Shlomo, do you think he would answer email questions and comments on his choson lecture series?
Does he have a sliding scale to meet 1 on 1 and be affordable?
Not sure what your haskama was going on.

Something thought-provoking happened to me:
I put my jacket down, draped over an empty chair across from me,
and sat down to learn in a Beis Medrash, with many more empty seats than filled seats.
An hour or so later, a guy comes and asks me using hand gestures if he can take that chair
and move my jacket to another empty chair. 
O.k. whatever, I don't care. Go right ahead.
But then it occurred to me, that it was so odd that he had to ask me to move my jacket, 
when there were tons of empty chairs around the Beis Medrash. It made no sense!
Oh well, back to learning.
Then, when we got up to daven, I realized that the chair my jacket was on,
was, in fact, one of the ONLY ones without armrests, and this large fellow wanted
specifically, that chair, since it was more comfortable for him to fit in/ sit in/ and learn in.
What seemed so odd and nonsensical at the time, I now understood and it made a lot of sense.
This is a lesson for life that HaShem wanted to teach me!
Many times I don't understand something.
But, in the future, I will understand everything...why it had to be that way.
How everything fits and makes sense.
Interesting, huh?!

great eye opener thanx:
it really is interesting to be able to "see" the real picture and realize that not everything is so black and white

Watson, you are a genius. You figured out a new way to communicate secretly. 
I appreciate both of your last posts AND I appreciate even more 
how and why you decided to delete them.
----------------------
CZ, everything may very well be black and white. 
It's just that what I/we may think looks black, is really white...and vice versa.
We make judgments and think things don't make sense, 
when in reality, they make perfect sense.
------------------------
No learning last night, and went to bed too late 
(growing pains trying to start a new good habit).
But I spent a lot of quality bonding time enjoying my family.
And I didn't do any streaming episodes...still want to.
I had a l'chayim, and actually fell asleep on the couch! 
Not usually such a lightweight. I must have been TIRED.
Eventually made it out of my clothes and into bed.

How I feel great now, is a mystery/Chanuka mini-miracle.
I did have a HUGE steaming mug of coffee mixed with cinnamon and cocoa...yum!
Double digits clean....cane yirboo. I want triple digits. 
Don't worry, I know, I will do it one day at a time (ODAAT) 

(check out the Beis Medrash for a great insight...and check out the Beis Medrash forum too!
Wow, I really am in a good mood today.)

Yosef: Please email me at iam24zman@gmail.com.

I got presents for the whole family.
I got each of them something they wanted. 
That's very nice and warm and fuzzy...
getting them, giving them, seeing everyone's reactions.
But then I read the following, which is just awesome, and must be shared:
"This is the time of year that we shower children with gifts.
This year, let’s take a few moments to focus on the greatest gifts money cannot buy.
1. Time
Children crave time together with loved ones. They’re hungry for positive attention.
Kids seek some type of affirmation of love, of our pleasure when we spend moments with them.
We mistakenly throw toys and electronics at them, thinking that will make them happy,
and then we wonder why they’re whining minutes later.
It’s not the things that matter; it’s what we do with them that counts.
Do we sit down on the floor and play the game, even once?
Do we watch as they try the scooter down the block? Do we delight in the doll?
More presence. Less presents. Time is the one gift that can never be replaced.
Ask your child what he would like to do with you this holiday.
Some children would love to watch a ball game, others to go ice skating,
paint pottery, experience rock climbing or even build a model airplane together.
Whatever it is, when you give the gift of time be sure you give with all your heart.
Don’t seem disinterested. Turn off your phone. Don’t go grudgingly.
You will never regret time spent together. The memory will remain with your child forever.
2. Smile
Sometimes the easiest gifts are the ones we find most difficult.
We smile when we cradle a newborn in our arms or when we’re having a fun night out.
But parenting brings challenges. As our children grow we are stressed and pulled in
so many directions and we forget to smile. The joy is missing.
Even if you don’t really feel it, give your child a smile. Smile when you see him
in the morning and when he comes home from school. Brighten your home,
bring sunshine into the room. Show that you are happy to see him.
When my mother was a little girl in Bergen Belsen, my Zayda told her that
she has a very important mission.
“Here? But I am just a child?”
“Smile at each and every person,” my grandfather said.
“When they will see your smile you will give them hope. You will make their hearts sing.”
My Zayda’s wise words speak to us all. If a child’s smile could bring light
to such a terribly dark world, imagine the joy each of us can create today.
3. Model an Attitude of Gratitude
Stop the complaining. Stop comparing lives. Stop awfulizing.
While it’s true that we have no choices about the situations we sometimes face,
we can choose how we will react. Our children watch us. They hear our griping. They internalize our discontent. They mimic our attitudes. What are we teaching them?
Show me a happy person and I will show you a person who appreciates life.
Gratitude means we develop a positive eye, an ‘ayin tovah’.
We focus on that which is good instead of that which gets us down.
We either allow ourselves to fall into a drama pit of never ending problems
or we pick ourselves up and discover the secret to resilience.
Developing a spirit of optimism is one of the greatest gifts to give a child.
A can-do attitude, an eye for all that we have been blessed with,
instead of constantly comparing and feeling that we fall short.
4. Identity
Children need roots. They need to feel that they belong.
When we give our children an identity we bestow our children with a solid sense of self.
Our culture forges an identity with the brands that we wear,
the type of sneakers on our feet, the cars that we drive.
When our children feel that they are not keeping up with the Goldstein’s,
there’s a sense of inferiority. Sadly, their self-confidence suffers.
Traditions, joyful rituals, pride in our legacy and heritage teaches children
the true source of a greater self. It is not our ‘things’ but rather our spiritual dynasty
[the Avos and Imahos and Tzadikim and Nashim Tzidkonios that are all part of our collective heritage]
that reveals our inner wealth. Holidays and traditions give children time together as a family, 
as well as a positive connection to their roots.
Acknowledging values reinforces convictions that we hold dear.
5. Safe Spaces
Family means loyalty, kindness, sacrifice, and giving.
Our children feel loved when they feel safe. Homes where sarcasm, unkindness,
selfishness and criticism flourish do not allow our sons and daughters to connect.
We must live love. Bonding between siblings, between parents and children
cannot happen if children feel shamed. Constant criticism tears children down.
One of the greatest gifts we can give as parents is creating a home
filled with compassion and gratitude, forgiveness and connection, peace and holiness.
This Hanukkah give your family the greatest gifts.
The gifts of your heart will speak to them long past this holiday season."
Slovie Jungreis Wolff, daughter of Rebbetzen Esther Jungreis

Wow...something to think about and act upon!

Here is another gem, all from a shiur he gave: Rav Fishel Shechter is returning his car lease. And he has to go through a whole inspection. They say he needs to get a car wash. Why would they need him to do that? Then the inspector tells him the point of the car wash, it's easier for us to see the little scratches and the dents on it afterward! 
The Ribono Shel Olam knows what generation we are living in...that we are a living in a very weak generation. In the previous generations, the neshamas were very, very clean, so every little thing showed up. The maaleh of living in this generation is that (you can't dump extra dirt or get dents on purpose, but) every little thing doesn't show up. He doesn't look at every dent. It's not so visible, because He knows the kind of environment we are living in...the world that surrounds us. 

The problem is that we have to realize the koach of our mitzvahs. We have to know that...the koach of our tefilas, of our learning and everthing good we do.
He had to print something. But he didn't know how to print. There was no printer there. So, getting frustrated, he kept hitting the print button, over and over and over. The secretary came upstairs to him and said here are all your papers, stop hitting the print button! We don't realize what every shemoneh esrai does. Every holding yourself back, every davening, every minute we learn something, we don't know what it does! We don't know the koach we have.

The posuk says that Reuven hears what is going on and he saved Yosef. But did he really save Yosef?no 
The Sfas Emes says: he did what he could at that point. To the extent of what he could do, he did his best. HaKadosh Borichu judges us by who we are at trying times...how hard we try, not on success and failure.
If we sincerely try our best, He considers it as done!
We don't realize what our actions do down here.

Next, it says that if Reuven knew that what he was doing would be written in the Torah, had he known, he would have carried Yosef home on his shoulders. The Sfas Emes says that we are all full with this "had I knowns". We see the world in terms of accomplishments. But if Reuven would have realized that it will be written down forever after, then he would have done more. We would go a lot further too, if we understood how far a mitzvah goes, the impact and the power of standing up to a nisayon in shmiras ainayim or any nisayon. We would go a lot further. But to maintain bechira, we are not shown everything.

I'm having another great day. 2 in a row, Boruch HaShem.
It's interesting how every interaction is better when I'm in a good mood.
I've met and talked to a lot of people today,
and I feel I even helped cheer many of them up,
that's how good I feel.
What is going on...and how can I recreate it every day...
or at least way more often?
I don't know. I will have to think about it.
Any ideas?

Someone approached me recently and said: "you look so happy, you have
such a panim meiros [pleasant countenance/lit up, friendly face], 
that I came over and wanted to meet you."
Wow! I thanked him, and we talked. I told him that I am very happy.
Why shouldn't I be, HaShem is so good to me?!

But I don't always feel this way. Emotions and feelings are not just what 
a person intellectually knows is true. 
I mean, it is Chanuka, and I am growing, and learning, and accepting more.
But I feel there might be something more going on causing me to feel so good,
and I want to know what it is, so that I can readily access it in the future.
Any ideas? Can it be bottled so to speak and accessed, or is it just a gift,
and enjoy it?

Sometimes it's a gift to show us that we're on the right path or to give us a pick me up however i think mainly it's from knowing deep down that we're doing the right things and nothing feels better than fixing things done wrong

KOT

just reading old(really old) posts and came across this enjoy

cordnoy wrote:and again...Baruch Hashem!

Much easier to take care of those pesky triggers when one is on a high.

I agree at the same time you have to deal with thisPidaini wrote:Dearest cordnoy,

I just have one problem, let me guess.....you're in a good mood, right?

but what happens when the "weather" is a bit like in London, and then

I think the solution is to recognize that our ability to be "on a high" is dependent solely on ourselves. If we recognize what our mission is so as long as we are breathing and have the ability to accomplish that mission we should be on a high. It's when we lose that focus that things go downhill.

I was thinking about this when I happened to look recently at the iggeres haramban. The ramban starts off by saying: accustom yourself to speak all your words gently, to all people at all times and with this you will save yourself from anger. I was wondering, wait a minute what does my speech or my actions have to do with whether or not this person is annoying me. If I always want to be saved from anger people should stop ticking me off and then I won't get angry. The first lesson I believe the Ramban is teaching us is that our peace of mind comes from within. If we think our happiness will come by fixing everyone else it won't work.

Wishing you much continued hatzlacha

Funny I decided to checkout the original

The entire post you wrote was a quote from ur-a-Jew

Are you not able to quote properly?

Let me see if I can find the instructions...

Ok here it is

ur-a-jew wrote on 29 Oct 2013 18:07:


like this?

and whats with the new sig. please explain

Markz,

How come nine of the links in your signature are working?

Workingguy wrote on 28 Dec 2016 12:39:

Out of how many?
 nine outta 15 is a pretty good statistic!

I just tried some of the links in Mark's signature, and they did work.

What does anybody think of the Torah thoughts in my last couple of posts?
They seem to have left everyone speechless.