The Daily Blast
Daily Reading
When humans grow, they must shed some aspect of their former selves. This demands a painful renunciation, a renunciation of a little bit of who I was last week, of the comfortable skin I am used to calling myself. For example, if a person with...
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In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.
-Pirkei Avot 2:6
ברטנורא על משנה אבות ב׳:ה׳
-Bartenura on Pirkei Avot 2:5:6
Hashem will make you the head, not the tail; you will always be at the top and never at the bottom—if only you obey and faithfully observe the commandments of your God that I enjoin upon you this day
-Deuteronomy 28:13
Daily Goals
Don’t dwell on past mistakes. Interrupt the story that you keep telling yourself based on yesterday’s challenges. You are not your past; you are not even your future. You are who you choose to be right now. Each of us has the potential to be a hero, to rise to the challenge to fulfill our unique purpose that only we can accomplish. But, the number one reason we don’t move forward in life to fulfill our potential is fear. Elul is the time to face our fears, evaluate what we are doing with our life, to seize our unique moment and take action that can propel us to greatness.
Don’t settle for comfort; keep moving. You can’t grow if you remain standing in the exact same place where you stood yesterday. Many of us cling to old ideas, habits and beliefs because they make us feel safe, but they also keep us from growing. Don’t settle for comfort when what you really want is progress. You can’t grasp new opportunities while holding onto all of the trappings of the life you currently have.
In 1519, Captain Hernan Cortes landed in Veracruz to begin conquering the New World. Upon their arrival on shore he gave his men the order to burn their boats. Captain Cortes understood that retreat is easy when you have an option. If you want to accomplish something, don’t give yourself a plan B. If you want to take the island, burn your boats. Turn your “shoulds” into “musts.” When you’re 100 % committed, you push past your excuses and either find a way or make a way.
Instead of moving away from what you fear, train yourself to go towards it. If you don’t know what your next steps should be, study the path of people who have succeeded in accomplishing the goal that you are pursuing. Success leaves clues, but the one thing that every successful person has done is jumped before they were totally ready.
Don’t get stuck in a scarcity framework in which the more you give, the more you lose. To bring abundance into your life you need to believe that the more you give, the greater you become. The more generous acts you perform the more you invite blessing and limitlessness into your life. Keep asking yourself how you can add value to the lives of those around you and then take action to give.
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Today In Jewish History
On this day in 1970, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) blew up three aircraft in front of the international press at Dawson’s Field in Northern Jordan in the height of what became known as Black September.
After the Israelis gained control of Judea and Samaria in the 6 Day War, the PLO moved its terrorist operations to Jordan. By 1970, they had begun to function as a State within a State and were calling for the overthrow of the Hashemites, even going as far as to attempt to assassinate King Hussein twice.
The events came to a head on September 6 when TWA Flight 741 and Swissair Flight 100 were hijacked and forced to land at Dawson’s Field. Terrorists attempted to hijack El Al Flight 219 but their scheme was foiled when the pilot put the plane into a nosedive. Then a sky marshal shot one terrorist and subdued the other. Two others were blocked by Israeli security from boarding the plane. They instead purchased tickets for Pan Am Flight 93 which was flown to Cairo and blown up after the hostages were removed. A fifth plane BOCA flight 775 was hijacked on September 9 and joined the other two at Dawson’s Field.
In total, 371 hostages were all removed before the planes were dramatically blown up on this day. All non-Jews, women, and children were taken to a hotel in Amman. 54 Jewish men and crew members were kept in the hot desert for two weeks including the great R’ Yitzchok Hutner zt”l and his son-in-law R’ Yonasan David. The hostages were eventually saved after a prisoner exchange took place.
