The nature of Women

Men kill each other.

Women kill themselves.

It is the nature of women to take care of others and not take care of themselves.  Women always want to give to others, that is the way that Hashem made them.

from a Shiur on Naaleh by Rebbetzin Heller about Jewish Women

One of the most important thngs that we learn on OA is to take care of ourselves so that we can help others.

Potential

Anyone can count the seeds in an apple.
Only Hashem can count the apples in a seed.
Rabbi Avigdor Miller

When I first heard the "promises of OA" they seemed like an unreal dream.  Now I watch as they become reality.

Where is the balance between being dan l'kaf zechus and being a fool?

Don't be afraid of being too good.

  Rivka was too good.

 Sara was too good.

 It is never a problem being too good.


 We should be afraid of being too bad.                                                               

  from the Shiur on Aish Audio: The Teshuvah Process - 1 # HT 937 B

by Heller, Rebbitzen Tziporah

Forgiveness

If you want to find a way to forgive a person who has sinned and is doing Teshuva-you have to seperate the sin from the sinner.  Don't define the person by the action.

from the Shiur on Aish Audio: The Teshuvah Process - 1 # HT 937 B

by Heller, Rebbitzen Tziporah

Enthusiasm generates power:

 if we would do everything with enthusiasm and joy. There is no limit to the elevated level we could reach.

The Alter of Kelm

How can I tell the difference between the Yetzer Hara and the Yetzer Tov?

  The Yetzer Hara is a nag, the voice of the Yetzer Hara keeps coming back and coming back.  But the Yetzer Tov comes softly.  It plants an idea in your head, then it goes away.  Then it flits back, then it goes away again.

from a Shiur by Lazer Brody , "Ancesteral Merit"

Impediments to doing Teshuvah

One of the impediments of doing Teshuvah is thinking that I can't be what Hashem wants me to be.  There is a certain kind of despair that keeps us from doing Teshuva.  We think that we can not do any better, so why try. We don't think that we can ever be Tzadikim, so we don't really change.

To change this, we have to stay connected to Hashem.  By being connected to Hashem we climb as high as we can, in a realistic way.  We can't do it alone, but we can do it with Hashem.

from the Shiur on Aish Audio: The Teshuvah Process - 1 # HT 937 A

by Heller, Rebbitzen Tziporah

This is also one of the things that attacks our abstinence.  We think that we can't be perfect so why try.  The remedy is to stay connected to Hashem.

A tool for Teshuva

A wine stain on a pure  white wedding gown is a tragedy, a wine stain on a pair of worn jeans is no big deal.  In order to do Teshuva we have to view our soul as a pure white wedding gown and every stain (sin) is a disaster.

from the Shiur on Aish Audio: The Teshuvah Process - 1 # HT 937 A

by Heller, Rebbitzen Tziporah

Achat Shaalti M'Eit Hashem

If we want to come to the point of "Achat Shaalti M'Eit Hashem-There is one thing that I want from Hashem, To sit in the house of Hashem all of the days of my life" We have to change our speech.

This is the time of year, Elul, when Moshe received the second luchos.  This is a time of Teshuvah. It is a time when we can see Holiness in our fellow Jew, and if we can do that then we can even see Holiness in ourselves. When we reach this point that we can really change.

Elul is a time of mercy and forgiveness.  There is no way that you can do Teshuva without mercy and forgiveness.

from the Shiur on Aish Audio: The Teshuvah Process - 1 # HT 937 A

by Heller, Rebbitzen Tziporah

The power of Elul.

In the month of Elul we have to get past our external fears and move ourselves into the spiritual world. To bring ourselves to do proper Teshuva we have to get past the enemies that we ourselves create.  Our negative deeds create bad angels. We suffer from the consequences of our own actions.  Elul is the time when we can redirect ourselves.

from the Shiur on Aish Audio:  The Teshuvah Process - 1 # HT 937 A

by Heller, Rebbitzen Tziporah

What do you do if you face a nisayon that is "to hard for you".

 That it doesn't feel like it is coming from Hashem? 

The lowest level of facing it is to see only the external problem.

The second level is realizing that it came from Hashem but still being upset. In essence, thinking that Hashem made a mistake.
The highest level is to realize that if it is happening it is coming from Hashem, and that we are nothing, and unable to understand Hashem's ways.  If we accept that we are unable to understand Hashem's ways we will have to move out of our comfort zone, accept that everything is for our good  and begin doing real Teshuvah.

from the Shiur on  Aish Audio:  The Teshuvah Process - 1 # HT 937 A
by Heller, Rebbitzen Tziporah

Teshuvah from Love is the second step in the Teshuvah Process.

Teshuvah from Love comes after we have done true Teshuvah from fear..  It is a gift from Hashem when we realize our wrongdoing and yearn for connection to Hashem. The Maharal says that it is a miracle.

Elul is the time when people can correct direction of our will.  Elul is the time of emunah and if you seek Hashem honestly and earnestly through yirah you will come to Teshuvah through Ahavah.

from the Shiur on Aish Audio The Teshuvah Process - 1 # HT 937 A

by Heller, Rebbitzen Tziporah

Fighting the 2 kinds of enemies, internal (spiritual) and external (physical).

There are 2 kinds of enemies, internal (spiritual) and external (physical).  The spiritual enemies are more dangerous and long term.  They come from our Yetzer Hara, by wanting to discredit us. Trying to make us think that the spiritual world is not as real as the physical world. 

We say "L'David Uri" durring this time of working on Teshuva to remind us that the light of the spiritual world is more important then the physcial world.  We have to realize that the external enemies are not in control of our life.

from the Shiur on Aish Audio The Teshuvah Process - 1 # HT 937 A
by Heller, Rebbitzen Tziporah

We have the power to elevate our food.

My daughter asked a very good questions today. "What gives these fruits and vegetables the zechus to be part of our Shabbos Seudah"  We stopped at a Mennonite Farm and bought a bunch of food for our Shabbos meal.  There only officially sell corn but we asked if they had any other vegetables for sale.  The farmer's wife said that they had such a good crop they could sell us some other things.   She took us to her field and allowed us to pick onions, potatoes, beets, tomatoes and corn. Suddenly, instead of being eaten in a traif kitchen they were elevated to have a bracha made on them and eaten as part of a seudah.

Working together with Hashem to protect our health.

Every morning in our Davening we thank Hashem for giving strength to the weary. This week I am on vacation in the fingerlakes and I am astonished at how much more energy I have then before I lost my weight. I am so grateful to Hashem for giving so much more strength. This highlights for me that we are active participants in our health. We can't just wait for a miracle to happen we have to work together with Hashem to protect our health.