Category: Books

How to Read Tehillim according to Your Individual Needs

12/9/2018

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Kavanah for the Different Words of Tehillim

In the Pele Yoetz's chapter on Rosh Hashanah, he provides recommendations for reading Tehillim:

Every place that mentions enemies (oyavim), haters (sonim), oppressors (tzarim), etc., you should have in mind the Heavenly prosecutors (mekatrigim), who are are the true enemies: enemies of our souls.
Every place that mentions misfortune (tzarah), distress (tzukah), etc., you should have in mind your own personal distress
Every place that mentions "life," you should have in mind 2 things:

1) Your spiritual existence:

that you should be alive
that you should feel the love of God all your days
that you should feel the fear of God all your days

2) Your physical existence:

you should want to live in order to serve your Creator
you should not be the cause of any anger or grief for Hashem or the Shechinah
you should complete the rectification (tikkun) of your body, spirit, and soul.

If it helps to know, the Malbim defines the above words as follows:

Oyev (enemy) – Hidden enemy, one who hates in his heart and wishes one evil
Soneh (hater) – Hates without wishing one evil
Tzar (oppressor) – He actively torments
Metzukah, tzukah (distress) – Emotional, internal troubles and suffering
Tzarot, tzarah (misfortune) – Outer troubles, troubles that come upon a person

In addition to the above kavanot, the Pele Yoetz encourages you to keep in mind that there are deep secrets in the words of Tehillim, so your intent should also be according to the intent of David Hamelech.

As the Pele Yoetz explains [Vol. II, pg. 289]:

When a person says Tehillim with humility, from the depths of his heart and his intention is for the desires of Heaven, the words are ancient, words of the living God that were said by the holy Divinely inspired mouth of David Hamelech, whose merit should protect us. They will certainly bear "fruit" and he will thus find his redemption, and he will be written the Book of Good Life, which refers to the life of the soul.

How to Read Tehillim according to Your Individual Ability

The Pele Yoetz repeats the well-known recommendation to read all of Tehillim twice because there are 150 chapters of Psalms and 150+150=300, which is the numeric equivalent of kaper (atone).

He recommends doing this over Rosh Hashanah (read all of Tehillim each day for those 2 days), but I've heard others recommend doing this over the 10 Days of Teshuvah, which comes out to a book day. (Tehillim is split up into 5 books containing around 30-40 chapters each.)

While the Pele Yoetz lauds the recitation containing proper understanding of the meaning of the words, he adds that if one doesn't know the actual meaning, one should at least read them carefully letter by letter, word by word.

(I'm assuming there was no Bulgarian translation of Tehillim available at that time because he doesn't mention reading Tehillim in another language for those who can't understand the Hebrew, which is admittedly very hard Hebrew, harder than the Hebrew of Chumash. In Israel, they sell Tehillim with the modern Hebrew "translation" underneath each word because the syntax and vocabulary of Tehillim can be so challenging until you learn it well enough.)

Needless to say, translations of Tehillim exist in almost every language, so you can use that too.

I personally know of illiterate women who cannot even read the words. Instead, they place their finger on each word and look at it. And in this way, they can participate in saying Tehillim, even as they technically remain completely silent.

It's the heart and the intention that counts.

At the same time, the Pele Yoetz repeats a well-known statement of the Sages in Tur, Orach Chaim, Siman 1:
"A small amount with proper intent is better than a large amount without proper intent."
("Tov me'at b'kavanah m'harbot b'lo kavanah.")

So each person needs to know his or her own heart and capabilities.

And again, more than anything else, it's the heart that counts.

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Discover How Gratitude Activates Real Teshuvah

3/9/2018

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Rav Shalom Arush’s Garden of Gratitude fleshes out everything you need to know about the importance of gratitude, including how & why it works.

It’s a genuinely inspiring book, yet its impact is so powerful, I recommend reading Garden of Emuna first.

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel that had I read Garden of Gratitude before reading Garden of Emuna, it would’ve hit me too hard and I just wouldn’t have been able to absorb it properly.

Then there is the easily digestible Garden of Miracles: Say Thank You & See Salvation.

There, you’ll find letters and testimonies from around the world of people of different religious backgrounds, ethnicities, and nationalities who read Garden of Emuna, started expressing gratitude to Hashem, and discovered an expanded mind and heart, plus an improved life. Some of the stories are quite amazing.

Gratitude as Cheshbon Hanefesh

At first glance, it doesn’t seem logical that simply saying “Thank You, Hashem, for this and thank You, Hashem, for that” can not only reap miracles, but also effect self-transformation.

In fact, gratitude seems almost like a sneaky short-cut around doing real get-your-hands-dirty self-scrutiny and cheshbon hanefesh.

But looking at a mussar classic from nearly a thousand years ago, we find the Chovot Halevavot/Duties of the Heart details a 30-part cheshbon hanefesh that consists primarily of meditating on all the nice things Hashem has done for you.

(Seriously. Take a look at Shaar Cheshbon Hanefesh/Gate of Spiritual Accounting.)

For example, if you look at Cheshbon #2 in Chapter 3, it basically asks you to sit there and happily ruminate over all the body parts you enjoy and their functionality. (Do you have a tongue? Does it work? Great! How about your saliva production? Not too much, else you’d be drooling & not too little, else how would you ever swallow cinnamon-buttered toast?)

Chesbon #2 also references the symmetry of the human body.

For example, your elbows aren’t where your knees are and vice-versa. Your feet don’t extend from your shoulder joints and you don’t have hands where your feet should be.

In a world where each person endured the nisayon of randomly applied limbs, getting out of bed would be a major challenge. Meeting the most basic needs would consume our entire day every day. How would we ever progress beyond the most primitive tasks? Performing surgery or even “just” CPR would be impossible, as would any task that makes life more comfortable and convenient or produces great accomplishments.

Our intellect would suffer too because such a challenging life would leave us no time for intellectual pursuits or learning Torah. (How could we even scribe a Torah scroll or record chiddushim with an asymmetrical body?)

How Gratitude Creates Real Results

Okay, so what does all this grateful ruminating do for us?

When you know that everything really comes from Hashem and is good, that’s emuna and bitachon.

A grateful person is truly happy. Meaning, not hyper or frivolous, but content and feeling loved by the Creator.

A grateful person maintains constant connection to Hashem because in everything that happens, such a person immediately turns to Hashem, whether with praise or with a plea for help.

One who is grateful to Hashem doesn’t get depressed or detached. Such a person does not slip into sin. Feeling happy and fulfilled by his or her intimate relationship with Hakadosh Baruch Hu, what need does such a person have for taavot like food, drugs, illicit relationships, or violence?

Feeling happy and loved by Hashem, what urge does such a person have for revenge, hurting others, anger, depression, mockery, or wasting time?

Furthermore, such a person will naturally regret former forbidden behaviors because their state of gratitude and contentment is so compelling and fulfilling.

So such a person naturally regrets former forbidden actions and naturally wants to be good.

Furthermore, it’s easier for such a person to remedy and attempt to rectify past misdeeds.

Enveloped in bitachon (the certainty that everything that happens is good even if it’s not enjoyable), they know they have nothing to fear from admitting their mistakes, even if the other person is unforgiving and harsh. Since all money is from Hashem, they find it easier to pay back what they owe and make expensive amends.

One who truly believes that EVERYTHING is from Hashem holds no arrogance or pride. They just feel lucky and loved that Hashem gifted them whatever strong points or good fortune they enjoy.

Needless to say, I’m not on that level—but I sure would like to be!

Mashiach is Born from Gratitude

So that’s an overview of how gratitude works.

Our very name--Yehudi—comes from the word hoda’ah, l’hodot: to thank.

Upon Yehudah's birth, Leah Imeinu said, “ ‘Hapa’am odeh et Hashem—This time, I shall thank Hashem’ and she called his name Yehudah.”

Yehudah is the progenitor of Mashiach.

Leah, with all her suffering and loneliness, managed to wholeheartedly thank Hashem and thus merit the spark of Mashiach.

So gratitude to Hashem ignites the spark of Mashiach.

It’s there inside of us.

There might be a lot of darkness and muck to scrape through to get to it.

But it’s definitely there.

May we all merit basking in a state of continuous gratitude.

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How to Resist the Attraction of "New!" & Why You Really Should

27/8/2018

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Several years ago, I sat in a class given by Rebbetzin Heller in which she made the point that "New!" is a powerful tool to attract people to a certain movement or ideology.

And indeed, inserting the word "New!" is a proven method for prompting a blog post, video, or product to go viral. (Or at least, increase attention or sales.)

In fact, studies show that the 5 most persuasive words in the English language are:

You
Free
Because
Instantly
New

In Rebbe Nachman's arguably most famous story, The Lost Princess, the struggling hero comes across a spring of what seems to be wine.

Now, he'd seen wine before and he'd seen springs before, but he'd never seen a wine-spring.

Ooh, shiny! New! Intriguing!

As it says:

...and he saw a running spring, and its color was red and the smell was of wine. He asked the servant, "Have you seen? This is a spring, and there ought to be water in it, but its color is red and the smell is of wine!"

Our hero (who is actually us) is on a specific mission and he'd even received clear instructions NOT to drink any wine on this last day. He could eat and drink, just not wine.

But the main thing is to avoid sleep at all costs.

So our struggling hero (who is actually us) -- even though he KNEW to listen to the Princess's instructions and warnings because he'd already failed the year before by eating forbidden apples and falling asleep, and even though he KNEW this was just a distraction from his mission, nonetheless -- our struggling hero decides to make an intellectual, objective study of this unusual phenomenon (which has nothing to do with his urgent mission and is of absolutely no benefit to him or the world) and then:

And he went and tasted from the spring and fell and immediately slept for several years...

NOOOOO!

Alas.

As Rav Levi Yitzchak Bender explains in Leviat Chen:

...it's forbidden to become delayed and investigate, but one must hurry because [this part of the story] represents being forbidden to ask and desire and understand because it's impossible to in any way understand everything intellectually – one must only rely on emuna to do what needs to be done.

And here, on the last day, the Princess had commanded him to guard himself and so on. And if so, it was forbidden for him to ask and investigate the matter of the spring, but only to fulfill what was necessary and to go extract her.

For when we investigate a matter, we are possibly trying to explain it away as not being so horrible, and thus we don't completely negate it.

And in this way, we are liable to stumble.

This is so normal and common for people to do. (People struggling with, for example, overeating or drug addiction probably recognize the above pattern.)

So what does Rav Bender advise instead, based on the lessons of this story?

...to flee from the taavot as one flees from fire, without pondering over, marveling at, or inquiring into them at all.
And he shouldn't let his thoughts confound him at all.
...he should just turn his mind away from them completely and steer his mind to divrei Torah or business dealings or conversations and the like until he is rescued from what he wants to be rescued.
And one must be a person of unwavering determination [akshan gadol] until he comes out victorious in this war.

Keep Your Mitzvot Fresh & Lush

As always, Judaism insists on us rising above superficial understanding.

Does the above mean we should go through life as unthinking horses with blinders?

NO.

We can of course ask, desire, investigate, and seek to understand divrei kedushah, things connected with our soul-journey and spiritual work. It's a great mitzvah to delve into Torah and to stretch our minds to understand halacha and to understand what we need to do to achieve self-improvement and rectification.

We should contemplate the best way to help others according to THEIR needs, rather than our own.

We are supposed to develop strategies to avoid lashon hara and use complex thinking to find the good points in others.

We need to brainstorm and work out the best ways to keep our routine mitzvot (like davening and brachot) fresh and new.

But it needs to be focused investigation and seeking, not just indulging our curiosity about everything that comes across our path.

Discover Your Unique Path

In fact, Rebbe Nachman himself emphasized the importance of staying "young" on the inside, of approaching each new day and each new opportunity to do a mitzvah with enthusiasm -- as if it were literally "new."

He also spoke of taking less-traveled paths in avodat Hashem and this is also hinted at in the above story when our struggling hero spots "a path off to the side" and takes it, which fortuitously leads him to the Palace of the Not Good, where he finally finds the Princess for the first time.

Yet this path off to the side IS the avodat Hashem. It's part of one's tikkun (rectification) and the way to access it is only via hitbodedut -- talking to Hashem in your own words using your personal self-expression.

In other words, the path isn't "new," per se; it's unique.

Because Hashem created us all as unique individuals, no human being can have exactly the same relationship with Hashem as anyone else.

Your relationship with Him is unique to anyone else's relationship with Him.

The Old-New Tricks

Yet what does the Yetzer Hara use to reel us in?

"New!"
"Intriguing!"
"Ever tried this before?"
"The newest results of our most recent investigation!" ("Most recent" is just another way of saying "new.")
"Never before attempted!"
"Introducing..." (Implies that it's new because it needs to be "introduced.")
"Instantly!"
"Suddenly..." (It wasn't there a moment ago -- it's new!)
"Revolutionary!"
"Discover!" (You don't discover something already known, only something new.)

The entertainment industry reels us in this way, as does advertising. But so many science articles with all their intellectual grandstanding also reel us in this way too, as you likely recognized from the above examples, some version of which are commonly found in prestigious peer-reviewed science publications.

Barak Obama won his presidency pretty much based on "New!"

"Change" implies something new on the way and also the idea of "America's first black president!" implies something new, although it's a misleading moniker because he is white as much as he is black, being biracial.

But much of what is presented as "New!" is actually the same old stuff, just with a modern twist.

An Age-Old Insight

Our goal is how David Hamelech described tzaddikim millennia ago in Psalm 92:

עוֹד יְנוּבוּן בְּשֵׂיבָה; דְּשֵׁנִים וְרַעֲנַנִּים יִהְיוּ

They shall still bring forth fruit in old age, they shall be full of sap and fresh.

It's a bit hard to convey in the English, but the Hebrew brings forth imagery of lushness and fullness.

Picture a fruit-bearing tree that's eternally young and dripping with sap, its leaves lush and green with moisture, and bursting with juicy fruits.

That's our spiritual goal for ourselves.

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The Kav Hayashar's Prayer for Humility

26/8/2018

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Ga'avah (haughtiness, pride, arrogance) is one of the traits that distances us from Hashem more than any other.

And according to any mussar book, it's also one of the hardest traits to uproot.

So any steps we can take in the direction toward humility and away from gaavah are really good.

Gratitude toward God is one of the most effective ways to immediately & enjoyably deflate gaavah.

And the Kav Hayashar 7 Stanza 12 offers us inspiration and a prayer to improve in this all-important area:

עַל כֵּן צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְהִתְפַּלֵּל לִזְכּוֹת לְמִדָּה זוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב הֶחָסִיד בַּסֵּפֶר "שַׁלְהֶבֶת", לוֹמַר אַחַר הַתְּפִלָּה קֹדֶם "יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְרֵי פִי": רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, זַכֵּנִי לְמִדַּת עֲנָוָה וּלְמִדַּת הַכְנָעָה, כְּדֵי שֶׁאֶהְיֶה מְקֻבָּל וּמְרֻצֶּה לָעָם. וְאַחַר כָּךְ יֹאמַר: "יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן וְכוּ'". וּבֶאֱמֶת שֶׁצָּרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְהִתְגַּבֵּר בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ בִּבְכִי וְתַחֲנוּנִים לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁיָּסִיר מִמֶּנּוּ מִדַּת הַגַּאֲוָה וְיִדְבַּק בְּמִדַּת הָעֲנָוָה, כִּי הָרֹב בַּעֲלֵי גַּאֲוָה מֵתִים בַּחֲצִי יְמֵיהֶם. וְהָעִנְיָן, בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּוַדַּאי כָּל הַמִּתְגָּאֶה הוּא שָׂנאוּי בְּעֵינֵי הַבְּרִיּוֹת, כִּי זֶה הוּא עִנְיָן רַע בְּעֵינֵיהֶם הַמִּנְהָג שֶׁל בַּעַל גַּאֲוָה, וּמַמְשִׁיךְ עָלָיו שִׂנְאַת הַבְּרִיּוֹת, וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה יָכוֹל לְהוֹצִיא אוֹתוֹ מִן הָעוֹלָם, וְגַם אִם עָלְתָה לוֹ תַּאֲוָתוֹ לִהְיוֹת רֹאשׁ הַקָּהָל אוֹ מוֹרֵה צֶדֶק לַעֲדָתוֹ, אַךְ בַּעֲבוּר גַּאֲוָתוֹ כֻּלָּם נֶחְשָׁבִים לְאַיִן כְּנֶגְדּוֹ, וּמְזַלְזֵל בִּכְבוֹד הַבְּרִיּוֹת, אֲשֶׁר גַּם זֶה הוּא סִבָּה לְקִצּוּר יָמָיו וּשְׁנוֹתָיו, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלַן.

Therefore a person must pray that he merit this trait. The pious author of the sefer Shalheves (i.e., the Shlah) writes that at the end of the Amidah, before reciting, “May the words of my mouth be acceptable, etc.,” one should say this meditation:
“Master of the Universe, allow me to merit the traits of humility and contrition so that I will be acceptable and desirable to the people.” Afterwards, let him recite, “May the words, etc.”

In truth, a person should pray fervently to the Holy One Blessed Be He with tears and entreaties asking that He free him of arrogance and help him acquire humility.

For as a rule, arrogant people live out only half their years. The reason for this is that they are generally hated by others. This causes them to be removed from the world.

And even if such a person achieves his desire to become head of the community or rabbi of his congregation, his pride causes him to think of those under him as nothing and to belittle their honor. This is another factor in the shortening of his life span, may Heaven spare us.

So here is the short little prayer for humility below in downloadable images (in both Hebrew and English). For the Hebrew, feel free to change the verbs to feminine form if you're female, so that the Hebrew prayer would read:
Ribbono Shel Olam, zakeni l'middat anavah u'l'middat hachna'ah k'dei sheh aheyeh mekubelet u'mrutzah l'Am.

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Breaking Down Core Jewish Concepts

24/8/2018

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UPDATE: Upon re-reading this post, I realized it wasn't so clear, so I added more to it late Friday morning (Israel-time), along with correcting some typos. So what follows is the new & improved version...

I'm not Breslov, but I get concerned about how people write off core Jewish concepts as being "Breslov" and therefore considered non-obligatory or not even worth examining.

While I've only read parts of Rebbe Nachman's Likutei Moharan, I've still read a lot of Breslov writings (including parts of Likutei Moharan) and as a non-Breslover, I came to the following conclusion:

Rebbe Nachman basically detailed and fleshed out much of what was already written in previous mussar books and other guidance by Chazal.

He emphasized certain concepts and further elucidated them.

And that seems to be the Breslov tradition: Taking core concepts and breaking them down into more and more digestible bits according to the needs of that particular generation.

Breaking It Down

When embarking on real self-scrutiny for the first time via talking to Hashem, you really can get these intense "Uh-oh" moments about yourself, and much of what Rebbe Nachman says about this phenomenon is very reassuring and encouraging.

Again, he simply takes core Jewish concepts of how self-scrutiny and self-improvement work, the ups and downs, the deceptive pitfalls, then he details them AND how to deal with it all.

All sorts of ideas and principles seem less and less self-understood in each successive generation, so with each successive generation of Breslov, you have a couple of rabbis who break these core ideas and their previous break-downs into even smaller more digestible bites.

For example, a book like Outpouring of the Soul by Reb Alter Teplicker further condenses and elucidates the same concepts mentioned in Torah and Chazal, which were then condensed and expounded upon by Rebbe Nachman. So Outpouring of the Soul is yet another link on that chain.

I remember the first time I read Outpouring of the Soul and a powerful impulse to talk to Hashem welled up within me, but I didn't know what to do with it. I opened my mouth, but I felt like a massive wave of spiritual and emotional pain was behind whatever I would say and I instinctively closed my mouth and got distracted with something else. I didn't mean to, it just happened like that.

Yet I would occasionally go back to the book, feel inspired to speak to Hashem in the way described, but couldn't do it for some reason.

Years later, I read Garden of Emuna, and that changed everything for me. Rav Shalom Arush took the same concepts and both simplified and expanded on them in regular non-scholarly language, practically spoon-feeding them to those who, like me, needed that spoon-feeding.

His book explains the core Jewish concepts with which many struggle in great detail: why bad things happen to good people, why do I feel like I'm being punished for being frum, why do I feel like I'm being punished for doing the right thing, how can I relate to Hashem as Compassionate and Loving when such awful things happen in the world, how can it be reassuring to know that Hashem is behind even the bad stuff -- that's sounds even scarier, so what's up with that?

And so on.

Digestible Emuna

Rav Arush also offered a get-down-to-basics easy-to-follow structure for hitbodedut:

20 minutes of gratitude
20 minutes of self-scrutiny & confession
20 minutes of requests

The truth is, he pares things down even more by telling people to make a list of 20 things for which they're grateful when they feel too emotionally blocked to do anything else.

There's even a book that plucks out the "gems" of Garden of Emuna for a super quick reference.

I'll give you an example of how this chain of increasing elucidation works by using Gate of Joy in Orchot Tzaddikim, (pg. 177 & 213 in the Feldheim translation):

The trait of joy encompasses a positive commandment of acknowledging God's Justice in all that befalls one, as is written (Devarim 8:5): "And you shall know in your heart that just as a man chastises his son, so Hashem your God chastises you."

If after one repents, things do not go so well for him as they did before, it is a positive commandment for him to think in his heart that his adversity is for the good.

For before he repented, the Holy One Blessed Be He was rewarding him for the mitzvot he had done in order to bar him from the World to Come, as it is written (Devarim 7:10): "And He pays those that hate Him to his face to destroy him."

And corresponding to this treatment of those who hate Him, he pays those who love Him the punishment of their transgressions in This World so that they will be pure and clean for the Next World.

And all of this entails the trait of joy, one's being happy in the portion allotted him by the Blessed One.

***
Similarly, when one undergoes any affliction [yissurim], he should also rejoice as our Sages have said...(Taanit 8a) "All who rejoice in afflictions bring salvation to the world."

And one should accustom his mouth to say, "This too is for the good - gam zo l'tovah" (Taanis 21a).

As you can see, the above is exactly what Rav Shalom Arush continuously discusses. In fact, Garden of Emuna goes on at length about the phenomenon mentioned in Orchot Tzaddikim:

If after one repents, things do not go so well for him as they did before, it is a positive commandment for him to think in his heart that his adversity is for the good.

And Rav Arush's emphasis on thanking Hashem for the good as well as the bad, and its power to sweeten dinim?

It's blatantly stated in Orchot Tzaddikim, which derives it from the Gemara (Taanit 8a):

"All who rejoice in afflictions bring salvation to the world."

"Kol hasameach b'yissurim meivi yeshuah l'olam."

"כל המשמח ביסורים מביא ישועה לעולם"

And before that, the Chumash itself.

But because of all the influences and confusion and superficiality and lack of daat in our generation, we need things broken down and explained down to the nitty-gritty.

And if we're willing to accept this spoon-feeding rather than just ignoring it all and dismissing everything as "only for very great people" or "that applied to previous generations, not ours," then that's very good!

For example, the first excerpt above of Orchot Tzaddikim is pretty much all there is on that specific issue. He says what he says there, then goes on to another aspect of joy. Yet reading the above, I'd have some obstructive questions before I could act upon his directives.

Sure, I could've taken that excerpt and discuss it with Hashem to reveal answers to my questions, but I didn't have the presence of mind to realize even this.

So I'm no different than anyone else and without Garden of Emuna, I would not have been able to go back and understand the classic mussar texts.

In his lectures, Rav Levi Yitzchak Bender did the same prior to Rav Arush.

Rav Ofer Erez also breaks down core ideas to a more digestible size.

So for me, that's what Breslov does for the non-Breslover.

It's just a way of them holding your hand as you make your way through the thorny, pitted path of teshuvah, self-improvement, and coming closer to Ribbono Shel Olam.

An online Hebrew-English version of Orchot Tzaddikim is available HERE.

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Is What Happened to the Ancient Egyptians Also Happening Now?

22/8/2018

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Recently, I came across a section in the Kav Hayashar that describes the 10 consequences that will happen to those who oppress the Jewish people, just as these 10 consequences happened to the ancient Egyptians who oppressed Am Yisrael.

Symbolized by the 10 pieces of chametz placed around the home the night before Pesach on Bedikat Chametz (they also symbolize the 10 Plagues), the Kav Hayashar explains the following in Chapter 89:

וְקַבָּלָה הִיא בְּיָדִי מִן רַבּוֹתַי, שֶׁהָיוּ מְצַוִּים לְהַנִּיחַ חָמֵץ בַּעֲשָׂרָה מְקוֹמוֹת, נֶגֶד עֲשָׂרָה מַכּוֹת שֶׁהֵבִיא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַל הַמִּצְרִים, וּכְנֶגֶד עֲשָׂרָה דִּינִים שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עָתִיד לְבַעֵר וּלְנַעֵר וְלִכְרוֹת וּלְהַמֵּם, לַהֲרֹס וְלַעֲקֹר וְלִנְתֹץ וְלִנְתשׁ וּלְכַלּוֹת וּלְקַעֲקֵעַ בֵּיצָתָם שֶׁל מְצֵרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

We have an oral tradition that our mentors used to order that leaven bread [chametz] be left in ten places. This corresponds to the ten plagues that the Holy One Blessed Be He brought upon the Egyptians as well as the ten judgments with which He will one day punish those who oppressed Israel. That is, He will 1) eradicate them, 2) shake them out, 3) cut them off, 4) confound them, 5) destroy them, 6) uproot them, 7) shatter them, 8) abandon them, 9) finish them off and 10) uproot their tessticles.

[Note: The translation for #10 is as found on Sefaria, which I believe originates with the original Metzuda text. But many thanks to an astute reader who enlightened me that this term commonly means just "to totally uproot" -- meaning, "to totally uproot their roots." The example given was Rashi on Beresheis 32:26 HERE. -- MR]

It occurred to me these judgments seem to be happening now.

True, we're not seeing them in full, but perhaps we are seeing the beginning of this process.

Our enemies, though they also attack us, mostly fight each other, eradicating each other. They're uprooting each other and shaking each other out, so to speak.

Earthquakes (a definite form of shaking) have been occurring all over, but it can't be denied they've also happened in places that contain they who oppose Israel, whether for religious reasons or political (Leftist) reasons.

And in fact, the above list strikes those who oppose the core VALUES of Yisrael, whether they politically support the State of Israel or not. And many places stricken by the above definitely reject Torah values.

Furthermore, with gender-change surgeries on the rise, we are certainly seeing a rise in the literal uprooting of the male part.

And the people who opt for these radical surgeries are people who oppose Torah values with all their might, with leaders bent on coercing the rest of society to think like them.

"Confound them" -- society is certainly becoming more and more confounded, isn't it?

Shocking things happen and no one on either side quite knows how to respond.

Just as one of many examples, President Trump's rapid ascendancy certainly confounded a great many Leftists to the point that we've seen the rise in something coined "Trump Derangement Syndrome."

And look at how many people are on psychotropic medication, especially children.

Drinking has been a problem for decades, but now there's also what's called an "opium epidemic."

People feel they can't manage life on their own.

Suicide is up among youth in America, one of the world's best places to live.

It all fits the above, except that instead of getting hit by a storm of hail, locusts, or frogs, people are doing it to themselves. (Although yes, the wildfires and volcanoes and earthquakes aren't being caused by humans.)

While those on the political right in support of traditional values (some of whom are also Jew-haters and despise our pure monotheism) view the above as a type of persecution (as I do) and a war on traditional values, I'm starting to wonder whether maybe it's not so much an attack on us, but Heavenly Judgement being carried out against them.

True, we're affected by their meshugas, but it seems like they're actually suffering more, even if they don't realize it. Or even if they misidentify the source of their suffering.

For example, those suffering from gender confusion point to society's nonacceptance of their dysphoria as the source of their suffering, but the truth is that the source of their suffering is their own dysphoria and their unwillingness to take an honest look at what really needs to be healed.

At least we have the Torah. We have Hashem. We have emuna.

What do they have?

Nothing.

As things start shaking up, confounding, uprooting, shattering, abandoning, destroying, we have the unbreakable Cord of Emuna on which to grasp tight.

They have nothing.

And this Cord of Emuna is available to anyone who wants to grasp on to it.

Anyone. You just have to grab it.

Ashreinu! Mah tov chelkeinu!

May Hashem bring the Geula in a sweet way.

Note: Sorry for the inconvenience, but my filter is inconsistent and some words can get me blocked from my own blog page and I won't be able to respond to your comments. So if you could use coded language or misspelled words (as I did above), that would be best. Sorry again.

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The Message of Your Mood: What is Your Soul Telling You?

20/8/2018

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In Chapter 71, the Kav Hayashar explains how, despite claims to the contrary, Hashem still speaks to us today.

It's much more subtle and it's filtered through our neshamah, which we sense with our nefesh (the seat of our emotions):

וְגַם צָרִיךְ לְהוֹדִיעַ: בְּעוֹד הָאָדָם בְּחַיִּים חַיּוּתוֹ, אָז הַנְּשָׁמָה מְעוֹרֶרֶת אֶת לִבּוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם לִדְבַר ה', כִּי זֶה קַבָּלָה הִיא בְּיָדִי מִסְּפָרִים קַדְמוֹנִים

It has also been passed down to us through the writings and texts of earlier generations that even while a person is still alive, his neshamah arouses his heart regarding the word of Hashem.

A Good Mood

Then the Kav Hayashar offers an interesting insight into what our moods might be telling us. He starts off by explaining the hint of a good mood:

כִּי בְּכָל עֵת שֶׁיָּבוֹא פִּתְאֹם מַחֲשָׁבָה טוֹבָה בְּלֵב שֶׁל אָדָם, מַחֲשָׁבָה שֶׁל שִׂמְחָה וְאַהֲבָה לְדִבְרֵי תּוֹרָה אוֹ מִצְוָה, אֲזַי תֵּדַע שֶׁאָז הוּא עֵת רָצוֹן שֶׁתִּהְיֶה מִתְפַּלֵּל. וְזוֹ הַתְּפִלָּה דְּבוּקָה תֵּכֶף בְּהֵיכַל מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא

You should know that whenever a good thought suddenly enters a person’s heart — such as joy over or love of words of Torah or a commandment — it is a favorable time for prayer.

The prayer that one utters at that time will immediately enter the palace of the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One Blessed is He.

A Bad Mood

And the message of a bad mood?:

וּבַאֲשֶׁר שֶׁיֵּשׁ לִפְעָמִים עֵת וּזְמַן, שֶׁנַּפְשׁוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם עֲגוּמָה עָלָיו, קָרוֹב הַדָּבָר שֶׁיֵּשׁ אֵיזֶה גְּזֵרָה רָעָה חַס וְשָׁלוֹם עַל הָאָדָם אוֹ עַל קְרוֹבָיו, אוֹ גְּזֵרָה רָעָה עַל כָּל הָעוֹלָם, כִּי עַל פִּי רֹב כְּרוּזִים יוֹצְאִים וּמְעוֹרְרִין לְבָבוֹת הָאָדָם, כִּי הַלֵּב יוֹדֵעַ מָרַת נַפְשׁוֹ, אַף שֶׁבְּאָזְנָיו לֹא שָׁמַע. וְעַל כֵּן אִם יִתְעַצֵּל הָאָדָם וְלֹא יִתְפַּלֵּל תֵּכֶף, אֲזַי הַגְּזֵרָה מְמַשְׁמֶשֶׁת וּבָאָה

And if on occasion, a person experiences a moment or period that his soul is filled with melancholy, it is very likely that some evil decree has been issued against him, Heaven forbid, or upon a member of his family or upon the entire world.

In most cases when decrees are issued, heralds are then dispatched to arouse people’s hearts. For a person’s heart knows the bitterness of his soul, even if he does not hear anything with his ears.

Therefore, if a person is slothful and fails to pray immediately, the decree becomes a reality.

Occasionally, Not Chronically

Interestingly, he specifies that if a person experiences a melancholy moment or period on occasion -- sheh yesh lifa'amim, then that could likely be a "herald" dispatched to arouse people's hearts.

To me, this is an important emphasis because people who spend years in an embittered or depressed state tend to self-aggrandize. Some drift into a sort of paranoia or think that Hashem is punishing other people on their behalf when something bad happens in the world, they even feel gratified by this, chas v'shalom.

Certainly, those people should also turn to Hashem, preferably in search of gratitude, to heal their souls from their darkness.

But if a person experiences a nefesh agumah (a melancholy soul) occasionally, it could be a sign of marat nefesh (bitterness of soul) from a negative decree that only his heart senses, even though he doesn't "hear" the decree or perceive it with his other senses.

And in such a case:

עַל כֵּן יְזָרֵז הָאָדָם עַצְמוֹ וְיִתְפַּלֵּל לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בִּדְמָעוֹת כְּפִי כֹּחוֹ

For this reason let him arouse himself to the best of his ability to pray with tears before the Holy One Blessed Be He.

Prayer, Not Panic

Please note that he doesn't say to panic, fret, or start disasterizing when you experience the herald's call of a bad decree.

He just says that you should immediately start praying to Hashem.

And simply by doing that, you may nullify an evil decree.

May Hashem sweeten all decrees.

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The Demonic Draw of Dimyon

16/8/2018

4 Comments

In Chapter 69, the Kav Hayashar presents a freaky story that occurred in Posen in the mid-1600s to a Jewish smith who kept a demoness "wife" living in his outhouse.

(However, she made the inside of the outhouse appear as a luxurious home with beautiful furnishings. And if that's not the perfect illustration for what's going on today with the allures of modern society, then I don't know what is.)

This smith had a kosher Jewish wife and children, but he kept getting pulled toward this demon-wife in a way that the Kav Hayashar describes as against the smith's will.

In fact, this smith even got up in the middle of the Pesach Seder to be with the demon-wife in the luxury-illusion outhouse for 15 minutes. His real wife, concerned about his sudden leave of absence, went to go peek through a crack in the wall and she got a real eyefull.

Fortunately, a holy Sage named Rebbe Sheftel (son of the Shlah Hakadosh) lived in their area and the human wife reported her discovery to the holy Rebbe. Rebbe Sheftel sent for the smith who admitted he had "an alien wife (ishah zarah) who was not from the seed of a human being."

Rebbe Sheftel gave the husband an amulet which broke the power of the demoness over him and forced him to separate from her.

Not long before his death, the demoness came to him weeping, protesting about how could her abandon her and her children? Then she showed him a flirty smiling face (panim sochekot), smooching and hugging and cajoling him until he agreed to grant her and her children a portion of his property: the cellar.

Yet only a short while later, something the Kav Hayashar refers to as "wars in the states of Poland from 1648 to 1658" occurred. (I assume this refers to the Khmelnystky massacres.) And the smith and all his heirs were killed during these uprisings.

Demons in the Cellar

It was only in 1680-81 that the new owners of the home discovered the real danger of the demonic entities (chitzonim) in the cellar.

It began around 1678 when a young man entered the locked cellar and 15 minutes later, was found dead on its threshold, but no one knew why.

Two years later, the entities started making trouble in the outer buildings, where people used to cook. Then the entities started wandering freely through the main living quarters, breaking things and terrifying the inhabitants.

Interestingly, they first tried a non-Jewish exorcism using Catholic priests, but it obviously didn't work.

Finally, they called on Rebbe Yoel Baal Shem of Zamusht (Zamosc) to intervene. He convened a special beit din, which he compelled the demonic entities to attend. He could hear them although he could not see them.

These chitzonim claimed to be the offspring of the Jewish smith and his demon-wife and, with no human heirs left to inherit the property, these demonic offspring insisted that they were the rightful inheritors of the smith's property and not the new unrelated owners who legally bought the property.

However, the current owners claimed true ownership for the following reasons:

They purchased the property legally from the smith and his representatives.
Demonic entities don't have the status of human offspring (zera bnei adam).
Their mother the demoness compelled the smith to cohabit with her against his will.

After hearing both sides, the beit din delivered their psak (verdict) that the demonic entities had no rights to the smith's estate, including no rights to the cellar, because their primary dwelling place is the wilderness and the forests, and not the yishuv (places of human habitation).

Then Rebbe Yoel Baal Shem Tov bound the entities by oath to leave the smith's estate (including the cellar) and go to the wilderness and the forest.

The Kav Hayashar concludes the saga by saying:

הֲרֵי לְךָ רְאָיָה בְּרוּרָה, שֶׁהֶעָווֹן הַזֶּה גּוֹרֵם כְּשֶׁהָאָדָם נִדְבַּק בְּלִילִית אוֹ בְּשֵׁדִית מִן כַּת מַחֲלַת, אֲזַי נֶעֱקָר הוּא מִן הָעוֹלָם וְגַם מִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ, וְאֵין לוֹ שׁוּם זִכָּרוֹן בָּעוֹלָם

From this incident you have a clear demonstration that this transgression causes that when a man clings to Lilith or to one of the cohorts [kaht] of Machalat, he uproots himself and his entire family from the world until no memory of him remains.

I don't know why the man's children were also victims of his transgression, except that maybe because he obviously couldn't have proper intentions with his human wife, then that caused him to bring down blemished souls via his human wife.

And anyway, there was heavy judgement going on at that time as a horrific amount of Jews were slaughtered during those years.

The Teshuvah Cure

In his final summation of events, the Kav Hayashar writes:

עַל כֵּן יִתְרַחֵק הָאָדָם מִן הַזְּנוּת, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יָבוֹא אֵלָיו שֵׁדִית בִּדְמוּת אִשָּׁה, וְיִדְבַּק חַס וְשָׁלוֹם בּוֹ אוֹ בְּזַרְעוֹ, וְגוֹרֵם רָעָה לְעַצְמוֹ. וְהַגּוֹדֵר עַצְמוֹ בְּגָדֵר עֶרְוָה וּמִדַּבֵּק בְּאֵשֶׁת נְעוּרָיו שֶׁהִיא כְּגֶפֶן, אָז אַשְׁרֵי לוֹ וְאַשְׁרֵי לְנִשְׁמָתוֹ שֶׁלֹּא נָתַן כֹּחוֹ לְזָרִים. רַק יִהְיֶה הָאָדָם נִזְהָר מִלְּהוֹצִיא זַרְעוֹ לְבַטָּלָה. וְאִם יַגִּיעַ אֵלָיו חַס וְשָׁלוֹם חֵטְא זֶה עַל יְדֵי אֹנֶס, אֲזַי יִרְאֶה תֵּכֶף לְתַקֵּן אֶת הַפְּגָם בִּתְשׁוּבָה, וְאָז טוֹב לוֹ יִהְיֶה סֶלָה

Therefore a man must distance himself from licentious behavior lest a demoness come to him in the form of a woman and cling to him or his offspring, Heaven forbid, so that he will cause himself harm. Fortunate is the one who makes protective barriers for himself and adheres to the wife of his youth, who is likened to a grapevine. And fortunate is his soul, for he does not deliver his strength to alien entities (zarim). In any event, a man must be careful not to waste his seed.

And if this sin should overtake him against his will, Heaven forbid, let him immediately rectify the blemish through repentance. Then all will be well with him, selah.

Although the Kav Hayashar doesn't specify how this demonic relationship began, he implies that the smith wasn't careful about his personal holiness, which opened him up to being approached by a demoness. And this demonic relationship was a committed relationship because he kept referring to her as his "alien wife (ishah zarah)" and the Kav Hayashar describes it as "his soul was bound up with hers."

Also, it's worth noting that, like with the Pele Yoetz and all the other writings of tzaddikim, after the Kav Hayashar provides strict frightening warnings about a particular sin, he offers reassurance that teshuvah can still remedy everything "and then all will be well with him, selah."

Serving WHOSE Needs?

What I found interesting was that while he didn't seem to fight his inclination for the demoness, the Kav Hayashar presents the situation as if the man was going to fulfill HER needs, not his own.

As the Kav Hayashar writes:

וְהָיָה דָּר עִם שֵׁדִית אַחַת, וְהוֹלִיד בָּנִים זָרִים וּבָנִים מַשְׁחִיתִים, וְגַם הוֹלִיד מֵאִשְׁתּוֹ גַּם כֵּן בָּנִים. וְהָאִישׁ צוֹרֵף הַנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל הָיָה לוֹ אַהֲבָה יְתֵרָה, וְנַפְשׁוֹ קְשׁוּרָה בְּנַפְשָׁהּ שֶׁל שֵׁדִית, וְלִפְעָמִים הָיָה מֻכְרָח לְבַטֵּל תְּפִלָּתוֹ וְלָצֵאת מִבֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹן הַשֵּׁדִית הַנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל

He used to cohabit with a certain female demon, who bore him “foreign sons” and “destructive sons.” He had a human wife as well, who also bore him sons.

But the smith was very much in love with the demoness to the point that his soul was bound up with hers.

Sometimes he was forced to interrupt his prayers and leave the synagogue in order to fulfill the wishes of the demoness.

The Illusion of Obsession

The Kav Hayashar notes that a demoness named Machalat "and her kaht (type, group)" can appear to men as a beautiful, laughing, playful woman.

(The term he uses is "heret lo panim sochekot - she showed him a laughing/playful/smiling face." She showed him such a face. It wasn't real, just something she showed him. Sort of like what many people do on Facebook and Instagram.)

Yet the children they created together weren't considered his real children and prohibited from inheriting him. Tragically, the man left the world with no descendants behind him, which is why the demonic offspring thought they had rights to his home until the local beit din informed them otherwise.

So it was all dimyon.

Elusive & Illusive

In modern Hebrew, dimyon translates as "imagination." But it also means "to resemble," to have a similar appearance to something.

The demoness resembled a beautiful happy woman, her relationship with the smith resembled a marriage, the results of their relationship resembled children and heirs - but in actuality, it was all nothing.

Even the outhouse resembled a luxury villa from the inside, but was only ever a simple structure encapsulating a dark stinking hole full of repulsive waste.

It was all dimyon.

Nothing concrete. Nothing real or long-lasting.

Elusive and illusive.

Interestingly, the above scenario portrays the man as leaving his family and a profoundly significant Torah obligation (Leil HaSeder) to spend 15 minutes with his demoness. Fifteen minutes! Couldn't he at least postpone it?

But no, she compelled him. The Kav Hayashar refers to this several times above:

He was forced to interrupt his prayers.
He was compelled against his will - hi hayatah kofah et hatzoref ba'al korcho."
Sometimes, licentious sins "come about by force - al yadei oness."

Yet the smith created the initial opening.

And what started out as controllable and desirable veered out of control and overtook him against his will.

And this reminds me of other stories: stories from modern times...

When Dimyon Takes Control

I've heard of women whose husbands got up in the middle of supper with an oh-so innocent "dum-dee-dum-dee-dum!" attitude to go look up unwholesome images on the Internet - photoshopped, airbrushed, carefully made-up, plastic-surgeried women with fake smiles (panim sochekot) and fake allure. These younger women also possessed such genetics that even if the kosher wives themselves underwent plastic surgery and carefully applied make-up, they could never achieve the look of these Internet bunnies.

And as for such men who can't even make it through a simple meal with his family: What a rascal of a baal taavah! It's bad enough he gazes at such images -- can't he even wait until the end of supper?

But no, he just gets up and abandons his kosher wife and children. He doesn't even care that in his wife's despair and helpless rage at his abhorrent behavior, she'll mishandle normal child mishaps (like a picky eater, a kvetchy eater, or a toddler who throws his bowl of noodles on the floor). No, he doesn't care. His need to immerse himself in these fake images is stronger than his love for his family.

Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein has already spoken of frum girls who transgress Shabbos by texting with their friends.

Texting is mostly text, but it can include playful smiley emoticans. And the whole texting dynamic resembles a human relationship and seems fun, but it's actually highly destructive.

Furthermore, relationships conduct primarily through texting aren't at all the same as real person-to-person relationships. Yet the obsessive texting feels like a real satisfying relationship.

Finally, according to Rabbi Wallerstein, these girls care about Shabbat. Texting demands major Shabbat transgressions.

So why can't they control themselves?

In Malky Feig's heart-stirring book Mountain Climbers 2, we meet an extremely sincere frum girl named Rochy whose glance into the secular novels kept by her grandmother's non-Jewish caretaker creates an opening for a reading addiction.

She's a happy girl who likes her school and family, yet these trashy novels sucked her in.

She fights their pull ("Why was I doing this if I knew it wasn't right for me?") At one point, she resists picking up the alluring novel and instead picks up a siddur and begs Hashem to help her: "Please, Tatte, please! Help me remain pure. You know how badly I want to serve you in sanctity...Please, Tatte, cleanse me. Don't let me fall now. Help me resist this overpowering temptation..."

After such sincere heartfelt prayer, Rochy states: "I was sure my battle was over."

Then: "Sunday morning, however, I was once again under the spell."

Rochy finds herself living a double-life of a dedicated frum girl who teaches popular classes in Yiddishkeit to adoring students while secretly consuming forbidden reading material at every opportunity.

She's aware of her hypocrisy and hates herself for it. But she still can't stop.

Then, just like the mesmerized smith 3 centuries ago, this frum girl leaves her family Seder to huddle next to the light of the upstairs bathroom to immerse herself in the mesmerizing secular novel hidden there.

Again, a novel's characters aren't real, but as any voracious reader knows, the world of a compellingly written novel feels real.

(Another interesting correlation to the story that began with the smith: The demons ended up in the cellar, then spread throughout the house. Likewise, Rochy's "demons" -- the trashy novels -- were located in the basement, then spread to her room and she ended up carrying around the images in her head wherever she went, as if her "demons" and left the basement and spread out.)

Yet that plunge to rock-bottom forced Rochy to realize how low she'd fallen.

Again she turned to Hashem with her whole heart and begged Him to forgive her and rescue her from her compulsion.

And she succeeded. She refused to finish the novel that took her out of the Pesach Seder and needed to physically restrain herself from descending to the converted basement of her grandmother's apartment where the novels lay.

As time went by, she felt freer from her addiction. Eventually, she was able to go down to visit her grandmother without feeling the allure of the novels. Occasionally, she felt a twinge, but she fortified herself by thinking of what she wanted to be and how short life is.

"Life was too short, our souls far too precious, to blemish with temporal indulgence."

And just like our tzaddikim promise, sincere teshuvah cured her of her unwanted compulsion.

In the above scenarios, everyone is shown panim sochekot - appealing fictional characters and situations, emoticons and textspeak, women with fake come-hither looks...

Interestingly, many people caught in the above situations express a helplessness. They want to stop, they're distressed and mortified by their behavior, but they feel they can't stop.

Men addicted to disgusting images describe their self-disgust and the measures they take to stop themselves, but as if compelled, they find themselves at the computer yet again.

Facebook is another source of panim sochekot. People tend to post images and announcements that show them in the best light, happy and successful. Many people feel addicted to Facebook, even as studies show that Facebook makes them feel worse. Nonetheless, so many feel compelled to constantly check their Facebook.

I can't know what's really going on here, but the similarities of modern addictions to the story of the smith and his demonic cohabitation are too much to be ignored.

Yet the frum girl above managed to disengage from her compulsion by turning to Hashem and the Kav Hayashar promises us the teshuvah is not only possible, but effective.

May Hashem help all of us overcome all our "demons."

Note: I tweaked some of the translation above to reflect the more literal meaning of the words. Yet much of the Hebrew is included here for your edification, along with a transliteration of many phrases included in the English translation. The entire Hebrew text with its English translation are available on Sefaria as linked above to Chapter 69.

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How to Deal with Quickly Answered Prayers & Unanswered Prayers from the Kav Hayashar

14/8/2018

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In Chapter 64, the Kav Hayashar offers both comfort for unanswered prayers and guidance in prayer. The following contain just a few excerpts from that chapter:

Avoid Pride from Answered Prayers

דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם כָּתַב בְּסֵפֶר תְּהִלִּים (ד, ב): "בְּקָרְאִי עֲנֵנִי אֱלֹהֵי צִדְקִי... חָנֵּנִי וּשְׁמַע תְּפִלָּתִי". נִרְאֶה לְפָרֵשׁ הַפָּסוּק עַל פִּי מַה שֶּׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: כָּל הַמְבַקֵּשׁ רַחֲמִים בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ וְנַעֲנָה מִיָּד — אַל יִתְגָּאֶה בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ בִּשְׁבִיל כָּךְ, לַחֲשֹׁב בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁהוּא צַדִּיק בַּאֲשֶׁר שֶׁנִּתְקַבֵּל תְּפִלָּתוֹ מִיָּד

King Dovid wrote in the book of Tehillim, “Answer me when I call out, God of my righteousness…, be gracious to me and hear my prayer” (4:2).

I believe this verse can be understood in light of the Sages teaching that if person’s prayers are answered immediately he must not become conceited and suppose it to be on account of his righteousness.

וְזֶהוּ כַּוָּנַת דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּאָמְרוֹ: בְּקָרְאִי עָנֵנִי, אֱלֹהֵי צִדְקִי, אָכֵן לֹא תֵּכֶף וּמִיָּד, אֶלָּא: חָנֵּנִי וּשְׁמַע תְּפִלָּתִי, וְאַחַר כָּךְ תֵּן וּתְמַלֵּא בַּקָּשָׁתִי

This is what King Dovid meant when he said, “Answer me when I call out, God of my righteousness.” That is, he did not wish to be answered immediately. He wished first to find grace and to have his prayer heard and only afterwards to have his request fulfilled.

So when Hashem answers us immediately, we shouldn't feel pride; we should feel pleasure. We should be grateful that Hashem loves us so much and so unconditionally despite our flaws.

Even a tzaddik like David Hamelech worried about his merits and whether he deserved Hashem's Compassion, so he first prayed "Chaneni - be gracious to me." He wished for Hashem's Grace despite his flaws, and then asked Hashem to hear him out.

Don't Despair of Unanswered Prayer

וְכֵן יַחֲשֹׁב הָאָדָם בְּדַעְתּוֹ, שֶׁאַף אִם הֶאֱרִיךְ בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ וְלֹא נַעֲנָה — לֹא יִתְיָאֵשׁ מִלְּהִתְפַּלֵּל עוֹד, כִּי אַדְּרַבָּה: הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִתְאַוֶּה לִתְפִלָּתוֹ כְּשֶׁהִיא בְּכַוָּנָה, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַלֵּב יוֹדֵעַ לְכַוֵּן לְמַה שֶּׁהַפֶּה מְדַבֵּר

By the same token, a person who prays at length and is not answered should not despair of praying again.

For the Holy One Blessed is He does indeed desire his prayers but He desires that they be with proper intent. That is, the heart must concentrate and know what the mouth utters.

Sometimes it takes a long time for fulfillment of prayer. Even as it's frustrating or heartbreaking, repeated prayer offers the benefit of deepened humility and deeper introspection.

This is true even when the answer is "No."

After her son Nachshon was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists during a rescue attempt by Israeli commandos, Esther Wachsman noted that Jews prayed for 2000 years to come Home. The fact that we are able to live in Eretz Yisrael is the result of all those seemingly unanswered prayers.

"Eventually," she said, "the time comes for a prayer's fulfillment."

One of the commandos involved in the mission was a secular guy who told Nachshon's father:
"You know, you are probably wondering what happened to all the prayers and mitzvot and chapters of Tehillim everyone said for your son. But I'll tell you. Because we know exactly what happened to them. You see, when we were in that house holding your son, we all should have died. We have no idea how we were alive today...it should not have happened. You see, all of those prayers said for the Jewish soldier Nachshon Wachsman are the only reason any of us are alive today. Hashem took all those prayers and, for whatever reason, used them to save different soldiers."

Final Tips for Potent Prayers

הַכְּלָל הָעוֹלֶה מִפֶּרֶק זֶה: שֶׁטּוֹב לָאָדָם לְהִתְפַּלֵּל מְעַט בְּכַוָּנָה וּלְהָרִים יָדָיו וְאֶצְבָּעוֹתָיו בַּתְּפִלָּה וּבַבְּרָכוֹת וְהוֹדָאוֹת וּבִקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע וּבַתְּפִלָּה שֶׁל "וּבָא לְצִיּוֹן", וְיַרְחִיק עַצְמוֹ מִן הַגֶּזֶל וּמִמָּמוֹן שֶׁאֵינוֹ שֶׁל ישֶׁר — אֲזַי אֲנִי עָרֵב בַּעֲדוֹ, שֶׁחֵפֶץ ה' יַצְלִיחַ בְּיָדוֹ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, וּשְׂכָרוֹ יִהְיֶה כָּפוּל בָּעוֹלָם הַבָּא, כְּמַאֲמַר הַמְשׁוֹרֵר: וּמָאתַיִם לַנּוֹטְרִים אֶת פִּרְיוֹ

To summarize what we have learned in this chapter:
~It is better for a person to pray for a shorter amount of time with concentration than for a longer time without it.
~And let him raise his hands and fingers whenever he prays, utters blessings, gives thanks or recites the Shema or the prayer “And a redeemer will come.”
~Let him distance himself from theft and from all ill-gotten gain.

Then I will be his guarantor that Providence will cause him to prosper in this world and that his reward will be double in the next world. As it states, “And two hundred for those guarding its fruit” (Shir HaShirim 8:12).

May all our prayers be fulfilled l'tovah.

To see the original article on Nachshon Wachsman quoted above:
When God Says No - The Story of Nachshon Wachsman

To read a moving essay by his mother, Esther Wachsman:
His Name was Nachshon Wachsman

For more posts quoting the Kav Hayashar on various topics:
Inspirational Kav Hayashar

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The Kav Hayashar on Hitbodedut

13/8/2018

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The Kav Hayashar preceded Chassidus by decades and preceded Breslov by nearly a century. (Meaning, he could not have been influenced by any kind of Chassidus.)

Yet as is true throughout kabbalistic work, mussar masterpieces, and commentaries on Tanach and Talmud, the same fundamentals form a golden thread of Torah-Truth that runs through all of them.

The following is taken from Chapter 12 of the Kav Hayashar:

וְכֹה יַחְשֹׁב הָאָדָם בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם בְּעֵת הִתְבּוֹדֵד, שֶׁצָּרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְהִתְבּוֹדֵד

(עַיֵּן פֶּרֶק א)

לְתַקֵּן חֲטָאָיו פְּשָׁעָיו בִּזְרִיזוּת. וְחִיּוּב גָּדוֹל הוּא לְהִתְבּוֹדֵד הֵיטֵב, וְאוּלַי עַל יְדֵי כֵּן יֵעָרֶה עָלָיו מִמָּרוֹם רוּחַ חָכְמָה וּבִינָה וָדַעַת וְיִרְאַת ה' לְהַדְרִיכוֹ בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַיְשָׁרָה, לְבַל יִמּוֹט מִדַּרְכֵי תּוֹרָתֵנוּ הַקְּדוֹשָׁה. וְאִלּוּ הָיִינוּ זוֹכִים בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ לְהַשָּׂגַת הָרִאשׁוֹנִים, הָיְתָה הַשָּׂגָתֵנוּ שְׁלֵמָה לְהַשִּׂיג חֶפְצֵנוּ וּמִשְׁאֲלוֹתֵינוּ לְטוֹבָה

Let a man reflect day in and day out, in the time that he sets aside for introspection (eit hitboded), that he must take himself aside and rectify his sins and transgressions with all alacrity (see Chapter One).

It is absolutely essential that a person introspect (l'hitboded) well, for then perhaps a spirit of wisdom, understanding, knowledge and fear of Heaven will come upon him from On High to guide him along the straight path and keep him from straying from the ways of our Holy Torah.

If only our deeds were pure enough to merit the understanding of earlier generations, then our comprehension would be complete and we would attain whatever we desired.

As you can see, the idea of hitbodedut is not an invention of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov and is not even an innovation of Chassidus. The Kav Hayashar mentions it by the familiar Hebrew word l'hitboded, utilizing it in the with which we're familiar.

Furthermore, it's clearly not something only for tzaddikim because the Kav Hayashar insists that it's a chiyuv hagadol, a great obligation (translated above as "absolutely essential"), for a person to introspect - l'hitboded - on a daily basis.

The Malbim on Hitbodedut

The Malbim on Melachim/Kings I 19:3-13 (the Haftarah for Parshat Pinchas) also uses the term l'hitboded to explain Eliyahu Hanavi's actions. Please click the following link to read about it:
What Eliyahu Hanavi's Self-Imposed Isolation Teaches Us

True, the Malbim came after Chassidus and Breslov, but he himself wasn't chassidish as far as I know. Yet his commentary on these verses sound a heck of a lot like the Kav Hayashar and core Breslov philosophy.

Even if the Malbim was inspired specifically by Breslov, he wouldn't include such ideas in his commentaries unless he fully agreed with them.

Hitbodedut: It's the Torah Way

The common thread running through Chazal of any era and of any ethnicity living anywhere in the world is a focus on daily self-scrutiny and pouring out your heart directly to Hashem.

And just in the interest of full disclosure:
Do I manage a full self-scrutiny every single day?

No. I want to. I'd like to. I know I'm obligated to.

But while I manage some kind of self-scrutiny, cheshbon hanefesh, teshuvah almost every day, a more thorough self-accounting sometimes occurs only on Shabbat. Or "just" 3 times a week. Or whatever. It depends.

Yet even once a week (or once a month) is a million-billion times better than doing it just once a year or not doing it at all.

And the above gives me the chizuk to keep at it, even though I'm far from perfect about it.

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Kavanah for the Different Words of Tehillim

How to Read Tehillim according to Your Individual Ability

Gratitude as Cheshbon Hanefesh

How Gratitude Creates Real Results

Mashiach is Born from Gratitude

Keep Your Mitzvot Fresh & Lush

Discover Your Unique Path

The Old-New Tricks

An Age-Old Insight​

Breaking It Down

Digestible Emuna

A Good Mood

A Bad Mood

Occasionally, Not Chronically

Prayer, Not Panic

Demons in the Cellar

The Teshuvah Cure

Serving WHOSE Needs?

The Illusion of Obsession

Elusive & Illusive

When Dimyon Takes Control

Avoid Pride from Answered Prayers

Don't Despair of Unanswered Prayer

Final Tips for Potent Prayers

The Malbim on Hitbodedut

Hitbodedut: It's the Torah Way

Myrtle Rising

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