Open A Feather Pillow and Let The Feathers Scatter

I once heard a rabbi tell a man to cut open a feather pillow in the street and let the feathers scatter. When the man returned, the rabbi told him to go gather every feather.

He couldn’t.

And the rabbi said gently, “So are the words once they leave you.”

That image has never left me.

Words can feel light while it is leaving us.

But its weight is carried by the world.

They settle.

They linger in a room.

They echo in a heart.

They become part of the atmosphere we live inside.

I keep thinking about that.

How a sentence can leave my lips and continue living somewhere I cannot follow.

And yet, there is a moment before sound.

A small, almost invisible pause where the word still belongs to the heart.

Where a reaction can soften.

Where dignity can be protected.

Where kindness can still enter the room first.

Rav Pam teaches that the tongue is only the pen.

It is the heart that writes.

And I feel that.

When the heart learns to see goodness, the words follow.

Maybe that is where this work begins — not in the mouth, but in the way we look at one another. Because every soul carries His breath. And perhaps guarding our words is not only about restraint, but about remembering: we are speaking about His children.

The Vilna Gaon teaches that every moment a person holds back from speaking negatively carries a reward beyond what even angels can comprehend.

Not because silence is empty.

But because sometimes nothing is said — and everything is transformed.

And I’m beginning to understand what can grow inside that pause.

Maybe that small pause —

before the word,

before the tone,

before the reaction —

is one of the holiest spaces we live inside.

One Small Shift That Changes Everything

“Most regret in life comes from unexamined reactions.”

👉 You don’t need to fix your whole life.

👉 You don’t need a perfect plan.

👉 You don’t need to feel fully ready.

You only need one thing:

👉 Pause before you react.

Regret follows reaction.

Growth follows response.

When something triggers you today, try this:

👉 Pause.

👉 Take one breath.

👉 Ask yourself, “What would the calm, trusting version of me do right now?”

That version exists inside you.

The version that remembers Hashem is running the world.

The version that doesn’t panic.

The version that chooses dignity over impulse.

The version that responds instead of reacting automatically.

Strength is not loud. It is controlled.

Clarity is not complicated. It is calm.

Sometimes the difference between a life you regret and a life you respect is just one breath taken at the right time.

That breath is Bitachon in action.

Psalm 145

פּוֹתֵחַ אֶת יָדֶךָ וּמַשְׂבִּיעַ לְכָל חַי רָצוֹן

You open Your hand and satisfy every living being. (Tehillim 145)

Our sages teach that this chapter is especially precious because it reminds us that Hashem provides for all His creations with care, wisdom, and compassion. King David filled so much of Tehillim with praise for Hashem as the true source of livelihood, teaching us to keep turning our hearts toward gratitude and trust.

Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin explains that the deepest joy often comes from feeling connected to Hashem’s will and trusting His guidance. And the Zohar teaches that Hashem not only provides what we need physically, but also fills our hearts with hope, desire for life, and the inner strength that carries us forward.

As we enter a new week and a new Hebrew month, especially the joyful energy of Adar, may we feel connected to Hashem’s goodness in whatever way we need most. May there be financial abundance where it is needed, emotional strength, clarity, healing, and real moments of simcha, and the unfolding of the brachos we are each quietly waiting for in the most beautiful way.

May we feel supported, guided, and gently aligned with what Hashem has prepared for us.

Grateful already. Thank You, Hashem. ✨