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ChabadU Self-Improvement Five Paths to G-d

Me and My Lover

Return: Five Paths for Getting Closer to G-d - Lesson 3

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Me and My Lover: Return: Five Paths for Getting Closer to G-d - Lesson 3

Letting go of selfish and worldly attachments to become sensitive to the needs of the Beloved.
Handouts:
 Me and My Lover  
Related Text: Hayom Yom: Hayom Yom: Tishrei 5
Audio: Listen to Audio | Download this MP3
Topics: Empathy; Sensitivity, Love of G-d, Teshuvah
Empathy; Sensitivity Love of G-d Teshuvah
Rabbi Shais Taub is a noted speaker, author, and columnist, who serves as scholar-in-residence of Chabad of the Five Towns. His talks and classes may be seen on SoulWords.org.
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Anonymous March 1, 2011

5 Paths go G_d, Class #3 I love your analogies Reply

Kayo Tokyo, Japan August 29, 2010

Idolatry Now I understand why getting angry is Idolatry. Thank you. Reply

Kayo Tokyo, Japan August 25, 2010

I love You because I love You I learned from Rabbi Gordon in his daily Tanya class that there are two kinds of love - The love, I love you because you are good to me, and the love, I love you because I love you.
For a long, I did not understand the second kind of love. Thanks to your class and other Chabad education, now I love G-d because I love Him Reply

Kayo Tokyo, Japan August 24, 2010

One and Good I will keep trying to humbly accept the circumstances I am in by keeping reminding me that everything in the world is One, and He is Good. Everything is orchestrated by G-d. I should ignore my uncomfortability, instead with joy, I should live my life. Because He is GOOD, everything is Good. Reply

Shais Taub Pittsburgh, PA August 24, 2010

Re: How to refer to G-d Roz,

I decidedly refer to G-d here as "He" because I am emphasizing my femininity within the dynamics of the marriage. He is the Husband. I/we are His bride.

If I am overly masculine in my approach to intimacy with G-d, there will be a lack of fulfillment on both sides. I must nurture and honor my Husband to empower Him to be both strong and vulnerable.

If I were speaking about my relationship with the Shechina (Divine Presence) which gives birth to reality, then I would refer to G-d as She. Reply

Roz August 24, 2010

How to refer to G-d A terrific description of the process of transcending the self by the Self, gaining equanimity through shifting the attention to G-d from our egoistic self. My only disappointment is that the speaker has not figured out a way to refer to G-d without a personal pronoun, and refers to G-d as "He." Ha Shem ("The Name") works better for me. Reply

Shais Taub Pittsburgh, PA August 24, 2010

Re: Accept The Previous Rebbe wrote in his journal that the way he survived the imprisonment was by constantly remembering that his captors and all the circumstances of his incarceration were actually Nothing and that the only Absolute Reality is G-d Himself.

Why then do we intercede? If the Previous Rebbe was "comfortable" and able to stay completely unshaken and at peace (much to his captors' frustration) then why try to change things?

Obviously the question is absurd! But WHY is it absurd? If ACCEPTANCE is they key, then why do we ever ACT to CHANGE things? Seems like a contradiction... How do we wrap our minds around the difference?

I don't want to be coy, but for that question, please watch episode 5 of this series, entitled "Are You Talking to Me." Reply

Shais Taub Pittsburgh, PA August 24, 2010

Re: Question The process of prayer that moves us from the desperation of self-centered, animal "survival mode" into peaceful, joyous G-d-consciousness can be engaged in at anytime all year round.

Prayer is much more than saying the words in the Siddur. It is a contemplative exercise that can take many hours. It involves study of mystical texts followed by meditation and then prayer.

There were always people who engaged in this process for several hours a day at the beginning of every day.

For us, it may be more realistic to do so on Shabbat morning when we already know that there are no other pressing needs to attend to. This kind of meditative prayer is very different than regular communal prayer, keeping up with a minyan, etc.

When you run a sprint, the track is crowded. When you run a marathon, sometimes you can't see anyone else at all.

Bottom line, even if you take five minutes a day to really think about G-d before saying sh'ma, that little bit can do WONDERS. Reply

Laurie Thorold, Canada August 24, 2010

A Mind in wholeness! Can a person finally live in the moment, attain clarity, restoration, smiles and learning to last a lifetime, of kindness, giving, service, blessings, exhilaration and continued prayer?
Thankfulness to G-d & to the teachers of these heartfelt lessons. Reply

Kayo Tokyo, Japan August 24, 2010

Accept? The Previous Rebbe was tortured and sentenced to death. But we could not say it was what G-d created, so let it be. The international communities protested to USSR and the Previous Rebbe was released. I am currently difficult situation and I do not know if I should accept as it is because this is what G-d wants or if I should protest against the situation. what is the litmus test to determine whether I should humbly accept the situation as it is or fight to change? Reply

yehudis Milwaukee, Wisconsin August 24, 2010

Me and My Lover Your words are always both informative and inspirational, but with this class you hit your stride.
The fact that we can use our intellects to see the apparently abstract as the concrete and vice versa, is both amazing and immediately useful. When we do this, we exchange the illusion for Reality.
The example of a lady's point of view as it changed regarding the lighting of Shabbos candles, was a beautiful illustration of the power of the Mitzvah to connect us to that reality. Reply

Kayo Tokyo, Japan August 24, 2010

Question I have a question to Rabbi Taub. We learned that the 5 paths of Teshuvah are accomplished through prayer. But what kind of prayer is it? Daily prayer or something special like Yom Kippur prayer? Reply

Mia Sherwood Landau Sherman, Texas August 23, 2010

So true! Rabbi, I really appreciate hearing your commentary on our own personal opinions. For a long time I've thought that opinions are all we have left when we have nothing else, I mean when we lose our material possessions and our money and fight to maintain our sanity. There are a lot of people dealing with those things right now. Well, then we often begin to cling more tenaciously to our opinions, being one thing we still have. Until we find that they can be a heavier burden than our material stuff! I mean they can cost us more than our material stuff ever cost us... So, that is when many of us lose our fascination with our own opinions and relinquish the the throne of importance to G-d's opinions expressed in Torah. When we no longer worship or idolize our own opinions we can get to the place where we appreciate G-d's strong opinions. Thanks for helping me see that this is not a freak accident happening in my life... it's a goal! I really appreciate your whole series on teshuva. Reply

john smith fort lauderdale, fl August 23, 2010

wow i have said this before and i will say it again, could you please forward this to the United States Congress or the US Senate. Thank You so much Reply

J Gillman madison, wi August 23, 2010

Outstanding!!!!!!!!! Thank you! Zi Gazunt (be healthy)... Reply