Category: Rosh Hashanah - Myrtle Rising

The Day after Rosh Hashanah: How to Hold on to Your Momentum throughout the Year

21/9/2020

So it's the day after Rosh Hashanah.

But we're not out of the woods yet.

Not even close.

We've got 10 Days of Teshuvah, then Yom Kippur, then Sukkot, which is our last chance to sweeten decrees.

And then there's the entire rest of the year for keeping our Rosh Hashanah resolutions.

And we want to be able to take with us what we absorbed & invested in Rosh Hashanah.

So what do we do now?

Here's Rav Miller on page 14 of Kingdom & Glory, the 5781 Rosh Hashanah Edition:(Note: The following will make more sense if you read that dvar Torah, or at least the post discussing it.)

Even on a regular Wednesday afternoon you should remind yourself about the commitment you made on Rosh Hashanah:

“Oh yes, I remember that day in shul. The chazan was singing tra-la-la, and I was telling myself that Hashem is the King.”

So you’re walking in the street on Kings Highway and the sun is shining and you remind yourself, “There’s no sun! It’s all Hashem Melech doing everything.”

And when you pass by the fruit stand, again, “There’s no fruit in that fruit bin—it’s the dvar Hashem!”

You can shout it too: “Hashem Melech!”

Wait till the train comes by and there’s such a loud noise from the train and the cars and the trucks, no one will hear you.

Shout “Hashem Melech!”

And that's a wonderful way to continue what you started on Rosh Hashanah.

Rav Avigdor Miller: The Ultimate Shortcut to Your Most Meaningful & Effective Rosh Hashanah Ever

17/9/2020

In the special Rosh Hashanah 5781 edition, Rav Avigdor Miller talks about the meaning of life (page 7):

The fundamental purpose of all the things in the world is to demonstrate that Somebody made them.

That’s the foundation for understanding all of reality.

Whatever you see in this world has the purpose of making you aware of the Creator.

All day long, wherever you turn, whatever you see, it should be reminding you that Hashem Melech—that He’s the One who made that.

And this is the whole point of Rosh Hashanah: Crowning Hashem King.

Then he quotes Kohelet/Ecclesiastes 3:11, which basically says that Hashem implanted the love of the world into the hearts of Man.

In other words, distractions abound.

Hashem's Kavod is all around us; it fills the Universe...but so much distracts us from really seeing His Hand in everything.

Page 7:

Hashem didn’t want us to see that He’s everything in this world.

That would be too easy; it wouldn’t be a test for us and life wouldn’t be worth living.

And so He puts into this world bicycles for children. He puts automobiles for grownups. He puts in good times and good food. He puts marriage and children and money.

All the things, some of them mitzvos, some not — whatever it is, people are busy all the time.

Parnassah, ambition, making a living, entertainment, this and that, streets and cities and newspapers and neighbors and bungalows.

Everything in the world is working hard so that people should get their minds off Hakodosh Boruch Hu.

Unfortunately, it's working.

Especially today, when social media invests unbelievable amounts of money, time, and innovation to make itself addictive.

Or movies & TV & video games—it dopes your brain in a way that is all-consuming and very difficult to detach from.

On pages 7-10, Rav Miller explains how the light of the Sun actually darkens the world—it's fascinating.

So when we say "Timloch Hashem levadecha—You alone reign Hashem," we encourage ourselves to recognize that Hashem is King.

He's the Source.

Everything else is a deception.

The Secret to Meriting Life on Rosh Hashanah

On page 11, Rav Miller refreshes our minds regarding the 1st & most important step to living successfully (boldface mine-MR):

Now, of course we wouldn’t begrudge the goyim if they also said Hashem Melech. We’d be happy if the Mohammedans and the Notzrim and the savages in the interior jungles of Central America would also be mamlich [acknowledge as king] Hashem Elokei Yisroel.

And one day they will, no question about it.

But that’s not our business right now—you have to be worried most about the interior of yourself. What about you?!

Charity begins at home.

The most important question is: Is He in charge of you?

That’s your biggest concern, yourself. You have to know that Hashem is King.

That’s the first and most important step of living successfully.

As spoken about by Rav Miller in a previous post, we repeat certain phrases and ideas to drill it into our minds AND our HEARTS.

And here's the ultimate way to merit life on Rosh Hashanah on page 13 (boldface & underline mine-MR):

That’s a very important piece of advice you’re hearing now.

Saying Hashem Melech is the most important form of teshuva, and that’s what Hakodosh Boruch Hu will consider most when He thinks about our fate for the year to come.

*
That’s the secret of saving your life on Rosh Hashanah because now you understand what life is for!

The secret of another year of life is to get “Hashem Melech” into your blood.

Many people struggle with getting into the mood of Rosh Hashanah and really understanding what it's for & what we need to do with these 2 diamond days.

It's internalizing that Hashem is King—meaning that Hashem is the Source for EVERYTHING.

We get so distracted.

And Hashem understands us; He created the world that way in order for us to reach our greatest potential & achieve our greatest tikkun (rectification).

And we should do it with joy! Sing!

Rav Miller (page 14):

So as you stand in shul on Rosh Hashanah and the chazan is singing tra-la-la, you can think – you can sing along too, but you should think:

"Tra-la-la, Hashem Melech! Tra-la-la, we’re singing to announce the reign of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Today is the day I’m committing myself to a year of reminding myself as much as I possibly can that Hashem is my King!”

Sing it right now if you can, so it'll go into your head before the chag.

All together now!: "Tra-la-la, Hashem Melech! Tra-la-la...!"

Whether you're Jewish or not, whether you're frum or not, let's hear you sing!:

♪♪"Tra-la-la, today is the day I'm committing myself to a year of reminding myself as much as I possibly can that Hashem is my King! Tra-la-la..."♫

Wow, that was beautiful. You sound great. I'm sure Hashem thinks so too.

Wishing everyone the sweetest year ever!

Credit for all material & quotes go to Toras Avigdor.

Poetic Inspiration for the Day of Judgment from Nechumelle Jacobs: "SUPER SENSITIVITY"

13/9/2020

Here's another poem from Nechumelle Jacobs.

You can see her previous poem here:
"WE ARE HERE TO GROW" – An Inspiring Poem by Nechumelle Jacobs

The following poem features Chana, the Mother of Shmuel Hanavi & a Prophetess in her own right, plus an important lesson learned from her struggles:

SUPER SENSITIVITY

On Rosh Hashonah about Chana’s prayer we read
And how Eli Hakohein assumed she was drunk indeed

He apologised for his harsh words and misinterpretation
He consoled her, for he hurt her in her painful situation

Chana’s heartfelt prayers were accepted Above
And Hashem granted her a special child to love

But why did Chana go to the Mishkon in tears,
For her rival Penina tormented her for years

Penina was granted with children galore
And specially hurt Chana at the very core

Penina did this thinking she had a kind heart
To encourage Chana, her davening to start

But Penina was punished severely for her lack of tact
For this is not the way Hashem wants one to act

Elkona saw his wife Chana childless, her pain so raw
And assured her, compared to ten sons, he loved her more

In the end, Chana was granted a special son, Shmuel was his name
He became a Novi who anointed Dovid, all from his mother’s pain

There is a strong lesson to learn from Chana’s painful ordeal
We must be extremely careful with people in pain – so real

Hashem wants people to be sensitive to others’ pain
The more compassionate we are, the greater the gain

©Nechumelle Jacobs – 13th September 2020

(Used with permission)

How Hashem Helps Scrub the Slate before the Day of Judgment

8/9/2020

Around 6 months ago, my teenage sons found a pair of 6-kilo (13-pound) barbells in their old clubhouse.

Apparently quality barbells, they clearly cost a lot of money.

Yet neither they nor their friends had any idea to whom the barbells belonged.

At first, they left them in the clubhouse for the owner's return.

But every day my sons checked, the barbells remained in the same place.

Finally, we took the barbells into our home to preserve them from the elements or possible theft.

We tacked a sign on the clubhouse (which stood next to a popular walkway) stating the presence of the barbells, plus our address & phone number, but no one called or came.

When the wind blew the sign down, we tacked it back on.

The sign remained up for months, but no one came.

We didn't place an ad in the lost-and-found section of our neighborhood publications because it seemed that someone wanted to hide the barbells and the clubhouse seemed a convenient place for them.

Some communities frown on body-building, unless a specific health issue demands it. They consider regular exercise (like walking) a positive habit, but reject the culture of pumping up extra muscle for no reason.

(And I discovered how insightful that attitude is when I saw that frum boys who started muscle-building exercises indeed became obsessed with their muscles & physique.)

So we didn't place an ad because we figured the owner, by discreetly placing them in a corner of the clubhouse, wished to keep the barbells a secret.

Late last night, one of my teenagers happened to glance out the window and saw a couple of young men stealthily entering the clubhouse.

He called out to them, asking them what they were doing.

One answered, "My friend forgot something here...uh, barbells."

His "friend," eh?

My son immediately understood.

"Six kilos?" said my son.

"Yes," said the young man.

"Green?"

"Yes."

"We have them here at our home. Come on up and take them."

With guarded expressions, they came to the door and my son cheerfully handed them the barbells.

As we'd guessed, the pair looked like they came from a community that frowned on body-building.

Then they asked for a bag strong enough to hold the barbells, and we gave them one.

Because I didn't want them to think that we'd stolen the barbells, I explained to them how happy we were they'd come to collect the barbells, and how we put up a sign on the clubhouse to direct the owners to our home.

Then we asked for forgiveness for any inconvenience caused and with smiles, they said it was fine.

And they left.

Hashem is on Our Side

Despite the countless kindnesses & mercies Hashem does for us throughout each day for our entire lives, it was this incident that made me feel like Hashem really cares.

With Rosh Hashanah coming up fast and all the slate-cleaning necessary to prepare for a renewed lease on life, Hashem's orchestration of the return of the barbells prevented us from holding onto something that did not belong to us.

Returning a lost object is a huge mitzvah and one can transgress the prohibition against theft if one is not careful about making sure that the property of others stays with others.

How fortunate that the owner came by not only when we were home, but that in the darkness, Hashem caused my son to notice them at exactly that moment.

It's the kind of situation you can't create on your own and it made me feel like Hashem really cares about us, that He's helping us clean up our act prior to judgment.

In other words, Hashem Himself WANTS us to come out with a happy verdict.

God is not a petty tyrant looking to punish — He WANTS us to succeed!

He WANTS to reward us!

Also, the above is a lot like another incident in which I davened for Hashem to help me apologize to & ask forgiveness of a boy I'd inadvertently hurt, but wasn't even in the country.

Hashem brought him right to my door on the first night of Rosh Hashanah.

(You can read that story here: When It's Hard to Say You're Sorry)

"One who comes to be purified — they [Hashem's agents] assist him."

הבא לטהר, מסייעין אותו

(Shabbat 104b)

May we always merit Heavenly assistance in our striving to be better.

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:

The 2 Most Important Ideas to Remember for Rosh Hashanah

29/9/2019

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).

Shanah Tovah - Wishing Everyone a Sweet New Year!

29/9/2019

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.

Rosh Hashanah Posts & Recipes

26/9/2019

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

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

25/9/2019

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

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

24/9/2019

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.