Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Hashkafa Report

A bit old, but worth reading
WARNING: holy stuff

Question: You say I have a soul, but how did it get there? What's its purpose? And how come I don't feel connected to it?

Answer:
Have you ever wondered what the world looked like 5,770 years ago? way back when, (no, you're not so old after all...) There was nothing. Actually, it wasn't nothing. there was G-d, and his Torah. Yet, G-d didn't want his Torah for himself, he wanted it to be used, treasured and adhered to. So G-d created a universe, night and day, water and land, heaven and earth, trees and grass, fish, birds and animals. All this, in preparation for His final Creation: Man.
The creation that would overcome obstacles and boundaries. The creation that would do and accomplish. The creation that would contribute, and ultimately elevate this world.

Unlike all other creations that were created my verbal command, man was created with breath. Now, do this little experiment: Say anything random that comes into your head. that was easy, right? Good. Now, take a balloon and blow with all your energy. Not as easy, right? This is because breath is INTERNAL, requiring one to exhaust more energy, whereas talking is EXTERNAL and requires little internal energy. Now, when man was in the making, G-d wasn't just exercising his respiratory capabilities. G-d was giving man something more, something from His very being: a soul.

What's the purpose of the soul?

Well, let me preface the answer with a question: What's the purpose of the body?
You might say to eat, drink and be merry. But those are all fleeting pleasures of the body. Those things don't really fit the purpose.
And that is where the soul comes in. The Body is made to house the soul. Because we live in a physical environment, the soul needs to the body to aid it in connecting the physical to the spiritual.

okay.
So now that we got the body down pat, lets go on to the soul.

Remember what we mentioned earlier in regards to creation? We said that the purpose of creation is for man, and the purpose of man is to elevate the world. How does one do this? With the soul! :) It is the soul within us that aids us in revealing the sparks of G-dliness that lie in everything. We use our five senses to comprehend physicality, whereas our soul is used to pierce through that outer material layer and release the G-dly energy within.

"Well, it's all nice and beautiful and all that...but I don't feel it at all..."

Well, let me tell you this: You feel it more that you think. In fact, three out of the five levels of your soul control your physical functions, your emotions, and intellectual capabilities. So, without you even realizing it, your soul really takes central stage in your life. Yet, there are a few parts to your soul that aren't expressed as easily. These are your belief, will, and mostly, your essence.These are the parts of your soul that require application and activation.

Now, you're probably thinking
"Okay... so I have a soul and a purpose, but its 5770 years since creation, 15 or so years since I was born, so maybe it's gotten a lil rusty. I mean, I don't feel like my soul plays an active role in my life..."


True, you may have been around for a while, and the world, for even longer. But your soul never gets "rusty" or "old". You're soul is always active, whether your feel it or not. Yet, sometimes we may lose our connection with it. At times, we may be overwhelmed by life and all it entails, that we may at times forget about our souls.

Have you ever burst out crying for no apparent reason? That's you soul crying for attention. Now, you and I both know that if your little sibling cries, ignoring it won't make it stop. If anything, the crying intensifies. Same with the soul. When your soul cries out for attention, ignoring it only intensifies its need for care. Instead, give it a lil attention and a good dose of TLC. Feed your soul by doing mitzvos, giving to others, praying, etc. Try it. See how good that feels? That's because true happiness is attained when one connects to his essence and makes the balance between supernal and the mundane.

Now that you've activated your soul, you're gonna wanna keep it active, right? How does one keep his/her soul active?
It's a little thing called inspiration.If you ever hear, feel, or see something that ignites that warm, fuzzy spiritual feeling inside, don't just let it go. Grab onto it! Capture the moment, and store it for those times when your spiritual gauge is flashing red. Inspiration is the fuel for the soul. Keep it coming, and you're bound to reach internal peace and calm. Keep igniting, and see your soul go aflame with passion. Try it. It works! 100% satisfaction guaranteed.