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… |
Spiritual awakening begins with inspiration coming from Without. Then, once you are already on the road, the real work begins. Keep at it and inspiration will come from within. |
What does this mean to me? |
| In the Kabbalistic and Chassidic works, the two parallel forces at work in the entire universe and in the microcosm of our personal Divine service are called “arousal from above” and “arousal from below.” Throughout Jewish history—and in our own private histories—we find that G-d tends to provide us with a dose of inspiration from above to get us started, and after that we need to pull ourselves up bit by bit, from our end. The arousal from above inspires a corresponding arousal from below, where our work is. A model of this process can be found in the exodus from Egypt, which was then followed by forty-nine days of struggle and purification –Sefirat Ha’Omer – so that we could be worthy of receiving the Torah. The Torah was given to us in the month of Sivan, whose astrological sign is Gemini—the Twins. The symbol of the twins expresses the duality of the inspiration from above and the awakening from below. Together, they comprise a whole that makes the descent of Torah to the world possible. |
A prayer: |
Master of the universe, We encourage hearing your feedback and may anonymously publish your remarks. Please send email to: [email protected] *“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. |
