One night, the Shah dressed up as a peasant to enjoy the evening air undisturbed by his rank, and to wander through the streets of his empire unnoticed. He walked through town and reached the poor section of town. The street was quiet, but suddenly he heard singing from a little cottage. As he peaked through the window he saw a man sitting at a table.
He was amazed that such a poor man would be in such good spirits. He knocked on the door and asked if he would be welcome to join the man as a guest. They ate and drank together. After the meal the Shah asked the man how he earned his living.
“I am a poor Jew, I fix shoes in the street, and with what I earn I sustain myself for that day.” answered the man.
“But what will be your fate if something happens to you or you get too old to work?”” asked the Shah.
“Oh I do not worry about that,” the man said happily. “I know God will provide.”
The Shah decided to test the faith of the poor man. The next day he issued a decree that forbidded anyone to fix shoes in the street. The Jew was stunned when he found out this new law, but he contemplated looking inward and said, “God, I am certain that you will provide.”
He looked around himself and saw a man with water jugs on his shoulders, and he saw that he can become a water carrier. So he hauled water from the town well, and sold enough to buy food for a day.
That evening, curious how the poor man made out, the Shah returned to the man’s house.
“How are you?” he asked upon entering. I came to see how you survived the new law.”
“God provided for me today,” the Jew answered happily. “One door closed, but God opened another. I am now a water carrier.”
The following day the Shah issued a new decree that carrying water for pay was not allowed. So the Jew spoke to God, and when he looked about him, he saw men going into the woods to cut trees for firewood. This he went with them and made enough for food for the day.
That night the Shah came again to check on the poor Jew. To test his faith more, the following day he ordered all wood cutters to the palace. When they arrived, with our poor Jew among them, he issued guard garb for them and a sword. They would be paid, but not until the end of the month. Our man was now really puzzled, for he had no food for one day, Continue reading “How to Live More Abundantly… a Jewish Story”
What is MY Tikkun?
As I said in my last blogpost, my 72-name is “Forget Thyself.”
In my “Your Soul’s Purpose” process it was worded this way “Bring The Divine to Everything.”
Two different wordings, neither of them made a difference, until today.
As I was reflecting on the last article I wrote, it occurred to me that one of my “unanswerable questions” is: “Am I smart enough?”
If a question is unanswerable, you want to know Continue reading “What is MY Tikkun?”
The Spiritual Rules of Engagement
If you can only read one book in your whole life, read this book. Especially if you are a woman. But it can be very fundamentally revolutionary for a man as well, except I am not a man, so I can only guess.
I bought this book, The Spiritual Laws of Engagement The Spiritual Rules of Engagement: How Kabbalah Can Help Your Soul Mate Find You
Characteristically, to me, as soon as I got it, I did not want to read the “Engagement” book. I didn’t want to be engaged, i didn’t believe I can attract my soul mate, so why bother. So I lent it to Sandy, my neighbor, she is 38 or so, single, and desperate. Not me, no sir. Continue reading “The Spiritual Rules of Engagement”
What is Kabbalah and Why Should You Care?
Imagine that you got yourself a car without a user’s manual. Or a computer. And there would be no person that you know that even knows what they are about… these items would rust, collect dust, be in the way… instead of giving you the power to quickly get from one place to the other, or to solve seemingly impossible problems, communicate to millions with your computer.
This is exactly the situation with regards to life on Earth, with regards to human beings.
Billions of people wonder, daily, why they are here, and what they are supposed to do. Are you one of them? I sure am and have been.
Billions of people wonder why life isn’t working the way it is supposed to work… because somehow we KNOW that life is supposed to be satisfying, joyeous, and full of light and love and pleasure.
What if there were a User’s Manual, and it were being “translated” little by little, so every human being that is interested in “riding the horse in the direction it’s going” could figure out which direction the horse is going. Because with life it is not that easy: even though the smell (life stinks) gives us clues… but life is ultimately more complicated that riding a horse. Continue reading “What is Kabbalah and Why Should You Care?”
Who am I and what gives me the right to write about Kabbalah
Good question, right? You were just about asking that… Gotcha!
OK, simple question, simple answer.
First I tell you what I am not:
- I am not a Kabbalist. Kabbalists study, practice, and teach Kabbalah full time, for many many years. It could be even said that being a Kabbalist is like an insider… you need to be appointed.
- I am not a teacher of Kabbalah
- I am not a guru
- I am not someone who knows a lot about Kabbalah but doesn’t live it.
OK, then what am I? Continue reading “Who am I and what gives me the right to write about Kabbalah”