Carrie Fisher used to say, “take your broken heart, make it into art.” It’s incredible how we are able to turn tragedy into triumph and our own dark moments into light and hope for others. There’s nowhere we see our interconnectedness more than in art. The stories that are the most popular in films and literature play off the primary story (rises, falls). A few examples: Rags to Riches, Riches to Rags, Cinderella (rise then fall then rise), and Oedipus (fall then rise then fall). Most stories play off of this - this is seen in the Torah, too, especially in the story of Yakov and Yosef. When we bump into a friend or a stranger, we never really know if at that moment they are feeling a fall or a rise, & so we each have to be as graceful as we can. In writing these dvars, my own story has been facing ups and downs, and when I feel low and go through something difficult that so many of us have gone through, I actually think it has been happening to put me in a space to be able to relate & bring light to others, since I am actually going through it, too– we are all connected.

Yosef’s brothers are scared that because their father passed away, he’ll finally take revenge on them -“… he will surely repay us and the evil that we did to him.” They told Yosef that one of their father’s wishes before he died was to forgive their spiteful deeds. This means that for all their years, even though Yosef had shown time & again that he had forgiven them, they lived with the fear that eventually he would take his revenge. It’s incredible how often this plays out in our own lives; the safek (doubt) and fear which plays on our minds as a personal Amalek, the nation/notion that the Torah commands us to eliminate from the world. We are commanded to eliminate it because it is the force that makes us fall. It stands opposed to faith and is our strongest detractor of bitachon.

Balance is instrumental in being in a space of goodness, as too much of one thing throws off the balance and alignment required for peace and blessings to flow. Mercy with each other and ourselves is the one thing we could attempt to overdose on and find that, even in those instances, it is often not enough.

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

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Take Your Broken Heart, Make It Into Art (genesis: vayechi)

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.

Take Your Broken Heart, Make It Into Art (genesis: vayechi)

light of infinite