Lessons from yeshiva: the key to happiness
Trip Start
Nov 13, 2006
1
59
80
Trip End
Oct 21, 2008
Jerusalem,
Jerusalem,
Israel
Friday, April 25, 2008
Structure and flow underly all of creation. Strumming the unfretted strings of a guitar, the air coming through your voicebox, and the masculine are all examples of flow. Holding the frets on a guitar, tightening muscles in your voicebox, and the feminine represent structure. The resulting sound from the guitar, the voice, and the unison of masculine/feminine represent balance.
Our personalities tend to fit more towards one of these attributes. If you're organized and walk like you have a stick up your ass your probably a structure kind of person. If you're always late and spend lots of time sitting on your ass your probably flow. Combine that with whether your more intellectual, emotional, or instinctual and you have a grid from which you can work out your personality type; an ancient Myers Briggs test.
Abraham's first son Ishmael and his descendants represent unbridled flow. Isaac's first son Esaav, and his 'descendants'- the Roman/American empires - represent structure. Jacob and his descendants represent balance. ...thats according to the kabbalist rabbis.
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The Tree of Knowledge
Adam was a soul in control of a body, like a jockey controls a horse. As he was in control he wouldn't experience internal temptation like we do so there was an external temptation - Satan. His one free will choice was not to eat from the tree and he lived in a virtual paradise. So why did he do it? The moron blew it for humanity! Well he figured that you get more pleasure when you work hard for something. By eating from the tree he 'knew' good from evil in the same way he 'knew' his wife Eve - by experience. By eating from the tree he became confused soul and body and hence we all must make a critical choice in our lives........ to live as a soul or live as a body.
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The Key to Hapiness
Decide to be happy.
