How to alleviate stress? Don’t hit the Donkey!

Friday is the best day in the world. In Israel it is a day off, as well as everyone out and about getting ready for Shabbat and enjoying the day. It was a busy week mentally and physically, so I am grateful to take it easy as I take care of me and run some errands. In the morning there was a Facebook Live with Rabbi Moshe Levin in Los Angeles about the Torah portion of the week, Balak. It was exactly what I needed to hear. The story is of King Balak that was afraid to be conquered by the Israelites, so he sent a prophet, Bilam to curse the nation of Israel. Bilam rode his donkey and the donkey saw an angel with a sword and stopped, Bilam got upset and hit the donkey. The donkey talked and asked him, have I ever done this to you before? This made Bilam realize that usually his donkey listened, and he realized there must be a reason that the donkey stopped, and at that moment he saw the angel with the sword too.

Once we let go of ego, our eyes are opened to the source and root of every situation. When friends, family and especially children act out, we should try to find out the reason instead of reacting with anger and bringing shame. Even to ourselves, no judgement, dig deep and ask yourself, what are you experiencing that is causing you to act this way?

Instead of cursing the nation of Israel, God spoke through Bilam and blessed the Jewish people, “How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwellings, Israel!” All of the tents in the encampment were facing away from each other, so each family would have their privacy. We all have unique gifts, and maybe on the outside it may seem that someone has less and someone has more, however, we all have a different entrance to Hashem. You can listen to the whole lesson at this link, https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16XjQEbcL6/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Then I went to my weekly Kaballah Cafe, which is in Hebrew, and I am grateful to understand and get inspired. I went to visit a friend afterwards, and we had a deep conversation about what I learned so far, and she gave me some other classes that she loves to listen to. It is such a blessing to be able to talk about Torah, and understand how it affects every aspect of our lives.

I had to walk to Mahane Yehuda market to get some fresh herbs. It was a hot day, the streets were full of people in cafes, and on the go. I ran into someone from Los Angeles, and enjoyed the energy of all types of people watching.

Baruch Hashem

Shabbat Shalom