photo by: Emmanuel Rigaut
Our sages taught that we should consider everything we do before we do it, suggesting that we must learn to control our thoughts too. How though, are we supposed to deal with thoughts when they enter our minds so automatically? Is it really possible to control thoughts? What is the Torah's view regarding the role of memory? How can we ensure that concentration, memory and imagination are working for us rather than against us? These are some of the topics I'll speaking about later today in this week's live broadcast entitled: Your Higher Self.
G-d Willing we'll be broadcasting today's lesson live from the Chut Shel Chesed Yeshiva in Jerusalem at 5:00 PM Israel time. The broadcast, as well as my lessons posted are Mac and iPod compatible. If you tune in too early to the live broadcast link, you'll be sent to the main page of the Breslev Israel website, so try to tune in as follows: 10:00 AM in NY; 7:00 AM in LA and the West Coast, 8:00 AM Denver, 10:00 AM Mexico and Central Daylight; 3:00PM in the UK, 5:00 PM Johannesburg and Capetown, 5:00 PM Israel. G-d willing, we'll try and post a link to the lesson for all those who couldn't see it live by 12:01 AM Monday (Israel time).
If you can't see the broadcast, you might need to download a new version of Flash Media player, which you can do here. We hope you enjoy the broadcast.
With blessings,
Dr. Zev Ballen
When a person following the Emuna Therapy approach says: 'that thought is coming from the Dark Side, it's not a real, holy thought' - they are making that thought completely disappear. Hashem is the only reality here, and He just made that thought disappear. We're not suppressing anything; rather, we just got a whole bunch of Heavenly help, or siyatta dishemaya, to completely take that thought out of our personal picture. It's not buried somewhere deep down, ready to attack us again even harder the next time - it's completely gone.
The other guy who isn't following the Emuna Therapy approach, he's got a problem with "thought suppression", because he's still looking at his thoughts as though they are real, and that he has a real "mental demon" that he has to deal with. Again, if he's trying to deal with that demon without having Hashem in the picture, then after he "suppresses" his thought the demon is going to come back; and he's going to bring his bigger brother with him.
But for us, those mental demons don't exist anymore. They are a mirage. As soon as we tell Hashem that we are true to Him, and that we are loyal to Him, and that we know He is the only reality in our lives, then those negative thoughts simply disappear. We know that they are fake; that they are a...continue here...
Do you want some more great reading? Take a look at these:
Avi's Story - By Rabbi Shalom Arush
Who am I? - by Rabbi Lazer Brody
Divine Letters - By Yael Karni
Selective Amnesia - By Tal Rotem
Emuna and the Job Search - By Dovber HaLevi
Giving Peace a Chance - by Rabbi Shalom Arush
Coming Clean - By Rivka Levy
Above the Sun - By Rabbi Lazer Brody
Opposite World - By Racheli Reckles
The Ten Commandments - By Rabbi David Charlop
Friendship
Bye the way, if you'd like to be friends on facebook don't be shy. All you've got to do is request it here!
image credit: Lou_Tickle
There's a businessman who's having a hard time. The recession has hit, and he's overstocked on merchandise. All of a sudden, the business that he's been building up for years starts sinking. In the meantime, he promised his wife a certain standard of living when they got married, and now he can't deliver on what he promised.
The problem didn't start with the business sinking. The problem started right back at the beginning of the marriage, when the man made a lot of mistakes and failed to treat his wife like an adult, and a real partner in his life. He didn't share what's really going on in his life, in his head, and make her feel important and significant and valued as a person in her own right.
He figured he'd let his money do the talking for him - which kind of worked when he had the money to give her. But now? Now she's feeling left out and resentful and angry. As a result, she's continuing to spend the money that they don't have - and that she doesn't even really want to be spending!
Why is this happening?
It's happening because the husband is failing to meet the wife's deeper needs. It looks like they are fighting over the money, but really, that's a minor detail. When he's telling his wife that they don't have the money, and he's having a go at her for overspending, what he's really saying is that he feels his wife is somehow sabotaging him, and that she doesn't want his efforts to turn things around economically to succeed. He's telling her that she's making him feel as though he's a failure.
In return, the wife feels even less loved and even more punished by her husband, and we have a classic vicious cycle, or what we call the 'Crazy 8' pattern, which just keeps going round and round, making both sides crazier and crazier.
No one can stand the pain and discomfort and reinforced negativity of being in a 'Crazy 8' pattern for long. Let's remember: they aren't really fighting about the money. Once the husband realizes that his wife has some deeper needs that he hasn't been fulfilling since way back when they first got married, he'll start trying to fulfil them. And when he does, the money issue all but disappears. It's practically gone. Why? Because now, the wife is receiving much more unconditional love and giving from her husband. He's making an effort to be home for dinner more; to spend more quality time with her and the kids, and to take the kids out more. He's holding back all the critical remarks and anger and resentment that he sometimes still feels. But even when those feelings well up, he's holding them back - and that is making all the difference in the world to his relationship with his wife.
He knows he's got a lot of mistakes to fix from the beginning of the marriage, but with emuna, he can undo them all, very quickly.
Deeper needs
The following 'deeper needs' are universal, and apply to men, women, children and everyone:
When it comes to us and our relationships, we have to ask ourselves: how far would I actually go to help that person, and to be with them in their trials and tribulations? Can I give them my all? 100%? Do I really have that love in me?
The answer is, yes, you do! But most of us really don't know that it's there. If we haven't pushed ourselves, or demanded it from ourselves, or unleashed it, then we haven't yet accessed that real, deep, love that we actually feel towards our spouses and kids, and also towards ourselves. That love is so very powerful. But most of us haven’t got anywhere near harnessing it properly, yet.
So instead, we get caught up in our heads, trying to work out and strategise 'what to do' about specific people, situations or problems. We forget that we love these people, and that our love for them is so powerful, it can push through anything. But before we can harness our love, we first have to be connected to it. Only once we connect to it, can we share it with our spouses, kids, colleagues, friends, neighbours, ourselves, and also G-d.
Love is the power that will bring Moshiach. Love is Hashem Himself. Love is Hashem's greatest midda, or character trait. Hashem loves everyone and everything He created, and His love is perfect and unlimited.
Of course, we're not Hashem! We are human and limited, and our love has flaws and limitations and biases. But we can still aspire to emulate Hashem to the best of our abilities. In fact, that 's the purpose of our life - to emulate G-d and perfect our character. We have to strive to live by the spiritual values that will prepare us and groom us to be able to make the right choices.
With Blessings,
Dr. Zev Ballen
image credit: kighting
Your soul is completely good - just like Hashem. That's why His love for you is endless. You can encourage yourself with this at anytime - No matter that you have a yetzer hara - Hashem will never leave you.
This is the subject of today's broadcast entitled "You're Good." It's sponsored by Breslev Israel.
You can see it today Wednesday at 5:00 PM Israel time at our Chut Shel Chessed Yeshiva, 13 Shmuel Hanavi Street, Jerusalem, in the main sanctuary. Everyone is welcome, both men and women so if you're anywhere near Jerusalem, come on by! You can see today's lesson here - the broadcast, as well as our lessons posted from now on - are Mac and iPod compatible. If you tune in too early to the live broadcast link, you'll be sent to the main page of the Breslev Israel website, so try to tune in on time as follows (Israel is still on winter time while the USA is still on Daylight Savings time): 8:00 AM in LA and the West Coast, 9:00 AM Denver, 10:00 AM Mexico and Central Daylight, 11 AM EDT, 4 PM in the UK, 5:00 PM Johannesburg and Capetown, 5:00 PM Israel. As soon as we can, G-d willing, we'll post a link to the lesson for all those who couldn't see it live. If you can't see the broadcast, you might need to download a new version of Flash Media player, which you can do here.
We hope you enjoy the broadcast. I hope you can join me.
With Blessings,
Dr. Zev Ballen
By Dr. Zev Ballen
Rabbi Lazer Brody, who for years has been a steadfastly loyal pupil of Rav Shalom Arush, told me that though many people know that Rav Arush is a tzaddik, they still don't know what level of tzaddik he is - his spiritual powers are simply awesome.
The following two stories prove it.
I heard from Rav Dror Moshe Cassuto that there was a large gathering of people, here in Israel, several years ago. Thousands of people came to participate and hear a panel of distinguished Rabbis speak.
The organizer of this event had the merit to drive Rabbi Dovid Stern from Bnei Brak to the gathering. Rabbi Dovid Stern is the son of one of the thirty-six hidden tzaddikim of our generation. On the way, in the car, the organizer of the event remarked to Rabbi Dovid Stern, 
that there is someone who makes CD's, his name is Shalom Arush. He said, 'I simply cannot stand to hear that man's voice.'
Rabbi Dovid looked the man squarely in the eyes and said: 'You obviously don't know who you are speaking about. Rabbi Shalom Arush has achieved something than no human being has achieved since the creation of the world.'
If you have any doubt about it - read this:
My chavrusa (study partner) told me this story. He heard it from Rav Dror.
There was a man living here in Israel. He was a non-religious Jew whose wife divorced him. The man was given a terrible judgment in court. He had to pay almost his whole salary to his ex-wife every month. As time went on, he became more and more depressed. It was bad enough to lose his family, but to work like a dog for the rest of his life and have nothing for himself - that was too much to bear. He decided he would end his life.
He took his car out on the highway. He put his foot all the way down on the accelerator and thought that eventually he would crash into something - then his suffering would be over.
The car raced up to 90mph...then 100mph...then 115mph - When all of a sudden, the young man saw one of Rabbi Shalom Arush's CD's sitting next to him. One of Rabbi Shalom Arush's students had given it to him at an intersection. He had never listened to it.
Seconds away from disaster, his hand inexplicably reached for the CD. He thought that if he listened to it as he was leaving this world at least he would go out listening to something holy. He was hoping that this would help him in the next world. He shoved the disk into the player and hit the button a few times. By now he was flying at 120 mph. He didn't care about listening to the disk from the beginning. It started someone in the middle.
The very first words that he heard Rabbi Shalom say were: "WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF?" Continue here...
Have a Blessed week!
Dr. Zev Ballen
