Friday, October 20, 2006
DAILY DOSE: The Lie That Is Truth
B"H
The Lie That Is Truth
---------------------
The material world is a place where each thing seems to say, "Here I am and here I have always been." --as though it has no source.
In fact, only the Essence of All Things has no source. He always was and is and will be. This is the truth of what our world is trying to tell us: It is expressing -- in a distorted way -- its own true essence, the Essence of All Things.
But a time will come when the distortion shall vanish and we shall see nothing but that Essence.
A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe
-words and condensation by Tzvi Freeman
Tishrei 28, 5767 * October 20, 2006
The Lie That Is Truth
---------------------
The material world is a place where each thing seems to say, "Here I am and here I have always been." --as though it has no source.
In fact, only the Essence of All Things has no source. He always was and is and will be. This is the truth of what our world is trying to tell us: It is expressing -- in a distorted way -- its own true essence, the Essence of All Things.
But a time will come when the distortion shall vanish and we shall see nothing but that Essence.
A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe
-words and condensation by Tzvi Freeman
Tishrei 28, 5767 * October 20, 2006
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
DAILY DOSE: Z'chus
B"H
Z'chus
------
There is a common misconception that life is about being in the right place at the right time. In truth, your experience has as much to do with what is happening inside you as with what is happening outside. If your soul is not prepared, a paradise of miracles could become a roller coaster from hell.
This is what the sages call z'chus -- sometimes translated as merit. It means a refinement of the soul so that it may receive good.
A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe
-words and condensation by Tzvi Freeman
Tishrei 25, 5767 * October 17, 2006
Z'chus
------
There is a common misconception that life is about being in the right place at the right time. In truth, your experience has as much to do with what is happening inside you as with what is happening outside. If your soul is not prepared, a paradise of miracles could become a roller coaster from hell.
This is what the sages call z'chus -- sometimes translated as merit. It means a refinement of the soul so that it may receive good.
A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe
-words and condensation by Tzvi Freeman
Tishrei 25, 5767 * October 17, 2006
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Rejoicing Together - Sukkot
Rejoicing Together - Sukkot
The Guests of the Sixth Day: Yosef HaTzaddik and the Rebbe Maharash
The qualities shared by the Ushpizin of the sixth day are expressed by a renowned adage of the Rebbe Maharash,31 Lechat'chilah ariber: "People say, 'If you can't crawl under, try to climb over.' And I say, 'From the outset, climb right over the top!' " Apparent difficulties are waiting to be taken confidently by the horns and overcome.32
This is not a theoretical concept, but a truth that can be practically applied - as witness the life of Yosef, who rose from imprisoned slave to viceroy of Egypt.
The lessons of Yosef's life are relevant to everyone. Though we are in exile, no individual should feel hampered or handicapped. We have the potential for the highest levels of achievement in spiritual matters, and this spiritual success may even be reflected in the advancement of our material concerns.
The Guests of the Sixth Day: Yosef HaTzaddik and the Rebbe Maharash
The qualities shared by the Ushpizin of the sixth day are expressed by a renowned adage of the Rebbe Maharash,31 Lechat'chilah ariber: "People say, 'If you can't crawl under, try to climb over.' And I say, 'From the outset, climb right over the top!' " Apparent difficulties are waiting to be taken confidently by the horns and overcome.32
This is not a theoretical concept, but a truth that can be practically applied - as witness the life of Yosef, who rose from imprisoned slave to viceroy of Egypt.
The lessons of Yosef's life are relevant to everyone. Though we are in exile, no individual should feel hampered or handicapped. We have the potential for the highest levels of achievement in spiritual matters, and this spiritual success may even be reflected in the advancement of our material concerns.
GARDEN OF TORAH: A Fountain of Blessing (V’Zos HaBerachah)
... “The Jewish people, the Torah, and the Holy One, blessed be He, are one.” Bringing out the inner spark of G-d which we possess though our Torah conduct will allow the Torah to serve as a medium of blessing, conveying G-d’s bounty from the spiritual realms into our material world.
ONCE UPON A CHASID: Split Personality (V'zot Haberachah)
B"H
Tishrei 20, 5767 * October 12, 2006
===================================
O N C E U P O N A C H A S I D
===================================
Parshat V'zot Haberachah
------------------------
- Moses the man of G-d (Deuteronomy 33:1)
"Moses the man of G-d" - Says the Midrash: his upper half was G-dly, his lower half, that of a man.
Every Jewish soul possesses a spark of the soul of Moses, enabling it to be a "man of G-d": one who integrates the eternal and infinite perfection of the Divine with the realities of the human condition.
- Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe
* * *
Split Personality
-----------------
The Talmud relates the following story:
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked Moshiach: "When are you coming?"
Replied Moshiach, "today".
Later, Rabbi Yehoshua met Elijah the Prophet and complained: "He told me that he is coming today, yet he didn't come." Answered Elijah, "This is what he meant: 'Today, if His voice you will hearken' (Psalms 95:7)."
Asks the Lubavitcher Rebbe: What is the meaning of this seemingly evasive and misleading statement? Does Moshiach engage in diplomatic wordplay?
What Moshiach is conveying, the Rebbe explains, is an attitude: The Jew knows that the world is inherently good, that the true, intrinsic state of G-d's creation is the perfect world of Moshiach. He knows that the currently deficient 'reality' is superimposed and unnatural. The fact that things have been this way for thousands of years makes it no more genuine or real.
So despite centuries of 'experience' to the contrary, The Jew fully and realistically expects Moshiach instantaneously. His response to the question "when is Moshiach coming?" is an unhesitant "today". Only if, G-d forbid, a moment passes and somehow Moshiach has not arrived, is he compelled to explain "... if His voice you will hearken." Namely, G-d desires that the world undergo a process of refinement and elevation before its true, quintessential reality may come to light.
Someone once asked my father in law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok of Lubavitch: "We are told to stand ready to receive Moshiach, confident that he is indeed coming immediately. Yet at the same time, we are charged with the mission to build, to found new organizations, to lay the groundwork for future work. Which state of mind is one to adopt, that of the anticipant believer or that of the pragmatic doer?"
Indeed, the Jew must straddle both worlds. He must adopt two diverse mind-sets side by side. On the one hand, he must bring holiness to a mundane world by working to perfect an imperfect 'reality'. In doing this, he deals with conditions as they are. So he formulates budgets, contracts for construction, and plans long-term projects.
At the same time, he anticipates, nay expects, Moshiach's immediate coming. An instantaneously perfect existence is not only feasible but the most natural thing in the world.
Tishrei 20, 5767 * October 12, 2006
===================================
O N C E U P O N A C H A S I D
===================================
Parshat V'zot Haberachah
------------------------
- Moses the man of G-d (Deuteronomy 33:1)
"Moses the man of G-d" - Says the Midrash: his upper half was G-dly, his lower half, that of a man.
Every Jewish soul possesses a spark of the soul of Moses, enabling it to be a "man of G-d": one who integrates the eternal and infinite perfection of the Divine with the realities of the human condition.
- Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe
* * *
Split Personality
-----------------
The Talmud relates the following story:
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked Moshiach: "When are you coming?"
Replied Moshiach, "today".
Later, Rabbi Yehoshua met Elijah the Prophet and complained: "He told me that he is coming today, yet he didn't come." Answered Elijah, "This is what he meant: 'Today, if His voice you will hearken' (Psalms 95:7)."
Asks the Lubavitcher Rebbe: What is the meaning of this seemingly evasive and misleading statement? Does Moshiach engage in diplomatic wordplay?
What Moshiach is conveying, the Rebbe explains, is an attitude: The Jew knows that the world is inherently good, that the true, intrinsic state of G-d's creation is the perfect world of Moshiach. He knows that the currently deficient 'reality' is superimposed and unnatural. The fact that things have been this way for thousands of years makes it no more genuine or real.
So despite centuries of 'experience' to the contrary, The Jew fully and realistically expects Moshiach instantaneously. His response to the question "when is Moshiach coming?" is an unhesitant "today". Only if, G-d forbid, a moment passes and somehow Moshiach has not arrived, is he compelled to explain "... if His voice you will hearken." Namely, G-d desires that the world undergo a process of refinement and elevation before its true, quintessential reality may come to light.
Someone once asked my father in law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok of Lubavitch: "We are told to stand ready to receive Moshiach, confident that he is indeed coming immediately. Yet at the same time, we are charged with the mission to build, to found new organizations, to lay the groundwork for future work. Which state of mind is one to adopt, that of the anticipant believer or that of the pragmatic doer?"
Indeed, the Jew must straddle both worlds. He must adopt two diverse mind-sets side by side. On the one hand, he must bring holiness to a mundane world by working to perfect an imperfect 'reality'. In doing this, he deals with conditions as they are. So he formulates budgets, contracts for construction, and plans long-term projects.
At the same time, he anticipates, nay expects, Moshiach's immediate coming. An instantaneously perfect existence is not only feasible but the most natural thing in the world.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
DAILY DOSE: Z'chus
B"H
Z'chus
------
There is a common misconception that life is about being in the right place at the right time. In truth, your experience has as much to do with what is happening inside you as with what is happening outside. If your soul is not prepared, a paradise of miracles could become a roller coaster from hell.
This is what the sages call z'chus -- sometimes translated as merit. It means a refinement of the soul so that it may receive good.
A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe
-words and condensation by Tzvi Freeman
Tishrei 18, 5767 * October 10, 2006
Z'chus
------
There is a common misconception that life is about being in the right place at the right time. In truth, your experience has as much to do with what is happening inside you as with what is happening outside. If your soul is not prepared, a paradise of miracles could become a roller coaster from hell.
This is what the sages call z'chus -- sometimes translated as merit. It means a refinement of the soul so that it may receive good.
A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe
-words and condensation by Tzvi Freeman
Tishrei 18, 5767 * October 10, 2006
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
The Ability to See Happiness - Sukkot
The Ability to See Happiness - Sukkot: "the happiness produced through our understanding is, by definition, limited in proportion to our understanding... by making a commitment beyond the scope of our understanding, we connect with the infinite dimensions of G-dliness. This brings about a joy which entirely surpasses our human potential.
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