"Instead of stinging nettle, myrtle will rise" (Isaiah 55:13)
 "Instead of evil, good will rise." (The Malbim's Interpretation)
Myrtle Rising
  • Blog
  • Comments Disabled
    • Privacy Policy
  • Aliyah
    • Mini-Intro
    • General Cultural Insights
    • School Tips
  • Kli Yakar Index
  • Most Popular
  • Contact

The Best Paths to Come Close to Hashem: Rav Avigdor Miller on Parshat Vayikra

18/3/2021

0 Comments

 
In Rav Avigdor Miller's dvar Torah for Parshas Vayikra 4 – Coming Close to Hashem, Rav Miller emphasizes how coming close to Hashem does not only mean thinking about Him (although that's an essential part of Divine closeness).

We learn from the avodah (holy service) of walking toward the Mizbe'ach (Altar) that your feet also play a part in coming close to Hashem—in other words, it's physical movement too.

How to Cultivate Holy Feet

Once upon a time, Bnei Yisrael walked to Yerushalayim for the prime holy days of Sukkot, Pesach, and Shavuot.

Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) 7:2 also praises the shoed feet of Am Yisrael. Not everyone wore shoes back then, but when you set out on a journey toward Hashem, you needed shoes.

​How do we access this today?

Rav Miller offers the example of a successful professional man who comes home after a busy, demanding day of work.

But after that full day, he still needs to go to shul to daven Maariv. He needs to go to the Beit Medrash to learn Torah.

​As Rav Miller describes on page 6:
He wants to sit on the couch with his legs up on a chair – why not; he had a long day.

But he reminds himself of the words of Dovid Hamelech and he picks up his weary body and goes straight to the house he loves most; to the house of his Best Friend to sit there as long as he can.

And his wife understands that; she says, “When you go there, take me along with you. I can’t go in body but I’m there in spirit.”

Sometimes she has to urge him too; she says, “Hurry up, you might miss maariv.”

And so he takes the hint and gains an alacrity and she has a 100% share.

She goes together with him even though she’s busy at home.

Even though a person cannot do this all the time—he needs to work, the shul caretaker needs everyone out so he can lock up, etc.—the main point is his desire to come close to Hashem, to serve Hashem through his tefillah or limud Torah.

Making the Most of Your Moments in a Shul

Rav Miller notes the laws of respecting a shul include things like if you forgot your umbrella or coat in shul, you can't just go in a take your umbrella.

No, you need to sit down for a moment—even if you're in a hurry.

Even better, daven or learn something during that moment.

As you pass by a shul or yeshivah, Rav Miller advises going in and just sitting for a bit.

Luxuriate in the ambience.

And say or think to yourself: ​“I’m sitting here now in the beis haknesses because I’m doing what I can to be physically close to Hashem.”

When you come to do your daily davening (or for some women, your Shabbat davening), Rav Miller advises you to say, “We’re happy that we are using our feet to walk closer to Hashem.”

How to Utilize Talmidei Chachamim: A User's Manual

The Shechinah rests on real talmidei chachamim.

So another way to come close to Hashem is to get yourself near a real talmid chacham.

Because my husband's regular kollel where he'd been learning for several years now (he works too, BTW) kept closing due to covid-19 restrictions and then made demands for vaccinated learners only, my husband started learning at a kollel closer to home.

This kollel was run by a very sweet & humble talmid chacham who lived in an old-fashioned world of Torah. This kollel attracted like-minded avrechim.

And I saw how my husband's countenance changed just as he prepared to go out the door to learn there. When he spoke about the rosh kollel, his face developed a soft, awed look.

And even though my husband carries the super-kosher Hadran cell phone, he felt embarrassed entering the kollel with even the Hadran cell phone—and even with the phone in his pocket & completely shut off.

No one said anything to him about it or lectured or criticized—apparently, everyone is super nice there.

But just the atmosphere affected him this way. A super-filtered cell phone in muzzle-mode still felt "wrong" in such a place.

This clearly results from the Shechinah obviously resting on one who is a genuine talmid chacham—one whose Torah is in his heart, in addition to his head.

On pages 9-11, Rav Miller offers practical suggestions to achieve this. 

Frankly, I found the reading a bit painful because it really made me feel the loss of the people he mentioned, like the Satmerer Rav, Rav Moshe Feinstein, Rav Aharon Kotler, and Rav Kaminetzky.

​Ouch!

But it's important to read it anyway.

Kiruv Starts at Home

Along these lines, Rav Miller emphasizes the importance of associating with fellow frummies.

This isn't PC nowadays, but over the long term, it's true.

You really get so affected by whom you associate with.

The Pele Yoetz & Orchot Tzaddikim emphasize this too.

Kiruv is a popular fashionable mitzvah in our times and it's definitely important, no doubt.

​I definitely benefited from people involved in kiruv!

After all, I was not born into a frum family. So a big thank you to all those who helped me out along the way (and to those who still help me—still a work-in-progress, after all!).

However, involvement with the irreligious isn't has simple as presented, especially nowadays. Because of an increasingly corrupt value system reaching mainstream acceptance, it's even worse now than it was in Rav Miller's time.

So you should seek to live near frum neighbors, if you possibly can.

BTW, in my opinion, this offers healthy pushback against the well-meaning pressure to do kiruv.

At one point, my husband & I worked in kiruv. Once, my husband was the rav of a small shul and another time, we were part of a kiruv kollel.

Sounds fulfilling & idealistic, but it wasn't. These things really are not as la-dee-dah & straight-foward as presented.

I'm very much a clean-up-my-own-backyard-first personality, so outreach really knocked me off balance.

Some people can do it really well and Hashem made them for kiruv.

But most aren't, whether they want to admit it or not.

We frummies have enough to work out with each other, so for the majority of frum Jews, it's best to focus on that.

Choose Your Connections Wisely

Along these lines, Rav Miller states (page 14):
As much as possible associate only with good ones.

Don’t visit the others, don’t let them visit you. 

As much as possible cling to the good people, the frum people.

Look for good neighbors, good chaveirim and good teachers.

That’s the derech in life to bring yourself closer to Hashem.

Rav Miller quotes the Gemara Bava Basra to support the above statement.

Pele Yoetz & Orchot Tzaddikim and the Kli Yakar all say the same thing.

Unfortunately, due to an overidealistic interpretation of both ahavat Yisrael & sinat chinam, we are often pressured to go overboard in connecting with others & giving the benefit of the doubt in an unhealthy way to people who don't really fit the halacha.

You can note a person's positive aspects while still recognizing that the certain behaviors are not okay.

You never need to find approval for outright forbidden behavior.

Doing so transgresses the prohibition against chanifah—often translated as "flattery," but it really means so much more than that. Chanifah basically means showing approval of behavior that Hashem does not approve of.

Orchot Tzaddikim includes an entire chapter just on chanifah—very worthwhile reading!

Or you can read what the Pele Yoetz says about it here: 
​https://learntorah.com/PeleYoetz/Pdf/English121.pdf 

If you read the actual words of Chazal—and not just what you hear in a well-meaning lectures or articles—you'll learn the following:

Respectfully keep a distance from people who bring you down while look to spend time with people who elevate you 

People sometimes maintain harmful relationships of frequent contact with people who do not influence them positively.

I did this too and it's a big challenge later to get that cynical, mocking voice out of your head.

On the other hand, the people on a much higher level left an imprint that remains with me until today.

Some were great people older than me, and one was younger than me, but very good & wise.

They don't have to be the greatest tzaddikim in the world; they just need to be better than you. That's a great start.

Luckily, Hashem brought me to encounters with people much greater than me—regardless of how "regular" they seemed on the outside.

Here are some posts on those experiences:​
  • http://www.myrtlerising.com/blog/the-stunning-greatness-of-a-regular-jew-leah​
  • ​www.myrtlerising.com/blog/the-stunning-greatness-of-a-regular-jew-gitty
  • ​http://www.myrtlerising.com/blog/the-true-story-of-an-undercover-angel
  • http://www.myrtlerising.com/blog/the-stunning-greatness-of-a-regular-jew-growing-from-a-girl-trapped-in-a-suitcase-to-a-woman-of-grace-emunah

The Final Words on Closeness to Hashem

Let's conclude with the words of Rav Miller on page 15:
And the people who come close to Him in this world...You who cling to Hashem physically in Olam Hazeh...you will live forever and ever with Him in the Next World.

Kirvas Elokim; that’s our success and that’s our happiness forever and ever.
Picture
Credit for all quotes & material goes to Toras Avigdor.

​And don't forget to check out the Practical Tip on page 15!


0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Privacy Policy

    Picture
    Please note this is an affiliate link. Meaning, I get a small cut but at NO extra cost to you. If you use it, I'm grateful. If not, you still get a giant mitzvah connected to Eretz Yisrael.


    Feedburner subscription no longer in operation. Sorry!

    Myrtle Rising

    I'm a middle-aged housewife and mother in Eretz Yisrael who likes to read and write a lot.


    Picture
    Sample Chapters

    Categories

    All
    Aliyah
    Anti Jewish Bigotry
    Anti-jewish-bigotry
    Astronomy
    Book Review
    Books
    Chagim/Holidays
    Chinuch
    Coronavirus
    Dictionaries
    Emuna
    Eretz Yisrael
    Erev Rav
    Gender
    Hitbodedut
    "If The Torah..."
    Jewish Astrology
    Kav Hayashar
    Kli Yakar
    Lashon Hara
    Love
    Me'am Loez
    Minchat Yehudah
    Mishlei/Proverbs
    Netivot Shalom
    Parenting
    Parsha
    Pele Yoetz
    Perek Shira
    Pesach
    Politics
    Prayer
    Purim
    Rav Avigdor Miller
    Rav Itamar Schwartz
    Rav L.Y. Bender
    Recipes
    "Regular" Jews
    Rosh Hashanah
    Society
    Sukkot
    Tammuz
    Technology
    Tehillim/Psalms
    Teshuvah
    The Lost Princess
    Tisha B'Av
    USA Scary Direction
    Women
    Yom Kippur

    Jewish Blogs

    Daf Yomi Review
    Derech Emet
    Going...Habayitah
    Halacha Q&A
    Hava haAharona
    Miriam Adahan
    My Perspective

    Shirat Devorah
    Tomer Devorah
    Toras Avigdor
    True Tzaddikim
    Tznius Blog

    Yeranen Yaakov
    Rabbi Ofer Erez (Hebrew lectures)

    Jewish Current Events

    Hamodia
    Sultan Knish
    Tomer Devorah
    Yeranen Yaakov

    Jewish Health

    People Smarts

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015

    RSS Feed

    Copyright Notice

    ©2015-2022 Myrtle Rising
    Excerpts and links may be used without express permission as long as a link is provided back to the appropriate Myrtle Rising page.

Home/Blog

Most Popular

Kli Yakar in English

Aliyah

Contact

Copyright © 2023
Photos used under Creative Commons from Brett Jordan, BAMCorp, Terrazzo, Abode of Chaos, Michele Dorsey Walfred, marklordphotography, M.Burak Erbaş, torbakhopper, jhritz, Rina Pitucci (Tilling 67), Svadilfari, kum111, Tim simpson1, FindYourSearch, Giorgio Galeotti, ChrisYunker, Jaykhuang, YourCastlesDecor, bluebirdsandteapots, Natalia Medd, Stefans02, Israel_photo_gallery, Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, BradPerkins, zeevveez, dfarrell07, h.koppdelaney, Edgardo W. Olivera, nafrenkel88, zeevveez, mtchlra, Liz | populational, TraumaAndDissociation, thinboyfatter, garofalo.christina, skpy, Free Grunge Textures - www.freestock.ca, Nerru, Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith, trendingtopics, dolbinator1000, DonkeyHotey, zeevveez, erix!, zeevveez, h.koppdelaney, MAURO CATEB, kevin dooley, keepitsurreal, annikaleigh, bjornmeansbear, publicdomainphotography, Leonard J Matthews, Exile on Ontario St, Nicholas_T, marcoverch, planman, PhilWolff, j_lai, t.kunikuni, zeevveez, Ian W Scott, Brett Jordan, RonAlmog, Bob Linsdell, NASA Goddard Photo and Video, aaron_anderer, ** RCB **, Tony Webster, mypubliclands, AntonStetner, Zachi Evenor, MrJamesBaker, sammydavisdog, Frode Ramone, Wonder woman0731, wrachele, kennethkonica, Skall_Edit, Pleuntje, Rennett Stowe, *S A N D E E P*, symphony of love, AlexanderJonesi, Arya Ziai, ePublicist, Enokson, Tony Webster, Art4TheGlryOfGod, seaternity, Andrew Tarvin, zeevveez, Israel_photo_gallery, Iqbal Osman1, Matt From London, Tribes of the World, Eric Kilby, miracle design, RonAlmog, slgckgc, Kim Scarborough, DonkeyHotey, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, h.koppdelaney, gleonhard, Pedro Travassos, nociveglia, RonAlmog, Israel_photo_gallery, Septemia, Paulann_Egelhoff, Tatiana12, MAD Hippies Life, Neta Bartal, milesgehm, shooting brooklyn, RonAlmog, smilygrl, gospelportals, leighblackall, symensphotographie, zeevveez, Kyknoord, wotashot (taking a break), Tambako the Jaguar, bitmask, Arnie Sacknooson, mattymatt, Rob Swystun, zeevveez, Dun.can, Tim Patterson, timeflicks, garlandcannon, HRYMX, fred_v, Yair Aronshtam, zeevveez, Ron Cogswell, FindYourSearch, Israel_photo_gallery, Serendipity Diamonds, zeevveez, Steve Corey, Dominic's pics, leighklotz, Stefans02, dannyman, RonAlmog, Stephen O, RonAlmog, Tips For Travellers, Futurilla, anomalous4, Bob Linsdell, AndyMcLemore, symphony of love, andydr, sara~, Gamma Man, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, robef, European Southern Observatory, Brett Jordan, Johnny Silvercloud, Israel_photo_gallery, smkybear, --Sam--, Paulann_Egelhoff, Selena Sheridan, D'oh Boy, campbelj45ca, 19melissa68, entirelysubjective, Leimenide, dheera.net, Brett Jordan, HonestReporting.com, Iqbal Osman1, One Way Stock, Jake Waage, picto:graphic, Marcelo Alves, KAZVorpal, Sparkle Motion, Brett Jordan, Ambernectar 13, Howdy, I'm H. Michael Karshis, Steven DuBois, Cristian V., tortuga767, Jake Cvnningham, D'oh Boy, Eric Kilby, quinn.anya, Lenny K Photography, One Way Stock, Bird Eye, ell brown, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, Kevin M. Gill, lunar caustic, gerrybuckel, quinn.anya, Kaz Andrew, kodomut, kayugee, jintae kim's photography, Futurilla, terri_bateman, Patty Mooney, Amydeanne, Paulann_Egelhoff, Mulling it Over, Ungry Young Man, Ruth and Dave, yangouyang374, symphony of love, kennethkonica, young@art, Brett Jordan, slgckgc, Celestine Chua, rkimpeljr, Kristoffer Trolle, TooFarNorth, D'oh Boy, Grace to You, LittleStuff.me, Kevin M. Gill, philozopher, traveltipy.com, Alan Cleaver, crazyoctopus, d_vdm, tonynetone, penjelly, TheToch, JohnE777, hello-julie, DaveBleasdale, Michael Candelori Photography, andessurvivor, slgckgc, byzantiumbooks, sasha diamanti