Cowardice is usually considered a negative trait, yet this attitude is superficial. Cowardice is a very strong and very human feeling. Moreover, it serves to protect us from harming ourselves, from harming others, and from acting recklessly. I do not…
When a person says, “I made a wrong decision,” the first question I ask is, “How do you know it was wrong?” We only think that we know this after the fact, after we have already acted and seen the…
Q: Why do Jews write from right to left?Hebrew is written from right to left because the right side is considered the spiritual side or “the right one,” while the left is not. There is a spiritual root in nature,…
Winston Churchill’s words still resonate with many people, but when we view them through a more internal lens, we see that their deepest meaning comes to light when they are connected to the upper governance. When Churchill said, “I have nothing…
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…