Listening To Life's Messages - Many people think of Judaism as a religion, concerned mainly with the divine and the mystical, belonging in the synagogue or place of worship. It may therefore be surprising for some to discover that Jewish teaching addresses the mundane and practical, finding meaning in all areas of everyday life. This idea is best expressed in King Solomon's well-known adage from the Book of Proverbs: "In all your ways know Him."
Simply put, the life of every Jew is an organic whole. His practice is not peripheral, or limited to isolated situations; rather, it encompasses the spectrum of everyday life with its multitude of experiences. Spirituality, defined in Jewish terms, is a garment woven from a person's thoughts, speech and actions. It is expressed as a cohesive and homogeneous lifestyle, without the personal fragmentation so prevalent in modern society.
These beliefs were first expounded in an approach to Judaism known as Chassidism, a doctrine revealed by the charismatic leader Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov in the 17th Century. Besides seeing the presence of the Divine Hand in everything, Chassidism emphasizes serving the Creator with joy and simple piety. This approach brought the mystical dimensions of Judaism within reach of common folk, invigorating a people oppressed by poverty and persecution. The Baal Shem Tov empowered the masses by validating their less sophisticated but sincere service of G-d.
According to the Baal Shem Tov, everything a person sees or hears in his lifetime is to be taken as a lesson in serving the Creator. No circumstance or event occurs at random: all the seeming variables of our lives are in fact an intricately choreographed set of circumstances presented to us only so we may use their potential to create a world in which G-dliness can dwell and abound.
If all our life experiences are intended to give us opportunities for self-mastery and growth, this is especially true regarding a person's career. We often spend more time in the pursuit of our profession than in any other single activity. Obviously, one's work represents much more than simple livelihood. It presents each individual with a unique vehicle to interact with the world around him and apply his special interests and talents to affect the world.
The Baal Shem Tov's philosophy holds that, in each profession, a model can be found which offers a fundamental lesson to guide the practitioner in his spiritual service and relationship to G-d.
As occupations become more abstract and complex, there is a tendency for those employed in them to experience a sense of alienation from the work they perform. One reason for writing this book is to help unite an individual's professional activities with other facets of his personal life by creating cohesion between the various aspects of his life experience.
Furthermore, according to Chassidic teaching, people involved in worldly matters such as business and commerce have an advantage over secluded scholars. The scholar is often insulated from events outside the hall of study, whereas the merchant actually sees the hand of G-d in the opportunities and the fortunes which come his way each day.
We now see how King Solomon's dictum takes on a deeper meaning. "In all your ways know Him:" a person's "mundane" livelihood becomes more than just a means to secure physical sustenance, but rather an activity inherently replete with possibilities for spiritual transcendence.
Even more: a Jew can take advantage of his opportunities for daily interaction with the material world to gain awareness of the Godly nature of all existence, and especially his unique portion of the universe. The inherent revelation of the underlying matrix of meaning in our own consciousness, and in that of those with whom we communicate, actually fulfills our sublime purpose of being. By bringing out the true G-dly nature of the world, we transform the world into a dwelling place for G-d and become a partner in creation.
Like it? Share with your friends!
Supported operating systems:
Palm OS 3.x, Palm OS 4.x, Palm OS 5.x
Lamp Light Lamp Light lets you record your Bible verses for memorization.
Drill on text or reference. Supports categories for your verses
Eternity Eternity - Share the gift of Eternal life, the message of Jesus Christ, with your friends using your Palm PDA.
The Gospel is presented one step at a time with scripture verses and illustrations to make it easier to understand.
A chance to respond is provided along with a sample prayer. Best of all, your name and contact information can be made available at the end
Gospel Bundle Gospel Bundle - Get all four Gospel programs by WhatWouldJesusDownload.com. These programs are a great way to study the Gospels on your Palm OS device. Each program allows you to read a section of the Gospel each day for a month and record your thoughts and prayers for each section
Britannica World Religions Buddhism Handheld Edition (Palm OS) Britannica World Religions Buddhism Handheld Edition (Palm OS) - The Britannica World Religions Buddhism Handheld Edition contains 190 authoritative entries that entail a variety of topics, including religious movements, concepts, historical and legendary figures, divinities, spiritual characters and important religious locations
Old & New Testament Words with Verbs Bible Dictionary for Palm OS Old & New Testament Words with Verbs Bible Dictionary for Palm OS - This Bible Dictionary for Palm OS is a compilation of two Bible Dictionaries: The Brown, Driver and Briggs Hebrew Lexicon with OT Verbs and the Thayer's Greek Lexicon with NT Verbs and Synonyms.
The dictionary has over 14750 entries in 1275 kB
Rosary Rosary - Has it been awhile since you said the Rosary? Here's a small application that will help you.
It includes the prayers, the mystery scriptures from the King James Bible, including the Luminous Mysteries, and the order of the prayers
Bible Contents Bible Contents - This is a pure 100% made in Hong Kong Palm application.
It serves any person who would like to test his/her memory of contents of the Holy Bible.
Click two consecutive book name in Bible contents order to get score.
Once there are no more match, the application will give you new pairs.
The application is in Chinese only and in color
Other Software by developer «Dovid Zirkind»:
A Prince in Prison A Prince in Prison - It was the author, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn of Lubavitch, who spearheaded the underground Jewish resistance to Stalin's ideological Final Solution - and paid for it by brutal incarceration and a capital sentence. From this he was miraculously liberated on Yud-Beis Tammuz, 1927, exactly 70 years ago
Hayom Yom (English) The entire text (in English) of the Hayom Yom, with built-in perpetual calendar for current day's lesson
The Making of Chassidim The Making of Chassidim - Sixty years ago, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, sent a long letter to his daughter, Rebbetzin Chayah Mushka, describing the personal metamorphosis several individuals underwent as they accepted the chassidic way of life
Chanukah Guide Contains many articles related to Chanukah
To Know and To Care To Know and To Care - The stories contained in this book reveal a multi-dimensional picture of the Rebbe's leadership, showing many different perspectives of his personality. Our intent, however, is also to communicate something more than what is being said, to intimate to our readers an awareness of the general thrust that runs through all these different narratives
What We Believe A Series Of Essays On Fundamental Principles Of Faith
Hayom Yom (Hebrew) The entire text (in Hebrew) of the Hayom Yom, with built-in perpetual calendar for current day's lesson