Spiritual Tools For An Outrageous World

Dear Friends,What did Avraham know that Noach didn’t?  Also, we compare the first two great couples Adam and Eve and Avraham and Sarah to see what the numerical differences in their names teaches us about their similiarities and differences.  We also explore something that has puzzled me for a long time — namely, how we make sense of the Kabbalistic tradition that the generation of the flood is reincarnated as the generation of the desert.The post Avraham vs. Noah – The Evolution of Prayer first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Avraham vs. Noah – The Evolution of Prayer first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On the one hand, G-d is everywhere.  And yet, on perhaps an even deeper level, G-d charges us with awesome responsibility of revealing His oneness!  The ark Noah built had precise measurements.  The Hebrew word for measurements is “Middos” — a word more commonly understood as character traits.  In this week's talk, we discuss how…The post The Perfect Construct – Noah’s Ark and You first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,The question is, if we know that whatever is going on in the Torah portion of the week is going on in the world — why aren’t we reading the portion of Bereisheet which deals with creation of the world on Rosh Hashana?The post The Real Beginning first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post The Real Beginning first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,What can be said about the holiest day of the year?   Here are some thoughts to get us ready for the day.  Wishing all of you the sweetest sweetest year!The post Yom Kippur 2009 first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Yom Kippur 2009 first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Did you know that according to the Beis Yaakov (The second Ishbitzer Rebbe), deep down, every person believes they created themselves?If Rosh Hashanah is all about making Hashem King, how can I succeed if I’ve carved out a realm separate from G-d?Happy New Year!The post Liberating the Fortress – Rosh Hashanah 2009 first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Liberating the Fortress – Rosh Hashanah 2009 first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,Imagine an epic battle between Sea Monsters and a diver out to recover a precious gem.  In a piece of Aggadata —  the deeply encrypted transmissions of the Talmud —  such a tale is related.  What does it mean and how does it teach us to wage life’s battles better?  Using the understanding of the Malbim we take a look in.The post Sea Monsters and Gemstones first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Sea Monsters and Gemstones first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,Imagine you buy a lottery ticket, never check to see if it won, and then never think about that lottery ticket again.  Now imagine that ticket was a winner and was worth thirty million dollars.   The question is, did you lose thirty million dollars or not?  On the one hand, you most certainly did.  But on the other hand, if you never knew you ever had it to begin with, you never had it to lose!  In this week’s talk we discuss the spiritual dimensions to this question and explore the bottom line of life.The post Lottery Tickets and Elul first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Lottery Tickets and Elul first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,I just published a new piece that I hope you like.  It’s called “A Place for the Light.”www.aish.com/sp/so/53785442.htmlToday I took questions.  We had time for three.  The first was, is it our tradition that Moshe ascended Mount Sinai for a second time this month (Elul) and came down with the second tablets on Yom Kippur?  Is G-d really leading me throughout all the hardships I have experienced?  And, how are we to understand what “righteousness” is, in light of the verse “The righteous person falls down seven times and gets back up”?The post Questions and Answers first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Questions and Answers first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,What does it mean to test G-d?  And what about miracles?  We look deeply into the sources and arrive at a more sophisticated understanding of what it means to be in this world.The post You Can’t Fire G-d – Tests and Miracles in Torah first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post You Can’t Fire G-d – Tests and Miracles in Torah first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,Can you imagine eating a hotdog and thinking the whole time this is the worst sushi you ever had?  We need to know what something is first before we can begin to evaluate it.  The same thing goes with this world.  Until we understand how it works we will constantly be met with frustration and disappointment.  In this week’s talk, we set out some of the basic ground rules for understanding how Hashem runs the world.The post Ground Rules of Reality first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Ground Rules of Reality first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,Tisha B’Av is now over and a dramatic upswing in positiveness now kicks in.  In this week’s talk we look at the spiritual DNA of the month of Av and where we are now.The post Be Comforted Be Comforted – A Kabalistic Overview of Av first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Be Comforted Be Comforted – A Kabalistic Overview of Av first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,Every year before Tisha B’Av we are always beginning the book of Devarim.  What is this new book teaching us about fixing the world?The post Fixing The World – Devarim and Tisha B’Av first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Fixing The World – Devarim and Tisha B’Av first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,So often it seems like we’re wondering around in the darkness.  Sometimes we’re blessed with moments when a light turns on and then in retrospect we see that we were never alone, even though it felt that way at the time.  Here is a personal story about how sometimes everything comes together in a wonderful way, even though it took years to see it.The post Shabbos Candles and Harvard – A Personal Story first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Shabbos Candles and Harvard – A Personal Story first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,Did you know there is a Torah way to cut an onion?  Ideally, one shouldn’t begin by cutting off it’s roots.  While this doesn’t necessarily apply in our generation, back then there were even negative health implications for one who did this.  Which got me thinking… If I am that connected to an onion — imagine how connected I am to another human being!  In this week’s talk we discuss previous generations impact on us, and our impact on future generations.The post How You Impact the Future first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post How You Impact the Future first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,Purification comes when we transcend our limitations.   In the language of the Sages such a thing happens with the ashes of the red heiffer.  Not only does it remove the ritual impurity of death, but on a deeper level it is fixing the sin of the golden calf.  In this week’s talk we explore the interplay between the finite and the infinite, the rational and the super rational, and the nature of faith.  How necessary is faith anyway, and what is it’s relationship to reality?The post Life is a Surprise Party first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Life is a Surprise Party first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,According to the Jewish view of the world, the body and the soul are meant to be best friends.  Without the soul the body is just a lump of earth, and without body the soul has no way to perform mitzvahs in this world.   How are we to proceed when (as is so often the case) the body and the soul are at odds with each other?  In this week’s talk we lay out a program on how to assess and needs of each and how to balance them.The post Body vs. Soul – The Delicate Balance first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Body vs. Soul – The Delicate Balance first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,Why is life so confusing?  To answer (one part) of this giant question we take a look at another question — is the Torah written in chronological order, or not?  Factor in that we ourselves are compared to Torah scrolls, and that Judaism (unknown to many people) actually believes in reincarnation, and now we have very interesting ingredients for a talk that begins in the Garden of Eden and goes straight back to our daily lives.The post Why is Life So Confusing? – Garden of Eden Part 6 first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Why is Life So Confusing? – Garden of Eden Part 6 first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,Who is the real you?  Or, put a different way, when you use the word “I” what is it that you have in mind exactly?  In this talk we trace the history of consciousness from the Garden of Eden to Mount Sinai to waking up in the morning.The post The Myth of Separateness – Garden of Eden Part Five first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post The Myth of Separateness – Garden of Eden Part Five first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,Getting out of bed in the morning for many of us is the most challenging part of the day.  The Torah teaches us that we have to arise in the morning like a lion!  In this weeks, talk we look into what that means and how to do it.The post Waking Up in the Morning – A How To Guide first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Waking Up in the Morning – A How To Guide first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Friends,Many people are surprised to learn that before Adam and Chava ate from the Tree of Knowledge — the Torah records two earlier rebellions made before human beings were even created!  The first is the incident between the sun and the moon and the second was by fruit bearing trees.  Given that these creations don’t have free choice, what are the Rabbis teaching us with these accounts, and how did they set the stage for mankind’s first test?The post The Birth of Free Choice – Garden of Eden Part Four first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post The Birth of Free Choice – Garden of Eden Part Four first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.