בעזרת השם יתברך
Essential Torah Shiurim
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To Exist or to Live, that is the Question! (58 mins)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
Essential viewing!
Arguably Rav Manis's more famous and important class.
In his usual dynamic, witty, and engaging style he explains that everything simultaneously exists and lives.
We all exist (take up space) equally—you and a stone "exist" in the same way! But your life is what makes you unique. The life of water is that it is wet, it flows, it's cold, etc. When water is using it's "life" to help improve the world, it lives! Just like a human being.
CORE MESSAGE: To exist is to take up space. To live is to add your contribution!
Why G-d Created His World! (39 mins)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
Essential viewing!
G-d is the original "substance" (so to speak) of reality. As such, everything is included within His Oneness, and therefore G-d must be without form for there is nothing that can impose any form (limit) on Him. But to say that G-d is without form is limiting Him to being formless, which is also incorrect!
G-d created reality, not as a response to something but as an expression of His Essence.
CORE MESSAGE: Creation is about G-d, not about creation!
I Did Not Need To Be Born! (20 mins)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
Society and religion impose a myriad of 'needs' upon us, from getting good grades and jobs to keeping kosher and praying. R' Manis argues that because we never needed to be born in the first place, our needs are not our needs at all, they are G-d's needs! He needs us to eat, He needs us to sleep, etc.
This paradigm shift liberates us from the myopic and self-centered feeling of being needy to the enlightened and empowered feeling that I am needed and my contribution to creation is essential!
CORE MESSAGE: It's better to be needed than to be needy!
The Nature Of A Constantly Created Unierse (27 mins)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
We are told that HaShem recreates His world every single moment. Why do we need to know this?
1) HaShem is infinitely invested in this moment as He is with all moments and therefore every moment that we find ourself experiencing is being created especially for us to serve our Creator.
2) There is no independent power other than HaShem
CORE MESSAGE: HaShem is here right now and we can serve Him!
Understanding Tznius (18 mins)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
HaShem makes Himself invisible because if we could see Him we would be so enamored by His appearance that we would be unable to get to know him.
In other words, vision only reveals the outermost aspect of what you are looking at and can oftentimes distract us from the actual person. True relationships are predicated on listening, not on seeing.
CORE MESSAGE: Tzinus is the statement "I'm not something you can see with your eyes!"
The Difference Between Truth & Fact (13 mins)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
The truth is that Jews don't eat pork. The fact is that some do. The truth is that everyone should be healthy and there should be no death but the fact is...
When a "fact" that is not aligned with "truth" gives way and allows the truth to overpower it
CORE MESSAGE: A fact is what happens to be right now. The truth will be forever!
The Nature of Klippah and Sitra Achra (21 mins)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
HaShem created things in His world that He takes no pleasure in. He created them purely as a means to some other end and He takes no interest in them for their own sake. Because the energy that receive is not truly addressed to them, they show no appreciation or gratitude for it and they rebel against HaShem by saying just as You gave me yesterday, give me again today!
CORE MESSAGE: Unholiness is defined as a means-to-an-end that can not show gratitude!
The Essential Self and The Reveled Self (35 mins)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
We can reveal and share our qualities, like our knowledge and love, but who we truly are—our essence—is not available to be revealed and shared. You can give away the things you have but you can not give away what you are! But your essence can unite with another's essence if they are essentially the same—this is marriage!
CORE MESSAGE: Essence can not be revealed, only non-essential things can be revealed!
The Mistake of Idolizing Life (22 mins)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
In the West, we have made an idol out of life. Life has become the supreme value—an end unto itself! But it isn't! Life, just like every other creation must be imbued with meaning for it to be meaningful; embued with G-dliness for it to be G-dly. Life is not an end unto itself. Only G-d is an end unto Himself!
CORE MESSAGE: Life is not essentially holy, it must be embued with holiness!
The Miracle of Nature and the Nature of Miracles (22 mins)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
HaShem created the world with "sayings" but invested Himself in the world using the Sefiros. As such, the Sefiros are not creations, but rather emanations—just like the light that shines from the sun is not "created" by the sun, but radiates (emanates) from the sun.
A miracle occurs when HaShem allows His "nature" to override His "opinion" to show His creations that nature is also miraculous!
CORE MESSAGE: Nature is simply G-ds opinion. The Torah is His nature, so to speak.
To See is to Believe but to Hear is to Know (9 mins)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
Seeing cancels the one who sees—it's got nothing to do with you, it's all about what you are looking at.
Hearing is the opposite. Hearing and internalizing are synonymous. And that is why relationships are founded on hearing and not seeing, including our relationship with HaShem!
CORE MESSAGE: Seeing overwhelms but through hearing we can internalize!
Get to Know Yourself (9 Part Series - around 9 hours)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
This is a very important series of classes in which Rav Manis discusses and explains the mechanics of the human soul—from its highest drive to its lowest behavior. This series of classes is very thorough and insightful and will give you a deep appreciation for our human condition. Highly recommended!
CORE MESSAGE: What motivates our human self!
Life & Death (58 mins)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
The question "Is there life after death?" is badly worded. Life never dies, it just moves onto a different place.
In this class, Rabbi Friedman discusses what life is, and what happens at birth and death. He also discusses the Jewish perspective on heaven and hell among other important concepts.
CORE MESSAGE: Life does not die. Death is simply the separation of soul from body!
What is "Worship" (45 mins)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
Worshipping is a uniquely human talent that can greatly elevate you or the opposite—it depends on what you choose to worship. In this class, amongst other topics, Rabbi Friedman explains what idolatry is and why it is such a grave transgression.
Ultimately, Rabbi Friedman discusses the most common form of worship in our times—self-worship!
CORE MESSAGE: You become what you worship and you also empower it!
Foundational Questions on Torah & G-d (42 mins)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
In this foundational class, Rabbi Friedman answers several fundamental questions:
What are Mitzvos; What is the Torah; What does it mean that G-d wants/needs something; What is free will?
To call the answers to these questions profound is a complete understatement!
CORE MESSAGE: Torah and G-d are One!
What is a Human Being? (127 mins)
Rabbi Manis Friedman
Listing every topic and concept Rabbi Friedman explores in this class is challenging due to their vast number. However, the core focus of the class is on elucidating the distinctions between the human soul and the Divine soul, as well as the body, and examining the implications of these differences.
Very foundational and inspiring!