Do Jews believe in Reincarnation?

thank you Rabbi creger and rabbitson creger Mrs creger for inviting me here and hosting me for the week or so that I'll be in Cincinnati I'm here because I was chosen as a fellow at the American Jewish archives program I believe I'm the first to be part of the fellows s it started in 1976 I believe and I'm very happy about that I've discussed it with others rabbis and this was the decision that we made to come to Cincinnati uh the rule they have is if you want to be part of the program you have to stay here they want you to research in their facility and I was there today for a few hours and it's a wonderful wonderful facility quiet and uh the archivists are very very workable and so far it's been wonderful meeting you people here and I hope to get to know each and every one of you individually okay about your first name and uh to to develop a friendship you know although I'm only here for a week the week can turn into a life time if we become friends and more most importantly we open up now opening up is very hard and we'll we'll leave that for another time maybe come back to what we call a faran which means a gathering where you toast a little and it gets a little easier to open up you know but it's very important to open up so tonight the topic that I chose is reincarnation after life di books past life regression it's the subject of this book that originally was called Soul Journeys it's published in the early 2000s I it's sold out and I since reprinted it as Nish stories Nish is the Hebrew word it means soul soul stories I combined stories with teachings of Jewish mysticism IE kabala and personal life experiences and there in this book it's available if you care to purchase it otherwise could be the library should have one the first question that I've been asked thousands of times is do Jews believe in reincarnation so I'm going to ask you the question how many of you would say raise your hands how many of you would say Jews do believe in reincarnation raise your hands how many would say Jews do not believe in reincarnation and the answer is the mil million doll question Jews do believe in reincarnation although in some schools of thought there were questions but by and large today I would say most Jewish people around the world that are knowledgeable in this field do believe in reincarnation what is reincarnation reincarnation is that the soul that we have now um accepting an axium which is that we all have a soul okay I'm not discussing now or proving to you that we have a soul that's a whole other discussion can I prove to you that we have a soul parenthetically I'll tell what that reminds me of I was once at at the kabad house at Berkeley California I'm talking about now 30 many years ago much younger man and you know what they would call Berkeley berserk Ley the radicals of the 60s and 70s one of the hotpots was Berkeley California I was a kabad rabbi in a place called Marin County California which is across the Golden Gate Bridge to the north and I wrote a book about that and I can tell you many interesting things about that some actually included here in the fourth section of the book but anyway I'm walking home with a a college student a girl with with some other students and another Rabbi and I say the word God and she looks at me says Rabbi don't use that word I say why not I don't believe in God I said okay there is a force I say to her there is a spirit there is an energy oh she say that I believe the word God is not Kosher but the word Force energy um Spirit that's all acceptable my dear friends you all know it's one and the same a little bit to the right a little to the left you know what we do today we tweak right we're in the world of tweaking you tweak God right so accepting the fact that we all have a soul and by the way when I talk about a soul I mean not only a human soul but a Jewish Soul which is the Hebrew word here Nish it's in English Nish is the Hebrew word for a Jewish Soul okay so accepting that for this kind conversation the soul is sent by God Almighty into our body to do what to serve him to to bring make the world a better place okay what if you messed it up a little bit we're not perfect right what if you embarrass some mon what if he didn't go to synagogue on the high holy days whatever it is issues between God and God that are that that we are taught in the Holy Tor or between God and man between man and man they're both on the same level if anyone tells you that not fast not going to synagogue on I'm the high holidays is worse than embarrassing someone or cheating on your tax taxes send them to me they're the same both are important both are important and and yish we use the words for Humanity mench be a mench right be a human being come on be a decent human being then there is be a Godly mench for us for Jewish people be a Godly Jewish people for Gentiles and the entire world be a a decent human being a spiritual human being okay so this soul of ours that's invested in a a body has challenges challenges that are sometimes it's not a f ball it's a curve ball and sometimes it's a slider and sometimes it's a fork ball right you don't know where it's going and then when you have an event like October 7th you're totally Blown Away where are you guys or what happened 70 plus years ago the Holocaust or or500 years ago know about the 5 600 years ago sorry the Spanish Inquisition the Crusaders me should I list all the bomb shells that we have dealt with as a Jewish people not necessary everyone knows here right and then you ask little question where are you God if there's a God what are you doing right good question the soul when it encounters these type of challenges it's moved it's moved sometimes to the right sometimes to the left sometimes up sometimes we cry sometimes we laugh sometimes we dance you never know but one thing's for sure the soul is moved the St the soul is not sterile stoic the soul is in constant movement and what we do as people and as Jewish people we're grappling with the issues consciously and superc consciously just tonight I finished an interview with someone a professor and I said it sounds to me he wrote a critique of kabad I said it sounds to me that I find the trajectory of your articles beginning in the 1980s 9s and now that you have some actor grind with kabad he says you know I never thought of that maybe I should go for some therapy I didn't want to tell him you should you know this Rabbi is telling you wise Professor that maybe you got something that's going on inside but the fact is that the soul is is is in quandering the soul is asking where am I what am I doing now what happens after a person passes away their body their soul leaves their body and I can tell you this fir hand because as a rabbi when I came out to Marin County I knew I would have to bury people it's part of the Jewish tradition and I knew there's a a holy way of bearing the Jewish people it's not just another piece of Flesh they can just disintegrate and get rid of because it cost money to bury it's an issue got to pay the bill you know but that doesn't that doesn't justify cremation and we and there are laws of the rituals so I went for training I went for training and guess what I confronted the first time in my life I was 23 years old probably I don't know how some of you that age right how was your age a young man out of Brooklyn out of the Yesa I never saw a corpse of dead body in my life right in front of my eyes was a a dead body a Jewish body the soul left the body and I was there to purify the body in a ritualistic way so that when the body body is then put in shrouds and buried and and returns to God who gave him or her a Jewish life you come from Earth and you return from Earth okay what happens with the Soul at that time Judaism Torah kapal believes that the soul goes to a place in which it receives cleansing from its stuff and then it gets a second chance guess what God does it sends back the soul into another body and the purpose of doing that is so that the this this Soul which the first time goofed up in a b and c gets another chance to rectify and improve and correct and that is the classical view of Jewish reincarnation it's not about a sacred cow it's not about a Buddha it's about the soul inside each and every one of us it's interesting does anyone know the Hebrew word for the concept of reincarnation Gil thank you Gil Gul spelled in English g i l g l what's the numerical equivalent of the word Gil 72 what does the which other Hebrew word equal 72 means benevolence and kindness the Gilgo The Reincarnation process is God's way of doing us a big favor a kindness he says I love you and I want you and I need you and I'm going to give you another chance now right away when you hear this it opens up it should open up your mind and your heart look how wonderful God Almighty is that he gives me a second [Applause] chance this is not my Christianity which is you're doomed you're a sinner this is Torah this is Judaism Judaism it's all about kindness by the way not just for Jews for all of mankind you get a second chance so this is the first premise in tonight's discussion is the concept of reincarnation we do believe in reincarnation I've told you what re basic reincarnation is and that it's a real kindness It's a real I'm only going to touch upon a few points and if we have another get together next week we'll we'll do more okay because there's so much to say and time is of the essence and I really want to hear from you you know for me this is I've done this before and I enjoy doing it and I I but I like to get feedback and I really want to hear so I could I could I could use use that to improve and share so the next idea of gilu reincarnation is this Soul that's been reincarnated into us how many time does it come here is it one time makeup call the answer is no as many times as is necessary to complete the first the your first the soul that needs correction and repairment and in different areas and you don't do it the second and third time you come dying a fourth time now let me say this as well the soul is not happy about coming into this world again guess what the soul does what God wants but at the end of the day how many times I going to come back to the playing field to play soccer or football I you know come on do I need to go through this again so yes you're telling me it's an opportunity but you know you don't you don't utilize every opportunity right you choose a pick but God says I want I gave you a clean soul when God gave us the soul it's clean it's pure so God says I asked you please return to me a clean soul you know you you someone gives you a gift here it's a book they give you a they lo you a book here to read it you expect it to come back decent not half torn and all that right you be upset God wants the so to come back nice pristine clean it takes sometimes several times and now you going to ask me the million dollar question what's your first name Bennett Bennett how many times is it come back you know what my answer is I don't know guess what no one knows and it's not that no one knows because we're not cabalists it's an unknown there's certain Secrets there's certain things that God does in the universe that's called the esoteric realm the secret realm only God knows and there's a reason for that what's the reason if we were to know everything they would used to say when I was growing up if you know everything you become old very quickly it's good to have a question which brings another point to the table parenthetically it's all right to say I don't know and when you say I don't know it doesn't mean that everything else gets thrown away I don't have all the answers I'm not looking for all the answers I try to understand or find out what's going on in my world in my life I share with others but I don't have all the answers if you find me a person that has all the answers we definitely have to lock them up sorry could be the most brilliant Rabbi Professor psychologist all the answers who can say he has all the answers in fact God says I don't have all the answers how do you like that how does God say that by making the world making the world that there's questions and there isn't always an answer does that take away from his Perfection absolutely not that's another discussion I don't want to go into that tonight how can God be perfect yet have unanswered issues or are they really answered we'll leave that for another time I don't want to get too philosophical I I don't want anyone to fly away stay grounded so let's go on to another point of read I'm just giving you some of the points and you know I'm we discuss the soul comes back several times can a male soul go into a female and a female Soul go into a male what do you think what's your name an an what do you think I'm guessing yes and your answer is correct you would think a male and female there's a male body and there's a female's body they're just two different bodies okay I'm not I'm not being political and please don't uh I'm from Brooklyn so I got a hard hat okay you would think that if a a soul of a male wasn't a male it should go into a male and that's it a soul of a female into a female cabala says Jewish Mystic says no there could be for whatever Godly reasons where the soul of a man goes into a woman and a woman into a a man the results of that are yet to be explored in a cabalistic way and therefore I will not engage in that right now although those in the different movements today who talk about this are trying to put the two together this needs more uh Torah exploration and um it's not a topic that has been really tackled and um so I'm not going to tell you you know thoughts and ideas I'm trying to stick to giving you answers and information from the texts from the from the from what I studyed in the text okay I'm not making up the stuff everything I'm telling you is from holy books capitalistic books and teachers that I had throughout my years so the answer but the answer is yes it could be okay another question can a Soul enter an animal the answer is yes but when a soul enter let me say let me explain this an animal has its Soul independent of a human soul it's an animal Soul just like the yes you mentioned sh is a is a Jewish Soul you a non-jewish soul would then be called what neish um and then an animal C would that be a nees or would that be something else different it's called the neish of an animal okay right thank you you're welcome so the the table which is inanimate has also a soul it's called nees or nees which means the soul of the inanimate another way of of of explain in that soul of the silent right an animal talks its language A Tree Grows the inanimate stays put no growth no conversation no intelligence but it's here it has a soul if it doesn't have again what does soul mean energy force Spirit life force otherwise it wouldn't be here it has to have a gun Godly connection so when a human soul needs to have a certain cleansing it goes into an animal Soul the cabala says the Jewish mysticism says that at that time that is considered I use the word cleansing punishment a certain severe form of cleansing because it is not the norm of a human soul to be in an animal an animal has its Soul like you what's your first name gray gray Ray Ray I'm sorry Ray like you said the neish of an animal the soul of an animal but here it's not the soul of an animal it's the human soul that gets put into an animal and that's very uncomfortable a human walks on two an animal on four yes what is your first name bti Monty with an N Monte go ahead so could a Jewish Soul go into an animal I'm telling you that a Jewish Soul not not t wait typ a a a soul of a human being the norm is only to be in a human being an animal has an animal Soul when a you when a for certain issues that needs heavy cleansing a Jewish Soul can be reincarnated into an animal soul but it at that point it would be just become an animal Soul it wouldn't no no never said that got to be very careful yeah good it's a good question a good point and the answer is no Okay the Let me just the the Jewish Soul at that time in the animal is in pain why is it in pain because it wants to walk on two and it can't I just give you one example so the experience of of a human soul in this case a Jewish Soul being in an animal is very painful but for sometimes you have to go through that cleansing wash machine process to come out clean that's actually called in the writings he mentioned your first name Michael Michael mentioned the word Gil is the Hebrew word for reincarnation gilim with the the two last letters means the plural SAR means the pain the agony it's it's considered the agony of reincarnation you want me to say something I have three questions oh please start with one give me a break go ahead is could a human soul go into an inanimate object yes but again not as not as the norm if a human soul one second if a human soul goes into inanimate it's also considered a painful experience but the answer is yes what's your second question um my second question is um are is when a human soul goes into an animal Soul are they both in the same animal at the same time yes third question why is it a punishment and why is it also a cleansing sorry well I I'm using the word in this context punishment and cleansing as synonyms okay you know people when they hear the word punishment they've gone a mile away so that's why I'm using the word cleansing to be honest right you got to be honest anyway um why is it a cleansing put yourself imagine imine you go into a sackcloth would you feel comfortable let's talk about what happened October 7th I'm not talking about but people are dragged away like animals like pieces of dirt that's very painful the norm is you walk from here to there you walk there you walk here all of a sudden you lost control that's the answer to your question when you're out of control when you lose control that's the most painful thing that's why it's called the agony of reincarnation yes how does a soul Le an inanimate object oh perfect perfect question right in the book story um chapter six listen to the title okay never too late colon a soul suffering for 2,000 years finds Peace at Last Miriam basila a woman who lived 2,000 years ago colon bringing a lost soul home after 2,000 years and that's about a lady named Miriam the daughter of bilga it's a long story going to make it very short basically she did something that was considered by Torah law outrageous not acceptable okay and because of that she she was the daughter of what we call Kohan the priest the Jewish priest family and they were supposed to they how did they survive so they got red in the Holy Temple there was bread loes of bread because of what she did her entire family was punished and they got stale breed why when why they blame for her for her act the discusses it I'm not going to go into that's the that's the facts 1975 Brooklyn New York Crown Heights Rabbi schne labi and I believe I was there as a very young man on his mother 's anniversary of passing called the yard site 10th yard site second talk he starts talking about this story that I just told you which is in the town in track Su and he and he says he interprets the event that the tal says she was sinful that she was actually very very special because when the Romans destroyed the Holy Temple 2 years ago and we're unfortunately coming up to it in the next three four weeks there was desolation on the Temple Mount what's called today Temple mount in Jerusalem she went over there and although she did something outrageous against God she took her sandal she banged it on the altar M and she said luas luas that's not your word Lucas Lucas means fox fox God you should turn to God how do you allow this desolation to your people allowing the foxes to wander all over the Holy Temple Mount where are are you God she asked that question the same question we're asking she asked it 2,000 years ago and the rebi said you know the rebi said look how special this woman is that although in her personal life she did something that was against God at the very same time here she did 183 degree change and she cries out on behalf of the Jewish people two weeks later the Reby spoke again and he said I made the post office very wealthy I received letters from all over the world complaining and everyone paid for stamp postage that's what he meant complaining how can i rabish n Go like this if the meaning is this how do you go like this right the meaning in the th is a negative statement about this lady Miriam and I come along two weeks earlier and say she's so special and the rebba said he said it he said there's a story what's the story the story is with his ancestor the first kabad re of the author of he said that he was once approached by someone that was possessed possed by what we call auk which is auk means a soul that possesses you maybe we'll get to it tonight if not if you're interested enough come back next week we'll talk about POS possessed Souls STS or what some would call today people who are not mentally stable but that's have to discuss it so and it's in the book as well so anyway the rebi saw this person who said I I'm possessed I'm possessed so the rebi said I know who your soul is your soul is from this Rabbi who got up a thousand years earlier and he stabbed and murdered a prophet a Jewish Prophet because the prophet was about to utter a negative prophecy against this Jewish people who were not acting accordingly and he and he said to them you continue this you're going to be you're doomed you're going to be finished stop your ways the law is that when a prophet prophesies it has to become true again why not now so two gentlemen got up and they stabbed him they stabbed the individual who was called zarobi Zachariah the prophet the rebit said your soul to the fellow who came to him saying that he's possessed your soul is that soul and as soon as the the the and oh and the rabbi said you know why he stabbed him because he didn't he wanted to protect the Jewish people and he didn't want the prophet to utter a bad prophecy so he got up and he murdered him so he wasn't interested in Murder he was interested in protect protecting the Jews and as soon as that happened the de the possessed Soul left and the person walked out normal the rebba said this in regard to the questions that were asked of him how could he have turn have have you made this interpretation of talm that Miriam was good instead of bad what did we understand from this that's what he said the re on the night of of his mother's 10th anniversary 1975 you know what he did for Miriam he took her out of 2,000 years of spiritual slavery of being possessed now can I prove that to you I can't no one can but if you put the pieces together and you know who Rish was and you know what the cabala says and this has source of cabala it all fit in beautiful so your question was can you take out a soul from an inanimate right yes so I I gave you a story to support the idea of taking out a soul from from someone who who I don't know no one knows when Miriam ended up you know spiritually if she died 2,000 years ago and here it's 1975 we're was she all this time no we don't know but it could be she was an animal could be she was in a rock and could be that she was in the piece of bread in the piece of in in in in the food that was being eaten at that gathering in 1975 in Brooklyn and when the rebi said this and we make blessings on the food because it's kosher food the soul jumped out and had its peace so the answer to your question is yes and more so one of the ideas of hidic Masters when they would travel especially in Europe you know they would all of a sudden go to the water to a river a pond you imagine the higher River and they would say wait a second to the people they used to take 10 men with them 10 people with them in the in the Caravan and the carriage and they were on a long route they would stop and they would go to down to the take some water make a blessing bring some water you know why they did that they had water in their they they weren't thirsty that they had they had their own water they did it because they were elevating a soul from the water now these things are you know these things you don't have a script for this you know tell me I you to tell me is it an and like an's going to ask Rabbi Rabbi dolphin tell me uh where's my soul today where's my soul yesterday where's my soul going now if we do past life regression we might be able to have some ideas that's a whole other study and I'm not going to discuss it tonight past life regression therapy from a Jewish perspective not even even on Stevens approach to past life regression which is an interesting one and and and a valid one but there is a Jewish approach to it but the fact is I my my my purpose in Sharing all of this is to have you understand and hopefully relate that these ideas are part of the Jewish experience now maybe maybe Michael is a rationalist you know maybe he's a my my man my man the Ramba and you know rationalists have a hard time relating to capitalistic ideas and I get it I get it and it's fine but all I can tell you is that in my life I've seen it clearly I have a story here with my own daughter we just married a month uh two months ago thank you thank you thank you I'll tell you the story briefly it's in the book but just briefly her name is hinda Freda she was born several hours before my grandmother passed away my grandmother was a Survivor I'm a second generation hollyood Survivor I'm talking from the skin okay I don't have numbers my grandfather had a number in his arm my father survived the Romanian my father's from Romania that that Holocaust okay so this isn't just you know cheap talk this is real in my family we are a holocaust family second generation my parents were first generation grandparents parents anyway so my daughter is born a few hours before my grandmother passed away she was very sick she could have died a week before two weeks before a week later she dies the same day in Judaism the the night the day begins with night so she dies on the same day her birthday is the same day as my grandmother in the I didn't all I knew my my wife told me you know that she was born 1:00 or so in the morning 1 2:00 I forget and and um my I do that in the morning before I pray usually I go to What's called a Mikvah it's a body of water to immerse myself if I have that or a swimming pool or if not a shower besides cleanliness to clean yourself to spiritually prepare your day with with water which represents what you know cleanliness spiritual cleanliness okay I go in I come back out and someone comes running in it's 6:30 in the morning by the way someone says Rabin your father called the public phone in those days we still have public phones at the at the Yesa right I said my father called at 6:30 in the morning I went came home and I saw on those days we still have answering machines right what did I see it's blinking turn it up and what is it my father says your grandmother just passed away and he already know I told him that he says I'm sure you'll name your daughter after your grandmother which I did knowing her her character there's so many similarities and guess what she carries the same name she has the same Hebrew name Hebrew name as my grandmother so don't tell me it's not real it's real here is the girl here is the newly married woman this is my daughter I know how she was raised I know her emotions her intellect her her style so reminiscent of my grandmother the holoc survival the Jewish name whether you have c a Jewish name or you don't and I'm sure the rabbi or the creeder his wife will be more than glad to help you with that the Jewish name is a depository of strength you call yourself a little more often with your Jewish name you'll see things in your life will go upward and upward and upward the Jewish name is very powerful yeah sometimes professionally we need a our you know other name but that Jewish name connects to the soul the when you connect to the you connect to the soul many things in your life will change because the soul is thirsty the soul is looking for spiritual food and nourishment and the way in is the Jewish name so if all you walk away with the night is not believing in reincarnation because I haven't convinced you yet but to maybe use more your Jewish name or get yourself a Jewish name I'll be very happy and you be more happy and I've seen it I look you know I study with people who are Washington DC attorneys and other people I have a a group of adult students in Israel who study with me four times a week you know telling you start calling them by their Jewish name I ask do you mind if I call you instead of Michael and say mik if that's your Hebrew name mik mik you know it's proper to ask and the person says I don't mind and the next time I will see mik God willing my memory will be there and I will say m why I don't know his English name Michael I want to elicit the soul I want I really do I want to elicit the soul because it's good for him good for me good for all of us and good for the world my dear friends this is the end to the the first uh part of our discussion and now it's uh your turn about anything you would like to ask even not on this topic and if I can answer it try what is your name Morgan Morgan um so is there like a point where a soul just is done reincarnating or is it just like a continu process always something with it the answer is there is an end when the soul corrects the issues of the past it doesn't come back again problem is Morgan we how do we know that but the answer is there is God knows so God will create new Souls it's not like Rec Souls eventually um okay excellent question excellent question someone just asked me that this week mostly today and today I don't mean just today there are no new Souls most souls or almost all souls are have been here before okay once in a lifetime once in you know you will have a New Soul but to identify that only you know a great sage and scholar and not a scholar but Mystic uh can tell you that and even that's very unknown in fact it says that the Jewish Messiah known as the mashiach the Jewish Messiah will come when the entire Treasure House of souls will be finished go ahead so okay the Tor so this is a two part question depending on the regenerative cycle of souls the torus says that 70 Souls went down to Egypt and then my question so how many Jewish souls are there and how many stood at sign so the basic answer to that is over 600,000 Souls stood at sin okay all of those Souls included all the Future Souls and why is that something that we didn't talk about before but it's relevant to your question a soul splinters off into subcategories and groups so your soul initially could have been could be in person a b and c depending on what they could do to help that part of your soul that needs help and correction in a certain field that's where it's going to go so so in other words I struggled with you with your qu this is one of the first things when I learned this I struggle with this for a long time and this is the conclusion we came with in discussion with some others that a soul is a composite of various elements of various various uh let's use the word uh Sparks Sparks right now a Sparkles here a Sparkles there Sparkles there depending on what that spark needs that's the body it's going to go in then what's the ultimate anatomy of a soul CU if there's different parts then so the the the answer to that another good question the basic anatomy of a soul is your part and the part that you need to correct I don't know what that means that means there is an independence there is an independence to you and what you need to do on Earth and then there is something else that you need to do to help someone else's Soul that's in you perhaps to clarify you mentioned the soul um like the soul as it's uh in the is supposed to correct historical issues that it has had is that from previous incarnations that need to I'm sorry I didn't hear the first part of your yeah um go ahead please repeat you had mentioned that the soul needs to correct historical errors right is that historical from historical uh reincarnations or is that the current Incarnation correct things that happened in the past during this current incarnation this Incarnation needs to correct things of the past in addition to doing what we're supposed to do on our own now Michael still not clear no like there were 600,000 souls in si right and they are go ahead we have more than thank God 600,000 Jews that's right that's right and each one of the 13 million Jews in the world is included in the 600,000 Souls because each of the souls has compartments Sparks so the way those 600,000 Souls Express themselves is in right now 13 million people then there's no change it's just like a rearrangement uh that's soul comp right right and wrong yes but not correct in the sense of that one of the soulle components is unique and to us who we are today what is that define unique unique means that this part of the Soul was never here before and is only given to you and no one else to work on in use and refine so it's like an unrevealed aspect of something that already exist yes that's what you're saying yes yes let let me take a question go ahead uh so could a Jewish Soul go into a non-jewish human body or does the je the fact that the soul is Jewish make the body Jewish the answer is it can go into a non-jewish body but then it's considered also very painful and it's a painful situation but the answer is yes it could happen it's it's I would say an exception to a rule but it could happen but I want to say something it's very important I'm going to say now this is one of the ideas of converts a convert to Judaism of true real convert that really wants to be Jewish not because of a certificate not because of a guy or a girl right but really for themselves they feel Judaism talks to them and they want to convert they really had initially a Jewish soul but over the centuries it got very mixed up and lost and now it's coming back to its core truth follow very very important so when we talk about a convert a Jewish convert and that whole idea it's very important to to to to to know this and this is the criteria by the way it's not about a piece of paper it's not about A Love Affair it's not about you know uh philosophy it is about do I have a je soul in me and those Comforts that feel this way ultimately they have though they have that Jewish soul in them they have to discover and reveal their Jewish Soul not create one a non-jew cannot create a a Jewish Soul either you have it or you don't and both are fine by the way God has made Humanity every person on earth is special in God's eyes it doesn't say anywhere you have to become Jewish in fact you will know prop I imagine you must have heard it that Jewish law teaches us when a convert comes to you discourage them why do you want to have all this hardship I know the rap and the Reon gave you today beautiful pizza and and cakes and and cherries and salad and and I I it's you know and it's nice and air conditioning here and it's a beautiful house right but at the end of the day you know there are some things in Judaism that are tough tough see he said it I didn't Michael said it m m mik oh now you but really I'd like to hear from some of the other uh people what's your name SAR SAR what are your thoughts about what we're discussing if you if you want to share no pressure If if you don't want to apologize I'm trying to think I've been enjoying everything I'm hearing um so I guess like the final decision on the soul is done with Cycles is just up to God that's right and like is it I don't know is it like predestined or yes again you know yes or no meaning what if you were given a second chance your soul was given a second chance and you come down and you goof it up again then you made the choice to goof it up a second time and you have to come down out a third time that was my question um also like um if we do more MIT getting our soul closer absolutely we doing more of God's Commandments known as the mitzvot we're plugging away we're plugging away and and I'm glad you brought up that question Sarah because we shouldn't walk away from this conversation you know I I I I I I need to do a Mitzvah I want to do a Mitzvah I want to do a good deed a commandment of God because I want my soul uh not to have to come back again that's not that's not healthy thinking that's narrow we're having you know this discussion tonight is extra credit it's important it's very important and when I started the research and I got involved in this uh this uh teachings which by the way most in Yeshiva in we don't study this okay this I started when I was in my 20s um actually probably 30s you know and it's because I came across a letter of the rebi in which he he spoke highly about this teachings how it to be helpful to people and when I started to teach it I saw that so true after 911 you can't imagine I was giving lectures about these Concepts and had room full of people in in New Jersey in New York Here There and Everywhere people were all ears especially at that time so it's it's a useful thing to know about you know but not to kind of you know get caught up on you know am I clear on what I'm saying what is your name Janelle what is it Janelle Janelle yeah oh yeah I met you before Janelle what are your thoughts anything you would like to a lot of people's questions are ones I had so thanks for asking question um but One S of relates to sar's question as well is how like is there a way for us to know if our soul is back and if our soul is what has been re reincarnated and if I don't know or if like my soul I know maybe some challenges I have in my life and know it' be great to you know see the movies people come back and well I wish I could do that over again right I have a cognizant it'll be a different body right will the soul know what it needs to fix or does it just right have to metaphysically fix it Janelle excellent question and there is an answer my friend best friend when he was a young teenager he wrote to rabar a letter about guidance in his life Rabon told him to check his you know what these are they called fringes these to check them they have to be knots and and and eight strings and and they have to be done a certain way later on as an older teenager he had another another issue and he wrote again to the rebi and the Reby answered at the check this exceed again and then later on in his 30s when when he had a life-saving accident he wrote to the rebi again and the re told him CH to me that's a pattern and that was an opening into his soul and the re was telling him your Mitzvah that you need to work on from that perspective The Reincarnation is the MIT of one example another example is in an example friendship loneliness depression alacrity happiness livelihood whatever it is whatever it is in your life you look for a pattern why is it I couldn't make friends when I was 13 years old I wasn't popular I didn't have a lot of girlfriends a lot of boyfriends I'm now in college I'm kind of a loner and then I'm 3540 and again I'm in the business world and don't have many friends now what would what would many people say I'm a failure in making friends so if I'm a failure why deal with it just get over it that's not my strength you know the cabala rights Jewish mysticism wrong on the contrary you're getting a wakeup call from God Almighty wasn't it like like Satan tells us like why why Tri keep failing um I read in a book like right okay but the first thing is in in Judaism the whole idea of a s Satan has a different connotation sat I don't want to go into that right now but but listen to let me finish my thought let me finish my thought here and that is that God is sending you a wakeup call God is saying you could overcome and make friends and guess what Janelle this is to answer your question and guess what when you will make friends one friend at least one friend your soul has reparation your soul has been crying out for years I want to make friends and I haven't been able to do it because of this blockage and that blockage so rather than giving up and saying that's not who I am go forward and not giving up and overcome and show what you really made of now I'm not saying you you know there's type A and type B and type c you know people were different but nevertheless don't let ad an adversarial situation impact you to the point where you look at yourself as a failure in a certain area failing is only a step Stone to the ultimate growth and that's I believe a response that I studied about a situation like you described clear you finish eating please you want to say no you already said before but you want to say something more um I'm sure I'll think of something okay I didn't hear from you at all what's your name uh Josh Joshua yosua yosua say something Yeshua uh where you from Cincinnati uh Columbus J shopin company country it's my my parents for the longest time yeah I left but no this is a topic in Judaism I thought about for a very long time this is a topic in Judaism that you thought about for a long time have you done any reading on it what what have you read I may ask um okay exens I used to learn with the rabbi if I could wake up in time oh R creger so is Rarity but uh occasion well look um you know I I hope you'll you'll continue exploring you know I really do there's there's there's a lot to to learn about this you if if that interests you you know a topic topic that interests one person's a talent one person is the the Bible the Torah another person is theala you know Jewish law immers itself into it you know the feeling of studying is so rich just you know we live in this transient plastic world where social media has overtaken our lives and I'm talking about myself okay I used a pencil and a notebook I read today that Gadget that's recording me does everything for me almost everything except going to the archives where I'm forced to come and in the archives for research forc to come not for us but I want to come because I wrote about the subject matter someone asked me what why I'm here I wrote about an orthodox group on college campuses in 1960s and 70s called yav and they were catering primarily to Orthodox students or people who were oriented that way to provide their needs with kosher food and Jewish studies was called yav the late professor Benny Kraut wrote a book called the greeting of American Jewish Orthodoxy I read the book I used it for one of my books it's phenomenal unfortunately he died before he finished so Professor Jonathan Sara of Boston um you know helped finish it and he he encouraged me highly to go look at The Archives the archives are right here H which is under the reform movement printed his book he was you know he was Modern Orthodox it was an orthodox Jew I don't know you know the background why they did it how they did it but that's that was done they did it because I don't I'm not even sure if they ever printed a book from an orthodox Rabbi before I'm not an orthodox Rabbi an orthodox person they did that and the archives are here so I wanted to see the archives because what I'm doing now I'm doing a study on the comp I'm comparing the yava movement of the 60s and 7s to the kabad on campus movement of the last 20 years including today and on what are the differences Pro con compare contrast so you know R creger is K on campus so he's an example so you're old part of the study when I'm speaking to you you're you're included in in the study of course not with your names you know unless you want to be have your names known but I'm just saying what is the difference how how did how did an orthodox group in the 60s and 70s react to Jewish students and deal with jewi students needs on campus and how RAB Creer and all of his 350 EIC Kad on campus uh rabbis how they dealing with needs not just of the Orthodox but of Jews speaking anybody else need more pizza thank you so that's that's the reason since the archives are here um I wanted it when I was writing about it in one book of mine I wrote a little bit about it you know I had questions so I found out from Professor Sara and Dana Herman Professor Herman here and the archives are here so when they send out the um the applications for to for to be to do research as a fellow uh I thought that would be a good idea and the professor s Professor Don Seaman professor of jewi Sociology at the Emory University who was a friend of mine um they wrote me very strong support letters and that's why I'm here but once I'm here I'm here for you you have me for a week or maybe a little longer you know so if you want to talk any time during the week or uh just to come over uh you know I mean during the day I'm pretty much in the archives in the clo Library CU there fascinating things that are hundreds of years old that I want to I want to check out this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me you know it's not every day that I'm coming from Brooklyn to Cincinnati but uh stay in touch you know I'm I'm here and [Music] any other issue I can't hear you I only heit of the conversation so excuse me if I'm repeating or not I heard you answer here about the soul coming down this world I actually heard Jac speaking on the meaning and he was ches other generations and you say this generation is so much corruption and when somebody wants the truth many people as weer we want to have true relationship with God and he he was saying how that this is coming out because you in the days by an okay relationship was okay but we want authenticity we want tell me this is connected you're saying that soul that comes down thing for them yes much more spiritual level both both with all the Technologies and the space we're in and in Generations G by that could not reach that because so I I would say that is correct and I'm allow to askes autism autism yeah it's um a difficult topic and again it's one that you have to be very careful because you know if someone God forbid has miscarried stillborn autistic children child you know to go and tell them I know this I know that is is it's not the Jewish way it's definitely not theic way but nevertheless nevertheless we do see and there have been studies done and books written about this autistic children will speak the truth to the point where sometimes you want to run out of the room there is something there that is pure you see when our soul comes into a body the mind and the heart but the Mind primarily is an inhibition it's a blockage the pristine pure Soul wants to express itself and the mind comes and says Nah maybe why who who's it the autistic child doesn't have and this issue also expresses itself at times when a soul leaves the world but we consider a stillborn miscarriage child that dies basic Jewish belief is that that Soul did not need to live any longer than what it lived for whatever reason it's a hard pill to swallow heartfelt to swallow but we know that God is kind and since God is kind why would he torment a mother to have a miscarriage or a stillborn the pain and Agony that comes along with it and the health concern if there isn't a higher call calling and rather than being angry at God upset with God understand that there's a higher reality happening in our lives and sometimes the higher reality takes the form of all the issues that we perceive to be negative and no good so what I'm getting at is let's put it different words don't make God in your image make yourself in God's image if we make God in our image then God has to give us only healthy children only wealth only success only blessings right God is omnipotent God is all good even when we don't understand him I always say I would never write a book titled if I were God that's one book out of myund books that I did not write and I don't plan on writing I'm serious I don't want to be God I want to be me I want to be the best I can be but I know that what God sends me is the best for me initially it might be challenging and struggling and difficult but the more I calm myself and the more I realize the greater purpose it becomes easier I'm not going to tell you that you know that I'm jumping for joy I'm not there yet far from it but but it becomes easier to see the the the larger picture and I can tell you and I'm sure the rabbi and Ritson they can tell you from their lives over and over and over stories how we see clearly the rabbi was telling me how he got here and amazing years ago Divine Providence that God sent him here and how he came here the ordinary way of things he would have never been here he ends up coming here seemingly because of a b and c right he's here look look look how beautiful everyone's together right so in hindsight it's perfect it's the best way the same is true with loss it's very hard to swallow loss we should never know course but it it's it's the right it's what God wants I want I want to share with you a thought the re writes to a 16 or 17year old teenager who lost her mother in crownheights I read the letters in English and she became she was the oldest child a provider for many other younger siblings and she writes to the re a teenage girl she writes to the rebba it's not fair I you know I want to live my life this is my life I'm a teenager and now all of a sudden I have to become the mother like the mother right taking care of my younger siblings and she goes on to say that she's still in mourning for the loss of her mother and you know the re wres the re consol you know but then he says in the middle of the letter he says the Torah prescribed mourning laws are very specific if you mourn more than those prescribed times 7 days 30 Days 12 months right you're going against God if you don't accept God in death you don't accept him in life those are my words you I guess it goes back to what I said before is God made in your image or are you made in God's image think about it think about it think let let it sleep in let us go to sleep with it tonight you know so the Reb is telling this this young girl I know it's a difficult situation I know what you got to go through what you're going through but remember the morning period is finished now you have to be proactive and do what you can and if you were put in the situation God has giv you the ability and guess what she herself was a mother of 15 children today and with success and an educator in the kabad girl school in Crown Heights and my daughter's had her as a teacher from the best teachers the best mentors this same teenager who complained to the Reb about her situation so she could have easily had have coed out and say forget it what kind of God are you take away my mother at age 306 I think or 39 and now I I don't have a life for myself for whatever reason you don't know why that happened this is the situation on the ground go with strength don't give up like I told you before if you have a difficult time and friendship and this or that don't look it as a failing look it as an opportunity for growth and that means that that issue is haunting you cuz that issue is calling your soul hey mikim and yua hey wake up wake up I need you that's what's going on I don't answer your question I have was very to get over it ible to be with be able to help Soul ultimate Redemption very I was to move and over it and you're lucky mean you worked on it and you accomplished you should very happy and and glad you're sharing with everyone to take a fortune and something like that and and overcome you're a strong person like you were saying is it wasn't like me feeling bad about what happened it was me looking at hasem as myem whock me that's right and you know and I soy able to you know had that solide heard that you know experiences I had it had it it had it thing that it needed ible toon to do that not what you wanted it to be and you able to look children thank God is am and you know what helps when we're together when people share with each other become friends and I'm talking with everyone here we become friends and we talk with each other and we cry together and we live together we're going to grow we're all going to grow everyone in a different way we're going to grow so you got to work on really you know being friends being together being you know being real with each being real with each other that's what I said in the beginning you know opening up which is very difficult at times you know but it's worthwhile in the long run it it it's very I'm going to use the word cathartic it's a real cathartic experience and you feel cleansed pure Rich you know so stay in touch and uh so let me ask yes who would like so Tuesday night is a fast have when normally you guys meet Tuesdays or something no on Tuesdays I have the honor priv of I have a book called your better self anyway so usually we meet but then Tuesday this week Wednesday night so next week we can do Tuesday but it's a Wednesday night Wednesday night WN this one wedes and and and do you want me to talk about some of issues regarding the soul afterlife regression de books or you want me to another another topic would be very either one if you have something else that prepared that you want to talk about a lot of things but uh I want to know yes lines of situations they it was like was okay that's part of it okay okay so we'll we'll just keep it kind of part two of this uh of this discussion and we'll just choose a few of the other things I'll try to put what you guys said to the talk and I forget me God Comfort let's let's let's sing one song together okay any anyone in particular you guys want to sing what you want me to choose what do you know I know a few but not all of them you which one you know most what' you say most isong this is the song hey Johnny Johnny Johnny what are you doing in the market you don't buy you don't sell all year [Applause] do Johnny Johnny Johnny what are you doing in the market you don't buy you don't [Applause] [Music] how does it start new yeah yeah new no not the yish the Ukrainian [Applause] Hebrew Hebrew Hebrew [Music] he [Applause] who is this Johnny who is this oh all of us we all have a little Johnny inside he don't buy he don't sell you know what he wants yell he makes you muga crazy that inner force that says be silly be Sil silly you got to recognize you got a Johnny inside yourself and that's F of the Cure not the whole cure the recognition of the problem is the beginning of the therapy the beginning of healing is the recognizing you know and it's so hard to recognize it's such so CU we put up these blockages and we justify whatever we do and you know what I mean we find all the excuses so when you you sing this song you think to yourself I got a Johnny in myself and this Johnny Ain't So kosher okay he ain't so good he ain't so you know into the right things let me deal with it let me talk to the rabbi let me talk to the Ron let me let me let me talk to each other you know that that brings an end to the silly Johnny and this song comes from our ancestors 200 years of our ancestors who went through the hardships the Zars the PS the Communists the Holocaust and we're still going through the stuff today as we unfortunately saw on October 7th we're paying our dues right but we're not going to sit quiet and we're not going to accept and we're not going to be scapegoats and we're not going to be scared we're going to stand up and we're going to stand up and say I'm a Jew and I'm proud and if you don't like it it's your problem not my problem okay we've had many enemies over the years many foes many people who wanted to get rid of us and it hasn't happened yet and it'll never happen because God chose to Jewish people as light onto the Nations and we're here to stay so rather than being a fool be smart join the bandwagon and and give respect to these people what are these people bring to the world honesty intelligence healthy emotions so many good issues wealth Prosperity brains you know what I'm saying come on that that's a reason why because there maybe maybe there are to a high percentage of Noel prize laurates that are Jewish that's a reason to hate a Jew come on come on so only with strength do you win you don't win if you go as a weakling when you capitulate and you give in you get nothing stand up to what you believe very important today especially you young Jewish professionals and I I thank the rabbi the r in particular for for having me talk to you talk with you not talk to you talk with you share experience you know I don't get out of Brooklyn much unless I'm called out of Brooklyn you know I'm a writer researcher and a speaker when I'm asked to speak but I you know I'm not I'm not running around the world I did that you know I'm a little older than a rabbi here I did all that I put up aabad house with a Sho with a Mikvah with a Yesa I did that already when I was 2330 7 years of my life I put up all those institutions so I did it already so when I come out to places like this and people like this and these cities and communities where you know it's not Brooklyn okay it's not Jerusalem and it's not even what is it called Amberly whatever I don't know it's definitely not every yeah here is here where we have to make God president yua Josh right here we got to bring J shottenstein and Columbus right here to campus I'm very serious you know it's very nice Columbus and it's a nice day to have Orthodox shs is important but what about here who's going to bring awareness to Jewish people right around the C college campus and this area that's what they're doing here and we and we're all fortunate to be part of their the program and to be involved they can't do it alone I this one I always talk about they can't do it alone they need help every kabad Rabbi and Ron and wife they need help and you are the Janelle you in the kitchen before I saw you preparent that's what I mean and for another person a check and for third person's giving a ride or fourth person is hanging up these you know things everyone got to help out what yeah need to help her to take it down okay so and by the way just set aside um I'm here for the weekend I love I'm here for another week but uh anyone that has uh the ability to maybe show me a little bit around Cincinnati let me know I'll I'll gladly accept um um you know a little I'm here I like to see a city because you as a writer I I I see things and I I study them it's a whole like I said you're all part of a study tonight the study's up here you all to sign a for on your way out I told them I'm not going to mention any names unless they want there's a lot of Rich jewi history yeah well I would love to learn I would love to learn I learn about it I'm see silver laser was the leader of the Orthodox community in the 1940s and 50s you know what kind of Rabbi you had here you had a rabbi who was the rabbi of rabbis in New York but he lived in Cincinnati and then of course the reform movement has its head here I mean you know there's a lot of history the very and heed he was the one who stood up to and that sh still exist today what is it called what beautiful okay so those are things that you know I I love to hear I mean I'm a history buff you know was invented here by the family oh yeah F spin yeast man manev also from here yeah okay so if anyone has a little time you know and a vehicle take me around a little bit and i' would love to go with you you know I don't have a lot of time but I do have some time Sunday Friday afternoon whatever you know and then every day uh like from 4 and on I'm free cuz during the day I'm at the researching between the research and and the library it's you know no pressure no pressure at all only do it if you want to do it and you enjoy doing it do it don't so to talk to you yeah you get to talk to me and I can talk to you and you can drive and talk personal private podcast up on your phone you have't sit next to you talk about whatever I want to say be able to tonight thank you app here in cincin thank you take off the camera now thank you we'll uh let you know if we have a followup plan