Praying Is About Being Present, Not Perfect

5 minute talk delivered at Hadar Hatorah after Sukkot 2026, 5787.

My Speech at the ‪@lemaanyilmdeu7704‬ Chag HaSmicha 5787 event. My journey from four years at a Catholic university to four years in yeshiva, concluding with receiving Smicha.A journey I never could have imagined from the basketball court in Dallas to learning Torah practically next door to 770.Baruch Hashem. A new chapter is beginning.Note the Photo from my University is real, just AI edited so I don't think it looks exactly like me lol.COME SAY HELLO 👋Master Link: https://msha.ke/king_solomon8Instagram - @king_solomon8Facebook - Solomon Ezra BerezinWebsite 💻 - https://solomonezra.wixsite.com/solom...Substack 🗞️ https://substack.com/@solomonezrab

1. The BackstoryHow Shlomo first heard about Rabbi Dov Ber CohenTheir first meeting and the memorable “Dov Bear foot” story2. A Journey of SeekingRabbi Dov Ber’s spiritual path before JudaismWhat he was searching for and what he’s doing today3. Self-Mastery Over CircumstanceChoosing your inner state instead of letting the external world dictate itPersonal responsibility and emotional sovereignty4. The Search for TruthAsking the fundamental question: How do we know Judaism is true?Why logical evidence ultimately outweighed mystical experiencesExploring different faith traditions and what made Judaism uniqueHow this search led him to Aish Jerusalem5. Meditation Meets ChassidusThe role of meditation and mindfulness in spiritual growthLiving with da’as and yishuv ha-da’as—clarity and a settled mindViewing life from the perspective of the soul rather than the ego6. Developing Spiritual SensitivityThe difference between holy sensitivity and ego sensitivityLearning to perceive reality with greater awareness and balance7. Beyond Peak ExperiencesWhy chasing spiritual highs isn’t enoughBuilding lasting spiritual stability and consistency8. Simcha and Serving HashemWhy joy is essential in serving GodCultivating an inner state that isn’t dependent on circumstances9. Flexibility, Playfulness & HealingReleasing unhealthy pressure and tensionEmbracing flexibility in routinesThe difference between being childish and childlikeCuriosity instead of compulsive fixingSeeing challenges as opportunitiesWhy genuine playfulness flows from inner security10. Chabad Wisdom in PracticeStories and lessons from the RebbeThe role of niggunim (wordless melodies) in opening the heartClosing with singing one of the Rebbe’s niggunimhttps://www.rabbidovber.org/books

Speech shared at a local Brooklyn business. The discussion brought together the custom of shooting bow and arrows on Lag BaOmer and an analogy from the Rambam to help illustrate a teaching of changing one's state of being. First live aligned, joyful, present. Then build your life around that frequency.Link to all Links: https://msha.ke/king_solomon8

What if change didn’t take years, but minutes?In this episode, Sagi Chekroun shares how Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) can help you create rapid, lasting transformation by working directly with the unconscious mind—the true driver of your habits, emotions, and results.Most people try to change through willpower, discipline, or information. But real change doesn’t happen at the surface—it happens beneath it. When you understand how your mind actually stores patterns, you can begin to shift them faster than you thought possible.We break down why change often feels difficult, and challenge the belief that transformation has to be slow. You’ve already created habits, fears, and emotional patterns instantly. The same mechanism can be used to rewire them.One of the most powerful ideas discussed is secondary gain—the hidden benefit behind every habit. Whether it’s stress relief, comfort, or a sense of control, your mind holds onto patterns because they serve you in some way. If you try to eliminate a habit without replacing what it gives you, it often comes back in another form. Real change comes from upgrading the benefit, not fighting the behavior.We also explore the mindset shift of “10X is easier than 2X”—why aiming for bigger transformation can actually be simpler than incremental change, because it forces you to think differently and step into a new identity.From there, we get practical.You’ll learn simple NLP tools you can start using immediately:How to “scramble” negative memories by changing how they’re stored (visual, auditory, and physical components)How to use dissociation to safely process intense experiences without reliving themHow to create a mental “control panel” to interact with your inner worldHow to build anchors—physical triggers that instantly shift your emotional stateHe also guides me through a powerful 3-minute future pacing exercise. This practice helps you step into your future self—seeing through their eyes, feeling their emotions, and allowing your mind to begin wiring in the path to get there. Instead of chasing a goal, you begin to embody it.A key theme throughout the episode is that less is more. You don’t need long, complicated routines. Short, consistent practices—just a few minutes a day—can create real, lasting change when done correctly.This episode is for anyone who feels stuck, wants to break patterns, or is looking for a more aligned, effective way to grow—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.Resources mentioned include Richard Bandler, Paul McKenna, and Jose Silva, along with additional NLP tools and teachings.Take 3 minutes today to try it yourself:Visualize your life one year from now. Step into that version of you. Feel it fully.Then ask: Who do I need to become to live this?Because real change doesn’t come from forcing yourself forward. It comes from becoming someone new.

Show Notes​Intro and how I came across The Mindful Athlete​A little about George’ journey growing up to training the top athletes​Correlations between ideas in Unlocked with chassidic teachings​George’s concept of G-d​Prayer, meditation, and study​George’s connection with Chassidic Jewish Teachings​Anxiety and Freedom are two sides of the same coin​Connecting with the Divine, with oneself​All his teachers are jewish​Individual and collective prayers​Connecting pressure moments in sports with life moments and routines​Use the rules but not to be ruled by the rules. He told Kobe: the best way to score is not to try to score​Internal rhythm inside each of us.​Accessing the quiet place inside of you​Begin with yourself but not too preoccupied with yourself​One size does not fit all​Flow Triggers​See things in new and fresh ways​Growth mode and allowing things to happen​Trusting the inner voice​Pray and act as if your prayer is already answered​Distinguishing between a nudge from the soul or the body resisting change?​The body will guide you when too tight or too lose​Coming out of silence and stillness​Observe reactions uncritically​Reset, reboot, renew​Trying to get rid of tension is creating tension

Topics of Discussion Background and what led to where he is now Religious Growth and affiliation, Chabad Learning Torah but far from Truth Learning Chassidus and going to therapy Finding the right therapist Jewish Chassidic teachings and New-age Spiritual thought leaders Day job Torah, side hustle Spiritual self-help When he knew it was time to do more than studying in yeshiva Letting go of fear Do all spiritual paths lead to the same end-goal? Does it mean I can choose a different place and get to the same place? As far as spirit is concerned, G-d is found in all places. So everywhere is the path to G-d. Torah is not about this is the only way to find an enlightened perspective because it can be found in many places. What is the uniqueness of Torah? Judaism begins where Buddhism leaves off Believing in the Mount Sinai experience of receiving the Torah Other practices may have some filter keeping someone from the Unified Truth - Ohr Ein Sof His deepest spiritual experiences were in Torah The Oneness is available to everyone and for everyone If you’re looking for relaxation or co-create and manifest things there are modalities. But if you’re looking to return to Self, that’s the placeless The goal of all is to reach Source consciousness and then internalize it and reflect It in this world The path to G-d is for everybody, but Torah is not necessarily for everybody “Your incarnation is the blueprint for your liberation” - Ram Das. Why Ram Das didn’t find enlightenment in Judaism. He said no one put Kabbalah and Chassidus in front of him You don’t need to look somewhere else to find the enlightenment space Your life is not a mistake. Everything that led to where you are now is for a higher purpose The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s push for mivtzoim (helping a fellow Jew with Mitzvahs). Putting on tefillin is water for your thirsty soul One mitzvah. One thing at a time. The Hebrew month of Elul and Tishrei "It’s all the same to Me" "The Three Conditions" G-d is not found in the noise If you really want to know G-d you have to come to know yourself. How? Do one of three things: meditate, get outside of a world-view of taking and give instead, change your priority of doing to just being - quiet, service, being

Show Notes: Nechama’s background and getting into the podcast Main Ideas and Models the Rebbe taught in these last years Tools the Rebbe taught us - Learning from Shabbos Getting in the Flow The donkey of Bilaam like our bodies - we beat it up. Feeling this so much being in yeshiva. If your body is saying No, Hashem is saying No What is it you’re seeing body that I don’t see? What is it you’re telling me? Listen to Nechama Shusterman of A Path Forward podcast about Rebbe’s sichos 1991/92 https://www.listennotes.com/da/podcasts/a-path-forward-nechama-schusterman-hPsrDdqibcj/

Show Notes: Rabbi Aamr’s background and how he got into meditative prayer and breathwork Purpose of breath-work and meditation Difference between Davenen (prayer) and meditation Thinking Chassidus means to ask: What you learned, how does it relate to your personal life? Mittler Rebbe Derech Chayim - you should not stray after your hearts and then your eyes? Not eyes then heart? A person only sees with his eyes what he desires with his heart. “The world was created with 10 maamarim, or sayings.” Why not 1 maamar? Lehibarot (to create) comes from the word briut (health). A chassidic explanation: With one maamar you can be healthy. Types of meditation Chassidic Discourses that change the way you look at things Living with a chassidic discourse and not just reading it Whats the best hochlata, or resolution you can take? Just do it. Elevating your self with Chassidus A person only sees with his eyes what his heart desires What he teaches today with breathwork and meditation Preparing the keli, the vessel to receive, then bringing in ideas of chassidus that will attach you to G-d’s unity Why does meditation have to be before davenen? Why not in the middle of the day? The Friedeker Rebbe says that once one contemplates, he taps into and unveils one’s emotions, having unveiled emotions without something to keep a person focused, like prayer, or something practical, it can leave it open, which then can lead to a not-positive place. All the growth in human potential and performance is a direct result of chassidus being introduced in the world Chakras - sounds like the hebrew word sheker (lie), Reiki from the hebrew word reik (emptiness) Experiment to see the aura around a person - seeing an aura around a person with tefillin, and a woman after a mikveh, spiritual bath The depths of the highest level and the depths of the abyss, where a person gets energy from unholy forces Some things might seem wonderful but who says it’s from a kedusha, holiness What is the source of it from? Rebbe to a Jew: G-d is what He needs to be to other people, but to the Jew it’s the attachment through Torah and mitzvahs His personal experience with transformational breath in Israel with a elderly man Using the healing work as a temporary passageway to something higher Sharpening your Saw Learning the Rebbe’s sichas, or short talk like chassidic discourses Take your time and learn to know Being in the Zone means my inside and my outside are in balance, it comes from Chassidus Breathing deeply frees a person’s mind Spirit of Moshiach is the breath of air Transformational breathwork that forces a person to reach deeper areas in the body where oxygen did not get Writing your vision on paper and watching it unfold Getting out in order to return better I’m running from You to You What 12/13 Tammuz is and Rabbi Amar’s personal experience with the Rebbe mesirat nefesh, self sacrifice. Authenticity of Torah continuing Freedom is not a place on the map, it is a state of mind. Wealth is about giving.

background growing up and bball regimen Being the tall guy in school Mental performance tips The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Journey to South America and India during and after playing Soul searching, from Buddhism to Shamanism to Judaism Coming back to Judaism and Torah All to find balance way to live life in body, mind, and soul. Bottomline to be a Mensch - work on our values and good deeds Struggles through recovering from Cancer Growing up in a “secular” Judaism family Why young Israeli’s travel to far east, 2 reasons: The Torah can help you or it can do the opposite depending what you do with it. Sam Chayiim Sam Mavet What led him to re-explore Torah Judaism? Difference between Mitzvahs between Man and G-d, and Mitzvahs between Man and Man Mitzvahs between Man and G-d are very individual. Playing alongside Ray Allen and the quote: Some people want it to happen, others wish it would happen, but only a few make it happen Mensch.V.P Book: Making it happen without trying to force an outcome When to act and when to let go An indication of being balance is our physical and mental situation - he’s happy and healthy The Torah is everything but black and white “Not to climb so high on the tree, and not to run from taking responsibility” Connection with October 7 Putting basketball in a healthy and balanced way Coming back after cancer to the same ball but a different ball game. Playing in a natural and free way Heaven and Hell are mainly in the head. When he changed himself, the game changed with him Greif to Growth project: https://www.doronsheffer.com/from-grief Hyuli Healing center Website: https://www.doronsheffer.com/about Becoming the Most Valuable Player in the Game of Life Win-Win businesses Playing ball without score We lose ourselves when we compare ourselves with others. Finding one’s center and the special talents Basketball in Messianic Times The Ball is in Our Hands