I've been studying Kabbalah for about a year. The New York Kabbalah Center is at 48th and 3rd, right across the street from Grey, where I worked. They have a banner in front for free intros on Monday and Thursday nights. It always looked so pretty inside (candles, flowers, books, etc.), I decided to drop in for a free lecture to see what it was all about.

When I got off the elevator to the third floor, I worked my way to the front of the room. I was surprised to find my old friend Cephora sitting at one of the tables. I always liked Cephora. She's a fast-talking French woman who has big dreams and total conviction to realize them. We met a few years back when we were introduction leaders at Landmark. We didn't keep in touch, but seeing each other that night, we agreed there are no coincidences and we both signed up for "Power of Kabbalah 1". It's a 10-week course to introduce a 4,000 year old wisdom. The course was very simple, but very smart.

In a nutshell: The source of chaos in the world is caused by "the desire to receive for self alone". If you want to help make the world a better place, start with yourself. Learn to restrict your ego nature (wanting only for me) and become a being of sharing.

During one of our Kabbalah classes, the teacher lectured on tithing. I've heard this lecture a million times before in my church-going days as a kid. They taught us to “tithe” that is, give 10% of our income to the needy or the church -- and then they'd pass around the collection basket. It felt like a scam. I couldn't believe the Bible actually said "10%". What's the point of that?

Well, I finally got an answer that makes some sense to me. In Kabbalah, they explained that you give away 10% to "protect" the other 90%. It's based on the fundamental laws of energy....and the dynamic between providing and receiving. I love that.

And then I did the math.

Sure, I give. But I don't give 10%. It feels like too damn much.

So here I am, a big believer in a reciprocal Universe -- what you throw comes back to you, oftentimes bigger. But I'm not whipping the boomerang.

That's part of my motivation to raise $25,ooo for charity. Not because I think I'll make a quarter of a million dollars salary if I do (even though I realize that could be an outcome). I'm doing it for three reasons:

1. To make a real difference
2. To test my faith in the boomerang effect (operate from a place of abundance vs. scarcity)
3. To elevate my own consciouness -- become a being of sharing

I believe my heart will grow a lot after I do this. But this is where my consciousness is today.

I searched long and hard for the right charity. I really wanted to do something to make a difference with kids. To help them defeat victim consciousness and see possibilty in the glimmest of circumstance. I wanted the neediest of the needy. All the while, right under my nose in a pamphet at the Kabbalah Center, was this effort in Sub-Saharan Africa to help orphans and people struggling to live in conditions of extreme poverty. The project is called, Raising Malawi.

www.raisingmalawi.org