Creating a healthy balance in our lives.

Many people think that when they struggle to control their eating, it is a limited battle.  Not so, says Rabbi Kirzner ztl in the name of Rebbi Nachman.  Our struggle to overcome our problem with overeating is just a reflection of the overall struggle between the physical and spiritual sides of our nature.  Every time that we conquer our desire to overeat, we are building up our spiritual muscles, and becoming a more spiritual person.

From a Shiur from Rabbi Kirzner's website, the Advice Series.
https://rabbikirzner.org/system/scripts/send_order.cgi

The secret of happiness-from Rabbi Kirzner

Rabbi Label Lam says that he once heard Rabbi Kirzner say that the secret of happiness is  "expect nothing".    There is an oa saying, "An expectation is a planned resentment".  Rabbi Lam explains that while this might sound negative, it is really very positive.  It is saying that every little thing in your life should make you happy.

from:

http://www.torahanytime.com/scripts/media.php?file=media/Rabbi/Label_Lam/2012-01-01/Reaching_Happiness_NOW/Rabbi__Label_Lam__Reaching_Happiness_NOW__2012-01-01.wmv

Coping With Crisis

Rabbi Kirzner ztl teaches us that from this Kepital Tehillim we learn that during a time of crisis we often think that it is best to focus only on our physical nisayon and leave the spiritual for later.  When in reality we have to remember that by focusing on spiritual pursuits we will make our suffering more bearable.

Tehillim Psalm 63 - Coping With Crisis Kirzner ztl, Rabbi Yitzchak

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

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

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

Gaining Spiritual Self Respect

Rabbi Nachman teaches that we can not use our mouths as a vehicle for self indulgence.  We have to realize that the way that we eat influences our Kedusha.  When we control our eating we should have two motivating factors, health and an inner sense of spiritual self respect.  It doesn't matter what others think about us, it matters what we think about ourselves.  As we gain control over our eating we raise our level of  self respect, which raises our level of Kedusha.

from the Shiur:

Eating:Advice Series (Rabbi Nachman of Breslov) by Rabbi Yitzchack Kirzner

http://www.rabbikirzner.org/system/scripts/search.cgi?category=1

Now that I have been in OA for a year, I see how much this makes a difference in our lives.  I was just talking to someone today who is also in OA and she said that she feels that the self confidence that she has gained is more important then the weight that she has lost.

Don't Rank your Mitzvot.

When we think about Mitzvot and Aveirot would should never think that this one is more important then that one because it will lead us to discount "minor" ones, and this will lead us to sin.  We should view all mitzvot as equally important.

from a Shiur on Aish Audio:

Rabbi Yitzchak Kirzner ztl

The Dynamics of Achieving Real Change by Rabbi Kirzner

Very often arrogance is what leads us to sin.  If we want to change we have to change the source of the sin and not just the sin.

We have to portray this change in our deeds and actions.  We have to show that we are a changed person.

A person should try to control himself even in things that are permitted because any indulgence will lead us in the wrong direction. Controlling our eating will help us to become a more controlled person, which will help us to grow spiritually.

from a Shiur on Aish Audio:

 Rabbi Yitzchak Kirzner ztl

The gift of Teshuvah

When Hashem created man he gave him many gifts. Hashem gives intellegence, health,appearance, and many other attributes. The most important gift of all is the gift of Teshuvah. Without Teshuvah all of the other gifts would be worth very little because when we make mistakes we need to be able to correct them or we would not be able to make the most of the other gifts that Hashem gave us.
From a Shiur by Rabbi Kirzner about Teshuvah

Rabbi Kirzner on Yom Kippur

On Yom Kippur, Hashem gives us the chance to separate the needs of the body from the needs of the soul. On the day of Yom Kippur, the soul has a chance to go back to its source, reconnect with its source, get reinvigorated, and then go back into the body.  While this is going on, the body is going through a cleansing process, to be reintroduced to the body in a pure way. To reintroduce a new partnership between the body and the soul.  It is in a small way, a mini gilgul neshamah.

The loving kindness of Yom Kippur is that Hashem gives us a chance to start again. While man is experiencing the turbulence of life he can know that Hashem is preparing a haven from the storm and a sense of renewal on Yom Kippur.

Then after Yom Kippur, Hashem tells us to go into the shade of the Sukkah, not to bask in the direct sunlight, taking all that we want physically, with tremendous comfort.  Rather we should go into the Sukkah and appreciate the semi-comfort, where we get what we need but not always what we want,  and come closer to Hashem.


from a Shiur by Rabbi Kirzner
YONAH: THE SOUL'S INEVITABLE RETURN TO G-D 'S CALLING
http://www.rabbikirzner.org/
a wonderful website that has downloads of Rabbi

Examine your motivation to control your eating.

When you are controlling your eating it is important to examine your motivation.  You have to be careful that you are not trading one physical attraction for another, overeating for looking good.  You should have the following 2 motivations:
1) To be healthy
2) To learn spiritual self control.
from the Shiur:
Eating:Advice Series (Rabbi Nachman of Breslov) by Rabbi Yitzchack Kirzner
http://www.rabbikirzner.org/system/scripts/search.cgi?category=1

The way that we eat can help us to climb closer to Hashem.

A person's table is like an altar to Hashem.  What does this mean?  We are able to break down our connection to the physical world through our eating.  We are able to get closer to Hashem by the way that we eat.  I can actually build myself spiritually by the way that I eat.  It is a wonderful thing that a person can eat and climb closer to Hashem.

from the Shiur: 
Eating:Advice Series (Rabbi Nachman of Breslov) by Rabbi Yitzchack Kirzner


http://www.rabbikirzner.org/system/scripts/search.cgi?category=1

Breaking free from being bonded to the physical world.

Rabbi Nachman says that when a person works on the physical discipline of controlling his eating, he is affecting himself, he is transcending a physical order of himself by his own choice. This will help him to transcend other physical nisyonos that come along later.  This comes from training himself to build up strength in breaking free from being bonded to the physical world.

We tend to think that by indulging ourselves we are controlling ourselves and calming ourselves down.  The reality is that by controlling our eating we are building a framework that will help us to  grow spiritually.

We have to eat to live, not live to eat.  We can not allow ourselves to indulge ourselves like an animal, our physical behavior is totally tied to our spiritual growth.
from the Shiur :
Eating:Advice Series (Rabbi Nachman of Breslov)  by Rabbi Yitzchack Kirzner
http://www.rabbikirzner.org/system/scripts/search.cgi?category=1

It is a true wonder when the physical and spiritual are both working together.

Why does a Nazir bring a sin offering after he finishes his period of abstinence from Wine? Is it because he did something wrong by abstening from the physical world? No it is because he reached a high level by exercising self-control, and now that he is returning to the physical world he brings a sin offering.

The nazir has a problem, he knows that he can not balance they physical and spiritual world corectly. He knows that he needs extra help to create this balance by putting limits on himself to try to create a place where integration is a reasonable goal. Since there is concerne that he should not fall back into the weakness and overdo the world of desire, he has to create an extra boundry, the sin offering to build him up and prevent a further fall.

This is the reason that the Torah portion Naso talks about the Sota, and the Nazir. They both come from the lopsided relationship between the physical and material world. If a person witnesses a Sota he should take it as a message that he needs to realign the relationship between the physical and the spiritual in his own life.

The Nazir is refered to as a "Pella" (wonder) because he was able to control his desires. The relationship between the Guf (body) and the neshamah (soul) is also considered to be a pella. That is the reason the the blessing of Asher Yatzar says "Mafli Laasot". Becuase it is a true wonder when are physical and spiritual are both working together.

from the Shiur:
Naso: Holiness Through Self-Control # KY 035 A
by Kirzner ztl, Rabbi Yitzchak

The response to seeing an unfaithful woman's punishment was to become a Nazir - abstaining from wine, haircutting, and various other things to preempt him from following the same path. But wouldn't we assume the reaction to witnessing such gruesome consequences would in itself be a deterrent? Rabbi Kirzner discusses the far ranging effects what we see has on us, and the Nazir's underlying lack of appreciation of physical and spiritual synthesis.

Why is Purim greater then Yom Kippur?

From the Shiur "Purim- Happiness in Action" by Rabbi Kirzner ztl

Purim is a time of great salvation and revelation that creates tremendous Kiddush Hashem, This Kiddush Hashem causes us to appreciate Hashem. The more that we appreciate Hashem's greatness the more that we want to do for Hashem. The more that we do for Hashem the more that we love Hashem. This cycle of giving and loving Hashem is what makes Purim greater then Yom Kippur.

The true Simcha of Purim

From the Shiur- Purim- Happiness in Action by Rabbi Kirzner ztl

What is unique about the Purim story that made Bnei Yisrael accept Hashem out of Love instead of fear, which makes Purim a holiday of Kabolos Hatorah even greater them?

What does it mean that Hashem takes revenge? If someone took something away, you are take something away in return. Since no one can take something away from Hashem, how can Hashem take revenge. When people hurt Benei Yisrael it takes away from Hashem's perception in our eyes. When Hashem punishes people who hurt us, Hashem is reinstating our clarity of Hashem's greatness. Revenge is really only for the human being. Hashem does not need revenge, we do.

The Purim story was unique in that it showed Benei Yisrael Hashem's revenge which reestablished our view of Hashem's greatness. The Simcha comes from the element of Kiddush Hashem. That glory of Hashem's name wells up in a Jew and causes tremendous Simcha.

Loving Hashem

Purim: Happiness in Action # KY 553 B
by Kirzner ztl, Rabbi Yitzchak


This Shiur from Aish HaTorah is a must listen to. I can't recommend it enough. I got so much out of it.

Rav Dessler, in Mictav Mi Eliyahu, teaches that the more that we do for a person, the more that we love the person. Even though we think it is the other way around, that we love someone who does things for us, this is not true. The more that we do for another person, the more that we break down the bounderies that cause a division between us. When we do for another person it creates a bound that solidifies our relationship.

This also hold true in our relationship with Hashem. The more that we do for Hashem (mitzvot and learning and chesed) the more that we come to love Hashem. Since we can not regulate our feelings, we can fulfil the mitzvah of Loving Hashem by doing actions that bring us to love Hashem.

A new and wonderful world.

Rabbi Lazer Brody quotes Rebbe Nachman,

"Rebbe Nachman says that when a person knows that everything in this world is for the best, it is like being in the world to come in this world."

As a student of Rabbi Kirzner I heard him say several times,

"When a person become close to Hashem he is no longer in Golus."

In todays big book meeting we read, "Follow the dictates of a higher power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your current circumstances."  When I heard this I thought of the other 2 quotes.  Looks like Hashem is trying to tell me something.

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.