67: Living & Creating from Wholeness | Rav DovBer Pinson

Background

what led to the growing interest in Kabbalah, writing books, and IYYUN center

My objective in life is to live. That's the biggest thing in life is to be alive. And Part of being alive was to not only understand what's going in world and spiritually understand the inner working of the world, but also to share it.

All his great grandfathers were ChaBaD. They were famous spiritual teachers and guides.

Everything in life has to come from within. You have to feel like somehow that you need to do this, the strong desire to share is overflowing within you.= It's about spiritually growing from within and living by example, and from that everything naturally flows outward as oppose to choosing a certain path and saying this is what I want to do in this world

There's a deep part of us that's broken and an even deeper part of us that's very whole... The place of wholeness is where you're full and redeemed.

Believe that it's a possibility

Identify as the person beyond the struggle

His series of books on meditation - tools to recognize who you are & what's your true identity

Meditation, Prayer, & Shabbat

With all the knowledge you have shared about being the creator of one's life, for example, then what is unique about Shabbat? Since, I can control my thoughts and over practice harness an elevated state of being, couldn't a person maintain an inner state of Shabbat regardless of the external laws?

"in simple definition, you could create spaces within time and space, your own consciousness where there's a certain oasis you go inward and that's your place of wholeness and you connect with that. It can be in a day, throughout time, but the mystics will say that's actually Shabbat. What you're actually doing is accessing Shabbat in the week."

There's no day, Sunday, Monday, but day 1 to Shabbat, day 2 to shabbat, which means Shabbat is the essence of all time. There's flow of time, duality of time, and there's the point of time - the stillness within all of time.

Mitzvahs & Teshuva (return)

Are mitzvahs just connections or much deeper?

The Purpose of a Mitzvah is to connect you to the Commander of the Mitzvah

The Kotzker Rebbe said it's possible a mitzvah can become idol worship because you're so connected to the detail you forget this detail is a passageway that's allowing you to enter into a place of transcendence Enter everything with Intention & the art of transitioning The person who invests in the eruv shabbat is someone who can really reap the benefits of Shabbat.

The journey is the destination itself

Equanimity

Hishtavut from the Sheviti Hashem - I place Hashem before me at all times

two descriptions about this experience

1. A student's teacher asking if he reached a state where everything is equal
2. Baal ShemTov - equanimity is relatable to food. Food shouldn't be distinctions of food. Eat to survive.

It's not the ultimate level, because there's a level of reengagement where you're present with taste

The Witness self - can make one detached from life and losing value

Awake to Life!

Eastern philosophies compared with Judaic Philosophies

Uniqueness of Jewish Months

God always says Yes. No, not possible is a negative voice

IYYUN Center — to delve deeper