Quotations
Selections that Motivate Us In Our Navigations
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When someone
would come to join the circle of the
Ba’al Shem Tov, the Baal Shem Tov would ask him, “What do you
remember?” This penetrating question would awaken the new disciple’s
unconscious and bring up what lay hidden in the recesses of his psyche
to his conscious mind. This included all the unresolved issues he had
repressed throughout his lifetime, remnants of previous lifetimes, and
particularly, the life of his soul before its descent from its abode in
heaven into his physical body.
From“Transforming Darkness into
Light –
Kabbalah and Psychology,” by
Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh.
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The Shofar
Awakens Subconscious Impressions
Shofar is the
sound of eternity, for "it is Remembrances" (Talmud,
Tractate Rosh
Hoshana 26a). Its sound fuses all time and embraces the
totality of
all Jewish experience. Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner writes that "all
experiences of Klal Yisroel leave spiritual and historic residue.
Hence, honor must be given the scholar who forgot his learning
(Tractate Brochas 8a).
The
Tzaddik (Holy Person) leaves an impression
when he departs the city (Genesis 28:10). The
Shofar is the
sound that resurrects all residue and brings life and reality to all
impression. This is the precise meaning of the Rambam (Maimonides
in Hilchos Teshuva 3:4) that the sound of the Shofar
'awakens from
all sleep.' Sleep suggests the residue of a life. The Shofar awakens,
and the residue comes alive."
Rabbi Meir Belsky,
in "Citadel and Tower."
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* *
Something
is Pressing to be Born Into the World
Sometimes you begin to sense an infinite
light that you know with absolute certainty is G-d's love, and you know
it's the only reality. Sometimes, within this light, will come an even
greater light, which brings with it the direct awareness of the
absolute meaning of existence, knowing that man's life -your own life-
is ultimately and eternally meaningful. You trust G-d, trust that He
knows what He is doing by making you live. Now, more than ever, you
want to achieve your life's work; something is pressing to be born into
the world…
Based on Alan Afterman, in "Kabbalah and
Consciousness"
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The world before him seems to be a hidden, wondrous enigma
which captivates his heart, leaving no ambition other than solving this
puzzle. This solution absorbs his soul…His soul becomes disoriented,
mourning and yearning to comprehend this secret and know its roots...
The Chazon Ish in "Emunah and Bitochon"
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Finding a New
Yardstick of Reality
Western thought is firmly based in the finite,
physical dimensions; the yardstick of reality is the laboratory, and
that which is not tangible or measurable by experiment is not taken
seriously. The entire world of spirituality is relegated to the domain
of personal experience and personal belief. The classical Western mind
does not engage transcendence. At center stage in this grasp of the
world is the fact of physical existence; spiritual wisdom is seen, at
best, as commentary…
An effort must be made to break the patterns of
Western thought which bind the world within finite boundaries if one
wishes to become spiritually conscious. Transcendent wisdom must be
primary…
Secular eyes see a finite world, and refracted
through that
prism all of spirituality is reduced to the dimensions of a very
limited human angle of vision.
From "World Mask," by Rabbi Akiva
Tatz
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...It is not the study of Kabbalah alone that
is a secret. After all, the Kabbalah is written in books, available to
anyone who wants to learn it. The mystery, rather, is in the
understanding and perception of God that each person may achieve and
that no one else can acquire. That which each person perceives as God
and which cannot be related to someone else comprises the real secret
and the mystery.
The Piasczener Rebbe,
ztzal, in "Aish Kodesh," parshas Ki Teitze
Eternal Hush
Why do you, universe, so hide yourself to let so many be fooled
by
your material surface? Why don't you just reveal yourself as the window
to the palace of God? Why do you make it such an effort for us and such
torment for the searching soul? Remove your curtain and let me enter
into the chambers of God's palace.
With awesome quiet and cosmic silence, your unceasing message
resounds
without noise...Your eternal hush grips us with awe...
The Piasczener Rebbe,
ztzal, in "To Heal the
Soul," translated by Yehoshua Starrett
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Direct Communicaton
Not to have "other gods before Me"
means not to put intermediaries between oneself and God -- whether they
be other forms of god, nature, or idols such as wealth, positions of
power, or beauty. The most powerful and subtle idol that stands before
God is the ego. The mitzvah against
idolatry is to see through everything, through everyone, and especially
through oneself to the inner divinity. Not to "fall" for the world, not
to idolize a part of the whole, not to idolize an experience or person.
More precisely, it is the commandment to be in direct relation, to talk
directly and personally with God. Not to be afraid or to feel unworthy,
not to place any psychological barriers before Him.
From "Kabbalah and Consciousness," by
Allen Afterman
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A
Force
Can be Born Out of A Stir of the Soul
...Or
a force could be born out of a stir of the soul; a sort of unplanned,
unhesitating act which pours forth with the strength of unbridled will.
It may well be an overabundance of joy that erupts from the depths of
being. Whatever its character, this irresistable, nameless force will
cause one who is timid to deliver an explosive speech. It will prompt
the wicked to kick the habit. It will scream perfectly composed stanzas
into the poet’s ear...
From "The Possible Man," by R. Meir Abehsera.
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Space, Silence, and Vastness
We must all tap the metaphysical
wellsprings of our inner worlds. All good deeds must be connected to
the Source.
How
does one begin this inner work? Turning inward towards one's honest
simplicity and listening to one's soul is the first place to start.
This requires a lot of space and silence; the vastness of the mind
needs to be explored so that the soul can birth its deepest secret of
knowing. Then, we can tune into the deepest messages of our body as it
expresses our soul. From here we find a direct line to the universe.
From "Israel and the Seventy Dimensions of the World
-
A Kabbalistic Approach to an Eternally Enduring World Peace," by
Nechama Nadborny-Burgeman
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Beyond the Clouds Into the Temple
At Mount Sinai, God was revealed behind a
thick cloud of furnace-like smoke (Exodus 18:9, 16,18).
There, at Mount Sinai, the temporary Temple, Moses had to enter the
cloud (ibid, v.17; Likutey Mohoran I, 115). And
when God called to him from the desert Sanctuary, He called to him
through a cloud (Exodus 33:9; Nachmanides, ad.loc.).
These are the "clouds" of darkness and uncertainty, the clouds that fog
our lives. Get past these clouds and find in them your Temple, and
bring God's light into your world.
So you can see
that
this inner Temple is not exclusive to tzaddikim (holy people) -- on the
contrary, every single Jewish person is obligated to "build" one (Shelah,
Masekhet Taanit; Taamei HaMitzvot, Recanti #36; Kedushat Levi, Terumah;
Ahavat Yisrael, Terumah).
Each of our "Temples" is like a singular brick in the collective Temple
that the tzaddik builds.
From
"The Inner Temple," by Yehoshua Starrett
The
Inner Essence Will Remain Strong
You must become
strong-spirited and take possession of your inner world...Become the
absolute and ultimate master of your inner world so that it reacts not
to external influence but only to your deepest command.
If you train yourself in
your younger years, you will become
a giant of spirit. Your body may age, your physical strength may wane,
but your inner essence, your spirit, will remain strong. To the end of
your life you will be able to take pride in your continuing spiritual
victories.
The Piasczener Rebbe, ztzal, in "To Heal the
Soul," translated by Yehoshua Starrett
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The Aura
Each of us builds our own prison or our own palace.
Every conscious thought, every utterance of our lips, every
interaction of ours with the world leaves its imprint upon an aura that
surrounds each of us and stays with us wherever we go. All life, all
blessing, all that is transmitted from Above must pass through that
aura. Even if it be the greatest of blessings, the aura may distort it
into ugly noise. Or it may resonate and amplify it even more.
An aura of beauty attracts beauty. An aura of love attracts
love. An
aura of life and joy attracts unbounded light.
Only you are the master of that aura. Only you have the
permission
and the power at any moment to transform your thoughts from the ugly to
the beautiful, your words from bitter to sweet, your deeds from death
to life.
And so too, your entire world.
Tzvi Freeman, based on the teachings
of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, ztzal
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You must set your heart upon your goal, muster all your
willpower,
and refuse to give up. You must long and yearn constantly to go there
and express your desires verbally before God. Then God will perform
miracles for you, leading you according to the wondrous ways of Divine
Providence that transcend the laws of nature, until finally you arrive
at your destination
God may not perform open miracles for you as he did with the
prophets Eliyahu and Elisha...Nevertheless, if you contemplate the
chains of cause and effect that God sets into motion on your behalf
through His wondrous Providence until you reach your destination, you
will see miracles almost as great. Indeed, miracles such as splitting
the sea were only momentary, whereas the miracles of Divine Providence
take place constantly, every day and every hour.
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, in Likutey
Halakhot, quoted in "The Tree that
Stands Beyond Space," by David Sears
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