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love and war
War
in Gaza
As
many of you know, I'm an Israeli and my work is done in Israel. Some
people have asked me what I think of the War in Gaza. When trying to
realize what I wish to say it suddenly struck me that the subject of
this newsletter - "Love" is precisely what my work is about, and what I
believe is the only possible answer to any warlike situation. I am not
a political man and the only solution I have is to put my attention on
love of all beings.
The
next paragraph will sharpen this idea a little more.
"Who is the bravest
amongst the brave? He who makes his enemy into his lover"
The
Hero is a basic concept in Greek mythology and folklore and true
heroism is characterized by the ability of human beings to transform
even our greatest enemies into our lovers. The word 'brave' refers to
the character of a man who is considered good in his deeds and noble or
refined in culture. Readiness to sacrifice one's life for a greater
purpose, as in the case of putting oneself in mortal danger to save the
life of another, is the quality of a hero. A hero is a man who is held
in the collective consciousness of society as having a brave heart.
Certainly there are situations in which there is no choice other than
to initiate an action of self defence, a basic human survival instinct.
In these instances it is also considered bravery to confront one's
enemy and fight for ones continues existence. However, the greatest
desired outcome of such a situation, is if the enemy can be shown love
and compassion and through acts of bravery and heroism to be
transformed into our lover!
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Holiday of love in
the Western tradition - Valentines Day
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Giving
To
achieve the state of love we require opening our hearts and choosing
actions of giving to others without expecting to receive in return. The
experience of love, in contrast to any self-interested objective, grows
when it is given to another. The more we give it, the more we
experience it...
Acceptance
The
second condition for achieving the state of love is acceptance.
Accepting ourselves and accepting others just as they are. At times I
found myself in conflict between the wish for things to be better and
the non acceptance of persons or situations. It then became clear to me
that the striving for a specific reality is like a vision that we
commit ourselves to. In the present we need to accept what there is and
let go of the fight for some desired outcome. The more we fight the
more we get agitated and drawn away from the state of love.
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Jewels of Love
The ring of Love
When
you give to your loved one "The ring of Love", you are declaring your
love for your partner and at the same time, giving them a beautifully
designed and lovingly crafted piece of Jewelry. Engraved on the
ring is the passage from the bible -"Love your neighbour as
yourself". Only when we truly love ourselves can we honestly give
that same love to another.
I am beloved
"I am my beloved's, and
my beloved is mine." (Song of Song's 6:3) The Jewish People are
analogous to a beloved friend or wife. God, the Holy one blessed be He,
is the husband, the Jewish People the beloved one of God. The
relationship between God and the Jewish people can be likened to that
of the relationship between husband and wife. Experience gained
through the ages shows that this is a reciprocal relationship, just as
a man needs a wife and is incomplete without her, just as a man needs
the support and help of his wife and cannot start or sustain life
without her, so God also needs His companion, his partner - the Jewish
People. The very existence of the world and it's development, is
dependent upon the relation between God and the Jewish People.

I Love therefore I am
The "I Love therefore I am" ring is a paraphrase of the famous
expression by the French philosopher, Descartes - "I think therefore I
am" when he tried to prove, by using logic, the reality of his
existence. We changed the sentence engraved on this ring to something
that expresses the very essence of life, "I Love therefore I am"
because the ages old quest for compassion and love is much more
prevalent and universal than an attempt to prove by logic mans
existence.
Key of Love
Remind the wearer of the imortance of love. Fill the wearer with love
and wholeness with the world around you
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