jewish passion

[brachah]

What is the Jewish Passion for God?

For centuries the Jewish people have remained true to their dream, their hope, and most of all, their passion for God.

Faced with persecutions, pogroms, antisemitism and even holocausts, we have not abandoned our identity, nor our special relationship with our Creator.

Passion does not need to be shouted from rooftops. Passion does not require that the whole world understand the relationship -- nor share in it. Passion is a bond of the heart of one to another. An eternal embrace which even death cannot sever.

A Jew's soul is bound with its Creator. To damage our connection with God is to damage ourselves. To betray our loyalty to the One by following idols, false gods or men who would deify themselves, is to destroy the light within our own souls.

A Jew's passion for God is born in the recognition that we are eternally bound to Him, by the covenant of Torah, by the bond of our souls, by His promise to us.

The Jewish dream is a world of peace. The Jewish ideal is a world that knows holiness.

The Jewish Passion is for God.

[brachah]

Prayer

Master of the Universe, grant me the ability to be alone; may it be my custom to go outdoors each day among the trees and grass – among all growing things – and there may I be alone, and enter into prayer, to talk with the One to whom I belong. May I express there everything in my heart, and may all the foliage of the field – all grasses, trees, and plants – awake at my coming, to send the powers of their life into the words of my prayer so that my prayer and speech are made whole through the life and spirit of all growing things, which are made as one by their transcendent Source. May I then pour out the words of my heart before Your presence like water, O L-rd, and lift up my hands to You in worship, on my behalf, and that of my children!

Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav

[brachah]

Torah study and prayer must be experienced in a state of arousal, passion and joy if they are to bear fruit…Spiritual devotion directed toward building intimacy with G-d will be an experience of sweetness, delight and joy….

It is written, “I will rejoice rejoicing in G-d” (Isaiah 61:10). Rabbi Dov Ber, the Mezricher Maggid explained: The prophet is teaching: “I have joy and delight from the fact that I am worthy of perceiving the pleasantness of G-d and delighting in His worship. And from this itself I have joy – in that I am worthy of coming close to G-d in this manner and delighting in His worship.” Therefore, the prophet writes, “I will rejoice rejoicing in G-d.” That is, I have joy and delight from the very fact that I am “rejoicing in G-d.”

Adapted from “Adventures in Hassidic Thought” by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

[brachah]

What is the way that we should love G-d? We should love Him with an overwhelming and unlimited love, until our soul becomes permanently bound in the love of G-d, like one who is love-sick and cannot take his mind off the woman he loves, but always thinks of her – when lying down or rising up, when eating or drinking. Even greater than this should be the love of G-d in the hearts of those who love Him, thinking about Him constantly…This is what Solomon meant when he said allegorically, “for I am sick with love” (Song of Songs 2:5); and the whole Song of Songs is an allegory on this subject.

Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides)

[brachah]

Rock of my heart, Creator of everything, Master of all that transpires, Lord of all souls Who knows all secrets: You know the holy Divine light that blazes in the depths of my heart – for our souls are a portion of God Above and Your Godliness dwells within us. Therefore, my heart cries within me; it cries like a harp. “My heart longs, and even expires, for the courtyards of God; my heart and my flesh will sing unto the Living God.”

The flame within me burns for You; deep waters cannot extinguish it, rivers cannot drown it. The light of my heart is one with Your Infinite Light; it is limitless – there is no end to my yearning for You. This longing is without measure and beyond compare.

The fire within me reaches to infinity; were I to surrender to it, I would not be able to make a move, so great is my desire to become one with God…

Reb Nosson of Breslov

from “The Flame of the Heart” Prayers of a Chassidic Mystic, translated by David Sears

[brachah]

When you serve God through the Torah and its teachings, this brings about great delight on high. If you want to know whether God has pleasure from your service, the test is as follows. If you see that your heart burns like fire, with constant enthusiasm to serve God, and if you have desire and delight in serving God, then it is certain that God also has delight in your worship. As a result of God's delight, you are helped on high, and holy thoughts are sent to your heart.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev

From “The Light Beyond” by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

[visionary]

Amein

[Ivy]

Whew! Powerful stuff, brachah......exquisite, beautiful....

I'm reading parts of Tales of the Hassidim........WOW

[HadassahSukkot]

good stuff :)

[brachah]

tks, blessings

[brachah]

nice meet u, tks...

[brachah]

tks

[brachah]

i just want to share with u all, that i post the same posts of jewish passion on other christian forums besides CF, such as "guideposts". the post brought tears to many christians, catholics... there too. alleluia.

i am happy its more proper to post them here.
when i was posting them there, i didnt know whether the poeple love them or not.
there is only 1 member jewish who converted to catholic. his wife who is a catholic gave 1 of her kidneys to plant in his body when his own failed functioning.