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The greatest satisfaction is accomplishing
in a world where God is hidden

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

There are two basic concepts in human existence. First, man must earn the good that God has prepared. Secondly, he must receive this good. There is, however, a basic difference between the environment needed for these two concepts. While earning the reward, we must have the maximum possible challenge. This in turn gives us the greatest possible satisfaction in accomplishment. Such an environment must therefore be one where neither God Himself, nor the divine nature of our good deeds, is obvious. It must be a world where God is hidden, and where good is only accomplished with the greatest difficulty. The place where man receives good, on the other hand, must be the exact opposite. In order for man to enjoy the maximum possible satisfaction from the good that he has done, the true nature of his deeds must be as obvious as possible. The existence of God must also be as apparent as possible in such a world. It must be a place where man realized the goodness of his deeds and their relationship to God.  Read more 

Staying Above

Tzvi Freeman

Your true place is a place of light. Even if you find yourself in the midst of darkness and sorrow, you must remember this is not your home.

Your essential self lies in an inseverable bond with the Source of Light. From there it extends a glimmer of itself below to illuminate the darkness. [Chabad]

Universal Hanuka
The Credo for the Modern Maccabee

HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok

I must confess, I have no pity for fools! It never ceases to amaze me how merciful G-d in Heaven is when He looks down upon His world and sees what we have done to it. May Heaven have mercy on us all. It amazes me how absolutely stupid and in denial most people are. It is a shame how otherwise good and moral people are twisted, usually through financial coercion, to sit silently when they need to stand up and be outspoken. It is equally a shame how many people today enjoy, indulge in and absolutely adore the modern “flesh pots of Egypt,” all the while considering themselves to be decent and religious people. How disconnected most people are from the fundamentals of real life, the core values outlined in the Bible and the courage and resolve to do the right things! Read more 

What is health?

Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum

Billions are spent on healthcare and preventive medicine, not to speak of all the money paid out for doctors and medical treatment when things go wrong, God forbid. We are constantly being urged to make sure we get enough vitamins and minerals, cut our fat intake, quit smoking, reduce tension and do a thousand and one other things to guard our health. But what is the purpose of it all? What is health for?  Read more

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

The question is both very simple, and yet, at the same time, involves some of the most sublime mysteries. For the truth is that we do not have the power to understand God, and just as we cannot understand Him, so can we not understand His reasons. But [even] if we cannot understand God, we can try to understand the world, and ask why it exists. We can look and see what God Himself has taught us about the purpose of creation, both in the Bible and in our traditions.

As our sages teach us, there is absolutely nothing positive that we can say about God Himself. He exists — and we can say no more. But we can speak of His relationship with His world.One of the main things that we can say about God in this manner is that He is good. Not only do we say that God is good, but also that He defines good. Every act of God contains the most pure and infinite Good that can exist. His goodness and love are the two most basic of God’s qualities as far as we can understand, and they work together to bring about His purpose. The Psalmist sings of this and says, “God is good to all, His love rests on all His deeds” (Psalms 145:9).

God has absolutely no need to create the world. God Himself is absolute perfection, and has no need for anything, even creation. When He created the world, He therefore performed the most perfect possible act of altruism and love. No matter how selfless a human act may be, there is always some benefit to the doer, even if it is nothing more than a degree of self-satisfaction. But God, on the other hand, has no needs or wants, and therefore, there was nothing about Him that creation could satisfy. It was therefore the most perfect possible act of love. The Psalmist again speaks of this and says, “I have said: ‘The world is built of love’” (Psalms 89:1). Read more

BAAL SHEM TOV STORY

The Parable of the Palace with Many Chambers

And then there was the time, after morning prayers, that the Baal Shem Tov’s disciples asked him, “Master, teach us about praying.”

He sat down in the back of the synagogue surrounded by his closest hasidim, and related the following parable. A certain king had a glorious palace with many chambers, one inside the other. Guards were stationed at the doors to each chamber to prevent anyone from entering or leaving without the king’s permission. Among those who desired to enter the king’s inner chambers are a number of different kinds of people.

One group, the least worthy, immediately became frightened when seeing the king’s guards and fleed from them. G•d has no pleasure in such people; that is not what He desires.

The second group had no fear or dread of the guards, namely, the external negative forces, because they firured out how to bribe the guards with money. As the Sages say: ‘One should give a coin to a poor person and then pray.’ Then, he was able to bypass the guards and enter within.

But there is a further reason that prevents people from seeing the King’s face. That is when a person of this second group passes through the inner chambers and gazes at the King’s great treasures and all His manifold wonders, which he has never before seen, he experiences such pleasure and delight that he remains fastened to the spot and never moves on to see the King Himself in all His glory.

But the last group, the best and most worthy, pay no attention to their own pleasures, and focus only on their awe of the King Himself. When such a person arrives at the innermost chambers and his eyes are delighted by incredible wonders, he considers it as nothing compared to the greatest of all pleasures– to see the King Himself– and his only desire is to see the King in all His glory. And is anything lacking in the King’s palace? Once he experiences the King’s presence, all other pleasures are included within that one.

“Some people,” continued the Baal Shem Tov, “never meet G•d in prayer because they are distracted by obstacles– external negative forces. One must use various techniques to clarify and quiet your mind during prayer, for example, by giving charity before praying, which prevents thoughts of self-judgement arising about your worthiness to go forward and see G•d’s face. Many other techniques can increase your meditative focus during prayer and help remove obstacles and distractions. Then, you begin to have various spiritual experiences during prayer, even visions and other revelations. But these pleasures too are distractions. The goal is to continually move forward, never stopping until you experience the greatest ecstasy and bliss possible: seeing G•d’s face.”

And so it was.

Freely adapted by Tzvi Meir Cohn (Patent Attoney) from a story recorded by Maggid Yitzchak Buxbaum

See: http://www.baalshemtov.com/

Psalm 91: “Dwelling On High”

This chapter reflects on a single theme: God’s protection of the righteous. Their trust in God is like a shield, deflecting all types of dangers.

The psalmist describes the many perils in the world. Some are spiritual pitfalls (‘the snare-trap’), while others are physical (‘the devastating pestilence’). Some exist only in our imagination (‘the terror of the night’), while others are quite real (‘the flight of arrows by day’). Some dangers are hidden and unexpected (‘pestilence prowling in the darkness’), while others are known but we are helpless to avoid (‘plague that ravages at noon’).

But those who place their trust in God are shielded from all of them. What is the source of this special Divine providence? The psalm explains:

“For You, God, are my refuge. You placed your dwelling on high.” (Psalm 81:9)

Yet this verse needs to be clarified. Who dwells on high? What does this phrase mean?

Blessing for Misfortune

A popular Hasidic story relates how a man once went to the great Maggid of Mezeritch with a question that deeply troubled him. He could not fathom how one could follow the Talmudic counsel that “One should bless God for the bad just as one blesses Him for the good” (Berachot 9:5). Is it possible to be thankful for one’s troubles and misery? The Maggid replied that he should go seek out his disciple, Reb Zusha of Hanipol, and ask him this question.

The man followed the Maggid’s advice and travelled to Rabbi Zusha. The tzaddik received him warmly and invited him into his home. As soon as the guest entered the house, it became obvious that the family was extremely poor. The furnishings were simple and bare, there was little food to eat, and the family members were beset with various afflictions and illnesses. Nevertheless Rabbi Zusha was happy and cheerful. The guest was astonished.

The man posed his question. “I asked the Maggid how is it possible to bless God for the bad just as one blesses Him for the good, and the Maggid told me that only you can help me in this matter.” Reb Zusha replied, “This is indeed a very difficult question. But why did our holy master sent you to me? How would I know? He should have sent you to someone who has experienced suffering!”

Beyond All Suffering

Those individuals who are close to God, tzaddikim who cleave to the Source of light – they place their lives, their very being, in the elevated realm of holy life. There, nothing can hurt them. They are beyond life’s pitfalls and troubles. They are beyond even the possibility of lack. This is how the verse should be read. The beginning quotes those who place their trust in God: “You, God, are my refuge.”

The psalmist then responds, “You have placed your dwelling on high.” By virtue of the fact that you recognize that God alone is your true refuge, you have “placed your dwelling on high.” All of your dwelling, all of your life, all of your essence, is “on high.” You have raised yourself above and beyond all types of suffering and misfortune; they cannot harm you.

(Adapted from Olat Re’iyah vol. II, p. 86.)

See: http://www.ravkooktorah.org/

Bouncing Up

Tzvi Freeman

Why does Man destroy? Why does he wreak havoc in the world?

This world was designed so that there is no progress forward without first a step backward. Night comes before day, pain before pleasure, confusion before wisdom.

But then G-d made man, who strives beyond the design of things, who yearns to leap past nature, to embrace the infinite.

Man, too, must first fall so that he can leap upward. But since his leap is beyond nature, he must first fall beneath it. That is sin—a fall beneath nature. And that is the power of return —to leap beyond nature. Source

Kosher Yearnings

Tzvi Freeman

A man sits and yearns for a thing he should not have. The yearning in itself is good – a man who does not yearn is not alive. To live is to yearn.

But the form this yearning has taken, this is death itself. So the form must be crushed. Extinguished like the embers of an abandoned campfire in a dry forest. Once that is done, the inner yearning can be freed, the flame of life that burns inside. That was always good. The yearning that is life.

Rabbi Nachman

When the time comes for a person to rise from one level to the next, he must first experience a fall. The whole purpose of the fall is to prepare for the ascent. Try to understand this and you will realize how determined you must be in order to serve God.

No matter how far you fall, never allow yourself to be discouraged. Remain firm and resolute and pay no attention to the fall at all, because in the end it will be transformed into a great ascent. This is its whole purpose.

Likutey Moharan I, 22 / Source

Rewards or Obligations? 
The High Holidays Divides Between Who Is An “Ass” 
& Who Is A Real Man

HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok

So, here we are again. Every year we follow the New Year rituals. We get dressed up, we act so righteous and pious. We pray and go through all the regular routines and come through it all feeling as if we have actually somehow impressed G-d and influenced Him to change the way He looks at us.

But have we really influenced Heaven? Are we so sure that our pious activity during these days will secure for us the blessings of life, limb and property that is so important to us? How many of us can say without a doubt in absolute surety that their actions and behavior during the High Holiday period is surely going to get G-d to do as one asks, if not demands?

After all we spend good money on those new clothing. We donate hefty amounts of cash to the Synagogue and other religious institutions. We go to Synagogue and sit there for hour during what for most are long and boring prayers. We give a lot and suffer a lot. Heaven had better take notice, and pay us back in like-kind for all that we have given. It is, after all, only fair, isn’t it?

While almost no one will admit that this is how they feel or think, almost everyone does, regardless of their denials. For the most part, in most people’s eyes, G-d is some kind of magical “Santa Claus” whose job it is to give us all nice treats and presents because “we have been sooooo good!” I pity the fool whose insights into spirituality and religion are so shallow that all they can think about is what they can get out of it.

A number of years ago, President John Kennedy of the U.S.A. said to his countrymen, “ask not what your country can do for you, but rather ask what can you do for your country.” Well, at this time, I would like to ask you a similar question, “ask not what G-d can do for you, but rather ask, what can you do for G-d?”

Herein lies the dilemma, most individuals never think about what they can do for G-d and how they can advance the agenda of Heaven. Almost everyone is far too interested in themselves, in their own petty little problems and concerns and seek from G-d only that which concerns them personally. Most people ask what they have to do in order to get G-d to do what they want. Most are willing to give something to G-d, but on condition that G-d in turn gives back to them what it is that they want. But how many of us actually give to G-d simply because it is the right thing to do, without any ulterior motive for reward?  Read more

Where in the world am I?

Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum

When you wake up from your sleep only to feel pain all over your body… when you look around you, and even familiar surroundings seem strange and alien… and you rub your eyes and you ask yourself, “Where in the world am I?” this may seem like a question born of confusion and chaos. But in truth, asking this and other searching questions about the new reality you face in your life is a sign of an awakening mind and spirit.

Serious illness or injury may bring a welter of different thoughts and feelings, some so private that we cannot begin to share them with the healthy, chirpy people around us going about their business in such blissful ignorance of our own pain, shock, grief and anxiety. We may be bitter and angry: “Why me?” Perhaps we feel betrayed by our bodies. We worry about the future: “Will I suffer pain? Will I be permanently disabled or disfigured? Am I going to die? What’s it like in the grave?”

It is right and natural to be seriously concerned about what is happening to you. But don’t let anxiety push you into despair. Admitting physical vulnerability does not mean you will necessarily remain permanently weak from now on. Confronting the fact of your mortality does not mean you are going to die soon.

Your worries and concerns are in fact a signal to you to embark on an extensive examination of yourself and your life. You must now act as doctor to your own inner self. Just as a medical doctor first carries out a thorough examination and then prescribes treatment, so you should now take an honest inventory of yourself and your life. Then you must start developing your own self-healing strategy. This is your part in the healing process.

Don’t think only about your physical condition and how you are going to get well. Consider also all the other issues in your life, including any problems within yourself, in your work, your relationships or other areas. Be ready to face things you might normally prefer not to think about. Be willing to ask the deepest questions — about your body and your soul, what this life is about, how you’ve been using your time, and how you’d like to use it in future. Where do you want to go? How are you going to get there?

Starting to work on yourself in this way is a major step forward on your self-healing journey. You’ll come away with a new inner confidence founded upon greater wisdom and understanding. You’ll be able to live your life more freely and joyously. And living is what healing is all about.

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THE TORAH VIEW OF SUFFERING

Avraham ben Yaakov

A clear and concise expression of the Torah view of suffering is contained in “Derech HaShem: The Way of God”, by R. Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, translated by R. Aryeh Kaplan

Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (1707-46) is usually known as the RaMChaL, from the acronym of his name. An outstanding Torah Sage and Tzaddik, he lived in Italy, Holland and finally Eretz Yisrael, a couple generations before Rebbe Nachman. The RaMChaL’s brilliance as a systematizer of traditional Torah teachings is evidenced both in the “Derech HaShem” — a comprehensive outline of Jewish belief — and in the classic Mussar work for which he is most famous, the “Mesilath Yesharim: Path of the Just”

The purpose of the Creation

To understand the meaning and purpose of suffering, we must first go back to the very purpose of the Creation and the meaning of our life in this world. The Ramchal explains:
God’s purpose in creation was to bestow of His good to another. Since God desired to bestow good, a partial good would not be sufficient. The good that He bestows would have to be the ultimate good that His handiwork could accept. True good exists only in God. His wisdom therefore decreed that the nature of this true benefaction be His giving created things the opportunity to attach themselves to Him to the greatest degree possible for them.

God’s wisdom, however, decreed that for such good to be perfect, the one enjoying it must be its master. He must be one who has earned it for himself, and not one associated with it accidentally and without reason.

God therefore arranged and decreed the creation of concepts of both perfection and deficiency, as well as a creature with equal access to both _ namely, Man. This creature would then be given the means to earn perfection and avoid deficiency.
Man must earn this perfection, however, through his own free will and desire. If he were compelled to choose perfection, then he would not actually be its master, and God’s purpose would not be fulfilled. It was therefore necessary that man be created with free will.

Man’s inclinations are therefore balanced between good and evil, and he is not compelled toward either of them. He has the power of choice, and is able to choose either side, knowingly and willingly, as well as to possess whichever one he wishes. Man was therefore created with both a Good Urge (Yetzer Tov) and an Evil Urge (Yetzer Ra). He has the power to incline himself in whichever direction he desires.

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The world is one long chain of events,
dating all the way back to Adam

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

God created this world as a place of maximum challenge, and therefore, man must be inherently imperfect and die. The sin of Adam revealed this imperfection because of which man must make the transition of death. Accordingly, God told Adam, “But from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, do not eat, for on the day you eat from it, you will definitely die” (Genesis 2:17). Since we are all descendants of Adam, all must share this fate.

Therefore, death is the destiny of every person, and none can escape it. We are thus taught, “[Just as] no person can control the wind or stop it from blowing, neither is there any control over the day of death” (Ecclesiastes 8:8). No matter what a person may attain in life, he cannot conquer death. It is thus written, “The triumph of the wicked is short-lived, and the rejoicing of the hypocrite is but for a moment. Though he be elevated to the heavens in his eminence, and his head reach the clouds, he shall perish forever like his own dung. Those who see him shall ask, “Where has he gone?’” (Job 20:5-7). Even the perfectly righteous must die, since no distinctions can be made in this world which might tend to destroy or diminish man’s choice between good and evil.

Because of man’s inherent imperfection, death is for his own good, since it reminds him that he is below God and that he must repent each day. Since man must constantly be in a state of repentance, no one is allowed to know the time of his death. Regarding this it is written, “for no man knows his time. Like fish caught in a net of evil, and birds caught in a trap, so are men trapped when a time of evil suddenly descends upon them” (Ecclesiastes 9:12). However, God makes man forget his death, so that he may also flourish in this world.

When a person becomes sick and bedridden, he is judged whether he is worthy of recuperating, and therefore whether he is worthy of experiencing a special degree of providence. We are thus taught that God pays special attention to the sick, as the Psalmist said, “God strengthens the sick man on his bed” (Psalms 41:4). Therefore, although a sick person must seek out the best possible medical treatment, he should still pray to God for divine aid.

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COURAGE

Rabbi Nachman

When a person realizes that he is on a very low level and far from God, this itself is a reason to feel encouraged. Before this, he was so far from God that he did not even know it. Now at least he knows it, and this itself is a sign that he is drawing closer.

Each one is precious God takes pride in every individual Jew, even the most minor, even the sinners of Israel , as long as they go by the name of Israel . There is a unique pride that God takes in every single Jew and even in each of his limbs and every single movement he makes. Sometimes a lowly Jew makes a slight movement with his side-curl and God takes great pride in this too! One should therefore never despair of God’s help regardless of any wrong he may have done, because God’s love for him will never cease and he can always return to God.

God hides in the obstacle When a person has spent all his days immersed in materialism and suddenly feels a strong desire to walk in the ways of God, the attribute of Judgment rises up to accuse him. It will not allow him to walk in the ways of God and creates an obstacle. But God loves kindness and hides Himself in the obstacle itself. Someone with understanding looks carefully and discovers God in the very obstacle itself!

Illusory walls
When someone wants to serve God or travel to the true Tzaddik, he is bound to face obstacles. Each person imagines that the obstacles he faces are greater than those facing others and finds it hard to withstand them. But no-one is ever confronted with obstacles that are beyond his ability to overcome if he really wants. The truth is that there is no obstacle at all, because God is present, albeit veiled, in the very obstacle itself. The greatest of all barriers are those in the mind – when the person is divided from God or from the Tzaddik in his own mind and heart. A person may have come to the Tzaddik despite all the physical obstacles. But if some small doubt about the Tzaddik then arises in his mind, causing his heart to falter, this is the greatest obstacle of all. Similarly, a person encounters many obstacles when he wants to pray. However, if after overcoming them all he is ready to pray but his heart is contorted and turned away from God, this is the greatest obstacle of all. The Baal Shem Tov told a parable about a king who left a great treasure in a certain place, surrounding it with all kinds of illusory walls. When people came to these walls, they thought they were real and that it would be very hard to break through. Some retreated immediately; others broke through one wall but could not break through the second. A few broke through more walls, but no- one could break through them all. Until the king’s son came and said: “I know that all these walls are pure illusions and the truth is that there is no wall at all!” He went forward confidently until he overcame them all. All the obstacles and temptations standing in the way of true fear of heaven are illusory walls. Be courageous and strong-hearted! All the apparent obstacles, such as financial and other material constraints or opposition from others, will disappear if you are determined and courageous in your quest for God.

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The Path of Teshuvah

Rabbi Nachman

Every person must minimize his own glory and maximize God’s glory. For one who pursues glory attains not God’s glory but only the glory of kings, of which it is said: “The glory of kings is subject to investigation” (Proverbs 25:2) .

For then everyone investigates who he really is, asking: “Who is he and what is he to be given such honor?” People challenge him, saying he is not fit for this honor. But when a person flees from honor, minimizing his own honor and maximizing the glory of God, he attains the glory of God. No-one then investigates to see if he deserves it, for “The glory of God is to hide the matter” ( ibid. ) – it is forbidden to question his honor.

The only way to attain God’s glory is through repentance. And the true sign of a person who has returned to God is the ability to hear himself insulted and remain silent. He endures even the most murderous abuse with patience, thereby reducing the blood in the left side of his heart (seat of the animal soul) and annihilating his evil inclination. Such a person is worthy of a share in God’s glory.

Before a person returns to God, he has no being. It is as if he has not yet been created, because it would have been better for him not to have been created at all. But when he purifies himself in order to return to God, he puts himself in order and prepares to become a being. This element of preparation for becoming – coming into being, as it were – explains why the Divine Name associated with repentance is Ehyeh , “I shall be”.

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Peace of Mind

Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan

Everything that God created must behave calmly. Calmness pervades all of nature; in the fields and in the woods, on the mountains and in the valley, in the streams and in the air, a profound calmness always prevails. And this calmness also rules by nature in the heart of man, which is part of God’s creation. Among the many things that human beings crave for is peace of mind. Peace of mind is man’s normal state… the peace which man admires in nature is also found within himself, for he is part of nature… One craves only for those things which are an integral part of his nature. Man craves for peace of mind, because peace is natural to his being, he craves to gain and possess that which is his natural portion. This very yearning on the part of man is an indication that God created him for peace. Because peace of mind is natural to man, in its presence every part of one’s being is preserved and advanced. When one’s inner state is peaceful, then all the processes of mind and body act normally and with great potency and perfection.

The human mind is best when it is at ease, it yields its deepest thoughts when its mood is that of serenity. The mind can give expression to its finest and noblest only when it is at peace with itself. In the absence of peace, the mental vision loses its acuteness and clearness, the judgement finds itself clouded with uncertainty, it finds itself incapable of making decisions and assisting its positive powers. In the absence of inner peace, one may still strive, still act, but his actions do not represent his best capabilities; his best powers are in retreat.

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Self-Confidence – An Understanding

Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan

It is clear that God did not intend to make life a path of roses. From the very early stages of one’s existence, He has prepared difficulties and opposition for our every step. See how many difficulties the tiny babe must overcome before it learns to walk and stand erect. It is clear…that difficulties are not additions to life, but vital portions of life; obstacles are not thrown on our road by mere accident, they are part of the road. Difficulties stimulate self-expression. Difficulties call forth the finer and deeper faculties of man. God’s plan…is to induce (people) to obtain through their own efforts and labors the gifts He has prepared for them.

The chief hindrance in a person’s life is fear. Fear interferes with the realization of one’s deeper self. Fear has a terrifying effect, it hinders every expression of the mind, it obstructs the free flow of emotion, it interferes with the functions of bodily organs, it keeps man in a restricted and sometimes agonized state. Fear has a pernicious effect upon one’s whole life. It interferes with one’s vital processes, it beclouds his mental powers, it slackens his ambitions, it lowers his aspirations, it leads his thought to gloomy barren spheres that make life an unendurable stretch. Why do only some reach their goal, while the ambitions of multitudes remain stunted? Our answer is that most people are hindered by fear… It is fear that paralyzes their efforts; it is fear that holds them back. Fear has not one redeeming effect for the destruction it creates. Fear is basically an error; it is the result of an erroneous conception of life, which implies that life is filled with adversity, that the world is pregnant with danger, that man’s existence is a chain of misery, forged in links of bitterness and hostility. When one is afraid, he is placing himself in an invisible prison-house. He becomes a reduced man. He has lost confidence in himself… On the other hand, there is courage, the power that downs all difficulties, that lends strength to all the constructive forces within man, that fans his enthusiasm, that keeps his heart warm, his mind in a creative state, his hopes and aspirations fresh and green. Courage is the weapon with which we overcome opposition. It is a device by the use of which we may conquer the difficulties and obstacles life offers. Courage is a Divine gift that enables us to overcome fear, look at danger with a smile, defy all obstacles. For it is in the nature of courage to minimize the stings of adversity, to remove obstructions to achievements and success. Armed with courage, nothing is too difficult, nothing too remote, nothing too high for our reach. Although cowardice is a weakness, it does not mean that the cowardly is destitute of the Divine gift of courage. Lack of courage may be corrected through prayer. You can obliterate cowardice through verbalized or affirmative prayer. …fear enters the mind only when faith is absent. Faith in God lifts and fortifies man……….

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PURITY OF THOUGHT

THE ESSENTIAL RABBI NACHMAN

Man’s mind is his very essence. Wherever your thoughts are, that is where you are – all of you. This is why it is so important to avoid all evil thoughts, because otherwise that is where your place will be. You must force yourself to think good thoughts in order to be worthy of knowing God. Then your place will be with Him and you will be merged with Him. The greater your perception of God, the more fully merged with Him you will become, and then you will attain eternal life.

Guard your thoughts very carefully, because thought can literally create a living thing. The higher a faculty, the further it can reach. You can kick something with your foot, but you can throw it even higher with your hand. With your voice you can reach even further, calling to someone far away. Hearing reaches further still – you can hear sounds like gunfire from a very great distance. Vision reaches even further: you can see things high in the sky. The higher the faculty, the further it can reach. Highest of all is the mind, which can ascend to the loftiest heights. You must therefore guard your mind and thoughts to the utmost.

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ON PATIENCE

Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan

Patience is highly important and extremely essential in order not to fall under the burden of the difficult, but on the contrary, wait hopefully until the storms shall have blown over, the threatening clouds dispersed, and the sun shines forth and brings joy and refreshment. Patience is the virtue that enables man to endure with a quiet mind the unpleasantness and disfavors of life with serenity and hope. There are always stumbling blocks in any undertaking, there are always difficulties which one never even imagined. And if one takes these difficulties too seriously they will overcome him and make him miserable. True patience means that a person has confidence in G-d’s goodness. G-d has given man the understanding and the powers with which to succeed in life, and if the individual knows how to utilize his gifts, particularly if he understands when to work and when to create and when to be patient, he may be sure that success will come.

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Kabbalah Insights is a post from World of Kabbalah.

is a post from World of Kabbalah.

Text:

Yonah
Flight, Return and Redemption

Rabbi Meir Levin

is a post from World of Kabbalah.

Moshe Idel on Abraham Abulafia

is a post from World of Kabbalah.

 
Book:

Pebbles of Wisdom
From Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
Collected and with Notes by Arthur Kurzweil

is a post from World of Kabbalah.

How To Actualize the Shema Yisrael

HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok

Isn’t the human mind an amazing thing? We can thing of such brilliant thoughts and yet, at the very same time be so downright stupid and act in total contradiction to those brilliant thoughts that we know are so right.

How is this? How is it that we can rise so high in the domain of thinking and yet sink so low in the domain of activity? There is obviously some kind of disconnection here. Something is blocking us from living in accordance to all the dreams and lofty ideals that we so readily hold in our minds.

Now, let’s be realistic here. It is an insult to honesty and our own self worth to blame our problems on others or on whatever other outside sources. This disconnection between what we know and what we do also exists inside us. Unless we turn inside to look and see where the broken connection is, we will never be able to fix it.  Read more

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Sanford L. Drob

In one of his last meetings with Jacques Derrida, the French-Jewish philosopher, Emanauel Levinas 1906-1995), is said to have asked Derrida to confess that he was in fact a modern day representative of the Lurianic Kabbalah. I learned of this from the death-of-God theologian, Thomas J.J. Altizer, who related that he had heard it from the literary critic, Hillis Miller, when Miller introduced Altizer to Derrida himself. Whether apocryphal or true, the story seemed to confirm what I had suspected for quite some time, that an encounter with Derrida’s thought is a potentially important gateway to a contemporary perspective on the Kabbalah. Read more

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Elliot R. Wolfson

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