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Charlotte Jewish News - January 2015 Page 16 Synagogues He/p When You Heed It The Most! Kavigaiing today's insurance environment can be confusing, time consuming, and Imstrating. That's why our ciients come to us and stay with us. Our newest Comparator Software atitjivs us to compare rates and coverage from six different companies at once. Our award winning service indudes claims analysis, processing, and follow-up, We take the conliision. wasted time and frustration out of the process. Call us today and let us help! Congregations Mike Uttauer Principal 2013 FjVb srar Homo &Auta insuranca PfVfSSSiOfittl 704-496-2777 miXe^linBDeriRsurance.coiiv 5960 Fairview Rd Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28210 www.ciiartDUBinsLtfancG5ahiliong.cain {iHARLOlTf INSURANCE SOLUTIONS Auto' Homo - Business - Liio Mia tniunrta Prof nm Bold Thoughts for the Bowl By Rabbi Chanoch Oppenheim, Charlotte Torah Center We all know that the Jewish New Year is Rosh Hashanah but as my wise wife onee pointed out, January 1 is an opportunity to re view the thoughts we had during the High Holiday season. For some it was family, for others it was living a heathier lifestyle that ineluded a eoneentration on nutri tion and exereise, for others it was eommitting to eall a parent onee a week; whatever one’s thought of then, now is an opportune time think about them. That being said, there might have been a few things we didn’t get a ehanee to think about then; here are a few suggestions. (1) “Do not put a stumbling bloek before the blind” (Levitieus 19:14). It’s hard enough to stiekto a new regimen; it’s eounterpro- duetive to surround ourselves SOUTHPARK KELLERWILLIAMS Smartphone Scan Lonnie Hand REALTORO/Broker LonnieHand@kw.com 980.253.3861 Cell 704.602.0400 Office WWW.HandsOnCharlotteRealEstate.com SMALL SCHOOL. BIG WORLD. Charlotte Prep, where opportunity knows no boundaries. WWW.CHARLOTTEPREP.ORG Charlotte Preparatory School OPEN HOUSE (PRE-K-8TH GRADE) Tuesday, January 13, 2015, at 9:30 a.m. RSVP: www.charlotteprep.org/ openhouse Tbrah N T E with temptations that might sabo tage our new resolutions. What ever behavior we are trying to affeet, it’s easier when we remove ourselves from ehallenging situa tions. (2) “Provide a teaeher for your self and get yourself a friend” (Pirkei Avot 1:6). Attaehing our selves to people and eommunities whose behaviors model what we want for ourselves are essential in allowing us to move eloser to our goals. (3) Conneet with God. There are times when we feel helpless in solving the demanding eireum- stanees that have been thrust into our lives. We have been able to be sueeessful in almost everything in life we have ehosen to foeus on but now we are eonfronted with a ehallenge for whieh we have no solution. Over the past year I was ealled on to partieipate in situa tions in whieh the people realized that the eireumstanee was beyond their eontrol. One ease was eall at night when the mother of a UNCC student needed emergeney eardiae surgery. Another was a eonversa- tion with a guy who got his non- Jewish devoutly religious girlfriend pregnant and the lives of many people will be forever ehanged. Another ease involved a teenage girl addieted to eoeaine whose parents were powerless in helping her and yet another was a teenage bulimie whose parents felt helpless in finding a solution to her years of pain. Two parents had the following ehallenge: their eighth grade son aeeidentally left a note from his girlfriend in the family room that was so sexually explieit and erude that when his mother aeeidentally found it she blushed when relating its eontents to her husband. A simple talk with “positive eommunieation” would not be the end of this. These and many other seenarios are eompli- eated; those involved realized that “as long as we set our minds on it we’ll find an answer” is not al ways a strategy to remove life’s vieissitudes. Three thousand years ago. King David grasped the truth that there were eertain things — a fa- ther-in-law and later a son who sought to murder him, among other things — that, although he did everything in his eontrol to squeleh, he was powerless over. Did he simply resign himself to his fate or give up? No, he real ized his only ehanee to sueeeed was appealing to God and penned words that have guided Jews ever sinee: “From the depths have I ealled to You, God” (Psalm 130:1). When the going gets tough, try opening a dialogue with God. This ean be as formal or informal as you like. Get used the idea of asking God for help with your res olutions. This dialogue ean help one elarify exaetly what it is s/he is trying to aehieve and why, and will also be a souree of energy and spiritual sustenanee to sueeeed in our goals. Dr. Abraham Twerski is a vet eran psyehiatrist and expert in the field of substanee abuse. In his book Addictive Thinking he reeorded a eonversation he had with an aleoholie patient he sug gested should go to AA meetings. “I ean’t,” said the patient. “Why not?” “They talk a lot about God and I don’t believe in God.” “You’re mistaken; you do be lieve in God, you just believe that you are God.” This year, whether you’re watehing the Peaeh, Fiesta, Or ange, Cotton, Sugar, or Rose Bowl, give a moment’s thought to avoiding one or more of the daily stumbling bloeks that prevent you from being the person you want to be and look for a friend and teaeher to help you beeome that person. Most importantly don’t forget about God, and that you’re not Him. ^ Temple Beth El’s 5th and 6th grade collected nearly 1,000 canned goods to donate to Jewish Family Services this Hanukkah season. The 6th grade late session with their Hanukkah “CAN”dleabra.
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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