EMUNAH - Living with Super-Conscious States in Everyday Life Rav Doniel Katz
BS”D
ELEVATION FOUNDATION SERIES, EP 3 -
EMUNAH: Living with Super-Conscious States in Everyday Life
Rav Doniel Katz
www.elevationproject.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKhKlZxhe5Q
(very loosely transcribed)
What is the full capacity of consciousness? Not just for tzadikim / tzadekeses. We are created in the Divine Image. What capacities in that have we not even tapped. We live in an extraordinary generation where science and research are opening up. Different new age paths are starting to clarify paths and skillsets. All these things you can find them discussed 3000 years ago in our ancient tradition.
From the time of the Zohar and 1500 years later from the time of the Arizl, they say that in this point in history there is going to be a new influx of knowledge and wisdom both from the lower worlds, the scientific world. And the upper world, the kabbalistic world. And people around the world will get access to new understandings, new resources and new capabilities. Its part of bringing the world to the final place, melo Haaretz deros Hashem, that the whole world will be filled with divine revelation and divine consciousness.
Whether you believe in G-d is irrelevant. THERE IS NO RELIGION WHEN YOU HAVE DIRECT EXPERIENCE. Its not a religion. Its not rituals. Its something you are exposed to as an extraordinary beautiful reality. The more we develop and refine our consciousness, the more it will become accessible to every single one of us.
We are mining those truths and mining those techniques and tools and make them accessible for all. Because we are hungry for them and we need them. This is YOUR TRADITION; YOUR HERITAGE AND YOU DESERVE TO KNOW. And you deserve to sing with them and grow with them and share them with the world.
Its such a religious word I’m afraid to translate it. Because the translation is soooo wrong. Its not just one of the most nonsensical translation of any idea in the world. But in the world today it is one of the most destructive forces in the world. There are people who have committed to kill millions of others in the name of this thing! Of course it’s such a travesty, because if you know what it was you would WANT IT, YOU WOULD USE IT, YOU WOULD THINK IT WAS GORGEOUS! And you would find areas and times in your life WHEN YOU HAD IT where you had it without realizing what it was. Religious or not religious. It was just you PERFORMING YOUR BEST STATE. Its built on this level of consciousness of this faculty called Emuna.
How do YOU TRANSLATE EMUNAH? Faith! Terrible word! Atrocities have been committed in the name of FAITH. RELIGIOUS BELIEF.
That’s not what it meant. It means something scientific, measurable… profoundly beneficial. It’s a profound resource in consciousness that EVERY HUMAN BEING HAS ACCESS TO. CAN USE TO MAXIFY THEIR LIFE’S Potential. It is not a religious property no more than gravity is a religious property. Any more than the sun. IT’S THE GREATEST EPIC, RELIGIOUS PROPORTIONS, EXTRAORDINARY TO IT!!! YES. That depth can be used for dogma. Just because it was used in a dark way it doesn’t mean it cant be used in a valuable way!
There’s a correlation. Usually the more destructive a force is, there’s a potency WITHIN IT that could be good and RECHANNELED
A SUBJECT CALLED EMUNAH. Explore it. Define it. What is it and what it really is. If you really practice it. What does it contribute?
The torah has so many complex parts that sometimes we miss the forest for the trees. If you could boil down all the mitzvos – if you trace down all the branches to the root. What is the core that all the torah can be summed up, We should live with emuna. Quote from Habakuk “bo bhamidin al achas, sheneemar vTzadik vemunaso yichiye”
The talmud in Makkot 24a Habakuk 2:4 חבקוק
בא והעמידן על אחת שנאמר וצדיק באמונתו יחיה
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the righteous shall live by his faith.
this is the root of emunah "...the righteous shall live by his faith."
The sages are teaching the main thing is Emunah. That we should live with Emunah. Yeah you should life with faith. BUT THEY ARE MISSING THE MAGIC. THEY ARE MISSING THE WHOLE TRUTH!
What is faith? Faith means to believe in something without ANY LOGICAL EVIDENCE OR PROOF. To have faith…
What kind of idiot believes in something without rational evidence or logical truth. The answer is RELIGIOUS PEOPLE. If we are “people of faith” ie. Religious people. Of course I believe in Gd. Can you prove it? Oh you just BOUGHT INTO IT! Its kind of evidence, but its not 100% provable. Right. So the foundation of all your life … is that what we believe of we should do.
the most importance decision you make. Why would someone choose to believe in something without rational proof?
There are 2 levels of Emunah on a basic level
1. The concept of G-d existence, the Ohr Ein Sof, the infinite light. That I THINK THAT ITS TRUE. The Rambam /Maimonides definition that He created the world and gives constant creation to the world. That He is in control of everything. That without a doubt Hashem is the reality in both the transcendent world and the imminent world. And that’s what the Rambam says as we think deeper, as in this generation we can understand this.
The creator, the creative source, that creates the world constantly, He is the ONLY GENERATOR OF REALITY IN THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. We are IMMERSED IN HIS BEING RIGHT NOW. Do you know that for a fact??? Oh I have faith that that is true. And I have faith I will do all the 613 mitzvos and it will take all of my time FOREVER. REALLY!?!
FROM THE GENERAL TO THE SPECIFIC. Does faith mean that I buy into it without proof.
Theres another aspect:
2. Emunah is what you have in LIFE’S DIFFICULT MOMENTS. Cause faith is all right, all right all right. As the song once said. And when everything falls down and falls apart and in the night/ darkness you have faith… And think of that curve ball when it brought out your fear, your doubt and shame… and how do you get through it? It happens to every single one of us. If you have faith! Bide to the assumption that if you have faith it will get you through the challenge and if you don’t have faith you may psychologically collapse and everything falls apart. Therefore what it means to be a Torah jew is to have faith which means that everything will be OK even tho it possibly wont. Is the definition of faith that I am hopeful. They say “everything is going to be fine!” as a religious obligation. Some people sometimes. Someone is falling apart and someone says have faith, it could mean “shut up and don’t panic” stop being emotional. Don’t panic. Have Emunah. Cheer up. “Gd loves me everything will be fine” hopeful thinking. You don’t see strength and courage. You see a person who doesn’t know how to deal with OVERWHELMING EMOTION.
Its almost like a weakness… its pathetic. IS FAITH THE OPPOSITE OF BEING REAL?
What is this? How do you know its going to get better. Sometimes worse things happen Well I believe in it because I have faith. IS THAT A HIGH LEVEL. THAT KIND OF FAITH IS SELF DELUSIONAL.
FAITH is supposed to be a resource that is helpful. That’s a resource that’s beneficial… saves me from challenge. I don’t know what faith is, but I know what EMUNAH IS. And when you take the definition and run it through our tradition extraordinary insights open up for you. 16:46
A RADICAL DEFINITION OF EMUNAH. Existed for 1000s of years. Sit on this idea for a moment. Its going to mess with the furniture of your mind a bit. Shift your mental furniture.
Besht Parshas Lech lecha.
What is emuna? Hayinu Deveikus. EMUNAH IS DEVEIKUS.
Reb Yakov Yosef: Emunah is the dveikus of where your soul collides and melts into the light of Hashem. Emunah is not a belief it’s a STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS. Just like your emotions and your mind. There’s another stat that SUPER RATIONAL. It has wisdom that the intellect doesn’t understand.
Anyone with any humility, that knows that there are times when things happen that its bigger than the mind can understand. There are brilliant people like Einstein, so many quantum realities, there are parts of our consciousness that are not limited to rational logic. We have to understand its limitations. When things are happening so fast in your life and your in a state of frustration. And theres no time to think. DO YOU HAVE THE RESOURCES?
When you can’t handle all the bits and pieces. There’s a part of your consciousness that understands it in a more comprehensive way. that can see things that the intellectual mind doesn’t get yet cant process yet. That’s sees things in a more cohesive comprehensive way. BUT YOUR EMUNAH IS ALREADY HOLDING BY THE PUNCHLINE. It integrated the punchline faster than you even knew that you had information to integrate.
Emunah is a mechanism of consciousness. It means to access a deeper state within me from which it is OBVIOUS THAT HASHEM IS RUNNING THE SHOW. Because when your in that place. Yeah I know theres a Gd I know everything will be ok. But now I’m anxious! I know if I can enter the reality of that of course that would be valuable and not repressive. You reach a place in your being of well-being, love, connection to an infinite source. And you see all IS FOR THE best with a clarity that your intellect cannot even fathom.
Even if everything before your eyes appears the opposite. Emunah is a form of INTUITION!
Show me the leader of any field, the leader of every field. They have a high level if intuition. Of seeing they way its going to be even if they have thought about it or map it out or rationally explain it. They feel the waves from an intuitive state. In that state of Emuah YOU KNOW GD IS REAL. EMUNAH IS DVEIKUS AND dveikus is a direct EXPERIENCE OF SOMETHING.
Do you have direct evidence your mother is your mother? If you saw a video of your birth would you thing her motherness to me is so much more REAL!?
EMUNAH IS NOT A BELIEF EMUNAH IS A STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS from where depth of understanding can come to you from a more profound way than intellect could ever master
It is a mechanism of consciousness where it is experientially obvious that HASHEM EXISTS. That the world is strobing into being continuously. My body is being regenerated over and over again. And when you can put your mind there, in that place - your reality becomes supple and the concentration and intent becomes powerful. And the things you were afraid of is no longer scary. And I feel that the goodness that surrounds the experience and relationships, they have Emunah in the marriage, because I sense this deep soul connection is real. There’s something within me that says its good. And we can work through it. I KNOW that’s the answer. MY INTUITIVE STATE IS AWARE. IT’S A CONSTANT BUZZ. YOU CAN TURN UP THE VOLUME.
WHEN THINGS get overwhelming you can MAMSHICH EMUNAH.
You are able to “DRAW DOWN” THE consciousness of Emunah.
Increase the awareness. And the harder things get, you increase the awareness. [finished class]
When my first born child came into the world. The doctor said we have to check something. He stopped breathing. My son was in ICU in a bubble for 2.5 weeks with a brain scan. Pushed off the bris. Overwhelmed. It could be all these things. You guys are incredible you have so much joy. You are covering over the pain. We weren’t worried at all. ITS NOT BECAUSE WE HAD FAITH. Every time we looked at each other. We are fine can we go home now. How did I know it was fine? EMUNAH. There was no emotional panic. Don’t abandon us. We are her, maybe we need some kind of tikkun this is a RESOURCE STATE WE CAN ACCESS.
NOT artifacts for religious people. It’s a way to experience the goodness even tho it hasn’t resulted yet. It is like your eyes, ears, stomach… everything in your intellect tells you what can go wrong etc. why is it called BLIND FAITH? IT’S a nonsensical term
It should be called blind intellect. Its an evolutionary process. Its faith that sees it’s the mind which is blind.
Emunah is there when we hit a brick wall in our intellect and we SWITCH GEARS to Emunah and we access an intuitive knowledge and I sense I can be guided though it. I SENSE THE GOODNESS. I sense there’s meaning. I sense there’s value. Growth. Opportunity. That I won’t get lost in the details. And some of those details are reasonable and I have every reason to collapse under the pressure. But I sense theres a light, a greater source. I can access that state and it relieves me and it calms my mind.
It gives me equilibrium, resilience. EMUNAH MEANS. Close your EYES AND SEE!!!
ITS INTUITIVE KNOWLEDGE. People who have intuition is connected to the power of Emunah
Some Torah jews get upset. Its true. Its such a real part of your consciousness. You don’t even have to believe in Gd to have faith.
That means that a person can have true faith, there is no spiritual truth and have 100% Emunah. Tanya: One of the properties of Emunah is it min hamaala min hatam vdaas. Its higher than reason and intellect and logic. Your intellect can have done the equation all wrong but your Emunah is holding by the answer.
The Tanya is teaching the following secret. Bow down to this idol. I’d rather take the bullet than eat the pork chop. It must be that the consciousness that the pea-size part of my brain called intellect. Therefore a person can say I don’t believe in Gd and go to an ashram and blow out of my body. The high level is experiencing part of Gd when blasting out of our body.
Emunah is awareness higher than intellect. When a gun is put at your head and we default to super awareness OF COURSE I SENSE THE UNITY OF ALL THINGS, A CREATOR AND GUIDER
The core element of deveikus IS CHOCHMA:
KOACH MA
Koach is power; Ma is what
Chochma is a place of infinity beyond the rational mind.
MA / WHAT you are hitting? the brick wall in your mind. WHAT JUST HAPPENED. You are labeling it. Limiting it with my rational mind
WHAT: FALL into the energy of higher logic. And that is why the tanya teaches us theres so many examples that you don’t need to believe in Gd to have Emunah.
When the soul opens up and is DAVEIK WITH HASHEM. WHEN it experiences the infinite light. … then all my doubts and confusion melt away. And even though I didn’t understand before
EXPERIENCE TRUMPS UNDERSTANDING EVERY TIME.
Experience overwhelms your intellectual capacity and should CONFRONT IT. I sensed the infinite love and I had clarity and sense the serendipity and all these things.Do you believe in Gd. No. keep experience that. Gd is in that!
The secular model. G-d is a german word of 3 letters. A made up modern concept. We embrace the word but we lost the experience. And then we rejected the word thinking we rejected the experience
But we disconnected ourselves from our truth and our potential. And the consciousness of that that melts and releases the pain and struggle. Of course that’s the foundation of the torah.
Why am I doing this project? You access Emunah And everything dissipates. And when you lose your equanimity
Reb Nosson explains the same place where you know it is good, you know that you exist an you are good. We feel love for ourselves. We are HIS investment of His energy and consciousness. This IS what makes us good. Do you know you are good. What gives you the faith in yourself to get through? More skills, etc. You don’t know your worth till you access your divinity. Your divine light within you. Believing in Gd. Experiencing it.
You don’t have to convince anyone. It’s a place you STEP INTO. YOU DRAW FROM THAT and it melts away all our concerns
Its not our beliefs that form our faith. It’s the opposite. But rather our Emunah that informs our intellectual beliefs. You will find scientists that reject Gd and other scientists the found Gd in science. I am so well researched and I put all the pieces together and someone else come to the opposite conclusion. The have reached that state and connected to it. That is the difference. A person who feels blocked from that then they will find their belief and faith is so blocked then they will build the lego and belive theres nothing there. All the issues, why do you sometimes feel blocked and sometimes empowered.
The more you have that state you can feel empowered and turn it around. IT IS NOT BEING DONE TO ME IT IS BEING DONE FOR ME.
THINKS ARE OK. THAT IS EMUNAH. ITS NOT OUR BELIEFS THAT FORM OUR FAITH BUT OUR FAITH THAT FORM OUR BELIEFS
The mystics say that there are different levels to access Emunah:
1. Emunas hamoach MIND
2. Emunas HaLev HEART
3. Emunas HaEvarim BODY PARTS
When you feel overwhelmed and you feel it shift. CARRYING a lifetime of ego and despair , the hard journey, my story… and then you can experience An empowering understanding. And you feel the hurt and draw emunah down to the heart and I can TRANSFORM AND RELEASE and heal and suddenly my heart is unified and ready
And open…
The secret of the greatest tzadikim was that their bodies didn’t decompose. Brokenness and sitting in our body ha eivarim. If you understand that you don’t need a gun put to your head to access the true power of faith
Is there a source of reality… I jumped out of my body. Non believers… They are only left to deal with the puzzle pieces I have. I was exhausted and told her my supernatural experience and she stared at me and stared at the floor. I also had an experience like that of leaving her body Jennifer you have this story and you have been arguing with me. Where does that fit into your mental framework. I don’t know how to fit it in and I chose not to think about it.
All the evidence I got I chose to put it in a box and put it away. Allow your mind to shift. Then you will understand the power of tefillah. EMUNAH IS TEFILLA.
EMUNA / TEFILA / DVEIKUS.
Think about what it means to pray every day. Please fulfill my lacking in the world to give me the latest iphone. A person wakes up – checking facebook before getting up.
So I take 3 steps forward and I take 3 steps back and I go into dveikus!!! And I am aware of my infinite good and meaning. I sense I am being guided and I sense the resolution already. I feel energized from that. And then I step out of that deveikus into the world
By the time its afternoon immersed in the complexity of the day. I need to resourse and access that. 3 steps back, and forward and you reconnect. Anxiety melts away. Feel more refreshed. You are depleted and frustrated. It turns on our light and soul and nothing makes sense
You see what dveikus is supposed to be. It turns out our soul. I SHIFT UP AND DRAW DOWN FROM EMUNAH I SEE THE WORLD AS A world of truth
Close your eyes and open your soul.
What is the difference of Emunah and dveikus?
Dvekus is the higher level state where you close your eyes and go up into it. awareness of the divine; the koach ma; awareness of the energy that comes from beyond my intellectual capacity to understand. The daily Emunah. When you get energized and empowered to Turn on the intuition. When you open your eyes and when we step back into that place and I carry that perception with me. Even when we are tired there’s a sense within me that gives me physical and emotional strength. I can sense the peace . that thing right now is Emunah
Even though its coming at me and I am not terrified by it. Hishtavus. It comes in…
Resolve and release. The power of Emunah
And I sense the value of my soul
To make a contribution in a powerful way. Emunah and dveikus is a skill that can be taught. Uman a craft is the root. Developed and nurtured through tefilla. So much more than “don’t panic”. It means access that state
Pull from a deeper place. Accessible and instantly healing.
Turn to each other define Emunah in your own words.