Rise!

Hi, "One grows in holiness; one must never descend." (Talmud, Menachot 99a) Have a great day, Mordechai

Joy and Terror

Hi,

"There is an Orthodox Jew who dwells in timidity, tethered to what he knows; there is an Orthodox Jew whose life is punctuated by the joy and terror of the gooseflesh."

(Rabbi Shalom Carmy, The House I Lived in: A Taste of Gooseflesh, Tradition 44:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Becoming a chassid

Hi,

"Two chassidim were carrying on a conversation.

"'How would you define what a chassid is?' one asked.

"'A chassid is someone who wishes to become a chassid,' the other answered.

"'Well, who would not wish to become a chassid?' the first asked.

"'Someone who thinks he already is a chassid,' the other answered.

"A chassid is a person who constantly strives for self-improvement and for greater spirituality. Although he knows one can never achieve perfection, he nevertheless aims to approach it as close as possible."

(Rabbi Dr. Avraham Twerski, Rebbes and Chassidim, chapter 40)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Being your own mentor

Hi,


R' Klonymus Kalmish Schapira, the Piaseczner Rebbe, was a rebbe in the Warsaw Ghetto, killed by the Nazis. He was a fervent believer in self-esteem, and the importance of growth through actualization of one's own potential. You can read more about him here.


"Your main educator is you, yourself. If you will not stand up to take the reins of control in your hand and reign over yourself, guiding yourself as the captain of a ship, who knows whether you won't be broken, whether you won't drown in the stormy sea and the material world, amid the baser human desires? At that point all of your teachers and mentors will not benefit you at all, Gd-forbid."


(R' Klonymus Kalmish Schapira, Chovat haTalmidim, Chapter 10)


Have a great day,
Mordechai