Heel the World

"Heal the world, make it a better place - for you and for me and the entire human race." (MJ)

The Earth is not flat - what about us?

We frequently hear about the end of the world. There are countless people committed to spread "end of days" fears across the globe. In Judaism, we constantly speak about the coming of Moshiach and what will be experienced at that glorious time.

The time that immediately precedes the coming of Moshiach, the era in which we currently find ourselves, is called Ikvisa d'Mishicha, the Heel of Moshiach. According to Chazal, it will be a period of great strife as the world will be subject to terrible conflict. However, amid the anguish that this time will bring, we must understand that the entirety of Jewish history depends upon us. Every part of our illustrious past rests upon the success of our generation. As great as our distinguished Avos and Imahos were, the destiny of our Nation is dependent on our deeds and steadfast determination in our service of Hashem.

Someone I know once recounted an interesting situation he found himself in. He suffered from terrible back pains, and didn't know what to do with himself. He finally agreed to make an appointment with his doctor to see what could be done. After he explained his symptoms to the doctor, the doctor instructed, "Please take off your shoes."

"Shoes?" the fellow asked. "But doc, my back is hurting me! What does that have to do with my feet?"

"Just take off your shoes," insisted the doctor.

After he removed his shoes, the doctor exclaimed, "Exactly what I thought. You have flat feet. Since you have flat feet without a supportive pair of shoes, it is causing you to have back pain."

A new pair of shoes later, the back pain was now a matter of the past.

We support our past just as the feet support the body. The body’s health and direction follows our lead. If we achieve our goal, we will bring the world - present and past - to experience the Final Redemption with the coming of Moshiach.

Say to yourself ten times today:

"Hashem, please support me today as I try to help bring Moshiach through my good deeds!"

Every Step We Take

“Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take - I'll be watching you.” (TP)

Are we on track?

There are many titles credited to our generation. The information age. The technology age. The age of convenience. Perhaps, the reason why we have earned so many titles is due to the fact that we live in such a busy age. In a world so absorbed in multi-tasking, we must pause for a moment to acknowledge that there are so many powerful and meaningful lessons to be learned from this generation, and in particular to our fascination and dependency on technology.

I, like most right-handed people, wear my watch on my left wrist. Yet, we would not want to make the right wrist jealous. In our age of technology, we have solved this dilemma with the creation of something called a personal activity tracker. With a little rubber, plastic and a few flashing lights, these trackers are worn day and night, even more than the watch on the other wrist. While wearing these trackers, every step we take and each move we make is recorded. With its corresponding app on our smartphones, we can monitor our steps, calories burned, stairs climbed and even use it to personalize a diet and workout program. Most trackers will now even tell us how well we slept. By wearing such trackers, we would reportedly be motivated and stimulated to become and remain more active throughout the day.

Every step that we take is recorded. While we may utilize the technology in a personal activity tracker to benefit our physical well-being (which I have for two years now), we must be cognizant of the fact that every action we take and word we speak is being monitored beyond our physical terms. Just as a pair of tzitzis serves as a visual reminder of the 613 mitzvos to the wearer, a Fitbit, Fuelband, Jawbone and Smartband can similarly represent a significant reminder for us that our actions are meaningful and measurable, and we will ultimately be responsible for each and every one. Not only can an activity tracker inspire greater physical health, but it could compel and invigorate our spiritual performance and level of fulfillment, as well.

Say to yourself ten times today:

"Hashem, please give me the strength and ability to make every step I take today a good one!"