Join Rav Itamar Shwartz, shlita, the author Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh the week before Shavous to prepare for "Kabbalas haTorah."

To register for a Intensive Seminar  or for additional info please call 516.668.6397 or email info@bilvavi.us



Sunday May 29th - Flatbush -

Intensive Seminar 1:30, 2:45, & 4:00 (3 different shiurim) - Ateres Shloime (29th & K) Flatbush - Men and women are invited – Appointments available before and after - No charge for admission - $20 donation comes with your choice of a CD of MP3s of shiurim by Rav Shwartz or shiurim by Rav Moshe Weinberger teaching Bilvavi and Da Es Atzmecha - $200 donation comes with CD and sefer of your choice. Contact 516-668-6397



Monday May 30th - Monsey -

Memorial Day - Intensive Seminar 3:00, 4:15, & 5:30 (3 different shiurim) NOTE: 5:30 shiur with english translation - Men and women are invited – Ohr Someach, 244 Route 306, Monsey- Appointments available after. No charge for admission - $20 donation comes with your choice of a CD of MP3s of shiurim by Rav Shwartz or shiurim by Rav Moshe Weinberger teaching Bilvavi and Da Es Atzmecha - $200 donation comes with CD and sefer of your choice. Contact 914-645-4199



Tuesday May 31st - Atlanta, GA -

8:30 PM: Drasha at Beth Jacob - 1855 Lavista Road NE, Atlanta - Men and women are invited. Sponsorships still needed. Contact: 404-290-8927



Wednesday June 1 - Boro Park -

8:30 PM: Talmud Torah Toldos Yaakov Yosef Sqvare– 1373 43rd St. (men only) Sponsorships still needed. Contact: 516-668-6397



Thursday June 2nd - Lakewood -

• 8:30 PM: "The Avodah of Chodesh Sivan" @Beis Medresh of Westgate, 49 Radin, Lakewood • 10 PM: Maariv followed by a a siyum and a seuda and a drasha @ Cong. Shemen L'Mincha, 11 Engleberg Terrace, Lakewood. (men only) Contact 732-966-7743



Shabbos - June 4th - Woodmere & Far Rockaway

• 9:30 PM Friday night Oneg Shabbos - Niggunim - at the Nudman's home @361 Sutton Pl., Woodmere • 8 AM Shacharis - drasha after davening - Kahal Nesiv Hatorah – Rav Binyomin Forst: 444 Beach 6th Street, Far Rockaway • Shabbos afternoon drasha 6:45 PM in Congregation Aish Kodesh, Woodmere. Sponsorships still needed. Contact 516-668-6397



INTENSIVE SEMINARS (of three consecutive drashas) in either FLATBUSH or MONSEY. Men and women are invited. No charge for admission - $20 donation comes with your choice of a CD of MP3s of shiurim by Rav Shwartz or shiurim by Rav Moshe Weinberger teaching Bilvavi and Da Es Atzmecha - $200 donation comes with CD and sefer of your choice. For additional info please call 516.668.6397.



The sponsorship for a full drasha is $1,800. Sponsorship for Intensive Seminar is $200.



Contributions are tax deductible pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.



Sponsorships are available for smaller amounts. Please fill in the amount and select which drasha you would like to sponsor. If you would like to dedicate your sponsorship as a merit for someone, please include that in the comments section (In memory of.. In honor of...).



Drashas are delivered in easy to understand Hebrew.

Sale of Bilvavi seforim and CD's at discounted prices at all drashas.

All proceeds dedicated to printing Bilvavi seforim for free distribution.

What do I want to be on the day of my death?

In a Shiur by Bilvavi Miskan Evneh, Rav Schwatz spoke about the importance of having goals that you want to meet before you are Niftar.  As I listened to my tapes of the Shiur, I kept thinking,"If I reach my goals for the end of the day I am thrilled, how can I possibly know where I want to be when I die".  The possibiltiy of meeting a long term goal never seemed real.  Now that I have learned how to set a long term goal and follow through, it is waking up new hopes for the future. 

Recently I sat next to an older woman at a Simcha.  After complementing me on my 86 pound weight loss, she told me that she figures at her age she is going to roll into the grave fat and decrepit, and what difference does it make.  This brought me to thinking back about where do I want to be on the day of my death.  One thing that I know is that I want to be a person who operates out of thought and not out of desire.  I want to make long term plans and goals and stick to them.  While I may not always meet my daily goals, I know that there is always tomorrow and with perseverance I can make major changes in my life.

Unnecessary attachment to a physical thing.

As I was turning over my kitchen I remembered something that I read in a Sefer by Bilvavi Miskan Evneh about the pain that we feel separating from the physical world after we die.  He mentions that a Tzadik has no problem with this, is is like taking off one set of clothes and putting on another.  As I was getting rid of my extra chometz I was thinking about how difficult this has been in past years.  It made me feel like I was parting with something of value, that I had invested in and didn't want to get rid of.  I realized that this feeling of attachment to a physical thing has caused me unnecessary and silly pain.  By emotionally detaching from it, and declaring it valueless in my mind, I could make the turnover much easier.

Tolerance for ourselves and for others.

If one is more honest, he is aware of his good and bad points, and can accept and deal with his faults. What kind of person can best accomplish this?  One who has a deep personal connection within himself.  Sometimes we are more tolerant with others then with ourselves, because we can't cope with our own faults.  But if we have a secure place inside, we can handle a little difficulty.  Without it, the faults are too painful.

from the book, "Getting to know your soul" by the author of Bilvavi Miskan Evneh.


This is very helpful advice for working on step four.

Creating an ability to connect.

When we maintain a connection to our innermost self, we forge a deeper connection to our friends. Even if we don't like someone, we will be able to tolerate him more.  Our feeling of ta'anug will give us more ability to connect.

from the book, "Getting to know your soul" by the author of Bilvavi Miskan Evneh.

One of the benefits of joining OA is the focus on developing a connection with my innermost self.  While this is a goal that I am working on, I remember that we seek "progress not perfection".

Connecting to the Source from Bilvavi Miskan Evneh

There will always be challenges, and there is no guarantee of success, but if we are more connected to the source, it will be much easier.

The innermost point of the soul can not only help you cope with problems, it can also become a source for new strength.  If we would stay in touch with that source, we would be less confused, just as water is clearer the closer it is to its source.  Mort important than this peace is the ability to build yourself up on a calm foundation.  The other forces of the soul will draw you away from the source at different times, but we shouldn't wait until we become confused and doubtful before we return to it.

from "Getting to Know your Soul" by Bilvavi Miskan Evneh. page 88

Real growth comes from connecting to Hashem,  everyone in OA knows that real success comes from connecting to Hashem and admitting that we are powerless, and turning to Hashem for help. 

Correcting The Sin of Adam Harishon

Just like Adam Harishon brought death and destruction to the world through eating one fruit incorrectly, we can help heal the world by eating fruit correctly.

from a Shiur about Tu B'shvat by Bilvavi Miskan Evneh.

Dial in info to listen to Bilvavi Miskan Evneh this afternoon.

Due to the weather we are arranging a call in number for people to listen to the Rav speaking. Dial   1-712-432-8773  when it says to dial a conference ID you dial 613613#,

Real Wisdom

Real Wisdom is not the ability to solve problems.  Rather it is the awareness of how to avoid them as much a possible in the first place.

from : Getting to Know Your Soul" by Bilvavi Miskan Evneh

One of my favorite sayings from OA is "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail."  This carries it to a whole new stage.

Come Learn with Bilvavi Miskan Evneh.

Reminder: This Sunday Rav Schwartz- Bilvavi Miskan Evneh will be speaking in an all day Seminar:

This is a link to his site,  There are Shiurim and Seforim on Line to learn from.

http://bilvavi.net/

Join the Rav, Shlit"a

on Sunday Dec. 26th in Flatbush, Brooklyn

Congregation Sheves Achim

The Flatbush Minyan 1517 Ave. H

for a One Day Intensive Seminar

for three different drashas: 12 PM, 1.15 PM, 2.30 PM

I am posting something from his site below there is so much more to gain from going to his site. http://bilvavi.net/
(This class was delivered in a Beit Midrash called "Od Yosef Chai [Yosef is still alive]," and so, the talk is centered on this section in the Torah.)




How is it that the Torah writes Yehudah's words to the viceroy of Egypt (Bereshit 44:20) that Yosef was dead? In fact, it was untrue, so it should not be written in the Torah. The answer is that in depth, there was a kind of death. Yosef's whole essence was kavod (honor). When he was born, Rachel named him Yosef, because "Hashem gathered in (asaf) my shame." The opposite of shame is honor, so Yosef's essence was honor. Likewise, he was the conduit for the Torah of Yaakov, and by revealing that Torah, he caused Yaakov's honor to be manifest. When he was sold as a slave, his personal honor and that of his father were no more, and thus, his essence disappeared, so he was as if dead. When he became viceroy in Egypt, he was again in a position of honor, and then, indeed, "Yosef is still alive."



As long as Yosef was alive, the kavod of Yaakov was manifest. After he died, the kavod disappeared, and the enslavement of Israel began. As long as we had kavod, there could be no galut (exile). The removal of kavod is identical with galut. Geulah (redemption), though, is more than just a return of kavod, and Yosef also symbolizes the higher level of gathering in and transcending the concept of honor.



To illustrate, to shame a person is tantamount to murder, because the soul is equated with honor (Tehillim 30:13). But if a person's essence is really only honor, a disgraced person should die, because his soul, his kavod, disappears. Rather, a person is more than his kavod. The inner essence is even deeper than kavod. Kavod is deep, but it is not the deepest essence of a person. Kavod only relates to others, but does not exist at all when one is alone.



When a person lives only with kavod, he is only focused on the relationship with others. Yet one must focus on his own essence. We don't only mean that one should not do things for the sake of honor. Kavod means to be focused on the outside, and the inner life requires one not to focus on outside entities.



The gemara states that rebbi did not look outside of his four amot (cubits). The depth of this is that he did not look beyond his own place, his own existence. Looking outward means that one leaves his own personal world. Each person is unique, with his own world. When a person envies another, even another person's positive qualities, he is looking outside of his own world if he only wants the qualities because he sees them elsewhere.



The proper way is to attain a level because of a personal awareness of the value of the level. You might see people acting a certain way, or read about it in a book. But you should attain your own recognition. The gemara states that if not that the Torah were given, we would have learned alacrity from the ant. But where does the Torah teach us the quality of alacrity? The answer is that we now have an inner light with which to learn such values naturally.



The Rambam (De'ot 6:1) writes that one must live in the desert. You can live with other people and yet be as in a desert. One can live on his own, without copying anyone else. The true life is when you build your own way of life with your own personal understanding.



This is the depth of "Yosef is still alive" even now. When he died, in other words, when his level of honor disappears, the kavod is gone, but this new level is higher than kavod. On this level, one lives based on his own awareness.



The influences in this world are very strong. The values are all wrong and our thinking can become distorted. The proper way is to discover the truth on your own. Then you will receive your own life from your own neshamah. Then you will merit being like Adam before the sin. He had no one to emulate other than Hashem.



The Geulah will come when we don't copy others, but live from our own discovered truth.


Fill in the following information to join us

For info call: 516.668.6397

Bilvavi Miskan Evneh in New York Dec. 26

Rav Itamar Shwartz will be in Flatbush, Far Rockaway, and Woodmere this coming Sunday and Monday, Dec. 26th & 27th. See below for the Schedule:

Sunday, Dec. 26th

Flatbush - Cong. Sheves Achim - 1517 Ave. H (corner E. 16th, across from Q train - But on this particular Sunday, the Q does not stop there in either direction. One would have to get off at either Ave J or Newkirk, and walk about three blocks)



Rav Itamar Shwartz, the author of the Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh and Da Es Atzmecha seforim, will be giving a one day intensive seminar on Avodas Hashem in the winter Shovavim time. The shiurim will be at 12 PM, 1:15 PM, 2:30 PM.



There is a $20 suggested donation for admission and sponsorships are encouraged. Admission includes all three shiurim and a free mp3 CD of the Rav's drashos. Donations are tax deductable and all proceeds will go to enable the publication of more seforim in Hebrew and English.



English and Hebrew seforim and mp3 CDs will be on sale at the drashos at a discount.



It is preferred if you register in advance. Please CLICK HERE to register. The Rav is available to meet with people privately to discuss inyanim in Avodas Hashem after the Flatbush seminar by appointment only. Please contact Benyomin Wolf at 212-715-9417, 516-668-6397, or benbenabe@aol.com.



Monday, Dec. 27th



Far Rockaway, NY - White Shul library - 728 Empire Ave

8:45-9:15 AM



The shiur is after the 7:30 minyan and before the 9:30 minyan



The shiur will take place in the White Shul's library and will be a va'ad on inyanei Shovavim.



5:30-6:15 PM

Agudath Israel of Long Island -

Far Rockaway, NY - 1121 Sage St.

Shiur on inyanei Shovavim



Woodmere, NY

8 PM - Monday night, December 27th at 8:00 PM.



Rav Itamar Shwartz, the author of the Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh

and Da Es Atzmecha seforim will be speaking in the Shul



The shiur is open to men and women.



The Rav speaks in an easy-to-understand Hebrew, and the topic of the shiur will

be Shovavim. We are looking for sponsorships for the shiur, which will be used to enable the publication of more of the Rav's seforim in both English

and Hebrew.



Please contact Benyomin Wolf at 212-715-9417, 516-668-6397, or benbenabe@aol.com to sponsor the shiur. Donations are tax deductable.



English and Hebrew seforim, as well as mp3 CDs will be available for sale at the shiur.

Finding Torah inside of ourselves- from "Bilvavi Miskan Evneh"

Many people suffer very much from the fact that they feel a hole in their lives. They think that they are the only ones who feel and suffer. They look at the mitzvot and they are not getting the right sense of satisfaction out of it, so they may be tempted to look out of Yidishkeit for happiness. A man has to know that the pleasures outside of Yidishkeit will never satisfy them. It is like a princess who marries a farmer. Any gift that the farmer will bring her will never satisfy her. The pleasures of the secular world will never make us feel better. I examined all of the ways that people seek pleasure and realized that they will never fill the hole in my life. They all came down to nothing, they are not life, they are only distractions. The thing that is missing in our lives, is our connection to Hashem. Until we find a way to really connect to Hashem with all of our being, we will never feel better. The life that I am seeking is in me, the more Torah that I find inside of me, the better that I feel. There are times that we eat nice things, or go away on a vacation, but that is not life, that is rest or distaction, life is only found by connecting in a deeper way to the Torah.
The way to really connect to Hashem is to scream out to him and beg him to help you to form that connection. It worked for me, it will work for you.


from a shiur by "Bilvavi Miskan Evneh"http://bilvavi.net/content/view/533/32/

from "Getting to Know Your Soul"

One who thinks that he, along with everyone else, is great, is not conceited. Conceit is when one feels, "I am higher then you." But this element does not have to be negative. It can be a source for personal growth...this element can motivate you to improve.

from "Getting to know your soul"
by The author of Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh

As we grow it is sometimes hard to know how to see ourselves. This insight is important, there is nothing wrong with seeing the good in ourselves, in fact it is important to see our positive points, as long as we don't hold ourselves above others.

This new book by Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh is amazing, I recommend it highly.

A beautiful explanation of the main points of "DA Et Atzmacha"

Shira Smiles give a wonderful discussion of using that idea that we are in essence a soul with a body on top as clothes that we can change from the book by the author of Bilvavi Miskan Evneh, and how we can use this knowledge to help us to do Teshuva.

from the Shiur on Naaleh:

Soul Food

Teacher: Mrs. Shira Smiles Class: Elul and Rosh Hashana: Days of Closeness and Awe

http://www.naaleh.com/viewclass/921/single/

Achdus is the essence of our ability to recieve the Torah by Rav itamar Schwartz from a Siur about Shavuos

The achdus of Klal Yisrael is the essence of receiving the Torah. Hashem chose us as a whole, he did not chose individual. That is why we say, "Atah Bacharbanu". We thank Hashem for choosing us, not for choosing me.

If a person holds himself as a yachid( an individual) he will not be worthy of receiving the Torah. That is why "V'ahavtah L'rayicha kimocha" is a Klal gadol b'Torah.

Two things bond us together, Ahavah and Emunah (Love and Faith). A parent will always love a child even if the child misbehaves, but the same parent may not have faith that the child will always behave properly.

Hashem always loves us and he always has faith in us. The difference is that Hashem created us and he knows that we have an inner essence that is pure because Hashem created us pure. We have to have Emunah in Hashem's creation that all of Klal Yisrael have an inner and pure neshamah.

How could Hashem give us the Torah if he knew that we would sin? The answer is that the Torah was given to us as a people, it was not given to individuals. If that is the case how can we have Emunah in individuals when we know that they may sin. The answer is that we have to be able to judge everyone favorably. We have to know that there essence is pure even if there outside is not.

Hashem gave us perfection and purity as a gift on Shavuos. We took this gift and defiled it. If that is the case why are we celebrating what happened on Shavuos? We don't make a holiday on the day that the Bais Hamikdash was completed because it was destroyed after that. The answer if that the Torah remained on the same level. Even though the Luchos were destroyed the Torah remains the same. The connection that Hashem created on Shavuos remains there and every person has the ability to connect to it. Klal Yisrael has the ability to be perfect. The way that Hashem created us and choose us means that this potential exists in us today.

Because Hashem has Emunah in us we have to have Emunah in this inner potential. Even though we fell we still have the potential.

We have to know that there are times of aliyah and yeridah in our lives but we have to grow. Hashem believes in us, and we believe in Hashem. This connection is Matan Torah.
Hashem does not give up on anyone.

If you want to be close to Matan Torah you have to make achdus the basis of your life. We fell from the level of the first Matan Torah, but we have to prepare to get back there. It seem so far, but we can do it.

If a person was in the hospital for a serious illness and he also had a minor problem and his family was busy running around looking for a doctor to cure the minor illness and forgets the life threatening problem, we would call them fools. Yet this is what we are like. We focus on particulars but don't work on our achdus. What distances us from the Torah is our lack of achdus.

Notes from Bilvavi Miskan Evneh-Rav Schwartz's 3:00 Shiur from the day of learning about preparing for Shavuos

Smiyat Haozen is an important way of preparing for Kabalas HaTorah. We are aquiring the same Torah that was given to us on Har Sinai. We are trying to "reaquire" it. Every generation, every gilgul has to go through the process of kinyan. We have to say "Naaseh V'Nishmah" We have to accept to do the Ratzon (will of Hashem) and to become a Kli (vessel) to listen to Hashem's will. Our Avodah is to return to that point after "Naaseh V'Nishmah". The voice that the Yidden heard at Har Sinai was not just then, it continues for all generations, it goes from one end of the world to the next. When you listen to that Kol (voice) your life will be completely different.

When Hashem spoke to Shmuel Hanavi, he did not realize at first that it was Hashem speaking to him. Hashem is always talking to us we just don't always hear it. We often think that it is other people speaking. Kabalas HaTorah means listening to the voice of Hashem. First they heard Hashem directly, then they heard Hashem through Moshe. When we listen to the Torah we are hearing Hashem's voice. Sometimes we hear it directly, and sometimes through the Rabbis. When you do Hashem's will you are listening to Hashem's voice.

Everything in creation reveals Hashem's existence. When you are aware that everything is from Hashem, then you will come to see Hashem's voice even in physical creations, even inanamate objects.

Hashem gave us the Koach Hadibur which has the ability to create good or to destroy.

If you have an orchestra and everyone is playing a different tune it will sound horrible, but when they are playing together it sounds beautiful. The whole world is like an orchestra playing the same song- the Dvar Hashem.

When you want to connect to another person, you need to feel that the person is open to hearing what you have to say. If you are not open to them you can not be a kli for them. Not everything is communicated with words. A baby is able to comunicate a lot without words. If you love a person you are able to connect without words, just like a child's voice is pecious to us even if we don't like everything they say. The Baal Shem Tov says that Hashem feels the same way about us.

If you listen to Hashem's voice, you will be able to hear the good in the bad.

You have to acustom yourself to listen to the voice of Hashem, to hear that everything around us is from Hashem.

We are only isolated becuase we isolate ourselves by refusing to hear the voice of others.

Mamad Har Sinai was a time of complete Achdus and everyone said the same thing at the same time. Our voice comes from our pure neshamah. We said "Naaseh V'Nishmah" at the same time because we were connected. We have to stay connected to all of klal Yisrael. We often shut people out when we don't want to hear them. We have to remember to love the voice of other Yidden.

These are my notes, if something is wrong it is my fault.

Preparing for Kabalas HaTorah -Notes from a Shiur by the author of Bilvavi Miskan Evneh

One of the ways of preparing for Kabalas HaTorah is learning from every person. You may ask, "what does this have to do with the Torah?" Don't we learn that we have to acquire a Rav. The answer is that we do have to have a Rav, but we also have to learn from everyone.

How do we learn from every person- by being humble. At the time of Kabas Torah the Jewish people we like one person with one heart. To receive the Torah we have to work to be on that level.

Just like a Sefer Torah is not kosher if it is missing a single letter, the Jewish people are not complete if we are missing a single neshamah. When we are humble we are able to give to each other and to receive from each other. Many of our Tefilah are in the plural because that is how we receive brachah.

Moshe Rabenu was able to receive the Torah because he was on the level of feeling connected to every Jew.

The achdus of Klal Yisrael is the essence of receiving the Torah. Hashem chose us as a whole, he did not chose individual. That is why we say, "Atah Bacharbanu". We thank Hashem for choosing us, not for choosing me.

If a person holds himself as a yachid( an individual) he will not be worthy of receiving the Torah. That is why "V'ahavtah L'rayicha kimocha" is a Klal gadol b'Torah.

Two things bond us together, Ahavah and Emunah (Love and Faith). A parent will always love a child even if the child misbehaves, but the same parent may not have faith that the child will always behave properly.

Hashem always loves us and he always has faith in us. The difference is that Hashem created us and he knows that we have an inner essence that is pure because Hashem created us pure. We have to have Emunah in Hashem's creation that all of Klal Yisrael have an inner and pure neshamah.

How could Hashem give us the Torah if he knew that we would sin? The answer is that the Torah was given to us as a people, it was not given to individuals. If that is the case how can we have Emunah in individuals when we know that they may sin. The answer is that we have to be able to judge everyone favorably. We have to know that there essence is pure even if there outside is not.

Hashem gave us perfection and purity as a gift on Shavuos. We took this gift and defiled it. If that is the case why are we celebrating what happened on Shavuos? We don't make a holiday on the day that the Bais Hamikdash was completed because it was destroyed after that. The answer if that the Torah remained on the same level. Even though the Luchos were destroyed the Torah remains the same. The connection that Hashem created on Shavuos remains there and every person has the ability to connect to it. Klal Yisrael has the ability to be perfect. The way that Hashem created us and choose us means that this potential exists in us today.

Because Hashem has Emunah in us we have to have Emunah in this inner potential. Even though we fell we still have the potential.

We have to know that there are times of aliyah and yeridah in our lives but we have to grow. Hashem believes in us, and we believe in Hashem. This connection is Matan Torah.
Hashem does not give up on anyone.

If you want to be close to Matan Torah you have to make achdus the basis of your life. We fell from the level of the first Matan Torah, but we have to prepare to get back there. It seem so far, but we can do it.

If a person was in the hospital for a serious illness and he also had a minor problem and his family was busy running around looking for a doctor to cure the minor illness and forgets the life threatening problem, we would call them fools. Yet this is what we are like. We focus on particulars but don't work on our achdus. What distances us from the Torah is our lack of achdus. We have the Torah as an eternal gift. We were given this gift because of our achdus, we have to work on getting it back. We must have ahavah and emunah in all of Klal Yisrael, no one can separate from it.

To achieve this goal we have to make ourselves worthy of receiving the Torah by changing ourselves entirely. Everything that Hashem said is fact and the basis of our life. We can do it. Just like a ger changes form a Goy to a Yid in one day, we can change ourselves completely. We do not have to change small details we have to change our entire being.

These are my notes from the first Shiur with the author of Bilvavi Miskan Evneh at 12:00 on May 9, 2010. If there are any mistakes it is my fault not the Rav's.

The stronger your emunah, the weaker your anger and rage.

...A person might be home and hear a terribly loud crash. he looks around and sees that an expensive object has fallen and shattered. Naturally, he will get agitated and angry.

The truth is that one who lives with real emunah will find that the stronger his emunah is in such situations, the weaker his anger and rage. he knows that it was not his son or the strong wind that broke the object, but Hashem Himself!

However, it is obviously very difficult to maintain such equanimity in a highly stressful situation. you must therefore prepare for such eventualities by striving to internalize the awareness that Hashem alone is running the world during peaceful periods that are free of stress. If you do not prepare in this way, when a stressful situation arises, the inclination to fly into a rage will be extremely powerful...

Bilvavi Miskan Evneh, part 2 page 84

We have to work hard to develop ourselves in peaceful times so that we have the tools to respond correctly in stressful times.

I can't recomend this enough!

I wanted to let everyone know that IY"H, the author of the Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh seforim, Rav Itamar Shwartz, will be in town before Shavuos.

Similar to last year, he will be holding a seminar of three shiurim in one day on Sunday May 9th at Rabbi Mayer Fund's Shul, Sheves Achim in Flatbush, Brooklyn (1517 Ave. H, off corner of East 16th [across from Q Train]). The shiurim will be at 12, 3, & 6 PM. All proceeds are going to publish more seforim by Rav Shwartz. The suggested donation for the seminar is $200. call 516-668-6397 to register.

The Rav's trip is right before Shavuos so the theme, generally, that he will be speaking on relates to how to prepare oneself for Kabalas HaTorah. The Rav will be in North American from Sunday May 9th (the day of the seminar) till Motzoi Shabbos Parshas Bamidbar, May 15th.

Also, there are still one or two slots available that you can have the Rav speak to your community/Shul. Please call 516-668-6397 for more information on that.

!יש רבונו של עולם

יש רבונו של עולם! אני נברא! אם אני נברא בהכרח שיש בורא