We are all familiar with the term and experience of “self-awareness.” However, if you stop to think about it, the whole notion of self-awareness is totally weird. “I” am aware of my “self.” It’s like “I” and “self” are two separate entities. How does that even work? • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

I recently read an article by a frum writer who described meeting someone who works as a psychologist in the Los Angeles area. When he asked what are the most difficult cases he sees in his practice, the man did not hesitate for a second and said that it was the children of phenomenally wealthy parents who had neither the time nor interest to be involved in the lives of their kids and just tried to buy them off with money and stuff • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

The Rebbe stated clearly that even in our times children can and should be educated and trained to love G-d as laid out in Chinuch Katan and Sha’ar Ha’yichud V’ha’emuna, and that we are given this ability by the Alter Rebbe himself • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

“Action is the main thing” is not meant to be a limiting statement, relegating the avoda of the mind and heart to some relic of the past, a fascinating footnote in the history of Chassidus. Actually, the opposite is true, it is meant to free your true self as a “son of G-d” to fully express your super-love • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

Oy vey, free will? But that can only work if the instinctive super-bittul and super-love of the G-dly soul is covered up, because I would rather die than do anything that could “disconnect” me from G-d, and nothing in the created universe, including animal souls, can compete with the bittul and love expressed in the mesiras nefesh of a Yiddishe neshama • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

When a person is operating on a level of life-and-death, accessing his deepest soul powers beyond his normal abilities, he is all the more effective if, besides knowing the stakes and the risks, he is focused on a specific task • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

Hey, what happened with having the word “love” in the title? And to switch out “love” for death and lies? Like seriously, what’s up with that? • So when the Sages describe the yetzer ha’ra of each person as “every day, trying to overpower him in order to kill him,” they were not exaggerating. He really is trying to kill you • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

There are situations when although the person is not facing any extraordinary challenge, he reaches a point when he “hits-a-wall” in his growth. In some cases, he can “push-through,” “grind-it-out,” “keep-plugging,” but then there are times when even that does not work • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

In order to build a true love connection with another that is a two-way street, not a means to exploit the other for selfish purposes, the mind has to rule over the heart and infuse the emotions with some of its natural bittul so that it’s not just about me and what I want • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

The most basic difference that exists between the intellect and the emotions that even the most secular mind can discern is that emotions are inherently subjective, whereas intellect has the capacity to (at least strive to) be objective • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

Whereas love is how I feel about you for any of a number of reasons, with reasons and feelings being subject to change, super-love is a connection that originates in my very being and sense of self. You are my son, father, daughter, mother, spouse, etc, and I can no longer imagine a sense of self that does not include you. • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

Most people reading the title likely reacted to the term “fake it” as something negative. Actually, “fake it till you make it” was traditionally seen as a crucial step toward spiritual growth in the service of Hashem, like in every other area of human discipline  • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

According to the teachings of Chassidus, all of these developments were to be seen as ever greater expressions of Hashem’s super-love for His beloved Jewish people, and as ever greater opportunities for them to reciprocate by revealing and expressing their super-love for Him in mature fashion • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

Fact: no matter how powerful a love is, we are easily distracted from that love when we get involved in “stuff.” Fact: living life, raising a family and paying bills requires being involved in a lot of “stuff.” Yet, nobody thinks the purpose of marriage is to start off in love and have it fade slowly over time due to all of the distractions of life • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

The common consensus is that “it is impossible to make someone else happy,” so how can the Torah command such a thing? The answer to the question is that it is only a question if I see the other as “someone else” and not as an equal part of something larger than self • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

The Baal Shem Tov revealed the super-love Hashem has for every Jew and the super-love every Jew has for Hashem, which is why the Torah of the Baal Shem Tov is about totality, everything and always. Everything is G-dliness. Hashem is constantly recreating everything. Hashem’s providence extends to everything • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

According to the simple understanding of Judaism as it exists today, I exist and so does the rest of the world. Both the world and myself came into being thanks to our wonderful and really awesome Creator • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

Love is a tricky business. It is so subjective and so inconsistent. It is so easy to be fooled by it and so hard to determine when it is real and when it is illusory. And yet, the very definition of the term Chassid is someone who is motivated by love that transcends personal calculations • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article

Whenever I hear the question – “what relevance does Chassidus have to my life?” – I feel like the only person in the room standing. That is because I just don’t get it. We are lectured about what an amazing development this is that people are finally asking The Question • By Rabbi Zvi Homnick, Beis Moshiach Magazine • Full Article