ב"ה
THEMES of Featured Chasidic Masters Articles
Jewish mysticism encourages us to recognize that all is rooted in the One
The root of evil - that which gives it life - is goodness. But when it descends below through the chain of worlds it becomes physical suffering or spiritual debilitation.
So too, the Israelites should see the serpent as it is raised upward to its root and realize that it is not detached from Him and that no evil descends from Above. |
Beginner
The mystical dimensions of the ego
It is permitted at first to use pride, ostentation and
self-centered actions to serve G-d, for "amidst selfish reasons, one comes to selflessness". But truly selfless worship must be pure and clean
from all traces of ego.
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Moshe’s staff was an intermediary between the physical and the spiritual worlds, literally a “supernatural” staff.
The generation of the Exodus, which journeyed in the desert for forty years, was composed of men of huge intellect.The first generation to enter Israel was a generation of the heart. We, a few hundred generations later, are the "generation of the heels."
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How do you open a locked heart? Do you smite it or do you speak to it?
According to the Midrash, the 2 episodes of Moses hitting rocks were more than attempts to draw water from a hard inanimate object. They were also psychological and moral tales about how to educate and refine human "rocks" so that they can produce water.
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Intermediate
To be considered "alive" one must constantly strive for holiness.
To grasp the meaning of G-d's supernal greatness and loftiness, one needs to serve Him with utter devotion and a fiery burning love and enthusiasm. Yet, should one achieve this, it is crucial to understand that it is not your own accomplishments that brought you this far, but simply a chesed from G-d, who is always prepared to help one who desires to elevate and purify himself.
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