"When a person think he is in front of God, he is distant from Him. But when he thinks he is distant from God, he is right in front of Him." ~ Baal Shem Tov (Attached, pg 108)
We are all searching for something - Everyone's search may show up differently in process and goal. However, it feels like one common thread is we are all searching for connection - Connection to God, to ourselves, to our spouses, and others. Rabbi Yakov Danishefsky has a remarkably keen way of teaching Torah and discussing psychological concepts in a form that is easy to understand and always seems to drive the listener towards connection.
Danishefsky is a therapist with a booming private practice in Chicago, IL, a published book called Attached, and a popular podcast called The Attached Life. According to him, "The Attached Life podcast is focused on recentering our lives around our most important relationships. Our content offers education, inspiration, and guidance for enhancing connection and fulfillment."
In this week's special episode, centered on the holiday of Purim, Reb Yakov offers 3 new ways of looking at the story of Purim.
- Facing your past trauma in an honest fashion while being able to find the good moments and the positive times - Just like how Hashem's name may not appear in the Megillah but we know He was always there
- Understanding that trauma and hardship show us how much we were always able to handle, as opposed to being beyond our capacity to handle - Similar to how Esther, Mordechai and the Jewish people all had to step up to perform in a way they were always able to
- Transforming post-traumatic stress into post-traumatic growth - The Jewish people did not sit in suffering during and after the Purim story, they were and we are determined to keep going
I urge you to check out both his book and podcast (linked below) if you want to feel connected and improve your quality of inner life.
Attached can be purchased on Amazon and Mosaica Press
The Attached Life can be streamed on all major podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube
Special Purim Episode entitled "A Purim Perspective of Our Untold Stories" sponsored by Yonatees
-------
Learn more:
Yonatees products - Serenity Prayer Poster
Songs: L'Shem Yichud by Raz Hartman, Back of the Wagon by TYH
