30 Tishrei 5769
With my sincerest apologies, it looks like my time constraints are going to prohibit me from continuing to post reliably and regularly on this blog. iyH we will resume again next year, although if the Mashiach comes before then, we probably won't need to - Hatzlacha Raba!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
The Symbolism of a Succah
17 Tishrei 5769
We say in Maariv, "Hashem, spread out your Succah of peace over Bnei Yisrael." Rav Eliyahu Dessler asks in Michtav Me'Eliyahu - what does a succah have to do with peace?
Rav Dessler explains the following: a succah is a temporary dwelling. This temporary dwelling reminds us of a much greater temporary dwelling - namely, our existence in this world. Chazal tell us that this world is merely a corridor to the next; this world is a temporary dwelling for our neshamah. When we sit in the succah, a temporary dwelling, we are reminded that our existence in this world is merely temporary, as well.
Most arguments are built off of material things - money, power, fame. (Very rarely does an argument get started for purely spiritual reasons; and that is l'shem shamayim, something that is praiseworthy). Explains Rav Dessler, if we would be able to internalize this message of the succah, that we're all on this earth for a temporary time period, we wouldn't fight about trifle, physical pleasures. We would realize that these material goals are temporary, as well, and we'd look towards the future, towards the next world, with our pursuits. This would lead to Peace. Nobody would be fighting over money, possessions, or things of the like. So we daven every day: please Hashem, help us internalize the message of the succah. Help us realize that this world is only a corridor. Help us have peace between each and every one of us.
This also answers the question as to why Succos is placed right after Yom Kippur. As you may know, the miracle of Succos - whether it was the Clouds of Glory or actual physical booths that Bnei Yisrael sat in when they left Mitzrayim - that all happened in Nissan, right after Pesach. Why do we celebrate Succos now, in Tishrei? There are many answers, but one of them is this idea - we need a chag like this to steer us through a long winter. There aren't many holidays to remind us of the spiritual highs of the Yamim Noraim. How can we maintain the holiness, the pledges, the way of life that we chose during the Aseres Yimei Teshuva? How can we keep that going through the cold, dark winter? The holiday of Succos is a great way to kick us into that next level - we have more than a week of dwelling in a small hut, to remind us that this world is also a temporary existence. With Hashem's help, this chag we will internalize this message, and we will live this year with a constant remembrance of what this world truly is - a corridor to the next.
Hatzlacha Raba!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Keeping It Going
11 Tishrei, 5769
Okay, so Yom Kippur is over. You had a great davening, your tefillos were answered iyH, you feel great. The question now is: how do you keep that going?
Many of us know what it's like to make a New Year's Resolution. No, not the ones you make on January 1st - the ones you make during עשרת ימי תשובה. You want to daven better. You promised not to say Lashon Hara for ten minutes a day. Maybe you even decided to work out twice a week, to stay in better shape and help you observe the mitzvah of ושמרתם את נפשותיכם. How do you make sure you're not back to your old ways by the end of Succos?
Before we get to that, if you do happen to get back into your old habits, you shouldn't feel bad about it. Human beings are creatures of habit - Rav Yisrael Salanter is famous for saying that it's easier to keep 613 mitzvos than to change one character trait. So don't get down - get back up and try again.
But how do you avoid that first failure? Well, there are no surefire secrets, but here are a few methods that might help you keep that New Year's Resolution for a month or two, until it's ingrained in your being and you don't even have to think about it anymore because you do it so readily:
1) Write it down. Sounds 5th-grader-ish, I know, but it works. When you write down your two or three middos/mitzvos a day, it keeps you focused on it. Mark off whether you were successful or not. That way, you can literally see your progress as you grow.
2) Don't pick too many. Keep it simple - one, two three - but not more. If you finish these, you can move on to other things.
3) Grasp inspiration from somewhere else. The Shofar, the Selichos, the fasting, the tefillos - all these are great reminders of the need to grow and improve our neshamas. During the year, we lack these reminders. Pick out one or two religious items that will spark your neshama and inspire you to grow. A suggestion, if you need - Mezuza. You see one every time you walk into a room, and Rav Eliav Silverman pointed out that the Rambam kinda compares Mezuza and Shofar - by both he has a לשון of עורו שנה משינתכם, wake up from your slumber.
If anyone has any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them - please feel free to post underneath!
Also, if people are interested in this blog running through Hoshana Raba, or throughout the year (that'd probably be once a week), please feel free to post and let me know. Thanks!
הצלחה רבה!
Okay, so Yom Kippur is over. You had a great davening, your tefillos were answered iyH, you feel great. The question now is: how do you keep that going?
Many of us know what it's like to make a New Year's Resolution. No, not the ones you make on January 1st - the ones you make during עשרת ימי תשובה. You want to daven better. You promised not to say Lashon Hara for ten minutes a day. Maybe you even decided to work out twice a week, to stay in better shape and help you observe the mitzvah of ושמרתם את נפשותיכם. How do you make sure you're not back to your old ways by the end of Succos?
Before we get to that, if you do happen to get back into your old habits, you shouldn't feel bad about it. Human beings are creatures of habit - Rav Yisrael Salanter is famous for saying that it's easier to keep 613 mitzvos than to change one character trait. So don't get down - get back up and try again.
But how do you avoid that first failure? Well, there are no surefire secrets, but here are a few methods that might help you keep that New Year's Resolution for a month or two, until it's ingrained in your being and you don't even have to think about it anymore because you do it so readily:
1) Write it down. Sounds 5th-grader-ish, I know, but it works. When you write down your two or three middos/mitzvos a day, it keeps you focused on it. Mark off whether you were successful or not. That way, you can literally see your progress as you grow.
2) Don't pick too many. Keep it simple - one, two three - but not more. If you finish these, you can move on to other things.
3) Grasp inspiration from somewhere else. The Shofar, the Selichos, the fasting, the tefillos - all these are great reminders of the need to grow and improve our neshamas. During the year, we lack these reminders. Pick out one or two religious items that will spark your neshama and inspire you to grow. A suggestion, if you need - Mezuza. You see one every time you walk into a room, and Rav Eliav Silverman pointed out that the Rambam kinda compares Mezuza and Shofar - by both he has a לשון of עורו שנה משינתכם, wake up from your slumber.
If anyone has any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them - please feel free to post underneath!
Also, if people are interested in this blog running through Hoshana Raba, or throughout the year (that'd probably be once a week), please feel free to post and let me know. Thanks!
הצלחה רבה!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
The Mashiach is Still Coming
8 Tishrei 5769
My previous post discussed something very real. We are living in historic times. One only needs to open his/her eyes, to behold the world through Jewish glasses, to understand that there are forces at play here beyond our understanding.
Just this past month saw the near-collapse of the American economy. It is not hard to imagine that if a few more banks go under, the near-collapse will be come a true and definite collapse (the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has already predicted that more banks will fail in 2009). What will happen then? If one looks at history, it's not hard to figure out - most often, the country in question blames the Jews. Most recently, it happened in Germany, where an economic collapse led to the rise of the Nazi regime. It has happened in every country throughout our Galus. And it can happen in America. We often have the illusion of safety in our lives - we have a secure job, a wonderful home, a great life. What could possibly go wrong? The thing is, history has a habit of changing in an instant - an attack on 9/11, a drop of an Atom Bomb, a Six-Day War. Things usually do not take too long to swerve in a totally different direction.
But forget history. Look at the present - look at last week. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is accepted everywhere when he shows up in the US, literally proved my point straight out. The following is taken from Ahmadinejad's speech, to which there has been barely any Jewish response or outcry whatsoever:
"The dignity, integrity and rights of the American and European people are being played with by a small but deceitful number of people called Zionists. Although they are a miniscule minority, they have been dominating an important portion of the financial and monetary centers as well as the political decision-making centers of some European countries and the US in a deceitful, complex and furtive manner. It is deeply disastrous to witness that some presidential or premiere nominees in some big countries have to visit these people, take part in their gatherings, swear their allegiance and commitment to their interests in order to attain financial or media support. This means that the great people of America and various nations of Europe need to obey the demands and wishes of a small number of acquisitive and invasive people. These nations are spending their dignity and resources on the crimes and occupations and the threats of the Zionist network against their will."
The United States and Israel walked out before Ahmadinejad's speech, but the rest of the nations applauded him. He got a hug from the Master of Ceremonies, or whatever that guy is called. He was invited to appear on American TV shows, to speak at colleges, to further his agenda. This guy is given free reign in this country when he openly speaks of genocide and nuclear proliferation.
It is not a stretch by any means to imagine the United States becoming another anti-Semitic blip on the radar of history. Spain, Germany, Russia, France - everyone has had a turn. If the economy goes bad, people will look for a scapegoat, and the anals of history tells me that it's not hard to predict who the scapegoat will be.
Why am I telling you all this? So I can say "I told you so" when it all happens? Chas Veshalom. I am telling you this to strengthen your resolve to do Teshuva, to get closer to Hashem during these uncertain days. If Hashem is truly bringing about the Mashiach, which I feel certain that He is, we mustn't waste any time in getting as close as possible to Him. If we are to merit seeing the redemption, we have to be on a level that will enable us to experience it! With Hashem's help, will be able to reach the appropriate level, and reach our own potentials in life. In that way, we will rejoice in the rebuilding of Jerusalem, train and all, במהרה בימינו, אמן!
הצלחה רבה!
My previous post discussed something very real. We are living in historic times. One only needs to open his/her eyes, to behold the world through Jewish glasses, to understand that there are forces at play here beyond our understanding.
Just this past month saw the near-collapse of the American economy. It is not hard to imagine that if a few more banks go under, the near-collapse will be come a true and definite collapse (the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has already predicted that more banks will fail in 2009). What will happen then? If one looks at history, it's not hard to figure out - most often, the country in question blames the Jews. Most recently, it happened in Germany, where an economic collapse led to the rise of the Nazi regime. It has happened in every country throughout our Galus. And it can happen in America. We often have the illusion of safety in our lives - we have a secure job, a wonderful home, a great life. What could possibly go wrong? The thing is, history has a habit of changing in an instant - an attack on 9/11, a drop of an Atom Bomb, a Six-Day War. Things usually do not take too long to swerve in a totally different direction.
But forget history. Look at the present - look at last week. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is accepted everywhere when he shows up in the US, literally proved my point straight out. The following is taken from Ahmadinejad's speech, to which there has been barely any Jewish response or outcry whatsoever:
"The dignity, integrity and rights of the American and European people are being played with by a small but deceitful number of people called Zionists. Although they are a miniscule minority, they have been dominating an important portion of the financial and monetary centers as well as the political decision-making centers of some European countries and the US in a deceitful, complex and furtive manner. It is deeply disastrous to witness that some presidential or premiere nominees in some big countries have to visit these people, take part in their gatherings, swear their allegiance and commitment to their interests in order to attain financial or media support. This means that the great people of America and various nations of Europe need to obey the demands and wishes of a small number of acquisitive and invasive people. These nations are spending their dignity and resources on the crimes and occupations and the threats of the Zionist network against their will."
The United States and Israel walked out before Ahmadinejad's speech, but the rest of the nations applauded him. He got a hug from the Master of Ceremonies, or whatever that guy is called. He was invited to appear on American TV shows, to speak at colleges, to further his agenda. This guy is given free reign in this country when he openly speaks of genocide and nuclear proliferation.
It is not a stretch by any means to imagine the United States becoming another anti-Semitic blip on the radar of history. Spain, Germany, Russia, France - everyone has had a turn. If the economy goes bad, people will look for a scapegoat, and the anals of history tells me that it's not hard to predict who the scapegoat will be.
Why am I telling you all this? So I can say "I told you so" when it all happens? Chas Veshalom. I am telling you this to strengthen your resolve to do Teshuva, to get closer to Hashem during these uncertain days. If Hashem is truly bringing about the Mashiach, which I feel certain that He is, we mustn't waste any time in getting as close as possible to Him. If we are to merit seeing the redemption, we have to be on a level that will enable us to experience it! With Hashem's help, will be able to reach the appropriate level, and reach our own potentials in life. In that way, we will rejoice in the rebuilding of Jerusalem, train and all, במהרה בימינו, אמן!
הצלחה רבה!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
The Mashiach is Coming
6 Tishrei 5769
I'm not sure how the view is from Chutz La'Aretz, but over here in Eretz Yisrael it's becoming plainer and plainer that the ימות המשיח is around the corner.
Just recently, an old tzaddik in Yerushalayim - almost 100 years old, an actual talmid of the Chofetz Chaim - told his talmidim that the Chofetz Chaim appeared to him in a dream, telling him that the משיח is coming. I know Jews who have met this fellow. In addition, it was supposedly in a recent issue of Mishpacha magazine, but I didn't see that myself.
That would be a cute story, if there wasn't an accompanying rumor to it. Supposedly, Rav Shach recently came to Rav Chaim Kanievsky, שליט"א, in a dream and told him the exact same thing. As I heard the story, Rav Shach came to Rav Chaim once, and Rav Chaim dismissed it as שטויות. Rav Shach came a second time, and Rav Chaim dismissed it as שטויות. Finally, Rav Shach came a third time and said, "What is this about שטויות? The Mashiach is coming, really soon!"
Rav Yaakov Moshe Katz supposedly tells his talmidim not to worry financially about the long-term future. He feels that yes, a talmid should acquire money for the short term, but there is no point in worrying about three, four, fives years down the road because things are going to be totally different very soon.
Okay, so these are cute stories. But if one takes a look around at the world, there are clear signs that the Mashiach is coming.
My favorite is an idea pointed out by a Ben Miller, a chaver of mine over here in the Kollel. If you haven't heard, the government is building an enormous train throughout ירושלים. Upon completion, it will travel from Tel Aviv to Yerushalayim, stopping at various points in Jerusalem and winding back around and up north again. For those of us living here, it's an enormous pain - they're building the train to travel straight down Rechov Yafo - literally, right in the middle of town - and it's wrecking havoc with traffic in the City Center. (Would you ever build a train right down 5th Avenue? Of course not.) If you haven't seen the picture of the enormous suspension bridge, check it out - the thing can be seen literally for miles, stretching upwards and spreading out in a harp-like accordion, holding up the bridge that winds the train around the Tachana HaMerkazit (Central Bus Station).
For the government to break even with this endeavor, they have calculated the necessary population on the train - 75,000 people, each day, for 10 years. In the most optimistic of predictions, city officials assume that at most 25,000 people a day will use the train. Now I ask you - what event could cause the number of people travelling to Yerushalayim to triple in size? What would demand a mass-transit system that could take the place of cars and cabs? (Imagine the number of cars in Yerushalayim tripling - if you think we have bad traffic now, forget about it). What could possibly require the building of a train that literally weaves its way through the most popular streets in Yerushalayim, stopping right in front of the Old City, and moving on to every other major neighborhood within reach?
Furthermore - what event would necessitate the building of a brand-new airport in Tel Aviv, four times the size of its predecessor? What event would necessitate a new Tachana HaMerkazit, which allows Jews to travel the country with the greatest of ease? If you have taken a bus outside of Yerushalayim, you know it's the easiest thing in the world to do. I don't know if you remember the old Tachana - it was still in use during my Shana Alef - it was a dump! A small parking lot near Gan Sacher! There was no way it could hold a big increase in volume. What could be the reason for all these mass transit upgrades in the past seven years? Why would a poor city build a $300 million bridge, when its purpose could be attained with a few well-placed cement beams?
The answer, my dear dear friends, is clear as day. There is Someone Else calling the shots. The government is not thinking along this line of reasoning - it is being put in their heads. We have a new airport to handle the future immigration of thousands of Jews. We have a new Tachana to allow Jews to travel their homeland with ease. We have a huge bridge that points to the sky so that Jews in literally every corner of Yerushalayim can see something that reminds them of their Father in Heaven.
My friends, when this train is completed, it is not going to travel from Tel Aviv to Yerushalayim.
It's going to travel from Tel Aviv to the Beis HaMikdash.
(More on this tomorrow.)
I'm not sure how the view is from Chutz La'Aretz, but over here in Eretz Yisrael it's becoming plainer and plainer that the ימות המשיח is around the corner.
Just recently, an old tzaddik in Yerushalayim - almost 100 years old, an actual talmid of the Chofetz Chaim - told his talmidim that the Chofetz Chaim appeared to him in a dream, telling him that the משיח is coming. I know Jews who have met this fellow. In addition, it was supposedly in a recent issue of Mishpacha magazine, but I didn't see that myself.
That would be a cute story, if there wasn't an accompanying rumor to it. Supposedly, Rav Shach recently came to Rav Chaim Kanievsky, שליט"א, in a dream and told him the exact same thing. As I heard the story, Rav Shach came to Rav Chaim once, and Rav Chaim dismissed it as שטויות. Rav Shach came a second time, and Rav Chaim dismissed it as שטויות. Finally, Rav Shach came a third time and said, "What is this about שטויות? The Mashiach is coming, really soon!"
Rav Yaakov Moshe Katz supposedly tells his talmidim not to worry financially about the long-term future. He feels that yes, a talmid should acquire money for the short term, but there is no point in worrying about three, four, fives years down the road because things are going to be totally different very soon.
Okay, so these are cute stories. But if one takes a look around at the world, there are clear signs that the Mashiach is coming.
My favorite is an idea pointed out by a Ben Miller, a chaver of mine over here in the Kollel. If you haven't heard, the government is building an enormous train throughout ירושלים. Upon completion, it will travel from Tel Aviv to Yerushalayim, stopping at various points in Jerusalem and winding back around and up north again. For those of us living here, it's an enormous pain - they're building the train to travel straight down Rechov Yafo - literally, right in the middle of town - and it's wrecking havoc with traffic in the City Center. (Would you ever build a train right down 5th Avenue? Of course not.) If you haven't seen the picture of the enormous suspension bridge, check it out - the thing can be seen literally for miles, stretching upwards and spreading out in a harp-like accordion, holding up the bridge that winds the train around the Tachana HaMerkazit (Central Bus Station).
For the government to break even with this endeavor, they have calculated the necessary population on the train - 75,000 people, each day, for 10 years. In the most optimistic of predictions, city officials assume that at most 25,000 people a day will use the train. Now I ask you - what event could cause the number of people travelling to Yerushalayim to triple in size? What would demand a mass-transit system that could take the place of cars and cabs? (Imagine the number of cars in Yerushalayim tripling - if you think we have bad traffic now, forget about it). What could possibly require the building of a train that literally weaves its way through the most popular streets in Yerushalayim, stopping right in front of the Old City, and moving on to every other major neighborhood within reach?
Furthermore - what event would necessitate the building of a brand-new airport in Tel Aviv, four times the size of its predecessor? What event would necessitate a new Tachana HaMerkazit, which allows Jews to travel the country with the greatest of ease? If you have taken a bus outside of Yerushalayim, you know it's the easiest thing in the world to do. I don't know if you remember the old Tachana - it was still in use during my Shana Alef - it was a dump! A small parking lot near Gan Sacher! There was no way it could hold a big increase in volume. What could be the reason for all these mass transit upgrades in the past seven years? Why would a poor city build a $300 million bridge, when its purpose could be attained with a few well-placed cement beams?
The answer, my dear dear friends, is clear as day. There is Someone Else calling the shots. The government is not thinking along this line of reasoning - it is being put in their heads. We have a new airport to handle the future immigration of thousands of Jews. We have a new Tachana to allow Jews to travel their homeland with ease. We have a huge bridge that points to the sky so that Jews in literally every corner of Yerushalayim can see something that reminds them of their Father in Heaven.
My friends, when this train is completed, it is not going to travel from Tel Aviv to Yerushalayim.
It's going to travel from Tel Aviv to the Beis HaMikdash.
(More on this tomorrow.)
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Hashem Loves You
3 Tishrei 5769
Gmar Chasima Tova! I hope Rosh HaShana was meaningful for you. May Hashem bless you and your families with much bracha, hatzlacha, and siyata d'shmaya.
Now that we're getting into Aseres Yimei Teshuva, I'm sure we're all focused on how we can change ourselves. But before we get to that - a word about our relationship with HKBH.
Rav Dessler points out in Michtav Me'Eliyahu that the Western world's concept of Love is mistaken. They think that love is purely by chance - people fall in love, and they fall out of love. It has nothing to do with the effort a person puts into it.
Judaism, says Rav Dessler, dispenses with this whole notion. The word for love in Hebrew is "ahava." In Aramaic, "hav" - the middle part of "Ahava" - means to give. Explains Rav Dessler, love is created through giving. When Reuven gives to Leah, love grows inside of Reuven for Leah. This is how love works. This is why a husband and wife married for 30 years love each other more than two newlyweds. They have given for a much longer period of time. This is why parents love their kids more than kids love their parents - the parents have given to their children so much that it is nigh impossible not to love them, even when they do ridiculous things.
So giving creates love. This really requires a longer discussion, but the above paragraph will have to suffice for our purposes. Now, think about how much Hashem gives to us. He gives us everything, doesn't He? In fact, Hashem gives the whole world to us; He gives us life, He gives us existence, He gives us the enjoyment of this world and the next. What does this say about our relationship with HKBH?
My friends, this tells us that Hashem loves us. He loves us in an immeasurable way! Can you imagine how much love is generated by the amount of giving that Hashem does for us? And if Hashem loves us that much, He must care about every single little thing that we do! He cares if we get to minyan on time. He cares if we sneak a little ice cream before the 6th hour, or if we hold ourselves back until that 6:01 mark. He cares if we decide not to look as we pass by the pritzus on our streets. HE CARES ABOUT EVERYTHING! He is proud of every single nisayon (test) that you pass, every little fight against the Yetzer Hara that you win.
How incredibly comforting, how exciting! We don't have to feel alone when we do Teshuva this week - we can feel as if Hashem is looking down at us, arms crossed, smiling, proud of His child that He loves so much! What an encouraging thought!
If we approach Teshuva this attitude, then iy"H our Teshuva will be so much more meaningful, and it will be accepted on Yom Kippur, kein yehi ratzon.
Hatzlacha Raba!
Monday, September 29, 2008
K'siva V'Chasima Tova!
29 Elul 5768
Chazal explain there are two conflicting emotions of Rosh HaShana. On the one hand, we are being judged for whole next year, a thought that is quite terrifying. On the other hand, we are Hashem's Children, his People - we are supposed to be confident that He will recognize our attempts at Teshuva, our acceptance of Him as our King. These are conflicting feelings, no doubt, and they are emulated by the two aspects of the day - we daven until after midday, but then we go home and eat a festive meal.
These two aspects illustrate the theme of Rosh HaShana. Most people feel that Rosh HaShana is all about Teshuva. Yet there is very little mention of Teshuva in the tefillos of Rosh HaShana. Rather, the focus is on Malchus - accepting Hashem as our King, as the One who rules us, as the One who dictates our thoughts and our lives. You don't repeat your tefillos if you leave out "Teshuva, Tefillah, & Tzedakah." You do repeat, however, if you miss "HaMelech HaKadosh." We are accepting Hashem as our Ruler, and we are accepting His Torah as our way of life.
And this is what creates two different emotions. On the one hand, Hashem is All-Powerful, a King who will literally decide every aspect of our lives for the upcoming year. On the other hand, He is our King. We are the ones who are able to daven to Him on Rosh HaShana, only Bnei Yisrael are able to pray with the power that we have. I recently picked up an Israeli on a tremp, and he pointed out that Hashem first answers the tefillos of Bnei Yisrael and determines their lot, and only then does He dish out judgment for the rest of the nations, based on what Bnei Yisrael warrant. This is our zechus, this is our priviledge.
Wishing you a k'siva v'chasima Tova!!!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Power of Prayer
24 Elul 5768
Very few of us appreciate the power of prayer. Let's schmooze about it for a moment.
Our relationship with tefillah is very similar to our relationship with one of those schnorrers on the streets of Meah Shearim – most of us pass right by, too busy to notice. Some of us stop, annoyed, and pull a few agurot from our pockets. Very few of us take out even a shekel, and even fewer of us take the time to say “Hatzlacha Rabbah,” or to even show a true sense of concern.
The reason we don’t show enough concern with our tefillos is because we don’t understand how powerful they are. Shimon HaTzaddik tells us in פרקי אבות א:ב that the world exists for three things – תורה, עבודה, וגמילות חסדים. Nowadays, we do not have עבודה (i.e. the sacrifices in the Beis HaMikdash). What is the substitute? So the gemara tells us in Brachos that our tefillos are substitutes for עבודה in Beis HaMikdash. They literally keep the world going.
Now, that’s very fluffy. Does that mean if you sleep through Shacharis the world is going to disappear, and it’ll be your fault? Well, maybe. And if that happens I’ll be the first to track you down in the next world and punch you in the face. But let’s talk about something that speaks to us.
There’s a very famous פסוק in Chumash, when Yaakov appears before Yitzchak wearing sheepskins on his arms, pretending to be עשו. The פסוק tells us that Yitzchak, in his confusion, said: הקול קול יעקב והידים ידי עשו.
That, say Chazal, was not just some off-the-cuff comment that Yitzchak made. Those words tell us how we can impact the world. Those words tell us what our weapons are when we go out to battle – literally and figuratively. We spoke about our weapons to fight the Yetzer Hara – tefillah is our weapon in every other realm of life.
What does prayer do? I used to think that prayer was for Hashem – we were blessing Him when we said “Baruch Atah Hashem.” Little did I know that this is what people call heresy (apikorsus). If we have to bless Hashem, that means He is less than infinite – He can gain from us. Which is ridiculous – He is all-powerful, all-worldly – he does not need our blessings. So if prayer does not impact Him, who does it impact?
Clearly the answer is us. We have what to gain from prayer. Prayer increases our awareness that we are dependant upon Hashem for everything. But where does that get us? So we recognize what Hashem does in this world. What does that do for us? That’s going to make us a better warrior? That’s going to improve my income the following year? That's going to make my relative feel better?
The answer is: YES. The רמבן at the end of בא writes that the whole purpose of creation is to: a) know Hashem runs the world, and b) to thank Him for it. So when we internalize that Hashem runs every single aspect of our lives, we grow closer to that goal. We become better people. More of our actions are performed לשם שמים. When more of our actions are performed לשם שמים, we become holier. When we become holier, Hashem is more likely to answer our tefillos in a more immediate fashion, even if they are the straight, generic nineteen ברכות of שמונה עשרה.
There many stories throughout תנ"ך that demonstrate this perfectly. One of this is the following: when בנ"י encountered עמלק right after they left מצרים, what happened? Moshe went up on the mountain to pray, and the פסוק tells us that whenever his hands were lifted in prayer, בנ"י were victorious. Whenever his hands became heavy and fell back down, עמלק started winning. What in the world does that mean? Some קישוף, some hocus pocus? So רש"י there brings down the גמ' in ר"ה – I wonder why this גמ' is there – that says that whenever בנ"י would look towards Shamayim, they would realize that Hashem runs the world, and they would start winning. Whenever they looked away from Shamayim, i.e. they started relying on their own “might,” they started losing.
This is what tefillah does, this is how it helps us. This is how we can use the tefillos on Rosh HaShana – they’re long, no doubt – but we can use them to our advantage. They can impact us, and when Hashem sees that we’re trying, He will give us siyata d’shmaya, and guide us along His path.
הצלחה רבה!
Very few of us appreciate the power of prayer. Let's schmooze about it for a moment.
Our relationship with tefillah is very similar to our relationship with one of those schnorrers on the streets of Meah Shearim – most of us pass right by, too busy to notice. Some of us stop, annoyed, and pull a few agurot from our pockets. Very few of us take out even a shekel, and even fewer of us take the time to say “Hatzlacha Rabbah,” or to even show a true sense of concern.
The reason we don’t show enough concern with our tefillos is because we don’t understand how powerful they are. Shimon HaTzaddik tells us in פרקי אבות א:ב that the world exists for three things – תורה, עבודה, וגמילות חסדים. Nowadays, we do not have עבודה (i.e. the sacrifices in the Beis HaMikdash). What is the substitute? So the gemara tells us in Brachos that our tefillos are substitutes for עבודה in Beis HaMikdash. They literally keep the world going.
Now, that’s very fluffy. Does that mean if you sleep through Shacharis the world is going to disappear, and it’ll be your fault? Well, maybe. And if that happens I’ll be the first to track you down in the next world and punch you in the face. But let’s talk about something that speaks to us.
There’s a very famous פסוק in Chumash, when Yaakov appears before Yitzchak wearing sheepskins on his arms, pretending to be עשו. The פסוק tells us that Yitzchak, in his confusion, said: הקול קול יעקב והידים ידי עשו.
That, say Chazal, was not just some off-the-cuff comment that Yitzchak made. Those words tell us how we can impact the world. Those words tell us what our weapons are when we go out to battle – literally and figuratively. We spoke about our weapons to fight the Yetzer Hara – tefillah is our weapon in every other realm of life.
What does prayer do? I used to think that prayer was for Hashem – we were blessing Him when we said “Baruch Atah Hashem.” Little did I know that this is what people call heresy (apikorsus). If we have to bless Hashem, that means He is less than infinite – He can gain from us. Which is ridiculous – He is all-powerful, all-worldly – he does not need our blessings. So if prayer does not impact Him, who does it impact?
Clearly the answer is us. We have what to gain from prayer. Prayer increases our awareness that we are dependant upon Hashem for everything. But where does that get us? So we recognize what Hashem does in this world. What does that do for us? That’s going to make us a better warrior? That’s going to improve my income the following year? That's going to make my relative feel better?
The answer is: YES. The רמבן at the end of בא writes that the whole purpose of creation is to: a) know Hashem runs the world, and b) to thank Him for it. So when we internalize that Hashem runs every single aspect of our lives, we grow closer to that goal. We become better people. More of our actions are performed לשם שמים. When more of our actions are performed לשם שמים, we become holier. When we become holier, Hashem is more likely to answer our tefillos in a more immediate fashion, even if they are the straight, generic nineteen ברכות of שמונה עשרה.
There many stories throughout תנ"ך that demonstrate this perfectly. One of this is the following: when בנ"י encountered עמלק right after they left מצרים, what happened? Moshe went up on the mountain to pray, and the פסוק tells us that whenever his hands were lifted in prayer, בנ"י were victorious. Whenever his hands became heavy and fell back down, עמלק started winning. What in the world does that mean? Some קישוף, some hocus pocus? So רש"י there brings down the גמ' in ר"ה – I wonder why this גמ' is there – that says that whenever בנ"י would look towards Shamayim, they would realize that Hashem runs the world, and they would start winning. Whenever they looked away from Shamayim, i.e. they started relying on their own “might,” they started losing.
This is what tefillah does, this is how it helps us. This is how we can use the tefillos on Rosh HaShana – they’re long, no doubt – but we can use them to our advantage. They can impact us, and when Hashem sees that we’re trying, He will give us siyata d’shmaya, and guide us along His path.
הצלחה רבה!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Selichos
22 Elul 5768
The ר"ן asks a very simple question: Why is ראש השנה the יום הדין? He comes up with two different answers:
1) Chazal tell us that Adam HaRishon was judged for eating from the עץ הדעת on the first day of the seventh month, which is Tishrei. Since that day was used as a יום הדין that very first time, it was established for generations as the day Hashem would judge us.
2) When בנ"י sinned with the Golden Calf, משה רבינו went up to Har Sinai to daven for us. Those 40 days of tefillah spanned all of Chodesh Elul and the first ten days of Tishrei, culminating on Yom Kippur. That forgiveness was sealed on Yom Kippur, but Hashem began forgiving us on Rosh HaShana.
This is the basis for the two minhagim of when to start Selichos. The Sefardim start from Rosh Chodesh Elul - after all, that was the first day Moshe davened on Har Sinai, that was the first day of the teshuva process. Ashkenazim start Selichos a week or so before Rosh HaShana, aligning themselves with the few days before Adam's sin, when the world existed without sin.
Whatever your minhag, Selichos can be tough. You have to stay up until 12:30 at night, or get up a half hour before davening to say a lot of Hebrew words you don't understand. What is the point? Wouldn't it just be better to take five minutes in the middle of the day and say some prayers in English?
While there may be many answers to this, I think that one of them is the following: Selichos shows Hashem that we're willing to go the extra mile to secure our forgiveness. We're putting in that little extra effort that says, Hashem, look! I'm trying! I know I had my ups and downs last year, but I really want to stay up! I really want this relationship between you and me to work out, and I'm doing something unusual to prove it to you!
להבדיל, it's like the husband who goes out of his way to get flowers for his wife after a long fight. Sure, these flowers are being sold out on Long Island somewhere, and they cost a little extra, and they're a little more bulky to shlep into the car - but the wife looks at all the extra effort and says, hey, you really do care! She doesn't care that there are twenty-four roses or thirty-six roses. It's the effort she looks at. So too for us - it's not so much about the Selichos as it is about showing Hashem you'll do anything to prove your dedication.
Now, don't get me wrong, the Selichos are important - it doesn't work just to stay up until 12:30am and do nothing. The Selichos are a valuable way to prepare for the יום הדין. But if you're getting depressed or upset that you're not getting the whole meaning from the Selichos, take solace - your effort in saying them is getting you much more than you realize.
הצלחה רבה!
The ר"ן asks a very simple question: Why is ראש השנה the יום הדין? He comes up with two different answers:
1) Chazal tell us that Adam HaRishon was judged for eating from the עץ הדעת on the first day of the seventh month, which is Tishrei. Since that day was used as a יום הדין that very first time, it was established for generations as the day Hashem would judge us.
2) When בנ"י sinned with the Golden Calf, משה רבינו went up to Har Sinai to daven for us. Those 40 days of tefillah spanned all of Chodesh Elul and the first ten days of Tishrei, culminating on Yom Kippur. That forgiveness was sealed on Yom Kippur, but Hashem began forgiving us on Rosh HaShana.
This is the basis for the two minhagim of when to start Selichos. The Sefardim start from Rosh Chodesh Elul - after all, that was the first day Moshe davened on Har Sinai, that was the first day of the teshuva process. Ashkenazim start Selichos a week or so before Rosh HaShana, aligning themselves with the few days before Adam's sin, when the world existed without sin.
Whatever your minhag, Selichos can be tough. You have to stay up until 12:30 at night, or get up a half hour before davening to say a lot of Hebrew words you don't understand. What is the point? Wouldn't it just be better to take five minutes in the middle of the day and say some prayers in English?
While there may be many answers to this, I think that one of them is the following: Selichos shows Hashem that we're willing to go the extra mile to secure our forgiveness. We're putting in that little extra effort that says, Hashem, look! I'm trying! I know I had my ups and downs last year, but I really want to stay up! I really want this relationship between you and me to work out, and I'm doing something unusual to prove it to you!
להבדיל, it's like the husband who goes out of his way to get flowers for his wife after a long fight. Sure, these flowers are being sold out on Long Island somewhere, and they cost a little extra, and they're a little more bulky to shlep into the car - but the wife looks at all the extra effort and says, hey, you really do care! She doesn't care that there are twenty-four roses or thirty-six roses. It's the effort she looks at. So too for us - it's not so much about the Selichos as it is about showing Hashem you'll do anything to prove your dedication.
Now, don't get me wrong, the Selichos are important - it doesn't work just to stay up until 12:30am and do nothing. The Selichos are a valuable way to prepare for the יום הדין. But if you're getting depressed or upset that you're not getting the whole meaning from the Selichos, take solace - your effort in saying them is getting you much more than you realize.
הצלחה רבה!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Talkin' to the Boss II
17 Elul 5768
We mentioned yesterday that one method of improving our כונה during Shemonah Esrei is to pause at the beginning of davening, to think about Whom we're standing in front of, and then continuing on with our tefillah.
How do we maintain this thought throughout the Shemoneh Esrei?
Insipration does not last. We get excited at the beginning of a project, we get pumped for the first few games of football season, we get ready to serve Hashem better at the beginning of each year. But very soon afterwards, the project becomes a chore. Football gets boring after our team loses a few games. Soon after the Yomim Tovim we start reverting to our old yiddishkeit habits. How do we continue our mindset throughout the four, five, six minutes of Shemoneh Esrei?
The answer lies within the Shemoneh Esrei itself. Built into each of the nineteen brachos (weird, I know) is a way to remember לפני מי אתה עומד - the words ברוך אתה at the end. Every time we say "YOU are the source of all blessing," we can take a moment to remind ourselves that we're actually speaking to the Boss Himself. That mindset can last us at least until the next bracha, where we have another reminder waiting for us. That is how we can maintain kavana and focus throughout the whole tefillah. May our prayers be that much stronger, and may they be answered that much more speedily. (I know it's lousy English, but you get the point)
הצלחה רבה!
We mentioned yesterday that one method of improving our כונה during Shemonah Esrei is to pause at the beginning of davening, to think about Whom we're standing in front of, and then continuing on with our tefillah.
How do we maintain this thought throughout the Shemoneh Esrei?
Insipration does not last. We get excited at the beginning of a project, we get pumped for the first few games of football season, we get ready to serve Hashem better at the beginning of each year. But very soon afterwards, the project becomes a chore. Football gets boring after our team loses a few games. Soon after the Yomim Tovim we start reverting to our old yiddishkeit habits. How do we continue our mindset throughout the four, five, six minutes of Shemoneh Esrei?
The answer lies within the Shemoneh Esrei itself. Built into each of the nineteen brachos (weird, I know) is a way to remember לפני מי אתה עומד - the words ברוך אתה at the end. Every time we say "YOU are the source of all blessing," we can take a moment to remind ourselves that we're actually speaking to the Boss Himself. That mindset can last us at least until the next bracha, where we have another reminder waiting for us. That is how we can maintain kavana and focus throughout the whole tefillah. May our prayers be that much stronger, and may they be answered that much more speedily. (I know it's lousy English, but you get the point)
הצלחה רבה!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Talkin' to the Boss
16 Elul 5768
In this day and age, we need things to be fast. Fast cars, fast internet, fast food. We have blackberries to make sure we get emails the moment they come into our inbox. We have cellphones in case we (chas veshalom) aren't at home to field a call. We can order food to our doorstep, all the while getting upset if it doesn't come within the half hour.
Unfortunately, this attitude often seeps into our davening. Very often we'll rush through things, not because we don't want to have kavana, but because we're used to things moving at a quick pace. They guy who finishes the quickest Shemoneh Esrei doesn't do so because he thinks that's the best way to daven - he does so because he's accustomed to doing things quickly in his life.
It is important to take a moment and think about the davening. But not only about what you're going to say, but to Whom you're saying them. When we daven, the world around us melts, and we're left in a big blue room with you and HKB"H (at least that's how I picture it). If we would only think about this for a moment, I guarantee our davening would be totally different.
So the next time you daven, try it. As soon as you take those three steps forward, wait. Don't start ה' שפתי תפתח. It'll be weird, but hear me out. Think about the fact that you are talking, one on one, with the Boss. If you took five seconds and thought about that frightening reality, I would hope to think your words would come out different.
But don't get discouraged - the Boss isn't as frightening as He might seem. Think about this also: despite the fact that HKB"H runs the entire world at every single moment, He still pays attention to every single thing you do. What a wonderful thought! The Guy who runs the whole freaking world cares about little old me? Yes He does - he cares about everything about you. So be encouraged - He's waiting for your tefillos!
הצלחה רבה!
In this day and age, we need things to be fast. Fast cars, fast internet, fast food. We have blackberries to make sure we get emails the moment they come into our inbox. We have cellphones in case we (chas veshalom) aren't at home to field a call. We can order food to our doorstep, all the while getting upset if it doesn't come within the half hour.
Unfortunately, this attitude often seeps into our davening. Very often we'll rush through things, not because we don't want to have kavana, but because we're used to things moving at a quick pace. They guy who finishes the quickest Shemoneh Esrei doesn't do so because he thinks that's the best way to daven - he does so because he's accustomed to doing things quickly in his life.
It is important to take a moment and think about the davening. But not only about what you're going to say, but to Whom you're saying them. When we daven, the world around us melts, and we're left in a big blue room with you and HKB"H (at least that's how I picture it). If we would only think about this for a moment, I guarantee our davening would be totally different.
So the next time you daven, try it. As soon as you take those three steps forward, wait. Don't start ה' שפתי תפתח. It'll be weird, but hear me out. Think about the fact that you are talking, one on one, with the Boss. If you took five seconds and thought about that frightening reality, I would hope to think your words would come out different.
But don't get discouraged - the Boss isn't as frightening as He might seem. Think about this also: despite the fact that HKB"H runs the entire world at every single moment, He still pays attention to every single thing you do. What a wonderful thought! The Guy who runs the whole freaking world cares about little old me? Yes He does - he cares about everything about you. So be encouraged - He's waiting for your tefillos!
הצלחה רבה!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Old-School Weaponry
15 Elul 5768
Sorry for the delay, had a busy weekend.
Okay, so we know how the Yetzer Hara attacks us - with כפירה, גאוה, and תאוה. How do we fight him? How do we defend ourselves against these three weapons?
I'm not going to tell you anything new, just that Jews have been fighting the Yetzer Hara with these defenses since the beginning of creation. So don't feel afraid or alone when you battle - you're part of a greater whole, a greater כלל.
The way to fight כפירה is, not surprisingly, to learn Torah. If you know the halachos cold, there's less of a chance the Yetzer Hara will be able to say, "Come on, that's not really assur." You'll be able to say back, "No! It is assur! I learned it last week, I know the halachos." There's a smaller window for the Yetzer Hara to pull shtick, because you know what the issur/mitzvah is and you know the punishment or reward.
The way to fight גאוה and תאוה is to learn mussar, to work on our middos. Now, this doesn't mean that you should just read Mesillas Yesharim and you'll be fine. Don't get me wrong, that's great, but "learning mussar" means a lot more than that. It means sitting down, thinking about what you need to work on, and working on it. Let's discuss how to do this.
First off, choose two things that you want to work on. Not more, you will lose focus that way. They should be specific, not general. For example, don't choose "I want to daven Shemoneh Esrei better." Choose "I want to work on מודים." The reason for this is twofold: One, you'll be more alerted to a focused goal than on a broader one. Second, and more important, it's much easier for the Yezter Hara to stop us from performing a broad goal than it is for him to stop a short, quick goal. If your goal is Shemoneh Esrei, it's easier for the Yezter Hara to say, "Eh, breeze through the first few brachos, you'll still concentrate on the last few." But if you're focusing on Modim specifically, then you don't have another option later on - it's a specific goal, right now, without any way of getting around it.
Anyway, pick two middos. Got them? Good. Share them if you want (I'm saying Bircas HaMazon with a bencher and trying to learn Chofetz Chaim 5 minutes before I go to bed). Now, after you've shared them, WRITE THEM DOWN. Make a chart, and check off each time you accomplish your goals. For example, if you're working on מודים, you should have three sections a day, one for each Shemoneh Esrei. Check off when you have extra כונה, and leave it blank when you don't.
Why should you write it down? Because that way the Yetzer Hara can't get you depressed. He can't convince you that you're not succeeding when you really are (he's very good at that, see earlier post titled The Yetzer Hara's trap). When the Yetzer Hara tries to get you to feel down about yourself, you'll be able to point to the sheet and say, "Hey, I'm doing well here!" You'll be able to chart your progress, and feel good about yourself. That's one of the most important parts to the whole process, because simcha leads to דביקות בהקב"ה.
After two weeks, check out your sheet. Are you succeeding in your goals? Have the middos become second nature to you to the point where you have check marks every single day? If that's the case, great. Pick another middah or two, and start all over again. This is how we can live all our lives in true dedication to perfecting ourselves and our character traits.
May Hashem grant us סייעתא דשמיא and guide us along His path.
Next time, we'll discuss a bit about how we can improve our Tefillos. Until then, הצלחה רבה!
Sorry for the delay, had a busy weekend.
Okay, so we know how the Yetzer Hara attacks us - with כפירה, גאוה, and תאוה. How do we fight him? How do we defend ourselves against these three weapons?
I'm not going to tell you anything new, just that Jews have been fighting the Yetzer Hara with these defenses since the beginning of creation. So don't feel afraid or alone when you battle - you're part of a greater whole, a greater כלל.
The way to fight כפירה is, not surprisingly, to learn Torah. If you know the halachos cold, there's less of a chance the Yetzer Hara will be able to say, "Come on, that's not really assur." You'll be able to say back, "No! It is assur! I learned it last week, I know the halachos." There's a smaller window for the Yetzer Hara to pull shtick, because you know what the issur/mitzvah is and you know the punishment or reward.
The way to fight גאוה and תאוה is to learn mussar, to work on our middos. Now, this doesn't mean that you should just read Mesillas Yesharim and you'll be fine. Don't get me wrong, that's great, but "learning mussar" means a lot more than that. It means sitting down, thinking about what you need to work on, and working on it. Let's discuss how to do this.
First off, choose two things that you want to work on. Not more, you will lose focus that way. They should be specific, not general. For example, don't choose "I want to daven Shemoneh Esrei better." Choose "I want to work on מודים." The reason for this is twofold: One, you'll be more alerted to a focused goal than on a broader one. Second, and more important, it's much easier for the Yezter Hara to stop us from performing a broad goal than it is for him to stop a short, quick goal. If your goal is Shemoneh Esrei, it's easier for the Yezter Hara to say, "Eh, breeze through the first few brachos, you'll still concentrate on the last few." But if you're focusing on Modim specifically, then you don't have another option later on - it's a specific goal, right now, without any way of getting around it.
Anyway, pick two middos. Got them? Good. Share them if you want (I'm saying Bircas HaMazon with a bencher and trying to learn Chofetz Chaim 5 minutes before I go to bed). Now, after you've shared them, WRITE THEM DOWN. Make a chart, and check off each time you accomplish your goals. For example, if you're working on מודים, you should have three sections a day, one for each Shemoneh Esrei. Check off when you have extra כונה, and leave it blank when you don't.
Why should you write it down? Because that way the Yetzer Hara can't get you depressed. He can't convince you that you're not succeeding when you really are (he's very good at that, see earlier post titled The Yetzer Hara's trap). When the Yetzer Hara tries to get you to feel down about yourself, you'll be able to point to the sheet and say, "Hey, I'm doing well here!" You'll be able to chart your progress, and feel good about yourself. That's one of the most important parts to the whole process, because simcha leads to דביקות בהקב"ה.
After two weeks, check out your sheet. Are you succeeding in your goals? Have the middos become second nature to you to the point where you have check marks every single day? If that's the case, great. Pick another middah or two, and start all over again. This is how we can live all our lives in true dedication to perfecting ourselves and our character traits.
May Hashem grant us סייעתא דשמיא and guide us along His path.
Next time, we'll discuss a bit about how we can improve our Tefillos. Until then, הצלחה רבה!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The Yetzer Hara's Offensive Gameplan
11 Elul 5768
In order to fight our enemy, we have to know how he operates. A nation does not go to war without reconnaissance on the enemy. A football team does not show up on Sunday without a detailed game plan. So let's figure out how the Yetzer Hara works, and then we will be able to fight him.
The first time the Yetzer Hara appears in Chumash tells us a lot about how he operates. Let's analyze the first interaction between the Yetzer Hara and man - the Nachash's seduction of Chavah. Instead of typing up the five or six psukim, I'll ask you to grab a Chumash and follow along if you can:
The first thing the Yetzer Hara does when he's trying to get us to sin is this: He says, "Okay, what halacha are we dealing with here?" He's no fool; he knows you are a frum Jew. So he begins with something easy - what can't you do, and what is the punishment if you disobey? The Nachash asked Chavah to delineate the halachos of eating from the עץ הדעת, and she complied, listing off the issur of not eating and the punishment (death). This was her first mistake - she shouldn't even have gotten into a conversation with the Yetzer Hara. But if we do find ourselves in a conversation, in the throes of battle, we must win.
Think about an aveirah that you struggle with considerably. Got it? Good. Think about the process you go through when you commit this sin, and keep it in mind throughout the next few paragraphs. Let's see the Yetzer Hara's three strategies:
1) כפירה - We all have that little bit of כפירה inside of us. We disregard what we know from the Torah. The Yetzer Hara tries to rationalize for us right before we sin: "Oh, it's not really assur," or "That's not the real punishment," or my personal favorite, "Eh, it's only דרבנן." (Other examples of דרבנן's - Chanuka candles, Megillah, Muktzah, having a סעודה on Shabbos - we keep those, don't we?) The Yetzer Hara is very good at this tactic, and this is his first attack. We see this from where the Nachash tells Chavah "לא מות תמותון" - you aren't really going to die! Chavah had just said one pasuk earlier that the punishment for eating from the tree was death. The first thing the Nachash did was knock it down a bit - otherwise, there was no way Chavah was going to sin. Death? For a piece of fruit? I don't think so. But if the punishment is not death, then we can start talking.
2) גאוה - We all have a bit of arrogance when we're about to sin. We all think, "Who is Hashem to tell me what to do? I want to do this aveirah! I don't care that He made it assur!" This is what the Yetzer Hara is whispering to us, and this is what he said to Chavah. והייתם כאלקים יודעי טוב ורע - if you eat this fruit, you will be just like God. He made the rule not to eat this fruit, and I made the rule that allows me to eat it. We all think that we're on par with Hashem, that we can disobey His laws without giving it a second thought.
3) תאוה - Right before each sin, the Yetzer Hara shines up that aveirah real nice and somehow gives us an extra desire for it. We're not thinking about the cheeseburger until right before we're challenged not to eat it. We're not thinking about the woman (hopefully) before she walks by in a tank-top and a skirt that looks like a belt. But right before we are challenged, we all get a strong desire to sin. (Notice that if you resist the temptation, this desire to sin usually leaves soon afterwards.) The pasuk says this straight up - ותרא האשה כי טוב העץ למאכל וכי תאוה הוא לעינים. Chavah had a desire for the fruit which did not exist until she was right about to sin.
These are the three tactics the Yetzer Hara uses. Watch out for them. Know they're coming. Tomorrow we'll discuss how to counteract them.
הצלחה רבה!
In order to fight our enemy, we have to know how he operates. A nation does not go to war without reconnaissance on the enemy. A football team does not show up on Sunday without a detailed game plan. So let's figure out how the Yetzer Hara works, and then we will be able to fight him.
The first time the Yetzer Hara appears in Chumash tells us a lot about how he operates. Let's analyze the first interaction between the Yetzer Hara and man - the Nachash's seduction of Chavah. Instead of typing up the five or six psukim, I'll ask you to grab a Chumash and follow along if you can:
The first thing the Yetzer Hara does when he's trying to get us to sin is this: He says, "Okay, what halacha are we dealing with here?" He's no fool; he knows you are a frum Jew. So he begins with something easy - what can't you do, and what is the punishment if you disobey? The Nachash asked Chavah to delineate the halachos of eating from the עץ הדעת, and she complied, listing off the issur of not eating and the punishment (death). This was her first mistake - she shouldn't even have gotten into a conversation with the Yetzer Hara. But if we do find ourselves in a conversation, in the throes of battle, we must win.
Think about an aveirah that you struggle with considerably. Got it? Good. Think about the process you go through when you commit this sin, and keep it in mind throughout the next few paragraphs. Let's see the Yetzer Hara's three strategies:
1) כפירה - We all have that little bit of כפירה inside of us. We disregard what we know from the Torah. The Yetzer Hara tries to rationalize for us right before we sin: "Oh, it's not really assur," or "That's not the real punishment," or my personal favorite, "Eh, it's only דרבנן." (Other examples of דרבנן's - Chanuka candles, Megillah, Muktzah, having a סעודה on Shabbos - we keep those, don't we?) The Yetzer Hara is very good at this tactic, and this is his first attack. We see this from where the Nachash tells Chavah "לא מות תמותון" - you aren't really going to die! Chavah had just said one pasuk earlier that the punishment for eating from the tree was death. The first thing the Nachash did was knock it down a bit - otherwise, there was no way Chavah was going to sin. Death? For a piece of fruit? I don't think so. But if the punishment is not death, then we can start talking.
2) גאוה - We all have a bit of arrogance when we're about to sin. We all think, "Who is Hashem to tell me what to do? I want to do this aveirah! I don't care that He made it assur!" This is what the Yetzer Hara is whispering to us, and this is what he said to Chavah. והייתם כאלקים יודעי טוב ורע - if you eat this fruit, you will be just like God. He made the rule not to eat this fruit, and I made the rule that allows me to eat it. We all think that we're on par with Hashem, that we can disobey His laws without giving it a second thought.
3) תאוה - Right before each sin, the Yetzer Hara shines up that aveirah real nice and somehow gives us an extra desire for it. We're not thinking about the cheeseburger until right before we're challenged not to eat it. We're not thinking about the woman (hopefully) before she walks by in a tank-top and a skirt that looks like a belt. But right before we are challenged, we all get a strong desire to sin. (Notice that if you resist the temptation, this desire to sin usually leaves soon afterwards.) The pasuk says this straight up - ותרא האשה כי טוב העץ למאכל וכי תאוה הוא לעינים. Chavah had a desire for the fruit which did not exist until she was right about to sin.
These are the three tactics the Yetzer Hara uses. Watch out for them. Know they're coming. Tomorrow we'll discuss how to counteract them.
הצלחה רבה!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Fighting the Yetzer Hara
10 Elul 5768
I would venture to guess that you want to do Teshuva. After all, that's why you're reading this blog. The one thing standing in your way, however, is the Yetzer Hara. Let us study how to fight him.
Step One is acknowledging the constant battle. Most Jews do not even realize there is a fight raging inside of them at every moment of the day. Whether to get up for minyan, or whether to sleep in a few more minutes. Whether to wait the full six hours between meat and milk (if that's your minhag), or to cheat some ice cream at five and a half hours. Whether to say the lashon hara, or to keep it to yourself. There are a million examples. Every moment, every decision, every thought - everything is a battle between the Yetzer Tov and the Yetzer Hara.
Once we are sensitive to this, once we realize that a battle is indeed being fought, then we can continue to the battlefront.
The Torah tells us at the beginning of this week's Parsha:
כי חצא למלחמה על אויבך ונתנו ה' אלקיך בידך ושבית שביו
When you go out to war, Hashem will give your enemy over to you, and you will take a captive.
The Chafetz Chaim comments famously that this pasuk is alluding to the war against the Yetzer Hara (it is no coincidence we read this Parsha every Elul). כי תצא למלחמה על אויבך - when you go out to battle against your personal enemy, the Yetzer Hara - ונתנו ה' אלקיך בידך ןשבית שביו - Hashem will give him over to you, and you will be succeessful in that battle . This pasuk is a promise from Hashem: if we go out to battle the Yetzer Hara, we will receive סייעתא דשמיא, help from Above, and we will defeat him.
How encouraging is this pasuk! Hashem says that He will help us if we merely go out to battle! Not if we do XYZ mitzvos, or refrain from ABC aveiros. All we have to do to merit Divine assistance is just go out there. Try. Fight. Struggle in battle. You don't even have to succeed, necessarily. Although success will not be far behind.
There is a similar statement of Chazal: בדרך שאדם רוצה לילך, מוליכין אותו. In the path that a person wishes to travel, Hashem takes him down that path. That means the following: if a person wants to grow, Hashem will help him. And if a person wants to go downwards, chas veshalom, Hashem will also "help" him. It all depends on where a person wants to go.
Here, too, all a person has to do to merit Divine help is want to grow. And Hashem will help him.
Wanting to move in the right direction is Step Two. Like I said before, if you're reading this blog, you have already accomplished this step. So feel good about yourself! One of the terrible tricks of the Yetzer Hara is his incredible ability to make us feel depressed. We'll talk about this at a later time, but don't get down! You're already on the right path, and Hashem is already giving you סייעתא דשמיא.
Next time we'll discuss how to fight the Yetzer Hara. While many people do not realize they're constantly fighting the Yetzer Hara, many others do not realize how to fight him. We'll tackle that tomorrow, so stay tuned.
One last thing - if you have any topics you'd like me to discuss, PLEASE post it below. First off, it is therapudic for a reader to hear that he/she is not alone in struggling with a particular area of halacha. Second, while I do have what to say, we're hopefully going to take this all the way to Hoshana Rabba, and I'd love to discuss topics that people need to get chizuk in. So feel free to post, anonymously if you wish.
הצלחה רבה!
I would venture to guess that you want to do Teshuva. After all, that's why you're reading this blog. The one thing standing in your way, however, is the Yetzer Hara. Let us study how to fight him.
Step One is acknowledging the constant battle. Most Jews do not even realize there is a fight raging inside of them at every moment of the day. Whether to get up for minyan, or whether to sleep in a few more minutes. Whether to wait the full six hours between meat and milk (if that's your minhag), or to cheat some ice cream at five and a half hours. Whether to say the lashon hara, or to keep it to yourself. There are a million examples. Every moment, every decision, every thought - everything is a battle between the Yetzer Tov and the Yetzer Hara.
Once we are sensitive to this, once we realize that a battle is indeed being fought, then we can continue to the battlefront.
The Torah tells us at the beginning of this week's Parsha:
כי חצא למלחמה על אויבך ונתנו ה' אלקיך בידך ושבית שביו
When you go out to war, Hashem will give your enemy over to you, and you will take a captive.
The Chafetz Chaim comments famously that this pasuk is alluding to the war against the Yetzer Hara (it is no coincidence we read this Parsha every Elul). כי תצא למלחמה על אויבך - when you go out to battle against your personal enemy, the Yetzer Hara - ונתנו ה' אלקיך בידך ןשבית שביו - Hashem will give him over to you, and you will be succeessful in that battle . This pasuk is a promise from Hashem: if we go out to battle the Yetzer Hara, we will receive סייעתא דשמיא, help from Above, and we will defeat him.
How encouraging is this pasuk! Hashem says that He will help us if we merely go out to battle! Not if we do XYZ mitzvos, or refrain from ABC aveiros. All we have to do to merit Divine assistance is just go out there. Try. Fight. Struggle in battle. You don't even have to succeed, necessarily. Although success will not be far behind.
There is a similar statement of Chazal: בדרך שאדם רוצה לילך, מוליכין אותו. In the path that a person wishes to travel, Hashem takes him down that path. That means the following: if a person wants to grow, Hashem will help him. And if a person wants to go downwards, chas veshalom, Hashem will also "help" him. It all depends on where a person wants to go.
Here, too, all a person has to do to merit Divine help is want to grow. And Hashem will help him.
Wanting to move in the right direction is Step Two. Like I said before, if you're reading this blog, you have already accomplished this step. So feel good about yourself! One of the terrible tricks of the Yetzer Hara is his incredible ability to make us feel depressed. We'll talk about this at a later time, but don't get down! You're already on the right path, and Hashem is already giving you סייעתא דשמיא.
Next time we'll discuss how to fight the Yetzer Hara. While many people do not realize they're constantly fighting the Yetzer Hara, many others do not realize how to fight him. We'll tackle that tomorrow, so stay tuned.
One last thing - if you have any topics you'd like me to discuss, PLEASE post it below. First off, it is therapudic for a reader to hear that he/she is not alone in struggling with a particular area of halacha. Second, while I do have what to say, we're hopefully going to take this all the way to Hoshana Rabba, and I'd love to discuss topics that people need to get chizuk in. So feel free to post, anonymously if you wish.
הצלחה רבה!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Back in Business
8 Elul 5768
For those of you who followed this blog last year, I welcome you back. For those who are new, I invite you to browse last year's posts as well as this year's. And all are encouraged to comment on each day's vort if you feel so inclined.
Okay, ready to rumble! Elul is here, and that means it's once again A Time for Teshuva. As the Maharal explains, each of the months of the year have a different quality to them - Nissan, for example, has the quality of cheirus, freedom. Elul, then, certainly has the quality of Teshuva, of second chances - after all, Moshe spent all of Elul on Har Sinai begging Hashem to forgive Bnei Yisrael for the Golden Calf. (For a bit more elaboration, check out the post titled "The Maharal's Concept of Time")
The point of this blog, then, is to help the reader along his/her journey towards real and complete Teshuva. Some people are able to do Teshuva on their own, while others find that it's easier when you have a bit of a support group. This blog will hopefully fill that role, to enable those who read it to discuss their feelings and thoughts in an anonymous setting, to grow without feeling embarrassed about one's own sins.
(Side note - one should never feel embarrassed that they allowed the Yetzer Hara to get the best of them. After all, his whole job - no, his whole existence - is to get us to sin. So you'd imagine he's pretty good at it. We'll talk more about the Yetzer Hara as we go along. But don't be depressed just because you got tripped up a couple times by the dirtiest player in the game).
Share this with your friends, or keep the tidbits to yourself. Either way, grow. Climb. Reach for the top. Set aside a few moments each day, devoted to just thinking about Teshuva. Exerting even the tiniest effort in this area will change your Elul experience into something that's incredibly meaningful. That way, we will be able show HKBH that we truly care about getting closer to Him, and iy"H He will accept us back with open arms.
השיבנו ה' אליך ונשובה
For those of you who followed this blog last year, I welcome you back. For those who are new, I invite you to browse last year's posts as well as this year's. And all are encouraged to comment on each day's vort if you feel so inclined.
Okay, ready to rumble! Elul is here, and that means it's once again A Time for Teshuva. As the Maharal explains, each of the months of the year have a different quality to them - Nissan, for example, has the quality of cheirus, freedom. Elul, then, certainly has the quality of Teshuva, of second chances - after all, Moshe spent all of Elul on Har Sinai begging Hashem to forgive Bnei Yisrael for the Golden Calf. (For a bit more elaboration, check out the post titled "The Maharal's Concept of Time")
The point of this blog, then, is to help the reader along his/her journey towards real and complete Teshuva. Some people are able to do Teshuva on their own, while others find that it's easier when you have a bit of a support group. This blog will hopefully fill that role, to enable those who read it to discuss their feelings and thoughts in an anonymous setting, to grow without feeling embarrassed about one's own sins.
(Side note - one should never feel embarrassed that they allowed the Yetzer Hara to get the best of them. After all, his whole job - no, his whole existence - is to get us to sin. So you'd imagine he's pretty good at it. We'll talk more about the Yetzer Hara as we go along. But don't be depressed just because you got tripped up a couple times by the dirtiest player in the game).
Share this with your friends, or keep the tidbits to yourself. Either way, grow. Climb. Reach for the top. Set aside a few moments each day, devoted to just thinking about Teshuva. Exerting even the tiniest effort in this area will change your Elul experience into something that's incredibly meaningful. That way, we will be able show HKBH that we truly care about getting closer to Him, and iy"H He will accept us back with open arms.
השיבנו ה' אליך ונשובה
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