Here is some tdibits of what people shared on Friday Night Cozy-Shabbat Parshas Pinchas, July 11th, 2014:

“I’ve been doing some painting of a room this week. House-Painting is harder that most might expect. It also gives you time to think. One of the lessons I took from painting is how to deal with mistakes. Sometimes you just go over it again with the brush or roller, but if there’s a problem with the sheetrock, you have to get to the bottom of it, and respackle. It was a lot of food for thought about dealing with mistakes.”

“In this whole crisis in Israel and with all the soial-media commenting, I learned that I was not actually not anywhere near as liberal as some of my colleagues and peers on Israel in a time like this. I consider myself liberal and progressive, but it was eye-opening to see where some other people stand on this, especially when it comes to criticizing Israel for defending herself and her people against the barrage of rockets.”

“Traveling up here, my father told us to look out for the sign for the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. I was surprised to see that a real bridge would be named after a fanciful character but it turns out that the setting for the legend was around the very same area where the bridge was later built. In addition, my father pointed out the Talmudic story of Choni Ha’Me’agel witnessing an old man planting a carob tree and waking up years later to see the man’s grandchildren enjoy the fruits of their grandfather’s investment.”

“When the Torah speaks of war, it says that we go to war against our enemies. But isn’t that obvious? Would we go to war against friends? The message here is to remember that enemies are enemies and not to be soft-hearted, and meek with those who seek to destroy us.”

“Israel finds itself again at war with its neighbors. Looking at this week’s Torah portion we can see clear direction and teaching. Tzelachad died without sons, but his daughters asked Moses that they too, recieve a portion in the Land, give us our heritage they asked. Moses asked G-d, and this became the law. This shows us their dedication and love for the Land, and today too, we must cherish and hold onto the great gift, despite all who seek to deny it to us.”

“One of the defining characteristics whether a student will be successful or not, is one word: Perseverance. Some students are very bright and can be successful without much effort. But for most students effort and dedication, consistent commitment is what will make all the difference for them. I remember a sweet and honest student once telling me, sincerely, that she didn’t study because “I didn’t feel like it.” Perseverance may not make you feel like it, but it will push you to work at it regardless.”