23 | April | 2008 | The Benoni

Archive for April 23, 2008

I Apologize

April 23, 2008 at 5:50 pm · Filed under I Apologize ·Tagged I Apologize

With Hashem’s Loving Grace

Brethren:

My beloved Brother Reb Akiva M, has had the kindness to make me see that I was doing wrong.

I must say that I’m ashamed for my lack of knowledge and appearing to be a thief stealing the work of my Brethren, Heaven forbid I do such a thing.

I must state that when I would see an article or an essay at one of the blogs I visited and wanted to place it in my blog, I would proceed to copy and paste some paragraphs of the article or essay, then at the end of the same, I would put “Read complete article/essay” (lately a button) with a link to the blog or Web Site where I had taken the paragraphs from, in order that the reader could be able to read the complete article/essay.

What I should have done, that is, the correct procedure was to preface each article with a leader, indicating that the article or essay in question is from blog so and so or Web Site so and so (with the corresponding link), but I didn’t, making it look Heaven forbid as if it had been written on my blog.

As from today I have started to implement the advice given to me by Reb Akiva and let it be known that in no moment I had the slightest intention of stealing any body’s work, Heaven forbid, I always have and will respect the corresponding authorship.

In view of the above I apologize for what I have been doing and Heaven forbid I do something that is incorrect as stealing.

Heaven knows that what I have been doing was without any evil intention in my heart.

G_d bless you all.

Aryeh ben Abraham

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The key to happiness is to appreciate what you have. Sounds simple. So why are so many people unhappy?

April 23, 2008 at 1:07 am · Filed under Blessings, Judaism, Pirkei Avot 4:1, Talmud ·Tagged Blessings, Judaism, Pirkei Avot 4:1, Talmud

By Rabbi Noah Weinberg

A young man once came to meet me in Jerusalem. He had an unusually happy disposition, so I asked him what’s his secret. He told me:

“When I was 11 years old, I received a gift of happiness from God.

“I was riding my bicycle when a strong gust of wind blew me onto the ground into the path of an oncoming truck. The truck ran over me and cut off my leg.

“As I lay there bleeding, I realized that I might have to live the rest of my life without a leg. How depressing! But then I realized that being depressed won’t get my leg back. So I decided right then and there not to waste my life despairing.

“When my parents arrived at the hospital they were shocked and grieving. So I told them: ‘I’ve already adapted. Now you also have to get used to this.’

“Ever since then, I see my friends getting upset over little things: their bus came late, they got a bad grade on a test, somebody insulted them. But I just enjoy life.”

At age 11, this young man attained the clarity that it is a waste of energy to focus on what you are missing. And that the key to happiness is to take pleasure in what you have. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? So why are so many people unhappy?