Rabbi Avigdor Miller on the greatness of an apple
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Category Archives: lessons
Rav Hirsch on "What the World Stands On…"
Like most people, I learn Pirkei Avos on Shabbos starting after Pesach and finishing six weeks later. The following is part of Rav Hirsch’s commentary on this Pirkei Avos: Shimon the Righteous was among the last surviving members of the Great assembly. He would say: The world stands on three things: Torah, the service of G-d, and deeds of kindness. (Chap 1, Mishna 2)
Torah implies the knowledge of the truth and the will of God with regard to every aspect of our lives, personal and public, individual and social. Avodah denotes dutiful obedience, service God by fulfilling His will in every phase of our lives, personal and pubic, individual and social. Gemiluth Chasidim signifies selfless, active loving-kindness to promote the welfare of our fellow-man. These are the three things which shape and perfect the world of man and all that pertains to it in accordance with the measure and way of its destiny. Whenever and wherever any of these three are inadequate or altogether lacking there is a gap which cannot be filled and there is no manifest destiny. Without Torah the human spirit lacks the wellsprings of true knowledge; it will be blind to the basic, indispensable element which makes man a human being and it will be receptive to everything except truth and light. Without Avodah man cannot have the proper attitude towards God, his Master and Creator, and toward the world into which God put him in order to develop and protect it in accordance with God’s will. Instead of serving God he will think he is a master when, as a matter of fact, he will be the slave of his passions and his lust. He will pander to anything that he feels can serve or prejudice his interests, instead of being exalted and ennobled by him in accordance with God’s purpose, everything he touches will receive the impress of his depravity and error. If he omits Gemiluth Chasadim he will be without that characteristic which is the very first trait of godliness. Instead of being God-like in acting as a creator of happiness and prosperity for his fellow-man, he will harden his heart in callous selfishness, and mankind will lack that bond of brotherhood and loving-kindness within which alone all happiness and joy of life can prosper.
Yeah, I know, it’s a long quote. But, in these words, Rav Hirsch (as rendered into English by Gertrude Hirschler in 1967) really sums up Torah Judaism and our place in the world. He not only shows us how Torah, Avodah, and Gemilus Chassadim must enhance our world, but Rav Hirsch skillfully draws a picture of what a person is like who doesn’t engage in these three things. He willl: “be receptive to everything except truth and light”, “be the slave of his passions and his lust”, and “harden his heart in callous selfishness, and mankind will lack that bond of brotherhood and loving-kindness within which alone all happiness and joy of life can prosper”.
The image of a three-legged table isn’t just a random picture. If one doesn’t exercise a balance of Torah, Avodah, and Gemilus Chassadim then it’s as if the table is either missing a leg or the table is slanted. Either way, it isn’t stable. We see that all three elements must exist in order to achieve a “balanced” Torah observant Jew.
The unchanging Guard
I am not a fan of Right Guard. I wasn’t a fan of it when I was, like, 12 or 13 yrs old, and now that I’m 38 I am still not a fan. I dread having to use it every Pesach. It’s really as simple as that. However, I also hope every year that when I buy my “Pesach can” of Right Guard, it will smell different.
The smell of the stuff hasn’t changed in years. As newer advances in technology and medicine take place, as more and more people become “connected” in our global village, Right Guard stays the same. Maybe that’s the point. Once a year, we come to Pesach and each of us has that vort we love to say over at the Seder, that recipe that everyone loves, and those one or two items that the kids made in school that are always on the table. Sometimes, not changing things, is actually a nice change.
A letter to my Daughter
Dear [First Name] [Middle Name],
You are now past the middle part of your first grade year and just got your siddur. You came home from school so excited about your “siddur party” and were so proud of yourself. Mommy and I are very proud, as well. On Shabbos night we sat together on the sofa, while your older brother played with your younger sister. I went to the bookshelf and brought down a siddur that belonged to my grandfather, your great-grandfather. It was printed in 1857, so it’s 152 years old. This is probably the oldest thing we have in our home. It’s way older than, even, me!
We sat and opened up this very old siddur and I showed you that it was printed in a place called Vienna, Austria. Vienna, interestingly enough is where Mommy’s dad, your Zaide a’h was from. We looked at the tefillos and I showed you that the same things that you daven from your new siddur are also in this very old siddur…even Sh’ma!
I’ll give this letter to you when you are older and, hopefully, will appreciate the idea that are past, present, and future are all connected to davening to Hashem and when you open a siddur you are opening your heart!
Love,
Abba
Rav Aharon Feldman Shlita on Mesiras Nefesh
Monday night I had the honor of hearing the Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Israel, Rav Aharon Feldman speak in Chicago on behalf of Toldos Yeshurun. The Rosh Yeshiva said over the following ideas regarding Mesiras Nefesh (self sacrifice):
Mesiras Nefesh is the key to the Geulah. Shemos is full of Mesiras Nefesh. Being Mosair Nefesh means going against the grain of society. To be great you have to be Mosair Nefesh for Torah.
We build Torah institutions by being Mosair Nefesh. The Chofetz Chaim asked the question, “Why did we fast on Purim, but go to battle for Chanukah?”
His answer is that Purim was an attack on our physical beings, our Gatchmeus, so we had to counter it by fasting. Chanukah was an attack on Ruchnius, on Torah, so we had no choice but to go to battle. Mesiras Nefesh is the key to aquiring Torah. All Torah in America was built on Mesiras Nefesh.
When I was growing up in Baltimore, a very popular Conservative Rabbi said that in 40 years Orthodox Judaism won’t exist. Well, Orthodoxy is still alive and well.
We learned last week that you can only take Trumah from anyone who will donate money from their heart. For the Mishkan you can’t force someone to give, the Shechinah will only be in a place where B’nai Yisrael gives from their hearts.
The success of Jewish life is based on us going against the grain. We have to know that we can grow, elevate, and rise above all of our circumstances. The key is Mesiras Nefesh.
Rav Noach Weinberg and the lesson he taught me
The founder of Aish HaTorah, Rav Noach Weinberg was nifter on Thursday morning. I never officially attended Aish HaTorah, but while learning in Eretz Yisrael (my first year) in 1991 I spent a good amount of time in the Old City at Aish attending classes personally given by the late Rosh Yeshiva. I heard all of the “5 Levels of Pleasure” discussions, about 10 of the “48 Ways”, and was part of a small group that met in his office for 4 or 5 times for various “Outreach Seminars”.
During his discussions about Kiruv he repeated the following several times:
It’s important for those of us who believe in Hashem’s Torah to show the world that while we live according to the Torah, we do it with joy. You must always show the Simchas HaChaim, the joy of a Torah life. I love ice cream and I don’t mind letting you know that. Why? Because it’s a pleasure to eat it. Hashem doesn’t want us to push aside thing we love that are permitted in the Torah. Show people that you can obey all of the commandments and still like ice cream.
This is a lesson that so important for everyone. It makes no difference if you are in kiruv, chinuch, business, or just a parent, child, or silbling. Enjoy life the way Hashem wants you to. He was a true Gadol B’Kiruv. He was almost larger than life, yet totally accessable to everyone (well, this was my observation). It is inspiring to see what effect one person can have on the world.
By the way, my favorite ice cream is Mint Chocolate Chip.
Rabbi Maryles also posted about Rav Weinberg here.
Audio downloads of the “48 Ways to Wisdom” are available here.
Text and audio of the “5 Levels of Pleasure” are available here.
Identity Theft
It didn’t happen overnight. It was a gradual change. The essencials that made up who I was seemed to slip away.
An ambush, probably. A covert operation, if you will. I couldn’t really say when it first happened. I do know that at somepoint I did or said something and realized that “this isn’t me.”
On of the biggest weapons of the Yetzer Hora is to make us forget who we are. It could, in fact, be the biggest Yetzer Hora out there. This mode of attack is based on making us forget or become desensitized to the fact that each of us are a child of the King of Kings. This happens when we become to comfortable with ourselves, our abilities, and our hopes. It’s an attack that hurts, an attack that confuses us (which is the main goal of the Yetzer Hora) from different angles: our goals, our motivations, our enthusiasm, and our accomplishments.
And to make things worse, when this happens to me and I reflect on it (after the fact) I’m almost impressed with the tactics used by this Yetzer Hora. It’s not that I forget about the King, chas veshalom, because that would be too easy. No, it’s not an attack against Hashem. It’s simply forgetting that I’m the son of the King. It’s the impression that I have no connection or invitation to the Kedusha, the Torah, or the Mitzvos that Hashem created for me. That’s the knock-out punch.
*Photo from selfdefensetalk.com
Games
Games. Some people love them and others can’t stand playing them. I like some games (like Blokus, Go, Nok Hockey, and the song “Games” by Husker Du), but I’m not a fan of people who play psychological games with others.
I do like Jenga. I’ve liked it since college. I like the fact that you can play it with a group and that you can even just play with it alone and it’s just a challenging. I have found two very important Mussar lessons in playing Jenga.
Firstly: Every action we do has an effect. The effect can either be to build or knock down. This is very true when it comes to what we say to people and how we act. A smille, kind word, inquiry into how one is feeling, or simply saying “Hello” can have a major impact on someone. A simple action on a Mitzvah level has untold effects both in this world and the next (this book is a prime example). A negative look or remark can destroy even the strongest person.
Secondly: Even if something topples or gets knocked down, you can start again. That’s
what Teshuva is all about. It’s not the end of the world if the game ends or right at a critical point in a high pressured game of Jenga with your older kids your 2 yr old uber-toddler decides to “touch the tower”, and it all comes falling down. It’s just a game. You can just start over and maybe the next time you’ll win.
what Teshuva is all about. It’s not the end of the world if the game ends or right at a critical point in a high pressured game of Jenga with your older kids your 2 yr old uber-toddler decides to “touch the tower”, and it all comes falling down. It’s just a game. You can just start over and maybe the next time you’ll win.
Am I reading too much into a simple game of Jenga? Probably so, but I’m always looking for a lesson to learn in everything.
Question and Answer with A SIMPLE JEW
The question:
Do you find that people behave differently in in the workplace due to your Torah observance?
A Simple Jew answers:
If I did not have a yarmulke and beard, I would be indistinguishable from any other white male in the office. My appearance, however, broadcasts to the world who I am and what I believe without me even having to utter a single word. It makes me different, but that is not entirely a negative thing since it seems that people tend to take me more seriously and I tend to earn their respect quicker than if I did not have a beard and yarmulke.
I would also like to believe that my presence, speech, and behavior influences people to behave in a more refined manner. I have noticed that people are generally more careful from uttering profanities in my presence and also a little more careful about their topics of conversation. If they do slip, they will quickly say “Sorry”.
At times, however, I have noticed that people sometimes do not know how relate to me once they first meet me. Once they see that I can speak to them as another human being and not as the rabbi they imagine me to be the “wall of strangeness” quickly disappears.
While people behave differently because of me, as the only person in my building who wears a yarmulke, I am completely aware that I must behave differently because of them as well by ensuring that my behavior is beyond reproach and is consistent with my religious beliefs; by being a good ambassador for the Boss of all humanity.
A quick thought
My voice can be used either to scream of sing. Like most things…the choice is mine.
