Beneath The Surface

When Jacob wishes to reveal the date of the Redemption to his sons the 12 tribes, his prophetic inspiration leaves him. Sensing his worry that maybe one of his children aren't worthy to hear it, the 12 tribes exclaim the famous prayer we say twice a day to this day: "Shema Yisrael" - "Hear, our Father Israel, God is One." How was this a fitting response by his sons?

Joseph teaches us to focus on the deeper plan, not on the messenger of the outer painful experiences that occur to us. Judah teaches us that the bottom line of life is not only about the spiritual level you are on, but how your decisions and behavior affect the fate of other people.

The Greek Hellenists believed that if something was beautiful, it was holy. The Jews believed that if something was holy, it was beautiful.

The 19th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar marks the liberation from Soviet imprisonment of the founder of Chabad Chassidism, Rabbi Shneur Zalman (also known as the Alter Rebbe) in 1798. The Rebbe disliked transcending nature by breaking the physical order. He taught that if we want to uplift & transform this world for the good we have to slowly educate our selfish egos that the path of truth and goodness is sweet, and in turn our surroundings will come to agree with the path of truth.

Rachel: The advocate of the children of Israel

Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi said: "Speech is the pen of the heart, melody is the quill of the soul." Many of us find a voice to the depths of our hearts through the music we listen to. In a society of much division, music unites people of all walks of life. Clem Leek is an artist whose ambient melodies soothe your soul and take you to a deeper place within yourself. I had the pleasure of discussing the deeper symbolism behind his music and his creative process. Intro & outro music is from Clem's single "Terra" coming out this winter

'And Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come closer, so that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not." So Jacob drew near to Isaac his father, and he felt him, and he said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."

This week's Torah portion focuses on the passing of our Matriarch Sarah, the last years of Abraham, and the marriage of their son Isaac with Rebecca. What are the deeper life lessons embedded in these events that can help us infuse every moment of our lives with greater meaning?

I joined my friend Joshua Church in discussion on his podcast, Find the Others, where we dove into my story and spiritual awakening, explored the origin and true meaning behind some common jewish customs and practices, and discussed spirituality, religion, and happiness in today's day and age.