The Litmus Test of True Holiness
It was the morning of Yom Kippur in the Belarusian town of Liadi, and the synagogue was packed. The Alter Rebbe (1745–1812), founder of the Chabad movement, stood at the front of the room wrapped in his tallit and white kittel, leading the congregation. His melody and intensity swept the room into another dimension—a palpable atmosphere of awe and transcendent holiness.
Then, without warning, he stopped.
Bridging Heaven & Earth
The story is told of a famous child psychologist who spent many hours constructing a new driveway at his home. Just after he smoothed the surface of the freshly poured concrete, his small children chased a ball across the driveway, leaving deep footprints.
The man yelled after them with a torrent of angry words. His shocked wife said, "You're a psychologist who's supposed to love children."
The fuming man shouted, "I love children in the abstract, not in the concrete!”