiving, you can always go back for more."

"Because dying for God is a higher pleasure... than living without Him."

"Because unity and friendship is so precious that even God wants to be part of it."

"Find the truth, then live for it. The challenge isn't dying the challenge is living."

"If you can perceive something as so important that you will sacrifice your own life for it, then your life has weight and purpose and direction."

"Material pleasures are necessary and nice, though they do not compare to the higher pleasures of love and meaning."

"Just as learning any new skill requires effort, you have to be willing to invest serious effort to achieve real happiness."

"Love is the emotional pleasure one feels upon seeing the virtue in another,” which can only be the result of a process that allows us to notice, contemplate, and appreciate the virtue we see in others."

"Don’t grow only for yourself. If you have some worthwhile information, share it. By reaching others, you will reach yourself."

"There’s no use arguing if you don’t know what you’re arguing about. No use in learning if you don’t know what you’ve learned No use in taking action if you don’t know what you want to achieve."

"People often avoid making decisions out of fear of making a mistake. Actually, the failure to make decisions is one of life's biggest mistakes."

"What does it mean to be created in the image of God? Unlike other creations, the human being has free will. Within this divine spark lies our potential to shape and change the world. Proper use of free will beautifies and perfects. Misuse of free will plunders and destroys. It is a uniquely human endeavor to learn how to use free will properly."

"Become aware of the choices you're making. Life is a constant stream of decisions. Once you become sensitive to the fact that you are constantly making choices, then you can monitor them. That's using your free will actively, not passively."

"The highest stage of free will is not when you ask yourself, "What does my soul want?" It's when you ask yourself, "What does God want?" When that is your prime interest, you will have achieved the highest form of living. You are using your free will to merge with the most meaningful and powerful force in the universe: the transcendental. Free will is the choice between life and death. Attach yourself to God and you will be attached to eternity – the ultimate form of life itself. Make your will His will. If you do, you'll be a little less than God Himself.Partners in changing the world."

"Don't accept society's beliefs as your own unless you've thought them through and agree with them. Live for yourself, not for society."

"The highest level intellectual uses his mind to live in the ultimate reality: the reality of the existence of God. He has perfected his awareness that God is always watching, assisting and instructing. The Black Belt Intellectual is always asking himself: What message is the Almighty communicating through this event? First investigate the evidence and determine that God is there. Then strive to lift yourself into being one with Him. Walk with God. Share in His power. May the Force be with you."

"Unity is so precious to God that even when we are not as good as we should be, our unity allows us to achieve far more than any one holy, talented, or great individual could possibly achieve alone. In sports, we call it, "teamwork." Teams with unusual selflessness and chemistry often topple opponents with greater raw skill and power. In life, we call it "love." If we're united, the Almighty is with us. If we're divided, we're on our own. It's called, "the power of Love.""

"1) How can "love" possibly be an obligation? Either you love someone or you don't. Who ever heard of legislating an emotion?! It's not something you can obligate someone to do. 2) The same verse in the Bible that obligates us to love one another also says: "Don't take revenge and don't bear a grudge." What does taking revenge or bearing a grudge have to do with loving your neighbor? What are these commandments doing together in the same verse? 3) Why does the verse say, "…love your neighbor as yourself?" The Bible never uses extra words, so what is the phrase "as yourself" coming to add? 4) The original Hebrew words, ‘v'ahavta l'reacha,' which most often are translated in English as: "love your neighbor" should really be translated "love your friend." Why does the Bible refer to our neighbor as "friend?" 5) The verse ends with the words, "I am God." What does this have to do with loving your friend? Answering these five questions, will give us the ingredients for a virtual treasure chest in our perpetual quest for understanding what love really is and how we can acquire it."

"Western man looks to external accomplishments for self-respect, driven by a need to achieve what others will recognize as status symbols."

"But this focus on external accomplishment implants an intense fear of failure. We're afraid that if no one is impressed, what will happen to our self-esteem? The house of cards we've built will collapse."

"Man is created with a soul, a divine spark of God. Self-respect is a birthright. Judaism starts with the premise that each human being is created in the image of God. With such a lofty starting point, self-respect is therefore every human's birthright. Many mitzvot in Judaism guide us how to treat other people. These are based on the recognition that man has inherent dignity and self-worth -- regardless of whether or not he has "accomplished" anything of significance."

"A human has no inherent source of self-esteem. Rather he needs tangible accomplishments to feel "successful." What tremendous pressure! If "success" is our only ticket to self-respect, then many of us will never get there. And those with the good fortune to achieve such "success" will always live in fear of losing it through circumstances beyond their control. We may have all the talent in the world, but we can end up tripping on the pavement and missing the interview!"

"A "life goal" is one that brings you to a heightened state of being... The goal of Judaism is to cultivate the greatest possible relationship with God. The 613 mitzvot are separate constructs which teach us about the reality of God's existence and how to live with that awareness. Most of the 613 mitzvot in the Torah require the performance of a certain action - like giving charity, or eating matzah on Passover. These are the means to the end."

"Home » Spirituality » Foundations 6 Constant - #1 - Know There is a God6 Constant - #1 - Know There is a God Cultivate the greatest possible relationship with the greatest possible benefits. by Rabbi Noah Weinberg A "life goal" is one that brings you to a heightened state of being. For example, a businessman's goal is to be rich. Trading stocks or investing in real estate is the means to help accomplish that goal. A similar formula applies to Judaism. The goal of Judaism is to cultivate the greatest possible relationship with God. The 613 mitzvot are separate constructs which teach us about the reality of God's existence and how to live with that awareness. Most of the 613 mitzvot in the Torah require the performance of a certain action - like giving charity, or eating matzah on Passover. These are the means to the end. The "goal mitzvot" are the Six Constant Mitzvot. Rather than requiring the performance of a certain action, these mitzvot are a state of being, of living with the reality of God's existence. The Six Constant Mitzvot are: Know there is a God. Don't believe in other gods. God is one. Love God. Fear God. Don't be misled by your heart and eyes. Every moment of awareness is another occasion to actualize these goals. None of the other mitzvot has that same constant opportunity, and that's why the Six Constant Mitzvot are our priority. All the other mitzvot only build and bolster these goals."

"Man is created with a soul, a divine spark of God. Self-respect is a birthright."

"Here's the real secret of success: Regardless of our mortal limitations, our potential for greatness is unlimited when we have the power of the Almighty behind us. All God asks is that we try. Don't keep Him waiting."

"In Judaism, it is the struggle, not the achievement of a goal, that matters. Because the final outcome anyway rests in the hands of the Almighty. A person can thus succeed by winning a moral struggle, even if there are no tangible results. But effort is difficult to quantify, so in our materialistic world we tend to disregard its value."

"Self-esteem comes from knowing you're making the effort to grow. If we're making our best effort, we can live with a deep and abiding sense of satisfaction."

"Happiness is not a happening; it's a state of mind. You can have everything in the world and still be miserable. Or you can have relatively little and feel unbounded joy."

"If we were truly grateful, if every morning we would thank the Almighty for our eyes, our hands, our brain, then we'd also thank the Almighty for insight and understanding, and we'd say, "Almighty, please give me more!" If we acknowledge that every accomplishment is from God, then we will realize there is nothing we cannot undertake... if God gives us the power."

"God created this world and gave us a Torah. Why did He do it? It's all a beautiful gift. Be grateful. And if you make the effort to attempt even the impossible, God will surely help."

"Responsibility to change the world. What can one person do? One person can accomplish anything and everything – since it's all a gift from God anyway! Now we can understand why the Torah obligates each and every one of us to change the world."

"The key to happiness is to appreciate what you have. If it's so simple, why are so many people unhappy?"

"Happy people are energetic and ambitious. There's never enough time to do everything they want to do."

"Your eyesight is worth at least five million dollars. You're a rich man!"

"Happiness doesn't drain your energy. It adds more!"

"Faith is a leap against logic, a product of desire. "

"All convictions can be classified into one of four categories: 1. Knowledge – you are absolutely certain – e.g. the fact that you have five fingers. 2. Belief – you have some, but lack complete evidence. 3. Faith – you have a desire to believe, with no supporting evidence. 4. Socialization – you accept it based on societal conditioning."

"A fundamental of Judaism is that there is nothing a human being can do for God. God has no needs. Yet at the same time He gives us everything – air, water, food, sun. And He gave us the Torah as instructions for deriving maximum pleasure from this world. In the Shema, the Jewish pledge of allegiance, we are commanded to love God B'chol Nafshecha – "with all your soul." You have to be willing to sacrifice your life rather than deny God. If mitzvot are for our pleasure... how does this give us pleasure?! This is the pleasure of clarity and commitment. If you can perceive something as so important that you will sacrifice your own life for it, then your life has weight and purpose and direction. Because until you know what you are willing to die for, you have not yet begun to live. Material pleasures are necessary and nice, though they do not compare to the higher pleasures of love and meaning. Imagine you're offered 10 million dollars in exchange for one of your children. After rejecting the offer, you'd be overwhelmed with the precious value of that child! You may have always known his worth on an intellectual level, but now it becomes real to you. When you live for a cause, it is with unparalleled power and pleasure. Similarly, once you have found a cause so meaningful that you would forfeit your life for, when you indeed live for that cause, it is with unparalleled power and pleasure. This is the secret of Jewish heroism. This is why so many Jews throughout history have sacrificed their lives for what they believe. Because dying for God is a higher pleasure... than living without Him."

"God has the confidence that if we use our minds and sincerely seek the truth, then His existence will be abundantly apparent. How have the Jewish people had the strength to survive all these persecutions? A rock solid belief in the truth of their convictions. Were they right? That's something you'll have to find out for yourself. Figure out what's bothering you and get some answers. Be sincere in your quest for knowledge. Make the effort. Know what you know."

"The Meaning Of Life - Until you know what you are willing to die for, you have not yet begun to live."

"Live for what you are willing to die for."

"Life is about pleasure, not comfort. Comfort is very nice, but it is not meaningful."

"Walk with a constant awareness of God... Are we maximizing life's opportunity, or are we wasting it? One day we'll have to answer for our actions. That fear can motivate you to greatness."

"Despite the horrible persecutions, Jews always treasured life because we understood our power to transform the world. Yet when faced with conversion or death, we knew we had to fight or die for the sake of keeping the Jewish message alive. Without that obstinacy and unwavering adherence to our faith, the Jewish people could never have made such an enormous impact on the ideas and values of world civilization"

"Fear of God gives you full freedom. Nothing will stand in your way."

"Human instinct is to run from fear. Judaism teaches that fear of God is a positive motivator for greatness."

"The Hebrew word yirah means both "to fear" and "to see." The essential choice of life is to open our eyes to available opportunities, and to fear the consequences of avoiding that reality. Fear is like any other emotion – there are both positive and negative aspects. Negative fear is debilitating. Positive fear is exhilarating. The adrenaline gets the blood running in your veins. It gives you power to accomplish what you want to do. If you're walking along and spot a snake, fear propels you to run with blazing speed and hurdle the fence like an Olympian. With fear, you are out of the dream world and 100 percent into reality. Making the right choice is a constant human struggle. We have an inclination to take the easy way out, and to ignore the coming consequences. Fear of consequences can be a great motivator in getting the job done quickly and efficiently. "To see or not to see?" – that is the Jewish question."

"Better to try and fail, than to have feared to try. "Shock" debilitates, "fear" motivates. Imagine a cowboy riding a bucking bronco. The fear of being tossed makes him alert to every move, so his response can be accurate and quick."