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A Free Downloadable Graphic with a Quote from Rav Itamar Schwartz on the Correct Way to Work on Your Middot

20/5/2022

 
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You can find the quote within the following parsha PDF (Bechukotai 5782) at the Bilvavi site: [link will be posted – if I don't forget – when available].
For your convenience, here it is in the body of the post in case it's hard to read in the graphic (plus a bit more): 
​One also has to reveal, repair, and balance, any of the abilities of the soul that haven’t yet been revealed, repaired, or balanced.

But this should not be done with a perspective of a war against the evil within oneself.

Rather, it must be done with a positive perspective, from the understanding that every part of ourselves, every ability of our soul, is a gift from Hashem and a part of us.

After we have revealed, balanced, and repaired the abilities we aren’t making use of, we need to become connected with them and utilize them properly, and we will get vitality and joy from these abilities no less than how we can get vitality and joy from our strong and good abilities.

​This is the inner perspective to have on all self-recognition and self-actualization, and to the extent that we view our soul and its abilities in an inner, positive way like this, our ability to recognize our soul and work with our abilities will be refined, and we will be much closer to repairing our souls and reaching self-perfection in this world.

Lag B'Omer Links, Plus Excerpts from Bilvavi Q&A

17/5/2022

 
For Lag B'Omer, please see last year's beautiful poem by Nechumelle Jacobs here:
www.myrtlerising.com/blog/a-poem-for-lag-bomer-by-nechumelle-jacobs
And please see the PDF by Bilvavi, compiled from various lectures by Rav Itamar Schwartz (who himself no connection to the website or anything else Internet-related):
https://bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Lag.Ba'Omer.Talks.pdf
A separate PDF provides a thought-provoking & enlightening Q&A with Rav Itamar Schwartz. While it mostly concerns last year's tragedy, it also answers general existential questions regarding suffering, mussar, teshuvah, and dealing with others' needs regarding individual responses to suffering:
https://bilvavi.net/qanda-weekly/eng/Bilvavi_242_Bilvavi%20Q&A_Bechukosai-Lag%20B'Omer_5782.pdf

Here are some excerpts (boldface my own addition):
ROCKETS & MERON TRAGEDY: IS MASHIACH COMING?

QUESTION

Are the rockets now in Eretz Yisrael a sign of the “war of Gog and Magog” and that Mashiach is coming?

ANSWER
It is not a sign – it is a part of the war of Gog and Magog, for we are already
amidst it.



LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM THE MERON TRAGEDY

QUESTION

When more people told me about it, I said Hashem wants us to do teshuva.

To my surprise, people had strong negative reactions to that!

One wanted to be in the moment of grief feeling for the families of the victims and absorbing the shock, basically calling me unsensitive to the pain of others.

Another did not want to be blamed and told me I was burning up the world.

And both felt very strongly that telling people to do teshuva was too harsh on people who cannot take it, who have gone off the derech hearing those crushing messages about Hashem’s anger at us and becoming hardened and cold to Him.

A third person told me that she is so numb from everything that the tragedy simply has not registered in any way.

I realize that the galus has been long and we are storm tossed and we need Hashem to be gentle with us. Is the message that Hashem wants the Yidden to do teshuva applicable here?


ANSWER
Speak to each person on their own level and in their "language."

Any one lesson that can be learned from something will not be understood by everyone equally.


QUESTION
Is the [negative] reactivity to that all a kelipah in which the very light Hashem wants to come into the world being concealed?

ANSWER
Yes, but before giving over the message to others, first see if the message will be taken positively or negatively by the other.

QUESTION
If it is indeed a message to do teshuvah, what is a way to respond so that those experiencing a push back to doing teshuva can recognize Hashem and “do the work” of opening their hearts?

ANSWER
...You need to figure out what the individual in question needs to hear, based on his on her personal soul and what you think they need to hear.
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Enhance Your Pesach (including the cleaning!) with Bilvavi

23/3/2022

 
Let Rav Itamar Schwartz of Bilvavi help you get practically & spiritually ready for Pesach:
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Hebrew-English
Please click on any image above to access its PDF for free download.

Please note: Rav Itamar Schwartz lovingly opposes all forms of the Internet & has no connection to the Bilvavi website.
Rav Schwartz has no more connection with the Bilvavi website than Rav Kanievsky ztz"l did with all the websites that post videos & quotes of him.
For more explanation, please see the Disclaimer here:
https://eng.bilvavi.net/opinion/

Here is some biographical information on Rav Itamar Schwartz (copied from here: 
bilvavi.net/back-issues/eng/Bilvavi_234_Shemini_Taking%20Shelter_5782.pdf):
The Rav attended the Pachad Yitzhak Yeshiva of Rav Yonasan David, Shlit"a and graduated from the Ponovitch Yeshiva of Rav Gershon Edelstein, Shlit"a.

The earliest of more than 50 sefarim of the Rav where enthusiastically endorsed by Rav Gamliel Rabinovitch, Shlit"a, Rav Moshe Sternbuch, Shlit"a, Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein, Shlit"a, the Tolna Rebbe, Shlit"a, Rav Moshe Mordechai Karp, Shlit"a, amongst others.

Using an eclectic approach, the Rav's teachings speak to the hearts of Jews from all walks of life.


Insights & Advice for Women on Purim from Rav Itamar Schwartz

13/3/2022

 
Before we get to women on Purim...do you ever suffer from niggling Purim questions to which you never found the answer?

(Like, if Purim exemplified salvation, then why did Queen Esther need to stay intermarried to such a repulsive menuval? How much & what should I drink on Purim? And what's the deal with Haman's grandchildren learning Torah in Bnei Brak—how did THAT happen? And more...)

Then please see this Purim Q&A:
https://bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Purim.QandA.pdf
(It includes the following for women too.)
​
Here are some practically & spiritually helpful advice & insights from Rav Itamar Schwartz, as published on the Bilvavi website (with which Rav Schwartz holds no connection), as excerpted from a lecture by Rav Schwartz (much of the following apply & benefit men too):
There are a lot of aspects to Purim. The halachah of intoxication applies only to men, and the parameters of this halachah is explained by the Poskim.

But there are many other aspects of Purim as well which apply to both men and women.

Here are some of those points to think about, and each person should try to do them on his or her own level, according to his or her personal capabilities – and not based on any reasons influenced by factors that are either social, or emotional, or family-based, because there are many times where people act based solely on “what’s normal”, and this uproots any serenity and joy that they could have on Purim.

1) Consider the aspect of reading the Megillah on Purim.

Both men and women are obligated to hear the Megillah on Purim.

And on a more inner level, both men and women can reflect on the events in the Megillah and see how there was Divine Providence laced throughout this story, because the word “Megillas Esther” means to “reveal” the “hidden”, to turn the concealment (hester) into giluy (revelation of Hashem’s Divine Providence).

A person can go through all of the details in the Purim story, from beginning until end, and he can see how it was all an unfolding process of Hashem’s Divine Providence - as opposed to a bunch of random details that have no connection to each other.

On an even deeper level, each person, whether man or woman, on his or her own level, can see Hashem’s inner mode of conduct hidden in the Creation, as explained in sefer Daas Tevunos, and how every event in the world can be seen through the lens of Hashem’s carefully planned Divine Providence, His goodness, and the revelation of His Oneness.

2) Consider the mitzvah of sending Mishloach Manos on Purim.

The purpose of this mitzvah is to increase love and friendship.

On the obligatory level, everyone is obligated to send two portions of food to someone. On an inner level, one should also think about whom he will make happy by giving Mishloach Manos to.

Then one should think, “What can I put into this Mishloach Manos package which will make the other person happy? What would that person really enjoy?”

One should put thought into how much Mishloach Manos to send, what the quality of it should be like, how nice it should look, and what kind of nice messages he can send with it.

Everyone should do this only according to her personal capabilities, and not to over-do it.

Even more so, when giving the Mishloach Manos, it should not just be an act of giving motivated by logic alone, but it should be given from the depth of one’s heart, with love and joy, to make the other person happy.

Included in this aspect (gladdening other people on Purim) is to make the children happy, with costumes and the like.

But again, one should do this only within her actual capabilities, and only if she can do it with joy.

3) Consider also the mitzvah to give Matanos L’Evyonim (gifts to the poor) on Purim.

One should look for a person who needs it the most, and who would be the happiest to receive it – and one should strive to give Matanos L’Evyonim specifically to this kind of person.

A woman usually needs to ask her husband about whom she may give Matanos L’Evyonim to, mainly so that her husband should agree with her decision.
​
4) Regarding the seudah of Purim, try to serve good food to each person who is dining by you, fitted to each person’s particular tastes.

The main point of the seudah on Purim is to think about and discuss Purim-related matters and what Purim is all about, and to stay away from words that disparage people, which only awaken the most impure forces in one’s soul.

5) The purpose of the day of Purim is to reach a deep place in one’s soul that is above one’s daas (logical reasoning and understanding).

For men, whose main mitzvah is to learn Torah, their main work on this world is to develop the power of their logic throughout the year, by studying Torah.

That is why men need the intoxicating effects of wine (or the dulling effect of sleep) in order to “nullify” their logical understanding and reach a place that goes beyond logical understanding.

However, women, who are exempt from Torah study, are therefore closer to the concept of nullifying their understanding and to more easily reach a place that goes beyond logical understanding. This is the point known as temimus (non-intellectual simplicity or earnestness).

Thus the main avodah of the day of Purim is, “Be wholesome with Hashem your G-d”, to walk with Him in temimus (simplicity), without any intellectual thinking.

It is about sensing His unlimited love for us, just as the people in the time of Achashveirosh re-accepted the Torah out of their great love of Hashem that they saw through the miracles of Purim.

It is about feeling how He always give to us, out of His great love for us, by saving us from trouble, and by bestowing good upon us.

From this understanding, we can come to feel the sweetness and pleasantness of being close to Him.

This is the root of true simchah on Purim, because by feeling close to Hashem a person feels physically lighter, in the body in general and specifically in the feet, and that is why one can easily sing and dance on Purim – just as by the song of Miriam.

And that is why the miracles on Purim happened precisely through women [Esther].

It is because women are closer to this temimus (simplicity and earnestness).

Men need to drink as a means to reach this place of temimus, whereas women are closer to reaching it, without the means of drinking.

​It only requires a little bit of reflecting and calm silence, and to enter into the deepest place of one’s soul – each person on her own level.

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Why You Need to Acknowledge the Sincerity behind Personality Disorders & the Erev Rav

6/2/2022

 
Because of the short-cut language we use when speaking about consistently dysfunctional people, whether we identify them as personality disordered or Erev Rav, the terminology implies an awareness on their part, which doesn't usually exist (or doesn't exist to that extreme).

Psychopaths generally mean to do what they do.

But most other people don't.

For example, a narcissist doesn't think, "Oh-ho, I will now engage in my beloved activity of triangulation!"

No, they simply feel victimized in some way, and naturally turn to others in a way that plays one person against the other.

They seek to feel supported & protected.

The fact that an innocent person gets badly hurt along the way doesn't register with them.

After all, the narcissist considers himself the victim and, in the narcissist mind, the person getting hurt either deserves it (if the narcissist feels victimized by that person) or is simply an unavoidable casualty (which again, is not the narcissist's fault in the narcissistic mind because he views it as an unavoidable casualty—and "Hey, what did you expect, that I would sacrifice myself to avoid harming such an insignificant person? Anyway, if you really cared about me, you wouldn't mind sacrificing in yourself for me.").

I used the example of a narcissist, but it applies to any personality disorder.

Same thing when a personality-disordered person slanders another.

Again, they felt victimized in some way.

They believe they are simply protecting themselves, perhaps even protecting others by warning them, or they justify their slander as emanating from irrepressible pain that must find a release.

If they genuinely mean to take you down via slander, it still emanates from the perception of themselves as victim and you as persecutor. So once again, they believe you deserve it; they see it as the best & most effective way to defend themselves.

They believe their slander to be true...or close enough to the truth to be true ("That's how I feel"), or they believe the lies & exaggerations popping out of their mouth because those justifications sound & feel so good...so they must be true, right?

​Or, even if they know they twisted the truth, they feel it advances an important agenda, so the ends justifies the means...and that's also a kind of "truth" (to the disordered mind).

Those are just a couple of examples.

And the above is why a PD (personality disorder) can be so shocked, hurt, outraged, and vengeful when confronted with the truth of their motivations, beliefs, and actions—and also how badly they've hurt others, plus the destruction that results from their behaviors.

Most experts addressing personality disorders speak as if the PD knows and plots every step of their behavior.

(I speak/write like this too sometimes. It's a short-cut to describe the behaviors. But really, I think it's a bit misleading, so I'm trying to be more careful. On the other hand, some people really do believe PDs are wholly aware of every step they take. But that's not true.)

For example, they say:
​"This narcissist can't handle being wrong, so she engages in twisty arguments to manipulate the discussion."

But the narcissist probably thinks she's right!

​And she doesn't consider her arguments twisty nor does she consider her methods manipulative; she thinks she's being clever and self-protective. She believes what she's saying and genuinely thinks YOU are being mean.

Having said that, sometimes they do knowingly engage in hurtful argumentative tactics. And again, they do that because they think YOU deserve it.

They consider you pathetic, bad, or stupid and feel justified in playing mind games during a discussion.

They consider themselves cute, clever, or funny.

So if you get angry or hurt, they consider you oversensitive. (Or manipulative.)

Why?

Because you were the whole problem in the first place! Why are you bothering them by being pathetic, bad or stupid?

YOU are pathetic, bad, or stupid. THEY are cute, clever, funny...and the real victim here.

So why are YOU getting upset?

You have no right!

That's how they honestly see things.

And as long as you don't realize how sincere they are in their disordered thinking, it's hard to deal with them and also to identify them. You can also be used by them to hurt others when they rope you into "helping" them in their pain (which feels very real to them).

So to sum up:

  • The knowingly evil Voldemorts tend to be psychopaths.
 
  • The other dysfunctional people tend to be sincere in their disordered, dysfunctional, unhealthy way of thinking.

​And the same is also true for the Erev Rav.

Erev Rav Sincerity

Note: All quotes from Rav Itamar Schwartz are from here:
​https://bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Erev.Rav.Talks.pdf

Since their inception, the Erev Rav lacked a conscious intent to destroy Am Yisrael.

They simply wanted the best of both worlds.

And THAT leads to destruction because, at their intrinsic root, the holy world and the profane world remain at odds with each other.
​
(The group with the conscious intent to destroy Am Yisrael both physically and at its soul-root is Amalek. And yes, Amalekite Erev Rav exist.)

To oversimplify, the Erev Rav followed Am Yisrael out of Egypt because they viewed Hashem as the biggest bully on the block, and they felt more secure aligning themselves with the most powerful entity.

Yet they were always looking back to see whether maybe the Egyptians would be the winners.

And despite all the palpable pure spirituality around, they constantly longed for their impure spirituality and materialism.

All the damage they committed (like the Golden Calf) resulted from a desire to protect their own interests.

They genuinely felt fear or anxiety or distress. Their motivation wasn't manipulation; that's how they honestly felt.

In other words, they believed in what they were doing.

And real Jews got swept up with them...because of the Erev Rav sincerity.

And it happens nowadays too.

​Here's Rav Itamar Schwartz (page 40):
In fact, those people [who are pushing for the draft] might not even be aware that the ‘Sitra Achara’ is controlling them, and they might even be earnest in their intentions.

Some of them actually are earnest, and they aren’t trying to be wicked.

​They simply don’t understand what they are doing to us.

But this is only concerning a certain amount of them.

The rest of them simply have wicked intentions.

And even those in the government who have earnest intentions to help us are accomplishing the same purpose as the totally wicked members, in spite of the fact that they don’t realize what they are doing: they are coming to uproot all of the Torah!!

And why are they trying to uproot the Torah?

Because they honestly view it as holding themselves and others back.

But WHY do they feel that way?

The Torah contains such amazing inspiration, guidance, and is the only way for a human being to achieve truly great heights of holiness & morality.

​Why is the Erev Rav view SO distorted?

Erev Rav Lack the Ability to Understand. Understand This Well!

Here's the answer on page 35:
They do not understand, and they can never understand, what Torah is.

They cannot understand what mitzvos are.

​They cannot understand the nature of the true bond that is between the Jewish people and Hashem.

This is why, by the way, the charedi rabbanim responded with such uncompromising opposition to the Erev Rav when they first invented & utilized the Zionist movement.

To regular Jews, the rabbanim DID explain their positions.

But when dealing with the secular Leftist anti-Torah Communist Erev Rav leaders, the rabbanim went just BAM! Full-speed opposition ahead.

Even nowadays, you can see there's no talking to them or explaining to them why this-and-such is important.

They CANNOT understand. It's simply impossible.

And that's sincere on their part!

They have NO ability to comprehend or relate to:
  • the essence of Torah
  • the essence of mitzvot
  • the bond between Hashem and Am Yisrael

The potential simply is NOT there.

Here's an analogy:

​Try and describe countries and their political systems to a toddler.

He can't see it!

What's a country? What's a political party? What's a budget? What's debt?

Yet would you allow the one-year-old to make policies?

If the toddler is screaming for his toy and his lollipop, would you say, "If you stop screaming, I'll let you decide the boundary of France! And you can also decide the fiscal policy for the coming year! Wouldn't you like that, shaifeleh?"

Or would you just ignore the screaming toddler (maybe just stick a lollipop in his mouth) and continue running the country to the best of your ability?

The Erev Rav Leaders of Today

Here's more explanation from Rav Itamar Schwartz (page 34):
The Vilna Gaon writes that in the final generations, the Erev Rav are the “heads of the Jewish people, who are the ‘leaders’, and they have control over the “sons of Leah and Rachel.”

They are also called ‘sapachas’ by Chazal – a kind of leprosy that forms over the skin, embedded into the skin and atop it, but not a part of it.

They came with us when we left Egypt and added themselves onto our nation, but they are not a part of our nation; thus they are called a sapachas\leprosy - a layer added onto the skin, which is not an actual part of the skin.

In the later generations, and especially in our current generation, the Erev Rav are wicked souls who lead the Jewish people towards evil.

Their agenda is to lead the Jewish people astray from Torah, from all holiness, from emunah, and from mitzvos.

It doesn’t matter if he [a member of Erev Rav] wears a kippah or if he doesn’t have a kippah; whether he has a beard or whether he doesn’t have a beard.

This is the exile we are in.

The exile we are currently in is the exile of the Erev Rav - who exercise ‘control’ over the Jewish people.

The ‘heads of the Erev Rav’ are the souls of Amalek; Chazal say that the Erev Rav is made up of five kinds of people, and at the head of all of them is Amalek.

This has been true about our current exile ever since it has begun, but it has particular relevance to today’s times.

We must understand the situation that we are found in.

​The exile we are in today is being headed by people who look like Jews - and they look like they are a part of the Jewish people.

So we see from here the actual main leaders of the Erev Rav are the Amalek Erev Rav who actively plot to destroy the Torah and Am Yisrael.

But the other types of Erev Rav (Nefilim, Gibburim, Refaim, Anakim) cause extreme damage because they can NEVER relate to Torah or the relationship between Hashem & His People.

It doesn't mean anything to them; they cannot wrap their head around it.

They have their own agendas & it genuinely bothers them when the Torah interferes.

So what do WE do?

Focus on 2 Aspects

We need to do 2 things:
  • Sur m'ra—Turn from evil
  • Aseh tov—Do good.

Learing halacha and mussar help so much with turning from evil and doing good.

How else can you know what is good or bad unless you learn it?

Learning the halachot of how to treat people (giving the benefit of the doubt, acting with compassion, guarding one's tongue, etc.) provide you with the tools to avoid acting like a dysfunctional person.

Learning halacha and mussar also helps you to differentiate between the truly dysfunctional people and others who are basically good but flawed and struggling, so you know who to avoid and who to embrace.

Also, there is no need to water down Torah truths.

Darchei noam—ways of pleasantness? 

Yes! By all means!

Be pleasant! Try to avoid fights with others! Focus on the Torah's beauty!

But please also realize that if you're dealing with an Erev Rav, he or she CANNOT see the beauty no matter how much you point it out or water it down.

So there's no point.

They're utterly sincere in their attitudes, beliefs, and agendas.

And that sincerity often knocks real Jews off balance.

That's why it's important to know their sincerity makes them neither redeemable nor changeable...and not convincible either.

​And so...

Just YOU be strong within yourself.

Part of doing good is davening.

Davening for Erev Rav to do teshuvah (from the Komarna Rebbe) elevates the sparks, getting rid of the Erev Rav.

Davening protects you & others. Davening also enhances the growth of you & others.

Connect to Hashem in a deep & meaningful way for even only 1 minute a day...

May Hashem please bring the Geula swiftly with rachamim.

For more insights into the the workings of the Erev Rav mind & soul, plus the Amalekite influence:
  • http://question.bilvavi.net/what-to-do-about-the-erev-rav/
  • www.bilvavi.net/english/erev-rav-005-amalek-exposed
  • www.myrtlerising.com/blog/the-ultimate-way-to-do-teshuvah-wipe-out-amalek
  • how-to-identify-overcome-the-amalekite-conspiracy.html
  • www.myrtlerising.com/blog/whats-the-message-of-the-erev-rav-for-us-on-17-tammuz
  • www.myrtlerising.com/blog/the-erev-rav-strategy-following-the-biggest-bully
  • www.myrtlerising.com/blog/the-kli-yakar-parshat-masei: Why the Erev Rav CAN'T Change Themselves
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English translation from https://www.sefaria.org.il/Sanhedrin.97a?lang=bi

Bilvavi Insights to Enhance the Hebrew Month of Adar

2/2/2022

 
If you'd like in-depth insights into:
  • Adar Alef
  • Adar Bet
  • Adar's Mazal of Dagim/Fish/Pisces
  • How the Tribe of Zevulun corresponds to Adar
  • Many Aspects of Purim
  • The Aspect of Laughter associated with Adar
  • Ta'anit Esther (the Fast of Esther)
  • An Enlightening Q&A
  • How to Fight the Sadness Caused by Amalek & Erev Rav...

...then please go to the Bilvavi Adar/Purim booklet crafted from transcripts of Rav Itamar Schwartz's shiurim:
https://bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Purim.Talks.pdf
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4 Questions from Rav Itamar Schwartz of Bilvavi to Help Us on Our Journey toward Truth

30/1/2022

 
Our mission in This World is to strive for Truth.

This means living according to Truth (and not just conducting intellectually stimulating discussions or theses on the mere idea of Truth).

In light of this, Rav Itamar Schwartz presents probing questions each person should ask him/herself.

Many of you have already answered at least some of these positively. You've already made certain powerful changes for the sake of Truth. (It's clear from your decisions & actions & yearnings.)

But it's rare that a person has already pondered all these questions.

It's rare that a person has already made all the changes necessary to fulfill the answers to these questions.

So here's an opportunity to do so if you haven't already.

Needless to say, I need to grapple with these questions just as much anyone else. We're in this together—at different levels and stages, but still together.

Note: Please note these questions form around the idea that you actually KNOW of a more truthful place, community, interpretation, etc. and NOT just that someone merely suggested their own "truth" according to their own subjective opinion...or that you kinda-sorta-maybe "think" so, or that you vaguely heard something was considered more truthful, or that you're still trying to figure it out (which is perfectly legit; how else can you know unless you think about it first?)...the questions are: "What if you KNOW"...what if you are in COMPLETE AGREEMENT with them"—what would you do then?

Here are the 4 questions:
1) If you are told a certain interpretation in Torah that is more truthful than your current understanding, would you admit to it and say that the other way of understanding is truer than yours?

Or would you feel bad that you have to give up your previous way of understanding what you learned?


2) If you were told that there is a certain beis midrash in which they learn Torah in a more truthful way, would you leave your current beis midrash and go there?
​

3) If you discover that there is a group of Jews in the world who live more truthfully than you do, would you give up your current lifestyle and change over to that way of life?

Would you be prepared to leave your way of life in Yiddishkeit if you would find out that it’s not as truthful as a different way of Yiddishkeit?

If you agree that they are closer to the truth than you are, would you be prepared to actually uproot yourself from your community and move to the community where there is a more truthful lifestyle?

Or would you say, “I don’t know. If I move, it won’t work out for my wife and children…” In other words, “I don’t really want to!” (On a deeper note, both the husband and wife both don’t want!)

If someone lives a truthful life, a really truthful life, that means he is not dependent on anything on this world. He is prepared to leave anything for the truth.

He is prepared to let go of this generation, to let go of this world, to let go of this time that we are in, and to exchange it for a more truthful level of existence.
​

4) If a person is offered the chance to leave behind his current life and instead enter into a different time, in which there will be a Beis HaMikdash and Moshiach, would he do it?

​Or would he wish he could stay in his current time?

If he leads a yeshivah for 1000 bochurim and then Mashiach comes, is he ready to give up his position…?

To see the questions within the original transcript AND to hear the class in the original Hebrew, please go here:
https://bilvavi.net/english/tefillah-055-searching-truth
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5 Fascinating Articles (including Q&As) from Bilvavi for the Month of Shevat & Parshat Bo

4/1/2022

 
​For the month of Shevat, we have the following from Rav Itamar Schwartz at Bilvavi:
​
  • All Sorts of Aspects of Shevat Compiled in a Pretty PDF
Contains in one place much of the information found in the following links.

  • The Mazal of Shevat: Pail/Dli/Aquarius
This article is of particular interest because it mentions the "rope" one needs to hang on to in order to get out of the "pit" (dark, hopeless situation), and we've discussed Rebbe Elimelech's idea of the "rope" we need to hang on to, no matter how hard it shakes—the rope of emunah (www.myrtlerising.com/blog/recognizing-the-spastic-rope-of-emunah).

  • Asher & the Month of Shevat
The Tribe of Asher corresponds to the month of Shevat. Read this to learn about how Asher corresponds to elevated eating, song, bringing the highest point into the lowest point, and more.

  • ​The Month of Shevat – Sanctifying The Act of Eating
If Tevet was about sanctifying the act of sleeping & using sleep for holy purposes, then Shevat is all about rectifying & sanctifying the act of eating. (Also contains helpful advice for different reasons why people overeat: hunger, boredom, cravings, etc., plus a fascinating Q&A at the end.)

  • Eating with Holiness
Follows the theme of the previous.

  • UPDATED 5782 Time for Fixing: A Guide for Shovavim
A downloadable PDF collection of Rav Schwartz's talks on the subject to help access the essence of this time for most effective rectification.

  • Bilvavi Q&A for Parshat Bo 5782
Most recently translated Q&As with Rav Itamar Schwartz regarding Geula, survival & teshuvah, marijuana, mussar, dealing with confusion, etc.

Also, you can check out this post if you ever wondered what was going on with Hashem hardening Pharaoh's heart:
  • How to Wrench Yourself Out of the Paralyzing Plague of Darkness: ​The Life-Changing Lessons We can Learn from What Rav Shimshon Dovid Pincus Says about Why Hashem Hardened Pharaoh's Heart & Why Hashem Punished Him Anyway

Please note: Rav Itamar Schwartz lovingly opposes all forms of the Internet & has no connection to the Bilvavi site.
Rav Schwartz has no more connection with the Bilvavi website than Rav Kanievsky does with all the websites that post videos & quotes of him.
For more explanation, please see the Disclaimer here:
https://eng.bilvavi.net/opinion/
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Why Failures are Not Really Failures: The Ultimate Way to Relate to "Down" Times

12/12/2021

 
Utilizing the concepts from Rabbeinu Tam's Sefer HaYosher, Rav Itamar Schwartz discusses what Rabbeinu Tam's "Days of Love" & "Days of Hate" mean for us & how to deal with them.

(The full transcription of the lecture is here: https://bilvavi.net/english/droshos-what-do-when-you-are-down; includes a Q&A at the end & specific applications for women.)

In short, "Days of Love" are days when you feel "up," and things are going well, both spiritually and emotionally. 

"Days of Hate" are the opposite; they're the "down" times.

Here's an excerpt of a transcription of Rav Schwartz's lecture on the subject (stylistic changes made for added clarity for onscreen reading):
Failures Are Not Failures
***
When a person is in a difficult time and he doesn’t feel a drive to grow, there are two attitudes he can have.

One attitude is to completely give up:

“That’s it. I’ve had enough, and I can’t take it anymore. Today is a bad day, and I’m only going downhill. I can’t work on myself today.”
​

But the other attitude he can have is to have a different perspective on the situation:

“My soul needs a break sometimes. I can’t always be growing. It’s really not a bad day – it’s a day that I have to go through, because it’s normal for my soul to feel closed up sometimes, [since Rabbeinu Tam has written that] everyone has these 'Days of Hate'.”
​

We can compare this to going to sleep.

Although sleep is not productive, is sleep a bad thing?

No one looks at sleep as unproductive, because we all realize that we need to go to sleep in order to reenergize. We can’t function unless we get our sleep.

Taking a break is part of life, and we must not look down at ourselves for this.


The difficult times in our life are thus really not “difficult” or “bad.”

Rather, they are like our sleep.

It is necessary for us sometimes to pull back from growth, and let us not beat ourselves up that something is wrong with us that we don’t feel any willpower to grow spiritually.

If you have those days in which you don’t feel like learning or davening or making any spiritual progress, realize that it’s normal, and that it is actually a necessary part of your growth to go through these times in which you lack motivation.


This can change our whole attitude about life!

Our soul needs to rest sometimes – we can’t always grow and reach higher levels.

This is not a fall from our level – it is a necessary part of our growth.

“Failures” are thus not really “failures” – they are needed for our growth.
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Today's Experts in Various Areas of Torah (including Mussar & Chassidus)

30/11/2021

 
Someone asked Rav Itamar Schwartz of Bilvavi about rabbinical experts in serving Hashem.

Here's how Rav Schwartz answered him:
As of now I do not know one who has the comprehensive understanding on how to guide you, but I can give you some examples of names of people today who each are experts at the areas of Torah they are known in.

An expert on any of the words of the Gra is, Rav Dovid Cohen from Chevron.

An expert on the path of Ramchal [Rav Moshe Chaim Luzatto, Way of Hashem, Mesillat Yesharim, etc.] is, Rav Mordechai Shirki, who heads Machon Ramchal.

An expert on Reb Yisrael Salanter’s methods is, Reb Uri Weisblum.

An expert on Maharal is Rav Yehoshua Hartman, who prints Maharal sefarim and who heads Machon YaM, and above him is Rav Yonasan David, the Rosh Yeshiva of Pachad Yitzchok.

An expert at the school of thought Kelm and Slabodka is, Rav Reuven Leuchter.

Concerning the approach of Novhardok — find out from his talmidim in France about who the expert on Novhardok is today, because I do not know about it.

An expert on Chabad Chassidus is, Rav Yitzchok Ginzberg and Rav Yoel Kah, z"l.

An expert on Breslev Chassidus is Rav Kluger from Beit Shemesh.

An expert on Chassidus in general is Rav Yaakov Moshe Erlanger.
​
An expert on Kaballah is Rav Yitzchok Meir Morgenstern. 


https://question.bilvavi.net/blog/2021/11/25/who-are-the-experts-today-in-avodas-hashem/

Hope this helps!
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