Think Jewish 5780

FaceBook:
https://www.facebook.com/avrohom.lipszyc/videos/10157453498128257/

Written Notes:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/a3t59gux8xecz5z/1.%20Noach%205780%20--Where%20is%20YOUR%20Ark%20-Rising%20Above%20the%20Struggles%20of%20Life.docx?dl=0

SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/hachaim/1-noach-where-is-your-ark-raising-above-the-struggles-of-life

YouTube:
https://youtu.be/QmOG4yRD2uQ

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Here is a fact of life: All human beings experience struggles in life. From the rich, famous and powerful to poor, unknown and downtrodden. Struggles, one may say, is the purpose of life. Why, you ask? Because our soul descends into this world to reach unprecedented heights, and unprecedented heights can only be reached when we are pushed far out of our comfort zone. In other words, the soul achieves its goal only when we transform our struggles into opportunities, and then successfully work these opportunities.
 
This is actually what the story of Noah and the flood is all about.
 
The flood rains for 40 days and forty nights, and then the waters prevailed for 150 days. After which the waters began to subside, leaving Noah in the ark for a total of 12 months before he was able to leave the ark.
 
The flood waters, according to the teachings represent the struggles of life, which have the potential of numbing and drowning our spirituality. And thus, King Solomon states (-Songs 8:7), "Many waters cannot quench the love, nor can rivers flood it." As a matter-a-fact, not only can the waters not drown our spirituality, rather, the struggles become opportunities, through which our spirituality reaches unprecedented heights. And thus, the verse states, (-Genesis 7:17-18), "Now the Flood was forty days upon the earth, and the waters increased, and they lifted the ark, and it rose off the earth. And the waters became powerful, and they increased very much upon the earth, and the ark moved upon the waters." However, this only worked for those who were in the air-tight ark, while those who were outside succumbed to the raging waters. Thus, it is through building an air-tight ark, with all its biblical specifications, and then entering into the ark, that we can transform the struggles into opportunities.
 
This lecture is here to teach us how to build our arks, enter our arks, and how to transform our struggles into opportunities.
 
This lecture is based primarily on a maamor the Rebbe delivered on this Shabbat, in 1977, exploring the deeper dimension to the ark, and how it presents itself in our personal and individual lives.

1. Noach: Where Is YOUR Ark?: Raising Above The Struggles Of Life

FaceBook:
https://www.facebook.com/avrohom.lipszyc/videos/10157469305768257/

SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/hachaim/2-lech-lecha-5780-go-to-you-traveling-lifes-journey

Written Lecture:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yj3u3r3vbs1zcc5/2.%20Lech%20Lecha%205780%20--Go%20to%20You%20-Traveling%20Life%27s%20Journey.pdf?dl=0

YouTube:
https://youtu.be/qP-r81TtYjc

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The Alchemist, is a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho that was first published in 1988. Originally written in Portuguese, it became a widely translated international bestseller. The overall theme is of a young shepherd that has a dream of a treasure hidden in the pyramids in Egypt. And he travels an entire journey, with many events, only to reach the pyramids, start digging, and find out that the treasure is exactly where he had the dream.

The reason why this novel became such a classic, I would suggest, is precisely because of how pertinent the message is for each of us, as we consistently search for our ‘treasures’ outside of ourselves, and outside of where we are. While, in truth, G-d buried the treasure of each and every one of us, nowhere else but within us.

Rabbi Mendel Futerfass, while in a labor camp in Siberia, bunked with political criminals, who would play cards. Having playing cards was forbidden in the labor camp, and Reb Mendel witnessed again and again, how search after search, the guards would never find it, while right after the search, the cards reappeared and the card game continued. Reb Mendel asked for their secret, and they told him that they were professional pick-pocketers, and when the guard came in, they would put the cards in the guard’s pocket, and before he left they would take it back out. The moral being that the one place people never search for what they are looking for, is within themselves.

The message of this week’s Torah-portion, “Lech Lecha -Go to you,” is precisely to learn how to search within ourselves for everything in life.

This lecture is based primarily on a maamor the Rebbe delivered on this Shabbat, in 1965, exploring G-d’s commandment to Abraham, Lech Lecha -Go to you, from your land, and from your birthplace, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”

2. Lech Lecha 5780: "'Go To You!:' Traveling Life's Journey"

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SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/hachaim/4-vayeira-5780-when-our-fire-dies-rebuilding-our-fire-within

Written Notes:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4nahrc038ypp6fd/3.%20Vayeira%205780%20--When%20Our%20Fire%20Dies%20--Rebuilding%20Our%20Fire.pdf?dl=0

YouTube:
https://youtu.be/NYqtVPjTk_8

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There is a saying referring to our emotional experiences that, “הזמן עושה את שלה -Time does its thing.” Emotions are like a fire that needs to be consistently fed and renewed, or, “Time will do its thing,” to our emotions, which primarily means that time will weaken our emotions, to a point of utter extinction. And this works for the good and for the bad, as we are taught concerning emotions such as anxiety, depression (non-clinical) and the likes, “There is a white wolf and a black wolf within our emotions, and it is the one we feed that grows, and the one we don’t feed gets smaller and smaller.” Thus, emotions are not hard-wired, and we can, and must, either evolve or devolve them, depending on whether they are beneficial or hurtful to us.

And so, it is with our emotions that fuel our relationship with G-d.

The question is, what if we were side-tracked and too preoccupied to work on our emotions in our relationships, and suddenly we see that the fire in our relationship has extinguished. Can we reignite and rebuild the fire? 

This lecture is based primarily on a maamor the Rebbe delivered on this Shabbat, in 1965, exploring the mystical --and our personal and practical-- dimensions of the story of Elisha the prophet helping the wife of another prophet, whose husband had died, and she and her children were left poverty-stricken.

3. Vayeira 5780: When Our Fire Dies: Rebuilding Our Fire Within

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https://www.facebook.com/avrohom.lipszyc/videos/10157508717613257/

SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/hachaim/4-chaya-sarah-5780-the-double-cave-finding-the-cave-of-the-patriarchs-within-us

Written Lecture:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/l5tu9ruq9nyeu22/4.%20Chaya%20Sarah%205780%20-The%20Double%20Cave%20--Finding%20the%20Cave%20of%20the%20Patriarchs%20%28Machpelah%29%20Within%20Us.pdf?dl=0

YouTube:
https://youtu.be/-2dq_sDsefg

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The modern-day issue of this lecture, based on the mystical teachings of Kabbalah and Chassidus, is to embrace the humility and beauty of having sinned in our lives, and what these experiences offer us through Teshuvah.

King David in Psalms (-66:5) states, “Go and see the deeds of G-d, awesome are His plots upon mankind.” Upon this verse our sages explain that G-d plots upon mankind to sin, bringing proof that G-d had plotted that Adam should eat from the Tree of Knowledge. Why would G-d plot upon to commit sins, sins that G-d Himself prohibited us from performing?!

I profess to you, that it is because second chances are the original desire of G-d. There is the original desire of G-d that man live his life performing only, “Torah and its Good Deeds.” However, what takes Torah and G--d Deeds to their true power is when they are imbued and driven by the power of Teshuvah (Return; Repentance). The truest reason for the soul descending from its utopian place in Heaven, and to descend into this imperfect world of darkness and evil, is only because in a utopian environment there can be no Teshuvah. It is only in a life of mistakes and sins that a soul can experience the omnipotence and oneness with G-d of Teshuvah. And thus, G-d plots upon mankind to sin. Bringing them to the opportunity of Teshuvah.

The challenge is, however, that we do not fall into the arrogant disbelief, self-loathing and depression that we have sinned. Rather, we must be humble in the acceptance of our imperfection, in order to experience the power of Teshuvah that our imperfections, mistakes and sins offer us.

This lecture is based primarily on a maamor the Rebbe delivered on this Shabbat, in 1969, exploring the mystical --and our personal and practical-- dimensions of the holy burial place of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs.

4. Chaya Sarah 5780: The Double Cave: Finding The Cave of The Patriarchs Within Us

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SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/hachaim/5-toldot-5780-an-organic-blend-how-to-treat-ourselves

Written Lecture:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1jxq5jq6gy68gpc/5.%20Toldos%205780%20-An%20Organic%20Blend%20--Learning%20How%20to%20Treat%20Ourselves.pdf?dl=0

YouTube:
https://youtu.be/dBgE0B6lxZE

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The modern-day issue of this lecture is about how is one to treat himself or herself. Our sages tell us that G-d had the same question in concerning how to treat us: "A king had fine crystal drinking glasses, and said, 'If I will clean them in hot water they will crack, and if I will clean them in cold water they will remain dirty...' so too G-d said concerning the world, 'If I will use the attribute of strictness the world will not survive, and if I will use the attribute of kindness, they world will devolve into sin...'"

So too, concerning how we should treat ourselves. If we are to be gentle with ourselves, we will devolve into slothfulness and over indulgence. While, if we are to be strict with ourselves we will devolve into self-resentment, bitterness and cruelty. Discipline is important, and necessary, and so is emotional self-care. Finding a balance between the two is the obvious answer. However, this isn't just a matter of balancing the quantity between the two, gentleness and strictness with self. Rather, what we primarily need is a balance between the quality of our strictness and gentleness towards self. As the joke goes, "He stuck his head in boiling water, his feet in freezing water, and wondered why he wasn't feeling lukewarm..."

What we are going to learn here is that the appropriate way to treat ourselves all the time is with a qualitative balance between gentleness and strictness. However, what exactly is a qualitative balance between gentleness and strictness?

This lecture is based primarily on a maamor the Rebbe delivered on this Shabbat, in 1965, exploring the mystical meaning behind Abraham and Isaac being identical in appearance.

5. Toldot 5780: "An Organic Blend -How To Treat Ourselves"

FaceBook:
https://www.facebook.com/avrohom.lipszyc/videos/10157586116578257/
 
SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/hachaim/8-one-nation-under-g-d-indivisible-understanding-jewish-unity

Written Notes: 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wy8cporw2oyymy2/8.%20Vayeishev%205780%20-One%20Nation%20Under%20G-d%2C%20Indivisible.pdf?dl=0

YouTube: Link
https://youtu.be/sdgnq-oBxHI

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The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America reads, “One nation under G-d, indivisible,” while the Declaration of Independence  declares that, “All men… are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” America went through a difficult journey in understanding the individualities of the states, and the Federal Republic for which it stands. A Journey that culminated with a Civil War, since which the Supreme Justice System peacefully decides which issues are designated for states to decide for themselves, and which issues are for the Federal Government to decide for the entire Union.

In truth, this is one of the primary journeys of the United States of America, as a Union and as individual states, as a nation built upon democracy, to define the parameters in which the individual stands alone, and in which the individual stands as part of a nation. In the democracy and liberty of the individual, we do not deny that the individual is part of a whole nation, with responsibilities and limitations of the individual to the nation. And on the other hand, the nation does not define the entire definition, responsibilities and liberties of the individual, for in democracy, the individual stands also as an island unto his own, with total self-dominance.

So too, in Judaism, and especially so in Chassidus, there exists these two sides to one coin of the individual as a whole unto himself, while simultaneously being part of a greater whole. On the one hand, the individual is called, “An entire universe,” unto himself, while on the other hand, the individual is called but a part of an, “One complete floor,” which is defined that in every generation the individuals of that generation are all part of one human being, with each soul being another organ, limb etc. of that one being. In this lecture, we are going to understand the relationship of one Jew to another, in their individuality and in their unity.

This lecture is based primarily on a maamor the Rebbe delivered on the 19th of Kiselv, in 1969, exploring the mystical teachings concerning the Jews being scattered among the nations of the world.

8. One Nation Under G - D Indivisible -Understanding Jewish Unity

Rabbi Avrohom Lipszyc is the founder and director of The Jewish Mind.
Rabbi Avrohom Lipszyc additionally serves as the Shliach at Chabad of North Miami, and as the Rabbi of the Jewish Center.
\He can be reached at TheJewishMind@icloud.com