Second Temple Judaism The Mystery of Wine & Wisdom: Emptying Our Vessel A strange encounter between a Rabbi and the daughter of the Roman emperor opens the door to a deeper mystery about humility, the soul, hidden wisdom, and the meaning behind Jesus’s teaching about “new wine.”
Mussar Video: Mussar Study: Pirke Avot - Week 2 In this session, we walk through the timeless wisdom of Pirke Avot, also known as the Ethics of the Fathers.
New Testament Insights Featured New Book: Reading The Beatitudes Through the Jewish Mussar Tradition A new book available on Amazon.com
Mussar Video: Mussar Study: Pirke Avot - Week 1 In this session, we walk through the timeless wisdom of Pirke Avot, also known as the Ethics of the Fathers.
Holidays and Festivals Video: Passover, a Festival of Freedom | Part 2 In this session, we look at the transition from the Passover Seder into the Counting of the Omer, and how the Torah has provided a model for spiritual transformation.
Mussar Soul Refinement - The Revolution of Doing Less Drawing on the Mussar trait of Perishut (Abstinence), we explore the discipline of abstaining even from the permitted as a path to clarity, freedom, and holiness.
Mysticism and Spirituality Featured The Way of the Chasid Rediscovering the Ancient Path of Spiritual Growth Long before Chasidic Judaism, the Bible and the sages spoke of the chasid, one who serves the Creator with love, humility, and holy intention. In this article, we begin an exploration of this concept and examine how it may have shaped the spiritual worldview of Jesus.
New Testament Insights Traditions and Commandments: Understanding Jesus's Teaching in Mark 7 Did Jesus reject Jewish dietary laws, declaring all foods clean? In this article, we unpack the discussion in Mark 7 to challenge the popular tradition that Jesus abolished Torah-given commandments, and reflect a misreading of first-century Judaism.
Wellness Soul Refinement - Judging Others Favorably There is one practice of character development that can radically transform your spiritual development, yet it may be one of the more challenging to correct. Fortunately, we have an ancient tradition with tools and tricks to help us judge others favorably.
Mysticism and Spirituality Beyond Simulation. Reexamining the Biblical Blueprint of Reality In this article, we explore the nature of reality, looking at a few striking parallels between simulation theory, the Bible, and Jewish thought. Is it possible this new idea on reality is not so new after all?
Members only Mysticism and Spirituality Living Truth In A World of Lies In this article, we explore the deeper insights into the Hebrew word for truth, Emet. With help from the Breslov tradition, we find that truth is a state of living built with honesty before ourselves, others, and G_D.
Members only Mysticism and Spirituality The Four Types Of Giving According to the Kabbalah Among the profound teachings of Rav Ashlag, we look at the four types of giving in Kabbalah. Learn how each form of giving serves as a pathway for spiritual growth.
Mussar Video: Introduction to the Soul - Part 3 - Are These Ideas In the New Testament? In this video series, we explore the deep tradition of the soul in an approachable way, also showing how these ideas are present all throughout the words of the New Testament
Mysticism and Spirituality Video: Introduction to the Soul - Part 2 In this video series, we explore the deep tradition of the soul in an approachable way, helping to make practical use of these deep ideas in everyday life.
Torah Soul Refinement - From Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones In this article, we will explore the dimensions of the prohibition against causing others to stumble. It is a recurring concept in the Talmud and a teaching forwarded by Jesus.
Members only New Testament Insights Do Not Let Your Left Hand Know What Your Right Hand is Doing In Jewish thought, the right-hand holds a special place in customs, rituals, and observances. This pattern is reflected in everyday activities from hand-washing, tying shoes, touching a Mezuzah, wrapping Tefillin and more.
Mussar Soul Refinement - Humility In a world intoxicated by the allure of success and recognition, humility stands as a vanishing (and sometimes counter-cultural) virtue. But, developing humility is much easier said than done.
New Testament Insights Judge Not and the Art of Rebuke It is not uncommon for the prohibition against judging others to be misconstrued as a blanket ban on all forms of evaluation and critique. In some cases, these words are used as a mantra to ward off all manner of criticism.
Mysticism and Spirituality Bitachon: The Cornerstone of Inner Peace and Resilience Cultivating Bitachon (Trust) and embedding it more deeply into our psyche is a lot easier said than done. Often progress comes through hard times and significant life trials, similar to those we see in Abrahram's life.
New Testament Insights The Parable of the Lost Sheep This parable exemplifies how Jesus often co-opts Rabbinic Midrash to illustrate a point. In this, he uses many metaphoric elements of the Jewish oral tradition, teaching the surprising spiritual dynamics of repentance.
Mussar Soul Refinement - Guarding Our Speech To the best of my knowledge, no legal system on earth holds verbal insults and thought crimes in the same category as more egregious and obvious crimes like murder and adultery. However, in the spiritual economy of the Bible, these are very much connected.
Thoughts Soul Refinement - Do Not Destroy A little-known prohibition in the Torah remains a timeless and valuable ethic for developing our spiritual awareness. This is known as Bal Tashchit, the prohibition against destroying things that serve a purpose.
Mysticism and Spirituality 40 Days of Spiritual Metamorphosis As summer fades into autumn, a sacred period arrives in the Jewish calendar that carries profound spiritual significance. We're all invited to embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery, repentance, and reconnection with the Divine during this time.
Videos Developing the Soul - Mussar Series. Part 4 ▶ In this final session, we recap some of the concepts of this study, focusing on some common areas of imbalance many of us will want to be aware of.
Mysticism and Spirituality Developing the Soul - Mussar Series. Part 3 ▶ In this study session, we look at an often-overlooked presupposition that we must consider when we begin spiritual development. In this, we look at the issue of impurity that stems from the sin of Adam.
