Hillel's advice

Hi,

"Hillel used to teach: One who is ignorant cannot be truly afraid of sinning, and one who is not learned cannot be pious.

"One who is easily embarrassed will not learn, and one who is too exacting will not teach, and one who is too involved in business will not become wise.

"Where there are no 'men,' work at being a 'man.'"

(Pirkei Avot 2:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Piety trumps Torah knowledge

Hi,

"R' Shimon and R' Elazar were sitting together, when R' Yaakov bar Acha approached.

"R' Elazar said to R' Shimon, 'Let us rise before him, for he is someone who piously fears sinning.

"R' Shimon replied, 'Let us rise before him, for he is a man of Torah.'

"R' Elazar said back, 'I told you he is someone who fears sinning, and you reply that he is [merely] a man of Torah?!"

(Talmud, Shabbat 31b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Taking on measures of special piety

Hi,

"Regarding taking on acts of special piety which involve pain, one who wishes to identify as unique may do so, one who wishes to identify as a Torah scholar may do so.

"Regarding taking on acts of special piety which confer honour, not all who wish to identify as unique may do so, not all who wish to identify as a Torah scholar may do so, unless one has been appointed as a leader by the community…

"Rabbi Zeira said: Only, one may not take these on if that will disgrace others [who are not practicing thus]."

(Talmud Yerushalmi, Berachot 2:9)

המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai

Piety and Perseverance

Hi,

"What is the root of piety? When one draws his heart in traits of piety and it is difficult, for people mock him and embarrass him and say things to pain him, and they remind him of his bad, Sdom-like conduct, he should not abandon his piety due to the scorners, and he should enter into good attributes, little by little, day after day. One who gathers handfuls will acquire a lot…

"It is a great sin to say to a penitent person, "Remember your earlier deeds," now that this person has deepened his path to enter into piety and he has not concerned himself with the laughter of the scorners. Those who do this, mentioning his earlier deeds, are as though they were locking the door before the penitent. He should remind himself that he has great merit, and his shame is considered righteousness for him."

(R' Yehudah haChasid, Sefer Chasidim 7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Start piety young

Hi,

"Because piety is difficult to initiate, it is good to begin in one's youth, as it is written, 'Remember your Creator in your youth; when he ages he will not stray therefrom.'

"Also, the repentance of an elder when he has aged, and his desire has waned, is like that of a person who speaks slanderously and then is unable to speak and says no more. If one repents when he is still strong and his desire is still powerful and he conquers it, this is praiseworthy repentance. He acts with might in controlling his powerful and stubborn desire; regarding this it is written, 'One who controls his spirit is more powerful than a conqueror of cities.' The reward for doing something difficult is very great."

(R' Yehudah haChasid, Sefer Chasidim 7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

To be pious is to forgive

Hi,

"'Chasid' only refers to one who forgives his rights. When people who have sinned against him and wronged him come before him, and they regret it and ask his forgiveness, correcting all that they can correct and asking his forgiveness for the rest, and they say they will accept whatever judgment he decrees for them, and he sees he could harm them and punish them and instead he forgives them wholeheartedly and he does not harm them, he is called a 'chasid' for this, as in Yirmiyahu 3:12, "Return Israel… I will not frown upon you, for I am a chasid." And so Yosef forgave the sons of Yaakov when they sinned against him, and he did not punish them."

(R' Yehudah haChasid, Sefer Chasidim 11)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The meaning of Piety

Hi,

"This is the root of piety, that one must act beyond the line of the law in all matters, as it is said (Psalms 145), 'Gd is pious in all of His deeds.'"

(R' Yehudah haChasid, Sefer Chasidim 11)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The path to piety

Hi,

"One who wishes to become pious should be very careful with the laws regarding damaging others' property."

(Talmud, Bava Kama 30a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai