"Many great sages say that, thought creates action and actions, create reality. In Parsha Vayeitzei - Yaakov ask God to protect him, to provide food and shelter on his journey. Rav Hirsch of the 18th century said that what Yaakov was really asking for, was strength and focus to retain his character, his integrity, in the face of war and family battles. Simply put- God provides everything- even internal qualities, and according to Torah the only way to connect to God's sustenance, is through - good intentions and actions, like Yakov’s prayers and facing his brother Esav.
When traveling into new realities of greatness, personal growth- aka the unknown - Yaakov is teaching us, in parsha Vayeitzei, all we can do is ask God to help us focus on the right things- staying strong and having integrity... so that those thoughts create action...and those actions create a greater reality.”
Friday, November 27, 2015
Too strong to win
So many stories in Torah are based around individuals being put in difficult situations. Being broken as people but through vulnerability and crying out to God, they become victorious.
How is this the case when we live in a world (2015) that convinces us, we need to be strong, powerful, boastful like Floyd Mayweather & Ronda Rousey - to be victorious?
Well, Rav Hirsch explains it perfectly depicting the conflict between Yaakov & Esav in his commentary on parsha Vayishlach:
"It may seem to be undesirable to arrive at a long-anticipated encounter with a physical disability, but it actually helped Esav understand something about the brother who stood before him. Yaakov would become identified with Divine assistance precisely because he could not compete with others with his own resources. Yaakov would not be defeated, but the source of his strength was not within him, but in his relationship with Hashem. Esav understood on some level that Yaakov was not the master and source of his good fortune and his very survival. Something higher stood behind him."
How is this the case when we live in a world (2015) that convinces us, we need to be strong, powerful, boastful like Floyd Mayweather & Ronda Rousey - to be victorious?
Well, Rav Hirsch explains it perfectly depicting the conflict between Yaakov & Esav in his commentary on parsha Vayishlach:
"It may seem to be undesirable to arrive at a long-anticipated encounter with a physical disability, but it actually helped Esav understand something about the brother who stood before him. Yaakov would become identified with Divine assistance precisely because he could not compete with others with his own resources. Yaakov would not be defeated, but the source of his strength was not within him, but in his relationship with Hashem. Esav understood on some level that Yaakov was not the master and source of his good fortune and his very survival. Something higher stood behind him."
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
- Wilhelm Reich
"You differ from a great man in only one respect: the great man was once a very little man, but he developed one important quality: he recognized the smallness and narrowness of his thoughts and actions. Under the pressure of some task that meant a great deal to him, he learned to see how his smallness, his pettiness endangered his happiness. In other words, a great man knows when and in what way he is a little man. A little man does not know he is little and is afraid to know. He hides his pettiness and narrowness behind illusions of strength and greatness, someone else’s strength and greatness. He’s proud of his great generals but not of himself. He admires an idea he has not had, not one he has had. The less he understands something, the more firmly he believes in it. And the better he understands an idea, the less he believes in it".
- Wilhelm Reich
- Wilhelm Reich
Sunday, October 18, 2015
- Shariff Mordechai Hazan, commentary on Lech-Lecha
The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer says; “when Avaham was born all the magicians in the kingdom wanted to kill him, forcing his family to hide in a cave for 13 years. During those 13 years Avaham never saw the Sun or moon". Which arguably could have been the precursor to his fascination with the Stars. Also.. the idea of people wanting to kill abraham from the moment he enter this world - and that being a precursor to creating the internal strength to persevere through great resistance. Which in my opinion.. was Avraham greatest asset in sharing revolutionary ideas with all of humanity (his ability to persevere through great resistance).
Seems like the Torah could be saying in parsha Lech-Lecha: the greatest challenges or mistakes in our life, build the strength, for us to make great contributions to all of humanity.
- Shariff Mordechai Hazan, commentary on Lech-Lecha
Seems like the Torah could be saying in parsha Lech-Lecha: the greatest challenges or mistakes in our life, build the strength, for us to make great contributions to all of humanity.
- Shariff Mordechai Hazan, commentary on Lech-Lecha
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
the FDA or God?
In my opinion, this week’s Torah reading explains perfectly why everyone should eat kosher.
In Parsha Noah - Gd makes a specific distinction between clean and unclean animals, when instructing Noah on what to do on the Ark.
First of all - the laws of kosher transforms eating into a spiritual process, not just a means of satisfying one’s hunger. Spiritual meaning - the blessings around eating the food, (before and after) the food itself, becomes a medium or a tool to connect to God (elevating one’s life). Not eating, just for the sake of diminishing hunger but also replenishing the soul (elevating one’s awareness).
Kabalah says, there’s two components to all living things - an internal and external ( The “soul and body” is a pretty good example of internal - external).
The same goes for food!
When food is prepared with the instructions of the Torah (kosher) it contains holy Sparks of light from God- according to the Zohar. The Holy sparks of light within Kosher food - is what replenishes the soul. And yes, the Torah sages are saying - the soul has hunger in the same way the body does.
For me, starting to eat kosher - was more about reprogramming my mind. To see life in general, from the framework of pure and impure - internal and external - what contains holy Sparks and what doesn’t. Kosher creates a frame of thinking where the individual questions everything. They intake into their system and its effects on the soul, mind and body.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, unhealthy eating cause 310,000-580,000 deaths every year—similar to the number of deaths caused by tobacco and 13 times more than are caused by guns.
An intelligent question would be - why do we rely on the government or the FDA to show us how to eat properly?
Why wouldn’t we turn to God and ask God how to eat properly?
Gd- what’s good for us?
Gd -what isn’t good for us?
Gd -how we should prepare food?
Gd -how we should eat?
Gd -how we should live?
In Parsha Noah - Gd makes a specific distinction between clean and unclean animals, when instructing Noah on what to do on the Ark.
First of all - the laws of kosher transforms eating into a spiritual process, not just a means of satisfying one’s hunger. Spiritual meaning - the blessings around eating the food, (before and after) the food itself, becomes a medium or a tool to connect to God (elevating one’s life). Not eating, just for the sake of diminishing hunger but also replenishing the soul (elevating one’s awareness).
Kabalah says, there’s two components to all living things - an internal and external ( The “soul and body” is a pretty good example of internal - external).
The same goes for food!
When food is prepared with the instructions of the Torah (kosher) it contains holy Sparks of light from God- according to the Zohar. The Holy sparks of light within Kosher food - is what replenishes the soul. And yes, the Torah sages are saying - the soul has hunger in the same way the body does.
For me, starting to eat kosher - was more about reprogramming my mind. To see life in general, from the framework of pure and impure - internal and external - what contains holy Sparks and what doesn’t. Kosher creates a frame of thinking where the individual questions everything. They intake into their system and its effects on the soul, mind and body.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, unhealthy eating cause 310,000-580,000 deaths every year—similar to the number of deaths caused by tobacco and 13 times more than are caused by guns.
An intelligent question would be - why do we rely on the government or the FDA to show us how to eat properly?
Why wouldn’t we turn to God and ask God how to eat properly?
Gd- what’s good for us?
Gd -what isn’t good for us?
Gd -how we should prepare food?
Gd -how we should eat?
Gd -how we should live?
Sunday, October 11, 2015
saving the world is in our DNA.
The building of Noah's Ark - is a pretty clear indicator from the creator, that all humans/individuals on earth have the ability to save/improve the world. As long as they're following God's instructions.
Just think about it: after the flood, Noah descendants repopulated planet Earth. Which means- every human on planet Earth has some of Noah's DNA.
Which gives all of us the genetic memory in our DNA from an ancestor (Noah) with the information and ability to save all of humanity.
Interesting enough, the Kabbalist say - just by reading the portion of Noah in the Torah. We awaken the part of our genetic memory connected to Noah.
The catch is... you have to have the desire to change/save/improve the world. In order to awaken that part of your genetic (Noah) memory by reading the Torah portion this week.
Just think about it: after the flood, Noah descendants repopulated planet Earth. Which means- every human on planet Earth has some of Noah's DNA.
Which gives all of us the genetic memory in our DNA from an ancestor (Noah) with the information and ability to save all of humanity.
Interesting enough, the Kabbalist say - just by reading the portion of Noah in the Torah. We awaken the part of our genetic memory connected to Noah.
The catch is... you have to have the desire to change/save/improve the world. In order to awaken that part of your genetic (Noah) memory by reading the Torah portion this week.
everything destroyed in an instance.
It's an interesting parallel between the seven days of creation and the flood of Noah: It's almost like, God is saying; "all great things are built through a process but can be destroyed in a single instance". I guess relationships can be looked at the same way. you can build, build, build,build, build, build something beautiful with someone but 1 slip of consciousness.. for a moment, can destroy everything in an instance.
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