You can find his classes here:http://www.westmountroutes.com/classreview.html
The class this post is based upon is Class 19 (Mother Languages of the Body and the Soul) on this page: http://www.westmountroutes.com/Mesilas%20Yesharim.html. It is based on the Mesilat Yesharim with the Bilvavi's commentary.
I highly recommend you listen to it!
To start, why is Judaism so hard? Why dont I need a Rebbe to teach me how to eat, sleep, and go to work. However I do need one to constantly remind me to learn Talmud, to control my anger, and to watch my diet?
Have you ever tried to learn a new language? I sure have! It's so hard to think, to feel, and to behave using the new language, things that come natural when you talk in your native language.
I vividly remember the frustration and pain of learning Hebrew (and I still cant understand how to listen to Israelis speaking!) I tried listening to tapes, to understand what the morah (ulpan teacher) was trying to say, but I couldnt get it! Nothing penetrated!
When I tried speaking in Hebrew to people, it was very hard to colour in my thoughts to the new language. After about 2-5 mins, the conversation reverted naturally back to English, or I forced it back to English, or else I tried to kill the conversation as quickly and politely as I could.
Well, it's the same with Judaism. Our Mama Loshen (Mother language) is the language of the Physical World. The Spiritual Language is a second language to us!
For example, Shabbat - Rabbi Michalowicz describes it so beautifully. We love the food, the sleeping, and the conversation. We go to a quick minyan close to home as possible, rush through the services (Im guilty!) and go home, run through Shalom Aleichem and Eishet Chayil, and then we eat and eat and eat! Oh yes, we talk about Obama, politics (so much fun) Paul the Octopus, the World Cup, and say/get familiar with the latest loshon hora tidbits about the Rabbi, how he is so extreme, and that the chazzan sings out of tune and is only up there to be the star.
Mama Loshen!
However deep within us is our Neshamah, our soul. What we forget is that this Neshamah has a mother language of it's own. It's mother language is to be kind, think about other people, to learn Torah, to daven with passion and intensity, to think before making a decision. You get the picture.
The mistake that we have been making for the past 2,000 years is that we are trying to keep Judaism by forcing our bodies to give up their mother language! To force them into shul and learn Torah, pray, diet, etc! Naturally a rebellion is staged with the victory of the body!
However all we really need to do is grab a good ol' shovel, and start digging. Enjoy the body, enjoy the food, try to learn Torah, try to be kind....keeping the status quo you have been living for now.....with one addition: Find some time in your day, get the spade and dig for the ultimate treasure.....your Neshamah.
Once you uncover your Neshamah, you suddenly become fluent in the Mama Loshen you knew all along, and all of a sudden, it's much much easier and fun to be in Shul than to be eating!
Im not there yet....however I plan to spend less time worrying and more time digging for the Neshamah!
When many Jews find the Neshamah they had within them all the time, then Moshiach will definitely come!
Hatzlachah!
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