Rabbi Abrams Blog

We've all heard stories of people who went to psychotherapy, just to find out that they really hate their families & religion and have been stuffing and harboring resentments towards the whole world.  Unfortunately, many families have been destroyed and many people have left the faith because of this therapy tactic. You know what? There's even a part of me that resents the restrictions put on me by my religion.  Thanks to the responsibilities they come together with, I even have resentment towards my family!  Indeed, life would be so simple if I could live on my own and not have to worry about another six peoples problems or live such a restricted religious lifestyle! While reading these last few lines, you might be asking yourself how I can write such mean and hypocritical things.  Of course I love my family!  They are the biggest blessing that I was ever given!  Of course I love Judaism.  I'm a rabbi for crying out loud! Like everyone on this planet, I have a deep

Do you wonder about the inner conflict that we each have and what consequences it might have in our lives?  On the one hand, we have this human side that is refined, acceptable and polished, and on the other hand, we have this animal inside that can completely go crazy. As my father says, "Everyone is normal, until you get to know them." Chabad teaches that each person has two souls, which in turn have two parts, the conscious and the subconscious.  The conscious G-dly soul wants only G-d.  It knows right from wrong, that right usually isn't easy, and that it's worth paying the price to do right.  The conscious animal soul is very practical and is indispensable for eating, procreating and probably work too.  They both think, albeit with different metrics of logic and are rational.  For example, the conscious G-dly soul knows that jealousy is wrong, and that's a good enough reason to force ourselves not to be jealous.  The conscious animal also stuffs jealousy,