The Wildernes What is greater: To do the right thing or to avoid doing the wrong thing? To be good or to not be evil? A healthy, organized life requires five steps: Plan. Acquire. Implement. Adjust. Review. Everything begins with a mission, a statement of purpose, which defines the plan and outline. Then we find
Where Form Meets Function — Samach-Vav Part 14 — “You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your G-d, am holy” – this week’s Torah portion (Leviticus 19:2) We are all servants. Some of us serve ourselves; others serve a higher purpose. Most of us compartmentalize and our lives become a mix of the two. But
The Structure of Existence – Unplugged — Samach-Vav Part 13 — Can we integrate transcendence into our material lives? Do we have to leave our personalities behind as we reach for higher truths? How do we fuse form and function in our personal lives? These and other questions are explored in this week’s installment of
Dispatch from Atzilut — Samach-Vav Part 12 — Have you ever met a Tzaddik? Wait a minute… What exactly is a tzaddik? When Grandma Bertha would call someone a “tzaddik” she simply meant a kind and giving person – a good guy. Reminiscing about the family she would compare uncles: “Uncle Joe? – vey iz
The Book of Redemption — Samach-Vav Part 11 — Dear Rabbi, I have been following with great interest your Samach-Vav series [the classic Chassidic discourse delivered by the Rebbe Rashab one century ago]. As a physicist by profession, I especially found powerful the discussion on light and its essential role in bridging spirit and matter. This is
Where the Existential Meets the Non-Existential — Samach-Vav Part 10 — When we read the story of Exodus in these weekly Torah portions many questions come to mind. The most obvious one being: why in the first place did G-d want the Jewish people to be enslaved and oppressed by the Egyptians (as foretold to
Where the Infinite Meets the Finite — Samach-Vav Part 9 — Can we mortals ever achieve immortality? How high can a limited existence ever reach? Can the finite ever touch the infinite? Can heaven meet earth? Can imperfection meet perfection? And if it can, does the finite have to lose its personality in the process?
Which is Greater: Transcendence or Immersion? — Samach-Vav Part 8 — As we read this week’s Torah portion about the intensifying Egyptian Exile and the deepening misery of bondage, one of the most powerful lessons that we can glean from the Exodus story is the answer to the big question: How does one survive difficult times?
Where Inspiration Meets Reality — Samach-Vav Part Seven — Winter is upon us in the upper northern hemisphere, and we are all shivering. Winter is cold and dark, and so are many aspects of our lives. Both globally and personally there are many beautiful and wonderful things, but there is also much pain – winter
The Anatomy of the Soul — Samech Vov 100 Years – Part Six — JERUSALEM, 24 Kislev, The day before Chanukah After discussing the unprecedented (undefined “supra-conscious”) energy generated through the human struggle with darkness, this week of Chanukah one hundred years ago, Samech Vov begins to dissect the dynamic nature of the soul, which
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