In this week we enter a new section of Vayikra dealing with the laws of man. The previous parshiot dealt with the laws pertaining to animals. This follows the order of creation; man was created last. It’s simpler to understand the sanctification of the animal world. It’s natural for us to make important distinctions between the clean & unclean, purity & impurity, in the animal world. Man’s struggle with himself, however, & the work we have to do to sanctify ourselves, is far more complex. The Zohar compares man to animals in the regards of the korban (sacrifice), deducing from the verse “and the eighth day the skin of the orlah should be circumcised” being amidst the verses that deal with purity & impurity of the woman giving birth. What we see in these readings in their proximity & importance is the sanctification of time (Shabbat) of man (brit milah) & of place (korban). Hashem is kadosh (holy) as it says, “for I am Kadosh.”

We, on the other hand, have the constant struggle to attain kedushah. All of this comes to teach us how to free ourselves from our slavery to that which is not holy & to take actions towards holiness, freedom, spirituality & oneness. 
Reaching exalted levels of the soul is not enough when we are tasked to use the body here on earth elevating it, this is how we bring about the future redemption.

Kabbalah teaches that the world was created as a broken vessel; Hashem constricted himself & hid His good in the brokenness of the world. Reb Natan says that our highest task is to choose to see His Light, to choose to let in & partner with Hashem, even when he is hidden. Our laws & customs, in ways so mysterious & in ways very obvious– literally turning our physical bodies into ritual spiritual objects– are the most powerful reminders we have to keep making that choice to strive for something higher. To not let ourselves believe that we are only creatures, that we are only animals, driven only by physical instincts. 

Man is but dust of the earth, Adamah, but through the struggle & fight to spiritualize reality we become Adameh la-Elyon, a semblance of God. 

** THIS IS JUST A SNIPPET OF THE DVAR, READ IT IN FULL - > @ www.lightofinfinite.com 

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Thanks for listening/reading.
Much love, Erez Safar

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Become a Semblance of God (leviticus: tazria)

Ahava (ah-ha-va)/אהבה/love. In Hebrew, the root word for ‘love’ is ‘hav’ which means “to give”. Loving is synonymous with giving — as real love is created. As The Beatles say, “The love you take is equal to the love you make.”

You see this most clearly in the love a parent gives to their child. As a baby, the child’s existence fully depends on the parent giving of themselves at every moment. This tireless giving creates an attachment stronger than any other kind– profound, unconditional love. So the greater the giving, the deeper the love.  Ahava has the same gematria (numerical value)– 13– as the word Echad (the Hebrew word for ‘one’). And so to reach oneness and love, we have to be in tune with each other and ourselves, and when we share our oneness and our love, that is 13 + 13, which is 26. And as many of us know, 26 is the numerical value of Hashem’s four-letter name (the Tetragrammaton), the ultimate Divine Infinite Light.

  When we read the famous verse , “And you shall love the Lord your God.” We are left asking, how it can be that we are commanded to feel a feeling? This is especially curious for people that tend to believe that love is a sensation that magically, spontaneously appears, while that is something entirely different than love. It may be because this way of thinking is so prevalent, that Erich Fromm writes in “The Art of Loving”, “There is hardly any activity, any enterprise, which is started with such tremendous hopes and expectations, and yet, which fails so regularly, as love.” To illuminate the verse from the Torah, our sages point out that it’s not an abstract feeling that is being presented to us, but rather the command to act lovingly, and by this act, love will be created. Love is a choice, and  an action. In this way, the commandment , “And you shall love” manifests through all the ways in which we perform acts of love in the world. 

In his TED Talk, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks suggested to his audience that they run a Search-and-Replace operation on the texts of their minds and substitute every instance of the word “self” with the word “other.” So instead of trying to do “self-help”, you would do “other-help”; instead of looking after your “self-esteem”, you would look after “others’-esteem”. He went on to say that, “if you do that, you will begin to feel the power of one of the most moving sentences in all of religious literature: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

Just as important as the act of giving is the sincerity and love in which it is given. If our heart compels us to want to hold on and not let go, it is the act of giving and letting go that we must master. All of life is about loving and creating love for others, which always brings to mind what the Lubavitcher Rebbe said so beautifully, “You already belong. You are already holy. You are already loved. Now you too must love, and by loving, help others feel that they also belong.”

We are interdependent, equally important, and one. David Sacks, one of my favorite humans, a writer and producer of The Simpsons, explains that each letter, and each of us, is a musical note and that our task is to live in harmony by being in tune and tuning each other. We should strive to not be  dissonant. He gives the analogy of someone sitting at a beautiful piano and playing the black and white keys and it not sounding right, wondering what’s wrong, and just then someone comes to tune the piano. Suddenly, it all sounds gorgeous. The piano is beautiful and what was being played had the potential of beauty, but it needed to be in tune, and that’s our mission– we need to uplift each other, judge each other favorably and show love to one another. 

If you focus on others as you would yourself, then you will love yourself more and, by virtue of that, become love for others.

The Secret To Love

So much anxiety is brought on by thinking one won’t receive what is just. Of course, everyone’s view of their own justice looks different. But the idea of not receiving what you think you deserve, whether from a person or the universe creates a division and distancing in one’s relationships to others, to oneself, and even to life itself. 

Justice brings peace, but only when judgment (gevurah) is balanced with the proper amount of mercy (chesed). When this is done right, it creates harmony (tiferet).

Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s last book is titled, Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life’s Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union, aptly pulling the words from this week’s parashah of Shoftim, which is Hebrew for ‘judges’. One lesson to be learned from Ginsberg through her relationship with her colleague on the Supreme Court, Antonin Scalia, is how they exemplified putting aside their egos, building a personal relationship based on humane compassion, even when they disagreed vehemently in their views of justice. 
The reason people praised their relationship so much is that it seems, as a people, we are moving further and further away from such a rapport. The Talmud (the elaborate explanation and commentary of the Mishnah), is based on opposing opinions and respect. For three centuries (c. 200 CE-500 CE) after the redaction and editing of the Mishna, later Sages, called Amoraim, and their students discussed and analyzed the Mishna. Their questions, discussions, and solutions comprise the Talmud.

If you look at a page of the Talmud, on either side of the ancient arguments of the Amoraim, you find more opposing views, those of the Medieval commentators– Rashi on the right and Tosafos on the left. Judaism, from antiquity to now, is steeped in the teachings and the process of learning in the Talmud. Literally thousands and thousands of Jews (and lots of law students) are lovingly arguing with each other at this moment, using the Talmud as the catalyst for diving deeper into endless hypothetical scenarios connected to the morality of Jewish law and ritual. But, as a modern Western culture and people, we seem to be moving away from this embrace of respectful conflict, something discussed in the book The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. 

In a TED talk Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks speaks on ‘How we can face the future without fear, together’. He begins by saying, “We’ve seen divisive elections, divided societies and the growth of extremism — all fueled by anxiety and uncertainty. Is there something we can do, each of us, to be able to face the future without fear?” He goes on to say that “it’s the people not like us that make us grow” and shares three specific ways we can move from the politics of “me” to the politics of “all of us, together.”

I dive fully into justice and how to find peace in this week's dvar/article with wisdom from the Zohar, Rebbe Nachman, MF Doom, and even a little Bieber. 

Czech it now @ https://lightofinfinite.com/and-justice-for-all/

…And Justice For All (deuteronomy: shoftim)

The Rashbam says the entire book of Devarim is called שירה, “Song,” We see this week that Torah is synonymous with Song. For this week, I wrote about how a song saved my life. 

Music has been such an important healing tool for me over the years. Feeling good comes in waves, so if you hit a funk, it’s important to have ways to get yourself out. For some it’s being in nature, seeing the grand grace and epic beauty of creation, for others it’s exercising, and for others it’s staying connected to loved ones. For me, staying happy and connected is certainly tied to maintaining a daily spiritual practice, but also an important and key part is music. Music transcends current moods and creates universes to jump into; it’s a powerful way to shift perspective and feelings. @BonIver‘s self-titled album does it for me every time– if I ever feel down and I listen to it, I feel that darkness can’t coexist with the light and beauty that those songs exude, and it snaps me out of it. Of course, on an even more connected level are the songs from Jewish singers that blend our rich tradition into their own styles (@IshayRibo_official, @Eviatar.Banai, @Akiva.official, Erez Yechial etc.) 

Song is at the center of all our rituals, and singing is the unifying element of communal prayer. King David used a harp to compose the Psalms. The Talmud teaches that the harp hung above King David’s bed, and at midnight a northern ruach (wind) would blow on the five strings, raising him from his sleep to study Torah until day break. The Zohar teaches that the five strings parallel the five books of Torah and are the instruments with which he composed much of Tehillim….

When you listen to music, you can feel some of what the artist is feeling when he sings. In the Talmud it teaches, “Words that emanate from the heart – enter the heart.” Kabbalists explain that music helps banish extraneous thoughts and clear the mind, cutting away impure thoughts that envelop the soul, allowing a person to connect to the Light of the Infinite. Music is also something that can be played in circles infinitely, in fact that is often how the prophets would reach their state of nevuah. It would be a repetitive riff being played until the riff would act as a mantra, a meditation, and prophecy would be reached.

Shana Tova Umetukah!

-- DIVE FULLY IN & READ FULL ARTICLE/DVAR @ https://lightofinfinite.com/the-song-that-saved-my-life/


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Thanks for listening/reading.
Much love, Erez Safar

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The Song That Saved My Life (deuteronomy: vayelech)

The concept of doing something Lishmah (for its sake) is a key concept in both living in alignment with oneself and living in alignment with our Source. It’s the inner spiritual work, when done with the physical performance of a mitzvah, that sanctifies our outer being.

The Zohar stresses that ahavah (love) and yirah (fear) are the two main ingredients needed for Torah and mitzvot to affect their ultimate purpose. 

Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev teaches in Kedushat Levi that Korach didn’t think that Torah could assume the trappings of this world. It was at that moment that the earth “opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all Korach’s people and all their possessions.”

Levi Yitzchok explains that it was as if the earth was saying, “If you are unwilling to sanctify me through your deeds and to purify me through your service, then there is no place for you in this material existence. Man’s task is here on earth, not in heaven. Whoever is unprepared for this will return to his spiritual source. Let him not waste his time here.”


Rebbe Nachman teaches, “When judgments are secondary to kindness, suffering can be avoided. Suffering comes from the power of the yetzer hara (evil inclination), which is another source of judgment. Sin causes arousal of judgments, while serving God causes arousal of kindness… a person must create unity and peace between opposing sides. That is what mitigates Divine decrees. 

The lesson, especially in times like these, is that pointing fingers and blaming others, feeling as though airing a grievance while hoping for a self-serving resolution, only creates more division, hate, and unrest. It is only by taking what feels divided and bringing it together that harmony can be achieved. Our task is to bring Godly awareness into physicality and, by doing that, every element and person is elevated.

The tzaddikim are tapped into levels of spiritual reality and Divine consciousness that most of us could only hope for; which is why in Pirkei Avot it says, “Make for yourself a Rav (a teacher); acquire for yourself a friend; and judge every person on the positive side.” Because no one is meant to be alone, and no one should think they have all the answers. A teacher will show you otherwise, and a friend will hold you accountable for the times you may feel haughty. Judging others and yourself favorably is the only way to not let the fallen sparks and division create further disunity. Redemption is harmony, a feeling of spiritual alignment, while rebellion, when not for the sake of Heaven, will leave the person lost, out of alignment, and maybe even feeling as if they have been swallowed up by the earth.

I pray that we can begin to eliminate doubt and division and usher in the expansion of an ever-broadening spiritual reality and the Moshiach, speedily in our days! 

** READ THIS ARTICLE/DVAR IN FULL @ www.lightofinfinite.com/revolt-vs-redemption 

Thanks for reading/listening!
Much love & Shabbat Shalom!🤍🕊
- Erez // @erezsafar


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Revolt vs. Redemption (numbers: korach)

“The best fighter is never angry.” ― Lao Tzu

The main problem with hitting the rock, which was born from a moment of imperfect faith by Moshe, was that it was an act of force. Moshe’s sin was in the moment of questioning, & the anger seeped in in that one tiny moment. The Maharal teaches: where there is complete faith, there is no room for anger, for there is great joy.

What Korach didn’t understand when he rebelled against Moshe in last week’s parashah was that each person has their own spiritual level. In fact, a true tzaddik has a greater yetzer hara than everyone else, & the consequences of their choices are, therefore, much greater. In this instance, we see that Moshe, who lived his entire life righteously, lost the Promised Land with just one moment of anger. The pressure of keeping up Moshe’s level of piety in every moment is beyond our capacity to comprehend, but what we can learn is that even just one moment of faithlessness for someone on the level of Moshe could block him from his Promised Land. How much more important it is for each of us to try & stay in a space of faith, trust, & joy, so that we don’t bring negativity into our own lives.

Rebbe Nachman’s famous teaching, “Ein shum yeush ba’olam klal!”, which means, “There is no such thing as despair in the world at all!’ It’s a hard thing to put faith into, especially when you feel like everything is horrible & hopeless. But you have to hold onto your faith, & when you see the good that comes from this struggle, then you’ll know why you had to experience it. Life must be lived, lessons must be learned, and, in the end, good often comes from “bad”. The Zohar teaches: “By (the way one handles one’s) anger, one can recognize who one is. If a person guards one’s soul at a moment of anger & does not allow it (one’s soul) to be torn from its place…this is a person who is as they should be…This is a complete person.” ‘Shalom’ means peace, ‘shalem’ means complete, so we are only complete when we are at peace. And peace only comes from mindful joy which never has the space for anger.

** I DID A DEEP DIVE INTO ‘HOW TO NEVER GET ANGRY’ - READ IT IN FULL @ www.lightofinfinite.com/how-to-never-get-angry/

Thanks for reading/listening!
Much love & Shabbat Shalom!🤍🕊
- Erez // @erezsafar


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 **** 🪬 READ THIS IN FULL @ https://lightofinfinite.com/how-to-never-get-angry/ ⚡️

How To Never Get Angry (numbers: chukat)

If at every moment you can choose the path that you want to pursue, as the Talmud states, Hashem will help you towards the path of your choosing, then you have to ensure that you're in alignment & on a path of positivity! We shouldn’t ever look at ourselves as fully bad or fully good, cuz that can color how we approach the future & more often than not, in a negative way. If we realize that at any given moment we have the power for bad or the power for good, then we can begin to be present, let go of the weight of our past decisions & choose good, choose positivity in the very moment that we find ourselves in.

Teshuva (return) is powerful, the idea that at the moment a person comes to the realization that they want to align with the light of the Infinite, with a full heart to forge a new path, it's in that heartfelt sincerity that we're born anew in a sense, & our past transgressions between created & Creator are washed away. If only all relationships were as easy. If the ones that we navigate with others coming to a state of peace, in which all past tribulations & misunderstandings were completely stricken from the record of the memories & impact between ourselves & others, the layers of disconnect & discontent would vanish, & we would realize that they're all manifestations of misunderstandings in our state of exile.It’s believed that before birth we make an oath, “Be tzadik, don’t be rasha. This seems superfluous; if we swears to be righteous, why swear to not be wicked? The Alter Rebbe explains it's because not everyone can reach the level of tzadik, so it's imperative to swear that we don’t fall into wickedness. A person makes an oath to overcome their impulse to evil, & this is the constant struggle we experience, caught between 2 choices.

This state of being is the name of the Alter Rebbe's texts titled, The Book of the Inbetweeners. The lesson is: if we all have the power to personify that which unites or that which divides, then always choosing the path of the righteous & not of the other side (Sitra Achra) is the key to revelation. In this parsha, we read a cautionary tale of the path of the Sitra Achra.

** READ THIS ARTICLE/DVAR IN FULL @ www.lightofinfinite.com/the-other-side

Thanks for reading/listening!
Much love & Shabbat Shalom!﻿
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- Erez // @erezsafar


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The Other Side (number: balak)

There is so much epic wisdom around our falls and our elevation, but it's far too much to post here, so I thought I would share the first & last paragraph of my latest Dvar/article, "How To Levitate After Every Fall."

First paragraph -> There’s one kind of religious thought, which now feels antiquated, that teaches that a person should never fall into sin and that only in the purest state can they reach unification with the Divine and all the blessings that come with it. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov was controversial in his time and had many that railed against him because he shined a light on the profound spiritual elevation one can reach because of our fallen moments.

Last paragraph -> One of the central lessons of Likutei Moharan is the Azamra, confronting these dinim, the judgments you fall into, and working to sweeten them with Hashem’s Name, elevating the fallen sparks. This is not something that you learn once or do once and master; it is done over time, as lasting and true change happens layer by layer. As Rebbeinu says, “A little bit is also good. The way to grow is to not worry about perfection — simply start moving a little bit beyond where you were a moment ago.” We are meant to emulate our Creator, who mitigates His judgment and applies mercy as often as He can. It is the only way to continue to get back up when we fall– to show ourselves and each other mercy. And it is this choice of mercy– using the right hand of chesed— that elevates us to the Infinite Light. Confucius must have been in Uman around the time of Rebbe Nachman, as he said, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.”

** Watch this short video on how to elevate after every fall - 

**** I DO A DEEP DIVE INTO HOW TO TURN FALLS INTO ELEVATED ELATION, READ IT IN FULL HERE, https://lightofinfinite.com/how-to-levitate-after-every-fall/ 

Thanks for reading/listening!
Much love & Shabbat Shalom!﻿
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- Erez // @erezsafar


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**** watch the video -

How To Levitate After Every Fall (number: pinchas)

The majority of us have the best of intentions, but life sometimes gets in the way. Even when we fully promise and believe that we are going to help a friend out, there are times that, in the end, it doesn’t work out how we had hoped. It’s these promises said with such love and enthusiasm that give us hope and make us feel that we aren’t alone. The flip side is when empty promises leave us feeling misled, helpless, or stranded. People shouldn’t commit to things they don’t actually have time for. Language is powerful. Indeed, as we covered 3 weeks ago in the Torah portion - Chukat, we learn from Hashem (God) that words create worlds. In the beginning, Hashem spoke existence into being. It is the same with each of us, speech is a way to connect and create or to disconnect and destroy.

Thinking about nedarim (vows) in this Torah portion brought to mind a song from my favorite band, The Beastie Boys, dubbed, “Don’t Play No Games That I Can’t Win,” featuring Santigold. The song title came to mind because I was thinking about how often people say that they will do things “bli neder”, in other words, without a strict vow. It’s a way for people to say “I do intend to do this, but without the weight of a vow”. It’s a way to play the game and ensure that you never lose.

The Hebrew letters and their associated numerical value are our mystical link and the code, in a sense, that connects our physical and finite world to the spiritual world that is infinite.

The laws and Kabbalah around speech and the power and meaning behind each word – their roots and permutations and contexts – hold the key to elevating the mundane into the ineffable.

I do a deep dive into the power of words and promises in this week’s Dvar/article - 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, ‘𝙻𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙸𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚎: 𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜,” &/or at https://lightofinfinite.com/dont-play-no-games-that-i-cant-win ﻿
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Thanks for reading/listening!
Much love & Shabbat Shalom!﻿
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- Erez // @erezsafar


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**** watch the video -  https://youtu.be/1weTcPVb5lg

Don’t Play No Games That I Can’t Win (number: matot)

The flip side of sleep and dreams is the one-sixtieth of death, and the flip side of faith is doubt which begins a vicious cycle of anxiety and brings us further from faith and peace. Many have been taught and can certainly feel that Shabbat is one-sixtieth of the World to Come, that is why the world to come is referred to as kulo Shabbat. When we keep Shabbat fully, when we pause on interfering with creation and meditate on creation itself, we can lessen our anxiety, we can tap into oneness, we can doubt less because we can feel and be mindful of that the Source of Creation is in charge, that we can only push ourselves to a point and then let fate free us from our worries. Shabbat is a time in space that we could feel unbound by both time and space because we are fully connected to the infinite, one-sixtieth of infinity to be exact.
I thought I’d end this one with a poem by Rav Kook; 

Expanses, expanses
Expanses my soul craves
Do not confine me in any cage,
Neither material nor spiritual,
My soul soars through the heavens,
Walls of the heart will not contain it,
Nor will the walls of deeds, morals, logic or propriety.
Above all these my soul soars and flies,
Above all that can be named,
Above all delight, pleasantness and beauty,
Above all that is exalted and noble.
“I am love sick….” Jump into this week's Torah portion and how we can vanquish fears with this podcast and 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, ‘𝙻𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙸𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚎: 𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜.”

Thanks for reading/listening!
Much love & Shabbat Shalom!﻿
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- Erez // @erezsafar


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Listen: Audio/Podcast version - https://lightofinfinite.com/podcast

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**** watch the video -  https://youtu.be/1weTcPVb5lg

Vanquishing Fears (number: massei)

Tisha B’av is the most somber day in the Jewish calendar. It’s sobering to think that thousands of years ago, we were on top of the world: in the Promised Land, with our Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple), fully connected to Hashem (God) in a revealed state. 

It’s not a coincidence that the first word of the verse in this week's Torah portion, eicha, ‘how?’, is the same word that sets off the Book of Lamentations that we read on Tisha B’av. Jeremiah lamented, “Eicha/How can the city that was so full of people sit alone?” And in the Torah reading for this week, the same word is used: “Eicha/How can I carry your troubles myself?” But this time it’s not Jeremiah asking about the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, it’s Moses asking, knowing that despite his establishing a system of judges and courts, that justice is a difficult thing to uphold absolutely and indefinitely, and it will eventually falter. 

Rashi points out that the verse reads, “I cannot carry you” and not what might be more fitting, “I cannot judge you,” which is to imply the weight and burden involved in judging another person fairly. The Sin of the Spies stemmed from their harsh judgment of the Land. They sowed seeds of doubt and disunity by using judgment (gevurah), without balancing it with the proper amount of mercy (chesed), which is required to create harmony (tiferet).

Being judgmental (i.e. acting like a court) is the source of anger, and the lesson of Azamra that is at the core of Breslov teaching is to rectify harsh judgment by finding the “good point” in yourself and others and judging it favorably, bringing merit to yourself and others.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov explains that the secret of personal redemption is to combine chesed and gevurah in order to attain da’at (ultimate Knowledge/wisdom). Loving-kindness or judgment by itself is incomplete; balance– knowing when to use each trait– is key. Tempering one over the other and the ability to know when to use each characteristic is the essence of da’at..  #LeadwithLove

I do a deep dive into this concept in the “Only God Can Judge Me” chapter in my latest book, 'Light of the Infinite: Emanations of Illumination.'
Read this dvar/article online - https://lightofinfinite.com/only-god-can-judge-me or get your copy on Amazon, or at www.lightofinfinite.com/shop


Thanks for reading/listening!
Much love & Shabbat Shalom!﻿
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- Erez // @erezsafar


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Only God Can Judge Me (deuteronomy: deuteronomy)

I remember learning the power of the Shema (שְׁמַע) as a little kid. It felt like I was in the world of Harry Potter and someone had clued me into the Patronus charm, so if I put myself into a deep enough spiritual space, I would be able to conjure up protective power. The Shema was a way to channel Hashem’s oneness into this world; I could say it and manifest magic in my own life. It was a pathway from the natural world I was in as a kid to the supernatural world that my kid mind dreamt up. 

Growing up as a Yemenite Jew, I learned to form my hand into a shin (שְׁ), the first letter of the Shema, by placing my thumb and pinky together, leaving my index, middle and ring fingers upright. Once I had this formation, I would close my eyes and place my pinky on my left eye and my thumb on my right. As I got to the last word of the Shema, ‘echad’ (אֶחָֽד/’one’), I would bring all the fingers together, forming one unit and a sort of daled (ד), the last letter of ‘echad’. Then I would kiss my fingers and raise them to the heavens. It was a powerful ritual, one of connection and transcendence. 

The Shema (שְׁמַע) is the climactic praise, prayer, and mantra that centers us in the morning and evening prayer. It’s been at the center of Judaism and the lives of Jews since Moshe said the words to the Children of Israel in the desert thousands of years ago. It took on new levels of meaning when formal tefillah replaced the sacrifices, after the second Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple) was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E. It is the climax of the final Neilah prayer on Yom Kippur, and oftentimes it’s a person’s last words on earth.
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I do a deep dive into this concept in "The Secret To Oneness (and the Shema)” chapter where I explore mindfulness, transcendence, and connecting to the Light of the Infinite! Check it out in my latest 'Light of the Infinite' book, 'Emanations of Illumination,' available on @Amazon. 


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Thanks for listening/reading.
Much love, Erez // @ErezSafar

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The Secret To Oneness (and the Shema) [deuteronomy: va'etchanan]

When I was living in Bushwick, NY, my roommate Aaron Wertheimer, an old childhood friend, would always watch Arrested Development. Seeing it in passing, I didn’t fully get the epicness of the show and its humor. When I gave it a real chance, I was hooked. I think it even topped Seinfeld in how beyond brilliant it was. As I write this, so many lines are circling my mind, but one that sticks out is George Bluth, Sr. reassuring his son, Michael Bluth, the main character, that “there’s always money in the banana stand”. When Michael hears this, he interprets it to mean that the banana stand that the family owns will always make money, not realizing why his father kept winking at him while saying this, missing the actual message that there are literally thousands of dollars in cash hidden in the walls of the stand. Michael only realized this after the stand was burned down in a misguided attempt to get insurance reimbursement for it.

Wisdom can come to us in all kinds of ways; even a comedy show can reflect profound teachings. The lesson here is that we have to be careful in assessing where true wealth comes from. We tend to think that money comes to us through cunning. But the Torah comes to teach us that all is in the hands of Hashem (God). All is there for us; it’s just a matter of tapping into this reality and not missing the message or burning it down.

….. If the cash the banana stand brings in from our constant toiling doesn’t add up, we have to remember that beyond our own actions in the stand, is the stand itself, and that is in Hashem’s hands to give and our own hands to truly open our hands in a real and loving way to receive..

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With this article/dvar, titled, "There's Always Money In The Banana Stand", I dive into the kabbalah of wealth with the wisdom of the Zohar, The Arizal, Rebbe Nachman, and Reb Natan of Breslov. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, '𝙴𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙸𝚕𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.' Get your copy on @Amazon, or read it online @ https://lightofinfinite.com/theres-always-money-in-the-banana-stand/

Thanks for reading/listening!
Much love & Shabbat Shalom!🪬🤍🕊️
- Erez // @erezsafar


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There’s Always Money In The Banana Stand (deuteronomy- Eikev)

Even though it sounds like a contradiction, the reality is that our possessions are only ours to the extent that we give them away. 
With this article/dvar titled, "Mo Money Mo Problems, Mo Charity Mo Peace", I dive into the kabbalistic powers of charity, a lesson from the Middle Ages of a Sultan and a great Torah Sage, and share a story of a royal family that ruled a small kingdom (in what is now Iraq), and ultimately converted to Judaism. The son of this period, King Munbaz, became the king of Adiabene at the end of the Second Temple period. 
At some point in life, we all learn that money comes and goes; you can be up one day and down the next. It’s all in the hands of Hashem. So the deeper way to conceive of money in our lives is that you only own that which you give away, as it says in Mishlei (Proverbs), “There is one who gives generously yet ends with more.” This means that by focusing on what you can give instead of what you can receive, you actually turn yourself into a vessel for receiving. This is all seen through the power and kabbalah of tzedakah (charity). 
In this parashah of Re’eh, we read: "כִּֽי־יִהְיֶה֩ בְךָ֨ אֶבְי֜וֹן … לֹ֧א תְאַמֵּ֣ץ אֶת־לְבָבְךָ֗ וְלֹ֤א תִקְפֹּץ֙ אֶת־יָ֣דְךָ֔ מֵאָחִ֖יךָ הָאֶבְיֽוֹן. כִּֽי־פָתֹ֧חַ תִּפְתַּ֛ח אֶת־יָדְךָ֖ ל֑וֹ" // "When there will be a poor person amongst you.. do not tighten your heart and do not close up your hand in front of your poor brother. Rather, open your hand to him…"
In last week’s Dvar, we covered the Arizal’s teaching that Creation came about because Hashem has a fundamental desire to give. Therefore, the natural state of being is one in which chesed— the bounteous and unlimited influx of Hashem’s kindness– flows freely into the world, unhampered by either sin or dinim (judgment). We, nevertheless, find ourselves in a world that is not completely chesed, because part of Hashem’s desire is to give us the opportunity to sweeten judgment (Hamtakat Hadinim) with tzedakah, to transform dinim into chesed ourselves, emulating God in His ability to give to others.
**** Read the full article & dive deeper into this and other lessons in my book “Light of the Infinite” available @ www.lightofinfinite.com 
DIVE DEEPER: 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, '𝙴𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙸𝚕𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.' Get your copy on @Amazon, or read it online @ https://lightofinfinite.com/mo-money-mo-problems-mo-charity-mo-peace/ 

Thanks for reading/listening!
Much love & Shabbat Shalom! 
- Erez // @erezsafar


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-> ISRAEL TOUR SEPT 20 - OCT 10th! details @ www.lightofinfinite.com/events

Mo Money Mo Problems, Mo Charity Mo Peace (deuteronomy:  re'eh)

So much anxiety is brought on by thinking one won’t receive what is just. Of course, everyone’s view of their own justice looks different. But the idea of not receiving what you think you deserve, whether from a person or the universe creates a division and distancing in one’s relationships to others, to oneself, and even to life itself. 
Justice brings peace, but only when judgment/gevurah is balanced with the proper amount of mercy/chesed. When this is done right, it creates harmony/tiferet.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s last book is titled, ‘Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue’, aptly pulling the words from this week’s parsha, Judges. One lesson to be learned from Ginsberg through her relationship with her Supreme Court colleague, Scalia, is how they exemplified putting aside their egos, building a personal relationship based on humane compassion, even when they disagreed vehemently in their views of justice. The reason people praised their relationship so much is that it seems, as a people, we are moving further and further away from such a rapport. The Talmud is based on opposing opinions and respect. For 3 centuries (200 CE-500 CE) after the redaction & editing of the Mishna, Amoraim and their students discussed & analyzed the Mishna. Their questions, discussions, & solutions comprise the Talmud.
Judaism, from antiquity to now, is steeped in the teachings and the process of learning in the Talmud. Countless Jews (& lots of law students) are lovingly arguing with each other at this moment, using the Talmud as the catalyst for diving deeper into endless hypothetical scenarios connected to the morality of Jewish law & ritual. But, as a modern Western culture & people, we seem to be moving away from this embrace of respectful conflict, something discussed in the book The Coddling of the American Mind.
In a TED talk R’ Jonathan Sacks speaks on how “it’s the people not like us that make us grow” & shares specific ways we can move from the politics of “me” to the politics of “all of us, together.”
I dive fully into justice & how to find peace this week, with wisdom from the Zohar, Rebbe Nachman, MF Doom, & even a little Bieber. Jump into my latest 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, '𝙴𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙸𝚕𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.' Get your copy on @Amazon, or read it online @ https://lightofinfinite.com/and-justice-for-all/Thanks for reading/listening!
Much love & Shabbat Shalom! 
- Erez // @erezsafar


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-> ISRAEL TOUR SEPT 20 - OCT 10th! details @ www.lightofinfinite.com/events

In this week's Torah portion we learn how to not perpetuate hatred, bringing in wisdom by Rav Kook, Rebbe Nachman, Dr. David Hawkins, MLK, and more. I set it off writing about my favorite minyan. 

I was at the minyan I’m almost always at on Shabbat, my friend Lorenzo’s minyan, inspired by and under the instruction of the Ostrova-Biala Rebbe. The minyan is in his backyard, and the group of men and women couldn’t be a more elevated group. You know the feeling you get when you walk into a room full of family members that you adore or best friends from school, and all the jokes you had for all those years come rushing back, and you know you are about to be surrounded by love? It may sound cheesy, but it’s the feeling of being in a community that truly feels aligned. And I’ve found it in this minyan, with this group of friends in the life, light, and love that lives in the space that we all create. 

 After we pray, we move the tables around so that we can drink and eat together, and one by one people start to get up and speak words of Torah, spirituality, and what inspired or moved them the previous week. I was caught off guard and sort of in disbelief when someone got up this past Shabbos and said, “I wanted to share a little something based on Erez’s dvar Torah, and it’s that anger and hatred only harm the person who holds onto them. I had gotten screwed out of a deal at work, and I was literally cursing the person in my head, praying that no blessings would come to them, and then reading Erez’s words around the parashah (Torah portion) of how to let go of anger, I realized that the person wouldn’t even know I was cursing him, and it was only hurting me, as I couldn’t sleep because I was just too upset. I knew I had to let it go, take whatever lesson awaited, and be open to the next blessing that is meant for me.”

I started writing these books when my ex-wife’s mother (Yehudis Chava bat Yakov) passed away. It was her one year yahrzeit (passing), and I never thought that I would write dvar Torahs weekly let alone a book series, but as I continued and started to hear things like this or receive messages about how it keeps people going and positive throughout their week, I was motivated to keep going. I’m only sharing this because, as I thought of this, I saw the love that could be created by community, sharing positivity and inspiration, starting in your community and pushing outside of that. It’s just so important to push away from being focused on oneself and from existing in negativity, anger, and hatred.

Read this article/chapter in full in my latest 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, '𝙴𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙸𝚕𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.' Get your copy on @Amazon, or read it online @ https://lightofinfinite.com/dont-hate-foster-the-people/
Thanks for reading/listening!
Much love & Shabbat Shalom!﻿
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- Erez // @erezsafar


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*** ISRAEL TOUR SEPT 20 - OCT 10th! details @ www.lightofinfinite.com/events

Don’t Hate, Foster The People (deuteronomy: ki teitzei)

First fruits, blessings and our Promised Land. I dive into it all via The Rebbe, Jay-Z, Mark Twain, The Arizal and a memory of my Savta from Addis Ababa and Yemen in this week’s Parashah, Ki Tavo! 

Here are the first couple paragraphs with some memories of my time in Israel. 

My family is originally from Yemen, where my ancestors lived for close to 2,000 years. Nearly 100 years ago, in 1933, my grandmother’s side of the family decided to move to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and then to Israel. Once I graduated high school, I went to Yeshiva in Israel for a year in Bayit VeGan, a nice neighborhood in Jerusalem. Every memory I have of Israel feels like a dream, there is just something surreal, spectacular, and ineffable about the land. After that year immersed in ancient Jewish texts, I went to University of Maryland for a couple years and felt drawn to go back to Jerusalem to study more, so I went back to Yeshiva, this time right outside of the Old City. Walking into the Old City on Friday night, you’d feel Shabbat like you never had before, realizing you are walking through history, through what’s left of the two Batei Hamikdash (Holy Temples), seeing the stones that surround the Promised Land of an eternal people.

Some Shabbatot I would take my friends from yeshiva to my Savta’s in Ramat Gan (they all called her G-ma;). I remember her waking up at 5 am every day, covering her head and saying the morning tefillah. She would cook Yemenite food and Moroccan salads, and my friends and I would sing Shabbat songs in Hebrew, as she sat on the couch crying from happiness. It’s incredible to realize all the time that she and her family were exiled in Yemen and Ethiopia and that they were able to come back to Israel and that she could see her grandson living in Yerushalayim, singing the songs that have been sung throughout history every Shabbat since the Jews left Egypt and entered Israel. She had made it, we had made it — the yearning for home and the unification of a people with its ancestral homeland had been realized in her lifetime. 

In this chapter, I dive into how the same way we need to conquer and settle the physical promised land, we need to do that in our own struggle within our spiritual selves, making sure that we don’t doubt ourselves to the point of blocking our own blessings.

As Jay-Z says on "Welcome to the Jungle:"

Where did I go?
I’m losing myself,
I’m stuck in the moment
I look in the mirror,
my only opponent.

Our own promised lands are in our own control. Sometimes it feels like it takes a miracle before we would see it or feel at ease and unified to the point that it would manifest as a feeling of peace or enlightenment, but we have to enter into the process within ourselves, conquer our own doubts and parts of us that act as enemies towards our own selves. When we can settle ourselves to a space of peace, then we can reach a feeling of our own Promised Land.

** Read this article/chapter in full in my latest 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, '𝙴𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙸𝚕𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.' Get your copy on @Amazon, or read it online @ https://lightofinfinite.com/first-fruit/
Thanks for reading/listening!
Much love & Shabbat Shalom!﻿
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- Erez // @erezsafar


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Listen: Audio/Podcast version - https://lightofinfinite.com/podcast

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*** ISRAEL TOUR SEPT 20 - OCT 10th! details @ www.lightofinfinite.com/events

First Fruit  (deuteronomy: ki tavo)

As we touched on in the "Don’t Hate, Foster The People" chapter in my latest book, "Emanations of Illumination." Another way to think about our collective Oneness is through water. We know that water is fundamental to all life; our bodies are mostly water, and the brain and heart, in particular, are composed of 73% water. That means we have 73% in common with every person in the world.

This gives new meaning to the saying, “the grass is greener where you water it”. On top of that, people mirror each other’s inner belief systems, so if we aren’t “watering” ourselves and those around us in connectedness and positivity, then individually and collectively we can’t grow. Continually giving yourself and others life force is essential to being in a blissful and connected state. It takes work because on the other end of it is being unhappy, which is a vicious cycle and can lead to worry, anxiety, anger, and depression. Anger is toxic to your body and soul, often triggering one’s ‘fight or flight’ response, which floods the body with stress hormones, health issues & digestive problems.

The cure for all this is easier said than done, but it begins with a healthy perspective, with trust and faith that all is for the good and that everything will work out. This is part of the grass being greener where you water it. In life, there will always be two ways to look at everything coming your way, as a blessing or as a curse. The Torah last week and this week articulates this to a great degree. Showing time and again that it is ultimately up to us if we focus and manifest good & blessings, or if we bring about the opposite. So if our heads are filled with something negative, we need to remove the negativity and replace it with the positive.

** Read this article/chapter in full in my latest 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, ‘𝙴𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙸𝚕𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.’ Get your copy on @Amazon, or read it online @ https://lightofinfinite.com/greener-where-you-water-it/

Thanks for reading/listening!

Much love & Shabbat Shalom!🪬🤍🕊️
- Erez // @erezsafar


* 🔊 Listen: Audio/Podcast version - https://lightofinfinite.com/podcast

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*** ISRAEL TOUR SEPT 20 - OCT 10th! details @ www.lightofinfinite.com/events 🪬🤍🕊

Greener Where You Water It (deuteronomy: nitzavim)

Music has been such an important healing tool for me over the years. Feeling good comes in waves, so if you hit a funk, it’s important to have ways to get yourself out. For some it’s being in nature, seeing the grand grace and epic beauty of creation, for others it’s exercising, and for others it’s staying connected to loved ones. For me, staying happy and connected is certainly tied to maintaining a daily spiritual practice, but also an important and key part is music. Music transcends current moods and creates universes to jump into; it’s a powerful way to shift perspective and feelings. Bon Iver‘s self-titled album does it for me everytime– if I ever feel down and I listen to it, I feel that darkness can’t coexist with the light and beauty that those songs exude, and it snaps me out of it. Of course, on an even more connected level are the songs from Jewish singers that blend our rich tradition into their own styles (Ishay Ribo, Eviatar Banai, Akiva, Erez Yechial etc.)

Song is at the center of all our rituals, and singing is the unifying element of communal prayer. King David used a harp to compose the Psalms. The Talmud teaches that the harp hung above King David’s bed, and at midnight a northern ruach (wind) would blow on the five strings, raising him from his sleep to study Torah until day break. The Zohar teaches that the five strings parallel the five books of Torah and are the instruments with which he composed much of Tehillim….

 When you listen to music, you can feel some of what the artist is feeling when he sings. In the Talmud it teaches, “Words that emanate from the heart – enter the heart.” Kabbalists explain that music helps banish extraneous thoughts and clear the mind, cutting away impure thoughts that envelop the soul, allowing a person to connect to the Light of the Infinite. Music is also something that can be played in circles infinitely, in fact that is often how the prophets would reach their state of nevuah. It would be a repetitive riff being played until the riff would act as a mantra, a meditation, and prophecy would be reached.

** Read this article/chapter in full in my latest 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, ‘𝙴𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙸𝚕𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.’ Get your copy on @Amazon, or read it online @ https://lightofinfinite.com/the-song-that-saved-my-life/ 

Thanks for reading/listening!

Much love & Shabbat Shalom!🪬🤍🕊️
- Erez // @erezsafar


* 🔊 Listen: Audio/Podcast version - https://lightofinfinite.com/podcast

** 📚  BOOKS OF LIGHT - https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw

*** ISRAEL TOUR SEPT 20 - OCT 10th! details @ www.lightofinfinite.com/events 🪬🤍🕊

For this week, I wrote about the secrets to being in harmony with each other and the world, bringing in wisdom by Pharrell, Rebbe Nachman, David Sacks and the Ramban.

Meanwhile, around this time (Yom Kippur) marked the last day I was to say Kaddish for my mom who passed away almost three years ago. In some ways, it was a relief to not have to say it. As her only son, having this sole responsibility weighs heavy, but, at the same time, it makes the ritual that much more meaningful, and so the connection, born of the ultimate need, is one that is very transformative.

 As I have said Kaddish leading up to this week, it always ends in the same way, just as the Shemona Esrei ends, Oseh Shalom Bimromav (“He who makes peace in His high places”). This year I was thinking about those words more than ever, discovering how Shalom (peace) is where blessings exist. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks shared a powerful moment when someone asked Rabbi Shmuel Salant, a rabbi who spent a lot of time resolving family disputes, how he would make peace in conflicts between people. Rabbi Salant looked at the person and asked him, “What do you do when you say the words ‘Oseh Shalom’?” The person replied, “I take three steps back.” Rabbi Salant said, “That!” and went on, “is how peace is made. Each party has to take three steps backward.” To make peace we must compromise, we have to sacrifice some of what we want for the sake of what someone else wants. Without the ability to take steps back, the ability for peace is paused.

I go into a lot of epic wisdom by a lot of my favorite humans in this week's chapter. Read it in full in my latest 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, ‘𝙴𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙸𝚕𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.’ Get your copy on @Amazon, or read it online @ www.lightofinfinite.com/the-secret-to-being-in-harmony 


Thanks for reading/listening!

Much love & Shabbat Shalom!🪬🤍🕊️
- Erez // _@erezsafar_

** 📚  BOOKS OF LIGHT - https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw

*** ISRAEL TOUR SEPT 20 - OCT 10th! details @ www.lightofinfinite.com/events 🪬🤍🕊

The Secret To Being In Harmony With Each Other & The Universe (deuteronomy: ha'azinu)

And Never Become That Which Is Not God (deuteronomy: v’zot haberachah)

We're back in the Torah portion of Bereishit (Genesis), which contains almost all of the mind-blowing kabbalistic concepts of the Light of the Infinite. When Hashem (God) said, 'Let There Be Light…. And It Was Good,' it clues us into the purpose of Creation– to reveal light and goodness in this world.  We need this now more than ever. I'm praying we can meditate and manifest this redemptive consciousness, rather than G-d forbid the opposite like we are seeing being done to the Children of Israel.

King David says in Tehillim/Psalms, “The world was built with chesed (loving-kindness).” Our sages teach that “The light that was created on the first day shone from one end of Creation to the other.” In Kabbalah we learn that this was the light of chesed— “an infinite, uncompounded light that filled all of Creation.” The light of Chesed is at the heart of everything. Chesed and giving are at the root of creation and at the root of joy. Spreading light is done by giving joyfully, just as when light from your own flame is shared with another flame, your flame doesn’t become smaller, only the other person’s flame is now ignited.

I can’t help but hear @JohnMayer singing, “just keep me where the light is,” a reminder that we all share this desire to give and receive love and light. The secret to life is rooted in giving– giving to yourself what you may need– love of yourself, belief in yourself– and giving to others, which creates love and community, something every person needs to feel alive. The Hebrew word for love, is אהבה/‘ahava’, the root of the word is related to the Aramaic word ‘hav’ which means “to give”. Real love is something you only receive through giving love. As Snoop Lion sings on the opening of his album, Reincarnated, “the only way to get love is to give love.”

We see this through the Hebrew language and its numerical value. Blessings come from love and Ahava (the Hebrew word for ‘love’).

Ahava has the same gematria (numerical value), 13, as the word Echad (‘one’). As many of us know, 26 is the numerical value of Hashem’s four-letter name (the Tetragrammaton), the ultimate Divine Infinite Light. So, if we share our love and our oneness— 13 + 13— then we manifest that Divine Light.

Dive deeper in my '𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞' book, "𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙻𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝" https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw


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Thanks for listening/reading.
Much love, Erez // @ErezSafar


* Follow the Light: 
 
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 Books of Light: https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw

Just Keep Me Where The Light Is (genesis: genesis)

Light Of Infinite - Found A World So New (genesis- Noach)

In the Torah this week, we learn that on Avraham’s journey toward Israel that he finds himself in a famine and is forced to go down to Egypt, as it’s written, “And there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt.”

This seems like an odd turn of events, after he is tasked with the journey and given blessings of greatness. But we see in Avraham’s journeys, the history of B’nei Yisrael (Children of Israel) was rehearsed and actualized: just as he went down to Egypt, we did the same through the Egyptian Exile, but also just as Avraham went up out of Egypt, we too were brought to Israel, to redemption, and just as Avraham left, “weighed down with cattle, silver and gold,” we did the same, leaving Egypt, “with greater wealth.”

And so the descent to Egypt was for its departure, which was “weighed down with cattle, silver, and gold,” a phrase that was used for Avraham and all of Israel’s ascent, transforming the most secular to the most high in service of Hashem (God) through sacrifices in the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple). We see that Avraham’s descent to Egypt wasn’t counter to his ascent to Israel, to Jerusalem, to the Promised Land; it was integral, because out of darkness, comes the greatest light. As my brother, @Matisyahu, sings on his single, “Jerusalem (Out of Darkness Comes Light)”;

Ain’t no one gonna break my stride
Ain’t no one gonna pull me down
Oh, no, I got to keep on moving...

So it is with us, with all that seem like unending descents, hardships, and ways to break our stride, we can’t let it pull us down, we have to keep moving, keeping our soul’s essence and the ultimate purpose of spiritualizing reality until our own redemption, both prati (personal) and klali (communal) become actualized into the final redemption.

And so each of us is tasked with not only upholding the covenant of Avraham, but of doing right with all the blessings that come from it – going inward to elevate ourselves to the most high, and spiritualizing reality which inspires all those around us to do the same.


*** dive deeper in my ‘𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞’ book, “𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙻𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝.” Get your copy on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw), or read it online @ https://lightofinfinite.com/go-to-yourself/


Stay Safe, & Shabbat Shalom!
- @ErezSafar 🪬🤍🧿🕊️

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Thanks for listening/reading.
Much love, Erez // @ErezSafar


* Follow the Light: Facebook: www.facebook.com/lightofinfinite
Instagram: @lightofinfiniteBooks of Light: https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw

Go To Yourself (genesis: lech-lecha)

Greetings From The Edge Of The World (genesis: vayeira)

The Future Is Female The Talmud teaches that “In the merit of righteous women, our ancestors were redeemed from Egypt”. Redemption is intrinsically related to women, malchut (sovereignty), and the Divine feminine dimension.

God’s Infinite Light originates at a level that is beyond this world, physically inaccessible to us, but it is filtered down through the Sefirot until it reaches the Malchut (sovereignty), out of which it shines onto us in our finite world.

Infused in our tefilot (prayers) is the concept of moshiach and the final redemption, and redemption is intrinsically related to women. Kabbalistically, the sefirah of malchut renews all of existence and reflects the feminine dimension. We are now in exile, so malchut is in a state of descent and does not receive direct influence from the other sefirot. One can look at it like a woman in a state of separation from her husband. But in the redemptive state, the highest source of malchut reveals itself and the bonds between the various sefirot are reestablished, manifesting the Infinite Light.

As we covered previously, the actions of our Matriarchs and Patriarchs are prophetic indicators of what is to come for future generations. The Arizal explains that the future redemption will follow the pattern of our redemption and Exodus from Egypt. In the prophecy of Micah, alluding to the final redemption, it is written, “As in the days of your exodus from Egypt, I will show you wonders.” And since our ultimate and final redemption will, in some ways, be a reincarnation of the redemptive state from Egypt, it just the same will be by the merit of the righteous women of our generation, the generation of Mashiach.

King Solomon in Kohelet writes, “One man among a thousand have I found, but a woman among all those have I not found”. Rabbeinu Bachya comments that Solomon was referring to the Golden Calf and that among all those who sinned there was not one woman. Yet women played a major role in contributing to and helping to build the Mishkan, even though they had no sin to atone for. Chazal state, “Hashem gave women greater understanding than He gave men.” This is seen in their righteousness in being first to contribute to the Mishkan, despite their not needing to atone for the Golden Calf. Solomon states in Mishlei, “The wisdom of women builds her house”. The Mishkan is the home that we are tasked to build as a dwelling place for the revelation of the concealed. We must all learn from women how to build a temple of generosity within and around us.


* Listen: Audio/Podcast version - https://lightofinfinite.com/podcast/

** Get your copy of the book: 'LIGHT OF THE INFINITE: THE GENESIS OF LIGHT' now available as Prime on Amazon! The second half of the book parallels the Parshiot (weekly Torah reading) of Bereishit/Genesis, which we start reading in less than two weeks!! - - https://amzn.to/3ShxLvn 

*** Save the date: Dec 7th will be the next global Light of Infinite Festival & the release of book # 2 (The Exodus of Darkness)!**** & OF COURSE, BE SURE TO READ THIS DVAR IN FULL @ https://lightofinfinite.com/the-future-is-female/  ️


---------------------- 

Thanks for listening/reading.
Much love, Erez Safar

** Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lightofinfinite
*** Follow on instagram: @thelightofinfinite

The Future is Female (genesis: chayei sarah)

This week with Jim Morrision & Annie Hall, & of course Rebbe Nachman, Rashi, & The Rebbe. 

It seems that in almost every moment of our lives we are caught between two choices: the easier or more selfish choice & something a bit harder, a selfless choice. Sometimes safek blurs the lines between the two, but often, if we tap into emunah & our gut, we know which is the one for us. Every action affects every other action. The fact that it takes so long to break a habit shows that every single action has ramifications beyond it. That’s why it says in Pirkei Avot, the reward for a mitzvah is a mitzvah, because if doing good begets doing good, one can take action to stay in perpetual goodness, or God forbid, struggle steeped in the opposite. 

The story of Yakov & Esav puts one side far to one corner & the other far to the other, but since one represents the yetzer tov (good and spirituality) & the other the yetzer hara (evil and materialism), & because both exist within us, it makes it that much tougher to see them clearly. Even with Yitzchak, their father, we see that he wanted to give the blessings to Esav, because when something is so close to you, it’s hard to see it clearly. 

Even in my own life, I struggle to decipher what is best at any moment. Do I continue to learn Torah, exist in the space of spirituality, & write insights/dvars? Or do I put some more of my time into materialism, & work, since that is a reality of the physical world we exist in? Do I say yes to everything someone asks of me, or do I set a boundary so I can help as much as I can, but not at the expense of things I need to take care of for myself/my kids? Do I take more time to heal a broken heart, or jump back into risking a break once again?

There’s a Native American parable, Tsalagi Tale, that teaches that everyone has two wolves within us - a good & a bad wolf. The question is which wolf is stronger.. & the answer is, the one that we feed.

* Listen: Audio/Podcast version - https://lightofinfinite.com/podcast/

** Get your copy of the book: 'LIGHT OF THE INFINITE: THE GENESIS OF LIGHT' now available as Prime on Amazon! The second half of the book parallels the Parshiot (weekly Torah reading) of Bereishit/Genesis, which we start reading in less than two weeks!! - - https://amzn.to/3ShxLvn *** Save the date: Dec 7th will be the next global Light of Infinite Festival & the release of book # 2 (The Exodus of Darkness)

!**** & OF COURSE, BE SURE TO READ THIS DVAR IN FULL @ https://lightofinfinite.com/your-other-side/  ️

Thanks for reading! Much love & Shabbat Shalom! - Erez

The Other Side (genesis  Toldot)

What Happens To A Dream Deferred? (genesis: vayeitzei)

We all have encountered Esavs in our lives, whether as a part of ourselves or manifested in various people we encounter. Yakov demonstrates the various ways to overcome Esav and the yetzer hara he represents. Last week we saw Yakov asking only for food and clothing. He’s a picture of the simple tzadik. At this stage of his life, he was fearful of Lavan and Esav and would flee and run from his troubles. But in this week, we see a more mature Yakov: he has accumulated material wealth because he knows how to spiritualize it, and he approaches Esav instead of fleeing, because he knows the way in which he and all of us must face adversity. Rashi points out the way in which Yakov faced his challenge head on; he didn’t rely on his righteousness or for Hashem to take care of it. He sent gifts, he prayed, and at the same time, he prepared for battle, and separated his camp into two. In difficult situations it’s important to go in with a positive attitude that everything will work out, but we can’t always control how the situation will unfold and how the other person will react and so we have to prepare and protect ourselves at any cost.

We have all had to overcome Esavs in our lives, people that are toxic and try to push your positivity into negativity. Sometimes it’s different people at different times. It’s a struggle to be the better person with such people. It’s only recently that I started to question why I’m trying so hard, and considered that it might be time to match toxicity and negativity with just that. But then I realized that that would let that person change you for the worse, making you into what you don’t like about them. R' Nachman teaches that even with the most evil person one has to find the good point in them, and that could elevate them to a place of merit. Focus on the good, and eventually it will be good. So we have to approach it like Yakov and Esav. Yakov came to Esav and sent gifts and said “My Lord,” humbling himself, so that the ascent of good would result in the descent of bad. Part of bittul is self-transcendence - putting your own self aside and figuring out a way to continue to be righteous and to connect to Hashem despite the obstacles.

Thanks for reading! Much love & Shabbat Shalom! 
- Erez

* Listen: Audio/Podcast version - https://lightofinfinite.com/podcast/

** Get your copy of the book: 'LIGHT OF THE INFINITE: THE GENESIS OF LIGHT' now available as Prime on Amazon! The second half of the book parallels the Parshiot (weekly Torah reading) of Bereishit/Genesis, which we are reading now!! - - https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw 

**** & OF COURSE, BE SURE TO READ THIS DVAR IN FULL @ https://lightofinfinite.com/where-soul-meets-body/   ️

The Bay Area is quickly becoming the antisemitic capitol of America.

For this week, I do a deep dive into the damaging effects of lashon hara (speaking negatively). 

Blessings don’t come easily in this world. Everything of great value comes through hardship. Even peace itself comes from being diligent in bittul (self-transcendence), choosing how to navigate our reactions.
The deeper & more meaningful a relationship is the better the chances are of having difficult elements to work through. If you want to go deep in a relationship, there will be work to get through so that each person feels that they are being heard & loved in the way that they need. It’s similar in relationships between parents & children: the amount of love a parent feels for their child is indescribable, but it comes from a constant giving of one’s emotional & physical faculties. In the newborn stage, it’s waking up every couple hours to feed, hold or change the baby, when we just want to have one solid night’s sleep. When they are older, it’s a series of challenges that any human goes through & every parent wants to take on. But the connection could not be deeper & the love more profound because of those challenges on the journey. Through the hardships come the blessings. 

Rashi says that “Yakov sought to dwell in tranquility”. But as soon as he did, immediately the troubles with Yosef & his brothers began, & instead of peace, Yakov ended up mourning Yosef, thinking he was dead for twenty years, only reuniting with him in his old age. It’s said that when a tzadik wishes to live at ease, Hashem says to them: “Are not the righteous satisfied with what is stored up for them in the world to come that they wish to live at ease in this world too! 

There’s a song by Cage The Elephant that I remixed for my Bonnaroo album called “Ain't No Rest for the Wicked.” It’s a play off the verse from Isaiah, “There is no peace for the wicked.” But Chazal say the same in regards to tzadikim, “The righteous have no rest.” & Job wrote that “man was born to toil" Essentially, in this world, we have work to do, & we can’t hope to sit idly by as our unique gifts & talents grow stale.

Thanks for reading! Much love & Shabbat Shalom! 
- Erez

* Listen: Audio/Podcast version - https://lightofinfinite.com/podcast/

** Get your copy of the book: 'LIGHT OF THE INFINITE: THE GENESIS OF LIGHT' now available as Prime on Amazon! The second half of the book parallels the Parshiot (weekly Torah reading) of Bereishit/Genesis, which we are reading now!! - - https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw 

**** & OF COURSE, BE SURE TO READ THIS DVAR IN FULL @ https://lightofinfinite.com/the-three-sided-story/ ️

The Three Sided Story (genesis: vayeishev)

Light of Infinite is a blog, a podcast, a festival and a soon to be released book series, where Erez Safar acts as Your Spiritual DJ, curating insights into the weekly Torah portion and the infinite light of Kabbalah.

The project began on the Yartzeit (yearly memorial) of my ex wife’s mother’s passing, and it’s inspired by both her (Yehudis Chava bat Yakov Dov) and my mother (Frida Levona bat Shalom), who passed the same year. When I think of these women, I think of tzedaka and chesed, words that are hard to translate because they capture the real depths of words like ‘generous’, ‘giving’, ‘loving’, and ‘kindness’. These two women embodied and exemplified these qualities to an angelic degree: so full of life, love, warmth, and light, at every turn, every single moment. Being around them inspired me to be more loving, more giving, more full of a zest for each moment in life.

My goal with this ongoing project is to spread that inspiration and Light that I received and still receive from them. Using each week’s Torah portion, delving deep into the text, the commentaries, and the Kabbalah connected to it, I’ll share insights that bring that inspiration and Light to life for me, and will hopefully do the same for you.

As DJ Shadow sampled on his seminal record, Entroducing, “It’s not me that’s coming through– the music’s coming through me”. With that said, I do not take any recognition for any part of the material except the writing style. The recognition is meant for the Holy One, Blessed Be He, and the Giants of Torah that reveal the the Light of Infinite in a way that only they can. So, I would like to give thanks to some of the Chassidic Masters and Rabbis that I draw the most inspiration from, whose wisdom I’m attempting to bring down and make accessible. These include Reb Nachman & Reb Nosson Mi’Breslov, The Arizal, The Ba’al Shem Tov, R’Menachem Mendel Schneerson (the Rebbe), Carlebach, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and so many others.

I hope that these words inspire you to delve deeper into the Torah and kabbalisitc texts, and, as Chaim Vital says, “One can go deeper and deeper, as far as the human mind can delve, and it will always yield new treasures.”

Light of Infinite is an upcoming book series where I act as your spiritual DJ, curating insights into the weekly Torah portion and the infinite light of Kabbalah. The sefer (book) will include newly edited, and in some cases, expanded text on the weekly parashah. There will also be a section on key concepts of Kabbalah as well as a section that includes stories and info on some of my favorite Rebbe’s.

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