LIVING WITH PURPOSE

Transitions are never easy. Our inner equilibrium for which we constantly strive becomes disrupted as a result. We spend our lives trying to create order and structure out of chaos. Yet in spite of our best efforts, unforeseen events can sometimes cause serious havoc. We have all been profoundly affected by this pandemic. We are still in the midst of its impact with no clear visibility of the future. It becomes extremely challenging to navigate our personal and business lives

Sometimes a quote you read, at a particular point in your life, gets your attention. I came across this one in preparing for a class. “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”(Aristotle) We are living in precarious times. COVID-19 has profoundly impacted our lives in 2020 and probably will do in 2021 as well. But it is not the pandemic alone which has transformed life as we know it. It is the fact that it is accelerating the digital revolution which is most profound.

Rarely does an individual make a profound impact on their generation. Especially as a teacher in modern times. Knowledge, as opposed to information, is not highly sought after in this digital age. Yet the world which we inhabit is desperately in need of it. One individual almost single handedly sought to change that. I refer to Rabbi Adin Even-Israel (Steinsaltz) who passed away last week in Jerusalem at the age of 83. He was a towering scholar, he wrote more then 60 books,

Few people have a profound impact on one’s life. One such person who made a strong impression upon me was Aubrey Nelson. I met Aubrey a few years ago at Chabad of West Hampstead. Sadly he passed away last week on Tisha B'Av, the day when the Jewish people commemorate the destruction of both our temples. He was ninety eight years old. Aubrey was unique in many ways. Born in the 1920’s in the East End of London, his upbringing was old school and authentically Jewish. He once to