Elders, Lessons, Life
By Moshe Katz
CEO
Israeli Krav International

March 24, 2017, Judea, Israel

As life goes on I regret not having spent more time with the generation that is now nearly gone. Yes, more than books people are history and our elders are the carriers of tradition.

The Elders are our link with the past, with ourselves, and ultimately with our future. They are the ones who pass on the tradition, the nuances, the little life lessons that one cannot glean from books.

Ahh, and when this is lost, it is lost forever. When we lose our roots then we lose our balance. This leads to a confused generation chasing its own tail.

Ahh...Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof, the tradition continues, one way or another. Each one of us is a fiddler, standing on the roof, staying up there trying to eek out a living while keeping his balance. Each one of us is trying to produce a simple melody, the melody of life, the unique melody of our own life.

Ahh..the life we lead, the search and the daily struggle. So Tevye what do you say?

Sounds crazy? Trying to scratch out a pleasant simple tune without breaking our necks, the balance of life, knowing what to say, and when, and how, and how to live!

Ahh...the daily conversation with God. You Almighty who makes peace in the heavens we need your guidance here. We trip, we stumble, we fall, we get up, we try to keep our balance. What is the correct price to ask for? too much and you lose the client, too little and they think you cheap. Balance.

We walk with God, and the conversation continues. We wear our little prayer shawls as a reminder of this special connection and the need to maintain our balance. Who are we? Where do we stand? And what is expected of us? Ahh...Tevye, you know, we must keep our balance or else we were lose our heads.

When my father passed away I was told that the conversation never ends, or as George Burns, playing God, told a young John Denver - "I'll tell you what, you talk. I'll listen."

Tevye, the persecuted exiled Jew walks along with his horse, delivering the milk and chatting with God as the two old friends they are, the endless conversation. Tevye poses questions, Ahh...what will be, what will be, trying to scratch our a pleasant melody without breaking our necks.

The endless conversation...posing questions that would cross a rabbi's eyes....Ahh what do you say old friend?

It is a two way conversation but sometimes we must listen very well to hear God's voice, sometimes we fail to believe in Him but he never fails to believe in us. As Gene Wilder said in The Frisco Kid, He is a God who gives us strength when we feel weak, courage when we feel fear, hope when we have no hope.

And if our good fortune never comes here's to whatever comes, drink to life, Le Haim!

Lets' live another day.

Have a good Sabbath.