JSSUMMERS™ Entertainment®: In the Ring

The wisdom of Kabbalah works on two key levels:

The first is it enables us to come out of the darkness, realize our self-imposed barriers and blockages, and step out into the Light. It gives us the knowledge and techniques to deprogram the negative belief systems and self-limiting behaviors, allowing our soul to shine and therefore illuminate the world. It gives us direction and rules for playing the game of life; that is, how to defeat our Opponent (learn more).

The second, I've always felt, is more urgent and unfortunately, where we become more passive and complacent. It is the ability, in the heat of the moment, to defeat that Opponent, Satan — if you will — at his own game.

When everything in life is great, and we are thinking rationally, of course we wouldn't make certain mistakes. But when our ego is excited and when our anger, low self-esteem, or fears are motivating us, we are inclined to do far more dangerous things than we would do if you'd been asked to do those things on any given Sunday.

The test is not when we're footloose and fancy-free. The test is when the ego is awakened. The only preventative medicine at our disposal is to find our own antidote, our own anchor to snap us out of the trappings of the ego.

• What happens when I'm in the middle of an argument, what can I do then?

• When my level of intensity is elevated, what do I do then?

• What do I do when someone makes me feel worthless and I want to lash out at them?

Many times, we feel when the test is coming but instead of figuring out a solution, we let the test come, we fall, and then beat ourselves up for falling. We can't let the fight happen and say next time we'll do it differently. Growing and becoming a better person is only half the job.

This week your assignment is to find a tangible tool to combat your Opponent when you step in the ring.

When we face Satan and he comes straight at us, do we have a tool? "I fall when this or that happens" can't be good enough for us. That's good enough for people who don't want their seeds to become fruit, for most of the people in the world. Our true test, if I'm a real student of Kabbalah, is when I'm facing Satan straight, when every part of me wants to run away. Our test as students of Kabbalah is do we have the tools to resist when we want to strangle someone? Are we able to ground ourselves when tension runs high or we want blood?

Your tool is your choice. I know many students carry with them a pocket-sized Zohar — one look at that and it gets them back to themselves. I personally carry a list of the things that are most important to me, and when I feel myself flying off the handle, I go over the list and remind myself what is truly dear to me.

We need to use that tool in the moment before we see we're about to shut down. The reason we shut down is because we don't have something to do in that moment. And a great teacher will be able to help their students find the tool that suits them best.

Find something that works for you. If you used something before and it failed you, find something else. We say we're fighting now, but when Satan comes after me, he wins. Most of us don't really fight our negativity. We fight Satan when he's not fighting us, like shadowboxing. But if Mohammad Ali stepped into the ring, what would we do?

What if our Opponent was someone who could actually beat us?

Without the right tools, we fall flat on our faces. We need to make sure that we have some kind of strategy. Each of us has a Satan that comes against us. It's a personal thing.

This week, talk to your teacher for ideas. Come up with a plan so you can go into the ring with Satan and win this round.

All the best,

Yehuda

72 Name of the Week

Purifying Light banishes the unseen ominous forces and deactivates harmful influences that may be lurking nearby, especially those that dwell inside me. Stress dissolves. Pressure is released. Balance and positive energy permeate my being and my world.