podcasts – Page 5 – New beginnings: A blog about spirituality, chaplaincy and renewal

Audio – Lessons in Tanya 42

Part one of chapter 27. We continue our discussion of finding the joy in the midst of sadness/melancholy. This time, the focus is on how we are building resistance to sin through pushing away our negative thoughts during our day to day business. Even when not involved in “holy” work, we are able to grow and improve passively by avoiding allowing the evil inclination to push us to sin.

Episode 42

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Audio – Lessons in Tanya 41

End of Chapter 26 – In this short piece, we reflect on how to divert the feeling of sadness to a specific time and place for reflection. This reflection should allow a person to find the wholeness again from a broken heart and from contrition. The goal is to the see and experience the joy that should come out of the sadness.

Episode 41

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Audio – Lessons in Tanya 40

Part one of Chapter 26. This chapter discusses finding positive growth in the midst of sadness and darkness. We delve into the beginnings of the theology of how we find hope in tragedy, meaning in suffering, light within darkness. This relates to inspiring people to continue to work on spiritual growth even when things seem lost. The Alter Rebbe suggests that we may never understand the why and that our push to succeed might be like planting the seeds for some future time. None of this pushes aside the pain and sadness. Rather, it is a his call to reflect on trying to see farther and deeper, which for most of us is nearly impossible to do. It doesn’t we despair and don’t reflect. Rather, we recognize our limitations as human beings to prognosticate on the whys of the future.

Episode 40

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Audio – Lessons in Tanya 39

Final section of Chapter 25. This last section deals with two topics.

1. The daily need for forgiveness for the negligence that is our human imperfection as it relates to not constantly fulfilling study of Torah and performing mitzvot. This negligence is in contrast to willfully abrogating the law, for which teshuva is much more complicated.

2. A review of how reciting Shema 2x a day is a message of absolute loyalty to Gd. It is about commitment. Spiritual growth and connection to faith is ideally about absolute commitment.

We look at how we have to commit to change and not just claim we want it.

Finally, we end off with a short Torah thought based on Parashat Yitro regarding Gd’s revelation of Torah at Mount Sinai in light of what we have studied as it relates to Gd revealing Gdself distilled through the Torah.

Shabbat Shalom.

Episode 39

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Audio – Lessons in Tanya 38

Part of two of chapter 25. This section deals with the phrase “doing good” as it relates to the hidden love, the divine soul within each of us. Even when we aren’t feeling the connection consciously, the love and connection to Gd is built in for us to work to draw upon in order to foster the relationship we want to have. In this piece I also touch on how the well could go dry but not when it comes to the divine soul.

Episode 38

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Audio – Lessons in Tanya 37

Part one chapter 25. This recording reviews some of the concepts we have seen in the previous chapters about how to overcome the spirit of folly. If we presume our ability to love and fear Gd are always present, we have the tools needed to sustain our positive spiritual growth. This section reviews the importance of relationship with the divine as part of the ability to overcome our mistakes. I also add in a plug for spiritual growth as relational and my work as a spiritual coach. I also offer a special wish at the end of the show to my older son as he turns 13 today on the Gregorian calendar (Hebrew birthday upcoming in a week).

Episode 37

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Audio – Lessons in Tanya 35

Part one of Chapter 24 This chapter explores how violating the 365 prohibitions of the Torah leads to a sense of separation from Gd. The previous chapters looked at how our actions lead to a closeness and a unification with the divine. This chapter shares the opposite, reflecting on different degrees of sin. We mess up because of our sense of self and we mess up because the animal soul influences us to the point of folly. The latter might help us understand the difference between the Beinoni and the Rasha. Finally, this lesson also contains a short message for Tu B’Shvat at the end of the recording.

Episode 35

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Audio – Lessons in Tanya 34

Chapter 23. This chapter discusses the concept of the Torah and Gd are one. In this chapter, we go deeper into the centrality of Torah study as the ultimate way to be in unity with Gd. We explore how our actions allow us to be a vessel for the divine but the pursuit of engaging Gd through Torah allows us to be one, even at the level of the soul.

Episode 34

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Audio – Lessons in Tanya 33

Chapter 22. We continue on the topic of Divine vs Human speech with a discussion of the Torah speaking in the language of humanity. The Torah uses our way of seeing the world to describe Gd, so on some level we see Gd’s speech as being “separate” from Gd. This leads into a discussion of how Gd can allow for the notion of denial of Gd in the universe, exploring in greater depth the ramifications of the term tzimtzum (contraction). Chapter 22 focuses on how people come to “false worship,” the notion of having “other Gods before Gd,” which is prohibited in the 10 commandments. We get into a discussion of arrogance and humility as it relates to our relationship to Gd and to how speech is the crux of the connection between the divine and human.

Episode 33

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Audio – Lessons in Tanya 32

Chapter 21. We continue to explore the mechanism of speech. This chapter focuses on how we understand what it means when it says Gd spoke. What is divine speech in relation to human speech? We explore the topic of Gd’s unity as it pertains the bringing into existence of being. We also discuss the topic of Tzimtzum and Hester Panim, contraction and the veiling of Gd’s face.

Episode 32

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