Power Up! – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, we dive deep into the concept of free will and explore how understanding it can significantly enhance our ability to empathize with ourselves and those around us. Join us as we unravel the complexities of free will, its impact on human behavior, and how this knowledge can transform our interactions and self-perception.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Defining Free Will:

- What is free will, and why is it such a crucial concept to understand?

- How much control do we really have over our actions?

3. Empathy and Free Will:

- How understanding free will can lead to greater self-compassion.

- The role of free will in understanding others’ actions and intentions.

5. Common Misconceptions:

- Debunking myths about free will and responsibility.

- Real-life examples and case studies illustrating the impact of understanding free will on empathy.

- Send us your thoughts and questions at gilaross@gmail.com

- Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave a review if you enjoyed this episode!

- Check out my book, Living Beautifully for more insights to bring joy, meaning and love into your life based on the timeless wisdom of Pirkei Avot - gilaross.com/book

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Thank you for tuning in! We hope this episode helps you navigate the fascinating interplay between free will and empathy, enriching your interactions and self-understanding.

Does it matter what you think of other people? Who cares what's going on in your head? In this episode we look at 3 important reasons why it makes a huge difference what we think about other people.

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For more insights on how to bring meaning, joy and love into your life based on the timeless wisdom of Pirkei Avot, check out my book Living Beautifully - gilaross.com/book

I was talking to a friend the other day about when life just feels hard and progress is slow, minimal or seemingly non-existent... interestingly enough there are deep roots for why it has to be this way -- and rhe first time we see this is in the strange way the pesach story happened. Listen for this important idea that has the potential to change how you view life's ups and downs. -- For more insights into how to bring meaning, joy and love into your life based on the timeless wisdom of Pirkei Avot - check out my new book, Living Beautifully - https://amzn.to/4aCoYgq

Jordana Bachurov from drinkitin launches the clean speech challenge with an inspiring story of snakes, car seats and challenges us to upgrade our morning cup of coffee/tea/water with deciding who you will say something positive to. Join the challenge for a chance to win one of 3 prizes! Email gilaross@gmail.com for details!

Question 1) Putting spices into a pot that's on the flame? Ok? Question 2) Putting milk and sugar into a hot coffee? Ok? Question 3) Making a cup of tea on shabbos how to do? There are a number of different categories of how heat can be used to heat uncooked liquids and foods. 1) 1st vessel 2) 2nd vessel  3) 3rd vessel For our purposes please note that we are going to use halachik rather than scientific principles. Ultimately we are saying that the first vessel can cause cooking when its really hot, whereas the second vessel can't, even when it's hotter.. So, it must be dependent on more than simply how hot a vessel is but other factors too, including how the "walls" of the vessels are regarded in terms of "cooling" things off. 1) First vessel - the container into which a food or liquid was cooked or heated. This can be on the flame itself, eg a pot of soup boiling on the fire where its absolutely forbidden to put any uncooked food or liquids into it, eg one can't put salt into a pot that's on the flame on shabbos. Or it could even be a hot pot that's been removed from the flame. You also can't put a baked item into a first vessel, eg croutons into a hot pot of soup.  So, what can be put into a first vessel? Any solid food that is completely cooked may be placed into it once its been removed from the fire, eg a piece of cold cooked chicken could be put into a pot of hot soup. 2) second vessel - it has a lower heat than a first vessel. Its any container into which hot food or liquid from a first vessel is directly poured, eg a cup of hot water filled directly from the hot water urn. The rule is, anything that's deemed "sensitive" to heat can cook even in a second vessel.  As its uncertain exactly what this includes the only items to put into a second vessel are things already cooked like warming a bottle of milk as the milk is pasteurised or to add cold milk or sugar to a coffee. Additionally water, oil, ginger, cinnamon, salt, pepper. 3) Third vessel - it's a different level of heat than a second vessel. We can rely on saying that a third vessel does not cause any cooking, no matter how hot it is. So, use a 3rd vessel anytime you prepare hot drinks or food. So, make your tea or coffee this way.

What kind of person do you have to be to Pray? Why would you pray anyway and what is acceptable to Pray for?

Question 1) What are the concerns of driving on Shabbos? Question 2) What about pouring hot water from a kettle on a kiddush cup to melt away droplets of wax? Question 3) Any difference between cooking a liquid and a solid? Like drops of water vs piece of chicken. Question 4) What can be re warmed on shabbos? Cooking is the causing of a change in the properties of a food or substance by use of heat. This not only includes a raw food until it becomes edible, through cooking, baking, frying or roasting, but also in non foods too like heating wax until it melts or causing metal to become red hot. In terms of a car there are a number of reasons it's an issue: 1) Melacha of "mavier" which we will do in a later session. Combustion is the issue here. Crazily this melacha occurs thousands of times per minute 🙈. Nothing else like this. 2) This melacha of cooking, due to engine lubricants such as engine oil which are cooked halachically. Similarly the cooling system causes the engine coolant such as the anti freeze to become very hot. Liquids are more strict than solids in a regard. With solids it is considered cooked once there is a significant physical charge.  By liquids they don't need any significant change but rather it's the state of warmth itself which is the point at which cooking has taken place. There is a similarity between liquids and solids in that it's only an issue once a substantial degree of heat has effected the food, this is the point at which ones hand would draw back from touching something due to its heat. So, room temperature wouldn't make you accountable for this melacha, eg if ice cream melted (granted you would have another issue of creation). The temperature of the hand drawing back is somewhere between 40 and 71° celcius/ 104 and 160° degrees Fahrenheit. Another aspect of cooking liquids is accelerating the process. These methods include: 1) Changing the position of the pot so it's closer to the fire. 2) Reducing the volume of what's in the pot cooking, as that causes what's remaining to cook faster. 3) Stiring the food in the pot on the fire.  4) Covering a pot with a lid whilst it's on the flame. 5) Closing an oven door if the food isn't completely cooked. Reheating foods: The only way to do this is with a 1)fully cooked dry food, 2) in an indirect way such as on a hot plate, and 3) in the same way it was cooked the first time!, eg if baked can only be re warmed dry if if cooked can only be re re warmed through liquid, like putting cold noodles into a bowl of hot chicken soup.

Whats the point in counting the days of the Omer? And perhaps more importantly why do we need to know? Listen for a fascinating insight into why we lose motivation

Have you ever been bothered by something someone else has said and wondered whether it's worth having a discussion about it? An interesting insight into why it may be and how that conversation may go down. And also how we teach our kids to be powerful communicators.

Are we experiencing a renewed interest in Judaism nowadays? And if so, why would this be? And what does it mean for us in our lives?