About the Lights of Emunah Workshop
This workshop is designed to help us access the greatest pleasure available to humanity: namely, the pleasure of a deep, personal, and tangible relationship with our Creator. As the Ramchal states in the Path of the Just: “Man was created for the sole purpose of rejoicing in G-d and deriving pleasure from the splendor of His presence; for this is true joy and the greatest pleasure that can be found.” (Path of the Just, ch.1).
If Hashem’s purpose in creating the world, and specifically in creating mankind, is to bestow upon us this pleasure, then it must be that this pleasure is indeed accessible. Our purpose then is to learn how to receive this pleasure, in particular how to make ourselves into vessels that are strong and capable of receiving all the pleasure that Hashem wishes to shower upon us. If our lives are not what we want them to be, the block is not in Hashem’s ability to give, but in our ability to receive. The key to opening ourselves to this abundance of blessing is to learn how to clear the blocks which we place in the path of this Divine flow.
The biggest block to receiving is our general state of being more or less unconscious of Hashem’s all-pervasive presence. We know Hashem exists, but how much do we really feel His presence and live with His Reality on a moment-to-moment basis? In this workshop we will learn practical tools and work on strengthening this awareness, and as a result deepen our Emunah.
How do we do this? One way is by learning how to pop the illusions that bombard us and keep us disconnected from Hashem and our true selves. We will use guided meditation and other tools in order to help us get more in touch with ourselves, learning to hear the voice of our neshama, which is often crying out for attention and a safe space to reveal itself. Once we learn to quiet our minds, clearing away the static, we can tap into much of the richness, beauty, and positive Divine resources hidden away inside.
Bottom line is that every moment carries within it the potential to help us draw closer to Hashem. Every scene is carefully scripted by the Director and offers us access to spiritual greatness. The tools we will be exploring, all of which were given to Adam and Chava at their birth in Breishit, serve one purpose: namely, to drill into us the conscious awareness that Hashem is right here, right now.
To the extent that we are true to this reality and live within this consciousness is the extent to which we can make the right choice in any given moment, no matter how seemingly mundane the situation.
In reality, the only thing we control is how open and aware we are of Hashem's all-encompassing, loving presence at every moment in everything that we do. If we can tune into that feeling of light and love, not just intellectually, but get it into our consciousness on a deep emotional level, then we can handle any challenge and clear any block.
Ultimately, we will receive the greatest gift of all - a real and personal relationship with Hashem. And, the more tangible that relationship is the more open we are to receive and the more Hashem is able to give. And that gives Hashem the greatest nachas because after all, that is why we are here and that is why He began this whole enterprise in the first place!
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