Dear Friends,
Stay Above, Be Within — I learned this path from Rabbi Tzvi Freeman in his incredible book “Bringing Heaven Down to Earth: 365 Meditations from the Lubavitcher Rebbe.” In this week’s talk, we discuss how to apply this advice to the battles that all of us face in life.
Dear Friends,
Do you ever beat yourself up? We all do. But more often than not, the only thing we are really accomplishing is the illusion of progress. The real test of any self-analysis is — does it produce positive change — measured by action. In this week’s talk we discuss the greatness of small steps and how they can lead to big changes in ourselves and the whole world.
Dear Friends,
Before you give a concert — you have to tune your instrument! This is also true with spirituality! We are now in the special holy month of Elul. This is when we lay the foundation to receive all the blessings for the New Year ahead. In this week’s talk, we talk about how to do it.
Dear Friends,
It’s time to start getting ready for the New Year! The question is how? A study of the zodiac sign of Elul (the Jewish month that precedes the New Year) contains within it a formula for success.
There is a fascinating dialectic contained within Rosh Hashana. On one hand, it’s the beginning of the new year. And yet Rosh Hashana actually occurs in the seventh month, (Nissan, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt, is the first month — see Exodus 12:2.) This means that Rosh Hashana actually falls out in the middle of the year!
There is a deep secret contained in this. People reach the middle of their lives and think that meaningful change is impossible. Therefore, the Almighty put Rosh Hashana in the middle of the year to teach us that it’s never too late to begin again.
In the most obvious sense, Rosh Hashana is all about making God our king, for whom we have awesome respect and commit to following His instructions.
But there’s an even more primary step. The Kotzker Rebbe once observed that Read more…
Dear Friends,
It’s one level to stop doing a forbidden action, but it’s an entirely different level to let go of it from your thoughts. How do we begin this type of deep soul cleaning? In this talk we look into how the Torah teaches us to wage battle against our yetzer harah’s, our negative inclinations, and provides us with a blueprint for scaling spiritual heights.
Dear Friends,
What is your most emotionally satisfying relationship? You and your family? You and your friends? You and your iPad? What about you and G-d? For many people thinking about G-d in these terms seems strange. And yet framing our relationship in this way is the secret to enlightenment. In this week’s talk, we learn great relationship advice from the Sages, and see how it applies to us and our Maker, too!
Bonus: Cool Wedding Link
Dear Friends,
The question is, not are we going to make mistakes, but what is our response once we’ve made them? In this week’s talk, we explore the duel nature of the month of Elul. It is both a month of newness (when the world was created) and a month of fixing mistakes. We look into the interconnectedness of these ideas, and give practical guidance for preparing to receive blessing for the coming year.
Dear Friends,
Joy is the ultimate vessel. Nothing organizes the chaotic energies of life and allows you to have the perspective that joy brings. In this week’s talk, we discuss the unique structure of the Torah portion of Ki Tavo which the Sages arranged we always read before Rosh Hashana. As we will see, the Parsha has a lot to teach us about how to prepare for the big day that is just around the corner. In this talk we also discuss the Divine mechanics of light, blessing and negativity — dispelling common misunderstandings about what many people misinterpret as vindictiveness.
Dear Friends,
One of the big turn offs for many people contemplating G-d, is the subject of “organized religion”. It seems like making a connection with the Divine shouldn’t have to involve a large building fund, membership dues, and all the other headaches associated with a part of our lives that is so intensely personal. But a deeper exploration of Judaism shows us that it isn’t an organized religion in the classic sense at all. But if that’s the case, how do we cut through all the institutional red tape? I hope this talk is a start!
