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Any pursuit of self perfection and character refinement will invariably be accompanied by two frightening and formidable challenges: 1. Body-Backlash; when the body rejects the agenda of the soul. 2. Heightened Haughtiness; when someone ascends to Mount Pious and declares himself mayor and looks down condescendingly upon others. These two dangers must be approached very carefully…
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We begin this first of a multiple part exposition of major items in Jewish Life, Philosophy and Practice with a controversial but logical conclusion and a question. The conclusion: Life can only have meaning if God exists. The question: When you accept the Jewish definition of God you accept that God lacks nothing; so for what purpose did God decide to create the universe? We then dig into the two answers promulgated by traditional Jewish sources. Tune in for some advanced Jewish philosophy.
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The term “overachiever” should not be mistakenly conferred onto people who achieve greatness; greatness can result from great intellect, opportunity and circumstance, overachievers are those who achieve beyond what their peers in circumstance and ability achieve. What is their secret, and how can we emulate them?
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In this wide ranging discussion on God and his active participation in history, we ask, and attempt to answer, questions like these:
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In several places in Jewish Literature and practice we present Adam and Eve as a prototype of a relationship worth emulating. There is only one slight problem with that – Adam and Eve did not seem to have a stable relationship, much less an idyllic and harmonious one. What could the Torah possibly mean when we are instructed to act like Adam and Eve in pursuit of positive long term relationships?
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In 8 (!) instances in the Torah we are commanded with a seemingly unachievable task of “Thou shall walk in the ways of God”. The Talmud explains that this commandment instructs us to emulate God in our own behavior and activities – “Just as God is Merciful, you too be merciful; just as God is benevolent, you too be benevolent.” The fact that the Torah found it necessary to repeat and reiterate this commandment multiple times demonstrates the premium that the Torah places on Kindness. Alas, not all kindness are created equal. Tune in for the Four Kinds.
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Join Rabbi Wolbe as he explores and examines several peculiar curiosities about the forbearer of mankind, Adam. Why was man the only creature created as a single individual; why didn’t create a flock, tribe, gaggle or pride of humans? Why did Adam not have Torah, and how could he possibly have succeeded in his challenge without it? And lastly, in light of the disastrous repercussions of that grave sin, we have to ask the most troubling question of all: what the heck was Adam thinking when he chose to do what the Almighty explicitly forbade him from doing?
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Ancient alchemists professed to turn lead into gold. For the past three millennium, the Jewish people have made an equally audacious claim: man is not beshackled by negative character; we can change, fix, perfect and purify our character traits. In this class we learn the process of how we go about transforming ourselves.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:04:56 — 29.7MB)
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In this class Rabbi Wolbe sets out to demystify and unlock the secrets of one of mankind’s greatest challenges and struggles: temptation. Culling from an array of ancient Judaic texts we will begin with defining, demarcating and delineating the anatomy of temptation; focusing on the reason why forbidden fruit (or carbs) is so alluring and irresistible. Once we gain a keen understanding of the makeup of this great adversary, we will learn the Four distinct Talmudic approaches to curbing and managing temptation. If you have ever struggled with temptation of any sort; i.e. if you are a human, and especially if you have tried dieting unsuccessfully, you cannot miss this class. Lives will be changed. Forever.