Although the latest news is leading us to believe otherwise, this world is made for love. Love is the center of all things. It’s the essence of every moment of happiness. Everyone needs love. From the moment we are born, it’s only the nourishment of love that makes us feel complete. If we think that love is outside of our self, we might notice a lack of love in our life, but when we discover that we each carry an abundance of love deep within our own soul, we can experience our delightful connection to this love every day.

In Leviticus 19:18, “You shall love your fellow as yourself,” we learn that we have to first find love within our own self before we can love others. When we come to realize that every person on earth is an instrument of love, we’ll be ready to reach into our heart to experience it. This is the reason for meditation; it can open a portal to reveal how close we are to this love.

Please join us in The Listening Room this Shabbat to discuss teachings from Rabbi Nachman, Rav Kook, and Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, on this understanding. Then we’ll follow with a short, silent meditation on the Shema.