The blogger CJ SRULLOWITZ wrote a must read post about the ripple effects of the economic situation in the frum community. It can be read here.
What to read a good post, click this…
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Hot of the press: "Da Es Nafshecha" just released in English
The English translation of Rav Itamar Shwartz’s Da Es Nafshecha, Getting to Know Your Soul, was just released. It’s a follow up to Getting to Know Yourself.
From the description:
The writings of our Sages, which reveal various faculties of the soul, help us to take a deeper look into ourselves. We can align our personalities with the will of Hashem through in-depth study and understanding of these faculties, which are common to all people. This sefer has two sections. The first explains the elements of fire, wind, water and earth which correspond to the four fundamental traits in the personality. The second section explains the 13 basic faculties of the soul.
The book is currently available online at Eichler’s. In fact, my wife just bought a copy for me today in Brooklyn. 🙂
The best T-shirt ever for my Elul
I happen to like things that allow limited space for a given message, like t-shirts and bumperstickers.
On Wednesday I saw a brilliant T-shirt. It captured an import foundation in personal growth. Rav Yerucham Levovitz zt”l, the Mashgiach from the Mir (and a talmud of the Alter of Kelm, the Alter of Slobodka, and the Chofetz Chaim) said, “Woe to a person who is not aware of his faults, for he does not know what he has to correct. But double woe to a person who is not aware of his virtues, for he is lacking the tools for correcting himself“.
What the Mashigach is saying is that if you don’t know exactly what your good points are, then you are lost. Without knowing exactly what those good points are, the things you excell at and make you who you are, then you can’t get anywhere.
When one reaches Elul, ok when I reach Elul, I usually attempt to figure out what I didn’t work on so much during the year. I look at my Cheshbon HaNefesh (I actually keep one online at http://www.joesgoals.com) and see what my “issues” and things I was struggling with were during the year and where I fell short. R Yerucham’s approach seems different. By focusing on our virtues we not only build up our confidence, but also become more aware of exactly what gifts Hashem decided to specifically give us. This idea is very in tune with the whole “Galus HaAdom” approach of Slobodka, finding the greatness within.
I think that using Elul as a time to bring out my strengths can only help me. Usually my Elul is sort of a cannonball into a pool of introspection followed by endless laps by way of the Tikun HaMiddos stroke. Using what virtues I might have to augment those things that I’m weak in brings me to the T-shirt. Each of us has a “virture” or something that we are fairly good at. If you don’t want to feel like a baal guyvah, then just accept that someone close to you feels that you are probably good at something. Our goal is of figure it out and use that as a springboard in other areas. Look at the T-Shirt below and think about how you would fill in the blank.
"Oh, yeah!"
As I write this, there are a few tears in my eyes. I guess this the the postive side of a flashback. Since my father a”h has been niftar I’ve become a fan of sugar-free grape drink mixes. One of the many things that I didn’t find out about my father until after his death, was that he loved sugar-free Kool Aid. In fact, I just made a cup.As I kid I remember making it at home, but my mom wasn’t a big fan due to the potential of massive stains on carpet and clothing. Since finding out my dad liked it and trying it myself when I was sitting in Wichita, KS, I’ve been buying it. My dad made it “by the pitcher”. I’m more into the single serving packets of either the Target or Walmart brands. Both are pretty good and you can also get the “white grape” which still gives you a pretty good grape taste, but if you drip it on your shirt it doesn’t really leave a stain.
So why am I misty-eyed? I made my bracha on my drink and took a sip. As I was drinking it I began to think about the fact that on some level my father a”h probably got some zchar for drinking this kosher item. My father a”h, wasn’t observant. He was raised fairly traditional, reguarly attended services on Shabbos and was always available to help with a minyan. My flashback, in this case, is all of the times he drank and ate kosher while visting me.
The lesson is in this, if anyone is actually reading this post, is that despite differences, friction, arguements, theological discussions, stereotypes, etc. that one may have to deal with with relatives who might be of “lesser observance”, the silver lining might be a shared bag of pretzels or a beer. Other times it might be you actually learning a thing or two, like the fact that sugar-free Kool Aid is pretty tasty.
Flashbacks
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| Photo from here |
(continued from here)
I have listened to music for years for years. My first 45 that I owned was “Hey Jude” with “Revolution” as the B side. I heard the song on the radio when I was like in pre-school or kindergarter and a few days later my parents got me the single. It was so cool. The first cassette (ask your parents, if you don’t know what one is) I owned was the Gene Simmons Kiss solo album. It was glorious. Then came hours upon hours of making mix tapes, finding bands to listen to and making music into a lifestyle and as a way to relate to the world.
The point is I have lyrics and tunes stuck in my head. It makes no difference how much MBD, Piamenta or Uncle Moishy I listen too, these songs from my past are still floating around my skull. Since my father a”h died, the lack of listening to music has sort of brought out audio fashbacks. For a while on Facebook I would post what combinations of songs (sort of an aveilus mega-mix) were going through my head on any given day. This got even more of a problem when I would go biking at night. I’d mentally play, hum and sing songs in my head, because I just didn’t get that jumpstart of energy listening to shiurim. I’ve come to realized that you can’t quite the music, even if you’re not listening to it.
Most of us can’t help it if we have music in our heads. A random phrase said at work will trigger a song lyric in my head. That’s how it is. A number of months ago I had oral surgery before Shabbos. I was on some fine pain killers and when walking to shul Shabbos morning several songs from my punk past popped in my head. I couldn’t get rid of them. Maybe it was the pain pills, maybe it was the several l’chaims after shul, but eventually they left my head. That’s one type of flashback.
Then there’s the opposite type. It can happen when in shul during Mussaf of Yom Kippur or during a “stam” Shabbos. I’ll hear the chazzen/baal tefillah start singing a particular tune and it will automatically bring me back to my high school days, as well. I’ll instantly be sent to a Shabbos afternoon spent keeping Shabbos with 100 other teens at an NCSY Shabbaton. I will recall how much I hated, and I usually don’t use or write this word, the idea of Shabbos ending, amid a medly of emotional songs composed by Abie Rotenberg and Avraham Fried.
I’ve also seen in myself, how easy it is to let music help express or direct what mood you are in. That’s probably a heathy side-effect of not listening to music during various times in the Jewish calendar and while mourning. It’s easy to get out of a bad funk by simply clicking a song in your iTunes. It’s a crutch, especially when you don’t really want to deal/express/accept certain feelings. Not having that niggun or guitar solo to listen to forces you to relate and express yourself. I’m sure that given some time I could come up with a slick song lyric it quote from someone as far removed from our religion as possible, but I’ll turn to what’s currently in my head written by Shlomo HaMelech, sung by D’veykus:
Everything has an appointed season, and there is a time for every matter under the heaven. (Koheles 3:1)
Cravings
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| Headphones from here |
Initially, I told myself that not listening to music for a year while in aveilus wouldn’t be a big deal.
For the most part, I still feel that way. I mean, if I can go 33 days with out listening to music during sefira, then what’s a another 332 days? And it’s not really that long because when you factor in Shabbos and Yom Tovim you cut down that number by another 50 odd days. No big deal. However two interesting things have been going gone through my mind, over the past 8 months. The first I’d call “cravings” and the second I can only refer to as “flashbacks”. The second part (flashbacks) will be posted next.
Cravings
I was never a big fan of what’s knows as “pop” music. I was, though, very into finding new bands to listen to. These were mostly confined to a specific genre/subculture. I craved listening to new music and going to concerts. I was always true to those two or three bands/artists that I loved, but I was constantly reading music news publications, staying up all hours in high school listening to our local college radio station (I don’t know if these even exist anymore) and speaking to friends about music.
Once I became observant and eventually chose to listen to mostly Jewish music this craving sort of transfered over, as well. I miss not keeping up with newer Jewish music. I didn’t think I would, but I do. The realization of having to almost listen my way through and network with people about what new artists are out there seems like a big undertaking. I guess after I’m “finished with my year”, I’ll start asking people what they are listening to.
For sure, I’ll save all the emails from someone I know who has recently started an email list about “new Jewish music”. As his email states:
Please email me if your interested in Jewish Music Updates. Newly released singles, cd samplers, upcoming album info, music videos and more. Will always try to have something for everyone. bukin86@gmail.com
I recently read the first of his emails and was pretty impressed with the info. If you or your children are listen to any Jewish music, it is well worth it send an email to bukin86@gmail.com .
Rav Aharon Kotler and the Mafia
Emunah Magazine has a very intersting story about R Aharon Kotler.
This seemingly too-incredible-to-be-true story actually took place. It was during WW2 where twenty-four rabbis were being held in Italy and faced being returned to Nazi- occupied Europe and certain death. Rabbi Aharon Kotler, founder and head of Lakewood Yeshiva and a leader of Ashkenazi non-chasidic Judaism in America, turned to the well-known Orthodox Jewish activist and subsequent author of Ethics From Sinai, Irving Bunim, and asked him who could intercede on behalf of these 24 rabbis. Irving Bunim suggested the Italian Mafia! Rabbi Kotler urged Mr. Bunim to contact them immediately.
To read the rest, click here. This story, if nothing else shows the power of a bracha.
Black Hat tip to the AJOP newsletter.
Help Chai Lifeline and sponsor a marathon runner
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| Click here to donate |
No, it’s not me!! I prefer to stick to biking for Chai Lifeline.
However, I do have a good friend who’s wife has committed to run in the Chai Lifeline ING Miami Marathon on January 30th 2011.
She’s dedicating her run in memory of Rebbitzen Zlata Geisinky OBM, who helped run the Chabad of Bethesda and Chevy Chase.
If you are able to help out and sponsor the marathon runner, I know it will be very helpful. To donate, please click here.
May her efforts bring joy to many who need help.
Must read post on Teshuva and George Steinbrenner
Those who know me in real life will agree that I’m not a sports fan. I sit at kiddush Shabbos morning and nod my head in agreement as the discussion turns to local sports. The extent of my attempts to follow sports are mostly limited to any updates I hear on CBS radio in Chicago and now, due to being in aveilus, what I might hear on ESPN radio. What attention I do pay to sports is only because my 5th grade son is a fanatic and I know that showing some involvement in sports allows the two us to “bond” (even though he’s fully aware that I really know nothing about sports).
So, of course, I was moved to read the mussar that I saw in this post by CJ Srullowitz that you can find here.
Rav Avraham Shorr shiur about Tisha B’Av (link)
I am fairly stiff-necked. What I mean is that I don’t like to change. I like the idea of improvement and working on middos (thus my own gravitation towards Mussar), but this is mostly because I tend to resist change.
Last night I downloaded a shiur that, like it or not, is causing me to think about a number of things and might lead to change. If you’ve ever seen or heard Rav Avraham Schorr, then you know that he tends to tell it like its, but with a level of clarity that few have in our generation, IMHO.
The shiur I downloaded regarding Tisha B’Av is available from TorahLectures.com, here.
