MASTERING
JEWISH
CONSCIOUSNESS MEDITATIONS
By
Kabbalist Rabbi Yitzchak Schwartz
Prayer Space Meditations Part 1
Prayer Space Preparation
Meditations Part 2
Unleashing your Inner Tzadik/Tzadekes
Lessons from the Warsaw
Ghetto Rebbe
Bridges:
Greetings, Teachings and a Meditation
This little booklet is just a beginning.
It
is a beginning of a striving to master Jewish consciousness.
One
needs a lifetime to master even a small part of Jewish consciousness.
“It’s
not incumbent upon you to finish the task, but you’re not exempt from
trying…”
The teachings in this little booklet are meant to inspire us to seek out the wisdom of Jewish consciousness, and with the help of G-d, begin to master it.
'The Masters Program or 'Jewish
Martial Arts'
KNOWING G-D
MY
BIRTH PROCESS
Last
week, I began to share with you that I am undergoing a
spiritual birth process----a process that I am still in the midst
of, and therefore I cannot come to a full closure on it....I
wouldn't want to not let the process take it's natural
course. However, I will happily
share with you what has opened up for me so far in the course of this
lesson.....
A
BRIDGE TO MASTERY
I also
began last week to discuss the concept of Bridges with a few
applications and meditations. Upon further reflection, I've become
aware that perhaps the most important and fundamental bridge that we
can create, is the one that connects us with the Creator of the
Universe and His Wisdom which He shares with us in the Torah......Of
course, this Wisdom is endless and one lifetime is nowhere near
enough to gather, internalize, and be transformed by it
all......Those people who are fortunate enough to be born and raised in
an environment that encourages people to dedicate their lives to
mastering this Wisdom, and decide to truly and diligently apply
themselves to acquiring it, are the ones who merit to truly
be masters of this
wisdom. Unfortunately, there are many
others who find themselves left out of this elite group,
and despite their great thirst and drive to make this wisdom
their own, but they just don't know how to go about making that
happen, and can fall into despair of ever knowing or
mastering the roots of their souls and the wisdom of their
people....
However,
Hashem certainly desires that all those who wish to, should be able to
access these same levels--------The written Torah attests to this
Divine Will in a number of places----towards the end of the Chumash, in
the verse that states ''Ki Karov Alicha...etc...'' [''Because (this
Torah) is very close to you (to anyone to access)........"]...
The Oral Torah
also expresses G-d's Will that we all should have access if we want,
stating that The crown of Torah [ie...the mastery of Torah wisdom] is
sitting in a corner for anyone to grab [no matter what their past
is all about, or what their societal status is...]
So part of my
birth process seems to be pointing to opening up a sort of
martial arts style Masters program [in the sense of
Mastery , and not in the sense of academic
knowledge ]----whereby, in the shortest possible time, a person
could master or at least taste or be ushered into the realms of mastery
of the consciousness of the greatest of our Sages, Mystics, and
Chassidic Rebbes and various other types of Jewish Consciousness
Masters and Scholars......
The Zohar
brings a beautiful analogy to illustrate-------A princess upon
encountering a prospective suitor, unveils just for an instant her
awesome other-worldly beauty--and then immediately covers herself
and hides away....The young man seeking her hand [ultimately
in marriage] is driven to spend the next period of his life in a
driven search for the recapturing of the stunning beauty he
briefly encountered............The princess represents the Torah's
Divine Wisdom---and all of us mystical seekers represent
the young man seeking her out.......................
The First
irreplaceable and fundamental mastery, must be the mastery of
'DVAIKUT' or G-d Consciousness. When we properly
connect to the ONE ABOVE, then we will be able to connect to His
Wisdom-------------------To what can this be compared?----to a newly
-wed bride who focuses all of her attention on knowing and bonding
with her groom----so that whenever he will share with her his wisdom,
she will be maximally primed to receive it from him........We therefore
begin, by delving into the first step of G-d Consciousness
Mastery---that of 'Knowing G-d'.....
KNOWING G-D [a few
fundamentals]
1.
DVAIKUT [ a very prolific area]
The
amount of G-d connected or G-d consciousness source material is
almost as endless as the topic itself is. In fact, most of the
'Revealed' and 'Esoteric' realms of Torah are mainly comprised of G-d
Consciousness sources;
a. REVEALED
TORAH SOURCE-----All of the 613 Mitzvot with all of their expanded
commentaries [which is essentially the Oral
Torah]---are seen as being 613 pieces of advice on how to achieve
'Dvaikut' [G-d Consciousness]
b. MYSTICAL
TORAH SOURCE-----All of the Esoteric/Kabalistic Realm is considered to
be one long exposition concerned with the Knowledge and
Unification of G-d.
Added to
these, is the huge body of Chassidic wisdom, whose essential
underlying message is also G-d connection or G-d consciousness.....
Also
there are the Mitzvot that are directly concerned with G-d
connection, such as the Mitzvot of believing, loving, emulating
and clinging to G-d as well as others...
.....and the
list goes on and on --- with source books filling up entire Yeshivah
libraries with the knowledge of G-d connection and
consciousness---Judaism's most central and important topic.....So, how
do we begin?
2. In order to
cleave to Hashem--------- and thereby achieve the Creation's
purpose, not to mention it's inherent capacity to enable us
to achieve the highest levels of wellbeing and
positivity-------in many possible ways , such as;
Loving G-d
Fearing G-d
Emulating G-d
Doing the Will
of G-d
Being guided
by G-d
Seeing
G-d
we need to
first
believe in
and Know G-d----
which is
perhaps the most important and primal Mitzvah in all of the Torah and
Judaism-----the foundation principle, upon which all the rest of the
building stands
3. Knowing
Hashem--------------to approach this topic, we will draw from the
essential core concepts that are taught to us by R. Arye
Kaplan [ob'd] in the second chapter [entitled appropriately ,
'G-d'] of his very important work, 'The Handbook of Jewish
thought' [volume 1] ---- we can basically divide it all up into 2 very
fundamental principles---G-d's Transcendence [His Essence which is
beyond us] and
G-d's
Immanence [His manifestation which is within us and the
Universe]
4. Here's a
list of sub-principles that I derived from R.
Kaplan's chapter on G-d.....Upon further analysis, I saw
that all can be included in 2 main
principles--Transcendence and Immanence
A. TRANSCENDENCE
1. G-d as the Creator-------------The resulting ramifications of G-d's role as The Creator are
His being
distinct, independent and on a higher plane than all of his
created handiwork---and ultimately unknowable
2.
Omnipotence------------------
3. Eternal and
Unchangeable----------Here also, for the sake of our
comprehension/connection to Him, there exists a dimension of
Divine emotions and an image of G-d's being influenced by our
prayers and actions...etc..., that
B. IMMANENCE
1. Totally fills
up each of us as well as all of Creation----------------This
is the expression of His Oneness [ultimately to the exclusion of
anything else but Him]....Also He is the One who has exclusive rule
over all the multiplicity of created beings and life forms and
worlds...etc
2. The
transcendent character of His Immanence--------------------
3. He Knows all
and Wills all---------------------------
TRANSCENDENCE AND
IMMANENCE MEDITATIONS
A. KNOWING G-D
THROUGH HIS TRANSCENDENCE
Experience
your limitation in knowing that which is impossible to
know---specifically the Transcendent side of
G-d..............Experience G-d's distinctness and independence from
anything that we know about or can concieve of in life..................
B. KNOWING G-D
THROUGH HIS IMMANENCE
Experience the
entire Universe and all that's inside of it, including yourself, as
being totally filled up with the Divine Presence.................
May we all come to truly know Hashem
Yitzchak
FUSION WITH G-D
[Emulations]
1. REVEW
[Knowing about G-d]----------We have arrived at a bridge...we
began to explore in a very limited way, the concept of knowing G-d, in
a very theoretical way. We saw that Judaism teaches that
G-d is a concept that is both as far away as possible [ The
Transcendent side] as well as being as close as can be [the Immanent
side]....This knowledge is important as a starting point---a foundation
point....we need to know about G-d in order to begin our relationship
with G-d.....Similarly, it's often a good idea to find out as
much as possible about a person, before we can begin to connect......
2. A
PARADXICAL RELATIONSHIP WITH G-D-------------Let's go back to the
basics....We are seeking to connect with the Being that is
most radically different from ourselves on the one hand---as we
discussed last week regarding His absolute independence and
unknowability ...etc..etc...
Jewish thinking
and Jewish Mysticism are no strangers to encountering paradox,
especially when it comes to relating to G-d....Even the Angels [as
described in the famous account of the Merkava (the most classic
of all the Prophetic Mystical Divine Visions) brought
in the 1st chapter of the Book of Ezekiel] teach us that the
way to encounter G-d or Infinity is through a process referred to
as 'Ratzo vShov' or 'Moving forward/close and moving
backwards/distant'...........
3. THE MITZVOT OF
G-D RELATIONSHIP------The area of G-d Relationship involves
numerous Mitzvot....It's important to mention at this point, that the
concept of a Mitzvah, is not simply a Divine Commandment,
but it is also a way of relating to the Divine---The word
Mitzvah is related to a word 'Tzavta' meaning a type of
togetherness....The 1st 2 letters of Mitzvah [Mem and
Tzadi] when rearranged in a certain Aleph Bet substitution
mechanism, are substituted for the letters Yud and Hei---and when
joined to the last 2 letters of the word Mitzvah [Vav and Hei ]
spell out The Divine Proper Name of Yud and Hei andVav and
Hei...........The 613 Mitzvot are thought of as being 613 pieces of
advice on how to connect to Hashem........................
When we add
to this, the mystical concept that different Mitzvot correspond
to different aspects or organs of the person [ the 248
positive Mizvot of the 613 Mitvot correspond to 248 limbs
and organs and the remaining 365 Mitzvot correspond to the 365
ligaments connecting these organs], and that the Mitzvot directly
concerned with our relationship with the Holy One blessed be He,
represent the main organs; the head and the heart ---- the
vital organs--- without which life would discontinue, then we see
that these G-d Relationship Mitzvot serve as the foundation
point of all of Judaism....Our purpose in this teaching, is
not to analyze all of the G-d Relationship Mitzvot, but rather to
draw from their infinite wisdom in order to aid us in our goal of
mastering Dvaikut or G-d Consciousness or G-d Relationship....
4.
FUSING WITH G-D------------------ 'Fusion' is perhaps the
best all-encompassing term that combines all of the different
ways of relating to G-d, a challenge, as we mentioned that demands of
us to dance the paradoxical Angelic dance of 'Ratzo
V'Shov'---closeness/intimacy
and respectful distance.... We
will define our usage of Divine Fusion, as the ability to bond in
the most intimate way with that which is totally different than
ourselves , and still hold on to a respectful distance.....We will
begin today with one type of fusion----- that of Divine
Emulation ----one of the most important, but perhaps least
developed or practiced of the Divine Relationship
Mitzvot
5. EMULATION OF
THE DIVINE--------------There is a verse in the Parsha 'Ki
Tavo' that states 'Vehalachta Bdrachav' ---and you shall go
in His [Hashem's] Ways....' Our Sages and
Commentaries teach that this Mitzvah [Commandment or means of clinging
to Hashem] directs us to study G-d's ways, and then emulate
them. There are certain limitations pointed out, such
as those Divine Actions that are radically different from
human actions [and there is one classic commentary of the Maharal
of Prague, who points out that just as our Sages in the Talmud seemed
to only be concerned with the positive Divine actions (as they point
out , that just as Hashem is benevolent and
compassionate, so to should we be that way), so too should we only
emulate the positive Divine actions]. Nevertheless
[from other more primary sources], it seems that there are no real
limitations on the quantity and quality of Divine emulations that
we are to carry out, as long as we seek expert\Rabbinic guidance in
those areas of doubt.
It seems clear
that one of the main reasons for emulating G-d's Ways, is that
since we are created in the Image of G-d, we should therefore try to
actualize or live up to our Divine root/source, and thereby, when
we do emulate G-d's Ways, we sanctify and elevate all aspects
of our lives---our life outlooks, our character traits, our words
and our actions----- and also thereby make great strides towards
clinging to Hashem, and towards making the world a more Holy and G-dly
place to live in....
6.EMULATIONS OF
THE DIVINE ---A PARTIAL COLLECTION-------As with any Mitzvah, the
more that you connect to it in all ways---intellectually, emotionally,
spiritually, creatively...etc..., the more that the Mitzvah's Divine
infinite impact is opened up for the benefit of yourself and the
world. Perhaps the impact of this particular
Mitzvah of Divine Emulation will have even greater power than others,
simply because, to the best of my personal knowledge, it doesn't yet
seem to be a common practice to seek out as many ways as possible to
emulate Hashem. Therefore in the spirit
of taking the initial steps into a new spiritual frontier,
we will bring you some Emulation Meditations and Exercises to
internalize.....I will bring a number of different sub-categories that
I've come up with so far, and what I feel are the most important
Emulations from each sub-category and open it up into a meditation or
exercise.....
TOP
EMULATIONS
1. G-D'S
GOODNESS
some
examples of emulatable traits illustrating G-d's goodness are;
a. His
being Long Suffering
b. His being
Merciful
c. He
Forgives Sin
d. He's Good
to All ****our meditation
e. His
Modesty
f. His being
Faithful
g. He
Loves all Nations
h. He is The
G-d of Blessings
THE G-D IS
GOOD TO ALL EMULATION MEDITATIONS AND EXERCISES
1. Know that
when G-d offers something for a person's benefit, He doesn't go back on
it.
Emulate this
trait by committing to seek out all that you can do to benefit
others..........Do as best as you are able to abide by your
word......Start with one person at a time and work your way up to
doing the same for others as well.
2. Know that
all that G-d does is for the best.
Emulate this
trait by contemplating a specific action that you do, to see if it will
ultimately result in bringing goodness to any and every person
effected--------the more that you practice this trait , the better you
will be at it.
3. Know that
even those Divine actions that appear to us as not being expressions of
His goodness, but rather expressions of His revenge or justice--whereby
those who are deserving are rewarded and those who are not are punished
or rectified------those too are expressions of Divine Goodness to the
one being rewarded as well as the one being corrected.
Emulate this
trait by first committing to love everybody with all your heart, just
by virtue of the fact that they are all created in the Divine
Image.......Then, from that same standpoint of unconditional and
universal love, seek out whatever you can find in
each person that can make that person a better person..........
If, as is most often the case, your direct rebuke to that person would
be damaging---either for your relationship or for the effectiveness of
influencing that person, then don't confront that person, but
rather pray for their welfare, healing and betterment........Continue
in this manner with this person and with others----always coming from a
space of love and having their own good and improvement in mind.
2. G-D'S
TRANSCENDENCE
some
examples of G-d's emulatable traits of Transcendence are;
a. His work
is perfect
b. He knows
all
c. He sees
all****our meditation
d. He
reveals the hidden
e. He's Holy
f. He's the
G-d of Life
g. He's One
h. He's
great and revered
THE G-D SEES
ALL EMULATION MEDITATIONS AND EXERCISES
1. Know that
G-d is able to see all aspects of a situation or a person at once.
Emulate this
trait by visualizing one particular person or situation that you are
presently involved with........See them as wholistically as you
can........See the past root causes that brought about this situation
or the nature of this person at this point.....See the present impacts
of this person and/or situation.....See the future results that will
probably be brought about...........Based on your wholistic
assessments, do whatever you can do to improve the situation or
person.....Do the same for other situations and /or people , until you
get the hang of how to see wholisticaly and take appropriate
action.
2. Know that
G-d sees [below the surface] to the heart
Emulate this
trait by stopping next time that you encounter a person-----ask
yourself if there is a difference between what their lips are saying
and what their heart is saying. When you
do notice a difference, then open up your heart to this person's
heart message.....Notice how this changes the way you entire
encounter and relate with this person.....Continue in this manner
with this person and others until you begin seeing and relating
to people's hearts all the time.
3. Know that
G-d sees all that is hidden.
Emulate this
trait by focusing on one particular piece of wisdom or
information that you hear.....Distinguish between what the surface
message is and what the hidden message is............Practice
deciphering the hidden messages in all sorts of areas of your life,
such as------what your children are REALLY saying to
you or what are the REAL messages
of the events in your life or what
are the hidden messages that your body is conveying to
you or what are your hidden intutive
messages saying to you .............Notice how that the more that you
focus on these and other hidden messages, the more you will be
able to truly emulate Hashem in seeing that which is hidden
*******there
is a lot more Emulation teachings and exercises, frends, but surely
I've overstayed my welcome this week and will have to continue later on.
may we truly
reap the benefits and blessings that comes from Emulating the ONE who
is the most worthy of emulating
Yitzchak
EMULATION MEDITATIONS [pt. 2]
*****last
week, we began to tap into a very exciting, largely
untapped realm/Mitzvah/consciousness called Emulating
G-d. This week , we continue---and we yearn and pray that
this consciousness that we seek to master, should elevate our lives
24\7, to the point where we find that everything that we
learn and encounter in life, serves as opportunities to
emulate Hashem.
3 G-D'S
CREATIVE EXPRESSION
Here
are some examples of Divine traits to emulate, depicting G-d's creative
expression;
a. The
Divine Artist
b. The Creator Making room for others
c. The Creator Bridging us to Him
d. The Creator bringing everything to perfection [this week's
choice]
e. The Creator creating something from nothing and something from
something
THE 'CREATOR
BRINGING EVERYTHING TO PERFECTION' EMULATIONS AND EXERCISES
1.
KNOW that the Creator hid a part of His Infinite Being, in order
to make room for the existence of His Creation-----whose exclusive
purpose is to re-Infinitize and re-Divinize the Divine hiddenness
EMULATE
this trait by constantly seeking to get your self OUT OF THE WAY,
and bring the Divine Presence IN THE WAY [thereby re-infinitizing and
re-Divinzing the Place of His hiding]......One way to do this, is by
searching for any and every opportunity in your life, that you are
capable of letting go [partially or completely] of the
controls---------by allowing G-d to take over the controls------all the
worrying needed, the efforts and strategizing needed as well as letting
Hashem be the One who determines how things will turn out----Be happy
with whatever the outcome may be.
Another way
of bringing Hashem INTO THE WAY---is to reframe those of
your motivations that are selfishly motivated to being
altruistically motivated---to do it all for Hashem----or----to do it
all in order to cling to Hashem----or---- to do it all in a way that
Hashem would approve of....
2.
KNOW that the Creator is a Master Artist, whose artistic
creations are either perfect now just as they are, or
are designed to ultimately reach perfection.
EMULATE
this trait by infusing all f your creative artistic work with
perfection or the potential to become perfect......Do this by
foreseeing a projected future state that is as ideal and perfect
as it can be.....Foresee the process needed to reach this perfected
state.....Now apply and integrate this ideal perfected state into
whatever it is that you are presently creating--------------
If it is a story or a movie script that you are working on, show
how all that is imperfect comes out perfect in the end......If it is a
song or a painting that you are occupied with, express, somehow, how
the chaos and imperfection of a certain aspect of life resolves itself
perfectly.........If it is a certain aspect of your life that you are
seeking to improve, co-create that aspect of your life to become
resolved and perfected ,by intending that ideal projected situation
with great clarity, and ask G-d to make it happen [if it finds favour
in His Eyes]....
3.
KNOW that the Creator, in the process of bringing His Creation to
a perfected state, is constantly transforming that which is incomplete
and imperfect to become complete and perfect
EMULATE
this trait by seeking to reveal and actualize the Divine Will and
Wisdom that is intrinsic to all aspects of reality.......Do this by
asking what does Hashem want out of any particular object or situation
that you encounter......For example, when encountering an amazing
person, or some amazing technological advance, ask yourself,
'What role does this amazing person or technology play in Hashem's
ultimate Creation purpose and plan?'----ie...in the perfection process
of the world.............When you discover a meaningful answer or
direction-----then do all that you can do to help direct or empower
this person or design towards it's ultimate Divine purpose......Do the
same thing for the personal challenges that you face in
life....i.e...seek out how you can utilize these challenges towards the
betterment of yourself and all of mankind........Do the same for any
piece of wisdom that you come across
4. G-D'S WAY
OF RELATING TO US
Here are
some examples of Divine traits to emulate depicting G-d's way of
relating to us
a. He is
righteous and loves righteousness
b. He seeks those who are pursued
c. He confers glory to the humble ones
d. He's high, yet sees the lowly
e. Wherever you find G-d's greatness, there you will find his
humbleness
f. He loves the stranger or convert
g. He's the shepherd
h. He raises up and lowers down
j. He's a G-d of justice and truth
k. He relates to us measure for measure[ mirroring us]
l. He's close to those who seek Him
m. He first brings the cure before inflicting the sickness
THE 'G-D
CHAMPIONS THE UNDERDOGS CAUSE' MEDITATIONS AND EXERCISES
1. KNOW that
G-d is the epitome of benevolence---a benevolence that is loving and
compassionate and long-suffering....From this stance, He sees below the
surface, into people's hearts, enabling them to be their
best , especially those most in need of this benevolent guidance.
EMULATE this
trait by opening up your heart to see and to relate to all people with
love compassion and benevolence.....especially direct your love and
compassion to those who are most in need of it .....Become a person
who empowers others to bring out their best, solely by virtue of
your seeing them in their absolute best light.....When relating to
others, see their welfare as being at least as important as your own,
if not more so....Do what you can do to guide them to be and do their
best.....The more that you relate to others in this way, the more that
you will find that they will reflect it all back to you.
2. KNOW that
G-d is the source of truth and justice, and therefore, constantly seeks
to redeem those who are prevented from deriving the benefits of
truth and justice, despite the fact that they deserve and seek out
these ideals.
EMULATE
these Divine traits of truth and justice, by constantly seeking
to become as just and truthful of a person as you can be....See to
it that others also benefit from truth and justice---especially those
who seem to be victims of injustice and falseness.......
First, focus
on yourself -----See to it that you are a person of your
word---what you say you will do---you do.....Also, see to it that
you never take advantage of others ....When you are in a conflict with
someone--first see if you're the one in the wrong....Give others
the benefit of the doubt....
Then,
focus on others--------Regarding the victims of lies and unfair
treatment, emulate Hashem's traits of truth and justice, by seeking out
the welfare of these unfortunate victims.......When you are capable,
step in and defend them from whatever travesty that they
are suffering through.-----Sometimes this may involve
directly going after the
one[s] who are misusing or abusing them.......
Other times, this may involve you taking a more indirect stance,
by seeking to prevent and change the root cause of the unfairness
in the community or interpersonal dynamic....
3.
KNOW that G-d is the healer of mankind and of all created
beings. Sometimes, His healing is effected merely by virtue
of His blessed presence. The healing is enjoyed by everyone at all
times, but especially is felt by those who are in great need, and
actually seek help from the Divine Healer.
EMULATE this
trait by constantly seeking to become a conduit or channel for G-d's
Divine healing.....Try to help heal others , even when they don't ask
for it, or even when they do not recognize that they are in need of it
......... Try to become a beacon of blessing and healing just by
virtue of your presence......Do this by constantly seeking to integrate
G-dliness in areas where G-dliness is not felt or found.........Be
especially sensitive to try to help heal those who are aware of their
suffering---and are desperate to find any type of healing that can
help them------This is even more pertinent if they specifically seek
out your help.....
If you find
that you personally are not a person is so capable of channeling Divine
healing, you can nevertheless emulate this Divine Healing trait by
seeking out those people who are capable of healing those in need,
while you constantly lend your support and prayer.....
May we
continue to open up the wellsprings of this great Mitzvah of Emulating
G-d's Ways, by constantly learning what His ways are and how we can
best emulate them
yitzchak
1. PRAYER PREPARATION
SPACE---[breaking the chains of narrowness]
In the last 2
weeks, we discussed ways to prepare yourself for prayer, by creating a
proper 'Space'. This Preparatory 'space' environment mainly focused on
how to separate yourself from distraction---the distraction that comes
the incessant chatter of our body and spirit in their constricted
state or consciousness-----a state where we are help captive
to our obsessiveness, addictiveness and our
pettiness. Through a series of prayers and
meditations and practices, we break
free. We liberate ourselves to be able to
function with expanded consciousness in all areas of life,
but specifically in Prayer. We are now ready to
pray! But the truth is friends, that by
tapping in to this realm or head space, we actually tap into a little
piece of infinity---of endlessness-------- and infinity perpetuates
infinity ad infinitum-------------so, what I'm trying to say, is that
we will not be leaving the endless realm of 'Head-spacing', rather, we
will now move in to the head and heart space of THE PRAYER
ITSELF------We have now grown wings in our preparations----Now it's
time to know how to fly....
2. THE PROPER
'PRAYER HEAD AND HEART SPACE'
What does this
prayer space consist of? Our Sages teach us that prayer is the 'service
of the heart'. To the extent that our head or thinking is clear [that
is to say, that when our outlook or perspective is clarified]---to that
extent, our heart---which is our emotions, feelings, aspirations,
motivation...etc...is opened up, and then we pray with all of our might
and the prayer as a result are correspondingly effective and
impactful. What are the main components of this prayer 'head-space'?
First of all, it
consists of knowing that the whole world is full of G-d's Presence, and
more than that, it involves knowing that all of the wellbeing
that we are constantly driven to attain, is exclusively dependent on
G-d's assistance.....When we know this clearly, we can reframe
seeing that the challenges of our lives, as well as well as all of
the solutions, come exclusively from THE ONE ABOVE-----to the extent
that we know this, to that extent we pray with 'Kavanah'---with higher
consciousness and intention and hyper-focus----a focus that
is expressed with our full and unswerving attention-----all
based on a knowing that that our help and our salvation in all
situations comes only from Hashem!
3. 'I AM PRAYER'
[ King David--PSALMS]
.....yeah sure,
we are in the boxing rink of life every day, coping and strategizing
and fighting it out----but at some point in the struggle, we all
realize that we need HIS help....The more that we become awakened,
praying beings---or--masters of prayer, the more we realize that we
need G-d's help in everything in all stages of the struggle---then, as
King David said---'I am Prayer', then at that point, we no longer are
praying, rather, WE ARE PRAYER--- and that's the 'Prayer
Space' that we are seeking
4. PULLING DOWN THE
CURTAIN
So we need to create
the proper atmosphere, the 'proper space', and before having
an awareness of our helplessness , and before
enlisting our unswerving attention and 'kavana' into the
prayers, we first need to be able to see the world as a place
filled with the Presence of G-d , we need to pull down
the curtain that’s blinding us from seeing that all of reality is
nothing but Hashem, even within ourselves, and our own daily
activities, only then, can we be real with our prayers and who it
is we are praying to......So, with that goal in mind, i bring you
now a listing of tools drawn from my previous [ and
present] teachings and booklets that all have one thing in
common---FUSING WITH G-D---the revealing of G-d, where He is not
normally found..................... and then perhaps we will experience
being engulfed in an atmosphere very conducive to true
prayer................I bring you just a line or 2, a short generalized
instruction from each of these tools and meditations---the long
version, for those who are interested in deeper explorations, can
be found in the original source [which I'll bring at the
beginning of each entry] ......One more note, here as in many
other recent tools lists, you won't be able to get around to trying out
most of the tools---in general, choose those that you resonate with
most, and the rest are there for future reference, but here in regard
to engulfing your consciousness with a G-dly atmosphere, I suggest that
you just start reading each entry and meditate on each one very briefly
until you feel that you are
'there'.......
G-D FUSION TOOLS
[from the
booklets]
THE PARSHA
TOOLS BOOKLET
1. chayei
sarah-----see how everything connects you with Hashem
2.
vayeitzei------see how your weekly highlights [of your life] are all
Divinely guided
3.
shmot--------release yourself from coping with that which is too
difficult for you, by screaming out to Hashem for help
4.
emor--------gather all negativity into a big wax ball of darkness
[in your mind's eye], and then melt it away with G-d's light
5. shlach
lecha-------live in an above nature fashion by co-creating with Hashem,
the solution[s] for the impossible challenge , that you are facing
6.
vaetchanan-------See the world from G-d's perspective, so to speak, by
seeing the world in its future G-d perfected state---and then,
come back to its [and your personal ] deficient state, open your
heart to hear G-d telling you how to get back to the perfect
state
7.
reeh--------------receive Divine guidance 24\7, and let this guidance
dictate to you the proper way to find Divine favour in all that
you do
8. rosh
hashonah---------partnerize your year's mission plan with G-d, in
order to maximally allow you to assist Hashem to bring the world to a
state of Tikun [perfection]
9. the yom
kippur tshuvah plan---------reallign all that is in your own life and
will that is not in line with Hashem's will, to be alligned
THE PARADISING
MY LIFE BOOKLET
10. the 'jewish
secret' co-creation tool---------co-create with Hashem's assumed
approval, your projected desired reality, and then get out of Hashem’s
way in His making it happen
11. infinitizing
my life---------expand endlessly the scope of the activities of your
life [to be in sync with Hashem's quality of infinitizing]
12. hearing your
inner Divine voice-------hear what Hashem is directing and guiding you
to do 24\7
13. a kotel
meditation------------connect to the Divine bridge point that
connects all transcendent/Divine levels to all finite levels
THE JEWISH
TRANSCENDENCE MEDITATIONS BOOKLET
14. the 'beyond'
meditations--------fuse with G-d's enabing power in order to get beyond
your present capabilities and capacities
15. Divine
illumination meditations------wherever you find darkness in life, light
it up with Divine light
16. Divine life
meditations--------------
17. letting
Hashem in meditations------------draw down Hashem into all of your
personality traits and activities
18. Shabbat
meditations------fuse with G-d, by understanding that G-d is doing it
all through you
19. puppet show
Divine guidance meditations-------view reality [including all people
and situations and internal messages] as being Divine sent puppets
guiding you to your calling in life
20. surprise and
delight me meditations---------see all life events as being ongoing
Divine gifts to you
21. Divine
unification meditations-------reframe all of your connections to Hashem
as being unifications between the Divine female paradigm [you] and the
Divine male paradigm [Hashem]
22. kabbalistic
healing meditations--------draw down Hashem's presence into all that is
blocked and unhealthy in order to heal it with a Divine flow
THE MASTERS
MEDITATIONS BOOKLET [a work in progress]
23. emulating
G-d meditations and practices--------identify G-d's ways of acting and
emulate them
24. knowing G-d
meditations--------be aware of G-d's presence both within you [His
immanence] and beyond you[His transcendence]
25. fusing with
G-d tools [this page]--------discover and draw down in as many of
your daily activities as possible, G-d's active participation
26. preparation for prayer meditations and practices-------get yourself into an expanded 'mind space', in order to maximally commune in prayer and other activities
Greetings
friends...Top of the week to you... it seems like we just
met-eh?....my, how time flies when you're having a good time
....anyway, enough of this chit chat, we've got work to do...If
you'll recall what we spoke about last week [i hope you do--at
least some of you...]----- we spoke about getting into the
proper head-space prior to beginning your prayer service...Before
we move on to a new realm in the world of Prayer
and G-d Consciousness, let's come to some type of closure
on what we began discussing, namely-- ' preparation for Prayer
Space'
1. FLOW [BLOCK
BUSTING] PREPARATION PRACTICES----[In addition to the practices
we elaborated on last week, these practices also fall in this
category]------pray to overcome obstacles, pray and declare your
nullification of all foreign thoughts and other
disturbances...
A PRAYER FOR
BUSTING THROUGH THE MIND OBSTACLES IN THE UPCOMING RAYER
SERVICE------may it be your Will that my prayer be conveyed to You with
a clear mind....a prayer that truly expresses my deepest yearning and
desires.....May it be your Will that any distracting thoughts and
feelings that are not an integral part of the prayer
service----that are not a part of the Holy sparks that I am meant
to be elevating in the prayer itself, should be null and void, as
if they don't even exist----so that I may be completely
focused and concentrated on you in my prayers...
2. TOTAL SELF
EXPRESSION PREPARATION PRACTICES-----------------[ Here's some
practices that are included in this realm ]---------proper place,
proper time, candles, special clothes and ritual clothing [Tallis and
Tefilin..etc...], pipe smoking meditations, the 'Merkava Meditation',
heart opening meditations, visualizing yourself in the Land of Israel
or in the Garden of Eden or singing and dancing
A. A
PERMANENT PLACE--------Try to find [without any negative confrontation
with people] a permanent place to pray-----The very fact that this
place is set aside for prayer on a consistent basis, will invest the
'place' with Holiness
B. AN
AUSPICIOUS TIME--------Try to pray at the most auspicious time----
Sunrise for the service in the morning and sunset for the
service for Mincha /afternoon and Maariv/Evening [before and
after sunset respectively]
C. OPENING UP
THE PSYCHE---------
C1. THE MERKAVA
MEDITATION--------This Meditation opens up our receptivity for
the Divine fusion inside of us......Focus , one at a time , on as
many personality traits or powers and then fuse with them, the
corresponding Divine Trait---for example--Start with your will [and
then fuse that with G-d’s Will], and go on to your intellect and to
your emotion and to your speech and action and to specific traits as
well, such as giving, enabling, closing....etc...
C2.OPEN YOUR
HEART----------Go through all the areas of your life where you
feel stuck or helpless. With deep emotional passion, ask
Hashem to help you out [where you cannot help
yourself].....................
3.
INTERPERSONAL CONNECTION PREPARATION PRACTICES-------------[ Here's
some practices that are included in this realm ]---------charity,
loving one's fellow person as they love themselves, forgiving one and
all, connecting with the mystical dimension called ’All of Yisrael',
connecting yourself with 'Tzadikim',
PEOPLE CONNECTIONS---------------Give a certain amount of charity or commit to give it, in order to connect yourself to those in need. Then, connect yourself to KOL YISRAEL [All of Yisrael] and realize that when we can't break through on our own, we can join our prayers with the mystical dimension called KOL YISRAEL, and we CAN break through! Next Focus on loving your brothers and sisters [in the
soul sense] as
you do yourself.....Next forgive all those who need your forgiveness in
your heart....Next connect yourself spiritually with all the righteous
people alive today and those who are not....
3.
G-D FUSION PREPARATION PRACTICES------[Here's some practices that
are included in this realm] --------Divine
G-D FUSION
PRAYER TO PRAY PROPERLY--------------Take a few deep
breaths......Every time you inhale, focus on Hashem's love for you, and
every time you exhale focus on your love for Hashem....Now begin to
pray [say a prayer to be able to pray in your own words, or here's one
if you like];
Dear G-d,
I yearn for You with all my heart at all times.....
I ask for your help to enable me to express myself properly to you in my daily prayer service........
Let it be Your will Hashem, that my prayer be acceptable before you......
Allow me to truly express my love and appreciation to you.....
Allow me to
express myself from the place of my true will....Allow me to truly
connect with and pray for what I lack and need to
rectify.......Enable me to truly intend that all that I pray for
be for Your sake---for the sake of giving you the Delight of
removing the source of my lackings in their corresponding source in the
upper Divine realms.
******before we go
onwards into the 'spiritual-space' of prayer itself as well as many
other expressions of our 'Bridges/Masters Program', I'd like to
just reiterate that accessing the proper mind space is
of benefit in all situations......Basically , it's the same as getting
in to a state of expanded consciousness....Here is a list of some of
the tools [that I have drawn from my 'booklets' ] that you can use to
get into the 'SPACE';
TOOLS AND MEDITATIONS
FOR BEING IN THE PROPER 'SPACE' OR HOW TO LIFT YOURSELF INTO EXPANDED
CONSCIOUSNESS [from my 3 booklets---'Parsha Tools' and 'Paradising
Your Life' and 'Jewish Transcendence Meditations']
from the
'Jewish Transcendence Meditations' booklet
S-----
S EPARATE-ING ONESELF [FROM OBSTACLES]
flow
meds, life-ing meds, spiritual warrior meds, first aid for the broken
hearted meds, Kabbalistic Healing
P -----P
RESCENCE-ING
p.l.u.g.
i. n. meds, lower soul meds,
A------A
LL-ING
rosh
hashanah meds, kabbalistic sexuality meds, soul awakening meds, A. of
f.a.b. meds, sefirotic alignment therapy meds
C-------C
ONNECT-ING TO PEOPLE
people-ing
meds, marriage-ing meds
E-------E
LEVATE-ING
letting
Hashem in meds, transcendence meds, beyond meds, conscious community
meds, shabbat dvaikut meds, Divine unification meds, surpise and
delight me meds, a kotel med
from 'The
Paradising My Life' booklet
S-----
S EPARATE-ING ONESELF [FROM OBSTACLES]
co-creating
P -----P
RESCENCE-ING
infinitizing
my life
A------A
LL-ING
18
features of a Tzadik, 32 Torah approaches, ratzoning
C-------C
ONNECT-ING TO PEOPLE
soul
familying, bridge person, paradise-ing relationships
E-------E
LEVATE-ING
hearing
your inner Divine voice
from the
'PARSHA TOOLS' booklet
S-----
S EPARATE-ING ONESELF [FROM OBSTACLES]
constricted
consciousness [yaakov] cope, exodus from exile, impossible cope, primal
scream, darkness bust, helpless dvaikus , light into the darkness, me
against the world ordeals, coping with deception
P -----P
RESCENCE-ING
soul
resonating, seeing our future presume, Holy eating, correct seeing,
opening our hearts, maximizing the Mitzvah, preemptive initiating, Yom
Kippur Tshuvah point, Joy[ Sukkot], channelling wealth
A------A
LL-ING
Holy
selfishness, my Torah take, inventory-ing
C-------C
ONNECT-ING TO PEOPLE
grooving
on giving, seeing negative people positively, all encompassing
communication, the everyone in me, Holy interpersonalizing,
matchmaking, parenting, enabling
E-------E
LEVATE-ING
Bar-Mitzvah-ing,
my personal Divine Coach, above nature-ing
yitzchak
this teaching is dedicated to the soul elevation of all those who are in need, and among them, my mom [a'h] Rivka Malka bat R. Yehuda Tzvi
MAXIMZING YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING YOUR PRAYERS ANSWERED
1. NO
PRAYER IS EVER LOST, BUT EACH ONE HAS A DIFFERENT IMPACT
Every word
of prayer makes an impression and isn't wasted. Sometimes much later
their effect is felt, sometimes in a very different way than was
intended. The principle is that there is nothing ever lost.
However , there are many levels of impact. Just as each person's
life outlook is different, as is reflected by the fact
that no two faces look alike---so too , no two prayers
impact are alike.
2.OUR
CONCERN IS FOR THE DIVINE SERVICE AND NOT FOR THE DIVINE
RESULTS
Though
there are ways to tell if our prayer is accepted or not, for
example--- what the Baal Shem Tov teaches, that if we feel that
the prayer is all going very smooth and we feel very happy
afterwards. Nevertheless , our concern is not to check
or worry if the Prayer is accepted, that's Hashem's Realm, rather,
our concern is to make the proper effort in Prayer...In fact, we
often find, that when we investigate too eagerly in find out
if our efforts bore fruit, we actually can subvert our
efforts. It's as if we are getting in Hashem's way--and we find for
example that our Sages teach that though it is a very good thing to
pray an unusually long time, if we try too hard to find out
whether our prayers are answered, the overall results can be very
negative.
3. USING THESE APPROACHES
The Approaches
that we will bring are in no way, a complete list. We just
want to point you in the right direction with the wisdom of
our Sages [especially the Sages of the Zohar in this
essay]. A general rule of thumb, is to pray from a place of
both Divine Trust in knowing that all prayer makes a impression,
but at the same time , pray from a place of awe---know that the Master
of the Universe and all of His massive legions of Angels, as well
as the souls of many of the greatest Saints, as well as the vast
representation of created beings in the Upper worlds may all be witness
to the words of prayer that you utter, and your prayer may be
what is bringing well-being and life force to our world as
well. So be aware of what you say and how you say it. The
different approaches that we will bring may not jive with where you are
at any particular time----Go with what you presently resonate with
now. Perhaps though, trying out all of these approaches, may help
you to awaken an approach that you otherwise wouldn't normally use....
4. A LIST
Here is a
list of many different approaches that can help maximize your
chances of getting your prayers answered..... just to give you a
general idea;
The Prayer
of;
a. a poor
person
b. a
dedicated servant
c. a
Chasid [one who gives all of them self]
d. a
shouter from the gut or the heart
e. a crier
f. one who
bonds Torah learning to prayer
g. one who
prays with a quorum [in public]
h. one who
joins their prayer to Tzadikim
i. one who
joins their prayer to All of Yisrael
j. one who
proceeds their prayer with their own personal repentance
k. one who
is broken-hearted , depressed or distressed
l. one who
is in constantly in prayer 24\7
m. one
who's motivation is only to pray for the sake of Heaven
n. one who
prays in order to relieve the pain of the Shechinah [The Divine
Presence]
o. one who
prays with the knowledge of the Kabbalistic intentions and Unifications
'MAXIMIZING
YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING YOUR PRAYERS
ANSWERED' [approaches and prayers]
1. THE PRAYER OF ONE WHO IS
DEEPLY IN NEED
Approach
Hashem in Prayer, knowing that one who prays like a poor person who
feels themselves deeply in need of Hashem's help---their prayer will
surely not be rejected......Know that when you pray with tears and with
deep heartfelt primal shouts, your prayer will reach levels that are
otherwise unreachable...... Know also, that Hashem will never let
a person down who prays in a state of depression , distress or broken
heartedness.....The same holds true for one who feels them self to be
helpless without Hashem's help, and prays from this place....One who
prays constantly 24/7 or even most of the time [whether for one thing
or many], knows Hashem's constant salvation is being mirrored
back to them.....
Here is a
possible prayer for the one deeply in need....Please feel free, in this
and all the other personally composed prayers that I am sending to
you, to add or change the words or the entire prayer to suit
your style and needs and to serve as an expression of YOUR heart;
Master of the universe
Merciful Father
I come before you as a poor destitute person comes before one who is wealthy and ready and able to help
Hashem, I don't know where else to turn
My ability to help myself is so limited
I come up
against a brick wall, against all kinds of opposition
________________________[
Father in heaven, I come before you today, brokenhearted
I cry out and shout out for your help
I hope that perhaps my cries and shouts will convey what my words can't convey
My eyes are constantly looking to You for help
My heart knows
that you will surely send me salvation in my time of need
2. THE PRAYER OF
ONE WHO IS HAPPY WITH THEIR ABUNDANT LOT
Approach Hashem
in prayer, knowing that one who is deeply appreciative and grateful for
all the abundance that Hashem constantly gives to them, from the most
significant of gifts, all the way to the least significant, is all an
expression of Divine Chesed and love.....Feel that all that you receive
from Above, is a free undeserved gift.....Know that Hashem wants
nothing more than to give to you and to everyone at all times, as much
as you/they are able to receive.....Know that the more that you
show your appreciation for all that YOU DO RECEIVE, Hashem
[so to speak] responds by saying, 'if you think that's good, just
wait to see what else I have to give to you....
Here's a
possible prayer that you may want to use, to convey this type of prayer
stance;
Master of the Universe
How can I possibly thank you for all the abundance that you bestow on me at all times
Far be it from me to feel deserving of all your constant gifts
Thank you so much Hashem, for allowing me to be alive and to be able to breathe and walk and talk
Thank you for___________ [fill in the blank of all that you are grateful for...etc...]
Dear benevolent One
Help me to truly see and appreciate all that you do for me at all times
Help me to trust with total certainty that You will continue to give me everything that I need , even before I ask for it
Show me , Hashem, how to open up my ability to receive more and more of your bounty
Open up my heart to be constantly delighted in all that you do for me and for others as well
Help me to emulate your ways to benevolently give of myself to others as well
From the depths of my heart
I thank
you
3. THE PRAYER OF
ONE CONCERNED MAINLY WITH THE WELLBEING OF OTHERS
Approach Hashem
in prayer, knowing that when you put others needs before your own , and
pray for others before you pray for yourself, you will
have your own as well as others needs and prayers positively
received....Know that when you concern yourselves with the needs of
others, you emulate Hashem's trait of concerning Himself primarily with
others......Know also, that when you seek the wellbeing and
the merit of others, you are protected from going off course,
or sinning and will be granted the Divine aid and energy needed to be
able to help others......Know that when you purify yourself,
by repenting of your wrongdoings, you have the ability to lift up the
fallen and weak prayers that you and others have prayed in the
past.....Know that when you join your prayers with those of all of
Israel and with all of the Righteous people [in this world or in
the next one], you thereby greatly increase the chances of having your
prayers answered
Here's a
possible prayer coming from this prayer stance;
Master of the Universe
You know all of a person's thoughts and desires
I come to you and ask you to purify my desires and motivations to place other people's needs before my own
Help me emulate your Holy Ways, and specifically your way of altruistic benevolent giving
Please grant me the wisdom and the energy needed to understand other people's needs, and how to properly pray for them
May the merits of all of Yisrael and all of the Righteous people alive today, as well as those of all the generations, stand with me now in my prayer
May it be your
Will, to answer favorably, the needs and the prayers of all of
your children and specifically__________________
Thank you for
opening up my lips and heart in prayer to you Hashem
4. THE
PRAYER OF ONE WHO’S SOUL CONCERN IS THE WELLBEING OF HASHEM
Approach Hashem
in prayer, knowing that just as a loving parent feels all of the pain
that their children suffer, so much so, that the child's pain is
actually their own----so too, the Divine One [the Shechina], feels all
of Her children’s pain as Her own---from the greatest misfortunes, all
the way down to the most petty deficiencies.....Know that when we
concern ourselves with the 'so called suffering' of the Shechina, and
we pray that the Divine Upper World roots of all that we lack be
rectified and completed----then we directly help to rectify all that we
lack and need in our world as well, and the 'Life Force of
all of the Worlds' [The Chai HaOlamim] grants the desired abundance and
healing, not only to us, but to all those in need....Know that to the
extent that we align our will with Hashem's will, [as well as all
the rest of our personality powers], to that extent, we become an
extension of Hashem's rectification of all of the world--in all
that we do...
Here is a
possible prayer based on this approach;
Our Father in Heaven and on Earth
Just as a human parent feels all that their children suffer, so too do you suffer our pains and deficiencies
May it be your supreme Will, that all of our pain and darkness that You suffer as a result of our backsliding ways and wrong choices and our distancing ourselves from from You and the resulting confusion---be pacified in the Upper Realms, in the roots of reality
May it be your Will, that we be privileged to do our part in the rectification processes
Help us in this awesome Holy Service by fusing Your Will with our will and with the rest of our personality traits
_____________________[ at this point, specify all the personality traits that you would like Hashem to fuse with]
Let our will
truly be an extension of Your Will, in all that we do, to help bring
the world to it's ultimate rectified and perfected
state
may our prayers be answered in the best possible way
Yitzchak
TSHUVA MEDITATIONS
becoming who
we really are meant to
become
1. A RETURN TO OUR
SELVES
Tshuvah
----the Hebrew root-word has 3 meanings;
a. 'a
return'-------- back to where we came from
b. 'a turning
towards'------a certain direction or orientation
c. ' a
response'------to a certain question or challenge
When we
combine all 3 definitions into one, we come up with something like this;
Tshuvah is the
inner drive or response to orient ourselves to return to becoming the
primordial self
that we are
called upon to become deep inside of ourselves
or in shorter
fashion;
Tshuva is our
drive to become who we are really meant to become
A RETURN
TO YOURSELF MEDITATION
Look deeply
into your Soul....Ask yourself what it is that you are truly meant
to do in this life---who is it that you are truly meant to
become......picture yourself after this life, in the post life,
and you are being congratulated by a mixed host of Heavenly and
earthly beings---they are all celebrating the fact that you were
able to become, while alive in your physical existence, the
ultimate you......they are showing you what you did and how
you did it, in a full-feature video....watch the video in your
mind's eye, and take note of as much detail as you can....you can watch
it again and again to catch in subsequent viewings, what you didn't
catch the previous times.....pay close attention---this is
the roadmap of your future-----where you will blossom into becoming the
ultimate you!
2. RECOLLECTIONS
One of the
first steps in doing Tshuvah, is to be able
to recall our past...
When we recall
our past, then we discover what Hashem has given us and derive great
joy from this...
We can also
discover what we did right, and would like to keep doing right, as well
as what we did wrong and would like to refrain from doing anymore
[or doing these things in a different way]...
We also can
discover through recalling the many events of our recent past,
what it is that Hashem is guiding us to do with our lives
----specifically, the unfolding process of becoming our ultimate
selves...
TOP
A RECOLLECTION MEDITATION
****** here are some possible
realms that you may have been engaged in ....the reason that I
chose these following realms, is because I have already composed
in an earlier time, the teachings and meditations and tools
that I can refer you to for deeper exploration and self
actualization ....
however ,
please feel free to recall the events of your last year in any way that
works best for you [for example , try out your levels of inspiration,
being influential, being receptive, rights and wrongs,
responsibility taking, living the standards of truth and
justice] ....Also, as you'll soon see, the 1st recollection
is detailed and the next ones are not---you can just apply
the guidance of the first one to the others;
HEALING
RECOLLECTIONS
Try to
recall if during the course of the year you were active in
healing ---
if so,
what type?
here's some
possibilities of types of healing [you may have others];
unblocking
flow---
in the body,
in the soul, in making a living, in interpersonalizing
transcending-----
light into
darkness, life breakthroughs, spiritual warrioring
Experience
the positive feelings you get from the gifts that Hashem
gave you in the area of healing...
How can you
increase the intensity or improve upon your
healing abilities?
Is there any
new healing ideas being born to you?
How do you
see, from the healing experiences of your past,
Hashem guiding you to become the ultimate healer that you
can be ?
SELF
ACTUALIZING RECOLLECTIONS
***do the
above steps in recalling the self actualizing you have done during the
last year;
here's
some variations of self awareness/actualizations
totally
self-expressed---
a. total
self awakeness
b. total
self expression
c.
psychically aligned [S.A.T.]
d. happy
e. express
my own unique way in the world
f. my
Jewishness
g. above
Nature Living
h. living
the life I love [with Ratzon]
i
clarity of where I'm at [cheshbon-ing]
SPIRITUAL
SELF RECOLLECTIONS
soul
expression, soul answers, expansion/infinitized, co-creation ,
Tzaddik-ing, Daas-ing, bridging, Baal Tshuva-ing,
Chasidic
mastery
G-D
CONNECTION RECOLLECTIONS
letting
Hashem in, fusing with Hashem, puppet show-ing, Mitzva-izing reality,
unificationizing, Divine emulations, knowing Hashem, Praying Space level
WISDOM
RECOLLECTIONS
connect to
truth,
correct
seeing
my take on
Torah
life
wisdoming
INTERPERSONAL
RECOLLECTIONS
marriage,
parenting, kindred soul-ing, people in general, charity/giving
*****sorry
about the font changes---this time i sort of got caught up***
3. RIGHT AND WRONG
*****Unlike the
outlook of many people and communities that exist today, the
Torah teaches in the most thorough and intricate fashion, that there is
a right and wrong in everything that we do
*****Part of the
realm of rightness and wrongness, is the subjective side----what is
right and wrong for ME or for YOU---or what is right or wrong for
becoming the best you that you can become......but there is a
whole framework for what is objectively right and wrong
*****We live in a
time where many people are not exposed to, or are not quite ready to be
exposed to or commit to the massive body of wisdom containing the
rights and wrongs of traditional , observant , Halachic
Judaism.......nevertheless, the Tshuva dynamic demands of us to at
least strive to become better, higher, purer and Holier than what we
are presently [ all within the context of the Torah's version of right
and wrong]
What is one who
is only partially on board with all of this, to do?
For one, they can
check their readiness to to accept upon themselves new Halachahs and
/or Mitzvahs, as well as strengthening those areas that they are
already holding by....the challenge is to 'do Tshuvah' [an inner
commitment to be real] from a vantage point of where you are
at now and where you eventually want to be....
A RIGHT
AND WRONG MEDITATION
Try to
recall, both in a general way, as well as in a detailed way, how well
you have clung to doing what is right in life......
If possible,
make a list of the areas where you came up short.....One way to help
you remember, is to refer to a Yom Kippur or weekday Prayer Book-- to
the list of confessed sins inside....See how you measure up....part of
this recollection process, is to search out where you have not
been right or ok towards yourself, in regards to becoming the
best ''you'' that you could've become......Search out also, those areas
of Judaism that you have already accepted upon yourself, and how well
you have done in these areas throughout the year---like prayer or
charity or belief in Hashem.....Seek out new areas of the Torah's
rights and wrongs, that you feel that you are ready now to commit
to......
Take note of
all that you have collected above, and with a full and contrite heart,
commit to right the wrongs---and commit to strengthen the 'rights' that
you already are holding by....
TSHUVA MEDITATIONS [part 2]
......This class is dedicated to
help facilitate the Soul Ascent of all those in need, and amongst
them, my mom, Rivka Malka bat Yehuda Tzvi [a'h]
.......Also,
as is customary throughout this month of Elul, I would like to wish
everyone a Ktiva VChatima Tova [a positive Divine signing and sealing
for our upcoming year]....also , for anyone in need of a place to pray
on the Hi-Holidays, with no strings attached [ie....no need to purchase
an annual seat...etc..], I would like to refer you of a new
website that will take care of your needs wherever in the states you
may happen to be [I'm not sure about Israel---check it out]...it's
called www.highholidayservice.com
THE TRANSFORMATIONAL
POWER
OF TZEDAKA\CHARITY
***dedicated to
the soul ascent of Rivka Malka bat Yehuda Tzvi and all else in
need of soul ascent
1. ELUL;
DAYS OF POTENTIAL TRANSFORMATION
We presently find ourselves in a time zone that is charged
with incredible energy. We are just entering the
Hebrew month called 'Elul'. Elul is the last month of the calendar
year--the month that is meant to be a preparation for Rosh
Hashanah--the new year and new re-creation of our world and our
lives..... The energy is one of awe and potential----
an awe of
realizing our mortality and our responsibility for having
succeeded and/or failed at what we have attempted to do all year.......
a potential for=2
0transforming ourselves into becoming the best possible individuals
that we can become......
The Kabbalists
teach that every day of this month of Elul parallels the various
evolving stages of the creation of the Cosmos......Creation and
potential self creation and self transformation are in the air nowadays
inviting us to participate in the process.....One of the most powerful
means of self-transformation as well as being a means of wiping
the slate clean of all past negativity , is to engage in
Tzedaka/Charity in all of it's various forms....
2. TZEDAKA--SOME
BASIC GUIDELINES IN SELFLESS GIVING
Charity is expressed in many ways.....It is the giving
of financial support to those in need....It is the giving of
spiritual, emotional, intellectual and any other type as support
as well.....
The local
telephone book of my hometown as well as most other
observant communities all have a special charity section in the
back [known as the ''Gmilut Chassadim section' or 'Gemach' for short
which simply means in English the giving of Chesed] that is filled to
the brim with a huge variety of ways of giving charity---anything from
interest free loans to loaning clothes and furniture....or
anything from people giving money to=2
0people giving of their talents and services.....
Our Sages tell us
that one of the tell-tale signs of someone's inner Jewishness is
their propensity towards being a compassionate charity giver....I need
not elaborate on this phenomenon, since it is one that is well known to
one and all....
I'm not coming
here to present a Halachic discourse delineating the exact parameters
of the observance of the Mitzvah of Tzedaka---far from it---our goal is
to try to become inspired and transformed by Tzedaka.....Nevertheless,
the more that we are aware of the Halachic guidelines the more we
can be inspired and transformed by the power of charity
giving-------For example, we are taught that there exist various levels
of Charity giving----there exists a hierarchy that is all based on
selflessness---the more that one gives in a selfless and altruistic
way, in a modest and secretive fashion, with a full heart, with maximum
consideration of the needs of the recipient---------- the greater
is the spiritual level and impact of the charity given....So, how do we
break through to selflessness in our charity giving?
3.
TZEDAKA----TRANSCENDING THE PAIN OF GIVING
The former
Slonim Rebbe [zatza'l] teaches that the key to overcoming the
natural tendency towards stinginess in giving------to overcoming our
inner voice that protests and says to u s, "I earned what I own....Why
should I give it someone who doesn't?!".....
The proper
reply or recipe or strategy that is called for, is found in a
teaching of the Sages [Pirkei Avot 3\8] ''Give HIM
[..ie..attribute to Hashem] that which is HIS, for you [humans] and
what is yours [our possessions ] are HIS.''
The point of this
teaching is that our possessions are not really ours....Yes, we are
considered to be the rightful owners, and anyone stealing what is ours
in any fashion, is guilty of theft....and yes, we do have the right to
allocate our own money or possessions in any way we choose.....and yes,
we did usually exert some type of effort to earn that which we
possess-----but with all that said, bottom line----it all belongs to
Hashem, and Hashem placed us in the role of temporary proprietors or
caretakers of our possessions, in order to do with them, hopefully,
what finds favour in Hashems' eyes......The more that we
internalize this idea, the=2 0more that we will be able to give
charity to others in a way that will not only be painless for us, but
beyond that, will be transformational....
4.
TZEDAKA---THE GATE TO SELF TRANSFORMATION
What I want to
present to you now, is a partial list that I have gathered from our
Sages---from the ancient Sages, all the way to the contemporary
ones....The list comprises elements of self transformation that one can
achieve by giving charity and becoming masters of charity
consciousness;
CHARITY GIVING;
a.
opens up a propensity to be a full time GIVER and overcome our more
base and selfish nature....included in this, is the principle of
spiritual propagation---i.e...charity giving propagates more and more
charity giving, as well as the resources to keep on giving...
b. enables
us to spiritually ELEVATE OUR PERSPECTIVE OF
MONEY and20possessions---as being potential means for giving to
others
c. A
0 opens up the possibility of us becoming the
source of MERIT FOR THE MASSES, when we financially [or otherwise]
enable and enpower certain key people to teach and influence many
others
d. opens
up from us from Above, measure for measure, a Divine aura of CHESED AND
ABUNDANCE, that shines upon us at all times, and to a certain extent,
shines upon the entire world
e.
opens up for us the ability needed to draw down to ourselves ENHANCED
FINANCIAL INCOME [our Sages teach that setting aside for charity
purposes, a tenth of our income, is the only permissible way to
'test' Hashem to verify that we will indeed get rich , as a
reward]
f.
NULLIFIES NEGATIVE DECREES [as our Hi-Holiday prayers
state--''Tshuvah [penitence] and Tefilla [prayer] and Tzedaka
[charity], avert the evil decree'']......included in this , is one's
being literally saved from the clutches of death and sickness, as well
as lengthening the number of days of our lives
g.
opens up the power of SELF RENEWAL ....ie...just like the charity
renewed the life force of the recipient, so too , does it renew our own
life force.....included in this, is the ability to renew our children's
life force as well as their wisdom
h.
removes from us OBSTACLES and spiritual accusers who disturb our
prayers and our Divine Service
i. when
given to SUPPORT TORAH AND TORAH SCHOLARS, goes beyond all
other types of charity.....Rather than our becoming givers of a gift,
we become partners with those who teach and learn Torah----enabling us
to share in partaking of all of the spiritual benefits that the Torah
provides, in this Wotrld as well as the=2 0next one-----a few examples
of these benefits are overcoming one's contrary nature, bringing out
one's Holy nature, drawing down spiritual, physical and financial
abundance and being able in time to come, to understand the very Torah
that we are enabling the Scholar to learn
TOP
TRANSFORMATIONAL
TZEDAKA MEDITATIONS
1. SELFLES
GIVING
See yourself
giving charity with pure and selfless motives in the following ways;
Give to those
in need of your money and time and wisdom and guidance......
Give with an
awareness that what you give really belongs to Hashem, and that you are
simply the caretaker, charged with distributing it all properly to
those most in need....
Give in a way
that truly takes into account all the needs of the receiver, including
their emotional needs , which require you to give with a smile on your
face and love in your heart...
Give in a way
that transforms you into becoming a full-time giver-----a giver who
waits expectantly for any and all opportunities to give----and to give
in bigger and better ways
2. PURIFYING
THE ATMOSPHERE
See your self
giving charity in a fashion that purifies the atmosphere
within you and without you, in the following ways;
Give in a way
that draws down Divine abundance and love all around you....
Give in a way
that is so sweet and pure that it has the impact of sweetening and even
nullifying any harsh judgments including sickness and even death [G-d
Forbid]......
Give in a way
that purifies the way that you view others [and yourself]---a way
that's full of love and compassion....
Give prior to
an important activity, in order to clear the air---such as before
prayer and other types of Divine service and devotions, as well as any
other important events of your life
3.
REPRODUCTIVE IMPACT
See yourself
giving charity in a fashion that sets into motion an endless
reproductive impact in the following ways;
Give in a way
that reframes all resources that you possess as being means of helping
others...
Give in order
to enable the recipient to in turn enable and merit the masses and
multitudes of people to do Chesed and Mitzvot and other forms of
positive contributions to the world....
Give in a way
that the impact of your giving will naturally draw down increased
income for yourself [monetarily or otherwise] , so that you can
continue to give more and more....
Give in a way
that increases your own life force and feeling of being
alive, as well as that of your children and other family members
and friends, as well as literally increasing the number of days of your
life....
Give to those
who will give to others, who will give to others--- ad
infinitum.....
Give to those
who are engaged in Torah learning and teaching----Experience the
impact of this special type of Torah learning that your charity
has enabled ---not only to individuals , but to the entire world, as
well as to your yourself, now and forever-more
| UNLEASHING YOUR INNER TZADIK/TZADEKET | |
| ****I would
like to dedicate the merit of this lesson to the memory of my
mom,
Rivka Malka bat Chana z”l |
|
THE
TZADIK TRADITION
******There
is and has always been, a mystique or a
phenomenon called Tzadik/
We
have, similarly, a historical tradition of trying to bond
ourselves with the Tzadik/Tzadeket somehow--in receiving their
Blessings and guidance and their prayers on our
behalf ....
BECOMING
ONE YOURSELF
*********A
less traveled path in our tradition is the path of becoming such a
person---learning and emulating the ways of the
Tzadik/Tzadeket....I suppose, like a lot of other areas of mastery in
Jewish wisdom and consciousness-- most of the true masters--are the
ones who were either born into it , or worked a lifetime to
achieve it--oftentimes shunning the respect and recognition that
comes with it ....
Allow
me to suggest to everyone reading these lines, that our Holy Torah
itself encourages us to think otherwise, as it says in the end of the
Torah, ''...Because this thing [the mastery of Torah and Jewish
consciousness and service] is very close in your mouths and hearts to
carry it out...'' ---and our Sages pose the age old challenge
to all of us, ''When will my actions be like the
actions of our Patriarchs [and matriarchs]?!"
We
have an inner Tzadik/Tzadeket that we can manifest, if we only would
believe in ourselves enough and believe that Hashem can help us to
become anything we want---especially when what we seek is
not fame or fortune or power, but rather to help Hashem transform this
world into a world that lives and breathes Daat---a universal
Knowing of Hashem in a rectified world filled to the brim
with G-dliness and filled with Tzadikim and Tzadkaniot that
help make this G-dly filled world vision turn into a reality...
These
meditations are meant to be an inspiration to you to show you that
you already are well on your way to being there------ just
let yourself shine....... and these meditations are not, G-d
forbid, meant to be a source of frustration in seeing how far you
have to go to get there...Therefore I ask you, to see the Tzadik-traits
that I will present, which are real traits brought by the masters of
Chasidut and of the Zohar [though admittedly, a very
partial collection] as traits that you have already inside of
you---sometimes less, sometimes more---but always available to you in
greater and greater portions , if you only let yourself grow into
them and let Hashem help you in that process as much as
possible
Unleashing
your inner Tzadik\Tzadeket meditations...
******
Though the following meditations are self-explanatory and stand on
their own, I offer here [in the paragraph below] some direction,
for those who really want to make the extra effort to become the
most complete Tzadik/Tzadeket that you can, here are some extra
steps that you can take;
In the
following meditations, gauge where you are holding in all of these
meditations.....Take great pleasure in your natural
Tzadik\Tzadeket [Righteousness] strengths and powers even if
it's it only 10% of what it could be....Take note of what you are
lacking to becoming an even better one, and then yearn for and pray for
and co-create [Declare a Divine Caused New Reality] a new and greatly
improved manifestation of your inner Tzadik/Tzadeket.....Seek out
from within yourself and also from others, encouragement, advice,
tools...etc...in bridging the gap between what kind of Tzadik/Tzadeket
that you are now and what you ultimately will become!!
1. IN
RELATIONSHIP WITH HASHEM
A. MY RATZON
IN SYNC WITH HASHEM'S RATZON
DISCOVER an
area of life where your inner will or Ratzon is in synchronization with
Hashem's Will......You may discover this upon hearing about
a particular way that Hashem acts--whether in managing the world
or in connecting with an individual-----and you find that you do the
same.....
OPEN up more
and more areas, past, present and future, where your Ratzon [inner will
or functioning] is in line with Hashem's.....One possible way to do
this, is to practice the Mitzvah of emulating Hashem's ways--the more
the better...
B. TIKUN
OLAM
DISCOVER in
your past, one time where you were very actively focused upon seeking
the rectification or protection or healing of mankind and the
world....Perhaps this was triggered when you heard of impending danger
or war, and you did what you could to fend off it's destructive
force.....or perhaps you concentrated your efforts on helping to
empower as many people as you could to become the best that they
could become...
OPEN up more
and more opportunities for yourself to be involved in the wellbeing of
the world....Strive to reach a level, where you see yourself as an
extension of G-d's drive of constantly bringing the world to its
perfection...
C. DIVINE
MIRRORING
DISCOVER a
time when you realized that the way that you acted, was the way that
Divine Providence acted accordingly with you, and then based on this,
you tapped into a particular mode of positive behaviour, that thereby
drew down to yourself a Divine mirror effect.....Perhaps you smiled at
everyone and everyone and everything in your world, smiled back at
you...Perhaps you were particularly kind with one and all ---drawing
down to yourself an atmosphere of overflowing kindness...
OPEN up more
and more ways of drawing down positive and beneficial and blessed
mirroring effects, until you come to be aware that the world is a
splendid place of Divine reflection at all times...
2. IN
RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS
A. BEING
INVOLVED WITH OTHERS
DISCOVER a
side of yourself, or a period of time in your life, where you made
yourself very involved with people in the most positive possible
way ....Perhaps you really identified with someone's pain or truly
celebrated with someone their joy and happiness...Perhaps you
simply joined your fate with others in some common purpose...
OPEN up more
and more examples from your past, as well as projected
opportunities that you see coming your way, where not only do
you involve yourself with others, but you also authentically
feel their pain and joy in a depth that you've never felt before....See
yourself as shifting from being an 'I' person, to becoming a 'We'
person...
B.
BENEVOLENCE
DISCOVER a
time in your life, when you truly sought out, in a benevolent way, the
wellbeing of someone else or of many people....Perhaps this occurred
when you were asked to protect someone...Perhaps you understood that
someone special in your life, needed a strong dose of love...Perhaps
someone gave you a healthy dose of love and Chesed and you did your
best to 'cycle onwards to them and to others' [This is one
version of the meaning of the verse, 'Ohr Zaruah LaTzadik' ----'Light
is sown for the Righteous one'----who then passes it on to
others]...
OPEN up in
yourself more and more opportunities to be benevolent to others ....to
emulate Hashem's trait of benevolence at all times with everyone
....to be a source of true blessing and joy to anyone who encounters
you....
C.
CONNECTING OTHERS TO HASHEM AND TO THEIR SOUL ROOTS
DISCOVER a
side of yourself, or at least an occasion in your life , when you were
genuinely concerned with connecting others to Hashem and to their
roots....Perhaps you pointed out to them, how they are holy and wise
just as they are....Perhaps you focused in on some specific strong
trait that they have , and empowered them, by showing how they
shine in this area...Perhaps you showed them how to bond with Hashem in
ways that they have never done before, such as being aware of Hashem's
love for them, or how he is guiding their lives 24/7....Perhaps you
showed them an insight in Torah or in Mitzvah observance , that they
weren't previously aware of....
OPEN up more
and more all of these and other similar areas until you become a true
messenger for G-dliness and soul-connection...
3. IN
YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO YOURSELF
A. SELF
PERFECTION
DISCOVER a
time in your life when you were highly motivated to seek out your
personal growth and perfection in any and every way that you
could....perhaps you sought how to become more humble, more caring,
more self expressive...etc...
OPEN
up your awareness to more and more incidents of seeking to grow
and perfect yourself in any way that you could in your past....Seek out
to cause to flourish these reserves of growth and
self-perfection, as well as opportunities to tap into
them...
B. EQUINIMITY
DISCOVER
a time in your life where you felt that you were so detached from
seeking people's approval, that it made no difference to you if people
praised you, or put you down
OPEN up your
memory to recall more and more examples of this equanimity and
detachment from finding favour in people's eyes....Seek out more and
more opportunities to become free of needing the approval of
others...
C. DIVINIZING
DISCOVER a
time in your life when you felt like it wasn't really YOU that was
thinking, feeling, speaking or acting, rather it was Hashem doing it
through you....If you have a hard time identifying such an experience,
than try to experience it now--- simply allow Hashem's Presence to fill
you up so much, that he is thinking through you and speaking and acting
through you as well...
OPEN up
yourself to experience more and more, a bonding or fusion with
G-d working through you....an especially ripe time for dong this is
during prayer and during Shabbat...Experiment with it in other
situations...Allow Hashem to be the one to guide you in thought,
feeling and deed as often as possible...
D.
TRANSFORMING SUFFERING INTO GROWTH
DISCOVER
a life situation where you were burdened with some type of
suffering, and you somehow managed to find inside of yourself as a
result of your suffering, a redeeming trait or an inner lesson or a
hidden strength that you were not previously aware of ....
OPEN up this
inner transformation process to the point where [though you
don't want seek out suffering] you see any suffering that
has come upon you, as being an opportunity for some type of
inner lesson, message and transformation...
E. COMING
CLEAN
DISCOVER a
time in your life, where you were painfully aware that you were doing
something wrong, and you decided to correct yourself....Experience how
liberated you felt during and after the experience....
OPEN up both
in your past and in your projected future, more and more self
correction and self transformation opportunities, until you truly
become a Baal Tshuva--a master of return...
WHAT ARE WE MISSING WITHOUT THE BEIT HAMIKDASH
[meditations
and prayers
1. The essence and power of grieving over the
loss of the
Holy Temple
We are less than a week away from Tisha B'av---the day of the destruction of both Temples
[and a number of other catastrophic events]....The question that keeps coming up every year is,
'How can we mourn over something that we never have known or experienced?' ......
The intensity of grief that we experience or anything over anyone that we have lost, is directly proportional
to the degree that we knew, felt, loved and were connected to that person . Therefore the challenge in the grieving process
over the
loss of our Holy Temples, is to explore what it was that we had,
and that we lack, now that they are gone.
We need to understand that the grieving that we do, serves a crucial purpose. As opposed to just grieving
over the loss in order to heal ourselves and to give proper respect to that which is lost to us----as is normally the case
in grieving, here our purpose in grieving is to BRING BACK TO LIFE THE OBJECT OF OUR GRIEF!
With this approach, we can understand and fulfill what our Sages say, ''Those who mourn for the destruction
[of Jerusalem...], merit to see her [Jerusalem's] happiness"........The true mourning process is itself
right now,
the catalyst, for the ultimate joy of it's being rebuilt.
2. Our
Approach
Our presentation is based on a number of sources. Most of these sources, i was able to access online in English.
Therefore , with minimal effort---just a few clicks of our good friend, the mouse, I am sending you these essays,
after I bring you the meditations/prayers that drew upon these essays [in addition to a few other sources]. For those of you who want to
get a deeper experience of this topic, i invite you to check out these essays and others like them
[particularly a series of small articles connected to the topic,
entitled ''Jerusalem, the Eye of the Universe'' by R. Arye Kaplan [zt'l]... together with a book written by David Rossoff entitled ''Where Heaven and Earth Meet'']
If you find something good, please share it, and I'll try to do the same, and who knows, maybe in the merit of our sharing,
we won't
need to mourn on Tisha B'av this year at all, because the Mashiach
will already be here B'H!
YEARNING
FOR THE BEIT HAMIKDASH [meditations and prayers]
1. The Return
Home
Know that one
of the main purposes that the Creator created the universe for, was so
that He should have a 'Dira B'Tachtonim'--literally a dwelling place in
this lower World----which includes a dwelling place inside of each one
of us, as well as a physical home on earth ''...in the place of His
choosing...''---namely Jerusalem.......
Know that
this same city of Jerusalem, even when it is not in a state of it's
full expression, as it will be when the Holy Temple will be
rebuilt and functioning, nevertheless , even now , it is the city that
Hashem's presence is felt , more than any other city on
earth.......
As a direct
result of this indwelling, Jerusalem is, was and always will be the
central focus of our people [and of the entire world].....Know that we
pray for Jerusalem's wellbeing in all of our fixed prayers and in our
blessing after meals....We place our yearning for Jerusalem above our
highest joys---in impassioned declarations at the pinnacle of our
wedding ceremonies, as well as on the walls of our homes [in the form
of a corner of one of the walls being left
unpainted].........
We are in
love with Jerusalem.........We face it's direction when we pray.....We
yearn to be at the Kotel/Western Wall---the Holy remnant of
the outer wall of the Temple complex....Many of us make our
political choices on the basis of the candidate's level of
consideration for the welfare of Jerusalem.......So Jerusalem is not
only the 'so-called Home for Hashem,--but for us as
well.....................
Know that
when Jerusalem is fully actualized, through having the Holy temple
built up and functioning in its midst, at a time when our people
have come back home and at a time when our Righteous Mashiach
is alive and well and fully functioning----at that time, our
people's historical marriage with Hashem will be completely consummated
and realized-----whereas in any and every historical
setting where we lack this reality, we find ourselves steeped in
Exile---and to the extent of our being in exile, to that extent, we are
separated from our groom, our husband---our G-d----along with all of
the pain and heartache that a wife and husband feel upon
being apart.......
Know that our
national return to our married partner, to our Holy Home of Jerusalem,
with its Temple intact----is actually a return to ourselves----to our
fully expressed status of being ''A Nation of Priests'', ''A
Light unto the Nations'', a nation of scholars and Prophets---a nation
that returns to being it's fully glorious self
A prayer
for our return home;
Our Merciful father
We grieve for all that we have lost
We grieve, but with a grieving
that is full of trust and hope---
a trust that our grieving will be
transformed into pure joy---
a joy that comes when our prayers our answered and
our dreams
are fulfilled
But most important, Hashem
We yearn for your Presence
here on earth
in the Place that
You have chosen to Dwell
from time
immemorial
Bring us all home Dear Lord,
Bring us all back home to Jerusalem
to the place that we have
never stopped loving and longing for
in every prayer
in every major event
of our lives
Return us to the Jerusalem
that shines in her full glory
to the Jerusalem of today
that is being transformed
into the ultimate Jerusalem
of tomorrow
with her Prophets
and her Scholars
and her Priests
and her Mashiach
and her Holy Temple
all shining forth
with the brightest
of Divine Light
a light that lights up
all the darknesses
of the entire
world
Bring us home
our G-d and G-d of our fathers
Bring us back
to the home of our youth
bring us to a home where we know
that all that really counts is
to be with You
in all ways
always
Bring us Home
to ourselves
to our fully expressed
fully blossomed
glorious selves
Open up the wellsprings of
Jerusalem
inside of our
hearts and souls
for all this
and more than we
can express
we ask you, Dear G-d
to bring us
home!!
2. The
Unifying Principle
Know that
Jerusalem , even in it's present not-yet-fully-realized-state [all the
more so , in it's realized state with the Holy Temple] is the ultimate
unifier....It's very name indicates this--'Yerushalayim' which
comprises the 2 words , 'Yire Shalem ' meaning complete
seeing, or the ability to hold in one's perspective anything and it's
opposite, and everything inbetween, at the same time......The more
classic etymology of the name is the City of Peace---a city
representing the ideal of peace, at the same time that historically, it
is one of the bloodiest, most war ravaged spots on the
globe----a classic illustration of Jerusalem's harmony of
opposites....Similarly, it brings together many peoples of
the globe as well as many outlooks of life....Most important, it is the
unifier of spirituality, infinity, eternity and Divinity---of all of
these, together with their opposites---physicality, finiteness,
temporality as well as the mundane....................
As is known
Kabbalistically, that which unifies disparate elements, is
that which signifies beauty----thus our Sages state that out of the
10 measures of beauty that have been given to the world, 9 of them
were given to Jerusalem........
Know that
Jerusalem's [and especially the Holy Temple's] power to harmonize and
unite ----qualifies Jerusalem to serve as the focal point of
global rectification and perfection----The Holy Temple generates
and reverberates physical and spiritual sustenance to the entire
world, and alternatively, the physical and the spiritual realms are
reflected in the corresponding state or level of the Holy
Temple.....Thus, the 1st Temple--the Temple built by King Solomon,
radiated one of the highest spiritual auras in history---with
incredible levels of Prophecy and open miracles--which reflected the
state or level of the Jews and the entire world at that
time.....The level dropped a number of notches in the 2nd temple, and
will reach its highest peak in the3rd Temple, never to fall
again......
Know that
this great concentration of harmony, will qualify Jerusalem to serve as
the Universal focus of all of mankind ---as is explicitly elaborated
upon in all of the writings of the Prophets.......This Universal
harmony, will bring along with it, world peace, world joy and world
spiritual elevation----where one and all will seek Hashem, to know
His ways with all of their might.......
And
ultimately this world consciousness will usher in a new and very
different era or world order, where no longer will people be
driven to perfect themselves and all which is deficient, but
rather , they will be driven to seek out Divine
Unification..ie...the ability to see with ever-increasing clarity
---that there is nothing else in reality, but Hashem!!
a prayer for
accessing the unification consciousness
of Jerusalem
Master of the Universe
We come before You
with a broken heart
and a scattered sense of self
Please heal us
Please reunify us
Please return us
to our city
of complete -seeing
Yerushalayim,
so that we can be
whole again,
so that
we can harmonize together
all that is disconnected so that
we can attach ourselves and all that is
temporal in our lives,
all that is mediocre and stuck
and petty
in our lives
to
all that is infinite all that is supernatural all that is eternal
and all that is Divine
Return us to all this
through the unifying power of Jerusalem---
the upper , heavenly Jerusalem
together with the lower
earthly
Jerusalem
Reveal to us
the total beauty that Jerusalem contains
the essence of beauty
The beauty of
The song of the Levites
Then song that melted and transformed
the hearts of all who heard it
The beauty of the Divine Service and
the wisdom and the Prophecy
that could be tangibly felt and
tasted
nowhere else like in Jerusalem
Dear Creator of the Universe and
of all mankind,
Return to us the ability to live the daily
miracles of Jerusalem
and the tangible revelation of
Your Holy Presence
Usher us into the time that
all of Your Prophets spoke about
where all people will
look to Jerusalem for their
physical and
spiritual wellbeing
for it's supernal light to banish all of their
various forms of darkness
for it's healing to heal their bodies and souls
for it's concentration of Divine Presence
to serve as the focal point
of everyone's motivation and occupation
---an occupation that will no longer
be concerned with
so much with survival and money,
but rather with
knowing You
and knowing that there is
nothing else
besides You
May it be your will
that the words of our mouths
and the meditations of our hearts
find favor in Your eyes
our G-d
our Rock
and our
redeemer
Amen
R. Tzadok
HaCohen
What is unique about
a Jew
1. We are Lishma---we do what we do [deep down or when we focus on it]
not for ourselves, but for Hashem
2. we are ABOVE -NATURE beings [when we want to be]
3. We are the heart and soul of the world
4. our essential stance/raison de troi is that of knowing that we
need to invest zero effort to get things done--Hashem
does it all for us
5. similarly we are totally dependent on Hashem [and not ourselves or
anyone else ] to get things done
6. we are not subjected to natural cause -effect dynamics
7. we are not limited by 'olam haze' --this worlds considerations
8. the following traits are not really who we are in essence;
a. sinners
b. bad character traits
c. lustful
d. subject to astrological forces
9. the following trait ARE essentially who we are;
a. the carriers of a longtime genetic and spiritual legacy
b. Holy
c. G-dly motivated
d. fearers of Heaven
e. the macrocosmic activators of the Tikun of the world
f. primarily internally oriented [ and not shallow/external...]
g. the bearers of both side of paradox
h. naturally motivated to do Hashem's Mitzvot
Life Changing Lessons
from
'TO HEAL THE SOUL
by
R.K.K. [Rav Kalonymous Kalman Shapira ztz'l]
The 'Warsaw
Ghetto Rebbe', also known as the 'Holy Fire', as well as the
'Piasczenza Rebbe' , perished in the hell of the Holocaust, and his
holy
soul returned to it's maker on the 4th of Cheshvan 5704, [November
2, 1943]......which comes out this year on this coming Motzei Shabbat
[Saturday night] and Sunday....
The Rebbe,
in addition to being one of the premier Tzadikim, Chassidic
leaders, visionaries and pedagogues of his generation, was also an
incredibly original and creative human being---one who's
message and perspective offers our generation--whether
religious or non-religious-- a dazzling, splendid
guiding life light. In fact, the Rebbe, in his day, was very
aware of his potential influence on our present
generation...and saw to it that a few of his latest works should
be spread far and wide in the next [our present]
generation---and so he buried them under the soil of the Warsaw ghetto
with a note requesting that whoever found them [after the
holocaust] , should spread them to the masses...
I , who
feel a very strong affinity for this wondrous Rebbe, have found that
the work that he wrote that best expresses his creative originality and
pertinence for the masses of our generation is a book called in Hebrew,
'Tzav Vziruz' and later translated by R. Yehoshua Starrett and called
'To Heal The Soul'. It is, as he himself states , a work that
is meant to be a journal of his inner life--very readable and
very profound ....Years ago, I went through this work with a
learning partner and summarized the 50 or so mini-chapters and their
pieces of advice or techniques and right alongside them, I added
some of my own ........In any case, in order to bring some of
these teachings to life, I chose 13 or so, of my favorites to
share with you, together with some of my own related personal
'discoveries' [patience, friends if we only get around to part of
them this week]....
THE
13;
1. Bequeathing
a spiritual Journal
2. Who
do you want to be?
3.
Individuality
4.
Musical Spirituality
5. Self
Awareness
6.
Reaching the student's core
7. Self
measurement tools
8.
Baggage\Worry release
9. Personalized
tools
10.
Fellow Spiritual Seekers bonding
11.
Above one's level
12. The
importance of self knowledge
13.
Ratzon
1. BEQUEATHING
A SPIRITUAL JOURNAL TO POSTERITY
RKK
[the Rebbe]
RKK observed
that an ideal scenario would be where we could live a second lifetime
[another 80 years or so---not a reincarnation but rather a fully
conscious extra 80-90 years]....That way, we could engage the world the
second time around, with all of the wisdom that we gained from the
first time....but alas, we can't, so the second best thing to do, is to
create an internal spiritual journal with your own
personal struggles and lessons and setbacks and
successes.....Besides being able to benefit from it yourself as you go,
you'll also be able to bequeathed it to your students and family
members and friends...etc..., in order to thereby gain eternal
life for yourself --since all these people will be occupied with
your personal lessons long after you've passed on from this world....
My
associated thoughts [the weekly email]
I
believe that perhaps the most deeply satisfying activity that I have
ever been privileged to engage in, was/is to write a weekly email
column to an ever growing community of people for the last couple of
years....These eventually branched out into becoming booklets and
classes and seminar---s and serves as a data base to provide
source material and life-tools for 1 on 1 coaching tips and for
basic guidance in Judaism--- and all of this conglomerate evolves
into being a unique community of like-minded spiritual
seekers.......RKK's drive to bequeath his life lessons to others as
well as to himself is my underlying motivation as well----How about
you? Can you think of a similar way to bequeath your inner
lessons to others?
2. WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE?
RKK
The Rebbe urges
or warns that if we want to spiritually grow beyond our Bar [or
Bat]Mitzvah level of spirituality in life, then we need to project our
ultimate future self....This should include on a yearly basis,
envisioning the actualized you of a year later, your character,
attainments, daily living reality, inner essence...etc..etc...Use
this projection all year long, as a gauge for progress [ie...20% of the
year should elicit 20% progress towards the new you]...
My associated
additions
'Presume'-----The
word is a combination of 'pre' [prior]and 'resume' ....In other words
it is a future projection of what you want to become or
accomplish....The working concept is to write out a ''graduation
speech'', where you jump into your projected future and speak in the
present tense , as if you're already in it,---you proudly state
the WHAT---what you have become or done, and the HOW---how you did
it.....Now you have a roadmap set out for your future projected self
---Now toss it all up to Hashem to help you accomplish it
all....Do more than one presume--the more you do, the more you grow and
grow closer to Hashem in a wonderful co-creative relationship...
3.
INDIVIDUALISM
RKK
The Rebbe, very
uncharacteristic of Chassidic Rebbes, and chassidim in general [who
stress very strongly , the principle of being part of the community and
of selfless conformity] , teaches how important individualism is---he
teaches;
a. the
preliminary for all soul healing solutions is to take responsibility
for yourself to find your own personalized solution
b. outside
sources and directives, even from superiors , are insufficient, and can
only be a guideline...''you must devise original plans for
yourself''
c. don't stray
from the advice of our holy Sages of all generations, but within
it, you must carve your own way , personalizing their advice as it
applies to your own life
d. public
opinion is like a torrent river sweeping up everything in it's path
[including the individual mind into being brainwashed]
e. don't be
concerned too much with what people say, and to not get swept
away, you must actively swim against the current, struggling for
authentic, individual, unaffected spiritual growth
f. a person
should individuate them self with the essence of who they really
are----free of social rules, cultural customs or accepted norms---all
with a mind of their own....This means bringing out that which is
unique in you---so when someone will quote you--they'll say---''now
that's his/her unique way...''
g. individuation is the key to truly exercising your free will and ultimately to reach G-d
My additions
My rebbes
taught me a very important maxim in learning and in living--'Kodem
Roshi [first, think it out for yourself], afterwards Rashi
[afterwards check out what the experts say]' ---2 benefits come
from this approach;
a. you will
undertand for yourself properly, the primary text or life challenges
b. you will
also understand much clearer [since you tried it yourself] , how the
great people dealt with these same challenges
***b'H --hopefully there's more to come soon
all the best,
Yitzchak
BRIDGES
******hey there friends and
companions
I just returned
from an amazing 3 week USA teaching trip [more on that below], as
well as a trip into the spiritual airspace of the Holiday of Shavuot
[and it's culminating connection to the last 50 day self
transformational Pesach and Omer period ]......both of
these 'trips' as well as the completion of a period of Jewish
Transcendence Meditations that we've been occupied with for a number of
months [as well as a booklet that we've created from these
meditations]---all lead us into a 'LAIDA'---- a birth process...a birth
that draws on all of these experiences as well as present and
future aspirations...and a birth-ing can't be forced, it must come on
it's own and in it's own time---so I just explore and
see what comes up for me [in my 'Ratzon'] and...
What keeps
coming up for me
is
BRIDGES
why?
because;
1. I'm
a BRIDGE person...
2. I am an 'all
of me-ing' person constantly driven to BRIDGE 'part of me-ing' to
'all of me-ing'
3. A BRIDGE
is what connects 2 disparate parts---the ultimate means to
complete of all that's lacking in our world of Tikun...
4. The people i
have recently connected with, long
for
being BRIDGED to their Jewish roots
5. The amazing
breadth and depth of wisdom and knowledge possessed by
many Torah Scholars that I have been privileged to meet and
know---cries out to be somehow BRIDGED to those not in possession
of this knowledge...We all should somehow be given the taste
of what it is to be a Torah Scholar and a Chassidic Master and a
Jewish Mystic and a true Sage...then after taking that taste and
stepping into those shoes, decide if we want to pursue such a
path!
6. The Jewish
Transcendence Meditations' mindset that we have been occupied
with recently, seems to want to evolve and BRIDGE itself
into a new type of expression---something like the inner
consciousness accompanying main-line Jewish
wisdom/texts/practice ....
7. The Musical
Meditations that we have recently done in the states, have tapped into
a part of the psyche that opens up some kind of
otherwise dormant wellsprings that yearn to BRIDGE themselves with
the day to day mindset that we move in all the time
8. A part
of me wants to let the birth-process stay
mysterious/unknown
and allow it's revelation to appear in it's own good time---and
the mysterious term BRIDGES, encourages that process
9. We
all in one form or another possess true wisdom...and all
this wisdom has it's counterpart and it's source in the Torah's
wisdom---- as our Sages teach us, that Hashem looked into the Torah and
created the world---meaning that all the wisdom in the world is sourced
in the Torah----so wouldn't it be marvelous to BRIDGE as much of
this wisdom as possible, that we possess with it's source in the
Torah?! And the Torah itself ,almost at the end of the
Chumash, writes that it's own wisdom is very close to all of us[
'Ki Karov Aleicha Hadavar M'od Bfichah Ubilvavcha Laasota'-------'This
Torah wisdom is very close to you, in your mouth and heart to do it' ]
10. The
Sefirotic character trait that represents the concept
of BRIDGING is called 'Tifferet'--which refers
to Torah---exactly the realm of life we all
have just visited and tried [each in their own way] to make a
part of our lives-- on the Holiday of Shavuot ....Now,
that we have tapped in to the essence of BRIDGING G-d's
wisdom to life , which is what Torah is all about, we seek
to do just that--- to BRIDGE our newly acquired
Torah conscousness to the rest of our lives
*****in order
to BRIDGE these to thoughts what we have been used
to doing for the last 3 or 4 months---ie-- a
meditation----here's one for you;
A BRIDGING MEDITATION
Co-create
manifold BRIDGES in your life now....Co- Create [Declare
with an absolutely clear intent and then with crystal clear trust
and faith, sit back and watch how Hashem , when and
how it finds favour in His Eyes, makes it all
manifest ] a reality in your life whereby you will be
surrounded by BRIDGES;
BRIDGES
bridging your past to your present and your present to your
future ....
BRIDGES bridging
yourself
to the
people and stereotypes of people that you normally don't bridge
with......
BRIDGES bridging
yourself to wisdom that you normally don't bridge with.....
BRIDGES
bridging yourself with inner wellsprings that you normally don't bridge
with.....
BRIDGES
bridging yourself with a new you or a new side of you that
wants to be born....
BRIDGES
bridging yourself with anything and everything in your life that is in
a state of disconnect and if bridged, would be a splendid Tikun or
rectification.....
BRIDGES
bridging your present level of spirituality to the level of a Jewish
/Torah Master--a master of Mysticism, a master of Chassidut, a master
of Torah Scholarship, a master of Midrash and Aggada and all similar
type of Homiletically Knowledge, a master of halacha and Jewish
observance....
BRIDGES
bridging yourself to that which is need of elevation and rectification
in this long and bitter exile that we presently find ourselves in, and
truly and enlighteningly elevating, rectifying and healing as much as
we are able to
BRIDGES
bridging yourself to those disparate and divisive factions and
subgroups of our people and causing, in your own unique
way, these divisive parts to come together somehow....more
and more...all the time...wondrously...with G-d's unlimited assistance
******
and as I promised you above, I would like to share with you
[for any possible benefit any one of us can
derive] ;
SOME OF THE
LESSONS AND HIGHLIGHTS
FROM MY TRIP
[Maui Hawaii, El Paso Texas, Ruidoso New Mexico, Lubbock Texas,
Chicago, Miami and Manhattan]-------
1. I was
greeted at every stop along the way, by open ,receptive, thirsty,
loving, sharing people--most of whom were more than willing
to open up their hearts and share freely with me and/or the whole
group, what was important for them to share, and of course
they all encouraged me lovingly to do the same...and in our sessions,
many people noticed shifts and transformations in their personal life
situations
2. With one
person, we discovered and applied, a new technique---that I'll
refer to
as
'visioning'----with musical meditative background music, this person
envisioned the future upcoming stages of their life story
unfolding in front of their eyes....with subsequent meditations-- we
revisited these stages a number of times and each time the
somewhat mysterious vision became clearer and clearer, until they
were left with almost a visionary roadmap of their future life
3. the Jewish
Transcendence Meditation booklet came in very handy for me ;
a. it was the
source of teachings [making my life very easy and
virtually free of preparation]
b. it
was appealing to people [including the photo collages on the
front cover]....I
guess everybody
likes to see a finished packaged product in hand.....there were
some great suggestions to turn it into a 'workbook' accompanied by the
same musical
accompaniment
that we did in our sessions--- in a CD
c. with all that
said, I did find that some of the older techniques from previous trips
and booklets were the ones that came in most hand---like the BSMS toss
it up to Hashem pill, and spider-charting, and Sefirotic alignment
therapy......
4. Almost all
sessions were done with musical accompaniment---and this elicited
some great response;
a. the message
or lesson gets in
b. people open up
c. others joined
in musically--a few real real talented ones at that
d. we
musicalized a number of Blessings, Psalms and prayers [a truly
marvelous way of elevating them]
5. This
trip's most unique feature was my encountering in most of my
stops, people born and raised non-Jewish [often in very heavy
non-Jewish environments] who had an overwhelming drive to become Jewish
if they hadn't already done so;
a. the self
sacrifice involved in each of their quests[ often risking their jobs
and reputations and status and family support] was often
breathtaking and humbling--and made me personally reexamine and
recommit to the way that I pray and learn and do Mitzvot
b. it all
made me realize that with this massive amount of
people in
the most unlikely of places and backgrounds wanting with all their
hearts to manifest and actualize their Jewish
soul---Mashiach can't be far off!!
6. I got to see
a lot of the southwest in hours and hours of road travel---very
therapeutic---I love the road.....
7. Communication
and reunion with a number of kindred souls is my favorite thing to
do;free of preparation]
b. it
was appealing to people [including the photo collages on the
front cover]....I
guess everybody
likes to see a finished packaged product in hand.....there were
some great suggestions to turn it into a 'workbook' accompanied by the
same musical
accompaniment
that we did in our sessions--- in a CD
c. with all that
said, I did find that some of the older techniques from previous trips
and booklets were the ones that came in most hand---like the BSMS toss
it up to Hashem pill, and spider-charting, and Sefirotic alignment
therapy......
4. Almost all
sessions were done with musical accompaniment---and this elicited
some great response;
a. the message
or lesson gets in
b. people open up
c. others joined
in musically--a few real real talented ones at that
d. we
musicalized a number of Blessings, Psalms and prayers [a truly
marvelous way of elevating them]
5. This
trip's most unique feature was my encountering in most of my
stops, people born and raised non-Jewish [often in very heavy
non-Jewish environments] who had an overwhelming drive to become Jewish
if they hadn't already done so;
a. the self
sacrifice involved in each of their quests[ often risking their jobs
and reputations and status and family support] was often
breathtaking and humbling--and made me personally reexamine and
recommit to the way that I pray and learn and do Mitzvot
b. it all
made me realize that with this massive amount of
people in
the most unlikely of places and backgrounds wanting with all their
hearts to manifest and actualize their Jewish
soul---Mashiach can't be far off!!
6. I got to see
a lot of the southwest in hours and hours of road travel---very
therapeutic---I love the road.....
7. Communication
and reunion with a number of kindred souls is my favorite thing to
do in the world!
8. The amount of
things that could've gone wrong and didn't , like missed plane
flights and lost objects and the like, made me realize, along with many
mini-miracles all along the way---just how much HASHEM loves me and
helps me constantly, and everyone else as well....
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