Balance Between Body and Soul-Bilvavi Miskan Evneh

Balance Between Body and Soul-Bilvavi Miskan Evneh.
Da Et Atzmacha page 260

..the Torah teaches us that we must correct our character in order to achieve balance between the body and the soul. It is not only the body that needs internal balance. The soul does not want anger, and the body does. The soul want to give, and the body wants to be self-centered. These problems require us to make peace between the two components.

How do we acheive this peace? Do we go to an exteme to correct a middah or do we give in? There is more then one way of growing.

Worrying

Thanks to Modern Uberdox (for Link see blog roll)

Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin of Salant
It is forbidden to worry, except about worrying.

Thank you Hashem for helping me reach Ninety Days

A personal note of gratitude to Hashem for Helping me to reach Ninety Days. Since I am part of a Ninety Day Fellowship this is the first time that I can share in my meetings. I would also like to thank my sponsor for giving me so much time to put me on the right path. I also want to thank each and every reader of my blog, it gives me chizuck to keep going.

Nature as "Hashem's Clothing"

From a Shiur by Rabbi Lieb Keleman on Relationships

Rabbi Keleman explains that it is important for us to view nature as an external part of Hashem, he used the expression, "Hashem's Clothing". Nature can change at any time at Hashem's will, it exists only by Hashem's will, but it is an expression of the external wishes of Hashem.

This Shabbos it occurred to me that while nature is "Hashem's Clothing" there is much that we can learn from observing nature. One of the things that we can learn is that when people are overweight they are not healthy. Since we know that Hashem wants us to guard our health, we can also know that Hashem does not want us to be overweight.

Beinone B'Shita-The Chazon Ish

From a Shiur by Shira Smiles on Shovavim

The Chazon Ish warns us do not be a Beinone B'Shita, do not make a decision that this is how I am and I am not going to change. We must be open to growth and change.

New Dvar Torah from a Phone Call

Heard on a phone call with Chaya in Monsey:

Why do we use silver for Kiddush Cups instead of Gold? Because silver needs to be polished to be beautiful and we want to remember that a Jew always has to polish his/her self and improve. We can never rest in one place.

We do our Histadlas, but abstinence is a gift from Hashem.

Spiritual Growth Durring Shovavim

From a Shiur by Shira Smiles on Shovavim

Shovavim represents a time of the year when we should work on curbing our physical desires. For a women this is best expressed in terms of modesty. Not just how we dress, but much more. This is a time when we should focus on our inner being, and not our external appearance.

We have to remember that every act that we do is before Hashem. It does not matter who sees us, it matters that we act with Shaimus before Hashem.

OA is not just a diet, where we are trying to get thin and beautiful. OA is about working on our internal self so that we do not have to eat compulsively to burry our feelings and thoughts.

Rabbi Akiva Tatz on facing Ordeals

Rabbi Akiva Tatz on facing Ordeals

The worst part of an ordeal is not the pain and suffering, it is the wondering why I have to go through this. The best way to stand up to an ordeal is to focus on the idea that nothing is random. There is a reason for all suffering. Hashem has a plan for all of us and every one of us and each problem that we face is for a reason.

Spiritual light- Rebbe Nachman

Rebbe Nachmah-

Care for your physical body in order to give the body a share of the spiritual light attained by the soul.

Likutey Moharan 1,22

Davening for Limits

From a Shiur about Rav Shimshon Pinchus' sefer on Tefilah
(teacher requests anonymity)

Question: In last week's shiur we learned that calling a name of Hashem activates an attribute of Hashem, why would we want to use Hashem's that activates strict judgement.

Answer: Unlimited goodness is dangerous. In order for the world to work we have to have limits. Hashem's goodness is always expanding, but part of this goodnes is discipline. We have to daven for Hashem's goodnes and limits.

Dvar Torah from a Phone Call

The longer you are on the program the more you understand that the key to abstenience is your conection to Hashem. As important as all of the other tools are, you will only keep your abstenience if you stay connected to Hashem. Otherwise as life's problems decend you will not have the strength to withstand temptation.

Hashem's Reality

From a Shiur by Rebbetzin Heller on Emes and Sheker

http://www.naaleh.com/viewclass/2310/single/


When you do not tell the truth you are distorting Hashem's reality. We live in a world of falsehood, and our job is to bring the truth to light.

Rebbetzin Heller on Truth

From a Shiur by Rebbetzin Heller

Questions and Answers for Today's Jewish Woman, Part 7


Telling the truth is only the tip of the iceberg, thinking the truth is where we have to take ourselves.

Grateful for my "Gratefull list"

From Lazer Beams
http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/

For the people of Israel, miracles are the way of nature, for the people of Israel are above nature." Rebbe Nachman of Breslev

Don't be upset with the nations of the world because they don't understand us; they're not capable of understanding us.

My beloved teacher and spiritual guide Rabbi Shalom Arush says that if you haven't yet seen a miracle today, it's because you haven't said thank-you to Hashem today. So what are you waiting for?

Extreme Pleasures-"Bilvavi Miskan Evneh"

From "Getting to Know Your Self" by Bilvavi Miskan Evneh page 347

"One who is focused on extreme pleasures can either have physical pleasure or he will use an extreme method to try to get some spiritual delight. This may have some merit as a transition into the spiritual realm, but it is not the goal. We must reach the center and live there."

Since starting OA I have discovered that I can get much further by using the center path. Instead of listening to 3 or 4 Shiurim in one night and none for the next day or two, I try to learn every day. Instead of going on a crash diet and binging the next, I eat a proper and healthy amount of food. As I watch people around me mixing their diet shakes and other extreme measures, then binging the next day, I am grateful that I eat yummy healthy food 3 times a day.