According to the Kabbalistic text Sefer Yetzirah, every month of the Jewish calendar is associated with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, a sense (one of the five senses or an emotion), a controlling limb of the body, a zodiac sign and one of the twelve tribes of Israel. These associations give us important clues as to how to live in tune with the spiritual energies of each month, and can help each of us prepare our own personal to-do list for the soul.

Tamuz is the fourth month of the Jewish year and the first month of the summer. During this month, the Children of Israel made the Golden Calf and asked Moses to send spies to scout out the Land of Israel. Both incidents, which reflected a lack of faith in God, ended disastrously for the people.

The form of the letter chet resembles a gateway with two sides and a bridge on top, while its name is closely related to the Hebrew word for "life" - chai.

On both a physical and a spiritual level, our eyes are our gateway to the world. What we see - and how we interpret what we see - has a major impact on how we view the world and our lives.

The modern world encourages us to be passive onlookers. TV shows, movies, magazines and web pages come before our eyes effortlessly - however, while we may be receiving the information passively, these words and images are actively affecting our worldview.

Therefore, Tamuz is a good month to take a look at what our eyes are looking at - and see if we what we see is bringing us to a greater awareness of God -or taking us further away.

The Hebrew word sartan shares the same root as the word seret, which is the word for "film" (a strip of visual images) in modern Hebrew.

Films are basically selective viewing. When a scene is included in a film, it's because the creative team has decided that this scene is necessary to the telling of the story. Any unnecessary plot element - whether it is a word, action or a character - gets left on the cutting room floor. A good film editor is ruthless - only the best take makes it into the final cut. But the result is a smoothly flowing, well-focused film that succeeds in telling its story.

Our Sages tells us that when people pass away, they are forced to see a "film" of their life story. Everything they did and every word they said passes before their eyes. For people who spent their time on earth doing good deeds and learning Torah, watching this film is a pleasurable experience. But for those who wasted their time in idle pleasures or angry outbursts, it is an excruciating experience.

With this teaching in mind, it behooves all of to start learning how to become good filmmakers this month and learn how to edit out the trivial and unproductive elements of our life.

As you go about your day, visualize that you are being followed by a film crew who are making a documentary of your life.

How would this knowledge affect how you speak to your spouse, your children or your co-workers? How would it affect how you dress or what you eat? How would it affect how you pray or how you spend your free time?

The truth is that this is not an idle exercise. You are being filmed - by God, Who is watching over you every day. Are you ready for your close-up?

The name Reuvan comes from the root word "to see," which is also the sense of Tamuz. Since Tamuz is the month when we work on rectifying our eyesight, it helps to know what exactly we should try to see.

According to Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, the main thing is to look for God and to actively seek out examples of His Providence and Wisdom (Likutey Moharan I, 1:1, 13:4) - an activity which is especially pleasant during the summery days of Tamuz.

Treat yourself to a few hours in the park this weekend. Find a comfortable bench to sit on and watch - with your conscious inner eye - the glorious panorama of life unfolding before you.

Observe young children taking their first steps or involved in uninhibited play. Follow the graceful dance of a bird in flight. Feel the wind brush against your cheek and let your body sway in motion to the swaying branches of a leafy tree. Study the intricate construction of your own right hand.

All this - and more - are expressions of God's Wisdom. The more we become accustomed to seeing the world with eyes of wonder, the easier it will be to become aware of God's Presence in our lives.

As you sit on your park bench, become aware that what you are seeing is no accident. On a different day there would have been different people and things to attract your attention. You are at this particular place at this particular time for a reason: God is speaking to you through His Creation. Can you hear Him?

Is there something that God wants you to learn from the children or the animals or the trees? Or has He created this moment so that you can express gratitude to Him for all the beauty He created just for you?

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov taught that the hands can be compared to prayer, for we read in the Torah that Moses raised his hands in supplication during the battle with Amalek (Likutey Moharan I, 7:1). Hands also represent a person's ability to draw blessing into the world, as we see from the verse: "Aaron [the High Priest] raised his hands and blessed the people" (Leviticus 9:22).

The greatest blessing that can be bestowed upon a person, says Rebbe Nachman, is Daat - awareness of God (Likutey Moharan, I, 24:4-5). When we are able to see that all the good that comes to us comes from God - and not because "My power and the might of my hand brought me this wealth" (Deuteronomy, 8:17) - we are seeing our lives clearly and accurately.

Rebbe Nachman advised his followers to ask God for everything - large and small. When we ask God to help us find a better-paying job - or help us find a new pair of shoes quickly and easily - we are fine-tuning our inner vision by always putting God into the picture.

Therefore, before you embark on any new project - whether it be sending out a resume or ironing a shirt for a job interview - ask God to help make your efforts successful. However, because we don't always know what is best for us, always remember to include with your prayers this important caveat: Please make this project successful only if it is according to Your will and according to Your good.