Dear Friends,
We all have challenges. Here are some ways to overcome them with God's help.
How to Overcome Your Challenges: 10 Ways
Have a great week,
Yaakov
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Saturday, October 21, 2017
What Happens to Our Seemingly Unanswered Prayers?
Dear Friends,
Most of us at some point in our lives wonder:
What Happens to Our Seemingly Unanswered Prayers?
Have a great week,
Yaakov
Most of us at some point in our lives wonder:
What Happens to Our Seemingly Unanswered Prayers?
Have a great week,
Yaakov
Saturday, October 14, 2017
Cheshvan: Prayer
Dear Friends,
This post is about the Jewish month of Cheshvan, as it relates to The Chazak Plan: A 12 Month Journey to Spiritual Strength.
Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan begins Thursday night, the 19th of October, and lasts for two days.
On the 7th of Cheshvan, in Israel, prayers for rain begin. For this month, focus on enhancing your prayers. You can pick a section of the prayers to say daily with understanding and input this into your checklist. In addition or instead, you can recite daily one Psalm with understanding (longer Psalms can be read over two to three days).
(If you do not yet pray daily, open up a prayer book and see if any of the prayers resonate with you, or better yet, ask your rabbi or spiritual mentor for a suggestion; recite that prayer every day. Alternatively, read daily from the book of Psalms. There are many excellent English translations available with varied formats; choose one that works best for you.)
One type of prayer, popularized by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, is called Hitbodedut; this is where we talk out loud to God in our native language, unburdening ourselves to Him. Try this daily practice for at least a week, preferably a month. See if it helps you feel closer to God and to feeling His comfort and support.
Part of upgrading our prayers is showing reverence for the sanctuary, and not talking during the prayer service.
Even while we pray for help in specific areas of our lives, we surrender to God, acknowledging that only He knows what is truly best for us.
Questions for the month:
“Which section of the prayers will I focus on saying this month with understanding? Or, what else can I do to enhance my prayers?”
“What issues are weighing on my mind that I can informally speak to God about?”
“How can I enhance the reverence I show for the sanctuary?”
Reading for the month:
Take care and may God grant us success in the coming month,
Yaakov
This post is about the Jewish month of Cheshvan, as it relates to The Chazak Plan: A 12 Month Journey to Spiritual Strength.
Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan begins Thursday night, the 19th of October, and lasts for two days.
On the 7th of Cheshvan, in Israel, prayers for rain begin. For this month, focus on enhancing your prayers. You can pick a section of the prayers to say daily with understanding and input this into your checklist. In addition or instead, you can recite daily one Psalm with understanding (longer Psalms can be read over two to three days).
(If you do not yet pray daily, open up a prayer book and see if any of the prayers resonate with you, or better yet, ask your rabbi or spiritual mentor for a suggestion; recite that prayer every day. Alternatively, read daily from the book of Psalms. There are many excellent English translations available with varied formats; choose one that works best for you.)
One type of prayer, popularized by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, is called Hitbodedut; this is where we talk out loud to God in our native language, unburdening ourselves to Him. Try this daily practice for at least a week, preferably a month. See if it helps you feel closer to God and to feeling His comfort and support.
Part of upgrading our prayers is showing reverence for the sanctuary, and not talking during the prayer service.
Even while we pray for help in specific areas of our lives, we surrender to God, acknowledging that only He knows what is truly best for us.
Questions for the month:
“Which section of the prayers will I focus on saying this month with understanding? Or, what else can I do to enhance my prayers?”
“What issues are weighing on my mind that I can informally speak to God about?”
“How can I enhance the reverence I show for the sanctuary?”
Reading for the month:
Take care and may God grant us success in the coming month,
Yaakov
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Taking Refuge in a Sukkah of Faith
Dear Friends,
This Wednesday night, October 4th, begins the festival of Sukkot. The next blog post will be God willing after the holiday.
Taking Refuge in a Sukkah of Faith
Have a Chag Sameach,
Yaakov
This Wednesday night, October 4th, begins the festival of Sukkot. The next blog post will be God willing after the holiday.
Taking Refuge in a Sukkah of Faith
Have a Chag Sameach,
Yaakov
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Repairing Our Mistakes: How to Ask for Forgiveness
Dear Friends,
This coming Friday night will be Yom Kippur.
Now is the time to ask those we have wronged for forgiveness.
Repairing Our Mistakes: How to Ask for Forgiveness
May we all be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life,
Yaakov
This coming Friday night will be Yom Kippur.
Now is the time to ask those we have wronged for forgiveness.
Repairing Our Mistakes: How to Ask for Forgiveness
May we all be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life,
Yaakov
Sunday, September 17, 2017
10 Signs You’re a Selfless Giver, 5 Signs You’re Not
As discussed in, “What Motivates You to be Kind? Two Possibilities,” there are two types of giving: Self-centered giving, where one gives expecting something in return and selfless giving, where one gives for the sake of giving. Another way of looking at it is that some give from their lower selves, their egos, and some give from their higher selves, their souls. Soulful giving elevates and transforms us. In contrast, giving from the ego, while still meritorious, does not have the same transformative effect.
The irony is that when one gives to receive, the benefits to the giver are diminished. But when one gives to give, the giver ends up gaining far more than they could have imagined.
While some are predominantly either self-centered givers or selfless givers, many of us engage in both types of giving; sometimes giving from the ego, other times from the soul or a combination of both. The goal is to increase our soulful giving, where our main focus is on helping others because God commanded us to, without ulterior motives. This will strengthen our soul connection to each other and to our Creator.
5 signs of self-centered givers:
1. For those in their inner circle, who will likely repay the favor, no request is too big, but the needs of others are low priority.
2. They will readily do anything for a person they want to show what a great friend they are, but when it comes to helping their own parents or siblings, they drag their feet.
3. They are willing to do kind acts if easily performed. But if they would be inconvenienced in any way, they are not interested.
4. They are willing to help someone once, especially if they will receive praise, but after the novelty of the act wears off, they lose interest.
5. They give generously to charity, but when it comes to business matters, they withhold monies due to others, do not keep their word, or use cutthroat tactics to get their way.
Can any of us say that we never engage in self-centered giving? That we never ignore the plight of people in our community because they are not in our circle of friends? That we never give priority to friends over helping our own parents or siblings? That we never turn down a legitimate request just because we did not want to be bothered? That we never help someone once but do not follow up to see if they need further assistance? That we never act two faced, kind and generous to some, while to others, uncaring and even hurtful?
Many of us stumble in at least one of these areas. Choose one to upgrade.
Even if you occasionally engage in self-centered giving, there are times you likely engage in selfless giving. During those times, you give because you love and care about others, as God has commanded us, (Leviticus 19:18), “…You shall love your fellow as yourself…” God has no ego and gives selflessly; you give selflessly because you want to emulate God and “…walk in His ways (Deuteronomy, 28:9).”
When you give selflessly, you do not ignore the self; you first take care of your and your family’s needs, and then look for ways to be of service to others.
10 signs you are a selfless giver:
1. You help people without expecting anything in return, even a thank you.
2. When you can, you help people even when it’s inconvenient, time consuming, or you just don’t feel like it.
3. You help people with a smile and look for ways so that they don’t feel bad about being on the receiving end.
4. You try to help people anonymously, and when you can’t, you do the act of kindness on their terms, asking what would be most helpful to them.
5. You help people on an ongoing basis if necessary, even after “the crisis” has passed, and even when you no longer receive a big “thank you.”
6. You ask others to assist in acts of kindness, because you realize that together much more can be accomplished.
7. Whatever you have, you look for ways to share it with those in need. Sometimes it is money, other times advice, connections, hospitality, a ride, a listening ear, physical assistance, encouragement or a compliment.
8. You are a force of goodness and generosity in all areas of your life, including with your family, business associates, subordinates and employees.
9. You look for ways to be of service to others and do not wait to be asked.
10. You focus not only on the “big” acts of kindness, but also on the “little” acts, the daily opportunities to be friendly, considerate and helpful to others.
Which ones from the above list do you already do? Congratulate and compliment yourself. It is not easy giving selflessly! It takes a conscious effort to go out of your way for others. Pick one area from this list that you do not yet do and choose one tangible step you will take to become a more selfless, soulful giver.
Judging from news stories, there seems to be an increase in acts of senseless cruelty, people who harm others for no reason or benefit. The only possible benefit from these heinous acts is inflating the perpetrator’s ego, which glorifies in its power over another. A person who recognizes their own Godliness and the Godliness of others, would be incapable of acts of cruelty. When you recognize the soul within another person – seeing their Godliness – you cannot help but want to give to them in any way you can; to connect with them, one soul to another.
We must counteract this disturbing rise in cruelty, by engaging in soulful, selfless acts of kindness and avoiding any act which contains even a tinge of cruelty or callousness. We must look for the holiness within all of us and seek out ways to help others; ways to lighten their burden and soothe their pain. Certainly, God forbid, ensuring that we are not a source of that pain.
Ask yourself, “Who have I caused pain, emotional or financial, by what I said or did? When will I ask them for forgiveness? Whose plight have I been ignoring? When will I take the first step to helping them?”
From the ego’s materialistic perspective, the physical world is one of limited resources. When the ego gives to another, it feels diminished and left with less. It lives in a self-centered world of stinginess, pettiness and jealousy. In contrast, from the soul’s spiritual perspective, it realizes it can never be diminished and is always connected to God.
When we give from our souls, we transcend a scarcity mindset and embrace an abundance one. We give generously and are content with what we have; happy to help those in need and happy for the success of others. When we give from our souls, we tap into the oneness of life, oneness with each other and oneness with our Creator – the source of infinite blessing.
The irony is that when one gives to receive, the benefits to the giver are diminished. But when one gives to give, the giver ends up gaining far more than they could have imagined.
While some are predominantly either self-centered givers or selfless givers, many of us engage in both types of giving; sometimes giving from the ego, other times from the soul or a combination of both. The goal is to increase our soulful giving, where our main focus is on helping others because God commanded us to, without ulterior motives. This will strengthen our soul connection to each other and to our Creator.
5 signs of self-centered givers:
1. For those in their inner circle, who will likely repay the favor, no request is too big, but the needs of others are low priority.
2. They will readily do anything for a person they want to show what a great friend they are, but when it comes to helping their own parents or siblings, they drag their feet.
3. They are willing to do kind acts if easily performed. But if they would be inconvenienced in any way, they are not interested.
4. They are willing to help someone once, especially if they will receive praise, but after the novelty of the act wears off, they lose interest.
5. They give generously to charity, but when it comes to business matters, they withhold monies due to others, do not keep their word, or use cutthroat tactics to get their way.
Can any of us say that we never engage in self-centered giving? That we never ignore the plight of people in our community because they are not in our circle of friends? That we never give priority to friends over helping our own parents or siblings? That we never turn down a legitimate request just because we did not want to be bothered? That we never help someone once but do not follow up to see if they need further assistance? That we never act two faced, kind and generous to some, while to others, uncaring and even hurtful?
Many of us stumble in at least one of these areas. Choose one to upgrade.
Even if you occasionally engage in self-centered giving, there are times you likely engage in selfless giving. During those times, you give because you love and care about others, as God has commanded us, (Leviticus 19:18), “…You shall love your fellow as yourself…” God has no ego and gives selflessly; you give selflessly because you want to emulate God and “…walk in His ways (Deuteronomy, 28:9).”
When you give selflessly, you do not ignore the self; you first take care of your and your family’s needs, and then look for ways to be of service to others.
10 signs you are a selfless giver:
1. You help people without expecting anything in return, even a thank you.
2. When you can, you help people even when it’s inconvenient, time consuming, or you just don’t feel like it.
3. You help people with a smile and look for ways so that they don’t feel bad about being on the receiving end.
4. You try to help people anonymously, and when you can’t, you do the act of kindness on their terms, asking what would be most helpful to them.
5. You help people on an ongoing basis if necessary, even after “the crisis” has passed, and even when you no longer receive a big “thank you.”
6. You ask others to assist in acts of kindness, because you realize that together much more can be accomplished.
7. Whatever you have, you look for ways to share it with those in need. Sometimes it is money, other times advice, connections, hospitality, a ride, a listening ear, physical assistance, encouragement or a compliment.
8. You are a force of goodness and generosity in all areas of your life, including with your family, business associates, subordinates and employees.
9. You look for ways to be of service to others and do not wait to be asked.
10. You focus not only on the “big” acts of kindness, but also on the “little” acts, the daily opportunities to be friendly, considerate and helpful to others.
Which ones from the above list do you already do? Congratulate and compliment yourself. It is not easy giving selflessly! It takes a conscious effort to go out of your way for others. Pick one area from this list that you do not yet do and choose one tangible step you will take to become a more selfless, soulful giver.
Judging from news stories, there seems to be an increase in acts of senseless cruelty, people who harm others for no reason or benefit. The only possible benefit from these heinous acts is inflating the perpetrator’s ego, which glorifies in its power over another. A person who recognizes their own Godliness and the Godliness of others, would be incapable of acts of cruelty. When you recognize the soul within another person – seeing their Godliness – you cannot help but want to give to them in any way you can; to connect with them, one soul to another.
We must counteract this disturbing rise in cruelty, by engaging in soulful, selfless acts of kindness and avoiding any act which contains even a tinge of cruelty or callousness. We must look for the holiness within all of us and seek out ways to help others; ways to lighten their burden and soothe their pain. Certainly, God forbid, ensuring that we are not a source of that pain.
Ask yourself, “Who have I caused pain, emotional or financial, by what I said or did? When will I ask them for forgiveness? Whose plight have I been ignoring? When will I take the first step to helping them?”
From the ego’s materialistic perspective, the physical world is one of limited resources. When the ego gives to another, it feels diminished and left with less. It lives in a self-centered world of stinginess, pettiness and jealousy. In contrast, from the soul’s spiritual perspective, it realizes it can never be diminished and is always connected to God.
When we give from our souls, we transcend a scarcity mindset and embrace an abundance one. We give generously and are content with what we have; happy to help those in need and happy for the success of others. When we give from our souls, we tap into the oneness of life, oneness with each other and oneness with our Creator – the source of infinite blessing.
See, "I Am a Selfless Giver" for a one page printable PDF you can post on your fridge.
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Saturday, September 16, 2017
Tishre and "You: As God Intended"
Dear Friends,
This post is about the Jewish month of Tishre, as it relates to The Chazak Plan: A 12 Month Journey to Spiritual Strength.
Rosh Hashanah begins Wednesday night, September 20th, and lasts for two days.
Here is an article for Rosh Hashanah: You: As God Intended
Until after Yom Kippur, the focus on repentance continues. If you have not done so already during the month of Elul, there is still time before Yom Kippur to choose an area of your life to repair or upgrade; add it to your daily checklist. The reading “The 10 Item Daily Checklist” can be helpful in making a selection.
After Yom Kippur, the focus switches to the festivals of Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. On Simchat Torah, we celebrate the completion of the yearly cycle of the Five Books of Moses and begin a new cycle with the book of Genesis. Now is a great time to join this annual study of the Bible. There is tremendous spiritual power in learning the same portion studied by millions of Jews around the world. Next Simchat Torah, when you finish the Bible, your celebration of the holiday will be even more meaningful.
Spend time each week learning the weekly Torah portion – there are many excellent articles, translations and commentaries available, e.g., The Stone Edition Chumash and The Gutnick Edition Chumash (sections of The Gutnick Chumash can be read for free here). Preferably, each day, study 1/7th of the weekly portion (also known as an aliya) or study the whole portion on Shabbat.
If possible, study at least weekly with a partner, either the Bible or a different area of the Torah. To find a partner, you can contact your local synagogue or kollel, or go to http://www.partnersintorah.org/, who will pair you with a partner free of charge.
Torah study nourishes the soul as food nourishes the body. Study Torah every day of your life – even if only for a few minutes, e.g., reading an article, a few pages from a book, or listening to a class during your commute or while exercising. Preferably, have a set inviolate time for Torah study. Input into your checklist what and when you will study.
Two important areas of Torah to study are (A) teachings which inspire you and (B) Jewish law – so you know how to act.
Questions for the month:
“Which behavioral change will be my New Year’s resolution?”
“Which translation or commentary on the Bible will I use for the upcoming annual cycle?”
“What area of Torah am I currently most drawn to? Who can I study it with, or from which resources?”
Have a Shana Tova, a year filled with blessings,
Yaakov
This post is about the Jewish month of Tishre, as it relates to The Chazak Plan: A 12 Month Journey to Spiritual Strength.
Rosh Hashanah begins Wednesday night, September 20th, and lasts for two days.
Here is an article for Rosh Hashanah: You: As God Intended
Until after Yom Kippur, the focus on repentance continues. If you have not done so already during the month of Elul, there is still time before Yom Kippur to choose an area of your life to repair or upgrade; add it to your daily checklist. The reading “The 10 Item Daily Checklist” can be helpful in making a selection.
After Yom Kippur, the focus switches to the festivals of Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. On Simchat Torah, we celebrate the completion of the yearly cycle of the Five Books of Moses and begin a new cycle with the book of Genesis. Now is a great time to join this annual study of the Bible. There is tremendous spiritual power in learning the same portion studied by millions of Jews around the world. Next Simchat Torah, when you finish the Bible, your celebration of the holiday will be even more meaningful.
Spend time each week learning the weekly Torah portion – there are many excellent articles, translations and commentaries available, e.g., The Stone Edition Chumash and The Gutnick Edition Chumash (sections of The Gutnick Chumash can be read for free here). Preferably, each day, study 1/7th of the weekly portion (also known as an aliya) or study the whole portion on Shabbat.
If possible, study at least weekly with a partner, either the Bible or a different area of the Torah. To find a partner, you can contact your local synagogue or kollel, or go to http://www.partnersintorah.org/, who will pair you with a partner free of charge.
Torah study nourishes the soul as food nourishes the body. Study Torah every day of your life – even if only for a few minutes, e.g., reading an article, a few pages from a book, or listening to a class during your commute or while exercising. Preferably, have a set inviolate time for Torah study. Input into your checklist what and when you will study.
Two important areas of Torah to study are (A) teachings which inspire you and (B) Jewish law – so you know how to act.
Questions for the month:
“Which behavioral change will be my New Year’s resolution?”
“Which translation or commentary on the Bible will I use for the upcoming annual cycle?”
“What area of Torah am I currently most drawn to? Who can I study it with, or from which resources?”
Have a Shana Tova, a year filled with blessings,
Yaakov
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