Soul Nectar Australia

Kabbalah Meditaion NSW is now Soul Nectar Australia

2011-02-02T02:38:00.000-08:00

Hi folks,

It's been a while since I've added any new content on this blog site! I'm so excited about what's been happening.

Well I've started a new website called Soul Nectar Australia. I hope you all like it. On the site you will be able to purchase new meditations that I have published plus any news about Mysticism and Meditation.

We will also have available information about health and personal growth products and advice.

I hope you enjoy what is in store and keep your eyes posted because the first meditation of the month will be available on February 21st 2011!

Please feel free to join the email list as well to find out more about what's in store.

I'm back in action

2010-12-06T20:07:00.000-08:00

Wow!
I have been really busy these past few months and I've neglected you my dear blog site. So much to say and so little time.

We are moving to Melbourne in two weeks!

I'll let you know more as time goes on!

Mental Resiliance course at Young Adult Chabad starting July 18th!

2010-07-10T23:45:00.000-07:00

You’ve got that good vibration!

2010-07-10T03:43:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a moment in time where you felt that everyone around you is happy because you are happy? Or the reverse, that the world seemed sad because you where sad. When you are happy do people react happy to you? When you are sad do people ignore you or treat you poorly? You might think that this is merely a coincidence but in fact this is a principle of life.

This idea can be explained with the following concept. The Torah teaches us never to make a vow. Furthermore, if you are ever in a position where you need to state a promise or a commitment (for example if you tell someone that you will meet him 10:00am tomorrow) the law is that you should preface the statement with the phrase bli neder (meaning without a vow). R. Ariel bar Tzadok in his book Walking in the fire explains why you should not make a vow. R. bar Tzadok explians that each word that you say has power and by just by uttering a vow or promise you have brought that vow or promise into reality. Now imagine not following up with your promise. On the one hand you have created something yet on the other you have destroyed it by not fulfilling what you said you would do!

How can our words be so powerful? R. bar Tzadok explains that we are created in the image of the creator. How did the Creator create us and our Universe? He spoke! If we look deeper and think about speech, what is its basic chemistry? A scientist will tell you that speech is caused vibrations in the larynx. Essentially speech is vibrations. There is a theory in Quantum Mechanics called string theory that posits that all of us are really made up of tiny strings, that when vibrated, create the various particles in space and time! In essence we are all vibrations of the Creators voice! If all we are are vibrations, then it is clear how our speech can effect others and ourselves. The Kabbalah teaches this concept as G-ds power of creation through the letters of the Aleph-bet or the Hebrew alpha bet. The work called The Book of Formation is all about the various combinations of the letters that create all the matter that we see and know. Based on this concept, Kabbalists have formualted mantra like verses based on the Aleph - bet which they call shemot hakedoshim (meaning holy words) because they believed that these combinations of letters bring out creative energy into the world. In essence our existence is being spoken by G-d at every moment and that is how we exist.

I would like to further add that it is not only our speech but our attitudes and emotions that effect us and how people react to us. We communicate in more than one manner. We use body language and gestures to make points and communicate when language proves to be a barrier. When I was in Argentina I remember constantly pointing and gesturing to figure out where I am and how I can get to where I needed to go! Eventually I learned Spanish but I was still able to communicate using body and sign language.

Our emotions too give off signals to people as well as signals to ourselves. If we are in a good mood or happy then these feelings are felt by people around us. We become more attractive to kind people and loving people and less attractive to violent or abusive people. If we are depressed or angry we attract like people.

The message that we can get from our emotions is just as powerful. If you believe for example that you can never be wealthy or that you cannot receive a raise in your salary than chances are that you never will! Carol Look, an EFT* counselor and life coach has taught that much of the reason why a person cannot be wealthy is because of his or her limiting belief.

It is a logical course of action. G-d doesn't give you what you think you don't deserve! No matter how much you try to encourage yourself into believing that you can be wealthy, if you have a limiting belief about rich people or money than you will not make the money no matter how many pep talks you get! Carol Look is not teaching a novel concept. There is a Chassidic adage az men tracht goot vet zein goot which means if you think good it will be good. The message here is that you need to change your vibration! You need to realize where lies your limiting belief!

Meditation and mental resilience training can help tremendously by finding the cause of the problem. You might not even be aware of the fact that you have such a belief until you allow yourself to be objective about who you are. Meditation allows you to focus the mind and become more aware of who you are and what your purpose is in life. You can view yourself objectively and see what is holding you back. You can then use the techniques that I teach to reconcile these thought processes and emotions to allow you to attract the good people and positive attitude so that your life can be full of goodness and blessing. I encourage you to explore your potential and invite you to join me in my classes.

Find meaning in Synagogue

2010-07-10T02:48:00.000-07:00

“I knew I should have left time to find a place to park, now I’m going to be late” shouted David to himself zipping through the car park trying not to crash into any cars or people for that matter. As the sweat beads go down his face all he can think of is how important the meeting is.

David! Said Steve his boss, “This meeting is very important, it’ll seal our company’s security for the rest of the year all we need to do is finalise the contract with AMBI Group P/L, you cannot be late!”

Those where the last words David’s boss said before he left to the meeting and now looking at the time on his watch all he can think of is how late he’ll be. “I dunno what to do? I will surely get fired if I don’t seal this deal!” again he shouted to no one in particular.

Then David’s mind started to wander, he remembered Rosh Hashanah and the Shofar, he remembered that he actually started to cry. He had been going to Synagogue for Rosh Hashanah for over 30 years and finally a spiritual experience! He had always questioned why Synagogue is important, he felt no meaning in the Hebrew prayers that he could hardly read, but his father forced him to go at least twice a year, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and this became his habit. But this year something new happened that changed his experience. Was it what the Rabbi said or was it a particular part of the prayers? He couldn’t remember all he knew was the Shule was really great and a place to feel spiritual! He had decided to commit to G-d a bit more by promising that he would go to Synagogue every week, but things became too difficult. Too much was at stake in his private life and his job became more demanding and when the weekend came around all he could do was sleep.

“How can I possibly go to Shule this week? I have so much work and so much pressure! Dear, it’s just too hard, I’ll go next week.” This became his mantra.

Now many months after his failed commitment this very deal and his company’s future is at stake and he just couldn’t believe that all his hard work for the whole year will go to pieces just because he cannot find a parking spot. “G-d are you doing this to me? Are you causing me to ruin my life?” Look I know I made a deal with you and I’ve been a bit slack, I promise to go to Synagogue every week and I will do it! Just please help me find a parking space. Then as he was praying the car in the spot in front of him moved. “Hey G-d never mind I found a spot” Thanks anyways!

This spells it out I believe. We look at Synagogue as a chore not as a pleasure we look at it as boring and in Hebrew not as a conversation with G-d. I realized this only a few weeks ago when I went to a family Bar Mitzvah. I decided to have a good look around at all the people praying in the Shule. What I saw was an eye opener. People sleeping, talking to their friend in the next seat but very few where actually following the service and praying together with the Chazzan (communal prayer leader)! I then spied the Barmy boy who was sitting next to me and he too like the rest of the group had his head down and was falling asleep. I decided to lighten things up a bit because I was feeling a bit bored myself I asked the Barmizvah boy “Are you bored?”

“Yea” he said.

“Look around you’re not the only one” I said

I then asked him “why do you think everyone is here?”

He said “well…to hear me pray I suppose.”

“That’s true for only some of the people but why are the rest here?”

He said “to visit with friends.”

“Why would anyone want to come to Shule to visit friends?” I said “You might be right but I think that most people are here because they want a connection.” “They want to feel in touch with something that is beyond their everyday problems and a place where their prayers can be heard.” “Here in Shule there is an environment of prayer and peace. Here a person knows that he can have a personal connection with G-d.

“How do I find that peace? I mean the whole service is in Hebrew and it’s so long all I can do is just sit here. How do I enjoy all this?”

“Now that’s an excellent question” I replied. Lets look at the prayers and read something and lets see what we can get out of it!”

So we opened the prayer book and turned to psalm 30 verse 2 it said: I will exalt you, G-d drawn me up, and not let my foes rejoice over me.

I said to him "You see, King David is having a private conversation with G-d! He's speaking his heart out to the Almighty. That is what prayer is all about having that opportunity to speak your mind to the Creator! We say many of these psalms during the prayers in order to learn from King David and be inspired just as he was. We too want a deeper awareness of G-d's reality."

"Wow I never thought of it that way" he replied.

Sadly it's because we don't look at the prayers deeper enough. We are not taught enough about how powerful each prayer is in the Siddur (Jewish prayer book).

That was my conversation with the Bar Mitzvah boy. I hope that you too can see prayer as a form of private conversation and in the right setting a meditation on awareness. Awareness of our role on this planet and our relationship with the Almighty.

The Service of Chassidim, how to Ascend

2010-07-10T02:46:00.000-07:00

During a Chassidic gathering (called farbrengen in Yiddish), a certain Chassid asked the Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom Dov Ber the fifth Rebbe (Chassidic master) of Lubavitch:

“Rebbe, how do we get out of the mud?”

The Rebbe answered him: “Get into my wagon.”

The Chassid asked: “In order to get into the Rebbe’s wagon you need a riser.”

The Rebbe replied: “the first two steps in order to climb upward are:

1. Meditate upon each and every material object for what it is needed and for what purpose it was created. Then use that object exclusively for this need and for this purpose.

2. Set aside a fixed time to meditate about a subject in the Chassidic teachings for 15 minutes every day.”

An excerpt taken from Chassidic Gems, A Treasury of Heartwarming Chassidic Tales, by Edited by Tuvia Litzman

Just to point out that the Rebbe Rashab (an acrostic for R. Sholom Dov Ber) taught elsewhere that one should meditate on the greatness of G-d for half an hour. From a letter he wrote called kuntres hahitpaalut (the pamphlet about spiritual arousal)

Another happy meditation customer!

2010-06-24T04:36:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are curious to try meditation but are not sure how it can help you, here is a letter from someone who truly gained physical balance and health from meditation. The name has been withheld for privacy. I am giving a four course on meditation techniques starting July 18th till August 8th.

$40.00 per person

To book for the course or to find out more information please contact me on 0417 462 870 or email by clicking here>

Dear Rabbi Chaim,

A while ago we did a meditation where you got us to focus our minds on any areas of pain in our body, and to use our minds and imagery to release it and remove it from the body. What you didn't know then was that I am recovering from a car accident last year where I sustained a pretty severe injury to my back and neck. This meditation took me completely by surprise- firstly that a rabbi teaching Kabbalah focused on something so profound; secondly, that the combination of practicality and spiritualiy in the session actually worked after a year of doctors and medicine! That for a moment I could actually feel my mind breaking through the pain I have carried with me for over a year - and it actually turned my thinking around. I should have continued the practice regularly but work and life has got in the way so haven't. Recently I found myself on a plane without panadol in pain and settled in to do some meditation based on that session for the duration of the flight- and guess what- it seemed to work and for the flight at least I felt like I was getting the better of it, not the other way around for a change - oh the relief! :)

So thank you, it's such a great service you are providing. I originally started because I was curious and wanted to learn more about kaballah/ judaism without having to delve too deeply into the religous or strict side of things and I have discovered that it is now something I am truly enjoying and a really personal growing experience that seems to be having some positive effects not just on my life but those around me.

Looking forward to next week

Sincerely,

Anonymous

Keeping focus

2010-05-02T03:19:00.000-07:00

What would life be like without the LASER? Without it we would not have the technology to play cd's or dvd's, perform eye surgery, build cars and we would not have any of the telecommunication technology or the internet. Our lives would be much less sophisticated. How is it that this beam is so powerful? What makes it crucial to so many aspects of our lives? The secret behind the laser is that it is a focused light. This makes it possible to transmit information or cut through hard materials in a accurate and measured fashion. Without this main property, a laser beam would just be an ordinary light that would not do more than illuminate a room.

We too can be as focused as a laser beam. We all have goals in our lives and business. Goals like making more money or buying a house. Some goals are personal like finishing a degree, losing weight or working on a hobby. What ever your goals may be, there are times when you feel that you are not accomplishing them. This feeling can make you depressed and in many cases make you feel that you have lost your ambition for your goal. You might choose then to let go of something that could have been a great and fulfilling commitment.

At times like this, meditation can be an affective way of reinvigorating your direction. Especially meditating on two important emotions, netzach and hod, is an effective way of reviving your inspiration for your goals.

According to the Kabbalah we have two emotional traits within us that help us to stay focused and to be inspired to accomplish our goals. These two emotions are netzach and hod. These are represented within the body by the left and right kidneys. According to the Kabbalah, the kidneys, are the source and root of wisdom they help ground a person and enable him to succeed in all his endeavors. Medically your kidneys have a marvelous and very important job, they sift out the toxins from your blood stream so that your blood stays healthy and clean. That is why people without kidneys cannot survive. Without having the toxins removed from the blood stream, a persons organs will eventaully die from the overdose of poisons in the blood. G-d forbid.

In the Torah kidneys are given the name"Yoetzet" which means advisors or teachers. Tthe Talmud calls someone who is a good adviser someone who has "Kleiot Yoatzot" which means advising kidneys. The reason why they are termed such is because a good advisor can see the direct path in which a person should go. A good teacher can guide his pupil in the manner fitting for the pupil to grow in his education. Kidneys too are the advisors of a person. They filter out the poison and "direct" the clean blood so that the person can be healthy.

This is the power of netzach and hod, the spiritual kidneys. You can inspire your personal advisors, the sefirot of netzach and hod, by meditating on these emotions and focusing your thoughts on the energy of these sefirot or character traits. Be like a LASER beam and bring out your greatest potentia. Be focused on your goal! Meditate on your goal and see it being successful. Meditate on saying "yes I can do this" imagine how great and free you feel after you have finished goal.

I hope this will help you be focused and if you wish to have more information about this and any other meditation please contact me by clicking here.

If you are looking for a guided meditation with a feeling of purpose and inspiration join us on Monday or Tuesday night for a session! click here to find out more details and locations.

What people are saying about Kabbalah Meditation

2010-04-26T00:33:00.000-07:00

This is what some one wrote about my Meditation Sessions

"Dear Rabbi Rosenthal,

Meditating on Shema, Chesed and other such words for me is a powerful visualisation. This enables me to focus on the meaning of the letters and the richness of the words and how this brings positiveness to my thoughts that the meditation inspires. I am also aware of the connection that this meditative state brings to my prayer and my closeness to Hashem. In a relaxed yet fully in the moment state, guided by Rabbi Rosenthal, enables me to clear my mind and not notice the daily clutter of the day to day thoughts, with my focus easily being on the beauty and thankfullness of what Hashem provides.

The flow on of the meditation session, I feel, is a calmness, an energized feeling that continues through my daily prayers and through the week. I also sleep better which is such a plus, the benefits of mediation enhancing my spiritual, physical and cognitive wellbeing!

Thank you Rabbi Rosenthal

from N.W."

How to overcome stress

2010-04-26T00:16:00.000-07:00

Does this sound like you.

"Oh no I'm running late again!!! What am I going to do this traffic jam wont move! I think I need a coffee to get me out of this mess!"

Or how about this one: "I just opened my inbox to see 100 emails that I need to reply to right now! The boss needs his report by 12 and it is only half way finished! Ahhrg! Coffee just spilled on my laptop!"

This is a conversation that most of us speak each day. Our adrenaline runs very high to keep up with the daily stress. Adrenalin, also known as Epinephrine is a hormone that is associated with the fight and flight instinct. It is used in the body to speed up the heart rate contract blood vessels and help the body to escape a dangerous situation like running from a bear or a lion!

This hormone is not intended to be the ideal state of a human being and when active on a consistent basis, affects the digestive system, reproductive organs and can cause serious health problems like anorexia, constipation, erectile dysfunction, difficulty urinating, and difficulty maintaining sexual arousal.

Prolonged stress responses may result in chronic suppression of the immune system and may lead to illness due to the weak state of the immune system. Stress hormones also effect sleeping patterns and people under significant stress find it hard to sleep at night, which in turn does not allow the body to truly heal and protect itself from illness.

In our society today we don't regularly need to have our adrenalin active, yet we tend to activate these stress hormones all the time. Sitting in front of a computer to work on a project cannot compare to being chased by a lion! Why do we react so harshly then? Our bodies cannot tell the difference between being chased by a lion and being hurried to finish a project on time. So if we "freak out" even over a relatively small work realted issue like coffee spilling onto your computer then that's because we don't know any other way how to react. We need to learn techniques to help slow down the process of adrenalin and to open our minds to a deeper perspective in life. We need to teach ourselves that there are better ways to handle a stressful situation no matter how stressful.

The Kabbalah teaches that everything that happens to us is a lesson and message from on high! Our souls below are constantly being informed of our mission in life, but we don't always listen because we are too stressed out. Meditation is a wonderful way to get our bodies to listen to our purpose on high and to relax. Meditation turns off the flight or fight response and helps us gain control of our lives even during our most stressful periods in life. Mediation will help you to resolve difficult situations at work with an enhanced creativity and productivity.

I encourage you to join me during meditation sessions and together we can learn to control our emotions and learn to react in a more peaceful and harmonious way even under intense pressure.

Balancing the scales

2010-03-22T00:14:00.000-07:00

This time of year is known as the "spring cleaning" season in many Jewish homes . All over the world Jewish people turn their houses upside down to find any crumbs of Chamets (Leavened products prohibited during Passover*) Most people get very stressed to find Chametsand clean the whole house. It is very challenging work and a significantly exhausting task.

Although there is a Mitzvah (commandment) to be done and we do this task with complete faith, there must be much more to it than just cleaning our houses. Why would Hashem (the Almighty) want us stress ourselves out so much to find microscopic crumbs that don't matter anyway? Well there is much more which I'll illustrate with a story.

First I need to explain some background to the story. On the night before Passover, there is a Mitzvah (commandment) to do the final checking of the house for any leftover leaven. The custom is to take ten pieces of leavened food (bread, crackers etc.) and place them in random places throughout your house to search for them and any other possible suspects that might have escaped your scrupulous cleaning. The night is known as Bedikat Chamets (literally The search for the leavened)

On the night of Bedikat Chamets the Chassidic Mystic, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, was searching his home with great fervor and zest. Although his house comprised of only a small room which was his bedroom, living room, kitchen, dining room and closet, he still searched the entire night for the nasty little crumbs. His wife was perplexed. She thought to herself "Why should my saintly husband search for so long?" "Is he losing his sight?" "I mean our house is tiny at the most it should take ten minutes to finish the entire search." Perhaps he can't see well and is taking his time" After he finished his search, well into the next morning, his sleepy eyed Rebbezin, who surely could not sleep while her husband was searching the house, asked him why it took so long for him to conduct such an easy task.

He answered "do you think I was merely looking for the crumbs and leavened in our home? Certainly not! I was looking for the Chamets inside me! That is a task that is very time consuming for I need to find my personal negative traits in every corner of my being and personality, and then I need to collect them and purge them. This takes a very long time and needs great concentration."

Yes there is more to Chamets than just crumbs! Leavening is a process in which dough rises due to natural yeast or bakers yeast. It is a natural occurence and unless dough is guarded it WILL become Chamets. In order for a dough to remain Matza (unleavened) then it needs to be guarded and baked quickly.

Just like a dough, are personalities too, if let unchecked, have a tendency to "rise" or "leaven." Our egos can rise and get in the way of other people. Our anger can blind us from seeing things or events in a deeper and more meaningful way. We need to keep ourselves in check so that we don't get carried away by our ego and negative tendencies.

Passover is not only an excuse to redesign the home, but is an opportunity to cleanse our emotions and our personality. Eating Matzah is more than just eating crunchy bread, but is a symbol and spiritual reminder that we too have to become like matzah and purge any negative effect our ego's or our negative emotions have on ourselves and on others.

Passover is like balancing the scales. Every so often scales need rejusting so that they an accurate reading. We too, on Passover rebalance ourselves. We rebalance our goals, our feelings and our ambition. We ask ourselves questions about our relationships, our jobs, about are freedom and about life. It is a time to rethink what our personal life destiny is about and what our goals are as part of humanity.

To stress this theme, we meditated on scales as a personal pre-Passover spiritual preparation during the Monday night meditation group. We imagined putting all are negative traits and feelings, mistakes and failiures on one side of the scales. We watched how the negative plate sunk lower and lower. Then we put all our achievements and positive feelings and anything that made us feel good on the other side of the scales and we meditated on which one felt heavier the positive or the negative.

After that, and this was the best part, we meditated on taking all the things that where on the negative side and putting them on the positive side. We took each thing and gave it a hug and said "I love you" to it.

This was the most important part because you are how you are now from all your positive and negative feelings and achievements from your past. You need to accept ALL of you even the bad, since all your personality traits make up who you are.

We concluded the session by writing down one thing that we wish to improve on this year, since we always need to improve ourselves.

That was our spiritual Bedikat Chamets. Try the above excersize at home and when its time for the real Bedikat Chamets, carry it with you.

Have a happy and healthy Passover! Chag Kasher vesameach!

*Passover begins on March 29th this year. To learn more about the festival click here

A new day of Meditation!

2010-03-16T04:04:00.000-07:00

My first month has been an incredible journey. I never knew that the meditation sessions would be so inspirational and exciting. Now I've started a second day. Those that cannot make it on Mondays are invited to join on Tuesdays!

Tonight we did the Simcha (Joy) Meditation! I wrote about it a few blogs ago. It focuses on how true joy is naturally within all of us and that it is only waiting to come out. When joy does come out from inside, it has a powerful effect on the body and soul and this effect is felt by everyone that is around you!

Joy breaks all boundries and limitations. If you are being held back by stress and you can't study for that test, then this meditation will refocus you. If you are so stressed from work that you've lost your creative energy, this meditation will bring it back. The truth is that you did not "lose" your creativity or your energy it's just been hidden. All you need to do is bring it out!

I will be uploading this meditation on line by video soon so keep in touch. It is truly a great meditation!

Joy to the world

2010-03-02T14:26:00.000-08:00

A story is told of the Emperor Vespasian, that upon hearing that he became the new Emperor of Rome, his feet swelled from the news and he could not put on his battle boots! He was so joyous that the joy caused his feet to swell!

Joy is a unique experience because it effects the entire body as a whole. Another similar experience is pleasure. These two soul experience's are unique from the rest of emotions. Other emotions can effect a cause for example being angry can cause you to become violent. You can CHOOSE not to be violent and you don't need to express you anger. You can CHOOSE to calm down or you can CHOOSE to express your anger. The emotion is NOT essentially connected to expression. This is true with other emotions as weill like love. You can love someone but you do not always need to or feel like expressing that love. Pleasure and joy though force their experience onto the body.

This shows that both these soul experiences are very powerful. Much of Kabbalah and Chassidic literature has been devoted to understanding what pleasure and joy are.

Chassidc literature explains that joy is an experience that is part of the essence of the soul. That means that we naturally have joy! We really don't need to think about it, but because we are busy with work or other important things we tend to forget what is really inside us. Stress and other negative emotions tax us as well and we dwell on the wrong kind of ideas. That's why we need to think about joy and bring up the power of this experience to remind us of joy and how great it is to be joyous.
This past Monday night we did a meditation on the word for joy in Hebrew (Simcha) We took each letter and meditated on it's individual meaning and then we meditated on the entire word. It was fantastic! A real inspirational night. I've been buzzing by this great idea the whole week!
This is the jist of the meditation.

שׁ Shin/Sin- Bringing out your inner essence which is joy (All of us naturally know what joy is we just forget)
מ Mem - letting it flow to fills your body and soul
ח Chet - Share joy with others
ה Hey - Let this joy inspire you and those around you always!

Stay connected.

2010-02-24T23:31:00.000-08:00

Do you want to know more about the possiblities of meditation in your life. There are significant health benefits to meditation that you can achieve through the Kabbalah Meditation programme. Be in touch by signing onto my email list to receieve emails about upcoming meditation sessions and other wisdom from the Kabbalah about meditation.

Enhance your life sign up now.
Click on the link below to sign on.
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Getting started!

2010-02-16T15:02:00.001-08:00

It feels great that the Meditation sessions are getting started and that people are gaining from them. Each week we have a session and then after the session we discuss how the session went and what was gained. Meditation is more successful if everyone participates. This is actually a concept from the Talmud. When the early Chassidim (a group that existed during the Taludic era) would pray, they would first meditate an hour, then pray and hour and then spend an hour in contemplation about how the previous hours effected them. Since traditionally Jews are meant to pray three times a day that means that these early Chassidim would be in spiritual refinement for 9 hours a day! That's quite a lot to ask for in today's busy life style so we only discuss for about 15 minutes. J

This week we focused on the Hebrew word AHVAH. It means love and there are many profound lessons one can learn from this most basic human and spiritual emotion. We delved into the deeper meaning as is taught in the Kabala and meditated on how we can encourage greater love of others. This meditation encouraged the group to explore how to bring out greater love of family and loved ones and greater respect for colleagues and peers.

If you ever wanted to experience meditation for yourself then it is important to know a few tips.

The definition of Meditation is the act continued or extended thought, reflection or contemplation. The mind is constantly surging with new thoughts and ideas. To slow down the mind by a process of continued or extended thought can be very difficult and therefore you might feel discouraged from the process. My advice to you is to keep trying. Keep one thought at the top of your mind while other thoughts can pass through your mind. For example, if you are looking at a photo of friends you will see many other images on the picture, like the background or the colour of the sky or what your friends are wearing. Although those images are on the picture they are not your point of focus and although you might notice them they are irrelevant to what you are focusing on. So too with meditation you might wish to focus on AHAVAH for example and other thoughts might enter your mind. That's ok let them be there but only as background noise. Allow your mind to focus on the main goal. This takes some practice so keep at it! The rewards of relaxation and health are truly worth the effort.
Choose a comfortable position and one with a lot of space. During one of our sessions I noticed a lot of fidgeting from some of the group. I was trying to figure out why they were not so relaxed. I realized that they were sitting to close to each other! You need space during a meditation so make sure that you give yourself plenty of space and plenty of comfort.
Don't fall asleep. It could be very tempting to fall asleep during a meditation. Scientifically meditation taps into parts of the brain that induce sleep. The idea is that the mind is active but the body is in a resting state.

If meditation is practiced you will notice that the rest of your day is more peaceful and less stressful. You will have greater creativity and a more thoughtful approach to life.

If you wish to try these tips then please feel free to do so. I also hope that you join us next Monday or any Monday at 7:30pm for another "inner" experience!

Sincerely,

Chaim

Below is our group before the session. Come and join us, there is room!

Success through continued effort!

2010-01-25T00:25:00.001-08:00

The great sage Rabbi Akivah started his life as an ignorant shepherd. Although he was a man of fine character he did not even know how to read and he held great contempt to those who did. He once told a student "when I was young I used to hate scholars so that I wished to bite them like a donkey". The student asked "why like a donkey and why not like a dog?" Rabbi Akivah answered "because a dog's bite only cuts through flesh but a donkey cuts through bone!"

At the age of forty he married his wife Rachel. She saw that he had great potential to become one of the leading scholars of his generation (which he did become) and she encouraged him to go to Yeshiva (Rabbinical College) to study. As he was travelling to study he thought to himself "who am I fooling, can I really accomplish this much study? It's impossible!" Just at that moment he saw a stone that was being cut away by droplets of water. Although the stone was very hard, over many years, a hole had been cut through due to the constant bombardment of the water. He said "if stone which is very hard can be cut through by water which is a liquid, how much more so can Torah penetrate my heart."

He did become a great sage in Israel and is famous to this day. His teachings are recorded in the famous books of the Mishnah and the Midrash.

This story parallels a lesson from last week's Torah Portion. In the portion Moses approaches Pharaoh warning him that if he does not let the Jewish people go then Egypt will suffer more plagues. The great Chassidic master Rabbi Elimelech of Lizensk comments that Moses went constantly to Pharaoh because if he did not then his message would never get across. Just like an annoying advertisement. The more it is played the more you remember it!

The lesson for us is that we need to inspire ourselves to always grow especially in spiritual activities. It is not enough to do something just once but we must always be involved in the activity to make a significant difference in our lives.

I bless you all that this week you should be inspired to do more good and become more in tune with your inner self.

Have a great Aussie day and save me a beer!

You're Rabbi,

Chaim Rosenthal

Relax life is good!

2010-01-14T18:46:00.001-08:00

The saintly Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (obm) once related to one of his students that "one must study the Torah in comfort". The great Rabbi himself would every summer holidays, go to the Catskill Mountains, in New York State, for holiday. He believed that a person can better appreciate the Torah and spirituality while in a different setting. This of course is not a new concept. The Talmud teaches that a person should study "where his heart desires" (which could mean both in subject and in location). The great Chassidic masters and mystics of the last century would frequently go into the forests and spend days there in meditation and prayer and to be one with the environment. The great mystic and Chassidic master Rabbi Nachman of Breslov teaches that a person should get "lost" in the forests and speak a personal prayer to Hashem (this is a known Jewish Meditative practise called Hitbodedut or being alone).

We all live such busy lives and know more that ever we all need to relax and enjoy what is around us. Hashem created this beautiful world for us to use (of course use respectfully) and to gain inspiration from. Doesn't the famous Jewish singer and song writer King David just sing this very point in his holy work of the Psalms? In fact the sages made it a prerequisite to prayer that a selection of psalms must be recited in order for us to get in the mood. If we truly think about the greatness of what is around us we will come to see Hashem in a totally different way.

Take a blade of grass as an example. At first you just see a small green "thing" that pokes your feet. Then take the grass and put it under a microscope. What do you see? You see cities of cells! Within each "city" there are factories and roads and shops, a CBD you name it it's there (science calls it different names of course)! You begin to see the greater picture which makes you think "hey mister blade of grass you and I have a lot in common. We are not so different after all." Then you decide to probe deeper into the innocent blade of grass. You pluck out a piece of Molecule and you see the atoms. Again what do you see a power plant! (No pun intended!) There is electricity (electrons) and a core (a nucleus). Now an amazing thing begins to happen. As you go even deeper you begin to see that what was once a blade of grass is nothing! Because as soon as you take apart the Atom you are left with nothing! Now you really start thinking, hey mister blade of grass if you're really nothing and you and I are so similar, then what am? I am I really nothing? Wow what a thought! This all was thought about from a simple blade of grass.

The Talmud teaches us that every day there is an angel that hits a blade of grass telling it "grow! Grow!" This means that Hashem has a conscious awareness of all of creation. He perceives and is personally involved in every detail of creation and especially in our lives. So regarding that blade of grass it does exist and so do we because Hashem is causing us at every moment to exist.

There are many life lessons one can learn from nature and one gains a greater appreciation of the world and of Hashem's creative powers. I give you my blessing to continue to probe the deepness of reality and to perceive a greater existence. This will bring you personal peace and a happier life!

How I deal with abuse

2009-12-24T03:41:00.001-08:00

This week has been very busy. We are in the middle of a fantastic summer camp program. The children are really having a great time. Of course this does mean that I get home exhausted every evening and it gives me little time to think or meditate but I still try to.

One day this week was especially traumatic. I woke up early on Tuesday morning to cry out to the Almighty and pray at the 6:20am Minyan (that means prayer group in Hebrew). When I got into my car and tried to drive away I noticed that I couldn't move the car. So I got out and discovered that all four tyres had been slashed and that someone wrote on the bonnet and boot of my car the words "die Jew". I was horrified! Especially since my car was parked right in front of my house. Does this person know where I live? I certainly hope not! That is all I was thinking about. Of course I needed to get new tyres, call the police and other important people like the insurance company. After all this I started to think about the situation. Why, why did he do it? Poor fellow I feel sorry for him. Part of me wishes to help him and part of me wishes to punch him in the nose!

I decided to meditate on this issue. I imagined in my mind how this made me feel and why this would happen to me. I felt very emotional and angry. I felt abused. I then turned my thoughts to a very powerful point that Chassidism teaches. That all that happens both good and bad is really a blessing from the Almighty. How can that be? What is the blessing behind having my car tyres slashed and having graffiti written on my car?

Well when the All Omnipotent and Omnipresent force created the world, he used two kinds of energy. One kind of energy animates every kind of object big or small according to the needs of that object. For example a rock needs to be energized as a rock. If the energy of a fly for example went into a rock that rock could no longer exist as a rock. I don't know what would happen to it but it could not be a rock anymore. I'll call this form of energy the infusing energy.

Another kind of energy is what's called encompassing energy. It is an energy that is equal on all levels. It is the same energy that gives form and life to a human being and the same energy that gives form and life to a rock. This energy encompasses all levels of creation equally.

Chassidism teaches further that the encompassing energy is of a greater quality than the infusing energy.

So when obvious good happens to us it is because the Divine energy is coming from the infusing energy, when bad things happen to us it is coming from the encompassing energy! How is that so? The encompassing energy must come to us in a "hidden way" since it is an energy equal to all levels. We cannot fathom its greatness! It is so overwhelming and bright that creation can only receive it in a concealed way. It is so great that we cannot be a vessel for it directly. The "hidden way" the encompassing light reveals itself to us is through negative experiences. So in reality the bad that happens to us is actually GOOD!

We need to meditate on it to see the good. I hope that none of you ever have to experience evil or evil people in your lives. I hope that none of you ever suffer from abuse and if you do please know that I am crying with you.

Why I love to meditate

2009-12-21T03:23:00.001-08:00

People have so many thoughts in their minds. It is difficult to pinpoint which is the most important. I like to meditate to help me focus on one thought. Sometimes I will think about my personal potential. During meditation I can ask myself questions like: who am I, why am I on this earth, where am I going, why am I going in that direction, where do I want to be. Although this form of meditation is not the conventional (I mean to say not the way people think about meditation), it is a very Jewish method that I have found to be very rewarding. It is an inner focused loose meditative technique that R. Arye Kaplan discusses in his guide to meditation. I have found that it works well while I am doing other things like writing a blog, or jogging. Alternatively you can try this form of meditation while in a closed room.

Another powerful meditation is one that Rabbi Nachman of Brestlov calls Hisbodedut. It is a form in which someone has a private conversation with G-d. Well the technique is quite simple just start speaking to G-d about anything similar to a personal journal or diary, only you are having a conversation. Try it and you will find how very often your mind will wish to change the subject. I have found it to be a very powerful method of prayer as well and I feel a greater closeness to G-d through this form of meditation.

I am happy to hear about your personal experiences please feel free to comment as well.

I look forward to it!

What is Kabbalah Meditation

2009-12-20T16:31:00.000-08:00

Jews don't meditate, Buddhists meditate!

Don't you think that way?

Many people do, but this is wrong.

For generations there has been a mystical tradition in Jewish faith and in the Torah.

In fact some of the most ancient of teachings stems from Abraham the for father of the Jewish people. The famous book of mystical tradition known as "Sefer Yetzirah" (the book of formation) is attributed to him.

In the well known mystical work known as the Zohar Hakodesh (the Holy Zohar or book of Radiance) a story is told about how a Talmudic sage named Abba came to the people of the east. Abba taught that all Mystical traditions from the East are attributed to Abraham!

This is what he said:

"One day I came to a city of the people of the East, and they told me some wisdom that they had inherited from ancient times. They also had books explaining this wisdom, and they brought me one such book.

In this book it was written that when a person meditates in this world a spirit (ruach) is transmitted to him from on high. The type of spirit depends on the desire to which he attaches himself. If his mind attaches itself to something lofty and holy, then that is what he transmits down to himself. But if his mind attaches itself to the sitra achara (the unholy or "other" side), and he meditates on this, then that will be what he transmits down to himself (G-d forbid).

They (the people of the east) said, 'It all depends on word, deed and the individuals desire to attach himself. Through these, he transmits downward to himself that side to which he becomes attached."

In that book I found all the (idolatrous) rites and practices involved in the worship of the stars and constellations. It included the things needed for the rites, as well as instructions how one must meditate in order to transmit their (influence) to himself.

(In the same manner one who wishes to attach himself on high through Ruach Hakodesh (holy influence or spirit) must do so in deed, word and desire of the heart meditating in that area. This is what it depends on when one wishes to bind himself to something and transmit its influence to himself....)

I said to them, "My children, the things in that book are very close to the teaching of the Torah. But you must keep yourselves from these books in order that your hearts not be drawn to their (idolatrous) practices and all the (other) facets mentioned there, and lest you be drawn away from serving the Blessed Holy One."

The Zohar ends saying: "All these books can confuse a person. This is because the people of the East were great sages, who inherited this wisdom from Abraham. He had given it to the sons of his concubines, as it is written, "To the sons of the concubines that Abraham had taken, Abraham gave gifts" (Genesis 25:6). (This was originally true wisdom) but later it was drawn into many (idolatrous) practices. Zohar 1:99b (Translation taken from R. Aryeh Kaplan's book: Meditation and Kabbalah)

From here it is clear that not only is Judaism rich in a tradition of meditation but that the eastern religions and philosophies stem from Abraham the first Jew!

So why has it been that these practices are unknown or not practiced?

The truth is that they are practiced and they are known!

The prayer system that Jews pray every day is a form of meditation and if done with proper intent and concentration, can bring a person to a meditative state. The word for prayer is Tefillah which is connected to the word palal which means to judge oneself. So prayer is a form of controlled external meditation.

So how do you meditate then? I hope that is your question. Because if it is you are not alone. I have started this blog site as a way to teach these methods and as a way to bring more peace and harmony in our turbulent lives. I have been asked by my community to lecture on this topic and to teach meditation and guide meditation sessions. I hope that you too will find these methods meaningful and rewarding.