{"id":93065,"date":"2026-07-02T09:57:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T14:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spiritualsparks.beehiiv.com\/p\/spiritual-sparks-why-chocolate-can-be-spiritual"},"modified":"2026-07-02T09:57:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T14:57:00","slug":"spiritual-sparks-why-chocolate-can-be-spiritual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/spiritual-sparks-why-chocolate-can-be-spiritual\/","title":{"rendered":"Spiritual Sparks: Why Chocolate Can Be Spiritual"},"content":{"rendered":"\n    <div class='beehiiv'><style>\n  .bh__table, .bh__table_header, .bh__table_cell { border: 1px solid #C0C0C0; }\n  .bh__table_cell { padding: 5px; background-color: #FFFFFF; }\n  .bh__table_cell p { color: #2D2D2D; font-family: 'Helvetica',Arial,sans-serif !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; }\n  .bh__table_header { padding: 5px; background-color:#F1F1F1; }\n  .bh__table_header p { color: #2A2A2A; font-family:'Trebuchet MS','Lucida Grande',Tahoma,sans-serif !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; }\n<\/style><div class='beehiiv__body'><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><i>The soul is found by embracing the world<\/i><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Why would one of the wealthiest men in the world give away almost his entire fortune? The answer begins with an extraordinary mistake.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">In 1888, Alfred Nobel&#39;s brother died. But when a newspaper accidentally published Alfred Nobel&#39;s obituary instead, the inventor of dynamite was given a glimpse of how the world would remember him. The headline read: &quot;<b>The Merchant of Death is Dead<\/b>.&quot;<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">The obituary continued: &quot;The man who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.&quot; Nobel was stunned. Reading those words forced him to confront a sobering question: <i>Is this the legacy I want to leave behind?<\/i><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">What prompted such a profound realization? What kind of pleasure could possibly surpass wealth, fame, and success?<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u2728<b>3 Ideas<\/b><\/p><ol start=\"1\"><li><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>We are here for pleasure<\/b><\/p><\/li><\/ol><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Our soul seeks pleasure. Pleasure is a force that moves our lives forward, not a distraction from it. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>If offered the choice between being happy or wealthy, most of us would choose happiness<\/b>. Deep down, we know that money is one of the many means by which we hope to experience a happier, more fulfilling life -- not a goal in itself.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Our soul is drawn toward the deepest pleasures life has to offer. <\/p><ol start=\"2\"><li><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>Settling for appetizers <\/b><\/p><\/li><\/ol><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">If our soul naturally seeks pleasure, why do so many people feel unfulfilled? Perhaps because we mistake the first course for the entire meal.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Chocolate, a beautiful sunset, and music brighten our lives. Yet they don\u2019t fully satisfy our deepest longings. Imagine visiting a fine restaurant and filling up on bread before the meal arrives. The bread is delicious -- but we\u2019ve missed the banquet that awaits.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Life offers us a whole menu of pleasures. The mistake isn\u2019t enjoying the appetizers. It\u2019s forgetting there\u2019s so much more to choose from. <\/p><ol start=\"3\"><li><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>Choosing from life\u2019s full menu<\/b><\/p><\/li><\/ol><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Imagine two people with the same free afternoon. One spends it watching television.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">The other enjoys some television, takes a walk in nature, reads a few pages of an inspiring book, helps a child with homework, spends a few moments in meditative reflection, and engages in a meaningful conversation with a friend, partner, or spouse. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Both enjoyed themselves, but one experienced a richer variety of pleasures. Life offers us a rich menu of pleasures. <i>All<\/i> are here for the soul to take delight in.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><span style=\"color:rgb(208, 224, 227);\">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<\/span><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\ud83d\udcdc<b>2 Quotes<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u201cBuild houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit.\u201d <br>\u2014 <i>Jeremiah 29:5<\/i><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u201cI see trees of green. Red roses too. I see them bloom for me and you. And I think to myself, \u2018What a wonderful world.\u2019\u201d <br>\u2014 <i>What a Wonderful World, sung by Louis Armstrong <\/i>\u00a0<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><span style=\"color:rgb(208, 224, 227);\">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<\/span><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">\u2753<b>1 Question<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Which of life\u2019s pleasures have you been overlooking? <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><span style=\"color:rgb(208, 224, 227);\">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<\/span><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Alfred Nobel never forgot the obituary that described him as the \u201cMerchant of Death.\u201d Determined to leave a different legacy, he used much of his immense fortune to establish the Nobel Prizes, honoring achievements that benefit humanity. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Nobel realized that the joy of contributing something meaningful to the world reaches a deeper part of the soul than any possession ever can. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Every day invites us to enjoy life\u2019s many pleasures -- from the taste of chocolate to the sublime delights of the soul. A life well lived is one that learns to savor life\u2019s full menu. <\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">Until next time,<br>Wishing you a week full of life\u2019s pleasures,<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>Rabbi Ze&#39;ev Smason<\/b><\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">P.S. What\u2019s one pleasure that never seems to grow old for you? I\u2019d be pleased to read your response.<\/p><p class=\"paragraph\" style=\"text-align:left;\">P.P.S. <i>Spiritual Sparks: A Reader<\/i> is now available on Amazon. If you\u2019ve been enjoying these weekly reflections, I hope you\u2019ll find the book to be a meaningful companion on your own spiritual journey. You can learn more or order a copy here: <b><a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0H2R2Q94Z?utm_source=spiritualsparks.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=spiritual-sparks-who-are-you-when-no-one-s-looking&_bhlid=d4c7c7341a3b89d3ca66cb0466c43348db7dfe53\"  rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"> Amazon<\/a><\/b><\/p><\/div><div class='beehiiv__footer'><br class='beehiiv__footer__break'><hr class='beehiiv__footer__line'><a  class=\"beehiiv__footer_link\" style=\"text-align: center;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beehiiv.com\/?utm_campaign=14e9bdf7-a936-4eab-ad70-cc3ffbbd978a&utm_medium=post_rss&utm_source=spiritual_sparks\">Powered by beehiiv<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n  ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The soul is found by embracing the world<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14776],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93065"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93065"}],"version-history":[{"count":92,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96234,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93065\/revisions\/96234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}