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Manis Friedman
Rabbi Manis Friedman is a world-renowned author, counselor, lecturer and philosopher; and co-founder of Bais Chana Institute of Jewish Studies in Minnesota. He also served as simultaneous translator for the live televised talks by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
To purchase classes and other products by Rabbi Friedman, click here. |
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Latest Comments:
In one of his letters, the Lubaviter Rebbe compares the world to a macro body and each nation to an individual organ, Where each organ must fulfiil its function independently yet harmoniously with the other organs. I.e. each nation has its function.
A minor observation
The seven Noachdite, or universal laws are focused at sustaining humanity, at impressing normalcy throughout the world. The Talmud compares a gentile who observes the 7 laws to the high Priest serving in the holy temple on Yom Kippur. Maimonides rules that a Ben Noach who observes the seven laws for the sake of heaven has a share in the world to come.
While the 613 mitzvos are meant to establish a connection between the Physical and the spirtual realms and merge them into one.
Each nation has a purpose and function.
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This is how i understand it to be.
A jew is a human being who observes the mitzvot(who's brought into himself the essence of the divine) in each and every materialistic thing hes encountered in life.
However, if theres a break in this chain(ie; a Jew not observing the mitvot, nor channeling into himself the influence of kavanot) that spiritual chain will have been broken and that Jew(who had the generational accumulation which resulted in his higher soul) would have been reduced to the level of a normal human.
This is how i understand the idea of a Jew having a "higher" soul....
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I like Rabbi Friedman's commentaries, I am a member of a Chabad shul (though I'm not a Chabadnik, per se), and have gotten a lot of good out of my association with Chabad.
However, I find objectionable, no more than objectionable, I find vile and disgusting, the concept that the souls of Jews are somehow significantly different, more G-dly, than the souls of the rest of mankind.
We Jews may be the children of Abraham, but all humanity together are the children of Adam and Eve, and thus share a common humanity. And as a common humanity, we have a choice: to either move forward together as equals towards our common destiny, or fracture into warring tribes and so destroy ourselves.
This myth of a G-d given superiority of the Jewish soul over all others can only lead us to that latter fate, and I urge Rabbi Friedman and all others who hold it to think again.
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Why Don’t You Go To Heaven?
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The soul is sent away from its home in heaven to earth. At first the soul is confused by earthly conditions; only gradually does it begin to appreciate its mission in transforming a world devoid of G-dliness. (30:34) |
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Judaism & Asceticism
Would you take a sublime and transcendent spiritual being and lock it up? That's what G-d did when He sent your soul to earth. What was He getting at?
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| What is the vast eternal purpose for which G-d creates the world? We are taught that there are two components to its fulfillment: to give G-d a voice in his world by making it more G-dly, and. to reach a state where-in the primary pleasure in life is closeness to G-d.
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| Here is an authentically Jewish presentation of a painful subject which enables us to lay the groundwork for understanding G-d's justice. We come to understand the nature of Divine Providence, recognizing G-d's hand in every event.
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| Seeing the hidden goodness in every person; seeing the potential of mankind, and seeing the un-tapped reserve of wealth hidden in nature, together these visions make the impossible available, together they represent a messianic world.
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| The soul descends from heaven - a perfect environment to a lesser one. The objective is to reveal the nature of the soul itself, which can only be revealed away from that perfect place
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| The first story in human history is a story we all know: Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Yet, it requires further study to uncover its deeper meaning and significance.
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| In creating the world, G-d moved from nothing to something. In the new world of Noah after the flood, the creation responded by moving from something to nothing.
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Good News or Bad News?
The text states: “the people were evil; the flood erased them from the earth”. However the Midrash equates the flood waters with the waters of creation which are pure and holy; is it good news or bad news? Is Torah in heaven or on earth?
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Bringing G-dliness into this World
Every created being needs to justify its existence because it was created for a purpose.
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| Every soul in the world asks itself: what am I doing here, why was I sent away from heaven?
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Part 1
What is a soul? Where is it from? What is its significance in the world? A three part series; explaining and bringing down the kabbalistic term of ‘soul’, to a level that we can all relate to and understand.
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Part 2
What is a soul? Where is it from? What is its significance in the world? A three part series; explaining and bringing down the kabbalistic term of ‘soul’, to a level that we can all relate to and understand.
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Part 3
What is a soul? Where is it from? What is its significance in the world? A three part series; explaining and bringing down the kabbalistic term of ‘soul’, to a level that we can all relate to and understand.
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Part 1
The term ‘soul’ is so widely used in our lives. Does everything have a soul? And what is it in a practical application? A kabbalistic look at our relationship with our soul, and the souls of all that we encounter.
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Part 2
The term ‘soul’ is so widely used in our lives. Does everything have a soul? And what is it in a practical application? A kabbalistic look at our relationship with our soul, and the souls of all that we encounter.
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| The divine presence came down to this world and then the divine presence left this world. What will bring it back?
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| In describing G-d’s relationship with creation the Midrash says: The holy one blessed be He, desires a dwelling place in the lowest world. Desire, implies not that the project is unnecessary, rather it is essential to Him.
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| All resistance to G-dliness comes from un-holiness; through mitzvots we can bring G-dliness even to areas of resistance, and where G-d feels foreign and un-natural He eventually finds a home.
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| Why were we given the ability to injure or kill? Also, what brings evil into existence and what do we do about it?
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The key to life: Making every experience G-dly
The purpose of life has two parts: Why G-d created us, what's in it for him? And why are we here, what does he want from us. The first question is high mystery, we may never know the answer. The second question is the key to life.
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