Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World

Making a Personal Connection with G-d Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to React in the Moment Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tisha B'Av has a duel nature. On the one hand, it is the saddest day of the year. On the other hand, our Sages teach that there is light contained within it that is of the Messianic level. How are we to react? And what does it tell us about living as Jews in general? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How You Feel is What You See Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Healing the Contradictions in our Lives Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Kabalah of Circumcision Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Deeper Understanding of Exile Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends, Our Sages teach that all the righteous people of the world, and every Jew has a place in heaven.  But what is heaven?  It is a place?  A state of mind, a physical reality?  Do you remain you there?  Or is it is some  ethereal realm where we cease to be us and…The post Yippee, I’m Going to Heaven! first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stop Worrying Now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,The question is, are you fighting a battle you’ve already won? So many of us find ourselves addicted to struggle. We can’t take “yes” for an answer! Sometimes we have to work hard to achieve, other times we have to recognize that we can’t have it all, no matter what the guy holding the beer bottle with the nice tan in the commercial is saying. The key is knowing when to strive, and when to be samay’ach b’chelco, happy with our lot. We look at Korach, the spies, and ourselves, to try to map out some of the keys to human nature and figure out what is normal.The post Spiritual Anatomy – Understanding Ourselves from the Inside Out first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Spiritual Anatomy – Understanding Ourselves from the Inside Out first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,We explore the inevitability of questioning yourself in life and how to stay connected to your roots even as you become your own person. Also, more teachings this week from Reb Shlomo Carlebach on what it means to light a fire in your heart, and the Ishbitzer Rebbe on what we were really asking for when we wanted meat in the desert.The post Overcoming Self-Doubt first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Overcoming Self-Doubt first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,After we got the Torah at Mount Sinai, the Rabbis teach that we reached the level of Adam and Eve before they ate from the Tree of Knowledge. The question is, why didn’t the final fixing happen then and there? To answer, we revisit what went on in the Garden of Eden before the snake showed up, and what that has to do with our lives today.The post Life At the Top first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Life At the Top first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,The world needs more deep Torah. I feel privileged to present Reb Shlomo Carlebach giving over the Ishbitzer Rebbe on the first three words of Parshas Bechukosai. The standard translation is “If you walk in My ways..” Hashem promises all sorts of blessings. But it’s so much deeper than that. What the Ishbitzer reveals here is the secret to how to shine. This means not just how to emanate a holy glow, but how to ensure that after you complete an action that it continues to reverberate through the world with positive consequences.The post The Ishbitzer Rebbe on “How To Shine” first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post The Ishbitzer Rebbe on “How To Shine” first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,A good heart is a great thing! In this week’s talk we look at a bunch of different topics, including an analysis of the heart based on the sefirah count, stories about Log B’Omer, my last conversation with Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and demystifying “brilliant” speakers.The post A Good Heart first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post A Good Heart first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,Why was Moshe selected to get the Torah on the top of Mount Sinai and not you or me? The question itself is kind of mind blowing, it isn’t mine, it’s Reb Shlomo Carlebach’s. The answer takes us to the depths of what it means every time we immerse ourselves in deep learning.The post Why Did Moshe Get the Torah? first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Why Did Moshe Get the Torah? first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,Speech creates reality. Our Sages teach that Hashem spoke the world into being. Reb Shlomo Carlebach said it’s even deeper than that. Hashem actually sang the world into existence. In this week’s talk we look into the power of speech, how to tie your shoes according to the Torah, what the first Divine directive was, and further adventures of the letter Beis inside the letter Pay (see chart).The post Singing the World into Existance first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Singing the World into Existance first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For most of us, waiting is the hardest part. And yet when we look at our lives, so much of it is filled with waiting. Or is it? Sometimes, maybe even often, we confuse waiting with living. During this time of the year, between Passover and receiving the Torah, we have a special mitzvah not just to count the days until we get to our destination, but to actually bless the waiting! How do we do that? We discuss it in this week’s talk.The post Freedom and Forgiveness first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Freedom and Forgiveness first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,There is so much going on!! We are in the awesome holy month of Nissan, which marks the beginning of the universe and the dedication of the Holy Tabernacle which was a microcosm of the universe. It is also the month that the Jews leave Egypt. In this talk we explore a number of ideas — including the interrelationship of freedom and forgiveness, the souls of Noach and Moshe, and the nature of miracles and human effort. By the way, Sir Isaac Newton was fascinated by the Holy Temple and felt that understanding the dimensions of it were the key to grasping the shape of the universe.The post Mixing Fire – Pesach 2010 first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Mixing Fire – Pesach 2010 first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Maze Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,What does it mean to unify the Name Yud kay with Vav kay? What does it mean that every Parsha in the book of Shemos/Exodus starts with the letter vav except the final one which starts with the letter aleph? How is the first word of the Torah — Breisheet — a microcosm of human history? How do we go about revealing the hidden? Lots and lots of ideas in this week’s talk!The post Unifying the Name of Hashem first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Unifying the Name of Hashem first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Somewhere between the hidden and the revealed, between the great salvations of Purim and Pesach, between yesterday and tomorrow, lie our lives. The post Basic Faith – Wheaties for the Soul first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Basic Faith – Wheaties for the Soul first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since Purim is all about things flipping over for the good, I thought it would be cool to look at the word Purim in At Bash to see what new levels we can uncover. Lots of interesting concepts, including an explanation of the philosophy of the At Bash system itself.The post Purim in “At Bash” – Through the Looking Glass first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Purim in “At Bash” – Through the Looking Glass first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most remarkable passages in the Torah is when Mordecai turns to Queen Esther and says, rest assured that Hashem is going to save the Jewish people — the only question is are you going to be part of it? (4:13) Using this passage as a springboard we look into the parameters of free choice and how Mordecai’s words still echo in our lives today.The post Does Free Choice Exist? – Purim 2010 first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Does Free Choice Exist? – Purim 2010 first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tons of ideas in the this one relating to Purim, happiness, purity, hiddeness, acceptance of Torah, gematria, pregnancy, bris mila, butterflies, and hope. Nothing compares to Purim!!!!The post Purim – Holiday of Secrets first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Purim – Holiday of Secrets first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,“Who is G-d? What is G-d?” This week’s talk begins with that question and evolves from there! Join us for a free wheeling tour through ideas ranging from basic beliefs to the giving of the Torah to achieving harmony in a world where all of us are given certain desires in our hearts and then told not to act upon them! What sense does that make? A lot actually, as we explore the role human beings play in restoring balance to the universe.The post Achieving Harmony first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Achieving Harmony first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,When we received the Torah at Mount Sinai, Hashem looked at the pureness of our hearts and asked, who will guarantee that our hearts will remain like this always? We said that “we” would guarantee it. But the Gemara teaches (Avodah Zarah 5a) that that was the wrong answer! We should have said “Hashem, You guarantee that we stay this way!” Contained here is a fundamental lesson about gratitude and how to avoid the trap of relating to ourselves when we are really trying to connect with G-d.The post Who Will Guarantee Our Hearts Will Remain Pure? first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Who Will Guarantee Our Hearts Will Remain Pure? first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,Our Holy tradition teaches that Hashem created the world with the letters of the aleph-bais. With this in mind, our Sages teach in the Talmud (Shabbos 104) that there is a system called A”t B”ash where we reimagine words by exchanging the last letter of the alphabet for the first letter, the second to last letter of the alphabet for the second letter and so on. More than just “playing games” to derive new spellings, the Sages are offering us a new portal into accessing the infinity of the Torah. In this talk we deeply explore the geometry of this world and the next, and the opportunities available to us only in the here and now.The post Portals To Other Dimensions first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Portals To Other Dimensions first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To understand the nature of the Purim miracle is to understand life itself. In this week’s talk we look into it, while first beginning with an appreciation of what it means that historically the events of Purim transpired during the holiday of Passover.The post Understanding The Miracle of Purim first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Understanding The Miracle of Purim first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,How many wings does an angel have? This may sound like the most esoteric of questions, but the Torah actually tells us the answer — and even better how many they have today (hint – two fewer). We also discuss the story of Yoseph and how he prepared for his fateful encounter with his brother before he was sold.The post How Many Wings Does an Angel Have? first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post How Many Wings Does an Angel Have? first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,In this week’s talk, we explore a wide array of ideas associated with Hanukah, from it being historically the last holiday to be added to the Jewish calendar, to the fact that it must be celebrated in a person’s home, to it’s yearly connection to the story of Joseph, the amazing story of a little known Jewish hero, and beyond.The post Hanukah – An Overview first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Hanukah – An Overview first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,This week’s Torah portion is unique in the Torah in that there are no “breaks” — no white spaces within it. It is no coincidence that this portion also contains the account of Yakov, Jacob our forefather, running for his life, finding his soulmate, entering into the business world and raising a family. If you think you don’t have any time in your schedule to do anything — then this week’s talk is for you!The post No Time For Anything! first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post No Time For Anything! first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,We are living through a time often called the “age of information”. Ironically, the barrage coming at us can often obscure that which is most essential to keep in the forefront of our consciousness. In other words, sometimes the more we know the less we end up knowing! In this week’s talk we pull the lens way back to observe the overall pattern that informs not only our personal lives, but all of creation.The post The Grand Pattern first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post The Grand Pattern first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends, In our quest to become closer with Hashem, and attaching ourselves to Him through the mitzvahs, we must be careful not to turn our spirituality into a straight jacket.  In this week's talk, we discuss some strategies on how to avoid this very common trap.The post Making Sure Reverence Doesn’t Become a Straightjacket first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Friends,Think good and it will be good! Most of our lives are spent either thinking about what’s already happened or worrying about what hasn’t happened yet. Meanwhile, the only thing that’s actually is going on — the right now of it all — gets buried turning us into bystanders in our lives. How can we strip away the distractions and zero in on the now? In this week’s talk we discuss some strategies.The post Being in the Moment first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World.The post Being in the Moment first appeared on Spiritual Tools for an Outrageous World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.