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 Healing is generated from knowing who you are. There is a hassidic story told about Reb Zusya of Hanipol. When asked by his students why his teachings were different than those of his master's, he replied, "when I reach the Gates of Heaven I will not be asked why I haven't lived my life as Abraham or as Moses, but why I didn't live it as Reb Zusya". Each and everyone of us has unique needs for spiritual learning. Rather that quoting what others have said in the past. This learning experience can help you, like Reb Zusya, to fulfill your own potentials for learning that's meaningful to you, and you alone.
Other religions
practice their own spiritual exercises--Sufi's whirl, Buddhists
meditate and Hindus chant--but Jews study. Intense study, whether alone,
with a partner or in a group, brings about a deep intellectual
connection to God. The Zohar, the
unquestioned guide to Jewish mysticism, is organized as a running
commentary to the Torah. One might go as far as to say that it's an
interpretive Midrash on the Torah. Actually, the Zohar itself
suggests that man also is a Torah; and by using man as an analogy of
the Torah, through analysis of the text, we can excavate our deep
unconscious and uncover our psychic negativities. This process of
bringing unconscious material to consciousness is essential for healing.
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This Week in Torah Study along with us each week. This Week in Torah keeps you up-to-date with the current Torah portion. It focuses on key verses of each portion (sedra) and guides you through ideas that would be most personally meaningful to you. Like Reb Zusya, you can learn to fulfill your own potentials. JewishLink now offers an entire month's worth of Torah portions, in response to the many requests we received to provide more continuity to the weekly portions. July 4, 2009 - Parashat Chukat Parashat Balak July 11, 2009 - Parashat Pinchas July 18, 2009 - Parashat Matot and Masei July 25, 2009 - Parashat Devarim The Jewish prayer book lists
the
most important achievements a person can accomplish. The list includes
acts of kindness, hospitality to guests, visiting the sick and
concludes
with "and the study of Torah is equivalent to them all". Our Rabbis taught that deeper insight into both the Torah and our lives is possible from reading between the lines and connecting the spaces between the stories. The pace and pressures of the work week often do not afford us the freedom to discuss personal or essential questions. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel calls Shabbat an "island of time", a detachment from things and practical affairs, as well as an attachment to spirit. Small talk and sluggish fatigue surround the Shabbat table, instead of engaging dialogue and revitalizing conversation. The questions in each weeks sedra is intended to serve as a springboard for personal inquiry and and meaningful Shabbat conversations. We also suggest reading the
article
entitled "The Mystery of Torah"You
can use this link as a basis for synagogue, havurah or home Torah
discussion. Keeping notes of your responses to the questions would be
helpful
to monitor your progress. |
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