I'm getting it, more and more.  And as I get it, I develop much more compassion towards others, more accepting of their limitations and how that bumps up against me and my jagged edges but also inner strength. 

Let me begin at the end. I have always admired Chabad. Their passion and commitment to every Jew, no matter their level of observance, is one of the most beautiful aspects of this unique and outstanding movement. I have had so many great experiences interacting with different leaders of Chabad that perhaps naively, I thought I knew everything there was to know about Chabad… That was until this past Shabbat.

There is much discussed in the good books about the role we play in our own destiny. Are some people doomed to remain farkvetched (squeezed) while others fortunate to live in abundance? And do we have the ability to change that? I'm going to leave the theological question for others.  

Have you ever gone through a challenging time in your life (who hasn’t!?) I have. A common refrain I hear—whether in my own head or in someone else's voice—is that someone else has it a lot worse than you.

It reminded me of the saying in Hayom Yom: in material matters, look toward those who have less than you; and in spiritual matters, look toward those who are on a higher spiritual plane.

In contrast to their image of the downtrodden Eastern European Jew, the Zionist fathers wanted to train the young in good posture to demonstrate the Zionistic Pride. 

Today, this rejection of the Old Jew and embrace of the New Jew takes on a different form. It revolves around pride in the ingenuity of Israeli's, their role in High Tech, their dedication to helping in crises around the world, being the most moral army, and of course pride in the IDF.