I haven't "zogt" for a while, it feels good to be back.
In this week's perek we had the famous mishna "Im ein ani li mi li". I thought of a vort [which is essentially a corruption of the Baal Shem Tov's teitch [url=http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=3974&st=&pgnum=11&hilite=]here[/url] see also in another early Chassidic work here]:
Im ein ani li, If I get rid of my "self", of my narcissistic habits, mi li- what will disturb me? I'll have a peaceful life...

This is something I thought of on Pesach [sitting at the Seder in my Yom Tov finery] but for some reason I didn't get around to posting it 'til now:
Hashem took us out from "Eretz Mitzrayim" and brought us into "Eretz Yisrael"


Eretz, means Ratzon, Will.
מִצְרַיִם can also mean מִצָרִים Borders

ישראל means שר א'ל or, G-d Rules [see[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_(name)] here[/url]]


Our will, is so full of borders...






If only we can rise above our borders and make our will, whatever G-d wills,

Stop willing with borders, Start willing under the rule of g-d!

It logically follows that "Gavar al Isha" Triumph over [lust of a] woman, is gematria Torah. Because the Torah is the only way.

Elul!

Teshuva is good for some people, maybe. I am such a lousy good for nothing… nothing will help me in my matzav…

The Meiri [also known as Don Vidal Solomon of Perpignan, Provence] knew someone just like you, and to him he wrote (this here) and I paraphrase:
Teshuva is indeed part of the "goodness" of Hashem, which may delude some people to thinking they are undeserving of this goodness. But, it is also a "service" Hashem is forced to provide, for is it not written, "hu yada yitzreinu, zachur ki afar anuchnu" "He knows our inclinations and remembers we are nothing but dirt". And does he not also know, "Ki yetzer lev ha'adam ra mi'neurav" "From his youth, man's heart is inclined towards evil". And "Ki adam ein tzaddik ba'aretz asher yaaseh to v'lo yechta" "For you will not find a man on earth so righteous to never have sinned".
Obviously Hashem owes the benefits of Teshuva to us [which was invented by his eternal goodness]; this is alluded to in the verse: "Tov v'yashar Hahsem al kein yoreh chata'im badarech" "Good and Righteous is the lord, and so he leads sinners to the path of righteousness". He is both Good and Righteous, for it is only Right that he provides sinners with a way out…

[Guys, check out the rest of the Me'iri there, it's awesome, a bit long winded and difficult, but still awesome.]

Wow. Haven't been here in aaaaaages!
Iv'e been wanting to share this Rabbenu Bachya since I saw it about a month ago but didn't get the chance, in parshas Tzav: Basically he says that when the Talmud promises us reward for something that sounds to good to be true it's usually not. The reason I found this interesting is because he says that we need to delve deeply into the meaning of the words we say in ashrei, an idea that deeply reasonates with me:
רבינו בחיי פרשת צו

ודרשו רז"ל: (מנחות קי א) "זאת התורה לעולה למנחה ולחטאת ולאשם" וגו', כל העוסק בפרשת עולה כאלו הקריב עולה, בפרשת מנחה כאלו הקריב מנחה, בפרשת חטאת כאלו הקריב חטאת. והענין שהוא מתבונן בבאור הפרשה אל איזה ענין היא רומזת, כי מתוך כך יתגלו עיני שכלו ויבינו נפלאות מתורת הקרבנות, ובזה ישתדל יותר בקיום התורה והמצות ויהיו עונותיו נמחלין לו כאלו הקריב קרבן, כי אין לומר שתהיה הכונה שיהגה ויגרוס לשון הפרשה בפסוקיה הערומים בלבד מבלי שיתבונן בפירושם. וכיוצא בזה אמרו: (ברכות ד ב) כל האומר תהלה לדוד בכל יום מובטח לו שהוא בן העולם הבא, הכוונה כי מתוך שיתבונן במה שיורו הפסוקים ואל מה שירמזו, אז יכיר ויבחין נפלאות תמים דעים ויתחזק לבו באמונת הש"י ועבודתו, ובזה יירש חיי העולם הבא. ומטעם זה תקנו ז"ל בסדר תפלתנו משנת "איזהו מקומן" לאומרה בכל בוקר ובוקר, ואמרו על זה: (תענית כז ב) אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא בזמן שקורין בהם מעלה אני עליהם כאלו הקריבום לפני.

Thanks TZ. Bezichrony that he says something similar regarding saying shlosh esray middos, that it only works if you delve deeply into it. Otherwise it may be counter-productive.

MT

Ah! Davening!
Davening: Davening?
Hashem, You know what I really need and want, send it to me, please.
NO!
You have to really express yourself to hashem, like you would to a friend. Rabbi Avigdor Miller says that when we bentsch we're making brachos livatalos! Brachos livatalos? That's a harsh accusation! BUT if you don't compliment your wife [who got up at five to get the bread machine started] why should I believe you that your seriously thanking Hashem?!
We don't truly believe that we're talking to a separate entity, when we daven- if we would, we would tell him about our lives, tell him everything. Instead we're busy wallowing in emotionalism and feeling good about our deep emunah and bitachon and how we're so maamin that we don't even tell Hashem our problem, and we're so maamin that we don't even ask him to save us, just that everything will turn out tthe way he wants. Really we're trying to escape from the reality of the problem by turning inward and then we resent Hashem when he didn't listen to our Tefillos, he of course didn't because. We didn't daven to him!
So how do we get it going? we talk to a chaver.
We tell the chaver about our problems and what we want, we get out of ourselves, and that is a way to connect to Hashem.
The Zera Kodesh in Vayera brings a vort from the heiliger Lubliner: Al na achai tareiu.
Na means Tefillah, Al na, when you can't daven... Achai Tareiu, go out with your friends, it'll help your tefillah...

very good! now all i gotta do is actually do it....

there is another somewhat related vort on al na achai taraiu, na is similar to 'al tochlu mimenu na ubashail mevushal bamayim', don't be a half-friend. i don't remember whose vort. inna might know

siach sarfei kodesh bsheim hayehudi hakadosh

Thanks KiLoChalu and Shalom Aleichem, Welcome to my fuhdem of the Beis Medrash!

I really like your posts. I have a little trouble with the Hebrew, but I can usually figure out the meaning for the context. Your are really inspiring. Thank you for all the great posts.

installed wrote:
:

In the postwar days of the the mid 20th century (not so long ago) many many people in America claimed EXACTLY that same argument about not going to work on Shabbos!!!

"Maybe the rabbis can stay home on shabbos...but Most working people need it...
"the rabonim are disconnected from reality..."

And let's remember that working on Shabbos is surely NOT "yeherag veal yaavor"!!!!

And let me ask you this: Since when does "NEEDING" something exclude it from being Yeherag veal yaavor"?? Is "Needing" to stay ALIVE not enough of a "need" in your opinion???
Maybe the chachomim who said that the 3 aveiros hachamuros are yeherag veal yaavor were also "DISCONNECTED FROM REALITY"?????

tehillimzugger wrote:


Shivisi Responds:

I''m not disagreeing with your "vort" - it's a very nice "pshat" and true too!
but I'll explain the "pshuto-shel-mikro".

"CHET HAMISGAL" means "turning sexual relations with his wife into ZNUS"

when his intentions in his sexual relations with his wife are a result of taiva and lust, that which would otherwise be a mitzva and a tremendous act of kedusha becomes a "chet hamishgal".


This is also connected with my posts on this thread:

guardyoureyes.com/forum/19-Introduce-Yourself/229208-Some-thoughts

(scroll down until you see where I posted a response and then follow from there).

[This not my own idea, I heard this from a very chosuva source, with proofs from many many solid sources in chazal, and later seforim.]

Thank you reb Shivisi.

These are very deep thoughts, that a mitzvah could wind up being harnessed for an avera... This would be the strongest avera possible, that's why it is referred to as chet "ha"mishgal, the strongest chet one can possibly accomplish through mishgal. I did not come to it, because thankfully, I am not yet married.


Now regarding what you wrote on that thread you referenced, "masturbating into your wife" I just wanted to share that I once saw a documentary on Porn, in it one of the actors say. "It's like jerking off with another person, it's better than plain jerking off, but it's not real sex". And this is coming from a porn actor...

(I wrote "thankfully, I am not yet married" because chayav adam levarech al hara k'shem shemivarech al hatov. I do see many positive aspects in not being married, but I didn't mean to say that I'm happy being single. Right now it is retzon Hashem for me.)