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The Shema teaches the mind what to notice so the nervous system can begin to feel awe, pleasure, and love. “Listen, Israel: G-d [The Creator] is our Lord, G-d is one.” According to Chassidus, belief in one Creator...
Chassidus explains its purpose. Together, they explain why healing has always been humanity's greatest responsibility. Humanity has needed more than 5,000 years to begin learning how to explain that the Creator needs us.
Humility means seeing yourself and other people honestly, then practicing compassionate boundaries that respect both your needs and theirs. People-pleasing means making another person’s emotional comfort your...
It is what kind of cause makes the most sense. Some people believe the source of existence is ultimately blind, without intelligence, free choice, or purpose. Others believe the source of existence is an infinite...
A question I’m often asked is, “What is a soulmate?” My answer is simple: whoever you marry is your soulmate. Chabad Chassidus teaches that even something as small as the color of the clothing you wear is not random...
A person notices the wisdom in creation, the way life is continually given, the importance of human choices, and the deeper patterns found in Torah and experience. These patterns help the mind recognize that the...
That may help explain why I have noticed that Gen Z Jews from many different backgrounds seem more open than previous generations to the idea that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is the Nasi HaDor: the leader of the generation...
Teshuva means to return and come close. It means restoring a relationship from distance. That distance is not only caused by doing something wrong.
It means returning to relationship with the Creator, until life itself becomes a conversation with Him (you can even begin with saying you’re angry at Him). The Alter Rebbe explains that a relationship with the Creator...
It is not mainly a book about explaining mystical ideas. The Tanya explains the ideas a person should think about again and again so they can develop deep awe and love for the Creator throughout the day. The author of...
not because they are more important than others. Chabad Chassidus, with more than 150,000 published pages of teachings (also lots of unpublished pages), explains patterns that help us understand the infinite Creator...
, helps a person notice the healthy patterns in Torah, creation, emotions, and relationships. As those patterns become clearer, faith becomes daas — a felt knowing of the Creator that leads to trust. Over 70,000 pages...
Chassidus explains why. The goal of spiritual growth is not only to know the truth. It is to improve your personality so you can reveal more goodness in the world. Why? Because creation means experiencing yourself as...
The Creator did not make a world where relationship only happens in light (goodness), clarity, pleasure, and success. He made a world where even confusion, shame, loneliness, fear, failure, and pain can become places...
From the beginning, the Creator gave Adam and Eve instructions for how to live in relationship with Him, with each other, and with the Oneness behind creation. But when a person lacks emotional awareness, instructions...
It comes after the Messianic era (which may be an era that is for 1 day or 200+ years, depends on when all the Jewish people learn to trust the Creator is good and accept the leadership/teachings of the 'Moses' He...
Halacha means [Oral] Torah law: the Creator's instructions for turning faith, love, awe, wisdom, and responsibility into actions that reveal Oneness. Torah law (from the Hebrew Bible) is based on a belief that the...
, he carefully explains why Rashi asks certain questions, why he chooses one explanation over another, and how every word fits into a larger method. It is not uncommon for the Rebbe to spend 5–10 pages explaining only...
like deep awe is often to listen to a nigun. The Alter Rebbe's nigun "Kol Dodi Dofek" is based on the verse: "I sleep, but my heart is awake. The voice of my beloved is knocking." Song of Songs 5:2...
Physics shows that reality is built with order, consistency, and laws. If the universe is reliable, it is reasonable to trust that the Creator, the Cause of that universe, is reliable too. Related guides: "If...
discussed by Rabbeinu Bachya ibn Pekudah, who published many of his teachings in Judeo-Arabic. One of the ideas he teaches is that every soul accepted its mission before entering this world. Life is not an accident...
Every thought comes from one of seven emotional qualities. Kabbalah teaches that each quality can be expressed in a healthy way or a misguided way. A misguided expression is called a fallen spark. _______________...
It means goodness becomes so clear that you feel deeply compelled to make good choices. Your outlook on life and existence becomes more positive because reality is experienced with more revealed goodness...
by teaching them to see Chabad through suspicion before they ever learned it from its own sources. That was not Torah greatness. Torah and ahavas Yisrael are united. Rav Shach z"l was a great Rosh Yeshiva and made...
