The instruction in these lessons is practical. It aims to improve your quality of life by deepening your sensitivity to Divine influence. It is designed for those interested in the practical application of spirituality, for those who understand that metaphysical speculation is vanity if it does not integrate into daily life and become a resource for solving personal problems. The lessons emphasize accessibility, avoiding technicalities wherever possible. Their basis is traditional Judaism. They include exercises which are essential if you want to integrate the material and make it yours. Ideally, it should seep into your bones. Your instinctive and reflexive way of relating to the world should become conditioned by its truth.

. . . By its truth, not its bias. A wise reader must be wary of hidden premises that color the way information is presented and distort its conclusions. Yet, if you want to make the most of these lessons you must be open to them on all levels. It is absolutely critical that you trust their integrity. A suspicious student keeps learning on a superficial level, a tact which is ultimately self- defeating.

You can, however, acknowledge this dilemma and circumvent it. Judaism has a rich tradition of using conscious intention to influence a deed that will follow. A preparatory prayer enhances the effect of an act and directs it toward a particular end. It expresses what you hope to accomplish through the deed and empowers that desire.

The following affirmation expresses the ideal approach to any learning situation: I seek truth from the depth of my being. I do not want to be limited by my own narrow-minded conception of what it should look like. I will open myself to these classes with one condition: Whatever is true should enter my life and take root. Whatever is false should pass through and leave no impression. I trust that it will be so. I embrace truth and deflect falsehood.

Recite this (or something like it) with sincere intention before you read each lesson. Your learning will surely deepen. It is freely adapted from an informal Jewish prayer said before studying Torah. Of course in its original form, the prayer is addressed to the Divine Source of all knowledge. This requires preliminary discussion.

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