Posted on May 15, 2012 by admin

Every year or two there is one person you really, really want to reach. Perhaps it’s the potential major donor for your charitable organization; the executive who could say ‘yes’ to the transaction that would change your life; or the aloof relative with the power to restore family harmony.

Say, Oscar-winning actress, Gwyneth Paltrow, wanted to speak with you? I think you’d return the call.  Perhaps you’d prefer Microsoft founder, Bill Gates. We tend to respond to those whom we regard as further up the ladder than we are.  Calls from people who are prominent, famous, or conspicuously successful in their fields generally get returned.

However, we tend to ignore those whom we see as supplicants. We subconsciously erect walls that insulate us from those we think want something from us.  This is why the profession of sales requires such deep understanding of human nature.

Failing to reach someone for a conversation is a profound predicament because seldom is anything resolved, sold, or accomplished without two people talking.  Let’s explore the solution that ancient Jewish wisdom provides to this dilemma in human communication.

Wicked king Yeravam (Jeroboam) tried to create his own empire in Bethel in opposition to God’s directions and against the House of David based in Jerusalem. (I Kings 12:25-33)  He built an illegitimate temple and altars and even scheduled the consecration in a transparent duplication of the dedication of Solomon’s Temple.

God sent a prophet from Judah to remonstrate with King Yeravam and return his heart to atonement.  However, Yeravam insultingly ignored the man of God. Finally, the man of God, recognizing that his attempts to reach Yeravam were futile, no longer addressed the king but he still spoke, addressing himself to the altar. (I Kings 13:2)  You could say he left a message.

When Yeravam, pointing his arm at the man of God, called upon the guards to arrest him, he found his arm paralyzed in that position.  Now the straying king was eager to talk to the prophet.

The king then spoke up and said to the man of God, “Please entreat the presence of your God and pray…that my hand may return to me”…

(I Kings 13:6)

You could say the prophet got a call-back.

Uncharacteristically, the Hebrew root word for ‘return,’ SHaV, appears in this story fifteen times, hinting at the essential theme; God wanting Yeravam to return to his original Divine mission. (I Kings 11:31).  Though that never happened, we see the king returning the prophet’s call as it were. Getting someone to return your call is exactly what we’re discussing.

Let’s see what the man of God did.  Recognizing that trying to speak to the king wasn’t working, he spoke to an inanimate object, the altar.  With God’s help, he got the king’s attention, and he gave him a gift—the return of his arm’s usefulness.

Though we mustn’t expect God to intervene so dramatically in our cases, we can still learn two lessons from the man of God.  Firstly, figuring out how we can offer something, rather than just requesting attention, helps to melt psychological barriers.  Secondly, the voice is our best communication tool.  Listen to yourself leaving a message. Do you sound weak, whiny or arrogant? Do you speak too quickly or too slowly?

The sound of someone’s voice will always trump an email.  Here’s one way to utilize the above principles for the occasional “must-speak-to” person.  For about the same price that you’d spend on a special delivery overnight letter (which many use to try and get our attention) purchase a tiny hand-held digital voice recorder.  Speak a carefully scripted short message into it and have it delivered as a gift to your ‘must-reach’ person and mark it clearly “Please press PLAY”.  Don’t be surprised if you get a call back.

We achieve our best accomplishments together with other people.  Learning how human hearts and souls function helps us open communications and forge friendships.  There is no better instructor than the Creator of all life. We bring His message to life and enhance your skill set in our audio CD program Boost Your Income: 3 Spiritual Secrets to Success which is on sale online this week.

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Read the most recent Ask the Rabbi question and answer here.

Shalom: My husband and I are both I.T. Engineers. He has more certifications than I, but right now I am working and he is not. It is NOT due to a lack of experience; and I need not “echo” this nations current dilemmas. He has been running another business for now, but customers most often cannot afford his services…READ MORE

This week’s Susan’s Musings: Educated and Clueless:

There are weeks when I want to grab my husband, children and grandchildren and sail off to an uncharted island, cocooning us away from the rest of the world. Needless to say this idea has serious downsides including that I have yet to effectively grow anything in a home garden and that this voyage would render my library card useless. I’m not even sure that Google Earth, let alone government satellites still allow for the existence of uncharted islands.

Nonetheless, the desire to block out a confused world remains strong…READ MORE

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Parchment of Protection

Posted on May 8, 2012 by admin

During April, I had the pleasure of speaking for three different companies. Each company successfully established its unique identity and its own culture that informs customers and associates and helps them make productive decisions.  We should all do the same in our own financial enterprises.

Rather than allowing neighborhoods, social trends, advertising or schools to form your family’s culture, sculpt one that reflects your deepest values and make sure your family gets it.  Ancient Jewish wisdom’s advice on how to create a culture for your business and family makes both more effective.

The mezuzah found on the doorposts of Jewish homes is the expression of just this advice.

The Torah clearly instructs us to ‘write these words’ upon our doorposts (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 & 11:13-21), yet neither archeological nor other evidence exists that Jews ever inscribed words upon their doorposts.  Instead, we have always carefully written the specified words upon a parchment and affixed that to our doorposts.  This is one of many instances where a universal and timeless Jewish practice cannot possibly be understood just from the text. It validates for me the great Transmitters who faithfully conveyed God’s details and whose work is so lovingly enshrined in ancient Jewish wisdom.

Interestingly, from the first time mezuzah is used in Scripture, we can see that the word means doorpost:

They shall take some of its blood and place it upon the two

mezuzoth (plural of mezuzah) and on the lintel…

(Exodus 12:7)

Yet, the piece of parchment itself along with its housing has forever been known as a mezuzah.  Hebrew is rich enough for it to have had its own name, but no such name exists.  It is called a mezuzah – a doorpost. How strange; the parchment is the doorpost?

In reality, yes it is; the mezuzah itself is the spiritual equivalent of the physical doorpost.  Just as a doorpost allows passage between public space and the private home so the mezuzah does the same.

After all, neither a business nor a home would be much good if there was no communication between it and the outside world.  The effectiveness of a home depends upon family members going out to work and becoming involved in the world, then returning for restoration and warmth.  The effectiveness of a business depends upon information, raw material and cash moving in while goods and services move out.  For this reason, the word mezuzah is derived directly from the Hebrew word zuz meaning move.

There are homes which have a weak or non-existent internal culture and members of those families unthinkingly import destructive values from outside.  Other families attempt to defend themselves by blocking off all contact with the outside.  Neither of these extremes works well.  Happy homes have mastered the secret of the mezuzah as have flourishing businesses.

The mezuzah teaches us how to move safely, easily, and effectively between inside and outside.  The fifteen verses handwritten onto the mezuzah parchment direct us to inculcate a strong and unique culture with clear expectations of conduct both inside and outside.  (Hear oh Israel, the Lord our God…you shall speak of these words when you sit in your home and when you walk upon the road…)

They promise protection, support and backup.  (I will provide grass in your field for your cattle and you shall eat and be satisfied.)

They provide a core of strength to those leaving and a filtering detoxification system for those returning. (Beware…lest your heart be seduced and you turn away…)

The custom of a groom carrying his bride through the door probably originated with the spiritual importance of that portal. As my bride and I celebrate our wedding anniversary this week, we want to impart the specific spiritual strategies that strengthen our marriage. Naturally, we got them from our Biblical Blueprint and now, so can you. We treasure the practical wisdom in our 2 audio CD set, Madam, I’m Adam: Decoding the Marriage Secrets of Eden and we ask you to buy some for yourself and for others while it is on sale this week.

King David refers to the mezuzah with these words:

The Lord will protect your departure

and your arrival from now until forever.

(Psalms 121:8)

Amen.

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Read the most recent Ask the Rabbi question and answer here.

This week’s Susan’s Musings: Happy (Homeschooling) Mother’s Day

If you want to be enthusiastic, hang around enthusiastic, people. And there is scarcely a more enthusiastic group than homeschooling parents. I had a wonderful time this week as a keynote speaker for the 4th annual Torah home education conference.

Homeschooling has grown rapidly in the United States, and there are churches I know where a majority of parents educate their children at home. However, it is only in recent years that the number of Jewish homeschooling families has grown significantly. There are reasons why Jews lagged behind in this American trend…

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Paint by Words

Posted on May 1, 2012 by admin

How easy it is to become impatient with a long story being recounted to us by a toddler, colleague, client, customer, or patient.  Unfortunately, leadership, whether in business or the family, sometimes depends upon making the best decision after receiving nothing more than a written or verbal report.

When we are the ones relaying information, we can get frustrated as our listeners tune us out. Instead of our employees, spouse, children or patients paying attention, they seem uninterested or distracted.

How do we become better at both giving and receiving information?

This verse can help:

Just watch out for yourself…lest you forget the words which your eyes saw,

… and you shall make them known to your children and your grandchildren.

(Deuteronomy 4:9)

Why does Deuteronomy 4:9 refer to words that are seen? We see things, not words. I sympathize with the plight of translators who often mistakenly write, “Just watch out for yourself…lest you forget the things which your eyes saw…”

While ‘things’ is a possible alternative meaning for the Hebrew word, DeVaRiM, which is used here, it is not correct in this context.  DeVaRiM, meaning words, is the Hebrew name for the fifth of the Five Books of Moses and is the second Hebrew word of the book.

These are the words (DeVaRiM) which Moses spoke to all Israel…

(Deuteronomy 1:1)

As our verse reveals, central to the entire theme of inter-generational Torah transmission is that we must transmit to our children and grandchildren specific words and not general things. But spoken words like the Torah taught by Moses are heard not seen!

Ancient Jewish wisdom explains that the unusual language in the verse refers to the fact that the entire Sinai revelation was an integrated, comprehensive, multi-media experience; a sort of son-et-lumiere show. There was a visual depiction of the words spoken by God.

Why was this necessary?

When we see a landscape, a statue, a battlefield or a building, we instantly grasp the entire picture.  No translation is necessary.

Many of us still prefer watches with hands because by merely glancing at the position of those little hands, we instantly understand that we’re late.  Seeing a colorful graph reflecting sales figures immediately lets us know how the company is doing compared to last year.  A picture really is worth a thousand words.

When we look at details or hear a recitation, our brains need to convert the information into useful real world information such as “you’re late!” Listening to a lesson, a speech or a piece of music requires that we concentrate through its entirety since it imparts meaning only once our brains have assembled hundreds of words or musical notes into one integrated totality.

Our verse teaches the correct technique for coping with the challenge of conveying and receiving information.  As listeners, we need to exercise our memory muscles in order to concentrate on converting a long flow of words into one complete picture that we can almost see in our mind’s eye. Only then can we exercise judgment and leadership in arriving at the right conclusion and taking the best actions.

When relaying important information, try to make it come alive, using words and imagery which captivate your listener and help him visualize what you are saying. Try making your listener see a picture rather than just hear words.

In directing the children of Israel to convey words to children and grandchildren, God taught us how to effectively do so. The words must be so alive that they can actually be seen just as they originally were when God presented them.

Increasing your comprehension, vocabulary and fluency is one of the most important steps you can take to improve effective communication in your business and family lives. Whether or not you use it, the foul language which abounds in our culture impedes success. Every word you speak and hear affects your income, your family and your soul. Our best-selling (and on sale) audio CD, Perils of Profanity will help you become aware of the poisonous effect of profanity and provide guidance for combating it.

Mother’s Day is approaching –

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Cleaning up your verbal act: Priceless

(+ $6.95 online this week)

This week’s Susan’s Musings: Profiling, Racism and Reality

I am humbled by the responses to last week’s Musing. I asked for readers to participate in a conversation and you did. I truly appreciate the kind words from many of you and I am grateful for those who affirmed, gently chided, and wrote so passionately and eloquently.  Race is an emotional topic and as a country (and a world) we need to feel comfortable speaking openly. I encourage you all to read the comments; it will be a good use of your time.  (I have a culture gap admission to make here: the first comment which used the letters AA had me scratching my head trying to figure out what Alcoholics Anonymous had to do with the topic.  It took a bit of pondering to realize that it stood for African American.)

Rather than quoting from and responding directly to your comments, I’d like to continue the dialogue…READ MORE

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Lean Upon the Counter

Posted on April 24, 2012 by admin

In 2002, after six years in business, Amazon became profitable.  How did they keep their doors open for so long without profits? Amazon had cash flow.  A year earlier two famous Internet high-flyers, Webvan and Pets.com, collapsed.  Why did they fail in spite of operating in profitable niches?  They had no cash flow.

A business can run without profits for quite a while provided it has cash flow.  However, the opposite is not true.  Webvan wasted capital on huge infrastructure investments and Pets.com struggled to raise capital. Meanwhile, Amazon was generating sales and raising capital.  Small business startups fail most frequently from lack of cash flow.  Maintaining, and projecting cash flow is crucial. The tool for doing so is counting.

Whether you run a business, work in one or invest in one, you occasionally examine a balance sheet showing assets and liabilities. You also watch income statements which reveal profit and operating earnings figures.  But more important, scrutinize the often neglected cash flow statements regularly as they show the cash coming into and flowing out of the coffers. Understanding numbers is a key life skill.

We are currently in the calendar period between Passover (Pesach) and Pentecost (Shavuot) when Jews count off each day.  (Leviticus 23:15) This is called Counting the Omer.  For instance, today, we formally note, is the 18th day of the Omer.

Hebrew associates counting with wisdom.  The word SoFeR means both someone who counts and also a wise man.  Wise people can convert complex circumstances into precise numbers which can then be easily compared and analyzed.  Numbers can certainly be manipulated, but it is harder to mislead with numbers than with words. A torrent of words easily obscures simple facts and plays to the emotions. It is much easier to figure out the story from the numbers than it is to discover the numbers from the story.

For car enthusiasts like me, advertisements with performance figures are more useful than poetic paragraphs lauding the luxurious leather seating and the rapturous flowing lines of the Italian-designed bodywork.  When studying a company’s annual report, the financials and footnotes are more important than photographs of corporate personalities and their headquarters.  Revenue figures are more valuable than pages of propagandistic prose.

Jewish tradition is filled with numbers.  We maintain and calculate a complex calendar whose months and days have not names but numbers.  We count generations, we count money raised for the Tabernacle in Exodus and we count the dimensions of Noah’s Ark.  We even like knowing how many letters there are in the Torah (304,805) as well as how many words (79,847) and verses (5,845).

Numbers convey meaning; often deep meaning.  For instance, because the Torah is God’s message to mankind for all places and for all times, we should not be surprised by prophetic insights that flow from analyzing numbers.

For instance, the founding Israel in 1948 was a manifestation of God’s special relationship with the Jewish people.  It would be surprising if the Torah contained no hint of that forthcoming event.  The civil year of 1948 corresponds to the Hebrew year, 5708.

Let’s examine the 5,708th verse of the Torah:

The Lord your God will bring you into the land

which your fathers possessed and you shall possess it…

(Deuteronomy 30:5)

As the State of Israel celebrates its 64th birthday this week, it is worthwhile to remember that the land is continually earned through faithfulness to God.

I wish I could invite you all into my home to share more amazing truths which flow from Biblical numbers. I’m afraid that space would get a bit tight. But I am delighted that my wife and I can visit your homes through our television show, Ancient Jewish Wisdom. We have gathered four of our favorite shows on DVD, including The Importance of Numbers: Scripture is Full of Them. Why? You will greatly enjoy these shows with astonishing secrets embedded in Scripture. Imagine – TV shows the whole family can watch and discuss together! Ancient Jewish Wisdom with Rabbi Daniel and Susan Lapin is on sale online for a few days, making it an even friendlier individual, friend or family activity.

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This week’s Susan’s Musings: A Cruel and Unusual Susan?

I’ve noticed a disturbing trend relating to feedback on my Musings. Last week offered one example. A reader wrote to my husband, commenting, “Had Trayvon been your son would your wife had been so inhumane about the matter? I think Susan is very cruel, I would like to hear your comment when it is your child’s turn.”

What was my alleged cruelty?… READ MORE

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Caribbean Connections

Posted on April 17, 2012 by admin

The beautiful Bahamas.  Stunningly clear turquoise waters; white sandy beaches; sunny days with warm winds blowing gently and balmy evenings beneath the stars.  You might think I am being hired to write tourist brochures for the fabled islands of New Providence, Bimini, and Eleuthera.

But no; I just returned from teaching “Contemporary Lessons from the Exodus” at a weeklong Passover Conference in Nassau.  What I remember is not so much the natural beauty, though that was certainly striking. Not even the glowing descriptions from my friend, the distinguished Bahamas-based pastor Myles Munroe, prepared me for what I found.

It was the people.  Eight days which included traveling and lecturing, being interviewed on Bahamian television, and meeting hundreds of locals.  Yet I did not encounter even one surly, sullen, or unfriendly person.  Not one!

For an explanation I turn, as always, to ancient Jewish wisdom.  The Hebrew word for nature HaTevah has the identical numerical configuration (86) as the ineffable name of God, the Creator, appearing in Genesis 1:1 Elokim.  The lesson is that to understand God, we must try to understand His creation.

In the beginning, God created 92 basic elements including the well-known hydrogen, oxygen, gold, silver, copper, platinum, uranium, calcium and lead.  The remaining 83 include lesser known elements such as titanium, tellurium, caesium and cadmium.

While it is true that the periodic table today contains over 100 elements, only the first 92 occur naturally.  The others must be artificially made and are generally unstable.  They undergo nuclear rearrangement and radioactive decay shortly after being synthesized.

God created the entire universe with only 92 basic building blocks we call atoms.  Everything that we use and which makes life possible and wonderful comes about through combining the atomic building blocks into compound molecules.

Thus, water, air, steel, wood, plastic, wool, silk, potatoes and marshmallows are all mixtures of those 92 building blocks.  Even the table salt that our bodies need and which adds flavor to French-fries is a mixture of sodium and chlorine.

Obviously, true science never conflicts with the Torah and many of the secrets that God embedded in His book reveal this. Here is just one example.

The account of Creation runs from Genesis 1:1 all the way to Genesis 2:3.  Those 34 verses contain exactly 92 separate discrete Hebrew words.  That’s right!  The building blocks of Creation number exactly the same as the building blocks used to describe it.  92 words to describe 92 elements.  Please tell me that you’re utterly astounded by God and His Book.  I know that I am.

The lesson is clear.  God created a world for connection.  He created words to connect into verses, musical notes to connect into songs, and people to connect with one another for fulfillment and happiness.  Every socio-medical study arrives at the same conclusion.  People with strong connections to other people – friends, family, worship community and business associates – live healthier and happier lives.

Yes, happier.  Now back to the Bahamas.  During many taxi and jitney rides, it was impossible to ignore how everyone greeted and spoke to everyone else.  Even the driver’s efforts were punctuated by frequent horn honking as he waved and yelled greetings at acquaintances on the sidewalk or in passing vehicles.

I don’t know why this is.  Perhaps it’s the result of a small population on a small island. But one thing is clear.  Connected people are happier.  Now go out and make at least one new friend every day!

How do you transform the idea of continually making new friends from a sweet sentiment into an action? Many of us have difficulty reaching out, especially when it is so easy to be in touch with thousands electronically without making any deep connections. I created my 2 audio CD set, Prosperity Power: Connect for Success precisely to offer realistic, concrete guidance for this task, along with additional ancient Jewish wisdom. Get it by mail or download, on sale online today.

I like to think that my little granddaughter, Aliza, with whom I shared Passover, is still happily singing the lyrics from the Beachboys hit “Sloop John B”:

We came on the sloop John B
My grandfather and me
Around Nassau town we did roam…


This week’s Susan’s Musings: Time Out

When your life revolves around the Jewish calendar, certain periods in the year overwhelm time. Passover is one of those occasions which take up so much mental and physical space that there is no attention left for most other things. Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman; Obama and Romney; even Iran and nuclear armament recede into the background…

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