This class was presented on Tuesday, 18 Cheshvan, 5784, November 19, 2024, Parshas Chayei Sara, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY.

What happens when we function perfectly on the outside, do everything 'properly,' but inside something is frozen, disconnected, like on an automaton? It has already become a way of life, and we are used to it, but the soul knows something more is available. This class explores one of the deepest pains of our generation: disconnect.

A surprising discovery by the Gaon of Vilna sheds light on the difference between a functional life and a real life. Through the seven times that the burial of the dead is mentioned in the parsha, we will discover how it is possible to free the heart from the prison built around it, and return to feeling - without fear, shame, and defenses.