Question

Hi Michi,
I feel a need to share something embarrassing with you—my son is involved in channeling, and so is his wife.
Well, in my many sins, I make use of their abilities for alternative healing—as you’ve known for quite a while.
But here’s the thing—both of them are very generous with compliments toward me, and from time to time they tell me about my great spiritual abilities, and that a great future awaits me. Of course, these things are conveyed to them by their spiritual guides—or angels.
You understand that on the one hand it’s very enjoyable to have people compliment you like that, and it definitely helps one get over the difficulties and frustrations of the present.
I had another interesting episode—a while back, my son told me that he sees that I’m being very successful in implementing my inventions. The funny part was that I was actually rather hurt!
Why?
Because my mind is directed mainly toward issues connected to the meaning of our Jewish identity, and despite all my love for mechanical engineering in its various forms, still, my main focus is on Judaism. So instead of being happy, I was a little bummed out!…
Before I move on to the next topic, I’ll share with you another story about the borderline between the rational and the irrational:
Here’s what happened: in the winter of 1991 I had a strong desire to hike to Nahal Tavor, by myself. This was before a pacemaker was implanted in my body, even though I already needed one.
I parked the car on a dirt road from which a path branches off and descends into the wadi.
I went down, enjoyed the flowers blooming, and then I had to climb back up. And on the ascent I saw that I was done for… Then I remembered that I had read an article about Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. And there it said that “a wondrous remedy is to say: ‘Na-Nach-Nachma-Nachman-Nachman of Breslov.’”
Okay, I said to myself, and I started saying it out loud—and lo and behold, I began climbing much more easily!!!
Wow, I said—now let’s try something else. So for a change I started saying: “A-Ach-Achma-Ahmad-Ahmad Mibarmad!”
And lo and behold—even now I climbed easily!…
In short, if I don’t succeed with my inventions, I’ll be able to refute the whole business of channeling.
But if I do succeed, one can always argue that the psychological encouragement I got from my son [forget about the angels…] was what enabled me to succeed!
Toward the end, a completely different matter:
Have you heard of the philosopher Derek Parfit and his doctrine? Yesterday there was an article about him in Haaretz, and that’s why I’m bringing him up.
According to Parfit, there is no personal identity as we know it; rather, each person has a chain of similar but changing identities that continue one another, without ever consolidating into one whole identity.

Well then—I’m once again patting myself on the back, because I too came up with this idea quite a few years ago, and I think a lot about the significance of this idea with regard to the legal principles of punishment.

So for now, all the best to you, and have a pleasant evening.