What Are My Unique Values?

Six-Part Series On Living Meaningfully In A Modern World With Rabbi Yisroel Bernath
 
Our culture is showing the cracks of a growing fracture. Soaring divorce rates; a crippled economy that rewards the few and punishes the many; religious-fuelled hatred; record rates of depression—the headlines paint a grim picture. We inhabit a society that desperately needs fixing. But our society can be made whole again when we as individuals make the choice to live a life based on values.
 
For too long, conversations about values have been derailed by political movements and Hollywood fantasies. “What Are My Values” will present age-old ideas as guideposts for the challenges of modern times. These values, whose roots are in the Bible and thousands of years of Jewish spiritual living, can be applied to anyone in the modern world who want to renew their existence and recommit themselves to the most precious things in life.
“What are My Values” shows everyone how to use the timeless values of the Torah and Judaism to live a more fulfilling, modern life.
 
Course Outline:
 
Lesson #1: Destiny
Unlike the Greeks, who believed that life was scripted from birth, the Jews believe in destiny. In short, they reject the idea of tragic fates and instead champion the individuals’ capacity to create their own destiny through individual choice.
 
Lesson #2: Redemption
Christians and Muslims emphasize salvation, or the need for man to become spiritual—to refine his character and earn a place in heaven. But Jews believe in world redemption, the capacity for the individuals to make heaven here on earth for, the betterment of the community.
 
Lesson #3: Action
What you do is more important than what you believe. Good deeds always supersede good dogma.
 
Lesson #4: Marriage
Marriage refers not just to the institution, but rather the softening of the masculine by exposure to the feminine. A culture that does not know how to respect women is bound to collapse.
 
Lesson #5: Struggle
It is wrestling with our nature, rather than attaining perfection, that constitutes true righteousness. Everyone is somehow flawed, but righteousness is found in the struggle to do right amid a predilection to act selfishly.
 
Lesson #6: Sacred Time
Whereas other religions sanctify space, Jewish values privilege special moments. The Sabbath day, the holiest day of the week, provides a time for connecting with family and friends.
 
Includes course book and materials