Inspiring Change by Michael Berg

The purpose of sharing is not to do a good action, but it is to change who we are and to bring blessings and protection into our life.

I’d like to share with you a story I continue to find, even many years after first hearing it and retelling it countless times, a great reminder and inspiration. I trust it will be for you too.

A man makes the long journey to his teacher and tells him that his son is in a terrible condition and that the doctors have given up hope. Without his teacher’s intercession, the man’s son will certainly die.

“Is there anything that you can do to help?” he asks. The spiritual master prays and meditates.

Problems will easily overwhelm us if we think that coming up with the solution is entirely up to us. However, if we realize the solution has already been prepared in advance and all we have to do is create a little opening for it to come in, then the solution manifests itself far easier.

There is a teaching from the 18th century kabbalist, Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk, in which he quotes a verse from King David, “God, you have done great things.

This is a recent lecture I gave explaining themeaning and opportunities of this month:

My wife Monica, is giving a lecture tonight at 8:30pm, for women only, at the Los Angeles Kabbalah Centre. If you are nearby I highly recommend stopping by.

Good Luck Monica.

Every single one of us has a unique job to accomplish in this world. We all have a distinct soul and Light we are destined to reveal. Nobody else in the world – past, present or future – has or will have the ability to do what the Creator has entrusted us to do.

I'm always looking for stories to inspire myself and my students, and the following is one such story. Keep it in your heart and it will push you to do amazing things:

Hundreds of years ago there was a group of homeless men that traveled from town to town in search of food and shelter. Usually they managed to scrape by, but not this one time. For weeks on end they found themselves without a morsel to eat.

One day they were sitting in the middle of the forest, brainstorming on how to find food. The head homeless man came up with an idea.

The month of Adar (Pisces), which begins today, is a very important one. The Kabbalists teach that as this months begins, the gates of joy and happiness are opened. There is a great opportunity to bring much joy into our lives this month. My father (The Rav's) teacher taught that, "Happiness is a supernal matter, a gift given to us if we earn it through our spiritual work and growth."

Happy New Month,

Michael

I came across this quote and find it very inspiring:

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
— Plato

All of us have at one point or another done something, or perhaps many things, of which we are not proud. In fact, we may even feel that because of our actions we have somehow damaged our soul, rendering us incapable of growing and maturing spiritually.

To this the Kabbalists say the soul can never be damaged; it can only be covered up.

The spark of soul inside every one of us is perfect and pure beyond words.