Love

This is the parsha of shidduchim - and love. Some aphorisms to remember from R' Shlomo Carlebach whose yahrtzeit was this past week [from the booklet עומק הלב]. It should be li'ilui nishmaso.

1] When you meet someone you really love - you stop being superficial.

2] A good friend is someone who makes me want to be a better person. A true friend is someone who makes me actually become a better person.

3] If you see someone sad or alone - be his friend.

4] If you love someone who thinks differently than you, you don't become less special or less of a Jew. You become more special and more of a Jew.

5 ] The question is not how much you love or hate but how much you can rise above your pettiness.

6] All the quarrels in a home are over petty matters and when a person elevates himself, peace comes to the home.

7] When someone approaches you to ask for a dollar you should know that he is asking for something else as well. Try to determine what he really needs.

8] When I really love someone, my speech becomes truthful [emes'dik].

9] If you hurt a person, you are hurting Hashem.

10] There are no chance meetings between Jews. We have something to fix from a previous life. Maybe we can fix it through a kind word or a favor. If we don't we might have to come back to this world for another round to fix what needs fixing.

So sweetest friends - try to make every interaction, email, telephone call etc. meaningful.