Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World

Dear Friends,We are about to enter into the Jewish month of Adar, the month of Purim and joy.  On another level, it is also the month of hiddenness — the Megilla that we read on Purim doesn’t have the name of Hashem written in it once!  How does this connect with Nissan the month of open miracles that follows right after — and yet simultaneously (on a linear level) is the furthest month away?  We...

Dear Friends,We discuss what salvation feels like in this week’s talk.  This week’s Torah portion begins with the words “And Yisro heard”.  What did Yisro, the father-in-law of Moshe, hear that caused him to travel to Jewish people?  Rashi, quoting the Gemara, says he heard about the splitting of the sea, and the war with Amalek.  Amazingly, a few verses later (Ex. 18:8) Moshe tells Yisro about “a...

Dear Friends,Most people when asked will tell you that the greatest single miracle that Hashem performed was the splitting of the Sea.  So overwhelming is that event that relatively little attention is paid to the event that immediately follows.  Moshe leads the Jewish people to the wilderness of Sur where there is nothing to drink for THREE DAYS!  Putting aside the irony of walking through water...

Dear Friends,In this week’s Torah Portion, we have a verse (Ex 12:10) with two separate mitzvahs in it.  The first mitzvah is to finish eating the whole korbon Pesach, the Passover lamb offering, and not leave over any of it till the morning.  The second mitzvah contained in this same verse, instructs us to burn whatever is left over of the Passover offering the next morning.  The question is, how...

Dear Friends,We begin this talk with a further discussion of the “garments” Hashem gave Adam and Chava in the Garden of Eden. It ushered in the transformation of humanity, our going from creatures of light to creatures (of light) encased in skin. Learning from the Hassidic Master the Bnei Yissacher we see very cool secrets about the process and the future of humanity in the final letters of the wo...

Dear Friends,We just began a new book in the Torah.  The book of Shemos or Exodus is both the account of the Jewish people’s enslavement in Egypt and also our redemption.  On a deeper level, it’s not just that Hashem and Moshe are taking us to Israel — remember we were in Israel already with Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov — it’s that we are leaving Egypt and GOING BACK to Israel.  That’s a very big...

Dear Friends,Lots to talk about today. First, having just finished the book of Breisheis, we say “Chazak, Chazak, V’Nitchazayk” — Be Strong, Be Strong, and Have Good Courage! But what do we need courage for? We just finished the task! It’s like wishing someone a good trip after they’ve already come home! Next, we speak of Hashem like He is our King and Our Master, and Our Love — which is it? Is Ju...

Dear Friends,One of the most perplexing things in life is just how slow things take!  The Exodus from Egypt is a perfect example.  Here is something that Hashem Himself wanted to do — and yet when we see how He brought it about we find that He does it one stage at a time.  Since all future redemptions are based on this, studying it will give us hope and patience for personal lives. The post Redemp...

Dear Friends,The Kotzker Rebbe famously said that it’s a big miracle to resurrect the dead, but it’s an even bigger miracle to resurrect the living!  In this week’s talk we discuss the one time only phenomenon in the Torah of a “closed” parsha — that is a section of the Torah that begins without the customary separation from the previous week’s section.  We explore many deep ideas that this teache...

We have a powerful concept in Torah that says that even if something learns Torah not for the sake of Heaven, that person will come to learn for the sake of Heaven. In today’s talk, we develop this notion of Divine flow, and connect it to the purifying dynamics of mikvah, a river, and saying something nice. The post Rivers, Mikvahs, and Saying Something Nice (Vayigash) first appeared on Spiritual...

We’re entering into a new month – Teves – with a personality all it’s own. Since all things are encompassed within Torah, every piece contains a taste of the whole. We will look at this special month from the point of view of (as always) The Human Condition, it’s special letter, tribe, relationship with Chanukah — the works![audio:WhatisYourSuccessFantasy-Teves2008.mp3]The post What is Your Succes...

Hanukah – much needed light in the darkest time of year. Historically, this was the last holiday that was incorporated into the Jewish calendar. It is sending a message to us for all of history until the world is redeemed — that Hashem, so to speak, is keeping the porch lights on for us until we all come back home. One the special things about Hanukah is the dreidel. What does it tells us about ou...

Everyone knows there are 613 mitzvahs. These consist of 248 positive actions to be taken and 365 negative actions to refrain from. Since we are here in large part to fix the world — I would have thought that the number of positive actions would greatly outweigh those actions which are to be avoided —… The post Why Shouldn’t I? – Understanding the Thou Shall Nots in the Torah first appeared on Spir...

What happens when we are given a test? So often we view it as a hardship, hope our best we pass it and then if we make it to the other side in one piece, consider ourselves lucky! But on a much deeper level, the process of undergoing a test involves on the deepest level a journey into the creation of self. Seen through the lens of the greatest test ever given an individual — the binding of Yitzhak...

What do you do after your world is destroyed around you? The answer is, you keep moving. Last week’s Parsha was Noach which chronicles the great flood that destroyed the world. This week’s Parsha is Lech Lecha, which spells out Hashem’s divine command to our holy father Avraham to journey forth to the place that Hashem will show Him. Hashem doesn’t even tell Avraham where to go! This was to give A...

We made it through the holidays and are now ready to plunge into the new year!  What better gift from Above then being able to start the Torah again.  Because the Torah is infinite, Hashem in His goodness, grants us increasing depth into our understanding of it.  It may be the same sequence of letters, with the same mitzvahs, but believe me — we are standing before a new Torah!  How does this work...

In today’s talk, we analyze the structure of the Succah for lessons it can teach us about the world and how to better live our lives.  We even take a look into the modernist theories of the artist Piet Mondrian (an example of his unique style is pictured) and how this connects to what the Succah represents. The post The Light of Succos first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. The...

Can you  imagine being so close to someone that you are actually in physical contact with them, and yet at the same time being so far away?  This is what happens when you stand “back to back” with another.  You are so near and yet you don’t see them at all.  For so many of us this is our relationship with Hashem.  He is closer than close, and yet we seldom turn to Him and face Him directly.  Yom K...

The last day of the year presents special opportunities for spiritual elevation that are unique to it. The mitzvah that correlates with this day is prohibition not to cut your Payus. How does that connect with Rosh Hashana and reflexology? For that you’ll have to listen! May this year see the answer to all of all prayers for the good! P.S. Here’s a piece I wrote on Rosh Hashana.  I hope you like i...

Who does this world belong to?  Who do we belong to?  What does it mean to make G-d King?  And even if we want to do it, how do we begin?  This week’s Torah portion speaks of taking the first fruits, putting them in a basket, and bringing them to Hashem.  As Rosh Hashanah approaches, on a deeper level, we too, are asked to gather our lives to present before Hashem.  In today’s talk, we discuss how...

In explaining what goes on in these talks to someone at work, I surprised myself by saying that it’s a little like “couples therapy” between us and G-d. Toward that end, this week’s talk has lots of ideas relating to relating to G-d, especially in light of the New Year fast approaching. Eventually, we build to the idea of the importance of simplifying our lives so that we can better focus on what...

Ask anyone in the world if they want to be a “success” and the answer will be a resounding “yes!”. What becomes more complicated is when you ask the person what “success” means exactly. As you can imagine being able to define success is crucial — it’s that clear focus which enables us to direct our efforts most efficiently, while avoiding lengthy and often painful detours in life. In today’s talk,...

We’ve entered the month of Elul which means that the new year with all it’s decrees and judgements are around the corner!  It’s both exciting and a little scary, but Hashem is good so we don’t have to be afraid!  Hashem gives us Elul, this last month of the year, to finish on a strong note.  How do we do it?  Well, that’s a big subject, but we begin the discussion in this week’s talk with a look a...

What is lower than the heal of your foot?  Ekev or “heel” in Torah stands for so many things — from the actual bottom of your body, to spiritual insensitivity, to the end of days.  It can also stand for the emotional lows we all reach.  In this talk we look at the interplay between the first two words of the Parsha and strategies we can learn for combating sadness when it comes. The post The Battl...

Just days after the saddest day on the Jewish calendar comes one of the happiest!  It comes to teach that Hashem’s salvations can arrive in the blink of an eye.  We explore this concept and the role that the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai plays in this process as well in this week’s talk. The post Reversal of Fortune – From Tisha B’Av to Tu B’Av first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrage...