The Oracle of Kabbalah - Mystical Teachings of the Hebrew Letters

Last night, on Christmas night, which was also the sixth night of Chanukah, my wife, Rachael, and mother-in-law, Ruth, had dinner at Ruth’s house with Ruth’s good friend, Rabbi Marc Sirinsky. Rabbi Marc shared with us some words from the American civil rights leader, Rev. Howard Thurman (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Thurman).

Rev. Thurman was quoted as saying, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

How inspiring. It reminds me of the chapter on the letter Lamed in The Oracle of Kabbalah. In the “Personal Comments” section of that chapter, I write:

An extraordinary storyteller lived in Boston, Massachusetts named Brother Blue. During intermission at one of his performances, I went up to thank this venerable bard.  Brother Blue was friendly and unpretentious.  He asked me, “What do you do?” I was between jobs at the time and I hemmed and hawed and was starting to say what I used to do, when Brother Blue interrupted me.  Fixing me with sharp eyes, he said forcefully, “What do you want to do?” Again, I hemmed and hawed, and finally he lowered his eyes and let me off the hook.

 But the point had been made.  The Lamed, the goad, of his remark struck home.  What do I most want to do?  What is my deepest passion?   And what does the Holy want of me?  What is my destiny?  Frederick Buechner wrote, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

Brother Blue’s words focused all these issues for me.  His simple, yet powerful question continues to urge me forward, helping me clarify my intention and move towards my heart’s desire.  Lamed prods each of us,  “What do you want to do?”

Or, as Rev. Thurman puts it, “What makes you come alive?”

What makes you come alive? Please share it here if you’d like.

By Richard Seidman, www.oracleofkabbalah.com