Category: Rav Itamar Schwartz

The 4 Elements of the Soul: What are They? How Do They Work? And How Do You Use Them to Understand Yourself?

2/12/2020

I don't remember when I first heard of the 4-Elements theory of personality.

The idea of both nature and the human psyche being rooted in the 4 elements of fire, water, air, and earth is something you hear about from time to time because it was very popular among ancient Greek philosophers.

Later, I realized that ancient Jewish Sages also discussed the 4 elements, but I never paid much attention until reading Ahavat Kedumim (A Commentary on The Lost Princess) by Rav Ofer Erez.

That was around 2 years ago.

There, Rav Erez presents a brief discussion of the 4 elements as they relate to the human psyche and how to use that knowledge for middot work.

That's when I realized this was a big thing in Judaism.

This realization was strengthened upon encountering Rav Itamar Schwartz's writings of the Bilvavi organization. Rav Schwartz leans heavily toward using the 4 elements as a tool to do teshuvah and rectify one's soul at the deepest level.

Also, Rav Schwartz provides a list of where the 4 elements are rooted in Jewish sources: Torah Sources of the 4 Elements (Hebrew Only).

It's important to note that even if a Torah book was only printed later, most of its sources are rooted in even more ancient sources that were either transmitted orally or written down in a book that got lost over the millennia.

(For example, some authoritative sources state that Avraham Avinu wrote several books, yet only one is said to be in existence today, but we no longer have the rest of them. Please see HERE for mention of that.)

Also, in Hebrew, the 4 elements are often referred to in various sources as the 4 yesodot — but also the 4 yesodin, the 4 teva'im, or the 4 gufim, and maybe other terms.

If you look on page 3, section bet/2 of the above-linked pamphlet of sources, you'll see that Sefer Yetzirah Perek 3: Mishna 3 mentions the 3 amot (air, water, fire), stating that the heavens were initially created from fire, and the land (earth) was created from water, and that air is a type of defining buffer between the fire and the water.

The Torah Sources PDF explains other things about it too.

What Do the 4 Elements Represent?

I'm still at the beginning of exploring the 4 Elements personality system, focusing on Rav Itamar Schwartz's approach (even though many others also discuss it, especially going way back in Chazal).

Also, most people generally label the 4 elements as:

Fire
Air
Water
Earth

But Rav Schwartz uses the term "wind" (ruach) in place of "air." Ruach also means "spirit."

This makes good sense because "wind" captures the constant movement that element represents in a personality.

Two definitions of each element exist in traditional Jewish sources:

Early Sources in Chazal:

Fire—destructiveness
Wind—movement
Water—sustenance/vitality
Earth—stability

Rav Chaim Vital:

Fire—arrogance
Wind—speech
Water—desire
Earth—laziness & sadness

Rav Chaim Vital describes the elements as causing the following behaviors:

Fire—conceit & anger
Wind—excessive chatter
Water—the pursuit of pleasure
Earth—sadness

Some of the definitions sound negative, but Rav Schwartz notes that there is also atzlanut d'kedushah (a holy side of laziness). Additionally, destructiveness can be used positively, like to destroy evil, including the evil middot within a person.

According to Rav Schwartz, our goals are:

to use these elements for the good
to balance the elements within ourselves

Using each of these elements for good purposes is clear enough, and a well-known concept within Judaism (using all middot for the good).

Will Balancing Our Inner Elements Make Us All Clones? (No.)

But if we achieve an equal balance of all 4 elements, will that make us clones?

No.

For example, different personalities overwhelmed by their fire element aren't clones.

Sure, there exist the battle-thirsty warriors who relish the physical destruction of their enemies (or whoever they THINK are their enemies).

History focuses on these fiery warriors who burned, plundered, and slaughtered their way through life—changing borders, societies, dynasties, and destinies.

On the other hand, artistic personalities overwhelmed by their fire element burn through relationships, are prone to emotional outbursts, can't seem to avoid tremendous emotional drama, and live lives full of emotional adventure (often accompanied by physical adventure, but not always).

Fire-filled sticklers-for-rules enact & uphold iron-clad frameworks. They also hunt down rule-breakers—with severe consequences for their quarry. Such people may manifest as parents, teachers, policemen, or politicians who, unlike their warring or artistic counterparts, often love uniforms & conformity.

The fiery artist may be a flaming liberal while the fiery stickler may be a flaming conservative.

If over-fired individuals balance their fire with the other elements, they still maintain their individuality, but channel their unique personality in a much healthier manner.

Furthermore, the 4-Elements system progresses with increasing complexity.

For example, maybe you realize your most dominant element is Fire.

But maybe your next most dominant element is Wind.

So you end up being a Wind-of-Fire.

If your next dominant element is Water, then you end up with a Water-of-Wind-of-Fire personality.

Interestingly, you can also have a "doubled" element, like being Earth-of-Earth-of-Fire.

Or Earth-of-Fire-of-Earth.

I'm not sure exactly how...yet. Still working on it.

(You can see why I'm finding it complex. Invaluable, but complex.)

To see an example of the above idea, please read this:
Fixing Your Fire (Conceit)—Stable Growth

I admit I'm still getting used to the idea of balancing the elements—rather than only channeling a person's main element for the good, which is what other personality systems do.

But reading Rav Schwartz's material on the subject shows that we need to:

balance the elements of our personality

AND

use each element for the good.

That provides invaluable help in doing teshuvah.

But to do this, you need to work out the elemental proportions of your particular personality.

And how can you figure out your personal composition of these 4 elements?

Figuring Out Your Individual Composition

Traditionally, people figured out their individual composition of elements by studying the elements and analyzing themselves to see what fit where.

This works, and even as he acknowledges the challenge of doing so, Rav Schwartz reassures us that's possible to figure ourselves out this way.

(Not to mention, the struggle to understand often contributes to the refining teshuvah process.)

For some of you, your composition might be very clear.

But for others? It's a head-scratching exercise.

For example, differentiating between Fire & Wind can prove challenging.

Differentiating between Water & Wind can also prove challenging.

Or differentiating between aspects of Water & Earth can prove challenging.

For example, Rav Schwartz says that depression emanates from either Water or Earth:

Depression from the Water element derives from a lack of vitality in life.
Depression from the Earth element derives from not wanting to exist at all.

See? Same emotional state, but 2 different (albeit similar) reasons.

Then Rivka Levy published a book on the 4 Elements personality system and included a 40-question quiz to help people figure out their composition.

(I think you can access the quiz HERE.)

In Rav Ofer Erez's book on the deeper meanings of Rebbe Nachman's The Lost Princess, Ahavat Kedumim, he works it out the following way:

Fire
Root: Arrogance & anger

Positive expression: "Tov l'hodot l'Hashem — It's good to thank Hashem."

Emuna
Optimism
Humility
Bitachon (trust in God)
Seeing the good in everything
Being happy with what one has
Investing spiritual efforts with enthusiasm
Wisdom combined with healthy logic
Interpreting reality correctly

Wind
Root: Corrupted speech

Positive expression: "V'amcha kulam tzaddikim — And Your Nation is comprised entirely of righteous people."

Giving the benefit of the doubt
Compassion
Loyalty
Listening
Accepting others as they really are
Precision (diyuk; I think this means avoiding statements of exaggeration and melodrama)
Minimizing the amount of talking one engages in
Holy speech for the sake of Am Yisrael
The power of tefillah
The power of private discussions with Hashem (hitbodedut)
Wisdom emanating from a higher awareness that arrives on its own

Water
Root: Earthly pleasures & envy

Positive expression: "Lev basar — a heart of flesh," "Lev tahor bara li Elokim — "O Lord, create within me a pure heart."

Love
Caring
Warmth
Protectiveness
Innocence
Giving of oneself
Doing things for others
Being satisfied with little
Spiritual pleasure
Love of learning
The ability to delve deeply into practical knowledge
Taking an interest in all subject matters

Earth
Root: Indolence, laziness, heaviness

Positive expression: "L'hiot b'simcha tamid — to always be in a state of joy."

Joy
Happiness
Energy
Vitality
Nimbleness
Reassurance
Yielding (vatranut)
The ability to rejoice
The ability to become healed
The ability to recover good health
The ability to cause others to blossom
The ability to revitalize others
Stability
Perseverance
Alacrity in both practical and spiritual matters
Emotional intelligence
A high level of psychological wisdom
Awareness of others' psychological state

Another insight offered by Rav Schwartz is how each element responds to an enemy:

Fire wants to destroy the enemy.
Wind wants to whoosh away the enemy or whoosh itself out of the interaction.
Water wants to give something to the enemy to make peace.
Earth wants to sit down & work out the issue.

You identify your FIRST response to a FIRST encounter with an "enemy."

For example, while a predominantly Water personality might wish to proffer a peace-offering, continued negative encounters with the same enemy might cause the Fire element to flame up as a desire to destroy the same enemy with whom the Water initially wished to appease & nurture.

But the predominance of Water is demonstrated by the person's INITIAL response.

Needless to say, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

A lot more information to help you figure out your elements (and how to both balance them & use them for the good) lies in Getting to Know Your Soul and the Bilvavi website. (This links to their recently created English-only website. It's a beautiful & smooth interface, a real pleasure to navigate. They still have English articles on their Hebrew website, but it's a lovelier experience to visit their English-only website.)

Links for more information on this topic:
Understanding Your Middos (a PDF booklet of the 4 Elements personality system by Rav Itamar Schwartz)
Fixing Your Middos (the 1st article in a series, you can just keep pressing on "next" to go through the whole series)
Torah Sources of the 4 Elements (Hebrew only)
Rav Schwartz's English PDF ebooks
Rav Schwartz's English books in print
Rav Itamar Schwartz on: How Self-Awareness Leads to Love, How Inner Unity Leads to National Unity, the Quandary of Sensitive People, and a Simple 2-Word Meditation Exercise (a Myrtle Rising post)
Using the 4 Elements for Self-Awareness & Self-Improvement (a Myrtle Rising discussion of Rav Ofer Erez's book)

Here are Rav Schwartz's PDF booklets for special focus:
Fixing Your Fire
Fixing Your Wind
Fixing Your Water
Fixing Your Earth

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Rav Itamar Schwartz on: How Self-Awareness Leads to Love, How Inner Unity Leads to National Unity, the Quandary of Sensitive People, and a Simple 2-Word Meditation Exercise

1/12/2020

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Recently, I acquired Rav Itamar Schwartz's book in English, Getting to Know Your Soul.

(Yes, his books can be found as free articles on the Bilvavi website, but for such deep & contemplative reading, I prefer print. So I bought the actual book.)

While the initial reason for the book was for its elucidation in the first half on doing inner work according to the four elements of personality (earth, wind, fire, water), the second half on the 13 faculties of the human soul also provides tremendous insight.

While different opinions exist on how to count the faculties of the human soul (the Vilna Gaon addresses 70, much of Chazal describes 10), Getting to Know Your Soul utilizes the system of Rav Chai Gaon, who enumerates 13 faculties.

(As a side point, while the original Tribes of Israel are numbered as 12, they're actually 13 if you count Menashe & Ephraim as 2 separate Tribes.)

The 13 faculties of the human soul are:

Havayah—Sense One's Own Existence
Emunah—Faith
Oneg—Pleasure
Ratzon—Will/Desire
Chachmah—Wisdom
Binah—Contemplation
Chessed—Kindness
Gevurah—Limitations
Rachamim—Compassion
Netzach—Victory/Eternity
Hodayah—Gratitude/Acknowledgement
Hitkashrut—Connection
Shiflut—Lowliness

Certain ideas jumped out at me in the section on Oneg—Pleasure.

The Torah Way of Self-Love

On page 107, the rav discusses the idea of self-love.

Growing up within the American culture of pop psychology, I heard about the importance of self-love for most of my life.

As written elsewhere on this blog, I basically rejected the pop psychology approach because I didn't see it in Chazal.

(Also, many proponents of self-love aren't particularly loving or generous or connected with others.)

Chazal tends to focus on love of Hashem, rather than love of self.

(Once you love Hashem, you can truly love yourself & others.)

Likewise, the Pele Yoetz discusses love of self. But again, he connects it to love of God and taking care of yourself so you don't die early, unnecessarily suffer ill health, or go to Gehinnom.

In Strive for Truth, Rav Dessler notes the more you maintain the conviction of your own intrinsic value, the less you need the approval & kavod of others (Volume I, Part II, Parable & Meaning).

But again, your intrinsic value is based on the value imbued within you by Hashem, due to your lofty soul & your Tzelem Elokim (Divine Image).

In other words, it's not self-love just to feel good.

Genuine self-love emanates from genuine self-awareness, which in turn leads to ahavat Yisrael.

Along these lines, Rav Schwartz notes that ahavah (love) equals the numerical value of echad (one).

Thus he states:

Proper self-love is to have the various parts of one's soul interconnected.
***
True ahavas Yisrael (love of fellow Jews) only exists in someone if there is a unified Yisrael within himself.

Think about that for a moment.

You must be united within your self before you can unite with others.

The more you cultivate inner unity, the more that will naturally spill over and enable you to truly love others.

Very powerful idea.

The rav notes that there are 3 ways of returning to yourself:

Return to the Creator
Return to the beginning of Torah by focusing on the word Beresheit.
Return to the basis of Self.

While affirming that returning to the Creator is the highest level, the rav also acknowledges that most people cannot find their inner calm by focusing on the knowledge of the Creator's Existence because they lack a strong belief (emunah) that our Creator will take care of us.

This shows a very clear understanding of our generation because so many of us sincerely work on emunah, and even as we make some progress, we still find ourselves falling on our face in this area when coming up against massive humps in the road that we simply cannot manage to overcome.

The truth is, you can work on both.

You can continue to fortify your emunah while also doing the Havayah exercise (in another 2 sections) to return to your self.

Working Out the Puzzle of Self-Love

The idea of inner unity explains why Judaism places such a strong emphasis on cheshbon hanefesh and self-awareness.

How can you unify your inner Yisrael if you aren't aware of the different aspects of your inner self?

You can't. You'll be like an incomplete puzzle.

This perhaps explains the inner fragmentation many people experience today.

People describe themselves as feeling "broken" or "lost" or "lonely" or "confused."

Exactly—they're missing pieces of their own self!

Rav Itamar Schwartz describes our current situation as "a world of individuals who are all strangers to each other."

Strangers aren't necessarily hostile. But even when pleasant, strangers lack emotional connection with each other.

Yet as long as others act nicely, many people feel content with the status quo.

However, notes Rav Schwartz, if you express too much concern about this lack of emotional connection with others, people criticize you as being too sensitive—as if you're looking for problems.

Ooh, the "you're being too sensitive!" label. It's the scarlet letter of Western society.

And so, on page 106, Rav Schwartz presents one of the best descriptions I've ever heard of the highly sensitive person:

To say to someone not to be sensitive is like telling someone to close his nose when there is a foul odor.

He will die from lack of air.

And that's the truth about sensitive people.

But tachlis, how do we achieve this inner unification?

The 2-Word Havayah Exercise toward Self-Unification

We start off small.

VERY small.

Remember: In Judaism, baby steps lead to major growth.

First, we start with Havayah—The Sensing of Our Existence.

How do you know you exist?

Descartes was wrong with his whole "I think, therefore, I am" philosophy.

As Rav Schwartz explains, based on the list of 13 above, "think" falls into the category of Chachmah—Wisdom, which only hits number 5 on the list.

We want to start with #1: Havayah.

(This is why you should always stick with authentic Torah philosophy; the other stuff tends to be superficial at best & inaccurate at worst.)

So Rav Schwartz suggests finding a few quiet moments in a quiet place (closed off from the outside world as much as possible) and think simply:

"I exist."

And keep repeating this to yourself.

That's it!

That's the first step.

He advises that relaxing music can be helpful, if you need it. (Kosher music, of course.)

Also, how should you respond to the natural movement of your thoughts during this exercise?

Rav Schwartz recommends simply noting the distraction, allow your thoughts to return, and then repeat to yourself, "I exist."

This imbues you with a centering focus to which you can always return.

Not coincidentally, now is a great time to do this before you sleep.

As the rav said in his class Power of Sleep, this month of Kislev contains the power of sleep.

Paradoxically, sleep is davka the time when you can achieve high spiritual levels.

The rav advises a really geshmak Kriyat Shema as you recite the order of the Bedtime Shema, in which you focus on being mosser nefesh (self-sacrificing) for Hashem.

This can give you very powerful sleep, especially now in the month of Kislev.

So you can do the "I exist" exercise before Bedtime Shema.

Frankly, I've done it after too, if I couldn't fall asleep right away.

In his class on Power of Sleep, the rav notes that going to sleep with a Kriyat Shema of mesirut nefesh can cause you to wake up an entirely new person in the morning.

Very compelling.

Again, the more you cultivate inner unity (via increased self-awareness), the more that inner unity will naturally spill over and enable you to truly love others.

Again, here are the links for more information:

Pele Yoetz on Love of Self
Havayah Exercise (Scroll down to "A Helpful Exercise for Self-Awareness.")
Kislev: Power of Sleep
Practice of Hisbodedus (discusses self-love)
Inner Silence (discusses self-love)

To acquire Rav Itamar Schwartz's books in English:
Eichlers
Seforim Store
Moshe Books/Sifrei Avramovitch (with stores in Yerushalayim & Bnei Brak)

For those in Eretz Yisrael dealing with non-English-speaking bookstores:
I approached my local bookstores and asked for Da et Nafshecha (Getting to Know Your Soul) of Bilvavi in English. It's important to stress the Bilvavi organization of Rav Itamar Schwartz so they know exactly what you mean. The first bookstore had no clue how to do this, but the second one did.

And there you go.

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Fascinating Links for Kislev

18/11/2020

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UPDATE:
If anyone would like to subscribe to receive Rav Itamar Schwartz's newsletters (1 in English & 1 in Hebrew) directly to your inbox, you have 2 options:

Subscribe to newsletter via email: subscribe@bilvavi.net

Or online:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfU1XchUBIY_hwNX12d28zonTHILlDXSmtaXOsOMl6InfCshA/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0&gxids=7628

(Note: I don't receive anything for recommending this. Just trying to be helpful.)

If you ever wondered what was going on with the Rambam's approach to Aristotle (whose science hasn't stood the test of time), please read:

Rav Avigdor Miller on The Rambam and Aristotle

Also for this new month of Kislev, please check out the following from Rav Itamar Schwartz:

Tribe of Binyamin (which is associated with Kislev)
Mazal - The Bow (Sagittarius, the astrological sign for Kislev; Jewish astrology is totally different than atheistic non-Jewish astrology.)
Avodah of Sleep (Winter is a time of sleep & is therefore associated with this very wintery month. Here, Rav Schwartz explains how sleep explains a woman's nature—woman, Chava, was created from sleep—and also how to use our dreams for personal growth, plus practical steps toward understanding your penimyut, i.e., your unique soul.)
Power of Sleep (Going to sleep with the right intention is a form of mesirut nefesh AND mesirut nefesh is one of the ways to sort out the Erev Rav! For that source, please see the last paragraph in What to Do about the Erev Rav?)

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3 Articles to Deepen One's Understanding & Appreciation of Tu B'Av

4/8/2020

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Here are links to 2 articles by Rav Itamar Schwartz, describing the deeper meanings & symbolism of Tu B'Av & its historical events:

And here is a link to the annual Tu B'Av post, which describes several true stories of how dancing expresses a person's true nature:

Tu B'Av - How Dancing Reflects the True You

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2 Fascinating Links to Enhance Your Life during This Time

3/8/2020

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Here's a video of a shiur from 2017 by Rabbi Yehoshua Zitron from Torahanytime.com called: Dybbuk/Exorcism/Adultery Part 1: Understanding Possessions Through Stories.

UPDATE: Here is the rest of the series: Dybbuk/Exorcism/Adultery: Part 2 - What Happens To A Spirit & Dybbuk/Exorcism/Adultery: Part 3 - The Destroyers

The first part of the shiur discusses a plague so lethal that as victims approached Rav Laniado for help, they dropped dead on the spot, and it explains how Rav Laniado remedied that.

(I couldn't catch the name of the book in which this story appeared, so if anyone figures it out, I'll be grateful if you let us know.)

Rabbi Zitron also brings fascinating stories from the Arizal & Rav Yehudah Petayah's Minchat Yehudah.

It all reinforces the importance of emunah and being real about your Yiddishkeit, kosher mezuzot, believing in the 13 Principles of Faith, and Torah learning.

And if you ever wondered why non-Jewish exorcists appear to succeed, Rabbi Zitron explains that the forces of tumah utilized in non-Jewish exorcisms damage the already damaged soul even more, so the soul flees in horror. (It's sort of like trying to clean a filthy garment by rubbing sewage into it; that only ruins the garment even more.) He also mentions exorcisms performed by priests in recent years, which resulted in the host's death (if it was even a real dybbuk-possession in the first place).

Also, Bilvavi produced a PDF collection of Rav Itamar Schwartz's insights into the month of Av, its astrological influence, its connection to Shimon ben Yaakov, and other helpful material to assist us in the avodah appropriate for this month.

Also, if you were born in Av, it can help you glean extra insights into yourself.

Here it is:
http://www.bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Rosh.Chodesh.Av.pdf

Note: The Jewish view of astrology (mazalot) is that there's an influence that can always be overridden by our prayers, deeds, and Hashem. We may not rely on the mazalot nor may we attempt to predict the future with star charts. Jewish astrology walks in temimut with Hashem. However, Hashem created the influence for a reason & we can utilize the ruach of each month for beneficial purposes.

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Facing Coronavirus with Mesirut Nefesh: Channeling the Power of Death in a Holy & Positive Direction

3/8/2020

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Before this blog continues with discussions & insights into Rav Itamar Schwartz's Q&A on Coronavirus, it's important to address what people CAN do to manage the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

(Otherwise, the whole thing can turn into an overwhelming fear-mongering dynamic, which is pointless. The entire purpose of fear is not crushing despair or paralyzing anxiety, but self-improvement via awareness of Hashem.)

On pages 32-34 & 44 & 103 of the Q&A, Rav Schwartz discusses the response and the "remedy" for coronavirus.

It has to do with self-nullification, which I stated before I'm not qualified to go into that. However, it's imperative to mention the basic idea of self-nullification: One should strive to internalize the fundamental idea of "Ein od milvado — There is nothing but Him."

And while in today's world of self-promotion and self-esteem, the very idea of self-nullification seems offensive or even frightening, a person who achieves true self-nullification experiences freedom & happiness on a level impossible to otherwise comprehend.

We see this among our tzaddikim who achieved this level, like Rav Aryeh Levin, a person who was wholly selfless and truly happy & content.

Self-nullification occurs when one wholly bonds to & unites with Hashem with no interference of cognitive dissonance or ego.

Self-nullification doesn't cause you to lose yourself.

On the contrary, self-nullification enables you to discover & fulfill the real you — the pristine neshamah residing within you.

Halevai I was on that level & could actually know what I'm talking about!

But that's the basic definition as written in books & exemplified by tzaddikim who reached that level.

Mesirut Nefesh: Breaking Your Middot

According to Rav Schwartz, one can fight coronavirus via mesirut nefesh (self-sacrifice).

Different types & levels of mesirut nefesh exist.

One way is physical death.

But another (and more appealing) way is on the spiritual, nefesh level.

When you break your middot, you kill off your bad middot.

This is a wonderful thing!

Because we feel attached to our bad middot & taavot (desires), letting go of them causes pain.

Some people even define themselves by their bad middot or taavot.

For example, some people pride themselves on their sharp tongue (they call it "clever") or their insistence on always getting their way ("being assertive," "nobody's doormat," "never a sucker," "I don't take dirt from anyone," "nobody messes with me!").

Some pride themselves on their ability to control others, whether it's a classroom, an office, or their home.

I knew someone who prided himself on being an innate (and successful) businessman. However, he sunk to manipulative & exploitative behavior to maintain his self-image as "Benjy the Businessman!"

It took me a while to see that he wasn't a bad person, but his commitment to his self-image as "A Businessman" led him to behave with less compassion or integrity in business situations — behavior he took pride in.

Yet in other situations, he could behave with a lot of compassion and fairness.

But think of how hard it is for someone like him to relinquish his commitment to winning in business when his entire self-image depends on that.

It's a kind of death because he needs to let go of his pretend "self," which feels very real to him.

And the transition phase feels like a hermit crab switching from one shell to another: horribly vulnerable & desperate.

But completing the transition phase brings increased emotional maturity, wisdom, and satisfaction.

So it eventually feels good, but yeah, the transition phase is a wringer.

Mesirut Nefesh: Breaking Your Taavot

Breaking taavot also demands mesirut nefesh & feels like a type of death.

For people addicted to alcohol or drugs, dealing with problems by facing them head on is torture.

In fact, getting out of bed in the morning or facing the upcoming weekend with no high or drunkenness to look forward to often depresses the addict. (That's why treatment programs encourage them to take it one day at a time.)

Life initially feels blah without the hit people get from watching their favorite show/movie/podcast, smoking a cigarette, eating their comfort foods, reading their favorite non-kosher novels, social media, listening to their favorite non-kosher music, mixed dancing, unwholesome relationships, "juicy" gossip, or whatever is their taavah of choice.

So for such a person to think they'll never engage in a certain act or have that thing again...it's unbearable.

In fact, they often describe the desire for that which they deny themselves as: "It's killing me."

Mesirut nefesh.

If it helps, the Pele Yoetz recommends relating to the pain of the unfulfilled taavah (specifically alcoholism) as a kaparah (atonement) for all the damage & transgressions caused while indulging in that taavah.

This puts a positive & beneficial spin on the pain of NOT getting what you crave.

In other words, the pain is l'to'elet; it is useful & rectifying. It has meaning & purpose.

Your Own Unique Mesirut Nefesh 2 Inches at a Time

Immediately after a shiur to a group of frum women regarding halachically appropriate shaitels, a woman approached the rebbetzin and asked her how she should change her own shaitel.

The shaitel in question comprised 100% human hair & hung down to the wearer's waist.

The rebbetzin thought for a moment, then said, "Cut off 2 inches, then get back to me in a month and tell me how it went."

The woman thanked the rebbetzin, then went on her way.

My friend, a very unmaterialistic person who lives an especially simple life in Eretz Yisrael, witnessed the exchange in astonishment.

She asked the rebbetzin why only 2 inches? To my friend, that seemed insignificant. After all, even at 2 inches shorter, the shaitel remained far from tsniyus.

But the wise rebbetzin explained that a woman willing to invest in such a shaitel obviously felt very attached to that particular shaitel.

The woman also showed tremendous sincerity in that after hearing only a little mussar on the topic, she immediately sought to improve herself in this area. And the woman's question was open-ended. Notice that she did not ask whether she should do this or that, but she simply asked what she should, making herself vulnerable to a big & possibly overwhelming change.

That's sincerity.

If you think about it, the rebbetzin showed excellent judgement.

These types of shaitels cost more than a used car.

Women who invest so much money in such a shaitel also invested their hearts in the length, style, and color.

There is a very real emotional attachment to THAT particular shaitel in all its details.

Furthermore, if the woman made a drastic change in her shaitel, her family & friends will certainly respond and usually the response won't be one of praise & encouragement, but of discouragement. (Particularly if her husband likes her in the untsniyus shaitel and especially if his ego depends on having a trophy wife — which is a VERY un-Jewish attitude in marriage — and a husband's criticism of her appearance is a bitter pill to swallow.)

For most people, it's too much to ask of them to change their identity & self-image to that point (meaning, if the woman would cut her shaitel to above her shoulders, for example) AND the discouraging responses she's likely to receive from others.

It could cause her to give up completely. (Like selling the newly vamped shaitel and buying a new one with the old waist-length again.)

In addition, a human-hair waist-length shaitel has issues other than length. These types of shaitels look way too realistic & alluring from the front too.

Yet the rebbetzin only focused on one aspect of the shaitel: its length.

And she had the woman start with just 2 inches.

So for that woman, this is big-time mesirut nefesh. Hopefully, she continued on her journey toward a more dignified & refined hair-covering.

However...

What of the woman who already wears a shaitel that conforms to all opinions of tsniyus (of those who permit shaitels)?

If she would look at the above situation superficially, she would go out & buy a custom shaitel that comes down to 2 inches above her waist and say, "I'm being mosser nefesh too!"

But for the one already wearing a refined & dignified shaitel, buying a nearly waist-length shaitel would be a HUGE step backwards!

It's a yeridah, not mesirut nefesh at all.

So we see that these things are individual.

We cannot copy the mesirut nefesh of others.

We must find our own.

Specific Acts of Teshuvah

On pages 17-21 & 44, Rav Schwartz discusses practical suggestions for teshuvah (a form of mesirut nefesh).

Intensifying & deepening prayer is one strong recommendation.

As we've seen from Rav Avigdor Miller & others, focusing on one aspect of Shemoneh Esrei (like saying "Baruch...magen Avraham" with total kavanah and/or feeling a pang in your heart when you recite the prayer for the Beit HaMikdash) is an excellent way to start.

Bonding with Hashem even for only a few minutes every day is excellent. (Yes, 30-60 minutes is ideal, he says, but a few minutes is also very good.) Regarding time spent with Hashem: QUALITY is more important than quantity — especially now. (You can see this guidance on page 44.)

Our focus now is getting real.

Refraining from any type of lashon hara takes a lot of self-control. Depending on the situation & your own personal impulses, NOT saying something can feel almost physically painful.

And therefore, you receive FABULOUS reward for this restraint.

The only reason you restrain your mouth is for Hashem.

And that's such a beautiful thing.

Forgiving someone is also very powerful (both Rav Kanievsky & Rav Gedalyah Edelstein recommended releasing grudges in the coronavirus era).

Our reasons for holding tight to grudges & resentments can go very deep.

Working through this causes pain. (How much depends on the depth of hurt & anger & damage caused by the object of your resentment.)

Forgiveness makes you into a different person than you were before.

Forgiveness does not mean whitewashing truly bad behavior.

If someone intentionally & intensively hurt you, that is not so forgivable, practically speaking. After all, the person MEANT to hurt you and feels NO remorse. Maybe they're even happy about it.

Forgiveness in that case means connecting to the idea of emunah, that everything comes from Hashem.

That awful person was the agent for something you needed to go through for the rectification of your soul.

You don't pretend the person or the actions were okay. They weren't.

But you let go because you realize Hashem was behind the entire disaster and there is somehow in some unfathomable way a benefit.

I'm the first to admit this is much easier said than done.

But any step forward you can make in this area is a form of mesirut nefesh & very powerful.

Gratitude

Gratitude remains an essential component of mesirut nefesh & teshuvah.

Noting your spiritual progress & also feeling grateful for aspects of your life foster feelings of happiness & contentment.

Even if you can't manage to feel wholly happy & content, saying "thank You" to Hashem still increases happiness & contentment.

Even if you can't achieve a wholly positive state, a smidgen of positive feeling is a million times better than none.

The Specifics of Davening during the Coronavirus Era

On pages 18-19 & 84, Rav Schwartz emphasizes we must NOT daven for the world to return back to "normal."

That would be worse.

We should daven that coronavirus is uprooted BECAUSE everyone returns to Hashem and develop a warm & genuine connection with Hashem & our fellow human beings.

So we daven for a global return to Hashem & genuine connection with Him & other people.

We daven for the light of Redemption to illuminate all souls and we daven that a global healing is activated by kedushah (holiness) overcoming tumah (spiritual blockage/impurity).

Another Tip for Successful Mesirut Nefesh

Rav Avigdor Miller repeatedly stresses the importance of NOT sharing your baby-steps with others.

Unless the other person is spiritually aware, they often discourage or mock you for your efforts.

This can ruin everything.

This caution contradicts the newest generation, in which every little thing you do needs to be photographed and advertised on Instagram.

Of course, you can share your baby steps (or your grandest efforts) with another person, but only if that person will recognize your individual need for this particular type of mesirut nefesh, and will validate your efforts.

Many times, your efforts will be between you & Hashem.

And that's perfectly fine.

You're making Hashem supremely happy & that's all that matters.

Even a Tiny Drop MATTERS!

It bears repeating this idea again: One drop matters.

Drop after drop fills a lake.

Drop after drop erodes stone.

On page 32, Rav Schwartz reassures us that person can activate a little bit of mesirut nefesh by working on just one area, as long as it is an area on which one needs to work.

Mesirut nefesh is channeling the power of death in a holy direction.

Rather than destroying your body, you destroy your unhealthy ego and bad middot.

You destroy the tumah blocking you from being your best — the wonderful person you really are underneath all the spiritual blockage.

By taking only 1 thing each day — something you personally find difficult — and working on that, you achieve a form of mesirut nefesh.

That's Rav Schwartz's practical advice.

On the emotional inner level, Rav Schwartz recommends cutting oneself off from everything that's happening in the world. He encourages a feeling of separation from the entire world.

He emphasizes doing this "deeply," which I think means not only that you stop checking the news or social media, but that you make yourself realize how meaningless much of it is so that you don't even WANT to see the podcast of your favorite political commentator or check your social media account every 5 minutes.

It's important not to misunderstand this.

He means the world & all the distractions & fake news.

He does not mean to stop davening for people or to ignore pleas for verified tzedakah campaigns.

We still need to look both ways before we cross the street and cultivate warm, caring connections with others.

We should concern ourselves with the genuine emotional & material needs of those around us.

But many things portrayed as A Very Big Deal do not actually matter. It's sheker.

Summary of Main Points

Ultimately, in comes down to:

Focus on mesirut nefesh & self-nullification
Start small: Pick ONE thing in ONE area YOU find challenging.
Make it individual; Hashem created you unique with unique needs.
Daven for the right things: Redemption, Divine Illumination, the victory of kedushah over tumah, etc.
Do not daven for things to return to normal. (What we consider "normal" is actually sick & warped.)
Try to cut off & distance yourself from the world as much as you can.
Aim for real inner change (though only practical behavioral change is also really good).

May Hashem grant us all tremendous hatzlacha & bracha in our spiritual endeavors!

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A Look into 2 of the Most Puzzling Spiritual Questions of Coronavirus via the Coronavirus Q&A with Rav Itamar Schwartz

1/8/2020

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Note #1: Rav Itamar Schwartz is an Israeli rav who speaks exclusively in Hebrew. All English-language transcriptions are translations by his talmidim.

They do an outstanding job, especially considering the depth & nuance of the material. Nonetheless, exact translations are difficult to achieve, especially from Hebrew to English and especially regarding such deep concepts.

Note #2: Rav Schwartz goes very deep & as a result, anything I discuss here is just the tip of the iceberg. Furthermore, I'm not on the level to discuss his most important ideas, like self-nullification, which he emphasizes as the most significant response we could have to coronavirus.

In other words, it's vital to read the whole PDF because if you just rely on my discussion of it, you'll miss the essentials.

Why are So Many GOOD People Dying — and Davka in America? And What Does that Mean for Us?

In Bilvavi.Corona.Q.and.A.pdf, Rav Itamar Schwartz addresses why COVID-19 has hit our spiritual leaders & other very good people (i.e., respected talmidei chachamim & other people leading Torah-true lives).

In particular, we see this happening in America more than anywhere else.

Judaism describes the concept of Hashem taking a very good person as a kaparah for the Nation, rather than killing off, say, 1000s of people, chas v'shalom.

And that explains part of it.

But Rav Schwartz delves even deeper into what lies behind the spate of deaths from coronavirus among our spiritual leaders.

It's rattling, yet hopefully also a spur for positive change.

Why Did COVID-19 Hit Davka America So Hard?

On page 24, Rav Schwartz addresses the question: Why America?

There are many wonderful things to say about the frum community in America.

For example:

Chessed, bikur cholim, & tzedakah occur with great generosity, regularity, and attention to detail.

The beloved & heroic Hatzolah emergency medical service is an American innovation.

There are frum American Jews who, despite all the temptations of the outside world, invest so much in keeping their Yiddishkeit alive & intact.

The frum American community fosters many activists who work on behalf of anything troubling Am Yisrael, whether it's shidduchim, abuse, addictions, mental health issues, physical health issues, errant youth, shalom bayis, schools and much more.

However, a vapor of materialism has also infiltrated the community, and affects the community in ways that seem bizarre if you're looking at it from the outside.

Americans who got used to & even enjoy the simpler life in Eretz Yisrael describe a type of culture shock when they return to North America for a visit, expected to adhere to the material dictates inherent to some (though not all) communities there — dictates that honestly do not matter one bit & even cause unnecessary stress & inconvenience.

I don't want to give specific examples, but if you know, then you know. And if you can do something about it (at least within yourself), then you can.

Not everyone is materialistic; as stated above, much good exists.

But according to Rav Schwartz, that infiltration of materialism is a major reason the virus hit America so hard.

Needless to say, secularism & materialism infiltrate Jewish communities around the world (including in Eretz Yisrael). But you see the impact of secularism & materialism in the USA more than anywhere else, so the virus hit there the hardest.

For now, anyway.

The Elephant in the Room

And there's an aspect hinted at in this blog's previous coronavirus posts, but it certainly hovers at the back of my mind and others have also mentioned:

...a feeling of something "waiting in the wings."

I don't know what you're sensing, but to me, there's a powerful sense that Hashem is holding back — yishtabach Shemo, Av HaRachaman.

Because of that, we're not really seeing the whole picture.

It's blurred because in His Great Mercy, Hashem is not unleashing the full force of it upon us.

Yet on page 26, in answer to the question of why Eretz Yisrael is seeing a much lower rate of complications & death, Rav Schwartz states:

You are only viewing the situation at the moment.

The situation is able to become more encompassing and more complex.

That potential increase in complexity and scope is hinted to in the contradictory & unclear information regarding the virus:

How far can the virus REALLY travel after being emitted?

How long does it REALLY stay in the air?

How accurate are the tests REALLY?

How infectious is it really? (I personally know people who spent hours in the airspace of, including physically touching, people unknowingly infected with coronavirus...and when tested, these intensely exposed people experienced no symptoms & tested negative for COVID-19. 3 of them had spent a lot of time in the sun, a source of vitamin D, and in addition, one had been supplementing with vitamin D.)

Can COVID-19 really be transmitted via the eyes?

Is treating the virus at a hospital more or less dangerous than treating it at home?

What are the long-term effects, including of those who tested positive but remained asymptomatic?

Is it really better to allow people to die of loneliness & neglect than risk infecting low-risk family members & staff?

For those who focus on the purely medical aspect, why are so many people ignoring the 3 studies indicating that vitamin D plays a huge part in coronavirus immunity? And that vitamin K2 not only helps vitamin D absorption, but also prevents clotting (which is how coronavirus has killed many people)?

And the really big question: Can you get COVID-19 AGAIN after the initial infection & recovery?

Whether you have people putting their faith in masks & 6-foot social distancing or claiming that the whole thing is a hoax, there is a tremendous amount that we really don't know.

While the media-induced hysteria looks over-the-top when compared to the actual number of deaths & complications (MUCH less than epidemics like Ebola, Spanish flu, and so on, though a little more than flu deaths & complications, depending on the area), it could derive from this sense that there could be more to the virus, God forbid, then what we see now.

And maybe that's scarier than believing it is controllable via all sorts of questionable precautions or believing that it is a hoax or the flu.

A Glimpse behind the Curtain of Our Upside-Down World:
Why Davka the Tzaddikim?

Across the board, truly great rabbanim responded to the pandemic by advising us to forgive grudges, disconnect from unnecessary technology & materialistic/secular pursuits, refrain from lashon hara, increase prayer & Torah learning, and so on.

Yet on page 27, we see the question secretly plaguing many of us:

If an Internet connection (especially an impure connection using impure devices) is the spiritual reason behind the pandemic, then why are davka the people WITHOUT such devices dying?

The people who DON'T hold grudges, DON'T speak lashon hara, and DO daven copiously with kavanah and DO learn Torah with dedication — why did coronavirus hit davka those people with such high fatalities?

Rav Schwartz explains that, in part, their illness & deaths resulted from their heightened spiritual sensitivity.

The Wi-Fi connection comprises both a spiritual & physical component.

Physically, the Wi-Fi penetrates every home and space, even if you don't have Wi-Fi devices in your home.

Sure, if you live in a concrete box with no windows, then that weakens Wi-Fi penetration, but even concrete walls don't block it completely.

As a side point, I think we've all known families who own no devices: not even an old computer for word processing with no Internet whatsoever — not even email.

And they either didn't have cell phones or they had the totally kosher kind with absolutely no Internet connection, not even texting.

Yet their wayward children brought such devices into the home.

Because Wi-Fi penetrates everywhere, you can bring a totally tumah device into a totally Internet-free & device-free home, and use that tumah device in that home.

Surrounded by Wi-Fi, it passes through your home, while outside, it also touches you — even if you yourself never own or even touch a Wi-Fi connection or device.

Spiritually, it penetrates every home & space.

What's the Real Poison Infesting the Wi-Fi?

To extrapolate even more from Rav Schwartz's words: What does all this Wi-Fi contain?

For us, the connection is both instantaneous & imperceptible.

We see the result, not the process.

But it travels.

For example, to read lashon hara or fake news written in San Francisco, that lashon hara must travel electronically through the air, including space inhabited by holy people.

To look at unwholesome images & watch stupid movies, this garbage must travel through other homes and people in order to arrive to your device.

So all this lashon hara, filth, and frivolousness penetrates the homes & beitei midrash of these holy people.

And because they are so clean & pure, the tumah affects them more.

It's sort of like a population never exposed to certain diseases, so they lack immunity to those diseases.

Yet when suddenly exposed to those diseases, infection & death runs rampant in this formerly healthy population.

Likewise, on a spiritual level.

As Rav Schwartz explains:

We need to understand that our very existence as we live in this generation is infected by the harmful spiritual effects that this invisible radiation [Wi-Fi] has on us, because we are all living within the invisible field of this tumah that fills every space.

Therefore, there is no one who can be saved from it totally, and therefore it is able to harm anyone, whether they are tzaddikim or whether they are not tzaddikim.

That is why the souls of tzaddikim are broken and gasping from this tumah.

In addition, there is the unfathomable way Hashem runs the world, which ALSO lies behind the infection & deaths of such great people.

(Meaning, if you focus on the Wi-Fi alone, that's a mistake; it's not the whole reason.)

On page 29, Rav Schwartz recommends reading the Ramchal's Sefer Daat Tevunot to better understand the spiritual dynamic & how to respond.

Uh-Oh...Whoops...

So that's some very bitter food for thought.

Intellectually, we know that when we sin, it harms ourselves (even if we don't immediately perceive it) and it collectively harms our Nation (by adding more sins to the National scales, weighing down on the side of Heavenly Judgement rather than Heavenly Compassion).

But did we know that when we invite a non-Torah wave to our device, it passes through the space of very good & spiritually sensitive people, harming them directly?

Those Wi-Fi waves infested with lashon hara, kefirah, time-wasting, and pritzut infiltrate the personal space of these holy people.

I never considered that.

How Quarantines Increase Spiritual Contamination

Spiritually speaking, this may be why quarantines ironically bring about an upswing in infection.

Yes, it LOOKS like all the post-quarantine renewed interaction spreads the virus, but people are tested less in quarantine (because they're not going out for tests).

Once people get out more, they also get tested more.

And this means more positives (if the tests are genuinely accurate, of course).

Though some people utilize the lockdowns to improve themselves spiritually, many turn to their Internet devices to relieve boredom & distract themselves from anxiety.

In other words, a person who might normally walk or drive to work (which prevents him from surfing) and then sits at a cash register or goes around fixing electrical issues in homes, or teaches a class (where he also cannot connect to fake news or videos of the best football moments of 2020)...this person in quarantine now spends all that time on the Internet, which increases the spiritually harmful Wi-Fi traffic.

And wouldn't it be nice if we were all only learning Toras Avigdor or Torah Anytime or Bilvavi via these devices during the quarantines...

But many people waste time (or worse) on their devices.

This means that MORE foolishness, MORE pritzut, MORE lashon hara, etc., are traveling via Wi-Fi through homes during a lockdown.

In other words, quarantine increases spiritual contamination via Wi-Fi even as it lessens spiritual contamination in other venues (because people cannot go to bars, discotheques, football games, and movies).

Touching on the Most Effective Responses to Coronavirus

So tachlis, what can we do?

Rav Schwartz mentions several responses, all interconnected:

Mesirut nefesh (self-sacrifice)
Self-nullification
Focus on holy individuality
Develop "warm" relationships as opposed to "cold" relationships

This is all in addition to increasing prayer, Torah study, tzedakah, and chessed.

I'll be discussing the above (except self-nullification) in future posts, but please remember that Rav Schwartz emphasizes progressing according to your own level.

But just to touch on some of the solutions:

Regarding mesirut nefesh: What's mesirut nefesh for you might not be mesirut nefesh for someone else.

Think about wherever you're holding. Rav Schwartz recommends to start by taking one thing you find difficult & overcome it.

Even just a small amount of mesirut nefesh regarding one thing makes a huge difference.

One aspect of holy individuality means to focus on learning those parts of Torah closest to your heart. What are you really attracted to learning?

If you're a man, it doesn't mean to give up your learning schedule or yeshivah studies completely, but if you've always felt a hankering to delve into Sefer Yeshayahu or Orchot Tzaddikim or Chessed L'Avraham, then now's the time.

As Rav Schwartz advises on page 52 (with a special emphasis on learning in quarantine):

How to actually balance your learning schedule is a matter that differs with each person.

The inner way to go about this period is to receive vitality both from learning in-depth Gemara as well as from learning sefarim you enjoy, in a way that is pleasant and calming, as much as you can.

As stated at the beginning, it's best if you to read the entire PDF yourself to get whatever you individually can get out of it (which will be different in some respects from what I get out of it, due to the innate variance of "holy individuality").

And future posts will discuss other aspects of the PDF.

In His Great Compassion, may Hashem please bring the Geula sweetly & swiftly.

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"The Air is a Ruination"

30/7/2020

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Note: I didn't actually post this today; the day before, I scheduled it to appear at this time. Because I'm not actually here, there may be a delay in answering any comments or emails connected to this post.

Here's what Rav Avigdor Miller is quoted as saying in the booklet Parshat V'Etchanan 3 on page 14, regarding the difference between Yerushalayim in the times of the Beit HaMikdash and living anywhere today:

How much easier it was in those days to come closer to Hakodosh Boruch Hu.

There was no New York Times in those days.

There was no TV, no radio, no internet.

Even if you don’t have it in your house, the fact that it’s in the air is a ruination; it’s in the atmosphere - you can’t help yourself because the streets are soaking in shtus and ta’avah and immorality.

This is very similar to what Rav Itamar Schwartz said on page 28 in the Bilvavi.Corona.Q.and.A.pdf:

This kerinah-radiation [Wi-Fi] is not only found by those who own internet-capability devices, because it is found in every obscene place in the central zones of cities.

Even more so, its rays [Wi-Fi] can come through any wall of any house, entering into any home, even in a home that does not have any internet-capability devices.
***
We need to understand that our very existence as we live in this generation is infected by the harmful spiritual effects that this invisible radiation [Wi-Fi] has on us, because we are all living within the invisible field of this tumah that fills every space.

Therefore, there is no one who can be saved from it totally, and therefore it is able to harm anyone, whether they are tzaddikim or whether they are not tzaddikim.

We NEED Mashiach to come NOW.

We NEED the Beit Hamikdash.

We NEED the cleansing qualities of the Holy Ketoret.

There is NO other way to save ourselves.

May we experience genuine grief over our tragic loss and in this merit, may Hashem have mercy on us and redeem us from all this tumah.

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What are the Medical Facts & Spiritual Truths behind the Face-Mask Phenomenon of Coronavirus?

28/7/2020

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A couple of weeks ago, a delightful reader sent me the latest English translation of Rav Itamar Schwartz's Q&A regarding these Corona Times.

You can read/download it here:
Bilvavi.Corona.Q.and.A.pdf

And WOW — truly amazing & beneficial insights abound.

It has been simmering in my mind since I read it.

There's a lot to say about it, but it was Rav Schwartz's discussion of masks that hit me between the eyes.

Let's Get Cynical for a Moment

As regular readers know, I've been rather cynical about the whole effectiveness of face masks.

Why? Because:

People aren't wearing effective masks (my understanding is that only the N95 masks really protect others from your germs).

People do not wear the masks effectively (i.e., there are all sorts of gaps around the mask, the pores are bigger than the coronavirus, etc.).

People are not using the masks hygienically with regard to themselves or others. (More on that later below.)

People receive no instruction on removing the masks sterilely and therefore, do not remove them without the risk of infecting themselves & others.

In general, you cannot trust people to follow hygiene properly. Even hospitals unintentionally infect & sometimes kill their patients via laxness in hygienic practices.

Yes, it's true: Even hospitals accidentally infect & even kill their patients via laxness by hospital staff in hygienic practices.

1 in 31 hospital patients suffer at least one healthcare related infection (CDC).

In Europe, it's 1 in 20 (source).

Another study found that staff at the University of Arizona Medical Center washed their hands 90% of the time.

Even with the problems carrying out that study (people perform better when they know they're watched), I really don't understand why it's not 100%. I soap-wash my hands automatically at home after touching just raw meat or fish, and all sorts of other reasons (without being OCD about it, BTW) — all the more so, if I worked with sick & vulnerable people.

Also, when I volunteered at an American hospital, they emphasized exactly how long to wash hands (for the time it takes to sing Yankee Doodle), exactly how to do so, and emphasizing that wiping hands with clean paper towels removes even more germs after the hand-washing.

And they emphasized how important hand-washing is overall.

So why only 90%, especially after such training & explanation?

Also, as stated above, the data collection is iffy because when people know they're being observed, they perform better.

A study from the Greenville Healthcare System in South Carolina used secret cameras & discovered hand-washing compliance as low as 54%.

Worldwide, only 40% of doctors & nurses wash their hands as they should. (source)

In Australia, 64-84.7% of doctors & nurses wash their hands as they should. (source)

This is despite the availability of hand-cleaning equipment, posted reminders, their training, and their knowledge.

And these are your trained medical professionals.

All the more so, your average non-medical professional will be lax.

Likewise, with masks.

The Problem with Mask Enforcement

You cannot trust people to wear masks properly.

And if you look around to see what masks people are wearing, whether they're wearing them effectively, and if you have any idea how much people are reusing masks WITHOUT washing or sunning them to kill germs, then you know that many people are NOT wearing their masks effectively.

And just for knowing, I came across studies in which a minority of surgeons refuse to wear masks during surgery because they felt it endangered the procedure due to feeling faint & not being able to see well (source).

(This study clearly contradicts what many doctors in the media, including the frum media, say.)

So...yeah.

Furthermore, I sometimes experience severe breathing shortage & MUST remove the mask, especially after climbing stairs outside.

If I have the wire closed properly over the bridge of my nose, I absolutely cannot breathe enough.

So I don't close the wire. Instead, my vision is impaired.

And that's my major & unexpected problem with the masks: the inability to see properly.

The mask hampers my lower visual perception, which affects crossing the street & other aspects of daily life.

For example, I take my 5-year-old on the bus to school.

To keep track of him, I need to bend my neck all the way down to see him over the mask, which then hampers my peripheral vision of other things or people around me.

You can pooh-pooh it if you want, but managing on a crowded bus with my child, other people's children & strollers (which demand both lower visual perception & side visual perception) has become very stressful because looking straight down at a 90-degree angle prevents me from seeing properly anything to the side (and makes it even harder to breathe, incidentally).

At one point, I even sat down right on the leg of a 7-year-old (who had his leg on the seat to save it for his big brother) because I did not see his leg.

Yes, of course I saw the child and I DID look to see if anyone was sitting next to him!

I did!

However, I did not bend my head so that my chin was touching my collarbone, which is what I needed to do to see the actual seat upon which lay the child's leg.

(Fortunately, he was more startled than hurt and very nicely forgave me.)

Mask-free, you can see all around you just by tipping & swiveling your head slightly.

But with a mask covering your nose, you need to make exaggerated motions, which allow you to see only a limited area at a time.

Furthermore, studies involving surgeons & other healthcare professionals show that wearing masks for prolonged periods cause:

"significantly different temperatures and humidity in the microclimates of facemasks, which have profound influences on heart rate and thermal stress and subjective perception of discomfort." (source)

headaches (source)

rash (ibid)

impaired cognition (ibid)

In Israel, bus drivers must wear masks, but I noticed that many do not cover their nose, which is smart because bus drivers certainly need their lower visual perception!

So why do I wear a mask?

Why are We Wearing Masks? More Insights & Facts...

I wear a mask because:

I don't enjoy confrontations with police & the resulting fines.

Several very big rabbis said to follow these guidelines, and some even used very strong language against those who feel differently. (More on that in a minute.)

I know a lot of people feel distressed around someone who isn't wearing a mask.

(They are uninformed OR they know people who suffered complications/death from COVID-19, so the threat feels very real OR they suffer understandable anxiety about the whole situation in general.)

I can talk to Hashem outside in public without anyone knowing because no one can see my mouth moving.

Now let's look at why many rabbis insist on masks, even to the point of using very strong language (as if the masks really do save lives), despite the facts on the ground.

Consulting with Smart Yet Unaware Professionals: Why So Many of Our Own Insist on Unquestionable Adherence to Questionable Guidelines

Most rabbis get their medical information from highly reputed doctors.

That sounds logical & responsible, right?

Many rabbis do not read medical abstracts (like the ones sourced in this post). Instead, they rely on trusted physicians to inform them.

And this sounds like a very reasonable short-cut to acquiring impeccable information, right?

After all, these doctors are shomrei Torah & mitzvot, have likely displayed their integrity by performing chessed for people in the community, and are top-notch professionals in their area.

Again, it's a very logical & responsible short-cut.

But doctors are people too & may be out of touch or lack certain facts or lack sensitivity.

For example, I've read a couple of interviews with frum doctors who act like wearing a mask is no big deal.

"I wear one all the time!" is one phrase that pops out. "For years!"

The ones promoted in the media express discomfort regarding masks (except the problem of glasses steaming up) — despite the evidence presented in the study above, which shows that surgeons clearly experience discomfort & physical symptoms while wearing a mask.

And they aren't moving around much in surgery.

Also, doctors are not typically on their feet outside maneuvering streets, stairs, and buses in the summer heat surrounded by small children, strollers, and shopping bags.

They go from air-conditioned homes to air-conditioned cars to air-conditioned work environments and back again.

Inside, they can take elevators instead of stairs while wearing a mask.

And unless they're working the ER at a very busy time, they probably aren't wearing a mask while pressed in a crowd of people (and trying to manage a small child).

Yet according to the above studies, doctors & nurses DO experience discomfort and even problematic HEALTH issues while wearing masks — something these media-promoted doctors either deny or omit.

And even in these controlled environments, a survey of nurses DID complain of breathing & communication difficulties, nausea, and visual challenges (source).

One nurse even withdrew from the study because she could not tolerate wearing the mask after only 30 minutes — and she wasn't on a crowded bus or climbing stairs in the heat.

That right there should pull the rug out from under all the doctors who boast "IIIIIIIIIIII wear the ask aaaaall the time with nooooo problem — so you should too!"

We're all different with different physiology.

Obviously, one nurse could not tolerate the mask for more than 30 minutes while others could manage (uncomfortably) for hours.

To better understand the "we're all different" theme, let's look at the people who care for the elderly, which also entails changing adult diapers.

They do this all day every day.

Does that mean you or I could do that job?

If elderly care-takers said, "Well, I do it all the time, so that means you can too," would that be an appropriate or convincing argument for all of us to take on the task of changing adult diapers?

(And it distresses me to see 7- or 8-year-olds on the bus wearing these masks. They don't look well & it's obviously unhealthy for them. I really question both the compassion & the seichel of the people who decided that such young children must wear these things for so long.)

Furthermore, do doctors really NOT know that people are NOT wearing the proper masks AND not wearing them properly?

Oddly, it seems most doctors do not know this.

Some do know, but many apparently don't.

Do they really not know that the average person is not & will not be hygiene-compliant about masks?

I mean, they know that in their own work environments, the rules of hygiene are not followed nearly as well as they should. So why would they assume than an untrained & less knowledgeable population would do any better?

For example, all those cloth masks (with iffy effectiveness, considering the tiny size of the coronavirus): Do doctors think they are being sanitized properly after EACH use?

They're NOT being sanitized.

They're really not!

Even when told about germs and the whole shebang, a lot of people either refuse or forget to wash or sun their spiffy logo mask after each use. Or even after 20 uses.

(Yuck, I know.)

The same is true for those standard-issue blue-white masks.

People repeatedly re-use them without cleaning them.

Back to the doctors: I do not think these doctors are KNOWINGLY dishonest.

But for whatever reason, they seem completely unaware of the facts on the ground.

And so, with good intentions combined with a serious a lack of awareness, they advise their rabbis in the way that they do.

And if you're wondering why I'm listening to the rabbis who are listening to these doctors whom I consider out of touch, it's because it's min haShamayim that these doctors are saying what they do & that these rabbis are listening to davka these doctors.

As you'll see below, Hashem could provide them with a different message if He wanted.

And indeed, some rabbanim receive a different message.

For example, a caring reader sent me a link to a psak from the Shaarei Shalom Beit Din in Beit Shemesh signed by Rav Pinchas Shapira and Rav Yisroel Meir Veil. Therein, they mentioned "numerous testimonies" brought before them, which show that wearing a face mask "is not at all necessary from a medical standpoint; it's hevel v'tohu (meaningless)." (source)

And at this point, you are probably legitimately wondering what this all has to do with Rav Schwartz's latest PDF...

Rav Schwartz Speaks the Truth about Masks

If you turn to page 106 in the Bilvavi Corona PDF, you'll see a question with the assumption that people not wearing masks are doing so for spiritual reasons.

Yet Rav Schwartz immediately answers...no.

For most of the non-mask-wearers, it has nothing to do with one's spiritual level.

The non-compliant people are simply aware of OTHER medical opinions.

That's what the rav says.

Also, he acknowledges: "...health experts disagree" — exactly!

Rav Schwartz is one of the very few I've heard acknowledge this.

(Please also note that this PDF came out before the psak din and some questions were dealt with as much as a month or 2 ago, going on the information available back then.)

I've no idea how Rav Schwartz knows that health experts disagree, whether he consulted with the right people or acquired the abstracts of key studies.

Either way, he clearly has access to accurate information.

Then the rav emphasizes the importance of not distressing others. It's true.

Some people who are understandably very distressed when people do not wear masks around them.

(Even though, as described above, people are both not wearing effective masks & not using them hygienically.)

It's important to be considerate of people's feelings. Rav Miller explained this at length in his dvar Torah regarding ona'at devarim.

And as explained above, Rav Schwartz acknowledges that "wearing a mask is both helpful and detrimental."

He knows! He knows!

He also adds (underline mine):
"If a person is careful when it comes to hygiene and he makes sure to keep changing the mask for a new one, then wearing a mask is very helpful, especially in a quarantined section."

He further notes that the real issue of a mask is to avoid infecting others (something not understood by many people initially), and that we must not be holy or clever on the cheshbon of others.

It's true that in a group situation, wearing a fresh non-valve N95 mask PROPERLY will make the environment safer for others.

(Most people either won't or can't, but if they would & could, then it's true.)

The emphasis being on OTHERS, since as demonstrated above, wearing a mask harms the wearer, especially while going about daily life.

(And as shown above, it also harms small children when adults can't see where they're sitting, and plop themselves down on the leg of an innocent child.)

Everything the rav said showed real awareness of facts on the ground (like how people are re-using masks and not being careful with hygiene).

On page 110, Rav Schwartz notes the importance of paying attention to experts' guidelines and following them on a halachic level.

Real experts are people who actually know what they are talking about.

Rav Schwartz also does not advise following government rules blindly.

For example, on page 111, Rav Schwartz replies to such a question by saying, "We would need to clarify how much of a risk of danger there is, and accordingly we can then know how we should act halachically."

What I really appreciate and benefit so much from Rav Schwartz is his focus on deliberation and consideration.

There is no knee-jerk response here. There's no fear.

Somehow, he has made himself aware of the actual facts.

And halacha is premier.

Furthermore, on page 16, Rav Schwartz provides an intriguing spiritual insight into the decree of wearing masks (which though imposed on us by authorities of questionable character, it originates from Above):

The mask reminds us of the Sin of the Golden Calf (the basis of which still affects us today & needs to be rectified).

By covering the mouth & the nose, the mask hints at the state of This World being covered over in preparation for revelation of the Next World.

B'ezrat Hashem, I'll be discussing other issues mentioned in this PDF.

Also, the PDF shows how the people associated with Rav Schwartz ask such good questions, questions that are on all our minds, and questions that show genuine awareness of "facts on the ground."

And there are so many pertinent points to learn from Rav Schwartz, plus points for doing teshuvah.

A big yashar koach to Bilvavi.

4 Comments

A New Book to Help You Understand an Ancient Personality System based on Torah Sources

7/5/2020

4 Comments

I don't remember when I first heard of the 4-Elements theory of personality.

The idea of both nature and the human psyche being rooted in the 4 elements of fire, water, air, and earth is something you hear about from time to time because it was very popular among ancient Greek philosophers.

Later, I realized that ancient Jewish Sages also discussed the 4 elements, but I never paid much attention until reading Ahavat Kedumim (A Commentary on The Lost Princess) by Rav Ofer Erez.

There, Rav Erez presents a brief discussion of the 4 elements as they relate to the human psyche and how to use that knowledge for middot work.

That's when I realized this was a big thing in Judaism.

This realization was strengthened upon encountering Rav Itamar Schwartz's writings. Rav Schwartz leans heavily toward using the 4 elements as a tool to do teshuvah and rectify one's soul at the deepest level.

Also, Rav Schwartz provides a list of where the 4 elements are rooted in Jewish sources: Torah Sources of the 4 Elements (Hebrew Only).

It's important to note that even if a Torah book was only printed later, most of its sources are rooted in even more ancient sources that were either transmitted orally or written down in a book that got lost over the millennia.

(For example, some sources say that Avraham Avinu wrote several books and only one is said to be in existence today, but we no longer have the rest of them. Please see HERE for mention of that.)

Also, in Hebrew, the 4 elements are often referred in various sources as the 4 yesodot — but also the 4 yesodin, the 4 teva'im, or the 4 gufim, and maybe other terms.

If you look on page 3, section bet/2 of the above-linked pamphlet of sources, you'll see that Sefer Yetzirah Perek 3: Mishna 3 mentions the 3 amot (air, water, fire), stating that the heavens were initially created from fire, and the land (earth) was created from water, and that air is the a type of defining buffer between the fire and the water.

It explains other things about it too.

Anyway, I started to realize that the 4 Elements was an authentically Jewish way to understand personality and middot, and I started reading what Rav Schwartz says about it, yet I couldn't pin down my own elements and got lost in it all.

To use the system correctly, it's essential to know your base element and then the main influencing element, and then the next influence after that, and so on.

Recently, Rivka Levy published a new self-help book called People Smarts: The System: Understand yourself, understand others, and crush your stress.

This book gave me all the insight necessary to figure out the 4-Element composition of my psyche because I was really stuck until I read this book.

The book also offers other helpful insights into understanding stress reactions and finding the balance in yourself.

If you wish to explore a personality system rooted in authentic Torah sources, People Smarts is a great place to start.

Please note: The author in no way asked or even hinted to me to recommend her book. She did not offer me a free copy in return for a review; I bought the book myself. She has no clue I'm posting this. I just found her book genuinely helpful and honestly believe that others will benefit too.

4 Comments

<<Previous

What Do the 4 Elements Represent?

Will Balancing Our Inner Elements Make Us All Clones? (No.)

Figuring Out Your Individual Composition

The Torah Way of Self-Love

Working Out the Puzzle of Self-Love

The 2-Word Havayah Exercise toward Self-Unification

Mesirut Nefesh: Breaking Your Middot

Mesirut Nefesh: Breaking Your Taavot

Your Own Unique Mesirut Nefesh 2 Inches at a Time

Specific Acts of Teshuvah

Gratitude

The Specifics of Davening during the Coronavirus Era

Another Tip for Successful Mesirut Nefesh

Even a Tiny Drop MATTERS!

Summary of Main Points

Why are So Many GOOD People Dying — and Davka in America? And What Does that Mean for Us?

Why Did COVID-19 Hit Davka America So Hard?

The Elephant in the Room

A Glimpse behind the Curtain of Our Upside-Down World: ​Why Davka the Tzaddikim?

What's the Real Poison Infesting the Wi-Fi?

Uh-Oh...Whoops...

How Quarantines Increase Spiritual Contamination

Touching on the Most Effective Responses to Coronavirus

Let's Get Cynical for a Moment

The Problem with Mask Enforcement

Why are We Wearing Masks? More Insights & Facts...

Consulting with Smart Yet Unaware Professionals: Why So Many of Our Own Insist on Unquestionable Adherence to Questionable Guidelines

Rav Schwartz Speaks the Truth about Masks

Myrtle Rising

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