The New Year is on!

All those wishes and changes and vessel-building — now it’s time to start putting our money where our mouths are, so to speak.

Oh boy. We’ve all made a lot of promises to ourselves. How are we going to keep them all?

Baby steps, my friends. Baby steps. That’s the name of the game. Slow and gradual.

Today, don’t overwhelm yourself with thoughts of how you’re gonna get up that mountain. Just start walking. One baby step at a time

Emails are flooding in from students who feel unprepared for the New Year. Great - you are ready to go!

We’re never prepared. That’s the point. There’s always more we can do, but at a certain point, like Nachshon who was the first to jump into the Red Sea, we’ve got to just say, what the hay, let’s do it!

Or put another way, buy the new pants before you lose the weight. Certainty that the Light will be there — even when you ‘think’ it’s not, is what creates the vessel for the Light to be there!

Today, and every day, when you feel that pit in your stomach, when you don’t know if you’re ready, when you are totally freaking out — tell yourself: THIS IS A GOOD SIGN. You are about to expand your vessel, and jump up to a whole new level.

Unprepared … and ready to go!

“I try to go to the gym, but I don’t. I try to look for a job, but I can’t. I try to be more spiritual, but I just can’t get started.”

I think many of us can relate to the dilemma of lack of motivation.

Motivation is all about personal responsibility. At some level you are still waiting for someone to spoon feed you. Get over it and just start sharing, doing. Ask yourself if you want to be a victim for the rest of your life.

That’s why some people need pain — it gives them REAL motivation not to go back.

Was I too tough with you? I hope so. The way of the Kabbalist is hard because the ego is hard.

Make your choice today. Wait for the pain to get you out of bed, or just jump up and say I AM DOING IT.

And as tonight is the eve of Rosh Hashanah, I can’t think of any better day to kick yourself in the rear and wake up those sleepy parts of your life.

Here’s a recent email from a reader:

“Sometimes I’m about to say a prayer before I eat a piece of food, and I think, ‘why am I doing this? I don’t do the other prayers, so how much can I get from this one little tiny, insignificant connection?’”

Ever feel like this?

This is a common doubt that our dark side throws at us: “if you don’t do the whole thing, you did nothing…” It’s nonsense. Every little part of every little thing counts.

God is in the DETAILS!

Today, forget about what you don’t do. Focus on what you are doing, and do it with love and excitement.

My father and teacher, Rav Berg, recently shared this thought with a few close students:

“Many think I am the head of The Kabbalah Centre because I started the movement. That is not the reason. It is because I take more responsibility for more people’s lives than anyone else. A real leader is someone who is not afraid to take responsibility for other peoples’ lives.”

Caring about people, this is what it means to lead. Resisting the reflex to cut people off, to see them as separate from us, to judge them without compassion, this is what it means to lead. Doing for others with no thought of return, this is what it means to lead.

I challenge you today to take responsibility for one person, to take them into your heart and to care for them as if they were you.

There’s nothing worse than having something inside us and not being able to share it with someone. Part of what helps us reach those levels of fulfillment is sharing who we are with people.

2,000 years ago, when Rav Shimon, author of Kabbalah’s holiest text, The Zohar, was hiding from the Romans in a cave (and channeling the wisdom that would become the basis of all Kabbalistic study), he received a message. A dove flew into his cave carrying a piece of paper with a question sent by his students from whom he was separated.

When he saw the question, he started to cry. It was painful for him to have the knowledge and yet have no one with whom to share it.

Today, share yourself. Let your friends and loved ones know how you are feeling and what is going on inside. We are programmed NOT to share but in truth, that’s how we achieve happiness.

Getting ready for Rosh Hashanah? Making lists of all the things you want in the New Year?

What about those closest to you, what are they wishing for? Chances are, their wishes are similar to yours. A little more tenderness, a little more understanding, a little more patience…

Today, give them what you want to receive.

We want to life to be easy - no battles, no demons, no doubts.

We’re in the wrong life if that’s what we want. Hope I didn’t burst your bubble. But as you probably figured out by now, the work never stops. Life is about constant change and growth - ups and downs, pushing and pulling.

And ultimately, transformations! Remember what the kabbalists teach us:

CHAOS CAN ALWAYS BE TURNED INTO BLESSINGS.

Besides, life is boring without the challenges. You’ve seen those emergency room scenes in the movies, or perhaps first hand. The doctors furiously working to save a guy’s life and then, that dreaded sound: beeeeeeeeeeeeeep. Flat line. Game over. Death, the final frontier.

With that in mind, appreciate your obstacles today. Learn to see them for what they are: opportunities to elevate your mind, body and soul.

Spirituality aside, let’s be honest here. We all look out and judge people for their flaws. And many of us turn that critical gaze on ourselves, worst of all.

Rav Ashlag speaks to this idea and offers advice that can change the way you see people - and yourself:

“…the Creator did not complete the creation at the time of creation. We find in any corner of the reality in front of us - in general and in particular - that it is subject to the rules of gradual development, from the undeveloped all the way to the final growth.

If, for example, we taste bitterness in a fruit in the beginning of its growth, we do not find it a fault and defect of the fruit, because we know the reason – the fruit still did not finish its development process.

In the same way that the fruit goes through this process, so too, all of reality goes thru this process.”

Let us remember today we are all works in gradual progress.

The month of Virgo is a time for asking for forgiveness and cleaning the slate of wrongs we committed against others. Both in this lifetime and beyond. We do this for the purpose of uncorrupting the software of our lives.

Virgo is based on the word virgin - untouched, pure. That’s what we are doing. We are going down to the purest, most undifferentiated state.

Why is stem cell research so exciting? You take a cell in an undifferentiated state and program it to be whatever you want it to be. You go to the ultimate fundamental virgin state of that cell - which is the undifferentiated state - and you tell it, ‘I want you to be a heart cell, I want you to be a brain cell, I want you to be a liver cell.’

That’s the real power behind the month of Virgo. In the realm of consciousness we have the ability to program our thinking at the seed level for the way we want it to be for the coming year.

Today, ask three (3) people to forgive you for anything you may have done to hurt them - in this lifetime or beyond.

Everybody, all together now: illusion!

It’s all smoke and mirrors. The pain and chaos isn’t real. We do the damage to ourselves.

Question 2: Why do you give energy to something that’s not real?

The doubt, the reactive energy, the acceptance of defeat - why are you feeding it? It’s not even real!

Question 3: If you understand that it’s not real, why don’t you let it go?

Answer that one for yourself today.

Taking risks requires a shift of consciousness.

This means realizing that eventually, after the risky process, it will mean blessings and a deeper connection to the Light. It means feeling those future blessings right now, as I open my heart. That is consciousness. Feeling the future in the present.

A person who starts a business pushes beyond the obstacles: investors, bills, obstacles, challenges – why – because she feels the final destination (not sees, feels). In that area of her life, her consciousness is beyond time. She has a spark of the future in the present. That’s what her motivation is.

Today, raise your consciousness to go beyond time. Bring yourself to a place where you can feel the blessings of the long term. The difference in consciousness is, ‘am I feeling the next second, or am I feeling the future?’

It’s not about ‘eventually I’ll be in heaven’. We want heaven on earth, now. We demand it!

When you give, you get back. And then some.

Remember that one?

Life is all about circuitry. When we give, we receive more so we can continue to give. When we hoard, we create black holes, and we aren’t as prosperous because we don’t have circuitry and flow.

Take a risk today - give. Something that counts. Don’t be afraid to feel the burn–then you have given the universe permission to “burn” (create) an opening for you.

Pay particular attention today to what gets on your nerves - family, friends, colleagues, strangers, even people on TV. The universe is sending you signals, letting you know what you have to work on.

Remember, we cannot see negativity in someone else unless we have it inside. It’s like the negativity inside creates a refracting mirror that lets us see it in other people.

Don’t psychoanalyze every reaction. Just notice it. And be willing to look at it.

We hurt people because we hurt.

We can apologize but that doesn’t always take away the damage, does it? And it doesn’t stop us from hurting again. Until we realize this truth, we will continue to hurt people. Most of us aren’t bad people. We’re just hurting.

Today, sit quietly for a moment, and isolate the specific pain that causes any suffering you inflict on others.

“Responsibility must be taken for events and we must decide to radically prevent their recurrence by destroying and canceling the desire that caused them. The moment we make this decision, we in fact attain an alternate level of consciousness.” - Rav Berg

We’ve been talking about how the month of Virgo is great preparation for Rosh Hashanah. One of the most important technologies used to ensure the coming year is a great one is owning up to the pain we’ve caused others. It’s about going back to those moments we were insensitive or intentionally cruel and feeling the pain we caused.

Yea - that’s a big one.

We may not be able to go back to the exact moments because we may not remember them or even be aware of all the pain we put out there. That’s why Rav Ashlag always taught, asking the question is more important than getting the answer. If you genuinely want to own up to your actions, then the Light will offer the clues and hints.

Today, step up your risk taking as it relates to balancing the negative energies you’ve put into the universe. Pick one person you know for sure you hurt last year and reach out to them.

Making amends now will make a world of difference in the new year.

There are people in our lives who don’t want to receive what we have to give them. This was the point I was making - unsuccessfully - in my message dated September 3, Burn Out.

I was explaining that we invest efforts into keeping some relationhships burning in our lives that we’d be better off letting burn out.

This drew some criticism from readers and after rereading the email many times, I see where I misled you. My point was - and is - life is all about circuitry. When we share our Light with people who don’t want to receive it, it’s like trying to fill a bottle when the cap is still on. Try as you might, with all of the love, intention, and desire to share, your energy simply cannot penetrate. And as with our favorite spiritual illustration, the lightbulb, if the negative pole is blocked, the circuit cannot be completed, and the energy cannot flow.

It’s not about judging people as worthy or unworthy. It’s about discerning who is ‘open’ to receive, and willing to use what we have to offer - wisdom, love, time, concern - no matter what flavor!

Today, make that assessment in your own life.

“Is what I’m about to do/say, or what I’m not about to do/say, going to reveal - or conceal - Light in the world?”

This may sound like rudimentary Kabbalah thinking, but I sometimes wonder how many of us remember those beginning lessons about tapping into the 99% realm. I see how over time, as restriction and sharing become second nature to us - and I do hope you hear the irony in my voice - we no longer question the long-term or global effects of our choices.

Today, challenge yourself to ask those basic questions again, such as:

“Why am I doing what I’m doing?”

“What’s my real purpose here?”

“Can I shift my thinking or work so as to reveal more Light in this situation?”

And work to amplify that increased consciousness in your actions.

Most of us are not free to devote all day, every day to spiritual matters. We have jobs and careers, families and friends. And this, after all, is what the Light intends for us. We were not created to live on a mountaintop, alone with our contemplations and meditations. We were brought into the world in order to meet the challenge of being spiritual while living a tough, physical life that at times seems the exact opposite of spiritual.

The fact that you have so many mundane responsibilities does not mean that the quality of your spiritual work needs to be degraded, even if the time you devote to explicitly spiritual matters is less than it might be.

Most of us are left with only bits and pieces of time for study and reflection. But you have to grab onto those moments and use them to do the spiritual work.

Today, the spiritual work is reviewing the pain you have caused others this past year, and to transform the original outcome by committing to yourself not to allow that reactive behavior to dominate you.

If we really care about connection to the Light, then let us make the desire to transform a commitment at every moment.

The writings of the great 16th century Kabbalist Rav Isaac Luria (The Ari) gave us much of the wisdom and tools we use in our prayers and meditations, and they are the foundation for our courses on reincarnation, meditation, and healing. We call them “The Ari’s Writings.”

However, The Ari didn’t write these books himself. They were written by his prize student, Rav Chaim Vital. The Ari admits that his sole purpose for coming to this world was to teach Rav Chaim, and once those teachings were transmitted, The Ari left the world at the young age of 38.

I share with you this story because it’s a wonderful reminder of our deep responsibility to others, to transmit the wisdom of Kabbalah, as a link in this great chain of kabbalists which include The Ari himself. The Ari knew that you and I and countless others would navigate our lives by his teachings, and he also knew that he was just another link in the chain.

Take time this weekend to think about who you connect to in this chain. How many people do you knowingly connect to the Light everyday? Who relies on your advice and guidance? Who do you meditate and scan for? All of these people will benefit from your increased awareness and appreciation of your power and ability to influence.

I hope you are still taking risks.

Rav Ashlag once said, “People do not value spirituality because they think it requires no effort, and that whenever they wish to be engaged in spiritual practice, they can succeed. The truth, however, is that great effort is needed. When I rise at midnight to study, the primary importance for me is the effort, not the comprehension.”

Without going against our grain and investing effort involved in overcoming obstacles, Kabbalah simply won’t work.

Today, do something uncomfortable. Use the experience to strengthen yourself and to carry out your commitment to making your life even better.

We all have situations in our life that are less than what we want them to be. Kabbalistically, the way to deal with darkness is to turn on the Light. Do an act of sharing, or kindness, or breaking your own limits. Anything that goes against our comfortable, 1 % nature will reveal Light into whatever it is we may be struggling with.

Today, read and reread the words of my father and teacher, Rav Berg. Allow this seemingly simple idea to penetrate the deepest recesses of your consciousness:

“For most of us, we seek the means by which to remove the chaotic environment we may find ourselves trapped in. This procedure has been tried by civilizations ever since chaos came upon the scene of humanity and unfortunately has very little to show for its efforts.

From a Kabbalistic perspective, the way to remove chaos is not surgery upon chaos but rather the infusion of the Lightforce, which ultimately brings with it the universal law that darkness or chaos cannot coexist with the Light.”

In order for our relationships to work well, we must take the risk of being truthful, and be willing to look at ourselves and see what it is we’re bringing to the table that’s making it work - or not work. Also, know that Kabbalah teaches the people who trigger us the most are often the ones we have the most to learn from.

Today, look to see who you’re struggling with and sit with this thought, “what have you come to teach me?” It is so exhilarating to learn that what we fear the most is what is inside of us.

“When you go out to battle against your enemies do not be afraid of them; for the Creator is with you.” -The Bible

The Kabbalists teach that the war being spoken about is the daily war against our doubts and fears. Unfortunately, most of us have no clue there is a war on. Even those of us who pursue spirituality every moment of the day don’t really feel that we are in a constant battle against our darker thoughts and inclinations.

The good news is we can win this fight (in fact we are destined to) but only if we acknowledge we are in a battle. The more we have this awareness, the more Light we bring into the situation.

Today, consciously fight your fears and insecurities. Walk towards the Light which is always with you, whether you see it or not.

There is something we need be aware of today - the inclination towards seeing what’s wrong with other people. Virgo is all about detail and being critical, it’s inevitable.

We can always find lots of reasons to be frustrated with people. But we want to remember that everyone has their limitations, and tikun. Sometimes the best thing we can do is to be compassionate.

Today, choose one person you’re really judging and find a way to share with them. Don’t think about it too much. Just see if you can put the anger or whatever it is aside and do something nice.

One of the biggest risks we can take is to feel. According to Rav Ashlag, the nature of human is to run away from pain. There’s no free will and no exceptions to that rule.

Why do we check out emotionally, or avoid going out on dates, or making new friends? We can’t stand the pain! A guarded heart affects everything we do, every relationship we have, and ultimately our connection to God.

Today, unchain your heart. Take a chance on love, or making a new friend, or revealing your true feelings. Let people see what’s beneath your hood. There’s something so liberating about exposing yourself. That sounds wrong, but you know what I mean.

First of all, I love the way so many of you are coming alive, allowing yourselves to be truthful and jump into the unknown. Bravo!

Let me remind you the purpose of these risk taking exercises is not about the results. It’s about the effort.

As a great 18th century kabbalist referred to as “the Old Rav” wrote, “The reason the soul must descend to this physical world is so it may be elevated still higher.”

Breaking out of patterns and pushing against the inner force of gravity — ie. taking risks — is the means to this holy end.

Today, see if you can focus only on the action, rather than the result that you want to achieve through it. Put your intention in whatever the moment gives you.

Many of us don’t bother to ask for more, or to challenge our status quo, or to dream bigger because we don’t feel like we deserve it. We feel, at the core, that we are “wrong.”

When we feel “wrong” in speaking up or fulfilling a deep need, it’s because we are getting in touch with something that wasn’t accepted in us when we were younger, or in a past life. For example, when people who weren’t allowed to feel joy start feeling joy, it confuses them, and even makes them uncomfortable. That’s why we sabotage ourselves.

Today, get in touch with what feels wrong to you. Give yourself permission to feel right.

It’s difficult to be lovingly truthful with others. When an opportunity arises to confront someone with the truth, we lock up; our hearts race and our adrenaline pumps at the mere prospect of speaking our mind.

It’s always easier to tell people what they want to hear. It’s more comfortable to agree with someone even if we don’t agree in our hearts.

Fear of speaking the truth is a stumbling block we face in our desire to experience fulfilling, honest and loving relationships. When we hold something back, that something separates us from the other person.

Today, be courageous. Open your mouth when you need to tell the truth.

One of the best things for our spiritual growth - and also one of our biggest fears - is hearing what other people think about us.

When the Holy Temple still stood in Jerusalem, it is said that inside was a mirror one could look in to see the state of one’s soul. When the temple [and mirror] were destroyed, the Zohar teaches that people became the mirror for us.

As we take stock of our lives in this month, preparing our wish lists for the new year, we want to be facing those truths which only others can show us. Don’t do it out of weakness, do it out of strength, knowing that the moment you hold your darkness up to the Light, it burns!

Today, feel the burn of whatever emotion comes up as you ask at least (3) people what they think you need to work on the most. If there was one thing you needed to change for next year, what would it be? And maybe tell them about this risk exercise you’re doing. See where that takes you.

Yesterday we risked asking for ourselves. Today, let’s do the opposite and ask others what they need. Sometimes that’s a far bigger risk.

When was the last time you asked your boss if you could do more around the office? Or asked your wife if she needed help around the house? Or asked your kids if they wanted you to spend more time with them?

Those are risky questions indeed because you may not want to hear the answer.

Today, notice how often you don’t ask others what they need because of your own desire to receive for the self alone. Once you get in touch with that, ask if you can help in whatever context.

Here’s your first risk-taking assignment.

How many times do you want something but don’t ask for it because of an innate assumption you won’t get it?

Number one reason many people don’t have what they want is not because they’re not worthy, smart or talented enough. It’s because they don’t ask for it. Why? It could be a whole bunch of reasons that all boil down to the same core issue: feeling they don’t deserve it.

On Rosh Hashanah, there is an opening in the cosmos that allows us to go before the Creator and ask for blessings for the New Year. But if we’re walking around with this innate assumption that we don’t deserve, than our asking won’t be genuine. It will be religious.

We need to feel it in our bones that we deserve and are worthy of all God has to offer.

Today, take the risk of asking for what you want. Whether it’s a better table at a restaurant or your partner to give you some space, ask for it.

Rav Berg, my father and teacher, calls the spiritual realm ‘the world of information.’ For every single question we have, the answer exists in the world of the non-physical reality. You meet a new person and wonder, are we compatible? Is this going to the altar or to the dumpster? Is there something about this person I should know about before I devote myself heart and soul?

The answers do exist — in the world of the 99 per cent (the majority of reality we do not perceive.) We have complete access to all the information we could ever desire — even information about the people we interact with. It’s like having the most comprehensive encyclopedia at our fingertips - all the time.

Today, connect to the world of information by listening to your instincts, noticing deeper meanings in things people say, and looking for ‘coincidences’ and ‘random’ messages. Desire and awareness is all you need to crack open the answers to all of your questions.

You know those times when you just don’t feel like working? Those moments you’re with your kids or sitting at work and you just don’t have the energy? “Tomorrow I will have the energy I need. I don’t know what got into me today. I feel tired/down/lazy … ”

These are the times you want to push yourself. Because when you do, great things will come of it. This is a great teaching Rav Brandwein shared with my father, Rav Berg. We need to do the work even when we don’t feel energy, even when we feel down. As he taught, when a person’s work and excitement are based on his feelings on any given day, he is bound to fall.

Today, instead of avoiding work or interaction in those situations where you feel less than energetic, motivated and powerful, I dare you to actually get enthusiastic about the opportunity to break through, to do your work and do it with love!

You don’t need “energy” - you have you. And when you own that and push through, you will reveal the most Light.

” … pessimists are usually right, optimists are usually wrong, but most great changes were made by optimists.” — Thomas Friedman, New York Times, May 11, 2008

Ever felt like the mission of Kabbalah is too big? Like what we do may not make a difference. The environment is too far gone, people’s natures are too difficult to change, who are we kidding?

Yes, I get it. These problems we’re addressing are greater than us. The tide of negativity is enormous. The task before us - removing the energy of death! - is overwhelming. But let’s not forget our work here is important.

We want to change the world - it’s going to be difficult. Our methodologies are going to be different than what most people think or expect. We have to stay optimistic because that’s how we will change the world, despite how ‘right’ the pessimists may be.

Today, have a strong belief in your birth-right to do well, to succeed, to win over challenges and overcome obstacles. That strong belief — when real — will come from trusting the Light, and being connected. That’s when magic happens.

Being an optimist is like telling the Creator “I believe in you. I don’t know how you are going to make it work, or when, but I know you can and will!”

Kabbalists 4,000 years ago spoke of a dangerous, terrorizing entity that threatens to destroy the world. They called it sin’at chinam, ‘hatred for no reason.’ In almost every major kabbalistic text I’ve read and studied throughout my life, the importance of dislodging hatred, dislike and jealousy from our own hearts has been paramount.

If we understand that we are all part of the Lightforce, that each one of us has holy sparks of this force inside us, then how can we have lasting bad feelings or ill-will towards others?

As children, my father and teacher Rav Berg always taught me and my brother Michael to feel other people the way we would feel our own selves. Would you yell at your right hand for accidentally cutting your left hand when you were using your scissors?

Today, notice how often you are judging and disliking people — often for no good reason at all. Imagine if everyone you knew took more responsibility in this department! This is precisely the way in which the kabbalists predicted we’d elevate the consciousness of this world.

It is a little known kabbalistic truism that the best way to receive blessings is to bless others.

Wherever we are in life, we all want blessings. Perhaps it’s the blessing of putting food on the table or having children or finding our soul mate or being even more happy and fulfilled and creative.

Today, make it your business to bless at least 3 people. How do you bless people? It starts with thinking about the things they need most in their life. Thinking is maybe the wrong word. Feel is more appropriate. Open your empathy chambers and allow your instinct to guide you.

“If you’ve saved one life, you’ve built a world.” - The Zohar

One of the teachers here at the Centre had a student who committed suicide a couple of year back. The teacher was devastated and totally shaken because he felt like he let that person down in the most important way.

It makes me think how many people in our lives are on the brink of something terrible, and how many we can pull back from the edge just by taking an extra interest in them.

Today, really care about the people around you. Put in that extra effort - it can make all the difference in someone’s life. When you pass a colleague in the hall and ask, how you doin’, stick around to hear the answer.

“Mirth [joking around] is no joke. It is actually an important component to achieving true wisdom. There is indeed no wisdom as clear and as deep as the wisdom that was achieved through mirth, for humor opens the heart and mind so that wisdom can be absorbed more wholly. Therefore, the sages would always begin their teachings with mirth.” - The Zohar

Be funny today. Have a sense of humor about things. Be light (and you will be Light.)

“As a blade slices and separates material things and divides them into two, so, in the same way, a difference of form or essence separates spiritual substances and divides them into two parts.” (Rav Ashlag)

By writing ‘a difference of form,’ Rav Ashlag is referring to the fact that when we act in accordance with the essence of the Light, we feel whole. But when we act in disaccord, we invite chaos in.

One thing we can each do today to achieve a similarity of form, is to see the good in others. When we see good - especially when we want to see bad - we instantly feel reconnected.

Try it. See for yourself

Whenever someone prepares a meal for my father, the Rav, he knows exactly what that person is going through. Just from tasting the food, he can tell everything about the chef.

This is what it means to be sensitive. And we all have this ability. When we are dealing with conflicts with our spouse or kids or colleagues, we have the ability to hone in on their pain, or confusion, or whatever it is that disturbs them. And we can help.

Think about this today. When are you are in contact with people, see if you can pick up what is going on beneath the surface.

There is a joke about these two shoe salesmen who travel to a third world country in search of new business opportunities.

One man calls his wife the moment he lands, telling her, “Honey, I’m coming back home. There’s no hope here. Nobody here is wearing shoes, so there’s no one to sell to.” He boards the next flight home.

The second man calls his wife and says, “Honey, you wouldn’t believe what I found here. There is so much opportunity. No one here is wearing shoes. I can sell to the whole country!”

There’s opportunity everywhere. When we have a consciousness of expecting the magic to happen, it will happen. We’ll find the right people, we’ll move in the right circles, we’ll ‘bump’ into the right solutions. It all starts with that opening in the mind.

Open up today. Open wide!

“Every soul must come to me, to Kotzk, for salvation, even if it is behind the Mountains of Darkness … I could, if only I wanted, bring the dead back to life, but my purpose is to keep the living alive.” (Kotzker Rebbe, 18th century kabbalist)

He’s telling us that most of us are asleep!

Today, focus on an aspect of your life where you’re not fully alive. Ask yourself what you could do to make the situation better? Take full responsibility, put it all on you and ask yourself what you can do to make this situation come alive again.

How do we avoid losing the passion for our relationships, jobs, health, and spiritual connections? How do we stay true and committed?

Be conscious of why you are doing, what you are doing.

We fall into habits and shady corners in life, we get used to having people around or doing the same things day in, day out. We lose touch with the magic that attracted us initially, we lose that appreciation, we lose sight of what our goals were.

Today, focus on what you really want from all of the things you’re filling your life with right now. If you don’t know why you busy ourselves with your spiritual work, your friends, or your careers, you can never expect to see the results you wanted when you first started out.

My friend was so depressed yesterday, claiming he still hasn’t ‘found his purpose.’

I told him, savor the search as much as the finding.

If you find yourself feeling frustrated about not meeting certain spiritual expectations, take comfort - you’re in good company. Moses. Jesus. Rav Shimon Bar Yochai.

For years my mother has been teaching me, if you are looking for a spiritual path, you are already on the path. The search for spirituality is spirituality.

The fact that you are looking for your purpose - and are even upset about not finding it - is the going outside your nature that’s required to tear the veils covering your vision.

Today, appreciate your courage to be on this journey. Recommit to the search for your special connection, without expecting. If you won’t stop trying, you’ll never fail.

We all reach points in our days when we don’t understand. It can be a relationship challenge, a health issue, which direction to do with our career, a difficult passage of study, a momentous business decision. We all get those ‘not-knowing’ moments.

The way to see with clarity is, according to Rav Ashlag, to stretch. Not physically [though a forward bend always does wonders.] But to really do something that is outside your zone of comfort, out of the norm. When we elevate above the normal course of things, the Light responds in kind.

Suddenly we understand what we are reading, suddenly we know which doctor to go to, suddenly we see what limiting belief has been sabotaging our relationships. These moments of epiphany do not come from our brains, they come from the Light.

Go above your nature today. Really stretch your tolerance or patience or compassion or belief in yourself. Do something that will build the vessel for whatever it is that’s beyond you to come in.

Giving others the evil eye [judgment and envy] indicate we’re disconnected from the love of the Creator and feeling separated from others. But we know that the separation we feel is just an illusion. So what’s the solution?

Remember, the golden rule of Kabbalah, which is also the Golden Rule we were taught in childhood, love thy neighbor as thyself. Do unto others as we would have others do unto us. In other words, treat others with human dignity, respect, and care, because that is what we would want to experience for ourselves.

We can’t have a double standard. There is no loophole in the Universal Law that allows me to treat people selfishly, while the whole world gives me a break.

Today, show others love, respect, and acceptance - despite your desire to feel otherwise. This is one way to overcome the evil eye.

Over the years, students have come to me with their dilemmas, wanting to know what I think. Many times, I’ve answered, ‘I don’t have an opinion’, ‘What do you think?”

‘You don’t have an opinion?'’

Of course I do. The Gemini in me has loads of opinions. But my opinions are not as important as your own.

We all get in the habit of running to our teachers, doctors, lawyers, parents, etc. for help, and it sucks our energy. We don’t need to be running to people every time we have a question.

The Rav has always taught me that the process of working over a question in our mind, solving our own problem, is how we exercise our free will. Pursuing questions and figuring things out is how we connect our 1 percent lives to the 99 percent. Consciousness is the bridge.

When we sacrifice our free will for the sake of listening to others, we are severing our link to the spiritual side of life.

Today, I’m not telling you what I think you need to do. You figure it out.

When we react to something, we are tapping into our animal nature. As far as we know, animals are not able to access that split second before a response. Their desires are compulsive, and their reactions are as well; they go for the instant gratification.

When we pause first or restrict our response, however, we are tapping into our God nature. We are choosing to no longer be the effect of our desire. Instead, we are choosing to be the cause.

Restriction, by the way, doesn’t mean that we won’t decide to satiate that desire after all. It just means that we pause and make a conscious decision.

Today, do whatever it is you do. Just make sure you’re doing it by choice, not habit.

The experience of the 99% Realm is like those hazy moments when we are half awake and half asleep, when we are aware we are dreaming and trying desperately to hang onto that thread that connects us to the dream, but we know that if we yank too hard on the thread, we will lose the dream altogether.

This is what it feels like when we lose even our brief connections to the Light.

Disconnecting from the Light is the source of our unhappiness. Whenever we feel depressed, unfulfilled, or anxious, it’s because we have lost touch with the 99% Realm.

Today, strive to elevate above the fog of the 1% Realm. What seems real is not always so. Turn on your fog lights.

There was a time, before you were born, when people didn’t make the connection between the dumping of toxic waste in the ocean and thousands of people becoming seriously ill from eating ocean fish.

It seemed as if a plague had hit. It was scary. People felt as if something awful was suddenly happening to them, something over which they had no control.

Eventually, through careful research and investigation, the connections between the toxic dumping, the fish, and the illnesses were made. Cleanup efforts began, and people stopped getting sick.

Chaos is the misperception that there are no connections. In fact, everything is connected. Everything.

Today, remember everything you do starts with you and ends with the world. Think before you speak or act. Your actions and words have everlasting effects.

Our spiritual work is to grow more connected to others around us. Our obstacle is stored hurt. When we don’t resolve conflicts in our relationships, our lives can’t move forward.

Today, tell your boyfriend or boss or brother exactly what you want, what you feel, what you think. You are going to worry about what they will say or think. And honestly, that’s the work. Just expose yourself and be vulnerable. Ask the Light to give you the strength to stay open in the pain.

Your soul will love you for having the courage to speak up.

Judging from emails I’ve been getting from students, there are some of us who feel like we have never experienced ‘the Light.’

Let me tell you that you have. We all have, even though it may be fleeting.

Think of the moment you put the final touches on a project that you fiercely believed in, one that took lots of time and effort to complete. That rush of a job well done is the Light.

Or how about that time you thought of someone and they called just at that moment. That too is the Light. Or when you get a great idea or answer. That too is the Light.

So you have touched the Light. The more you look for it, the more you will find it.

Today, find the Light in everything you are doing. It’s there. Allow yourself to recognize it.

Have a delightful day.

As human beings, it’s our nature to tell the Light about our problems.

But the only way to fix them is to tell our problems about the Light!

The Creator knows what your issues are. He sent them to you! You are a spark of the Light and you possess infinite capabilities. And as you already know, the Light never sends you more than you can handle.

Today, tell your problems that!

Over the years, there’ve been some mighty powerful Kabbalists who’ve moved mountains. Moses, King David, The Baal Shem Tov, The Ari, and in our time, The Rav.

Why did so many people listen to these men? They spoke from their heart. Their intention was - and is - congruent with their words. Even if they had a stutter, like Moses, they still split seas and influenced nations.

At the same time, there have been men of seemingly equal intelligence whose words failed to move masses. That’s what happens when words come from your head, and not your heart.

Where do you speak from?

Today, pay attention not just to what you say, but from where your words are coming from.

If you’ve been reading these emails or any communications from The Kabbalah Centre, you’re accustomed to our signature phrase, the one secret that will change your life!

Well, I got another one. Patience. Big secret. HUGE.

It’s goes like this, some kind of crisis leads us to walk down the spiritual path. At first, because we are so low and humble, we are grateful for any love that comes our way. As we starting walking faster, with more confidence in our stride, we become familiar with the landscape of miracles, and we know there are goodies coming our way so long as we keep walking.

After a while, we get impatient for the goodies, as if we are owed something in a timely manner. We scan Zohar and then we look up expecting the soul mate to jump on the bus. Or we donate money and we expect a raise in the next paycheck. We become impatient with God.

Patience is giving God room to do his [or her] work. It’s knowing that we’ll get what we deserve when the time is right. That time could be any time.

Today, forget about the result. Just put in the work, and send your wishes and prayers into the universe. The things you are looking for will be found in your patience.

I just want to tell you today that there are a lot of things you should be doing. You should be sharing more with other people. You should be eating healthier. You should be scanning your Zohar a lot more. A lot

How does it feel when you read this? Am I inspiring you? Or am I making you want to throw your computer [and me] out the window?

Should is a terrible, terrible word. It creates resistance, not rejuvenation. It implies that we are not enough. And it’s a word many of us use in our own inner dialogue. And that’s exactly one of the reasons we don’t do the things we should do.

Should is never the reason to do something. Nor will it ever be the motivation you need.

Today, when you’re feeling under the weather or your gut is getting humongous or you’re having a challenging day at work or God is the last thing on your mind, tell yourself that this is your OPPORTUNITY to use the tools, to scan more, to share more, to love more, to break a habit, to expand your vessel.

Intention is the key here. Don’t do anything because you should. Do it because you know how good it will feel once you do it. Do it because you want to. Do it because you’re excited for the chance to put these tools to use.

But please, don’t do it because you should.

P.S. You should have a great weekend!

Years ago in Queens, a student of my father was in a desperate financial situation. He hit rock bottom; creditors were lining up at his door and he could barely feed his family. He was frantic. My father, with his typical certainty and calm, told the man not to worry, “this is a good sign!”

When we hit rock bottom, though it’s painful physically, it is also a breaking of klipot [shells of negativity] that create barriers between us and our true fulfillment. Of course, no one wants to be in this position - it hurts! But at the same time, we want to have the courage to accept it. The faster we admit that the pain has a purpose, the faster it will fill its purpose and subsequently go away.

Remember today that temporary pain prepares us to receive lasting fulfillment. Have the courage to fully experience your pain. You’ll be surprised at the messages it can bring you.

I’ve got an unusual request today. Do something that’s just for you. Enjoy yourself.

We are going through a tough time (The Three Negative Weeks.) There’s a lot of judgment flying around (our heads.) And it’s ok to find little pleasures that make us happy. Sometimes indulging in a fatty snack or taking an extra ten minutes on our lunch hour or going to the beach instead of the gym is just what we need to put a smile back on our faces.

Do something for yourself today, guilt-free. If you’re not happy, then none of us are happy.

Restriction (the decision not to have immediate gratification) is something we have to recommit to every morning if we want to steer our lives in new and exciting direction.

We put ourselves through so much pain every time we dash after transient highs, whether it’s a compliment or a purchase or an indulgment or literally a drug.

Many of us are aware of this, but we still can’t stop. We can’t help but stick our finger right in the socket. And we like it! But there’s a price to pay. Hope this isn’t sounding preachy, but let’s be honest with ourselves.

Recommit to restriction today. It’s the best path to revealing lasting Light. Yes, you will continue to shock yourself — that’s what this game is all about. But just keep getting back on the horse. Every time you assert your conscious intent to restrict, you will be able to experience more real pleasure.

Red String. If there’s one thing everyone knows about The Kabbalah Centre, it’s that we teach the importance of wearing it in order to protect ourselves from the evil eye. I’m certainly not going to be able to explain this seemingly archaic concept to readers in a mere paragraph. But for those of you who have been studying and wearing it, you know its powers.

I was reading this week in one of the ancient texts that ‘fish do not have evil eye because they are completely surrounded by water.’

Ok, a little weird. Who ever thinks of fish getting or giving evil eye. But the kabbalistic meaning of this concept is that water is chesed [mercy.] What I want to share with you about this is that when we immerse ourselves in the waters of a sharing consciousness, caring about others, the jealousy of people has no effect on us.

Be merciful today. Cut people some slack. Smile at people like you’re smiling at chubby little babies.

If you were to never buy a book on Kabbalah, or take a class online, or attend one of our live events or holidays, if you were only reading this one email and I had just this one chance to share with you a secret that would change your life, it would be this:

Like attracts like.

God, from a kabbalist’s perspective, is not a bearded man on a mountain top or a judgmental omnipotent being, but it’s a force of sharing and concern and love. When you quiet down your thoughts and step away from your feelings - and just radiate concern for others - you attain affinity with God.

And the moment you create this connection, you are tapping into this force. This is where fulfillment comes from.

That’s why love thy neighbor was the revelation of a technology, not a moral ideal!

Today, be God. Be thoughtful of what others are going through. Be happy for others’ happiness. Be kind to people for no good reason. Be the creative force you can be. Everything else will take care of itself.

I was walking down the street yesterday on my way to work and I saw this bumper sticker that read, “Identity Theft - Don’t Be a Victim”.

As I turned the corner, something clicked in my mind.  Identify Theft – this is the crux of the problem of humanity.  We think we are who we are.  Meaning, we think we are these notions we have of ourselves – black, white, man, woman, secure, insecure, lawyer, actor, son, brother, ADD, OCD, happy-go-lucky, whatever.  But most of the time we are totally clueless of our real identity.

On a soul level, we transcend categories and mental constructs.  We are souls, pure sparks of the Creator.  And to tap that down into everyday language, we are love.  We are compassion.  We are giving.  We are groundless.  We are limitless.  And of course, we are one.  You, me, and everyone reading this, everyone walking around you in your office or on the street or wherever you are reading this, we‘re all connected.  

Today, know that whoever you think you are, you are not him or her.  Ask for guidance to be shown the real you.  Reclaim your identity. 

I don’t do enough.  I’m sitting here thinking about how many times I’ve avoided scanning Zohar or meditating on a 72 Name for a student who needs healing or going outside of myself to help others. 

Really, I don’t do enough.

And it hurts to be in this emotional place, when I see how I’ve let myself go in certain areas.  But as long as it’s pushing me forward to do more, then it’s good.

This is something the 17th century kabbalist, the Baal Shem Tov, taught his students:  if you are beating yourself up because you don’t do enough, then it’s just your ego talking.  But if you are genuinely motivated by these thoughts, then it’s your soul speaking.

Today, when you notice those places where you’ve gone soft or you don’t feel that you are “doing enough”, know it’s a good thing.  Instead of beating yourself up about it, think of it as some tough love from up above.

End of the month. Money is tight. Charges on the credit card are increasing. Rent is due. Tuition for schools is due too. The news gets funkier every day. The month of Cancer in general can be tough on the emotions. On and on and on.

What do we do?

Pray! Pray for the ability to acknowledge that God is in everything.

We all have blessings in our lives even if we’re having trouble finding a husband or making money or getting our lives on track or battling illness or depression. Even when life seems its darkest, there’s always a pilot Light burning. Somewhere. You wouldn’t be reading this if there wasn’t Light pulsing through your being.

Look for that Light today. ‘Count your blessings,’ as they say.

What are you thankful for, right now, right this second?

I hope I’m not the only one doing some writing. Journaling our thoughts, fears, desires, schemes, regrets, and fantasies is a powerful spiritual guide.

Are you up for a quick writing exercise today?

Make a list of your desires. Put down everything that comes to mind no matter how small or how foolish it may seem.

Just to get you started: I want to go skiing with my best friend this weekend, I want my sister to stop drugs, I want my children to stop fighting, I want to be a famous singer, I want to end world hunger, I want to save people’s lives, I want to make so much money that my parents will never have to work again. You get the idea.

Just put that desire down on paper. When you’ve done that, write next to each desire how you think you might feel if you attained it. How might your life change?

Without knowing your true desires, you don’t stand much of a chance of attaining them. So be honest!

According to Kabbalah (and theoretical physics), we are all interdependent.

Think about that. It means your presence on this planet matters. Just like the gentle flapping of a butterfly’s wings, your actions resonate beyond your wildest dreams.

This means acting responsibly and not selling yourself short. It also means remembering that your neighbor’s actions are resonating as well, so don’t sell them short, either.

Today, know you are special. Make an extra effort. Because when you don’t feel how special you are, spiritually speaking, you make it harder for others to feel it.

How often have you heard or used the word suddenly? Suddenly she broke up with me; suddenly the coach kicked me off the team; suddenly my mom moved out.

But how sudden is sudden? For instance, have you ever woken up to suddenly find a new tree in your backyard? Or to find that your hair had suddenly grown ten inches? Or that you suddenly lived in a new home? Not likely.

“Sudden” implies a sense of chaos, a sense that things happen to us, rather than the deeper truth that we happen to ourselves.

Happening to ourselves is a good thing. No one else is calling the shots. And while this introduces a whole lot of responsibility for our thoughts, words, and actions, it also allows limitless possibilities.

We have already, perhaps unwittingly, shaped our past. And we have the power to shape our present and our future as well.

As you live today, keep this thought in mind: If something happens to me, I am locked in the physical. I am reacting. But if I am happening to me, good or bad, I am connecting with the spiritual. I am being proactive.

Don’t expect to understand this completely now. This idea is a huge gold mine that will continue to yield riches as you explore it.

How much pain and trouble is caused because we misinterpret what people say and do to us?

It’s our ego-centric nature to think the worst and to take everything personally. It’s not in our nature to think, I wonder what’s going on for him right now? What pain inside caused him to do or say that?

When we take the actions of other people personally, this is our ego speaking, telling us that we are the center of the universe, that everything that happens in our lives revolves around us. Our ego is the veil separating us from the true, spiritual, 99% reality.

Today, know that the more you tame your ego-centric thinking, the more you don’t take it personally, the more connected (ie. happier) you will be.

Have you ever had a gut feeling that if you went to this one particular party, even though you were tired and grumpy, something good was going to happen to you? Or have you ever just known that if you walked down a certain street, something bad would happen?

This is your intuition guiding you. And your intuition is provided by the Light.

According to Kabbalah, there is a curtain separating the physical world (1% realm) from the spiritual world (99% realm.) This curtain is all that keeps us from total fulfillment.

Intuition is one means of pulling aside the curtain.

Familiarize yourself today with that feeling in your gut, with first thoughts that pop into your mind. Trust your initial instinct. With each step you take towards listening to your intuition, you will draw that curtain open further.