Spiritual redemtion

Doing a mitzvah with bitachon and not routinely brings spiritual redemtion. Misilis Yesharim by Rabbi Luzato says that it brings us toward Ruach Hakodesh (divine inspiration).
from a Shiur on Naaleh:Simcha and Bitachon Teacher: Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller
Class: Bitachon: Meaning of Trust
Many people on OA have shared that doing Mitzvot with true Kavanah (intent) was a very positive side result of the spititual growth through OA.

Gratitude for the Torah

Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato says that the history of the Jewish People can be divided into 4 periods:

pregnacy- the time in Mitzrayim when we lived in darkness, we could not see Hashem

birth- coming out of Mizrayim- the Jews were ejected out as if out of a womb

adolecense- the time in the dessert- a time when we learn to appreciate Hashem, adolescnce is the time when Hakaros hatov is very hard for us.

adulthood- began at Har Sinai-when we could begin to transition from learning to appreciate Hashem, to acting maturely and doing Hashem's will

Our job durring Sefiras Haomer is to work on our appreciation and gratitude towards Hashem so that we will be ready for Shavuos, to recieve Hashem's Torah with appreciation for its true worth.

From a Shiur by Rabbi Keleman

Harmful abstinence

Harmful abstinence, however, resembles the ways of the foolish gentiles who not only refrain from what is unessential but also deny themselves what is essential and chastise themselves, (often) in strange ways, which the Eternal  totally rejects.  Mesilis Yisharim- Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato p. 98

A person can not eliminate all materialism from their lives.  It is the purpose of the Jew to elevate the physical and bring it to a spiritual plane.  For those of us who want to achieve this level, but are not really there yet, it helps to have a guide (our sponsor) who keeps us on the right path, and keeps us from trying to reach a harmful abstinence.  I think that without my sponsor, I might have become so carried away with my abstinence that I might have gone to the other extreme.  My sponsor keeps me on the right path.

The ideal way for a person to aquire abstinence.

The ideal way for a person to acquire abstinence is to examine the inferior nature of the pleasures of this world, their insignificance, and the serious ills that are likely to emerge from them.
               - the beginning of chapter 15  Misilis Yesharim
                - Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzatto

Pesach was a time of stark contrasts.  As hard as it was to stay abstinent, the benefits were extremely clear.  I walked to Shul, up and down a big hill, and it was easy.  I feel like a whole new world is opening up as my physical abilities improve.  I could get down on the floor and play with my grandchildren, and even get up again without to much difficulty.  Overeating is a serious issue for many on Pesach, and as I emerge from the Yom Tov feeling healthy and good, and I listen to others complain about the misery of overindulging, I am extremely grateful for my abstinence.

Prevent Suffering

From the Sefer "Misilat Yesharim" by Rabbi Moshe Chayim Luzzato p.94

Even more at risk is a person who has acustomed himself to be satiated through eating and drinking. If he just once lacks what he is used to he will suffer and will be keenly aware of his deprivation.

We see from this that while we control ourselves it is difficult, we are really helping ourselves in the long run.

Abstinence is the first step toward piety.

From the Sefer "Misilat Yeshurim",The Path of the Just by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato

Abstinence is the first step toward piety....
Our sages of blessed memory expressed the underlying principle of abstinence (Yevamos 20a) as follows: "Sanctify yourself through the permissible." This is what the word abstinence actually means- to abstain and distance oneself form something, i.e., to deny oneself what is permissible, with the aim of (setting up a barrier,) preventing any contact with the actual prohibition.

First of all I want to say that I spent many hours studying this in the past and I never connected to it. It seemed like something for Malachim, angels. Now that I have been abstinent for about a half a year, I feel like it is talking directly to me.

As I sit there weighing out my food, taking one little string bean off the plate because the scale says 8.1 instead of 8.0 ounces, sometimes I wonder why I need to be so strict. After all its just vegetables. But that is the point, where is your nekudot habichirah (decision point). Is it going to be with how much vegetables I can eat, or is is going to be with how many pieces of cake I am going to eat.

It is like that with everything in life. We are all fighting an up hill battle and we have to draw a line somewhere.

Avoiding the “junk food of the world" - Rabbi Kirzner ztl

From a Shiur by Rabbi Yitzchak Kirzner ztl

http://www.rabbikirzner.org/system/scripts/modules/admin/pages/show_page.cgi?p=Videos

Luzzato tells us that man was created “l’hitaneg al Hashem” to find pleasure in hashem. We have to know that there is an ability to absorb pleasure. We have been created with a thirst and a longing for pleasure, that creates within us a feeling of lack unless we find this pleasure.

We have to find the kind of pleasure that Hashem created us for, a pleasure of Ruchnius(spirituality). We have to know that there is pleasure in Ruchnius. If we do Mitzvas routinely, without using them as a way of developing a relationship with Hashem we will not find this pleasure.

We must have Emunah that we personally can find pleasure in Ruchnius. We have to refine our tastes so that we do not look for our pleasure in the “junk food of the world".

I just got an outreach call from someone who had a lot of trouble not overeating on Shabbos, after I spoke to her I listened to this Shiur and thought about how much we need to focus on Spiritual and not physical pleasure on Shabbos.