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Lesson 6 - Recap

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 2:25:00 AM

Thank you for joining us for the sixth and final lesson of The Kabbalah of You, "Perfectly Imperfect: The Art of Struggle."

Introduction
Throughout this course we have focused on defining ourselves as our spiritual entity, our souls, and using that focus in many elements in life. If we would be able to achieve that focus on a constant basis we would be in perfect balance. But practically although perfection does exists in the human sphere, it is not something that most of us can achieve. Most of us will never achieve perfection, regardless of our noble determination and effort. Are we then never going to be in touch with the YOU of Kabbalah of YOU?

G-d in the Finite & Infinite
G-d is perfect in all ways and aspects. So G-d presents himself
[G-dliness] in the finite state of the Sefirot and Adam HaElyon [Supernal Man] and in the infinite state of Ein Sof.

Two States in Man
The Tzadik, the righteous man reflects the perfection in the finite state of the Sefirot. The imperfect person, the struggler, is also known as a ba’al teshuvah. The ba’al teshuvah compensates for his or her imperfection by utilizing the imperfection as a springboard to propel themselves further. The darkness with which the ba’al teshuvah compels him to reach to a deeper level of their soul which can add passion and fervor and achieve goals that may not be available to the Tzadik. This reflects the Ein Sof or infinite element of their soul.

So the Tzadik, the state of perfection, and the Baal Teshuvah, the struggler both reflect their souls, each a different element of their soul.

Reach for Perfection
It is only by striving for perfection, for the level of a Tzadik, that the Baal Teshuvah reflects the infinite element of their soul. For the purpose of life is to bring G-dliness into the finite structure of creation.

We experience personal redemption when we successfully incorporate in our lives the advantages of both perfection and the energy of imperfection.

Conclusion
After six lessons of The Kabbalah of You we have the perspectives as to how we are to approach life reflecting our true selves. Lets see if we can put them into practice. Even as we attempt to do so, we are coming in contact with the essence of our being.

I enjoyed studying and exploring together with you. I sincerely hope that you have been enriched by the experience.

Please enjoy the video posted below of Rabbi Moshe Bryski discussing "Passion for Judaism."

Lesson 5 - Recap

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 2:24:00 AM

Thank you for joining us for lesson five of the Kabbalah of You.

Introduction
The concept of loving our fellow is a basic concept of Judaism. But can we really achieve this in relation to every single person?

Rabbi Akiva & Hillel
Rabbi Akiva said the the Torah commandment to Love Your Fellow As Yourself is a great principle of the Torah. Hillel said the Golden Rule, What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. This is all of Torah. Although these two concepts are the foundations of our relations with other people, what is their connection to Mitzvot that are totally personal like Kashrut, Shabbat etc?

Love As Yourself; Is it even possible?
How can we be commanded to love every person in the same manner that we love ourselves. We love others because of reasons, but our self love is without reason. Because of this difficulty, many commentaries explain the commandment to be about how we act, not how we feel.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Chabad Rebbe, explains that it all depends on how we view ourselves. If we see ourselves as primarily physical beings, we are then distinct from other people and can never feel towards them as we feel towards ourselves. If however we view our G-dly souls as our primary existence, then the essence of our existence is the same as another Jew. So they are me and I am them and my self love can extend to them.

Unifying with everyone and everything
We unite with other Jews by defining ourselves by our G-dly souls. The Jewish Soul is unique, hence the special bond with all Jews. But G-dliness exists in all people. If we view them as an expression of G-dliness, we have found common ground to unite with all mankind.

This can then be expanded to include the G-dly energy that exists in all parts of the universe. Everything and everyone is part of G-d's universe and shares a purpose.

Conclusion
By defining ourselves by our Souls and not by our physical state, we have discovered the unifying factor with our fellow Jews, fellow man and all of G-d's creations. Knowing this, we can then act towards others with this perspective even before we create our internal feelings.

Please enjoy the video below of Rabbi Mendel Matusof discussing "True Jewish Love."

Lesson 4 - Recap

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 2:22:00 AM

Thank you for joining us for the fourth lesson of The Kabbalah of You, "The Quest for God: Faith vs. Intellect."

Introduction
G-d wants us to have a relationship with him. But to do so, we must first relate to him. Without being able to sense G-d, it is difficult to make G-d a real part of our consciousness. How do we go about relating to G-d?

The Rational Approach
Philosophers have argued that we can approach G-d from a rational perspective by simply looking at the universe and recognizing its creator. While true, the rational approach only tells us about the existence of G-d. It doesn't speak to the goal of having a relationship with G-d. We know that G-d exists, but what does that mean to me?

The Faith-based Approach
The Faith-based approach begins with understanding that which is common between G-d and myself. The essence of our existence, the essence of our Soul is G-dliness and that connects me to G-d and creates our relationship. So its not simply about Faith, its about being true to ourselves. We express this in our simplicity of prayer like a child speaking to their parents.

Can We Question G-d?
Faith does not negate our ability to question G-d. Even Moses challenged G-d's actions. Why did this happen and what was the reason for that event? The questioning is built upon the truth of our connection to G-d. The questions never affect the validity of that connection, just as a child's questions does not change the essential bond between them and their parent.

After Faith, Use Your Mind
Chasidic Philosophy, Mystics and others delve into religious theology. After the foundation of faith, we have to bring those concepts into our world and daily lives. We confirm our relationship with G-d by using our minds and hearts to understand G-d to our greatest ability.

Daily Faith
We start each day with a statement of faith, the Modeh Ani, where we thank G-d for our renewed life. This provides the daily foundation for our relationship with G-d.

Please enjoy the video posted below of Rabbi Yehuda Shemtov discussing the "Role of Faith in Judaism."

Lesson 3 - Recap

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 1:18:00 AM

Thank you for joining us for the third lesson of The Kabbalah of You, "Happy to Be You: Exploring the Pursuit of Happiness."

The recording and powerpoint of the class is available @www.ChabadBrisbane.com/JLIaudio

Introduction:

Happiness is viewed as a 'right', but it's also an obligation. On a secular basis, its an obligation to our fellow man. On a religious basis, we are required to serve G-d with Joy. This Joy reflects the totality of the person being involved in our relationship with G-d, and it gives us the strength to overcome our internal struggles in that relationship. If we are obligated to be happy, how do we go about attaining happiness?

Changing Perspectives

Although we presently have a higher standard of living than previous generations, the 'happiness factor' is unchanged. Obviously simply having more doesn't lead to happiness. Why?

Happiness is a product of being true to yourself. As humans we have an animal element, but the true human is the transcendent Soul. Led by our animal perspective, we have a constant drive to pursue physical wealth and pleasure. But having more doesn't satisfy that drive and happiness is elusive. Because that is not who we are.

To start we must change perspectives and be humble in our approach. Then we can have gratitude for what we do have and for what G-d has given us. In our prayers we verbally acknowledge the simple basic elements of life that G-d has granted to us.

Be True to Yourself and Be Happy

If we feed the needs of our Soul through our relationship with G-d, helping others, doing Mitzvot, studying Torah we are then in touch with our true selves. This allows us to attain happiness on a regular basis.

I look forward to seeing you next week Monday, November 19, 7:30 pm for Lesson Four, "The Quest for G-d: Faith vs. Intellect."

Chanoch H Sufrin
JLI Facilitator

PS Please enjoy the video below of Dennis Prager discussing "The Happy Jew."

Preview of Lesson 2

Fri, 2 Nov 2012 12:09:00 AM

If I am a veritable "part of God," (as we discussed in lesson 1) why do I so mightily struggle to make the right decisions? Though more often than not I know what is right, there's a part of me that always wants to take the easy way out.

Lesson Two of The Kabbalah of You, "How to Be You: Living by Your Convictions," will explore this question.

We will probe the reasons why oftentimes our behaviors are inconsistent with our personal moral convictions and professed aspirations. We will discover a soul quality, known in mystical parlance as da'at, which allows us to be fully aligned with who we really are.

I look forward to seeing you on Monday evening, 5 November at 7:30 pm.

Lesson 1 - Recap

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 9:00:00 AM

Dear JLI Student,

Thank you for joining us for the first lesson of The Kabbalah of You, "Climbing the Soul Ladder: Uncovering the Human Potential."

For those of you that attended (or those who missed lesson 1), please find below a brief recap of Monday nights lesson.

The recording of the class is available on our website at www.ChabadBrisbane.com/JLIaudio.

Introduction:
Every person wants to live a life true to themselves. As a human we search for a higher goal in our lives. We reach beyond ourselves to help our fellow man and society at large. We are not simply sophisticated beasts. Where does this yearning come from? What is it that makes us human?

The Soul:
This element of our personality comes from our Soul. The Soul is not physical. It is a transcendent existence which goes beyond our physical state. It is only with G-d's wonders that a Soul can exist in a physical body.

The Soul is the Image of G-d in which Man was created. From the Soul comes our searching for something beyond our own physical pleasures and well being.

A Kabbalistic Perspective:
The Kabbalists speak to how the Soul is "part of G-d". This is based on the Kabbalistic novel concept of "Ohr Ein Sof", the Infinite Light, or Light Without An End. The light metaphor is about G-dliness. Its not G-d, but an expression of G-d. So its G-dlike, and all its features are based on the source of the light. Hence a Soul can be referred to as a 'part of G-d'.

The Essence of Man:
This then is who we are. G-dliness in a body, searching for transcendence. Not satisfied with simple physical pleasures. Because that is not our true self.

In the upcoming lessons we will learn how to employ our Essence in our relationships, quest for happiness and discipline in our choices in life.

We begin next week, Monday 5 November, 7:30 pm with Lesson Two, "How To Be You", Living by your Convictions.

I look forward to seeing you.

Chanoch H Sufrin
JLI Facilitator

PS. For more about Kabbalah in general, check out our Kabbalah mega-site at www.ChabadBrisbane.com/Kabbalah.

PPS. Please consider watching the following video, wherein Rabbi Dr. Laibl Wolf discusses the subject of "Living a Significant Life."