Sorting Through the Uncertainty

MyLife Essay Contest 2015

In today’s rapidly expanding global economy, there are many opportunities to achieve financial success. However, they are accompanied with a great deal of risk that can cause financial and emotional instability. If viewed incorrectly, fiscal hardship, such as losing one’s job, can be psychologically debilitating. However, by understanding and using Chassidic concepts such as birur, one can maintain emotional stability during the most tumultuous times. In contrast to superficial, temporary modern self-help solutions, birur focuses on identifying and fixing deep underlying issues by focusing on changing the user’s perception of reality, providing him/her with short-term relief, as well as the skills necessary to achieve long-term personal growth and success. In order to effectively use birur, it is essential to understand how it works and when it can be applied.

Literally translated as sifting, birur is the process of filtering the good from the bad in one’s perception of reality. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Chassidus, in his main chassidic work known as Likutei Amarim or Tanya, explains that everything in our existence has a certain mixture of productivity and good together with a level of bad and emptiness (chapters 6, 22). Judaism believes in the Oneness of G-d. This Oneness is not only that G-d is one and individual in comparison to all others, it also means G-d is infinite and indivisible by any means. Being that G-d is infinite and has no boundaries, G-d therefore fills all, leaving no possibility for anything else to exist. For anything to exist besides for G-d there would need to be “space” outside G-d where this existence would fall. However this creates a dilemma with the existence of the universe. The world seems to stand in a realm that is on the face of it apart from the Infinite One. This contradiction is reconciled through the principle called tzimtzum. Tzimtzum is the concept that G-d dimmed His revelation in order to allow one to perceive a world that is distinct from Him. One thus can see the world as a separate entity from G-d, however in truth anything outside of G-d doesn’t truly exist and all existence is really tied up back into the Source (Tanya Part 2). The presence of a mixture of G-dly, the good and productive, and the distinct from G-dliness, the negative and empty, is thus able to be found.  Through the process of Birur one takes one’s reality, separates the true and valuable, and throws away the rest from one’s conscious. Through applying birur, one can build for oneself a new perception where obstacles don’t exist and efficiency is the only truth, and achieve unrestricted success.

Successful application of birur starts with contemplation. Proper birur begins with one thinking and breaking down a given situation with understanding and logic. One should determine which factors will be productive and then sift out and isolate them from the false and impractical. One should first accept one’s circumstances and the consequences that come along with them. When it is necessary for one to find a job, instead of ignoring the facts and remaining in denial, one should take time to think about one’s current state and accept that the only way to survive and support oneself is to get work. It is very important that one does a full analysis and spends appropriate time thinking. If one does not begin with a full logical approach one may not properly filter out all the distractions and hindrances from the productive and in turn may react emotionally due to the lack of true awareness of the situation. If one does not accept that one needs to regain financial stability and the only way to accomplish that is to go and get a job one may not fully isolate the productive and may come to behave irrationally and fall into feelings of hopelessness and despair; feelings which are false and contradictory to productivity and will ultimately end up hindering one’s ability to fix the problem.  One’s intellect should always begin the process and be the source of emotion, with one’s intellect always in control over the emotion (Tanya Part 1 Chapters 3, 4 Part 3 Chapter 4). Once one has accepted upon his/herself what must be fulfilled one should then think of all the possible ways one can fix one’s predicament. When searching for work, one should analyze all one’s skills and resources and decide which job opportunities can be paired with those abilities.  At this point one knows and understands the paths to solve one’s predicament and any outside and destructive thoughts have been removed from one’s conscious.

Once one has broken down the situation and only has the productive information on the mind, one is ready for the next step of birur; to feel and relate to this new understanding and awareness of truth. One at this stage is aware of all the information which is found in his/her mind and in theory has separated and thrown away all the unproductive. However many times all the knowledge and information remain theoretical information and never actually becomes real and practical. In order to really feel the practical impact of this knowledge one should continue thinking about the importance of getting oneself beyond this obstacle. One should also reflect and imagine how close one really is to actually succeeding. The more one dwells on the fact that getting a job is necessary and also that in truth success is close by and attainable the more likely one will emotionally connect to the opportunity and the new perception will become reality. A way to really bring one’s thoughts down to reality is to say one’s thoughts out loud. In expression, speech is the bridge between thought and action (Tanya Part 2 Chapter 8). Therefore saying these thoughts out loud may concretize these feelings even more. Try saying, “This is what I’m supposed to do right now. I am qualified to succeed in this situation and get this job. This is what I have to do, the only thing to do. Nothing can stop me right now.” Birur now has transformed one’s true, sifted perception into a practical reality.

The final step left in birur is action. One at this point has sorted through what is reality and what is imaginary, taken the true and transformed it to something close and attainable, and is now ready to actualize this clear mindset and attack the challenge head on. One can now go look for openings with a clear head and take on interviews with full confidence. One understands the circumstances and what one’s abilities are and can now apply them to the fullest. One can now without any worry or distraction go ahead and achieve financial success for now and for the future to come. Knowing the situation, and understanding what can and cannot be done, by going through the birur process, one can give oneself a level of certainty and security during the most unstable and uncertain times.

Life oftentimes comes with periods of ambiguity and incertitude. Chassidus, using concepts such as birur can help one keep one’s feet on the ground and maintain a stable sense of reality in these troublesome times. To many, Chassidus is a discipline which just deals with “holy sparks”, Divine lights”, and “supernal realms”; esoteric terms with seemingly no practical value. However, if one actually begins to investigate, one will find that from the beginner (I personally am just 19 years old and have only been learning any Chassidus for just over a year) to the greatest master, Chassidus can change one’s world and be a guidebook to life and all its challenges.  Welcome to Chassidus! Come on in and perceive a whole new world!