The ball soared over the little boys head and his head turned slowly tracking the flight of the ball from his family’s yard over the fence into the neighbor’s garden.

His father yelled, “Where are you going?” as the little boy headed for the 7 foot fence that separated the two neighboring properties.

“I am going to get the ball,” replied the brave child as he started his climb up the fence.

“Stop,” commanded dad, as he warned his offspring to be careful and continued, “That fence is too high for a little boy to climb.”

The boy ignored his father’s warnings and stubbornly climbed the fence — reached the top — and pulled himself over as his dad gazed in disbelief.

“How did you do that?” asked the shocked parent. “How come you didn’t listen to me?”

“I knew I could do it and I did,” replied the proud child as he tossed the retrieved ball back to dad. “Play ball!”

Sometimes a person fails to achieve not for a lack of ability but instead for a lack for self-confidence. One cannot draw on talents or powers that one does not realize one has. No one is perfect — true. But you –like everyone else –often sell yourself short and fail to accomplish because of a poor self-image.

Today when you think you cannot — stop. Assume that you can. Draw down deep into untapped potential and remember the 4-foot boy and the 7-foot fence. It only takes a minute but it will bring your success average up way above where you thought it could be.

DID YOU KNOW THAT

In order to get credit for “tefillah b’siboor” — praying with a minyan — one must say the Amidah –shemoneh esreh together with the congregation. One who arrives late is permitted to skip certain portions of the prayers in order to catch up to the minyan and say the amidah along with them. If one can say the repeat amidah along with the Hazan then this too counts as praying with the minyan. The minimum one must say (to enable him to catch up) is as follows:

1]The blessing Eloki Neshamah

2]the blessings on the Torah

3]from yoser ohr up to the amidah.

At the completion of the prayers he should say the parts that he skipped — except for Barukh She-amar and Yishtabah. [Source: Yehaveh Daat, volume 5, responsa 5]

CONSIDER THIS FOR A MINUTE

If it were easy it would have been done already.

Raymond J Beyda
www.raymondbeyda.com

Text Copyright © 2004 Rabbi Raymond Beyda and Torah.org.