Daily Power Parsha 9.1.20 (Ki Tavo)
A Quick Daily Dose of Torah Inspiration
With Rabbi Ari Sollish
Recorded live on September 1, 2020

Daily Power Parsha 9.1.20 (Ki Tavo)

Overcoming Folly - Part 27
"The Kabbalah of TikTok"
With Rabbi Ari Sollish
(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on August 8, 2021)

Ever watch a TikTok video? You know, the ones where people are lip syncing and dancing in perfect(ly hilarious) choreography? Great -- so we're on the same page then! :)

See, there are two types of dancing. There's spontaneous, I'm-not-thinking-about-how-I-move-or-how-I-look-when-I-move dancing. And then there's very intentional, very deliberate, very choreographed dancing.

Two different experiences. According to Kabbalah, they are two very different experiences of the soul, originating in two very different places within the soul.

In this TikTok inspired edition of Kabbalah, we get to know the contours of your soul and how it manifests in your body. And discover the spiritual meaning of going viral.

Overcoming Folly - 27 - The Kabbalah of TikTok

Overcoming Folly - Part 28
"Light Leaks"
With Rabbi Ari Sollish
(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on August 15, 2021)

Remember those old film cameras? The ones where you actually opened the back of the camera and dropped in a roll of 35mm Kodak film?

Ah, the good old days! :)

One "feature" of film is that (by design) it's highly sensitive to light. Which means if you open the back of the camera while the film is unspooled you'll expose and ruin the film.

These light leaks are one of the potential pitfalls of traditional film. And, as the Kabbalists teach us, the same phenomenon can occur in the spiritual realms as well. When the light is too bright, when the recipient is too sensitive, havoc ensues...

In this very special LIGHT edition of Kabbalah & Coffee, we look at the mystical meaning of lights, leaks, and how this impacts our reality in so many more ways than we can imagine.

Overcoming Folly - 28 - Light Leaks

Overcoming Folly - Part 30
"Choose the King"
With Rabbi Ari Sollish
(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on August 29, 2021)

There's an ancient Jewish parable that goes like this:

A king entered a country accompanied by a duke, a prefect, and a commander.... One person said, "I will choose the duke as my patron." Another said, "I will choose the prefect as my patron." And still another said, "I will choose the commander as my patron." There was a clever person [among them] who said: "T will choose the king, because the others are all subject to replacement, whereas the king is not subject to replacement."

Four people, four choices. Yet only one of them makes the "clever" choice. But why not? Why didn't the others choose the king? Isn't that the obvious choice? Would everyone choose the Big Boss if given the opportunity?

Ah yes, this story has much to tell us about our own lives and our own choices...

In this session of Kabbalah & Coffee, we have an honest conversation about the choices, kings, and the real dilemmas that life throws our way.

Overcoming Folly - 30 - Choose the King

Overcoming Folly - Part 31
"Discovering Your Authentic Self"
With Rabbi Ari Sollish
(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on September 5, 2021)

Much has been said about the virtues of being authentic. Being authentic is good for our relationships, health, and happiness. But what exactly does it mean to "be authentic"? And what is our authentic self anyway?

We will take a profoundly mystical lens to these very modern questions. Knowing who we really are and what we're about is the key to self-actualization and fulfillment... and Kabbalah has much to say about all of this.

In this special holiday-edition of Kabbalah & Coffee, we explore the magical contours of self and soul and discover how to live our best and most authentic lives. There's no greater gift that we can give ourselves in preparation for the New Year!

Overcoming Folly - 31 - Discovering Your Authentic Self

Overcoming Folly - Part 29
"Rule Breakers"
With Rabbi Ari Sollish
(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on August 22, 2021)

There are some who play by the rules... and some who don't. Some people just don't want to conform to whatever expectation there might be -- social, spiritual, or otherwise. They'd rather write their own script than act in someone else's play.

But the truth is, as Kabbalah explains, the rule breakers are also following a set of rules. It may look a bit different, but there's a script for the unconventional just as there is for the conventional.

In this session of Kabbalah & Coffee, we look at the nature of rules to determine what constitutes rule following and rule breaking. We go back to the origin of rules to discover the primordial structure of the cosmos, and from there we discover how both the trodden and the untrodden are equally plotted. And we learn why understanding this can radically improve our lives today.

Overcoming Folly - 29 - Rule Breakers

Overcoming Folly - Part 32
"The Soul of Trauma"
With Rabbi Ari Sollish
(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on September 12, 2021)

Jewish history is complicated. There have been plenty of good times, but there have been plenty of challenging times too. The trials and tribulations of our history have done much to influence our thinking and sometimes even overshadow the good in our perception.

Clearly, there's a fair share of Jewish trauma.

Yet -- and here's a pretty big idea -- the mystics explain that this trauma comes with a blessing. Inherent in Jewish challenge is its very opposite, the antidote to pain and suffering and the factor that brings the greatest joy and serenity. In fact, it's by tapping into the "Soul of Trauma" that we neutralize it and release its effect.

In this special High Holiday 5782 edition of Kabbalah & Coffee, we take a walk on the deeper side and discover the roots and soul of Jewish trauma.

Overcoming Folly - 32 - The Soul of Trauma

Overcoming Folly - Part 33
"Pray it Loud"
With Rabbi Ari Sollish
(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on September 19, 2021)

Jewish law is clear on the matter: there's no need to shout when praying to G-d. That's because G-d hears all prayers. To shout would indicate that we believe that G-d cannot hear unless we raise our voice -- which is simply not true.

But there's an exception to this rule. Once a year, we are permitted -- and even encouraged -- to raise our voice and pray it loud and proud. The typical concern goes out the window, outweighed by an overriding consideration. With all respect we say to G-d: You don't need us to shout, but we do!

In this special pre-Sukkot edition of Kabbalah & Coffee, we explore the deeper meaning of prayer and the power of raising our voice. As we see, how we say is as essential as what we say.

Overcoming Folly - 33 - Pray it Loud

Overcoming Folly - Part 34
"The Kabbalah of Prayer"
With Rabbi Ari Sollish
(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on September 26, 2021)

Prayer is perhaps the most misunderstood Jewish ritual. It's the one Jewish practice that people often feel most disconnected from. Eating matzah? Sure! Listening to the shofar? Absolutely! But praying? Sorry, gotta run... :)

Which is ironic. See, prayer is all about feeling and connecting. To not feel and to not connect is antithetical to the whole experience. And yet, all too often, here we are.

So what to do?

In this very special Sukkot-edition of Kabbalah & Coffee, we dissect the art of prayer through the eyes of the mystics. The Kabbalists open up the soul of prayer and help make it accessible to you and I. In this class, we discover the transformative Kabbalah of prayer.

Overcoming Folly - 34 - The Kabbalah of Prayer

Overcoming Folly - Part 35
"Giving Up"
With Rabbi Ari Sollish
(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on October 3, 2021)

2500 years ago an incredibly dramatic episode took place. The scene was Babylonia, where the Jewish people had been exiled following the destruction of the First Temple. The prophet at the time was Ezekiel. The people were going through a tremendously difficult time, their national and spiritual identity having been ripped away from them.

It was at that time, as recorded in the Book of Ezekiel, that the people decided to give up. They wanted to hand in their Judaism, to relinquish their faith, to be like all the other nations. The Jewish experiment, they believed, was over.

Ezekiel's response sends chills up the spines of all who hear it. And it holds a powerful message for us today.

In this very special session of Kabbalah & Coffee, we turn back the pages of Jewish history to discover a time not so different from ours, when our people questioned their identity... and received a reminder for the ages.

Overcoming Folly - 35 - Giving Up

Overcoming Folly - Part 36
"The Metaphysics of Ethics"
With Rabbi Ari Sollish
(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on October 10, 2021)

What drives our sense of ethics? Are certain things wrong because they are hurtful to others, or are they wrong in an absolute sense? In other words, are ethics utilitarian or are they absolute?

These questions have driven much philosophical debate. And they have also driven an entire field of discussion in the Jewish mystical texts.

In this session of Kabbalah & Coffee, we explore what the Kabbalists have to say about the origins and essence of ethics. We will discover the metaphysics of ethical behavior, and walk away with deep truths about what makes some things right and what makes some things wrong -- and why it all matters.

Overcoming Folly - 36 - The Metaphysics of Ethics

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Daily Power Parsha 9.1.20 (Ki Tavo)

The Torah Center ATL

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