Privacy Policy

Just a thought...

I find it interesting that the entire world went crazy when they heard about the updated privacy policy released by Whatsapp. We were told that our information will be shared with other businesses so we can get targeted ads. People started flipping out and announcing that they would be leaving Whatsapp and switching to messaging apps that were far less safe. Interestingly, the information that would be shared is information that has been shared by Facebook and Google for a long time. Haven't we all had pop-ups and ads on our web pages that were so similar to our recent searches?

But that's not the reason for this post.

I had a different thought.

How many of us took a moment to think about that fact that every single thing we search for, every page we open, every website we visit and every message we send and view is seen by the One Above? 

Are we concerned about that?

Maybe, if we took an extra minute to think about the fact that there is absolutely no privacy when it comes to Hashem, we'd be a little more careful with the way we spent our time on our phones...and online.

We can't hide anything from Him.

He sees everything. 

I don't hear anyone getting nervous about that.

Maybe because we didn't take the time to let that sink in.

There is no hiding anything from Him.

May we be able to use the technology we were blessed with for the good and never feel the need to hide any part of it.

Bumper Stickers

Bumper stickers on a car
What would yours be?
Bumper stickers on cars 
There for all to see.
A clever quote?
A humorous saying?
Or a picture of your cat?
That bumper sticker on your car
Tells us where you're at!

Who to vote for
Or your passion
And where you stand
On issues that are
Controversial 
Whether small or grand
Something you're proud of
A mountain you've climbed
Or a sight you've seen
Whatever you place
In that little space
Gives us a little taste
Of something that's inside
What you've done
Where you've been
Or where your passions lie

Yet I wonder why
I've never seen
A selfie or real image
Of the driver of the car
Or the passengers riding in it

A bumper sticker 
For all to see
Tells the world so much
But no one has ever
Been so brave 
To commit an act
Oh so grave
As plastering their car with
Pictures of themselves 
And I wonder...why?

We do it all the time 
I think
And I wonder
Do we think?

We may not be driving
Around in cars
But we share pictures 
That express who we are
To more people than 
We are aware
We update and post
And then we share

Would we paste that selfie
On the back of our car?
Or does that detract
From who we really are?

Profile pictures
Updated often
With pictures of our faces
I wonder how quick we'd be
If viewed beyond friends and family
And shared in public places

We may not realize 
How many people
Can view it and then share
People we'd never show 
Such pictures to
Perhaps we shouldn't dare.

So although it's not
A bumper sticker 
On our car
It might be worthwhile to think...
Is that image a reflection 
Of who we really are?
And do we want it 
To be seen 
By all-near and far?

Competition

I want to share a great lesson on this week's parsha, Parshas Naso, with you.

When the second Nasi gave his korban, he could have given something nicer or better. But he chose to give the exact same korban as the Nasi before him-to make sure there would be no competition...which leads to jealousy and bad feelings. And all the other Nesi'im followed his lead and did the same.

The Torah is so careful with every letter and word yet it repeats the korban of each Nasi even though they were all the same! We learn from this how much Hashem values this middah and that we should try to emulate it in our own lives. 

Some things don't have to be shared with everyone. The second something happens in your life, does half the world need to hear about it on Facebook or Twitter? How much about your personal life should be shared on Instagram or on Snapchat? Can you find a way to use any of these to spread positivity, to share things people will remember because of the impact it leaves? People don't really care what you had for breakfast. Sharing pictures of your latest vacation may cause feelings of jealousy and competition. 

Just because you have more doesn't mean you need to show it off. Hashem blessed you with looks? Brains? If you did well on an exam, does everyone have to know about it? If you can afford to shop for things that are more expensive, do you need to tell everyone just how much you spent on your does, clothing or accessories? There's a certain measure of humility it takes to keep that inside and thank Hashem that you can pay for these things.

And...there is tremendous value to lowering your standards so others wont feel the need to keep up. You can afford more? You can make a bigger simcha? There are plenty of others who can't. There are plenty of families who are struggling. If you keep it simple, you are setting a standard that other people may be able to keep to. They will respect you more. It's not money that earns real respect, it's character. 

I read a story a while back that inspired me so much and I want to share it with you. The organization Adopt A Kollel got an unusual donation amount every month. It wasn't the typical $36, $180 or $360. It was an odd number with dollars and cents. Something like $147.63. They called the donor to ask him what the reason behind this donation was and this was his answer. He explained that he was going to lease a more expensive model car but when he thought about the struggling families in Eretz Yisroel, he decided to forgo the nicer car and lease a cheaper one instead. And he sent the difference between the car he originally wanted and the car he chose to this organization...down to the last penny...every single month. What a donation! 

This man chose to lower his standards and use the extra money to help families in Eretz Yisroel who really need it. What a powerful message!

May you be able to take a lesson from this week's parsha and apply it to your own life by keeping some things to yourself or just sharing with close friends and family, not showing off the good you have, and lowering the bar so there's less pressure for those around you to keep up.

Have a good shabbos!

Privacy and DBJ-Lessons From the Parsha

In this past weeks parsha, Parshas Balak, Bilam planned to use the power of his words to curse the Jews. In the end, he praised us - because Hashem only allowed him to use this incredible power for the good.

One of the things he said was "ma tovu ohalecha ya'akov mishkinosecha yisroel"- how good are your tents, your dwelling places, Bnei Yisroel.

There are many interpretations to this passuk, this phrase. One of the ways this can be explained is that when Bilam was on his way to come and curse the Jews, he saw that the openings to their tents were not facing one another. The Jews purposefully placed their tents in a way that they would not see into another person's tent. They did this so that THEY wouldn't see into the other person's tent, not that the other person wouldn't see into THEIR own tent! What greatness! They weren't concerned about someone looking in on them, but they wanted to make sure they wouldn't put themselves into a situation where they would be tempted to look into someone else's!

This is how careful they were to protect the other person's privacy. They were so extra careful-they took this extra measure, an extra step so that they wouldn't see into another person's house. This teaches us just how careful we should be to protect another person's privacy.

* * *

Another thing Bilam was praising us Jews for is that we don't eye other peoples things with jealousy. We are a nation that works hard on this middah to try not to be jealous of other peoples' good fortune.

On the other hand, people look at YOU and are jealous! When you walk down the street looking your best (which is important and you always should look good), people think you must have the perfect life. Don't we all?!

But if people would know what goes on behind closed doors, what challenges you are facing, what troubles you are covering up for under that perfectly made-up face, hair/shaitel done so well, and big bright smile (which are all important- you should certainly look your best and don't have to look like a washed out rag just because you are going through something difficult), they would not be jealous!

When you think about this for a minute, you will come to realize that every person has their package and that you never know what someone else is dealing with! Just like even though you may look so good on the outside, you may not always feel it on the inside - but no one would ever know - there are other people who also feel the same way!

So when you see another person who looks like their life couldn't be more perfect, remember, that just like your life has it's own ups and downs, so does everybody else. Everyone has things to deal with. Whether it's big frustrations or little ones, nobody has it easy.

And that is the second lesson we should take from this weeks parsha. DBJ is not just a texting shortcut, we should really live it. Don't Be Jealous of other people. Why? Because looks can be very deceiving.

You really never know what someone else is dealing with! So try, really try to internalize this lesson so that you will not be jealous of others!