Topic: Middos
The very first statement in Even Sheleima (likutim from the Vilna Gaon) asserts, "The entire service of Hashem depends on improving the character traits".
We must take working on our middos very seriously. It's not enough to read through Mesillas Yeshorim! Someone once asked Rabbi Miller, "How many times a year should a serious yeshiva bachur finish Mesillas Yeshorim?" The rav answered, it doesn't matter how many times he goes through it, the main thing is that it should go through him!
Working on our Middos is not something we do by relaxing on the couch with a light "self-help" book. We must be ready to invest in it.
It is the most important business in our life!

Topic: Middos
The Gra Continues...
The main purpose of a man's life is always to strengthen himself, to break his character.
Otherwise, why does he need life?!

Topic: Mussar
You have to learn Mesillas Yeshorim with the Rosh's peirush.
You're wondering, how could there be a perush from the Rosh on an acharon?
I mean your own Rosh! Use your head!

Some people learn mussar as if they were reading through a book, and they find it interesting. Yup, now he's describing this fellow, now he's talking about him, I'm ok baruch Hashem.
When you learn Mussar, you haave to want to see yourself in the pages, you have to want to find your sins.
Some people make a seder in Mussar, "For ten minutes I'll read this sefer" and then they think, "Yeah, he brings some nice maamorim, nothing major, I can write something like this too."
What a waste of ten minutes!
You have to study each word of our Mussar masters!

Topic: Bechira Aveiros/Growing from addiction
The Chovos halvavos says that sometimes a person must do an averah, because the benefits he will subsequently gain, far outweigh the negative. Sometimes the tshuva for the averah is very strong and it brings a person to a level of humility he would never gain otherwise. And the person becomes much closer to Hashem as a result of the averah.

Rabbi Avigdor jr, do you mind if I share on this groundbreaking thread, some more Rabbi Miller thoughts which are interspersed on the forums and are great Chizuk too?

I'm confused. What's the tachlis of this thread? (Please don't answer, Mark).

Markz wrote on 06 Jan 2017 01:55:

Aderraba! go ahead!

#1) Guard your mind more than your eyes

מכל משמר נצור לבך

battleworn wrote:

Short and sweet - it applies to me very much so

Shlomo24 wrote:

My friend Shlomo I think the man answered it in his intoduction here

Can I get a minus karma now for disobedience please

But it is going to be related to addiction or whatever? So far it just seems like vertlach, which is nice, but why GYE?

AvigdorBenYisroel wrote on 06 Jan 2017 01:37:

What? Explain! 
We must NEVER do aveiras. 
"I'll sin and do teshuva" is not a valid option, for anyone...
even if a Navi told him he will ultimately grow closer to HaShem as a result. 

Yosef Tikun HaYesod wrote on 06 Jan 2017 14:11:

R' Avigdor jr, can you please give us the reference Chovos halvavos Chapter and verse

jack wrote on 29 Dec 2008 13:51:

Yosef Tikun HaYesod wrote on 06 Jan 2017 14:11:

Mark, I can't give you the reference, I never saw it in Chovos Halvavos myself (yet), But I heard it from Rabbi Miller. And to answer Yosef:
We must never do aveiros.
However, the Chovos Halvavos is noting that sometimes, Hashem causes us to sin, whether we like it or not. Ay, Kasha yediah bechira, nu nu. Not the first time someone's asking the kasha, and not the last.
But the Chovos Halvavos is saying, that looking back we sometimes see that people grow from their teshuva, and it "paid" for Hashem that they did the aveira. You can disagree with the Chovos Halvavos if you want. I don't care either way.

AvigdorBenYisroel wrote on 06 Jan 2017 18:31:

"A person must do an Aveirah..." is obviously only from Hashem's perspective, not from the person's. And when we say that from Hashem's perspective it was "worth it", obviously that can only be in hindsight. One can't say "if I choose to sin then it must be what God wanted and it's all part of His plan". Only He can see the big picture, we don't have the ability to see it or even contemplate it. We can only choose what is the right thing right now.