tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23714792687467592332024-03-13T15:36:37.711-07:00Tiferet TapestriesBracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-55093421059413719112018-03-27T06:18:00.002-07:002018-03-27T07:10:50.662-07:00Preparing for Passover with Yoga<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Once again we are cleaning out cabinets and polishing tables and chairs and </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">wanting all </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">of our effort </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">to be meaningful and contribute to our inner growth and </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">spiritual development.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">When we clean our homes we are looking for leven or </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">"chometz", </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">but it has become a custom amongst </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">many to utilize the season and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;"> the time </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">for "Spring Cleaning" which is still a search for</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;"> "chometz" but so much more.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">With Pesach inspired Spring Cleaning, we are formally looking for chometz but in</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> fact we are </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">doing so much more, we are letting go of all that no longer serves the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">needs of our family or </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">ourselves.... old clothes that no longer fit, old dishes we</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;"> no longer </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">use and hopefully old beliefs </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and attitudes that no longer serve us.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">"Chometz" </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">is leaven,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">which is flour and water </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">that has fermented or become </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">expanded in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">some </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">way through a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">fermentation </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">process...that fermentation process </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">corresponds to the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">inflation </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">of the ego self, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">the self-centered, limited, animal </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">instinctual self... </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">during our cleaning </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">and during </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">holiday, we want to achieve a </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">surrendering of this self </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">to our higher, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">G-d centered and more holy ultruistic and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;"> "other-oriented" self, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">we want to let go of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">the small self, to allow space for the</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;"> bigger and surrendered to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre;">G-d self....</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal;">In Yoga, there are a series of Warrior poses, one of them is called</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal;">"The Surrendered Warrior" Pose. I usually offer the Surrendered Warrior in class after we have done Warrior 1 and/or Warrior 2. Warrior 1 pose offers a feeling of standing strong on the base of one's spread legs and an opportunity to feel one's strength and one's capacity to reach upwards either seeking or offering inspiration. In Warrior 2 pose as we look over one of our outstretched arms and as we gaze beyond the hand, we can form an intention or visualization of what we want/ hope to achieve and what we would like to manifest in the future.....Surrendered warrior offers us an opportunity to hand that intention over to Hashem as we turn our front palm heavenward and literally surrender that intension upwards. It's a wonderful embodied way to experience that forming of an intention and then the handling of it over to something higher and greater than ourselves. As we lean backward in this pose, we can feel and understand that our efforts can only take us so far, but at a certain point, not only do we stand back, but we can literally lean back in deference to our handing of power over to the G-d of all things and outcomes.</span></div>
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Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-1586000329381968252018-01-29T10:07:00.002-08:002018-01-29T10:11:49.072-08:00Doula Training!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So it seems in just a week I will be able to add "Dona Trained Doula " to my professional CV! (i'myH!) It is most exciting and opens the possibility for more work around birthing moms, both with pre-natal yoga and support and postpartum yoga and support! It feels like a really wonderful development and offers the awesome privilege of assisting women in a time that could be so wonderful, but for many unfortunately is often filled with anxiety, suffering, and fear.<br />
I will add more to this in the coming weeks!<br />
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<br />Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-13625935335074336622017-05-24T06:55:00.001-07:002017-05-24T06:55:27.267-07:00The value of values and a clear perspective!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">The holiday of Shavuot, when Jews worldwide celebrate the receiving of the Torah, is just over a week away and its time for us to ask ourselves a fundamental question?</span><span style="font-size: 16px;">What Role does Torah play in our lives?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Do we view the world and are our values truly shaped by a Torah- Centric lens, or are our views and opinions shaped more by the current trends on facebook, the opinions on NPR or our most recently watched movie? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">We are living in very challenging, confusing and unsettling times... . so many values, beliefs and centuary old institutions have come into question; political ideologies or religious theologies that just a few years ago seemed solid and dependable are no longer trusted or relied upon and people dont trust not just used car sales-people or politicians, but we no longer trust</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">the Media</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">the Police</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Teachers</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Rabbis</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Schools</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Doctors</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Hospitals</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">the Banks</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"> or the Economy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Living in a world where so much cannot be trusted or relied upon is very unsettling. NPR itself has a radio show right now called "The United States of Anxiety".</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">But as Jews we do have something very precious... we do have something that despite all of this uncertainty and dissillutionment is still Rock Solid...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">we do have the Torah!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Torah values are not dependent on current trends...Torah values provide light and clarity in an ever increasing muddled reality, </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">but unless we involve ourselves with authentic Torah learning, we cannot take advantage of this great gift. Without Torah learning, even if we have taken on the commitments to be observant, we remain vulnerable to having our world view shaped by every social trend or new" ism" out there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">and of course we cannot inspire our kids unless we are truly connected!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"> Learning Torah gives us the opportunity to shape our own outlook and perspective into one that is Torah-True....</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">I encourage you to join me, every Wednesday evening at 7:45pm as we connect to authentic Torah,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">discussing the weekly Parsha or upcoming holidays with Chassidic insights, some Tanya and of course a great cup of Tea.</span><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"></span><span style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold;">Torah Learning Circle: TLC</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Chassidic Insights into living your best life</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">!</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">(Featuring Torah, Tea and Tanya!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Wednesday evenings at 7:45pm</span></span></div>
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Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-21611026506940784422017-05-10T12:49:00.004-07:002017-05-10T12:49:53.077-07:00A biblical perspective on "Tweeting".<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">As this is a period of polishing our character and "personal vessel" in preparation for receiving the Torah in a few weeks, I thought I would share this brief food for thought...from Parsha Metzora.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Did you know the Torah speaks about tweeting??</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">A person who was on a sophistiated level spiritually and who spoke badly about others could become afflicted with a type of "disease" called "Tzara'ath" which would manifest, innitially on the walls of the gossipers home, then on his or her clothing and finally, if the gossiper is still unrepentant, on the skin. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">One of the rituals necessary to get the affected person healed involved an offering that involved two birds, one that would be sacrificed and one that would be let free.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">The first thing that I found amazing about this ritual is that two birds are used... to teach us that as dangerous as negative speech is, speech is very important, and often as bad as it can be to speak negatively, it is also bad not to speak up when the right words need to be said! There are times when keeping silent can be a grave error.... just as we need to watch ourselves from speeking badly, we must not neglect speeking up for what we believe in or to defend what we believe in when the sitiuation demands; even offering a comforting word to someone in need might make a critical difference, ...thus the second bird,.....who is set free!</span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">The second point that I found fascinating is brought by the biblical commentator Rashi who explains why specifically birds are used in the rectification ritual..,<span style="color: #294b93; font-style: italic;">"Because lesions of Tzara'ath come as a result of derogatory speech, which is done by chattering. Therefore for his cleansing, this person is required to bring birds, which twitter constantly with chirping sounds."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Such a great cautionary tale about using Twitter without due concideration!!</span></div>
Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-85432057460846325942017-02-07T05:03:00.001-08:002017-02-10T04:58:42.401-08:00Excited to share....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So this blog is a place to share, ideas, thoughts and different musings. Mostly I have used this blog to write about theoretical concepts and ideas, but today I feel I just want to share something personal. The picture featured here was just taken this past Sunday, and it is is of me holding my IAYT Certification. The IAYT is the International Association of Yoga Therapists. I had thought it would be quite a grueling process to actually get this certification, but through tremendous Hashgochah Pratis, ( Divine Guidance and Divine Protection) I was able to qualify for a pathway that made it quite manageable and possible... this particular pathway will no longer be open after June of this year, and from then on, achieving such a certification will truly require a much more intense and prolonged commitment. I am so grateful to Hashem that I started my training when I did, and that I was thus able to qualify for this in a manner that while still incredibly demanding and time- consuming, was actually possible for me to accomplish despite all of my other commitments as wife, mother, grandmother, ( baruch Hashem) and teacher . </div>
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I believe that all of my life I have wanted to serve in some way, offer my talents to others in a manner that could be truly helpful and to quote a cliche, " be of service". For many years I dedicated myself to teaching Torah, and I believe that in the process many folks ( somehow seems like the best word for now) benefitted a great deal by acquiring insight and information about our timeless heritage, and of course as every teacher knows, I benefitted the most from all of that teaching, not only through getting so much more familiar with all of our amazing texts but having many wonderful Torah students over the years from whom I learnt a great deal. However, while involved in all that theoretical and philosophical teaching, I often wondered if I was doing justice to the material at hand and if there was a deeper, more holistic manner in which I could not only convey the deep concepts being discussed, but also accomplish the deep spiritual work required myself more fully and authentically. I also wondered if my teaching was really making a difference on an essential level in the lives of those whom I taught or was I just sharing "information" that was intellectually engaging.</div>
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We live in the world as a soul within a body and are truly a combination of Soul and Body or Body and Soul, and it began to occur to me, that true change, true learning and transformation really does need to involve both body and soul... and thus began my journey of learning to teach Yoga as well as Torah. ( I have practiced yoga since I was about 14 years old, but somehow becoming a teacher of the practice, and sharing it with others marked some sort of critical shift.) </div>
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The world is a very challenging place and so many of us are hurt and damaged in some way. I am so grateful that I am on a path and continue to learn more every day, how to bring in the gifts of deep breathing, stretching, strengthening, meditation and learning to let go, not only for the benefit of my students and clients, but as mentioned above, as every teacher knows, we teach and share in order to learn ourselves... I am grateful I am learning everyday how I can breathe more deeply, slow myself down more frequently and in the process, learn to listen more attentively while I stretch and strengthen. </div>
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My commitment when I began this journey of learning how to teach Yoga was ultimately to assist and deepen my sharing of Torah, in an integrated and holistic mind-body-soul combination, and I continue to be motivated to do so.</div>
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Currently, I am teaching a class called "A Taste of Tanya", hopefully in this class, I can achieve the kind of integrated learning that I have been aiming for.</div>
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The point of this blog was to share my joy and gratitude to Hashem, that I can now truly claim the title of Therapist, which in the context of my almost 54 years is a big deal and in a way a culmination of a lifelong journey, dream and ambition ( even though I don't think I really even realized it myself for most of those years..) and hopefully with Hashem's help I will be able to do justice to the title...! </div>
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Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-87608958176109994482016-10-30T11:44:00.001-07:002016-10-31T14:47:26.660-07:00Shabbos and the Shabbos Project.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I think it's time to write about Shabbos and the Shabbos Project!</div>
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Four years ago the chief Rabbi of South Africa Rabbi Warren Goldstein got an amazing idea that has quite literally changed the face of the Jewish World....</div>
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He inspired over 85% of the Jewish population in South Africa, the majority of whom were not actually "religious" to keep an entire Shabbos with all its halachic ramifications! They had a Challah Bake the Thursday night before the appointed shabbos with 100s of women participating and had a Havdalah Concert with Shlomo Katz at the end of Shabbos attended by over 5000 people!!</div>
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When the rest of the world heard about what an awesome Shabbos South African Jewry had managed to pull off, they wanted in.... and thus the Shabbos Project was born!</div>
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Here in New Hempstead we have been participating in our own small way and have had our own Shabbos Project Shabaton in 2014, and in 2015 and this year we are planning on combining the celebration of Shabbos with Yoga, Meditation and the total release and relaxation suggested by the yogic pose "Shevassanah" to create the </div>
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Tiferet Movement Shabassanah Retreat!</div>
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<a href="http://www.mysticmovement.info/Retreat.html">http://www.mysticmovement.info/Retreat.html</a></div>
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In our times when so many of us spend so much time on computers and talking to our friends on cell phones and through facebook instead of sharing face time, Shabbos brings a refreshing change of pace.</div>
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I must confess, I find Shabbos a most welcome reprieve from the constant allure of google, work, emails, LinkedIn and yes I must include facebook. All of these technologies are wonderful, and I am employing the benefits of them with this blog, however, the change to my social interactions has been very much noticed and makes shabbos so much more appreciated.</div>
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When we need to stop and remind ourselves to walk instead of drive, take time out to meditate and pray instead of continuing without pause, when sitting down to family meals with loved ones becomes more and more of a memory; Shabbos is truly a visible and more obvious gift each passing year. So many times I have read about internet addiction, and I believe it's a real thing and something that adults and children are suffering from at earlier and earlier ages, but on Shabbos we unplug for 26 hours... what a great antidote ! We step away and unplug and all breathe a collective sigh of relief.</div>
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As they have always said, " More than the Jews have kept Shabbos, Shabbos has kept the Jews!"</div>
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So, if you already observe Shabbos, perhaps join in and participate in a local Challah Bake, or invite a friend who has not yet begun the amazing Shabbos journey to join you, not just for the Challah Bake, but perhaps some challah that you might have baked, at your own Shabbos table...., and if you have not yet committed to Shabbos observance, why not try it next shabbos for Parshas Lech Lecha when so many around the world will try to keep it all together!</div>
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To participate in a Challah Bake right here in Rockland</div>
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sign up via link below</div>
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<a href="https://www.ashar.org/challah-bake-2016/">https://www.ashar.org/challah-bake-2016/</a></div>
<br />Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-2917330597875819422016-09-16T13:09:00.001-07:002016-09-18T13:00:07.300-07:00Dancing with the light, 98 years young!<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I've been meaning to visit the Sunday morning yoga class of Tao Porchon-Lynch for a long time.Tao is 98 years young and still teaching!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I've had a feeling that I just had to meet her, not because I haven't had yoga teachers who have been in their older years before, because in fact two of my most favorite teachers are either in the midst of their 70s in the case of one and in their mid 80s in the case of another, but learning from someone who is still teaching well into their later 90s was just something I felt I had to experience!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I was not only not disappointed, I was totally enchanted!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Tao's class was lovely and I really enjoyed it, but the take away went far beyond the usual benefits of deep breathing and a good stretch. In fact, the most impressive aspect of Sunday morning's experience was seeing how Tao gave of herself after the class was officially over, because it was then that I saw her shining light and her incredible ability to give of herself and be totally present. After the class was over, Tao continued sharing small anecdotes and short teachings, musings about life and her insights and thoughts, as if she had all the time in the world and had an endless supply of energy. Tao also patiently posed with quite a few of the students, myself included, who wanted to have their pictures taken with her, and graciously signed copies of her book. What made things even more remarkable than this being at the end of an almost two-hour class, was the fact that our class starting at 10:00am was the second class Tao had taught that morning, the first had started at 8:15am!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Tao has written a book about her life called "Dancing Light", and of course all this week I have been reading it from cover to cover, trying to discover the source of her energy and <i>jois de vivre.</i> The book speaks of how she grew up, her experiences in the world and how she first learnt and then began to teach yoga. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">She grew up in India amongst spiritual seekers and teachers, her uncle, who brought her up was himself a true seeker and close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. Tao was at different times a cabaret dancer and choreographer, a successful courtier model in Paris, a wine expert, a Hollywood actress as well as a beloved and somewhat famous yoga teacher. Her life seems to have been jam-packed with a number of daring and exciting things, not least of which include marching with Mahatma Gandhi and then much later Martin Luther King, saving Jews as part of the French resistance and fearlessly dancing and performing right through the Blitz bombing of London from September 1940 till May of '41. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Throughout her life, it seems the teachings of her uncle rang out loud and clear. From him she learnt something that we have perhaps gleaned from our own teachers of <i>Tracht gut un zein gut</i>- Think Good and it will be Good, and that ultimately everything works out for the good, even if that good is not apparent right away.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">It is a fascinating read and I have thoroughly enjoyed it, but the part that still shines brightest for me is experiencing personally her vitality and her desire to share and enlighten students after close to four hours of teaching as if there was really nothing else quite as important...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Thank you for that Tao.. for that lesson alone, I can be eternally grateful!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-59448684945856043502016-04-08T05:10:00.003-07:002016-04-08T05:42:40.857-07:00Take a time out!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>"Harpoo Ve Dau ki anochi Elohim "</b></span><br />
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46:11<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">A chant from Tehillim inspires me, and we often sing/ chant it during our Tiferet Movement classes ,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Harpoo ve dau ki anochi Elokim</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">As "constructive" people , we are always so busy; car pools, home cooked meals, homework , housework, relationship work, etc, etc. the list is endless , but David Ha Melech states: Be still ( surrender/ release ) and know that I am G-d.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Be still??</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Who has time??</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">But in the stillness, in the space that we make to hear our own breath, in the space that we create when we slow down long enough to still the racing mind, in the space that we make to truly remember who we are, we can " harpoo ve dau", we can let go of the burdens and the demands of our material lives; we can let go of the pressures of the " have to gets " and the " have to haves", and through slowing down and connecting to our breath and to our neshomahs, we can connect to a grander picture.We can connect to something infinite and transcendent. But if we are constantly rushing from here to there, even from one mitzvah to the next mitzvah...we might just miss the opportunity all together!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">In Egypt, Pharoah kept us busy all the time, he wanted us to forget who we were, he was so dedicated to us forgetting that he wanted to cast all the boys( zachar) into the River Nile ! Zachor (slightly different vowel) means to remember...when we take time to remember who and what we are, we enter into a liberated and "free" space, when we run around mindlessly "doing and then forgetting" , we put ourselves into Egypt-like places of subservience to our lowest selves, the selves of endlessly "getting and spending".</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> So take the advice from David Ha Melech: take some time to</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Harpoo vedau , ki anochi Elokim</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="http://tiferetmovement.com/">TiferetMovement.com</a></span>Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-81884746189114219372016-03-23T06:54:00.001-07:002016-03-23T06:54:15.060-07:00Purim, ( i don't mind and I don't care...) the gift of leaving the " Mind"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So in our world there is a lot of Mind</div>
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Purim gives us the opportunity to let go of the work of having to "know" everything, decide whether we like it or don't and whether it is good or bad.</div>
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Purim is a vacation from the Rational Mind, the mind dominated by post Garden-of- Eden thinking where everything is split into polarities of right and wrong, good and bad and evil or holy. On Purim, we transcend the Rational Mind, we move to a place higher than "sachel", to a place where we can connect above the polarities, above the distinctions, where we can see that the source of everything is in fact G-d and therefore good.</div>
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Of course this doesn't mean that all of a sudden we can condone the evil in this world, the acts of terror and bigotry perpetuated daily or feel that how we act doesn't matter...., it's just that for one 24 hour period we are given an opportunity to<b> look at our own live</b>s, <b>and what G-d has put in front of us, and relate to it in an attitude of total gratitude</b>, knowing with our non -mind, that whatever Hashem does is good and we can transcend our own definitions of what we think that is, and trust that if He has given that to us.... it's good in a way that we do not need to understand. </div>
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We can take it further with the people we meet. Now once again, I am not talking about the machete brandishing terrorist who may want to do bodily harm to you or anyone else, G-d forbid, but more about a fellow Jew who may have a particularly irritating quirk or personality... relate from the place of non -judgement... he or she is in essence all good, also created in the image of G-d and Purim is an ideal time to practice seeing this good.</div>
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The Mitzvah on Purim is to get oneself into such an expanded state of consciousness that one cannot distinguish between blessing Mordechai( the hero of the Purim story) and cursing Haman (the villain) or cursing Mordechai and blessing Haman!! That is one of the central obligations of the holiday! One can only do this by going beyond the rational mind, to a place of trust and transcendence....</div>
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It is said that joy breaks through all boundaries.... be happy and transcend the boundaries of the rational mind!</div>
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I bless us all that we should get to this amazing "place" in our consciousness this Purim, and take from it the ability to look with Purim eyes at all the details of what Hashem gives us year round.</div>
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<br />Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-30401831452353514952016-03-09T06:38:00.000-08:002016-03-13T06:19:49.293-07:00Taming the Monkey Mind in the Month of Adar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Month of Adar, according to Jewish spiritual teachings was formed by the letter "Kuf". The letter kuf has a dual nature, it is the letter of holiness as the Hebrew word for holiness is "Kedushah" beginning with the kuf, but it also has an aspect of being related to some mischief -making as the letters used to spell out kuf with different vowels spell out the word "kof' which means monkey.<br />
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In the Purim story, the anti-hero of the whole Megillah is the bad and hateful Haman, a descendant of the tribe of Amalek who we are commanded to destroy. Amalek is no longer the name of a particular tribe or specific nation of people, but now is more of a concept that we are duty bound to eradicate whenever we find it. The negative aspects of Amalek can be connected to breaking down its name into "Amal Kof", the mischief or work of the monkey.<br />
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What is the mischief of the monkey?<br />
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The numerical value of the word Amalek in Hebrew is equivalent to the numerical value of the word "Safek" which means doubt. When we doubt the value of our own self, or the value of our actions, or the value of our beliefs or when we doubt G-d Himself, we are being attacked by Amalek.<br />
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In teachings connected to Meditation, one often comes across the concept of the Monkey mind, this most often refers to a mind that cannot calm itself down, that is jumping from one worry to the next. The work of "meditation" is to calm this monkey mind down, the method usually suggested is, to find a comfortable place to sit and then close one's eyes and settle down by finding one's breath and then focussing on the breath to enter into a more calm, focused or meditative state.<br />
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It is interesting to note that the word for Breath in Hebrew is 'Neshimah" which shares the same consonant letters as the word for the Soul, "Neshomah". When we can connect to our inner self, our soul, through connecting to our breath, we can tame the mischievous Monkey mind and separate from that self -doubting, G-d doubting trouble maker and enter into a more truthful and calm relationship with reality.<br />
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Being able to tame the monkey-mind is a wonderful skill to acquire and can greatly enhance our doverning (praying) too... learning to focus and not give into to the distraction of the<br />
"Amal-Kof".<br />
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Adar Bais is a great month to work on this....Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-28522378466162398712015-10-07T06:05:00.001-07:002015-10-07T06:05:24.440-07:00Mind Body Solutions for Stress and other Maladies<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Statistics has never been my favorite subject. In college it was a required course for my psychology degree, but I was never a fan. Lately however I have been paying attention to a certain group of statistics: how many people in America are taking prescribed medication. It's hard not to pay attention!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I quote: “Aside from the dramatic rise of medications to treat ADHD over the past decade, the use of antianxiety drugs soared between 2001 and 2010. In children up to age nineteen , the use of antianxiety medication increased 45 percent in females and 37 percent in males...In 2010, the most recent data indicated that more than one in five adults was on at least one medication, up 22 percent from 10 years earlier. More than a quarter of the adult female population is on these drugs …..Eleven percent of Americans over age twelve take antidepressants...the number of women in their forties and fifties who have been prescribed antidepressants is a whopping 23 percent.” David Perlmutter, MD in Grain Brain.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are in a national crisis and it seems only some seem to notice!</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what can one do besides taking a pill to relieve stress, cure insomnia, gain control over anxiety or diabetes and combat depression? Well both Yoga and Judaism would look to a Mind-Body solution.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Both Kaballah and Yoga see the human being in a wholistic way, mind and body connected, one affecting the other, so movements of the body effect the mind and thoughts and beliefs of the mind affect the health of the body.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Judaism teaches that corresponding to 248 limbs of the body, are 248 positive actions that the body was created to do in the world. Each body part has been created to help the human fulfill his or her purpose, for example the mouth was given to articulate prayer and blessing, the ear to hear specific holy sounds etc.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Corresponding to the 365 arteries and veins in the human body are 365 negative commandments, instructions we fulfill by not doing, i.e. holding back from an action. All of these negative commandments correspond to something that might engage our passion or instinct…. we don’t commit adultery or we hold ourselves back from stealing….these desires correspond to the blood pathways or passions and instincts of a person.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So one form of investigation regarding out of control stress or anxiety is to look at one’s actions and try to ascertain if they are in keeping with one’s higher purpose…. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">are we not sleeping at night because we feel unfulfilled regarding our actions during the day…. are we stressed because we feel ambivalent about the value or morality of our actions ?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another method of engaging the body to solve issues of the emotions or the psyche is YOGA and Yoga Therapy.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By engaging the body in conscious movement and in breath work, we can relieve stresses and tensions we may be experiencing even if we don’t fully understand the causes of them.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some people have spent years in conventional therapy and are simply either tired of talking about their problems or are finding that talk therapy is no longer helpful or is just not addressing the issue at hand. Yoga therapy can be a very helpful alternative.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many clinical trials have shown and proven that Yoga and Meditation can be even more effective in treating many of the conditions mentioned above than medication.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While exerting ourselves physically and taking our mind off our problems and getting connected to our breath and movement , we release the stress and tensions that have lodged themselves into our bodies</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For me personally I feel Yoga has been my own “medication of choice”. In order to combat the stresses of everyday life, Yoga always leaves me feeling more relaxed and less stressed than when I began. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For many, a regular yoga class may be all that one needs to get the varied benefits of Yoga, however for some suffering from more complex issues, or those contemplating taking a medication for stress, anxiety or insomnia, (just to mention a few examples) , a yoga therapy session with a qualified and dedicated Yoga Therapist may be just the thing needed!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Call for a free consultation:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">917 821-0694</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bracha Meshchaninov, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">RYT 500 and Certified Yoga Therapist.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For a list of all classes check :TiferetMovement.com</span>Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-53317290050898521402015-10-01T21:31:00.000-07:002015-10-01T22:40:28.700-07:00The Holy Hug<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just because I felt I wanted to add some further musings on Sukkot:<br />
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After all the "work" of cleaning out our garbage on a soul level and coming to a place where we are ok with who we are and in relation to our inner selves, our souls and with G-d....Sukkot offers us an amazing opportunity.... to be in a truly Holy Time and while sitting in the sukkah, to be in Holy Space....</div>
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If we view Sukkot as an opportunity to live the way we always wish we could;</div>
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being positive</div>
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accepting ourselves;</div>
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seeing the good in all that happens to us;</div>
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loving ourselves and loving G-d( cos we fixed all the bumps in the relationship right..)</div>
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loving others as true "sistas" and brothers...because we see their Divine spark</div>
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etc, etc,....then Sukkot becomes a little idyllic Garden of Eden, and for just a week we practice being and staying in this ideal state.</div>
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What does living in Gan Eden feel like? It is feeling our dependence on G-d, feeling our true essence and feeling what's it's like to be nurtured and constantly in the embrace of G-d! The holiday offers us a little time capsule, in the romantic analogy, it's the Honeymoon week ( with G-d as our Partner) where we are free from our normal obligations to be able to focus on the goodness of everything, and our ability to be "in flow" as part of that picture... and all that can only happen after all the work that came before! ( No Honeymoon without a Wedding!)</div>
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Kaballah teaches us that the greenery used as a covering on top of the Sukkah is a manifestation of all our prayers and hard work of Yom Kippur... and being in the Sukkah, entering into the Divine Hug that we spoke about, is the experience of where all that hard work brought us!</div>
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It's my favorite holiday, and one of my peak experiences of it, is the Women's gathering in my Sukkah, which I do every year as I love it so! It's our chance to share, sing and learn and be together!</div>
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All of us coming together in a spirit of unity is also part of the ideal vision of how it should be all year round. On Sukkot we get this special opportunity to really create a template that hopefully can serve as an inspiration and guide for the whole year that follows.<br />
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Our teachers compared the high holiday season and the month of Tishrei to the experience of going to the market place and stocking one's basket with all the necessities of spiritual service we will need in the year to come...</div>
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Rosh Hashanah we gather the Subservience and Commitment that will serve us for the whole year, on Yom Kippur we acquire the experience of intimacy and feel the ONEness with our Creator and on Sukkot we stock up on joy. The Sukkot holiday allows us to experience the pleasure of living and feeling what it's like to be in a perfected relationship.On Sukkot we get to feel the closeness of having dropped our baggage, resentment or blocks that we may have experienced before the work of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. On Sukkot because we have worked to be in touch with our real true selves, we can authentically experience the intimacy of feeling surrounded and "Hugged" by Hashem. The sukkah is also an experience of feeling nurtured and taken care of by Hashem as it is a recreation of the clouds with which G-d protected us on our 40 year hike through the desert (while we were wandering towards the land of Israel).</div>
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So, before it's over, I encourage you to stock up your baskets and backpacks and really soak it all up, because there are only a few more days left of this holy opportunity. The Sukkah itself is the ideal place to experience all of the above, but the time is auspicious too, so where ever you happen to be, connect to the holy opportunity of the moment and feel the joy, feel the harmony, be in sync with your higher selves and with G-d and just enjoy that sublime pleasure!!</div>
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Sending love and of course hugs... </div>
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With blessings,<br />
Bracha.</div>
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Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-91049097068809853552015-07-22T23:28:00.002-07:002015-07-22T23:28:34.795-07:00Sfirot, Chakras, Anahatha and Tiferet<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMiRrQWnjf7u3cf6b5ZdsrGbSSx5ENUt5n0Nu5H6IRC_MpMBYRs1jJ8LqX50-dQ0rIrAl_psqakPLpP7ZMuKbuQOvSBqqWcBx1TyjRSAM-5Rzaa1nrCiNQGuiRyNuu55lz86LbVCsd29Ez/s1600/work-life-balance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMiRrQWnjf7u3cf6b5ZdsrGbSSx5ENUt5n0Nu5H6IRC_MpMBYRs1jJ8LqX50-dQ0rIrAl_psqakPLpP7ZMuKbuQOvSBqqWcBx1TyjRSAM-5Rzaa1nrCiNQGuiRyNuu55lz86LbVCsd29Ez/s320/work-life-balance.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sfirot<span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">, Chakras, </span>Anahatha<span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span>and<span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> Tiferet!!</span></span></span></h2>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-81481b76-b993-e8ee-b9fd-2775c02571ba" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was studying and attempting to teach the Kabbalistic concepts of “The Sfirot” - The 10 Divine Energies - that brought me to train as a yoga teacher.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Kabbalah speaks of 10 different energies, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sfirot</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, shared by us and G-d Himself, that lie at the root of all Creation. These energies exist primarily as a vehicle for G-d to imprint Himself into our world, but they are also to be found within each one of us, reminiscent of the Chakra system.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It says in the book of Job (Iyov) </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"And from my flesh I shall see G-d." (19:26.) </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because we are created in the image of G-d, we can study ourselves and our own nature and thereby come to know Him. So, if I posses capacities that can be identified with G-d, and I can become familiar with those capacities within myself, I have a point of departure from which to begin to understand and thereby relate to G-d Himself.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are 10 sfirot, intellectual and emotional manifestations, and each one corresponds to a part of the human body. By relating to how a particular body part works and how it fulfills its function, I can also gather information not just about myself but about G-d and His Creation as well.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I found that in teaching the theory of the sfirot, using the physical body as an example of how the sfirot were manifest was most helpful … and thus my desire to teach yoga was conceived.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tiferet</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Compassion/Harmony/Beauty</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heart Center</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fourth /Heart Chakra</span></div>
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<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Netzach</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Victory/Endurance/</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Determination</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Right Leg</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Third Chakra</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hod</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Acknowledgement/Splendor/</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Surrender</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Left Leg</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Third Chakra</span></div>
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<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yesod</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Foundation</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Genital Region</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Second Chakra</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Malchut</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Royalty/Mastery</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mouth/Base of Spine/Feet</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First Chakra</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we learn in all mind-body practice, by moving in a particular way we influence the psyche and the soul as well as the body. Thus learning about the soul can help us understand our own body from a deeper perspective, and understanding how the body moves and works can help us access our connection to our soul and by extension to the entire (spiritual ) world in general, which is itself created according to the principles of the Sfirot. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And thus we come to how I came up with the name for my yoga studio: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tiferet Movement</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQd-NvX-6nliKeeqLNl7r-f2P8RV7GjWHtexImDUtOcIF4lS9Jl6M-D7Jc_dSDTMVCVWFedMXqXQbPXLzzNhdeSTnJZh7wYDqdefPMtcNwTaq3RLu4NYZyMs64Vj3vOHGgTjn7GltwcYH/s1600/Tiferet+logo+kaballah.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQd-NvX-6nliKeeqLNl7r-f2P8RV7GjWHtexImDUtOcIF4lS9Jl6M-D7Jc_dSDTMVCVWFedMXqXQbPXLzzNhdeSTnJZh7wYDqdefPMtcNwTaq3RLu4NYZyMs64Vj3vOHGgTjn7GltwcYH/s320/Tiferet+logo+kaballah.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Sfirah corresponding to the heart center </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #434343; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(which corresponds </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to the 4th Chakra, or “Anahatha”) is called Tiferet, which is difficult to translate into English but means:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beauty</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Balance</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Integration</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Compassion and Adornment </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">all rolled into one!</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, who wouldn’t want that??</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The meanings that I most identify with are those that describe the beauty of Tiferet as coming about because of the balance and integration of the preceding two qualities of Chesed and Gevurah.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unlike the chakra system with follows the energy up and down the central line of the person, the Sfirotic system, whose illustration is the logo for Tiferet Movement, is the constant balancing and play of polar opposite energies.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tiferet, being in the heart center of all the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #434343; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">s</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">firot , balances all the different opposite energies….but most specifically, it balances the masculine and expansive giving of Chesed with the feminine and contractive focus of Gevurah. It is my understanding that the practice of yoga helps us bring our bodies and psyche into alignment through the physical moving of the left and right sides of the body, in very much the same way as the learning of Torah ( and the practice of its commandment</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #434343; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">s</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) with its principles based in Kabbalistic truths, bring the soul into a place of balance.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is my hope and intention that the practice of Yoga at Tiferet Movement will be a practice that will bring its participants into a place of balance and integration, MInd, Body and Soul!</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For comments or questions,give me a call (917- 821- 0694) or email me at </span><a href="mailto:brachame@gmail.com" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">brachame@gmail.com</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, check out our website at TiferetMovement.com.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We move to come into balance Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Plea</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #434343; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">se</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> join us!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With blessings,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bracha</span></div>
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Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-39579377741817144422015-07-22T23:21:00.001-07:002015-07-22T23:21:15.877-07:00 A Mystical Approach to finding BalancePrinted in this months Natural Awakenings Magazine in Rockland, on page 39<br />
<a href="http://www.naturalawakeningsro.com/magazine/">http://www.naturalawakeningsro.com/magazine/</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkxvYf2PVWGwg4jFUHzxXrFxklALbuoBQV2_Dziornl8oSLEEPbk-Y-saJY7CtjqRnIGr9YYqUjC4XhvKeKfgUD2BI_0aTAMksmuuoAgDyp5XgjNXtCjw0TUMACRJShOqYR1pn-l90Ouu/s1600/how_to_balance-600x337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkxvYf2PVWGwg4jFUHzxXrFxklALbuoBQV2_Dziornl8oSLEEPbk-Y-saJY7CtjqRnIGr9YYqUjC4XhvKeKfgUD2BI_0aTAMksmuuoAgDyp5XgjNXtCjw0TUMACRJShOqYR1pn-l90Ouu/s320/how_to_balance-600x337.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Mystical approach to Finding Balance (in Parenting)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Bracha Meshchaninov </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8fffc37f-b98d-c922-fcd5-cd28b15cbe4c" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a mother of 6, a lifelong student of Jewish Mysticism and a yoga teacher, I have found the concept of balance, or ‘</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tiferet</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’ to be the most valuable goal to which to aspire. How as parents do we know when to say ‘yes’ and when to say ‘no’? How do we know how much love, allowance, digital time or extra mashed potatoes is too much or too little…..how much do we push ourselves as parents to go the extra mile or pull back for our own time to renew? Being able to find the balance, between the inclination to go outwards and give and to focus inwards and withhold giving, in whatever form, is a great art and a necessary component of mental, emotional and physical balance.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sidebar:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In my own life, I was most aware of the challenges of staying in balance when I made two weddings and a Bar Mitzvah in a five week period. When asked how I was doing, I often answered with a metaphor, comparing myself to a surfer who was managing to stay dry and upright on her surfboard and was able to even enjoy the ride.. I believe it was my yoga practice combined with my understanding of Kabbalistic principles that enabled me to accomplish this.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jewish Mysticism speaks of our nature and the nature of all existence in the context of constantly opposing forces that continually need to be brought into balance. The Tiferet Movement logo,shows the graphic representation of these forces or energies which are called “Sefirot”, often identified as the Tree of Life.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are many similarities between how the Kabbalistic system of Sefirot and the Chakra system are represented in the physical human body. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The chakras, however, follow the energy up and down the central line of the individual while the Sefirotic system is the constant balancing of polar opposite energies to the left and right of that central line.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Sefirot are made up of 3 triads reflecting intellectual, emotional and active aspects, each containing two contrasting and polar opposite energies and then a point of reconciliation that balances and integrates these opposites. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Balancing Emotional Energy</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the center of this whole sefirotic construct, corresponding to the 4th or Heart chakra, is the sefirah of Tiferet, the point of resolution within the emotional triad. Tiferet resolves and balances the tension between ‘Chesed’ meaning kindness and ‘Gevurah’ simply translated as severity.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chesed is characterized by expansive giving while Gevurah is about making boundaries and focusing energy in a way that at times can seem severe. Tiferet is revealed when there is an experience of the perfect balance between these two sefirot, such as when a child is told ‘no’ but within a spirit of expansive loving.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Parenting that reflects the qualities of Tiferet is balanced. When a child is punished without the balance of an attitude of love, it can be experienced as hurtful or alienating and the child could feel unloved. Similarly, giving in to a child unconditionally, without the restraining aspect of Gevurah, can result in the child becoming spoiled or pampered and therefore less capable. Sometimes it takes Gevurah for a parent to step back and let a child figure something out for his or herself or experience the emotion of need or want even if the parent could easily fulfill that need. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These principles can be applied to so many different situations. If we can balance action with rest, determination with surrender, impulsivity with careful contemplation, so much more can be accomplished. When we are not constantly struggling to get back on our surfboards, having lost our footing to a wave of overwhelm, we can stay surfing and release our power and potential in truly astonishing ways.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By understanding and implementing the concept of balance provided by the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">S</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">efirotic principles, we can truly find harmony and balance in mind, body and soul.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bracha Meshchaninov is the founder of Tiferet Movement, a yoga studio with a Kabbalistic twist. She offers classes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 9:30 a.m. in New Hempstead.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She can be reached at 917-821-0694 or brachame@gmail.com or by visiting TiferetMovement.com. </span></div>
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<br />Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-68631672212166108932015-07-09T05:10:00.002-07:002015-07-09T05:10:53.048-07:00Finding Stillness<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Last week in Grapevine, I noticed a small quotation by the cash register... it was a quote from Tehillim (46:11)that I had not really paid attention to before but was so excited to discover: The quote was in English and I loved the translation,'Be still and know that I am Hashem."<br />The Hebrew is:<br />הַרְפּוּ וּדְעוּ כִּי אָנֹכִי אֱלֹהִים</div>
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What a great quote for Tiferet Movement!<br />During class this past Thursday we used this pasuk as a new chant or "niggun" and as something upon which to contemplate and meditate... Rivkie translated the first word as "let go"... which also works so wonderfully...<br />I remember reading in Erich Schiffman's book that Yoga is the art of Moving into stillness....</div>
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<img class="CToWUd a6T" height="234" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/0/?ui=2&ik=c60e9e8c76&view=fimg&th=14e652485db838ff&attid=0.1&disp=emb&realattid=ii_ibsdtux60_14e65228f52ade82&attbid=ANGjdJ81s7rHMOCgu-IF0asvVCcLa9Z5QBFucueUrWLFp5S6t4v9r1PUqy6h5BfyflMoLtvAWUD-2HQdmAqiYoEd7B-Po7vnO_OLxLVlk78oNpeRjwe7YNUAo6nEoPg&sz=w706-h468&ats=1436443798633&rm=14e652485db838ff&zw&atsh=1" style="cursor: pointer; margin-right: 0px; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="353" /></div>
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Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-68667100256695705562015-06-23T10:11:00.004-07:002015-06-23T10:11:54.413-07:00News Brief introducing Tiferet Movement to the general public<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">News Brief:</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New Yoga Studio opens in New Hempstead</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tiferet Movement: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yoga with a Kabbalistic Twist! </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When people think about yoga they often think about wonderful body strengthening stretches and poses and a spiritual tradition that involves chanting in Sanskrit and perhaps practicing in a studio with icons and smells of incense.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bracha Meshchaninov a religiously observant Orthodox Jewish yogini wants to change that. Bracha has created a studio in the New Hempstead area where women can practice yoga in an environment that feels comfortable from both a physical, as well as a spiritual point of view. Classes are for women only, chants are in Hebrew and culled from the Jewish prayer liturgy and the spiritual insights shared are gleaned from a Kabbalistic rather than a Vedic source.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bracha, who became observant as a teenager and has been practicing yoga since about the same time she made her commitment to Orthodox Judaism, has both her 500 hr and Yoga Therapy certifications. Bracha offers both ongoing classes and 1:1 Yoga Therapy.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before focusing on her Yoga training and teaching, Bracha’s focus was mostly on teaching Jewish Spirituality classes, based on the weekly Torah reading, (which she continues to teach) and hosting Rosh Chodesh events. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bracha received her certifications from Gail Walsh of Yoga Mountain and has done additional training with Paula Heitzner of the Nyack Yoga Center.Bracha is tremendously grateful to the whole teaching staff at Yoga Mountain and to Paula.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more info check out www.tiferetmovement.com</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">or call: 917 821-0694</span></div>
<br />Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-55789715478223439712015-06-23T09:16:00.001-07:002015-06-23T09:18:44.443-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwBREHNJrsHhhx5bxi7snoGtQZFds5iX8tB0XmoZksv_lwHSjq1-0owFGmmA0WI_p0A6S3roDBnKrgHdL8irSyE4e2JQcbtc34WZUeOn6DLs0PBvyQL96uJf2LHB6v8pBLhrReoEirftE/s1600/Tiferet+logo+kaballah.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwBREHNJrsHhhx5bxi7snoGtQZFds5iX8tB0XmoZksv_lwHSjq1-0owFGmmA0WI_p0A6S3roDBnKrgHdL8irSyE4e2JQcbtc34WZUeOn6DLs0PBvyQL96uJf2LHB6v8pBLhrReoEirftE/s320/Tiferet+logo+kaballah.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This was printed in the May/June edition of Natural Awakenings in the Rockland/Orange area, I hope you enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yoga with a Kabbalistic Twist:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Bracha Meshchaninov</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-679446ab-2132-6208-8e29-3133a83d06c9" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Five Levels of Meditation or "Kosher Koshas!"</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Serious students of yoga are familiar with the notion of the five koshas or the five states of being. Kabbalah speaks of the five levels of soul. The Hebrew word for soul is ‘</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">neshomah</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’ and the Hebrew word for breath is ‘</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">neshimah</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’. The two words share the same Hebrew letters: only their vowels are different. This hints at their common spiritual root.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It says in the Torah that when </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">G-d</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> created man, He breathed from within himself and exhaled man's soul into him. This link of breath and soul is a quintessential part of both Torah teachings and yoga. As we breathe, we can connect to our soul.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Kabbalah, it is taught that our soul is comprised of five levels, each a more spiritual manifestation than the previous:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> N</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">efesh</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, R</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">uach</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, N</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">eshomah,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> C</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">haya</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and Y</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">echidah</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nefesh is the part of the soul identified with and attached to the physical body. Nefesh is semantically related to the Hebrew word ‘nafash’, meaning rest. This aspect of the soul rests, so to speak, in the physical body.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Hebrew word</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">uach means wind or spirit and refers to the second layer of the soul that is connected to intuition, moments of deep insight, or revelations from the higher worlds. These revelations, when from a particularly high source, are referred to as ‘ruach ha kodesh’ or holy insights and can come from either holy teachers departed or from the Creator himself.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The third level of the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">soul</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, N</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">eshomah, is connected to the breath, sharing the same root. When the neshomah is no longer found in the body, the body no longer has the capacity for life; the neshomah links the spiritual and physical aspects of the person together.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chaya is related to the Hebrew word ‘chaim’,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">meaning life</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From a Kabbalistic point of view, this level of soul is beyond the reach of the average person except on Sabbath and festivals; it connects to the transcendent aspect of life. Connecting to what lies above and beyond one’s finite self can inspire a transcendent life.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, the fifth</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> level of soul is the Y</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">echidah. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The word yechidah is connected to the Hebrew word ‘yachid’ which means one. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When one's connection with God reaches the highest level, there is a total unification of one's own essence with the essence of God himself. This is the level of yechidah, or total oneness. It is taught that on Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday of atonement, the level of the yechidah is revealed to all connected to the holiness of the day.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Framework for Meditation</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Contemplating the five levels of soul offers a wonderful framework for a meditation. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Begin your meditation with an awareness of the physical body, the place where the nefesh is resting, and feel the physical sensations of the body.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After settling in and focusing on the</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">N</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">efesh, take your attention to the level of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">uach, opening yourself to your imagination and the possibility of receiving messages or insights from the higher realms of your own intuition.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Continue higher to the level of</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> N</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">eshomah, feeling the connection between body and soul, noticing the pathway of the breath in and out of the nostrils. Continue to lift your consciousness to the level of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">C</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">haya, being aware of the larger picture, the aspect of soul bigger and beyond your own individuality.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, connect to the level of</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Y</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">echidah, uniting with the essence of all things.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Enjoy the sense of oneness and completeness for as long as you are able or comfortable, and then begin the return journey back to your finite individuality from Yechidah to Chaya, from Chaya to Neshomah, from Neshomah to Ruach and then finally, to rest one's consciousness fully in the physical body with Nefesh.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remain in a relaxed position, coming slowly back into awareness of your current moment, place and conscious self.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bracha Meshchaninov is the founder of Tiferet Movement, a yoga studio with a kabbalistic twist. She offers classes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 9:30 a.m. in New Hempstead.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She can be reached at 917-821-0694 or brachame@gmail.com or by visiting Tiferetmovement.com. She has dedicated this article to her late father, Yitzchak Ben Shimon. </span></div>
<br />Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-49315692099371076972015-02-05T10:20:00.002-08:002015-02-05T10:20:32.359-08:00The sweetness of Tu b Shvat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I learnt about and shared so many wonderful Torah teachings, this Tu B Shvat and was able to share in such amazing experiences, the most wonderful of all being our Tu B Shvat Seder that I was quite overcome and actually felt I had to put pencil to paper to write a poem , so here it is....</div>
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I hope you enjoy it:</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">Tu b Shvat sweetness</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">My eyes and heart opened</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">together with my inner eye</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">and before and on the day</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">that is a gate to joy</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">The judgement day for trees</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">I experienced the sweetness of appreciation and validation</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">as delicious , tasty and nourishing</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">as the date or raisin of which we spoke and mindfully tasted</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">My heart feels full to overflowing</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">with this abundance of gratitude , love and generous giving...</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">I want to make sure</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">that somehow the feeling is noted preserved</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">with words on a page</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">so that in the Amalyk * days</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">that surely will follow</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">despite these revelations</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">no less wonderous to me than the splitting of the Red Sea</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">I should have my shield and armor ready</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">to defeat the attack,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">self worth</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">and self love intact</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">and my purpose abundantly clear</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: start;">*Amalyk: Nation that cruelly attacked the Jews right after they crossed the Red Sea</span></div>
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I was also able to watch, baruch Hashem, a small video recording of the Rebbe talking about the lessons of Tu B Shvat, emphasizing how we can learn patience and begin to see potential by the very act of eating fruit that takes time to grow and by eating it when there is still snow on the ground and a cold winter outside. Celebrating fruit from the point that just the sap begins to flow, a process that we cannot even see, but that will eventually result in a fruit...we commit ourself to a belief in the future, and all the promise that it holds, even though now we cannot see it. Even though now, anti-semitism and hate surround us, we have faith and patience that the stirrings of Redemption are well under way and very soon we will be enjoying the fruits of Geulah!</div>
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http://youtu.be/C2Kq_UxVFYA</div>
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Here in an extremely brief summary are some of the Lessons learnt from our Seder:</div>
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-That Klippah (the shells, or coverings that hide essence) can be purposeful</div>
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-Our blockages and obstacles in avodas Hashem can be compared to the pit in a fruit</div>
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-As we ascend in our spiritual practice we can appreciate more and more that what Hashem does to us is all for the good!</div>
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and finally</div>
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-The closer we get to Moshiach, the more subtle and transcendent our experiences become!</div>
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Have a wonderful shabbos</div>
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Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-58718328518368228842014-12-11T09:21:00.004-08:002014-12-11T10:02:14.486-08:00What's Hashem doing in the darkness??<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In this week's Parsha Vayeishev, there are many details that could point to an apparent randomness of events or events that could seem accidental.... but like the Purim story are actually interwoven in an intricate pattern of Divine Providence!<br />
Yakov sends Yosef to check on his brothers acting on and bringing to fuition, information from Avraham Avinu that his family will be exiled,<br />
the brothers cast Yosef into a pit and then sell him to Yishme'elim, and then totally broken from all of these events, the family starts to unravel somewhat, many of the members spending time either in mourning or Tshuvah or both in sackcloth and ashes.<br />
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The Chumash tells us that Yehuda goes down to live in another place and do business with an Adullami man. The going down could refer to his own sense of self worth or his estimation in his brother's opinion of him.<br />
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Yehuda marries, which we are told also in the Medrash is a choice of action that Hashem approves of, a starting over, a choice of having a new beginning! He has three sons, marries the eldest one to Tamar, when the eldest son dies Tamar is given to the second son and when he too dies, Yehuda holds back his third son from marrying Tamar.<br />
The chumash tells us that after Yehuda's own wife dies, he goes on the road on some business trip, sees Tamar, does not recognize her as his daughter in law and thinking she is a harlot has relations with her.<br />
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The medrash tells us that a Malach actually pushed Yehuda to notice and desire to have relations with Tamar, without this push he would never have noticed her at all! Another medrash tells us that while all the family members were busy with their mourning and regret;<br />
"the tribes with the selling of Yosef, Yosef with his sackcloth and fasting , (because he was separated from his father's house) Reuben with his sackcloth and fasting, Yakov with his sackcloth and fasting, (mourning his son) , and Yehuda, busy with selecting a wife, the Holy One blessed be He was busy with creating the light of Moshiach!" How so, the union of Yehuda and Tamar produces Peretz, the forefather of Moshiach!<br />
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When it seems that the most unlikely things are happening and it seems that Hashem has abandoned the scene, he is actually working in apparent darkness, a darkness that distracts the negative forces, so that He is free to bring about redemption!<br />
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The medrash highlights a number of liaisons connected to the seed of Moshiach that come into the world in suspect circumstances, Ruth's own heritage, the marriage of Boaz and Ruth, David's own lineage and now Yehuda and Tamar. The Medrash highlights the idea of bringing something of holiness into the world through the backdoor, in an unexpected fashion....Concealment is a hallmark of the means by which G-d prepares the way for the arrival of Moshiach. The Gemorrah states in Sanhedrin, "Three things come into the world when one's attention is diverted, these are Moshiach,... etc". The Ramban mentions this method of confusing the Satan by reminding us of the action of throwing a goat off a cliff on Yom Kippur, the Ramban says we are tricking the Satan by leading him to believe we are making an offering to the forces of impurity and then distracted , the Satan refrains from prosecuting Israel in the heavenly court on Yom Kippur!<br />
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It seems that when darkness surrounds us, we may be led to believe Hashem has abandoned His post, but in fact he is working behind the scenes, orchestrating the next manifestation of Moshiach, the darkness is meant to be a distraction, so the forces of evil get thrown off...a false sense of strength and victory should not be seen as true strength... Hashem is pulling strings and orchestrating our redemption although right now it definitely seems like it's happening behind the scenes.... may we have revealed good very soon with the ultimate revelation of Moshiach!<br />
May it be soon!Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-54872356149242100402014-12-04T12:31:00.000-08:002014-12-04T15:23:00.198-08:00Yakov as Peaceful Warrior<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">What does it mean to be a peaceful warrior?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At first glance these two words seem contradictory yet if we think more deeply into the the root of what makes us strong, (our vulnerability) what makes us the best fighters, (a desire for true peace) and what helps us to reach above ourselves, (being grounded) then perhaps the combination of these two words is not so strange after all. A peaceful warrior is someone who enters into battle open to reconciliation if that is truly available, but brave enough to take a stand if it is not. In my understanding, a peaceful warrior is a fighter who is centered and calm, flexible and adaptable and really wishes to hurt no living thing, but when his or her family and values, land and loves are threatened, they can be very focused in defending what is right and what is theirs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In this week's Parsha our forefather Yakov reminds me of the perfect example of what a peaceful warrior truly is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yakov leaves Charan and the home of Lavan where he was successful in transforming the energy that existed there from energy that served selfish and material interests, to energy that fused the material and the spiritual in the service of Hashem. He leaves with 12 children and great material wealth, his abundance all devoted to the service of the ideals of the Torah, his children and wives loyal to his beliefs and the wealth available for offerings and gifts to G-d as well as spreading light in the physical world....</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">and he now prepares to confront and attempt to elevate the energy of Esav.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Torah tells us of the various different strategies Yakov employs in planning for this cosmic meeting. He sends angels (in the form of people as Esav would not have been able to engage with them in angelic form) with a message of reconciliation, he divides his family into two camps, (part of a war strategy that in the event of violence, at least one camp would escape Esav) he prays to Hashem to save him , (connects to his spiritual self) and he sends a very large gift, (as Rashi explains, large enough to amaze and fully satiate the eye of Esav) more effort at reconciliation and then perhaps without planning it at all, he is forced to do the most intense preparation of all, he fights with the angel of Esav. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are many different explanations of the meaning of this encounter with the angel of Esav . Is the angel the externalization of his own inner conflict and fear in relation to Esav that he needs to confront? According to the Babylonian Talmud (Chullin 91a) the angel appeared in the guise of a man; one opinion is that this " man" was a pagan idol worshipper and most interesting another opinion suggests that the angel took the guise of a Torah sage! Does Yakov need to understand his own guilt and ambivalence regarding their past? Does he need to come to grips with what happened and defeat the 'idea" of what Esav represents in this world before he can face him in a calm and secure fashion in actuality? To truly defeat Esav, Yakov has to come to a point where he can reconcile himself to what happened regarding his and Esav's history, he needs to understand why in fact it was G-d's will that he should have received the blessing of the first born when in fact Esav was really older and his father's intended recipient for the blessing? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It seems that it took all night for Yakov to work through all these inner struggles and at the end of it it.. the "man" was not able to overcome him, meaning possibly that Yakov was able to neutralize all the accusations thrown at him by both the secular voices in his head and the super halachic and "super righteous" voices telling him he had possibly sinned and had no Torah based claim to the blessings....so ultimately he does emerge victorious but he is damaged slightly. The significance of the damage is that Yakov is forever vulnerable in certain aspects of his mission, some doubt did lay it's seed within him and this seed developed into fruition with the destruction of all that Yakov held dear generations later with the destruction of the Temples on a date that has a Kabalistic connection to the site of the injury. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Most important of all, Yakov emerges from his night of confrontation with something that adds a dimension to him for all time and becomes an aspect of the entire Jewish people.. Yakov becomes Yisroel! Yakov, who deals with things in a somewhat round about kind of way, sometimes surreptitious and perhaps even devious, becomes Yisroel , Yashar-El... straight with Hashem, unapologetic, upfront and direct and then he names the place of the encounter Peni'el, (the face of G-d) he is ready for a face to face encounter with what ever !</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yakov struggled within himself to find his belief that ultimately he is the one to whom the blessings rightfully belong, and that he can walk tall and face anyone who may be an accuser , knowing that he is calm and centered within...peaceful and focused...this calmness and clarity has allowed him to see the face of Hashem hidden in all the details, and this calmness allows him to face Esav as a peaceful warrior!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The name Yakov implies a kind of struggle while the name Yisroel hints to a place beyond the struggle , a place of peacefulness and resolution. When Avram becomes Avraham his new name takes root and he is never again called Avram, however Yaakov continues to be referred to by both names, he continues to have struggles in his life ( the loss of Yosef for over 20 years) being called by both names even after he receives his name Yisroel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">May it be that the Children of Israel/Yisroel truly achieve a state of peace, within and without in the perfected world of the Messianic era and may it be soon in our day!!! </span></div>
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Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-61544184645160515932014-11-27T09:28:00.001-08:002014-12-04T11:09:17.838-08:00Dealing with the world<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the reasons Yakov leaves Beer Sheva , our sages teach us, is that he did not want to make a treaty with Avimelech the way his grandfather and father before him did. Making a treaty with Avimelech would suggest a position of " you do your thing, and I will do mine, and lets not bother each other". Yakov's purpose was to transform and transcend physicality and the impure or selfish energies, not by being far away and separated from them, but by being amidst them and then transforming and transcending them.<br />
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When Yakov comes to "the place" that, Rashi tells us will be the site of the future Bais Hamikdash, it becomes suddenly dark , he lays down and has his dream.The Rebbe in a sicha given in Kislev of 5752, explains that there is something positive about the fact that Yakov , at the site of the future Bais Hamikdash is in a lying position; feet, symbolizing physicality on the same level as his head, symbolizing the intellect and the higher faculties. This is connected with Yakov's essential mission, elevating the lowest worlds. The dream itself, of a ladder with it's feet on the ground and its upper part reaching up into the heavens is also a symbol of the lower and upper worlds integrating and connecting one to the other.<br />
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He goes down to Charan, a place linked to G-d's anger, and there he manages to weave around all of Lavan's crafty plans, and manages to release and elevate all the hidden sparks buried and trapped with Lavan, so that he is able to create the foundation for the future of the Jewish people and to leave with great wealth.<br />
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Yakov is identified with the sfirah of Tiferet, which is connected to the idea of balance, balance between Chesed and Gevurah, and also balance between the physical and spiritual worlds. All of Yakov's children emerge from Charan with the faith and the world view of their father, serving Hashem with all parts of themselves involved, elevating the physical to spiritual heights and bringing the light of spirituality into the physical realm around them.<br />
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Let us be inspired to follow in the path of Yakov, an integrated and balanced path, that allows for all parts of the 'self' to find a means of expression in the service of Hashem and in the service of elevating even the lowest of worlds.Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-36798348443965615512014-11-20T05:07:00.001-08:002014-11-23T08:05:06.324-08:00The clash of opposing forces and the vision of Rivka Immeinu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In this week's Parsha we read about the pregnancy of Rivka Immeinu. We read how she was so uncomfortable with the conflicted energies within her womb, that she went to enquire about this of Hashem. Rashi explains that she went to the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever, which is where one would go to enquire of Hashem. Rashi also tells us that at the yeshiva it was Shem who received an answer for Rivka via ruach hakodesh and communicated it to her. The answer that Rivka received was that within her womb were the beginnings of two great nations, that would have separate priorities and separate destinies and that eventually the older would serve the younger.</div>
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Chassidus views the reality of the two "nations" within Rivka as related to the two forces within each person, the Yakov aspect which suggests a desire to be centered and committed to G-dliness and giving and the Esav aspect, an opposing inclination towards selfishness and immediate gratification in the physical world.</div>
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Rivkas as we learnt last week is connected to the "eye" of the well, which means she sees reality in a dualistic fashion, she sees clearly what is in the here and now, but she is also able to see beyond the now to the future, and to see beyond the details of the immediate to see the bigger picture. When Eliezer found Rivka at the well, our sages tell us he was not only looking for her kindness, but he was looking for a quality within Rivka's worldview that was represented within her "eye". Eliezer was looking for the girl who had the right kind of vision.</div>
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Rivka carries the message of the prophesy she hears from Shem about her two sons for 60 years. When Yitzchak is ready to give his blessing, she realizes that she needs to become proactive to manifest that prophecy. </div>
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Yitzchak is aware that Esav has some of the qualities of a true first born, but what Rivka understands is that when he sold his birthright to Yakov, he revealed his true essence, which showed him not to be a vessel for the blessing. He was only connected to the moment and Rivka knew the blessing has power for all of eternity.</div>
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Reb Shlomo explains that the blessing from Yitzchak would be a blessing that would full the recipient with enough holiness to enable their descendants to "mamesh make it to the end" with faith and trust intact!</div>
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On the basis of that blessing the descendants of Yakov sit and learn Torah in Jerusalem today, on the basis of that blessing, the descendants of Yakov witness horrible and brutal murders in Jerusalem and stay committed and faithful to G-d's path and on the basis of that blessing we are able to see beyond the realities of today to a visualize and believe in a picture of peace and resolution for tomorrow.</div>
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Rivka was told that the elder, the first born, (the physically focused, worldly, self interested and crafty) will serve the younger, (the Torah serving, ultruistic G-d fearing )Yakov. We need to look with the eyes of Rivka to see the reality of today, and not be blind to what is happening, but at the same time, to be able to keep the vision of redemption alive, when the nations of the world will empower us to serve Hashem, when we will truly integrate our own physicality and creative strength and power to serve only good and when we will be able to embrace and channel our own shadow selves to truly be in healthy emotional states of joy and gratitude constantly....</div>
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As we beg and plead for Moshiach we need to remember that there were sages at various times in our history who resisted the idea of Moshiach coming because they feared that with the enormous energy shifts that would occur, there would be much bloodshed and suffering. For years the idea of the coming of Moshiach was always identified with the war of Gog and Magog and not a popular idea at all, but the Rebbe refocused our attention. Holding on to that fear is not an authentic Jewish path and will hold the world back from reaching its ultimate potential. The Rebbe pleaded with us (and can I say demanded of us?) that we should be very focused on doing everything we can to bring Moshiach, and to focus on all the good that the era of Moshiach will reveal to us, with the ultimate revelation of a world that is all good, but is it possible to birth a baby since the "<i>aveirah</i>" of Chava in Gan Eden without the pain of contractions?</div>
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Rivka worked hard that Yakov should get the blessing for "the end" from Yitzchak, and she was successful, because of that, we have made it thus far, and we need to hold on just a little bit longer, because the night is almost over, and dawn is breaking over the horizon, but we need to hold fast to our faith and our strength... we are mamesh so close to the end....</div>
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May the memory of </div>
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Rabbi Moshe Twersky hy"d</div>
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Rabbi Kalman Levine hy"d</div>
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Rabbi Areyeh Kupinsky hy"d</div>
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Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Goldberg hy"d</div>
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be for blessing and may their neshamos have continuous aliyot..</div>
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and may the following have a refuah shelaimah</div>
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Shmuel Yeruchem ben Baila</div>
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Chaim Yechiel ben Malka</div>
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Eitan ben Sara</div>
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Yitzchak ben Chaya</div>
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Moshe ben Atara</div>
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remembering with gratitude:</div>
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Zidon Nahad Sief</div>
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With thanks to Shlomo Katz for giving over so beautifully the Torah teachings of Reb Shlomo Carlebach which served as inspiration for this piece. </div>
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Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-6745190214660031982014-11-13T12:16:00.001-08:002014-11-13T15:43:20.388-08:00Being inspired by our parents...Learning to see.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwCO6eQi2zKzY4b9CvVZx3fBDuDtcRSp3sEkx7Y9R94l9NINucje1yKoSuMO4Y5TtMeCdByquT8l1GdNdSxeYleGxbhEa08W6mkG7ZDEckZDUIJ5HYteKKWwRpgk_ZugJdDKmF_V-Tg-T/s1600/Blue-eye-eyes-8326071-800-600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwCO6eQi2zKzY4b9CvVZx3fBDuDtcRSp3sEkx7Y9R94l9NINucje1yKoSuMO4Y5TtMeCdByquT8l1GdNdSxeYleGxbhEa08W6mkG7ZDEckZDUIJ5HYteKKWwRpgk_ZugJdDKmF_V-Tg-T/s320/Blue-eye-eyes-8326071-800-600.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Our sages tell us that we share spiritual DNA from the Avot and the Imaot, we probably have some of their physical DNA as well. What this means, is that not only can we be inspired by the way they lived their lives, but we can be empowered to follow in their their footsteps.<br />
This weeks Parsha, which is called Chaya Sara includes the passing and burial of Sara as well as the shiddich of Yitzchak and Rivka. One of the reasons why the Parsha which contains the death of Sara is called "the Life of Sara", is because we see how Sara'a values are continued into the next generation through the marriage of her son to Rivka, who we see is a young woman/or young girl of incredible kindness and depth.<br />
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These past few weeks in Eretz Yisroel have seen tremendous suffering and grief as the birthpangs of the imminent redemption seem to be intensifying. The deaths of 26 year old Dahlia Lemkus, a young woman from Alon Shvut who loved to help people and do water color paintings, Almog Shilon from Mod-In <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">who had just graduated from the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">first ever Platoon Commanders' Course of the Nahal Haredi battalion of the Israeli Air Force, 3 month old Chaya Zissel Braun who had just visited the kotel for the first time, the young woman from Equadore, Keren Yemima Mosquera who had only recently completed a conversion process and others.................. and unhappily we stop paying attention. We stop feeling because maybe feeling all this pain and suffering is too much for us??</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">The </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Piacesna Rebbe , Rabbi Kolonymus Kalman Shapira ( Rebbe who lived in the Warsaw ghetto in the 2nd World War) explains that Sara's death can almost be seen as a protest, that she somehow testifies to the limit of how much suffering we as a people are capable of handling... that even the thought that her only son and future of the Jewish people being slaughtered was absolutely too much!!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Rabbi Meir Kahana whose Yortzeit was this last week was often described as the Rabbi who made the Jewish people wake up, are we awake yet??</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Being awake is a good thing, we eat fish on shabbos as fish are compared to the righteous who always have their eyes open, but what do we see??</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Rabbi Avrahan Eiger writes in the Shevet Mi Yehuda that the difference between a slave person and someone who is free is how they see the world, a slave who is looked down upon looks down at the world, sees negativity and cannot look up or see the beyond, while a free person is able to look up and see beyond the darkness, beyond the reality of just today.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Our sages teach us that there are two ways of seeing, being aware of what is right in front of us and being able to see the reality beyond. In this week's HaYom Yom the Alter Rebbe is quoted as sharing with someone in Yechidus that Shma is an acronym of "Se'u marom einechem"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Raise your eyes on High! Look upwards!</span><br />
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When Eliezer comes to the spring or fountain where he will meet Rivka, who will become the wife of Yitzchak, it says in verse 24:13 that he arrives at the "Ayin Ha Mayim", which literally means the eye of the water. The word for a spring or fountain is "Ma-ayan " which actually means "Mem from Ayin" from the eye! Reb Shlomo Carlebach explains the importance of this and connects this idea to the way we see things, and how warmth and love can be communicated with our eyes. True giving is done not just with our hands, but with our eyes too, the spirit with which we give. Eliezer was looking for the girl who had the right type of eye, the eye of true giving, as well as the eye that could see beyond the realities of just today.<br />
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Ayin is the letter in the hebrew alphabet that has the value of 70, there are 70 nations of the world. Reb Shlomo teaches that the way we use our eyes, will enable us to cope with the 70 nations. Se'u Marom Eineichem, look up and get the power and strength and vision beyond that of the 70 nations... let it be our Ayin, not theirs.<br />
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One of my students Reva sent me the following in response to our learning together of the Piacesna's learning on Sara:<br />
Thank you Reva.<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oo2JskBPgA" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr></wbr>v=7oo2JskBPgA</a><br />
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Blessing us all with a beautiful Shabbos, with the power of a good eye that is able to look up and see good, and the revelation of true good with the Geula Shelaimah!<br />
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P.S Just wanted to make a shout out to my own amazing parents Irma and Dick Hayden ( they should both be well and strong!) who have an amazing capacity to always look for and see the good !!<br />
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<br />Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-39980709900864566412014-11-10T07:07:00.002-08:002014-11-10T07:30:27.289-08:00The breath of life.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7Upc8BmkG3eWIp_tLcvfl7OajlwVcDbfHT1PiQJGPR0Oi9-9aYk1bu4jLNTLeTRPE8eo2NPjShHHE_q2GjF90jPOfaQGCSXW6NdCVE7AUhEKorrGGzL_DWWAY9gCz9iLY_3AE8ZfjmiH/s1600/ocean+breath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7Upc8BmkG3eWIp_tLcvfl7OajlwVcDbfHT1PiQJGPR0Oi9-9aYk1bu4jLNTLeTRPE8eo2NPjShHHE_q2GjF90jPOfaQGCSXW6NdCVE7AUhEKorrGGzL_DWWAY9gCz9iLY_3AE8ZfjmiH/s1600/ocean+breath.jpg" height="119" width="320" /></a></div>
Interesting article I recently happened upon:<br />
"<b>Yoga Practice pumps up Detoxifying Antioxidants</b><br />
Indian Researchers recruited 64 physically fit males from the Indian Air Force Academy for a three month study of yoga's effect on detoxification. For three months, 34 of the volunteers practiced Hatha yoga with breathing exercises and meditation. The other 30 volunteers underwent physical training exercises.<br />
At the end of the study, blood tests found significantly higher levels of antioxidants, including vitamin C and vitamin E,among the subjects in the yoga group. These participants also showed lower levels of oxidized glutathione and increased levels of two important antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase, all indicating better detoxification. Meanwhile, the exercise -only group showed no changes in these parameters."<br />
<i>Natural Awakenings, October 2014</i><br />
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Tuesday and Thursday mornings join us for Tiferet Movement: Develop body and mind strength and flexibility through movement, breathing exercises and meditation.<br />
<br />Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2371479268746759233.post-7151530785936533412014-11-06T12:14:00.001-08:002014-11-06T12:14:11.945-08:00Bringing Heaven down to Earth!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Avraham was a revolutionary! He was a revolutionary not because he believed in one G-d, this was not so cutting edge, but because he allowed his belief in a transcendent G-d to effect his very physical earthly self, to the extent that this belief got translated into all of his 248 physical limbs, and led him to go through with the bris mila, a mitzvah that required him to "cut " into his physical self (thus the cutting edge phrase..lol) and by so doing, reveal the essential connection between body and soul!!<br />
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Avraham was also pretty revolutionary in his connection to kindness! His identification and manifestation of kindness was so absolute, that our sages tell us that because of Avraham's kindness, Hashem Himself was able to manifest more of His own kindness into the world!!<br />
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Menachem Nachem of Chernoble explains that when Avraham sits at the opening to his tent in the heat of the day, just after his bris, this can be interpreted on a more abstract level, ( the level of Remez i believe) that Avraham sits for all time at the entrance to Geinheinom (Hell) and tries to save Jews who can be recognized by the markings of a kosher or unpolluted bris .( which means that they have not had illicit relations with non Jewish women). The heat of the day obviously refers here to the "heat of Hell" which Avraham endures in order to do eternal kindness for the souls of all "fallen Jewish men..."<br />
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During our class on the Parsha we compared Noach who related to Hashem in a rational way, within the confines of the natural world and within the confines of his own nature, to Avraham, who relates to a transcendent G-d, in a way that requires him to constantly transcend his own nature!<br />
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Avraham's way of relating to G-d opens pathways to us, to relate to G-d in both ways that are transcendent , requiring us to go beyond our selves, so to speak, and in ways that are very grounded, linking heaven and earth in very physical ways, using our 248 limbs to carry out the 248 physical mitzvoth!Bracha Meshchaninovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16985920129671306329noreply@blogger.com0