Meditative prayer lifts us up and out of our mundane reality. The early chasidim would meditate an hour, pray an hour, then meditate an additional hour.
What is meditation? Breaking through hard shells, peeling away soft shells, and eating the fruit.
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The 10 blessings of Isaac to Jacob are the connective intermediate between the 10 sayings of creation and the 10 Commandments.
Moses received 1000 lights at Sinai. 1000 = 10 (sayings) times 10 (blessings) times 10 (Commandments).
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Jacob married four wives. God had blessed him to "break out" in all four directions. Each of his wives gave him power over one direction.
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Rabbi Dov Ber of Lubavitch passed away on his 54th (3 times chai) birthday. He lived a triple life, of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.
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The primordial world of chaos was unstable and broke. Our world maintains a state of homeostasis, which means "keeping things in balance."
Homeostasis keeps one's inside world relatively constant while changes go on in the outside world. How so? "I place God before me always."
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19 Kislev is the holiday of holidays. Holiday means dance around. Weekdays dance around a holiday. All the holidays dance around 19 Kislev.
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3 "toils": of mitzvot, prayer, Torah study. The 1st rectifies one's life-force (nefesh), the 2nd – spirit (ruach), the 3rd – soul (neshama).
Service requires toil. Mitzvot are the service of the body. Prayer is the service of the heart. Torah study is the service of the mind.
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The day after Chanukah is the day that the miracle of Chanukah becomes second nature. Could you ever imagine that the world wasn't created?
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The smallest and seemingly most insignificant creature has a purpose in creation. Pleasure is the feeling of fulfilling one's purpose.
In a Jewish soul, faith manifests as a thought process. One never stops thinking about creation and its Creator and his purpose in creation.
The most wonderful wonder is God. Something to wonder about. Who am I and why I'm here is also a wonder. Something to wonder about.
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Can you imagine a world without you in the center or without you at all? Try to. The truth is that if you're not there I'll miss you.
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All of my desires derive from 3 basic, innate desires given me by my Creator: to live, to procreate, to fulfill my purpose in life.
The highest desire is to fulfill my purpose in life, after that, to procreate, after that, to live.
By misusing the free choice given me I can pervert all of my innate desires to serve my egocentric will to obtain immediate pleasure.
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Egocentricity is the source of all evil. Connect with all your heart, soul, and might, to good as embodied in the leader of the generation.
The Creator desires "a dwelling place below." "Below" is our ego. God desires that we reveal Him by choosing good within the context of bad.
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Whoever fulfills his purpose in creation, whether Jew or non-Jew, experiences the inherent unity that permeates creation. He feels God.
The righteous amongst the nations fulfill their purpose in creation. They live by the word of God and help perfect the world we live in.
For what purpose did the Almighty create evil in the world? For us to rise above it, not let it affect us, and overcome it.
Every part of nature serves is purpose in the Divine plan to make this world a dwelling place for God's very essence.
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There is "this world" and the "world to come." Moses began his prophecies with the word "this." His purpose was to rectify this world.
"This" = 12. 12 lines define a cube. Kabbalah depicts this world as an ever expanding cube, whose 12 lines regulate its rate of expansion.
12 tribes, 12 months of the year etc. The 12 define the extension-expansion of the cube (in space-time). 12 = 3 fathers times 4 mothers.
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Tevet (411) is the month of Dan (54) likened to a snake (358) linked to the goat (17). Average value (210) = anger, the sense of Tevet.
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All that befalls us is for our ultimate good. But not always do we see the good. We ask God for "visible and revealed good."
"Visible good" = "the hidden light," the original light that God created but hid for the righteous. We ask Him to reveal to us this light.
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Rebbe Zusia taught us to learn from everyone. One of the things to learn from a thief is that if you don't succeed the first time keep on trying.
If something is really important for me – even if I fail time after time I must keep on trying. Failure is a trial, God is testing me.
A Jew never gives up. We're here to bring Mashiach, we will settle for nothing less.
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Most schools teach science just as "science." Better to teach it as "the wonders of creation." Even better – "the wonders of the Creator."
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There are two ways to study Torah: I learn Torah or the Torah teaches me. Chassidim aspire to the second way, to be the "students of God."
If "I learn Torah" I feel myself to be the great Torah scholar who deserves to be honored. If "the Torah teaches me " I deserve no honor.
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A Jewish soul is a letter in the Torah scroll. "Letter" means "sign" or "miracle." A soul connected to its source in Torah can work miracles.
The Torah is the genetic code of the Jewish soul. Every letter in Torah is a portal to reveal all the letters. Every soul reflects all souls.
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Take nothing for granted. Every moment of our lives is a battle to choose good, to unite with God Almighty. The battle can be sweet.
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In the World of Emanation we relate to God as our Father, in Creation as our Creator, in Formation as our Lover, in Action as our King.
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Kindness begins from the body. Give the poor to eat and then teach him. Healing begins from the soul. Treat the soul and then the body.
