Saturday, November 17, 2012

Being in the Present: 2b

Removing ones-self from thoughts about the future means that the person is entering a state in which he doesn't know what is going to happen. That's very difficult. He feels empty, helpless, wondering and lost, and full of worry. It is at this moment that Hashem says: Stop wondering about the future. This moment is my communication with you. Listen to it and be OK with it.

The idea of not seeking to know the future goes beyond the concept of not seeking out fortune-tellers and the like. Even one who feels a lack of calm because he doesn't know what the future will bring is also seeking to know the future. One needs to live with the moment in the moment. To be OK with the present. Whatever he is feeling and living through right now. Not just not escaping to the future, but to be connected to the present. This is one of the main accomplishments of Hisbodidus.

If one consults necromancers and soothsayers he can easily engage in Teshuvah as he realizes he has sinned. But what we are discussing is a much more subtle concept and much more difficult for a person to grasp how damaging it is and how to rectify. It is much harder to change.

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