TIforOA

Sanctify yourself through the permissible... Yevamos 20a

Divrei Torah to provide Chizuk in the struggle to balance spiritual and physical needs.

L'Iluei Nishmas Mirkah Bas Yosef




Sunday, February 27, 2011

SERVE Hashem with Joy

Rabbi Wachsman points out that we often forget the first part of the Pasuk, to serve Hashem. The true source of joy is in truly serving Hashem properly, and this brings joy.  Many people think that they can sit back waiting for events to bring them joy, but this is a mistake.  When we proactively look for ways to serve Hashem properly, this will bring us joy.

from a Shiur by Rabbi Wachsman on the Chazak line, in the section for Adar.

Guarding against the voice of the Yetzer Hara.

One of the most effective voices of the Yetzer Hara is to tell us that we can't have the one thing that we really want.  The snake convinced Chava to eat the fruit of the Etz Hadas.  Haman couldn't be happy because Mordechai wouldn't bow down to him.

from a Shiur by Rabbi Ari Kahn   -- "The Story of Esther Hidden and Revealed"

We always have to be on guard against the feeling of lack, because it can bring us to sin.

You can listen to this inspiring Shiur for free by going to:
http://www.rabbiarikahn.com/

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Shabbos Protects us.

Good Shabbos Everyone. The negotiations were taking much longer than expected. Two representatives of a real estate conglomerate were trying to complete the purchase of an office building in downtown Mexico City, but the lawyers were discussing the details slowly and meticulously. Every office had to be inspected, the insurance policies verified, and the terms of payment specified to the last penny.


Jacobo Sherem, the managing partner of the owners' group, was desperate to complete the transaction. With every passing moment, he was becoming more impatient and exasperated.

An architect by profession, Jacobo had been trying to sell this particular office building for months, so that he could finally turn a profit on his investment. He had designed, bought and sold buildings in the past, but this building on Calle Presa Salinillas had been his biggest investment, and so far it had been a losing proposition for his group. Due to the depressed financial climate in Mexico, most of the office space was unoccupied.

As the hours passed, Jacobo became increasingly nervous. The buyers had told him unequivocally that they were leaving Mexico on the first plane out the next morning, which was Saturday. They would not delay their trip. If they could complete the purchase that day, that would be wonderful; otherwise they would cancel the negotiations and move on to prospective deals in other countries.

It was the late hour of the day, Friday, that was putting pressure on Jacobo. For the last year he had been attending evening study classes in the Aram Tzovah Kollel in the Polanco section of Mexico City. He studied Torah a few nights a week, but he was not as yet shomer Shabbos (Sabbath observant). After many discussions and much introspection and inspiration from avreichim (kollel members) at Aram Tzovah, Jacobo and his wife Sophia were inching closer to total commitment to Shabbos observance. Jacobo had already started going to shul every Friday night and his office was closed on Shabbos, but he and Sophia were not yet complete Sabbath observers.

Frustrated at being so close to, yet so far from, fulfilling his dream of selling the building, Jacobo looked at his watch and saw that there was less than an hour and a half to Shabbos. Reluctantly he told the prospective buyers that the negotiations would have to continue Sunday or Monday - he had to leave and close his office. The buyers threatened that it was now or never, for they were flying out of the country the next day. But Jacobo would not budge. Shabbos was coming. He hadn't missed a Friday night in shul in weeks and he wasn't going to miss tonight. The buyers were incredulous that Jacobo would scuttle a deal that would lift him out of the financial doldrums, but he would not be moved. The parties to the negotiations bid each other a final farewell, and Jacobo went home to prepare for Shabbos.

He couldn't help but second guess himself. Had he acted correctly? There would be other Shabbosos when he would be in the synagogue, but now he might never be able to sell this building that was becoming an albatross around his financial holdings. He tried to enjoy the Shabbos, but it was difficult. An internal debate raged in his mind. He was proud of his commitment but he wondered if it was worth the price.

Two weeks later, early Thursday morning, September 19, 1985, (during the Selichos of Aseres Yemei Teshuvah) Mexico was struck by the greatest tragedy in its history. In a matter of seconds, a monstrous, rumbling earthquake gashed and shook Mexico City, toppling buildings, swallowing homes, wreaking havoc and bringing instantaneous death to thousands of people! Within 24 hours, as the country staggered to adjust to the shock and magnitude of the Thursday tragedy, an aftershock staggered the city. The number of people killed in these earthquakes reached a shocking 4,541. Another 14,236 were injured and 2,637 required hospitalization. In the downtown district there was utter devastation. People searched in vain for relatives and friends, but it was mostly for naught. The destruction, mayhem and sorrow was beyond imagination.

Yet, amidst all the devastation, one building remained standing - the one Jacobo couldn't sell. Its windows were blown out and some of the facade of the building had peeled off, but remarkably it was structurally sound. The Mexican government had to regroup. Aid and rescue efforts had to be directed and coordinated. People needed the assurance that the government was functioning and accessible. Thus within days of the earthquakes, Jacobo's building, conveniently located downtown, was checked for its strength and stability.

When it passed inspection, the government bought most of the offices in the building and the remaining space was sold to large corporations who had lost their offices when other buildings collapsed or were deemed unsafe. Jacobo's extraordinary profit was far beyond what he would have made had he sold the building weeks before. The deals for his building propelled Jacobo into a category of wealth he never imagined.

The Hashgachah Pratis (Divine Providence) of the Shabbos not allowing him to sell the building propelled him into being a total Shabbos observer. Jacobo and Sophia never told the story to anyone. Word got out that their building was sold to the government, but no one in the community knew about the frantic Friday negotiations two weeks before the earthquakes, and Jacobo's decision to close his office for Shabbos.

Years later, in the palatial lobby of his new magnificent office building, Jacobo and Sophia tendered a grand party in honor of his first completion of a Talmudic tractate, which he had studied for several years with Rabbi Shea Deutsch (now teaching in Lakewood, N.J.) at the Aram Tzovah Kollel. There, in the presence of rabbis, community leaders and friends, Jacobo told the story that changed his life. (Reflections of the Maggid, Rabbi P. Krohn p. 193)

We read about the holiness of Shabbos in this week's parsha Vayakhel. As it states in the verse "On six days, work may be done, but the seventh day shall be holy for you, a day of complete rest for Hashem; whoever does work on it shall be put to death." (Shemos 35:2)

Shabbos is the paradigm of Judaism. Why is that so? Because on Shabbos, we must control our actions, speech, and thought, the three realms of behavior. We may not do certain actions on Shabbos, such as driving, which involves lighting fires. We may not speak about certain topics on Shabbos such as business dealings. And it is preferable not even to think about weekday activities on Shabbos. Thus, Shabbos trains us to control our behavior in life. Therefore, Shabbos is the paradigm of Judaism. Because the essence of Judaism is modifying our behavior to live according to Hashem's rules, not our own rules.
from Good Shabbos Everyone.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Don't cross this line!

Libya Remains on UN Human Rights Panel as It Bombs Civilians

Just a reminder that Hashem rules the world and Kings and Princes are subject to his will.

Monday, February 21, 2011

We were not placed in this world to change things,

 rather we are here for the sake of the journey. Only Hashem sustains the world and is “koneh ha’kol.” Your responsibility is to become more similar to Hashem by assisting and supporting everything that’s within your reach, but not more. This indeed is why our great leaders never get tired of constantly giving. They have bitachon in Hashem’s capacity to bring about the ultimate tikun and they content themselves with doing whatever they can.

Excerpted from Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller’s Question and Answer series on Naaleh.com

The true source

Ain od milvado-there is nothing other then Hashem. We have to be aware that the only true eminations in this world are coming from Hashem and everything else is an artificle distraction from true reality  
from a Shiur by Rebbetzin Heller on Aish.com

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Give someone a smile today.

It is a greater thing to give someone a smile then a glass of milk.  One of the most important ways to grow spiritually is to feel good about yourself. When a person feels good about themselves they have confidence that they can grow.  By helping another person to feel good about them self we are helping them to grow.

from a Shiur by Rabbi Orlowek, "Stategies of the Yetzer Harah"

Every Mitzvah is priceless.

No good dead or thought is small or insignificant. Good deads effect our netzach, our eternity.  The proper understanding of the reward for a mitzvah is that it will benifit a person eternally.  Even the smallest sliver of eternity is priceless, so therefore the smallest mitzvah is priceless.

from a Shiur by Rabbi Orlowek, "Stategies of the Yetzer Harah"

Asher Yatzar: a source of healing, a treasure in our daily lives.

This Beracha is said as an expression of gratitude to Hashem, for the marvelous structure and functioning of the human body. In this Beracha, we acknowledge to Hashem that the properly functioning, healthy body is a marvelous gift from Hashem to man.

If one says this Beracha with proper intent, it can be a great source of Yiras Shamayim, Emunah and Bitachon.

The Chafetz Chaim and other Great Sages write that the saying of Asher Yatzar with the proper intent and from writing has the power to help one have a healthy body all of his life. There are many people who were saved from a severe illness by saying this Beracha from a written page with the proper intent.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Emuna has two sides

– just as we believe in Hashem, we must believe in ourselves and in our genuine desires to get close to Hashem...
People fall into depression and despair because they don’t realize that their main job is desire. A totally crass bumpkin can become a Rebbe Akiva if his desires for holiness are strong enough. Rebbe Akiva was an illiterate laborer, the son of converts. Yet, according to the Gemara, he surpassed Moses. With enough desire, anyone can become a Moses or a Rebbe Akiva.

By: Rabbi Shalom Arush   read the rest of the article at
http://www.breslev.co.il/articles/spirituality_and_faith/personal_growth/every_last_drop.aspx?id=18320&language=english

Don't Ruin the Sefer Torah

Every Jew is like a letter in the Torah. One who culls another Jew is therefore ruining the Torah scroll, because one ruined letter renders the entire Torah scroll unfit...
Since we don’t yet love each other, the Holy Temple remains destroyed. Hashem would much rather have us love each other than pound our chests in lamentations.

from Rabbi Lazer Brody--read the complete article at:

http://www.breslev.co.il/articles/judaism/concepts_in_judaism/the_picnic.aspx?id=18321&language=english

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Being all that you can be

When you think of what your personal goals actually are, there is always some degree of tension between what you want to be and who you are. Going into the never-never-land of pretending that you actually are the person you would like to be takes a toll. You have to face up to your imperfections, and most of us respond to that with guilt, and ultimately with resentment. The other alternative to some seems to be to look at the goal as being so far away and inaccessible that it isn't worth fighting the good fight to get there.

from Rebetzin Heller's Blog to read more http://www.tziporahheller.com/?q=blog/being-all-you-can-be

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Our lives are full of treasures that we do not appreciate.

We are all like peddlers; if everybody would believe in what they're selling, they'd sell all their merchandise at a premium price. A salesperson can't possibly sell his or her own wares if he or she doesn't believe in the quality of their own merchandise.

The same goes for our own prayer and Torah. If we'd believe that Hashem derives limitless gratification from every word of Torah that we learn, we'd be plowing away in Torah all day long. If we'd believe that Hashem stops everything He's doing to listen to the voice of a person that prays to Him, we'd be praying with super enthusiasm; people would flock to the synagogues, and nobody would have to tell the people to stop the idle chatter. If you had an audience before a great king, no one would have to tell you not to talk to the butler at the same time. A person would be crazy to do so.

As such, we put little effort into Torah and prayer because we don't believe in their power, and we don't believe in our own power...

With self esteem, when you realize that every minute of your life is important because of what you're capable of accomplishing every single second, is it logical to squander time. When all the money in the world can't pay for the smallest mitzvah, is it wise to chase money?

One of the things we look forward to in the full Redemption of our people is the restoration of our national self-esteem, when people will be proud to don the crown of Torah, speedily in our days, amen.
By: Rabbi Shalom Arush  from Breslev.co.il

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

An inspiring Dvar Torah from Rav Pinchus

When WHen a person is immersed in a tza'ar, hashem is truly with him and shares the tza'ar. If a person would have been able to see what is really going on in heaven at that time he would see the following; He would see ... the shechina..on the .. sarfei kodesh. all this in a time of tza'ar. He goes further and says it is those moments we should seize to daven and beg to hashem because those times are times of sha'as ratzon and the place he is standing is like the beth hamikdash and the tefilos are mekubal.


Thank you Rivkie for sending this to me.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Spiritual realities changing the physical world.

Why do we make a Purim Seuda, when the source of the problem on Purim was that the Jews went to the Seuda of Achasveiros.  The answer is that when the Jews did Teshuva from Ahavah. it was counted as if they did a mitzvah and not an aveirah.  This shows us not just the importance of Teshuvah, but that physical things can change from spiritual realities.

from a Shiur by Rebbetzin Heller about Purim on Aish.com

Friday, February 4, 2011

Another reason not to speak Loshon Hara.

The Chofetz Chaim teaches that speaking negatively of an older sibling, a step-parent or, God forbid, a father or mother, is not only loshon hora, it is a violation of the commandment “Honor your father and mother (Shemos 20:12)”. There is also a curse applied to children who show parents disrespect: “Cursed is he who degrades his father or mother” (Devarim 27:16).


One of the primary reasons Hashem created the family unit was so that it could be a workshop, a place for the neshamah (soul) to develop. The home is where we learn to be less self-centered, where we develop a love of chesed (kindness) towards others. When the laws of shmiras halashon guide the family’s interactions, each neshamah which this “workshop” produces can develop to its full, rich potential.

from: dcompanion@chofetzchaimusa.org

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Why does Hashem want us to build a Miskan?

 Why does Hashem care about a physical thing?  To teach us that the source of everything is Hashem.  To teach us not to see the physical world as being separate from the spiritual world.  We may be tempted to think that the physical world is unrelated to the spiritual world, but in actuality, the whole world is connected to Hashem.

from a Shiur by Rabbi Kirzner on Aish.com about Parshat Terumah

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Don't say when I have time I will study, because you might never have time. .......Pirke Avot

Rabbi Kirzner says that many times we think that we should get our act together and then we can change, but really it has to be the other way.  First we have to start making a positive change in our life, then we will start to get our life together.

from a Shiur by Rabbi Kirzner on Aish Audio

Egyptians against Egyptians

Yeshayahu- Isaiah - Chapter 19


1. The harsh prophecy of Egypt; Behold the Lord is riding on a light cloud and He shall come to Egypt, and the idols of Egypt shall quake from before Him and the heart of the Egyptians shall melt in their midst. א.

2. And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they shall war one man against his brother, and a man against his friend, a city against a city and a province against a province.


May all of Hashem's promises come true.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Looking to grow.

Hillel says: don't trust yourself until the day of your death.  Rabbi Kirzner ztl says that we have to realize that it is the general nature of man to decline.  If we are not working on our spiritual growth, we will be sinking.  We can never sit back and rest on our accomplishments. Growth is a process and not a destination.

from a Shiur by Rabbi Kirzner from Aish.com
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