The Baby Monitor

Torah Reading: Be'halot'cha

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Published: August 11, 2007

Visitor Comments: 10

(10) Rand Rudolph, August 16, 2007 5:26 PM

Your thoughts make me feel more connected...

to the rest of the world. Are we more socially and spiritually isolated by technology or do we just think we are?

Of course like the hot dogs... we all have to answer to a higher authority.

Keep up the nice work.
Todah Rabah

(9) Debra, August 16, 2007 3:18 PM

....I stand convicted.....
~Thank you for the reminder how very precious and important are ALL the words we utter~

(8) Catherine Manna, August 16, 2007 11:53 AM

Food for thought

This is a hard one lori. If my friend said that about me, i would want to talk to her. If this is how she felt about me. Sometimes the truth hurts, or perhaps its not true and there was a misunderstanding, but the point is, it happened for a reason, and maybe just maybe, you and i dont know the whole story and its them 2 that have to work it out, with God in mind, in the same breath, i understand what this means for me, we should exercise caution when venting out about something, be honest about our feelings be true to yourself by going directly to the source, and tell that person whats bothering us or what went wrong what we did wrong, if we did wrong. Expecially when it is someone close to us. thanks lori,allways something to think about. we all do it, at sometime in our lives, but we should think not to and be more like our creator, in allways, allways.
Good food for thought!

(7) Yisroel Pollack, August 15, 2007 8:08 AM

Sleep

What I found profoundly inspiring was that this person had the perseverance and fortitude to put off taking immediate action and defer her response until she'd had a chance to mull it over -- to sleep on it, if you will. Then beautiful heavenly thoughts and inspirations ensued. Thank you, Mrs Palatnik, for using your G-d given expressive talents in so constructive a way.

Be gebencht,

YP in Brooklyn

(6) howard j. zirkin, August 15, 2007 1:08 AM

baby monitor

Lori, I think you're great. I watch you all the time. But I dont agree with every thing you say. I think someone can be your friend even if they say bad things about you behind your back. If she had the guts (which I dont have)she would tell her to her face. And if your friend ha the guts she would tell this person to her face how terrible it is to talk lashon hara. It pays to get things out in the open. Also, I think Jewish women are great but not all of them. And there are also some good Jewish men. In other words there are good and bad in every group which is not the impression you give some time. Keep up the great work.

(5) Ruth Housman, August 14, 2007 3:58 PM

monitoring our speech

This is a truly remarkable story recounted by Lori Palatnik. I found it sobering to realize that people could listen in on baby monitors, and how terrible to hear something said by a neighbor, at that moment, that is derogatory of one's own self.

I have several reactions to this. One is the outrage and hurt that must have been felt by the friend who overheard this in her own home. I feel this. Second, I am amazed that she tuned in at just this moment and there is an element of serendipity to this that I am feeling about this story, and that perhaps the story itself was provided for the deeper lesson, the lesson gleaned by Lori's friend that is very wise, about God and about how we should conduct ourselves in life. Now this lesson then became magnified because Lori is recounting this to all of us. And so the mirror expands as water in a reflecting pool, one ripple after another.

I would say, this happened for a very deep reason and that is, the lesson is now here for us all to learn and that is, God is speaking to us all, through us all, and this is a story about enlarging our sensitivity and love for each other. We need to do these things and to attend to these loving, true lessons. With thanks!

(4) Anonymous, August 14, 2007 2:51 PM

shocker!!

Thanks for keeping us abreast of the failure to protect our privacy. But if we have nothing to hide, why worry! Thre are some things that should remain private though.

(3) Aaron Saylor, August 14, 2007 12:51 PM

Baby Monitor

I think this is one of your best. The construction from general to specific to end is just masterful. Your logic is clear and profound. And yet it was done so smoothly and in so little time.

Great example for students. Even HaShem would be amazed at the fluid use of words.

Thank you.

(2) Anonymous, August 14, 2007 10:40 AM

Thanks Lori!

thanks for the important lesson, God hears and sees us all the time...i recall a teacher in school telling us that when u have that uncomfortable feeling that s/o is watching you when there s no one there you are feeling gods presence. he is there will always be thanks for reminding me...( thanks for making my lunch break spiritual...)

(1) Donald, August 13, 2007 5:39 PM

Relevance hits home

Rebbetzin Palatnik, your point about lashon hara became extremely relevant to me, when you juxtaposed popular modern technology, YouTube, against an infinitely greater technology and truth. The fact that HaShem IS RECORDING every thought, action, and moment of our lives is sometimes lost on us, until we find something from our current human experience that allows us to understand Torah in a palpable way. Todah rabah!

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About the Author

Mrs. Lori Palatnik

More by this Author >

Lori Palatnik is a writer and Jewish educator who has appeared on television and radio, and is the author of "Friday Night and Beyond: The Shabbat Experience Step-By-Step," "Remember My Soul - What to do in Memory of a Loved One," and co-author of "Gossip: 10 Pathways to Eliminate It From Your Life and Transform Your Soul." She is a much sought-after international speaker, having lectured in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Central America, South America, South Africa and Israel, including featured talks at Yale, Brown and Penn. She lives in the Washington D.C. area, with her husband, Rabbi Yaakov Palatnik. Lori is the Founder of The Jewish Women's Renaissance Project, an international initiative that brings over 1,000 women to Israel each year from ten different countries on highly subsidized programs to inspire them with the beauty and wisdom of their heritage. She is the busy mother of five children, ages 24 to 14; and her son, Zev, just finished serving as a sharpshooter in the IDF. Her weekly video blog, "Lori Almost Live" is a popular feature on aish.com, viewed by over 50,000 people each month.

Follow Lori on Twitter, @LoriAlmostLive

May 24, 2013 / 15 Sivan 5773

The Baby Monitor

Be careful. You are being monitored.

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