As Purim approaches, I focus on the moment when, after Haman leads Mordecai through the streets of Shushan and declares "This is what the king does for a man whom he wishes to honor!" Mordecai immediately goes back to his sackcloth and fasting. By not falling for this surface-level king-moment he taps into what Rebbe Nachman describes as the kingship rooted beyond the surface.

Music is not simple. It seems to different from reading a newspaper or a text book, but it delivers all kinds of messages just the same. Unfortunately, we need to be able to sort out different tones and messages within the media we are absorbing, because the people providing it are affected by their own influences, and we need to know how far it goes up.

We need leaders - and we need to be leaders - who can draw inspiration from outside of and beyond themselves. We must be able to learn, listen, assert, rethink, grow.

When I hear someone using their voice for self-servign purposes, I might internalize the subtle message that that's what voices are for, and I might use my own voice in that way. The institution called "voice" has been tainted. But it can be untainted through the practice of night-learning.

100 million people tuned into Shakira and J-Lo. I know that she's still Jenny from the block and the hips don't lie, but beyond representations of sexuality, gender, and minority culture, Rebbe Nachman points our attention toward the deepest motives of the musicians whose music we listen to.

Rebbe Nachman, more than any other Hassidic master, spoke and wrote about the usefulness and importance of opposition from others as a constructive element that one must learn how to use. And this must have proved quite useful, as he may have been the most controversial and opposed hassidic master ever. So when the devil brought the old man to stir up opposition, Rebbe Nachman said "bring it on!"

The king gets "smoked" and he has a vision of the greatness of his own soul. And in his vision he sees the primary counterforce to his own greatness - oldness.

In the story of the Spider and the Fly, the king has a conversation with a mountain (!) in which he realizes that he is onto something important. He is in proximity to wisdom that could really change the world. But who am I to change the world? Shouldn't I just work on myself? NO!

In this first installment of Rebbe Nachman's story of the Spider and the Fly, we discuss how some people really don't want to deepen their relationship to Jewish practice - people who might already do all the stuff - because it requires personal investment, time, energy, etc. that people might not want to give.

It is essential to Rebbe Nachman's approach to growth and prayer and the aspiration to become better and more holy that every tiny thing actually matters, and is never lost. Which is not true if you are trying to win a championship.