When Rabbi Laibl Wolf told his audience, "Judaism teaches that you are never allowed to express anger," some people gasped, others grumbled and whispers consumed the crowd.
This negative reaction gave way to laughter as Wolf stated, "Whenever I say that, my audience becomes angry."
Wolf is the author of Practical Kabbalah: A Guide to Jewish Wisdom for Everyday Life and is an expert on anger management.
As Wolf described it, Kabbalah is an understanding about life and the world that comes from the highest level of comprehension of the Torah.
The more Wolf interacted with the crowd, the more his speech turned into a discussion with the approximately 50 students and professionals at the Penn Bookstore.
He outlined ways that every person can achieve emotional balance and inner peace through an understanding of the Kabbalah.
Wolf provided direct insights about anger, the egotistical focus that causes it and how unnecessary it is in life.
He also advocated focusing on life as it is, rather than what it was or what it will be.
"Some people live in fast-forward," Wolf said, explaining that they simply want to hurry to accomplish their next goal or achievement.
"Others want to constantly rewind," he continued, explaining that these people perpetually dwell on the past.
Wolf added that both groups of people refuse to live in the moment and in doing so, miss the beauty of life.
Wolf's speech affected a number of those in the crowd. Local resident David Morgenstern said Wolf "provided me with another option to approaching distressing events in life, including those involving myself."
Students echoed Morgenstern's sentiments.
"He gave me a new perspective on looking at issues that come up in everyday life," Wharton freshman Andy Kaplan said.
While Wolf did not give the audience a complete guide to changing their lives, he did give them the hope that they could eventually do so.
Rabbi Levi Haskelevich, the associate director of Lubavitch House at Penn, worked with Connaissance of the Social Planning and Events Committee and the Penn Bookstore to bring Wolf to Penn. "We brought him with the hope that he would demonstrate that people can change their lives simply by using truths from their own backyard," Haskelevich said.
