Nissan: Spiritual Spring Cleaning

Dear Friends,

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

Rosh Chodesh Nissan began Motzai Shabbat, the night of the 13th of March and lasts for one day.

During Nissan, we celebrate the holiday of Passover. On Passover, we commemorate the Exodus from Egypt. It is a time of freedom, when we free ourselves from that which brings us down spiritually.Even today, many of us are still not yet completely free and are enslaved to our passions, to varying degrees. At the same time, we still maintain some level of moral purity. The goal is to raise it up a notch, thereby increasing our freedom.

When you prepare for the holiday by removing leaven from your house, also remove spiritual pollution. To whatever extent you’re ready, go through your books, magazines, music and videos, and get rid of those which are filled with profanity, lewdness or vulgarity. Go through your wardrobe and donate to charity clothing that is unbecoming of the daughter of the King. Use an internet filter to block inappropriate websites and be more discerning what websites and videos you expose your soul to. If you wouldn’t show it to a teenager, you probably shouldn’t be watching it either. Avoiding that which downgrades our spirituality will help us have a closer connection to God.

An aspect of maintaining your purity is speaking in an elevated manner. Are there any words you choose to remove from your vocabulary, at least for this month?

Using your checklist, you can check off each day you succeeded in speaking in a refined manner and/or staying away from spiritual pollution (or limiting your exposure as best you can).

Article:
4 Ways to Safeguard Your Moral Purity

Questions for the month:

“How can I declutter and elevate my spirituality at the same time? What will I get rid of?”

“What is a source of spiritual pollution in my life? How can I shield myself from it or at least limit my exposure?”

“What word(s) do I choose to remove from my vocabulary, at least for this month?”

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

Yaakov

Who Are You? Getting in Touch with Your Essence

Dear Friends,

Who Are You? Getting in Touch with Your Essence

Have a great week,

Yaakov

Corrected Link: 3-Dimensional Acceptance: A Pathway to Peace and Power

 Dear Friends,

(Below is the correct link. I apologize for the inconvenience) 

There are three dimensions of acceptance: Accepting our present circumstances, accepting ourselves and accepting other people...

3-Dimensional Acceptance: A Pathway to Peace and Power

Have a great week,

Yaakov

3-Dimensional Acceptance: A Pathway to Peace and Power

Dear Friends,

There are three dimensions of acceptance: Accepting our present circumstances, accepting ourselves and accepting other people...

3-Dimensional Acceptance: A Pathway to Peace and Power

Have a great week,

Yaakov

The 2 Forms of Divine Providence: Purim and Passover

Dear Friends,

Purim begins this Thursday night, the 25th of February.

The 2 Forms of Divine Providence: Purim and Passover

Happy Purim!

Yaakov

The FAR Plan: Three Steps to Emotional Health

Dear Friends,

Most of us have had times where we felt depressed or anxious. What can we do to enhance our emotional health?

The FAR Plan: Three Steps to Emotional Health

Have a great week,

Yaakov

Adar: Enhancing our Joy

Dear Friends,

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

Rosh Chodesh Adar begins Thursday night, the 11th of February and lasts for two days.

Our Sages teach that with the arrival of Adar we increase our joy, culminating in the festival of Purim. Purim commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people during the Persian exile.

While we do not have direct control over our moods, there are things we can do to enhance them. Things that enhance our mood which may have been impacted by the Corona virus include sleep, exercise and time spent with friends and family. This is on top of specific challenges we may be experiencing due to the pandemic.

Focus on one change that you are motivated to make. Maybe going to sleep and shutting off the computer earlier, scheduling in exercise, or calling a friend you haven't spoken to recently to catch up.

Questions for the month:

“What do I think is most negatively affecting my emotional health? How will I address it?”

“What will I do this month to enhance my emotional health?”

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

Yaakov