Tearing up the decree

Hi,

"Four things tear up a person’s [Divine] decree: Tzedakah, Prayer, Changing one’s name and changing one’s deeds… Changing one’s deeds, as it is written, “And Gd saw their deeds.”"

(Talmud, Rosh HaShanah 16b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Asking for trouble

Hi,

"Three circumstances call to mind a person's sins: An inclined wall, examination of one's prayer [assuming Gd must answer one's prayers, because one prayed with great concentration - Rashi] and asking Gd to punish others for their sins."

(Talmud, Rosh HaShanah 16b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Longing for death

Hi,

“Decreeing death for the righteous is difficult for Gd, as it is written (Tehullim 116), ‘Death of His righteous ones is precious in the eyes of Gd.’ What does Gd do? He shows them their reward, so that they will ask for death.

“When Rabbi Avahu was dying, Gd showed him his reward. He was shocked, and he said, ‘All of this for Avahu?!’ He applied the verse (Yeshayah 49), ‘I said I had worked for nothing, and depleted my strength for emptiness and a lack of substance – but my justice is with Gd.’ And he immediately desired to die.”

(Midrash Tanchuma Vayechi 4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Using Torah as a song

Hi,

"One who recites a verse from Song of Songs and makes it a sort of song, or one who recites a verse at an inappropriate time, brings evil to the world. The Torah clothes itself in sackcloth, stands before Gd and says: Master of the Universe! Your children have made me like a lyre with which the nations play for idolatry!

"Gd replies: My daughter! If so [that you protest], what should My children do when they are glad?

"Torah responds: Master of the Universe! If they are scholars, let them involve themselves in Torah, mishnah, talmud, halachah and aggadah. If they are not learned, let them involve themselves in the laws of Pesach on Pesach, the laws of Shavuot on Shavuot, and the laws of Succot on Succot."

(Kallah Rabti 1:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Developing inspiration for prayer

Hi,


"Often one prays but the time is not ripe for awakening, and often one reaches awakening but he does not pray, for it is not the time for prayer...

"This is why we have presented ways for him to awaken himself in prayer through various strategies, but he should not abandon the second side. When he has any kind of internal awakening at any point during the day, outside of the time of prayer and worship, he should not abandon it. He must only use it as a key to the soul. As we have mentioned, all types of feelings, even of business or other matters of the body, of a broken heart or of joy, includes a revelation of the soul. It is only clothed in the needs of this world.

"One must use this ripe opportunity, and when he feels any type of broken heart, even for physical reasons, he should immediately go off to the side, stand by a wall, and recite some chapter of Tehllim. It would best to recite a chapter that relates to the event, and to his worries... And so when one feels joy inside..."

(R' Klonymus Kalman Schapiro, Bnei Machshavah Tovah, Seder Emtzaei v'Yesod haChevra 9)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Why are oxen, sheep and goats the only korban-eligible animals?

Hi,

"R' Yehudah, son of R' Simon, said: Gd declared: I have given you ten kosher animals, three of which live within your domain and seven of which do not live within your domain... Did I burden you to go to the moutains and hills to bring a korban from those which do not live within your domain? I only told you to bring from that which lives in your domain and grows from your trough."

(Midrash, Psikta d'Rav Kahana 6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Mind your bias

Hi,

"Another way in which logical law falls short of the Divine is that logical law cannot distinguish between the appropriate and the inappropriate in all matters; sometimes a thing is pleasant or repellent to us, but it is not inherently pleasant or repellent."

(R' Yosef Albo, Sefer haIkkarim I:8)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Testing the righteous

Hi,

"Rav Huna said, citing R’ Eliezer son of R’ Yosi haGelili: Gd delays and raises the eyes of the righteous [in anticipation], and then reveals the reason to them. So, too, Gd said, “to the land that I will show you (Bereishit 12:1),” “upon one of the mountains I will identify for you (Bereishit 22:2),” “Call upon her the message that I will tell to you (Yonah 3:2),” “Go out to the valley, and there I will speak with you (Yechezkel 3:22).”"

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 39:9)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Praying with joy

Hi,

"The root of prayer is in heartfelt joy in one's relationship with Gd, as it is written (Divrei haYamim I 7:10), 'Praise His holy Name; may the heart of those who seek Gd be glad.' This is why David, king of Israel, played his lyre in all of his prayers and songs - in order to fill his heart with joy in his love of Gd."

(R' Yehudah haChasid, Sefer Chasidim 18)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

It's the thought that counts

Hi,

"The Torah says 'a fire, an aroma before Gd,' regarding an animal brought as a korban olah, and the Torah says 'a fire, an aroma before Gd,' regarding a bird brought as a korban olah, and the Torah says 'a fire, an aroma before Gd,' regarding flour brought as a korban olah. This teaches that whether one does a lot [by bringing a more expensive korban] or one does a little, it is all right so long as one's intent is for Gd."

(Mishnah Menachot 13:11)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Learn Torah in order to practice

Hi,


"The root of Torah is that one must study in depth and understand practical lessons in every matter, as it is written (Tehillim 111:10), 'Good insight for all who practice them.' It does not say 'all who learn them,' but 'all who practice them.' One should not read, study, and then kick his father or his mentor or his better. Rather, learn in order to teach, guard and practice. This is torah lishmah [Torah studied with pure intent]."

(R' Yehudah haChasid, Sefer Chasidim 17)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A dose of reality

Hi,

"Do not perform an act which people will mock; it is their way to conceal the good and to reveal the bad."

(Rosh, Orchot Chaim 55)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Soft ears

Hi,

"One should not make empty speech available to his ears; they are the most easily singed part of the body." [This plays on their physical texture to teach a lesson.]

(Talmud, Ketuvot 5b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Earlobe

Hi,

"Why does the ear, which is entirely tough, have a soft lobe? So that one who hears inappropriate speech will be able to bend the lobe into the ear."

(Talmud, Ketuvot 5b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The imposed constraints of imagination

Hi,

"It is impossible for you to elevate your thoughts to a pure state without any physical picture or imagined image, because you demand that every thought in your head involve a physical picture or imagined image, because you are used to such thoughts… There is an examining agent in a person’s mind, checking and editing his thoughts. That which does not resemble and match the visible world is considered false, and this agent pursues it and eliminates it from his mind."

(R' Klonymus Kalman Schapiro, Bnei Machshavah Tovah, Emtza'ei v'Yesod haChevra 6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Put your fingers in your ears

Hi,

“Why are a person’s fingers like pegs… meaning, why are they smoothed, like pegs? So that one who hears inappropriate speech will be able to place his fingers in his ears.”

(Talmud, Ketuvot 5b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Guarding the Mikdash

Hi,

"We are commanded to guard the Beit haMikdash [Temple in Jerusalem]. Although there is no fear of enemies or bandits there, this guarding is a matter of honoring it. A palace with guards is different from a palace without guards."

(Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Beit haBechirah 8:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Internalizing awe through our actions

Hi,

Regarding the mitzvah of not taking large steps on the mizbeiach [altar in the Beit haMikdash]:

“Among the roots of this mitzvah is… to establish in ourselves awe of the site and awareness of its significance. Therefore, we are instructed not to act frivolously there, in any way. Everyone knows that the stones will not care about any disrespect toward them – they neither see nor hear – but the point is to help us internalize awe of the site and awareness of its significance and great honor, for the heart is activated by our actions.”

(Sefer haChinuch, Mitzvah 41)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Whose money is it?

Hi,

"Rabbi Elazar of Bartota said: Give Him what is His, for you and yours are His."

(Avot 3:7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Yonah, Iyyov and Eliyahu

Hi,

This one is a bit of a riddle: What is the common denominator between the three stories mentioned here?

"Three winds went forth without being weighed, and could have destroyed the world: One in the days of Yonah [threatening his ship], one in the days of Iyyov [demolishing his home], and one in the days of Eliyahu [manifesting Divine power to him in response to his challenge]…"

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 24:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Avraham's Running

Hi,

Shir haShirim 7:6 describes Gd as מלך אסור ברהטים, which translates literally as “the King, bound in [your] tresses.” However, the word רהטים may also refer to “running.”

“Gd said to Israel: It is as though I was bound by an oath to you. In what merit? In the merit of the two times Avraham ran before Me: ‘And to the cattle Avraham raced’ and ‘He saw and he raced to greet them’ [to take care of his guests].

"Thus, the king is bound by running.”

(Midrash Tanchuma Tetzaveh 6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Punishing one who sins

Hi,

"They asked Wisdom: What should be the punishment of a sinner? She replied: ‘Wicked people should be pursued by their sins [Mishlei 13:21].’

"They asked Prophecy: What should be the punishment of a sinner? She replied [Yechezkel 18:4]: ‘The sinning soul should die.’

"They asked Gd: What should be the punishment of a sinner? He replied: Let him repent, and it will be forgiven for him.""

(Talmud Yerushalmi, Makkot 2:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Why did Yonah flee?

Hi,

"He decided not to go to Nineveh, so that the people of Assyria would not be saved from destruction by his hand. How could his going cause the Assyrians to be saved, and then to ultimately destroy the children of Israel?... If Gd wishes to save them Himself, let Him do as He wishes – but not via Yonah and by his hand."

(Abarbanel to Yonah 1:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Why was Yonah recorded?

Hi,

"Yonah’s story was recorded among the holy texts not because of Nineveh, but because of Yonah, the strength of his piety and the miracle performed for him, and so that we would know that the word of Gd will stand forever."

(Abarbanel to Yonah 1:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The identity of the Yonah

Hi,

"Yonah, who descends into the boat, is the soul of a person which descends to this world to live in the body of a person. Why is it called a “Yonah”? Because once it partners with a body like this, it suffers (yonah) in this world, as it is said, “And you shall not cause one another to suffer (tonu).”"

(Zohar, Shemot 199a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Repentance saved the world

Hi,

“Before the universe existed, there was only Gd, in His Name alone. He decided to create the universe, but he continually destroyed it; the universe could not endure. The sages have compared this to a king who wished to build a palace; had the king not laid waste to the land, he could not have begun to build its foundations, exits and entrances. So Gd destroyed the universe, and it could not endure, until He created the possibility of repentance."

(Midrash, Pirkei d'R' Eliezer 3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The value of humility

Hi,


“Humility is the root of service. A small deed, performed out of humility, is one thousand times more acceptable to Gd than a great deed performed out of arrogance. And so the sages said [Berachot 5b], ‘It is the same, whether one does a lot or a little, so long as his heart’s intent is for the sake of heaven.’”

(Orchot Tzaddikim, Shaar ha'Anavah)

Have a great day,
Mordechai