Interview with Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum for Jornal Mitzvah, edited by Gilson Rodrigues Arruda.
From
a Global point of view, what are reasons why many people have started studying
Kabbalah in recent years? Is the purpose for the individual to improve himself
or is there a global mission to make a better world physically or spiritually?
The global spread of science has
undermined traditional systems of belief while providing no answers to the real
question every person must face – What is the purpose of our lives? People who
really want to know the truth have been discovering that the Kabbalah is the
key to the inner soul of the world’s oldest living religious tradition, the
Torah, which is the ultimate root of our civilization. The Kabbalah teaches the
way to bring the world to perfection. The only way to improve the wider world
is for each one of us to take responsibility now to work to improve
ourselves.
How
does the Kabbalah work on the conscious and unconscious plane? How does a person
begin this pathway? Do they have to read certain books, or change their
behavior, or what?
The Kabbalah is G-d’s gift to
help us to come to know Him. You cannot know Him just by reading books as you
may “know” some science, math or history, purely intellectually. You must
desire (Love) to discover the truth, and you must respect and revere G-d (Fear)
for He is greater than all of us. Even if your Love and Fear are very little,
with persistence you can work to cultivate and develop them. Love and Fear of G-d
are the two foundations, and with effort and persistence, everything else will
follow.
Psalms
34:15 says, “Turn from evil and do good; pursue peace.” This implies that there
are three elements in the fulfillment of G-d’s Will: Torah study, Prayer and Charity.
Is this the way to stop serving our own selfish interests and increase our
service of G-d?
We study Torah because the Torah
is G-d’s teaching to us, informing us how He wants us to serve Him – and if we
serve Him, it is we who benefit. Prayer is our channel of connection
with G-d, simply by talking to Him in our own words from the heart, sincerely
and honestly. Through prayer we do not merely ask for material favors from G-d;
we ask Him to put it into our hearts to serve Him with greater purity. The
third element is acts of kindness and charity, which G-d wants us to perform in
order to actualize all our good intentions in the real world by behaving kindly
and truly to the real, actual people around us.
Our
beloved teacher Rebbe Nachman of Breslov says a person always be happy and
joyful – all day! In what ways does our emotional state affect our health, our
relationship with people, our studies of Torah and our attachment to G-d?
People can only be truly happy
when they know for certain that they are using their lives to attain something
of lasting value instead of wasting their time on futility. When people know
they are working towards a great and precious goal, they are highly motivated
and can withstand many obstacles and difficulties without suffering
discouragement. Happiness and strong motivation give the physical body health
and strength and we are able to relate to other people positively with a
smiling face. We can also study and pray with a clearer mind and better focus.
All of this deepens our attachment to G-d.
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| Edited by Azamra -- The Essential Rabbi Nachman |
If
someone has an inborn negative trait, such as laziness, arrogance, envy or some
other, is he stuck with that trait or is it possible to change it?
G-d gives each person their own
unique challenge in this world. Some have powerful self-destructive desires for
too much food, money, sexual pleasure, honor and prestige etc. G-d never gives
anyone a test that the person does not have the power to overcome. If we feel
frustrated and unable to change our negative traits, we need to cry out to G-d
in our prayers and ask Him to help us. Because for G-d, nothing is impossible!
With a combination of our prayers to G-d while we continue to make our own
efforts, we can indeed achieve the impossible!
The
male is the opposite of the female and they join together in union in order to
co-create a new child. So is marriage a Mitzvah? Is it one 7 Laws of Noah?
G-d’s first commandment to Adam
and Eve was to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28), which means to have
children. The best way to raise children who will be truly good people is when
the father and mother build a warm, loving, stable environment in the home. It
is no good to breed children who will be self-seeking, hateful, aggressive,
violent and evil. The commandment to have children includes raising and
educating the children to a life of service of G-d. This clearly applies to all
people whether they are Jewish or non-Jewish. Only this way is there any future
for the world.
How
should one observe the mitzvos of the mind? Our deeds are external and visible,
but how can we check our inner bad thoughts before they turn into bad habits?
The Torah puts the primary
emphasis on deeds, such as practicing acts of kindness, helping
others, giving charity, etc. It is usually easier to control our deeds than to
control our thoughts. By training and habituating ourselves to perform good
deeds we automatically begin to harness our thoughts and minds and direct them
to good. Another way we influence our minds and thoughts is through words.
A person may have a bad thought, but if they use their mouth to say
good things – the opposite of their evil thought – this can also be a good
influence on their mind and thoughts.
What
exercises can we engage in to build self-discipline?
Two very simple exercises to build
self-discipline are:
(1) Set yourself a 10-15 daily
period of meditation and personal prayer. You must be there at the time you
have set for yourself, and not allow yourself to get up from the meditation for
the allotted time, even if you think nothing is happening. Try this for 40
days.
(2) Set yourself a daily
schedule of Torah study: for example, to study one chapter of Bible per day, or
x pages of some other Torah work; and if you miss a day, be sure you
catch up the following day!
What
is the purpose of life?
This is surely best answered by
quoting the famous, timeless words of Pirkey Avot:
Rabbi Elazar HaKappar used to
say: Those who are born will die, those who have died will come to life, and
the living will be judged – in order to know, make known, and be aware that He
is G-d, He is the Fashioner, He is the Creator, He is the One who understands,
He is the Judge, He is the Witness, He is the Litigant, and He will eventually
judge. Blessed be He, for before Him there is no wrongdoing, forgetfulness,
favoritism, or the acceptance of bribes — for all is His. And know that
everything is according to a reckoning. And do not let your evil inclination
assure you that the grave is a refuge for you — for against your will were you
created, against your will were you born, against your will do you live,
against your will shall you die, and against your will shall you stand in
judgment before the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. (Pirkey
Avot 4:22)
The
Azamra Institute publishes printed books and also offers regular Torah lessons
on your website. When the Torah and the Kabbalah speak about well-being, does
this refer to spiritual, mental or mental well-being?
Azamra’s teachings on well-being
are holistic, because in our very nature we exist on the spiritual,
mental, emotional and physical planes all at the same time. These different
planes overlap; they are all interconnected. For everything is ultimately a
unity since G-d is One! Thus Azamra is addressing spiritual, mental, emotional
and physical well-being.
What
is the proper daily Torah-study schedule for a Jew and for a non-Jew?
Everyone must have a daily study
schedule of some kind, but each individual is unique, each is on his or her own
level. Some already know more; others are only starting…
Jews and non-Jews should all
have as part of their study schedule a component of Halachah, because the
Halachah teaches us how G-d wants us to follow the path of the mitzvot in
practical situations, and practical action is of paramount importance. How
should we pray? What and how should we eat? How should we observe Shabbat and
festivals? How may we talk – or not talk – about others? How should we show
respect to our parents, teachers, spouses, colleagues and friends? How must we
conduct ourselves at work, in business, in the community, etc.?
Each person needs to study the
Halachah at their own level. In addition, if time permits, it is good to add
other components to one’s schedule. It is desirable to keep up with the Weekly
Torah Portion (Five Books of Moses) and also to become acquainted with the
timeless wisdom contained in the Prophets and Holy Writings (Bible, TaNaCh). It
is also good to study works on faith, belief and personal spiritual development
(e.g. Rabbi Moshe Chayim Luzzatto, “The Path of the Just” and “The Way of God”,
works of Rabbi Nachman).
Azamra Institute
Website: http://www.azamra.org/
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