BH לעילוי נשמת חיקה בת משה הכהן

This blog is closing but I invite you to follow us for more and see older posts, and new posts here:

from Soul Sisters Home channel on WhatsApp:https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vau4uCSGOj9sGbYMjG2a

Transforming prayer 🤲🏾transforming self...

The key🔑 to unlocking 🔓the power 💪🏾of prayer 🤲🏾is shifting from a state of wanting to a state of being….

This means that we must move from a state of asking🙏🏾, to the emotional experience of having. Our request has already been granted.

It’s not about faking it, it’s about genuinely embodying the emotions that would arise if my prayer were already answered.

It’s about experiencing the joy and the gratitude already now. It’s about feeling the relief that we would feel if what we wanted were already right here in our life right now….

This creates a new state of being✨

We are thus already living in alignment with the reality that we seek🔍

Let’s shift the way that we view prayer🤲🏾

Instead of seeing prayer as a way to get something, let’s see it as a way to become something!

We’re no longer petitioning Hashem to intervene on our behalf-we are aligning ourselves with Hashem and co-creating our desired reality!

Prayer 🤲🏾is meant to change us

We are in alignment, on the same frequency,🛰️ as our desired outcome.

The shift from asking to embodying, is a profound shift in our consciousness…we are no longer bound to the limitations of our present reality… we step🪜 into a higher state of being…

This changes our energy⚡ ️and influences the world 🌍around us!

WANTING➡️HAVING

PETITIONER➡️CO-CREATOR

ASKING➡️EMBODYING

LIMITATIONS➡️HIGHER STATE OF BEING

What if it's not good for me???? Sometimes we're afraid to ask Hashem for something.....have a look here

Are you His daughter or His servant?...Rosh Hashanah thoughts...listen here ... 

It is 100% Glatt kosher to manifest! You'll be surprised! Have a look👀here?

The world 🌍is a narrow bridge🌉...stay focused and don't look 👀down! Have a listen here?

Who do you want to become🤔? What do you want to bring to the world🌍 today? Have a listen here.

Wanna make Hashem smile today?  Have a look here!

Can you believe in your future, more than you believe in your past?Have a listen here? 

What would the future YOU say to you? What would you ask her?...Listen here?

Some strengthening words about the consciousness of efortlessness here. 

Can we align ourselves with Hashem and be free? (Anatomy of a problem)....have a listen here!

Acceptance, appreciation, and love....

I want to talk🗣️to you about acceptance, appreciation🥲 and love 😍. This is the path🛣️ to healing 👩🏽‍⚕️all of our relationships. This is the path 🛣️to healing 👩🏽‍⚕️our own heart.💖 When we have an issue with someone, really it’s because there’s a conflict in our own consciousness🤯 and there’s something on the inside of us that needs healing👩🏽‍⚕️. Remember we learned from the BESHT that if there’s an issue in my world🌍 ,it’s only a reflection 🪩of what’s going on inside of me. So when we are able to be in acceptance towards others, observing 👀without having to evaluate🤔 and judge👩🏽‍⚖️, then we can learn to appreciate them more, see their good points, and love them. This heals👩🏽‍⚕️ our consciousness, heals the relationship, and fixes🛠️ the whole world🌍!

In order to become this higher version of self, this superhero 🦹🏼‍♀️you, to have the strength 💪🏼to be in acceptance, instead of resisting 🫷🏼what is and creating our own problems, we need to take a pause⏸️ right here and right now. Stop🛑 for a moment and imagine 💭how you would look, your expressions, how you would feel on the inside, to make that shift and be in acceptance of those that you have a challenging relationship with, be it a family member or a neighbor. Imagine your superhero 🦹🏼‍♀️self? imagine it right now? How does it feel? Do you feel strong💪🏼? Do you feel calm🧘🏼‍♀️? Do you feel relaxed😌? Do you feel at ease🕊️?Do you feel holy✡️? You are all these things! Let’s go make the world 🌍a better place?

-Lev Emunah Therapy

Rabbi Rachamim Bitton Levemunah.com

In this video here, I will walk you through a healing meditation to allow self-forgiveness, and help you heal your inner child...It is called Ho'oponopono, and has its roots in the ancient Hawaiian tradition (approved by Rav Bitton as kosher)Please give it a try?

World 🌍 Peace 🕊️ begins at home....

The Jewish people are all being tested and pushed to our limits right now.  We have a tremendous opportunity to fix, to heal, the world, our world 🌍. Let's begin by being gentle with ourselves, forgiving ourselves, and loving ourselves. Let's strive to see our own good points, and show ourselves empathy and compassion. This creates healing, love, and compassion energy all around us, and in the collective consciousness of Am Yisrael. 

Next, let's strive to put aside our need to "be right". "Being right" only generates more judgement energy, and creates more suffering in the world. Instead, let's "do right" by speaking and acting with gentleness, kindness, empathy, and love towards the people in our home, and in our community, regardless of the situation. Reach deep,  and give in? Reach deep, and overlook the 'wrong' done to you?  Reach deep, and forgive? Open your heart and spread unconditional love? This will shift the energy in our collective consciousness! This will heal your world! This will heal the whole world! 

Where to start? .....heal your heart 💝and the hearts of those you love by making a list of your good points!!!  There are so many!  Make a list of the good points in your family members, and friends.  There are tons!  Celebrate the greatness in your midst!  You've got this holy sisters! 

Pray🤲🏽 for change....

Hashem's will never changes because everything is known to Him...there is nothing outside of Him...

His will is for us to experience all the physical and spiritual blessings now and for all of eternity. It's not like "I'm such a good girl, I did this and this...and now Hashem changed His mind".

So if His will never changes, why do we pray???

We change ourselves when we pray. We change our consciousness. We are then standing in a place in the universe, spiritually and energetically, where the kindness of Hashem is more revealed. If we experience any blocks of that, it's not Hashem withholding, it's by us- blocking that Light.  All the blocks are ours!

Hashem wants you to have everything - that doesn’t change- if you're able to let go of your 🫷🏽resistance🫸🏽 to where you're at right now, being in 👐🏽acceptance👐🏽, then you're able to move into that place of trusting that Hashem will move things in the way you wish them to be... Now you're ready to receive Hashem's blessings!✨ 

-Lev Emunah Therapy

Rabbi Rachamim Bitton Levemunah.com

🏃🏽🏃🏽‍♂️🏃🏽‍♀️🏃🏽🏃🏽‍♂️🏃🏽‍♀️🏃🏽🏃🏽‍♂️🏃🏽‍♀️🏃🏽🏃🏽‍♂️🏃🏽‍♀️🏃🏽🏃🏽‍♂️🏃🏽‍♀️

There is no such thing as failure …

Just varying degrees of success!

🏆🥇🏆🥇🏆🥇🏆🥇🏆🥇🏆🥇🏆🥇🏆

-Lev Emunah Therapy

A special prayer based on the Baal Shem Tov 

"Hashem, I accept this difficult and uncomfortable situation that I am in right now- and I accept myself as I am...I know that this is not being revealed to me now as actual good, but You are only good, and everything You do is good...this is my emunah, from my Divine soul to You, Hashem! ......"

"Tatty, Abba, what ever lessons that I need to learn, or what ever it is that I need to fix, whatever progress my soul needs to make- YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN THROUGH YOUR REVEALED KINDNESS!!! You are not limited like me, and You can turn this into revealed good so easily and sweetly!!! I now take the next step filled with this bitachon!" ......Now let's experience a sweet new reality!

-Lev Emunah Therapy 

Rabbi Rachamim Bitton Levemunah.com

BE ATTACHED TO NOTHING

and

STAY OPEN TO EVERYTHING…

Don’t be attached to anything? What on earth does that mean?! ….Being attached means wanting it so badly that I’m “digging my nails in” so to speak, or “white knuckling the steering wheel” so to speak. There is a desperation there and what this does is actually block the pipes of abundance. The premise is that you already know that Hashem wants to give you everything, so don’t allow yourself to feel stressed and nervous and desperate….. stay open to receive everything!

Let’s not be attached to illnesses or health issues either? The new month of Iyar is an acronym and it reminds us that, “Ani Hashem Rofecha”… it is Hashem who is the healer. All healing is possible if you believe it.

Let’s not be attached to negative or unhealthy thoughts, memories, stories or old narratives? Simply let them be, and then let them go. We can just let them pass through, like a cloud 🌥️floating by in the sky, and not “stew” or ruminate in them.

Let’s instead focus on staying completely open and ready to receive all the blessings, all the abundance, the Shefa, that Hashem has waiting just for you!  😉Inspired by Moshe Gersht

Allow yourself to feel your feelings.....

We all feel a little disappointed that the hostages did not come home yet and Moshiach didn't come this Pesach...and terrorist attacks continue....Let's let go of these uncomfortable feelings, together? Try this meditation?

Our kids are super stressed out...they went through Covid isolation and missed lots of school, and the October 7 ordeal, and now the war with Iran...

Kol Ha Kavod to all the patient and wonderful mommies who have held it all together! ....try this gentle release meditation designed by Rabbi Bitton for their tender souls here?

Heart 💖Love💗 Healing Meditation, and some advice from Rebbe Nachman

Begin again NOW!!! An important rule in serving Hashem is to completely begin anew- constantly....completely renewing ourselves, as if we never began before!

Let's let go of all the things that we’ve taken from the past and be completely new right now!!!…. Rebbe Nachman says if thus far things have not been good, so now it will be better!…. and if things are already good, it will become even better!!!!!... because we’re starting anew.

Throughout the day, just stop everything and notice all the stories in your head- are these old stories slowing you down? Shake off the dust! Find your absolute now-and then ask yourself, “what’s the highest version of myself that I can be right now…what new and pleasant narrative can I adopt right now?”

Enjoy the meditation here- forgive yourself, love yourself, and heal your heart?

The Oneness meditation

What if this is already perfection?...Let's remember that life is happening for us, not to us...take this journey to Oneness with me and let go of your separateness, it only causes suffering...experience the freedom that is always already here for you?  Have a look here 

If our consciousness creates our reality, then the most important state of consciousness that leads to the greatest revelation of blessings is increased compassion- towards ourselves in our inner conversations, towards others, and experiencing more of Hashem's compassion towards us....

Let's experience more of Hashem's compassion in our heart and experience it in our prayers too, so that they feel more natural.... no demanding... no blaming... just flowing from our heart to the heart of Hashem.

Such a prayer is so powerful that it sweetens all judgment energy. It allows us to have all those blessings manifested in our life. Remember it's all about increasing compassion towards ourself and towards others that allows for all of a person's needs to be fulfilled and all prayers to be answered today, amen!

Have a look at the mini-clip here

Join our Lev Emunah Therapy Whats app chat ?

Do you have any doubts about being able to experience miracles in your life?

Just ask yourself what you really believe? This question will shift your consciousness, and transform your energy, and open you up to Hashem's blessings.

Here's how: Rav Naftali of Ropshitz explains that judgement energy (ie:blocks, limitations, pain, suffering) is just an energy that needs sweetening, accoding to Kabbalah. Hashem's name that represents judgement energy is Elokim:

FORMULA:

“Judgement Energy = Din = Elokim = 86 = Hateva = Nature”

To the degree that we believe in the limitations of "nature", and doubt miracles, is the degree to which we will be bound by "nature", by judgement energy...

Sweetening takes place when we let go, and open up to the possibilities....

Have a listen here

Join our Lev Emunah Therapy Whats app chat ?

The absolute now is changeless! It’s what you always are!

Everything else is just what we add onto that pure awareness…

All of the limitations that you believe you have are just memories….
…memories about why you think that You have these limitations!

Optimize your "now" state and experience your free self without limitations....train your mind to get used to this freedom...

Have a listen here

Heal your consciousness....Be free from the negative patterns that have been blocking you...

Experience the hearts' healing powers and inner freedom?

This is the real teshuva- gentle and  compassionate, filled with self-empathy. Reconnect with a deeper, sweeter revelation of the Divine right here.

True inner healing involves having compassion on yourself and your feelings....

Having compassion for your unmet needs (Ima process, Binah).....No spiritual bypass here, telling ourselves to forget about it...or to just have emuna....numbing ourselves with food, media etc.

Next, we release the trauma energy associated with the memories of past issues/trauma. This is because our problems are not attached to us, they are not who we are, they are not stuck to us, they are not a part of us, our identity- it is you who has been holding on to them...they are just energy- and we can let that energy go (Abba process, Chochmah). Have a look at my meditation here.

Join me in the Vitality circle weekly learning group? Learn more about it at: Levemunah.com

Join our Whats app chat

YOU chose your reality, really, you do! 

Let’s learn how the universe works and how consciousness works to create our reality, and what we can do about it… through this understanding, we can create a wonderful world for ourselves and dissolve our problems effortlessly!!!!

The Baal Shem Tov teaches that before there is a decree in "Heaven",  (remember Heaven is your consciousness, as you are a small universe and everything that you see👀 outside in the world is a projection of what’s going on inside you) there is a specific version of reality unfolding.  You are asked if you agreed to this judgment (good or bad judgment). You are never the victim. You are the one who chose this exact reality for yourself!!! WHAT??!!! I CHOSE THIS SUFFERING??!!! NO WAY YEHUDIT! 

How is this so? You’re not asked directly whether you want this thing to happen or not, instead, you’re shown a person out there in your reality, in your life, that’s living in a way that’s misaligned, similar to the way that you’ve been living misaligned .

For example, if you see someone violating traffic laws, and it upsets you, you might say, “that guy can’t drive! He really deserves a ticket!”

Essentially, you are signing the papers for the decree for you to get a ticket!  This is your conscious judgment of another that seals your own fate.Your unconscious judgment of another, actually seals your own fate as well.  Here's how...

We can learn how to become aware of the ways that we’re limiting ourselves unconsciously by getting all the parts of our consciousness in alignment, that, even though I might not always think and behave, or speak, in the way that I’d like to, it doesn’t make me a bad person! It doesn’t mean I’m unworthy of blessings, and it doesn’t mean I’m worthy of punishment!

This is how we develop a good eye for ourselves, and it will automatically spill over, and we will have a good eye for others, too! Then we will judge everybody favorably, and create a wonderful positive reality for ourself as well!

Learn more from Rabbi Bitton at Levemunah.com

Join our Whats app chat

You CAN change your mazal!!!

Mazal is the stars ⭐️ 🪐we were born under… it has an effect, an influence on our experiences and our consciousness, the way we think about things.  Three things fall under mazal: our health, our income, and children/family. 

The Zohar defines Mazal through the Torah as a state of consciousness.  It explains that our consciousness influences the stars!!!!…to the extent that we are open to that light at the core of our soul that’s always here …experience the flow state - not the rigidity of “am I worthy?”.

Rabbi Bitton explains that  we take that worry, the doubt, the fear, that judgment energy, “I need merit” for this… and flip it like a pitchfork to a flowing ⛲️ open experience … as it is here already!… without any fear or worry or doubt….

Arizal asks: Why does health, income, and children/family fall under Mazal?  It is because these are the things we cannot live without! God is not going to create you in this world and deny you these simple core human needs! Of course He wants to give these to you!

Can you find the core human needs under each one of your personal intentions? Then know that, everything God is giving you is flowing to you, and it’s not forced, it’s not doubted, there is no fear..it’s just flowing from God’s unconditional love 💕

Learn more at Levemunah.com

"IT'S ALL THE SAME TO ME"

by Moshe Gersht (click here to order the book Its All The Same To Me )

There are 7 life-changing qualities to Hishtavus (sameness, equanimity)...

1. Hishtavus means to live in perfect harmony with all of life: things are as they are. To live in harmony with this truth is to live in the presence of God.

2. Hishtavus is to enter into conscious alignment with a higher order: the Creator of life has intentions of the highest good and love. There is a hidden harmony, an inner knowing that all things lead in the right direction.

3. Hishtavus is recognizing the love that exists everywhere: the energy of all things/events are flowing with a loving presence of the Creator- no matter what it looks like on the outside.

4.Hishtavus is a state of allowing: instead of wishing your situation were different, allow it to be exactly as it is- then take action from that space.

5. Hishtavus is a state of surrender: let go of how you think things should be,and accept them as how they are.

6. Hishtavus is a space inside that allows creativity, connection, and love to expand: connection and flow happen in this space of inner stillness.

7. Hishtavus is seeing life through the lens of Oneness: instead of seeing division, or seperation, we see unity and togetherness.

BEING IN HARMONY WITH LIFE ALLOWS YOU TO

SEE LOVE AND OPPORTUNITY

EVERYWHERE!

fromIts All The Same To Me, by Moshe Gersht

There are no problems, only situations!

We create problems in our mind when we decide a situation isn't good, or doesn't go the way we think it should go. This is our very busy ego mind at work, creating stress, tension, fear, and anxiety. The busy ego mind shows us things from a lens of seperation- a subjective definition of "good or bad"...this creates resistance! As well, we create and sustain our own suffering through our attachment to fear, and our desires- our "shoulds"..."This shouldn't be happening!"..."They should know better.."...more judgements...This means I am not walkng with God in this moment.

We can look at the situation from the heart instead, creating an inner acceptance...saying "yes"...non-attachment, non-resistance...accepting what is in this moment. There is a freedom when you connect to your heart. Living through this lens, we can see that life is filled with gifts (opportunities).

LIVE WITH AN INNER YES TO LIFE

AND LIFE WILL BE SAYING YES TO YOU!

We can still want things, but from a healthier place. Instead of resistant wanting,which carries the label of, "If I get what I want, it's good and I'm happy, and if I don't it's bad and I'm unhappy"...this kind of wanting creates resistance and judgements..our subjective experiences in life, and the limiting beliefs that we absorbed as kids often prevent clear vision, and then we cannot see how things fit into the Creator's masterpiece of Life.

Surrendered wanting is about trying without being attached to outcomes,giving over- not giving up. Take the necessary steps, knowing you're not in control of the outcome. Accept that you probably don't know the whole picture. Let go of the smallness that keeps you trapped in the valueless opinions of your ego mind. Live as if you have chosen what you feel or experience in this moment- this is the seat of your free will!!! No outcomes are yours and all outcomes are good- herein lies the peace of God...Let go and move back into harmony with your higher self!

LET GO AND FLOW...THIS IS SAMENESS

THIS CHOICE IS WHAT IT MEANS

TO BE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF

GOD!

The first step on the journey home...

You are not who you think you are...Our ego stands between us and all that is true.In the ego state, we have lost touch with the voice of our soul, and we believe that we are the sum total of the story of our life- the events we experience, our social networks, our talents...this constricted view gives us a false perspective of reality!

EGO stands for Edging God Out.(aka the yetzer hara- you think you know better than God, and forgot that He has your back in all things) It believes:

1. I am what I have

2. I am what I do

3. I am what others think of me

4. I am seperate from everyone

5. I am seperate from everything missing in my life

6. I am seperate from God

You can either chose to be a hostage to your ego or a host to God-this is where your free will lies... its your choice to connect to Godliness- or not.

Often, in our search for wholeness, we fill the void in our lives with material things, social status, power, relationships, pleasures, new experiences, but in the end we fall back to square one- searching for wholeness once again. This leads to addictions, obsessions, psychological challenges, depression and anxiety. It's the ego, the yetzer hara, the undeveloped perspective to look for wholeness in all the wrong places.

What's the solution?

Humility and sameness-hishtavus- are inseperable!...its about knowing that we are all made in the image of God, we are the same, and equally powerful in our ability to shine light into the world!

WHERE EGO DIVIDES,

LOVE CONNECTS.

Practical tools for living Sameness (hishtavus):

1. Don't take anything personal-in order to live in peace and harmony, make a decision not to be offended anymore. Your ego is telling you that the world isn't happening the way it should be, and it sees that there is always someone/something not doing what we want them to do. When someone says something you feel is critical, take a breath, smile, and say, in your mind, "I love you". By giving to others what you want to receive, you'll see that those same people become less critical because they are being received with less judgement.

2.Let go of being right-Let go of your need to win, to be right. The soul doesn't see losers or winners, it sees only a world where we all come from, and return to, the same Source. When we need to be right, that turns life into a problem. Ask yourself, "Would I rather win, or be at peace? Would I rather be right or happy?" Maintain your opinion, while being kind and compassionate, by saying things like, "I never thought of it that way", or "Let me think about it"..Relationships flourish when you prioritize love energy over the answer to an argument.

3.Letting go of "More"-The ego's mantra is "more more more". As a practice, take an hour and pretend there is truly nothing else to do. Notice what emotions you experience. You might feel resistance, you might feel anxiety about what still needs to get done. Don't fight it, witness it, welcome the feelings, and just be with them. This is an an exercise of non-doing.Enjoy the peace that comes when you no longer need anything to be satisfied.

4. View compliments and criticisms the same way-If compliments make you feel special, more important, or "better than", then criticism will as well. You'll feel inferior, unimportant, or "worse than". This causes us to be in a constant battle of comparing, and attempting to be some idolized version of ourself, or who we don't want to be, instead of being fully who we are.

5.Take no credit-Often we see our achievements as contributing to our value. Lets instead recognize that we have inherent goodness simply because we are a reflection of God in the world! We are part of perfection! Try taking a breath, smiling, and feeling grateful for your achievements, knowing that you have been the vessel.

NO OUTCOMES ARE YOURS,

ALL OUTCOMES ARE GOOD!

There is no way to happiness...happiness is the way!

Our feelings and emotions are the colors of our life. They are the energy we experience, the vibrations we send out. They influence how we behave and what we draw to us. With equanimity,sameness, hishtavus,we can experience feelings on the surface, and deep peace inside. We don't allow emotions to hijack our perceptions. We remain who we are, in the seat of our consciousness, aware of the stirrings.We can feel our feelings, and still have the ability to choose and act, instead of reacting.

Underneath the baggage we carry, we are all happy people. Your soul knows no other experience- it is singing in every moment! In other words, our soul has no problems, only our ego mind does- it creates problems...seperating us from who we are, and who we think we are. We can experience more and more happiness as we strip away everything that is not of our true nature.

Emotions can also act as a measuring stick, by which we can measure how we are interpreting reality. This is why seeing clearly is so important, because how you feel informs you of what you believe right now. Emotions are not a problem, it isattachment that creates our suffering- when we cannot let go of the past, or we decide that we cannot be happy until something changes according to our expectations for the future. Emotions are real, but they are not reality- it's all about the reality we chose to see in any given moment.

Instead of fighting our challenges with resistance, let's try acceptance- feel into the pain, and create compassionate space for our feelings, being fully present with our experience, instead of wishing it were different.

You'll then feel a release, and be able to better choose your next step.

Are challenges really problems?

Let's try to change the way we look at our difficulties? When a challenge arises we can ask ourselves 2 questions:

1. How do you feel about this?

OR

2. What are you going to do about this?

Our inner answer to question 1 is guarenteed to be bumpy. Usually we would reply, "I don't like this." Our feelings usually include good, bad, great, amazing, terrible, worse...this sets us up for judgements because beneath "how do you feel?" lies"Is this good or bad?"

What happens when we decide instead to move into question 2? We can move into a completely new experience! We can see ourselves as part of something much more vast and much more loving! We can shift to,"All things are good, there are no mistakes in the Universe, and I am being guided and taken care of in every situation..."

We can choose to see our life, our problems, as an enemy or obstacle to overcome, or a friend to love, a detour to embrace.

THE UNIVERSE WILL ALWAYS TREAT YOU

THE WAY YOU TREAT IT

THIS IS THE RULE OF MEASURE FOR MEASURE

If you choose to see aproblem, it will be a problem for you! If instead you choose to see an opportunity, you will take action, and make a better quality decision.Don't create any more pain for yourself by resisting what is, and by wanting to be someone else, somewhere else, or doing something else! Accept the unacceptable when there is nothing to do about it, or take action.

Let's "ROLL" with the punches:

Reminders-what's important, what's real

Opportunities-that have not been revealed yet

Lessons- to be learned

Leading-in a new direction you might never have taken

Use the difficult experiences in your life to go deeper into your true nature:

THE LOVE THAT YOU ARE...

THE CREATIVE PERSON THAT YOU ARE

THE KIND PERSON THAT YOU ARE

THE FORGIVING PERSON THAT YOU ARE

THE SOULFUL AND POWERFUL PERSON

THAT YOU ARE!

Let go of your mask 🎭

We all wear a mask-the beliefs we decide to agree with that we use to filter the way we see the world. Our beliefs become an agreement we have made with reality- about how we perceive the universe. Every belief is just a thought that we've had so many times, that we've come to believe it! It remains subconscious.

Just notice your speech patterns, as the tongue is the quill of the heart.Become the witness of your mind, and notice when you are not experiencing hishtavus (sameness, equanimity).

THE SEEING IS FREEING

Catch yourself using the language of the ego.The ego doesn't believe in the innate good in all people, places, and things...it doesn't see the sameness, the Oneness that the soul sees. The ego isn't aware of the Divine purpose or the Infinite Intelligence guiding and directing life. Instead the ego speaks in a way that seperates, compares, and judges.

Let's see how to tell the difference between the two voices- the egoand the soul:

Comparing:when we compare ourselves to others, we are only looking on the surface level of reality. It is a facet of fear- fear that we're not good enough- or our life isn't good enough.....it's when we label one person better or worse, fat or thin, pretty or ugly, smart or dumb in the context of what we believe about their essence. Let's not compare, because on the deepest level of truth, there is no difference between us- we both serve God and the highest order, but in different ways...let those ego thoughts pass by, like a cloud..

SEE ALL OF LIFE AS EQUAL

AND THE SAME AS YOU

Gossip: Usually, comparisons are expressed in gossip- an awful form of ego! Sometimes we gossip to strenghten our sense of self-putting others down gives us a momentary sense of knowing more, or being better...but in reality it takes away our true sense of self. Gossip hurts everyone involved. Listening to gossip- someone else's judgements, is also damaging. Our minds get clouded as it becomes harder to see objectively.

Opinions:If our opinion is not being asked for, or is not productive, it is likely from the ego as well. Try this-the next time someone offers you an opinion about something, just listen.Hear what they have to say without adding your two cents. With enough practice, we may find that not giving our opinion gives us more satisfaction than telling everyone how we feel about things. Eventually this will lead to peace and true contentment.

Complaining:This is the mother of all negativity! We complain because we believe that if we express why we are upset, our resentments will be justified. Don't hold on and create a drama about something that will drain your mind and body. Instead, let's try:

I DON'T MIND WHAT HAPPENS

Next week we will talk about allowing and loving.

Allowing and loving...part I

“In all of your ways, know Him.” -Proverbs. This teaches us the practice of not minding, of letting go of outcomes, losing expectations, and detaching our opinion from reality.

This is what we refer to as Bitachon-trust, certainty. Living with trust is to truly be alive. It is learning to trust God- that there is an infinite love guiding and directing all things. This is the foundation of equanimity. This is hishtavus.

The Talmud teaches that there are three types of people who shine like the sun:

1. Those who do not return one insult for another

2. Those who act from love

3. Those who accept challenges with Joy

Their common denominator is they have let go of their ego and live with sameness, they are not disturbed by surface level phenomenon, and they have a spiritual mindset. They are aware of the game and of the dream but they’re not attached to it-they don’t take thoughts and judgments of others personally, and so they’re at peace and shine the light️ within them out to the world.

To act from love means to shine your neshama (soul) light out because it resonates with your very being.

To accept challenges with love is knowing that deep within all of creation, there is only love, and that everything that unfolds is of a higher order of good whether we can see it or not.

The technique of not immediately responding to insult or criticism is really powerful! To say nothing, not even anything good- keeps your ego out of the way!! if you can stay in silence until the need to defend yourself passes then you can respond from a place of clarity with a still mind! It’s a powerful spiritual practice!

CHOOSE TO RADIATE YOUR POWERFUL ENERGY

Self compassion is the way.....(Allowing and loving...part 2)

Let’s begin to notice how much we compare ourselves to others, or to some ideal self we think we are meant to be. We even gossip about ourselves to ourselves, we call ourselves names that are insulting, even degrading, and we really give ourselves grief. We complain about how we are failures, how we get things wrong, and how imperfect we are….

Let it all go....

Let’s see the thoughts for what they are:thoughts– no more and no less. They are just as unreal as other peoples opinions of you! Let go of the negative thoughts that take up your mental space and allow the light of joy, peace, and positivity to fill the void. There is no peace in a mind that is an enemy to itself.

You cannot see outside of yourself

what you fail to see inside of yourself

There are a number of practices that can strengthen you on this journey. We will discuss them in detail next time! They include:

1. Journaling

2. Meditation

3. Prayer

4. Presence

5. Gratitude

6. Feel your feelings

7. Act the part

Here are a number of practices to strengthen you in equanimity, hishtavut…

1.Journaling is spiritual windshield wipers! Just spend a couple of minutes quietly with yourself and scan your previous day. Think about the people or the places or the scenarios that triggered unrest within you. This can help you process your uncomfortable experiences and at the same time cultivate an awareness of what brings your personal negativity to the surface.

2.Meditation helps you to let go of the noise of the outer world as well as the chatter in your mind. This is a gift you can give yourself. You meet yourself in that peaceful place. It’s a spiritual practice to sit in the silence, in the quiet, and do nothing at all. Just listen to what the Divine within has to say.

3.Prayer is authentic engagement with the Divine Intelligence that guides our reality. Prayer is an offering, a letting go, and a stepping aside. It’s the doorway that allows us to turn over our desires to a Higher Source that is all knowing, all powerful, and all loving. This process loosens the ego’s grip on our desire to control outcomes and situations. Prayer strips away the controlling energy of the ego, which comes between all good things and us.

WHEN YOU PRAY

YOU GET OUT OF THE WAY!

4.Presence means being fully in the now….to let go of the past and future. You will only ever be able to enjoy the future if you learn to enjoy the now.This is the only moment that is real! No matter what you are doing, or where you are, or who you are with, strive to be there fully. If something inside of you is pulling your attention to a different person or place, let the thought pass through you and be where you are.

5.Gratitude is such a powerful and holy space to be in. Take the time to appreciate the precious gift of life that is yours! This will shift the nature of your day! To live with deep appreciation for life and recognize good is to truly live with the Divine and walk with God. Gratitude is the foundation for all of the blessings in the world and for a calm inner space. Try to make the first few words you say every morning,I am grateful.

6.Feel feelings-whatever you are feeling. Sit quietly, and be with them- learn from them- have compassion for them. Feelings are real, but they’re not reality, they are just a reflection of how we view events and the people around us.

7.Act the part. This will aid your transformation. Act as if you were already who you want to be. Throw yourself fully into it, and feel the feelings of joy and love in your face, in your tone of voice, in your posture, and with the confidence you would, if you were really feeling this way. Act as if you don’t need to defend yourself from an insult, as if you really don’t mind at all. We are so used to the other direction that it will take time for you to feel natural being who you want to be.

ACT AS IF YOU ARE ALREADY

THE PERSON

YOU WANT TO BE!

God wants more for you than you could ever want for yourself....

Let's tap into awareness and sense the good and the love that is embedded into the fabric of creation. Know that the all-powerful, loving, and personal God is guiding and directing the whole world, and your world, towards the highest good, only to help you achieve your unique purpose!

Let's recognize the truth of who we are. We are spiritual beings learning, growing and developing in a physical reality. You and all of your actions are perfect, even when they may seem imperfect. This is the deepest acceptance and love of self and life. The mere fact of your being!...every breath you take, everything you say enhances the presence of love in the world and brings joy to creation and the Creator! WOW!

NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO

YOUR PRESENCE IS DIVINE

AND PART OF SOMETHING GREATER!

At this present moment, you can undo past mistakes with a desire and intention to grow and develop. Let go of guilt and shame over the past and chose to see your failures as opportunities for growth?

Let's focus on the Oneness that is- the unity and knowing that you are connected to all that is, was, or ever will be-there is nothing seperate from you in the world. Seperateness is a tool of the ego (edging God out). Letting go of the ego allows us to slow down, knowing that all things will happen when and how they're supposed to. It also means we do not have to prove ourselves to anyone, because we are in harmony with the greatest Partner imaginable.

YOU ARE A SOUL, A SPARK OF THE INFINITE

SHINING IN THIS PHYSICAL WORLD...

THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO WHO YOU ARE!

The world is filled with abundance. The only lack is in our minds! There is blessing everywhere. Everything happens at the right time. Let's banish doubt from our thinking, as it only causes negativity. Let's connect to Truth, and be joyous, flowering with new creativity. Your life is good right now!

Ready to plug back in to your sacred space?

1. Faith is our gateway, and is about aligning our mind with what we intuitively know in our heart.

2. Meditation allows for the dust of our mind to settle. Just a few minutes in deep silence can realign our entire inner system.

3. The tongue is the quill of the heart. Let's try to intentionally chose words of consciousness, faith, love, kindness and joy. This will redirect us back to the place of peace and knowing.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslev says, "It is the distance from One, that creates pain"....

All of our problems, all of our negativity, our fears, doubts, and limiting beliefs, stem from seperating from The Source of all goodness.We can drop our version of the story and read a page from the Big Book of Life.

EVERYTHING IS FOR THE GOOD!

Let's allow the true you to shine, your Godly essence, which is perfection at its core! Let's strive to live a peaceful and joyous life filled with love and compassion for ourselves and others! In this final chapter of "It's All the Same to Me", Moshe Gersht suggests that we spend time in nature, study great wisdom, find time for fun, practice living with integrity, and learn to spend time alone.

Living in the mindset of Hishtavus, (sameness, equanimity) allows us to feel grounded and secure...letting go of the ego mind, and the forcing, and resistance it creates. Live with the enthusiasm of a child! Live with the passion of lovers, with the wisdom of the sages! Fall asleep with a smile!

YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL....

IF YOU ARE WILLING TO

GIVE IT ALL AWAY!

LET GO,

LET GOD!

from the final chapter of Its All The Same To Me, by Moshe Gersht

Reb Shlomo Stories and Torah'les

In Kotzk, the most important thing is not how much good you do or how much bad you do...

Maybe you only did one Mitzvah your whole life but the deepest question is "Did you do it with your heart?" When you do something good it's beautiful but where is it coming from? Does it come from the deepest depths of your heart or you're just doing it... because in Kotzk, they won't ask you if you're a scholar, or what kind of a Jew you are... They'll ask you one thing-are you for real, are you for real?

Here is a story from the great-grandson of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, Yitzchak Zelig Morgenstein of Sokolov:

"It's the yartzheit of Moshele the water carrier...and although I told you this story 1,000 times, I must tell it again. I married the daughter of the Rabbi of Sokolov at 14. I walked into Shul, and I was looking for one Jew, one real Jew. I walk up to the first rows of the Shul where all of the rich peope are sitting, and all the Scholars are sitting. They are rich, they are beautiful. But real? Not so much. I moved down among the poor people. They are sweet, they are holy. But real? Not so much. I was so dissapointed to live here is Sokolov without one real Jew.

As I was leaving the Shul, suddenly behind the oven, I see one Yiddele, one little Jew reciting the Psalms. He 's for real!! I could see the Shechinah upon him, I could see God's glory on his face! I walk up to him, and I said, "My sweet Yid, who are you?" He said, "I am Moshele the water carrier". I wanted to speak to him but I guess he didn't think I wanted to talk to him for real. Hundreds of times I tried to talk to him. He is always so abrupt. I always wanted to know who he is- he is the most real Jew in the city- He means it!

After many years I go for a long walk at the outskirts of the city. I passed by a broken house with broken windows and looked through the window and behold it's Moshele the water carrier. He seems to be having a party tonight. He invited all the tailors and the shoemakers, all the water carriers, and he is standing in the middle of the room holding a cup of wine and they're dancing around him and I could see the Shechina is by him, Gods' glory is upon him. I knocked on the door very softly. Moshele opened the door, I could see he was red in the face. He says to me, "Holy Master, What an honor you came to see me" I say to him, "Sweet Moshele, believe me, It is my honor!! What are you celebrating tonight?"...

He said, "Rebbe, my parents died when I was very young, and I grew up on the street, and begged for food. I only know how to recite Psalms, pray a little bit. I'm a water carrier. I married my wife, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. But not any more. We have seven children, and they are up all night crying because they are so hungry. I couldn't bare the sadness in my wife anymore, she is so broken. Every night I run to the synagogue at three in the morning, and I open the holy Ark and cry out, 'Master of the World, I am Moshele the water carrier please give me one thousand rubels, just one time I'm begging you Master of the World!.. my children are hungry my wife is so broken Master of the World just one time' ...and I think the truth is I'm doing it for years and I really don't believe in it anymore myself but I'm just doing it out of habit. Yesterday morning, at 3 am, I open the Holy Ark, and behold, right by the door I see 1,000 rubles cash! Unbelieveable! I say 'Master of the World, forgive me for not believeing in You! You answered my prayers, its true, its true you answer every prayer! Thank you so much for answereing my prayer.'

I danced by myself like it was Simchas Torah. I said, 'God, let it be a secret between you and me for 3 days'. You know how heavy the water is? Yesterday I danced from house to house- and Rebbe you know I never talk to anybody- yesterday I stopped everybody and I blessed them. Late at night I went to the Shul for evening prayers, and there was a comotion. Chanale the wife of Avramele the water carrier is standing at the door crying. Rebbe you remember 4 weeks ago, Avramele the water carrier passed away and the community made a collection, and they gave her 1,000 rubles. She is standing by the door crying...she can't find the 1,000 rubles.

I said, 'Master of the World, I don't understand You, if you want to give me 1,000 rubles, you take them away from Chanale? I don't understand You. Are you testing me? Well, I'm telling you right now, I am not giving the money back. I found it, it is mine! My wife and children need it. Get Chanale another 1,000 rubles! Master of the World, You'll never see me in Shul again! I want no part of a cruel God!' I walked out , never to return. Inside I was crying so much. I went home and cried so much! I wanted to die! After midnight, I suddenly hear my own soul crying, ' Moshele the water carrier, what are you doing? All your life, you always prayed, you always turned to God, you always trusted Him, and now when you need help the most, you push Him away? Talk to God again, pour out your heart like you always did before.'

Rebbe I prayed so much like I never did before! I said, 'Master of the World, let me hear your voice just one time! Tell me what to do with the money?' Rebbe I sware to you, I heard Gods' voice- clear like a bell! He said, 'Fast! Moshele bring the money back, its Chanale's money, not yours.' Rebbe, when you hear God's voice , then suddenly your heart is full of joy, everything is good again. I got dressed fast and ran to the house of Chanale. I knocked on her window, and I yelled,, 'Chanale, I found your money!'

Rebbe let me tell you something, if God would have given me all the millions of the world, it would not have compared to the feeling I had when I put the money in Chanale's hand, Rebbe. She looked at me and said 'I thank you in the name of my 11 children'.

So Rebbe, this all happened early this morning, and I am so happy! I feel so good, so tonight I am celebrating! Tonight I am thanking God for giving me the strength to return the money. Mostly I am thanking the Master of the World for giving me the merit, the zchus, of being able to hear His holy voice...."

At this point, the Sokolover Rebbe would raise his glass of wine and say to his Chassidim, "Here's to Moshele the water carrier! Did any one of you ever hear God's voice? I met one Yid who did-Moshele the water carrier. Did any of you ever know someone who was mamash real? I did! So here's to Moshele the water carrier- a real Yid!"

Reb Shlomo Carlebach, based on Lamed Vav a collection of the favorite stories of Rabbi Shomo Carlebach zlz"l

Our Holy Master, Rebbe Nachman says

People can die from not being noticed...Maybe we could say hello sometime, to people who feel sometimes unnoticed? Lets not just see them with our eyes, lets see that they are created in God's image. Lets see what their holy soul is wrapped in? Especially, lets say hello to people who are not smiling?

In the Talmud it is written, "Even as a sharp sword rests upon your neck, do not refrain from pleading for divine mercy.” Usually this is interpreted as, "Don't stop praying and asking God for mercy." Reb Berish Aushpetziner interpreted it differently: "What do you do at the last minute if the sword is on your neck? At that moment the only thing you can do is to have compassion for somebody else. Then you open gates in Heaven for compassion, and it can come to you too."

A person has to live in 2 worlds. We have to live in a world where there is evil and we are fighting it, and we have to live in a world where there is no evil like after Mashiach has come. The highest combination of these 2 worlds is rachamim, compassion. This means that I can see you the way you are now, but I also know how you could be on the Mashiach level.

Reb Shlomo

The last Seder in the Warsaw ghetto....

And this is the story…on the 2nd Seder, the last Seder in the Warsaw ghetto, there was just one bunker left. There was just one Jewish family left, and one Jewish child. Until Moshiach is coming, there won’t be such a Seder.

And the son Moshele is asking the 4 questions…Ma Nishtanah… how is this night different from all other nights? “Why do we go through so much pain?… more than anybody in the world.” Moshele is asking the deepest questions in the world…. and in Heaven there was silence… The last Jewish child in the Warsaw ghetto is asking out the deepest questions in the world. And his father is just about to answer, "Avadim Hayinu, we were slaves..."

The story is so long, the story has no end until Moshiach is coming. And Moshele says,“Tatte Ziser, I have one more question of my own.”Moshele is asking, “Tatte Ziser, please tell me, will you be alive next year by the Seder? … to answer me. Please tell me, will I be alive next year to ask you Ma Nishtanah? Will any Jew be alive in the world? Will there be anywhere in the world a Moshele left to ask Ma Nishtanah?”

So, by the first four questions, there was silence in Heaven. But when Moshele asked his own questions… all the tears in Heaven were flowing. The three fathers, Avraham,Yitzchak, and Yaakov, the four mothers, Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel, and Leah, covered their faces, they couldn’t stop crying.

But Moshele’s father, a helige Yid, a holy Jew, listen to what he said, Because in your Holy Name, you swore, that His candle will never be extinguished ..He says to Moshele, “I don’t know if you will be alive. I don’t know if I will be alive, but I know there will always be one Moshele…somewhere somewhere there will be one Moshele who will ask Ma Nishtanah because the Master of the World, the One, the only, promised us there will always be one Moshele.”Because in your Holy Name You swore,“His candle will never be extinguished forever and ever…” …told by Reb Shlomo

A gevalt Baal Shem Tov story given over by Reb Shlomo...

One night a person comes to the Holy Baal Shem tov, the Holy Master, and he says, “Rebbe, my child is so sick! Please can you pray for him?”. The Rebbe says, “Wait I’ll get 10 people together, I’ll get a minyan together to pray.”

Do you know my beautiful friends, what’s the difference between someone who’s half holy, and someone who is really holy? Very simple. Someone who is only half holy, likes only holy people. He cannot stand unholy people- have you ever seen those people? …those half-baked apples… they are so holy, they cannot stand somebody who is not holy. What’s their problem? Like one half is missing. Because if you’re really holy, if you’re really holy,If you have God’s holiness.....God stands everyone! You can also stand everyone!

Obviously the Helige Baal Shem Tov knew all the thieves, so he went down to one of those dark alleys, and got himself 10 thieves 10 ganavim… and they prayed together and the child got well.

So then the Chassidim came to the Holy Baal Shem Tov and said, “Holy Master, if you want to recite the Psalms, can’t you take 10 decent people, you have to take thieves?” So the Holy Baal Shem Tov says, “You don’t understand- the Gates of Heaven were locked…. I needed 10 thieves to break the Gates open.”

Such a good story! You need it every minute of your life!

Maybe there was a time in history when God needed decent people. Do you know what God needs today? God needs holy thieves to break open the Gates.

We should just have enough guts to break open the Gates of love- between us Yidden.

Between people, everybody says, I am a a good wife, a good husband, I am a good father, I am a good mother. Yes, that’s cute, but are you also a good thief? Can you break open the Gates? You know a good husband is somebody who can also break open the Gates of his wife’s heart. A good wife is somebody who can also break open the Gates of her husband’s heart. This is what it is….

Reb Nachman says that sometimes people are not so good, because they have nothing to do with their lives, they don’t know what they were born for. If they would only know that they were born to make the world more beautiful.... They were not born to destroy the world, but to make the world more beautiful….

Some of us think we can go to Shul and pray...

...without feeling close to God, but praying without feeling close doesn't work.

If you pray just for yourself- it's meaningless. Praying has to be "in the name of all of Israel". The Kabbalist and exalted teacher, the Holy Arizal brought down that before you daven, you have to say, "I mamash accept upon myself to love every person like myself".

When I go to a grocery store, I don't have to buy groceries for somebody else. When I go shopping in God's grocery store, and I only order for myself, God says, "I'm sorry, I'm sold out." By God, it's only when you shop for somebody else as well.

The Torah commentary of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach

When everything fits....

When you love someone in proportion, you are constantly measuring if you are good or bad. When I love someone beyond proportion, I blow my mind over every little thing you do. You might be the worst Jew in the world, but if you tell me that one time in your life you fasted on Yom Kippur...I can't believe it, I blow my mind over it.

When a child makes a little drawing, it's sweet, but I don't blow my mind over it. When you hear your child making a b'racha, is it in proportion or beyond proportion? It blows your mind.

The Holy Temple was destroyed because we only loved each other in proportion. Nothing blew our minds. Do you know why? We forgot how we built the Mishkan-our Tabernacle-in the desert.

Why is it when we built the mishkan, everything fit? Hundreds of people were working on the Mishkan and suddenly it all got together. How? The Ishbitzer Rebbe says that every Yiddele was blowing his mind over what the other Yiddele was doing.

I want you to open your hearts in the deepest way.

Everyone has something very holy about them, but it's covered, it's hidden. Reb Nosson says that when it came to building of the mishkan, every Yiddele brought this one nekudah tovah-good point-that they had. Moshe Rebbeinu (Moses, our teacher) took all the good points and built the Mishkan with it.

The Torah commentary of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach

After the golden calf, God says to Moses...

“I have to wipe out the Yidden, because they are worshiping idols.“ Moses says, “what kind of a Torah did you give me? Did you give me a Torah that can’t change idol worshipers?

Do you mean to say that Torah is only good for someone who does good his whole life? You make a mistake and you are out? It’s not a Torah I am interested in. Please give me a Torah which could take a Yid who is worshiping idols and can still change.“

I don’t want to say anything bad-what’s a little bit wrong with our Yidden? They are a little bit Bnei Noach. They look at a Yid who doesn’t yet keep Shabbos and they don’t believe that one awesome Shabbos can change him. They don’t believe that one Torah of the holy Ishbitzer Rebbe can turn over your kishkes.

One time I was going to play for the Israeli soldiers up in Lebanon, holy soldiers, who are ready to die for Israel, 1000 times.

I asked a chaplain, “Are you teaching them anything?“ He says, “Most of them are not religious they are not really interested.“

I walked up to one non-religious soldier, you could swear he eats on Yom Kippur. He mamash looked so rough, he looked so far from everything, holy and real. I asked him, “Do you want to maybe learn something?“ He says, “ Why not, I have nothing else to do today.“ I took out Oros Hakodesh of Rav Kook. I want you to know, his tears were flowing from heaven, he was mamash so touched.

Reb Shlomo

The holy Rizhiner says something unbelievable.

The holy Rizhiner Rebbe says that before Moshiach comes, the whole world will be pagans, but there will still be some people who do not worship idols.

Then, finally, the whole world will meet somewhere, they will bring fire down from heaven, but we Yiddelach won’t, do you know why? Because the ultimate test is: are you worshiping God because it works, or are you really worshiping God because you know there is one God? This means that there is nothing in the world that can take away my belief in God.

To believe in God means that I don’t see anything, and I have nothing to hold onto, nothing.

So therefore, on Succos, we say, “Please, God, help me for three hours.” The Rizhiner says that everyone has to go through three hours. I don’t know how long those three hours are, but this is the ultimate test when even God doesn’t work, and everything is falling apart… Everyone have to go through these three hours.

The Rizhiner says that during those three hours it will be so hard to believe in God, it will literally be like walking up a wall. How can you walk up a wall? There is nothing to hold onto; that’s how hard it will be.

This was one of the last things the Rizhiner said before he passed away. So someone asked him, “Why are you telling us all this?“ so the Rizhiner said, “I want you to tell your children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren… Please tell them, I said so. Tell them to please hold onto each other.“

How do you walk up a wall? You have to stand one person on top of the other, you have to get together because you can’t climb it alone....Reb Shlomo

But I can cry with you...

A man once came to the Holy R. Yitzchak Vorker and cried, "Rebbe, I'm mamash desperate! My child is so sick, he may even God-forbid be dying! Rebbe, I'm begging you, please pray for my son to get well."

The Vorker sat very still. He closed his holy eyes and rocked back and forth for a while. Then he looked at the Yiddele and said sadly, "I'm so sorry to tell you, but all the Gates of Heaven are closed so tightly there's nothing I can do to open them. You might as well go home."

The father buried his head in his hands and began to sob. But what could he do? He climbed back onto his wagon and started on his way home, crying the whole time. He'd been traveling for about half an hour when suddenly he heard the sound of another wagon chasing after him. He turned around. It was the Holy Vorker himself.

The Rebbe pulled up beside the Yiddele. "Stop your wagon here," he said. "I have something to say to you." They reigned in their horses, the Vorker helped the father down from his wagon, and they sat together on the grass by the side of the road.

"After you left," R. Yitzchak went on, "I couldnt stop thinking about you and your son. You seemed so sad- it mamash broke my heart. Then I realized....I may not be able to help your boy, but I can cry with you."

And the Vorker put his arm around the Yiddele, bowed his holy head, and began to sob from the deepest depths of his heart.

To his surprise, the father realized that the Rebbe was crying harder for his son than he himself had ever cried for anything in his whole life. So he started sobbing even more.

The two men sat crying together for a long time. Suddenly, the Rebbe lifted his head, wiped away his tears, and smiled. Then he laughed out loud.

"Do you by chance have some wine in your wagon?" he asked the astonished father.

"Yes, I do."

"Then bring it fast," the Vorker said in a hearty voice. "we need to say a 'L'chaim!'"

The Yiddele had no idea what was going on, but he hurried to bring the wine and two glasses. The Vorker poured for both of them: "L'chaim..."

"I know you must think I'm crazy," the Rebbe went on, "crying one minute, laughing the next. But it happened so quickly, I just had to celebrate. It's mamash a miracle! A minute ago- thanks to our tears- the Gates suddenly opened. You son will live! L'chaim! To life!"

Do you know how God opens the Gates of Heaven? He never opens them wide all at once....

Let's imagine the Gate you need is bolted shut. Then God hears your prayers and He does just one thing. He turns the key in the lock. From the outside, the Gate doesn't look any different. So, if you're impatient, if you knock on the Gate and it doesn't open immediately, then maybe you'll give up and walk away. Or perhaps you'll pace around a little, smoke a cigarette, and come back to the Gate again ten or fifteen minutes later. But the Gate looks the same. You can't tell anything's changed. So you think your prayer hasn't been answered, and leave in despair.

But if you stay there, leaning against the Gate, the whole time with your ear to the lock, you can mamash feel it when God turns the key. And then you know that the door is starting to open...

The Gates of Heaven should always be open to our prayers...

from LAMED VAV A collection of the favorite stories of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach ztz"l

The Holy Tailor

You will never know…. Friends you and I will never know how deep deep our connection to heaven is. We will never know how deep our connection is to those that we love so much. We will never know how many good deeds we did without knowing. This is the story friends.

Everybody knows the holy Baal Shem Tov taught us the first thing in the world is don’t ever don’t ever judge anybody, because how do you know what they did without you knowing? Don’t judge their holiness, because we don't know how holy they are.

So here this is in Koretz. The Rabbi of Koretz is Reb Pinchus, one of the three greatest pupils of the holy Baal Shem Tov… and it goes without saying 200 years ago every Jew kept Shabbos… every Jew did everything they were supposed to do. But there was one Jew, a real terrible Jew, worst in the world, he was never in the synagogue, he would never buy kosher meat, the only place you could find him late at night was in the bar. So unless your pants are torn and you need a tailor- he was a tailor- a Schneider’l (tailor in Yiddish)… so everybody knew the tailor- that he was the worst Jew in the world. One day, Reb Pinchus Koretz sees that after the praying is over that the Shamash (synagogue caretaker in Yiddish) is trying to get people together, and nobody wants to do it, so he asked the Shamash, “What happened?” He said, “Somebody died and nobody wants to go to the funeral.” “Who died?” he asked. He says,“Rebbe, thank God the lowest Jew in the city finally died”. “Why who is it?” the Rebbe asked. “Rebbe, the tailor passed away.”

“You never know, you’ll never know!”the heilige (holy) Reb Pinchus began crying. He said, “ I am so sorry I am so sorry… the holy tailor passed away! I miss him so much! What time is the funeral? I am going!”

Word got around the city that Reb Pinchus is going to the tailor and suddenly it was clear to everyone- that he must have been one of the 36 Holy hidden people- one of the Lamed Vav Tzadikkim.

The Baal Shem Tov couldn’t have had a more unbelievable funeral. The whole city walked behind the coffin crying and begging the holy tailor, “pray for me holy tailor, pray for my children!” Reb Pinchus himself- he walked behind the coffin and big tears were flowing out of his holy eyes.

On that day, another holy pupil of the Baal Shem Tov was visiting Reb Pinchus and he went with him to the funeral. After the funeral was over, he said to Reb Pinchus, “you can fool the whole city, and they think he was one of the 36 holy hidden people, but I know he was not… and the truth is, he was really a very sinful Jew… he must’ve done something that he had such a holy funeral. But why were you crying so much?” He replied, “ You’ll never know, you’ll never know..”

Reb Pinchus began telling Reb Yaive, “Remember in my house besides my children we had Faigele grow up in my house, an orphan? My wife and I took her under our wings. She’s now 15 years old. She got engaged to another orphan boy from another city. My wife and I borrowed money from everyone in the city to make the wedding so beautiful."

"One minute before the wedding, the boy, the groom, the orphan came to me, and he says, “ Heilige Rebbe, holy master, you forgot to buy me a new Tallis. A new Tallis is 10 rubles?”

I said to him, “ I am so sorry, but I just don’t have the heart anymore to borrow money from people. Please forgive me. In a few weeks I’ll buy you a new Tallis.”

Then I saw tears in his eyes. He says, “Rebbe people will laugh at me if I walk around with an old Tallis… and it’s nobody but my wife and me.”

I said “OK, wait…” I walked in the street and my heart was so heavy. I decided the first house I see light- I will knock on the door. I see light in the window and I knock on the door, and who opened it was the tailor. But so sweet, with so much heart, he got all red in the face, and he says, “Rebbe, I cannot imagine, I cannot believe it, you- holy master, you come to my house. I know I don’t deserve it but believe me Rebbe whatever you ask me, I’ll do. There is nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for you.”

Reb Pinchus says it was just so beautiful to see the tailor. I said to him, “My sweetest friend, my sweetest Schneider’l, you know Faigele, I need 10 rubles to buy a new Tallis, for her Chosson, for her groom. And the Schneider’l says, “Rebbe, God is my witness, I am so poor, but 1 ruble I’ll give you.”

I bless him, and I was so happy. Suddenly my heart was so light! I walk down the block, by the corner, I heard somebody running after me. I turn around and it was the tailor. He was crying, crying, crying, from the deepest depths of his soul. I waited until he reached me, put my arms around him, and I said, “ My sweetest tailor, tell me everything. Why are you crying?” He says, “Rebbe, please forgive me. Just tell me one thing? If I give you the whole 10 rubles will I have a share in the coming world?”

Reb Pinchus said, I put my hands on his head, and I said, “I swear to you, by the living God, I swear to you, by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, by the God of everything holy, if you do something so good, and I know how hard it is for you, because I know how poor you are, you will give me the 10 rubles, and Faigele is waiting to get married, I promise you you’ll have a share in the coming world!”

Reb Pinchus said “ I want you to know I walked behind his coffin and his soul was wrapped in the Tallis I bought for Faigele…” you’ll never know… you’ll never know…Reb Shlomo Carlebach

There are moments when we have the opportunity to receive everything in the world, but sadly enough, at that moment we are satisfied with much less…

I want you to know an unbelievable story.

Reb Nachman of Breslev, was named after his grandfather, Reb Nachman of Horodenka, who was one of the Baal Shem Tov’s greatest pupils. Reb Nachman of Horodenka was always telling the Baal Shem Tov, that he wanted to marry someone special.

In the meantime, there was a young lady, and she was always coming to the Baal Shem Tov with the same request. So the Baal Shem Tov says to her, “ I have someone very special, this Reb Nachman, is my highest Chassid (pupil), but he is a little bit out of this world. You must promise me that if you have any complaints, you will come and tell me.”

They got married, but the craziest thing happened, Reb Nachman of Horodenka doesn’t come home after the wedding- he only comes home the next day for lunch. He eats a little bit and leaves, comes back the next day for lunch, and leaves again! The next day he comes for breakfast.

So his wife went to the holy Baal Shem Tov to let him know what is going on. The holy Baal Shem Tov then went to Reb Nachman of Horodenka, and said, “Nachman, what’s going on? Why don’t you go home?” So he says, “Rebbe, you know and I know that sadly enough, it’s decreed for my wife to die in childbirth. I don’t want her to die so young.”

So the Baal Shem Tov says, “Let me tell you something. Why don’t you just talk straight to your wife?”

So he goes home and says to her, “I want you to know… I love you so much. The reason I’m not coming home is because I know what’s decreed in heaven and I don’t want you to die.”

So she says to him,“ Is the way I’m living now any better? I would rather have one good year with you, than live like this forever.”

That year she had a baby. At the moment the baby was born, she cried out, “Ribbono Shel Olam, (Master of the Universe) I can’t leave like this. I carried this baby in my womb for nine months, and I won’t even get to see it? Ribbono Shel Olam, let me live for four more weeks.”

So she lived for four more weeks and then she nebach (sadly) died. This baby was named Simcha and this Simcha is the father of Reb Nachman of Breslev.

Now listen to this.

When Reb Nachman of Horodenka came to the Baal Shem Tov, to tell him what happened, the Baal Shem Tov screamed out, “Oy, don’t you know that at that moment, all the gates in heaven were open for her? She could’ve asked God to stay alive forever!”

The moment the gates are open, don’t limit yourself to something. Don’t limit yourself to anything. Reb Shlomo Carlebach

You know my beautiful friends, what is the most glorious way of being close to God?

It's very easy to sit down and tell another human being everything which is wrong with them. And if you really concentrate, I'm sure you could write a book on how wrong every human being is. It doesn't take much.

So the Talmud says that God says to Moshe (Moses), "When you see it (the moon) then bless it"...."You see Moshe, this is the moon, this one ray, and this is it. Look at it, and make it holy."

When you meet this person and you see one good thing about them, one ray of light, let it blow your mind!...If you see one good thing about another human being, don't wait! Make this person holy in your eyes.

It is possible to know another human being for 2,000 years and not know anything about them. You know why? Because it could be at that very second when you weren't looking, maybe they did something so holy that they shook up heaven and earth. Maybe for 1 minute in their life, the whole world was on fire because of them.....

I want you to know the deepest depths...

According to Kabbalistic tradition, there are 2 ways of educating. You can teach children, or you can "give over" to them. I can take out a book and teach a child that when you see a poor man, you give him a dollar. That's teaching. When I am walking with my child on the street and he sees me giving a dollar, I wasn't teaching him. I was giving over to him what charity is.

Teaching can take years, but giving over can happen in a moment. Reb Shlomo Carlebach