Each soul includes 7 divine emotional traits. The first one is “Chesed” – loving kindness, the right side, outward focused, was embodied completely to the max by our forefather Abraham. The next trait is “Gevurah” – discipline or strength, the left side, inward focused, symbolized by our forefather Isaac, son of our Matriarch Sarah. Our mission in life is to balance and harmonize these two traits. Nearly every issue in politics, law, and interpersonal relationships depends on our ability to harmonize kindness and discipline. 

We're moving now from the light & warmth of Summer and the holiness & inspiration of the High Holidays into the shorter days, longer nights and cold winters, with less socializing & movement. Not to mention the effects of Corona and Quarantine. As we transition from the external high of Tishrei into the new Hebrew month of Cheshvan, now is the time to tap into our inner world, our creativity & resourcefulness within. Now is for self generation & giving back, to dig deep & reveal our spiritual muscles. With the right mindset and spirit, we can do anything

"And God Blew into his nostrils a living soul.” [Genesis 2:7]

Take a deep breath in and inhale all the love that your Divine Source has for you in giving you that air to fill your lungs to live. And breathe out all of the fear, anxiety, pain, loneliness, and anger inside. God has your back and there is a path of purpose that you’re on - trust the journey.

You’re a pure, Divine soul. You’re not a body that houses a soul - you’re a soul that inhabits a body. You are the magic.

The holiday of "Shemini Atzeret" & "Simchat Torah" marks the completion of the yearlong reading of the Torah Cycle & beginning again from Bereishit – Genesis. The 11th-century sage, Rashi, explains the holiday (based on Leviticus 23:36): [God says to Israel,] "I have detained you [to remain] with Me." This is analogous to a king who invited his sons to feast with him for a certain number of days, and when the time came for them to leave, he said: "My sons! Please, stay with me just one more day; it is difficult for me to part with you!"

The 18th Day of the Hebrew month of Elul marks the birth of Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe, founders of Hassidism and Chabad Hassidism respectively. Here's my favorite story to illustrate one of the Baal Shem Tov's view of the world

Focus less on who you've been and more on who you can become, and who you want to have a relationship with

To nurture love in any meaningful relationship you have to be fully present and focused in the moment. And it takes time & effort for the connection to develop into something real.

~ I was invited as a guest on Dr. Azi's 'Within Us' podcast ~ We hear the word ‘insight’ in the world of meditation, mindfulness, personal growth, and spirituality. But, what is it, and how can we utilize its power in our lives? There are deep explanations in Kabbalah of what ‘insight’ is, how we access it, and what it can help us with, and that’s what today’s convo is all about. Here’s a rundown of the Episode: In the first eleven minutes, you’ll hear the inspiration for this episode, and a brief overview of what we’re delving in to. You’ll hear about the new addition to Azi’s family (surprise!) AND a bit about her new masterminding program for women. (Female entrepreneurs or up-and-coming entrepreneurs - this is for YOU!) Next, you’ll meet “The Millennial Rabbi,” aka Rabbi Daniel Bortz, who shares a unique perspective on what insight is, and how we can experience a flash of understanding as well as how we can incorporate it into our lives to live inspired. Interestingly, the Torah teaches that women were the last living being created - according to the creation story. As such, women are literally the ‘crown of the creation,’ and it is taught that women have an extra measure of Insight. Millennial Rabbi shares his personal spiritual awakening story, and we delve into several other avenues of how to access insight and spiritual connectedness in all that we do. You can connect with the host, Dr. Azi, Ed,D. at: www.DrAzi.co & Millennial Rabbi at: http://millennialrabbi.com 

When Rabbi Yaakov Mordechai Poltova was on his deathbed, he remarked: “I would give up 40 years of iskafya [spiritual self-refinement] just for the chance to do one more mitzvah.” When word of this reached his close friend the Rebbe Rashab, he said: “Indeed he’s right. But it takes 40 years of refinement to come to such a clear realization.”

"I understood a powerful insight on my journey here. I came to realize that we can be surrounded by warmth, but if we fail to internalize it into our beings, we will remain cold."