The importance of discipline.

We learn that we have to emulate the ways of Hashem. Hashem disciplines us in many ways. We know that when bad things happen to us personally or as a nation Hashem is not showing us that he does not love us he is guiding us in the right direction. To show our love to our children and our students we need to set limits and natural consequences. This may be hard for us to do but it is essential for them to learn to grow in the right direction.

From a shiur by a Rebbetzin who wishes to remain anonymous.

In OA we need to learn to be strong and do the same when we are sponsoring someone. One of the things that we are sharing is our strength, and we give this over by being strong and putting boundaries. Sometimes we are tempted to be kind and let them get away with things that are really hurting their program. This is not really being nice to them it is hurting them.

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.

Sensitivity

Very often when we think about ourselves and our midos, we think that it is positive that we are sensitive people.  It is positive to be sensitive to other peoples feeling, but it is not a positive trait to be overly sensitive to our own feelings.  We have to learn to overcome the feeling that we have a right to be overly involved with our own feelings.  It does not get us where we need to go in life, and it keeps us stuck in misery. From a Torah 12 step meeting.

Self-discipline saves limitless troubles .

From the book "Forest Fields" by Rabbi Shalom Arush

The Gemara says (tratate Berachot 7) that one measure of self-discipline is more effective then a hundred lashes. As such, the self-disciplined person saves himself limitless troubles in life.

Since I have started OA I have seen many areas of my life improve.