Faith Beyond Reason: An Exercise in Awakening

Episode 51 · April 4, 2024

Personal stories and guests

The Truth Hurts · Episode 51 · audio in Hebrew

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The conversation

It feels like everything around you is out of control: the news, the arguments, people who are angry at other people just because they think differently. And when something happens that you cannot make sense of, a divorce, a layoff, a stretch that just did not go the way you wanted, it is easy to stay stuck on the question of why me of all people. In Gili's words, faith (emunah) begins exactly where the intellect ends: not the proof you saw, heard or touched, but choosing to trust anyway. And like any muscle, it can be trained, especially now, when everything feels muddled.

The truth

  • Six months into the war, the hostages are still in Gaza, and the Knesset went on recess just as the fight over the conscription law was at its height.

  • Gili's call: look at the disagreement between the ultra-Orthodox and the secular with a generous eye and with compassion, not with judgment.

  • Faith, according to Rebbe Nachman, is above intellect. It begins exactly at the point where the mind can no longer explain.

  • Faith is like a muscle: it has to be trained, especially when everything feels confused and chaotic.

  • Whatever you expose yourself to, gossip, quarrels, the news, goes straight into your consciousness, so it is worth paying attention to what you let in.

  • Music and dance, according to the sages of Kabbalah, are the soul's longing for the song of the ministering angels, which it heard before it came down into the world.

Questions and answers

What is the actual difference between knowing something and believing in it?

Knowing is when you have proof: you saw it, you heard it, you touched it, one of your senses confirmed it for you. Believing is without that proof, and choosing to trust all the same. And that is exactly the place where the intellect ends and faith begins.

What is faith?

Rebbe Nachman says that faith is above intellect. It begins exactly where the mind stops. That happens precisely when you do not understand why the Creator is putting you through something hard, a divorce or a layoff for instance, and you still choose to believe that it is for your own good.

How do you hold on to good thoughts?

It is constant work, not something that happens on its own. You have to actively choose to redirect the thought when something unpleasant comes up, to a good memory, for example.

Why do people move their bodies when there is music?

According to the sages of Kabbalah, the soul comes into the world from a high spiritual chamber, where it was used to hearing the song of the ministering angels. When it hears music in this world it is reminded of those sounds, and that stirs a longing that makes it want to move and dance.

Gili's original episode description

In this episode of The Truth Hurts, Gili and Tal focus on the power of faith in a time of crisis, such as the struggles and conflicts Israel and Israeli society are dealing with. The discussion centers on how important it is that each of us can handle this complicated reality a little more easily.

From there they talk about faith, and about how it cannot be measured but begins at the moment when the intellect is no longer enough, along with suggestions and calls to positive action.

The episode also deals with the healing power of music and dance on the soul, and with how they can help us get through moments of despair and spot the good stretches, the ones in which we thrive.

Always remember that when the times are stormy and hard, that is exactly the time and the place for new beginnings to flourish.

About the podcast

Listening to The Truth Hurts feels like sitting in on a healing session.

The truth can hurt. It’s right there in the name. But we’re not here to cause pain. Quite the opposite.

In each episode, two women sit down for an honest conversation: an Emotional Healer and her client.

We talk about healing and consciousness, faith and science, the body and soul, personal growth, energy, and different approaches to healing. Above all, we face the truth no one says out loud: everything around us is upside down.

Is this podcast for you?

  • You want to hear the truth, and you’re ready to face it. (Yes, those are two different things.)
  • You want to gain insight and improve your quality of life.
  • You want to make a change.
  • You want a deeper understanding of the laws of the universe.
  • You want to live a healthy life in body and soul.
  • You want to take away something you can carry with you for life.

You don’t need any prior knowledge. You only need the desire to explore a wide range of ideas and discover practical guidance for living.

Listen and get in touch

Gili Man Wolner, Emotional Healer. Helping you heal and grow through Jewish wisdom.

Have a question about an episode? Send a WhatsApp message to +972 50-681-0611 (messages only).

Listen to The Truth Hurts (in Hebrew).

Tal Eckerling, co-host: Website · Facebook · Instagram