Rabbi Misha Ben-David

06/02/2020

If blood will flow when flesh and steel are one
Drying in the color of the evening sun
Tomorrow's rain will wash the stains away
But something in our minds will always stay
Perhaps this final act was meant
To clinch a lifetime's argument
That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could
For all those born beneath an angry star
Lest we forget how fragile we are
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star
Like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are
How fragile we are
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star
Like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are
How fragile we are
How fragile we are
How fragile we are

05/19/2020

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/neshama-counseling-coaching-austin-tx/267651?preview=1&return_to=https%3A%2F%2Fmember.psychologytoday.com%2Fus%2Fprofile%2Fvideo&_ga=2.81503319.1127109269.1589911551-1752184739.1589911551

Neshama Counseling & Coaching, Drug & Alcohol Counselor, Austin, TX, 78701, (512) 714-2953, I am Misha ben-David; a counselor, Life Coach & Rabbi, a strange combination maybe, but one that offers you a wider array of skills than most counselors. You'll come to see me because you want a calm presence...

05/01/2020

04/28/2020

Today is Yom Hazikron. it is the day of mourning for all those who have died defending Israel from invading armies or who perished in terrorist acts. Because of COVID-19 precautions, the usual memorials are not being held, but Israel is mourning it's dead, nearly 24,000 in total.Blessed be their memories.

03/24/2020

I am violating my promise to not mention COVID-19 with this brief non-partisan statement: I, as a Rabbi, am declaring this a "Crisis Pesach (Passover)" And as such am asking Jews who cannot get kosher for passover foods, to do the best they can with regular kosher foods.Please do not get in the Queue at the Kosher Store in Austin, if you are in a high risk group.Further, I ask that all Jews in the Austin area please "Seder In Place" and avoid all communal seders and other religious gatherings. Other Rabbis may advise differently.

03/22/2020

Thinking about offering an on-line Erev Shabbat service. Who would be interested in partaking of this ? If I can get a minyan, I will proceed.

03/21/2020

I am considering an on-line Erev Shabbat service, that would be preceded by some musical hi-jinks designed to ease you into Shabbat. Please weigh in with your input.

03/17/2020

For those who are feeling, or will be feeling, shut in during this public health crisis. i am offering on-line counseling. please pm me if you'd like to set up a session. Yes, I am licensed.

01/22/2020

"The Eagle Will Rise Again"

And I could easily fall from grace
Then another would take my place
For the chance to behold your face

And the days of my life are but grains of sand
As they fall from your open hand
At the call of the wind's command

Many words are spoken when there's nothing to say
They fall upon the ears of those who don't know the way
To read between the lines, that lead between the lines
That lead me to you

All that I ask you
Is, show me how to follow you and I'll obey
Teach me how to reach you, I can't find my own way
Let me see the light...Let me be the light

As the sun turns slowly around the sky
Till the shadow of night is high
The eagle will learn to fly

And the days of his life are but grains of sand
As they fall from your open hand
And vanish among the land

Many words are spoken when there's nothing to say
They fall upon the ears of those who don't know the way
To read between the lines, by following the signs
That can lead to you

But show me how to follow you and I'll obey
Teach me how to reach you, I can't find my own way
Let me see the light...Let me be the light

And so, with no warning, nor last goodbyes
In the dawn of the morning skies
The eagle will rise
Again

-Alan Parsons-

01/03/2020

I am taking requests for weddings in the coming months. I do traditional services for Jews, or other services tailored for people of other faiths, including non-religious services. Yes, I am LGBTQ informed, and I do travel under the right circumstances.

11/22/2019

I apologize for my absence from this page. I am struggling to determine what people here want to read. I will get it together by the new year. Promise.

11/14/2019

This month we remember Kristallnacht 81 years ago. Jewish owned businesses, Synagogues and even private homes were attacked, ransacked and set ablaze in Germany. Many Jews were murdered, others beaten and tortured. We in America are closer to a recurrence of this demented chapter of history than at any time since. If the word "kristallnacht" is unfamiliar to you, please do a word search for it.

09/25/2019

If you are seeking my counseling services please go here: www.neshamacounseling.com

08/21/2019

I am sad to announce that my father-in-law, retired Lt. Col (US Army) William F. Gabella has passed away in southern California. Bill was a veteran of two tours of duty in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. Many men owe their lives to Bill for hauling his Chinook into a battle zone to ferry out the wounded.

08/14/2019

07/16/2019

I will soon be starting a podcast, but I need a little advice from you. Should it be strictly about Jewish issues or should I talk about some of my personal interests like world religions, sports and music. Please express your preference. I don't plan to charge for it.

06/23/2019

Would you be willing to attend High Holy Day services at a south Austin location ? There will be a fee associated, but no one who wants to worship will be turned away for lack of money.We will not proceed without a minyan of ten adult Jews. The fee will depend on what location we use.

02/19/2019

Welcome to the page of Rabbi Misha L.ben-David.I welcome your questions here, but please don't attempt to set or cancel appointments, on this forum.
my website is www.neshamacounseling.com

12/03/2018

Hannukah first night.Why two candles ?

Send a message to learn more

11/18/2018

Thank you to everyone who has donated to my birthday ( tomorrow ) fundraiser for the National Stroke Association. I suffered a potentially fatal stroke in 2016,but a knowledgeable wife and top notch emergency care left me with only slight long term impairment. You or someone you know will likely suffer a stroke at some point in time, so please help out with this essential cause,if you possibly can.

11/06/2018

The "Jew Hungry?" Jewish food truck on south Congress was vandalized by N**i wanna-bes last week. N**i war medals and a iron cross were left behind, equipment was destroyed and kosher food was stolen. The truck is back in business and the sole owner is once again serving great, but limited, New York-style Jewish food. Please stop by and eat, just look for the hand made "Mazel Tov" sign a block north of Ben White.

11/05/2018

Ben Roethlisberger wore these cleats during the Pittsburgh Steelers' win over Baltimore today. I don't know if Ben is Jewish or not, but for the rest of the season, I am a Pittsburgh Steeler fan. Call me a bandwagoner if you like, but I believe in supporting those who go out of their way to share the grief and suffering of the Jewish people.

11/02/2018

Yeah,it's true, I haven't been posting here much. I'm not on Facebook much, frankly, it's a really hostile environment for people who call on others to behave like adults and to be respectful and considerate. I'm proud to be a Jew and to believe in liberal principles. I believe it's more important to DO right than to BE right, and I also believe that the Talmud teaches us this. If you want to defend evil rather than make it responsible, then please don't follow me. If you are conservative, I don't mind. If you defend behaviors and ideas that are stupid or hateful, then we won't get along and I'd rather not bicker with hate and stupidity, frankly.

09/01/2018

While I empathize with the thousands of impoverished folk in Gaza, it is not Israel that is responsible for poverty, violence and misery there, it is the criminal organization Hamas.This money was being used by Hamas to victimize dissenters and attack Israeli civilians.

Israel welcomed Saturday a US decision to end funding for the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), accusing the organisation which supports some five million Palestinians of perpetuating the Middle East conflict.

08/12/2018

Suffering from anxiety, depression, compulsions or addictions? suffer no more. I've been at this quite awhile and have had a lot of success in confronting these problems. I will either help you or hook you up with someone who will. www.neshamacounseling.com

08/05/2018

Thanks to a racist who took issue with my defense of Lebron James, The world now knows I am "fat". My secret is out. I gained 30 pounds ( on an already heavy frame) two years ago after a stroke. Hopefully this bigot feels better that he's put me in my place.

06/17/2018

Thank you to the staff of St.David's Hospital in Austin for struggling with me to make this possible. If you need critical care in central Texas, make sure you get to St. David's on 32nd.

06/15/2018

Scroll down to music and you can hear my performance at City Council yesterday when I received a mayoral proclamation. It was my first live solo performance since a stroke two years ago, and I was extremely nervous.I rushed the song and didn't explain it as I was expecting to do. No excuses, just not the kind of performance I am capable of.To top things off, my vocals were drowned out by my unruly guitar.

06/07/2018

So many people are concerned about heavily armed Gaza and the so-called "occupied"West bank that they fail to learn of the horrors visited on peaceful Jews in Arab nations,This is just the latest example of the vile crimes committed against Jews under Arab rule. There are examples of this throughout the Arab world.

Fifty-one years ago this month, the world was transfixed by the Six-Day War raging between Israel and its Arab......

05/13/2018

Today is the day the American embassy moves to Jerusalem now celebrated as the true capital of Israel. As a Jew and an unapologetic Zionist , I am decidedly ambivalent about this, because I believe that Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people no matter where in the world they may reside.But I think that unilateral appointment of this grand city as the political capital, while perfectly within Israel's right, is not prudent or wise without at least a working framework for peace amongst all the people who live there. The Knesset has been in Jerusalem since 1947,as have the President's and Prime Minister's offices. Only foreign embassies have remained in the nation's official capital of Tel Aviv. It's a strange and awkward arrangement to have the functions and facilities of he capital split between two cities.Initially I saw President Trump's club-footed insertion of American foreign policy into a sensitive situation wholly uncalled for.Now I think he is begging a long standing question the rest of the world has to answer: Is Israel like every other nation a sovereign with the right to appoint it's capital where it wishes, or not ? Before you start beating the "occupied territory" drum..the new US Embassy is in West Jersalem which has been Israel's since it's birth in 1947.My complaint with Trump is not what he did vis-à-vis Jerusalem, but the clumsy, self aggrandizing way in which he did it.As far as East Jerusalem goes, It never belonged to the so-called "Palestinians", but was a part of Jordan until the six day war in 1967. The Arab nation as a whole had no use for these self-identified members of a non-existent nation. Jordan and Syria both massacred them in an attempt to drive them from their territory in the years after the '67 war."Palestinians" aided Saddam Hussein in his invasion of Kuwait in 1991, but getting back to Jerusalem, The eastern side of the city is in stark contrast to the active, friendly we,stern side. Fatah operates East Jerusalem and their corruption and ineptitude have trashed the infrastructure, sent the economy down in flames, and put a stranglehold on foreign investment. You can't blame Israelis for the dreadful fate suffered by East Jerusalem.Fatah provides public services ( including police) there, and would benefit greatly by welcoming Embassies into their sphere, but they have vowed to resist any nation who attempts to install a diplomatic mission there.Makes sense huh ? Lets be clear: Israel's overburdened economy needs relief from it's outrageous military budget that's caused by being surrounded by nations that seek to wipe it off the map.More and more young Arabs, seeing Hamas' bleak and violent vision, are joining the Israeli Defense Force to fight for a democratic, free, prosperous nation that offers them peace and order. no matter their race or religion.I daven daily that their wish comes to fruition and soon.