20 Minutes a Day to a Closer Connection to God

We all want a closer connection to God, to feel His presence in our lives. Sometimes we feel this closeness, other times not. How can we ignite our passion, yearning and closeness to God?

This topic is explored further in, “We All Go Through Spiritual Winters. What to Do During Yours.” Here we break it down to a daily routine of 3 steps that can be done in as little as 20 minutes a day. Spending an hour or more is optimal, but at least 20 minutes a day. Pick a set time and make it part of your daily routine. It is not all or nothing; do the best you can.

While this program involves just 3 steps, there are many aspects of Judaism not covered here. Each aspect and observance fortifies our connection with our Creator and fulfills His will for us.

Try this program for at least 30 days. Afterwards, assess what is working and which area you want to strengthen.

3 Steps to a Closer Connection to God:

1. Study inspirational works daily. Whether listening to a podcast, class, or reading an article or book, find an area of the Torah that you find inspiring. There are many areas to choose from. Keep searching until you find the area that currently speaks to you. Many find Chassidic works to be particularly inspiring. A current favorite is A Bit More Advice available with free shipping here. For a weekly email or daily chassidic thought through whatsApp by LPI Torah, click here. See also, “Mining the Depths of Torah Wisdom.”

2. Recite Psalms daily. Aim to read at least one Psalm a day (or a portion of longer ones). You can also read the monthly cycle of Psalms. Another option is to read the Psalms which make up Rebbe Nachman’s Tikkun Haklali (16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, and 150) which many find particularly purifying. Read Psalms with a translation you understand and say it with intention. Use the skills you acquire reciting Psalms soulfully to say other prayers with similar intention. There are a number of excellent translations of Psalms available. One is Psalms that Speak to You by Yitzchok Leib Bell (it is available in either interlinear or traditional translation editions). Before reciting Psalms, you may find it helpful to sing a soulful melody or listen to one to get into the right mindset. A popular choice are the melodies of Shlomo Carlebach. See also, “How to Unlock the Hidden Power of Prayer.”

3. Speak to God daily. Have a set time you talk to God. Thank Him for His blessings, share with Him your concerns and ask for His help. Ask Him to bring you closer to Him and to fulfilling your potential to do His will. In addition, think about God throughout the day. Tune into the fact that His presence fills the entire universe and that He is with you at all times. Think about how God is guiding and strengthening you, that all the blessings in your life come from Him and that even your challenges are from Him for your ultimate good.

(Please note: While reciting Psalms and speaking to God in your native language are not obligatory, unlike Torah study and formal prayer, they still can be very helpful to deepen our relationship with our Creator.)

Divide your daily routine in whatever way works for you. To start, one option is 10 minutes of Torah learning, 5 minutes of reciting Psalms and 5 minutes of talking to God and build from there. You may find it helpful to schedule daily recurring reminders for these three practices using Google Keep, Evernote or a different system. After doing the above three steps for a few weeks, deepen the practice by exploring this topic further here.

Each day is a new beginning. Even if yesterday you did none of these practices, begin your day with at least one practice and take the first step along the path to closeness to God.

Do this routine everyday, even when you do not feel like it. While these practices can enhance our feeling of closeness to God, our relationship with Him cannot be based on feelings. God is our Creator and Father in Heaven, whether we feel it or not. We cannot live without God’s constant help, whether we realize that or not. It is especially important during times when we feel distant from God to strengthen ourselves in the above 3 steps. This will help us move through a spiritual winter to a spiritual spring and renewal.

A feeling of inspiration and closeness to God is a gift from Him and one we cannot force. These 3 steps help us create a vessel. God, at the right time, fills that vessel with a feeling of His presence in our lives. Be tenacious in doing these 3 steps every day, creating a stronger and stronger vessel to receive the Divine gift of closeness to God.

In memory of Yosef Yoel ben Avraham Yitzhak HaLevi ve Chaya Sarah

6 Ways to Kick the Criticism Habit

Dear friends,

Most people are far too critical. 

How about you, do you criticize too much?

6 Ways to Kick the Criticism Habit

Have a great week,

Yaakov

Iyar: Enhancing Our Relationships

Dear Friends,

This post is about the Jewish month of Iyar as it relates to The Chazak Plan: A 12 Month Journey to Spiritual Strength.

Rosh Chodesh Iyar begins Sunday night, April 11th and lasts for two days.
The period known as The Omer occurs during this month. During part of The Omer, we commemorate thousands of Rabbi Akiva’s students who died in a plague. The Talmud teaches that the plague occurred because the students did not treat each other with proper respect.

This month, we focus on treating others well and enhancing our relationship with them.

Our relationships play a pivotal role in either enhancing or negatively affecting our emotional, physical and spiritual health; toxic relationships drain us, while healthy relationships nourish us.

Make a list of your key family, work and social relationships. Decide which ones to strengthen or repair, which ones need better boundaries or for you to distance yourself from, and ways to foster new healthy relationships.

Input into your checklist the following practice or a related one: At least once a week, schedule one-on-one time with someone in your life to strengthen that relationship; shut off your cell and give him or her your undivided attention.

In addition, this month, work on being less critical of others. Start by focusing on the person of whom you are most critical. Consider using your checklist and check off each day you were able to avoid criticizing them.

Questions for the month:

“Which of my relationships do I need to strengthen? What is the first step to doing that?”

“Which relationships need better boundaries or for me to distance myself from? What is the first step to doing that?”

“Do I want to form new healthy relationships? What are some ways I can do that?”

“Which person in my life am I most critical of? For this month, am I willing to commit to give them at least as much compliments as criticisms?”

Read up on the type of relationship you are currently dealing with. Here are links to Aish.com articles on specific relationships:

Dating

Marriage

Parenting

Relating to your parents

Take care and may God grant us success in the coming month,

Yaakov