(יד) הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי. וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי. וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתַי:
(14) Hillel the elder would say: If I am not for me, who will be for me? When I am for myself, what am I? If not now, when?
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
"It is a great mitzvah to be happy always."
(ו) חֲנֹ֣ךְ לַ֭נַּעַר עַל־פִּ֣י דַרְכּ֑וֹ גַּ֥ם כִּֽי־יַ֝זְקִ֗ין לֹֽא־יָס֥וּר מִמֶּֽנָּה׃
Daniel Pearl
"I am Jewish."
Abraham Joshua Heschel
"Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living."
(9) And you shall not oppress a stranger; for you know the feelings of a stranger, as you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
(כ) צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף
(20) Justice, justice you shall pursue!
Theodore Herzl
"If you will it, it is no dream."
(טז) הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, לֹא עָלֶיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמוֹר, וְלֹא אַתָּה בֶן חוֹרִין לִבָּטֵל מִמֶּנָּה.
(16) It is not your responsibility to finish the work, neither are you free to desist from it.
(ב) שִׁמְעוֹן הַצַּדִּיק הָיָה מִשְּׁיָרֵי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה. הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, עַל שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הָעוֹלָם עוֹמֵד, עַל הַתּוֹרָה וְעַל הָעֲבוֹדָה וְעַל גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים:
(2) Shimon the Righteous was of the last of the Great Assembly. He would say: On three things the world stands–on the Torah, on the service, and on acts of kindness.
(1) To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: (2) A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted..
Hannah Senesh
My God, my God, may it not end forever.
The sand and the sea.
The rush of the water.
The lightening of the heavens.
The prayer of man.
שפת אמת בראשית פרשת ויגש שנה תרלח
ובמדרש מים עמוקים עצה בלב איש כו' ידלנה כו'. כבר פרשנו שהוא בכל איש ישראל שע"י היגיעה מוצא האדם בלבו נטמן עצות וכמה דרכים לעבודת הבורא ית'. וע"ז נאמר יגעתי ומצאתי. ואמת הדבר שכפי היגיעה למצוא נקודה טמונה בלב. כמו כן משפיעין לו התחדשות מן השמים…
Sfat Emet Vayigash 1876
The Midrash explains the verse “Deep waters are the counsel in the heart of man, but a man of understanding can draw it up.” Already we explained that every person has counsel hidden in their heart and there are many ways to serve the Creator. This is what the Talmud is referring to when it was said “I searched and I found.” Truthfully it is according to the how much he searches that he will find the spark that is buried in his heart. Similarly, he will draw down a renewal from heaven…
Rabbi David Wolpe
“When he was a child, the Seer of Lublin (later a famous Hasidic master) used to go off into the woods by himself. When his father, worried, asked him why, he said “I go there to find God.” His father said to him, ”But my son, don’t you know that God is the same everywhere?” “God is” said the boy, “but I’m not.”
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר יָצַר אֶת
הָאָדָם בְּחָכְמָה וּבָרָא בוֹ נְקָבִים נְקָבִים חֲלוּלִים חֲלוּלִים
גָּלוּי וְיָדוּעַ לִפְנֵי כִסֵּא כְבוֹדֶךָ שֶׁאִם יִפָּתֵחַ אֶחָד מֵהֶם
אוֹ יִסָּתֵם אֶחָד מֵהֶם אִי אֶפְשַׁר לְהִתְקַיֵּם וְלַעֲמוֹד לְפָנֶיךָ
אֲפִילוּ שָׁעָה אֶחָת
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה רוֹפֵא כָל בָּשָׂר וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשֹוֹת
Asher Yatzar
Blessed is God who has formed the human body in wisdom and created many orifices and cavities. It is obvious and known before You that if one of them were to be opened or closed incorrectly, it would be impossible to survive and stand before You at all. Blessed is God, who heals all flesh and does wonders.
Two Giant Fat People (Hafiz)
God
and I have become
Like two giant fat people
Living in a tiny boat.
We keep
Bumping into each other
And laughing.