How To Levitate After Every Fall

The Dvar/article below is also available as a Podcast, simply click any of the following options: Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud,  &/or Youtube. _____________________________________________________________ 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. We see throughout the Torah, and especially through the Temple sacrifices, that in a moment of sin, we have an opportunity to draw close to Hashem. This is why when the Temple was destroyed, the Rabbis instituted the daily tefillah (prayer), so that …

How To Levitate After Every Fall Continue Reading

The Other Side

The Dvar/article below is also available as a Podcast, simply click any of the following options: Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud,  &/or Youtube. _____________________________________________________________ If, at every moment, you can choose the path that you want to pursue and, as the Talmud states, Hashem will help you towards the path of your choosing, then ensuring that you are in alignment and on a path of positivity is that much more important. It’s being mindful of the saying, “be careful what you wish for.’ We shouldn’t ever look at ourselves as fully bad or fully good, because that can color how we approach the future and, 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 …

The Other Side Continue Reading

How To Never Get Angry

The Dvar/article below is also available as a Podcast, simply click any of the following options: Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud,  &/or Youtube. _____________________________________________________________ “The best fighter is never angry.” ― Lao Tzu Being unhappy is a vicious cycle. It can lead to worry, anxiety, anger, depression. And each of these can trigger any of the others. Anger is toxic to your body and soul, often triggering one’s ‘fight or flight’ response, which floods the body with stress hormones (e.g. adrenaline and cortisol.) This could manifest in all sorts of health, nervous system, and 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. I went through periods of depression when everything in my life was seemingly good. …

How To Never Get Angry Continue Reading

Revolt vs. Redemption

The Dvar/article below is also available as a Podcast, simply click any of the following options: Bandcamp, Soundcloud,  &/or Youtube. _____________________________________________________________   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. The chassidic concept of dirah b’tachtonim (a dwelling for the Infinite Light in the lower realms) is an oft-repeated teaching by the Lubavitcher Rebbe. It’s expounded by the verse, “They shall make for Me a dwelling, and I will dwell amidst them (veshachanti betocham).” Grammatically, the text should have …

Revolt vs. Redemption Continue Reading

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

The Dvar/article below is also available as a Podcast, simply click any of the following options: Bandcamp, Soundcloud,  &/or Youtube. _____________________________________________________________   “Out of sight, out of mind” is a very truthful line. Anyone who has gone through a breakup might remember how seemingly impossible it feels to stop thinking about your ex all the time, seeing them either in person or in your mind. But when you stop seeing them physically, you start seeing them less in your mind, and eventually the preoccupation subsides. This week’s Parashah, Sh’lach, teaches us how to do the opposite for Hashem, how to keep Hashem always in mind, even if He is, in some ways, always out of sight. We need to reveal the concealed, bring Hashem to our awareness as we move throughout the day. This is the power of the mitzvot and …

Out of Sight, Out of Mind Continue Reading

The Secret To Never Falling

The Dvar/article below is also available as a Podcast, simply click any of the following options: Bandcamp, Soundcloud,  &/or Youtube. _____________________________________________________________   The truth is we all will fall time and again. The secret is to not view it negatively. Because life is only truly negative if we don’t use our fall toward elevation. If falling back pushes us forward, it’s a powerful tool towards transcendence. Just living, in and of itself, presents challenges, and each challenge is an opportunity to get it right the next time. If we can greet hate with love, our life can change; if we don’t, we tend to stay stuck in a cycle that doesn’t feel aligned. As Mac Miller so eloquently sang on ‘Hurt Feelings’, “You been going through it, I just go around it.” This touches on the concept of the Rebbe Maharash’s: l’chatchila …

The Secret To Never Falling Continue Reading

The Secret to Love

The great Rabbi Akiva taught that the fundamental principle of the Torah is to ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The great sage Hillel went so far as to say that, “this is the entire Torah; all the rest is commentary.” Many ask if that is possible, when our default is selfishness and making sure first and foremost that we are taken care of. The Baal Shem Tov expounds on Rabbi Akiva’s lesson:though we are aware of our many faults, we still look out for and love ourselves, and we need to do the same for those around us despite their faults.  We need to uplift and elevate and that can only be done when leading with love of the “neighbor as yourself.” Ahava (ah-ha-va)/אהבה/love. In Hebrew, the root word for ‘love’ is ‘hav’ which means “to give”. Loving is synonymous with …

The Secret to Love Continue Reading

The Positivity Bias

“120 years ago to the day, a Jewish boy with a radically redemptive soul was born and dared to dream about a perfect world and devoted every fiber of his being ,  every waking moment of his life,  towards making that vision and that dream come true…,” this is how Mendel Kalmenson (who will be presenting at the Light of Infinite fest), spoke of The Rebbe to a packed crowd last night at Saban Theater in LA. It was a Farbrengen, celebrating 120th birthday of The Lubavitcher Rebbe! A few years ago Rabbi Eli Backman, the Chabad Emissary at the University of Maryland, gave me a copy of Kalmenson’s book the Positivity Bias and in it was a a letter from The Rebbe that changed my life when my mom passed away. This article in Chabad.org explains how.   —- click here to …

The Positivity Bias Continue Reading

Miracles and Revelation

Soon we will be reading the Megillah (scroll) of Esther this Purim, which is also Le’galot Ha’ester (meaning “to reveal what’s concealed”). The word Esther is related to the Hebrew word, “I will hide,” which is said in Devarim when God says, “I will surely hide my face.” (Deuteronomy 32:15) The Megillah is one of the only books in Scripture not to mention Hashem’s name at all. It’s a story that took place in the Persian Empire long after the Biblical stories in which the miracles and revelations took place. Purim, like the present, is a time in which Hashem, Melech Ha’olam (King of the Universe), has hidden himself in the universe (Olam / עולם). The root of ‘Olam’ is also something that is unseen, hidden or disappeared (Ne’elam / נעלם). Hashem has hidden himself in the universe so that …

Miracles and Revelation Continue Reading

Light of Infinite on Rabbi Peretz’s Podcast

I love writing, I love making music and I dig it when people dig into either, but speaking in public or doing interviews I generally shy away from, but when Rabbi Peretz asked me to be a guest on his Podcast before Rosh Hashana to talk about Don’t Block Your Blessings and the Light of Infinite.. I’m actually glad I agreed!✨ And only Rabbi Peretz could have gotten all these stories out of me;) Go listen to the reasons behind everything that I do. He’s such an epic and inspiring being so really it was fun to finally say yes to being a guest. His Don’t Block Your Blessings video (here) is still one of my favorites, full of so much truth and wisdom, I’ve rewatched it so many times! Anyway, go and listen to the Rabbi Peretz Podcast for …

Light of Infinite on Rabbi Peretz’s Podcast Continue Reading

Scroll to Top