Listening to Life's Messages

Which part of you really counts?  Which part of you matters most? Which part of you expresses your core? Which part of you, is YOU? You are not your wisdom or your knowledge.  You are not your creativity or your big ideas.  You are not your talents or your capabilities. You are not your job or your accomplishments. You are not your bank account or your house. You are not your interests or your hobbies. You are not your body or your clothing. You are not your family or your status.  You are not your personality or your preferences. That's not YOU. That's not what counts.  That's not what matters most. That's not what defines your essence. That's not what remains forever. Who are YOU. You are your middos. Your character. Your goodness. You are your kindness. Your love. Your generosity. You are your compassion. Your empathy. Your caring. You are your humility. Your modesty. Your selflessness. You are your fear of Heaven. Your self control. Your integrity. This is what

One of my biggest challenges is choosing between all the million wonderful things that I need and want to do.   It's not easy trying to figure out who and what to say yes to, who and what to say no to...   And what to do first, what to do second... and what to push off indefinitely. But as I read today's Mitzvah of the day, I was reminded of just how much the right order of priorities matters. The mitzvah is that it's forbidden to switch around the order of how we give our donations. Instead, we need to follow the specific order of the Torah - First separating gifts of our first fruits to be given to the Priests in Jerusalem, then separating 1/50th of whatever is left for the Priests, then 1/10th of whatever is left for the Levites, and finally 1/10th of whatever is left, to be eaten by the owner in Jerusalem. If this order was not followed, and one separated the later tithe before an earlier one, even though he was doing a good thing, he has actually transgressed t