JLI: Paradigm Shift

We each have a “garden” in our lives, an area where our values are secure and our belief system is uncontested: our families, our friends and the things we cherish. In the spiritual sense, too, most people have an area in their lives they designate as sacred: the synagogue, moments of study, and special days on the calendar. In this conception, however, only a part of our lives is good and sacred. A wall of separation encircles our “garden,” and everything that lies beyond seems to be beyond salvation. The Rebbe, however, taught that there is no divide between G‑d and the material world, between the Torah and reality, between goodness and each aspect of our lives. The entire universe and all that transpires are expressions of G‑d’s “garden.” This lesson explores how the Rebbe pinpointed mundane, even negative phenomena of this world, and demonstrated that below their surface lies a wellspring of goodness, holiness, and heightened potential. When one adopts this outlook everything in life takes on a positive hue, and the individual is positioned to live a happier and more positive life.

Many have written about the Rebbe’s unconditional love and acceptance of people, but at the same time, it is widely documented that the Rebbe made relentless demands for their betterment and growth. This lesson explores this unique combination. The Rebbe defined a person not by his manifest failures and weaknesses, but by the soul’s absolute perfection and unlimited potential. The challenge is to reveal this perfection; but even when this has yet to happen, the internal core of perfection in every human being is what defines us. This philosophy underlies the Rebbe’s teachings about how to view ourselves and how to relate to others. Many of the Rebbe’s ideas and projects are rooted in recognizing this perfect soul as the real person—most notably, his campaign to increase love amongst people, his philosophical understanding of repentance, and his insistence that doing even one mitzvah is not religious hypocrisy.