Daily Reading
In August 2005, the London Zoo was the first in the world to highlight a new exhibit: human beings. After an exhaustive contest, eight candidates (a chemist included) were selected...
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God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (4) God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.
– Genesis 1:3-4
In the beginning, a simple divine light filled the entirety of existence. . . . When there arose in His simple will the desire to create the world, He contracted His light, withdrawing it to the sides and leaving a void and an empty space in its center, to allow for the existence of the worlds. (However, this was not an absolute void, for there remained a residue of the divine light within the void.) He then drew a single line of His infinite light into the void to illuminate the worlds.
– Rabbi Isaac Luria (the “Ari”)
Light is sown for the righteous, radiance for the upright.
– Psalms 97:1
במדבר ו:כה
“May Hashem make His countenance on you.”
– Numbers 6:25
Rabbi Nathan says: The Eternal make His countenance shine upon thee.This is a reference to the light of the Divine Presence.
– Nachmanides on Numbers 6:24
Daily Quotes
“I believe in God, but not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us.”
– John Lennon
“This idea of the transcendent power of the Supreme Being is essentially connected with that by which the whole duty of man is summed up: obedience to His will.”
– John Quincy Adams
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
– Charles Darwin
Daily Goals
The great kabbalists explain that all living things – human and animal – have souls. However, not all souls are created equal. As described in Genesis 2:7, every human being has both a “nefesh” and a “neshama.” The nefesh is defined as an animal soul – the life force, the instinctual, animalistic drives. The neshama, in contrast, is a purely spiritual component, a divine spark which distinguishes man from animal. This is the part of us which yearns for spirituality and closeness to God.
Humans and animals all engage in emotional responses such as love, fear, loyalty, imagination, memory, intelligence, etc. We run from danger, have survival instincts, and are driven to procreate. This all emanates from the lower animal soul.
But there exists in humans another spiritual entity that is very different and much higher. Humans also have a divine, spiritual soul. Only this soul has the ability to forge a relationship with the Divine, transcendent dimension of existence. This is where humans enter the unique realm of making free will moral decisions. Only humans have the ability to choose higher “soul pleasures” – like helping the poor, even at the expense lower “body pleasures” like hoarding more food for ourselves.
Most people today are experts in nurturing their physicality. Are we hungry? Then we eat. Thirsty? We drink. But when it comes to “How can I get in touch with my soul?”, the answer is less simple.
As society has become more socially aware and responsible, we are urged to consider our individual carbon footprint, how our consumption impacts the sustainability of our planet. But, we should be equally mindful of our “spiritual footprint”, what impact will we have on the moral fabric of humanity and what spiritual legacy will we leave behind for future generations.
Daily Videos
Torah learning is essential to our Jewish Community. When someone is committed to learning, they are committed to the future and sustainability of the Jewish People.
Torah learning is essential to our Jewish Community. When someone is committed to learning, they are committed to the future and sustainability of the Jewish People.
