Category: Personal Growth

Categories
Personal Growth

Experiencing Your Own Personal Resurrection

Rabbi David Yisrael Kalmus – Back from the Chagim (Jewish Holidays), Rabbi Kalmus explains the concept of humility and getting rid of self is the start of connection to G-d.

Personal Thoughts – I had trouble understanding a lot of these deep Kabbalah concepts so just focused on what I was able to understand like trying to tame my Yetzer Harah (evil inclination).

Newsletter – Rabbi Kalmus’s also mentioned at the beginning of his shiur that his organization, Tzion Breslov Project, also started a newsletter that comes out before Shabbat – you can sign up for that free here as well:

https://shoutout.wix.com/so/1fNmycvso?languageTag=en#/main

If you are interested in more videos from this Rabbi please visit his YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC69mDA498p7l9GGBdaUdkkA

Categories
Moshiach Personal Growth The Afterlife

Weekly Hashkafa Shiur #67 | The Power of a Jew

Rabbi Mendel Kessin – In this Audio shiur (class), Rabbi Kessin details how powerful a Jew is spiritually and the huge responsibility that this implies.

Personal Thoughts – I thought the power of being Jewish was being part of the “chosen people” – being educated, being part of a long line of professional successes, etc. These are great accomplishments but not the reason or goal of being a Jew. According to the Torah and our Sages the ultimate goals are: tikun olam (fixing the World), helping bring G-d’s presence into this World, bringing the World closer to G-d, and infusing the spiritual into the physical. These will help bring about the World and our own personal redemption. Sounds like a big scary goal to say the least but it’s certainly different than what I used to strive for and seems much more important.

If you are interested in more videos from this Rabbi please visit this YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIMIqdB5fEBERo-tan6K03A

Categories
Personal Growth

Transforming Darkness Into Light

Rabbi David Yisrael Kalmus – From Poland, Rabbi Kalmus shares with us that the very destruction of our lives is the source of life’s renewal.

Personal Thoughts – Powerful message of hope and rebirth before Rosh Hashanah.

If you are interested in more videos from this Rabbi please visit his YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXpoH1TewxolChPsAZsuAtAAdAiRMO7Ee

Categories
Personal Growth

Monday Double Feature – Rabbi David Kalmus – and building fences on YouTube

These two videos – one last week via Zoom only and yesterday’s video via live class in Jerusalem. The first one talks about the importance of speaking out our prayers loudly to better help our prayers come into actual fruition. The second video focuses on the power of our ratzon (our will) – the more we want something the greater chance we have to manifest it in our lives. Hope you enjoy them!

One of the above videos discusses the need to build fences to protect us from outside influences. One of those is protecting our eyes from immodesty when watching YouTube videos. To circumvent this I did some research on Google and found the following methodologies to limit what I see when watching YouTube videos and avoid seeing immodest things without my consent. I’ve decided to post it here for those that are interested to help comply with what is referenced by Rabbi Kalmus above. Please note these are not my technical inventions but just stuff I researched on Google (and are public knowledge):

Here is how you can make YouTube a safer place. The key is the ability to go directly to the channels you subscribe to ONLY. Here is how to do it:

For Desktop – make a bookmark using this link:
https://www.youtube.com/feed/subscriptions
120% screen zoom (which blocks out things you don’t want to see)

For Mobile – the app icon you should use:
Long press YouTube and then drag the subscriptions shortcut onto the home screen to make an icon! You can then edit the subscriptions icon to put the icon of the YouTube app.

Categories
Personal Growth

Think Good and it Will Be Good

Rabbi David Yisrael Kalmus – In another live class in Eretz Yisroel, Rabbi Kalmus shares with us the ultimate solution to this generations constant battle with depression, sadness, lack of fulfillment, etc. It’s not a direct head-on approach to seek happiness – it’s to get closer to Hashem which will, in turn, result in that which we seek.

Personal Thoughts – Although there was some back and forth discussion with some of the talk’s participants which causes some distraction from the message try to stick with it as the message that is revealed is as profound as it is simple.

If you are interested in more videos from this Rabbi please visit his YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXpoH1TewxolChPsAZsuAtAAdAiRMO7Ee

Categories
Hebrew Months Personal Growth

Monday Double Feature

Finding Refuge from the Flood Waters of our Life

Rabbi David Yisrael Kalmus – Shares with us the very essence of prayer and the various hints to prayer (including the life of Noah and Moshe).

Personal Thoughts – Our lashon (tongue) is the key to freedom. The flood (problem) of today is atheism (compared to the flood during Noah’s) and the solution is prayer.

If you are interested in more videos from this Rabbi please visit his YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXpoH1TewxolChPsAZsuAtAAdAiRMO7Ee

Seasons of the Soul – The connection between the months of Av and Tishrei

Rabbi Trugman – Shares with us the connection between the Jewish month of Av and Tishrei (the Three Weeks and the New Year).

Personal Thoughts – I like the Rabbi’s explanation of the number 9 and all the references throughout during this time of the year. It’s time to bring Rosh Hashanah consciousness into our life right now – it’s not too early.

If you are interested in more videos from this Rabbi please visit his YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZITUDLHFCoLJEkXAbqJS5w

Categories
Personal Growth

My Fire Will Burn Until Mashiach

Rabbi David Yisrael Kalmus – Rabbi Kalmus gives a class in a Yeshiva in Jerusalem which is mostly for a male audience. The class focuses on the requirement to be a tzaddik (righteous person) is centered on shomer habrit (keeping sexual purity).

Personal Thoughts – Enjoyed learning all the sources in Jewish history of where keep sexual purity is essential to fulfilling our purpose in life as Jews – both in our forefathers and our laws.

If you are interested in more videos from this Rabbi please visit his YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXpoH1TewxolChPsAZsuAtAAdAiRMO7Ee

Categories
Personal Growth

When Surrounded By Darkness, Only the Truth Can Free You

Rabbi David Yisrael Kalmus – Shares with us how to use prayer to connect to Hashem and bring down from above what you are praying for into your physical being here. What we get and see here (in the physical) is a direct reflection of above (the spiritual).

Personal Thoughts – I like the Rabbi’s approach to explaining the relationship between physical and spiritual and the mirror between them.

If you are interested in more videos from this Rabbi please visit his YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXpoH1TewxolChPsAZsuAtAAdAiRMO7Ee

Categories
Personal Growth Prayer

!Short Clips!

Rabbi Avraham Meyer Zajac – Within the context of how to erase what has been written on parchment (Torah, Tefillin, and Mizuzot), the Rabbi tells us a life lesson as well – that (paraphrasing) “sometime we have to wait until our mistake has dried before doing teshuva on it”.

https://www.chabad.org/multimedia/video_cdo/aid/3547210/jewish/Shulchan-Aruch-Din-Kesivas-HaTefilin-3238-39.htm

Rabbi David Yisrael Kalmus – Shares how our prayers for our zivug (life partner) is intimately tied to our success in parnasa (sustenance) – daily focused prayer (Hibodidut) to Hashem is essential for both to be fruitful.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/bNEsSmXtYBA?start=900&end=1110&autoplay=1

Categories
Personal Growth

KLM Baseless Hatred which is Misplaced and Finding Freedom from Negativity

Rabbi Asher Baruch Wegbreit – Shares a very simple way to divert our hate to the where it belongs – towards the destructive forces in our life (the yetzer hara – “the evil inclination”) which helps each of us do our part in bringing our collective redemption.

Personal Thoughts – This short exercise is very easy to do and easy to access which can help me get past negative feelings towards others in everyday life. Try it yourself and share it!

If you are interested in more videos from this Rabbi please visit his website: https://www.kavanahlmitzvos.com/