Random Thoughts of Holiness

Make Yourself into a Menorah

2007-12-10T19:23:00.001-08:00

B"H
The doing is the ultimate.
Make yourself into a menorah.
How?
Take a hammer and start pounding.
The menorah in the Beit Hamikdash
was formed from one lump of gold.
The branches, cups, and decorations
were all formed from beating
and refining that lump.
So should we do with our middot,
our character traits, emotions and personality.
By making our will G-d's will,
we shape ourselves into a divine luminary.
Just as the flame leaps to return to its source,
so should we leap to unify with our source.
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Heard from Rabbi Eli Friedman
Machon Alte Tzfat Israel 1996
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All rights reserved.
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What do you need to do to choose G-d?

2007-09-09T19:33:00.001-07:00

B"H

Happy Birthday World!

Every birthday and especially Rosh Hoshana
is a day of introspection.
It's never too late to look inside yourself
and see what you need to change.
Even at the very, very, very last moment.
On Rosh Hoshana, the world is judged
for the coming year.
Every living soul has to give an accounting
and a reckoning, but...
charity, prayer and teshuva,
(returning to G-d),
temper the judgment with mercy.

Charity/tzedakah means righteousness.
We don't give to the poor
because we are nice people,
we give to the poor because we owe them.
G-d gives us everything we need and we,
being made in G-d's image,
are supposed to do the same thing
by giving the poor everything they need.

Teshuva is the return to the essential self.
It doesn't just mean taking on a new resolution.
It also means doing something
that you are already doing,
and doing it even better in a special way.
Tefillah, prayer, is not just a shopping list of requests;
it is a union with G-d.
We are spiritual beings in a physical world.
Our job is to unite the two.

When something is written in stone,
if you cannot see the letters,
it isn't because they've disappeared,
it's because they are filled with dust.
On Rosh Hoshana, we blow away the dust.
When the shofar is blown,
we are trying to bring G-dliness into the world.
On Shabbos, the world is already full of G-dliness
because it is Shabbos,
so we do not blow the shofar.

In Elul, the King is in the field.
Rosh Hoshana is the coronation of the King.
Isn't it a little bit tacky to ask the King for things
in the middle of the coronation?
Yes, but we do it anyway, to serve G-d.

If you want a spiritual experience,
you have to do the work.
Everything that happens in the physical world
is a reflection of what is going on in the spiritual world.
Look for the spiritual meaning of everything
that happens to you and learn from it.

May you be blessed with a good and sweet year!

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Heard from Rebbetzin Olivia Schwartz
27 Elul 5759 vol. 10.18
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What is hard for you to give?

2007-09-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

B"H

There is never a time that you cannot hope.
Tzedaka is the mitzvah that requires you
to move out of yourself.
The mitzvah of tzedaka
is for your perfection.
Listen to the need
not just the words.
Give until the need is filled.
Give with love.
Give with a smile and thoughtfulness.
Tzedaka is what the person is lacking,
not what you want to give.
A decree is a manifestation of the will of G-d.
How do we avert a decree of destruction?
Tzedaka, tefillah, teshuva.
In the mitzvah of tzedaka
lies all of the struggles of the human being.
We are afraid that if we give,
we will be diminished,
but we give anyway.
Don't hold back from giving,
or you will become what you withheld.
G-d is looking for the ultimate kindness,
one to another.
When we give tzedaka,
that is when we are most like G-d.
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Heard from Rabbi Shlomo Holland
3 Elul 5758
Elul 08
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What would you do if you were brand new?

2007-08-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

B"H
Chai Elul, the 18th day of Elul
is the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov.
The Baal Shem Tov had a dream
in which he asked Moshiach
when he would come.
Moshiach answered:
When your wellsprings have spread out
and all people can do what you do…
Chai Elul Breathes vitality into the month of Elul.
The secret of living life
is to wake up every morning,
every day,
NEW.
To pray every prayer,
to do every act of service for your family
as if you are doing it for the first time.
NEW!
Whatever you have in your life,
whatever your challenges are,
take a deep breath
before you say a bracha
and bring it down new.
Do the best with what you have.
These are your blessings.
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Chayus:
Filling the new year with life-
Being more alive means bringing down into your life
more levels of your soul.
Faith requires training.
Train yourself in faith like a long distance runner.
Running and returning -
Run up to G-d and bring it down.
Run up to G-d and bring it down.
Faith is a practice that infuses our lives
with limitless divine potential,
an ongoing dynamic bond with G-d.
There is no limit to the amount of vitality
you can bring into your life.
How do you increase the vitality in your life?
Do everything with enthusiasm.
Say Thank G-d!
for everything.
Take every opportunity to spread joy!
These are the last days of the year...
Make the most of your days!
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Heard from Chana Rachel Schusterman
Long Beach, California
Chai Elul 5758
Elul 06

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What do you want to accomplish on Rosh Hoshana?

2007-08-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

B"H

When you become nothing
then you are renewed.
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The greatest joy comes
when we return everything back to holiness.

The six days of the work week
lead us to appreciate Shabbos more.
Shabbos is the soul of the world.
Shabbos gives us the power to elevate holiness.
It is easier to do teshuva on Shabbos.
Shabbos is the time of desire.
We feel a greater openness to holiness on Shabbos
and are more sensitive to the barriers to holiness.
How much the holiness affects you
depends on how much you prepare for it.

Amalek takes holiness and twists it,
distorts it into unholiness.

Bikkurim are the first fruits.
When you do a mitzvah,
you should bring your very best to it.
Put your heart and soul into the mitzvah, with joy!
Do it from the inside.
Then you will see the oneness of all life,
and will be unable to experience baseless hatred.
Bikkurim is taking the desires of this world
and elevating them to holiness.
This brings joy, while Amalek brings coldness.

Elul is the time to think about
what you want to accomplish on Rosh Hoshana.
Real teshuva is finding one thing
that you really, truly want to change.

What you want, you'll get.
If you want closeness to G-d, you'll get it.
You will be able to reach beyond
what you could get on your own.
Before you do anything,
think about what you are trying to accomplish by doing it.
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Heard from Rabbi Chaim Citron
Parshas Ki Savo 15 Elul 5759
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5 Elul 5767 Take Time to Change

2007-08-21T22:17:00.001-07:00

B"H

If you don't appreciate what you have,
You don't have what you have.
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The more you immerse in Elul,
the more you love Hashem
and the more you feel the love of Hashem for you.
But it doesn't happen by itself.
You have to work at it.
Choose one thing to change during Elul.
Work on that one thing every day.
Meditate every day
and ask Hashem to help you change this one thing.
Twenty minutes a day is all it takes.
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Klal Yisrael lives on hope.
In Elul, ask yourself:
How did I live this year?
Our hunger screams,
Our thirst knocks on our throats,
When we are tired,
every bone lets us know about it.
But when our soul is starving,
We hardly hear its suffering.
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Sometimes we go to the accountant
and he tells us we made money.
Other times the accountant tells us we are bankrupt.
It is important to know what you owe
and to Whom.
Before you go to sleep each night,
Do an accounting of your soul.
Every sin you did,
Every time you fell short,
You owe Hashem.
Every night, ask Hashem to forgive your debt.
During Elul, do your cheshbon for the entire year.
Every day of Elul ask Hashem
to forgive our debt for the whole year.
Ask Hashem to forgive you
With your whole heart!
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Sometimes we buy a new car,
And we are so proud of it,
we take such good care of it and polish it
even when it is already clean.
Then when the first scratch comes--
Oy vey!
We are so sad.
But Ribono Shel Olam,
The Master of the Universe--
The more scratches and dents
he sees on Klal Yisrael,
the more he loves us.
The older the world gets,
the more he loves it.
Not that he wants to see us scratched and dented--
G-d forbid!
But he doesn't love us less because of it.
He loves us more.
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All year long
we have to work so hard
to come close to Hashem,
but during Elul,
Hashem comes close to us.
Take time to change.
Choose one thing to work on
and change this year.

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Heard from Rabbi Elchonon Tauber
August 16, 5758 Elul 05
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04 Elul 5767 The King is in the Field

2007-08-21T22:12:00.001-07:00

B"H

G-dliness is most accessible to us
in the month of Elul
when G-d, the King, is in the field.
As we live in Elul,
so we will live the rest of the year.
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Arousal from above.
Arousal from below.
Through Torah study
and deeds of lovingkindness,
tzedakah and teshuvah,
our yearning and prayer
arouses G-d's love for us.
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Consistency is one of the primary
spiritual secrets of the universe.
Choose one area in which to improve.
Work on it consistently
at the same time every day.
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Circumcision of the heart.
We must turn our hearts of stone
to hearts of flesh.
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Every Jew has the power to give a blessing.
May we be blessed with the strength
to say no to that which is not ours to do.
May we all have what we need.
May your blessings be blessed!
May we be blessed with the strength
to do what our soul longs to do.
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Heard from Olivia Schwartz
at a Farbrengen 11 Elul 5757

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3 Elul 5767 Awaken and turn to your Beloved.

2007-08-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

B"H

Awaken and turn to your Beloved.
Ani l'dodi v'dodi li
(I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine.)
There are 4 yuds in the Hebrew.
The numerical value of yud is 10.
4 x 10 = 40
40 days from the beginning of Elul till Yom Kippur.
Each yud represents G-d in each word.
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The work of Elul is teshuva
and accounting of the soul.
This is awakening from below
The work of Tishrei
is to accept G-d as our King.
This is awakening from above:
When the King is in His palace,
you dress in your best,
you make an appointment,
and if you are lucky,
you are admitted to the fabulous,
impressive chambers of the King
which inspire love and awe in you.
When the King is in the field,
He is easier to approach.
You come as you are.
You don't experience the glory of the palace.
You don't receive an invitation.
You make the effort to go to see Him on your own.
This is awakening from below.
The King smiles and encourages us to come closer.
How do we come closer?
We see where we have erred through the year.
We resolve to change, because we love the King.
But love is not enough.
We must also fear the might of the King
so that we will be afraid to rebel against Him.
This is avodah shleima, complete service.
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Why do we blow the shofar every day during Elul?
If the shofar awakens us to fear,
why do we blow the shofar
when the King is smiling in the field?
Ahava, love is an awakening, a revelation from above,
an appreciation of all that the Abishter gives us.
Y'era, fear is an awakening from below.
We accept the authority of the King over us
and tremble at His might.
If we did not accept His authority,
we would not feel the fear.
This is our work in Tishrei.
In Tishrei, Rosh Hoshana and Yom Kippur,
the King is in the palace.
We work to arouse the level of awe in Tishrei,
to accept G-d as our King.
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Elul is the time of the 13 attributes of mercy.
In Elul, the King is in the field.
In Elul, the King lowers Himself to our level.
We come close to Him in the field
as one greets a beloved Friend.
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Heard from Rabbi Shimon Raichik
on a ma'amer of the Rebbe
Rosh Chodesh Elul 5758
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2 Elul 5767 Is Your Giving Really Giving?

2007-08-21T21:29:00.001-07:00

B"H
The King is in the field means
connecting to G-d from the place where we are.
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There are three pillars upon which the world stands:
Torah, avodah (prayer), and deeds of lovingkindness.
This is the work of Elul.
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Everyone has a standard
for how clean the kitchen has to be at night.
During Elul, we must determine:
What is our spiritual standard?
How clean can we make our soul?
What needs to be put away?
What needs to be scrubbed?
What polished?

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We need to set limits in the material world
so that we have enough time and energy to do
what we need to do in the spiritual world.
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Throw yourself out to fix yourself.
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Teshuva is returning to closeness to G-d.
Lower teshuva is making up for deficiency.
Higher teshuva is refining our closeness to G-d.
Teshuva makes our deeds good
and makes them luminous.
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We need to give in a way that really gives.
Caring for our families is an act of loving kindness.
If we remember this with every mundane act
we do for our loved ones,
our deeds become good and full of light.
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Heard from Chana Rachel Schusterman
Los Angeles Rosh Chodesh Elul 5757
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1 Elul 5767 It's Elul -- Wake up!

2007-08-21T21:26:00.001-07:00

B"H
We all want to be good,
but we must wake up!
Just open one little opening,
the size of a needle,
and I will open for you
a great opening.
In Elul, we are facing the days of din judgment.
Wake up! WAKE UP!
Wake up from the beautiful dream
of the whole year!
If you received a court summons in the mail,
you would feel a shock of fear,
you would call the best lawyers.
You would call all your friends
and ask for their advice.
You would carefully go through all of your accounts
to determine the truth of your situation.
It's Elul!
Your summons has come in the mail!
Feel the shock!
Call your lawyers!
Call your friends!
Go through your accounts today!
Determine the truth of your situation!
Who are your lawyers?
Your mitzvahs.
Who are your friends?
Your good actions.
I am a friend to my friend and my friend
gives my friendship back to me.
Sometimes a person refuses to wake up.
What happens?
His friend shakes him awake
so he won't be late for an important engagement.
We have a choice.
We can wake up on our own, early,
and prepare ourselves carefully;
or we can pull the blanket over our heads,
refuse to wake up,
and be shaken awake
by our Greatest Friend in the world...
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More than we keep Shabbos,
Shabbos keeps us.
We have to keep Shabbos 100%-
Not 95% - 100%!
When a woman lights Shabbos candles
and prays for those she loves with tears,
an angel collects her precious tears
and brings them to the throne of glory
and says to Hakadosh Baruch Hu:
Look at the precious jewels I have brought to you,
the tears of a Yiddische mother.
It's Elul. Wake up!!!
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Heard from Mrs. Chavi Panet
Rosh Chodesh Elul 5758
At Torah Ohr, Los Angeles
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2007-08-20T18:06:00.000-07:00

As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionally a time of deep introspection -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. The Hebrew month of Elul possesses a unique dimension, for during this month, G-d is especially close to us and we are granted an extraordinary capacity for teshuva -- returning to the holy path of G-d's will. For the next few weeks our posts will focus on the special spiritual work we can accomplish in Elul.