Spiritual Goals

Heard at the Tiferes Baruch Dinner from Rabbi Eliyahu Meir Sorotzkin

One of the most important goals a person can have is to never be satisfied with his spiritual growth. Every day we should look to see where we can grow spiritually and we should never think that what we have acomplised yesterday is enough. If we are never satisfied with our spiritual achievements we will find that we can grow much more then we thought that we could.

The interesting thing about this idea is that it is the flip side of what Rabbi Berkowitz said about the physical would (that we should work on ourselves not to need anything and to be satisfied with less). Seeing both sides makes a beautiful organic whole picture.

Growth through failure.

From  customerservant.com



It is written, “For though the tzadik may fall seven times, he will arise, but the wicked will stumble through evil” (Proverbs 24:16).

There is a beautiful explanation of this verse by the rebbe of my rebbe, Rav Yitzchak Hutner, a leading sage who headed the Chaim Berlin Yeshiva. Rav Hutner explains that the real meaning of this verse is not that the tzadik manages to rise again after falling seven times, but that the essence of the tzadik’s rising is through his seven falls. Through these falls, he gains new insights and strengths which enable him to rise higher. (Pachad Yitzchak – Letters and Writings, p. 217)

In my BBA this morning we read, "There were many failures, but there were a few heartening successes."  Somehow it sunk it, the idea that we grow from our failures (sometimes more then our successes).

Growing Spiritually on Tu B'Shevat

From the Shiur Tu B'Shvat, Rooting for Growth by Rabbi Zev Leff on Aish MP3

Sorry this post is longer then usual but it is worth it.

Hashem created the world with Din in Tishrei and Rachamim in Nisan.  If you subtract 4o days from thses days you get Tu B'Av and Tu B'Shevat.  The gemorah says that 40 days before a person is created a Bas Kol anounces that birth.  These 2 days (Tu B'Av and Tu B'Shevat) Hashem began preparing the creation of the worlds of Din and Rachamim.

 Tu B'Av is the last day that wood could be cut for the mizbach.

The word Aitz, wood, is from the letters Ayin Tzaki, which can mean, look at the Tzakik (we learn that the letter Tzaki can represent Tzakik),  look at the tree and you will see a Tzakik.  What does this mean?  The Maharal says that people are like upside down trees, the root is the most important part and our head is our root.  Our root (our head) is in the heavens.  This is where our real connection is-in heaven with Hashem.  In Gan Eden everyone walks on their head.  Since we live in a materialistic world, we are rooted in the ground.  When we want to be spiritual we take off our shoes and cover our head.  Because in a tree the root is covered  and the limbs are exposed , we take off our shoes and cover our head.  Shoes are a symbol of the physical world.  By taking off our shoes and covering our head we are becoming less materialistic and more spiritual.  A Tzadik is like a tree,   a person rooted in the spiritual world and his limbs, the secondary part, are in the physical world. 

We prepare for Din (Tu B'Av) by throwing ourselves into a fire, to cleanse ourselves.

Tu B'Shevat is the Rosh Hashanah for Ilanot.  We are preparing for the time of bearing fruit.  Fruit is the result of years of work and patience, it is not something that happens instantly.  This is the way of Tzadikim, that they understand that they have to work and prepare for the future.

On Tu B'Shevat  we are focused on thinking of the fruits of our labors.  A time when we know that by developing ourselves we can bring out fruts, Chesed, Mitzvahs and more.  It is not a time of burning wood, but of bulding.

Hey Mom I need Money

From A Shiur By Shira Smiles on Parshas Beshalach

When you have a child who is away at school and you know that they only call because they need money, you do not enjoy the call as much as a child who calls just to say hello.

If we only turn to Hashem when we need something we are like the child who only calls to ask for money. If we have kavanah while davening and saying Brachas we are like the child who calls just to say Hello.

I remembered this when my phone rang and it was a child away at Yeshivah and I thought to myself, "how long since I sent this child money?", even if the child was only calling to say Good Shabbos.

Davening for a Kosher Esrog

From a Shiur by Rebbetzin Heller on TuBeshevat

On TuBeshvat we daven for a kosher Esrog. The Esrog is like the heart. When we daven for a kosher Esrog it is like we are also davening for a kosher Heart. TuBeshevat is the holiday of Eretz Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael is the heart of the world. When we daven for a Kosher Esrog we are also davening for a kosher Eretz Yisreal.

Building Happiness

From a Shiur by Rebetzin Heller on Teaching Children to be Content

Being Content comes from seeing yourself in the moment. No one feels content without gratitude. Gratitude brings out Simchas Hachayim. By praising simple odinary things your are building up gratitiude and this builds up Simchas Hachayim. Seeing the good that Hashem gives us is the core of Simcha.

Spiritual Vitamins

From a Shiur by Shira Smiles

Parshat Beshalach: Ultimate Healer

Is there something that can act as a vitamin does in the physical world that can help us spiritually to live a healthier life? For the answer Mrs. Smiles quotes from Rav Shimpshon Pinchas that by saying Asher Yatzar properly and with Kavanah we can spiritually heal ourselves. Asher Yatzar is a constant reminder that we have to say connected to Hashem.

If we are able to maintain a proper spiritual connection through Tefilah, we will not need illness to bring us closer to Hashem.

Spiritual Healing

From a Shiur by Shira Smiles on Parshas Beshalach

Parshat Beshalach: Ultimate Healer

Why does Hashem send us illness. Hashem does this for 2 reasons. Sometimes as a nisayon to help us grow and sometimes as a punishment. A punishment is not a negative things, but a way that Hashem is lovingly trying to guide us to move in a certain way.

The reason that Hashem caused the bitter water to become sweet through a tree(a symbol of Torah), was a lesson to us that we should not go 3 days without Torah.

This is to teach us that when illness strikes we have to look inwards and strengthen our Torah learning and observance. Our job is to look for a spiritual cause, not to view it as the reason, but a reason, and to look to correct it.

When we daven to Hashem to send us a Refuas Hanefesh, we should have in mind that Hashem should send us a spiritual healing, a way of knowing what we need to correct so that we should not come to need a physical healing.

The importance of making the right choices.

From a Shiur by Rebetzin Heller

Questions and Answers for Today's Jewish Woman, Part 8

The Sefas Emas tells us that Hashem created the world for Borair, selecting good instead of evil. Hashem created nisyonos and difficulties so that we can see Hashem where ever he is. We have to remember that whatever is happening is Hashem's will. This is why the Jews had to be in Mitzrayim, so that they can see Hashem even in the darkness of Golus. This is also the reason that Hashem brought us into the land of Isreal with the Cananites there, so that we could make the right choices, and not follow in their ways.

Slaves to Hashem

From a Shiur by Mrs. Shira Smiles - Parshat Bo: Investing With Interest

Why do we celebrate the day we went out of Egypt and not the day that we entered Eretz Yisrael? Mrs Smiles gives the mashal of a slave who runs away from a difficult master and after much struggling and many nisyonot he becomes the servant of the king. Would he celebrate the day he ran away or the day that he entered the palace of the king? The answer is that we are different. We became servants of Hashem, our King, the night we left Egypt and not when we entered Eretz Yisrael.

Today's emunah is tomorrow's hightened intellect.

From a Shiur by Rabbi Lazer Brody - Everything is Good

Today's emunah is tomorrow's hightened intellect.

If we accept everything and know that Hashem only gives us what is good for us, then soon we will be able to see that we can know intellectually that everything is for the best.

Rabbi Brody gives the example of Rabbi Akiva and the donkey, candle, and rooster. When Hashem took them away he had emunah that it was for the best, but when he saw the next day that this saved his life, he KNEW that it was for the best.

Parshat Bo: Investing With Interest

From a Shiur by Mrs. Shira Smiles - Parshat Bo: Investing With Interest



Why does the Torah tell us that it is a law forever to put the blood of the Pascal Lamb on the foor post when it is not an ongoing law?

This is to teach us that this act of self sacrifice was a sign that just like we had to be willing to risk our lives at the time of leaving Egypt, we have to be willing to do the same thing in the future if Hashem puts us in a situation that requires sacrifice.

Different kinds of Heroes

From a Shiur by Rebbetzin Heller

There are two kinds of heroes. Heroes of challenge, and heroes of elasticity. Heroes of challenge, overcome difficulty in their life. Heroes of elasticity take something in their life and stretch it until they become great. Becoming a hero of elasticity is much harder. We can see the challenges, but it is harder to see areas where we can grow and become great.

Every person has a hero inside, they have the potential for greatness, they just have to make the most of this potential.

A Definition of Happiness-Rabbi Brody -2

From a Shiur by Rabbi Lazer Brody

"Happiness is knowing my nothingness."

This ties back to the Shiur by Rabbi Berkovitz that the less we need the closer we come to Hashem. The more that we know that we are nothing- and we need nothing-the more that we will come closer to Hashem.

A definition of Emunah

From a Shiur by Rabbi Lazer Brody Quoting Rabbi Sholom Arush

A definition of Emunah-"Knowing my nothingness, and knowing that Hashem is everything.".