How many falls must a baby get back up from as he or she grows into becoming a person. It's so inspiring to watch babies
as they don't even worry about their falls but simply get up and keep on trucking.
We all have a gift that is deep within us. It's the self-confidence of having gotten up from thousands
of falls! Hashem programmed everyone with a powerful innate drive for mastery. Toddlers are impervious to the bumps and bruises that are part of the exhilaration of
learning to stand up and walk. They simply tune out the pain in order to succeed. Hashem led us on and
simultaneous put into our parent's minds to lead us only as much as was necessary but to not worry or interfere with us too much.
Rebbe Nachman begins his book Restore My Soul by telling us
how vitally important it is to know how to fall and how to get up because it's inevitable that in our effort to climb the ladder of spirituality there will be times that we will fall as well as rise up. We therefore need to become very "expert," says Rebbe Nachman, in: how to
find G-d when we're 'going up' (by not becoming arrogant) and how to find G-d when we're 'going down' too.
In either case, we must gird our
loins, and strengthen ourselves, as we did so long ago and act with the pure
inner-driven faith that enabled us to succeed when we learned to walk by ourselves. Just as the toddler never
despairs and gives up so mustn't we. Let's show Hashem that we're willing to search for Him in whatever situation we're in.
One way of becoming an expert in finding Hashem, even in the
falls, is to remember and re-visit as much as possible, our earliest successes
which have been most deeply engraved into our pure and innocent infant minds.
Like ink on clean white paper. Good is to be remembered. We want access to all
the good that was done for us and is in us. It's only the bad that should be
forgotten. We need to preserve and keep those positive, loving and inspiring
elements of our past relationships before us and around us at all times. Once you work to find Hashem (the goodness in yourself and in your personal history, for example
the love and encouragement you received from parents, siblings, relatives,
teachers, coaches etc., then you must work to strengthen those neural pathways anyway you can, and through an awareness of them keep them alive and active.
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
