Gam Zu L'Tova on Purim

In our lives there is nothing good or bad, there is just sweet and bitter.  Since everything comes from Hashem, nothing is bad.  In the Purim Story, the things that made the situation seem the worst, were actually the root cause of the redemption.  This is the essence of Purim, looking at things in our lives that seem difficult and realizing that they were really for the best.

from A Shiur by Rabbi Berkowitz on Aish.com -Purim Perspectives

What really causes us to suffer in this world?

Sometimes when things are very difficult, the biggest source of our suffering is our refusal to accept Hashem's agenda for our lives instead of our own.  We have to realize that only by surrendering to Hashem's plans for us instead of our own plans can we truly achieve our tikun in this world.

from a Shiur on Aish.com
Shelanu: Discovering Your Personal Freedom # BY 678 B


by Berkovits, Rabbi Yitzchak

http://www.aishaudio.com/search/results.php

A Dose of Tranquility for Pesach Cleaning-Dealing with BREAD CRUMBS durring Pesach Cleaning.

What about bread crumbs on your kitchen floor? There are various opinions in halacha, but I'm going to present one in particular that is easier to understand. We established that the third category -- "garbage" -- is defined as anything that cannot ferment another dough, and is so non-edible that even a dog wouldn't eat it. According to most halachic authorities, there is one more substance that is defined as "garbage": Chametz that is smaller than a kezayit (about 30 grams) and you would not use it for anything. This is something most people call "garbage" -- you would easily throw it away and in your mind it's nothing. Crumbs fit into this category. The only kind of crumb that's problematic is one you'd pick up with your finger and put on your tongue. So leftover crumbs from the table are in fact "chametz." Leftover crumbs on the floor, which you wouldn't eat, are garbage. Therefore, any crumb that you would consider dirt (and is smaller than a kezayit) does not have to be gotten rid of. (The fact that a baby eats it does not turn it into chametz. Because when a baby decides to eat something, it is not a conscious decision that "this is food." If you have non-food around, a baby will eat that, too!) from: Pesach Cleaing made easy: By knowing what and how to clean, Passover cleaning needn't be a chore. by Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits http://www.aish.com/h/pes/l/48970611.html

By knowing what and how to clean, Passover cleaning needn't be a chore.

There are so many Passover preparations that are done unnecessarily, where if you want to do them for extra credit, that's fine. But it's important to understand what is necessity and what is voluntary.

from "Passover cleaning made easy" on Aish.com by Rabbi Yitzchak Berkowitz

for the details go to:


http://www.aish.com/h/pes/l/48970611.html

Creating your own personal Megilah

This Purim you should create your own personal Megilah.  Look back at your life and see the tragedies that turned into Bracha.  Write it down and celebrate it.  This will help you to be strong going forward because it helps you to appreciate that Hashem has a plan for us, and it may not feel good while it is happening, but we can often look back and appreciate that his plan is for our good.

from a Shiur by Rabbi Berkowitz about Purim

If you want to be a real nonconformist in today's society-conform.

  Today's society values relative truth and each person doing what they think is right.  In today's world it is important to accept Hashem's rule and truth despite outside influences.

We have to accept the challenge of accepting Hashem's agenda for us and not our own.

from the Shiur-Discovering your personal freedom from Rabbi Yitzchack Berkowitz

This morning my OA literature talked about how everyone's truth is relative, I was glad to have this insight from Rabbi Berkowitz to keep me grounded.

Following Hashem's agenda

Unfortunately many children view school as something that they have to tolerate, and find a way to beat the system.  Instead of trying to grow and learn in school they are busy trying to find ways of getting by.

Even more unfortunately many adults look at life this way.  Instead of looking for ways to grow and become a better person they are looking for ways to beat the system.

Everything that happens in our lives is from Hashem to help us reach perfection and shlaimus.  We have to follow Hashem's agenda for us and not our own.  Much of the suffering in our lives comes from our refusal to see life in Hashem's terms instead of our own.

from a Shiur on Aish.com by Rabbi Yitzchak Berkowitz

Tisha B'Av is the time to start doing Teshuvah.

  It is the time when we learn that Hashem holds us responsible for our actions and we should use this knowledge to make changes in our lives.  Don't wait until it is almost Rosh Hashanah to start thinking about Teshuvah, start now.

Change is always difficult, but the important thing is to start.

From the Shiur "Tisha B'av-connecting to Kinos" by Rav Yitzchak Berkowitz on Aish Audio.

Real freedom

Real freedom is knowing that Hashem can make me happy with what ever I have.

from the Shiur:
Shelanu: Discovering Your Personal Freedom # BY 678 B
by Berkovits, Rabbi Yitzchak

This is such an amazing Shiur I really recomend it.
http://www.aishaudio.com/search/results.php

Blind Faith on Purim

Purim Perspectives on Simcha # BY 554 A
by Berkovits, Rabbi Yitzchak


The mitzvah of Purim is to suspend our logic and to realize that everything that happens is from Hashem and to know that therefore it is good. The reason that Purim is named for the lots that Haman drew is because we are celebrating that what appears to be trouble is not. We have to be happy that Hashem knows what he is doing, because we do not. We have to understand that even though we do not know what is going to happen we know that it is for the good.

We are celebrating blind faith, but it is not really blind, because we have Purim to back it up. This is why there is a mitzvah to drink until we don't know, we want to remember that we don't ever really know, only Hashem knows.

To prepare for Purim we should make our own Megilah. Look back at our lives and realize that the seemingly bad things in our lives where there for a reason, and they all come together to bring us to where we need to be.

A Definition of Happiness-Rabbi Brody -2

From a Shiur by Rabbi Lazer Brody

"Happiness is knowing my nothingness."

This ties back to the Shiur by Rabbi Berkovitz that the less we need the closer we come to Hashem. The more that we know that we are nothing- and we need nothing-the more that we will come closer to Hashem.

Kedushah- Rabbi Berkovitz-4

From the Shiur Living Your Life with Kedusha by Rav Berkowitz on Aish Audio

Kedusha is the process of finding yourself less and less needy so that you can focus on closeness to Hashem. If you live in a way that you do not need anything physical, you will gain devaikas to Hashem. If you do your histadlus, Hashem will bring you closer to him.

Ahavas Hashem-Enjoying Life Rabbi Berkovitz-3

From the Shiur Living Your Life with Kedusha by Rav Berkowitz on Aish Audio

In order to serve Hashem you have to be happy. The mitzvah of Ahavas Hashem is to develop a love of life, who made it and why. Service of Hashem is enjoying the world he made in a proper way. If when things go wrong you are down, that is interfering with your ahavas Hashem. It is only through working on our middos to the point of getting rid of our addictions that we can really enjoy life, and truly do the mitzvah of ahavas Hashem.

Living your life with Kedusha by Rav Berkowitz-2

From the Shiur Living Your Life with Kedusha by Rav Berkowitz on Aish Audio

Neediness is wrong, neediness is traif. This is not an independent mitzvah it is a way of protecting yourself from doing things that are forbidden.
The Mitzvah of Kedoshim Tihiyu (be holy) is to rise above the need for Olam Haze, so that you do not become so attached to something that you can't live without it.

Before joining OA I thought that I needed so much more than I really do. I am just as happy without my chocolate, and treats. But even more than that I have discovered that many things are delicious without the added oil, sugar, or flour that I thought was needed to make them taste good. It is actually empowering to discover just how little you really need to be happy.

Getting Used to less- Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovitz-1

From- Living Your Life with Kedushah by Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovitz

We know that there are things that we do that are right and things that are wrong, how do we come to cross this barrier?
We allow ourselves to develop needs within the world of Mutar (permitted) and we become addicted to these needs. This causes us to cross boundaries that we don't want to.

We have to learn to enjoy this world without becoming addicted to anything.

Reminders for Chesbon Hanefesh

From a Shiur by Rabbi Berkowitz on "Keeping Chesbon Hanefesh Going"

Make a sign for yourself that says:

"I live to perfect myself.
I will never perfect myself if I don't do Chesbon Hanefesh daily.
I need Chesbon Hanefesh desperately."

Feeling like you are in control of your life keeps you doing Chesbon Hanefesh daily.

Consistentcy with your Chesbon Hanefesh

From a Shiur by Rabbi Berkowitz on "Keeping Chesbon Hanefesh Going"

How do you make sure that you will be consistent with your Chesbon Hanefesh?

The Yetzer Hara does not want us to do Chesbon Hanefesh on a regular basis. The Yetzer Hara is more worried about this than anything else. Chesbon Hanefesh is the best tool for growth that there is, and the Yetzer Hara will do almost anything to keep us from doing this.
This is the biggest battle you will ever fight.

The only way to do daily Chesbon Hanefesh is to realize that this is the reason that you are alive. The Gra says that this is what we are created for. We are alive for self improvement, and the only way that we can do this is through Chesbon Hanefesh.

The more that we perfect ourselves, the closer that we get to the perfection of Hashem.

I was thinking about this and I suddenly realized what a powerful tool our nightly writting is. Not only do we do a daily Chesbon Hanefesh, but we share it with our sponsor which ensures that we always do it.

The Road to Greatness.

From a Shiur by Rabbi Berkowitz "Intoduction to Chesbon Hanefesh" from Aish Audio.

The road to greatness is in perfecting yourself. You don't want to beg the world for recognition. You want to make yourself great because this is what Hashem created you for, whether or not other people recognize it.

You can not allow other people's perception of you to change your perception of yourself.

Changing the world by changing yourself.

More from the Shiur by Rabbi Berkowitz "Introduction to Chesbon Hanefesh" from Aish Audio





The way to change the world is not by making noise, but by never forgeting that you have to work on changing the world. You have to know that you have to grow in every possible area. All of the troubles of this world are really opportunities for growth. Everyone can be big, everyone can be great, we have to be. You can not sit in the corner and wait for someone else to do things. You have to set goals that help you to change the world. Your number one goal is, "I have to make a difference". If you don't see greatness as a goal you will never get anywhere.

Making Chesbon Hanefesh Real

The 4th Step - made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Rabbi Yitzchack Berkowitz- Introduction to Chesbon Hanefesh from Aish Audio

The first thing you have to think about is, "what am I living for?" Everything in your life should reflect your long term goals.

Chesbon Hanefesh mean sitting down and working out the stuff that is floating around in your head and making it concrete. What do I have to do, to get where I want to go. You can not grow if you do not have a clear sense of direction.