Monthly Archives: July 2013

Rav Wolbe zt’l on the beginning of Mesillas Yesharim

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Found on Flickr

Found on Flickr after a lot of searching

 

In Z’ria U’Binyan B’Chinnuch, Planting and Building, by Rav Shlomo Wolbe z’tl (English translation by Rabbi Leib Keleman) the beginning of Mesillas Yesharim is quoted, which states (pages14-15):

“The foundation of Chassidus (piety) and the root of perfect service of Hashem is understanding and appreciating one’s obligation in one’s personal world.” It is tempting to gloss over the apparently repetitive phraseology, “The foundation of Chassidus” and “the root of perfect service of Hashem,”…in this short phrase, Ramchal teaches us that there are two, parallel processes in serving Hahsem.

The first one, Chassidus, demands a foundation. Chassidus constitutes the top floor in the construction of a human being and construction always requires a foundation. The taller and loftier the building we wish to construct, the deeper the foundation we must dig. To reach the heights of Chassidus, we must first lay a strong foundation and then build on it.

The second one, Divine service, evolves organically from within, and such growth requires a root, Ramchal hints. Where there is no root, there can be no growth. In one terse sentence, Ramchal informs us that we must be involved in both construction (building ourselves through the acquisition of ma’alos– good qualities) and growth (sowing internal seed that will sprout during our lifetime). And with this understanding we should learn the remainder of the introduction to the Mesillas Yesharim

This is exactly why our there needs to be both building and construction in raising a child and in building ourselves. A sprinkle of piety here and a pinch of servicing Hashem there helps make things taste better. Of course, I’m referring to the ta’am (taste) of a mitzvah. Hey, I’ll admit that that as a man I can only do one thing at a time. If I’m being asked to work on constructing a edifice with a strong foundation, then how work on nourishing my ever growing roots?

My own interpretation of this is that since roots are under the surface, working on growth is something we keep to ourselves, like a smokeless fire (see this post). What our families, friends, and people we bump into will see is how those roots essentially help with the construct of the “building” in the form of those mitzvos that we perform out in the open, such as davening, learning, or a chessed.

Speaking of Mesillas Yesharim, A Simple Jew was kind enough to tell me about a new edition of Mesillas Yesharim coming out July 31, 2013 from Artscroll. with seriously useful commentary.

5 Reasons why TorahAnytime Beta is awesome

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A number of months ago I was asked to beta test the all new reloaded TorahAnytime.com. Their amazing website recently went live and here are 5 reasons it’s awesome.

1. Incredibly easy on the eyes. The site was designed so that you can easily see newly added videos and also navigate to different pages from the toolbar.
2. Videos shown by category. Lets say you are looking for a video shiur on the parsha, halacha, or from a Seder, just scroll down and see rows of videos that are available.
3. Member login and donations. On the Right side of the page it’s really easy to login. Just under that is info about making a donation. This site is constantly updated and it needs our support.
4. It’s all about the partners. Toward the bottom of the homepage on the right you’ll see logos/links of organizations and institutions that have partnered with TorahAnytime.com. One of the signs of any organization is that they are willing to share the credit.
5. It’s a great use of the web. If you are reading this post then you know that we can use technology to better who we are. TorahAnyTime does exactly that.

Hislamdus from trains

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West end of the Bloomingdale Trail July 2013

West end of the Bloomingdale Trail July 2013

I took the two photographs above while walking on the “Bloomingdale Trail” in Chicago. This unused 2.7 miles of elevated railroad tracks and footpaths is slated to become a park and trail system connecting four neighborhoods by fall of 2014 (similar to the High Line in NYC).

I recently took my son and two close friends of his to walk the “Bloomingdale”. It was so cool to be walking 16 feet above street level and getting a very unique perspective of Chicago. We walked over and next to parks, streets, schools, old factory buildings, and residential areas for about 30 minutes. On a second trip there, last week, I walked the entire stretch of 2.8 miles from beginning to end and back again. It was on this excursion that found the two abandoned trains. They had been left there and over the years had become part of the urban landscape. I had wanted to walk the entire Bloomingdale Trail prior to it’s face-lift and reconstructive surgery.

These abandoned tracks and the footpaths made by joggers and bicyclists will loose some of their character when the city of Chicago transforms them into park area and trails. As I looked at and examined the these two sets of train cars I reflected on how they, at one time, served a purpose holding cargo of one type or another, but without an engine pulling them they were rendered non-functional. I thought about myself and how I can have big grand ideas and projects in my mind, but if they are not “attached” to an action plan or any measurable movement, then they are just plans, sitting abandoned on a railroad track.

Hislamdus, teaching oneself/learning from things, is key for those who try to invest time in working on themselves. This is what I was doing with the train cars. As I walked back to my entry point (which involved climbing through a cut out passageway in a fence) I was reminded of a something  taught by Rav Yisrael Salanter. When he first observed the railroad system he was able to extract three important lessons: If you come late, you will miss the train; if the train jumps the rail, then all of the cars might overturn; a person without a ticket cannot board the train.

Free booklet- “Elul, Returning to Hashem” (link)

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http://holysparks.org

http://holysparks.org

Hi, I was just told about this wonderful free booklet by a friend (he wrote the essay on page 13). As we move ourselves from mourning on Tisha B’Av and really look towards the Geulah (Redemption), our thoughts turn towards Elul and Tishrai. This exceptionally awesome booklet was compiled by someone living in Eretz Yisrael and this Breslov Research Institute has made it available to the public. It is very inspirational and helps keep us focused on the bigger picture of embracing our individual and national avodah of serving Hashem. Please take a look and tell your friends, too. The booklet is available here.

PS- Thanks for taking a look.