Showing posts with label Curse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Curse. Show all posts

February 12, 2023

The Worst Curse

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "The Worst Curse."

While space is the “final frontier,” Shatner is correct in his fear of the cold and emptiness that extends around countless stars and solar systems, where we have yet to discover any real life other than our own. Even on our own living planet here on Earth, everything for us as individuals is impermanent and can so easily be lost. What we think we’ve built as a fortress of money, power, and prestige can literally be snuffed out in a blink of an eye, and it is beyond our control to stop it except to continue to mend our own flaws and try to do good in life. In truth, we need to be constantly grateful for everything that we have and for as long as we have it, because in life, there are no guarantees of what is to come.

(Credit Photo: Kindel Media via https://www.pexels.com/photo/an-elderly-man-behind-the-glass-window-8172602/)
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June 3, 2018

The Blessings and The Curses

L-rd, Bless your loving children. 

And do swift justice to the wicked that seek their destruction. 

Bless those that stand guard at your heavenly and earthly gates. 

Curse those evil ones that make a mockery of your lofty kingship. 

Bless the humble and faithful to you and your laws.

Curse those that stand in arrogance and spread hate and vileness before you. 

Bless those that bless you and seek to do good. 

Curse those that curse you and do harm to your creations. 

Bless the righteous people with all that is good. 

Curse the wicked and tear them asunder so that they are utterly destroyed. 

L-rd, please hear your lowly servant and bring the ultimate redemption to your people. 

And verily discomfort, smite and throw to the depths of punishment and exile the cursed wicked. 

None can stand before you in their shame and disgrace. 

Do it for your name's sake; do it for your children's sake, do it for your justice's sake, do it to make things right in your beautiful and perfect world. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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September 4, 2016

The Evil Stink Eye

So there is an important Jewish (and non-Jewish) concept of the evil eye (in hebrew, it's called an "Ayin Hara").

This is the idea that people who are jealous of you or simply don't like you, can wish bad (or evil to befall) on you. 

And the more people or the more merits these people have in life that cast this evil wish (in mystical terms, some may call it a spell), perhaps the stronger the potency of it on you. 

Superstition or real? This is a matter of what you believe in and maybe experiences you've had in life have taught you to beware of when others don't wish you well. 

This is why many righteous people try to avoid the limelight--they don't want others to focus on them and harbor bad feelings toward them. 

Better in a sense to remain more private and discrete than suffer the evil eye of others. 

If we understand that there are not only physical powers in the universe, but also spiritual and metaphysical ones, then we may choose to protect ourselves by shielding ourselves from the public eyes of jealousy and hate.

Others may choose to do extra charity, prayer, and good deeds in an effort to protect themselves from competitors and antagonists in life. 

It's funny, but when my wife sees someone she perceives giving another the evil eye, she calls it, "The stink eye!"

And truly, it does stink that people can be so mean and hateful to others, but unfortunately, not everyone in life is nice and good.

It takes all types, and that is why it's critical to avoid those evil glances, feelings, and thoughts of others.

Hurt can take many forms--words and deeds are the two that we recognize most often. 

However, we shouldn't discount the harm that thoughts and feelings can cause as well. 

The mind and spirit of humans can reach out and up to the Heavens, and so we must live our lives good to G-d as well to people, and Bli Ayin Hara (without the evil eye) for blessings and not for curses. 

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal) 
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February 25, 2016

Who's Gonna Pay For That Wall

So presidential candidate, Donald Trump wants to build a wall on the southern U.S. border with Mexico to control immigration for homeland security and the economy. 

But more than that, he thinks Mexico should pay for it.

Today, on CNN was a response from Mexico's ex president, who said, we're "not gonna pay for that f****** wall!"

I was walking around laughing to myself for about 10 minutes--the zany and (un)predictable action-reaction in politics and diplomacy. 

You can't make this stuff up. 

Just an aside, but wouldn't you say Ex-President [of] Mexico instead of the Ex-Mexico President --Oops, who was working the captions at CNN today. 

What will be surreal and hilarious after this is if the "f****** wall" would really happen, and if Mexico would seriously end up paying for it. ;-)

(Note: This is not an endorsement for any candidate or party.)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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November 29, 2014

From The Bronx To Jamaica

So as a kid, I remember the older folks joking that "wine is fine, but liquor is quicker!"

As we went for some wine for Shabbat in Fort Lauderdale by the beach, we had a whole bunch of surprises in one evening...

- First, I was more than a little surprised to find a bottle of Manischewitz Concord Grape wine--in of all places, CVS!

- On the way to CVS, we ran into the Jamaican Man, from our last vacation, who makes straw hats on the corner by the beach, and he sees me and somehow recognizes me--next thing I know he is practically embracing me as if I am one of his best friends, high-fiving and fist-bumping me--yeah, me the Jewish boy from the Bronx (this was a riot)!

- On the way back, there is a lady with her kids in tow on the street, and all of a sudden she turns to one of the younger kids and says in her accented English, "That's almost a $100, you little SH*T!" We could barely believe our ears. 

What a lot of surprises all in one evening from the Bronx to Jamaica. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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October 29, 2014

"Chickenshit"?

Wow, what type of politician calls the Prime Minister of Israel, our "Major Strategic Partner," with an "unshakable bond," a "Chickensh*t"?

Yes, it's in the Washington Examiner today. 


Forget about being completely rude and disrespectful--how utterly impolitic!


Sinking to new political lows globally with our friends and allies--while the ratings sink (and sink) to new lows for these politicians. 


Imagine, Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu defends his nation by putting real boots on the ground in Hamas-run Gaza for the 50-days of fighting rocket barrages and terror tunnels, and builds apartments in Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel--Sorry, that is not Chickensh*t.


While domestically, we have been seen as in full global retreat, abandoning our bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, carpet bombing from the air in Syria and not punishing chemical weapons use (remember the "red line"), leaving key portions of Ukraine in the hands of Russia, seeking to forge WMD-losing deals with the devils in Iran, and watching the situation deteriorate as we "Pivot East" to Asia, and as we all know, much more. 


- Finanically--we can't balance a budget,

- Ebola Epidemic--we can't put together a sensible quarantine policy (while the States fill the void)
Imigration--we can't muster a realistic bill
Veterans--the scandal of not caring for our veterans is still scathing.

And the list goes on, virtually without end. 


Horrible name-calling and snubbing leaders on the world stage, let alone of our best allies and friends, is not only politically immature, but morally disgraceful--but psychological projection is a very real possibility.


(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

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May 2, 2014

Die Bed Bugs, Die

So our daughter went off to college and brought us home a present--bed bugs!

This was the worst--at first we didn't understand why we were getting itchy bites.

Eventually, with some research and inspection, we figured it out

We tried to treat it ourselves--powders, sprays, encasements, and more--all to no avail. 

We also threw out all the bedding and even the beds.

We were losing sleep and patience--big time. 

We finally hired a serious exterminator who brought in these huge heaters and blasted our place for about 6 hours at something like 140 degrees. 

That should kill those and any other buggers bothering us.

When I got home--it was an oven and I couldn't even change my clothes because the workers were still here at it. 

I spent 5 hours cleaning up afterwards in the boiling house and even with all the windows open, it was like an oven and impossible to sleep last night--tossing and turning.

It was hell, but hopefully it's over--may I never see another vermin like this again. ;-)

(Source Photo: here, although Lynnwood is not the company we used, you get the idea)
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