Heard on Shabbos

Heard on Shabbos:


Joke:
Q-what's the difference between an outlaw and inlaw?
A- outlaws are wanted


Metaphor (said by a South African):
South Africans, as a culture, are like a duck on a duck pond. You see only the part of them that is gliding gracefully along, but underneath, their feet are kicking like mad.


Joke:
Americans say everything, the English say nothing, and South Africans say as much as the Americans, while saying as little as the English.


Insights:
1-Whatever feelings you have towards another person, even if you try to hide them, are sensed by the other person on some level.


2-Marriage is about flexibility. The willingness to compromise and shift your way for the way of another. This has to happen on both sides, but often starts with the woman, who has a greater ability to give in this way.


True Story:
A non-religious Jewish man lived in South Africa, in a town where he was the only Jew. He was known in the town for his many acts of kindness. His children grew up, moved to the city, and became more religious in their adulthood. Two years after this man passed away and was buried in South Africa, his children paid to have his grave moved to Israel. Eyewitnesses reported to the children that their late father's body was completely intact, without signs of decomposition*.




*Judaism teaches that a completely righteous person's body will not decompose, as every part of the person was so spiritually uplifted in life, no further correction or transformation is needed. We know that certain Rabbinical figures had this distinction.This story is significant because this was a person who did not know or observe the Torah, which is our guide to living a righteous existence on G-d's terms. But G-d, at the end of the day, has His own assessment of who is truly righteous, based on  each individual's starting point and his or her response to opportunities along the way. It is also significant because the teller, our host for Friday night, knew the man's children personally.


p.s. the birth story isn't finished.