Discover your next self
to believe in an Infinite Creator and still trust that He is good. That structure is relationship and responsibility. Not control. Not blind positivity. Not pretending suffering does not exist. Relationship and responsibility. Because the kindest way to give is not always to hand someone everything without their participation. That can crush the self-respect of […]
he asked to be buried in white shrouds. His teacher, Rabbi Yochanan, had asked to be buried in clothing that was between white and black. White symbolized being brought back among the righteous at the time of resurrection of the dead. Black symbolized the opposite. (those who live more selfishly resurrect decades later or more) […]
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. Sometimes it develops because a person has carried hurt, fear, disappointment, resentment, or shame for so long that feeling it directly becomes overwhelming. The personality creates distance from those feelings as a […]
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 […]