Be Happy!

BRI’s NarrowBridge.Org sends out twice weekly inspiration providing a regular dose of hope, meaning and courage. These emails include small doses of Rebbe Nachman’s wisdom, enabling us to get through the week in a more spiritual way. 

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Rebbe Nachman of Breslov taught…

“Always remember:
Joy is not merely incidental to
your spiritual quest.
It is vital.”
(The Empty Chair, p. 99*)

 

What does this mean to me?

During a short lesson that is printed as a kind of introduction to Likutei Moharan in most editions, Rebbe Nachman ended with a cryptic sounding statement: “At first, all beginnings were from Pesach. But now…”

For the Jewish people, the beginning of our nationhood is from Pesach. The beginning of our spiritual journey under our Torah-constitution is from the Exodus. Pesach is the essence of all personal and collective redemption and, at first, “all beginnings were from Pesach.” But now…but now that we are deep in exile, suffering from the alienation from G-d and from our true selves that keeps us here, are we really able to start from Pesach?

“But now…” Now, Rebbe Nachman intimated, the beginning is from that which precedes Pesach—none other than Purim. If Pesach is spiritual liberation, then Purim is the state of joy that makes that liberation possible. If we want to get to Pesach, we must start now with Purim.

 

A prayer:

Master of the universe,
Help me to rejoice on Purim with all my heart,
and to bring joy to others;
to gladden all of Your people
so that You, too, will delight in the joy that we feel during Purim.
Help us to be worthy of seeing, even now,
every single year,
wonders and miracles as we saw in those times…
And may we merit to draw the joy of Purim
throughout the entire year.
(Likutei Tefillot II:37)

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*“The Empty Chair: Finding Hope and Joy – Timeless Wisdom from a Hasidic Master, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov” by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, Adapted by Moshe Mykoff and The Breslov Research Institute, 1994. Permission granted by Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT, www.jewishlights.com.

Feedback:

I love these emails and look forward to each and every one, amazing!
Thanks, SM