Modeh Ani is a prayer of gratefulness for another new day 

it's for many people a work in progress to feel joy in facing another day

whether its the stress or pain or something difficult someone is going through-sometimes its anxiety or depression-there are many good people that feel tremendous emotional (or physical) pain at the very onset of a new day.

This is where chessed & love for our brothers & sisters come in

by giving another encouragement , you can make his or her life more bearable-sometimes more meaningful & even at times transforming a person's spirit to a more joyful state.

we need to have empathy for everyone who suffers & do everything we can to alleviate that suffering

without even realizing it-you can be saving a life or at least you can give a person courage to face a challenging day or period of life with your kind words & deeds 

the concept of hisbodedus-talking to God privately as one would talk to a friend-while emphasized in breslov -it is truly a universal concept.

because of free-will and the difficulties (& opportunities) that come along with it-God often "hides" behind a partition

& though its only God we can truly rely on-we often tend to forget that

we need to try to strengthen our faith -not only in God-but in believing that God wants us very much to interact with Him & ask for His help.

we often get discouraged because we don't see immediate results-very often we don't grasp in our minds His helping hand towards us

Its important never to give up-to keep the communication lines open-ask of Him anything & everything, pour our hearts out to Him-because He is truly there & is listening to every word

Even our faults & failures cant stand in the way of us beseeching Him to help us. As long as we are honest , sincere & true in our dialogue with Him-He will always be there to support us & sustain us

while it's true we are in exile & we are not truly home, nevertheless for us living in the united states we have a lot to be grateful for.

while its true that this country has deteriorated & declined as of late-with many bad people doing terrible things , nevertheless these are many decent people as well who keep the laws & uphold the laws. The fact that we can pray in a shul, keep Shabbos, have matza bakeries , mikvaos, kosher supermarkets, seforim stores, yeshivos -all this is something not to be taken lightly. legal programs that help us, garbage pickup, traffic laws, business that allow us to keep Shabbos and Yom Tov are not to be taken lightly.  

These are gifts to us by Hashem in this exile. He gives us these gifts but He also wants us to appreciate the shiluchim-the mediums he sends to give us those gift. And so we owe a great Hakoras Hatov to the decent people in this country & in the government, the families that still hold to family values , of aspiring to decent lives & those many in this country who are still honest, & hardworking -faithful husbands & wives, families that are strong & decent & united, people that make a difference in the world.

These many good people are overshadowed by the murderers, rapists, gang  members thieves,prostitutes & sociopaths that are around in very large numbers. We cannot discount good people that have good values who want to spread goodness in this world. We cannot
deny the healthy gratitude that is owed to these people & we need to appreciate this country because of this.

We are not home. We are in exile. Our home is Yerushalayim, Our home is the Beis Hamikdash. Our home is the Kodesh Hakodoshim.

But we need to bring light to the nations while we are in exile & to appreciate the good values that many in this country still uphold.

It was difficult here for frum jews in the early 1900's.  The 60's had many moral challenges & these days a lot of America is a cesspool of filth & corruption. But nevertheless Hashem does not wish us to discount the good. The building of our nation after WW2, was miraculous. Hashem planted seeds in this country by which we have grown. We cannot take this lightly.

That is why July 4 , a non -religious holiday, can be used to express this Hakoras Hatov for all the Good Hashem has given us in this country & to appreciate His messengers

even on Tisha Baav, the saddest day on our calendar, its important to realize that the tears & pain are not despair-focused, but rather hope-focused.

every moment of a Jew's life is full of meaning, of healing, of hopes, of goals, of the search for the hidden light that will ultimately be revealed.

yes, we sit on the ground & we mourn for our loss-but we also pray for the bright future before us. this day is the spark for the preparation for the Holy Days to come

May Hashem shine his Light upon us & grant us collective & individual healing leading to ultimate happiness in our connection with Him as He will ultimately reveal Himself to us in our Final Redemption 

an excellent article I saw. every married couple needs to be aware of these concepts as well as single boys & girls & especially when preparing for marriage. chosson & kallah classes need to emphasize these concepts, & while all of us on this site is committed to remove from ourselves the unhealthy expressions of overindulgence in pleasures, we need to understand the healthy balance & the healthy expressions of physical sexual pleasure that good wonderful Jewish couples are meant to experience & that enjoying this aspect in life (exclusively in marriage & without hyper focusing  on sex but maintaining a healthy balance) can aid & strengthen ones spiritual connection with Hashem

What is it about our modern era that necessitates the production of Jewish books on the Torah’s view of marital intimacy, on sexuality?

The answer is painfully obvious.

We find ourselves in a world that is permeated by, and preoccupied with, little other than sexuality and the seemingly limitless ways of creating and indulging sexual passion.  And, to make matters worse, even as the world wallows in unbridled sexuality, it continues to instill the subliminal message that sex is evil and is linked inextricably with feelings of worthlessness, guilt, and shame.

The last century’s scientific and technological “advances” have united the world to a degree unprecedented in human history.  The power and influence of the various mass media is such that, today, it is impossible for any Jew or Jewish community anywhere in the world to remain insulated from the onslaught against fundamental Torah values.  We are exposed daily to value systems and ideologies foreign and antagonistic to our own.

It is no wonder, then, that the Jewish community has unwittingly absorbed some of this confused ideology into its fundamental attitudes towards sexuality.  Indeed, it is astounding that we have not adopted more.

*****

The Torah uses the physical activity of mitzvah performance to engrave the significance of a mitzvah deep into the soul.  Physical activity is much more effective at impressing an idea into the soul than intellectual contemplation alone could be.  And, physical pleasure that results from the performance of a mitzvah serves as the means of achieving the deepest impression of all.

Almost every mitzvah consists of taking some “prop” of the physical world and using it in His service, in fulfillment of a Divine directive.  Our job as Jews as envisioned by the Torah is to take the gifts of this world and elevate them to the heights of holiness.  Shabbat, for example, is sanctified over a cup of wine – words alone will not suffice.  Almost every mitzvah consists of combining physical with spiritual, accomplishing, through this synergy, what each component alone never could.

This is where Judaism diverges fundamentally from other religious systems; this is what gives Judaism its unique essential character.  Christianity turns a jaundiced eye on this world and its pleasures, and demands from its adherents a strict, complete denial of, and abstention from, this world and all it has to offer in return for a promise of reward in the next world.  Any partaking of or involvement in things physical is condemned as weakness and compromise, a submission to the base, animal, evil desires contained within every sinful human soul.  Christian philosophy pits physical against spiritual.

Nothing, the Torah teaches, could be farther from the truth!  Judaism teaches that only someone who has learned to experience and appreciate pleasure in this world, and has learned to express gratitude for these pleasures to “the One Who spoke and created the world” will be capable of fully appreciating and praising the Almighty’s greatness and benevolence in the Next World.

The Torah, then, does not posit any inherent conflict between the physical and spiritual aspects of Creation.

The Torah’s view of sexuality is a perfect illustration of the general Torah attitude toward the physical world and its pleasures: The Seer of Lublin (Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz, 1745-1815) emphasized that a person must feel and express gratitude to the Almighty when he experiences sexual pleasure.  Sexual pleasure, like all physical pleasure, the Seer explained, is an opportunity to feel gratitude to God.

Western society prizes pleasure.  Much, if not most, of our time, energy, attention, imagination, resources, and money is directed to the pursuit of pleasure, in innumerable forms and varieties.  Many times, of course, the acquisition or enjoyment of pleasure carries with it obligations and responsibilities.  Often (though not always), these obligations are discharged and these responsibilities are fulfilled.  What can you do?  That is the price one must pay for many pleasures.

Contrast this to the Torah’s view.  The Torah also values pleasure, as we have seen – but with a significant difference.  Duties and responsibilities are not the inevitable, unavoidable “cost” of pleasure.  Rather, pleasure is a happy and not unwelcome byproduct that accompanies and results from the proper observance and fulfillment of many of our G-d-given obligations.  In such instances, pleasure introduces an additional duty to feel and express gratitude to the Giver of all pleasures.

Pleasure obtained through, or as, the performance of God’s commandments is a nice extra – and one celebrated in countless statements by our Sages – but our gaze never falters or wanders from what, for a Jew, is the most important – indeed, the only – concern: fulfilling the will of the Almighty.

Our analysis, while correct, is incomplete.  There is another dimension.  Sex is not just one example of physical pleasure.  It is the ultimate, most extreme example because it is the most intense, volatile, pronounced drive. Thus, we can extrapolate to all other, lesser pleasures because, if a person can attain holiness in this realm, then certainly he can attain holiness through the rest of the world’s delights.

It makes sense to me but I think they are still not going to produce the aforementioned required books etc. It's a choice between two evils for the gedolim. Gedolim understand that there's a natural selection aspect to being Jewish that you can't get rid of.

I think when people don't understand why they have to feel bad that the beis hamikdash isn't here this whole issue (of challenges that don't have a good solution) is one think to focus on.

wishing my whole GYE family a G'mar Chasima Tovah

May Hashem bless all of us with healing & joy & both inner & outer transformation

remember -the essence of our soul is pure & have never been broken

we all can rebuild from that spark!!

A beautiful poem I saw written by someone  on her 28th birthday
Lessons can be learnt from this poem as we begin reading the Torah anew & we again experience the birthday of the world & the birth of our renewal of Emunah on Hashem who renews the world constantly .

It doesn't need to be our birthday to renew ourselves-we can renew ourselves every single moment & most certainly every single day as we wake up to a new morning




Today is my birthday; a new day has come
‘tis better for me than it will be for some
To those who are suffering, know I wish you peace
May the light of morning bring needed release
From dawn until evening, I pray you will find
A ne’er ending path of sweet memories in mind
This may be my hour and my time to shine
Yet, on this, my birthday, know your heart is mine.Today is my birthday; I’m grateful, you see
I welcome each challenge this year offers me
Through hardship I’ve traveled; I’ve conquered in stride
With the grace of God evermore at my side
Each day of my life forms good fortune, anew
A handwritten chapter of dreams I pursue
And so, as I wake to greet twenty-eight years
I look not in sorrow, but with happy tears.
Today is my birthday and this is my prayer
I wish mounds of love to my friends everywhere
For you have stood by me, through thick and through thin
And I know you would do the same, yet again
I wish you blue skies filled with sunshine galore
And pray that warm tidings are near to your door
I may now be older, but I feel so blessed
To have you, my friends, for indeed, you’re the best

Dvar Torah-Beraishis

Have a great Shabbos!!

A poem I saw about loyalty-especially important in marriage

To be faithful to someone

You should be devout

To that one and only person

And there should be no doubt

That special someone is truly

Your very one and only

Dvar Torah Noach

wishing you a wonderful week!!

An encouraging poem I saw today

It’s never too late to reignite hope

A ceaselessly, unending determination to copeInspiring vision beyond the horizon’s line
Moving towards it, the sun eventually shines
Never too late to abandon ship
Reckless and off course, in the end it will sink
By a giant leap of faith, your life you’re sure to save
Paving the way to a brighter, better day
Never too late to believe in youIt’s really the only worthwhile thing to do
The love inside yourself, is the glowing and precious pearlUncovering your own mystery is your tale to tell

Dvar Torah Lech Lecha

wishing you a wonderful week!!!

Omission
Poet: Eldred Herbert

It is not the things you have done today,
That will haunt you through the year;
It's the little things you didn't do,
That will banish joy and cheer.

You did not say "thanks" for the kind deeds alone,
By a friend who lives next door;
You did not say one kind tender word,
To the man, with trials sore.

And the letter you planned to write today,
It was never penned by you;
A cheerful note would have meant so much,
To those far from home - and blue.

The aged lady, that lives down the way,
Whose loved ones, now, are few;
Would have been so pleased with a small bouquet,
From your garden, wet with dew.

These are the things that will haunt you by day,
And keep you awake by night;
It's the little things that you didn't do,
That will dim your normal sight.

Dvar Torah Parshas Vayara

have a wonderful week!!!