12 Steps to lift you in difficult times

The following are some tidbits for strengthening oneself in trying and difficult times. It is our hope that they will be of true and eternal help:

1.      The main area of free will in life is regarding Faith/Emuna. To choose to believe that Hashem is running your life and not you.

2.      Know and believe that when the evil one sees that you are getting so close to the "gold mine" he makes life dark, upside down and totally futile just to totally sidetrack you from getting to the gold. All you can do is cry, lift your eyes Heavenward and not give up for a better future (and present).

3.      For the sake of free will Hashem enables you to connect to Him even in the most darkest of situations. This is especially expressed in one's ability to speak to Him and yearn for His closeness even within one's personal mess.

4.      The power of Torah study - especially the teachings of the True Tzaddikim - is so great that even the person "trapped" in the deepest concealment can attain a true arousal to come back to Hashem.

5.      The farthest places and situations from holiness contain specifically the highest levels of hidden holiness. it is our job to uncover and reveal these hidden sparks by connecting and coming back to Hashem from these low places.

6.      When things are going so "seemingly" bad that it seems so "obvious" that Heaven is behind all this - know that things are on their way for the good. But - it depends on your positive outlook and keeping your cool under the duress.

7.      Living life is like experiencing the fear and panic of the cries and roars of wild beasts in a deep jungle. But, if you listen closer, you will hear and notice that it is truly a beautiful melody that they are singing. (see The Exchanged Children; R. Nachman's Stories)

8.      When everything is simply "falling down" on you to the point that it is absolutely ridiculous and clear Divine Providence - all one can do is to say "thank you" for all the good within the turbulence.

9.  Possibly, the greatest joy in life is "picking-up" and properly understanding the meaning of the hints that Hashem sends you through your daily trials and tribulations.

10.  When a person is tuned in to Hashem and His Divine Providence, when hit with such a down to the extent that he is so bitter that he doesn't even want Hashem anymore, still in His compassion He still sends that person personal salvation. This is because Hashem knows that deep down inside a person wants to be a good Jew. It's just that the external pressure of the situation pushes a person to act the way he does.

11.  Normally when a person is suddenly faced with feelings of major futility, weakness, depression and rejection it could be because they are about to go up a new level in life. And these feelings are the souls "symptoms" of feeling the new evil forces that will have to be overcome at this new level. So.... cheer up and don't give up. For Hashem won't send you an overwhelming situation. 

And if one "nevertheless" finds oneself in "terminal" and "dead-end" overwhelming situations, know that this emanates from a profound blemish of faith (see Likutey Moharan part 2 lesson 5).

And the only way to heal this "fallen" faith is by seeking out deep counsels from Hashem as set out in His Torah and by His Tzaddikim. For they all offer deep and sound advice for every conceivable and seemingly dead-end situation in life.

This is so since Hashem is called "First and Last" - meaning that no matter how low you may fall, Hashem, your Creator - is always a "step-ahead" in that He has already "prepared" a safety-net "below your down" to help you come out. But first, Emuna must be rectified.

This Emuna constitutes Emuna in Hashem, His Tzaddikim, His Torah, and "especially" in your true worth and precious value in Hashem's Eyes.

12.  Thus, to deal with the seemingly overwhelming situation, you cannot hit it "head-on". Rather you must go a step above, dealing with the "source" of the terminal situation - namely a lack and blemish of Faith.

And if in the meanwhile the situation is so painful that "you rather be..." (G-d forbid) you can subconsciously ponder this point of attaining deep advice that is even deeper than your situation and can help you out of the situation. It exists but you must seek it out. The key is obviously praying about this itself.

 * * *

For those familiar with the teachings and guidelines of Rebbe Nachman, his teachings/advice and his following, there is major, major emphasis put on spending the Rosh Hashanah holiday by his gravesite in Uman, the Ukraine. 

In a nutshell and very briefly, Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Judgement where one needs the best defense lawyer possible to pass this serious day with a positive outcome, since it is a day that determines the rest of the year (and one's life!). Thus, the concept of travelling to be with Tzaddikim (our best defense lawyers in the Heavenly Court) for the Rosh Hashanah holiday.

Another very special point about Rebbe Nachman's grave is his promise and oath to do everything in his power to pull a person out of the lowest abyss of hell. This promise is directed to those who visit his gravesite, give there a coin to charity towards the merit of Rebbe Nachman's soul, then recite the Ten Psalms known as the Tikkun Haklali (The General Remedy), and take upon themselves not to resort to folly again. (see: http://www.breslov.org/bookstore/inspirational/rebbe-nachman-39-s-tikkun-softcover/prod_39.html).

Thus, the Breslover Chassidim, followers of Rebbe Nachman and his teachings, combine the 2 by reciting the Tikkun Haklali on the eve of Rosh Hashanah by his gravesite in Uman. Because of it's importance there is a customary united recitation of the Tikkun Haklali at exactly 12 noon in Uman where everyone together recites the Tikkun Haklali on behalf of the entire world.

For some video clips of last years recitation in Uman, please follow:

· http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP7ouzN65VE - the recitation inside the courtyard of Rebbe Nachman's holy grave

· http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwlGEDLjzPo - the joy immediately following the recitation

I am eagerly willing to recite the Tikkun Haklali at the noon-time united recitation specifically on behalf of the names of people who can help and chip in to this important and special opportunity:

·         50$ per name

·         100$ for every 3 names

To send participating funds:

1.   via paypal at:      https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=43L2R4XSC7GL4. In the description box on the left please include your Hebrew name along with mother's Hebrew name. If this is not possible, then full English name will suffice.

2.   or send a check or money-order to: 

Meir Elkabas

11 Polansky St.

Jerusalem, Israel

95271

(don't forget to include the names)

* * *

Sincerely and with blessings for a wonderful and awesome New Year

Article by: Meir Elkabas

Email: breslovtherapy@gmail.com.

Ebooks of Rav Perets Auerbach available now!

Dear Readers,

The Rav Perets Auerbach, director at "The Merkavah Center" - Music, Meditation & Mysticism... [exciting Breslev Shabbatons, Yeshiva & Midrasha (classes in chasidus/kabala/meditation), soulful chizuk performances, Rosh Chodesh drum circles, trips to visit Rebbe Nachman in Uman (including festive Tish & housing for Rosh HaShanah), & much more...], the Rav have wonderful E-books available right now! We absolutely recommend the following E-books:
 

Hitbodidut book is $25, Zohar $20. Also, Sha'ar HaGilgulim translation/commentary $25. Also biography of R. Levy Yitschak's life $15

 

Anyone who wants to buy the e-books can send a check for $85 to:

Perets c/o R. Stern
Rechove HaMekubalim 3 Old City
Jerusalem Israel 97500

 

Rav Perets Auerbach

 

Visit FB:

https://www.facebook.com/ravperets.auerbach

Where We've Been

KABBALAH'S CREATION PROCESS

***WHERE WE'VE BEEN

We have covered in the last few weeks, in our attempt to grasp what the essence of Kabbalistic consciousness is all about, a few major approaches. Two weeks ago, we dealt with the aspect of Esoterics referred to as 'Chochmat Hanistar' [The Hidden Wisdom]...We focused on meditations to enable us to see and be receptive as much as possible, to all that which is seeable as well as that which is normally not seen at all.........Last week we focused on Kabbalahs Unity Consciousness. Another definitive aspect of Kabbalistic consciousness----that of making Hashem the center of our lives, was a topic that we learned together the week before we began this Kabbalah series.

 ***TZIMTZUM

We are now ready to plunge into the beginning---The Genesis of all Kabbalistic Wisdom---The Creation Process. The Master Kabbalist--R. Yitzchak Luria--The Holy Arizal, brings at the beginning of his master Kabbalistc work--'The Eitz Chaim' [The Tree of Life], the following description of the Creation Process;;

 ''Before all things were created...the Supernal light was simple. It filled all existence. There was no empty space which would be space , emptiness or void. Everything was filled with the simple OR AIN SOF [transcendent light of Infinity]. There was no category of beginning and no category of end. All was one simple undifferentiated light of Infinty. When it arose in His simple Will to create all universes, He constricted His Infinite light, distancing it to the sides around a center point, leaving a vacated [spherical] space in the middle of the light of AIN SOF... After this constriction [Tzimtzum] took place...there was a place into which all things could be brought into existence [Atzilut], created [Briah] , formed [Yetzirah] and completed [Asiyah]. He then drew a simple concentrated ray from the light of Infinity that surrounded the space......The upper extremity of this ray touched the light of Infinity that surrounded the space and extended towards it's center. It was through this ray, serving as a conduit, that the [immanent] light of Infinity was brought down and spread into the entire vacated space.''

 Let us extract from the Arizal's words, the essential components---there are three;

1. THE ENDLESS LIGHT-------This Divine presence was all there was in the beginning

 2. THE VACANT SPACE-------The Infinite One-G-d, removed or hid Himself

 3. THE KAV------- [the conduit or ray]---A graduated drawing down of the Infinite light into the Vacant space, in order to slowly , but surely reinfinitize this space

***HOW TO APPROACH THIS 3-STEP PROCESS

 It's crucial to understand at this point, that Kabbalistic wisdom, in general and specifically--it's depiction of the creation process, is not meant to be looked at as something that happened once upon a time in history--and then it's over and done with. Quite to the contrary, all that Kabbalah teaches, especially regarding the creation Process, is something that transcends time and space-----a revelation of holy universal physics processes that are meant to be studied carefully and seen as the templates and paradigms of all that happens in our lives. Therefore, when we analyze this 3-step Creation process called the Tzimtzum or Constriction process, we are meant to extract from the entire process or from its component arts, as much as possible ---as many life applications and ramifications as we can come up with. This 3-step process is the foundation for all subsequent processes---everything that comes after it in Kabbalah and in reality, is rooted in this primordial process.

***UNIVERSAL EXTRAPOLATIONS OF THIS PROCESS;

 A CONTEMPLATION

 Let us begin to open up a different part of our minds---different than the meditative side that we keep bringing---Let's open up the contemplative side. Before I bring a number of universal life applications or extrapolations of this process, first do the following contemplation; Focus on the 3-step Creation process--as a whole and each of its parts.....Try to come up with as many life-applications as you can [here's an example, to lead you in the right direction----The overall process teaches that hiding oneself...ie... paralleling G-d's hiding... allows for the manifestation of 'the other' ---something other than oneself ]____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

 ***A LIST OF TZIMTZUM EXTRAPOLATIONS

1.  birth process 2. making room for others 3. revealing Hashem's Presence everywhere [despite the illusion that He's not there] 4. revealing that which is hidden 5. nothing stands in the way of desire 6. constriction is the key to expansion 7. emulating this process in our own creative expression 8. being able to carry both sides of paradox 9. single-minded hyper-focus 10. the spiritual growth process of yearning for that which is beyond us

2.   ***TZIMTZUM EXTRAPOLATION MEDITATIONS

1.  The Birth Process The Source --------------

The 2nd step of the Tzimtzum process ---the Vacant Space--represents an absence and a void [of the infinite Divine presence].... As the saying goes, ''Nature abhors a void'', therefore the Void automatically 'gives birth'. In the Creation process, the birth is a grand birth of all created beings. So we see that a void elicits a birth process---the greater the void, the greater the birth [as we see from the magnanimousness of the Creator's Void and the resulting birth process.... The Birth Process Meditation---------Identify in your life a birth process that you are presently going through.....Know that everyone is usually being born in one way or another sometimes more; in an intense and meaningful way--- sometimes less.....Know that this birth process usually comes as a combination of Higher Divine influences [ie...Hashem determines that you are ready to be slowly and surely eased into a new reality] , as well as your own expression of willingness and readiness [whether you have done this in a conscious or unconscious way] ......Know also that a birth process will usually unfold on it's own, but you can turn up the intensity by increasing the urgency...ie.. the unbearable impact of not yet being born.....Therefore, do this---Once you identify and realize the nature of your birth process---what it is all about---how far along you are---how ready you are to be born------then decide if you want to turn up the intensity of your Void or your urgency---act accordingly---first in a meditative mode ---projecting in your mind where you are at in the birth process, and where you would like to be-----then make it or let it happen in real life.... more to come …

  my best,
Yitzchak

****for those interested in private Kabbalistic based guidance and\ or teaching, contact;

yitzchakschwartz@msn.com