In a BBC piece titled “Five things chimps can teach us about politics,” written in connection with James Tilley’s Radio 4 program Analysis: Primate Politics, Tilley introduces five lessons drawn from chimpanzee coalition building and leadership, framed as parallels to human…
We come to the meaning of life only when we reach a state where we understand that we cannot live without it. However, we do not bring ourselves to this extreme point on our own. It is the soul that…
There are many people who deliberately choose suffering, believing that through pain they will become more spiritual. This is a mistake. Suffering in and of itself does not elevate us. But what does it mean “to not suffer”? It means…
One of my students asked me about a parable about a nightingale that sang to a rose, not because she is harmless but out of love for her, thorns and all. Her thorns do not diminish her beauty, but complete…
One of my students asked me about a woman who had stated that she chose her husband by his scent because he had reminded her of a familiar smell from her childhood. Indeed, our sense of smell is one of…
At a deeper level beyond where we perceive drought as a physical phenomenon, drought is a spiritual shortage of the quality of Hassadim, which is a quality of kindness, positive connection, and bestowal. If we rise above self-interest and acquire the…
Nature is not punishing us. This is a misunderstanding. Nature is a perfectly balanced, self-regulating system. It always tries to soften its reactions, to compensate for our violations, and to protect the integrity of life. It has an enormous margin…
We need to find the natural point within ourselves, the inner direction we already live in, even if it is still developing. What matters is that we stand in it firmly, without floundering or wandering aimlessly, unsure of where to…
Hanukkah, in its spiritual meaning, is the revelation of a timeless inner process. The external events of 170 BCE—Antiochus’s desecration of the Temple, the persecution of the people, the uprising of the Maccabees, and the miracle of the oil—are branches…
We need to make a decision on how we wish to view the next generation. Accordingly, we should list its principles and behaviors, and put together a plan to raise the next generation to such a state. However, it is…
The countless conflicts tearing humanity apart today—from wars and terror attacks to verbal assaults, accusations, and the desire to harm one another—make it clear that unity cannot arise from our own powers alone. To rise above such division requires a…
If we look back 1,000 to 2,000 years ago, we will see preventive medicine in practice. It was important to keep people healthy so that they could defend themselves and their families, villages, cities, and nations. Accordingly, various practices developed…