If all was spelled out - exactly what we are supposed to do, when, how, where, A to Z -what room would be left for your own accomplishments?

Identity

You need to decide what you are. If you believe yourself to be angel, be prepared for some disappointment. If you think of yourself as a beast, you may well become depressed.

Best to know you are human. Stay away from situations you can't handle, and face up to the mess when you fall down. That's even higher than the angels.

Late year!
One thing for sure in Canada is you can count on miserable weather!
When the day is nice people come out, crawling from under their beds.
lavishing in sunny weather. Spring in the air! The way things are going;looks like summer will be here in Aug./Sept. Oct. so look for late heat-waves!
In the mean time don;t forget your umbrella!

G-d with the Oppressed


By Tzvi Freeman

Visit the prisoners and bring them some happiness. Even if they are guilty, even if, in your eyes, they deserve whatever misery they have. Bring them joy.

G-d is always with the oppressed. Even if the oppressor is righteous and the oppressed is wicked, our sages tell us, G-d is with the oppressed.

Kosher Yearnings


By Tzvi Freeman

A man sits and yearns for a thing he should not have. The yearning in itself is good - a man who does not yearn is not alive. To live is to yearn. But the form this yearning has taken, this is death itself.

So the form must be crushed. Extinguished like the embers of an abandoned campfire in a dry forest. Once that is done, the inner yearning, the flame of life that burns inside, can be freed.

One whose wisdom is greater than his deeds, what is he comparable to? To a tree with many branches and few roots; comes a storm and uproots it, and turns it on its face... But one whose deeds are greater than his wisdom, to what is he compared? To a tree with many roots and few branches, whom all the storms in the world cannot budge from its place.

- Ethics of the Fathers 3:17

Related to wonder
By Tzvi Freeman
Yes, there is wonder in the world, but we do not stand on the outside with gaping mouths. This wonder, it is our father. We are its child. It is our G-d and we are its people.

Schmelvis is now officially working with the Hora-Boys!!!
The dynamic trio have conquered fans locally and abroad.
The Hora Boys are Mike Rien: keyboard/percussion/drums, vocals &
Jason Lipstein:Sax/clarinet, flute & vocals.

There is only one way to enjoy the fabulous trio:

BOOK THE ACT!!!!!!!


So if you are having a festive activity, we're here!!!!

Yeah, you have my vote!!!!

Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 300
Employees and has the following statistics?
30 have been accused of spousal abuse.
9 have been arrested for fraud.
14 have been accused of writing bad cheques.
95 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses.
4 have done time for assault.
55 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit.
12 have been arrested on drug related charges.
4 have been arrested for shoplifting.
16 are currently defendants in lawsuits.
62 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year!
Can you guess which organization this is?
It is the 301 MP's in the Canadian Parliament.
The same group that cranks out hundreds of new laws designed to keep
the rest of us in line!
Which one did you vote for?
TAKEN FROM THE OTTAWA CITIZEN

Wise Contraption

By Tzvi Freeman

When the telephone was first introduced, a wise man was asked, "What can we learn from this contraption?"

He answered, "That which is spoken here is heard there."

So they asked, "And from the telegraph?"

He replied, "Every word costs."

"And from the train?"

"One minute of hesitation and you could lose the whole journey."

Eminem's 'Relapse'...

beats are catchy and makes you wanna shake your booty! The words are a plethora
of poetic-diarrhea filled with selfish, diabolical, violent serial killer,offering nothing but self-distractive dead-end solutions to a world seemed devoid of values!

Eminem's come-back 'Insane' is just that, a clear depiction of a'sick-America'and paying the price!
Eminem's constantly fighting addiction 'swallowing a Klonopin while nodding in and out!' He's out of whack and he blames his momma: 'Valium was in everything: food that I ate,The water that I drank, fucking peas on my plate," and his sick behavior is her doing!
There is nothing new here it is Eminem all over again whinning once more, irresponsible, blaming everything on his momma for growing up in a cruel cruel Detroit. Yes, he might be the new
Elvis but i wish the message was positive and uplifting rather then dark and depressing cause after all, lots of people listen to the kid!!!

Urgent Yearning


By Tzvi Freeman

At the base of our Torah and our Jewish psyche lies an incessant urgency. Not just a sense that things are not the way they should be, but a relentless yearning that things should heal this very moment. Relentless, because it refuses to decay with time or to fade with disappointment. In the morning, we make our plea as though unable to tolerate another moment. And as evening comes, we demand again as though morning never passed.

We live on the verge of eternity. May we arrive now.

Interface

By Tzvi Freeman

Torah is the interface between the Infinite and creation. On the outside, it speaks the language of humankind. On the inside is depth without end.

Grasp either end and you have nothing. Grasp both and you have G-d Himself.

Talking to Himself

By Tzvi Freeman

He talks with Himself, entertained by His own thoughts. The thoughts imply a background, which is the world. But the Torah, those are the thoughts themselves.

And we? Our souls are the self with whom He speaks.

Playing With Our Minds

By Tzvi Freeman

If He had made the world a complete and utter mystery, we would have no path to know Him. And if all would fit together like a neat and tidy grandfather clock, we would not know that there is anything more to know.

So He took His raw, unknowable Will and cloaked it in wisdom, from which He formed a world. We approach the wisdom only to find ourselves swimming in an unfathomable ocean of wonders.

Now it is within the mind's grasp to know that no thought can grasp Him.

The Process
By Tzvi Freeman

Torah is not about getting to the truth. When you are immersed in Torah, even while pondering the question, even while struggling to make sense of it all, you are at truth already.

Torah is about being truth.

The Unnatural Nature of Things


By Tzvi Freeman

He could have made a world where the nature of each thing may be deduced from its parts. A predictable, orderly world. A world void of wonder. And then we would say, "Things are this way because they must be this way." G-d would be a stranger in His own world.

Instead, at each step another surprise greets us, a new way of being emerges unexpected from everything we knew before. Until we must conclude that things are the way they are for no particular reason -- other than His desire that they be that way.

He has made a world that has room for Him, because its nature is wondrous.

Spiritual Disdain

By Tzvi Freeman

As spiritual beings in a material world, we engage it in a posture of descent, in compromise, with a lessening of light. That is why spiritual people disdain all interaction with this world, and strive to minimize it at all costs.

Yet the Torah provides an interface with the world that is more G-dly than the soul itself. How does it accomplish this? By unlocking the spark of G-d within each thing.

Music Music Music!!!!!

Give me strength! Give me music! G-d give me strength!!!!
There are some powerful positive forces in the universe
where one can draw power from and Chopin's music is definitely one!!!

What a beautiful day!

The sidewalks are so clean!
The cobblestones await and anticipate each step
here in old montreal! The air is crisp!
What a pleasure!

Enjoy your day!!!

Infinite & Intimate

By Tzvi Freeman

Does G-d then laugh? Is He so vulnerable as to cry over failure and rejoice in success? Does He that brings heaven and earth into existence truly love with the passion of a frail human being? Can the Infinite Light feel regret, just as a creature trapped within the tunnel of time?

But G-d desired Man with all his struggles. The proof: We are here. And G-d looked down from His lofty realm beyond love and laughter and passion and remorse, down into this thought of a human being, and He said, "Shall he then be alone in his place and I in mine? Is this oneness?"

So He arranged a meeting place, in the boundless emotions that are the fabric of Man's soul and are reflected within the bowels of the Infinite Light. So that in love and laughter and compassion and awe and beauty, Man and G-d could find one another, and neither would be alone.

Unimaginable Journeys

By Tzvi Freeman

Each journey the soul travels takes her higher.

There are journeys that are painful, because there is struggle. Struggle to wrestle out of one place to reach another, struggle to discern the good from the bad and put each in place, struggle to face ugliness and replace it with beauty. But in each of these, a sense of purpose overwhelms the pain and brings its own joy.

Then there are journeys that seem to have no purpose. Where nothing appears to be accomplished, all seems futile. There is no medicine to wash away the pain.

But every journey the soul travels takes her higher. It is only that in some, the destination is a place so distant, so lofty, she could never have imagined. Until she arrives.

Flight

By Tzvi Freeman

When Man desired to fly, two paths lay before him: To create vehicles lighter than air, or to use the air's resistance to his advantage. In the end, the second path proved more successful.

It turns out that when you wish to fly above, resistance is to your advantage. In fact, it carries you higher than the angels.

Maturity of the Soul

By Tzvi Freeman

The ultimate elevation of the soul is to find it has purpose. To discover that it is not here simply to be, but to accomplish, to heal, to make better. In that moment of discovery, the soul graduates from being G‑d's little child to become His representative.

Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

To be envious of someone is a negative commandment. In fact, it is one of the
ten original sins and one which we should guard ourselves from falling into and veer
away from b/c it can have a spiral of negative affects. That and greed can probably shake hands.
Yes, it is true if you look at your material life you most likely have everything you
need!

However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

Earth is only traveling through our solar system at 178.000km per hour!
If it were to deviate or slow down by one kilometer we'd all fly off into space: G-d Forbid! But just as earth is moving forward, hence constantly changing, so
do our situation good or bad! Good Shabbos!!!!!!!!

Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

Every individual is given just enough according to what they can handle.
It's like a serum to the wound. It's a give and take. Some people compare
their lives to others but we cannot because you do not know what it is like
to walk in anothers' shoes! The journey must be enjoyed and as you clear the rocks
from under your feet in order to walk forward, do it all with a smile!!!

My guitar is in the shop today for minor repair; Spring cleaning!
My left hand is a little sprained from smacking the badmington birdy a little
too hard..hehe!

Schmelvis & The Hora Boys performance tonight on CJAD 800am tonight at 9:15pm...http://www.elvisschmelvis.com

No Need for a Middleman!!!

By Tzvi Freeman

He doesn't need you to report on the dirt in His world. He is quite aware of its existence, He put it there and doesn't really care to hear about it.

He sent you here to search out the jewels hidden in the mud, clean them and polish them until they shine. And when you bring them to Him, the angels make a crown of them for Him, saying, "Look what Your children have made for You out of the mud!"

Detachment

By Tzvi Freeman

You may consider yourself a single entity, but your personage is actually composed of multiple components, each capable of detaching itself from the others. Intellect can go off on its own journey happily detached from emotion. Emotion can detach itself from action. And the soul can fly high, forgetting altogether that it has anything to do with your down-to-earth life.

When you eat your meal with mindfulness, do business with a conscience, treat a cranky child with loving patience -- in all these things a harmony of parts is achieved from which the entire person benefits.

Comets anyone?


A new study by researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel has suggested that comets might have provided the elements for the emergence of life on our planet.
While investigating the chemical make-up of comets, Professor Akiva Bar-Nun of the Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences at Tel Aviv University found they were the source of missing ingredients needed for life in Earth's ancient primordial soup.

"When comets slammed into the Earth through the atmosphere about four billion years ago, they delivered a payload of organic materials to the young Earth, adding materials that combined with Earth's own large reservoir of organics and led to the emergence of life," said Professor Bar-Nun.

It was the chemical composition of comets that allowed them to kickstart life, he added.

Using a one-of-a-kind machine built at Tel Aviv University, researchers were able to simulate comet ice, and found that comets contain ingredients necessary for providing the basic nutrients of life.

Specifically, Prof. Bar-Nun looked at the noble gases Argon, Krypton and Xenon, because they do not interact with any other elements and are not destroyed by Earth's oxygen.

These elements have maintained stable proportions in the Earth's atmosphere throughout the lifetime of the planet, he explained.

"Now, if we look at these elements in the atmosphere of the Earth and in meteorites, we see that neither is identical to the ratio in the sun's composition. Moreover, the ratios in the atmosphere are vastly different than the ratios in meteorites which make up the bulk of the Earth," said Bar-Nun.

"So we need another source of noble gases which, when added to these meteorites or asteroid influx, could change the ratio. And this came from comets," he added.

During the comets' formation, the porous ice trapped gases and organic chemicals that were present in outer space.

"The pattern of trapping of noble gases in the ice gives a certain ratio of Argon to Krypton to Xenon, and this ratio - together with the ratio of gases that come from rocky bodies - gives us the ratio that we observe in the atmosphere of the Earth," said Bar-Nun.

Thus, the arrival on Earth of comets and asteroids led to the necessary ratio of materials for organic life, "which eventually were dissolved in the ocean and started the long process leading to the emergence of life on Earth," he added.

Forgive everyone for everything.

Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. Enjoy the day, plan your day by saying: 'My purpose is to________________ today. I am thankful for_________________."
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Now go out there and 'Try to make at least three people smile each day.'

Decisions

By Tzvi Freeman

There is no such thing as an easy decision. G-d put you on this earth to make choices and it's going to be hard.

Real choices are when there are two paths and both appear attractive. Only by choosing to look deeper can you determine which path leads to life.

Getting Real

By Tzvi Freeman

To know that this world is not some wild jungle where whoever is stronger or richer or smarter can abuse and destroy without regard for those beneath them -- this is not a matter of religion or faith, particular to one people or group of believers. This is the underlying reality -- that this world has a Master, and it is not any of us.

A peaceful society can only endure when it is built upon that which is real.

Essential Good

'Words from the heart, touch the heart'
Today being Friday it is a day to reflect, to fine tweek our lives, just lie
there in the bath if u can relax and let your thoughts soak in the hot bath water.
Today is a great day to rest for Shabbas is right around the corner.
(Oh, well maybe after 4pm when i finish work)
GOOD SHABBOS!!!!!!!!!!

By Tzvi Freeman

At the core of all our thoughts and beliefs lies the conviction that the underlying reality is wholly good. That evil lies only at the surface, a thin film of distortion soon to be washed away by the waves.

Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

I cut out coffee out of my diet! It took a lot of will power to do so b/c i've been
an avid coffee drinker for centuries or at least it seems so! Instead, i start my day now with lemon and water/room temperature. I find the combo cleansing for some reason
and it does make me feel better! There is a positive thrust that comes along with it as well!
More and more people are eating right! I see it all around me. Besides food there is yoga, pilates,Krav-Maga (which is Israeli Army self defense training) and all kinds of ways to reduce stress from the everyday 'chorba'or responsibilities on our plate.

I bought 'runner' magazine for the first time and running is something i;m looking to get into...have a great day!

Stranger no more!

It's a nice Elvis song but it also reminds me of what a positive impact we can have
on the world if we each took it upon ourselves to just do a little more each day
to make a difference. Like opening a door for a stranger as courtesy at a building
front, allowing an elderly or pregnant woman to have our seat on a bus or train
when no seats are available or simply smiling. These acts of goodness may seem futile
perhaps but have can only have a positive affect on the world. Making a difference, showing care and devotion is right up there with 'peace, love and understanding' in my book which is another title of a great song by E.C. Have a great day!!!!

Panic

By Tzvi Freeman

Panic, confusion and pessimism are the product of a heart gone wild. When the mind holds the heart's reigns, these beasts are replaced with courage, optimism and a drive to go forward. Especially when the guidance comes from the essential wisdom of the mind, the inner eye that perceives the process of creation's renewal at every moment from the Source of All Good. From that perspective, there is reason for joy even at the darkest moment.

Saw Martin Sexton last night at Cafe Campus and one thing i noticed through-out the entire show is that he looked like he was born to play guitar. He wore the guitar around him like a warm blanket. Sexton uses the guitar fully as a vehicle to express voice, percussion, rhythms and mood. He had the crowd hooked and eating out of his palm with his psychedelic folk-lore sounds and together we all ventured into a 'magical-bluesy, southern Sexton trip' that warmed the heart like a good whiskey in front of a good fire.

Original Success

By Tzvi Freeman

Before your soul descended to this world, it was known it would succeed. If not in this lifetime, in another, or yet another--eventually it will fulfill its entire mission. And in each lifetime, there will be gains made.

That knowledge itself is the origin of the soul. It is also the origin of all that exists in your world--it is the point of inspiration that brought all things to be. It lies at the essence of all things.

The power is there, and there is nothing that can stand in its way. Your job is no more than to make it real.

The Freedom Connection

By Tzvi Freeman

We are limited by the very fact that we have human form. There is no freedom in following our whim, only further slavery to our own limited selves. Freedom can only come by connecting to something infinite and beyond us.

And so Moses was told, "When you take the people out from Egypt, you shall all serve G-d on this mountain."

Faces

By Tzvi Freeman

We, are a single being with many millions of faces.

Know this, for there is no way around it: Whatever one of us is eating, all of us chew it with him. When one of us does an act of G-dly beauty, all of us participate. If one us is suffering, all of us share that pain. When one rejoices, all of us dance and sing.

None of us can say to the other, "It is your fault!" All of us share the blame for each other's failures. And even more so, we share the benefits of each other's good deeds.

Happy Passover!!!

It's "Matzah-Time" once again! Time to enjoy that parched sandwich with
parsley and Charoset and remind ourselves of the hardship we persevered
in the desert coming out of exile.Every year we come out of exile and are redeemed!
We celebrate this even and after reading the Agaddah we say:"Next year in Jerusalem!"

This is the year!
We are entering 5770!!!!

This is the final year of redemption!

See you at the Kotel in Jerusalem!!!!!

Today is the day!!!!

It's the first day of the rest of your life! It's you final dinner!
It's your first launch! Make it, give it your best!!!!
today we come out of exile. Today we are fee!
Opportunity is knocking...the rest of your life is in front of you!
Make good things happen!!!!!!
I know you can do it!!!!!!!!!!!

The World is treating me bad!....

This is the opening line of one of my favorite Beatle songs ever written.
"Can i blame you for this and you for that?"

My father in-law always said that we can always blame the whole
world why things are not working out.
But if you believe that every thing is through the hands of G-d then
we can also learn to always to do 100% everyday and let G-d do that extra 10%.
Everything is for a reason!!!

Here is a 'quiz sample' i saw on 'facebook'. Now something turned me off
from getting to question number 2. I some how just let it go. Keep in mind that
I;m biased & against these things but regardless, there is something to learn from having a pet dog.

You step out of the front door in the morning and think:
1)Wow, it's such a beautiful day outside - I might go golfing.
2)I wonder where the paper is?
3)Crap, I'm late!
4)I don't feel like going out today.


Each day is a new beginning! I learned that from my dog Webster!
I see how he reacts each morning;wagging his tail, eager to go outside and
greet the day. He also greets people he meets with a smile! Now that is
a great attitude and one to live by!

Schmelvis's 5 favorite quotes for April 4th!!!

If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.


2)If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

3)Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.




4)Your mind not only wanders, it sometime leaves completely.


5)The easiest way to find something lost around the house is buy a replacement.

If you wait until you find the meaning of life, will there be enough life left to live meaningfully? - The Lubavitcher Rebbe -

Today i was awakened by my cross road! I was lying in bed and in reverie envisioned the almighty. It was something not for the eyes to see but for the mind to conjure for a split second and intuit it and in that passing thought i awoke with my heart quickly throbbing. Today I heard a cute answering machine message: 'we're having an out of the house experience please yada yada'. Every day I talk to G-d and every day G-d talks to me! I know what i have to do!It is always easy to 'leave things for tomorrow' but really we got to do good now! Now have a great Shabbos!!!!!

No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
Isn't it a fact! Try it! Lie in bed and wait for the phone to ring, wait
for that happy call! Good Luck!

Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.Just move on
from it, remove it like a worn out garb, toss it into the bin of eternity and
start fresh. Say to yourself, Today is the first day of my life!!!

Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. Some people just take everything so seriously that they never get off
the launching pad. You can't be fully clothed on the diving board.

You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. How true! Especially with loved ones!

Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Your luggage is geared for you and has your name on it. It's the perfect weight just for you! Everyone has luggage. It's geared and measured just right for every traveler!

Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

Why bother hating anyone? Besides the vibe is so negative so why go there!
Instead concentrate on positive things!!! Use that energy to harbor good thoughts
and follow your action with good thoughts! Sounds difficult to do? Well try it and you will see that you will feel better. It takes one act of goodness to tip the scale and make this world just one act better!

Try to make at least three people smile each day.

We live and are surrounded by technology. Cellulaire phones are with us 24/7, Computers are saddled in our carry-ons, Flat Screens occupy our homes and are a loud voice to boot and the list goes on. All this is to say that our electronic age has distanced us from nature. In fact, we are so pre-occupied with electronic devices that they are
always in between us humans and we do not even know it or seem to forget. Take for example at coffee houses, i've noticed there is always a laptop in between 2 people or a cell going off and this my friends is the epitomy of the 'plastic age' and what that means inevitably is that we quickly are becoming callous beings devoid of feelings and campassion. Human contact is dwindling and we are like robots, androids and alien beings! We had it coming all along, Aldus Huxley predicted it, Sartre and Orwell too and so as an offset, 'try to make at least three people smile each day'...i think this is a slandered way of fighting the machine and instilling some beautiful humanity into the plastic age which is quickly taking over. Do it today and start doing good!

New Balance Needed!

It's mind boggling to read news headlines these days and even more so to comprehend them fully without having some kind of a psychotic reaction. Yet as i read them:'Alleged torturer accused in 15,000 deaths' or 'Ousted GM CEO could get $20M package' I see more and more how headlines seem surreal, stretched or maxed but yet unfortunately disturbingly real! Today, we're so overwhelmed with a plethora of information that if the headlines are not bombastic the media believes that we the masses will not abide to read the article. The media world is driven to get our attention.
Yet Media is not about truth, moral or ethics and has never been about that!
The media is about advertising and captivating stretched out headlines to the max and staying alive in a competitive market. And we as an audience supposedly have all grown callous, sick and just tired or indifferent to it all. That is not true!

there is a yearning out there for a new kind of media. A media based on truth rather then distortion. There is an expression that says: 'think good and it will be good'
Yes, terrible things do happen. But why does the media give all the attention to the murderer rather then the victims? Unfortunately,murders happen everyday. Yet, we need a new balance in the media, and a concerted effort to drive out articles for change! More on this later...

Juno Night In Canada!!!

I saw the Juno's last night hosted by the colourful and funny Russel Peters but the whole 'Juno' thing kind of rubbed me the wrong way! First b/c we're not America and so please try not to emulate American TV because we cannot even come close! We tried to look like the American music awards and failed miserably! Yes, it was nice to see 'Loverboy' honoured but also sad not to see focus on bright & up coming talents. Canada's Juno is small enough to feature a city category or just be more creative. What is disturbing once more, is to see such adulturated focus on 'so called' legendary's like'Nickleback, Bryan Adams &Sarah Mcglaughlin. i imagined what can come next & at that point had to close the TV because I didn't need to see Anne Murray singing the national anthem!