The love you take is equal to the love you make (exodus: terumah)

Jaime started dieting at age 11, was hospitalized for an eating disorder at age 15, had kidney dialysis at 17 and finally recovered at 24. It wasn’t until her recovery that she realized how much her childhood contributed. Before Jaimie was born, her father was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, so she grew up with a father who loved and supported her, but couldn’t walk, talk, or breathe on his own. Food and exercise were two things in life Jaime could control, so she doubled-down on both.

Join me for an uplifting conversation with Jaime who turned her scarlet “A” (for anorexia) into a way of inspiring others to find synergy between mental and physical fitness. As a coach and Instagram influencer, she helps women overcome overwhelm and reduce anxiety through fitness.

“You can integrate your mental health into your physical health, and your physical health into your mental health.”

Learn more about Jaime here:
Website: Jaime Filer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaim91/

#696 Moving On to a Healthy and Thriving Life! with Jaime Filer

This week we are commanded to keep the Shabbat - there is no more elevated bridge between this world and the next; it’s the finite time and space where our soul feels tapped into the infinite. Its splendor is ineffable. Hashem created the world in six days, and on the seventh He rested. We spend our days emulating Hashem in creating, in trying to conquer nature, to mold it into our desires, but on the seventh, on Shabbat, we are told to stop, to take a break, to meditate on being created and abstain from creating. We take a pause from trying to rise above what is natural and meditate on nature itself, on receiving in full faith that Hashem provides and is fully in charge & that no matter how hard we work, in the end, it is all in the hands of Hashem.

Shabbat, is a taste of the infinite, but it’s still bound in time and space. It’s a gift from God that we even get that taste, as it is stated in Talmud, “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe, I have a precious gift in My treasure house, and it is called the Shabbat.”

For me, when I’m in it, it’s hard to let it go, feeling the anxiety of getting back to the regular week, of turning my phone and computer back on and what might await. Now more than ever, it seems essential to take this time to truly unplug once a week, to center oneself without the constant distraction of modernity, shifting focus to community, prayer, meditation and truly being present.

Rebbe Nachman writes that in this verse, LeDoRotam (throughout the generations), alludes to DiRah (dwelling), teaching that we have to draw Shabbat into our dwelling so that our physical spaces will feel the spiritual light that is Shabbat. The next verse we read the famous “For in the Six Days God made.” Rabbeinu teaches that it can also be read as “For God made Six Days,” meaning Hashem created time and the six days that concentrically encircle the inner focal point of creation which is Shabbat. Each day that is closer to Shabbat in time is also spiritually closer, which is also why human beings were created last, as we have the ability to elevate time & draw down the Infinite Light.

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

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

** 📚 Get your copy of my latest book, 'LIGHT OF THE INFINITE: THE EXODUS OF DARKNESS'. The book parallels the parshiot (weekly Torah reading) of Shemot/Exodus, which we are reading now!! The book is mindfulness, Kabbalah and Chassidut brought down in a way that speaks to our generation and is now available as Prime on Amazon! - - https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw

 **** 🪬 YOU CAN DO A DEEP DIVE INTO THIS WEEK'S DVAR TORAH BY READING IT IN FULL @ https://lightofinfinite.com/meditate-on-being-created/  📝⚡️

When to Abstain from Creating and Meditate on Being Created (exodus: ki tisa)

So many of us feel disconnected so much of the time. Exile is a state of disconnect; redemption is the rectification of that state. We spin stories in our heads, filling in the blanks of desolation that often feels like desperation, because it’s chiyut (life and connection) that we all crave and that sustains us. 

Anxiety is the feeling we experience when faith becomes distant. For interpersonal relationships, there are solutions to lessen the anxiety: communication can deconstruct the stories we build in our heads which are a mix of emotion, judgment, projection and worry. But in some circumstances, when we can’t speak to the other person or perhaps doing so wouldn’t offer much solace, we need to tap into ourselves & even more so the Source, Hashem, and the trust that all is in the hands of Hashem & that all will be for the best. We have to trust the process and the path towards a perfected state that we can align with at any point. Just as Hashem sustains and recreates the world at every moment, we too are creating the reality of our own journey at every moment. If we feel we’re going in the wrong direction, we could turn it all around at that moment. It may take a while to feel aligned again, but we can be sure of being on a path towards alignment. Looking ahead in the right direction will allow some calm in the feeling of a storm and tapping into the faith that it will all be alright.

If we're able to sustain and create our own happiness, and ensure the base of happiness is within ourselves, then we stop looking toward others to fulfill the feeling that only we are able to give ourselves. The foundation of fulfillment & happiness must be there in our relationship to ourselves for there to be healthy relationships with others. This allows our default setting to be happy and secure, rather than feeling sad, lacking and insecure when things with another person feel misaligned. 

A feeling of richness and happiness comes from focusing on the positives and celebrating the moment. A feeling of sadness and poverty comes when the focus shifts to the opposite perspective and validation of such feelings is focused outward. 

See how I tie this into this week’s Parashah @ www.lightofinfinite.com


Thanks for 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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﻿ Get your copy of my latest book, 'LIGHT OF THE INFINITE: THE EXODUS OF DARKNESS'. The book parallels the parshiot (weekly Torah reading) of Shemot/Exodus, which we are reading now!! The book is mindfulness, Kabbalah and Chassidut brought down in a way that speaks to our generation and is now available as Prime on Amazon! - - https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw

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﻿ YOU CAN DO A DEEP DIVE INTO THIS WEEK'S DVAR TORAH BY READING IT IN FULL @ https://lightofinfinite.com/clear-eyes-full-hearts-cant-lose/  ﻿
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Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose (exodus: vayak'hel)

𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕦𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕫𝕖 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪 - This week we read: “When one among you offers a sacrifice to G-d…”. Immediately, we ask, what sort of sacrifice? Why? and how? King David writes in Psalms, “For You [G-d] do not desire sacrifices; else I would give it: You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

Animal sacrifices were a way for ancient Jews to elevate themselves spiritually, but the sacrifices would have been meaningless if they weren’t done with true intention and a full heart to heal oneself and the harms one has done. King David writes that God will not despise a “broken spirit”, because true remorse makes a person feel broken, & true repentance comes from the desire to be connected to Hashem again, in order to be whole. In order to achieve this level of return/teshuva, we were commanded to bring a sacrifice in the time of the Temple, just as we are now commanded to pray, in the absence it.

The Hebrew word for sacrifice is korban which comes from the word karov or lekarev meaning “close” or “to bring closer”. It’s written in the pasuk, מִכֶּם, which means yourself, implying the one who is offering the korban, is sacrificing themself. I love how Rabbi Sacks puts it:  It’s about being human, sinning, falling short, always conscious of our fragile hold on life, yet seeking to come close to God and – what is sometimes harder – allowing Him to come close to us.

The sacrifices were a beautiful and spiritual ritual – picture the elements surrounding the sacrifice, with the presence of the kohanim accompanied by the chanting of the Levites. The Zohar teaches that the service of the kohanim was in silence, with the devotion of the heart, signifying drawing forth, from Above, while the service of the Levites was with music, signifying sublimation; elevating from below upwards.

This is mirrored in how we tend to the sanctuaries within our own souls, the inner acts of sacrifice we practice each day, the desire we have to bring holiness down from above, and the artfulness we use to draw our spirits and surroundings upward.

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

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

** Get your copy of my latest book, 'LIGHT OF THE INFINITE: THE SOUND OF ILLUMINATION'. The book parallels the parshiot (weekly Torah reading) of Vayikra/Leviticus, which we are reading now!! The book is mindfulness, Kabbalah and Chassidut brought down in a way that speaks to our generation and is now available as Prime on Amazon! - - https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw

 **** YOU CAN DO A DEEP DIVE INTO THIS WEEK'S DVAR TORAH BY READING IT IN FULL @ https://lightofinfinite.com/spiritualize-reality/   ️

Spiritualize Reality (leviticus: vayikra)

When the Screens of Separation Fall (leviticus: tzav)

When I can’t sleep, I often free-verse about whatever’s on my mind. It’s always interesting reading it the next morning. From the other night:

The world
is full
of enough
dissonance

produce
melody
perform
alchemy

sift the good notes
from the bad
the serene
from the siren song

step in rhythm
grow in concert

we are all notes
in this
divine
orchestra
of existence

It seems we all want to be one with our natural state — content, fulfilled, thriving, but the truth is we want more than that— we want to transcend this natural state, to not be bound by the constrictions of this world, where the good is always intertwined with a bit of “bad”. Only in the next world is good 100% and bad is not even a concept. As a kid, and even today, when I walk out of the theater after a superhero movie, I feel like I have those powers, if only for a little bit. The allure of these comic books turned movies is the thought of breaking free of one’s limitations, of ridding oneself of reality, of turning what is natural into supernatural.

We’ve been reading about the Mishkan and how Hashem commanded Aharon and his sons to bring special sacrifices for 7 days to prepare themselves for their service in the Mishkan. Every 7 days, Moshe would take the Mishkan apart and put it back together, as the Jews wandered through the desert on their way to the Promised Land. This week in Shemini (eight), we learn that the service of the Mishkan actually begins on the “eighth” day. As we read, “And it was on the eighth day . . . and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people . . . “The Kli Yakar asks why it’s called the “eighth day.” The week and consecration of the Mishkan is 7 days.. he answers his own question, that related to the eighth day it’s written, “Today the Lord appears to you.” Hashem appears on and because of the eighth day, a day beyond the natural order of things. I can’t put all that I wrote in this little taste of the Dvar, but the biggest takeaway for me is that when we elevate our soul above our body, aligning our physical selves to our spiritual selves we can transform our natural space into a supernatural setting.


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

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

** 📚 Get your copy of my latest book, 'LIGHT OF THE INFINITE: THE SOUND OF ILLUMINATION'. The book parallels the parshiot (weekly Torah reading) of Vayikra/Leviticus, which we are reading now!! The book is mindfulness, Kabbalah and Chassidut brought down in a way that speaks to our generation and is now available as Prime on Amazon! - - https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw

**** The next Light of Infinite live-stream Festival, featuring some of your favorite teachers and healers, will take place on May 2nd and is Free with RSVP @ www.lightofinite.com

 **** 🪬 YOU CAN DO A DEEP DIVE INTO THIS WEEK'S DVAR TORAH BY READING IT IN FULL @ https://lightofinfinite.com/step-in-rhythm-grow-in-concert/  📝⚡️

Step in Rhythm, Grow in Concert (leviticus: shemini)

Staying tapped into hashgacha prati/Divine providence, requires proactive alignment. There's that feeling inside, an elevating feeling when one feels tapped into one’s purpose and Creator, and the opposite feeling when we feel trapped and one’s actions are disconnected from the positive, from purpose, from our Creator. In the Beit HaMikdash, sitting on top of the holy ark, were the two Keruvim. When we as a people were in alignment with our Source, the Keruvim would face each other, but when we were not, they would face away from each other.

The opposing forces manifest as the yetzer hara or kelipot. In the world, it’s the outer coverings or “shells” that conceal Godly light. In ourselves, it is the negativity or egocentricity that keeps us from connecting to our true selves as creations with a Divine purpose, which connects us to the Divine light. This negativity or ego is like the shell of a fruit; it does serve to protect the fruit, just as there are times it is useful for our own self-preservation, but it, too, must be removed to get to the sweetness. We have to remove our layers of ego and negativity to get to the root of our being and purpose.

One important principle of manifesting good and subduing the bad is by being protective over one’s speech. This parsha teaches how to atone for lashon hara (negative speech), we read in the Talmud, Evil gossip kills three: the one who says it, the one who listens, and the subject of the gossip.

R’ Kotler says that to be wholehearted with Hashem means not to live a life of contradictions and that someone who speaks lashon hara lives a life of contradictions. It’s not easy, as it's something that often comes naturally, sharing an experience involving another person, but the more we are careful to only uplift each other through speech, the more we're aligned with positivity and light. This incredible pianist asked me yesterday what I think the purpose of life is, I said that it’s to reveal Hashem’s light in this world, that is how we shine our own light, which brings forth everyone’s light, which is the only way for us to bring awareness to the Light of the Infinite.

* THIS IS JUST A SNIPPET, READ IN FULL @ https://lightofinfinite.com/birds-in-a-trap/ 

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

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Birds in a Trap (leviticus: metzora)

Embark on a meditative exploration of stoicism with 'Stoic Vibes: Navigating Life's Waves'. This guide offers timeless wisdom, helping you find balance in the modern world's chaos. Experience a transformative journey, embracing life's challenges with a stoic heart. Dive deep, resonate with age-old principles, and realign your inner compass. 🔊🌊 #StoicLife #Mindfulness #InnerCalm #LifeGuidance

Stoic Vibes: Navigating Life's Waves

Anxiety isn’t the enemy—it sounds the alarm when fear comes up!. It provides a clue to your internal life. Where you lack trust, what you fear, what you don’t accept, etc. Forget solving it externally, it won’t work. 

Even if the situation stops causing anxiety, that sleeping bear still lives inside you. 

Anxiety grows when you hate it, disown it, try to reason with it and push it away. What’s the answer? Instead of running from it, sit with it. Check out this episode and in the meantime listen more deeply to what anxiety tells you.

#727 - Love Your Anxiety (REBROADCAST)

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.

A lot of us live in our head, disconnected from our feelings and intuition. This podcast touches on releasing insecure attachment, accepting your authentic self and getting “unstuck” by connecting to how you FEEL instead of how you THINK. I’ve been there, and discuss sensitive subjects using my own experiences with a lot of laughs and even more empathy… because we’re all flawed humans.

New tracks tagged #selfhelp,