In this episode, Rabbi Shlomo explores the beginning of the Torah, Parshat Bereishis to draw out deeper messages that relate to the situation with our brothers and sisters in Israel and across the world.

The following was Rabbi Shlomo's message on social media:

We are in this together.

We are mourning the losses of our brothers, sisters, and children who were brutally slaughtered and whose beautiful, precious, and pure souls have returned to their Maker.

We are praying for the brave warriors who will defend our brothers and sisters in Israel. May the Master of the World watch over them and give them success in their mission to protect us and return the captives home to their loved ones.

We are processing the painful realization that there is real evil in this world. It is no longer Holocaust stories from the past. It is right before our eyes. Captured on video and posted in our social media feeds. And then defended by celebrities, influencers, and people right here on our soil who we believed were civilized people.

We are sharing our love with all Jews, and encouraging our community to look beyond religious differences, labels, and affiliations and love each other like crazy right now!!! This is something we can all do from the comfort of our home... even greater if we can express it in some way!

We are seeing the power of good and we are grateful to those who stand with us. To those who post and speak words of solidarity with Israel and with the Jewish people. Who remind us that we are not alone in this world. That there is light in the darkness.

(Please encourage both Jews and non-Jews to speak up!!!)

We urge everyone in our community to pray just a little deeper. To open your hearts to others. To open up your hand in charity. To smile and find joy in this difficult time and to share that joy with someone who needs it. To not be consumed by the darkness.

We believe that there is ONE ABOVE who loves us dearly!!! Who is so mysterious and impossible to understand. Who makes us cry and question. But who has a masterplan and won't let go. When the curtain closes the mystery will be solved. But we aren't there yet. So we will just hold on tight until we get there.

We are here to talk. We are here to listen. Please reach out.

What the story of Adam and Eve teach us about human consciousness, the desire for spiritual experiences and the need for human struggle. Learning how to accept ourselves even when we are feeling low.

Please rate and review the Empowered Jewish Living podcast on whatever platform you stream it. Please follow Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum and the Lev Experience on the following channels:

Facebook: @shlomobuxbaum

Instagram: @shlomobuxbaum

YouTube: TheLevExperience

Pick up a copy of Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum's second book, "The Four Elements of Inner Freedom: The Exodus Story as a Model for Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Personal Breakthroughs". You can order a copy on Amazon, in your local Jewish bookstore, or right here: https://levx.org/event/the-four-elements-of-freedom

Please rate and review the Empowered Jewish Living podcast on whatever platform you stream it. Please follow Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum and the Lev Experience on the following channels:

Facebook: @shlomobuxbaum

Instagram: @shlomobuxbaum

YouTube: TheLevExperience

Related Episodes:

Pick up a copy of Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum's second book, "The Four Elements of Inner Freedom: The Exodus Story as a Model for Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Personal Breakthroughs". You can order a copy on Amazon, in your local Jewish bookstore, or right here: https://levx.org/event/the-four-elements-of-freedom

Rabbi Elchanan Shoff is the Rabbi of Beis Knesses of Los Angeles, also known as BKLA, and a popular teacher in the LA area and throughout the US. He is a Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Judaic Studies at Touro College of Los Angeles, as well as the author of 10 books in Hebrew and in English including the High Holiday classic, "Hashem is my Light" by Kodesh Press, which is the subject of our podcast today.

Please rate and review the Empowered Jewish Living podcast on whatever platform you stream it. Please follow Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum and the Lev Experience on the following channels:

Facebook: @shlomobuxbaum

Instagram: @shlomobuxbaum

YouTube: TheLevExperience

Pick up a copy of Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum's second book, "The Four Elements of Inner Freedom: The Exodus Story as a Model for Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Personal Breakthroughs". You can order a copy on Amazon, in your local Jewish bookstore, or right here: https://levx.org/event/the-four-elements-of-freedom

Madison Margolin is a journalist covering psychedelics, cannabis, spirituality, and Jewish life. She is also the author of Exile & Ecstasy (Hay House Publishing 2023), a gonzo journalistic memoir about the intersection of Judaism and psychedelics, from the perspective of growing up in both the Ram Dass community and the cannabis legalization movement. She is co-founder of DoubleBlind Magazine and has written for several magazines and publications. As a contributing editor to Ayin Press, she writes and curates a column—"Speaking from Experience"—featuring in-depth conversations with artists, scientists, mystics, healers, activists, and fringe thought leaders engaging with a range of paradigm-shifting encounters. She is also a co-founder of the Jewish Psychedelic Summit and host of the Be Here Now Network's Set & Setting podcast. Keep up with her work at MadisonMargolin.com, or follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode, you should also listen to our episodes with Rabbi Zac Kamenetz (4/26/22), Rabbi Doniel Katz (8/9/21), and Dr. Benjy Epstein (9/30/22).

Please rate and review the Empowered Jewish Living podcast on whatever platform you stream it. Please follow Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum and the Lev Experience on the following channels:

Facebook: @shlomobuxbaum

Instagram: @shlomobuxbaum

YouTube: TheLevExperience

Pick up a copy of Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum's second book, "The Four Elements of Inner Freedom: The Exodus Story as a Model for Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Personal Breakthroughs". You can order a copy on Amazon, in your local Jewish bookstore, or right here: https://levx.org/event/the-four-elements-of-freedom

Mordechai Holtz has been working in the field of digital marketing, content writing, and brand strategy and social media management for more than a decade. He has worked with clients that have spanned across 8 countries, ranging from startups to the City of Jerusalem to major tech companies. He is an avid blogger and an active contributor to the digital marketing space. He's contributed to Fast Company, cited in Buzzfeed, CMO.com, Forbes & Inc. Mordecai's content has been featured on industry-leading sites including Social Media Today, DukascopyTV, Business2Community, Social Media World and Post Planner, and coschedule. Beyond writing about social media, Mordecai also covers tech news and his articles have been featured on several tech blogs including Technologer and TechAcute.

Please rate and review the Empowered Jewish Living podcast on whatever platform you stream it. Please follow Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum and the Lev Experience on the following channels:

Facebook: @shlomobuxbaum

Instagram: @shlomobuxbaum

YouTube: TheLevExperience

Pick up a copy of Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum's second book, "The Four Elements of Inner Freedom: The Exodus Story as a Model for Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Personal Breakthroughs". You can order a copy on Amazon, in your local Jewish bookstore, or right here: https://levx.org/event/the-four-elements-of-freedom

Moshe Gersht is the author of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling book It's All the Same to Me, and the author of the new book The Three Conditions, set to be released this November. He's a TEDx speaker and spiritual teacher who has devoted his life to seamlessly bridging the worlds of the Torah tradition, mystical wisdom, the true nature of the human mind, and our collective struggles. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife and children. For more and for a free chapter of his new book, visit moshegersht.com.

In this episode, we discuss Moshe Gersht's new book and how it applies to the time of year that we are in, the Jewish month of Elul. If you would like to listen to a previous interview with Moshe Gersht you can listen here:

https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/Z12WtcwKjCb

Please rate and review the Empowered Jewish Living podcast on whatever platform you stream it. Please follow Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum and the Lev Experience on the following channels:

Facebook: @shlomobuxbaum

Instagram: @shlomobuxbaum

YouTube: TheLevExperience

Pick up a copy of Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum's second book, "The Four Elements of Inner Freedom: The Exodus Story as a Model for Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Personal Breakthroughs". You can order a copy on Amazon, in your local Jewish bookstore, or right here: https://levx.org/event/the-four-elements-of-freedom

In honor of Tu B'Av, a day in the Jewish calendar that is auspicious for matchmaking and relationship growth, we present to you this powerful conversation with Rabbi David Fredman.

The time period that we are in now is commonly referred to as "The Three Weeks of Mourning", when we commemorate the destruction of the Holy Temple and Jerusalem on two different occasions in our history. But we can only feel the depth of these weeks if we understand what the Holy Temple represented and feel some connection to it.

In this mini-series, we will explore the secrets of the Holy Temple, what it represented and how we can connect to that in our own spiritual practice today, especially in the domain of prayer. We will explore how the morning prayer is structured to recreate the Temple experience, and how we can all taste the holiness of the Temple if we step up our awareness of the true essence of prayer.

This is the fourth and final episode (for now!). In this episode we go deeper into the four sections of prayer and the main passages and themes of each one and show how they correspond to the four sections of the Temple, the four inner realms and the four elements of earth, water, wind, and fire.

Please rate and review the Empowered Jewish Living podcast on whatever platform you stream it. Please follow Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum and the Lev Experience on the following channels:

Facebook: @shlomobuxbaum

Instagram: @shlomobuxbaum

YouTube: TheLevExperience

Pick up a copy of Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum's second book, "The Four Elements of Inner Freedom: The Exodus Story as a Model for Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Personal Breakthroughs". You can order a copy on Amazon, in your local Jewish bookstore, or right here: https://levx.org/event/the-four-elements-of-freedom

The time period that we are in now is commonly referred to as "The Three Weeks of Mourning", when we commemorate the destruction of the Holy Temple and Jerusalem on two different occasions in our history. But we can only feel the depth of these weeks if we understand what the Holy Temple represented and feel some connection to it.

In this mini-series, we will explore the secrets of the Holy Temple, what it represented and how we can connect to that in our own spiritual practice today, especially in the domain of prayer. We will explore how the morning prayer is structured to recreate the Temple experience, and how we can all taste the holiness of the Temple if we step up our awareness of the true essence of prayer.

This is the third of several episodes. In this episode we explore the four sections of prayer and the four sections of the Temple and show how they correspond to our four inner realms and the four elements of earth, water, wind, and fire.

Please rate and review the Empowered Jewish Living podcast on whatever platform you stream it. Please follow Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum and the Lev Experience on the following channels:

Facebook: @shlomobuxbaum

Instagram: @shlomobuxbaum

YouTube: TheLevExperience  Pick up a copy of Rabbi Shlomo Buxbaum's second book, "The Four Elements of Inner Freedom: The Exodus Story as a Model for Overcoming Challenges and Achieving Personal Breakthroughs". You can order a copy on Amazon, in your local Jewish bookstore, or right here:  https://levx.org/event/the-four-elements-of-freedom