Category: Rosh Hashanah

The Kli Yakar on Parshas Noach: Why Did Hashem Destroy the World with Water? And What is the Connection to Hurricanes?

31/10/2019

The Kli Yakar on Parshat Noach (Beresheit 6:17) explains why a flood of water was the fitting consequence for Dor HaMabul.

And it all has to do with boundaries.

Without a Sanhedrin and Torah-mandated executions (which hardly ever happened), Hashem executes by strangulation those who deserve it – and one of those ways is by drowning.

So here are why the Generation of the Flood suffered torrents of water:

1) First of all, strangulation is the halachic execution for those who indulge in relations with a married woman. The Generation of the Flood was really into this particular sin. Such a sin is an invasion of the boundaries of marriage & family. It also affects the children's lineage, since people can't know who is the child's real father, which was also a huge problem during Dor HaMabul.

2) Secondly, the sin of theft is another invasion of boundaries. So middah k'neged middah, the water overrides its boundaries into flooding (or into lungs, invading the air that is supposed to be there instead). The Generation of the Flood was hopelessly steeped in theft and all kinds of deception – "deception" is referred to as geneivat hadaat (theft of mind/knowledge) in Hebrew.

3) Third, avodah zarah is another breach of boundaries. Everything originates from One Creator. There is only ever One God. Scattering one's prayers among other entities is a terrible breach. So even though the official execution for avodah zarah is stoning for an individual and the sword for an entire city of idolaters, Hashem sent a flood instead.

Furthermore, Yirmeyahu 2:13 mentions the people who forsook Hashem, "the source of fresh water," and who instead dug "cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water." Radak interprets this as abandoning Hashem to worship idols. So that's another aspect of this theme of water.

Furthermore, because Dor HaMabul worshiped the luminaries & constellations, Hashem spread an opaque density of clouds to block out all sight & light of the astronomical bodies.

(Note: Rabbi Elihu Levine's English-rendering of the Kli Yakar proved invaluable to understanding the above points.)

The Kli Yakar & Hurricanes

In places with severe, and especially unnatural flooding, we can see the above breaches are rampant in those societies.

In addition, Netivot Shalom explains that the Rosh Hashanah idea of everything passing in judgement before Hashem is actually metaphor for Hashem's scrutiny of every living creature to see whether its existence is necessary for the coming year.

I couldn't help thinking that Hashem decided that certain islands in the Caribbean are no longer necessary, and that He decided so for the reasons stated above – all based on how they were mostly wiped out by the flooding of ferocious hurricanes.

If you know anything about that part of the world, the above breaches are part & parcel of those societies.

May we all merit to remain joyfully entrenched within our Torah boundaries.

For more on Parshat Noach:

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The 2 Most Important Ideas to Remember for Rosh Hashanah

29/9/2019

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There are 2 vital ideas to remember for Rosh Hashanah (these also apply to the time period throughout Yom Kippur & Sukkot).

And the second is merely an aspect of the first.

The first is as Rav Avigdor Miller emphasized in his Rosh Hashanah shuirim:

Rosh Hashanah is the time to focus on & internalized EIN OD MILVADO — THERE IS NOTHING IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE EXCEPT HASHEM.

Internalizing this all-important emuna is the intrinsic focus of Rosh Hashanah.

If you do nothing else Rosh Hashanah, you must at least do that.

Rebbetzin Batsheva Kanievsky used to recommend that people say "Ein od milvado" with all the heartfelt kavanah they could muster as a segula for being saved from whatever troubles they suffered.

From Rav Chaim Volozhin's book, Nefesh Hachaim:

When a person determines in his heart to say that Hashem surely is the True God, and there is none other than Him Yitbarach, no power in the world and in any of the worlds at all, and all is filled only with His Simple Oneness Yitbarach Shemo, and nullifies within his heart complete nullification that he [the person] doesn't supervise at all any power and will in the world, and subserviates and cleaves the purity of his thought only to the Unique Master Blessed be He — then He Yitbarach will satisfy his hand and will automatically nullify from upon him [the person] all the powers and wills that exist in the world, so they cannot do anything at all to him.

And everything that he [the person] decrees will be fulfilled for him, to activate matters and wondrous miracles in contradiction to the natural order...

In the siddur Ahuvah L'Tzaddik, it explains that accepting upon oneself Hashem's Total Mastery over the entire Universe will remove & nullify from a person all judgement and other wills, so that nothing else can overpower him or control him at all. (This siddur is also from where I copied the above passage from Nefesh Hachaim. Any mistakes in translation are mine.)

Staying Sweet When Things Have Soured: A True Story

The famed mekubal Rav Yehudah Petiyah sat at the table one Rosh Hashanah with his family and guests.

The rav wore pure white garments in honor of the special day.

A candelabra lit in honor of the chag stood on the table.

Everything was set up according to his profound knowledge of holy standards.

The rabbanit was just bringing out a whole tray of fish to start the main meal when someone bumped the table in a way that overturned the lights, plunging the entire room into darkness.

(In our times, it's hard for us to imagine the depth of darkness without electric lights in the home and without electric streetlights along the road outside.)

The rabbanit could not see where she was going or where to put the heavy unwieldy tray, plus the sudden turn of events startled her, and the tray slipped from her hands, plunging all the specially prepared fish to the ground.

The rav rose to assist and fix the problem, but he slipped in the all the fish jelly and sauces, falling smack to the ground, which soiled his special white garments.

You can imagine what this all meant, and how hard it is to get the fish smell out of things and how bad fish smells when it hangs around for too long.

Furthermore, I don't know whether the Petiyahs had indoor plumbing. Were they still in Baghdad or had they already arrived in Eretz Yisrael? It doesn't say, but the clean-up of both the floor and the rav using pump-water must have been difficult, particularly in the dark (though they likely had some light from the stove).

Rosh Hashanah is 2 days and that meant that the rav likely had no more special white garments for the rest of the chag. Not to mention the loss of the fish...

Yet Rav Yehudah Petiyah did not get angry.

Interestingly, that year ended up being a splendid year for Rav Yehudah Petiyah.

He experienced success with everything he attempted. He found increased success in his Torah, producing new & wonderful chiddushim.

And he traced back all that success to not getting angry over the disaster of that first night of Rosh Hashanah.

The REAL Segula for a Sweet Year — And It's Not the Apples Dipped in Honey...It's YOU.

The above story is found in Rav Elimelech Biderman's Be'er Haparsha.

He emphasizes that the most powerful segulah on Rosh Hashanah for having a sweet year is...BE A YEHUDI MATOK -- BE A SWEET JEW.

If we turn around Rav Petiyah's situation, we see that in Heaven, he already had a sweet year decreed for him...he just needed to earn it.

And the way he was meant to earn it was by having someone knock over his Rosh Hashanah lights, ruin his fish, fall down (which must have hurt at least a little), and get soaked in a big fishy mess that ruined his special white garments -- all without getting angry.

And that could be the dynamic for any of us.

If you're reading this after Rosh Hashanah, don't despair.

I've noticed that Hashem gives us our final chances to get things right during Sukkot, before the din is decided in its finality. Lots of challenges still pop up throughout this time.

The main thing is to resist getting angry about them. (And here, I'm writing this for myself as much as for anyone else.)

They're from Hashem & possibly the key to giving you a wonderfully sweet year.

So to sum it all up:

Do everything you can to internalize the idea that there is nothing other than Hashem.
Don't get angry no matter what.

May we all be sweet Jews who merit a very sweet year!

For more on the holy Rav Yehudah Petiyah, please see the blog posts under the category Minchat Yehudah (or just click on those boldfaced underlined teal letters).

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Shanah Tovah - Wishing Everyone a Sweet New Year!

29/9/2019

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I request forgiveness if anyone was hurt in any way by anything posted on this blog.

I request forgiveness for anything misleading or confusing.

B'ezrat Hashem, May you all be inscribed for a year of revealed good & sweetness.

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Rosh Hashanah Posts & Recipes

26/9/2019

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Here are some gems from Toras Avigdor:

(The Rosh Hashanah booklet looks like a lot to read, but it's really only 10-15 minutes of very enjoyable reading, and it illuminates concepts in a way you may never have known. There's tons of gems in there that can improve your morning davening, plus interesting stuff like what the name "Milka" means, your simple kavanah for the shofar blowing, why Rosh Hashanah comes before Yom Kippur — you'd think we'd want to do teshuvah before being judged, right?)

If you click on the following, you can arrive at all Myrtle Rising's Rosh Hashanah posts:
All the Rosh Hashanah posts

And here are some recipes, one of which is specific to Rosh Hashanah (and the other 3 Regalim) here:
All Myrtle Rising's Recipes

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Rav Avigdor Miller Discusses the Truth behind the Good Stuff of This World in Parshat Netzavim

25/9/2019

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In Rav Avigdor Miller's dvar Torah Parshas Netzavim – The purpose of worldly reward, we get a powerful lesson in avodat halev — service of the heart.

The parsha opens up by talking about someone who is technically frum (looks frum, acts frum)...but inside, this Jew's "heart turns today from being with Hashem to go and serve the gods of other nations" (Devarim 29:17).

And despite hearing the frightening curses, this Jew will quietly bless himself (or herself!) and say, "Peace will be with me though I go with however my heart sees fit" (Devarim 29:18).

Despite this Jew's outer service and mitzvah observance, just this inner turn off the good path causes Hashem to label him (or her!) as "a root flourishing with gall and wormwood."

Pretty heavy stuff.

Eretz Yisrael: The Pipeline to Olam Haba, Not Olam Hazeh

In part, the above contains a very stern warning not to misuse tuv ha'Aretz — the goodness of the Land.

While we need to attend to our physical and material needs, Eretz Yisrael is for our spiritual benefit.

We cannot become materialists in Eretz Yisrael.

The material abundance is only here to enable us to greater spiritual heights.

I believe this one of the reasons why material accomplishments now come so much harder in Eretz Yisrael — or don't come at all, despite all the material abundance lurking just beneath the surface.

Look at what happened and is happening to those who use Eretz Yisrael's gifts for material pursuits.

Yet spiritual accomplishments are so much easier to reach in Eretz Yisrael. For example, it's so much easier to daven in Eretz Yisrael than anywhere else.

And to facilitate our davening we have the place of the Shechinah, the Kotel. And we also have some of the most powerful gravesites in the world as a conduit for fruitful prayers.

As a British friend of mine once declared in a fit of angst prior to a visit outside of Eretz Yisrael: "I can't PRAY in England!"

And I know exactly what she means.

(Disclaimer: I realize that many people pray very well in chutz l'Aretz and have developed tremendous spiritual greatness there. I'm just not one of them and neither is my British acquaintance, that's all.)

However, there are many people today who try to utilize tuv ha'Aretz for material goals only.

Again, that's NOT what this Land is for.

"The Most Perfect Land!"

Here, Rav Miller gives a luxuriant description of the abundance found in Eretz Yisrael (pg. 4):

Luscious and productive fields, beautiful orchards of various fruit, flowing streams of fresh water, and actual rivers of sweet date honey, mixed with fresh goat milk dotted the beautiful land. [Eretz zevat chalav u'devash], a land flowing with milk and honey, was not only a literal description of the land, but a symbol for a land that was filled with all forms of good.

The Jews in the Midbar were promised a Land bountiful in also sorts of fruits and the most desirable grain crops.

Fresh-water springs and high-quality water-wells, the choicest of oils, bread without poverty, plus quality metals like iron & copper — these were the promises of Hashem regarding Eretz Yisrael.

And we see Eretz Yisrael coming alive again in our days.

In this small strip of Land, we have impressive deserts with their awe-inspiring night skies, beautiful forests, lovely beaches with azure water, snow-capped mountains, rolling hills in muted rainbow colors, the Dead Sea, beautiful flowers, and so much more.

Yet among all that goodness lay the devastated cities of Sedom.

I have a book, The Stones Cry Out, in which the archaeologists note that the remains of Sedom's houses are burnt in a way that clearly shows the fire came from above — exactly as described in the Torah. (That's just one example; the book has a whole section on what they discovered at Sedom.)

Hashem promised this Land to the Avot because of their tremendous service & dedication to Hashem.

Eretz Yisrael is superior not only spiritually, but materially too.

"The most perfect land for the most perfect people!" Rav Miller proclaims.

What is the Whole Point of Luxury?

But this all begs a question.

If we are meant to be and actually are such a spiritual people so concerned with serving Hashem, then why all the material abundance?

Well, first of all: We are meant to elevate this world.

Furthermore, the more material abundance we enjoy, the more we can dedicate our hearts to serving Hashem & fulfilling the mitzvot — IF we make such avodah our focus.

As we all know, problems of disease, poor finances, war, or any other stresses distracts us from our service of Hashem.

How many times have we davened an entire Shacharit without even noticing a word we said because our minds couldn't let go of certain worries?

This is a big part of the reason why Hashem sends us problems when we don't serve Him properly.

We aren't using His Bounty as we should.

So He takes it away, chas v'shalom.

The Parable of the Office Water Cooler

Rav Miller compares it to a boss buying a nice water cooler for his employees.

He's not just doing it to be nice. Ditto when your boss doles out holiday gifts & bonuses.

He's trying to encourage your work quality.

People who feel good in their office environment want to stay. People work better with a cool refreshing drink by their side.

What would happen to the employees who chose to hang out by the water cooler all day and exchange useless banter & gossip, and even bad-mouth the boss?

You know what would happen.

And that's a big mashal for us.

What Makes You Get Fat Can Also Make You Kick If You Don't Watch Your Use of All the God-Given Bounty

The 7 Canaanite nations exploited the bounty of Eretz Yisrael to cultivate a culture of decadence, degeneracy, and cruelty.

This is like a bum who sees the quality & abundance of the wheat & barley of Eretz Yisrael and decides to invest in producing tons of beer & vodka for alcoholic consumption.

Rav Miller notes that many people today hunger after trouble and vices because they have too much to eat. They don't need focus on basic survival needs.

You see this throughout America and Europe.

Even though America's welfare system is nowhere near as generous as any of the European countries, America's poorest still get so much. Hardly anyone wants to admit that, but I've read accounts of grocery carts stocked with meat, seafood, and expensive bakery cakes — all paid for with government-given welfare.

So many Americans living in low-income areas and subsisting on welfare are obese.

Yes, I know that Twinkies are cheaper & more fun to eat than a package of frozen broccoli, but the point is that these people definitely have more than enough to eat.

Teens from welfare families all have "dumbphones."

The high school I attended comprised mostly working class students. The homecoming queen & head cheerleader worked after school to afford her clothes and the nice pick-up truck she drove to school. (It was a very pretty gray truck with a mauve interior & mauve lettering — very feminine for a truck.)

She was also a very decent person.

Despite being poor, a lot of the kids were fairly clean-cut. Not all of them, but many.

Their families either weren't poor enough to go on welfare or they were too proud to go on welfare. So people needed to work in order to acquire things. Oldest children couldn't go out partying or indulge in irresponsible behavior when they needed to care for younger siblings.

Many were also religious to some extent, and morality always helps whether you're rich or poor.

But the open secret is that in America, it's easy to have too much. People never feel like they have enough, but that's usually not true.

Rav Miller notes that people start ruminating over unnatural taavot "because they just have too much." (pg. 11)

And it's deceptively simple as that.

How to REALLY Drink that Fine "Wine"

Rav Miller states a big lesson:

The abundance of This World is meant as encouragement, not reward.

When we are down, we can have a drink.

A drink, not the whole vomit-inducing bottle.

Rav Miller recommended one despondent man to take a walk outside and enjoy the weather.

"Don't think about anything," Rav Miller advised. "Just enjoy it."

Then the rav prescribed the man eat a lot of ice cream and go to bed early for a good night's sleep. And to thoroughly enjoy himself!

Needless to say, a person should not do this every day or even every week.

That's taavah. That's gluttony. That's idleness.

But as an occasional pick-me-up when other methods don't work?

How is that different than taking medication for the occasional pain?

Also, if you really let yourself in enjoy the one-time indulgence, it gets you back to appreciating the world, which allows you to re-connect with Hashem.

Rav Miller sums up the balance here (pg. 13):

The function of good times in this world is to cheer up mourners. And that’s all of us!

Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants to give people strength and encouragement.

We want people to accomplish here in this world, and for that, life can’t be morose and morbid. You need good times to be a successful eved Hashem.

Only that some people, those who are wise,have sense enough to get along with a little sip of wine. A little bit of happiness is enough; they cheer up and get back to work, back to avodas Hashem.

And they live a happy life that way.

There are a lot of kosher ways to enjoy life; you just have to know how and when.

Hashem Never Lets a Good Deed Go Unrewarded. NEVER.

Another reason for the pleasures of this world is to grant reward to the wicked people. (This is in the Gemara.)

In His Infinite Compassion, Hashem grants even the worst people reward for the minuscule good they've done.

This should encourage the rest of us who aren't actually evil and have done a lot more than a teaspoon of good in the world.

If those really awful people get their reward, then all the more so with the rest of us!

The Massive Challenge in Our Times: Avoid Slurping Up All Your Merits!

Rav Miller stresses the importance of not "eating up" your merits in This World.

It's a massive challenge today.

What do you really need to give up in the MATERIAL world to become frum?

Not much. (The sacrifice today tends to pertain more to the nefesh than the physical.)

We have a "kosher" version of almost everything. Okay, sometimes the kosher version isn't as good as the original, but even the poorer imitations are still good enough.

Even the catchy song that took Israel by storm, Shevet Achim V'Achayot, got recorded immediately after the original release by 2 frum guys, who also changed one of the lyrics "from the parties of Tel Aviv" to "the sunsets (shkiyot) of Tel Aviv."

(Initially, I thought it was "the nonsense/shtuyot of Tel Aviv" until I was corrected.)

So you can even enjoy a hit song cleansed from kol ishah and unwholesome references.

That's just one example.

So that's what we need to focus on during Rosh Hashanah:

Give us good stuff, Hashem, so that we can serve you better; so that we can serve You in real joy with a peaceful & happy heart!

Beautiful flowers of Eretz Yisrael

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How to Become Exceptional in 10 Minutes: Rav Avigdor Miller's Rosh Hashanah Advice

24/9/2019

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In Words of Faith, Rav Levi Yitzchak Bender cautions us against falling into the trap of the "frum" yetzer hara.

The "frum" yetzer hara seems very pious in his negative evaluations of any mitzvah we do.

Nothing is ever good enough.

And while it's true that maybe we didn't daven with so much kavanah, this oh-so pious yetzer hara sucks any joy we feel out of the mitzvah.

Furthermore, he makes us feel like Torah & mitzvot are too hard, that we'll never perform any mitzvah "well enough," and then he convinces us...why bother? It's not worth even trying.

And that's the killer clause of the pious yetzer hara.

When 5+5 equals 1 in 10,000

So we must defeat this oh-so seemingly pious yetzer hara by listening to what our real talmidei chachamim say about baby steps.

They for sure know better than even your frummest yetzer hara.

In a recently transcribed lecture Rav Avigdor Miller on 10 Minutes to Make You Great, Rav Miller tells us to spend 10 minutes in preparation for the New Year, for Rosh Hashanah.

And what do we do in those 10 minutes?

Spend 5 minutes thinking about all the good Hashem did for you over this past year.
Spend 5 minutes creating resolutions for the coming year.

If you do this, then Rav Miller considers you "great;" you're head and shoulders above the rest.

Those ten minutes will be a great accomplishment.

If after sitting here...you’ll go out and think for five minutes, you should know that you’re an exception. You’re a dagul mei’rivavah – you’re one out of ten thousand.

There’s nobody like you.

Who thinks for five whole minutes about gratitude for Hashem for the past year?!

And who thinks for five minutes about making resolutions for improving himself in the coming year?! People talk about it. But that’s all.

That’s why I said in the beginning of our talk, that if you do this on a small scale, then you shoot up and your head is way above everybody else.

TAPE #138 (September 1976)
Toras Avigdor

If you've been visiting Toras Avigdor or listening to Rav Miller's shiurim, then you know that here's a Jew who does not mince words.

Especially when it comes to avodat Hashem, Rav Miller is straight as they come.

And while I think that they whole frum awakening toward gratitude and thanking Hashem has picked up since 1976, there are, tragically, enough assimilated Jews and enough by-rote Jews that you really stand out with those 10 minutes.

And the more of us who take these 10 minutes to thank Hashem for all the good of the past year while making specific resolutions for the coming year, the more we can sweeten din and reap blessing for ourselves and others.

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The #1 Thing You Can Do to Cancel Negative Decrees

16/9/2018

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Rav Levi Yitzchak Bender lived as a humble tzaddik in the Ukraine despite targeted Communist persecution. Because of their dedication to mitzvah observance, he and Rav Eliyahu Chaim Rosen even spent several weeks in a KGB prison, not knowing until the moment of release whether they would be murdered and discarded in an unknown grave.

In the book of his lectures, Words of Faith, Rav Bender stresses the importance of knowing that your prayers and words of Torah are of tremendous significance to Hashem.

ANY mitzvah or holy act is significant in the eyes of God.

On page 325, Vol I, Rav Bender exhorts you to have faith in yourself, explaining that you must say to yourself and to your yetzer hara:

“Even my actions, however they may be, are significant. Even my prayer is important in the eyes of Hashem Yitbarach.”

He defines this as “ ‘faith in oneself,’ which is imperative to advance in serving Hashem…”

Rav Bender explains the power of speaking to Hashem in your own words in a focused manner:

“If you merit to say words that come from peace of mind—words of hitbodedut between you and your Maker—they are definitely significant. Moreover, they smash through heavens! They are able to nullify decrees.”

(I’m assuming that “peace of mind” is “yishuv hadaas” in the original Yiddish.)

When a person focuses himself to speak out loud to Hashem, Hashem figuratively turns away from all His preoccupations and listens.

And because Hashem turns away from all His “Business” and all the matters “occupying” Him, He is NOT making decrees.

“Automatically, all decrees are nullified.”

So according to Rav Bender, you need to:

Have faith in yourself & the power of your prayers.
Know that your heartfelt words and good deeds (however imperfect they may be) are of tremendous significance.
Clear your mind of other distractions.
Focus your heart & mind toward Hashem.
Speak to Hashem as you'd speak to a close & genuinely caring friend.

Rav Bender emphasizes that this is the far-reaching power of ANYONE who “speaks words before Hashem Yitbarach.”

“But,” he concludes, “you need to know this and believe in it.”

May we all merit to speak words that smash through the heavens & nullify all negative decrees.

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How to Read Tehillim according to Your Individual Needs

12/9/2018

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Kavanah for the Different Words of Tehillim

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

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

1) Your spiritual existence:

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

2) Your physical existence:

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to Read Tehillim according to Your Individual Ability

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's the heart and the intention that counts.

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

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

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

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May Everyone Enjoy a Good & Sweet Year!

9/9/2018

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Rosh Hashanah Posts

7/9/2018

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For past posts on Rosh Hashanah (including some nice stories and a recipe), please link on the teal links:

Little Yael's Rosh Hashanah Coat

When It's Hard to Say You're Sorry

14 Ways to Sweeten Dinim

Moroccan Meat Dish for Rosh Hashanah

The Kli Yakar - Parshat Ki Tavo
(Describes Hashem's Great Mercy toward us, even when we've been awful, plus Hashem's Generosity toward us for just feeling the right feelings.)

Parshat Nitzavim - The Kli Yakar
(Discusses Hashem's great generosity regarding teshuvah.)

The Kli Yakar - Parshat Vayeleich
(Clearly and succinctly explains the difference between teshuvah from love and teshuvah from fear, and the great benefit of teshuvah from love.)

May all the good desires of our heart be answered l'tovah.

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<<Previous

The Kli Yakar on Parshas Noach: Why Did Hashem Destroy the World with Water? And What is the Connection to Hurricanes?

The Kli Yakar & Hurricanes

May we all merit to remain joyfully entrenched within our Torah boundaries.

The 2 Most Important Ideas to Remember for Rosh Hashanah

Staying Sweet When Things Have Soured: A True Story

The REAL Segula for a Sweet Year — And It's Not the Apples Dipped in Honey...It's YOU.

Shanah Tovah - Wishing Everyone a Sweet New Year!

Rosh Hashanah Posts & Recipes

Rav Avigdor Miller Discusses the Truth behind the Good Stuff of This World in Parshat Netzavim

Eretz Yisrael: The Pipeline to Olam Haba, Not Olam Hazeh

"The Most Perfect Land!"

What is the Whole Point of Luxury?

The Parable of the Office Water Cooler

What Makes You Get Fat Can Also Make You Kick If You Don't Watch Your Use of All the God-Given Bounty

How to REALLY Drink that Fine "Wine"

Hashem Never Lets a Good Deed Go Unrewarded. NEVER.

The Massive Challenge in Our Times: Avoid Slurping Up All Your Merits!

Give us good stuff, Hashem, so that we can serve you better; so that we can serve You in real joy with a peaceful & happy heart!

How to Become Exceptional in 10 Minutes: Rav Avigdor Miller's Rosh Hashanah Advice

When 5+5 equals 1 in 10,000

The #1 Thing You Can Do to Cancel Negative Decrees

How to Read Tehillim according to Your Individual Needs

Kavanah for the Different Words of Tehillim

How to Read Tehillim according to Your Individual Ability

May Everyone Enjoy a Good & Sweet Year!

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Myrtle Rising

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The Kli Yakar & Hurricanes

​May we all merit to remain joyfully entrenched within our Torah boundaries.

Staying Sweet When Things Have Soured: A True Story

The REAL Segula for a Sweet Year — ​And It's Not the Apples Dipped in Honey...It's YOU.

Eretz Yisrael: The Pipeline to Olam Haba, Not Olam Hazeh

"The Most Perfect Land!"

What is the Whole Point of Luxury?

The Parable of the Office Water Cooler

What Makes You Get Fat Can Also Make You Kick If You Don't Watch Your Use of All the God-Given Bounty

How to REALLY Drink that Fine "Wine"

Hashem Never Lets a Good Deed Go Unrewarded. NEVER.

The Massive Challenge in Our Times: Avoid Slurping Up All Your Merits!

​Give us good stuff, Hashem, so that we can serve you better; so that we can serve You in real joy with a peaceful & happy heart!

When 5+5 equals 1 in 10,000

Kavanah for the Different Words of Tehillim

How to Read Tehillim according to Your Individual Ability

Myrtle Rising

Categories

Jewish Blogs

Jewish Current Events

Jewish Health

Archives

Copyright Notice

May we all merit to remain joyfully entrenched within our Torah boundaries.

The REAL Segula for a Sweet Year — And It's Not the Apples Dipped in Honey...It's YOU.

Give us good stuff, Hashem, so that we can serve you better; so that we can serve You in real joy with a peaceful & happy heart!