BRUCE LICHT
FOUNDER OF MY ELEVATOR PITCH FOR GOD, ENTREPRENEUR, AND AUTHOR
Bruce grew up in Lafayette, California and received a BA in Political Science from UCLA as well as a Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America. After graduating, Bruce operated his family’s 100 year-old retail fine jewelry business for twenty-two years. Bruce had a passion for computers and graphic arts, so he changed careers and joined his best friend at a national technical publishing company for seventeen-years as the company’s Publisher, where they invented the modern labor law poster industry, including the first “All- On-One Labor Law Poster” and “Labor Law Poster Compliance Plan.”
Aside from being the Founder of this website, My Elevator Pitch for God, Bruce was the co-editor of the book titled, Elevator Pitches For God: Volume 1, and author of the cookbook titled, Immediate Chef: No Previous Experience Required.
Bruce’s goals for this website are: To introduce more people all around the world to God and strengthen the faith of those who already believe in a non-political and non-religious way, to bring people together, find common ground between different faiths, create meaning in people's lives, and start to move the world in a better direction.
You can help by sending this website to friends and family and posting it on social media!
You can also connect with the website project’s LinkedIn page below:
Airplanes From Heaven
BRUCE LCHT
Three airplanes descend from Heaven...(1)
The first airplane lands in Athens. An old man exits the airplane. The airport attendant greets him and asks, “What’s your name?” The man says, “My name is Socrates. I gave birth to Greek Philosophy. Take me to the Acropolis to see how the Greek Empire is doing. Take me to the Temple of the god Zeus.” The attendant says, “What empire? The Acropolis is in ruins. We are just a small country that’s part of something called the European Union. We don’t worship Zeus anymore. We have the Greek Orthodox Church. And very few care anymore about Greek Philosophy.” Socrates says, “Don’t you speak ancient Greek?” The attendant says, “Not anymore.” Socrates concludes, “Nothing’s the same,” boards the plane and leaves.
A second airplane lands in Rome. An old man exits the airplane. The airport attendant greets him and asks, “What’s your name?” The man says, “My name is Julius Caesar. Take me to the steps of the Senate, to the Colosseum, to my Gladiators. I want to see how the Roman Empire is doing.” The attendant says, “What empire? The Senate, the Colosseum… they’re all in ruins. Rome is just one of many cities in Italy.” Caesar says, “What’s Italy?” Caesar continues, “I want to worship the god Jupiter.” The attendant replies, “I can take you to the Vatican where there’s a Pope.” Caesar asks, “What’s the Vatican and what’s a Pope?” Caesar says, “Don’t you speak Latin?” The attendant asserts, “Not anymore. We speak Italian.” Caesar concludes, “Nothing’s the same,” boards the plane and leaves.
A third airplane lands in Israel. An old man exits the airplane. The airport attendant says in Hebrew, “Shalom Aleichem” (which means “Peace unto you”) and the old man replies, “Aleichem Shalom” (which means “Unto you Peace”) followed by, “I’m glad we speak the same language.” The attendant queries, “What brings you here?” The old man replies, “My name is Moses. This is my land that I worked tirelessly for.” Moses continues, “I rushed to catch this flight and forgot some things. Do you have a Tallit(2) and Tefillin?”(3) The attendant says, “Sure. You can get them all over.” Moses says, “I’m hungry. Can I get some food?” The attendant says, “Sure. There are many restaurants in the airport.” Moses says, “I can’t eat just any food. It must be kosher.” The attendant says, “Of course. They’re all kosher.” Moses declares, “Baruch Hashem” (which means “Blessed is God”).(4) Nothing’s changed.”
If Socrates and Caesar went to their homelands today, they wouldn’t speak the same language, have the same faith, worship the same gods, or share the same lifestyle, rituals, culture, or values.
If Moses went to Israel today, he would still speak the same language, have the same faith, worship the same God, have the same Torah with its same 613 Commandments,(5) and have the same heritage, traditions, rituals, lifestyle, culture, and values.
What does this say about monotheism and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?
Footnotes:
1) Note: I am unaware of the exact sources of the following language within this essay.
• Some of it is drawn from a well-known short essay written by Mark Twain in Harper’s Magazine, published in September 1899 called, "Concerning the Jews."
https: //ohr.edu/judaism/concern/concerna.htm
• Some of it is drawn from a public debate in 1958, at McGill University between Arnold Toynbee, (a non-Jewish, world renown historian from England who was not an advocate for Israel) and the Jacob Herzog (a Jewish Professor, Ambassador to Israel for Canada and an advocate for Israel).
https: //www.jta.org/archive/ambassador-herzog-clashes-with-toynbee-in-marathon-debate-on-israel
• Some of it is from a book by Ambassador Jacob Herzog titled, “A People That Dwells Alone.”
• It is possible I have neglected to cite other sources and for that I am very sorry.
2) A “Tallit” is a rectangular Jewish prayer shawl. As per the Bible’s instructions the Tallit has fringes attached to each of its four corners to remind the Jew of God and His commandments.
3) “Tefillin” are a pair of black leather boxes containing Hebrew parchment scrolls. A set includes two — one for the head and one for the arm. Each consists of three main components: the scrolls, the box and the strap. The Torah commands Jewish men to “bind” tefillin onto their head and upper arm every weekday, in fulfillment of the verse (Deuteronomy 6:8), “You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes.”
4) “Baruch Hashem” is Hebrew for “Blessed is God,” and is used by Jewish people in everyday conversation as a way of expressing gratitude to God for whatever we have.
5) There are 613 Commandments (or mitzvot) in the Torah; 248 “Positive Commandments” (things to do) and 365 “Negative Commandments” (things not to do).