אין הקדוש ברוך הוא גוזר על האדם להיות צדיק או רשע,
,רק שהכול תלוי בבחירתו
ועל זה נאמר: ראה נתתי לפניך את החיים ואת הטוב.
“The Holy One, blessed be He, does not decree upon a person to be righteous or wicked;
rather, everything depends on one’s choice. This is what is meant by: ‘See, I have set before you life and good.’”
“Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
“Love is the active concern for the life and the growth of that which we love.
Where this active concern is lacking, there is no love.
Love is a union under the condition of preserving one’s integrity, one’s individuality.
It is a dynamic process, not a static condition; it is an activity, not a passive affect.
In the act of loving, of giving myself, I experience myself as rich, as alive.”
Designed to help learners articulate meaning, challenge assumptions, and relate mystical ideas to their own lives.
1. If God makes space for human freedom by “withdrawing,” what might it mean for me to make space for another person’s autonomy in my relationships, especially when I may want closeness and commitment?
2. Frankl describes a space between stimulus and response; Hasidic thought describes a space created by divine contraction, how do I experience this “space” in moments of conflict or fear, and what choices do I habitually make within it?
3. Fromm asserts that love requires preserving individuality rather than dissolving it, in which relationships is it easier to preserve my individuality? In which relationships is it harder?
4. If a relationship is only real when the other is truly free, how does this challenge my understanding of relationships to those I care most about?
Because transformation happens through practice, each activity invites personal and communal action.
Sara Yehudit Schneider teaches us that God values relationships enough to withdraw His all-knowingness and have us exist as an ‘other’ so that we can experience the ‘actualized relationship.’ Consider a relationship that is important to you in your life. Is there a way in which you show up as “all knowing?” Consider the next time you interact with this person, allow yourself to be surprised by the outcome of the conversation or interaction.
