25 PRINCIPLES for INSPIRED LIVING
Culled from the 66 life lessons in "The Story of Our Lives", these twenty-five foundational principles form the hashkafic basis of LPI and the heart of the LPP course
{1}
At our core,
we are holy.
The essence of teshuvah is the return to our essential, ideal state - the inspired living of our youth.
{2}
Avodas Hashem should be deeply enjoyable.
More than the outward spirit of quantity, inspired living is defined by an inward spirit of quality– the ability to experience paradise in this world itself.
{3}
Behind the dark mask of the end abides the brilliant light of a new beginning.
Instead of causing debilitating discouragement, obstacles are intended to evoke holy stubbornness and create the absence necessary to awaken fondness and appreciation for the great gifts of life.
{4}
The gates of teshuvah are never locked.
The Jewish soul contains an inner point of uncorrupted essence which compels one to seek the lost princess of inspired living.
{5}
Avodas Hashem requires a foundation of personal wellbeing.
Three elements create the foundation necessary for spiritual searching: Intellectual, physical, and financial wellbeing.
{6}
The earliest stage of ascent is the experience of descent.
Spiritual growth is like climbing up multiple flights of stairs: When the first flight is completed, one finds oneself back on the bottom - of the second, higher flight.
{7}
The nature of Avodas Hashem is unique to each individual.
Inspired living requires meaningful engagement with avodas Hashem facilitated by individualized Torah study, unique spiritual expression, and hisbodedus, personal prayer.
{8}
Obstacles are only as powerful as we believe them to be.
The greatest obstacles we face are rooted in the expectation of failure caused by our negative thought cycle.
{9}
The world is the greatest revelation of Godliness.
This world is what we choose to see – a natural arena devoid of an ultimate, unifying purpose or a spiritually meaningful realm of unity.
{10}
An impure desire is a longing for holiness in disguise.
When we recognize passion for physicality and sin as a misguided thirst for holiness, we can channel it toward good once more.
{11}
Being present is the greatest gift.
Inspired living necessitates being present and mindful of one’s surroundings.
{12}
The soul yearns for a place of conviction, confidence and comfort.
Inspired living requires that we discover our place in the world, a place rooted in our desire to develop, our unconditional relationship with Hashem and the ever-present ability to make the proper choices.
{13}
Holy desire is precious to Hashem.
Even if it does not merit actualization in holy actions, thoughts, or words, the expression of a Jew’s raw yearning and desire for elevated living is exceedingly precious to the Master of the world.
{14}
A pure Jewish heart can sense the true will of Hashem.
The Jewish heart is naturally filled with an intuitive sense for the true desire of Hashem in a given situation.
{15}
Where you are does not define who you are.
Missteps along the journey toward spiritual success neither alter one’s identity nor terminate one’s mission.
{16}
Avodas Hashem is not all or nothing.
Present failures do not erase past progress.
{17}
Failure is an important rung on the ladder of growth.
Every mistake is a learning experience, an important and necessary step in the spiritual growth process.
{18}
Simple faith is a Jew's strongest weapon.
Faced with a theological assault on one’s clarity, forsaking intellectual sophistication in favor of simple faith can alone enable one to access the super-rational truths of our holy tradition.
{19}
Studying and internalizing the teachings of pnimiyus hatorah is a cure for our generation's spiritual ills.
The souls of our generation yearn to explore the inner dimension of our tradition which has been rendered accessible to us in the works of our tzaddikim.
{20}
When perfect teshuvah is achieved, we realize that the sin itself is illuminated with the will of Hashem.
When one achieves complete teshuvah, it is possible to attain a sweeping retrospective awareness that sees the entire journey toward closeness with Hashem – with all of its pain, struggle, and failure – as having been illuminated with the holy light of ultimate necessity.
{21}
The giants will do everything possible to discourage you from your search. Firmly and respectfully stand your ground.
When, along the journey toward inspired living, we encounter people – perhaps even great people - who attempt to dissuade us from pursuing what we know to be true, we must express holy brazenness in defiantly standing our ground and never letting go of our conviction.
{22}
Our lives are at stake in the Torah we study.
It is only when Torah studies are approached as an emotionally relevant, situational endeavor that the ideas can truly affect one’s essence.
{23}
The journey is the destination.
Searching is finding– the struggle toward inspired living, saturated with yearning and conviction, itself fills one’s life with passion and wonder.
{24}
A little bit is also good.
Even the tiniest holy act, word, and thought or expression of desire is a fountain of the deepest and truest joy that touches the core of our being.
{25}
The secret to a quality life is gratitude founded on bitachon.
When one lives life with true bitachon founded on simple faith, although one may have little in terms of quantity, the quality of the way this quantity is experienced is extremely great.