“The world stands on three things: wisdom, service, and lovingkindness.”
— Sayings of the Fathers 1:2
Wisdom
The world is such a magical and marvelous place, yet tender and agonizing at times. Born from nothing, the dark void and spaciousness, creation emerges day by day through Divine breath and hands blossoming as the lotus flower blossoms in muddy waters gifting us with beauty and wonder of all creation. Such is our life! At every single moment, there are beginnings and endings; life is beginning and ending in each second.
Service
Our entire life is prayer! There are thousands and thousands of words of formal prayers and prayer books, yet the most important prayerbook is your heart! Everything else is simply extra.
Lovingkindness
Strive to love others and yourself with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of who you are. In Tales of the Hasidim, Martin Buber records a famous teaching from the Chasidic master Reb Simcha Bunem: We must keep two pieces of paper in our pockets. In one pocket, "The universe was created for me," and in the other pocket, "I am but dust and ash." We must know when to read the note from each pocket. For we share God's deepest desire for mercy and lovingkindness, not false sacrifice.