By the way, I'm happily surprised by the input that this approach has generated.  I'm glad to see those who've said it's worked for them in the past as that gives me hope that I may be onto something.  And I'm also happy to read about those who had some issues with it as that will help keep me grounded and focused on the right goals instead of just playing this new version of baseball that we all seem so taken by.  I honestly thought this would be somewhere for me to keep count and nobody would really read it.  I'm glad that's not the case as that will hopefully keep me on track and committed to doing it each day.

Today was a good day, Baruch HaShem.  We'll chalk that up as 2/2.

3/3 so far so good!!

I've been learning through mesilas yesharim according to the luach yomi in the back of the green Feldheim edition (starts on Rosh Hashana and goes through the sefer twice throughout the year) and we just finished the hakdama today. Just to keep a topic going for conversation in case anyone wants to chime in, I'll probably write a little thought based on the learning for the day along with my updated score going forward. There's only so much interesting conversation that can be had based on a fraction, even for my fellow number lovers out there. 

You learn it with a Nigun?

I don't learn it with a nigun. Any suggestions?

BEHS wrote on 01 Apr 2016 02:44:

Check this niggun suggestion out

Raise the volume and Keep on Trucking

I primarily post from my phone so I can't access this right now, but im yirtzah Hashem I'll listen to it soon. Don't be shy to check back with me in case I forget. 

5/5 as of tonight, Baruch Hashem.

The last two nights we've started the first perek of Mesillas Yesharim, (yesod hachasidus...) and I was reading some of the notes that I have written on the side of the text.  It seems to me like most people who learn Mesillas Yesharim or give a shiur on it tend to delve into the minutiae.  What's the difference between yesod and shoresh?  Why does the Ramcha"l use double-leshonos essentially throughout the entire sefer?  And while it's more than worthwhile to be me'dayaik in his leshonos, I feel like that has to take a back seat to first just reading the words and understanding them simply.

I had a chavrusa once and I read the first sentence and continued on.  He stopped me and said, "We just read the most famous line in all of mussar and we're not going to elaborate?"  And my answer today would be yes.  Understand what he's trying to tell you on a basic level.  Once you've completely internalized the message that our only purpose in olam hazeh is to do mitzvos so that we can deserve olam habah, then you can go back and try to figure out what exactly is the difference between mabato and magamato.  But if you just focus on the minutiae at the start, you lose the message completely.  You're too focused on each individual word that you don't really notice what you're reading.

Perhaps that's why his introduction says that you shouldn't be finding chiddushim reading through the sefer once.  You can find chiddushim if you're looking for them, but the Ramcha"l explicitly states that we should learn it many times, and throughout those repetitions you can focus on the diyukim.  But first start simply with understanding the concepts.

6/6.  So far batting 1.000

I don't want to make this about our porn/masturbation/sex addiction since it is indeed an addiction which many on GYE point out is different than a yetzer hara.  For some (I imagine most) it started out that way, but now it's much more and requires a much different approach to handle.

That being said, today's portion of Mesillas Yesharim deals with the constant fight that we have in olam hazeh against the yetzer hara.  Yesterday, the Ramcha"l explained that we are in olam hazeh to do mitzvos in order to cling to HaShem and be zocheh to olam habah.  Today he discussed that while we are here, we must constantly fight the yetzer hara in order to transform ourselves into an "adam hashaleim" who can deserve to cling to HaShem.

(I find it somewhat interesting that he presents first the asei tov of doing mitzvos before he discusses the sur meirah of beating the yetzer hara.  But based on what I wrote yesterday, I'd says that's more of a topic for discussion after having first read the sefer a number of times and understood the concepts on a basic level.)

BEHS wrote on 01 Apr 2016 02:30:

I don't see any fractions..
Only whole numbers
(I don't think ".000" qualifies)
Keep it up!

It may be able to be simplified, but technically 7/7 still counts as a fraction.  That's a whole week!!

In today's piece, the Ramcha"l points out that the various objects one finds in olem hazeh are there to be used by man.  If we use them properly, we bring ourselves and the objects/world closer to Hakadosh Baruch Hu.  If we use them improperly, we ruin the world and ourselves along with it.  When He created Adam harishon (possible that the last name Harrison is min hatorah?) He gave Adam a tour of gan eden and pointed out all of the beauty that was created just for Adam.  And He warned him, don't destroy it.

8/8.  Be'ezras HaShem, we're now venturing into areas that are le'ma'aleh min ha'tevah!!  But as we pointed out in the beginning of this thread, that's the point of the whole journey.  Any great and memorable streak or accomplishment must be le'ma'aleh min ha'tevah.  Be'ezras HaShem, it should continue that way.

Today's learning was relatively short and the Ramcha"l even points out that it's essentially repetition as he says, "In summation..."  He reiterates that we are only here in olam ha'zeh as a way of gaining olam ha'bah.  He points out that this is why there are many ma'amarei chaza"l that compare olam ha'zeh to a place of preparation and olam ha'bah to a place of enjoying that which was prepared.

[I've heard that the [i]Ramcha"l[/i] didn't use any extra words in the entire sefer.  This just begs the question why he uses so many double-leshonos throughout, and especially why he would ever say, "Klalo shel davar..."  If what follows is just a summation, by definition it isn't necessary to getting the point across.  It only serves as a review.  But as discussed earlier, the way I'm reading the sefer this time through is how I believe the Ramcha"l intended for it to be read, at least the first time through (although this isn't my actual first time).  Feldheim translation of the introduction: "For it is possible that, after just one reading, the reader will find that he has learned little that he did not know before."  The first time through, you're not supposed to find chiddushim.  The first time through is to remind yourself of these lifelong principles.  Once you've understood the basic messages and internalized them (which is probably never in most cases, certainly my own) then you can move on to dissecting each word.]

markz wrote on 01 Apr 2016 02:58:

Markz,

It's a beautiful niggun for sure, but it's one that I'm going to have to listen to many times before I can truly get into it.  Do you use it for other parts of the sefer or just this line?

I was composed only for that line

I personally found a big chizuk from Mesilas Yesharim - when someone / a Sefer says I'm not going to tell you any chidushim, he's someone worth listening to

Agreed 100%.  I was introduced to it in yeshiva and I read it a few times after, but I haven't really picked it up again until this past Rosh Ha'Shana when I remembered that it had a limud yomi chart in the back.  Most days take about 2-3 minutes.  Some are a little longer, but never more than 10 and more than 5 is pretty rare.  You learn through the entire sefer twice in the year.  I suggest anyone who sees this should follow along with this schedule.  It's in the back of the green Feldheim edition, and if you need the English, this version is super-simple and easy to understand.  While I'd like to think that you can follow this thread and get the gist of the sefer from my summaries, the truth is that reading my understanding of the Ramcha"l's genius (and he was just that) is probably not even a ta'am of what one can get from reading the actual sefer.

[Never thought this would turn into an advertisement, but I really love this [i]sefer[/i].  Maybe I can start charging for ad space on my threads....]

9/9 (plus the Dodgers just swept their opening series with 27 consecutive scoreless innings, which is a new MLB record to start a season).  It's a good day.

In today's section, the Ramcha"l points to the obvious reality that olam ha'zeh can't possibly be the purpose of being created.  It's full of hardships and suffering.  Rarely do you find anyone who's truly happy throughout his life.  And your body slowly deteriorates as you get older.

Furthermore, if you are created for olam ha'zeh, why would you need a neshama?  Your neshama certainly doesn't appreciate even the best that olam ha'zeh has to offer.  The Ramcha"l brings the mashal of the princess who marries a regular person.  No matter how much he tries to impress her, she's used to the palace life.  Nothing he can provide will ever compare.  Any not only is it not impressive, the neshama is repulsed by olam ha'zeh and it actually comes down to your body kicking and screaming.

Rather, it's obvious that we are created to reach olam ha'bah.  That is why we were given a neshama.