S.8 #6 | The Five Ascents: My memoir
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I am delighted to announce that my memoir The Five Ascents is now available in ebook form on gumroad.com [http://gumroad.com]. I am still working on publishing it, but you can be the first to read it! This book is definitely the most open and sincere public thing I’ve ever done in my life. If you’ve listened to my podcast from the very beginning, you will notice how it helped me shape the memoir. Although it is a memoir, it is so much more than that. You will not only learn about global events, Jewish history and Torah wisdom, but you will surely feel a connection to its numerous universal themes fundamental to the human condition - love, loss, immigration, discrimination, identity crisis. In short, my journey addresses the most essential aspect of the human - the soul.
On the soul level, we are all made of the same Divine energy, and every soul in each incarnation has an intrinsic role in the functionality of the overall system. Every story, no matter how long or short, how grand or minor, helps shape our reality. And my story does just that - it shapes the reality of those who read it and take something away from it, because the intent of this book is to inspire readers to embark on their own spiritual journeys, to develop a greater self-awareness and experience more authentic living.
My book outlines my soul’s journey through a multitude of experiences and states of growth and learning to find its purpose. The journey is divided into five parts, mirroring the five ascending levels of consciousness in Jewish mysticism. What started out as a selfish cry for help astonishingly metamorphosed into a collective responsibility. As the Hasidim say: there are two ways to keep warm on a cold night. You can wear a fur coat or you can light a fire. Wear a fur coat, and you warm only yourself; light a fire, and you can warm others. We are supposed to light a fire! It isn’t enough to be righteous or help only yourself. I have helped myself, and now it is my duty to inspire others to do the same.
On my journey, one of the main lessons I learned was to stop being needy and become needed. Since I never asked to be born, none of my needs were actually mine, they were G-d’s. G-d created me with needs - a need to eat, to sleep, to love. As soon as I switched the focus from me to G-d, and once I embraced my purpose in serving Him, the doubts and fears that had shadowed me for two decades simply dissolved.
I was brought up atheist, and I entered adulthood as an atheist. Those years of my life I was merely existing. Ever since my spiritual awakening, I have been living. To live by the soul first, rather than the body, is to see the world in new colors, to hear what was previously muted and to feel that which was once inaccessible. Positivity and optimism ensue from having purpose and meaning in life, while love for G-d, for oneself and others provides a constant flow of Divine energy capable of healing both body and soul and ameliorating fate. Yes, we have the power to change our fate!
We are all co-creators with G-d in an ongoing process to create a reality that reflects goodness and justice and that is worthy of G-d’s dwelling. Instead of waiting to go to Heaven, we ought to focus on creating paradise here on Earth. In Judaism, the emphasis is precisely on elevating the world now by doing good deeds.
Join me on a soul-deep historic adventure spanning millennia and reinforcing the importance of human free will to choose good over evil, to make a positive change in the world and to discover one’s potential. Even if, after reading this book, only one human being is motivated to brush off the dust collected on his or her soul to let Divine Light shine through, it will all have been worth it.
Thank you for being part of my journey! To purchase the ebook, please follow the link in the show notes. Until next time!
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