Finding Yourself In Torah 'Defining Moments' The 1st to be 2nd Bar Mitzvah

Defining Moments

Those aha moments - some would say 'chokamah' moments

Those moments to connect one - sometimes turning points - and flashes that then or in retrospect put it all together - and make sense

Regardless of the failure for most of the 1st Bar Mitzvah - the 1st to be 2nd Bar/Bat Mitzvah process (especially for those who have been seasoned by life) in finding themselves in Torah through the Judaism On Purpose(tm) process becomes a recollection and yet a step forward to share with family and friends - and most of all Hashem

Am Except My One Day - 1st to be 2nd Bar Mitzvah - Finding Myself In Torah

Jacob (Yaakov) was left alone. And a man (an angel- some say Esau’s angel) wrestled with him until the break of dawn. When he saw that he had now prevailed against him (Jacob), he wrenched Jacob’s hip at its socket, so that the socket of his hip was strained as he wrestled with Jacob. Then he (the angel) said, “Let me go for dawn is breaking.” But Jacob answered “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” Said the other (the angel), “What is your name?” Jacob replied, “Jacob.” Said he (the angel) “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel”

Genesis 32:25-19

           Thereafter in material affairs (materializing the spiritual?), Jacob remained Jacob (Yaakov- literally meaning 'heel grabber') but in spiritual endeavors (spiritualizing the material?) he was referred to as Israel (one who rassles with God).

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 (Side note: this Yaakov has always loved professional wrestling – and had the opportunity in past years to be the ‘heel’ ((bad)) guy interfering manager in match for ‘Rotten Randy’ Morse. (note 'heel' is not to be confused with 'heal') In my Enough Personal Financial Planning practice, I marketed myself as Rasslin’ With Personal Finance – Big Enough To Know You; Small Enough To Serve You”  - Your Personal Financial Bodyguard© (‘you’re my friend or you’re Schwartz’s lunch’ etc on at least 20+ business baseball cards.  Recall it was Yaakov who grabbed Esau’s heel on the way out of the womb – thus heel grabber. Later this Yaakov was to define ENOUGH in part as ‘healing personal financial anxiety….”)

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           Finally after years of running away in fear from any confrontation with Esau due to Yaakov’s swindling (a famished Esau or taking advantage of a merely ‘tired’ Esau dependent on translation as to duress and validity of the contract to get the birthright) and then scamming to get Isaac’s blessing intended for Esau) – Yaakov (Jacob) meets Esau.

          Yaakov had prayed and was now prepared to fight but first choose to appease Esau via recognition and material recompense.

           Now while time heals all wounds it can also wound all heels. (We may bury the hatchet but still know where the hatchet is buried). However, Esau had prospered but still Yaakov not only bowed 7 times to Esau he presented to and prevailed upon Esau to accept the bounty of gifts. Ironically, Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; let what you have remain yours” (Genesis 33:9). Still Yaakov prevailed upon Esau to accept his ‘gifts’ stating “for God has favored me and I have plenty” (Genesis 33:10)

           For Yaakov/Israel – God alone as Shaddai was ‘God, God Almighty, God All Sufficient, Enough’

 Flashback – 1975

 “So you’re going to be a financial planner?

You’ll be in ‘the more business. And e.e. cummings said,

‘more, more, more – what are we all morticians?’

Rudy Withus, former philosophy teacher at the University of Denver, to Jim Schwartz (1977)

           Right then and there in a split second – a moment – I went from ‘more, more, more’ approach to personal financial planning to formulating Enough process to personal financial planning which later would evolve to Enough Jewish Personal Financial Planning

Evolution of ENOUGH(sm):

Jewish Faith Based Personal Financial Planning

(note I am retired from practice though not writing in the area)

          Over close to 40 years, my definition of ENOUGH(sm) has evolved from

         ENOUGH(sm): clientele realizable goal determination coordinated with orderly plans for the desired payoffs via personal financial planning by objectives (1977) to

         ENOUGH(sm): the alignment of personal resources (including money, time, skills) to achieve life goals and). (1992 or so) to

         ENOUGH(sm): healing personal financial anxiety, aligning personal resources with life goals and values thus facilitating transcendence toward signification (meaning In one’s life). (1996)

and now

 and then….1998

 
           Though it didn’t work out, my then intended and I met with Chasidic Rabbi Mordechai Twerski (the first and very last time) about wedding arrangements etc. When he asked my business, I told him, “I’m a fee only personal financial planner in the ‘enough’ business.’

          Rabbi Twerski responded, ‘Shaddai is God, God Almighty, God All Sufficient, Enough.’   

     

             And in an instant - a flash, a chokamah moment,  ENOUGH(sm): Personal Financial Planning evolved to ENOUGH(sm) Jewish Personal Financial Planning – implicitly acknowledging Shaddai as Enough such that today the definition is…

 

Aligning Meaning with Means 'The Soul of the Matter' - spiritualizing the material, materializing the spiritual To Count! & account for & account to Hashem ('the meaning of all meanings' Rabbi Heshel)via ENOUGH (sm) Jewish Financial Planning - Healing Financial Anxiety, Puttin’ Money In It’s Place  To Elevate, Transcend Connect, Align Towards One’s Significance/Assignment – what one is meant to do, meant to be enough to live on – enough to live for

         The 2^nd Bar Mitzvah, for this Yaakov is an ongoing process to continue working to become Israel (materializing the spiritual; spiritualizing the material INside out) for reJEWvination, perPETuation, ENOUGH in the name of Shaddai to defend, protect, restore & establish his Ethical Monotheism. (No disqualification - pinfalls don’t count in continuing to complete the incompletion of this heel’s soul.)

        The next excerpt in my own 1st to be 2nd Bar Mitzvah - Jew Again thru The Dog Door- relative to Exodus 7:11 when the 'howling sentries (keleveim - dogs) become the silent sentinels' as Moses led the Israelis out of Egypt (our own narrow places & limitations mitzraeim) relative to Tzavta to connect, reconnect and continuing to connect to Judaism again - where I sing The Place Where The Lost Dogs Go - a parody on the 2nd Mary Poppins' film song - The Place Where The Lost Things Go - well that's for another time

Defining moments

The 1st to be 2nd Bar/Bat Mitzvah in the Judaism On Purpose(tm) process - to reignite personalized individualized meaning IN one's life INside out thru Judaic connection again as a stepping stone for return.....

Requirements

·                                                         Jews of Meaning© – minimum 6 months, initial defining meaning IN one’s life

·                                                         The Soul Resume© – Remember Me Completion

·                                                         The Ethical Will’s completion

·                                                         Why I Am A Jew module completion

 

The 2^nd Bar Mitzvah (assuming completion of the above)

·                                                         2 to 4 one on one sessions with Judaism On Purpose™ Rabbi defining ‘where the member finds himself in Torah’ per having completed the above requirements

·                                                         Creating & rehearsing the 2^nd Bar Mitzvah 1-2 meetings

·                                                         The actual 1^st to be 2^nd Bar Mitzvah© – on social media or in person with loved ones and the members of one’s Jews of Meaning© group

 

The Cost:

 

·                                                         Determined by each Rabbi/Cantor etc – but recommendation no less than $150 hour for all except the Jews of Meaning membership which is $100 a month

(estimated additional revenue to the Judaism On Purpose™ Concierge Rabbi $2500-$3000 for each individual who goes thru this process – which is much much much less expensive that the garish meaningless $25,000- $50,000- $100,000 Bar Bat Mitzvahs extravaganzas today

·                                                         If a Judaism on Purpose™ Rabbi has half of his 49 members partake – over a 2-3 year period that ‘s another $75,000+ in supplemental income.

·                                                         The member incurs all costs of the actual second Bar/Bat Mitzvah meal (if at all)

         

In Conclusion: 

          The market for The 1^st to be 2^nd) Bar/Bat Mitzvah© is untapped and large – because the first ‘bar/mitzvah’ was typically just a right of passage that became but a party for the kid and financial obligation of the parents instead of the an embodiment of the accepted connection &  (tzavta) & convenant with Hashem.

          Given a taping of the 1^st be 2^nd Bar/Bat Mitzvah© and also the video of Remember Me – The Soul Resume© session completion of the Ethical Will & Why I Am A Jew exercises can be an enduring legacy for one’s children, grand children to ‘remember me.’

 

PS – if a 2^nd Bar Mitzvah was good ‘enough’ for Kirk Douglas at 83 --- it’s got to be better than cherry bombs in Hebrew School toilets.

 

CHEWish On This©

(Shaddai) The Meaning of All Meanings (Heschel)

Finding Oneself in Torah

Yaakov ben Elijah

 

(1)                                   my rasslin’ finishing hold (never got the chance) would have been….the dog pound.

 

Post reflection: my own first bar mitzvah at Horror Zion wasn’t just another symptom of the cup (the synagogue) becoming more important than the coffee (Judaism) – but also the factory (the synagogue) being more important that the craft (being a spiritual leader).