You have to begin with the knowledge
that there is nothing perfect in this world.
Our job is not to hunt down perfection and live within it.
It is to take whatever broken pieces we have stumbled across
and sew them together to create beauty out of a bitter world.
What salvation can I have if I'm never to be perfect in G-D's eyes. Reply
That's love. "Everything that love touches makes it beautiful." Of course, there are many ways to make it beautiful but the end is "..to create beauty out of a bitter world." Reply
I have come to a point in me where everything is broken and nothing makes sense, there is no wholeness and I don’t even think I want there to be cause it is in between the broken pieces I am finding the crucible of myself that me that has been buried in worldly culture and suggestion. It is in the rubble something of me is being refined purified redeemed and becoming new, deep calls to deep as I have been deep in illusion...only awakening to a Song of Songs, only listening to the most exquisite possible voice of truth of who we all are to be. Reply
Finding Perfection Those broken pieces we find, most of the time, have their own set of believes. It is very hard to work with them for a change, unless one have the same faith. I have tried in my 68yrs of life. They either want to tranform us into their own believes or drag one down with them. I have learnt to give the best part of me, love. One cannot give oneself, but only what one have. Then, live and let live. The All-Compassionate, Merciful, Creator of the Universe will take care of the rest, blessed is He! He is the only perfection. Reply
Beautifully put. The Creator of the Universe is the only perfection. Pondering this and the fact that there is nothing else because Creation exists within the only Beingness, or Self (aka I AM) we come to realize that all the human beings who have ever existed are Perfect in their essence, or Soul. Unfortunately the so-called “fall from Grace” or eating of the “forbidden fruit” caused humankind to identify with the way things look rather than what IS. Billions and billions of humans have identified with their bodies as separately existing entities due to the sensory report in their heads (the so-called “animal soul”), and lost their connection to the Oneness of the “Higher Soul” and through that the Perfection, the Creator. Reply
Perfection Put the broken pieces of the world together? That is what perfection is all about whereas imperfection like crazy smashes the world in pieces. The evidence is there for all to see.Many roads indeed leads to Rome. Reply
Perfection If there is anything anything I know with absolute assurance it is that I am far from perfect fortunately I am not called to be perfect I am called to be righteous Reply
I take this as my way to Tikkun Olam, help sewing the broken pieces together, whether it is broken hearts or broken hope in myself and others. The glue - patience, understanding and giving enough time for the glue to set. B'H Reply
What about a motivation for change
Rabbi Tzvi Freeman,
My father gets your daily doses every day, and is now deciding whether to stay at the bank he is working for or try and create his own independent trading business. Now he has the question- he feels like he would like to change jobs and try this opportunity, but according to this daily dose we wonder- when does one know to stay and sew the pieces together, and when does one know when to grow, increase, change, move on?
Thank you
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Hello, Leah
The key word in your comment is GROW. As a baby grows, the baby can't wear newborn clothes. The clothes that the child wears reflects it growth and its age. So, does their food, mentality, communication, and interactions with family and loved ones. Often times as adults, we hold on to things that no longer bring contentment because it's safe. We have anxiety wanting to leave, but afraid to go, afraid to broaden our horizons and knowledge base. Understand, I am not talking about marriage or one's spiritual connection to GD. As adults, we can patch our clothes to a point. Then the cloth wears thin and becomes rags and we either have to buy or make something new. Mothers' generally will save precious baby clothes of their child as a momento of once was. We can't go back to that time so we have no CHOICE, but to move forward. The key word here is CHOICE. It is your father's decision to move in a direction he has been contemplating for a long time with Gd's ok.
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Dear Rita,
The Divine Providence in this reply is simply amazing.
I asked this question 11 years ago and forgot about it. Now, just last Tuesday my husband was faced with the same question. I wrote a letter to the Rebbe asking for guidance and success in his possibly breaking off from where he works to start his own independent business. And now, your answer comes, 11 years after I asked the same question here for my father, and two days after I sent the letter to the Rebbe about this exact predicament for my husband. I am left speechless. Thank you for your wise answer, and for being an agent from on High to provide us with wisdom and clarity.
Leah
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Hi, Leah!
I am honored and happy for you!
Best wishes,
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No sewing required I'm perfect. Reply
The letter
Dear Rabbi Freeman,
Would you mind telling where the letter is from? i would love to read the rest of it.
Thanks
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Perfection/Broken Pieces When there has been grief, loss and sadness in a life, we begin to search for perfection. This leads to a particular energy pattern that can be healed through energetic remedies. Homeopathy can often heal the broken pain when you take the correct remedy. Reply
Finding Perfection I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you. Reply
Seeking perfection
That the world around me is not perfect, I am able to see. But for me the difficultiy is, that I myself am a perfectionalist. I always try to do everything as perfect as possible, and in growing and getting nearer to Hashem most of the time I do not reach my goal. And when I have a look at it, or feel it without even looking, I am depressed.
This statement, made by Rabbi Zalman, made me think that I have to apply it on myself too. Taking together what is shattered (and that hurts my pride!) fix it as good as possible and start all over again. Hashem smiles. -
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PERFECTION/BROKEN PIECES
Question: How does one go about sewing the broken pieces in the correct order?
Unless the correct order is established, the finished work will result in Chaos.
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Perfection I understand the concept of Isaac Luria's shattering of the vessels. However, as for everything being imperfect, I see everything as perfect. Everything is in perfect balance otherwise the universe as we know it would not exist. It's the way we perceive what is that makes things imperfect. Reply
There is but one Soul, but one Self. That is what is Actually True.
However, here, we are stuck in the level of imagination. We all have a story that we identify with.
There is no actual separate person in my body or in your body either. We do have similar results to our desire to be “special”. My story and yours is very similar, since there is but one Self.
The person I have always thought I am is actually a concept, and as always, the word is not the actuality.
This concept is based on a narrative I was born into, a story going back in history, a religious story, a cultural story, a family narrative which forks out into a personal narrative of me, and then combines with a personal narrative of my mate, to produce a new branch of family narrative, and on and on. We are being taught to let go and focus on our Soul, our Self.
G-d is the One Self, the One Soul. You cannot grasp this, so the best course of action is to be quiet and focus on the One until you realize the Truth.