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Having and Being and the Happiness of Sukkot
In this article by Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, she brings down the Orchot Tzadikim to explain that happiness is never about having, it is about being”
“Western society is infused with the right of the pursuit happiness. We hunt it down with relentless drive. Do we find it? I’m not so sure. Sure, no one is happy when they are hungry, cold, in pain, or deprived of companionship. But the tricky part is that being satiated, warm, healthy and surrounded by our fellow homo sapiens doesn’t necessarily guarantee happiness.
Orchot Tzadikim, one of the classic Jewish ethical works, presents us with an interesting theory: Happiness is never about having (possessions, status, friends, etc.); it is about being. Ultimately it is about abandoning the role of a stranger in the universe, and becoming experientially mindful of God’s constant love, wisdom and providence. The result is a continual feeling of serenity and content that is independent of outside factors.
By no means does this mean escapism or denial. It means acceptance of the fact that we are here to elevate ourselves and the world around us, and that we need the inspiration and challenges that God provides for this to happen.”
Read the article to find the seven ways that the Orchos Tzaddim presents to can change our thinking and to bring the happiness of Sukkot into our lives.
Recalibrating Din and Chesed on Yom Kippur; Millennial Jews Start Keeping Kosher; Goat for Azazel
Three Things to Keep in Mind on Rosh Hoshanah
1. G-d is the King and Master of the Universe and we, the Jews, are his primary subjects.
2. Make a greater commitment to recognizing G-d as King as often as possible.
3. Resolve to make G-d consciousness real, with increased focus on Torah, kindness, davening and performing mitzvos.
A K’siva V’Chasima Tova to all and a fruitful Rosh Hoshanah to all.
Connection Before Correction; 5 Potentially Life Changing Habit Findings; Elul
10 Points from “Is the Door Closing on Kiruv?” in the Latest Mishpacha
The latest issue of Mishpacha had an article titled: “Is the Door Closing on Kiruv”. Pere are some points from the article
1. A recent Klal Perspectives’ article claims that half as many young Americans became BTs as compared to ten years ago.
2. A Kiruv activist estimates that the American Kiruv budget is $30 million, eight times the amount in 2000.
3. The intermarriage rate among non-Orthodox is 71.5 percent.
4. Intermarriage makes is difficult to identify halachic Jews.
5. The ‘searcher for answers’ in no more.
6. Anti-Israel sentiment on campus makes involvement appeals based on pride in the Jewish state difficult.
7. Attachment to cell phones has made it difficult for people to become distraction-free at Shabbatons.
8. Spending time in yeshiva is rare because people are hesitant to put their career on hold.
9. The increasing attention that donors pay towards kiruv numbers has pushed some people out of kiruv.
10. Lack of post Teshuva support have hurt those who have taken steps towards observance.
The Chesed Behind Amen; Feminists Finding Frumkeit; High Holiday Teaching Resources
The Shofar of Elul
The Judaism editors of Wikipedia do a fantastic job as evidenced by this excerpt in the entry on Elul:
During the month of Elul, there are a number of special rituals leading up to the High Holy Days. It is customary to blow the shofar every morning (except on Shabbat) from Rosh Hodesh Elul (the first day of the month) until the day before Rosh Hashanah. The blasts are meant to awaken one’s spirits and inspire him to begin the soul searching which will prepare him for the High Holy Days. As part of this preparation, Elul is the time to begin the sometimes-difficult process of granting and asking for forgiveness.[1] It is also customary to recite Psalm 27 every day from Rosh Hodesh Elul through Hoshanah Rabbah on Sukkot (in Tishrei).
We’ve been hearing the Shofar for about a week now and I’m sure many readers of Beyond BT have begun preparing for Rosh Hashanah by trying to take little steps of improvement.
Rabbi Welcher recently gave a shiur on the topic of “The Shofar of Elul”, where he discussed the minhagim and some practical ideas to take advantage of this powerful period in the Jewish calender. The shiur on the Shofar of Elul can be downloaded here.
Free TorahAnytime App Launched; Wanted: A New Mussar Movement; I Love My Seat
Elul: The Rambam on the Message of the Shofar
The Rambam writes in Hilchot Teshuva 3:4:
“Although Shofar blowing on Rosh Hashana is a divine decree, there is a hidden message of the Shofar. The message is for those who are spiritually asleep to awaken, carefully examine their behavior, perform Teshuva, and remember our Creator. Those who forget the truth in the course of daily routines and devote all of their time to temporal matters that have no lasting impact, should ponder their souls, improve their actions and thoughts. Everyone should abandon his evil actions and thoughts.”
The Rambam is writing about Rosh Hashana, but I don’t think he would object to us using the Shofar blowings of Elul as a wake up call.
The Practical Spiritual Growth Project
Introduction
The goal of mitzvos is to develop a deeper connection to Hashem.
If we perform mitzvos and say brachos with more Kavanna, they will have a bigger impact on our connection to Hashem.
Good places to start are with mitzvos and brachos that we perform every day. Here are four daily mitzvos/brachos:
1. Birchos HaMitzvot like Birchos HaTorah, Netilas Yedayim, Tzitzis or Tefillin
2. Birchos Hanehenin before food or drink
3. The first posuk of Shema
4. The start of Shomoneh Esrai
Process
When doing the above mitzvos, try to do them with the Kavanna described below.
After doing this for a few weeks, see whether you feel more connected to Hashem.
1. Say one Birchos HaMitzvot with Kavanna before Birchos HaTorah, Netilas Yedayim, Tzitzis or Tefillin. Have in mind:
a) Hashem is the One who commanded this mitzvah
b) You are the one who was commanded
c) With this act that you are about to perform you are fulfilling this command
Simple explanation of Birchos HaMitzvot
Baruch Atah Hashem – Hashem, the Master of all (who always was, is, and will be), is the Ultimate Source of all blessing
Elokeinu Melech HaOlam – Hashem is the source of all powers in this world, and He is the Ultimate Authority of the World
Asher Kid’shanu B’mitzvosav – Hashem separated, elevated and sanctified us by obligating us with His commandments
V’tzivanu Al – And He particularly commanded us with the mitzvos I am about to perform regarding…
2. Say one Birchos HaNehenin, before food or drink with Kavanna. Have in mind:
a) Hashem is the creator of what you are about to eat
b) You are thankful to Him for creating and providing this food for you
Simple explanation of sample Birchos HaNehenin
Baruch Atah Hashem – Hashem, the Master of all (who always was, is, and will be), is the Ultimate Source of all blessing
Elokeinu Melech HaOlam – Hashem is the source of all powers in this world, and He is the Ultimate Authority of the World
Shehakol Nihyah Bidvaro – everything was created through His word and power
3. Say the first pasuk of Shema in the morning or evening with Kavanna. Have in mind:
a) You are going to perform the Mitzvos of reciting the Shema
b) You are going to perform the Mitzvos of accepting Hashem as the Ultimate Authority over you
c) Think about the first 2 commandments of “I am Hashem your G-d,” and “You shall have no other gods.”
Simple explanation of the first pasuk of Shema:
Sh’ma Yisrael – listen, hear and understand, individual Jews and the Jewish People
Hashem – Master of all (who always was, is, and will be), upon Wwhom all existence is dependent
Elokeinu – Is the source of all powers and the Ultimate Authority of the world
Hashem – Master of all, guides the world to its ultimate purpose
Echad – Everything comes from Hashem, and some day this will be recognized by all and we will reach our ultimate purpose
4. Start one Shomoneh Esrai with Kavanna. Have in mind:
a) You are standing before Hashem and are about to begin your prayer to Him
b) Hashem is the Source and Authority over everything in the world
c) You are small in comparison to Hashem
Track your progress in the following chart
Enter the number of times you did that mitzvah/brocha on that day with Kavanna
_________________________Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
1. Say Birchos HaMitzvot with Kavanna
2. Say Birchos Hanehenin with Kavanna
3. Say Shema with Kavanna
4. Start Shomoneh Esrai with Kavanna
Practical spiritual growth is possible if we just follow the prescription that the Torah provides.
The Season of the Spiritual Growth Mindset
The secular world has recently “discovered” the growth mindset:
Mindset is a simple idea discovered by world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck in decades of research on achievement and success—a simple idea that makes all the difference. In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.
The growth mindset is fundamental to a Torah Observant Jew. Every BT and FFB will tell you, that where you are headed in terms of growth, is much more important than where you came from.
One advantage we have in Jewish Spiritual Growth is that the calendar orients us towards times with increased opportunities. Shabbos provides more potential than week days. Yom Tovim provide additional growth opportunities. And the Yomin Noraim provide the greatest opportunities. In Judaism the 40 days from Rosh Chodesh Elul to Yom Kippur is the definitive spiritual growth season.
But as we know, growth takes effort, and Hashem made us a bit lazy, so we are advised to use the entire Elul runway as we approach Rosh Hoshana, the Ten Days of Teshuva, and Yom Kippur.
In the Practical Guide to Teshuva, Rabbi S. Wagschal writes that the process of teshuvah may be successfully achieved if it is performed in a gradual manner. He suggests that we should begin with improving things we are already doing, like tefillah and brachos.
Tomorrow we will provide some practical ways to leverage the enhanced spiritual growth mindset which we have in these days of Elul.
Education Beyond Parnassah; Colors of Your Tzibbur; Continuing Jewish Ed for QC Women; Mazal Tov to David & Sandy on Rina’s Wedding
Appreciating the Colors of Your Tzibbur
Education Goes Beyond Parnassah
Continuing Jewish Education for Queens College Women
Mazal Tov to David and Sandy Linn on the marriage of their daughter Rina to Binyamin Kanowitz of Kew Gardens Hills.
Naitz Waits for No Man; The Three Processes of our Limitless Mind; Did Anyone Win the War?
Addressing the Shiur Gender Gap; Modern Orthodox Culture Wars; Is One a Number?
Is NuNu a Four Letter Word?; Why Hamas is Still Holding Out; Tisha B’Av To Go
Shabbos Nachamu Retreat with Shaya Ostrov, Rabbi Label Lam, Mrs. Azriela Jaffe
This coming Shabbos Nachamu, August 8th – 10th, Ora V’Simcha, the family division of Ohr Somayach. will be hosting another of their highly acclaimed weekend retreats at the Beit Shvidler Conference Center.
This retreat will afford participants with an extremely inspiring and rewarding program.
Ora V’Simchas weekend retreats are famous for the way in which all their guests are pampered in their 5-star beautiful facility. Catering will be provided by Greenfelds Caterers who have developed an exceptional reputation for their high class gourmet cuisine. Child care program will be led by Rabbi Ari and Mrs. Sari Weber and all of the centers exceptional hospitality will dazzle the guests until the programs conclusion on Sunday afternoon.
Shaya Ostrov, Lcsw author of “The Menuchah Principle” in Marriage and noted relationship therapist will present together with Rabbi Naftali Reich, the director of Ora V’Simcha. The central theme of the Shabbos will be gaining internal Menuchas HaNefesh and recognizing the essential and critical role it plays in our spiritual growth and the emotional health of our family. The focus of all presentations will be to secure the underpinnings of our homes, ensuring that our home environment is suffused with joy and contentment thereby enabling and empowering our children to blossom and realize their fullest potential.
The noted lecturer and author Mrs. Azriela Jaffe is also a key presenter. Her illuminating and engaging presentations have dazzled audiences across the globe. The program will also hear from Rabbi Label Lam whose inspirational addresses always bring the participants to laughter and tears as he describes some of the more hilarious aspects of family life in his imitable way while imparting an important message along the way. Motzai Shabbos entertainment includes a special program for the children. For more details regarding this program or any other Ora V’simcha retreat, please contact Mrs. Kirshner at 845-216-3970 or SK@Oravsimcha.org.
For more details please visit http://www.os.edu/oravsimcha/nachamu
