![]() ![]() ![]() Learn it today, and say it each day for the coming year. Every year of your life has a corresponding Psalm.(Yes, Psalms are Jewish- King David wrote them.) Your mazel shines extra strong on your birthday, so ask for the right things. If your birthday falls on Shabbat or a Jewish holiday, then give before the day begins and after it’s out. Best just before the morning and afternoon prayers. Take your life to a new level with a new mitzvah.Find an enclave in time and space to think about the past year: what went right, what went not-so-right and what can be fixed.In case anyone out there is curious, birthdays come with a whole list of customs you perform on that day (like almost everything else in Judaism). And that will always last longer and amount more than the things you kept only for yourself. And when people know someone cared about them, the world becomes a little brighter and a little happier. It’s not about how much you can hoard for yourself while on this world, but how much you can give to others, because that’s what is really going to last and make a difference in the world and in people’s minds: what you gave them to show them how much you cared. Judaism is so much about giving, it’s beyond beautiful. The secular world on the other hand, believes that the things that are yours are things that you get to keep. It was from Rebbetzin Esther Baila Schwartz I learned one of my favorite quotes: The only thing that is truly mine is that which I give away. The secular world celebrates rights (what you expect to receive), while the Jewish world celebrates obligations (what you are expected to do/ give). There is a secular tradition of making wishes for yourself on your birthday, and apparently there is a Jewish tradition of making wishes for others on your birthday. There is a secular holiday of going around and asking for candy, while there is a Jewish holiday of going around and giving candy. This is one of my absolute favorite things about Judaism, the emphasis on giving. But what I can put into exactly one word is what I think about this tradition: beautiful. I don’t know if I could ever put to words what I felt like (1) receiving a blessing (2) from my rebbetzin, (3) on her birthday. “So since you have more mazel on this day,” my rebbetzin continued, “You traditionally give blessings to people. Your prayers are powerful everyday, but on your birthday, they are extra powerful.īut of course, since this is Judaism, there was more to it. So basically this is why on your birthday, you can ask for things because depending on how you understand it, you have more “luck,” or your blessings pour down on you more. ![]() (My personal guess is that that’s there the English word nozzle came from!) But my rebbetzin went on to explain that it is similar to the Hebrew word nozehl, which is liquid pouring down. She started by telling me that “Your mazel shines extra strong on your birthday.” What is your mazel? defines it as “ A medium that conveys spiritual influence to worldly beings.” It is often translated as luck. I went over to see her and give her her gift, and was playing with the kids when she came and sat down to talk with me. Last Friday, May 6th, was my friend and rebbetzin’s birthday (Hebrew date 28 Nissan). ![]()
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