Greg Voisen
Well, welcome back to Inside Personal Growth. And thanks for joining us for another podcast. I think, Sherri, we're getting close to 1100 podcast and 17 years. So that's joining us from the other side of the world where there is a little bit of unrest going on. Actually, you're in Jerusalem. So, I would assume that the whole country is being affected. But Sherri Mandell is joining us to speak about her book, The Kabbalah of Writing: Mystical Practices for Inspiration and Creativity. Good afternoon to you, Sherri, how are you?

Sherri Mandell
You know, times are tough. My granddaughter had a siren in her nursery school, and they just hired an armed guard to sit outside of the nursery school. So and we're at war, the, even from Yemen. Now they're shooting missiles at us. So not an easy time.

Greg Voisen
No, no, I wouldn't think so. And I would think this would be a time kind of segwaying into writing. This is an opportunity for people to reflect right? You take the time to look deep inside themselves and heal. So much healing needs to go on and I'm going to let my listeners know a little bit about you. Sharon Mendell won a National Jewish Book Award in 2004. For her spiritual memoir, The blessing of a broken heart. It's translated into three languages. The book was adapted into a stage play, her book The road to resilience from chaos to celebration, boy does that fit today details the spiritual stages of resilience. She's also the author of writers of the Holocaust. And written for numerous magazines and journals, including USA Today, The Times of Israel, and hasard magazine and Jerusalem Post, she received moment magazine prize of best short fiction in 2009. And as Simon rock Bauer prize for the personal essay in 2011, she and her husband direct the Kobe Mandel Foundation, which you can find it Kobe Koby, M A N D owl dot o RG, in Israel with runs groups and camps, for bereaved families and children. She is also a certified pastoral counselor and run support groups for bereaved women. She lectures around the world on grief and resilience. She also teaches creative writing, and Jerusalem, and you can join her mailing list, she was mentioning to me because of the times now, in Israel, she didn't specifically set a date for a class. But if you had joined Sherri's mailing list at her website, there, she can get your information, because we're going to be speaking about how she can help you heal during your writing and also write something of significance today. So Sherri, thank you for being with us in these challenging times. If you would speak with the listeners about the journey and the studies of the Kabbalah, which right in the middle of that is the tree of life, which leads you to writing this book. You know, we look at the different spiritual practices, you know, Eastern philosophy says chakra has, you look at the you look at the tree of life. And it's got similarities in some respect. And I think we're all looking to have that higher connection with the power of one. And so speak with us about that, because you've been through your own challenges with losing us on setting up this foundation, writing all these wonderful books. And I think it's good for our listeners just to kind of know your own little journey a bit.

Sherri Mandell
Okay, so I grew up in New York, and I went to college, I got a master's in creative writing. And then I traveled and I ended up in Israel. And I was Jewish, but I knew nothing about Judaism. And I started learning the Bible. And then I learned a little Kaaba law. And Kabbalah actually means to receive, like a bell is the verb for to receive. So it's received wisdom. And it's very difficult learning, like you could never burn all of it. So what I've done is really simplified it because the spear wrote, The Spirit means channels. And there are 10 channels that God uses or the divine uses move divine energy to the world. But those spheres though channels also exist within every human being. So we can think of it as the divine architecture. And it's kind of a scheme. Well, maybe I don't like that word scheme, but a kind of diagram, for underneath understanding ourselves, as well as understanding how God sends this light to the world. And the word Skira. In Hebrew, Hebrew words have roots that are associated with other words, so the word spirit is related to the word safe there, which means book or story. And we believe that the world is God's story. And we each have our own story. And what I'm trying to do in this book, and it's to help people tell their stories and to appreciate their stories, and to record them, write them, because if people, I feel like writing is such a tool for healing, and when people write their stories, then they have a new way of understanding themselves, and they can take the experiences of their lives. But when you look at it through writing, then you have a retrospective intelligence, and you can actually change your story by writing about it. I

Greg Voisen
was so much so and I couldn't agree with you more, because the process of writing is very cathartic. No matter what kind of writing it is, and you'll find most people will find and I know I did, when I wrote my books, that you get into a flow. And you look at the flow as this Oh, much connection with a greater higher power kind of flows through you. You know, I mean, you can make that happen, you don't make it happen, you allow it to happen, probably use the wrong words. And you state that writing is a means of appreciating the world allowing us to pay attention and concentrate so that we can notice and record the unique, sometimes fleeting truths, that the divine sins to each of us our stories. And that's what I was just saying it is being sent. Can you speak with us about the first separate, which is about Will, inspiration, comprehension as it relates to writing?

Sherri Mandell
Well, the first fear is well, which it's in Hebrew, it's kept there, which means round so that fear of will, the conduit of will, is our is really our desire to say something. But lots of times people think that well is willpower, and willpower, it's like being on a diet, if you are only using willpower, at least for me, if I'm only using willpower, it won't work. Because I can't be constricted like that. But Will is also love. So if you think of it as that writing is a way actually of loving the world. So and also of helping other people. That's the heart of this, that I want to stress. This writing for ourselves, of course, is very healing. But then when other people are healed to write, it amps it up another level. And it's really a way of spreading light in the world

Greg Voisen
was speak with us about that around desire, you know, the desire to write what drives us you spoke about well in the book that way, and I think that it is important, because if if there is a budding writer out there, somebody that hasn't written before, let's say we're speaking to a neophyte when I say they haven't written they haven't written a book, they haven't written anything of much length. What advice do you have about finding that desire and the will because what I found was when I went to a certain mod, and put music on, and I kind of had a schedule every Saturday for three hours. I said, Okay, I'm going to sit for three hours. And no matter what happens if nothing comes up, then it doesn't come up. But if it comes up, I write, interestingly enough, it always came up. But when I, but here's the point, the discipline of setting that time, every Saturday was my will and desire to get something completed. So no matter what happened. So I think this is a really important element, this connection between our will and our desire.

Sherri Mandell
Right. But, I mean, you were very disciplined. And a lot of people don't have that discipline. So I would suggest that people just sit down for 10 minutes, I teach classes, and I have people write for 10 minutes, and they come out with amazing things. So and then once you start, it's like writing builds its own momentum. So once you start with 10 minutes, then you're free to walk away. But look, probably want to stay, because you may have something that you then want to work on, but not to make writing into a chore. You know, that it's really, I mean, sometimes it is, of course, right? It's its own delay. And so if you can just give yourself a few minutes, I mean, like, what I do is, I usually have to have a cup of coffee with me. And then I have projects. So there are projects I'm working on, that I want to return to. But if a person doesn't have a project, they can just start writing free writing. And when they get stuck to write, I don't know what to write, I don't know what to write, I don't know what to write, and then just see what happens because something will happen. And I agree with you, Greg, about this inner voice that's greater than ourselves. And I experienced that when I was a child. Because when I would write, I would use a vote, I would use a bolus that wasn't the voice I used in everyday in the everyday world. And it was a voice that was wiser than me, and more knowing. So I think everybody has that desire to tap into that voice, but also, to tap into language. Because we use language, the thing, and the more that we cultivate our language, the better thinkers we can become. And also that means that we're reading with a different eye, and we're more concerned with creating a conversation with the world you're writing, and that the world can inspire you. Because, like, for example, I also write children's books. So I'm always looking for stories everywhere. And, you know, if you're not writing stories, just meditations to meditate on, like, we have a turtle in our yard, to just look at that turtle, you know, and to count the boxes on his shell. And, you know, thinking that I'll write about something makes me more alert and aware, and more grateful to the world because I'm seeing it unmasked more, you know, I don't have all my preoccupations about like rushing somewhere or, you know, cooking some food or go into work like, this allows you to be what

Greg Voisen
is yeah, it's, it's like the world provides signs and symbols, if you're aware, whether you're using mindfulness or meditation, or contemplation to get there, the signs and symbols are there, the turtle, the stop sign, the bombing in your country, you know, there's, there's so many things that you can choose, and then choose to write about, right? So you state that in the Safar there, and pardon me, if I'm pronouncing it wrong, you state, there's a quality that opposes it. Doubt blocks will, and desire. And that can prevent us from defining and expressing our will in the world. Doubt is a really big one for people, right? How do you help student writers overcome their doubts and fears about expressing themselves? Because that is, oh, I'm not that's the old ego thing coming up saying I'm not good enough. I can't do this. You know, we know we all know about the right and the left brain we know about how the subconscious is there. We know about ego I think most of my listeners do anyway. But no matter what, it's it's challenging, to kind of want to say coexist with this sometimes. Yeah, well, or suppress it or suppress it.

Sherri Mandell
Yeah, I would say don't suppress it, invite it, because you can use it. You can write about that. Write about how you don't feel I'm qualified to, to tell your own story or why you don't feel your own competence. Or you can write to your own doubt, you know, write a letter to your doubt, dear doubt, and like that could be great, you could find amazing life in there. I really believe that, you know, also, just knowing that everybody has. And that in a way, for me, letting doubt prevent you from acting in the world is kind of a luxury.

Greg Voisen
You know? Yeah. Yeah.

Sherri Mandell
Life is too short for you, for people to be so concerned with what other people are going to think.

Greg Voisen
Because so true that I mean, look, if you look at your books, I was looking here at the Upside Down boy, the Israel Prime Minister. And you know, I think you're somebody when you look at these various books you've written, you've been very expressive, either through the trilogy, the children's books, or the road to resilience. It's very clear that you're good at that. But you wrote in there, on this part about inspiration, you mentioned just a second ago, that it's sourced from the Divine, that is a gift of being alert to the world, I got that. divinity may be hidden anywhere you state. And I would agree with that. But you had a writing exercise around observing and appreciating? Can you speak with the listeners about inspiring our curiosity? Or hook? My I guess it's how you say it, the power of what? You know, because I think that is key when you look at the word what? Right.

Sherri Mandell
Yeah, you know, I also I used to teach freshman composition, and, you know, in college, and we, we had a structure for rhetoric. And the first part of that structure is, what is it? Yeah, what is phenomenon? Or what is it I'm looking at, to really be present with it, and be able to describe it and experience it before saying, why does this exist? or evaluating it? Like, is this good or bad? And I think a lot of us start with the evaluation, why something is good or bad, before we're actually present with, you know, an object or an experience. So that the curiosity is allowing something to open itself to you really, and to start seeing, and, and thinking and also researching. That's the other great part about writing is that you can do research and find out what other people have said about things and what other people have thought. Then your, your curiosity leads you toward this conversation with people from the past or understanding like even biology or chemistry, or I wrote a short story that somebody who was a nuclear physicist, and it just so happened, after I started that story, I gave somebody who was hitchhiking a ride. And it turns out, she was a physicist. And so she helped me figure out this story was about somebody who was trying to discover new elements in the periodic table. And so just at that moment, I met I had a physicist physicist in my car to kind of unlock these mysteries, but wouldn't have been so curious if I wasn't working on something. So and like you said, these sorts of signs and symbols, like God sends you these people and experiences that, you know, sometimes they're really not wanted like that. Sometimes they are some, you know, wanted and, and can teach you. That's the other thing about writing, you can learn a lot.

Greg Voisen
Yeah, and obviously, my heart goes out to you and everybody in Israel for the challenges that you guys are facing right now. And I think that as a result of this, like I said, at the top of the show, you know, writing can be extremely healing and you know, you as you follow the tree of life, you come to being our what you call comprehension, and this is the step beyond inspiration that allows you to develop your idea, you know, I'm out there, you just said what, okay, now I need to, I'm looking deeply at what, now what I have to do is develop this idea after I've determined what what is, you know? If you would, it can you, you you mentioned being is related to the Hebrew work of Bo, Bo H, eh.

Sherri Mandell
But no Bo n e bhanjyang eo, Vinay,

Greg Voisen
which means to build? So can you speak with the listeners about some of the techniques of reflection that foster this insight? In other words, we're at a point now where, okay, we're gone to comprehension, we're at Bonn, and we're beyond in the inspiration state and the ideation state because I wrote a book called hacking the gap, a journey from inspiration, from intuition to inspiration and beyond. And, and I think that when you look at how people create, and they get in touch with this higher source, you have to find ways to create find this insight spiritually, because this whole thing is more of a spiritual use a mystical practices for inspiration and creativity, very much mystical practices here. And very spiritual at the same time, right? I wouldn't call this religious, I would call it spiritual. Right?

Sherri Mandell
Yeah, it's definitely not religious, if I think it's more literary actually. But practices for building an essay, one thing that works really well is repetition. I gave my students this assignment like two weeks ago, start with the words when I think of when I think of just keep using those words over and over in the essay. And the repetition gives coherence to the essay. And it also means that it's like a refrain in music, you'll end up somewhere, if, than where you started. So repetition, just like it's used, music is really effective in writing, because writing is a kind of use and questioning, just keep asking questions, and to understand eventually, that every piece of writing is really a question. And the more you more you can formulate that question for yourself, the more coherent the essay will be effects in the later stages.

Greg Voisen
And I'd say that it would apply to both nonfiction and fiction. I think people maybe think, well, nonfiction. No, but I think as much in nonfiction as in fiction, it's always the next question. No matter what you're writing, it's like me with this podcast, people say, Well, you, you, you're good at asking questions. Right? Well, I've been doing it now for 17 years. And it comes natural, because what you find is it, it just follows on, it's almost like you're building a story when you do a podcast, okay? People don't really realize that. But you are, you're building a story about the book about the person about what people want to pull out of this podcast. And what they'll take away, and it becomes an arch. So it's like you're painting on a canvas, and you can actually see the strokes and what's going up? I think that's true with writing, too. Would you agree?

Sherri Mandell
Yeah, I love the way you describe that. I think that the world is a question. Right? Existence is a quest. Yeah. Yeah. That our whole lives are a question and a kind of mystery. So the more you attach to that kind of questioning, I think the more truth that you can reveal in the world. So every if, you know, I think nonfiction, even more has questions, because you have to entrust yourself to when you're writing,

Greg Voisen
like, we have to be careful. You have to be curious, right? I mean, that's the number one and I think people that are curious, become really good writers. Because they're curious about the world. They're asking questions all the time. They're trying to define their place in this world. And, you know, you speak about kindness, also referred to as Ha said, I guess, is that right? I pronounced it right, say it. Asad has said, You state that when we write as it enhances our generosity of expression, so we don't hold back anything. I'd say that's true, the more generous and kind you are. You're giving right how do you advise writing students about using kindness so that they're not? You know, they're you also, and I wanted you to speak about free writing. And as it relates to this as well, it says, miserly with our words or our experiences. You know, it's like giving, I want to just give it all to you. I want you to have it all, you know, it's like, okay, but a lot of times, I found when I was writing, and I don't know if this is the kind of writing teacher you are. But this is what I heard. The, and I followed this man's advice, right? But don't go back and correct it right away. Don't go back and edit it. Don't go back and do anything with it just right. Right. And that was some of the best advice that I've gotten from a writing coach was cuz most people want to write and then they want to correct it right away, and they start putting into words. And then they're correcting the words, and then they're taking words out, and they're doing this and they're doing that. And he said, No, do not do that. I don't know what you think. But I, it was great advice for me.

Sherri Mandell
Oh, that's so true. Because especially in a longer piece, you just have to get things out. And like, I'm also working on a novel. And so like, I think half the novel, now I had to cut. So if it weren't, that I was working on every sentence, it would just be a big waste. But sometimes, you you know, even with shorter essays, we call it like clearing your throat, you have to write to get into what you want to say. So later, you can get rid of stuff. But that generosity is just allowing yourself to express yourself and keep going. Because that's another part of writing is that kind of endurance, the ability to keep working at something and giving yourself that kind of love that you that you deserve to work on this project. Because when you're working on the project, you're also working on yourself.

Greg Voisen
It's so true. And, you know, again, I'm going to ask you to help me pronounce some of these words. But you have this chapter on boundaries, which in the Kabbalah is, say it for me, the boundary line, the flora Guevara. So this is about our judgment, discern discernment and discretion. You stated that this is about giving what the other can receive Duska, Bora? And how sad are always in relationship? How can we utilize these mystical practices to inspire inspire writing? So I get I get this whole part about the relationship between judgment certainement discretion, and then this whole issue about giving? Right? So because it's like, okay, they really aren't in conflict. But how do you teach these practices to help me inspire my own writing?

Sherri Mandell
Yeah, you know, that's a really important point that they're not really in conflict, because actually, every sphere contains every other sphere. So there's also like a kindness in Guevara, right, and the kindness in limits, because like, if you don't set any limits for your children, you're not really being kind to them. So the idea of Guevara and infested of cat, it's a sort of opening, and then a closing. And the the point is to say something or write something that your audience can receive. So I think that the meeting their meeting place in writing is thinking about audience, because I think

Greg Voisen
you you mentioned that this way. In the same chapter, you said that harmony is not a stopping point, but rather an ongoing recalibration of the balance between kindness and limits, abundance and boundaries. Now think about that audience for a second. It takes a second to take that in. Right that is a recalibration of the balance between kindness and limits. Abundance and boundaries. They both seem very at the opposite ends, right? Kind of opposing one is here and one seems to be out The way over here, speak with us about how you help the writers find the appropriate balance in their writing and expression. Well, I

Sherri Mandell
think that balance is also a conflict. So there's a kind of by recalibration, I mean, there's an ongoing conflict, like right now, I'm working on something. And I'm going back to a draft. So I'm trying to heighten the draft by finding the right words, and understanding where I need to develop more. So I'm always looking for that point where, you know, I would say developing more is giving more. And finding the the best word in a way is like limitation, you know, like trying to use language in the strongest way I can. So when you bring those together, I think it's the kind of power and harmony isn't perfection, you know, people think things sometimes should be perfect before they send them out to the world. piece of art. And for most people, I don't think we ever reached that point of perfection. But we reached a point where we say, you know, it's ready to go out, or I can't look at this new one.

Greg Voisen
This morning, isn't it? Isn't it? I've heard this at the point between our reality and our potential. Okay, so think about it for a minute. Because we live in this reality and your say, well, perfection. Perfection is a word that in, in depending on our reality, it can always be better. Always. So that's potential. That's where we want to go, no matter what it is, we can keep shining the stone and making it prettier and prettier and prettier. At what point do you stop, like, continuing to shine the stone right? Or grind the stone down? Or the diamond or whatever it might be? The reality is, is that it doesn't matter what it is, it can always be better. I think, yeah, go ahead. No, I'm done. I

Sherri Mandell
think it goes back to where we started, where people are insecure about saying something, and that the knee jerk. And the letting go is just saying, you know, I can handle what other people think. Because you're not gonna take it that long. And one thing my mother taught me is that most people are not paying that much attention to you, or

Greg Voisen
your mother's right?

Sherri Mandell
Because she's really gonna care. So you do something that's a failure, you'll learn from it, you know, so, let it go. Let it go. And then you go on to the next thing, but like, nothing is wasted.

Greg Voisen
Right. I you, as you said, that reminded me of my little Jewish mother, who is about four foot four. And she always had these like expressions, you know? And she would say, and this doesn't relate to this interview at all, or maybe it does, because it's, she said, It's not how much you earn. It's what you save up what you earn. And I gotta remember that, that was just, that was us. That was my mother. That was her kind of one of her mottos. It's not how much you earn is what you save, which we're in the story, there is really this. My mother led a very challenging life. I should really write a book about my mom's life. My dad died very early, she then remarried. She was trying to find something to do. But the point of this story is this. That never in her life, did she probably earn more than $40,000 when she passed away at 93, now this that statement that I just made, will now come into, she left two houses to her three, four sons, that were valued in excess of like $3 million, and she left a $1.7 million in cash, and she'd never earned more than $40,000 life. So it just goes to show you that little statement is truly an important one. And with that story, because I think I should write her story. You've inspired me this morning. Good talking about mothers. i Your book It's filled with great thought provoking questions, exercises spiritual inspiration. Every chapter has more questions at the end, which is great. We were talking about questions anyway. But for anyone wanting to express themselves through a story, or writing, what are the three main points that you'd like the listeners to take away, or you want to leave our listeners with today about and I'm going to hold the book up for our listeners because we're going to put a link to Amazon, the cabal of writing mystical practices for inspiration and creativity. Again, we've been on with others Sherri Mendell, go to her website at Kobe Mandell cobymandell.com or.org. And sign up for Sherri's mailing lists there. So Sherri, on that last question, what do you want to leave our listeners with?

Sherri Mandell
Yeah, so God created the world with words. And we create our own word worlds with words. And words can be used to heal, and words can be used to heal other people. So it's really important to tell our stories and to pass them to others and pass them to our children and our grandchildren. Because often our stories are wisdom. Sometimes they're breakdowns, sometimes they're about breakthroughs. But if you don't share them, then I mean, if you do share them, then that story will live on.

Greg Voisen
Well, that is strong wisdom and advice from somebody who's written a lot of books, who has her degree in writing, who can advise anybody out there, who's maybe stuck right now, or having second thoughts or challenged by the whole thing of writing. Having a coach, like Sherri would really be something you should consider. So I want to encourage you to reach out to her, you can get to her through her mailing list at her website. You can also get her personal email address from that website, which that will get to her but so that if you had questions you could get to her. You can also donate to her charity through her website. Because Coby is her son passed away, but you can learn more about all the work that she's doing with bereaved mothers. And just you are I can tell just a very generous soul. And it's a great thing that you're doing. So I wanted to thank you for being on insight, personal growth, for sharing your wisdom about writing, especially about utilizing the Kabbalah, which is Jewish mysticism to do that with, and I think many of my listeners out there we go way back we've had several actual podcasts about the Kabbalah before so now or at us, you say it a little bit differently than I do. I think here in the United States, we say Kabbalah, you might say if Kabbalah but at least we got the point. So Sherri, thanks so much for being on Inside Personal Growth.

Sherri Mandell
Thank you. I really enjoyed speaking with you