Grabbing a mitzvah

Hi,

"Rava said: Rav Yosef tested us with the following question: If a kohen grabs from the gifts which are designed forkohanim, is he displaying love for the mitzvah or is he degrading the mitzvah? And we answered him that the Torah says, "And he shall give [the gift]" – indicating that the kohen should not take it on his own."

(Talmud, Chullin 133a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Do it yourself

Hi,

"The same is true for all mitzvot: The mitzvah is for one to do it himself, more than for one's proxy to do it."

(R' Avraham Gombiner, Magen Avraham 250:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Don't let it become chametz

Hi,

[Regarding Shmot 12:17, 'And you shall guard the matzot']

"R' Yoshiyah said: Don't read it this way, but as 'And you shall guard the mitzvot.' Just as we don't let matzah ferment, so we don't let a mitzvah ferment. If it comes to hand, do it immediately."

(Midrash, Mechilta d'Rabbi Yishmael Bo 9)

Chag kasher v'sameach,
Mordechai

Get out of bed!

Hi,

Upon waking in the morning:

"One should contemplate, in his heart, before Whom he lies. He should know that the King of the Kings of Kings, HaShem, is floating above him, as it is written, 'I fill the heavens and the earth; this is the word of Gd.' Were he lying before an immanent mortal king, he would be liable for his life! How much more so before the King of the Kings of Kings, HaShem!

"And therefore he should rise immediately, with energy, to the service of his Creator. He should not say, 'I will lie in my bed and learn,' but rather he should rise and dress, as it is written, 'Prepare to greet your Gd, Israel!'"

(Shulchan Aruch haRav Orach Chaim 1:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A Pesach lesson: Performing mitzvot personally

Hi,


"The Torah says, ‘The nation carried out its dough before it could rise, their burdens bound up in their clothes, upon their shoulders.’

"R’ Natan asked: Did they not have animals? But the Jews loved the mitzvot, and they went and did it themselves in order to receive reward for going and doing…"

(Midrash, Mechilta d’R’ Shimon bar Yochai 12:38)

Have a great Moed,
Mordechai

The essence of attending a wedding

Hi,

The Chafetz Chaim (Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, 19th-20th century Poland) was once at a wedding of a needy couple, and when the bride and groom left the chuppah and came to a point near where he was, he raced forward to greet them.

He explained to his students: It is practically theft to attend a wedding and not gladden the bride and groom, for that is why you are invited to the wedding!

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Get moving!

Hi,

"Rabbi Tarfon said: The day is short and there is much work to do, and the laborers are lazy and there is much reward, and the employer is demanding."

(Pirkei Avot 2:15)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Join in a community mitzvah

Hi,

"It is written (Ecclesiastes 1), 'The loss cannot be counted.' This refers to a situation in which one's peers all join to participate in a Mitzvah, and one does not join in with them."

(Talmud, Berachot 26a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Enthusiasm for Judaism

Hi,

The very Jewish ideal of enthusiasm:

"Those who are enthusiastic rush to perform Mitzvot at the earliest opportunity."

(Talmud, Pesachim 4a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The pursuit of righteousness

Hi,

"This is the behavior of a person who is a Jew, whose soul desires to serve Gd:

"Regarding whatever he knows to be a sin, or to be a proper path, he will wage war against his nature [lest it drive him to sin] using various strategies, and he will strengthen himself with great power and effort, with all of his ability, to guard it."

(R' Eliezer Papo, Pele Yoetz, Chozek)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The meal of the angels

Hi,

"Why did Avraham provide the visiting angels a meal of meat, rather than fish?

"Because he wished to be energetic in performing mitzvot for them. Preparing meat involves many mitzvot, such as shechitah, salting the meat and removing prohibited parts, but no such mitzvot are involved in preparing fish."

(R' Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, Kedushat Levi to Parshat Vayyera)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

When energy is a good thing, when energy is a bad thing

Hi,

"Some are energetic [zariz] and are rewarded for it, and some are energetic and lose as a result of it; some are lazy and are rewarded for it, and some are lazy and lose as a result of it.

"'Energetic and rewarded' refers to a person who works all week and so does not need to work on Friday afternoon, close to Shabbat.

"'Energetic and loses' refers to a person who works all week, including Friday afternoon, close to Shabbat.

"'Lazy and rewarded' refers to a person who does not work all week, and does not work on Friday afternoon, close to Shabbat, either [he accomplishes a Mitzvah, even without intending to do so].

"'Lazy and loses' refers to a person who does not work all week, and works on Friday afternoon, close to Shabbat."

(Talmud, Pesachim 50b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Morning Energy

Hi,

"A person should strengthen himself like a lion to rise in the morning for the service of his Creator, so that he will awaken the morning [rather than have the morning awaken him]."

(Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 1:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

In memory of Mort Levy, z"l

Hello,

In memory of Mort Levy, a good friend who passed away last night:

"Shammai taught: Make your Torah study regular, speak little but do much, and greet every person pleasantly."

(Pirkei Avot 1:15)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

Do not delay!

Hi,

"Do not be weak about performing a mitzvah which comes to hand; do it for the sake of Heaven, without delay."

(Orchot Chaim, Rabbeinu Asher, #53)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Master yourself!

Hi,

"One who wishes to eat his meals with full peace and rest and to sleep without disruption, who refuses to walk if not at his own leisure, and similar behaviors, will find it difficult to rise early to synagogue in the morning, or to shorten his meal for the Minchah prayer in the afternoon, or to go engage in a mitzvah if it is not the ideal time, or certainnly to hurry himself for a mitzvah pursuit or for Torah study.

"One who accustoms himself to such behaviors is not a master of himself, free to do the opposite if he should so choose, for his will is already imprisoned in the prison of habit, which becomes second nature."

(R' Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Mesilat Yesharim, Chapter 9)

Have a great day,
Mordechai