R’ Joey Rosenfeld • 9 Ep • 8 hr 39 min
Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld takes us on a journey exploring the inner dimensions of addiction and reflects on the therapeutic potency of Chassidus and Kabbalah.
1. Introduction | The Inner World of Addiction
R’ Joey Rosenfeld • Feb 4, 2019 • 59:20
In this opening shiur, Reb Joey introduces addiction not only as a clinical or behavioral condition, but as a deeply human and spiritual experience. Drawing on Chassidus, Kabbalah, and psychology, and his work in the field, he reframes addiction as the universal impulse to escape the pain of being human and hints at how its very darkness can become a site of transformation.
2. Souls of Chaos | The Inner World of Addiction
R’ Joey Rosenfeld • Feb 11, 2021 • 55:14
Reb Joey Rosenfeld explores “souls of chaos” - the personalities drawn to the darker, more overwhelming corners of life. Using Kabbalah, Chassidus, psychology, and clinical insight, he reframes the addicted spirit not as low or defective, but as a soul yearning for more light than the world can bear.
3. Brokenhearted | The Inner World of Addiction
R’ Joey Rosenfeld • Feb 25, 2019 • 54:17
Reb Joey explores the spiritual psychology of the the broken heart, and how the very sensitivity and sorrow that often drive a person toward addiction can also become the root of their healing. What first appears as despair can become the opening to recovery, hope, and the deepest form of wholeness.
4. The Fullness of Lack | The Inner World of Addiction
R’ Joey Rosenfeld • Apr 5, 2021 • 54:17
Reb Joey explores the restless craving and dissatisfaction that lies at the core of the addicted soul and, in truth, at the core of every human soul. Drawing from the Arizal, Rebbe Nachman, the Baal HaTanya, Lacanian desire, and the 12-step tradition, he shows that this sense of incompleteness is not a flaw to be eliminated but the very engine of our humanity and our spirituality.
5. Satisfaction in Desire | The Inner World of Addiction
R’ Joey Rosenfeld • Mar 11, 2019 • 56:46
Rabbi Joey explores the paradox at the heart of the addicted soul: that the craving, yearning, and restless desire we try so hard to escape is itself the deepest point of our spirit. Drawing from Chassidic masters and psychoanalytic thought, he shows that recovery comes when we stop trying to extinguish desire and instead learn how to find a taste of satisfaction within the desire itself.
6. The Pleasure of Self-Overcoming | The Inner World of Addiction
R’ Joey Rosenfeld • Mar 18, 2019 • 54:22
Reb Joey reframes recovery not as a life of deprivation but as a profound encounter with the deepest part of the self. He shows how the strength to refrain, to set limits, and to overcome impulse is not a negation of life but the highest expression of human dignity, volition, and inner pleasure.
7. One Moment at a Time | The Inner World of Addiction
R’ Joey Rosenfeld • Mar 25, 2029 • 56:45
Reb Joey explores the addicted person’s unique and painful relationship with time, and how addiction collapses the self into an overwhelming, anxious present while cutting off the past and future. He shows how this very stuckness contains the seed of redemption: the discovery that spiritual life and recovery unfold one moment at a time, where the present becomes a narrow gate through which renewal can enter.
8. Irreducible Hope | The Inner World of Addiction
R’ Joey Rosenfeld • Apr 8, 2019 • 58:17
Reb Joey explores the paradox of hopelessness and irreducible hop, and how the same despair that fuels addiction can become the ground of genuine recovery. Drawing on Rebbe Nachman, the Rebbe Rashab, and the first step of AA, he shows how embracing uncertainty and facing despair can uncover a deeper, indestructible point of hope within the soul.
9. The Possibility of Joy | The Inner World of Addiction
R’ Joey Rosenfeld • Apr 15, 2019 • 54:20
In the final shiur of the series, Joey explores how true joy becomes possible not despite the darkness, sensitivity, and brokenness that define the addicted soul, but because of them. When a person relinquishes control, accepts limitations, and learns to live life on life’s terms, a new kind of authentic joy emerges.
The Complete Inner World Collection
Explore audio and video of all of Rabbi Joey Rosenfelds Inner World shiurim series.
The Inner World of Addiction
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The Inner World of Anxiety
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The Inner World of Calmness
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The Inner World of Recovering
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The Inner World of Redemption
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The Inner World of Trauma
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