Hugs Prayers & Temptations. Ten Sivan 5781
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Hugs Prayers & Temptations
What's in a hug? A hug is an expression of love and acceptance of the individual who you are hugging. By your hugging even your loved ones back, you surround and embrace your loved one. Your hug says: You are accepting the other person with unconditional love. You are embracing the totality of the other person. As they are. No strings attached. Unconditionally.
At Mount Sinai, more than 3300 years ago, our loving Father in Heaven expressed His love for His beloved children and He gave the Jewish people a big hug. When the Jewish people received the Torah at Mount Sinai and specifically the Ten Commandments, it was an intimate connection between the Jew and G-d.
The intense love and revelation of G-d's holiness to the Jewish people was so powerful, that the Jewish peoples body could not contain it. So by each of the Ten Commandments, G-d spoke and they expired, their soul left their body.
As a result of that G-d commanded the Jewish people to build a sanctuary so that
G-d can dwell in our physical world. A place for the Jew and G-d to meet and unite. A place where heaven kisses earth. Spiritual and physical merged and united into one. The Divine presence - the Shchina- was revealed, palpable and felt.
The Mishkan sanctuary was the place where G-d revealed and showed the Jewish people his unlimited love for the Jewish people. Every Jew felt G-d's hug, the Schechina, in the Mishkan sanctuary.
After the destruction of the Mishkan and the Holy Temple in Jerusalem the Jewish people had nowhere to go where they could experience the intense love of G-d. The Jew needed a way to receive a hug from our loving Father In Heaven.
The Alter Rebbe reveals the solution in Tanya. When you study Torah you have such a moment. You connect and unite with essence of G-d. Because Torah contains the essence and glory of G-d's presence.
So if you're in the mood of a hug from G-d, if you want to feel loved and connected to your loving Father In Heaven, open up any book of Torah content, Chassidus and Yiddishkeit. Study a few lines or enjoy a few pages, especially Halacha Jewish law such as Rambam etc. Try it daily and at that moment you will receive a loving hug from G-d.
Enjoy your private hug! The hug between you and your loving Father In Heaven!
3 messages based on the teachings of the Rebbe:
1) We survive on the nutrients derived from healthy food. After each meal we say the blessings of grace and thanksgiving. Our holy sages instituted that we should say these blessings even after eating just a small amount of bread, the size of an olive. Not just as mandated by Torah when we feel satiated. This empowers us to transform the physicality of earth and merge it into a spiritual holy existence. We make peace between the physical and the spiritual. Your blessings are powerful. You are preparing the world for Moshiach! A world of peace and happiness!
2) A person with strong desires and temptations of the physical world, has the power to subdue them and elevate and connect the low elements of our world with the infinite beauty and holiness of our loving Father in Heaven. Every time you do a Mitzvah and you use any physical objects for the sake of heaven, you are successfully redeeming the sparks of holiness which were waiting for thousands of years for you to repair and restore them to their original state and connection with the Creator. You become a partner with G-d. You are perfecting the world. We all need you!
3) The Zohar says that “the time of prayer is a time of war”. Life is a battle between the good forces against the impure and evil forces including the evil inclination. The goal is to bring the authority of G-d's kingdom to all of existence. During prayer we are empowered to be victorious in our battles. To connect to our source. Prayer in Hebrew means to connect. When we think about all the miracles and blessings with which we are blessed, we develop an emotional love and appreciation for the Master of the Universe. You have the power to transform yourself from a limited finite being into an infinite eternal being. Maximize your potential and joyously discover your true infinite self!
Lchayim
Velvl
Rabbi Velvl Butman
Executive Director
Chabad Lubavitch of Westchester County
Sharing the joy and meaning of Judaism unconditionally!
Email: Chabadofwestchester@gmail.com
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