UPDATE: Please see this 12-page PDF booklet too:
Accessing Your Previous Lifetime
https://bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Accessing.Your.Previous.Lifetime.pdf
Within, you'll discover the 5 sources of love in the soul, how to connect to long-gone tzaddikim, in addition to dealing with your previous lifetimes & this lifetime—all transcribed & translated from lectures by Rav Itamar Schwartz.
Accessing Your Previous Lifetime
https://bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Accessing.Your.Previous.Lifetime.pdf
Within, you'll discover the 5 sources of love in the soul, how to connect to long-gone tzaddikim, in addition to dealing with your previous lifetimes & this lifetime—all transcribed & translated from lectures by Rav Itamar Schwartz.
With all the focus on Rosh Hashanah as the beginning of a new year, plus getting ready for Heavenly Judgment by focusing on Hashem's Kingship, it's easy to overlook that fact that Rosh Hashanah is also Rosh Chodesh Tishrei.
To help us make the most of Tishrei, Bilvavi published a PDF booklet of Rav Itamar Schwartz's shiurim for Tishrei:
https://bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Rosh.Chodesh.Tishrei.pdf
The sense associated with Tishrei is touch.
Without a physical sense of touch, we could not enjoy the relief of a cool breeze on a hot summer day, a rejuvenating swim, or test food to see if it's ready (like the texture of cake or kugel changed by baking or other foods during cooking).
A spiritual sense of touch also exists, which we experience through our heart.
As Rav Schwartz says on page 4:
To help us make the most of Tishrei, Bilvavi published a PDF booklet of Rav Itamar Schwartz's shiurim for Tishrei:
https://bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Rosh.Chodesh.Tishrei.pdf
The sense associated with Tishrei is touch.
Without a physical sense of touch, we could not enjoy the relief of a cool breeze on a hot summer day, a rejuvenating swim, or test food to see if it's ready (like the texture of cake or kugel changed by baking or other foods during cooking).
A spiritual sense of touch also exists, which we experience through our heart.
As Rav Schwartz says on page 4:
The month of Tishrei are days in which our heart’s sense of touch is more opened.
We can feel things from our heart much more during these days than the rest of the year.
If we learn how to use our spiritual sense of touch, we can become close to Hashem during these days, to “feel” Hashem.
He explains a major difference between the avodah of men & women (as evidenced by the obligation of men in limud Torah—an obligation not cast upon women) is how men serve Hashem more via the mind while women tend to serve Hashem more via the heart.
Of course, he acknowledges that women can & do also serve Hashem via the mind (attested to by the many women today who take upon themselves to read mussar & learn many aspects of Torah) & that men also must serve Hashem via the heart.
In fact, he notes that in Tishrei—particularly during the 10 Days of Teshuvah—men need to connect to their heart more than ever, even making the heart their main avodah at that time.
He also explains the obstacles to avodah via the heart, and why—despite women's innate ability to serve Hashem through the heart—women today struggle to connect with the heart.
To remedy this, Rav Schwartz recommends "heart time."
During this time, we silence our thoughts to access our soul by tuning in to what's going on in our heart.
Basically, you sit with a piece of paper and write out your feelings (page 4):
Of course, he acknowledges that women can & do also serve Hashem via the mind (attested to by the many women today who take upon themselves to read mussar & learn many aspects of Torah) & that men also must serve Hashem via the heart.
In fact, he notes that in Tishrei—particularly during the 10 Days of Teshuvah—men need to connect to their heart more than ever, even making the heart their main avodah at that time.
He also explains the obstacles to avodah via the heart, and why—despite women's innate ability to serve Hashem through the heart—women today struggle to connect with the heart.
To remedy this, Rav Schwartz recommends "heart time."
During this time, we silence our thoughts to access our soul by tuning in to what's going on in our heart.
Basically, you sit with a piece of paper and write out your feelings (page 4):
What do you feel all the time?
Do you feel love, or hatred, or any other emotion going on inside you?
Write down everything positive and negative you feel in your life; the good and the bad.
If you're still not sure how to proceed with this exercise, it's explained a lot more there, plus a generous Q&A follows on pages 5-8, providing more guidance.
Doing Teshuvah on the Root of All Sin
Another aspect of touch is doing teshuvah over the root of all sin: Adam & Chava touching & eating the fruit of the Eitz HaDaat (Tree of Knowledge).
Page 11:
Page 11:
We all ate from the Eitz HaDaas; we all lost our spiritual sense for touch.
We each have our own private sins which we need to do teshuvah.
But there is a root, general teshuvah which applies to every Jew – we all need to do teshuvah over the root of all sin, which is that we ate from the Eitz HaDaas and thereby lost our spiritual touch.
The One Time You Can Simply Feel the Reality of Hashem
Rav Schwartz also notes that on Rosh Hashanah, a person can feel Hashem without the exertion usually needed to feel Hashem (page 11):
Every day on Rosh HaShanah, this point in time returns, where he can simply feel Hashem.
During the rest of the year, this sense of Hashem comes only through exertion to most people (some rare individuals can sense Him simply, because they acquired this ability through mesirus nefesh, an intense level of devotion to Him).
But on Rosh HaShanah, every person can feel simply the reality of Hashem, as a natural ability, just as one can feel something with his body, as long as he has opened his soul even a bit.
Nice!
The Mazal of Tishrei: Moznayim/Scales/Libra
On pages 14-18, Rav Schwartz explains:
- how the mazal of Moznayim connects to the month of Tishrei
- how the idea connects to ears & the power of imagination
- how benonim can be on a higher level than tzaddikim (explained according to the Gra)
The Tribe of Yosef & The Month of Tishrei
Yosef HaTzaddik corresponds to the month of Tishrei.
Tishrei contains a spiritually damaged root, much like how Yosef suffered a certain spiritual damage due to his encounter with Potifar's wicked wife.
We try to rectify that damage, and the blowing of the shofar plays a powerful role in repairing that damage.
Tishrei contains a spiritually damaged root, much like how Yosef suffered a certain spiritual damage due to his encounter with Potifar's wicked wife.
We try to rectify that damage, and the blowing of the shofar plays a powerful role in repairing that damage.
Please note: Rav Itamar Schwartz lovingly opposes all forms of the Internet & has no connection to the Bilvavi site.
The Q&As were either recorded during a class given by Rav Schwartz, then transcribed and translated into English, or they are questions people wrote in, and his verbal answer recorded.
None of that is FOR the website. It's just something he has done for years (i.e., conduct classes & answer questions).
The Bilvavi site was produced by a student of Rav Schwartz (a student who seems to be running it from a Netfree Internet center, and not from his home), and the site is specifically meant to make Rav Schwartz's shiurim & ideas available as kiruv for completely secular people.
I do not fit that description, but I obviously use the site anyway. (I can't resist!)
The point is that Rav Schwartz has no more connection with the Bilvavi website than Rav Kanievsky does with all the websites that post videos & quotes of him.
Please see the Disclaimer here:
https://eng.bilvavi.net/opinion/
The Q&As were either recorded during a class given by Rav Schwartz, then transcribed and translated into English, or they are questions people wrote in, and his verbal answer recorded.
None of that is FOR the website. It's just something he has done for years (i.e., conduct classes & answer questions).
The Bilvavi site was produced by a student of Rav Schwartz (a student who seems to be running it from a Netfree Internet center, and not from his home), and the site is specifically meant to make Rav Schwartz's shiurim & ideas available as kiruv for completely secular people.
I do not fit that description, but I obviously use the site anyway. (I can't resist!)
The point is that Rav Schwartz has no more connection with the Bilvavi website than Rav Kanievsky does with all the websites that post videos & quotes of him.
Please see the Disclaimer here:
https://eng.bilvavi.net/opinion/
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