Yesterday a new world record was set. A man in Canada sat on a street for 61 minutes.
During that time, over 100,000 bees circled around his face. He now holds the record for the longest "bee beard."
What would cause someone to undergo such torture? It's the same feeling that motivates skydivers and mountain climbers.
We want to transcend the limitations of our bodies. We want to go to places "where no man has gone before."
I have a simpler plan: respect the boundaries with which God created us. God made us human beings, not birds. God gave us a body of water and skin, not of iron.
These boundaries do limit us. We cannot run 1000 miles without breaking a sweat. We cannot fly and leap over tall buildings.
But they also free us. They free us to make the most of our limited time here on earth. They free us to live knowing that our soul—the breath of God inside of us—is immortal.
In other words, understanding our limits is essential to living a meaningful, faith-filled life. We can do godlike things so long as we never mistake ourselves for God.
The first chapter of The Happiness Prayer: Ancient Jewish Wisdom for the Best Way to Live Today tells the story of a 90-year-old man I knew in Milwaukee who taught me the way our limits become our greatest source of happiness.
You can read his story—and get the entire book—right here.
Rabbi Evan Moffic
Rabbi Evan Moffic
Congregation Solel
1301 Clavey Road
Highland Park, Illinois 60035, United States
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