Try to become as great as you can. Some people are afraid to accomplish because they might make mistakes -- and those mistakes will be more serious than if they remained simple!
This is not valid reasoning. Each person is obligated to develop himself to the best of his ability. The smallest person has potential for greatness if he utilizes all that is within him.
In my new age days, I used to teach that the only failure is not to try.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday gave a 20 minute speech to American Jews yesterday (and then took questions --it was broadcast live here last night) in doing his best to try to overturn the Iranian Nuclear agreement. Whether is successful or not is in G-d's hands, but he is trying. I have the story below. among my jokes.
Love Yehuda Lave
― Robert F. Kennedy
Will Senator Charles Schumer stand behind his words?
Or will he support the deal that gives his "boss" (small b) the Nobel Peace Prize and a death warrant to Israel?
As Ben Stein comments..."We have basically been swindled into allowing the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism to have nuclear weapons without any penalty – indeed, with cash and prizes. Iran has sworn to use these weapons to obliterate not only Israel but every Jew on earth."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsFHrIoW-cAAnn Corcoran on Refugee Resettlement In the US of Muslims
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PzT8vEvYPg&feature=em-share_video_user
450 civilians have been killed by airstrikes against ISIS, report says
Monitoring group Airwars said that since a US-led coalition began airstrikes in Iraq and Syria last year, there have been 57 specific strikes with multiple sources suggesting civilian deaths.
Read the full story:
4 August 2015
CARP - Canadian Association of Retired People
Questions and Answers from CARP Forum
Q: Where can single men over the age of 60 find younger women who are interested in them?
A: Try a bookstore, under Fiction.
Q: What can a man do while his wife is going through menopause?
A: Keep busy. If you're handy with tools, you can finish the basement. When you're done, you will have a place to live.
Q: How can you increase the heart rate of your over-60 year-old husband?
A: Tell him you're pregnant.
Q: How can you avoid that terrible curse of the elderly wrinkles?
A: Take off your glasses.
Q: Seriously! What can I do for these crow's feet and all those wrinkles on my face?
A: Go braless. It will usually pull them out..
Q: Why should 60 plus year old people use
valet parking?
A: Valets don't forget
where they park your car.
Q: Is it common for
60-plus year olds to
have problems with short term memory storage?
A: Storing memory is not a problem, Retrieving it is
the problem.
Q: As people age, do
they sleep more soundly?
A: Yes, but usually in the afternoon.
Q: Where should
60-plus year olds look
for eye glasses?
A: On their foreheads.
Q: What is the most common remark made by 60-plus year olds when they enter
antique stores?
A: "Gosh, I remember
these!"
SMILE, You've still got your sense of humor!
My dog recently died. He was my loyal companion for many years, even more loyal than some of my friends. I was wondering: what happens to animals after they die? Do they go to heaven?
The Short Answer
If you're asking whether there is some sort of "dog heaven" in which there are cute puppies running around a special section of paradise, then, although I hate to be the one to disappoint you, the answer is no. However, if you mean "heaven" in the broader celestial sense, then yes.
The Slightly Longer Answer: The Philosophical Debate
The question of whether animals go to heaven has been debated throughout the centuries.
The Midrash states unequivocally that animals don't have a portion in the world to come.1 But that has not stopped some of the greatest Jewish philosophers from debating whether the concept of reward and punishment, and by extension the afterlife, applies to animals.
For example, Rabbi Saadiah Gaon, in his famous philosophical work Sefer Emunot ve-De'ot (The Book of Beliefs and Opinions), writes that an animal is ultimately compensated for all the pain it went through in life and death.2 This idea is in line with the statement in the Talmud that "the Holy One, blessed be He, does not deprive any creature of any reward due to it"3 (although an animal's reward is different than what a person would receive for doing a good deed out of free will). The fact that Rabbi Saadiah Gaon held that this applies even to an animal going through a painful death suggests that the animal will continue to exist even after death.
On the other hand, Maimonides is of the opinion that the concept of reward and punishment applies to man alone.4
The Kabbalistic Response
The question of whether animals are rewarded and have immortal souls is important, as it not only gives man perspective and meaning in his interactions with the rest of G‑d's creations, but explains, in part, man's purpose in this world.
In a long and fascinating letter, the fourth Lubavitcher rebbe, Rabbi Shmuel, known as the Rebbe Maharash, explains that although some Kabbalists were of the opinion that animals don't have immortal souls,5 according to the teachings of the Arizal animals do in fact have independent souls, and they do go to heaven.6 The Arizal is generally considered the final arbiter for all Kabbalistic teachings.
The Arizal explains that every created entity possesses a "soul." This includes everything from rocks and other inanimate objects to animals and, of course, people. This soul or "spark of G‑dliness" not only sustains the creation's existence, but it imbues the creation with its purpose and significance in the world.
Different Souls
But if every creation has a spark of G‑d, in what way does the soul of a person and that of an animal differ?
G‑d created the world, including the souls of animals, through speech. It is only regarding a person's soul that the verse states, "He breathed into his nostrils the soul of life, and man became a living soul."7 The Kabbalists explain that when one speaks, he uses a relatively superficial level of breath. But when one blows, he blows from deep within him. So too, man's soul comes from the very essence of the divine.
Interactive Souls
When G‑d created the world, He invested in man the power to elevate the divine sparks or souls that are found throughout creation. It is for this reason that in general, the way an animal's soul is elevated and returned after its death to its divine source is through its positive and spiritual interactions with man.
So, for instance, we can elevate the soul of a kosher animal by making a proper blessing when eating, and by using the energy gained for acts of goodness and righteousness.
(However, unlike a person's afterlife, in which the souls "bask and delight in G‑d's glory"8 in the Garden of Eden, the animal soul returns to its source (the supernal world of Tohu) in an elevated state.9)
In the end, while they are different from humans, animals too have souls that live on and can be elevated. This idea presents us with an enormous responsibility in our interactions with the animal kingdom. After all, the animal's elevation in the afterlife can be dependent upon our positive interactions with it.
Netanyahu Calls on American Jews to Oppose Nuclear Deal With Iran
The Israeli prime minister gave an address urging rejection of the agreement with Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the the Iranian nuclear accord "threatens all of us" in a call with Jewish organizations on Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made no secret of his opposition to President Barack Obama's deal with Iran to forestall its nuclear program, even taking the unprecedented step of a speech before a joint session of Congress.
Tuesday, he took another step, with a direct appeal to American Jews asking them to oppose the deal in an unprecedented conference call and webcast heard by more than 10,000 people.
"This is a very dangerous deal and it threatens all of us. My solemn responsibility as prime minister is to make sure Israel's concerns are heard," Netanyahu said on the call, co-hosted by the Jewish Federations across North America and the member organizations of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. "The days when the Jewish people could not or would not speak up for themselves, those days are over. Today we can speak out. Today we must speak out."
Netanyahu argued that that deal is too weak because Iran can become a nuclear-armed nation by either abiding by it for the next 10 to 15 years, or by violating it. The prime minister said the deal would "buy us time" but ultimately did not provide necessary mechanisms for dismantling Iran's program to where it would not be able to manufacture a bomb. He also argued the verification and inspections mechanisms were not strong enough to detect illicit nuclear activity at undeclared sites.
The deal allows Tehran to continue its civilian nuclear energy program and puts restrictions of varying times on Iranian enrichment activities that could be used for a weapon.
Other U.S. allies in the Middle East expressed concern while nuclear negotiations were ongoing, but none has been as vocal as Israel. Netanyahu addressed Congress in March about the dangers of reaching what the prime minister called a "bad deal" with Iran. That address did nothing to improve Netanyahu's already-strained relations with Obama, whose foreign policy legacy rests on the success of the agreement to stop Iran from making a weapon.
Secretary of State John Kerry visited Egypt and Qatar earlier this week making the case for the deal to the U.S.' Arab allies. Despite earlier reservations, the countries released a statement in support of the deal, saying that once it was implemented it "contributes to the region's long-term security, including by preventing Iran from developing or acquiring a military nuclear capability."
Netanyahu also said the money that would flow into Iran as a result of sanctions relief would allow the regime to bolster its support for terrorists like Hamas and Hezbollah in the region. The Obama administration contends that while the deal will give the Iranians billions in revenue, they don't need that cash to support terrorism because they're already doing it with the strained budget they have.
"The best way to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapon is not change," Netanyahu said. "Increase the sanctions, increase the pressure. Don't prematurely give away best leverage you have."
The prime minister argued that given the capabilities Iran is allowed to maintain under the deal, other nations in the region will see fit to pursue their own nuclear ambitions. Israel is believed to have a nuclear arsenal.
Netanyahu's appeal comes as members of Congress are weighing whether or not to support the deal. Under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, lawmakers have the ability to either approve it, disapprove it or do nothing. They are currently in the 60-day review period allotted by the act and will take a final vote in September when Congress returns after August recess.
On Tuesday, Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced a resolution disapproving the deal.
"I do not relish in introducing this consequential legislation," Royce said. "But the consequences for global security from this agreement are too great. This deal gives up too much, too fast, to a terrorist state – making the world less safe, less secure, and less stable."
Obama said he would veto any action taken by Congress to stop the deal. At least 13 Senate Democrats would have to join Republicans in opposition to the deal to override that veto and prevent the deal from being implemented.
Deciding whether or not to support the deal is particularly tough for Jewish Democratic members of Congress who are fielding calls from concerned constituents about what the agreement means for Israel's security and who want their representatives to oppose a deal supported by a president of their own party. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who is the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee and is Jewish, announced his support for the deal this week.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. and Sen Tim Kaine, D-Va., who are both on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., also announced their support on Tuesday. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is Jewish and likely the next Democratic leader in the Senate, has perhaps the most difficult choice to make in siding with either the powerful Jewish groups who support him or his president.
"This is such an important decision that I will not let pressure, politics or party influence [me]," Schumer said Monday.
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