a body and a soul, beyond all reasons. The tragedy of the story, and the repair that happens afterward, show that The Creator did not choose us because of our positive qualities, but beyond all reasons, for a life of relationship, responsibility, and revealing His goodness. When we channel goodness, compassion, responsibility, forgiveness, and repair […]
Once, he was not careful enough about reading by lamplight on Shabbos, and he ended up tilting the lamp [considered a form of kindling, it causes oil to flow to the wick]. What did he do next? He wrote it down: “I, Yishmael ben Elisha, read by lamplight and tilted the lamp on Shabbos.” And […]
“The renowned Sages R’ Yochanan and Reish Lakish attributed all their greatness in Torah to the fact that they once saw Rebbi’s fingers when they slipped out of his glove (yerushalmi Beitzah 5:2).” Awe is a blend of sadness, fear and wonder. The Talmud states: “from the days of Moshe Rabbeinu until Rebbi we do […]
Not because nothing is happening inside you. But because too much has been happening for too long. Emotional numbness is often not emptiness. It is a form of buried hatred, self-hatred, fear, resentment, disappointment, or pain that became too much to feel directly, so the personality shuts down. Prayer is one of the tools for […]
Not because it removes ego or makes someone automatically humble, but because visualization intensifies emotion. When a person can vividly picture a scene, the body often reacts more strongly, which is why scary stories can feel physically frightening. The person is not only reading words, they are seeing a scene inside their mind. I learned […]
Free will does not mean you choose every detail of life. You may think you freely chose the color of your clothing, but from a Chabad Chassidus perspective, that is not free will at all. Personality, mood, taste, culture, habit, memory, and nervous system patterns shaped that choice.That is human nature. Not free will. ——— […]
It seems to suggest something deeper about feminine strength. On Tu B’Av, the women did not wait passively for relationship to happen. They prepared. And they spoke first: “Young man, please lift up your eyes and see what you choose for yourself.” That line is powerful. The women helped the men practice curiosity. They invited […]
chose to be known through a world of personality. Not because He needs personality. Because He desires revealed goodness. A human being has thoughts, words, feelings, choices, limits, struggles, and relationships. Through all of that, a person can either reveal The Creator or hide Him. When our thoughts become more honest, our speech becomes more […]