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Why Be Jewish: Be in touch with all levels of self.
There are multiple levels of self.
We belong to the universe.
We are born in a specific time & place.
We are born into the Jewish nation.
Actualizing all of our levels of self includes exploring Judaism.
Finding G-d: Find G-d in our individual selves. We all experience G-d differently. To find G-d we must find ourselves. Take experiences that make us feel most alive, deepen them, and find G-d in them. Finding G-d is personal.
Money: People fill gaps in life with material possessions. The more we have, the more we want. Desire can only be quenched on a spiritual level. Recognize that desires for material things have spiritual ends.
Honesty: Pinochio Factor We shouldn’t tell the truth if it’s hurtful. The Hebrew word for truth means to bring unification within separation. Bringing unification and harmony is an expression of divine truth.
Balance: Balancing means to create internal alignment. Sometimes we must resort to extremes to achieve balance. Our lower self propels us to move to a higher place, our higher self is content. Use internal conflict to achieve a higher balance.
Ambition: Lower self is ambitious; higher self is complacent. Without the lower self, nothing would get done. Without the higher self, we would lack spirituality. By balancing both parts of self, we can be ambitious and kind. Healthy ambition is working hard but accepting that things aren’t always perfect.
Relationship With G-d: The first part of a relationship is open communication. We have to overcome our childish images of G-d. Don’t be afraid to express genuine feelings to G-d. Once we openly converse with G-d, we can deepen our relationship with Him.
Jealousy: How to rid ourselves of jealousy. The last commandment is “do not be jealous. “This is connected with the first commandment: “I am G-d.” Jealousy is when we feel that something belongs to us. Life is a gift and G-d gives us everything we need.
Indifference: Indifference comes from non-attachment. Our egos drive us to be selfish. As we progress we learn to share and let go of attachment. Some attachment is positive. The only way to learn this is to abandon attachment, then reconnect.
Healing: Energy balance affects health. A default in one of our levels of self, will block energy flow into the body. Working on our thoughts and emotions can help the energy flow properly and heal us. If you’re clogged in your physical self, unclogging a part of your spiritual self won’t necessarily be effective.
Dreams: Align our conscious and our sub-conscious. One level of dreams is subconscious foolishness which bares minimal significance. There are also relational dreams that can give us insight. If constantly seeking an answer, focus properly on the question before falling sleep and the answer may come in a dream.
Daily Life: Be open to new experiences. Accept experiences as truths. Acknowledge negative experiences and emotions. Through acknowledging the truth of experience, we can find and create meaning in our lives.
Divine Reality: Perceptions of The Divine. Once transcendence is experienced, then the higher experiences become everyday experiences.
Giving: Come into the arc. Commit to what you say. Say something and mean it. Be conscious of what you say.
Wants vs Needs: We have to nullify our will to G-d. This will lead to us making G-d’s will our will. We must view desire objectively. If we then decide we still desire it, so does G-d. In this way we elevate our desires from mundane to divine.
No Coincidences: G-d manifests in everything. Everything is interconnected and has a purpose. We won’t always understand an event’s purpose but we must ask “What does this experience mean to me?” Some experiences are meant to be pursued, others to be overcome.
The Unconscious: What do you do when you are not mindful? If you perform accidental negative acts, perform accidental acts of goodness. If you speak by mistake, where did it come from? What did you mean?
Self-worth: Focus on positive character traits. Realize that some of our actions are inevitably not good. Try to recall good things we’ve done. They reflect the good and pure souls we are given. If we focus on our positive aspects we will achieve self-worth.
Self-esteem: Not everyone is supposed to be the same. If someone is a little different, he should understand that it’s ok. G-d chooses to express himself through different types of people.
Elevated Prayer: Daily prayer becomes more powerful. Imagine praying in the presence of righteous people. Minds can be settled by observing thoughts. Think new thoughts such as the inter-connectedness of the four universes of body, emotion, mind and transcendence. The peak of transcendence is including others in prayer.
Reality: A prophet has strength of intellect imagination. Power of intellect is the ability to assess self and the world. Power of imagination is to imagine something better. Balance these two capacities when looking at yourself. Imagination is the image we create for ourselves, not the image created by others.
Peace: Real peace is between strength and kindness. Only when one is at peace with himself can he make peace with others. Real peace is when two full people have togetherness. For genuine peace between nations, each nation must be proud of who they are.
The Big Idea: The future of the Jewish community.
Leadership
