We explore chapter 11 of Tanya. This chapter describes the different categories of rasha, the “wicked” person. We discuss how the rasha seems to always have a means of turning things around, through having remorse and regret, except for the rare instance of the “rasha who only has evil,” which is the one whose divine soul no longer dwells within. We go a short tangent about the issue of suffering as penance from a spiritual care perspective as it relates to Tanya. I offer perspective on how the paradigms being established in Tanya are getting to core issues about overcoming tendencies in our lives.
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Concluding chapter 10. We continue to discuss the incomplete tzaddik, focusing on how the incompleteness is due to a small minute amount of animal soul remains after it is vanquished. We explore imperfection and vulnerability along the way to becoming “perfect,” referencing a blog post, Vulnerability, from two days ago. We also discuss the ultimate goal of doing good as unification of the divine attributes, not spiritual growth as a means of the self desire to connect to Gd. From this, I offer a thought about spiritual growth in general as a continuous process that must go beyond self needs.
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Part one of chapter 10. This chapter presents the distinction between the complete and incomplete tzaddik (righteous person). We discuss the redemptive quality of overcoming our physical desires as it relates to the categories of complete and incomplete tzaddik. And, for the Star Wars people out there, I make a comparison to the battle of the light vs. dark side.
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Part two of chapter nine. The chapter continues with the theme of our mind and heart being vessels for the soul as a means of describing the internal struggle we face on a constant basis. This struggle is the battle of the animal soul vs. the divine soul. The mission is for the divine soul to overcome the animal soul by cultivating a deep, passionate love for Gd. We reflect on how the “evil inclination”, the yetzer hara, is a tool to help us overcome the animal soul.
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Yesterday, as I was sitting and scrolling through Facebook and Twitter, I was seeing reminders of the big Daf Yomi Siyum HaShas (completion of the daily study of one page of Talmud a day which takes 7.5 yrs to complete) event that took place Jan. 1 2020 at MetLife stadium and other venues around the world. In seeing these posts, I began to reflect on the drive to maintain daily disciplines, whether study, prayer, spiritual practice, new hobby, etc. What does it take to maintain these self-driven desires for improvement, for growth? How do we start a daily routine and keep it going without becoming self-absorbed in it to the detriment of those around us?
Here is an outline of how to best work towards true goal setting and change:
What do we want to change? Before getting into the muck of why and how we want to bring about change, we must first name the change, either in specific or in general terms. Name the thing we want to do different.
Why do I want to change? What is motivating the change? For some, it is the humdrum nature of the lives we are currently living. For others, there is a deep yearning of the soul for growth and connection to something far greater than ourselves. Maybe we feel stuck, lost, drained. And maybe we need to make a better change to foster better, healthier habits and choices. Regardless, in order to set goals and maintain change, the motivation for why needs to be clear and needs to be constantly reviewed so as to remember why we started down this path.
How do I bring about the change in behavior? Truth is, this might be the toughest category to reflect upon. Making a big change to establish a new routine and/or goal requires a multiplicity of smaller changes which can affect others. Do I need to change my sleep habits? Do I need to delete an app from my phone that I’m addicted to? How do I balance a new routine with the needs of my family? These questions and many others require time and discussion as we work on scheduling and establishing this new thing. As such, each of us needs to take a two prong approach. On the one hand, begin the journey. Don’t wait for everything to line up perfectly because it never will. On the other hand, make sure those around you support you as best they can. It can be hard for others to fit your change into their lives. For true spiritual growth, we need to be working toward finding a balance of our desires with the needs of those around us.
Don’t overthink – With those other three suggestions, remember to not overanalyze and overthink the journey. It is easy to get paralyzed in all the details of how to make it work instead of just Do It. Sometimes, the doing makes the rest fall into place. Sometimes it will be imperfect. Sometime it might even be going through the motions. But as you do and you build step by step, seeing how far you have come will help motivate on those days it is more difficult to get going.
Don’t get overwhelmed by the process. Going back to the Daf Yomi as an example, it is easy to feel like the task is too big. I know that studying a page a day can be very challenging, which is why I have failed at it more often than I remember (by fail I mean I fall off and stop). I am in the midst of trying again. This time, my motivations have changed and my focus is different. I hope to maintain the success and am proud of how I try each day, even when it is far from an ideal situation.
These 5 ideas are how I work on setting my goals and how I work with others to set and maintain their spiritual growth and work.
May each of us find the motivation and focus to succeed along the path we wish to set before us in our spiritual and emotional growth.
Set goals for this year and looking to uncover and solidify the why and how of making the goals stick? Contact New Beginnings Spiritual Coaching and Consulting LLC at 732-314-6758 ext. 100 or via email at newbeginningsspiritualcoach@gmail.com
Part one of Chapter 9. This episode discusses the Alter Rebbe’s understanding of location of the animal and divine souls within the human being. We get a glimpse into how he understands action vs. thought as it pertains to the body/soul relationship. We see the importance of spirituality being a combination of intellect (contemplation) and emotion.
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This episode discusses some key ideas from chapter 8. The chapter continues along the discussion of whether actions take precedence over thought or vice versa through a continuation about consuming permitted and forbidden food. If I eat permitted food for the wrong reason or eat forbidden food for the sake of invigorating my spiritual self, what are the negative results. Additionally, this chapter discusses idle speech, neglecting Torah study and the effect of other intellectual pursuits as it relates to spiritual growth.
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Last part of Chapter 7. We discuss two situations, one in which regular penance, teshuva, will uplift the negative to positive and one in which the effects of teshuva will only bring about change in the spiritual realm post-death. I also briefly discuss how our mission is to plant the seeds and see what will grow and change from the seeds planted.
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Part 2 of chapter 7. We discuss what happens when we do the right action for the wrong reasons and how to overcome the taint to our soul as a result. This section deals with repentance out of love being the higher level that can remove the taints on our soul from doing forbidden actions and how we can relate to this concept through understanding different ways we ask for forgiveness.
Do you want to work on taking the actions of your life and find meaning in all you do and who you are? Contact New Beginnings Spiritual Coaching and Consulting LLC at 732-314-6758 ext. 100 or via email at newbeginningsspiritualcoach@gmail.com
Part one of chapter 7. We discuss the intermediary animal soul, the kelipat nogah (shell that contains light) and how we can elevate this soul through our actions. The actions that elevate the soul are those things we do for the sake of having the vitality and strength to grow ourselves spirituality and connect to Gd. We explore a couple of examples of actions that can seem purely physical that can really be spiritual enhancers.
Do you want to work on taking the actions of your life and find meaning in all you do and who you are? Contact New Beginnings Spiritual Coaching and Consulting LLC at 732-314-6758 ext. 100 or via email at newbeginningsspiritualcoach@gmail.com
New beginnings: A blog about spirituality, chaplaincy and renewal 