Imagine
Recently, Shabbos Parshas Noach, I was asked to give a shiur in a certain place. What should the topic be? I asked myself. A Minchas Chinuch? A Shev Shmatsa? Naaaaah. I wanted the people to be interested and unfortunately in many places such topics just don't fly.
Then Hashem sent me the answer. The Beatles! "Imagine". The Generation of the Tower [Dor Hahaflaga]. Let me explain.
"Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one"
Imagine, no heaven! All there is, is this world filled with disease, sadness, death, hardships, pain. Nothing more. Eat, drink and die. Oy Reb John, don't you realize [well now you do...] that over THERE is the real world. Eternal bliss! All the pleasures of this world are less than a drop of water compared to all of the seas and oceans on this planet.
"Nothing to die for." If it ain't worth dying for - it ain't worth living for. When we sit down and learn a daf gemara we know that we would DIE for this gemara [if necessary]. It makes the learning experience so special.
"And no religion too." Life is SO empty! The only thing that has ABSOLUTE meaning is religion. Everything else is just contrived meaning. Example: It is SO IMPORTANT that the Yankees win. Why? Because some idiot [i.e. me] decided that it is important. So I spend a hundred bucks to go to the game [and schlep my kids along] so that I can scream "Go Mantle Go!! [Is Mantle still playing?] But if you think about it - who cares?!!! It is just a stupid game. But G-d [Lihavdil] - ahhhhh, eternal, immutable meaning.
"And the world will be as one." IMPOSSIBLE! World history has proven that it is not happening. The Dor Hahaflaga tried but - no sale. Since then wars, wars, wars. You need to take a lot of foreign substances [a.k.a. drugs] in order to envisage such a reality.
But Moshiach. Ahhhh, the Messianic vision. G-d intervening and sending his anointed messenger to redeem mankind. True peace. True togetherness.
Can't wait.
כי אז אהפוך אל עמים שפה ברורה לקרוא כולם בשם ה' ולעבדו שכם אחד - צפניה ג ט
Then Hashem sent me the answer. The Beatles! "Imagine". The Generation of the Tower [Dor Hahaflaga]. Let me explain.
"Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one"
Imagine, no heaven! All there is, is this world filled with disease, sadness, death, hardships, pain. Nothing more. Eat, drink and die. Oy Reb John, don't you realize [well now you do...] that over THERE is the real world. Eternal bliss! All the pleasures of this world are less than a drop of water compared to all of the seas and oceans on this planet.
"Nothing to die for." If it ain't worth dying for - it ain't worth living for. When we sit down and learn a daf gemara we know that we would DIE for this gemara [if necessary]. It makes the learning experience so special.
"And no religion too." Life is SO empty! The only thing that has ABSOLUTE meaning is religion. Everything else is just contrived meaning. Example: It is SO IMPORTANT that the Yankees win. Why? Because some idiot [i.e. me] decided that it is important. So I spend a hundred bucks to go to the game [and schlep my kids along] so that I can scream "Go Mantle Go!! [Is Mantle still playing?] But if you think about it - who cares?!!! It is just a stupid game. But G-d [Lihavdil] - ahhhhh, eternal, immutable meaning.
"And the world will be as one." IMPOSSIBLE! World history has proven that it is not happening. The Dor Hahaflaga tried but - no sale. Since then wars, wars, wars. You need to take a lot of foreign substances [a.k.a. drugs] in order to envisage such a reality.
But Moshiach. Ahhhh, the Messianic vision. G-d intervening and sending his anointed messenger to redeem mankind. True peace. True togetherness.
Can't wait.
כי אז אהפוך אל עמים שפה ברורה לקרוא כולם בשם ה' ולעבדו שכם אחד - צפניה ג ט
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