We are constantly in a state of inner tension – a war between two opposing spiritual forces: the quest for material pleasure and security, and our truer sense of altruism and benevolence.
Being resolute in the face of opposition calls for a deep commitment. To stand firm when winds of change are blowing requires deep roots of faith and determination.
To act consistently demonstrates an underlying belief and principle. When speech and action differ, we call that hypocrisy. The head and the feet must always be in sync.
We are much better at sizing up the next person than ourselves. This seems an enigma as surely we know ourselves better than anyone else?
Are all prayers answered? We may not always see changes in front of our eyes but a sincere request with a contrite heart always facilitates change – even changes we don’t notice.
Viewed from another perspective, reality appears different. The book of Devarim allows us to see the Torah through the eyes of our Jewish leader Moses. Seeing the Torah through human eyes allows us to relate more intimately with it.
This week’s Torah reading describes the practice of putting on Tefillin. This is no mere ritual but a spiritual practice that encourages the flow of ‘emotional intelligence’ a phenomenon already described much earlier in the Kabbalistic book, Sefer Tanya. Positioned on the head and on nthe upper arm opposite the heart, these black boxes that…
The Ten Commandments strangely begin with an an ancient Egyptian word, Anochi, meaning ‘I’, referring to G-d. Why begin with a foreign word from an idolatrous society? To teach us that the Torah transcends all peoples and circumstances and has the power to elevate every aspect of life. There is no separation of religious and…
Keeping Kosher is not some ancient ritual. And it can’t be rationalized as a matter of national identity or even maintenance of health, because many non kosher foods are completely healthy. Rather, eating kosher food is the way that the Jewish soul can elevate the spark of energy within the eaten animal or vegetable matter.…
The Book of Devarim seems like a mere repetition of the previous four books, just related by Moses rather than G-d Himself. In truth, when Moses ‘channels’ the words of G-d he makes them intelligible for humanity at a finite physical level. Each one of us, with our unique personalities, needs to take the words…
Life is a journey. And to navigate it successfully one needs a compass – the compass of ego-abnegation. Otherwise the ego hides the truth of our life’s path. The battle with our ego is unremitting and constant, but success will lead to a destination of happiness.
Justice has lost its meaning because of world characterized by relativism and spoilt by the dashing of hopes and aspirations of institutions like the United Nations and others. Ultimately the natural justice system inbuilt into the universe is codified in manual the Divine creator provided us with.
The greatest gift that G-d conferred upon us is the power to choose right from wrong, good from bad. And through the act of choice we bring into our lives blessings or curses. We each play a central role in our destiny through our inner wisdom.
To ingrain good habits of mind and heart, one has to practice and practice so that the actions of the body are fully aligned with the wisdom of mind and appreciation of the heart.
