November 1 — 7
Recently, I read a study done by the cancer society that 1/3 of all cancers could be prevented by the choices we make — what we eat, what we drink, what we choose to do.
Similarly, the Wall Street Journal printed that 50% of all deaths are choice-related. When a person gets drunk, decides to drive a car and kills someone, that's a choice.
Now, we speak of immortality — a time and place when death will cease to exist. And now science is telling us, even without immortality as a destination, we can perpetuate the lives of 50% of the world population if the right decisions are made.
As students of Kabbalah, we already understand that a lot of what happens in this world depends on our decisions. On a spiritual level, we have to make sure we are making the right decisions — choosing to be proactive, recognizing the Opponent and resisting it, etc. We have to make sure for ourselves that there's nothing that we do to cause death to come closer to us. And at the same time, we must still take care of the 1%, physical aspects, our emotional health, our bodies. Sometimes we perceive that if we are spiritual, everything else is ok, we don't have to work in the physical realm.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Spiritual as we are, it might not look like the circumstances of our lives are a result of a choice. 50% of the picture can be traced back to a choice, and that doesn't account for karma, or past lives.
When you feel a victim, it's hard to see the truth in this. We often use victimhood as a cop-out so we don't have to take responsibility for what's going on around us.
This week we must awaken to the fact that firstly the responsibility is on us, but perhaps more importantly, because we have other people that rely on us, for help in their decisions, for guidance, and so on, we need to remember that their decisions dictate their lives.
And don't forget: that's 50% on the 1% level. If you include karma, past lives, then 100% of what happens in our lives is because of our decisions. 50% of the responsibility can be scientifically proved and the other 50% is related to past life decisions, which gives us a real responsibility.
We almost don't need the cancer society telling us 1/3 of cancers could be prevented — we know it intellectually. We don't need the Wall Street Journal telling us 50% of deaths could be prevented. We know about tikune — the Kabbalah word for karma — and the significance of our surroundings, and choosing a positively influencing environment. This knowledge should empower us, excite us to take the helm of our own ship in our hands, and steer towards the life we want, away from the life we don't want. We CAN make the choices of where and how to live our lives so as to stave away death.
And for our friends and family, this knowledge charges us with a mission: while we cannot be the captain of their ships, we can — and must — guide them towards understanding the decisions they are making and understanding where those decisions take them. But before all that, we have to be in the place where every one of us realizes we have influence and impact on everyone around us. That doesn't mean you're responsible FOR their decisions.
Take your job seriously. Make your choices wisely. And if you're not sure what the best choice is, ask yourself — what's going to reveal more long-term Light? The short term, insta-Light is not usually Light at all.
All the best,
Yehuda
72 Name of the Week
I now focus my attention and meditate with total conviction and certainty upon the absolute demise of the angel of death, once and for all!
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