Sunday, November 19, 2017

Giving it ALL you got and the positive in the struggle.





Sarah passes on and her husband Abraham is looking for a burial site to fulfill his obligation to bury his wife. Abraham didn’t even consider cremation, since that would be the greatest disrespect to her life and the greatest punishment to her soul.

Abraham decides he would like to buy land in Hebron from Efron, and Efron offers to give the land for free, as a gift. Abraham would not hear of it and insisted he wanted to pay for the land. Efron offers to sell the land for its full value, 400 silver talents and Abraham purchases the property – no haggling -- and buries his wife Sarah.

Abraham did not want that there should be in the future the slightest claim on the land from Efron or his people if he would accept the land as a gift, therefore he compensated Efron to the last penny that was requested for the land. In doing so, the land was totally acquired by Abraham for both Sarah and Abraham and all his future children.

The bible says Efron referred to Abraham as “a G-dly prince in our midst”. Abraham was a special and important person amongst the people of that time. The law is, when an important person accepts a gift from someone, the honor and pleasure received by the giver, is considered as a form of currency and exchange that the important person is giving, a sort of a barter, for the gift granted to him,

Abraham as an important person, had he accepted the land as a gift this would have been his form of payment for the land to Efron. Why did he still insist in paying the full price in cash?

Here we have a great secret and lesson in life.

It is true that had Abraham merely accepted the land from Efron this would have totally severed any claims to the land by Efron by virtue of the gift accepted by Abraham. However, Abraham would not have paid any money and this is something Abraham did not want to do.

True service to G-d and worthwhile accomplishments in life must come necessarily through hard labor. Anything that comes by itself or without sacrifice, remain external and superficial to our lives. Without working hard for something, what we acquire will not be permanent and doesn’t have any real inherent value and appreciation in our lives.

Abraham insisted to pay full price for the burial site because he understood, “a man (to be happy and fulfilled) is born to toil”, he must earn his keep.

Everything in this world has a spark of G-dliness, and therefore potential blessing waiting to be redeemed when it is used in the service of G-d. The more we utilize what G-d created specifically through sacrifice and difficulty, for the good, the more we free goodness in the world.

The way to involve our own lives and actual bodies in this process and bring the best of blessings and health in our own lives and thereby connect deeply with the act is when we toil in hard labor to bring about good. “With the sweat of your brow you will eat bread.” There is an inherent positive value -- more is absobed into and for your own life -- in working hard and plugging away to accomplish results in life.

Mysticism teaches, “Free bread is shameful bread.” The great AriZal always insisted in paying full price for his Mitzvot- (G-dly deeds) and taught,  the sweat one experiences when doing good deeds cleans the dirt of one’s soul.

Falsehood.


Sunday, November 12, 2017

Cremation?? Giving it ALL you got and avoiding gifts...




Sarah passes on and her husband Abraham is looking for a burial site to fulfill his obligation to bury his wife. Abraham didn’t even consider cremation, since that would be the greatest disrespect to her life and the greatest punishment to her soul. 

Abraham decides he would like to buy land in Hebron from Efron, and Efron offers to give the land for free, as a gift. Abraham would not hear of it and insisted he wanted to pay for the land. Efron offers to sell the land for its full value, 400 silver talents and Abraham purchases the property – no haggling -- and buries his wife Sarah.

Abraham did not want that there should be in the future the slightest claim on the land from Efron or his people if he would accept the land as a gift, therefore he compensated Efron to the last penny that was requested for the land. In doing so, the land was totally acquired by Abraham for both Sarah and Abraham and all his future children.

The bible says Efron referred to Abraham as “a G-dly prince in our midst”. Abraham was a special and important person amongst the people of that time. The law is, when an important person accepts a gift from someone, the honor and pleasure received by the giver, is considered as a form of currency and exchange that the important person is giving, a sort of a barter, for the gift granted to him,

Abraham as an important person, had he accepted the land as a gift this would have been his form of payment for the land to Efron. Why did he still insist in paying the full price in cash?

Here we have a great secret and lesson in life.

It is true that had Abraham merely accepted the land from Efron this would have totally severed any claims to the land by Efron by virtue of the gift accepted by Abraham. However, Abraham would not have paid any money and this is something Abraham did not want to do.

True service to G-d and worthwhile accomplishments in life must come necessarily through hard labor. Anything that comes by itself or without sacrifice, remain external and superficial to our lives. Without working hard for something, what we acquire will not be permanent and doesn’t have any real inherent value and appreciation in our lives.

Abraham insisted to pay full price for the burial site because he understood, “a man (to be happy and fulfilled) is born to toil”, he must earn his keep.

Everything in this world has a spark of G-dliness, and therefore potential blessing waiting to be redeemed when it is used in the service of G-d. The more we utilize what G-d created specifically through sacrifice and difficulty, for the good, the more we free goodness in the world.

The way to involve our own lives and actual bodies in this process and bring the best of blessings and health in our own lives and thereby connect deeply with the act is when we toil in hard labor to bring about good. “With the sweat of your brow you will eat bread.” There is an inherent positive value -- more is absobed into and for your own life -- in working hard and plugging away to accomplish results in life.

Mysticism teaches, “Free bread is shameful bread.” The great AriZal always insisted in paying full price for his Mitzvot- (G-dly deeds) and taught,  the sweat one experiences when doing good deeds cleans the dirt of one’s soul.

It all in HIS hands.




Monday, November 6, 2017

Strength and weakness in a person’s life are all the result of ones thoughts.

                                                               Article on Linkedin


Knowledge is Power - G-dly Knowledge is SUPER POWER.

The following is a quote from one of the great mystics. “Thoughts and the ability to visualize are incredibly powerful. As if it were convincing and lifelike, these faculties will place a person anywhere. At that moment the person is totally elevated from the nonsense and trivia of the earthly reality. His awareness, his consciousness, his aspirations travel away. His thoughts are dancing, elevated in the realm of the spirit and soul, and his flesh is detached and perhaps even estranged from him...”

It is possible for a person to physically be in one place, an unpleasant place, and be completely and totally unaffected, through his thoughts that put him in a place of peace and tranquility.

”The Baal Shem Tov said, “Where a person’s thoughts are, that is where the person (truly) is. “ In the seminal book on mysticism the Zohar, it says. “The Human existence - is thought”. It is through the channel of one’s thoughts, at the top of one’s form, the soul energy of a person, the quality of his life and his feelings are drawn and then shine in one’s body. The desire for something and the resolve and determination inside a person must work with and through ones thoughts.

Strength and weakness in a person’s life are all the result of ones thoughts. Thought is compared sometimes to a funnel. In the same way that through a funnel water is given shape and is directed , it is through the conduit of thought, that the full power or weakness of the soul will make its’ way into a person’s actual body.

Thoughts that accentuate optimism, faith in G-d and happy beliefs will shape and express the soul accordingly. Negative thoughts give shape to the soul and with that everything about the person to reduce itself to that undesirable pattern. The influence of good thoughts on the soul is far greater and deeper than speech and action, because of its closeness and constant attachment with the soul.

G-dly words and inspiration, for example the book of Psalms, are the ultimate in good and positive thoughts of wisdom and light. They are particularly beneficial to influence, mold, and direct the soul and one’s life for the good.

When a person thinks G-dly thoughts, which is most compatible with the spark of G-d within, they encompass and synergize with the soul and this will trigger from ones essence and depth the full shine and infinite light that knows no bounds. This will allow the soul, a spark of G-d, to bring forth the strongest of life itself and makes any person in whatever circumstances they are in feel both peaceful and at the zenith of personal confidence.

Thoughts that are the opposite of Holiness and G-dliness will cause tremendous hurt to a person, by going against the nature of one’s own soul and strangling the soul. This choice, to think non-worthy, negative thoughts places a perimeter on the soul and reduces the soul of its light in the body which results in darkness and uncertainty.

The positive influence of a good thought, finer speech and actions is much greater on the soul than a bad one. “Greater is the measure of goodness over the measure of punishment.” A small positive light will chase away much darkness from a large dark room. Positive, inspiring thoughts are more powerful than the darkness caused by negative thoughts.

The more a person accustoms and trains oneself to think positive thoughts, the more we habituate our souls to flow in a positive direction which brings about great positive results.