https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06EoXDK_Fe8

Sometimes the harshest criticism comes from within. We set unrealistic expectations, compare our journey to others, and begin to stress over imagined deadlines. But the truth is, spiritual growth is deeply personal. There is no single timeline for success; everyone's path unfolds differently – and that's not a flaw, it's the design.

Quiet the inner critic. Don’t measure your progress with someone else’s ruler. You are not behind. You are not late. Compare yourself only to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today. Trust in your journey, stay in your lane, and run your own race.

Inspired by the teachings of Reb Zusha of Anipoli (1718-1800)

After a fierce storm, a gardener discovered that his favorite tree had a jagged split down the center. Neighbors told him to cut it down. “It’ll never grow right again,” they said. But instead of heeding their advice, he bound the trunk with thick rope and supported the branches with wooden stakes. “Give it time,” he said.

Months passed, and the tree looked worse before it looked better. Leaves wilted, bark peeled, and sap leaked from the wound. But slowly, almost imperceptibly, small green buds appeared, pushing through the damage. The gardener tended to it with unwavering patience, watering it every day.

One year later, the tree bloomed more beautifully than ever – fuller, stronger, rooted deeper. The split was still visible, but it had fused into a unique twisting pattern that made the tree distinct from all the others. People came from around the neighborhood just to see it. And the gardener would say, smiling, “A tree grows strongest at its broken places.”

The tree symbolizes anyone who has felt split by life – by loss, disappointment, failure, or heartbreak. We often think brokenness is permanent, but the truth is that healing can create strength deeper than before.

The gardener’s patience is a reminder that we must give ourselves time. Growth after pain or trauma may not look graceful at first. There are seasons when things appear worse before they improve, where the process of regrowth feels slow, uncertain, or invisible. Healing rarely looks heroic; it often appears like simply holding yourself together. But presence, consistency, and gentleness do something remarkable over time – they allow strength to form from the broken place itself.

Like the tree’s fused trunk, our wounds and our battle scars can grow into patterns of resilience that make us unique and beautiful. With time, nurturing, and belief, we can bloom more beautifully after a storm than we ever did before it.

Inspired by the teachings of Rebbe Nachman (1772-1810)

✨

If you could see the full picture, you would not be afraid.

If you could see what your future self can already see, you would not be afraid.

If you could see what Hashem sees, you would not be afraid.

If you could see what your neshama, on its deepest level, already sees, you would not be afraid.

And if you could see what your future self sees, you would be at peace.

So much is happening behind the scenes right now.

Pieces are quietly falling into place.

Strength is being built exactly where it is needed.

Lessons are being absorbed in ways that could not happen without these very difficulties.

What feels heavy today is not a setback. It is preparation.

What feels so uncomfortable today is not a mistake. It is Divine alignment.

Outcomes are forming that you cannot yet see. Connections are being strengthened. Clarity is being created. Doors are being prepared that will open at exactly the right time.

Nothing you are going through is wasted. Nothing is random. And despite appearances, nothing is working against you.

Your job is not to rush clarity or force the process. Your job is simply to strengthen your faith, keep turning to Hashem, and gracefully stay the course.

Breathe.

Trust.

Keep showing up with ever increasing Bitachon.

One day, you will look back with a heart full of gratitude and see how beautifully everything came together. And in that moment, you will be proud of yourself today for not giving up when it was still unclear.

You are being carried, even now.

The Fiction of Separateness

The profound reality of suffering is an invitation to step out of the fiction of separateness, grasping at what is called the “small sense of self” or the “body of fear,” where we are frightened or selfish or self-centered or cut off.

It's really an invitation to FREEDOM to come to this realization and incorporate it in our lives.

Grant us peace, Thy most precious gift,
O Thou eternal source of peace,
and enable Israel to be a messenger of peace
unto the peoples of the earth.
Bless our country
that it may ever be a stronghold of peace,
Bless our country
that it may ever be a stronghold of peace,
and the advocate of peace in the council of nations.[1]
May contentment reign within its borders,
health and happiness within its homes.
Strengthen the bonds of friendship and fellowship
between all the inhabitants of our land.
Plant virtue in every soul,
and may the love of Thy name
hallow every home
and every heart.
Praise be to Thee, Giver of peace.

Grant Unity Hashem

Grant, Hashem,

that we might overcome our enemies

by transforming them into friends.

Make them

and make us

conscious of those deep inward reaches

whereby every heart is rooted

in the world’s deep common life.

Cause us

to cease looking into directions

that oppose.

Cause us, O YOU our Utmost Good,

to look into the one direction

of a united look unto You.

Amen.