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Still work to do but there is always hope!

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TOPIC: Still work to do but there is always hope! 5713 Views

Re: Still work to do but there is always hope! 29 Dec 2022 00:31 #390228

teshuvahguy
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iLoveHashem247 wrote on 28 Dec 2022 23:26:

It was for myself. And also for which ever audience reads it.

This world is upside down. Success does not mean having the most toys. To be a “real man” does not mean to be called calculating cunning and strong.

The Talmud (Avoda Zara I think folio 17 or 18) brings down an acronym for “man”

גבר=גומל חסדים, בישן, רחמן

From a Torah perspective, a real man is someone who performs acts of kindness for others, who has a sense of shame in that he is not arrogant and obnoxious, and has mercy and other people (and for himself, of course, that must be a given)

G-d created everything that exists. Do you know how much gold exists in outer space? Every time a star supernovas, all the heavy elements may be created. The amount of gold and silver floating around in outer space is more than anything that exists in this world, in fact, you can take all the gold floating around in outer space, make it the size of the earth, and you would still have leftover. Our sun is a tiny little star amongst the billions of billions of billions to the infinite exponent in existence. The One who created all of these things cannot be bribed with money or actions. He is beyond comprehension, and so beyond anything that we could even imagine, evidenced by the fact that if we just try to count the number of stars in the sky we would lose count, and that does not even consider the number of meteors, comets, asteroids and other astronomical bodies out there. There are a countless number of atoms that make up your body, the One who created all of these things is the One who puts the thoughts in your head, and He is the same one waiting to see your reaction. More precious than anything else to our Creator (according to the Tehilim quoted) is a humbled and broken heart , a heart of flesh instead of stone. Allowing oneself to feel vulnerable to the Creator is such a precious gift to He who knows sees and controls all.

A sacrifice is the ultimate act of giving. And the ultimate sacrifice is a heart of flesh.

That’s so true. Everything you said. It just makes complete and total sense and it’s hard for me to see how anyone can not see these truths. What I wish for myself is that I can find the sources to learn from so I can gain enough insight and knowledge that I, myself, can share posts like that about Hashem and how things work. I am so hungry for knowledge of Torah, but it is so vast that I have no idea where to begin. And I’m running out of time. I am now retired and trying to figure out how to make this last phase of my life all about learning the things I had no opportunity to learn in the past and get to the highest level of understanding I can before I leave this world. Any direction as to what I can do to start this process will be greatly appreciated and you will be helping a fellow Jew in his quest to learn Torah. I want to get a local chavrusa and I am working with my rabbi to find someone who is willing to work with someone at my level. I am willing to pay a rebbe to come to my house and teach me. My wife is fully on board with this. Any help is welcome. Ilovehashem247, I know I’ve said it before, but the person who writes the things you write has come a tremendous distance from the guy who is smoking weed and getting massages. Awed by your exponential growth.

Re: Still work to do but there is always hope! 29 Dec 2022 00:41 #390229

ilovehashem247
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Start here for foundational info

The Coming Revolution by Rav Zamir Cohen
a.co/d/fL6usF7

Thank you for the kind words, but you must understand that it is one and the same person. It is so important not to beat yourself up and let yourself go down because Ithank you for the kind words, but you must understand that it is one in the same person. It is so important not to beat yourself up and let yourself get down because one part of you has a certain drive and struggle.

Hi, my name is ILH and I’m grateful for having to focus just on today.
Easy does it... I don't need to be perfect.
If you figured out my identity, don't be shy, come say hi!
It takes tons of courage to fight the good fight, but we don't have to do it all alone.
My Story: guardyoureyes.com/forum/19-Introduce-Yourself/385922-My-Story-Being-Honest-For-Once

Re: Still work to do but there is always hope! 29 Dec 2022 00:41 #390230

teshuvahguy
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Eerie wrote on 28 Dec 2022 23:18:

Not only is it not nothing, it is everything! It is tons! And don't forget the main point, don't let the YH convince you to feel bad that you have struggles, the struggles are your ticket to all the good things, the struggles are what make you beloved to Hashem, the struggles are what make you special! Never forget how proud you make Hashem that you are fighting. Keep trucking, my holy friend!

Honestly, Eerie…it’s so hard for me to see myself as a good Jew. I tend to focus on all the things I’m not doing and I forget to look at what I am doing. I work so hard on myself to be better all the time. Sometimes depression gets in the way and distorts my view of what’s what. So hearing from others that they see good, that they look at where I was and where I am and see big growth, that helps me connect more with my successes. It’s really valuable to my growth. Thank you!!

Re: Still work to do but there is always hope! 29 Dec 2022 00:49 #390231

teshuvahguy
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iLoveHashem247 wrote on 29 Dec 2022 00:41:

I ordered the book, and thanks for recommending it.

Re: Still work to do but there is always hope! 29 Dec 2022 01:41 #390233

ilovehashem247 OFFLINE Platinum Boarder Posts: 463 Karma: 36	Enjoy! Also anything by rabbi Aryeh Kaplan. “Encounters” (Encounters a.co/d/eTkPooB) is a great start. and very important to learn Halacha. If you are ashkenaz start with this (Kleinman Edition Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Code of Jewish Law 5 Vol Slipcased Set a.co/d/30k7ObJ) if you are Sephardic this is an excellent resource: https://judaicaspot.com/products/yalkut-yosef-17-vol-set
	Hi, my name is ILH and I’m grateful for having to focus just on today. Easy does it... I don't need to be perfect. If you figured out my identity, don't be shy, come say hi! It takes tons of courage to fight the good fight, but we don't have to do it all alone. My Story: guardyoureyes.com/forum/19-Introduce-Yourself/385922-My-Story-Being-Honest-For-Once

Re: Still work to do but there is always hope! 29 Dec 2022 01:47 #390234

teshuvahguy
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iLoveHashem247 wrote on 29 Dec 2022 01:41:

Enjoy! Also anything by rabbi Aryeh Kaplan. “Encounters” (Encounters a.co/d/eTkPooB) is a great start.

and very important to learn Halacha. If you are ashkenaz start with this (Kleinman Edition Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Code of Jewish Law 5 Vol Slipcased Set a.co/d/30k7ObJ)

if you are Sephardic this is an excellent resource: https://judaicaspot.com/products/yalkut-yosef-17-vol-set

Though I have not read Encounters, I’m a big fan of Aryeh Kaplan. And, I am ashkenaz and just ordered the Kleinman kitzur shulchan aruch at the suggestion of my Shul Rabbi! Looks like you think alike! Despite having the Metsudah set of shulchan aruch in the house, my rabbi says the Artscroll is the one to have. Thanks for all the recommendations!

Re: Still work to do but there is always hope! 29 Dec 2022 02:33 #390239

teshuvahguy Current streak: 6 days OFFLINE Platinum Boarder Posts: 417 Karma: 24	Well here’s some good news: 70 days!!! Attachments: cb219e10-2...c0a9.png (206KB)

Re: Still work to do but there is always hope! 29 Dec 2022 18:33 #390276

chancy Current streak: 822 days OFFLINE Platinum Boarder Posts: 517 Karma: 22	Good idea. I love Rav Zamir cohens books. he is amazing. But TG, if you want more in terms of basic judaism, i would advise you to check out chabad.org it is mind-blowingly amazing what they have on their. you can spend weeks reading and watching everything from basic halachos to Kabalistic concepts and not get tired..... I love it.

Re: Still work to do but there is always hope! 29 Dec 2022 18:38 #390277

teshuvahguy
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chancy wrote on 29 Dec 2022 18:33:

Good idea.
I love Rav Zamir cohens books. he is amazing.
But TG, if you want more in terms of basic judaism, i would advise you to check out chabad.org it is mind-blowingly amazing what they have on their. you can spend weeks reading and watching everything from basic halachos to Kabalistic concepts and not get tired.....
I love it.

Hey, thanks, Chancy! Don’t know why I didn’t think of that. I’m not a Lubavitcher, but so what? I can still learn from their site! Great idea.

Re: Still work to do but there is always hope! 29 Dec 2022 18:44 #390278

chancy Current streak: 822 days OFFLINE Platinum Boarder Posts: 517 Karma: 22	Im not a Lubavitcher either. But they have a lot to offer and not just on their site.... They are revolutionary. But lets not get sidetracked here

Re: Still work to do but there is always hope! 29 Dec 2022 19:25 #390279

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chancy wrote on 29 Dec 2022 18:44:

Im not a Lubavitcher either. But they have a lot to offer and not just on their site....
They are revolutionary. But lets not get sidetracked here

You can also try the Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan translation of Derech Hashem. The Derech Hashem is a codification of the system of Judaism, and it goes through how it all fits together in a stunning way.

Off the forum for now.
My Thread (Not for inspiration, but for random bits and pieces of my journey, as well as the inspiring responses of others: guardyoureyes.com/forum/19-Introduce-Yourself/375514-Enough-is-Enough
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Re: Still work to do but there is always hope! 29 Dec 2022 19:30 #390280

teshuvahguy
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jackthejew wrote on 29 Dec 2022 19:25:

chancy wrote on 29 Dec 2022 18:44:

Im not a Lubavitcher either. But they have a lot to offer and not just on their site....
They are revolutionary. But lets not get sidetracked here

You can also try the Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan translation of Derech Hashem. The Derech Hashem is a codification of the system of Judaism, and it goes through how it all fits together in a stunning way.

JacktheJew…just finished my first read of Derech Hashem last week. Need to read it again and again to gain deeper understanding and to retain more in my brain. Was so thrilled with it that I started Daas Tevunos. Amazing stuff. I’m sure I’m only grasping the very basic concepts but I am really getting a lot from the Ramchal. Thanks for the suggestions. Keep ‘em coming!!

Re: Still work to do but there is always hope! 29 Dec 2022 20:00 #390283

chancy Current streak: 822 days OFFLINE Platinum Boarder Posts: 517 Karma: 22	TG, you are not gonna belive this, but i myself also finished the derech hashem for the first time last week..... The Ramchal is second to none!

Re: Still work to do but there is always hope! 29 Dec 2022 20:22 #390286

teshuvahguy Current streak: 6 days OFFLINE Platinum Boarder Posts: 417 Karma: 24	chancy wrote on 29 Dec 2022 20:00: TG, you are not gonna belive this, but i myself also finished the derech hashem for the first time last week..... The Ramchal is second to none! Any special insights from it you saw? I’m sure i didn’t get out of it what someone with Torah education would…so if anything jumped out at you let me know!

Re: Still work to do but there is always hope! 29 Dec 2022 20:25 #390288

DeletedUser1281 OFFLINE Platinum Boarder Posts: 448 Karma: 35	I recommend learning the Derech Hashem with Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb's shiur - if you dare. I finished DH four times. Once on my own, once from R' Ari Bensoussan, and twice from Rabbi Gottlieb. Rabbi Gottlieb can be challenging to follow, but the clarity I gained from his shiur is immeasurable. (As a bonus, he answers questions via email, which I took/take advantage of.)
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