How to Break Out of being "Ordinary"

27/12/2018

Guess who recommends the following:

Try thinking about Hakadosh Baruch Hu for one minute straight...Think Hashem loves you. "Ahavti etchem ne'um Hashem" -- "I love you," says Hashem.

Do you think about that ever? Do you ever stop to think that Hashem loves you?

He loves you a thousand more times than your mother loves you and you never thought about it?!

You never once thought that Hashem loves you immensely, infinitely?!

That's a wonderful thing to think about in your one-minute excursion into solitude, your minute of being alone with Hashem in your thoughts.

So you're thinking..."Hashem, I know You're right here with me and that you're listening to me. You love me more than I can imagine. You love me more than my mother loves me, more than my father, more than my friends love me. You're taking care of me, everything You do to me is for the best and I love you too!"

Who recommends all that lovey-dovey hitbodedut?

Rav Shalom Arush? Rebbe Nachman? The Baal Shem Tov?

Nope! It's all a direct quote from Rav Avigdor Miller.

And there's a lot more where that came from. (Also, this uncompromisingly Litvish rav emphasizes the Baal Shem Tov as an example to follow in this dvar Torah -- Am echad, lev echad, one Nation, one heart.)

If you want to see the above inside, plus read more about hitbodedut & talking to Hashem with a Slabodka Litvish flavor, then please see Rav Miller's dvar Torah on Parshat Shemot: A Life Apart. (All quotes used with permission.)

Rav Miller possessed a unique wit that was dry, wry, and slipped in with brilliantly poker-faced manner. And if you're into that kind of wit and tongue-in-cheek humor, then it makes his mussar much more fun to swallow.

Here's an example of Rav Miller's makes-you-chuckle-out-loud wit from the same dvar Torah:

Ask Hashem that He should help you with everything:

“I am going for a walk, Hashem. Please help me I should succeed in gaining good health, and that I shouldn’t have any difficulties with rude people that bump into me. And while they are 'bumping into me,' they put their hand in my back pocket and take out my wallet."

See? He's so funny.

But really, he's giving us mussar about not wasting our time with mundane thoughts or gazing around at things we shouldn't. He's telling us that even a walk needs siyata d'Shmaya (especially if there are pickpockets around). He's reminding us to think about Hashem constantly.

But he makes us laugh as he does it.

A Woman's Kitchen: On the Level of the Baal Shem Tov's Forest or the Novardoker's Holy Hut - If She Wants It To Be

And this is from a different parsha on Toras Avigdor, but Rav Miller's speaks about how a woman in her kitchen can achieve the same as the Baal Shem Tov doing hitbodedut in his forest or the Novardoker in his hut:

When a woman is by herself in the kitchen, it’s a glorious opportunity.

Do you know what she’s doing?

She’s practicing one of the biggest virtues, the virtue of hisbodedus, solitude.

The old nevi’im, the old prophets, used to go out in the wilderness.

Even the gedolei acharonim, the Ba’al Shem Tov, went into a forest for weeks to be away from people.

Rav Yoizel Novardoker had a hut hidden in the forest. He had two huts. One that his wife knew about. He was unlisted. Nobody knew how to get him, but his wife knew. But there was another hut that even his wife didn’t know about. Only his talmid, Rav Yoel Boronsik, knew about that hut, the second one. Even his wife wasn’t told about that one.

He had two degrees of hisbodedus because that makes a man great.

A woman in a kitchen, all day long she’s alone. All day she has an opportunity. She can listen to Torah tapes. She can think noble thoughts.

It’s a great thing for a woman to be alone if you utilize it properly.

But maybe you aren't all day long in the kitchen.

He's taking the extreme example because this is something looked down on in society, something many women want to escape.

Yet Rav Miller sees this as an opportunity for the highest greatness.

Now let's look at something else many people want to escape...

How to Do Hitbodedut amid Raucous Music

Personally, I really dislike the unending blasting music at weddings.

But Rav Miller has a positive take on it.

He thinks you should use that opportunity to talk to Hashem. Seriously!

He advises you to use that opportunity to ask Hashem to bless the new couple with all sorts of good wishes.

He recommends davening amid the overpowering music in the following way:

You could say it with your mind and nobody's listening.

But even better, you can say it with your mouth - the music is so loud, nobody will hear you.

They think you're singing along.

Picture the above scenario in your mind, picture yourself sitting at a fancy table talking out loud to Hashem and looking like you're just singing along -- it's so funny!

I hope I can work up the guts to actually try it...

Also, someone at Toras Avigdor is a genius with titles & subheadings. For example:

Would You Choose Uncle Harry to be Your Rebbe?
Moshe Rabbeinu Doesn't Need the Movies
Getting Your Mind Cleaned at the Dentist
Great Men Skip Shul
It's Good to be a Hypocrite

So you end up getting some pretty heavy mussar, but it doesn't feel so heavy because you're chuckling through the entire thing.

Hashem Wants More Than Ordinariness

But here's some serious mussar from A Life Apart that is so applicable to our generation (especially against the popular yet erroneous idea that any level just one baby-step above the current one is "only for great tzaddikim," etc.):

Now, I know people will listen to me and they will just dismiss these ideas. They think that it's a middas chassidus, it's something that only very great people should do.

But that's wrong.

Don't think that what we're saying here is going overboard.

Just because ordinary people will often live like they do with hesech hada'as; they daven as ordinary people daven and mostly their minds are occupied with ordinary things, doesn't means that you have to do the same.

Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants more than ordinariness.

He wants you to be close to Him because those who are far away from Him will eventually go lost. And even though you seem to be a shomer mitzvos, but actually you're far away from Him if your mind doesn't concentrate on Him, if you're not living with Him in your mind.

And therefore, as much as possible you spend time talking to Hashem.

You can also read/print out another geshmak dvar Torah for Parshat Shemot here:
https://torasavigdor.org/parshas-shemos-the-real-test-of-life/

Also, if you wanted to know more about a certain someone, you can see:
Rav Miller on Yoshkeh

May we all merit to spend as much time as possible talking to Hashem.

5 Comments

Hava link

27/12/2018 13:49:23

Hi Dassie.
Could you answer some questions for me RE: what Rav Miller says about burning the Israeli flag?

https://torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-burning-the-israeli-flag/#more-4174

It seems to me (I could be wrong, that's why I'm asking) that the Rav is ignoring the fact that onlookers, whether Jews in hu"l or goyim, would think that burners of a country's flag have "thrown out the baby with the bathwater." Meaning, they hate Eretz Yisrael and their fellow Jews as well as the system we live under, apparently, until Mashiah is revealed.

Had the Rav ever stepped foot in E"Y? If so, to what extent did he observe how things went here and how people reacted to them?

Did he take into account that the very Israel that sits on the meager portion of E"Y we have today, with all her faults, is still the VERY BEST PLACE for a Jew to make teshuva and learn to live with his fellow Jews? Perhaps the next thing in my mind that we need to learn is, in fact, how to oppose Jews who are leading the nation down the wrong path!

I understand that you perceive a lot of humor in the Rav's teachings, but especially regarding a subject like this one, I, an olah, fail to see it. It could be my fault too, and if so, I'd like to learn why I'm so lacking in intelligence and eyesight that I can't see it.

G-d forbid that I would disparage a true talmid hahakhomim. But, it's hard to tell sometimes.

Myrtle Rising

27/12/2018 17:54:19

Hi, Hava!

First of all, sorry this took so long to get posted. I wanted to research your points as best I could before responding.

So here is trying my best to address each of your points:

First of all, my feeling is the same as yours in that I’d also assume that many onlookers would interpret the flag-burning as hatred for Eretz Yisrael and their fellow Jews living in Eretz Yisrael. Yeah, that makes sense to me too. (Also, Rav Miller said that in 1979 and I have no idea how it was done or perceived at that time.)

And what follows are my perceptions based on having listened to and read his lectures and books, but I never spoke with him personally. (Anyone who knows him better is free to correct me wherever I’m wrong.):

First of all, Rav Miller’s shitah was to defend any legitimate path of Torah, even if he did not follow that shitah himself.

For example, Satmar and Lubavitch held diverse opinions on certain issues. And Rav Miller is not at all chassidish but a steadfast Litvak. Yet he staunchly defends the shitahs of both Satmar and Lubavitch—even though they contradict each other and even though he personally follows neither. He also defended the kavod of both Rebbes as authentic talmidei chachamim.

Here are a couple of examples of that:
https://torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-rav-shach-and-the-lubavitcher-rebbe-2/

https://torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-satmar-and-lubavitch/

Therefore, based on the fact that (as far as I know) Rav Miller never burned an Israeli flag himself, he never told anyone to do so, and never permitted anyone to do so when asked (if anyone ever asked him)—therefore, he doesn’t personally feel that this is the ideal thing to do. This isn’t his shitah. But he’ll defend that group’s right to do so.

He answers that issue somewhat in the following, where he seems to be saying that the behavior of anti-Torah Leftist Jews in Eretz Yisrael is such a huge chilul Hashem that protest is in order—although here, I admit that there's a significant difference regarding an ad (which clarifies one’s opinion) and burning a flag (which is mostly subject to the observer’s interpretation):

https://torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-neturei-karta-and-dirty-laundry/
(Note: The above was said in 1974 and I think that Neturei Karta has changed since then.)

I think this also elucidates his ideas more:

https://torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-autopsies-and-public-protests/#more-928
(Note: I think this was also one of his earlier lectures.)
_________

“Had the Rav ever stepped foot in E"Y? If so, to what extent did he observe how things went here and how people reacted to them?”

I don’t remember whether he ever did or not.
__________

“Did he take into account that the very Israel that sits on the meager portion of E"Y we have today, with all her faults, is still the VERY BEST PLACE for a Jew to make teshuva and learn to live with his fellow Jews?”

Again, my feelings are similar to yours on this issue.

After all, Eretz Yisrael (specifically the Kotel) is what inspired me to do teshuvah, as it has for a great many Jews.

And I also love living with my fellow Jews here. (At the same time, I admit that many Jews unfortunately did not and have not made teshuvah or learn to live with his fellow Jews. So I guess it doesn’t work for everybody.)

And here he answers the question of whether to make aliyah:

https://torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-moving-to-eretz-yisroel-or-chicago/

__________

“Perhaps the next thing in my mind that we need to learn is, in fact, how to oppose Jews who are leading the nation down the wrong path!”

Definitely!

Not that I’m qualified to answer this, but based on what tzaddikim have said, strengthening our own Torah observance is key. Talking to Hashem sweetens din. Rav Levi Yitzchak Bender said that talking to Hashem prevents Hashem from making bitter dinim.

(Yeah, we knew that already, but still.)

As far as Rav Miller goes, he was very into strengthening Torah observance, davening, and writing letters to politicians (both American and Israeli).

Please see the following for more:
https://torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-terror-in-eretz-yisroel/

And this goes into how exactly you should daven to oppose those leading the Nation down the wrong path:
https://torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-praying-for-the-idf/

____________

“I understand that you perceive a lot of humor in the Rav's teachings, but especially regarding a subject like this one, I, an olah, fail to see it. It could be my fault too, and if so, I'd like to learn why I'm so lacking in intelligence and eyesight that I can't see it.

G-d forbid that I would disparage a true talmid hahakhomim. But, it's hard to tell sometimes."

Chas v’shalom, based on your own posts and comments, I don’t see you as lacking in intelligen

Myrtle Rising

27/12/2018 18:01:42

(Drat, Weebly cut off my reply, so here's that last bit, Hava):

Chas v’shalom, based on your own posts and comments, I don’t see you as lacking in intelligence or eyesight.

I first started listening to Rav Miller's taped lectures over 20 years ago, read several of his books, and am re-visiting his lectures both in audio and transcription now. So I’ve simply had more opportunity to listen to him elucidate his thoughts on different issues and get to know his unique personality and style too. That's all.
_______________

Okay, I hope this helped.

Also, for you or anyone else reading this, you can go to Toras Avigdor (https://torasavigdor.org/) and click on “Zionism” on the sidebar (if you haven’t already) to see more about his thoughts on the issue. Also, it’s important to note the date of the lecture.

Whether anyone accepts or rejects what he says, at least the reader will understand what Rav Miller thinks and why he thinks that way—even if one ends up disagreeing with Rav Miller.

Okay, thank you very much, Hava.

Hava link

27/12/2018 19:41:37

You poor thing! I'm so sorry about what I put you through this these last two days!

I'll have to take the time to read all the links. Thank you so much for your efforts. ;)

Shabbat shalom umevorah.

Myrtle Rising

27/12/2018 20:37:56

Hi, Hava,

Not quite sure what you mean about these last 2 days, but researching Rav Avigdor Miller's lectures is always a fun job, so nothing to feel bad about there, don't worry.

Shabbat shalom u'mevorach to you too!

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