Happiness. That all I really want. Not pleasure, not comfort, not meaning but happiness. All the pleasure and comfort in the world is worthless all the meaning in the world is not satisfying unless it is enjoyed by a heart that is open, free, and pure of any trace of sadness.
Happiness is a problem. I am taught to expect and demand the best for myself in this world. I deserve everything I want, I invest my effort and I am entitled to the fruit of my labor. I am therefore never happy, for as much as I have, as blessed as I am, I deserve more.
Prayer is an excellent therapy for this problem.
When I stand alone before Hashem I could be honest with myself; I can confront the reality that I am not as good, or as kind, or as patient, or as loving, or as giving as I should be.
I offer praise to Hashem for I realize that everything I have is a gift form him. He is the one who gives me life, sustains every living being, and shines (the sun) upon the earth and its inhabitants (and upon me) with compassion.
I read the prayer carefully, keep thinking about his kindness to me, and I practice appreciating the gifts he gives me.
Then, for the rest of the day, I am happy.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
The Salty Paradox
Is salt tasty? On one hand it does not have a taste on it's own, on the other hand it gives taste to other foods, it's the salty paradox. Salt has an important place in Judaism, as seen in the Torah's commandment to salt all the sacrifices offered in the temple, a commandment that is commemorated until this day by the custom of dipping our bread in salt.
To understand the significance of salt we must look at the analogy the Torah uses to describe itself: bread. Just as the bread eaten is digested, becoming part of the human being, so does the Torah learned become completely united with the mind. In fact this is the great advantage of Torah over all other commandments, in the words of the Tanya "the study of Torah creates a great unity like no other, and this unity has no comparison in the physical realm to be like one from every angle". The significance of Torah is it's ability to be understood, therefore if you just read the Torah without understanding, you are missing the point, there is no unity.
For this reason the great sages of the Talmud spent their entire lives debating matters of law concerning simple and mundane objects, what to do if a ox goers a cow, or if two people are holding a garment, for although it does not feel as spiritual as discussing the spiritual worlds, it offers the opportunity too grasp Hashem's wisdom. Having said that, there is a crucial part of Torah that can't be understood, the light of Hashem that is beyond wisdom that is en-clothed within the Torah. This aspect in Torah is especially evident in the Mitzvah to tread the written Torah even without understanding, here the unity is not as great but we connect to the essence of Hashem which is far greater then his wisdom.
While studying Torah there are two important ideas that we must constantly keep in mind, firstly, we must remember that we can only understand a tip of the iceberg of the Torah's true significance most of which is far beyond our understanding. Secondly, Torah is not just a tasteless, spiritually dull, body of law about a physical reality, rather it is a manifestation of Hashem's will and wisdom.
To help us relate to these two messages the Torah says that whenever we bring an offering we should salt it. Salt represents the mystical secrets of the Torah, that physical beings cannot comprehend, it has no taste, it's salt. It however gives taste to the bread, the reavealed part of Torah. Making us aware of the great paradox: in order to achieve unity we must understand; yet we are uniting with a being who is beyond understanding.
(Likutey Totrah, Vayikra)
To understand the significance of salt we must look at the analogy the Torah uses to describe itself: bread. Just as the bread eaten is digested, becoming part of the human being, so does the Torah learned become completely united with the mind. In fact this is the great advantage of Torah over all other commandments, in the words of the Tanya "the study of Torah creates a great unity like no other, and this unity has no comparison in the physical realm to be like one from every angle". The significance of Torah is it's ability to be understood, therefore if you just read the Torah without understanding, you are missing the point, there is no unity.
For this reason the great sages of the Talmud spent their entire lives debating matters of law concerning simple and mundane objects, what to do if a ox goers a cow, or if two people are holding a garment, for although it does not feel as spiritual as discussing the spiritual worlds, it offers the opportunity too grasp Hashem's wisdom. Having said that, there is a crucial part of Torah that can't be understood, the light of Hashem that is beyond wisdom that is en-clothed within the Torah. This aspect in Torah is especially evident in the Mitzvah to tread the written Torah even without understanding, here the unity is not as great but we connect to the essence of Hashem which is far greater then his wisdom.
While studying Torah there are two important ideas that we must constantly keep in mind, firstly, we must remember that we can only understand a tip of the iceberg of the Torah's true significance most of which is far beyond our understanding. Secondly, Torah is not just a tasteless, spiritually dull, body of law about a physical reality, rather it is a manifestation of Hashem's will and wisdom.
To help us relate to these two messages the Torah says that whenever we bring an offering we should salt it. Salt represents the mystical secrets of the Torah, that physical beings cannot comprehend, it has no taste, it's salt. It however gives taste to the bread, the reavealed part of Torah. Making us aware of the great paradox: in order to achieve unity we must understand; yet we are uniting with a being who is beyond understanding.
(Likutey Totrah, Vayikra)
Friday, April 3, 2009
Freedom To Work Hard
I am trapped. I have a bad habit that takes up too much of my time and energy. It pulls me down, threatening to drown my positive energy. I feel trapped; I wish I were free. Passover therefore is very important to me because it’s the holiday of freedom, spiritual freedom. On the night of Passover G-d redeems us from our own personal powerful Egypt.
I' must, however, tell you the truth; this is not my first Passover, and although the Seder is always an enjoyable spiritual experience, it never liberates me, afew days after Passover I always find the same old self within my heart. This year I decided to try to figure out what's the story with the liberation thing. Why isn't it working for me? Where am I doing wrong?
My search led me to the Tanya, chapter 31, which asks a simple question; why did the Jews tell Pharoh that they are leaving for three days and then escape toward the sea? They should have told him clearly that they will never come back, under threat of the death of the first-born, Pharoh would have no choice but to agree. The answer, says the Tanya, is that the Jews escaped because they had to be in escape mode, for they were escaping the evil that exited within their soul. On that night they made ran away from the negativity experiencing freedom that comes from expressing their true selves. However, eventually they had to confront their evil and slowly, through hard work, eradicate it.
That is an important message for me, yes, Passover is a chance to feel free, it’s a time that brings out the part of our soul that is independent, free, and not enslaved to negativity. But Passover night is just an escape, it’s just a taste of what we have to strive for. It shows us how it feels to be free, and proclaims: now that you expirienced the intoxicating spirit of freedom you must work long and hard to achieve it. You are free to work hard.
I' must, however, tell you the truth; this is not my first Passover, and although the Seder is always an enjoyable spiritual experience, it never liberates me, afew days after Passover I always find the same old self within my heart. This year I decided to try to figure out what's the story with the liberation thing. Why isn't it working for me? Where am I doing wrong?
My search led me to the Tanya, chapter 31, which asks a simple question; why did the Jews tell Pharoh that they are leaving for three days and then escape toward the sea? They should have told him clearly that they will never come back, under threat of the death of the first-born, Pharoh would have no choice but to agree. The answer, says the Tanya, is that the Jews escaped because they had to be in escape mode, for they were escaping the evil that exited within their soul. On that night they made ran away from the negativity experiencing freedom that comes from expressing their true selves. However, eventually they had to confront their evil and slowly, through hard work, eradicate it.
That is an important message for me, yes, Passover is a chance to feel free, it’s a time that brings out the part of our soul that is independent, free, and not enslaved to negativity. But Passover night is just an escape, it’s just a taste of what we have to strive for. It shows us how it feels to be free, and proclaims: now that you expirienced the intoxicating spirit of freedom you must work long and hard to achieve it. You are free to work hard.
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