Light of Infinite

Erez Safar

Light of Infinite is a blog, a podcast, a festival and a soon to be released book series, where Erez Safar acts as Your Spiritual DJ, curating insights into the weekly Torah portion and the infinite light of Kabbalah. The project began on the Yartzeit (yearly memorial) of my ex wife’s mother’s passing, and it’s inspired by both her (Yehudis Chava bat Yakov Dov) and my mother (Frida Levona bat Shalom), who passed the same year. When I think of these women, I think of tzedaka and chesed, words that are hard to translate because they capture the real depths of words like ‘generous’, ‘giving’, ‘loving’, and ‘kindness’. These two women embodied and exemplified these qualities to an angelic degree: so full of life, love, warmth, and light, at every turn, every single moment. Being around them inspired me to be more loving, more giving, more full of a zest for each moment in life. My goal with this ongoing project is to spread that inspiration and Light that I received and still receive from them. Using each week’s Torah portion, delving deep into the text, the commentaries, and the Kabbalah connected to it, I’ll share insights that bring that inspiration and Light to life for me, and will hopefully do the same for you. As DJ Shadow sampled on his seminal record, Entroducing, “It’s not me that’s coming through– the music’s coming through me”. With that said, I do not take any recognition for any part of the material except the writing style. The recognition is meant for the Holy One, Blessed Be He, and the Giants of Torah that reveal the the Light of Infinite in a way that only they can. So, I would like to give thanks to some of the Chassidic Masters and Rabbis that I draw the most inspiration from, whose wisdom I’m attempting to bring down and make accessible. These include Reb Nachman & Reb Nosson Mi’Breslov, The Arizal, The Ba’al Shem Tov, R’Menachem Mendel Schneerson (the Rebbe), Carlebach, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and so many others. I hope that these words inspire you to delve deeper into the Torah and kabbalisitc texts, and, as Chaim Vital says, “One can go deeper and deeper, as far as the human mind can delve, and it will always yield new treasures.” Light of Infinite is an upcoming book series where I act as your spiritual DJ, curating insights into the weekly Torah portion and the infinite light of Kabbalah. The sefer (book) will include newly edited, and in some cases, expanded text on the weekly parashah. There will also be a section on key concepts of Kabbalah as well as a section that includes stories and info on some of my favorite Rebbe’s.

  1. The Three Sided Story (genesis: vayeishev)

    12/07/2023

    The Three Sided Story (genesis: vayeishev)

    For this week, I do a deep dive into the damaging effects of lashon hara (speaking negatively).  Blessings don’t come easily in this world. Everything of great value comes through hardship. Even peace itself comes from being diligent in bittul (self-transcendence), choosing how to navigate our reactions. The deeper & more meaningful a relationship is the better the chances are of having difficult elements to work through. If you want to go deep in a relationship, there will be work to get through so that each person feels that they are being heard & loved in the way that they need. It’s similar in relationships between parents & children: the amount of love a parent feels for their child is indescribable, but it comes from a constant giving of one’s emotional & physical faculties. In the newborn stage, it’s waking up every couple hours to feed, hold or change the baby, when we just want to have one solid night’s sleep. When they are older, it’s a series of challenges that any human goes through & every parent wants to take on. But the connection could not be deeper & the love more profound because of those challenges on the journey. Through the hardships come the blessings.  Rashi says that “Yakov sought to dwell in tranquility”. But as soon as he did, immediately the troubles with Yosef & his brothers began, & instead of peace, Yakov ended up mourning Yosef, thinking he was dead for twenty years, only reuniting with him in his old age. It’s said that when a tzadik wishes to live at ease, Hashem says to them: “Are not the righteous satisfied with what is stored up for them in the world to come that they wish to live at ease in this world too!  There’s a song by Cage The Elephant that I remixed for my Bonnaroo album called “Ain't No Rest for the Wicked.” It’s a play off the verse from Isaiah, “There is no peace for the wicked.” But Chazal say the same in regards to tzadikim, “The righteous have no rest.” & Job wrote that “man was born to toil" Essentially, in this world, we have work to do, & we can’t hope to sit idly by as our unique gifts & talents grow stale. Thanks for reading! Much love & Shabbat Shalom! - Erez * Listen: Audio/Podcast version - https://lightofinfinite.com/podcast/ ** Get your copy of the book: 'LIGHT OF THE INFINITE: THE GENESIS OF LIGHT' now available as Prime on Amazon! The second half of the book parallels the Parshiot (weekly Torah reading) of Bereishit/Genesis, which we are reading now!! - - https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw **** & OF COURSE, BE SURE TO READ THIS DVAR IN FULL @ https://lightofinfinite.com/the-three-sided-story/ ️

    17 min
  2. The Bay Area is quickly becoming the antisemitic capitol of America.

    12/07/2023

    The Bay Area is quickly becoming the antisemitic capitol of America.

    We all have encountered Esavs in our lives, whether as a part of ourselves or manifested in various people we encounter. Yakov demonstrates the various ways to overcome Esav and the yetzer hara he represents. Last week we saw Yakov asking only for food and clothing. He’s a picture of the simple tzadik. At this stage of his life, he was fearful of Lavan and Esav and would flee and run from his troubles. But in this week, we see a more mature Yakov: he has accumulated material wealth because he knows how to spiritualize it, and he approaches Esav instead of fleeing, because he knows the way in which he and all of us must face adversity. Rashi points out the way in which Yakov faced his challenge head on; he didn’t rely on his righteousness or for Hashem to take care of it. He sent gifts, he prayed, and at the same time, he prepared for battle, and separated his camp into two. In difficult situations it’s important to go in with a positive attitude that everything will work out, but we can’t always control how the situation will unfold and how the other person will react and so we have to prepare and protect ourselves at any cost. We have all had to overcome Esavs in our lives, people that are toxic and try to push your positivity into negativity. Sometimes it’s different people at different times. It’s a struggle to be the better person with such people. It’s only recently that I started to question why I’m trying so hard, and considered that it might be time to match toxicity and negativity with just that. But then I realized that that would let that person change you for the worse, making you into what you don’t like about them. R' Nachman teaches that even with the most evil person one has to find the good point in them, and that could elevate them to a place of merit. Focus on the good, and eventually it will be good. So we have to approach it like Yakov and Esav. Yakov came to Esav and sent gifts and said “My Lord,” humbling himself, so that the ascent of good would result in the descent of bad. Part of bittul is self-transcendence - putting your own self aside and figuring out a way to continue to be righteous and to connect to Hashem despite the obstacles. Thanks for reading! Much love & Shabbat Shalom! - Erez * Listen: Audio/Podcast version - https://lightofinfinite.com/podcast/ ** Get your copy of the book: 'LIGHT OF THE INFINITE: THE GENESIS OF LIGHT' now available as Prime on Amazon! The second half of the book parallels the Parshiot (weekly Torah reading) of Bereishit/Genesis, which we are reading now!! - - https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw **** & OF COURSE, BE SURE TO READ THIS DVAR IN FULL @ https://lightofinfinite.com/where-soul-meets-body/   ️

    25 min
  3. What Happens To A Dream Deferred? (genesis: vayeitzei)

    11/23/2023

    What Happens To A Dream Deferred? (genesis: vayeitzei)

    What Happens To A Dream Deferred? (genesis: vayeitzei) by Erez Safar

    17 min
  4. The Other Side (genesis Toldot)

    11/23/2023

    The Other Side (genesis Toldot)

    This week with Jim Morrision & Annie Hall, & of course Rebbe Nachman, Rashi, & The Rebbe.  It seems that in almost every moment of our lives we are caught between two choices: the easier or more selfish choice & something a bit harder, a selfless choice. Sometimes safek blurs the lines between the two, but often, if we tap into emunah & our gut, we know which is the one for us. Every action affects every other action. The fact that it takes so long to break a habit shows that every single action has ramifications beyond it. That’s why it says in Pirkei Avot, the reward for a mitzvah is a mitzvah, because if doing good begets doing good, one can take action to stay in perpetual goodness, or God forbid, struggle steeped in the opposite.  The story of Yakov & Esav puts one side far to one corner & the other far to the other, but since one represents the yetzer tov (good and spirituality) & the other the yetzer hara (evil and materialism), & because both exist within us, it makes it that much tougher to see them clearly. Even with Yitzchak, their father, we see that he wanted to give the blessings to Esav, because when something is so close to you, it’s hard to see it clearly.  Even in my own life, I struggle to decipher what is best at any moment. Do I continue to learn Torah, exist in the space of spirituality, & write insights/dvars? Or do I put some more of my time into materialism, & work, since that is a reality of the physical world we exist in? Do I say yes to everything someone asks of me, or do I set a boundary so I can help as much as I can, but not at the expense of things I need to take care of for myself/my kids? Do I take more time to heal a broken heart, or jump back into risking a break once again? There’s a Native American parable, Tsalagi Tale, that teaches that everyone has two wolves within us - a good & a bad wolf. The question is which wolf is stronger.. & the answer is, the one that we feed. * Listen: Audio/Podcast version - https://lightofinfinite.com/podcast/ ** Get your copy of the book: 'LIGHT OF THE INFINITE: THE GENESIS OF LIGHT' now available as Prime on Amazon! The second half of the book parallels the Parshiot (weekly Torah reading) of Bereishit/Genesis, which we start reading in less than two weeks!! - - https://amzn.to/3ShxLvn *** Save the date: Dec 7th will be the next global Light of Infinite Festival & the release of book # 2 (The Exodus of Darkness) !**** & OF COURSE, BE SURE TO READ THIS DVAR IN FULL @ https://lightofinfinite.com/your-other-side/  ️ Thanks for reading! Much love & Shabbat Shalom! - Erez

    17 min
  5. The Future is Female (genesis: chayei sarah)

    11/23/2023

    The Future is Female (genesis: chayei sarah)

    The Future Is Female The Talmud teaches that “In the merit of righteous women, our ancestors were redeemed from Egypt”. Redemption is intrinsically related to women, malchut (sovereignty), and the Divine feminine dimension. God’s Infinite Light originates at a level that is beyond this world, physically inaccessible to us, but it is filtered down through the Sefirot until it reaches the Malchut (sovereignty), out of which it shines onto us in our finite world. Infused in our tefilot (prayers) is the concept of moshiach and the final redemption, and redemption is intrinsically related to women. Kabbalistically, the sefirah of malchut renews all of existence and reflects the feminine dimension. We are now in exile, so malchut is in a state of descent and does not receive direct influence from the other sefirot. One can look at it like a woman in a state of separation from her husband. But in the redemptive state, the highest source of malchut reveals itself and the bonds between the various sefirot are reestablished, manifesting the Infinite Light. As we covered previously, the actions of our Matriarchs and Patriarchs are prophetic indicators of what is to come for future generations. The Arizal explains that the future redemption will follow the pattern of our redemption and Exodus from Egypt. In the prophecy of Micah, alluding to the final redemption, it is written, “As in the days of your exodus from Egypt, I will show you wonders.” And since our ultimate and final redemption will, in some ways, be a reincarnation of the redemptive state from Egypt, it just the same will be by the merit of the righteous women of our generation, the generation of Mashiach. King Solomon in Kohelet writes, “One man among a thousand have I found, but a woman among all those have I not found”. Rabbeinu Bachya comments that Solomon was referring to the Golden Calf and that among all those who sinned there was not one woman. Yet women played a major role in contributing to and helping to build the Mishkan, even though they had no sin to atone for. Chazal state, “Hashem gave women greater understanding than He gave men.” This is seen in their righteousness in being first to contribute to the Mishkan, despite their not needing to atone for the Golden Calf. Solomon states in Mishlei, “The wisdom of women builds her house”. The Mishkan is the home that we are tasked to build as a dwelling place for the revelation of the concealed. We must all learn from women how to build a temple of generosity within and around us. * Listen: Audio/Podcast version - https://lightofinfinite.com/podcast/ ** Get your copy of the book: 'LIGHT OF THE INFINITE: THE GENESIS OF LIGHT' now available as Prime on Amazon! The second half of the book parallels the Parshiot (weekly Torah reading) of Bereishit/Genesis, which we start reading in less than two weeks!! - - https://amzn.to/3ShxLvn *** Save the date: Dec 7th will be the next global Light of Infinite Festival & the release of book # 2 (The Exodus of Darkness)!**** & OF COURSE, BE SURE TO READ THIS DVAR IN FULL @ https://lightofinfinite.com/the-future-is-female/  ️ ---------------------- Thanks for listening/reading. Much love, Erez Safar ** Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lightofinfinite *** Follow on instagram: @thelightofinfinite

    18 min
  6. Greetings From The Edge Of The World (genesis: vayeira)

    11/02/2023

    Greetings From The Edge Of The World (genesis: vayeira)

    Greetings From The Edge Of The World (genesis: vayeira) by Erez Safar

    13 min
  7. Go To Yourself (genesis: lech-lecha)

    10/27/2023

    Go To Yourself (genesis: lech-lecha)

    In the Torah this week, we learn that on Avraham’s journey toward Israel that he finds himself in a famine and is forced to go down to Egypt, as it’s written, “And there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt.” This seems like an odd turn of events, after he is tasked with the journey and given blessings of greatness. But we see in Avraham’s journeys, the history of B’nei Yisrael (Children of Israel) was rehearsed and actualized: just as he went down to Egypt, we did the same through the Egyptian Exile, but also just as Avraham went up out of Egypt, we too were brought to Israel, to redemption, and just as Avraham left, “weighed down with cattle, silver and gold,” we did the same, leaving Egypt, “with greater wealth.” And so the descent to Egypt was for its departure, which was “weighed down with cattle, silver, and gold,” a phrase that was used for Avraham and all of Israel’s ascent, transforming the most secular to the most high in service of Hashem (God) through sacrifices in the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple). We see that Avraham’s descent to Egypt wasn’t counter to his ascent to Israel, to Jerusalem, to the Promised Land; it was integral, because out of darkness, comes the greatest light. As my brother, @Matisyahu, sings on his single, “Jerusalem (Out of Darkness Comes Light)”; Ain’t no one gonna break my stride Ain’t no one gonna pull me down Oh, no, I got to keep on moving... So it is with us, with all that seem like unending descents, hardships, and ways to break our stride, we can’t let it pull us down, we have to keep moving, keeping our soul’s essence and the ultimate purpose of spiritualizing reality until our own redemption, both prati (personal) and klali (communal) become actualized into the final redemption. And so each of us is tasked with not only upholding the covenant of Avraham, but of doing right with all the blessings that come from it – going inward to elevate ourselves to the most high, and spiritualizing reality which inspires all those around us to do the same. *** dive deeper in my ‘𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞’ book, “𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙻𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝.” Get your copy on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw), or read it online @ https://lightofinfinite.com/go-to-yourself/ Stay Safe, & Shabbat Shalom! - @ErezSafar 🪬🤍🧿🕊️ ---------------------- Thanks for listening/reading. Much love, Erez // @ErezSafar * Follow the Light: Facebook: www.facebook.com/lightofinfinite Instagram: @lightofinfiniteBooks of Light: https://amzn.to/3uvdfxw

    17 min
  8. Light Of Infinite - Found A World So New (genesis- Noach)

    10/19/2023

    Light Of Infinite - Found A World So New (genesis- Noach)

    Light Of Infinite - Found A World So New (genesis- Noach) by Erez Safar

    11 min
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About

Light of Infinite is a blog, a podcast, a festival and a soon to be released book series, where Erez Safar acts as Your Spiritual DJ, curating insights into the weekly Torah portion and the infinite light of Kabbalah. The project began on the Yartzeit (yearly memorial) of my ex wife’s mother’s passing, and it’s inspired by both her (Yehudis Chava bat Yakov Dov) and my mother (Frida Levona bat Shalom), who passed the same year. When I think of these women, I think of tzedaka and chesed, words that are hard to translate because they capture the real depths of words like ‘generous’, ‘giving’, ‘loving’, and ‘kindness’. These two women embodied and exemplified these qualities to an angelic degree: so full of life, love, warmth, and light, at every turn, every single moment. Being around them inspired me to be more loving, more giving, more full of a zest for each moment in life. My goal with this ongoing project is to spread that inspiration and Light that I received and still receive from them. Using each week’s Torah portion, delving deep into the text, the commentaries, and the Kabbalah connected to it, I’ll share insights that bring that inspiration and Light to life for me, and will hopefully do the same for you. As DJ Shadow sampled on his seminal record, Entroducing, “It’s not me that’s coming through– the music’s coming through me”. With that said, I do not take any recognition for any part of the material except the writing style. The recognition is meant for the Holy One, Blessed Be He, and the Giants of Torah that reveal the the Light of Infinite in a way that only they can. So, I would like to give thanks to some of the Chassidic Masters and Rabbis that I draw the most inspiration from, whose wisdom I’m attempting to bring down and make accessible. These include Reb Nachman & Reb Nosson Mi’Breslov, The Arizal, The Ba’al Shem Tov, R’Menachem Mendel Schneerson (the Rebbe), Carlebach, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and so many others. I hope that these words inspire you to delve deeper into the Torah and kabbalisitc texts, and, as Chaim Vital says, “One can go deeper and deeper, as far as the human mind can delve, and it will always yield new treasures.” Light of Infinite is an upcoming book series where I act as your spiritual DJ, curating insights into the weekly Torah portion and the infinite light of Kabbalah. The sefer (book) will include newly edited, and in some cases, expanded text on the weekly parashah. There will also be a section on key concepts of Kabbalah as well as a section that includes stories and info on some of my favorite Rebbe’s.

Information

  • Creator
    Erez Safar
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2023
  • Episodes
    83
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Light of Infinite